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- The base rate fallacy
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- Unclaimed Antarctica
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Monthly Archives: August 2011
Hacking PIN pads using thermal vision
There is a mission in the first Splinter Cell computer game where you have to use your thermal vision to read a keypad code entered by a guard. Researchers from University of California San Diego have now shown that this … Continue reading
Centre of mass in extreme sports
All projectiles follow similar paths (trajectories) called parabolas. The exact trajectory followed depends on the launch angle and speed, but all have similar characteristics. In order to travel as far as possible the launch angle should be 45°. These parabolic paths … Continue reading
Tagged projectiles, sport
2 Comments
The physics of the Kinect
The Microsoft Kinect is a peripheral for the Xbox 360 that does away with the need for a conventional controller — instead the player’s body and voice become the controller. The Kinect sensor consists of: 640×480 pixel visible light camera 640×480 pixel infrared camera Four-microphone … Continue reading
Percent, permil and basis points
I only recently discovered the permil (cf. percent), a typographic character that enables you to give a fraction equal to one part in one thousand without using a decimal point. For example 12.3% = 123‰ (“twelve-point-three percent is equal to … Continue reading
Tagged mathematics, typography
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Whole aeroplane parachutes
Some pilots wear parachutes when they fly, in case they have to bail out of a malfunctioning aircraft. But what if you wanted the aeroplane itself to bail out? Unlike parachutes for humans, whole aeroplane parachutes are deployed balistically; they are … Continue reading
Tagged aeroplane, aircraft, parachute
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Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize
I entered the Wellcome Trust’s Science Writing Prize that ran in conjunction with the Guardian and unfortunately didn’t make the shortlist. I’m quite proud of the piece I put together so I’ve put my entry, SNIFing out Rogue Nuclear Reactors, … Continue reading
SNIFing out rogue nuclear reactors
This was my losing entry for the Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize. The search for hidden nuclear reactors has traditionally been an intelligence operation run by organisations like the CIA and the SIS (formerly MI6), but in future it might … Continue reading
Yearly variations in the storage of CO2 by plants
The maps below show the production of carbon dioxide by plants versus its absorption. The greenest areas are those that are storing the most carbon, where plant growth is greatest (grey areas indicate no plant life). The map above shows the … Continue reading
Tagged climate, map
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24-hour star trails
Star trails are created when the shutter of a camera is left open whilst pointed towards the sky; as the Earth rotates the stars etch out a path. In a twenty-four hour period the Earth would complete one complete revolution and … Continue reading
Tagged astronomy, polar
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Hacking QR codes
QR codes are becoming quite popular, especially in advertising. Photo by infovore But QR codes have a security flaw — it’s not too difficult to turn one QR code into another with just a bit of OHP film and some Tippex. Obviously I don’t … Continue reading
Tagged QRcode
23 Comments
UK Energy Mix
A lot of people get confused between the electricity they use and the energy they use. It’s easy to forget that the majority of people use natural gas for heating (e.g. a gas-fired central heating system) and cooking and petrol for … Continue reading
Tagged climate, electricity, energy
2 Comments
Horns
I did not realise that some vehicle horns really are exactly that: horns.
Tagged car, sound, transport
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Snapping off Hubble’s handrail
When Shuttle mission STS-125 arrived at the Hubble Space Telescope to repair its Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) instrument, astronaut Mike Massimino encountered a problem removing a handrail from Hubble’s exterior. So NASA told him to tear it off with … Continue reading
Tagged nasa, shuttle
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