portrait-photo

Tempus fugit

Diamonds in my own back yard This poster of Cloacina, Roman goddess of sewers, came to my attention via the following progression of websites: ~The Skoll Foundation ~Sanitation Updates blog, and a depressing post about the effects of privatizing sewage systems in Malawi and Ghana (helped along by Gates Foundation grants) ~Cloacina dot org, a sewage start-up in Portland, Oregon ~A tumblr post by WNYC RadioLab, with a variety of sewage posters, including the image above, of the goddess herself, Cloacina ~My final destination, the links page of SewerHistory.org located in Tucson, Arizona, and due south of me, in Phoenix! All posters were created with the support of the Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department and the Arizona Water Association.

Diamonds in my own back yard

This poster of Cloacina, Roman goddess of sewers, came to my attention via the following progression of websites:

  • ~The Skoll Foundation
  • ~Sanitation Updates blog, and a depressing post about the effects of privatizing sewage systems in Malawi and Ghana (helped along by Gates Foundation grants)
  • ~Cloacina dot org, a sewage start-up in Portland, Oregon
  • ~A tumblr post by WNYC RadioLab, with a variety of sewage posters, including the image above, of the goddess herself, Cloacina
  • ~My final destination, the links page of SewerHistory.org located in Tucson, Arizona, and due south of me, in Phoenix!

All posters were created with the support of the Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department and the Arizona Water Association.

scienceisbeauty: The today’s Doodle goes to the great Leonhard Euler, born 306 year ago. After the fact, yet still spectacular.

scienceisbeauty:

The today’s Doodle goes to the great Leonhard Euler, born 306 year ago.

After the fact, yet still spectacular.

(via scumdogsteev)

Via thisisnotsustainable: “Airplane Graveyard” The caption is misleading. In fact, this is an aerial photograph of The Pima Air Museum in Tucson, Arizona. It is a wonderful place to visit! There are seven decades of commercial/ passenger planes, and a few non-combat military aircraft on display. This IS sustainable These decommissioned, out of service aircraft are not #junk, nor #scrapsteel as thisisnotsustainable tagged the image. Ironically, they are the very opposite! By the kindness of private donations and people who love air transport and design, The Pima Air Museum has been open to be public, as an educational science museum for children and adults for 40 years. The museum is well maintained. There are tours for different levels of knowledge. Many of the planes’ interiors, engines and turbines are on display. There is a section of the museum that is indoors, where the more detailed, newer exhibits are kept. Boneyard not graveyard If the planes were turned into scrap metal, that would be lamentable. The outdoor section of The Pima Air Museum is referred to by locals as “The Boneyard”. Other than that, the similarities between thisisnotsustainable’s description, of an “Airplane Graveyard”, couldn’t be further from the truth. Even elderly planes have placards describing the spec’s of each, their historical context in time and location (some were manufactured and used in other countries besides the United States). The museum is a great destination for a field trip. Get some exercise, walking in the clean, dry desert air on the south-east outskirts of Tucson, and learn about science and history, if you’re so inclined. A visit, a map and a review I viisted The Pima Air Museum several times. I was even inspired to write a review of it for Google Places, formerly Google Maps, which I don’t do too often! I wish there were more organizations like this one, that re-purposed older technology for educational and recreational purposes, at minimal cost.

Via thisisnotsustainable:

“Airplane Graveyard”

The caption is misleading. In fact, this is an aerial photograph of The Pima Air Museum in Tucson, Arizona. It is a wonderful place to visit! There are seven decades of commercial/ passenger planes, and a few non-combat military aircraft on display.

This IS sustainable

These decommissioned, out of service aircraft are not #junk, nor #scrapsteel as thisisnotsustainable tagged the image. Ironically, they are the very opposite! By the kindness of private donations and people who love air transport and design, The Pima Air Museum has been open to be public, as an educational science museum for children and adults for 40 years.

The museum is well maintained. There are tours for different levels of knowledge. Many of the planes’ interiors, engines and turbines are on display. There is a section of the museum that is indoors, where the more detailed, newer exhibits are kept.

Boneyard not graveyard

If the planes were turned into scrap metal, that would be lamentable. The outdoor section of The Pima Air Museum is referred to by locals as “The Boneyard”. Other than that, the similarities between thisisnotsustainable’s description, of an “Airplane Graveyard”, couldn’t be further from the truth.

Even elderly planes have placards describing the spec’s of each, their historical context in time and location (some were manufactured and used in other countries besides the United States). The museum is a great destination for a field trip. Get some exercise, walking in the clean, dry desert air on the south-east outskirts of Tucson, and learn about science and history, if you’re so inclined.

