Saturday, March 14, 2015

There is nothing so easy...

When venture capitalists get specific about what they're interested in, it's worth listening especially when it's a firm like Andreesen Horowitz. They published 16 things they're thinking about. You'd be surprised if some weren't on the list (internet of things, virtual reality), some you don't even recognize (sensorification, devops), and then there are the meaty things: security, digital health.

John Marin, Approaching Fog, 1952. source. Painter John Marin came up in a conversation this week and I found myself largely ignorant of his work. What I found in a brief online search was startling. I see in his work foreshadowing of Rothko, Diebenkorn, Kline, and more. Time to start learning more.
If you recognize "The box was thrown besides the parked truck." as one of the Harvard sentences then skip to the next bit of gibberish. Otherwise, click the link and read about sentences designed to test the quality of telecommunications by how well certain test phrases can be understood. On a related note, I was once told by a Japanese friend that English is much better suited for radio communication than Japanese because in the latter a single slightly garbled accent can change the entire meaning of a sentence but with English you can miss quite a bit and still get the gist.

"How much does _______ cost?' as Googled by state. Ohio, what's with the private investigators?
What cities get the best return on their spending for education, police, parks, and recreation? Fort Worth is #20. But Dallas is #4 which I find laughable.

This shouldn't surprise anyone, but in certain fields (e.g. engineering, computers) new college graduates can earn a lot more than less educated and more experienced colleagues. This is not true for other majors (e.g. social work). Therefore, how much of your education should be financed with loans depends on your major and how quickly you'll earn money to repay the loan. (What's the rule of thumb? Borrow no more than what your first year salary will be.)

Ever wonder about all the lights and signage on airport runways? Wonder no more.

I don't know anyone who thinks daylight savings time is a good idea or even fully understands why it exists in the first place. Count me among those who think it's an anachronism if ever there was one (pun and double entendre fully intentional). But this guy takes it a step farther and also wants to consolidate time zones so the U.S. has only two.

Colin Edwin shared the cover of the new (May?) album from Metallic Taste of Blood, Doctoring the Dead. Can't wait for the audio samples.

...but that it becomes difficult when you do it reluctantly. ~Pythagoras

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