Pages

▼

2020/07/11

Neatorama

Neatorama

Can An Ancient Greek Armor Protect You From A Bullet?

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 02:31 PM PDT

To protect their soldiers from getting wounded by the weapons used in their time, the Ancient Greeks during the time of Alexander the Great developed this suit of armor made out of layers of linen glued together by animal fat. The said armor is capable of deflecting arrows. It can also reduce the impact of sword blows on the wearer's body. But how does this ancient technology fare against modern weapons, such as new arrows and guns? You might be surprised at how comparable this armor is to a light kevlar, when it (the armor) is 5 times thicker.

It doesn't fare well against fire, however, as it is flammable because of the animal fat.

Via The Awesomer

(Image Credit: How To Make Everything/ YouTube)

Making a Great Movie Boring

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 01:11 PM PDT

Twitter user Romina asked people to give a short description of a movie and make it sound boring. Movie buffs jumped on the assignment. The best of them are 1. boring, and 2. make it obvious what movie they are referring to, at least to people who watch movies. The reply above didn't really need a picture.

See a lengthy collection of the best replies at Bored Panda. See hundreds more at the Twitter thread.

1,000-year-old Pet Cat Found on the Silk Road

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 01:11 PM PDT

Life is not easy for solitary cats, no matter what era they live in. Any illness or injury, as well as malnutrition, can mean death. So it was a surprise for a team of archaeologists to find an almost-complete skeleton of a cat at a 8th-century settlement in southern Kazakhstan. The intact skeleton means it had been buried, as if someone had cared for it, which was an exceedingly rare find. Dr. Ashleigh Haruda explains more.  

Haruda worked with an international team of archeologists and ancient DNA specialists. An examination of the tomcat's skeleton revealed astonishing details about its life. First, the team took 3-D images and X-rays of its bones. "This cat suffered a number of fractures, but survived," says Haruda. Isotope analyses of bone samples also provided the team with information about the cat's diet. Compared to the dogs found during the excavation and to other cats from that time period, this tomcat's diet was very high in protein. "It must have been fed by humans, since the animal had lost almost all its teeth toward the end of its life."

Read more about this discovery at PhysOrg. -via Strange Company

(Image credit:  Ashleigh Haruda/MLU)

When Idealistic New Englanders Moved to Kansas Territory to ‘Put an End to Slavery’

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 01:10 PM PDT

In the 1850s, political forces were splitting the US in the lead to the Civil War. Abolitionists were campaigning against slavery, people were reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, and women were organizing for the right to vote. Meanwhile, the federal government was trying to deal with the vast expanses of land that the US owned, but had yet to control.

It was in this divided atmosphere that the May 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act opened the Kansas and Nebraska territories to settlement and eventual statehood. The assumption was that Nebraska Territory would become a free state, while Kansas, under the sway of its pro-slavery neighbor Missouri, would become a slave state. The Act infuriated Northerners because it undid the Missouri Compromise of 1830 and allowed for the expansion of slavery.
 
But the assumptions of the Act were disrupted by the social movements and civil rights discussions occurring in New England. An organization called the New England Emigrant Aid Company hatched a bold plan to transport New England settlers to the open hills and plains of Kansas Territory in 1854 and 1855, for the purpose of voting for Kansas to become an anti-slavery "free state." In line with the ideals of the American Renaissance in New England, the principal founder of the Company, Eli Thayer, wrote that its goal was "to go and put an end to slavery."

Thayer wanted to establish as many New Englanders as possible in Kansas before the Kansas-Nebraska Act was signed a year after its passage. It wasn't easy, as travel was arduous, and passing through pro-slavery Missouri was downright dangerous. Read about the Yankee emigrants who settled Kansas at Zocalo Public Square. -via Damn Interesting

(Image credit: Library of Congress)

This AI App Evaluates Tuna Cuts

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 01:10 PM PDT

When it comes to eating sushi, a fatty tuna is what makes the experience great. Because of this, fish buyers dedicate at least a decade of their life trying to learn how to determine which tuna cut is fatty and which isn't. But if you don't have the time to train yourself in tuna examining, then this app called Tuna Scope, developed by Dentsu Inc., might help.

The firm trained the machine learning algorithm that powers the software using thousands of images of tuna tail cross-sections. The cut can tell human buyers a lot about the quality of fish they're about to purchase. In testing against human experts, Dentsu claims it found the app gave the same grade more than four out of five times.
The app is currently in use by one company, conveyor belt sushi chain Kura Sushi. The restaurant buys the majority of its tuna outside of Japan. Part of the reason the company started using the app is that it allows its employees to grade tuna without traveling. That's a significant perk during the current pandemic. Moreover, conveyor belt restaurants in Japan tend to offer the least expensive sushi, so there's a cost-saving aspect at play as well.

Traditionalists, however, are skeptical of the app. But for the average man, this app would certainly be useful.

