Archive for October 1st, 2009
You Asked:
How is coal turned into electricity? — Darlene, Fort Gibon, Okla.
Marshall Brain Answers:
Most large power plants today work the same way. A source of heat is used to turn water to steam. The steam feeds into a steam turbine to make it spin. The spinning turbine turns a large generator that produces electricity.
In [...]
How does an electrical power inverter work?
by Marshall Brain | October 1, 2009
You Asked:
How does an electrical inverter work? — Ozone, Owerri, Nigeria
Marshall Brain Answers:
An electrical inverter, also known as a power inverter, is a box that converts DC (direct current) electricity to AC (alternating current) electricity. The most common form of power inverter that we see on a day-to-day basis is the kind that converts 12 [...]
Why is it so difficult to separate ‘vampire’ from ’sex’?
by Tracy V. Wilson | October 1, 2009
October is one of my favorite months. The temperature drops, leaves turn, and suddenly it becomes way more socially acceptable for adults to show up in public places wearing costumes. On top of that, the impending arrival of Halloween gives me a great excuse to spend my working hours researching zombies, werewolves and ghosts. It serves up food for thought for my colleagues, too. Earlier this week, one co-worker posed a question: Why are vampires and sex so inextricably linked?
A Twitter user in the United Kingdom has been posting under the name of right-wing political blogger Donal Blaney. Perhaps he or she should’ve picked someone who wasn’t as familiar with the law — since the real Blaney’s a lawyer. His firm delivered what BBC News said is the first court order ever served over Twitter at 7:30 p.m. British Standard Time.
Though I haven’t seen the order, I’m assuming it’s longer than 140 characters. So Griffin Law sent a direct message to the faux Blaney with a link to the full text. The BBC said the order says that the impersonator is breaching Blaney’s copyright, must reveal his or her identity, delete all posts from the account and stop posting as Blaney.
Though delivering a court order over Twitter may seem sort of groundbreaking, the laws in the United Kingdom permit delivery of orders via e-mail or fax.
Notorious Ring of Fire Keeps Earning Its Name
by Allison Loudermilk | October 1, 2009
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 rocked Sumatra last night, killing hundreds of people. As the Indonesians turned to the grim task of cleaning up — wham — another earthquake registering 6.6 struck.
Earlier in the week, we heard about how a tsunami ravaged American Samoa, leaving residents scrambling for high ground with very little warning.
Good Question – Where did our universe come from?
by Marshall Brain | October 1, 2009
Where did our universe come from? The following video looks at the latest scientific theories to answer the question:
Today we will try to paint an accurate picture of the universe based on the Lambda cold dark matter model, which is the best cosmological model today.
More info [...]
Recently, I was introduced to three intriguing words: “pole of inaccessibility.” A pole of inaccessibility is a place on Earth that’s difficult to reach — generally because it’s either really far from land or really far from sea. For example, the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility (aka Point Nemo) is out in the middle of the ocean — not so easy to reach by car.
But the truth is — I got interested in these poles primarily because their names imply they’re playing hard to get. I thought: What is it that they have that’s so great? Why do they have to be so aloof about it? Who do these inaccessible poles think they are?
Turns out, one of the inaccessible poles thinks it’s Lenin — Vladimir Lenin.
1) Arial & Helvetica
2) Thermaltake’s Jaw-Dropping Level 10 Chassis Unboxed!
3) Mexican industrial designer Victor M. Aleman has developed a concept fully collapsible, folding bicycle
4) Eye-Candy Bicycles: 45+ Awesome Examples
5) The Mojito shoe concept
6) OGC unveils new logo to red faces
7) Forget “Shrink It and Pink It”: the Femme Den [...]
In this illusion, things change color and then disappear:
Green Catastrophe
If your eyes follow the movement of the rotating pink dot, you will only see one color, pink.
Green Catastrophe: If you stare at the black + in the center, the moving dot turns to green.
Reality Shatter: Now, concentrate on the black + in the center of [...]
Let’s take a break from missiles, mayhem and global destruction today and instead have a little fun with the wonderful world of crackpot theories. Yes, I’m talking about the beloved Crackpot Index devised (and copyrighted) by mathematical physicist John Baez and one of the hosts over at the n-Category Cafe blog. In a 2008 “This American Life” interview, the scientist said he’s seen at least 100 different crackpot theories in his day, so he seems well-equipped to develop such a scoring system. Go see it and score your crazy theory yourself (and report back).
Here are a few of my favorites among the 37 different criteria that Baez lists.
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Interesting Reading #414 – The tiniest computer, hearts really can break, family pays $5,000 per year for connections, New font saves ink and much more…
- Public Service Announcement – Soft drinks nearly double your chances of pancreatic cancer
- Amazing – Going inside the Giant Crystal Cave
FanStuff
- What’s art — and what’s groundbreaking — in video games?
- Ursula K. Le Guin vs. Google Books: Round Two
- “Lost,” “Fringe” and That Whole Alternate Universe Thing
How-to Stuff
- How to Take a Road Trip, Abraham Lincoln-Style
- How to Explain Love in the Least Romantic Way Possible
- How to Quiet a Barking Dog
ScienceStuff
- Space Music Vol. 8: Sun Ra and Afrofuturism
- Stuff from the Science Lab Roundup: Space Eats and Grow Houses
- Why does time fly as you get older?
Stuff You Should Know
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
High Speed Stuff
- The Toyota Recall: Where can you get the latest information?
- What is Toyota doing to fix its gas pedal problem?
- High Speed Stuff Wrap-up: Automotive Pet Peeves and Polar Vehicles
Keep Asking
- How does an airbrush work?
- Is the Internet free? If you want to make a website, will it cost you to put it online?
- If you look at a piece of glass from an angle, why does it have a bluish or green tint?
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Last Week in History Podcasts: Battle Horses and Black Moses
- The Wonderful Adventures of the Nurse We Forgot
- Black History Month on HowStuffWorks
