Author: kenmay

The story of Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan

In 1913, English mathematician G.H. Hardy received a package from an unknown accounting clerk in India, with nine pages of mathematical results that he found “scarcely possible to believe.” In this week’s episode of the Futility Closet podcast, we’ll follow the unlikely friendship that sprang up between Hardy and Srinivasa Ramanujan, whom Hardy called “the most romantic figure in the recent history of mathematics.” We’ll also probe Carson McCullers’ heart and puzzle over a well-proportioned amputee. Show notes Please support us on Patreon!

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The story of Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan

How to fold a World Record-winning paper airplane

John Collins holds the Guinness World Record for designing the farthest flying paper airplane. The plane, folded from a single piece of A4 paper, flew 69.14 meters in 2012. Harvard University made this video of Collins folding his masterpiece during a recent visit with Harvard’s design engineering graduate students. More designs at The Paper Airplane Guy .

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How to fold a World Record-winning paper airplane

HBO Now racks up 2 million subscribers

HBO Now’s growth isn’t about to slow down any time soon, it seems. Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes reports that the internet-only video service now has over 2 million customers — not bad when it hadn’t even reached 1 million a year ago. And a good chunk of that may have come recently, as the company’s financial chief noted that there was a “nice uptick” in over-the-top (read: online) subscriber growth as of late. It’s not certain what prompted the rise in demand, although there are a few likely factors at work. Increased accessibility no doubt helps, as you’re more likely to spend that $15 per month if you know you can watch HBO on your PlayStation or Xbox . Gradually increasing internet speeds make streaming a more realistic option. And of course, good programming is key — the one-two combo of Game of Thrones and Westworld no doubt helped persuade some viewers. As for extending the streak? Time Warner says it’s planning to add more digital distribution allies to reach people who wouldn’t normally see its marketing (think cord cutters and others who don’t watch much conventional TV). There’s no telling that this will be enough, but it’s clear that the focus is shifting away from the novelty of internet-only HBO and more on its merits. Source: Variety

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HBO Now racks up 2 million subscribers

Six Flags and Samsung unveil ‘mixed reality’ rollercoaster

To many of us, roller coasters are just fine without extra visual stimulation. However, last year, several amusement parks introduced virtual reality devices, letting you fly through space or a gargoyle-infested dystopia. Six Flags and Samsung have done that one better now with the New Revolution Galactic Attack mixed reality experience. As before, Six Flags is using Samsung’s Gear VR headset, but now it’s using the passthrough camera on the Galaxy phones, letting you see the virtual content overlaid on the real world. Samsung says the Six Flags experience “enables millions of consumers to experience virtual reality for the first time.” However, the passthrough camera on the Gear VR won’t deliver mixed reality that’s as good as something like Microsoft’s Hololens , which overlays virtual content onto the real world, not a camera view. However, it’ll at least give folks a view of the outside rather than locking them in a digital box. On top of the virtual imagery, there’s a level of gamification. “As riders drop at high speeds, the mixed reality view changes to a completely immersive, virtual reality environment and a fighter spaceship cockpit materializes and envelops the riders into a tunnel of light, ” the PR breathlessly explains. From there, you’ll be brought into one of three (virtual) drone bays, “each of which offer a completely different gaming experience and three different endings, ” Six Flags explains. As before, the VR is synchronized to the ride movements, so that you don’t experience any not-so-virtual puking. The featured ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA is the New Revolution, the first-ever looping roller coaster built in 1976. While not the park’s most diabolic ride, the LA Times advises riders to keep their heads back “or you’ll get your ears boxed.” At the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, CA, the New Revolution Galactic Attack will be available on floorless looping Kong coaster. Source: Six Flags

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Six Flags and Samsung unveil ‘mixed reality’ rollercoaster

A rash of invisible, fileless malware is infecting banks around the globe

(credit: INVISIBLE-MAN_1933_James Whale) Two years ago, researchers at Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab discovered their corporate network was infected with malware that was unlike anything they had ever seen . Virtually all of the malware resided solely in the memory of the compromised computers, a feat that had allowed the infection to remain undetected for six months or more. Kaspersky eventually unearthed evidence that Duqu 2.0, as the never-before-seen malware was dubbed, was derived from Stuxnet, the highly sophisticated computer worm reportedly created by the US and Israel to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program. Now, fileless malware is going mainstream, as financially motivated criminal hackers mimic their nation-sponsored counterparts. According to research Kaspersky Lab plas to publish Wednesday, networks belonging to at least 140 banks and other enterprises have been infected by malware that relies on the same in-memory design to remain nearly invisible. Because infections are so hard to spot, the actual number is likely much higher. Another trait that makes the infections hard to detect is the use of legitimate and widely used system administrative and security tools—including PowerShell , Metasploit , and Mimikatz —to inject the malware into computer memory. “What’s interesting here is that these attacks are ongoing globally against banks themselves,” Kaspersky Lab expert Kurt Baumgartner told Ars. “The banks have not been adequately prepared in many cases to deal with this.” He went on to say that people behind the attacks are “pushing money out of the banks from within the banks,” by targeting computers that run automatic teller machines. Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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A rash of invisible, fileless malware is infecting banks around the globe

