The Banzhaf Power Index is an interesting thing. In a situation where participants (players) in a vote have differing weights, depending on the weights of every player, their relative importance or “power” may be surprising. What the index measures is, in all possible situations, how critical were each player? That is, a critical player is [...]
The proof of an alcoholic beverage is not simply twice the percentage alcohol. In the 18th century and until 1980, Britain defined alcohol content in terms of proof spirit, which was defined as the most dilute spirit that would sustain combustion of gunpowder.[1] The term originated in the 18th century, when payments to British sailors [...]
Quadriplegics can not sweat or shiver, a function of the autonomic nervous system controlled by the spinal cord. This makes them especially sensitive to extreme temperature, as their body has a difficult time maintaining homeostasis. Something to keep in mind.
As a computer scientist, I’ve recently been fascinated by EVE Online. It is what I’ve always wanted an MMO to be. EVE Online is an open-ended Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG). Most other MMORPGs focus on a structured playing style with predictable outcomes and monotonous leveling. This seemingly innocent fact is why EVE is so [...]
Amazon has this nice service aptly named Simple Storage Service (abbreviated S3), where they aim to provide simple storage of data of arbitrary size, with high availability at consumer-level cost. It really is a nice design. And there’s a REST interface setup for me to store my data! And Jeremy Zawodny points out how using [...]
How does an artist justify the $4000 pricetag of his instruments? Is creativity a luxury of the upper class? No! I say. If I can not create the sound output myself, what good is it? (yes, i realise this is akin to saying if I can not touch-up a photo without photoshop, it should not [...]