Author: Rauf Aliev

May 16 2016, 21:51

Interestingly, in the USA in 100% of the stores (at least the ones I’ve come across), I can swipe my card even before the cashier has touched the device. Very convenient – no need to wait for the prompt – now swipe! You do need to confirm the amount, of course, but you can leisurely put your card away in your wallet. After all, it does save those precious seconds. Not the customer’s seconds, of course, as hardly anyone cares about those, but the cashier’s.

May 16 2016, 00:06

It turns out that our local shopping center is famous for housing the first Apple Store in the world. In three days, it will be exactly 15 years since Steve Jobs opened the store. The video linked below features his presentation of this first Apple Store. It’s interesting to hear about the store concept as he saw it back then. Much of it was new to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLTNfIaL5YI

May 14 2016, 21:05

Found something intriguing. Turns out, an explosive water dump was used to launch the shuttle, intended to dampen the sound vibrations from the engines. A million liters of water turn into a massive waterfall a few seconds before launch and last only 20 seconds. It’s reported to reduce up to 20dB and it’s worth it: used for all subsequent launches. There’s a video in the link.

I can’t find a word about it in the Russian internet. Maybe I’m not searching right.

https://metinmediamath.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/space-shuttle-launch-and-sound-suppression/

May 12 2016, 15:26

Has anyone ever wondered about connecting powerful (1KW and above) European electronics 220 volts to an American 110 volts network? What solutions are there? For example, an iron or a coffee machine, or say, a washing machine?

There ought to be a transformer, but those Chinese ones that are sold everywhere are not trustworthy.

For instance, the most powerful consumer-grade step-down transformer I found was 300W for 1700 rubles http://www.zapitatel.ru/catalog/ponizhayushchie-avtotransformatory-220-110-volt/thg-300s-/

But I doubt it could handle an iron.