Tag: science

Navigating the High Costs and Rules of Toll Roads | September 17 2024, 22:41

If you think your toll roads are expensive, take a look at ours. $31 just to use a dedicated lane. And that’s not even the maximum; I’ve heard it can reach $40. Note that on I-395/95, it’s not a dedicated highway, but just a dedicated lane.

If there are three or more people in your car, you can go for free, but you have to activate a special mode on the Ez-Pass box (HOV). If there are fewer than three, you must definitely disable this mode, and then you pay according to the standard rates. Forgetting to turn off HOV when driving alone or with one passenger means a $125 fine for the first offense, $250 for the second, $500 for the third, and $1000 for the fourth and subsequent offenses. From the second offense, you also get three penalty points, which significantly increases insurance rates, and if unaddressed, the record stays for 11 years. So, if you want to use the toll highway, you need to be not only prepared to pay but also remember to switch the box to a different mode.

Truthfully, the cost indicated on the sign is the maximum possible toll at that moment for the full route. It’s the price for the entire journey on toll lanes, from one end to the other — about 60 miles, roughly an hour’s drive. But if you exit earlier, the system automatically recalculates the price based on your actual route.

Moreover, there are cameras on the road that somehow manage to detect if there are three people in the car. It’s easy to spot two in the front, but how do they detect an additional person at the back? Well, they don’t see children well, which is why the police periodically stop families and apologize. I’ll leave a link to one of the solutions in the comments. Understandably, there will be some false triggers, but at least the data set provided for human check and filtering will have fewer errors.

People on forums are asking if, now that abortions are considered murder in some states, from which month can you count two passengers in the seat of an expecting mother in the car. A valid question, indeed.

Innovations in Landscape Design: The Ha-Ha at Castle Howard | September 17 2024, 22:04

I’m reading something interesting

“His Temple of the Four Winds at Castle Howard was the first of its kind. To this, he added the most ingenious and transformative innovation: the ha-ha.

A ha-ha is a sunken fence, a sort of palisade, designed to separate the private part of an estate from the working areas without the visual interference of a fence or hedge. It was an idea adapted from French military fortifications. Since they were invisible until the very last moment, people often discovered them with a surprised exclamation, “Ha-ha!—and, it is said, hence the name. The ha-ha was not just a practical device for keeping cows away from the lawn, but an entirely new way of perceiving the world. Plots, garden, park, estate—everything became part of a unified whole. Suddenly, an attractive part of the property did not have to end at the edge of the lawn. It could continue up to the horizon.

in Wikipedia, it is called Aha or ah-ah.

this is what I’m reading at home by Bill Bryson

Exploring Russia’s Food Safety Standards for Pollutants | September 13 2024, 01:42

After my previous post, I checked out “how it is in Russia.” A document on threshold values for pollutants in food products.

I don’t really understand this well, and if anyone knows better—please correct me. But here’s what I see: for canned foods in tin containers—including condensed milk—the indicated threshold value for tin is 200 mg/kg, which is a lot; there should essentially be none when unpackaged. Indeed, the same canned foods not in tin containers won’t contain tin.

For tea, the tolerance for lead is 10 mg/kg and for copper—100 mg/kg. Additionally, according to the document, it may contain Escherichia coli, cesium-137 (400 Bq/kg), and strontium-90 (200 Bq/kg).

The threshold for zinc in egg powder is 200 mg/kg. The highest mercury levels are found in kidneys and their by-products, and also in the same egg powder. The most arsenic is found in spices and condiments—up to 1 mg/kg.

Interestingly, the highest permissible figures for nitrates are assigned to table beets (1400) and leafy vegetables (2000) – compare that to watermelons, for instance, which have just 60.

Various mollusks and crustaceans are rich in lead. And quite significantly so (10 mg/kg)—compare this with meat (0.5 mg/kg).

No conclusions here, as I’m not an expert. If anyone can provide them—I’d appreciate it 🙂

There’s a lot that can be extracted from the document, just requires more than a casual five-minute analysis like mine.

Exploring FDA Food Contamination Standards and Defect Action Levels | September 13 2024, 01:14

I am reading the book At Home by Bill Bryson and concurrently Googling. In the USA, the FDA has a standard called the Food Defect Levels Handbook, which sets threshold levels for food contaminants. Find out how much mouse excrement can be in flour!

I will post the link in the comments. Also, check out the next post about Russian standards.

Everywhere the word “permissible” appears, it refers to the DEFECT ACTION LEVEL. It is incorrect to believe that if the FDA sets a defect level for a food product, the manufacturer only needs to not exceed this level. Defect levels are not representative of the average defects found in any of the products—they are, in fact, much lower on average. These levels represent the limits at which the FDA will consider a food product “contaminated” and subject to enforcement under Section 402(a)(3) of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

But it’s amusing to recognize that such contaminations do indeed exist and to understand their potential scale.

