Weird, random, interesting

[Raithe]

[Amentep]

Seems possibly apocryphal; she was supposedly suggested to Edward Pickering by his wife as having skills being wasted as a maid (she'd briefly been a teacher in Scotland). He employed her to do some part time work and proving adept at that, Pickering taught her how to do observations and had her lead a team of (human) computers observing the skies.

Her work - and that of the other computers - is currently being preserved so that scholars can actually study their observations directly after being rediscover in about 20 boxes.

[Gromnir]

not quite the same as the maid bit, but reminded us o' Rosalyn Sussman Yalow (1921–2011)

"In 1977, Rosalyn Yalow became the second woman to win a Nobel prize in medicine for co-developing radio-immunoassay (RIA), a groundbreaking technique that uses radioactive isotopes to quickly and precisely measure concentrations of hormones, vitamins, viruses, enzymes, drugs, and hundreds more substances. The technique is so sensitive that it can detect a teaspoonful of sugar in a body of water 62 miles long."

from her nobel bio:

I was excited about achieving a career in physics. My family, being more practical, thought the most desirable position for me would be as an elementary school teacher. Furthermore, it seemed most unlikely that good graduate schools would accept and offer financial support for a woman in physics. However my physics professors encouraged me and I persisted. As I entered the last half of my senior year at Hunter in September 1940 I was offered what seemed like a good opportunity. Since I could type, another of my physics professors, Dr. Jerrold Zacharias, now at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, obtained a part time position for me as a secretary to Dr. Rudolf Schoenheimer, a leading biochemist at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S). This position was supposed to provide an entrée for me into graduate courses, via the backdoor, but I had to agree to take stenography. On my graduation from Hunter in January 1941, I went to business school. Fortunately I did not stay there too long. In mid-February I received an offer of a teaching assistantship in physics at the University of Illinois, the most prestigious of the schools to which I had applied. It was an achievement beyond belief. I tore up my stenography books, stayed on as secretary until June and during the summer took two tuition-free physics courses under government auspices at New York University.

one o' the great scientific minds o' the 20th and at numerous turns her family and s'posed mentors kept pushing her away from physics. 

is hard to imagine how much human capital has been wasted over the centuries 'cause o' stoopid prejudices.

HA! Good Fun!

[ComradeYellow]

China unveils 600 km/h Transrapid train - Asia Times

Yeah baby.

[Raithe]

[Raithe]

For the economics discussion...

[Raithe]

[Malcador]

19 minutes ago, Raithe said:

Because **** you, I got mine ?

[Hurlshort]

I finally learned how my new car works:

 

[Gromnir]

2 hours ago, Hurlsnot said:

I finally learned how my new car works:

 

we knew how it worked, but am admitting we were curious 'bout hydrogen storage. unlike the impression one might be left with watching tv and movies, gasoline don't just spontaneously explode when a person looks at it funny. 'course we also know that unlike liquid gasoline, hydrogen dissipates extreme quick, so in spite o' volatility, we weren't certain 'bout dangers. regardless, we had never bothered to look for info regarding hydrogen storage, so thanks.

HA! Good Fun!

ps we do wish the video woulda' covered battery end o' life and recycling issues. lithium batteries is not eco friendly when they eventual need be disposed. am not knowing much 'bout platinum batteries and their disposal or recycling.

Edited August 10, 2021 by Gromnir

[ComradeYellow]

 

[Raithe]

[Raithe]

[Guard Dog]

NYPD arrests woman for walking dogs off leash
 

I take my dog with me literally everywhere I go. I cannot remember the last time I had her on a leash. But she’s calm and she has been well trained. Reading a story like this makes me thank God I live where I do. There was a song from the 80s that went “just send me to hell or New York City it would be about the same to me“.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Guard Dog

[Raithe]

[Gromnir]

36 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

NYPD arrests woman for walking dogs off leash
 

I take my dog with me literally everywhere I go. I cannot remember the last time I had her on a leash. But she’s calm and she has been well trained. Reading a story like this makes me thank God I live where I do. There was a song from the 80s that went “just send me to hell or New York City it would be about the same to me“.

first, the title is misleading

The parks department reportedly said that she "became confrontational and did not cooperate when asked for identification information" as the reason they handcuffed her.

now admitted, am thinking arrest is too much, but options become limited when a jerk won't comply with those democratic passed laws gd hates so much.

second, people like gd drive us nuts. we has taken in more than a few rescue dogs, and while they is reasonable well trained, they frequent have personality quirks. would never bite a person, but another strange dog running up to them is gonna cause a response.

