One of the oldest and most venerable general-purpose mneumonic techniques is called simply The Art of Memory, which basically involves memorizing a particular path through a particular building, and then populating that mental building with objects and symbols based on whatever one is trying to remember. In an age before cheap paper and writing utensils, this was very widely used, though rarely written about, and is likely responsible for much of the West's obsession with symbolism and dual meanings (the cournicopia as a symbol of plenty, Mars and Venus representing masculinity and femininity, the whole art of heraldry, the assignment to each saint of a particular profession, etc.). Indeed, Freemasonry, that most symbolic of institutions, owed some of its broad popularity, and its shift in focus from an operative guild to a speculative fraternity, to its connection with the Art of Memory.
I imagine that this guy was probably using a more specialized mneumonic, like the Raven poem linked to by the guy above, but as the Wikipedia link mentions, many of those who perform great feats of memory do still use this. Let's admit it though: there is no extant trick which would make memorizing 100,000 digits EASY.
I'm sorry, I hate to be an Internet asshole, but you are completely misinformed. First of all, the Soviet Union did not annex their zone. Their zone became East Germany, which was a satellite state and a Warsaw Pact member, but not a part of the Soviet Union proper. Second of all, Churchill writes in his History of the Second World War that plans called for Germany to be divided into as many as five or six seperate countries, nominally based on historical boundaries of various states in the Holy Roman Empire. Yes, the Occupation Zone boundaries were only intended to be temporary, but they represented at least approximately some of the proposed dividing lines, subject to some degree of revision, and further divisions. The western half was only unified because Western Europe needed a counter-weight to the Warsaw Pact nations.
Whoa, tone down that rhetoric a notch. Yes, the Allies demanded unconditional surrender. According to your Wiki link, the one condition the Japanese government absolutely demanded was that there be no occupation of the home islands. Simply put, that wasn't going to happen. As was done to Germany, the Allies were going to make damn sure that Japan couldn't rise again as a military power anytime in the next generation, which meant either cutting the country up into little pieces (as was the plan for Germany; West Germany was made by combining the French, American, and British occupation zones, which were originally going to each be independent countries forbidden from unifying), or by forcibly disbanding their army and writing into law that they may never have offensive military power (which is what was done to Japan). You can say all you want that they were "working on how to end the war," but unconditional surrender was the only way things could have gone down. Too much blood had been shed already to accept anything less.
Sure, I'll grant you the civil unrest, and that the Japanese were not prepared to fight to the last man for the Emperor, however, that doesn't mean that the whole island would have lay down without a fight. Invading Japan would have been an undertaking akin to the liberation of France, at least, especially given the lack of friendly nearby bases to launch from (as England was for the invasion of Normandy), and as the casualties in the campaign to re-take France were on the order of 500,000, I'd say that the bombs did, in fact, save lives.
How do you not remember? Ben Affleck was awesome in Shakespeare in Love. He played the pompous, self important actor who feels entitled to the starring role. It was a brilliant use of his negative image in the service of the movie. That being said, I've always thought Affleck was fine as an actor, I've never understood the hostility that most people seem to have for him.
What the fuck is the matter with you? MPG means "Miles Per Gallon," or Miles/Gallons. If the size of the gallons decreases, the numerator gets bigger, leading to a lower number. Example: if a car goes, say, 1,050 miles on a full tank of gas, and that tank has a capacity of 35 Imperial gallons, or 42 US gallons, then the car would get 1,050 / 35 = 30 MPG (UK), or 1,050 / 42 = 25 MPG (US). The same car would be rated at a higher MPG in the UK versus the US.
I don't know for sure, but I suspect that has to do with the number of games played in Oceania tournaments. If there's only half a dozen teams, and they play only once every 4th year, it's not going to help Australia as much. The North America region has dozens of teams (as it includes Central America and the Carribean), and as I said, they play every 2 years, so that's a lot more victories. It's true, the ranking of the team you beat is taken into account, but not as much as it would have to be to offset the regional issues (as I understand it, they're going to start adding a regional divisor to points earned in weak regional tournaments to try to offset this).
The official name of Rugby is actually "Rugby Football Union." So that's exactly where American football got its name. We started playing "Rugby Football," shortened the name to just "Football," and started changing the rules. As an aside, why do Spanish-speaking countries call it "futbol?" "Fut" doesn't mean "foot" in Spanish, to the best of my knowledge. Just accept that people call games by particular names for historical reasons, and stop worrying about it.