What are your thoughts about this one?

(Image Credit: Dentsu/ Engadget)

What Is This Bride Doing?

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 01:10 PM PDT

The bride can be seen to be talking with someone on her phone, while her laptop sits on her lap. A few seconds later, the groom appears on camera and sits besides her. It appears that he is also interested in what makes his bride occupied during the wedding. The video, however, does not reveal what she is doing, and this prompted many Twitter users to theorize what's really happening.

What are your thoughts about this one?

(Image Credit: Dinesh Joshi/ Twitter)

Screening Applicants Using Social Media

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 01:10 PM PDT

Creating a good resumé might no longer be enough when applying for jobs, as companies no longer just look at a person's resumé — they also look at a person's social media activity, a process known as cybervetting.

These were readily available information in the form of raw data and metadata, meaning what they had posted, when and how; analytics information that would require processing, for example, results of sentiment analysis or topic modeling of an applicants' posts; and information related to users' online social network that is often used for social network analysis, for example who follows whom on social media.

The question is, are people okay with this method? It turns out, the responses are mixed. Some are worried, while some are not.

More details about this over at TechXplore.

What are your thoughts about this one?

(Image Credit: Pixabay)

How Prosperity Transformed the Falklands

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 01:10 PM PDT

What do you know about the Falkland Islands? The British territory off the coast of Argentina was difficult to cultivate, and was only good for raising sheep. It was so far away from Britain that only people with little other choice went there, and they lived an almost-medieval existence. Then in 1982, the world learned of the Falkland Islands when Argentina invaded, ostensibly to "liberate" the islands. The war made the islands' declining economy worse, but it made the British pay attention to them.  

After the war, the wretched condition of the Falklands attracted international attention, and Britain allotted the islands more aid money than it ever had before. It passed a nationality bill that granted Falkland Islanders full British citizenship, and it gave the islands independence in all matters except foreign policy and defense. The islands would be run not by the governor but by their legislative council; this would consist of eight elected members, though there would be no political parties—there was no need, since most people had known one another all their lives. There was already a local court, and since it was difficult to assemble a jury in which no one was related to the defendant, the bailiff was empowered to step outside and collar more potential jurors literally off the street.

But the turning point that changed everything was Britain's decision, in 1986, to permit the Falklands to claim fishing rights to the waters for a hundred and fifty miles offshore, which it had not allowed before for fear of antagonizing Argentina.

The prosperity that resulted from fishing led to prosperity from tourism, and new immigrants came to settle in the Falklands. Read a short but fascinating history of the Falkland Islands at The New Yorker. -via Metafilter

(Image credit: amanderson2)

Dog Comforts Cats Who Lost Their Mother

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 01:10 PM PDT

Losing parents at such a young age just might be the most devastating and the most emotionally painful experience one can have in this life. It would be really difficult to live life knowing that those who cared the most for you are already gone. Thankfully, there are those who would try to comfort you and make your life less painful.

A miniature golden retriever named Poppie, who lives in Colorado with her cat fostering humans, gently comforted an orphaned litter of kittens who needed reassurance after their mother died. Poppie lovingly rubbed her nose against the little ones who came up to her and even gave one kitten a cleaning much in the way a mother cat would do.
Neither the kittens nor Poppie like being separated from one another for too long.

Now that's love right there.

Via Laughing Squid

(Image Credit: poppieseedmuffin/ Instagram)

EXP TV: 24-hour Weirdness

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 01:09 PM PDT



If you've watched every movie on Netflix and are tired of binge-watching ancient TV shows, there is a new alternative. EXP TV is an internet channel that streams obscure content 24/7. It's sort of a combination of Adult Swim and Everything is Terrible, as if you've taken a leap into the rabbit hole of YouTube. The daytime programming is called Video Breaks, while the nighttime fare is called Night Owl.

What treasures would reward the loyal Video Breaks viewer?  Ventriloquist dummy sales demos, Filipino Pinocchios, LSD trip-induced talking hot dogs, Liberace's recipe tips, French synth punk, primal scream therapy seminars, Deadhead parking lots, empty parking lots, Israeli sci-fi, scary animatronics, teenage girls' homemade art films, Belgian hard techno dance instructions, Czech children's films about UFOs, even Danzig reading from his book collection. And that's all in just one hour!

We've been collecting obscure media for decades, but we've sorted through it all and cherry-picked the funny, the bizarre, the relevant, the irrelevant, the visually stunning, the interesting, the infamous, the good, the bad and the fugly.  We've done all that so the viewers don't have to.  They get to kick back and experience the sweet spot without having to dig for rare stuff themselves or sit through an entire movie waiting for the cool part.



EXP TV is not video on demand; you cannot select what to watch, it just streams like an old-fashioned TV channel. But there is a guide so you can plan your day around it. Dangerous Minds interviewed EXP TV founders Tom Fitzgerald, Marcus Herring, and Taylor C. Rowley to give us an overview of EXP TV so you will know what to expect. Oh yeah, it's free.

