Video: 24 Hours of Global Air Traffic

global-air-traffic-videoThis video is awesome! Some guys from the Zurich School of Applied Sciences built a simulation to display every commercial flight in the world over a 24-hour period. According to Wired:

While the map may look complex, Dr. Karl Rege tells us he and his team found it surprisingly simple to assemble using data readily available on the internet. “We used a commercial website called FlightStats to gather global flight and schedule information,” he says. “So there was no need to contact the different airlines.”

The team mined FlightStats for the departure and arrival times of every commercial flight in the world, then plugged it all into a computer to assemble their simulation. For the sake of simplicity, they assumed every plane traveled at the same speed and every flight took the most direct route to its destination. Then every flight was assigned a position on a Miller cylindrical projection, which is similar to a Mercator Projection but doesn’t distort the poles so much.

Keep an eye out for the day and night lines in the video. It’s interesting to see how traffic patterns change by time of day.
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This Man Can Literally Fly – Wingsuit Base Jumping

wingsuit-base-jumpingWhen I think of really crazy things that people decide to do, they usually involve activities that could end in broken bones and stitches. Well, then there are truly insane things people do such as methamphetamines or maybe wingsuit base jumping!

What? You don’t believe me? Well, take a look at these psychos who jump off of perfectly good mountains for the sole purpose of acting like a flying squirrel! They don winged jump suits that essentially just have fabric between the arms and body as well as connecting their legs, and then they make like a human lawn dart. You’ll see…
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A Direct Comparison of Picasa for Mac vs. iPhoto

picasaYesterday was the day I’ve been waiting on for months. Google finally released the popular, and FREE, Picasa image management software for the Mac!

Let me explain. You see, a while back I was forcibly converted to the Mac at work. At first I complained. A lot. But later it grew on me. Now, even though I hate to admit it, I have to say I actually prefer the Mac for most computing operations. One of the things that I did not enjoy, however, was the pathetic iPhoto software which was pretty much the only game in town for Mac users… until today.

So, Picasa, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: [Read more...]

I Knew It! Third Hand Smoke is Killing Me!

second-hand-smokeI’m allergic to smoke. By allergic, I don’t mean that it simply bothers me. I mean, if exposed to smoke my lungs and throat swell shut. I have to literally take steroids to breath freely (after getting the hell away from the smoke obviously), and a ton of anti-histamines to keep my nose from shutting down and running like a faucet.

So, most of my friends that smoke know not to get near me when they’re doing it, and kindly go have a cigarette elsewhere before getting near me. But of course they always come to talk to me right after they have one, and then all that crap lingering in their lungs fills the room I’m in. And it bothers me. Not as bad as if they were actually smoking – but about 30% as bad. Still, I don’t say anything about it because I don’t want to sound like an asshole.

Well, a group of doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term “third-hand smoke” to refer to the heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that come out of smoker’s lungs and get ingested by kids and non-smokers around them. Their study was just published in the Official Journal of Pediatrics. So to all of you parents who “only smoke when the kids aren’t around”, guess what. You’re still killing them.
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Castro’s Cuba Leaves Nothing to Be Admired

fidel_castroI have a very close friend (who shall go unnammed) that seems to admire Fidel Castro. Well my friend, I came across this post at IBD editorials about Cuba’s 50 years of failure, and I just had to share it!

Spare us the fireworks and media-parroted claims of Fidel Castro’s dictatorship bringing universal health care and education to Cuba. The real story is that a prosperous Cuba was turned into ruins in just five decades.

Its inflation-adjusted gross domestic product is a mere 5% of what it was in 1958, the year before Castro took over, according to Jorge Salazar-Carillo of Florida International University.

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A Visit to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ Abandoned Vaults

dallas-federal-reserve-bank-vaultHere is a special treat for you guys. Last week I got the opportunity to take Cali and Neal from GeekBrief.TV to visit the old Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Dallas, they brought their cameras so everyone could tag along. Why were we there, you may ask? Well, the Layered Tech datacenter in Dallas is located in the very building that was the old Federal Reserve Bank, which is now designated as a City of Dallas historic landmark.

The seven-story building was originally completed in 1921 to house the United States Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The Beaux Arts-style limestone building established Dallas as a center for economic development in the Southwest prior to World War I. The Bank significantly expanded and modernized the property in 1959. Its distinctive architectural style and detailing led the city of Dallas to designate the building a historic landmark in 1979.
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UPS vs. FedEx – Funny Pic

I know that UPS and FedEx are rivals, but this is getting ridiculous!

Religulous – Bill Maher’s Impassioned Argument Against Religion

religulousBill Maher seems to be following in Michael Moore’s footsteps by putting out a movie called Religulous. This film, which I’m certain will prove to be extremely divisive, makes the case that the most dangerous force on earth is religion.

Maher’s ultimate message is simple: Abandon religion… or we’ll all die.

In the clip that follows, Maher lays out the foundation of this statement. Here are a few choice quotes which I believe pretty much sum things up:

  • “If one believes that the world is going to come to an end, does it not drain one’s motivation to improve life while we’re here?”
  • “Religion must die for man to live.”
  • “Faith means making a virtue out of not thinking.”
  • “Those who preach faith and enable and elevate it are intellectual slaveholders.”
  • “Religion is dangerous because it allows human beings, who don’t have all the answers, to think they do.”
  • “The only attitude for man to have about the big questions is not the arrogant certitude that is the hallmark of religion, but doubt.”
  • “The solace and comfort that religion brings you, actually comes at a terrible price.”

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Use A Diver’s Pad in the Shower to Make Notes!

Diver's Slate in the ShowerI don’t know about the rest of you, but when I’m in the shower it seems like I’m always coming up with good ideas – or at least thinking of things that I need to do. The problem is, I’ll think of five things… but by the time I’m done I can only remember two!

Well, I was watching a show with some divers in it when one wrote on a notepad to communicate with another and it hit me! That is how we can make notes in the shower! So, I ordered a large underwater dive slate from Amazon and gave it a try. Guess what… it’s perfect!

You can just use a normal pencil and eraser on the pad, which works out very nicely. I would also advise purchasing a small suction cup with a hook on it so that you can attach it to your shower wall and leave it hanging there.

So if you have this same problem, now you’ve got a solution for under $10. Enjoy! Oh, and please let me know how it works out for you if you actually buy one…