vobios.tumblelog

i hate the internet, but these are the pieces i like
May 13 '13

Watch High Frequency Traders (HFT) at the millisecond level jam thousands of quotes in the stock of Johnson and Johnson (JNJ) through our financial networks on May 2, 2013. Video shows 1/2 second of time. If any of the connections are not running perfectly, High Frequency Traders can profit from the price discrepancies that result.

(Source: youtube.com)

Tags: money

May 10 '13

Animated GIFs of Earth Over Time

Tags: map google history

May 10 '13

Tags: person cheese

Apr 15 '13
A month-old piglet who was born without the use of his back legs has been given a new wheelchair for Valentine’s Day. Florida piglet Chris P Bacon made headlines last month when his owner and vet, Len Lucero, uploaded a video of him on YouTube. He had made Chris a wheelchair from K’nex toys and, having outgrown his last chair, he has now got a new mode of transport. Eventually the piglet will use a dog wheelchair.

A month-old piglet who was born without the use of his back legs has been given a new wheelchair for Valentine’s Day. Florida piglet Chris P Bacon made headlines last month when his owner and vet, Len Lucero, uploaded a video of him on YouTube. He had made Chris a wheelchair from K’nex toys and, having outgrown his last chair, he has now got a new mode of transport. Eventually the piglet will use a dog wheelchair.

Tags: pig

Apr 13 '13
The Google Graveyard

It’s hard to lose a loved one, especially if that loved one is a Google service. That’s why we’re opening the gates of the Google Graveyard, a virtual space for grieving. Buried in these hallowed grounds are some of Google’s ill-fated services. Some, like Google Reader, lived long, prosperous lives, full of admiration and glory. Most, like Google Wave and Google Buzz, struggled to carve out a place in this harsh, unforgiving world where technologies continuously clash and innovation reigns king. But whether these services transformed our productivity or only polluted our inboxes, they all touched our world in some way.

Tags: google internet

Apr 12 '13
“If you’ve got money you can afford to lose and a penchant for gambling, there’s no better time than now to plow that cash into bitcoin, the alternative currency that plunged in value over the past two days after hitting astronomical highs. Let me be clear: I am not saying that, in the long run, bitcoin is a viable alternative currency. Many sophisticated thinkers have, at great length, established that it isn’t. And I’m not saying it’s a good investment. Bitcoin is far too volatile, and it’s not a good idea to bet on a single asset, anyway. In 2014, the price of a single bitcoin, currently trading at around $70, is as likely to be zero as $1000. What I am saying is that there are plenty of reasons to believe that, as in many other classic economic bubbles, the world is full of “greater fools” ready to continue buying bitcoin and drive up its price again, even in the wake of the latest crash.”
— Now is the time to gamble on bitcoin – Quartz

Tags: money

Apr 1 '13
9-Part Photo Of Tiananmen Square Perfectly Captures China’s Wild Smog Problem

9-Part Photo Of Tiananmen Square Perfectly Captures China’s Wild Smog Problem

Tags: china nature green

Jan 9 '13
“Two years ago, Brown attempted to teach Watson the Urban Dictionary. The popular website contains definitions for terms ranging from Internet abbreviations like OMG, short for “Oh, my God,” to slang such as “hot mess.” But Watson couldn’t distinguish between polite language and profanity — which the Urban Dictionary is full of. Watson picked up some bad habits from reading Wikipedia as well. In tests it even used the word “bullshit” in an answer to a researcher’s query. Ultimately, Brown’s 35-person team developed a filter to keep Watson from swearing and scraped the Urban Dictionary from its memory. But the trial proves just how thorny it will be to get artificial intelligence to communicate naturally. Brown is now training Watson as a diagnostic tool for hospitals. No knowledge of OMG required.”
— Teaching IBM’s Watson the meaning of ‘OMG’ - Fortune Tech

Jan 9 '13
Harry Dent, a financial newsletter writer, has been looking at the Census data, and he’s uncovered something odd about American adults. When we turn 50, we dramatically change our clothes-buying habits. It’s not gradual; gradual is what we’d expect. Instead, the change is drastic. You can see it with men’s shirts. In our early 50s, American men are at the top of our shirt buying game (either buying more shirts than at any other time in our lives, or maybe we’re buying more expensively). Then watch what happens

Harry Dent, a financial newsletter writer, has been looking at the Census data, and he’s uncovered something odd about American adults. When we turn 50, we dramatically change our clothes-buying habits. It’s not gradual; gradual is what we’d expect. Instead, the change is drastic. You can see it with men’s shirts. In our early 50s, American men are at the top of our shirt buying game (either buying more shirts than at any other time in our lives, or maybe we’re buying more expensively). Then watch what happens

Tags: money clothing stat

Dec 31 '12
A pig dives into water in Ningxiang county, Hunan province, on November 15, 2012. Villager Huang Demin drives his pigs to dive into the water from a 3-meter-high platform at least once a day, believing that the diving exercises would improve the quality and taste of the meat. He would later sell the meat of his pigs at three times higher than market prices, local media reported.

A pig dives into water in Ningxiang county, Hunan province, on November 15, 2012. Villager Huang Demin drives his pigs to dive into the water from a 3-meter-high platform at least once a day, believing that the diving exercises would improve the quality and taste of the meat. He would later sell the meat of his pigs at three times higher than market prices, local media reported.

Tags: pig china water

Dec 21 '12
Texas Instruments revealed it would finally upgrade one of its best-loved graphing calculators with a color screen

Texas Instruments revealed it would finally upgrade one of its best-loved graphing calculators with a color screen

Nov 22 '12
“Yes, it’s true that turkey does contain tryptophan, but not a particularly high amount. In fact, all meats contain tryptophan. Tryptophan is just an amino acid—a building block of muscle. Turkey has only marginally more tryptophan than chicken, but not as much as a pork chop. You want a meat that’s really high in tryptophan? Try caribou, also known as reindeer (run, run Rudolph!). In fact, some vegetables even have more tryptophan than turkey. Heck, soybeans have twice the tryptophan as turkey. You’d be better off reaching for a slice of tofurkey.”
— The Turkey-Tryptophan Myth | Psychology Today

Tags: holiday bird turkey

Nov 22 '12

Breaking Bad Thanksgiving

(Source: youtube.com)

Tags: holiday tv

Nov 18 '12

(via tragedyseries)Tags: history

Nov 2 '12
“If President Obama wins Franklin County, Ohio — a critical locale in a critical swing state — on Tuesday, he might want to write a thank-you note to Ohio State’s football team. The Buckeyes defeated Penn State last week, thereby enhancing Obama’s chances of taking central Ohio. This isn’t a guess. It’s science — social science. Research shows that voters in a college team’s home county tend to reward the incumbent presidential candidate after the local team wins two weeks before the election. The effect is often significant.”
— Did your team win? That might affect how you vote. - The Washington Post

Tags: obama ohio election