throwaway1239Mx
Joined 8 years ago
Karma
132
Submissions
27
Member since
Aug 14
Recent submissions
Comment · 5 years ago
working link: https://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0205297
Comment · 5 years ago
I've tried reading lights, but the backlight on my kindle is much better for preserving night vision. I think it may also make less of an impact on ease of falling asleep... just to add my $0.02!
Comment · 5 years ago
> Now, 1% may not sound like a big deal. After all, there is almost no reason for excitement or concern when you lose 1% of your total mass.
I... Really? Y'all ok with just losing a randomly selected pound or two of flesh? I think that'd be pretty exciting, and not in a good way.
Comment · 5 years ago
Came here to comment on binary finger counting; found it'd already been said!
I have trouble with some positions due to the ring/pinkie connection, but for me it's more of an internal count anyway, so something like counting a 'down' finger as '1' instead of '0' makes it a lot more comfortable, or even '1' is finger touching a surface, '0' is not - which can involve moving a digit only a few mm or so.
The 1023 thing does require fine motor control of at least ten appendages, though even legs-arms-tongue gets you to 32, if a bit inconveniently.
Comment · 5 years ago
I have finally settled with a standing desk and an Ikea Ingolf bar stool - basic flat wood seat, no padding. As a 6'4" person, many chairs are awful, create pain, etc., but I love this setup.
The idea that having a slightly less comfortable chair would lead to more movement has proven true. It's also relaxing enough to sit in when I'm tired of standing up, but not super comfortable to slouch in, so it encourages better sitting posture.
Comment · 5 years ago
I realize this is a bit late, but Rephial is no longer updating - http://angband.oook.cz/forum/showpost.php?p=152370&postcount...
Most activity is on the forum at oook.cz or the github releases page, though Rephial was once the official source. A new landing page is probably in the works...
Comment · 5 years ago
I've always enjoyed reading BC's endnotes about the research he did for each book almost as much as the actual story. :D
Comment · 5 years ago
The book series by Bernard Cornwell is also excellent, if you enjoy that sort of thing. The books have a fairly well defined structure (one may even consider them formulaic), but he appears to have done a lot of detailed research into day-to-day life of that time, and happily shares it with the reader. Not quite Neal Stephenson level of digression, but not far off. I haven't read his Sharpe novels, but the Archer's Tale books and his version of King Arthur are similarly enjoyable.
Comment · 5 years ago
I have this vague hope that maybe the 'top comment' position is also based on number of replies, not necessarily upvotes, but then... the discussion itself is pretty sobering. The current program cost relative pennies, proved to be effective at both helping people and freeing up police workers to focus on crime/traffic-related issues. More effective use of city tax $$$$ through targeted spending of $. Seems like a win win win. Anyway, I agree with this particular branch of the discussion-tree.
Comment · 5 years ago
Making things more accessible rarely has a downside for folks who don't need it in my experience, and often has an upside. My favorite example is doorknobs - think of a round doorknob vs one with a lever.
People with broken/missing fingers/hands or fine motor impairments will have a much easier time opening a door with a simple lever vs gripping and turning a round doorknob, and so will a person with two fully intact hands who is also carrying groceries.
(edit: corrected italics)
Comment · 5 years ago
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/10/09/the-score
This is linked in OP, but gives very slightly more detail around how the score was actually popularized, and what Apgar's career looked like. (Plot twist, she wasn't "just" a practicing anesthesiologist, but the founder and head of a whole new Anesthesiology dept. at Columbia) I think the short version is that she published a paper in 1953, and managed to get obstetricians using the scale in a competitive spirit, but I am still curious about how it was marketed (just publishing a paper is rarely enough to get something publicized, afaik).
She also carried around a scalpel and tubing for giving passers-by emergency airways (tracheotomy?), and apparently did so over a dozen times.
Comment · 6 years ago
for context, the same thing posted 13 hours later: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24617571
(what's the secret to both comedy and online rati - TIMING!)
Comment · 6 years ago
Like many here, I don't have questions either, but the Explorabook and Kid's Shenanigans were life changing for me. I always wanted a copy of Earthsearch, but some parts of it really stuck with me from copies I saw in the store (like the spinner and rice game). Thanks for the great memories and fun things learned! I can still hang a spoon off my nose, and can't wait to share with my kid. :)
Comment · 6 years ago
As of 2020, the US population is ~327000000.
The UK population is 63000000
[Source: Wikipedia]
Now, do some division. That's ~1 assault on a LEO per 2990 people in the US and ~1 assault on a LEO per 2100 people in the UK.
So assaults on LEO per capita are 26% greater in the UK.
Of course, it is also important to look at the number of LEOs in each state (in the sense of country, not US state).
From [0] there are ~686000 LEO in the US, or 1 per 479 people. From [1], there are ~123000 LEO in the UK, or 1 per 512 people.
So there are 6% fewer LEO per capita in the UK than the US, but the assaults on LEOs happen 26% more often per capita.
So how is it more dangerous in the US again?
[Edit: forgot sources! my bad.]
[0] https://www.statista.com/statistics/191694/number-of-law-enf... Actually, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detect... suggests 808,000 LEO in the US, which makes the per-capita LEO even higher in the US. Population data is hard.