Today I learned that just like you can use Green's theorem to get a tidy formula for the area of a polygon given the coordinates of the vertices, you can do the same sort of thing with curvilinear coordinates like finding the area of a "polygonal" region on a sphere using (Kelvin-)Stokes' theorem, as explained on YouTube here:
Maybe Fontra will appreciate this?
i look at the preview image and all i can see is a bowling ball descending under a box-shaped parachute
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2019 2:37 pm
by Adiwan
Today I learned how to use a crimping tool for making custom cable connectors.
I bought replacement fans for my 3d printers but I didn't notice that they had no connectors so I made the financially wise decision to put 5 times the value of a new fan with a connector on a crimping tool and a box of connectors of various sizes (I could use the cable of the previous fan and solder to the new fan buut that's besides the point).
Today I learned how to use a crimping tool for making custom cable connectors.
I bought replacement fans for my 3d printers but I didn't notice that they had no connectors so I made the financially wise decision to put 5 times the value of a new fan with a connector on a crimping tool and a box of connectors of various sizes (I could use the cable of the previous fan and solder to the new fan buut that's besides the point).
Crimpin' ain't easy
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2019 1:10 pm
by Mechanical Ape
TIL the metal cobalt is named after kobolds.
Seriously.
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2019 1:27 pm
by Skipper
Seems reasonable that an imaginary metal would be named after an imaginary creature.
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2019 12:07 am
by Mr. Big
TIL that the comic "Family Circus" began on February 29, 1960.
I don't know any other comic that began on a leap day, so yeah
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2019 2:29 am
by Pocket
TIL a relative of mine who works at Disney World was the one responsible for coming up with the "Minnie Van" transportation service. In return, he got put in charge of it (and pulled from his job managing the hotels), but doesn't actually do much because "it pretty much runs itself at this point", as my cousin put it. So he's looking to get transferred to another department again.
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2019 11:44 am
by Octavia
If he worked hard enough to make the system run so efficiently that it practically runs itself, then he deserves to keep the ideal job of not doing much and getting paid for it IMO.
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2019 12:59 am
by Perpetual Motion
TIL that the color magenta doesn't actually exist. It's just what our brain makes up when it sees a mixture of red and violet because those colors are on deadass opposite sides of the visible spectrum and the halfway point between them is green, and our brain is compensating for the fact that what we perceive as green and the red/violet mix are from two wildly different sources. Magenta does not correspond to any actual point on the visible color spectrum. It is a lie because perception is a weird mess of chemicals doing things we barely understand.
Ever see those giant, automated marble runs that they have in glass cases in some public buildings? Like this:
TIL there are dozens of them, and almost all of them were made by one guy, George Rhoads.
There was one in a local shopping center in my hometown (Pittsfield, MA). It was two stories tall, and was mounted as the side of a glass elevator shaft.
There was one in a local shopping center in my hometown (Pittsfield, MA). It was two stories tall, and was mounted as the side of a glass elevator shaft.
Same shopping center with the half-buried ship in the parking lot, right?
TIL about the most ridiculously unsafe amusement park in history, and it wasn't shut down until 1996.
Action Park is wild and learning about it was too
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Sun Oct 06, 2019 5:50 am
by DaikatunaRevengeance
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2019 3:55 pm
by Octavia
TIL that if you earned $5,000 a day for every single day since Columbus left Spain in 1492, you would still not have earned $1 billion by today.
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2019 5:50 pm
by Skipper
Can you really say anyone who has $1 billion actually earned it, though
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2019 7:03 pm
by W.T. Fits
TIL that Masahiro Sakurai created Smash Bros. because he felt guilty about completely destroying a couple of newcomers in King of Fighters '95 one time.
Sakurai wrote:The day I first saw a “Street Fighter II” arcade cabinet installed in my local arcade, I thought to myself, What is this!? A machine with two screens, each facing towards a seated player, designed so you can play against an unseen opponent, a design that persists today. If you lose, your one play is over, if you win, you get to keep playing. The tension I felt when playing against a stranger for the first time was incomparable to when I played my friends, and my heart started to race. This is groundbreaking![1] I felt as if a new way of playing games had introduced itself into arcades. This was over ten years ago.
A little time passed since then, to a time where I felt the fighting game [2] boom had leveled off a bit. I was slightly aimlessly playing “King of Fighters ‘95” when someone joined me, playing on the other side. Despite feeling that I’d really want to just play alone..the fight was on! I landed my moves cleanly, and quickly took the first two games. One more team member to go and victory was mine!
…Weird. Something’s not right. My enemy is way too unresponsive, unresistant. Thinking something was strange, I stealthily used the reflection in the window glass to take a peek at my opponent, and to my surprise, they were…a normal couple! And the current player was the girlfriend.
Oh no…! I was filled with regret and remorse. I shouldn’t have been feeling good about myself, landing Zanretsuken [3] combos and whatnot. On the final round, once she had switched with her boyfriend, I did handicap myself, but by then my intent was obvious and it was far too late. I don’t know my opponents thought of me, but I personally left with a bitter aftertaste in my mouth.
At the time, when I was playing well I would win about 50 matches in a row, so I probably wasn’t too bad at fighting games. But because of this I felt especially regretful about what I had done. Most likely, that woman would never play a fighting game ever again. From the couple’s perspective, the two had probably walked into the arcade just to have some casual fun and have a nice time. And there, I had mercilessly destroyed them.
Oftentimes, people will say that “intentionally not trying your hardest is rude [4],” but that’s not true! Situations where your opponent wants to play you at your best aside, there was a chance that my opponent at that time may not have even known that there was a person controlling her opponent on the other side of the machine. Moreover, you need to be able to play games and have fun! What constitutes “fun” may vary depending on your level of skill, but people who know how to play the game must gently introduce the game to the new, introductory players!
Currently, I rarely play fighting games at arcades. The regret I felt that time is a trivial reason for many, but mostly I’ve already given up because I think “I’ll probably just get destroyed.” There’s too much of I need to know beforehand. The controls and rules are difficult and confusing as well. And thinking “I’m going to study this game!” isn’t something many people do [5].
I like fighting games even today, and playing them with my circle of friends is still fun. Thinking as a consumer, knowing that there is a foundation of fun in fighting games has already been laid down, I do wish a fighting game would come along that solves the problems that newer, introductory players face [6].
Thinking as a developer, “Smash Brothers” is the only answer I can offer. Please make do with that.
Trying to visualize some of these rides from Dave's descriptions was really hard.
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 12:32 pm
by Orange Fluffy Sheep
some of them just sounded like elaborate ways to launch one's body into concrete spikes and die horribly, honestly
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 12:37 pm
by Madeline
Action Park is fascinating because it seems like the owners and designers were intentionally trying to physically harm the guests, for no good reason
Here’s some footage of it in its prime
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2019 3:06 am
by Skipper
TIL my avatar was apparently never uploaded properly, despite 3 attempts at doing so! Have I mentioned before shipboard internet sucks?? Well it does!!
Re: TIL Thread: Today I learned...
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2019 3:56 pm
by Pocket
TIL former Disney animator, mid-2000s furry mocker, and Headless Horse's favorite crazy person Shawn Keller is still around and still... doing... things.
Dude hasn't changed much, from the looks of things.