== Wheat ==

Mouse droppings (MPM-V15): not permissible more than 9 mg of rodent droppings per kilogram

== Wheat Flour ==

Insect contamination (AOAC 972.32): not permissible more than 75 insect fragments per 50 grams

== Chocolate and Chocolate Liquor ==

Insect contamination (AOAC 965.38): not permissible averaging 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when analyzing 6 samples of 100 grams EACH OR any sample containing 90 or more insect fragments

Mouse hairs (AOAC 965.38): not permissible averaging 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams when analyzing 6 samples of 100 grams EACH OR any sample containing 3 or more rodent hairs

Shell (AOAC 968.10-970.23): for chocolate liquor, shell content not permissible more than 2%, calculated on the basis of non-alkalized cocoa beans

== Pasta and Noodles ==

Insect contamination (AOAC 969.41): not permissible, if on average 225 or more insect fragments per 225 grams in 6 or more samples

Mouse hairs (AOAC 969.41): not permissible, if on average 4.5 or more rodent hairs per 225 grams in 6 or more samples

== Canned or Frozen Spinach ==

Insects and mites (AOAC 974.33): not permissible more than 50 aphids, thrips, and/or mites per 100 grams OR 2 or more larvae 3 mm in length or longer and/or larvae or caterpillar fragments longer than 12 mm per 24 pounds OR an average of 8 or more miners per 100 grams OR an average of 4 or more miners 3 mm in length per 100 grams

== Strawberries: Frozen Whole or Sliced ==

Mold (AOAC 952.22): the average level of mold should not exceed 45% and in half of the samples 55% or more

== Citrus Juices ==

Mold (AOAC 970.75): permissible average mold level <10%

Insects and insect eggs (AOAC 970.72): not permissible 5 or more Drosophila and other fly eggs per 250 ml OR 1 or more larvae per 250 ml

== Coffee (raw beans) ==

Insect contamination and insects (MPM-V1): not permissible on average 10% or more beans infested or damaged by insects

Mold (MPM-V1): not permissible on average 10% or more beans by count moldy

== Corn Flour ==

Insects (AOAC 981.19): not permissible on average 1 or more whole insects (or equivalent) per 50 grams

Insect contamination (AOAC 981.19): not permissible on average 25 or more insect fragments per 25 grams

Mouse hairs (AOAC 981.19): not permissible on average 1 or more rodent hairs per 25 grams OR an average 1 or more rodent dropping fragments per 50 grams

== Cocoa Beans ==

Mold (MPM-V18): not permissible to have more than 4% of beans by count moldy

Mammalian excreta (MPM-V18): not permissible on average 10 mg or more mammalian excreta per pound

== Hops (used in brewing) ==

Insects (AOAC 967.23): not permissible on average more than 2,500 aphids per 10 grams

== Ground Allspice ==

Insects (AOAC 981.21): not permissible: average — 30 or more insect fragments per 10 grams

Mouse hairs (AOAC 981.21): not permissible average — 1 or more rodent hairs per 10 grams

Source of defect: insect fragments — contamination before/after harvest and processing. Rodent hairs — contamination after harvest and/or processing.

…

== Canned and Frozen Berries (blackberries, raspberries, etc.) ==

Mold (AOAC 955.47): permissible average level of mold is 60% and less

Insect larvae (AOAC 981.20): permissible average — 4 or fewer larvae per 500 grams

OR

Average value — not permissible more than 10 whole insects or their equivalents per 500 grams (not including thrips, aphids, and mites)

== Frozen Broccoli ==

Insects and mites (AOAC 945.82): permissible average — 60 or fewer aphids and/or thrips and/or mites per 100 grams

== Frozen Brussels Sprouts ==

Insects (MPM-V95): permissible average — 30 or fewer aphids and/or thrips per 100 grams

== Whole Allspice ==

Mold (MPM-V32): permissible average — 5% or less of berries by weight moldy

Significance: potential health threat — may contain mold producing mycotoxins

== Ground Cinnamon ==

Insect contamination (AOAC 968.38b): permissible on average 400 or fewer insect fragments per 50 grams

Mouse hairs (AOAC 968.38b): permissible on average 11 or fewer rodent hairs per 50 grams

Seeking Advice on Business Administration Education for Masha in Italy | September 12 2024, 13:02

Help! Who knows about Business Administration education in Europe, specifically in Italy? Know someone who knows? Tag your acquaintances in the comments if there are any. My Masha wants and can study in Italy. She almost has a national annual visa (passport with the visa should arrive within a couple of weeks), and she wants to get her first onsite education in a major city like Milan or Rome. She wants a business education, though there is some flexibility here. In English. Such offers exist, but it’s hard for me to evaluate them.