Google Brain Cleans Up Low-Res Photos by Turning Everyone Into a Glitched Out Monster

The team at Google Brain has made an impressive breakthrough for increasing the resolution of images. They’ve managed to turn 8×8 grids of pixels into monstrous approximations of human beings. Read more…

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Google Brain Cleans Up Low-Res Photos by Turning Everyone Into a Glitched Out Monster

Tesla Model S breaks acceleration record with Ludicrous Mode

Tesla’s Model S P100D is the fastest accelerating production car in the world, thanks to a Spaceballs -inspired software update. In a recent Motor Trend test, the Model S P100D hit 0-60 mph in 2.275507139 seconds using a new Easter egg mode called Ludicrous+. No production car has ever cracked 2.3 seconds during the magazine’s testing, it said. That’s faster than Tesla’s original promise of 2.5 seconds, and faster than the 2.389 second time recorded by the Tesla Racing Channel in January. Although the S P100D’s acceleration times are impressive for a stock electric vehicle, Motor Trend said it loses its advantage to other supercars at higher speeds, where horsepower wins out over instant torque. The Ferrari LaFerrari, for example, reaches 70 mph a tenth of a second quicker, while the Porche 918 and McLaren P1 win out at 80 mph. The S P100D’s ludicrous speed comes at a cost — and I don’t mean the $134, 500 and up price tag. It accelerates “like a real jerk, ” according to Motor Trend . In physics terms, jerk refers to the rate of change of acceleration. Using the magazine’s example, it’s the difference between being pushed by a clumsy person and being aggressively shoved. “Launching a Model S P100D (weighing 5, 062 with gear and driver) in full-on Ludicrous Easter-egg mode snaps your body in a manner that is utterly impossible to replicate in any other street-legal production car on normal tires and dry asphalt at a mid-$100, 000 price point, ” Motor Trend said. Apparently, the Model S P100D’s test performance beat Tesla Chairman and CEO Elon Musk’s expectations. He told Twitter followers last November the software update would only shave 0.1 seconds off its acceleration time. After seeing today’s results, however, Musk claimed the S P100D can perform even better if you remove the floor mats and front trunk liner. Source: Motor Trend

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Tesla Model S breaks acceleration record with Ludicrous Mode

Stanford students recreated a 5,000-year-old Chinese beer

Homebrewing is a niche hobby today, but before the industrialization of the industry, a lot of beer was made in people’s kitchens. Li Liu, a professor in Chinese archaeology at Stanford, was part of a team that recently discovered a 5, 000-year-old beer recipe that she figured could be recreated at home. The process was approachable enough for students in her Archaeology of Food: Production, Consumption and Ritual course to make in the classroom, so that’s what they did. The recipe, found during research that presents the earliest known evidence of beer production in China, consists primarily of grains like millet and barley, as well as Job’s tears (a type of grass native to southeast Asia) and traces of yam and lily root. The concoction produced is thicker than modern beers, and one student said it had “a pleasant fruity smell and a citrus taste, similar to a cider.” Liu said she was surprised to find that barley was part of the recipe, since the earliest evidence of barley seeds in China dates back to about 4, 000 years ago. This could mean that barley was first brought to China for alcoholic uses, rather than other food purposes. “Archaeology is not just about reading books and analyzing artifacts, ” Liu said . “Trying to imitate ancient behavior and make things with the ancient method helps students really put themselves into the past and understand why people did what they did.” Ancient drinks have captured the imaginations of many consumers and enthusiasts, which is why breweries like Dogfish Head make their own throwback beverages based on the traditions of yesteryear. For those wanting to learn more about the process, watch Liu explain the process in the video below. Source: Stanford

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Stanford students recreated a 5,000-year-old Chinese beer

How "I’m not a Robot" checkboxes work

Zuck That says, “Have you ever been on the Internet when you came across a checkbox that says “I’m not a robot?” In this video, I explain how those checkboxes (No CAPTCHA reCAPTCHAs) work as well as why they exist in the first place.” I mention CAPTCHA farms briefly, but the idea behind them is pretty straightforward. If a company wants to create an automatic computer program to buy 1,000 tickets to an event or make 1,000 email accounts, they can make a script that fills out the form one at a time, and when the program gets to a CAPTCHA, it will send a picture of it to a CAPTCHA farm where a low-wage worker will solve it and send the answer back to the computer program so that it can be used to finish filling out the form.

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How "I’m not a Robot" checkboxes work