"don't worry, my dogs are friendly," is shouted by the nice young lady approaching us with her bounding canines as Gromnir grits his teeth and prepares for the worst.

our shouted rejoinder, "my dogs aren't," is, as often as not, ignored. 

sure enough, the friendly dogs come running up to our dogs and then chaos ensues when one o' our leashed hounds gets all snarly and angry. is no problems if your dogs and our dogs is leashed. is only a problem 'cause o' the, "my dogs are calm and well trained," don't have their animals leashed around animal and human strangers. 

if am out in the sticks and there is no chance we will come across other folks, then sure, we would let our well-trained and friendly dogs roam free, but as soon as we see other people, we leash, 'cause am knowing some people are deathly afraid o' dogs, 'cause sh!te happens, and 'cause afterwards the guy whose dogs weren't leashed always says, "but my dogs are usually so well behaved."

HA! Good Fun!

ps am similar infuriated by the shocking number o' people who ask if it is ok to pet our dogs as they is already reaching out to pet our dogs. such folks deserve to get a few stitches, but would nevertheless be our dog facing, at a minimum, some kinda doggie quarantine and the possibility o' being euthanized.

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by Gromnir

[Guard Dog]

Well in Sunny’s defense I don’t set her up to fail by putting her in a situation to where her friendliness or curiosity would get the better of her. For example I take her to places like Kroger and tractor supply, but we don’t actually go in the store. Curbside pick up has been the greatest shopping innovation since the cash register in my opinion.
 

There are two restaurants in town we are semi-regulars at. Both of them have outside dining. More accurately picnic tables on a wood porch outside these are not fancy places they are mom and pop barbecue and pizza joints. Whether or not she is allowed at the outside picnic tables is kind of a gray area. But I wouldn’t put them in the position to tell me no by taking her inside. Plus they always give her a bowl of water and some grilled chicken. 

I take her in the post office all the time. But usually I’m only there to get my mail and it’s usually after the office has closed.

The little true value hardware store in town I take her in there all the time. All the people who work there know her and call her by name.

small-town life is very different than what you have to deal with in Sacramento. People coming up and wanting to pet her it just doesn’t happen. But I would never take her to a busy park or somewhere where kids are likely to be around. I am 100% sure she would be her happy fun-loving friendly self and nothing bad would happen. But it’s also not something I would take a chance on. So I guess it comes down to this. I take her everywhere I go usually off leash, but I won’t go anywhere she might get into trouble.

[Gromnir]

8 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

 

small-town life is very different than what you have to deal with in Sacramento. 

am not sacramento. am dozens o' miles east o' sacramento in a small and gated community which has a number o' small lakes as well as a branch o' the american river running through the property. for many years the only "store" within a dozen miles were a single gas station. 

"it doesn't happen," is always the response right up until it does. one kid too young to know better. one adult too arrogant to consider the possibilities. only takes one.

HA! Good Fun!

Edited August 13, 2021 by Gromnir

[Malcador]

1 hour ago, Guard Dog said:

NYPD arrests woman for walking dogs off leash
 

I take my dog with me literally everywhere I go. I cannot remember the last time I had her on a leash. But she’s calm and she has been well trained. Reading a story like this makes me thank God I live where I do. There was a song from the 80s that went “just send me to hell or New York City it would be about the same to me“.

I like the bit about being 'confrontational', heh.  I guess it was good it wasn't a black man walking the dogs.

[rjshae]

[Zoraptor]

Bold of anyone to think that we won't need more footnotes than just * and † the way things are going.

[rjshae]

15 hours ago, Zoraptor said:

Bold of anyone to think that we won't need more footnotes than just * and † the way things are going.

Perhaps, but then it is a comment on existing data rather than speculative.

[rjshae]

The T-Mobile Data Breach Is One You Can’t Ignore

I just signed up with them, and now I get to regret it. 

[Raithe]

[Guard Dog]

CNN documentary on Preppers coming

I heard about this a while back. Figured it would be a total hatchet job. Maybe not.