News and other tidbits that Chad Cloman finds interesting enough to share
This is the story of a heavily misused Social Security number. I’d read about this in a fiction book, but wasn’t sure if it was actually true or not.
Link: http://www.ssa.gov/…
(via digg)
We’ve all seen airplane contrails, but here’s what they look like up close. Wow.
Link: http://www.airliners.net/…
(via digg)
The linked article has meanings for six non-English expressions, such as ‘ad hoc’, ‘vis-à-vis’, etc. While all of them are familiar to me, several did not mean what I thought they meant.
Link: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/…
(via digg)
This site has some nifty flight tracking tools. I like how it combines weather radar with flight tracking, so you can see how the flights are diverted to miss storms. Try an airport code of “KDEN” for the Denver, CO area.
Thanks to Josh for this topic.
Link: http://flightaware.com/
Don’t believe your inkjet printer when it tells you the ink cartridges are almost empty. This study determined that the average cartridge is half full when it’s thrown away. Admittedly the study was biased, but still…
Link: http://arstechnica.com/…
Blockbuster has taken a side in the high-definition DVD format war, opting to go exclusively with Blu-ray. This could be a big factor in deciding which format makes it in the long run.
Link: http://www.foxnews.com/…
(via Kim Komando)
No matter what you do, there always seems to be side effects.
RFID chips keep getting tinier and tinier. These latest ones from Hitachi are thinner than a strand of hair, yet are able to transmit a 38-digit identification number. I believe RFID tracking technology will become ubiquitous in the next few decades, to the point where future generations take it for granted.
Thanks to Josh for this topic.
Link: http://www.popsci.com/…
Are you a legitimate mass emailer who has problems getting your messages past spam filters? Well there is a solution. Five major ISPs will guarantee delivery for a fee of $0.0025 per message.
Link: http://arstechnica.com/…
For the discerning consumer, here’s a benchmark DVD that will show any weaknesses in that high-priced HDTV you’re thinking of purchasing.
Link: http://www.hqv.com/
(via Consumerist)
I’m all for à la carte cable television, where consumers get to choose (and pay for) only those channels they want to receive. I can understand why the cable companies are reluctant to provide this service, but I don’t see why the FCC has been dragging its heels. It really seems like a no-brainer.
Link: http://arstechnica.com/…
The perfect city car, powered by compressed air, with a range of 125 miles and a top speed of 68 MPH. Looks like they won’t be sold in the US, but let’s hope the technology makes it here eventually.
Thanks to Josh for this topic.
