tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54208022024-03-13T08:18:55.815-04:00Marshall Brain's BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger736125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-52109898094798774802008-07-21T02:30:00.002-04:002009-04-03T04:47:36.815-04:00Raleigh - The City of the FutureRight now, Raleigh, NC doesn't really have a theme. Vegas has gambling, Orlando has its amusement parks, Washington DC has history and museums. But Raleigh isn't really known for anything. With a new civic and convention center getting ready to open, this lack of identity hurts the city.Here are a web site and article that contemplate a new possibility. What if we turn Raleigh into the City of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-57921717551411493522007-09-28T07:49:00.002-04:002009-04-03T04:46:45.022-04:00I've moved to Blogs.howstuffworks.comMy daily blogging has moved to:blogs.howstuffworks.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-35075572415405007252007-09-28T07:45:00.000-04:002007-09-28T07:48:23.989-04:00I've moved to Brainstuff.howstuffworks.comMy daily blogging has moved to:Brainstuff.howstuffworks.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-50445517426834807822007-07-14T08:23:00.001-04:002007-07-14T08:23:44.145-04:00Do Car Manufacturers Drive Up Repair Costs?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-47973911774882692792007-05-22T06:59:00.000-04:002007-05-22T09:03:52.654-04:00Prosthetic arm tipsAfter watching these videos, a question comes to mind: This is 100-year-old technology (cables and rubber bands) - Can we come up with something better? Or is this one of those things, like steering wheels, where we arrived at an optimal solution in terms of cost/reliability/functionality very quickly?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-2008160205943820242007-05-17T02:19:00.000-04:002007-05-18T14:27:11.693-04:00Kassam (Qassam) rocketsKassam rockets have been landing in Israel this week. From a technical standpoint, these rockets are interesting because they are simply oversized "candy rockets" that model rocket enthusiasts launch all the time. To learn more about candy rockets, read this article in PopSci:Rocket foodas well as this article:Recrystallized Candy rocket propellantThis article provides more detail on the actual Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-35007547237178718512007-03-20T06:16:00.000-04:002007-03-20T08:41:30.211-04:00The amount of pet food made in the United StatesThis week the news broke that a certain brand of pet food seems to be causing kidney failure and killing pets. Here's a typical story:Pet owners nervous over the fallout from tainted foodIt's an interesting story from several different angles. There is the emotional angle, obviously - no pet owner wants their dog or cat dying. There's the mystery angle - the fact that pets are dying and no one Unknownnoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1171367860680236072007-02-13T06:55:00.000-05:002007-02-13T06:57:41.353-05:00A New Theory of Climate ChangeIt has been really interesting reading the back-and-forthing on this topic:An experiment that hints we are wrong on climate changeCosmic rays blamed for global warmingThe thing that is most interesting about science is that we learn more every day...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1171368036859444912007-02-02T06:58:00.000-05:002007-02-13T07:00:36.906-05:00Description of the iPhoneThis article changed the way that I look at the iPhone:Apple's New Calling: The iPhoneUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1169209673458422832007-01-19T06:40:00.000-05:002007-01-19T16:09:25.480-05:00The questions kids askAs you may know, I have four kids, ages 9, 6, 4 and 4. One of the things that I didn't really understand about kids before I became a parent is that kids ask a shocking number of questions everyday. Another thing that I didn't really understand is the fact that one of your most important jobs as a parent is taking the time to answer these questions. Because the answers you give are often helping Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1169127501713540652007-01-18T06:28:00.000-05:002007-01-18T08:39:08.000-05:00You know it is going to be a good day when......you wake up, check your email, and you get a nice note like this:Dear Marshall,I am an sophomore undergrad at MIT right now, and if you asked me one year ago I would tell you that I had no passion for learning. You might ask how it is I got into MIT. The answer is by rote memorization. I always knew I was smart, but all through high school and up to last semester of college, I passed with Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1169664559004585612007-01-17T01:47:00.000-05:002007-01-24T13:49:19.636-05:00Want to buy a mountain?Came upon this while researching a newspaper article:Vermont ski area for saleUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1167917302570554672007-01-04T08:26:00.000-05:002007-01-04T08:29:03.450-05:00It is amazing what humans can accomplish......when they put their minds to it:Whooping cranes finally whoop it upFrom the article:The whooping crane, the tallest bird in North America, whose numbers dwindled to fewer than 20 in 1941, is not only back from the brink of extinction but also thriving -- a comeback story, federal wildlife officials say, that illustrates how a coordinated conservation effort can save a species."The whooping Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1167835677022148042007-01-03T06:46:00.000-05:002007-01-03T09:48:29.253-05:00It is amazing what humans can accomplish......when they work together. Think about everything that was necessary to pull this off....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1166891171135170572006-12-23T05:25:00.000-05:002007-01-03T10:01:48.286-05:00OLED watchInteresting what you can fit into a watch these days:Great watch, Awesome display!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1166802089476435532006-12-22T06:40:00.000-05:002007-01-03T09:43:30.863-05:00Engadget How-tosSome of these are really useful:Engadget How-tosUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1166589360469371522006-12-19T21:06:00.000-05:002006-12-20T08:20:48.673-05:00Is planet earth growing?Is planet earth growing? It sounds preposterous, but watch these four videos and see what you think after you watch them: The earth is growing The moon is growing Europa is growing Mars is growing(These are .mov files, and may take a minute to load before playing)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1166126055793802272006-12-14T06:51:00.000-05:002006-12-14T14:54:17.776-05:00Understanding agingI don't know why this video is so interesting to me. It is a pure lecture, so it is definitely not sexy. And you definitely have to think as you watch it. But the speaker is so good at taking very complex topics and simplifying them to explain some of the reasons why we age: You learn a lot by watching it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1164638024452428042006-11-27T05:30:00.000-05:002006-11-27T09:33:52.143-05:00Bigfoot likes mountain bikes? This video taught me that I know absolutely nothing about mountain biking...But also, as you are watching it, pay close attention at the 3:10 point in the video. Is that not Bigfoot?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1163906507215521132006-11-18T22:14:00.000-05:002006-11-18T22:32:55.860-05:00Which ear do you use?Here is the random question for today:Does the ear that you use when you are talking on the phone affect the way that you process what you are hearing?If you read anything about the differences between the left and right sides of the brain, you know that they process information very differently. One side is more analytical, the other is more intuitive. In people who have had their corpus Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1163120555165442962006-11-12T22:01:00.000-05:002006-11-18T22:09:24.660-05:00Malcolm Gladwell on learning from spaghetti sauceUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1162993650173332442006-11-08T00:37:00.000-05:002006-11-08T08:51:58.920-05:00Biggest YouTube viewage ever?If you look at the most viewed videos at YouTube tonight, you see this:Click to enlargeThere are seven videos having to do with Faith Hill's reaction at the CMA. In one day, these seven videos together received over 5 million clicks.Is this the biggest "YouTube" event so far in YouTube's history? I believe it is. What was it about Faith Hill's reaction that made this video so interesting?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1162464758512452912006-11-02T05:50:00.000-05:002006-11-18T22:13:23.706-05:00Get Rich!Over the last month or so I have, for some reason, been receiving "How to get rich" ideas. Here are three of the more interesting ones for your perusal. I will refrain from comment:The secret of attraction - chapter 1 (2, 3, 4)Prepaid legal servicesBruce Berman's "I got there - you can too"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1162344011759749432006-10-31T20:17:00.000-05:002006-10-31T20:20:17.566-05:00The coming video game crash?I came across this article today and it offers an interesting perspective on video games. Is he right or wrong?Life After the Video Game CrashFrom the article:What Atari didn't realize was that by 1983 the vast majority of 2600's were sitting in closets, and in basements and in moldy cardboard boxes in the back of the garage. No other console became popular in its place, not for years. Why? AfterUnknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5420802.post-1161496287956702312006-10-22T01:50:00.000-04:002006-10-22T01:51:28.156-04:00Has anyone passed this test?I've been skydiving several times, but this is the first time I've heard of this test...Amazing!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5