Random Articles (Page 3)
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π Asterism (Typography)
In typography, an asterism, β, is a typographic symbol consisting of three asterisks placed in a triangle, which is used for a variety of purposes. The name originates from the astronomical term for a group of stars.
The asterism was originally used as a type of dinkus in typography, though increasingly rarely. It can also be used to mean "untitled" or author or title withheldΒ β as seen, for example, in some editions of Album for the Young by composer Robert Schumann (β 21, 26, and 30). In meteorology, an asterism in a station model indicates moderate snowfall.
π Tree hacker
Axel Erlandson (December 15, 1884 β April 28, 1964) was a Swedish American farmer who shaped trees as a hobby, and opened a horticultural attraction in 1947 advertised as "See the World's Strangest Trees Here," and named "The Tree Circus."
The trees appeared in the column of Robert Ripley's Believe It or Not! twelve times. Erlandson sold his attraction shortly before his death. The trees were moved to Gilroy Gardens in 1985.
Discussed on
- "Tree hacker" | 2011-09-27 | 12 Upvotes 1 Comments
π Hague Invasion Act
The American Service-Members' Protection Act (ASPA, Title 2 of Pub.L.Β 107β206 (text) (pdf), H.R. 4775, 116Β Stat.Β 820, enacted August 2, 2002) is a United States federal law that aims "to protect United States military personnel and other elected and appointed officials of the United States government against criminal prosecution by an international criminal court to which the United States is not party." Introduced by U.S. Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) and U.S. Representative Tom DeLay (R-TX) it was an amendment to the 2002 Supplemental Appropriations Act for Further Recovery From and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the United States (H.R. 4775). The amendment passed 75-19 (S.Amdt 3597.) The bill was signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush on August 2, 2002.
Discussed on
- "The Hague Invasion Act" | 2022-05-19 | 13 Upvotes 10 Comments
- "Hague Invasion Act" | 2021-06-12 | 40 Upvotes 12 Comments
π List of stories set in a future now past
This is a list of fictional stories that, when written, were set in the future, but the future they predicted is now present or past. The list excludes works that were alternate histories, which were composed after the dates they depict, alternative futures, as depicted in time travel fiction, as well as any works that make no predictions of the future, such as those focusing solely on the future lives of specific fictional characters, or works which, despite their claimed dates, are contemporary in all but name. Entries referencing the current year may be added if their month and day were not specified or have already occurred.
Discussed on
- "List of stories set in a future now past" | 2019-02-06 | 186 Upvotes 140 Comments
π Yakovlevian Torque
Yakovlevian torque (also known as occipital bending (OB) or counterclockwise brain torque) is the tendency of the right side of the human brain to be warped slightly forward relative to the left and the left side of the human brain to be warped slightly backward relative to the right. This is responsible for certain asymmetries, such as how the lateral sulcus of the human brain is often longer and less curved on the left side of the brain relative to the right. Stated in another way, Yakovlevian Torque can be defined by the existence of right-frontal and left-occipital petalias, which are protrusions of the surface of one hemisphere relative to the other. It is named for Paul Ivan Yakovlev (1894β1983), a Russian-American neuroanatomist from Harvard Medical School.
Discussed on
- "Yakovlevian Torque" | 2019-11-08 | 88 Upvotes 34 Comments
π Forest kindergarten
Forest kindergarten is a type of preschool education for children between the ages of three and six that is held almost exclusively outdoors. Whatever the weather, children are encouraged to play, explore and learn in a forest environment. The adult supervision is meant to assist rather than lead. It is also known as Waldkindergarten (in German), outdoor nursery, or nature kindergarten.
Discussed on
- "Forest kindergarten" | 2019-07-06 | 114 Upvotes 44 Comments
π Non-English-based programming languages
Non-English-based programming languages are programming languages that do not use keywords taken from or inspired by English vocabulary.
Discussed on
- "Non-English-Based Programming Languages" | 2021-10-10 | 10 Upvotes 6 Comments
- "Non-English-based programming languages" | 2019-06-30 | 262 Upvotes 222 Comments
- "Non-English-based programming languages" | 2016-06-23 | 57 Upvotes 18 Comments
- "Non-English-based programming languages" | 2013-09-02 | 77 Upvotes 75 Comments
- "Non-English-based programming languages" | 2009-03-20 | 30 Upvotes 23 Comments
π NeWS β Network Extensible Window System
NeWS (Network extensible Window System) is a discontinued windowing system developed by Sun Microsystems in the mid-1980s. Originally known as "SunDew", its primary authors were James Gosling and David S. H. Rosenthal. The NeWS interpreter was based on PostScript (as was the later Display PostScript, although the two projects were otherwise unrelated) extending it to allow interaction and multiple "contexts" to support windows. Like PostScript, NeWS could be used as a complete programming language, but unlike PostScript, NeWS could be used to make complete interactive programs with mouse support and a GUI.
Discussed on
- "NeWS β Network Extensible Window System" | 2016-04-12 | 86 Upvotes 74 Comments
π KatΓ³ Lomb
KatΓ³ Lomb (PΓ©cs, February 8, 1909 β Budapest, June 9, 2003) was a Hungarian interpreter, translator and one of the first simultaneous interpreters in the world. Originally she graduated in physics and chemistry, but her interest soon led her to languages. Native in Hungarian, she was able to interpret fluently in nine or ten languages (in four of them even without preparation), and she translated technical literature and read belles-lettres in six languages.She was able to understand journalism in further eleven languages. As she put it, altogether she earned money with sixteen languages (Bulgarian, Chinese, Danish, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Ukrainian). She learned these languages mostly by self-effort, as an autodidact. Her aims to acquire these languages were most of all practical, to satisfy her interest.
According to her own account, her long life was highlighted not primarily by the command of languages but the actual study of them. Through her books, published in Hungarian in several editions as well as in some other languages, interviews (in print and on the air) and conversations, she tried to share this joy with generations. As an interpreter, she visited five continents, saw forty countries, and reported about her experiences and adventures in a separate book (Egy tolmΓ‘cs a vilΓ‘g kΓΆrΓΌl, "An interpreter around the world").
Discussed on
- "KatΓ³ Lomb" | 2019-02-21 | 145 Upvotes 42 Comments
π Bomba (Cryptography)
The bomba, or bomba kryptologiczna (Polish for "bomb" or "cryptologic bomb"), was a special-purpose machine designed around October 1938 by Polish Cipher Bureau cryptologist Marian Rejewski to break German Enigma-machine ciphers.
Discussed on
- "Bomba (Cryptography)" | 2022-11-05 | 88 Upvotes 12 Comments