The problems with the rankings are fairly well understood, and FIFA has already said that they will introduce a new ranking system after the World Cup ends. Basically, FIFA awards most points based on performance in recognized international and regional tournaments. Sounds logical, however North America plays its regional tournament every other year, whereas most regions play only every 4th year. Moreover, North America is essentially dominated by the US and Mexico, as most of the remaining nations are too small, too poor, or both, to draft decent teams. So, the US and Mexico rack up points like crazy, by beating teams like Costa Rica over and over again. Meanwhile, strong teams in South America and Europe get pushed down in the rankings because they have to face powerhouses like Brazil or the Czechs in their regional tournaments.
Anyway, all of this is a digression, but the point is that this is a known problem with the current rankings, and one which is expected to be fixed shortly.
Microsoft now provides an anti-spyware program. It automatically installs if you leave auto-update on. As for anti-virus programs, I think everyone just buys Norton.
You're in luck! It's the 7th item (how appropriate) on the "Galaxy of Highlights" page. Christie's estimate is $2,000-$3,000. I think they underestimate the number of geeks with too much money and too few dating opportunities...
If we're talking about the equator, day length does not appreciably vary. Therefore, you can't assume a couple extra hours of daylight; the plane would have to be travelling at 500 mph ground speed (not air speed), which is faster than most commercial jets (the 747, for example, travels at about 539 mph airspeed, but ground speed is reduced depending on altitude). To fly around the world without landing, a solar plane would almost certainly need nighttime capabilities.
If you'd actually read the article, instead of just the title, you would have noticed the following: "Unless the court of appeals overturns his conviction or revises his sentence, federal sentencing guidelines suggest that Ebbers could serve slightly more than 21 years if prison officials determine he's a model prisoner.
In that event, said former prosecutor John Hemann, Ebbers would likely be released several months early to serve out the remainder of his sentence in home detention or a halfway house."
At 63 going in, he'll be at least 84 when he gets out. Health care in prison is less than exemplary, especially for senior citizens, so like I said, odds are that it's a life sentence. But I guess that doesn't fit in with your class warfare view of the world.
Most major human diseases (polio, smallpox, mumps, black plague, etc.) were originally carried by animals, especially domesticated animals or pests. Sure, as man comes into contact with previously isolated species, we will continue to bring new diseases to the forefront. Would it be better if we were still living in caves?
According to whom? The Soviets were stretched damn thin as it was, and without American shipping, the Soviets would have been desperately short on materiel. That's to say nothing of the number of troops Germany had to keep in the west to forestall invasion, troops which could have been sent to the Eastern Front if America were not a factor. If Stalin thought he could have won without a Second Front, he wouldn't have badgered Churchill and FDR about it. Stalin would have been perfectly happy to win the war himself and move the Iron Curtain that much further to the west, were it feasible.
What are you talking about? To use your example, you still have the choice not to go to Burger King if you don't like their drinks. Personally, I don't really care that much about soda brands, but my father only drinks Diet Pepsi. So, he always gets his drinks from Taco Bell, even if he gets his food from Burger King (with drive-thrus at your standard freeway rest stop, this is not hard to do). You always have the choice, though companies may put forth some effort to make one of the choices less convenient.
As plenty of others have said, Wikipedia needs to be self sufficient. Whether they raise an endowment, accept ads, or what have you, people aren't going to keep pitching in donations indefinately, especially when the needed funds are over $1 millon/year. In the interim, they need to follow the practice of every other charitable organization out there: have a "sponsor" list. Post the names of anyone donating above, say, $1,000, and put it in a prominent place. Corporations are among the biggest charitable givers, but they're not going to give if they don't get recognition.
Not for Time Magazine. Time has consistently said that "Man of the Year" refers to the person who has had the most impact on the news that year. It is meant in the sense that 1938 was "the year of Hitler," just as 1940 was "the year of Churchill," not that Hitler was the greatest man of 1938.
True, but it ain't over 'till the fat lady sings. They still have to build the damn thing. Then they have to keep it from being blown up by terrorists...
San Francisco doesn't have many really big buildings. The BofA building (arguably the tallest in the city) is a mere 52 floors, barely half the height of the Taipei 101.