SNES X PS1 Hybrid, Anyone?

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 11:58 AM PDT

The infamous "Nintendo PlayStation" is one of unreleased consoles that a lot of people would pay heaps of money for should it be released. Since releasing that console is quite impossible, one person was able to build a unit composed of the SNES' Satellaview attachment and some components of a PlayStation 1, as Kotaku details: 

something from the same era that's even rarer is Nintendo's repeated efforts to create a CD-ROM add-on for the SNES, which ultimately came to nothing
That add-on was supposed to clip underneath an existing SNES console, just like Sega went and did with its Genesis/Mega CD combo, and while we still haven't found one (if any prototypes ever existed in the first place), LASTFANTASY (via Attract Mode) has gone and built a pretty good likeness of one using a SNES, its Satellaview attachment and the guts of a PlayStation 1.


image via Kotaku

Do You Know Which Video Game Platform Is Right For You?

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 11:58 AM PDT

So maybe you're interested in spending your free time playing games. However there are a lot of consoles out there on the market, each offering different games. So what would be a good first gaming console to invest in? IGN lists the details and specs of each available game console on the market. Check out the full article here. 

image via IGN

What’s The Worst Place In New York?

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 11:58 AM PDT

Twitter users have been labeling Penn Station as the worst place in New York City. Some called it their "hell on earth," even. Penn Station is a transit hub that sits below Madison Square Garden, and it has major dungeon vibes, as Time Out details: 

For the uninitiated (if you've somehow managed to dodge Penn Station in your time as a New Yorker), the transit hub, which sits just below Madison Square Garden, is home to three different railroads: Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and Long Island Rail Road. With the entirety of the structure's above ground portion demolished in 1963 to make way for Madison Square Garden, it's pretty much devoid of sunlight. Garishly lit with low-ceilings and pigeons hanging out overhead, some would say it has major dungeon vibes. 
During the daily rush hour, confusing signs have tourists walking in circles, seasoned commuters shove and shoulder each other as their assigned train tracks appear on the big board. Hundreds race down cramped stairs to tunnels even further underground.



image via Time Out

Are Gamers Ready To Face Unsatisfying Endings?

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 11:58 AM PDT

One of the reviews on The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is that its ending was a bit too anticlimactic and lacking. That point seems understandable, as players spent one hundred plus hours pouring their heart and soul into exploring the vast land of Hyrule, unlocking every story-related quest, and defeating all the required bosses to clear the game only to get a short cutscene for an ending. The trend of gamers being unsatisfied with endings seems to carry over to The Last Of Us 2. The game's ending has left a lot of gamers disappointed: 

I am perplexed. To me, this seems like the only way TLOU2 could have ended well. Yet, the census from the masses is that the game teases you with a climactic ending, only to fizzle out with a sad, pathetic fight. Which, yes, it does exactly that, yet it's so fitting – a pathetic scrap between two people worn down to their cores, by years of vainly seeking to heal their trauma. This is a beautifully fitting ending to a cautionary tale of revenge, but many say they would have preferred it if Ellie got her revenge. As if the game hasn't spent hours showing you that Abby gained nothing from enacting hers.
This is saddening because, like Firewatch, this ending is designed to make the player reflect. I know I, like Ellie, wanted Abby's head on a pike for most of the story – Especially since the game, despite its best efforts, does a pretty poor job of making me care for Abby – but the ending gave me reason to pause and think. Was it ever really worth all this effort?



image via Medium

Someone Copied The Legend of Zelda

Posted: 10 Jul 2020 11:57 AM PDT

There's a game titled Final Sword in Nintendo eShop that looks oddly familiar: it looks like the Legend of Zelda. But it doesn't just look like the latter; it even sounds like it! Perhaps the only differences of Final Sword are the frustrating game bugs, as well as the bad choice of sound that its developers used when the player falls to his death, as well as the ugly music on the "game over" screen.

There's plenty of Dark Souls in the main character's animation, and a boss fight with a dragon shows the creature posing just like its counterparts in Skyrim as it breathes a blast of fire. Several Japanese gamers have noted similarities to Monster Hunter as well. But perhaps the game Final Sword is most blatantly, oh, let's call it "taking inspiration" from for the look of its menus and outdoor environments, is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Heck, even the game's covers look incredibly alike…
[...]
But what's really gotten Final Sword in trouble isn't how much it looks like Zelda, but how it sounds like the beloved Nintendo franchise. Not long after its release earlier this month, players started noticing something very familiar about a certain piece of background music in Final Sword…

And so it got pulled from Nintendo's eShop.

More details about this story over at SoraNews24.

(Image Credit: blizdliz/ Twitter)
@

No comments:

Post a Comment

Keep a civil tongue.