DefenderOfBasic: “one of the most popular tools I ever made was this thing to explain how JPEG images are created out of these mathematical patterns … made in a couple hours for a talk, didn’t even bother trying to style it/make it look good.” Despite this, it is good. Try the jpeg-sandbox here.
The idea of feeding minerals “free choice” to livestock came about by a need to decrease over-consumption of a liquid supplement containing phosphoric acid, protein, molasses, and other minerals. Upon investigation, it was found that the liquid supplement was being used heavily by the animal as a source of phosphorous. Consequently, we discovered if animals had access to a phosphorous source on a free choice basis, over-consumption of the liquid ceased. We then extended this concept to other vitamins and minerals: if the animal was able to select phosphorous on a free choice basis, perhaps calcium could be selected in the same manner – success!
The next item tested free choice was sodium (Na+), in the form of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). It was feared that salt (NaCl) was not a satisfactory source of Na+ because it is one-third Na+ and two-thirds chloride (Cl-), and chloride was already in excess in most rations. Again, we found great success in our method. In time, potassium, sulfur, silicon, magnesium, vitamins, and trace minerals were added to the list. Finally, there were 16 separate vitamins and minerals fed free choice.
Viking antibiotics rediscovered
Our colleague in doing science online, Elizabeth Van Nostrand, asks: Please support this blog (with money)
Our Very Strange Search for “Sea Level”
Henrik Karlsson, Pseudonyms lets you practice agency
In his posthumously published book about pseudonyms, The Point of View of My Work as an Author, Kierkegaard makes an interesting argument for pseudonyms. Kierkegaard says that he used pseudonyms because he wanted the reader to be uncertain about how much of what he was saying was something he believed (far from everything). He would add details that make you question the trustworthiness of the authors of his books—as in Fear and Trembling, where Johannes Silencio is talking about how to deal with despair, while, quite obviously, being in despair himself. This unreliability of the authors forces the reader to “stand alone” (staa alene) to use Kierkegaard’s phrase. As a reader, you can’t pretend that you are not responsible for what you believe—you can’t say, “Oh, but Kierkegaard said so.” Or, worse: “Everyone does that.” No. You are left alone with these strange and unreliable authors and you have to come to your own conclusions.
Listen to radio from all over the world on radio.garden
astronaut.io – “youtube videos that have never been seen before, that may never be seen again“ (h/t DefenderOfBasic)
Seeds of Science puts out The SoS Library, including a couple of pieces by your favorite slimes.
Clearer Thinking: Can astrologers truly gain insights about people from entire astrological charts?
I Put a Toaster in the Dishwasher (h/t Adam Mastroianni)
These commenters are speaking authoritatively on subjects about which they are completely ignorant, but they are strident in doing so because they are repeating what everybody knows. They are intellectually secure in the center of a vast mob; their wisdom was received, not crafted. It doesn’t need to be crafted, because it is already known, established, beyond question (but demonstrably wrong).
Courts Are Beginning to Prevent the Use of Roadside Drug Tests. The exact false positive rate of drug tests remains unclear, but seems much too high, and is certainly greater than zero!
The tests are small plastic pouches holding vials of chemicals. They’re cheap, roughly $2 apiece, and easy to use. Officers open the pouch and add the substance to be tested. The tests are designed to produce specific colors when mixed with drugs like heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine. But dozens of items, including foods and household cleaners, trigger similar reactions.
The Best Books on Personality Types
One of the first places to use the Myers Briggs Type Indicator in the wider world was the Institution for Personality Research and Research (IPAR). It was housed at a fraternity house in Berkeley that had been purchased by a psychologist named Donald MacKinnon, the first person to buy the Myers Briggs Type Indicator from Isabel.
At IPAR, MacKinnon wanted to create what he called a ‘house party approach’ to testing. He’d bring people to live in this fraternity house for long weekends. He’d give them personality tests; he’d have them compete against each other in games; he’d put them in deliberately stressful situations. And he’d have psychology graduate students watching their behavior to see what they could discern about personality from this very strange, immersive testing experience.
Speaking of personality measures: How accurate are popular personality test frameworks at predicting life outcomes? A detailed investigation
Twitter user DREW DANIEL @DDDrewDaniel “had a dream I was at a rave talking to a girl and she told me about a genre called ‘hit em’ that is in 5/4 time at 212 bpm with super crunched out sounds thank you dream girl”. Turns out this formula makes for pretty good tracks (and commentary, and reflections on the nature of twitter), add another entry to Wikipedia’s List of works based on dreams. Here are some favorites: