Beauty in mathematics, in this case, polynomial roots. (via This Week's Finds in Mathematical Physics (Week 285))
Google Puts a Price on Privacy →
Sean Sperte reflecting on the recent changes to Google searches:
It means, though, that Google's privacy policies are being dictated by money. That can't be a good thing.It was a matter of time.
You can be mad at someone who learned how to make the system work exceptionally well for them, but should you get pissed at the system for not paying attention when people circumvent it. That is: should we be mad at Wall Street for doing their jobs exceptionally well, or mad at the governments for doing their jobs exceptionally poor?
When a superconductor is brought to a very low temperature and placed over a magnet it is able to be pinned within the magnetic fields, causing it to levitate.
The future is so cool, especially when it's almost here...
We're below sharks and contract killers.
— Freshman Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) on Congress's 9% approval rating.
Researchers Can Keylog Your PC Using Your iPhone's Accelerometer →
Researchers at Georgia Tech and MIT have developed a proof of concept to demonstrate that it is possible to record a computer user's keystrokes using an iPhone 4's accelerometer. The researchers developed a method to accurately translate the vibrations from typing on a keyboard picked up by the device's accelerometer when placed on a desk near a PC.
Probably cooler than using the accelerometer as a keylogger on a touchscreen phone as I posted last month.
Branding 10,000 Lakes →
One Minnesota Lake. One Logo. Every day.
Impressive endeavor. Possibly my favorite part? Just knowing there's a lake called "Big Ole Lake".
Think Immigrant, Artisan, and Waitress →
Approach the world with the view that nothing is owed you, nothing is given, that you have to make it on your own. Be a person who makes things or provides services with a distinctive touch and flare in which you take personal pride. Leverage what you control to delight the people around you.
The Lecturers' Filibuster →
The University of California last week tentatively agreed to a deal with UC-AFT, the University of California chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, that included a new provision barring the system and its campuses from creating online courses or programs that would result in "a change to a term or condition of employment" of any lecturer without first dealing with the union.
(via Tightwind)
New Hardware Powers Through DNA Tests in Under 3 Minutes →
The Polymerase Chain Reaction, which amplifies specific DNA sequences out of mixtures, has revolutionized molecular biology, enabling DNA-based tests that once took months to be performed in an afternoon. But even an afternoon is pretty slow for some purposes. A team of impatient researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Lab has now managed to cut the time needed for a PCR reaction down from a few hours to less than three minutes.