Long gone, but now back… sort of. :)
Q: When did we first understand that time differences existed between different parts of the world? (via Quora) A. Even the ancient Greeks knew of this, 2000 years ago. (Relatedly, Eratosthenes used variances in the apparent height of the sun in different cities at local solar noon — mid-day, as determined by sundial — to…
Q. Why don’t the Great Lakes have tides? (via Quora) A. They do! All bodies of water have tides — even your bathtub! Even your coffee cup! But here’s the catch: You need an ocean-sized amount of water for the cumulative effect of tides to be easily visible. In fact, the very largest tides on…
Q: I spilled yogurt on my keyboard. Now some keys are stuck. How do I fix it? (via Quora) A: Wash it! Yes, you can wash almost any electronic device, provided the device is unpowered and you only use distilled water, which is almost totally nonconductive. There’s no guarantee it’ll work, of course, but this…
Q: How many keyboard keys are pressed at the same second in the world? (via Quora) A: A very rough guess: humans currently generate 416 million keystrokes per second. Here’s the (admittedly shaky) logic — feel free to adjust up or down as you wish: Assuming you mean physical keyboards — the kind used on…
Q: How do you type a unusual characters like “≥” (greater-than-or-equal-to) in Microsoft Word? (via Quora) A: It’s easy! Every electronic keyboard has a set of built-in computer codes for a given language’s most-commonly-used letters, numbers and punctuation. These are the symbols you see printed permanently on the tops of your keyboard’s keys. But the…
Q. What are, in your opinion, the best writing utensils? (via Quora) A: Best: Your favorite PC and word processor at an ergonomic standing desk in a quiet office with a fresh pot of good coffee nearby. Worst: A 12″ roller, a billboard near a highway, and a bucket of house paint. Permalink: https://wp.me/paaiox-5R Ask…
Q: Why don’t birds have propellers instead of wings? (to me via Quora) A: On a macro biological scale (birds, humans, etc.), true, 360 degree, detached, continuous rotation around an axis or axle would be difficult to grow, and basically impossible to maintain/heal: How would nerves, blood vessels, and other necessary attachments span across a…
Q. Who is responsible for the Boston gas blasts? (Mikhail Tuzikov, via Quora) A. As of early today, 2018-09-14, the mostly likely explanation is human error. Some old gas pipes were being replaced in that area, and workers may have incorrectly connected a medium-pressure distribution line (60psi/4.1bar) to a low-pressure residential line (0.25psi/0.02bar), overwhelming the…
Q: “If you live in Boston, can you use your Massachusetts E-ZPass in other states?” (via Quora) A: In some states, yes. (See map) Here’s the thing: “E-ZPass” is a brand name for one specific type of electronic transponder system. It’s neither universal nor generic. There are many other, incompatible brands of electronic tolling systems;…
Q. What is Windows doing when it takes so long “Working on updates” during a restart? (via Quora) A: Software that’s in use and actively running cannot be updated or replaced on the fly. The in-use software has to be shut down, then replaced, then restarted. When Windows Update needs to replace an in-use, system-level…