I'm less familiar with LA, but I suspect that given how spread out it is, they don't build a lot of huge skyscrapers either.
The difference is that the "Mosquito" indiscriminately targets most people under 18-ish (including, as an aside, young children, a point that I don't think has really been discussed in this article). As others have said, the appropriate response is to ban the individuals engaging in disruptive behavior. If they return, call the police.
Indeed. It's not even the largest skyscraper, compare it to the Sears Tower. The Taipei 101 may have a little observation deck that's up higher (as well as an "architectural spire" for added height), but the Sears Tower is a dramatically larger building. For that matter, the profile doesn't even do it justice, because the Sears Tower is square, while the Taipei 101 is round.
As the other reply said, I wouldn't say you're totally over that arrogance just yet. However, even supposing that everything in your post is God's own truth, do you really think that the best way to encourage teenagers to develop into worthwhile adults is by chasing them around with high pitched noises?
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I imagine that this guy was probably using a more specialized mneumonic, like the Raven poem linked to by the guy above, but as the Wikipedia link mentions, many of those who perform great feats of memory do still use this. Let's admit it though: there is no extant trick which would make memorizing 100,000 digits EASY.
I'm sorry, I hate to be an Internet asshole, but you are completely misinformed. First of all, the Soviet Union did not annex their zone. Their zone became East Germany, which was a satellite state and a Warsaw Pact member, but not a part of the Soviet Union proper. Second of all, Churchill writes in his History of the Second World War that plans called for Germany to be divided into as many as five or six seperate countries, nominally based on historical boundaries of various states in the Holy Roman Empire. Yes, the Occupation Zone boundaries were only intended to be temporary, but they represented at least approximately some of the proposed dividing lines, subject to some degree of revision, and further divisions. The western half was only unified because Western Europe needed a counter-weight to the Warsaw Pact nations.
Sure, I'll grant you the civil unrest, and that the Japanese were not prepared to fight to the last man for the Emperor, however, that doesn't mean that the whole island would have lay down without a fight. Invading Japan would have been an undertaking akin to the liberation of France, at least, especially given the lack of friendly nearby bases to launch from (as England was for the invasion of Normandy), and as the casualties in the campaign to re-take France were on the order of 500,000, I'd say that the bombs did, in fact, save lives.
How do you not remember? Ben Affleck was awesome in Shakespeare in Love. He played the pompous, self important actor who feels entitled to the starring role. It was a brilliant use of his negative image in the service of the movie. That being said, I've always thought Affleck was fine as an actor, I've never understood the hostility that most people seem to have for him.
What the fuck is the matter with you? MPG means "Miles Per Gallon," or Miles/Gallons. If the size of the gallons decreases, the numerator gets bigger, leading to a lower number. Example: if a car goes, say, 1,050 miles on a full tank of gas, and that tank has a capacity of 35 Imperial gallons, or 42 US gallons, then the car would get 1,050 / 35 = 30 MPG (UK), or 1,050 / 42 = 25 MPG (US). The same car would be rated at a higher MPG in the UK versus the US.
I don't know for sure, but I suspect that has to do with the number of games played in Oceania tournaments. If there's only half a dozen teams, and they play only once every 4th year, it's not going to help Australia as much. The North America region has dozens of teams (as it includes Central America and the Carribean), and as I said, they play every 2 years, so that's a lot more victories. It's true, the ranking of the team you beat is taken into account, but not as much as it would have to be to offset the regional issues (as I understand it, they're going to start adding a regional divisor to points earned in weak regional tournaments to try to offset this).
The official name of Rugby is actually "Rugby Football Union." So that's exactly where American football got its name. We started playing "Rugby Football," shortened the name to just "Football," and started changing the rules. As an aside, why do Spanish-speaking countries call it "futbol?" "Fut" doesn't mean "foot" in Spanish, to the best of my knowledge. Just accept that people call games by particular names for historical reasons, and stop worrying about it.
Anyway, all of this is a digression, but the point is that this is a known problem with the current rankings, and one which is expected to be fixed shortly.
Microsoft now provides an anti-spyware program. It automatically installs if you leave auto-update on. As for anti-virus programs, I think everyone just buys Norton.