She is currently making calls to universities, and has already spoken to several. The price range is $3,000 to $40,000 per year. Ideally, she’d be able to jump into this semester 2024-2025 or at most the next one, and in some places, this is even possible, but these are small private institutions that sometimes give a dodgy impression. For example, there is the virtually unknown Scoula Politecnica di Design with tuition fees of 10-15K euros, and there’s the seemingly much better Swiss School of Management with tuition fees of 8.5-10K euros per year. Larger universities, like the University of Pavia or the University of Bologna (UNIBO), offer BBA/eng for a few thousand dollars per year, but there’s almost no chance to start in mid-September. Or am I mistaken? We’re figuring it out.

Business programs roughly divide into MBA and BBA. Let’s put MBA aside, and focus on BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) — it’s a _three-year_ program in English, also referred to as a Bachelor. Perhaps it will eventually add a line to the resume, and will surely add knowledge, but as we understand, nearly 100% of students are a mix from third world countries, like Thailand and countries in Africa. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it feels like it somehow reflects the level. Many from the USA actually go to Europe for education, but apparently, nobody goes to these universities 🙂 Maybe we need to keep looking.

As an alternative — study for a year in BBA, then drop it to go to a larger university for a four-year program, and try to transfer the credits if possible. And if it doesn’t work out — so be it. Our Liz has been studying for five years norm, why shouldn’t Masha study for five years too.

If anyone is knowledgeable on this topic, please tag them in the comments. If you have dealt with a similar issue — please share what you know about BBA and about obtaining a first higher education in Italy.

Curating a Must-Follow List of Science Voices on YouTube | September 12 2024, 04:06

I recently started making a list of scientists and science journalists across various fields who are interesting to me and worth listening to on YouTube, and who generally have a good reputation. The list is at the link. Who have I forgotten? Surely a lot of others. Send them in, I’ll keep updating. Hope it’s not just useful for me.

https://beinginamerica.com/science-who-to-follow/

Lorne Malvo as Woland: Unmasking Evil in Fargo Season One | September 05 2024, 18:56

We’re revisiting the first season of Fargo. You know who Lorne Malvo (the one on the right in the photo) reminds me of? Woland.

Just look. He awakens the evil he sees in people and tempts them to act upon this evil, which is characteristic of Satan in Abrahamic religions—to tempt and entice people into sin. His collection of tapes can be seen as a symbol of “soul collecting”.

He creates chaos literally without any reason, like when he incites a kid to pee in a gas tank and then reports him, just like Satan, who perpetrates evil simply because he is evil, and to have a bit of fun. He phones Hess’s sons, lies to them and manipulates them into fighting, again, for no apparent reason. Or he scares the children living in Lester’s old house.

Somehow, he managed to escape from Lester’s basement, although there was no exit—a normal person couldn’t have done that. The character is often linked with religion: he pretends to be a priest, quotes biblical verses to manipulate a wealthy man, etc.

I barely remember the second half of the season, we are still watching it. But it seems to me that there will be even more evidence that Lorne is Woland 🙂

Discovering the Origins of the Word “Comptroller” | September 02 2024, 00:08

Today at the subway, I saw the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency logo on a wall. I was surprised by the word comptroller. Riding the subway now, researching. Interesting.

Interestingly, it’s pronounced the same as “controller” and essentially means the same thing.

According to some sources, the term “comptroller” emerged in the 1800s due to a careless spelling mistake when writing the word “controller”. Ever since, this spelling stuck, and comptroller began to be used to describe a financial officer in the public sector.

But there’s also reason to believe that the mistake was not accidental.

It is written that “controller” originates from the Latin word “contrarotulator” or the French “countreroller”, which means “keeper of the duplicate register”. Apparently, people mistakenly associated this title with the French word “computer” (not related to computers; it refers to someone who counts). As a result, a needless word-bug was born, yet it has stuck around, at least for naming a government office.

Churchyards Rising: The Surprising Depth of History | August 26 2024, 20:42

From the book “At Home” by Bill Bryson:

“…Have you ever noticed,” asked Brian as we entered the churchyard, “that country churches almost always seem to have sunk into the ground?”

I admitted that I had never thought about it.

“It’s not that the church itself is sinking,” he continued. “It’s just that the churchyard has risen. How many people do you think are buried here?”

I glanced at the gravestones and responded, “I don’t know. Eighty? A hundred?”

“I think that’s quite a modest estimate,” said Brian with good-natured imperturbability. “Think about it. In a rural community like this one [Norfolk. – my note], there are usually about 250 inhabitants. That’s roughly a thousand adult deaths per century, plus several thousand more of those poor souls who didn’t reach adulthood. Multiply that by the number of centuries the church has been here, and you’re not looking at eighty or a hundred burials, but likely something around twenty thousand.”