Interesting Bits

Ukraine’s military adapts tactics after enduring Russia’s initial invasion – The Washington Post

by dldamore

Ukraine’s military adapts tactics after enduring Russia’s initial invasion – The Washington Post:

The Ukrainian military has advised civilian defense volunteers to ignore armored vehicles and instead attack fuel trucks, which are unarmored and often driven by poorly trained Russian soldiers. Cutting off the fuel supply turns tanks and rocket artillery vehicles into road obstacles, and makes them susceptible to easy destruction or capture, said Zagorodnyuk, now chairman of the Center for Defense Strategies, a Ukrainian think tank.

China’s Births Hit Historic Low, a Political Problem for Beijing – The New York Times

by dldamore

China’s Births Hit Historic Low, a Political Problem for Beijing – The New York Times:

China’s ruling Communist Party has taken steps to address the birthrate decline, by relaxing its notorious “one child” policy, first allowing two children in 2016 and as many as three since last year. It is also offering incentives to young families and promising improvement in workplace rules and early education.

None have been able to reverse a stark fact: An increasing number of Chinese women don’t want children.

Opinion | I Just Turned 60, but I Still Feel 22 – The New York Times

by dldamore

Opinion | I Just Turned 60, but I Still Feel 22 – The New York Times:

Friendship is forged across time, through good fortune and tragedy alike, and true friends are those who keep on loving one another even when it isn’t convenient and even when they don’t always agree.

 

Maybe wisdom is just too much to ask of a culture in the grip of collective trauma. Maybe wisdom can be acquired only with time, even if time by itself is no guarantee.

Lee Kaufman, Who Cleaned Her Way to Late-Life Stardom, Dies at 99 – The New York Times

by dldamore

Lee Kaufman, Who Cleaned Her Way to Late-Life Stardom, Dies at 99 – The New York Times:

They were the pioneers in an advertising strategy for Swiffer built on ordinary people, rather than actors, and the public responded with adoration and a click count that soared into the millions.

A three-minute spot intended for the internet was produced and got such a response that it was carved up into shorter segments for social media and television commercials; a string of other Swiffer ads using ordinary people followed. The Kaufmans’ eureka moments in the bits were genuine enough — the couple said later that they’d been unaware of Swiffer products before the filming.

“The bottom line is, don’t die young,” she said. “There are too many things that can happen.”

Moved a Wi-Fi router? That could mess with an iPhone’s location | Macworld

by dldamore

Moved a Wi-Fi router? That could mess with an iPhone’s location | Macworld:

These signal captures are paired with millions—or maybe billions—of Wi-Fi “snapshots” taken every day by iPhones, iPads, and Macs that help flesh out the picture. Your devices are constantly scanning for nearby Wi-Fi networks, even when connected to an active Wi-Fi router or hotspot. Those scans contain signal strength information and bolster Apple’s database.

*Interesting read. Data can be collected and put to use in ways you hadn’t thought of.

Looking for a Way to Soup Up Your Car? Go Electric. – The New York Times

by dldamore

Looking for a Way to Soup Up Your Car? Go Electric. – The New York Times:

“People are going to get so used to the idea of the E.V. grin.”

With a grant from Foundry10, Mr. McCue’s next class project was an 800-volt electric dragster called Shock and Awe that at 166 miles per hour held the speed record for a car with doors until Ford’s electric Mustang Cobra 1400 beat it in 2020.

When the automobile era began more than a century ago, most cars were powered by lead iron batteries or steam, not gas. “As gas cars became more reliable and less cantankerous, when gas cars became more convenient to drive, they took over,” said Leslie Kendall, historian and curator at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. “It’s happening in reverse now.”

*Interesting read.

Ask Ariely: On Gifting Gratitude and Requesting Reply – Dan Ariely

by dldamore

Ask Ariely: On Gifting Gratitude and Requesting Reply – Dan Ariely:

I gave them a pull down menu with options that ranged from “drop everything and answer me now” to “by the end of the day” to “by the end of the week,” to “by the end of the month,” and I also added an option I was most curious about, which was “no response necessary.” It was surprising to me how many emails were in the “no response necessary” category (about 20%) and more surprising how few emails were in the “drop everything and answer me now” category (about 2%).

*Interesting idea. This test gave insights one may not know about.