A visit, a map and a review

I viisted The Pima Air Museum several times. I was even inspired to write a review of it for Google Places, formerly Google Maps, which I don’t do too often!

I wish there were more organizations like this one, that re-purposed older technology for educational and recreational purposes, at minimal cost.

Sovereignty and preservation

This is an answer of mine on Quora. I wish I had not spent so much time and energy there. I just read an old post by Scott Hanselman, though not about Quora in particular. He said to own your content. Online, that means running and storing everything on your own server. In my dramatic way, I’d call that

Server sovereignty

Scott is correct. It is the most reliable way of ensuring content preservation.

Read Quote of Ellie Kesselman’s answer to Adolf Hitler: Where is Hitler’s body? Where did he die? on Quora

Maps Of Sandy Island: British map, 1922. Sandy Island is a non-existent island near New Caledonia (Nouvelle Caledonie). Scientists have recently confirmed that it does not exist. Notwithstanding this, Sandy Island has been featured on many maps throughout history, including presently on Google Earth. On the other hand, many maps have not featured this non-existent island. With thanks to the awesome David Rumsey Map Collection. British cartographers, in 1922, did excellent work, far better than the Italians and Soviets that followed over the next 50 years. David Rumsey is indeed awesome! He won a nice award from Stanford University recently, which I posted as a link on Reddit. Or perhaps his foundation sponsored an award to a cartographer-librarian at Stanford? I need to double check, as the foundation was associated with an estate i.e. someone deceased. Exceptional Map #2 coming up next.This is an all-around exceptional news story, which Maps of Sandy Island tumblr is covering admirably well!

Maps Of Sandy Island:

British map, 1922. Sandy Island is a non-existent island near New Caledonia (Nouvelle Caledonie). Scientists have recently confirmed that it does not exist. Notwithstanding this, Sandy Island has been featured on many maps throughout history, including presently on Google Earth. On the other hand, many maps have not featured this non-existent island.
With thanks to the awesome David Rumsey Map Collection.

British cartographers, in 1922, did excellent work, far better than the Italians and Soviets that followed over the next 50 years. David Rumsey is indeed awesome! He won a nice award from Stanford University recently, which I posted as a link on Reddit. Or perhaps his foundation sponsored an award to a cartographer-librarian at Stanford? I need to double check, as the foundation was associated with an estate i.e. someone deceased. Exceptional Map #2 coming up next.

This is an all-around exceptional news story, which Maps of Sandy Island tumblr is covering admirably well!

A Dutch merchant ship in Edo

Source: iisg.nl via Lika on Pinterest

Buckling spring by yxejamir on Flickr. Someone got a new Unicomp SpaceSaver keyboard, replete with buckling spring design. For a more comprehensive perspective, Computer World pulled together a pleasing “Evolution of Computer Keyboards” gallery. It starts well, with my favorite, indestructible, very clickety-clackety IBM Model M keyboard circa 1980. Better yet, go directly to the article about computer keyboard development chronology. It is full of embedded links with  additional historical details, all the way back to the early-days look of those rounded-corner electric typewriters. Some were  even teal-blue colored; a little odd but not bad looking.

Buckling spring by yxejamir on Flickr.
Someone got a new Unicomp SpaceSaver keyboard, replete with buckling spring design.

For a more comprehensive perspective, Computer World pulled together a pleasing “Evolution of Computer Keyboards” gallery. It starts well, with my favorite, indestructible, very clickety-clackety IBM Model M keyboard circa 1980. Better yet, go directly to the article about computer keyboard development chronology. It is full of embedded links with  additional historical details, all the way back to the early-days look of those rounded-corner electric typewriters. Some were  even teal-blue colored; a little odd but not bad looking.

