William Thomson's Tide Predicting Machine, 1872 (London)

Tide-predicting machine designed by William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin), built by A. Légé & Co., 20 Cross Street, Hatton Gardens, London, 1872. The machine is a mechanical analogue computer which traces the tidal curve for a given location, by combining ten astronomical components. It is the first working machine of Thomson’s design, based on his application of harmonic analysis to tidal phenomena.

Each of the ten components has a shaft with an overhead crank which carries a pulley pivoted on a parallel axis adjustable for the range applying to that place. The shafts are geared together so that their periods are broadly proportional to the periods of the tidal constituents. On each shaft the crank can be turned and clamped in any position corresponding to the epoch of tide required. The machine was able to draw the tidal curves of one harbour for one year in about four hours.

I don't really understand this whole "gen z doesn't know how to use tech", because most of them understand basic tech hygiene, capabilities, expectations, and extremely basic troubleshooting far better than any other generation — and the the ones who know a little bit more than the basics? They tend to know a lot more than those older than them in the same category.

Even if we continue down the line to the "actually they mean AlphaZ" then they are definitely farther ahead in those basic reqs than the people I went to school with a decade ago.

Sure, yeah, a lot of the people I went to high school with now understand tech, but back then? The extent of their knowledge tended to be how far away I was from them to help.

The only thing that I could imagine being right about the statement is that there are more people than average (basically, all) of them at their age (12-18) that use tech, but don't quite understand anything more than the basics compared to those who used technology in that same age range — Only because those in the older generations in that same age group (and used tech) tended to have a priori, influence, or environment that either required more knowledge to do the most basic things on worse hardware, or they had a unique interest at that age and the means to get their hands on it.

tl;dr, the kids are alright and probably understand basic tech better than you did at their age.

生命装置のなかで見る松の美しさとは　東信のAMKKが原宿StandByでインスタレーション

Japanese Company Launches Vertical Pods That Let You Sleep Standing Up

I have no problem being optimistic about LK-99, even if it fails to meet the rather high expectation of total technological revolution, but I am happy to be more optimistic than I am pessimistic about any potential future better than our present.

You can be highly optimistic and still reasonably understand the low chance of success of any one, or multiple, things that could be a net-benefit in the off-chance of success. There is no need to chastise those that had high hopes and excitement because you are more nihilistic in your own expectations

 The Binary Collection by Benjamin Rollins Caldwell

New CRISPR cancer treatment tested in humans for first time

Researchers have made an important step forward toward a long-desired goal: using the gene-editing technology CRISPR to treat cancer. [Source: Time]

Now, PACT Pharma and UCLA have used CRISPR to remove and add genes to these cells to help them recognize a patient’s specific tumor cells. [...]

By genetically engineering T cells to be better at spotting proteins commonly found on the surfaces of blood cancer cells, researchers have been able to develop treatments — called “CAR-T cell therapies” — for people with those cancers. [..]

Using CRISPR, they knocked out a gene for an existing receptor and inserted a gene for a cancer-targeting receptor into T cells that lacked it. Once they had engineered what they thought would be enough T cells, the researchers infused them back into the patient.

The results: Later biopsies found that up to 20% of the immune cells in the patients’ tumors were the engineered T cells, suggesting that those cells were in fact very adept at homing in on the cancer.

Only two of the 16 participants experienced minor side effects — fever, chills, confusion — attributable to the T cells, but they quickly resolved. [..]

A month after treatment, five of the patients’ tumors were the same size as before, suggesting that the engineered cells may have had a stabilizing effect on their condition.

---------

My thoughts: While the results weren't absolutely mind-staggering, 100% fantastic, the amount that they were able to keep the cancer cells at bay, and normalize the growth is tremendously great.

The researchers went on to say that this may be due to their purposeful limited attack methods, and that this is something they can build on and truly develop a personalized life-saving or extending treatment for cancer.

Source: Freethink, November 21st, 2022.

Watching the launch of the Artemis I rocket last night from NASA was incredible — there are several shots that truly look like a music visualizer that could have only been run in winamp, with its pulsating beams of explosive transcendent exhaust propelling the craft through the backdrop of the black void called night. I've included my favorite moment above.

This rocket, the most powerful in history and the world, will be circling the moon and return to earth over the next six days. This is the first step to get us back to the moon. Artemis II is expected to launch with a full crew to flyby around the moon in 2024, followed closely by Artemis III which will feature a landing party to begin the preparations for setting up our first exoplanetary pseudo-permanent base on the moon (Artemis IV/V are developing the Lunar Gateway space station for easy travel to and from the surface of the moon), the current launch of Artemis III is scheduled for 2025/2026. This will be the first time we will have been back to the moon since 1972.

In France, all new and existing medium to large parking lots will have to be covered by solar panels

In France, solar just got a huge boost from new legislation approved through the Senate this week that requires all parking lots with spaces for at least 80 vehicles – both existing and new – be covered by solar panels.

Starting July 1, 2023, smaller carparks that have between 80 and 400 spaces will have five years to be in compliance with the new measures. Carparks with more than 400 spaces have a shorter timeline: They will need to comply with the new measures within three years of this date, and at least half of the surface area of the parking lot will need to be covered in solar panels.

Other measures on the table include building large solar farms on vacant land found alongside highways and railways, as well as on agricultural lands where feasible.

France’s national rail service SNCF also plans to install some 190,000 square meters of solar panels in 156 stations throughout the country by 2025 and 1.1 million square meters by 2030, all with the aim to reduce energy consumption by 25%.

The government also plans to build around 50 additional wind farms likes the one offshore Saint-Nazaire by 2050 in France. Measures are in place to reduce delays in building offshore wind farms from 10-12 years down to six years, and large solar farms from six years to three years.

(Source: Electrek, November 8th 2022)