Random Articles
Have a deep view into what people are curious about.
π Law of Jante
The Law of Jante (Danish: Janteloven) is a code of conduct known in Nordic countries that characterizes not conforming, doing things out of the ordinary, or being overtly personally ambitious as unworthy and inappropriate. The attitudes were first formulated in the form of the ten rules of Jante Law by the Dano-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose in his satirical novel A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks (En flyktning krysser sitt spor, 1933), but the actual attitudes themselves are older. Sandemose portrays the fictional small Danish town Jante, which he modelled upon his native town NykΓΈbing Mors in the 1930s, where nobody was anonymous, which is typical of all small towns and communities.
Used generally in colloquial speech in the Nordic countries as a sociological term to denote a social attitude of disapproval towards expressions of individuality and personal success, it emphasizes adherence to the collective.
Discussed on
- "Law of Jante" | 2024-07-31 | 10 Upvotes 4 Comments
- "The Law of Jante" | 2023-11-19 | 12 Upvotes 1 Comments
- "Law of Jante" | 2023-05-23 | 13 Upvotes 2 Comments
- "Law of Jante" | 2017-09-30 | 87 Upvotes 61 Comments
π SNAP-10A was an experimental nuclear reactor launched into space in 1965
SNAP-10A (Systems for Nuclear, Auxiliary Power, aka Snapshot for Space Nuclear Auxiliary Power Shot, also known as OPS 4682, COSPAR 1965-027A) was a US experimental nuclear powered satellite launched into space in 1965 as part of the SNAPSHOT program. The test marked the world's first operation of a nuclear reactor in orbit, and also the first operation of an ion thruster system in orbit. It is the only fission reactor power system launched into space by the United States. The reactor stopped working after just 43 days due to a non-nuclear electrical component failure. The Systems Nuclear Auxiliary Power Program (SNAP) reactor was specifically developed for satellite use in the 1950s and early 1960s under the supervision of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
Discussed on
- "SNAP-10A was an experimental nuclear reactor launched into space in 1965" | 2015-12-27 | 30 Upvotes 11 Comments
π Xerox 914
The Xerox 914 was the first successful commercial plain paper copier which in 1959 revolutionized the document-copying industry. The culmination of inventor Chester Carlson's work on the xerographic process, the 914 was fast and economical. The copier was introduced to the public on September 16, 1959, in a demonstration at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel in New York, shown on live television.
Discussed on
- "Xerox 914" | 2022-09-30 | 53 Upvotes 22 Comments
π Steve Yegge is a "non-notable programmer"
Discussed on
- "Steve Yegge is a "non-notable programmer"" | 2010-07-16 | 43 Upvotes 79 Comments
π Form Constant
A form constant is one of several geometric patterns which are recurringly observed during hypnagogia, hallucinations and altered states of consciousness.
Discussed on
- "Form Constant" | 2020-03-01 | 32 Upvotes 10 Comments
π World on a Wire
World on a Wire (German: Welt am Draht) is a 1973 West German science fiction television serial, starring Klaus LΓΆwitsch and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Shot in 16 mm, it was made for West German television and originally aired in 1973 in ARD as a two-part miniseries. It was based on the 1964 novel Simulacron-3 by Daniel F. Galouye. An adaptation of the Fassbinder version was presented as the play World of Wires, directed by Jay Scheib, in 2012.
Its focus is not on action, but on sophistic and philosophic aspects of the human mind, simulation, and the role of scientific research. A movie based on the same novel titled The Thirteenth Floor starring Craig Bierko was released in 1999.
Discussed on
- "World on a Wire" | 2024-11-30 | 14 Upvotes 6 Comments
π Recursive Islands and Lakes
A recursive island or lake is an island or lake that is itself within an island or lake.
Discussed on
- "Recursive Islands and Lakes" | 2022-02-08 | 11 Upvotes 1 Comments
- "Recursive Islands and Lakes" | 2020-06-12 | 10 Upvotes 2 Comments
π Earth as a nuclear furnace (geothermal heat is mostly from radioactive decay)
Geothermal gradient is the rate of increasing temperature with respect to increasing depth in Earth's interior. Away from tectonic plate boundaries, it is about 25β30Β Β°C/km (72β87Β Β°F/mi) of depth near the surface in most of the world. Strictly speaking, geo-thermal necessarily refers to Earth but the concept may be applied to other planets.
Earth's internal heat comes from a combination of residual heat from planetary accretion, heat produced through radioactive decay, latent heat from core crystallization, and possibly heat from other sources. The major heat-producing isotopes in Earth are potassium-40, uranium-238, uranium-235, and thorium-232. At the center of the planet, the temperature may be up to 7,000Β K and the pressure could reach 360Β GPa (3.6 million atm). Because much of the heat is provided by radioactive decay, scientists believe that early in Earth history, before isotopes with short half-lives had been depleted, Earth's heat production would have been much higher. Heat production was twice that of present-day at approximately 3Β billionΒ years ago, resulting in larger temperature gradients within the Earth, larger rates of mantle convection and plate tectonics, allowing the production of igneous rocks such as komatiites that are no longer formed.
Discussed on
- "Earth as a nuclear furnace (geothermal heat is mostly from radioactive decay)" | 2011-04-03 | 44 Upvotes 14 Comments
π The free, traffic-requiring TLD: .tk
.tk is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Tokelau, a territory of New Zealand in the South Pacific.
Discussed on
- "The free, traffic-requiring TLD: .tk" | 2018-06-19 | 16 Upvotes 10 Comments
π 1999 Loomis Truck Robbery
The 1999 Loomis truck robbery was a robbery of a Loomis, Fargo & Co. semi-trailer truck on March 24, 1999, as it transported money from Sacramento, California to San Francisco. At some point during the transit, one or more robbers boarded the truck, cut a hole in the roof, removed approximately 2.3 million dollars, and exited the truck with the money, completely evading detection by the truck's driver and guards. The robbery was not discovered until after the truck arrived at its destination. No suspects were ever identified by authorities and the robbery is now a cold case. Even the exact tools and methods used by robber or robbers were never conclusively determined.
Discussed on
- "1999 Loomis Truck Robbery" | 2023-03-26 | 30 Upvotes 1 Comments