Paen to conscientious and civilized Civil Engineering This photo, via kosmograd, is a view of the Chrysler Building on East 42nd Street, between Grand Central Station and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. The date attached to the photo is 2010. To the best of my knowledge, it looks the same today. History The Chrysler Building is an historical landmark, as publicly perceived and as formally designated by the U.S. National Register of Historic Buildings. It is 77 stories tall, with 8 banks of 4 elevators each. Unlike other skyscraper projects of the time, there were no fatalities during the two year construction of the building, from 1928 to 1930. The interior and exterior were designed in a beautiful and authentic art deco style. The Chrysler Building briefly held the record as the world’s tallest building, prior to the Empire State Building’s completion in 1932. The land underneath the building is owned by Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, an engineering school in lower Manhattan. Title to the land was donated to the school in 1902, with the express intent that revenues generated would fund full scholarships for all students of Cooper Union, located 35 blocks south, in Greenwich Village. When the owner of Chrysler Motors decided to build on the land in the 1920’s, he and all others who have subsequently “owned” the building have actually had 100 to 150 year lease agreements with Cooper Union. Detail of the original Chrysler Building automotive eagle-styled gargoyles, and in situ to this day. CC/2.0/nc-sa/ by BobcatNorth, on Flickr Now By 1998, the Chrysler Building needed some work. Renovations were arranged and overseen by Tishman-Speyer, a New York property management company. Improvements included the Edward Turnbull mural on the lobby ceiling, entitled Energy, Result, Workmanship and Transportation, which underwent a museum-quality restoration. Measuring approximately 100 feet by 76 feet, it is one of the largest canvas murals in the world. All restoration work was completed in 2001. The Chrysler Building still serves its original purpose, as a rental space office building. It still holds the record as the world’s tallest brick building, although the frame is steel. The brick exterior is not load bearing. Cooper Union’s name remains on the deed for the Chrysler Building. Associated revenues continue to finance 100% of the tuition for every Cooper Union engineering student.

Paen to conscientious and civilized Civil Engineering

This photo, via kosmograd, is a view of the Chrysler Building on East 42nd Street, between Grand Central Station and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. The date attached to the photo is 2010. To the best of my knowledge, it looks the same today.

History

The Chrysler Building is an historical landmark, as publicly perceived and as formally designated by the U.S. National Register of Historic Buildings. It is 77 stories tall, with 8 banks of 4 elevators each. Unlike other skyscraper projects of the time, there were no fatalities during the two year construction of the building, from 1928 to 1930. The interior and exterior were designed in a beautiful and authentic art deco style. The Chrysler Building briefly held the record as the world’s tallest building, prior to the Empire State Building’s completion in 1932.

The land underneath the building is owned by Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, an engineering school in lower Manhattan. Title to the land was donated to the school in 1902, with the express intent that revenues generated would fund full scholarships for all students of Cooper Union, located 35 blocks south, in Greenwich Village. When the owner of Chrysler Motors decided to build on the land in the 1920’s, he and all others who have subsequently “owned” the building have actually had 100 to 150 year lease agreements with Cooper Union.

Eagle Gargoyles on the Chrysler Building

Detail of the original Chrysler Building automotive eagle-styled gargoyles, and in situ to this day. CC/2.0/nc-sa/ by BobcatNorth, on Flickr

Now

By 1998, the Chrysler Building needed some work. Renovations were arranged and overseen by Tishman-Speyer, a New York property management company. Improvements included the Edward Turnbull mural on the lobby ceiling, entitled Energy, Result, Workmanship and Transportation, which underwent a museum-quality restoration. Measuring approximately 100 feet by 76 feet, it is one of the largest canvas murals in the world. All restoration work was completed in 2001.

The Chrysler Building still serves its original purpose, as a rental space office building. It still holds the record as the world’s tallest brick building, although the frame is steel. The brick exterior is not load bearing.

Cooper Union’s name remains on the deed for the Chrysler Building. Associated revenues continue to finance 100% of the tuition for every Cooper Union engineering student.

A Math Genius’s Sad Calculus

via matthewmaddux:

via Adam Kirsch:

As Mandelbrot illustrates in his memoir, there are many rewards out there for an elite mathematician—university chairs, corporate research jobs, and conference junkets—but fame is not usually one of them.

His uncle, Szolem Mandelbrojt, was a star of French mathematics in the 20th century, but he looked with suspicion on the kind of acclaim Benoit received when he published his 1975 book Fractals and its popular successor The Fractal Geometry of Nature in 1982.

“There are 15 people in the world who read everything I write,” Szolem told his nephew. “That is enough. I find that very comforting.”

A Walk Through Time

If the link in the title doesn’t work, or takes you elsewhere, try this permalink via Physics at nist.gov: The Evolution of Time Measurement through the Ages. 

Be forewarned, this is a worthwhile little online exhibit of about five webpages. Don’t expect any amazing visuals, though, as there are only some small black and white, kind of low-grade sketches mostly.

The content makes for a quick read. A lot of information is packed into a little space. Better yet, it is surprisingly digestible and easy to retain.

A NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory Presentation

NIST is The National Institute of Standards and Technology, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST is more commonly known to some of us as the keeper of crytographic hash algorithms, namely, SHA-2 and the newly introduced SHA-3.

I’ll have more on SHA-3 later.