Month: December 2020

Had to wait 35 years to finally watch “Back to the Future”

(I’m thrilled)

A very interesting article (translation) about the “hacking” of the Pfizer vaccine — with beautiful analogies.

https://habr.com/ru/post/535626/

The original article is here

https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/reverse-engineering-source-code-of-the-biontech-pfizer-vaccine/

An intriguing video. In it, Derek explains some quantum effects using the example of oil droplets jumping due to vibration on water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIyTZDHuarQ

More details here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9yWv5dqSKk

((Let me remind you of the famous double-slit experiment, which isn’t normally explained (attempts are made through quantum theory). In it, there is a screen with two slits, which is bombarded with electrons. Behind the screen with slits, there is another screen that displays the trace from the electrons that hit the first screen. As a result, an interference pattern forms on that second screen – you have all seen this “comb”, because the waves superpose on each other. This ostensibly demonstrates that electrons behave like a wave while passing through the screen. There is nothing unusual about this.

So, if electrons are emitted one at a time – an interference pattern will form.

But if detectors are placed at the slits, which are supposed to determine through which slit the electron passed, the interference disappears. That is, merely observing the electron changes its behavior (For those new to this – see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT1trz4ANWI )))

Flipping through my notes from American English pronunciation lessons,

* it turns out that in English the emphasis in a sentence often falls on the last word. I had never considered this, and maybe I spoke that way too, but practice showed that this is not always the case.

* it turns out that I was terribly mixing up read (read) and read (read).

* also, it turns out that in yes/no questions the intonation always goes up, whereas in regular WH-questions it goes down.

* cosmetic – I was pronouncing it wrong. It should be “cosmetic,” with an “s,” not with a “c.” * At the same time, not epi-zode (episode), but epi-sode.

* know and home – I had been saying “naou” and “ham” instead of “nou” and “houm”.

* Own (own), not Aun

* also – darn, why didn’t anyone correct me, I was saying “alzo,” not “also”

* with us/with them – I always stressed us/them, whereas in most cases the stress falls on i in with.

* I had (and partially still have) issues with contractions – there’s, isn’t, and similar. To make a contraction work, the stress needs to be on the first syllable, but I always put it on not or is. It’s a minor point because you can stress on not too, only in that case, it’s not a contraction. Might have had is pronounced as “might of had,” not “might have had,” as I used to say.

* in many words, the vowel disappears – for example, I said opera, but it should be “oprah”. Or “evrij” (average), not everij; Useful (useful), not use-ful.

* significantly corrected my slushy “r” in words like rarely, rural, drawer, jewelry, February, regularly, scroll. It turns out Siri couldn’t even understand me with it. Now my English “r” is almost correct, and I didn’t even try to correct the Russian one.

* I didn’t know the difference between Access and aXcess, and always stressed the first syllable.

* I was stressing the second syllable in essay, but it needs to be on the first.

* I was saying week-end, but it needs to be weekend.

* I was saying cousin, but it should be cuzzin

* I was saying discOvered, but it should be discOvered. Same with wondered

* I was saying “appreciate it,” but it should be “appreci-ate it”

* I was saying “did you,” “would you,” when in the USA they say “didj you,” “wouldj you”

* not pretty, but prIty

* won’t is pronounced as “woant” (or woun), not wont.

* meanwhile not “I wont” (I want), but “I want” (or I wan)

* etiquette is pronounced with an E — “etikit,” not “etiquette”

* not “parents,” but “parents”

* at the end ones sounds “z,” not “s”

* not “nObodi” (nobody), but “nOubodi”

* ice cream is pronounced with emphasis on “ice,” not on “cream”

* guitarist, not guitarist and not guitarist (as I would have said)

* component, not component

* being, not being

* fast, not fast.

* favorite, not favorite. Close, not close

* post, not past. Postoffice is pronounced as postoffice, not as pastoffice.

* Fiancée is pronounced as fian-say.

#English #pronunciation #notes

Do you have a phone at your workstation?

The washing machine and dryer managed to tie such a complex knot with the duvet cover that it took me 15 minutes to untangle it. If someone invents a drum capable of reliably tying knots, they would certainly deserve a Nobel prize

A very good video about the corner stone of statistics, Bayes’ rule. Worth watching for anyone who has ever thought about the chances of getting sick after receiving a positive test. This is probably covered in school, but somehow few are familiar with the topic in practice. The video about the paradox from 3Blue1Brown is also beautifully made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG4VkPoG3ko

I kept thinking about how to compare voice control and the confusion of a failed attempt with something in real life.

For instance, if you need to throw away an empty bottle into a bin, you can walk over and simply throw it, or you can try throwing it from a distance to save steps and even attempt to look cool and accurate. When nobody is around, it’s okay to miss once, but if someone is watching… then — you feel the difference between “I hit the bin on my first try” and “I missed the bin and it loudly bounced aside”. It’s the same with voice control. Everything is fine when your phone understands you the first time or when no one is around. As soon as there are witnesses, failing the first try feels like having to go pick up the bottle, walk back, and try hitting it again. It’s easier to just walk up and throw it properly. And on the phone, it’s simpler to just press the buttons on the second try.

Are there any biologists here? Can you explain why a felled tree cannot be connected to some life support system so that it doesn’t even realize it has been cut down and moved to a new location?

Wolfwalkers on the new projector was a total hit. If you haven’t watched it, take note of the entire worthy collection from Cartoon Saloon – also The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, and The Breadwinner.