There are many kinds of blank or empty values, that mean different things.
Math and Science
Science is a tool that mankind uses to expand our technical knowledge of the world and universe around us.
People use the term “science” broadly, but it has a specific meaning:
Performing an experiment to determine the outcome of a closed system when an independent variable within that system is modified.
You don’t have to have a degree to be a scientist. A scientist is anyone who follows a rigorous scientific process, called the scientific method:
Observe, Analyze, Hypothesize, Experiment, Conclude, Repeat
Please enjoy these science-related posts.
Canned Air Hack
As you use a can of air, the power of the air stream slowly diminishes.
Have you ever noticed that the can gets colder as you use it?
This happens because temperature and pressure are related, when volume is constant.
This is part of the ideal gas law:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideal_gas_law
As air leaves the can, the pressure drops. Because the volume of the can is constant, temperature drops, and eventually, you may notice frost or ice on the outside of the can!
Heat is energy, and cold is simply the lack of heat energy (just as a shadow is the absence of light).
How do I get a few more blasts out of my frozen can of air?
You COULD wait until the can absorbs heat from the ambient air. “Room temperature” air is typically 75 F, and air is a decent conductor, but not as good as liquid. It might take a while!
OR…
You could run the can under some warm (LESS than 100 F) water for a few seconds.
This washes away the ice / frost on the outside of the can, and because water (and most liquids) are such a good conductor of heat, the can rapidly absorbs heat energy from the liquid, thus increasing the pressure of the gas inside the can.
Centrifugal Force at the Earth’s Surface, in the United States
Why doesn’t Earth’s rotation fling us off in to space?
In the movies, technology is often depicted as a deus ex machina, a convenience for the writer to instantly solve a problem. It’s common for writers to stretch the truth a little bit, in order to facilitate flow or continuity, but with technology, writers can sometimes imbue nearly magical qualities. Rightly so, as Arthur C. Clarke stated, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic“.
And sometimes, the writers just plain get it wrong.
Worse, sometimes, the incorrect depiction is MORE appealing than the real-world functionalities and capabilities, leading to the creation of a mythology that gets propagated until the myth itself is part of pop-culture folklore.
Here are some examples of movie tech myths run amok.
Science and Insanity
Insanity: Repeating the same process, expecting a different outcome.
Science: Repeating a process in order to verify a previously-observed result.
Conclusion
There is a fine line between science and insanity.
Everyone is familiar with the contributions of technical moguls such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Likewise, computing history remembers people like Charles Babbage and John Von Neumann. There are many lesser-known, but equally-important figures, whose contributions made our current “online” lifestyle possible, and made computing both affordable and physically small enough to be almost ubiquitous.
Interesting Beer Facts
- Drink your beer cold, to make your body burn a few extra calories, vs. drinking your beer at room temperature.
https://justinparrtech.com/JustinParr-Tech/why-you-should-drink-beer-cold/ - Buy and store import beer by the case, fully-enclosed in cardboard, to avoid skunky beer.
Skunky beer can result from being exposed to ultraviolet light. This is why beer bottles are often green or dark amber to prevent light from breaking down the hops. Domestic beer uses a special kind of hops that doesn’t break down as quickly, but many import beers use regular hops. If you buy a six pack of import beer (any color of glass), and it has been sitting on the shelf for a while, it might be skunky. Instead, buy an unopened case – it will taste much better.
http://blog.beeriety.com/2009/06/29/skunky-beer-how-it-happens-and-how-to-avoid-letting-it-happen/ - Most American beers are lagers.
Lager beer is brewed and stored cold.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lager
Originally, in Germany, lager beer was stored in caves during the winter, and “lager” is German for “stock” (or store).
https://www.google.com/search?num=30&newwindow=1&q=translate+”lager”+to+english&oq=translate+”lager”+to+english - It’s LEGAL to make beer or wine for your own consumption.
There is no federal restriction from brewing your own beer or wine, up to 24% ABV (Alcohol By Volume). There might be state or local laws where you live, so be sure to check first!
Conversely, it’s illegal to make or sell distilled spirits of any kind, in any volume, without a federal distiller’s license.
(update: 4/27/2014)
- Those stupid aluminum beer bottles are expensive, and don’t keep your beer cold! I don’t know who came up with the idea, but supposedly, it keeps your beer cold, longer. People tend to think of cold as something, when in reality, cold is a lack of heat energy (a lack of something).
Working for the aluminum bottles, they are usually 16oz rather than 12oz (standard can or bottle). This means that there is 33% more fluid to absorb (relatively) the same amount of heat. If a standard can or bottle absorbs one kilocalorie of heat energy, each ounce absorbs about 83 calories. Likewise, a 16oz aluminum bottle of beer only absorbs about 63 calories per ounce. Of course, more beer per vessel takes longer to drink, providing more time to absorb heat, so perhaps this is NOT an advantage!
Working against the aluminum bottles, aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat! Compared to a standard 12oz aluminum can, there is simply no advantage based on material, while glass is actually a much better insulator than aluminum. Since greater surface area means faster heat transfer, the aluminum bottle’s greater surface-area-to-volume ratio means that it will absorb heat faster (per volume) than an aluminum can. Although the aluminum and glass bottles have similar surface-area-to-volume ratios, the glass bottle is better-insulated, meaning it absorbs heat slower.
On a cost-basis, aluminum bottles will typically cost much more than glass or a standard can. Most aluminum bottles are 16oz compared to 12, but you are also paying for a big hunk of aluminum. Typically, the cost per fluid ounce is 20% more (or higher) than glass or can.
Aluminum bottles are convenient on beaches and other areas where glass is not allowed. If you end up having to purchase aluminum bottles, either use a foam coozie that covers the entire outside area of the bottle, or simply wrap it in duct tape. Your beer will stay cold much longer, compared to “naked” aluminum.
Summary
Drinking COLD beer has an actual health advantage (over drinking warm beer)
You can shave 8 to 10 calories off your beer by drinking it cold!
Water weighs…
8.345 pounds per gallon.
A pound is 16 ounces. If water was 8 pounds per gallon, a gallon of water would weigh 128 ounces.
A cup is 8 fluid ounces. Two cups is a pint, and a quart is two pints. A quart = 8 * 4 = 32 fluid ounces. A gallon is 4 quarts, therefore a gallon = 4 * 32 = 128 fluid ounces.
Therefore, one fluid ounce of water approximately weighs one ounce.
The actual number is 1.04 oz / fl oz, assuming that the discrepancy is due to our accuracy of measurement improving over time.
Likewise, a pint of water (2 cups, or 16 fl oz) weighs about 1 pound.
This is similar to the metric standard, where 1cc of water = 1ml = 1g.