Archive for the 'Geek stuff' Category

Re-encrypting WiFi

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

Unfortunately, I had to shut down my open wireless network experiment. That is because I found three people within the span of two days who were both (a) criminal and (b) very stupid.
One thing to remember: if you are going to use open wireless networks to download illegal things, make sure you aren’t sharing your [...]

Consider helium conservation

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

All the helium on Earth arose from natural fission of uranium and thorium in the planet’s crust and mantle. We can access it only through certain natural gas deposits - many of them in Texas - which contain enough of the gas to make it possible to isolate. This is the helium of every high-voiced [...]

Mnemonics for Pi

Monday, July 21st, 2008

The people who memorize thousands of digits of pi generally strike me as more inhuman than impressive - not at such tasks does the normal human mind excel. Nonetheless, being able to recall ten digits or so might allow you to win bets at geekier parties and, if that can be achieved painlessly, it may [...]

The Dark Knight

Monday, July 21st, 2008

Ordinarily, comic book movies are an exercise in the aggressive non-suspension of disbelief, for me. Whether internally criticizing absurd physics or ludicrous plot points, I generally entertain myself more despite them than through them. The Dark Knight was an exception.
I posit two major reasons for this. Firstly, it is a result of the character of [...]

The only question on renewables is when

Saturday, July 19th, 2008

One of the most active debates within the environmental community is how much of our energy we should be getting from renewable sources in the near to medium-term. There are those who assert that it is too scarce or intermittent to provide more than a small share, thus making things like nuclear fission and carbon [...]

Knickbein

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

During the Second World War, the German air force used a system called Knickbein to guide bombers to targets in Britain. Essentially, it consisted of a two radio beams which the planes could fly, allowing them to drop bombs on blacked out cities, deal with bad weather, and otherwise manoeuvre accurately. The beam to one [...]