You're in luck! It's the 7th item (how appropriate) on the "Galaxy of Highlights" page. Christie's estimate is $2,000-$3,000. I think they underestimate the number of geeks with too much money and too few dating opportunities...
If we're talking about the equator, day length does not appreciably vary. Therefore, you can't assume a couple extra hours of daylight; the plane would have to be travelling at 500 mph ground speed (not air speed), which is faster than most commercial jets (the 747, for example, travels at about 539 mph airspeed, but ground speed is reduced depending on altitude). To fly around the world without landing, a solar plane would almost certainly need nighttime capabilities.
If you'd actually read the article, instead of just the title, you would have noticed the following:
"Unless the court of appeals overturns his conviction or revises his sentence, federal sentencing guidelines suggest that Ebbers could serve slightly more than 21 years if prison officials determine he's a model prisoner.
In that event, said former prosecutor John Hemann, Ebbers would likely be released several months early to serve out the remainder of his sentence in home detention or a halfway house."
At 63 going in, he'll be at least 84 when he gets out. Health care in prison is less than exemplary, especially for senior citizens, so like I said, odds are that it's a life sentence. But I guess that doesn't fit in with your class warfare view of the world.
Different kind of justice? Bernie Ebbers, who effectively received a life sentence, might disagree.
Most major human diseases (polio, smallpox, mumps, black plague, etc.) were originally carried by animals, especially domesticated animals or pests. Sure, as man comes into contact with previously isolated species, we will continue to bring new diseases to the forefront. Would it be better if we were still living in caves?
According to whom? The Soviets were stretched damn thin as it was, and without American shipping, the Soviets would have been desperately short on materiel. That's to say nothing of the number of troops Germany had to keep in the west to forestall invasion, troops which could have been sent to the Eastern Front if America were not a factor. If Stalin thought he could have won without a Second Front, he wouldn't have badgered Churchill and FDR about it. Stalin would have been perfectly happy to win the war himself and move the Iron Curtain that much further to the west, were it feasible.
What are you talking about? To use your example, you still have the choice not to go to Burger King if you don't like their drinks. Personally, I don't really care that much about soda brands, but my father only drinks Diet Pepsi. So, he always gets his drinks from Taco Bell, even if he gets his food from Burger King (with drive-thrus at your standard freeway rest stop, this is not hard to do). You always have the choice, though companies may put forth some effort to make one of the choices less convenient.
Clearly they don't consider a small, one man fighter to be any threat, or they'd have a tighter defense.
As plenty of others have said, Wikipedia needs to be self sufficient. Whether they raise an endowment, accept ads, or what have you, people aren't going to keep pitching in donations indefinately, especially when the needed funds are over $1 millon/year. In the interim, they need to follow the practice of every other charitable organization out there: have a "sponsor" list. Post the names of anyone donating above, say, $1,000, and put it in a prominent place. Corporations are among the biggest charitable givers, but they're not going to give if they don't get recognition.
Not for Time Magazine. Time has consistently said that "Man of the Year" refers to the person who has had the most impact on the news that year. It is meant in the sense that 1938 was "the year of Hitler," just as 1940 was "the year of Churchill," not that Hitler was the greatest man of 1938.
True, but it ain't over 'till the fat lady sings. They still have to build the damn thing. Then they have to keep it from being blown up by terrorists...
I'm less familiar with LA, but I suspect that given how spread out it is, they don't build a lot of huge skyscrapers either.
The difference is that the "Mosquito" indiscriminately targets most people under 18-ish (including, as an aside, young children, a point that I don't think has really been discussed in this article). As others have said, the appropriate response is to ban the individuals engaging in disruptive behavior. If they return, call the police.
Indeed. It's not even the largest skyscraper, compare it to the Sears Tower. The Taipei 101 may have a little observation deck that's up higher (as well as an "architectural spire" for added height), but the Sears Tower is a dramatically larger building. For that matter, the profile doesn't even do it justice, because the Sears Tower is square, while the Taipei 101 is round.
What, are you saying that the construction of the Taipei 101 and an increase in earthquake activity are both caused by a third, unknown factor?
As the other reply said, I wouldn't say you're totally over that arrogance just yet. However, even supposing that everything in your post is God's own truth, do you really think that the best way to encourage teenagers to develop into worthwhile adults is by chasing them around with high pitched noises?