Random Articles (Page 234)
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π Potential Collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
The Western Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is the segment of the continental ice sheet that covers West Antarctica, the portion of Antarctica on the side of the Transantarctic Mountains that lies in the Western Hemisphere. The WAIS is classified as a marine-based ice sheet, meaning that its bed lies well below sea level and its edges flow into floating ice shelves. The WAIS is bounded by the Ross Ice Shelf, the Ronne Ice Shelf, and outlet glaciers that drain into the Amundsen Sea.
π Oregon Trail Generation
Xennials or xennials (also known as the Oregon Trail Generation and Generation Catalano) are the micro-generation of people on the cusp of the Generation X and Millennial demographic cohorts. Researchers and popular media use birth years from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Xennials are described as having had an analog childhood and a digital young adulthood.
In 2020, xennial was included in the Oxford Dictionary of English.
Discussed on
- "Oregon Trail Generation" | 2021-07-24 | 78 Upvotes 48 Comments
π Antarctic Snow Cruiser
The Antarctic Snow Cruiser was a vehicle designed from 1937 to 1939 under the direction of Thomas Poulter, intended to facilitate transport in Antarctica during the United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939β41). The Snow Cruiser was also known as "The Penguin," "Penguin 1" or "Turtle" in some published material.
Poulter had been second in command of Byrd's Second Antarctic Expedition, launched in 1934. From his time in the Antarctic, Poulter had devised several innovative features. However, the massive Snow Cruiser generally failed to operate as hoped under the difficult conditions, and was eventually abandoned in Antarctica. Rediscovered under a deep layer of snow in 1958, it later disappeared again due to shifting ice conditions.
Discussed on
- "Antarctic Snow Cruiser" | 2020-03-09 | 89 Upvotes 52 Comments
π Ha-ha wall
A ha-ha (French: hΓ’-hΓ’ or saut de loup) is a recessed landscape design element that creates a vertical barrier while preserving an uninterrupted view of the landscape beyond.
The design includes a turfed incline that slopes downward to a sharply vertical face (typically a masonry retaining wall). Ha-has are used in landscape design to prevent access to a garden, for example by grazing livestock, without obstructing views. In security design, the element is used to deter vehicular access to a site while minimizing visual obstruction.
The name "ha-ha" is thought to have stemmed from the exclamations of surprise by those coming across them, as the walls were intentionally designed so as not to be visible on the plane of the landscape.
Discussed on
- "Ha-ha wall" | 2019-08-24 | 592 Upvotes 110 Comments
π Janet Airlines
Janet, sometimes called Janet Airlines, is the unofficial name given to a highly classified fleet of passenger aircraft operated for the United States Department of the Air Force as an employee shuttle to transport military and contractor employees. The purpose is to pick up the employees at their home airport, and take them to their place of work. Then, in the afternoon, they take the employees back to their home airports. The airline mainly serves the Nevada National Security Site (most notably Area 51 and the Tonopah Test Range), from a private terminal at Las Vegas's McCarran International Airport.
The airline's aircraft are generally unmarked, but do have a red paint strip along the windows of the aircraft, which gives some sort of hint at Janet being the operator.
Discussed on
- "Janet Airlines" | 2019-04-21 | 180 Upvotes 56 Comments
π Neuroevolution of augmenting topologies (NEAT algorithm)
NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies (NEAT) is a genetic algorithm (GA) for the generation of evolving artificial neural networks (a neuroevolution technique) developed by Kenneth Stanley and Risto Miikkulainen in 2002 while at The University of Texas at Austin. It alters both the weighting parameters and structures of networks, attempting to find a balance between the fitness of evolved solutions and their diversity. It is based on applying three key techniques: tracking genes with history markers to allow crossover among topologies, applying speciation (the evolution of species) to preserve innovations, and developing topologies incrementally from simple initial structures ("complexifying").
Discussed on
- "Neuroevolution of augmenting topologies (NEAT algorithm)" | 2024-12-02 | 91 Upvotes 33 Comments
π The Pip
The Pip is the nickname given by radio listeners to a shortwave radio station that broadcasts on the frequency 5448Β kHz by day, and 3756Β kHz during the night. It broadcasts short, repeated beeps at a rate of around 50 per minute, for 24 hours per day. The beep signal is occasionally interrupted by voice messages in Russian. The Pip has been active since around 1985, when its distinctive beeping sound was first recorded by listeners.
The station is commonly referred to as "The Pip" among English-speaking radio listeners. In Russia, it is known as ΠΠ°ΠΏΠ»Ρ (Kaplya) "the drop". While its official name or callsign is not known, some of the voice transmissions begin with the code 8S1Shch (Cyrillic: 8Π‘1Π©), which is generally considered to be the name of the station. However, this code may not be a callsign, but instead serve some other purpose. Radioscanner.ru identifies the owner of this station as a North-Caucasian military district communication center with callsign "Akacia" (ex-72nd communication center, Russian "72 ΡΠ·Π΅Π» ΡΠ²ΡΠ·ΠΈ ΡΡΠ°Π±Π° Π‘ΠΠΠ").
Discussed on
- "The Pip" | 2015-12-02 | 120 Upvotes 24 Comments
π Interplanetary Transport Network
The Interplanetary Transport Network (ITN) is a collection of gravitationally determined pathways through the Solar System that require very little energy for an object to follow. The ITN makes particular use of Lagrange points as locations where trajectories through space are redirected using little or no energy. These points have the peculiar property of allowing objects to orbit around them, despite lacking an object to orbit. While it would use little energy, transport along the network would take a long time.
Discussed on
- "Interplanetary Transport Network" | 2014-11-08 | 98 Upvotes 18 Comments
π Forestiere Underground Gardens
The Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno, California are a series of subterranean structures built by Baldassare Forestiere, an immigrant from Sicily, over a period of 40 years from 1906 to his death in 1946. The gardens are operated by members of the Forestiere family through the Forestiere Historical Center, and can be considered an unconventional example of vernacular architecture.
Discussed on
- "Forestiere Underground Gardens" | 2026-07-01 | 101 Upvotes 26 Comments