Author: Ben

Ben http://benjaminfenster.com/

Google’s Own Ads

The first time I saw the end of this TV advertisement from Google, I had to rewind TiVo in order to watch the whole thing again. (I think that was the first time I ever used TiVo to not skip commercials.) The same ad was on again last night, and it’s still just as touching.

There’s a similar ad recognizing Dan Savage’s It Gets Better project, and I find both very reminiscent of the ad Google ran during last year’s Superbowl: Parisian Love.

Remember when Apple’s “Hello, I’m a Mac” ads were the ones people actually wanted to watch? Now Google’s even taking that away.

Payment for Services Rendered

When an oxygen tank on Apollo 13 exploded, astronauts had to depend mainly on the Lunar Module systems, designed only for landing on the moon, to carry them safely through space.

According to Futility Closet, when the crew had returned safely to Earth, Lunar Module manufacturer Grumman sent a bill for services rendered to Command Module manufacturer North American Rockwell.

Inspection:                      $     20.00

Towing Charge @ $1.00/mile        300,000.00

Loss of altitude vehicle           24,100.00
 $20/day plus .08¢ per mile

Battery charge                          5.00

Air conditioning @ $5.00/day           25.00

Room and board @ $40.00 each          600.00
 per day

I haven’t been able to find any confirmation this actually happened, but it’s the sort of story that’s so fun I’m choosing to believe it’s true anyway.

Google Ads Preferences

Google makes its money by showing you ads, and the idea is that they’ll know what ads you’ll like based on your interests. Depending on what services you use (search, GMail, Voice, et cetera), Google may know a little or a lot about your Internet life.

To see what categories Google thinks you like best, view the Ads Preferences page.

A couple of mine are accurate. As a web developer, I do find Internet & Telecom – Web Services – Web Design & Development relevant. On the other hand, I’m also tagged with Home & Garden – Home Furnishings – Lighting and Hobbies & Leisure – Crafts. Can’t you picture me sitting at my craft table decorating a new lampshade with seashells? No? Well, neither can I. But Google can.

A footnote promises that “sensitive interest categories” don’t count. So if your primary interest is Pornography – And Lots of It, you won’t find that in your profile anywhere. Handy!

Apollo Insurance Covers

Apollo 11 Insurance Cover

Apollo 11 Insurance Cover

Suppose it’s 1969 and you’re getting ready for a visit to the moon as an Apollo astronaut. You may not make it back alive — that’s no secret to anybody — but you still want to provide for your family. Anybody else would just take out a life insurance policy, but astronauts didn’t have that option. No agent in the world would accept such a risky policy.

NASA solved the problem simply and cleverly. Astronauts would sign a set of postcards just before each launch. Such memorabilia would be inherently valuable just for representing a bit of history. If the astronauts didn’t survive, though, those limited, suddenly irreplaceable cards would be worth a fortune. Astronauts’ families could make their “insurance” income by simply selling their stock of cards.

A lot of the details are a bit of a mystery (e.g., precisely how many of each card exist), but they’re still traded today. Various auction sites, including eBay, currently offer cards for around $10,000.

(via UKinsurancenet)

The Modern Soldier

As Sophie went to bed this evening, she announced:

I want to be a soldier!

(suddenly excited) No… wait… a musketeer! I could wear all pink! And a feather!

Well, sure. I totally see your train of thought.

Sunsurfer

Sunsurfer is a photo blog featuring pictures of the most gorgeous locations one can imagine. Each one reminds me of a place found normally only in a movie — a fantasy location too poignantly beautiful to be real. Some feature the outdoors; some show unique architecture; more than a few show tree houses.

The site gets about 10 updates every day, and over the past month I’ve found it impossible not to eagerly click through every one.

Snow Frosting, Castle Hohenzollern, Germany photo via nero749

Snow Frosting, Castle Hohenzollern, Germany

Lantern Festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Lantern Festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Autumn, Five Oaks Drive, Oregon

Autumn, Five Oaks Drive, Oregon

Secret Bookcase Room, Ireland

Secret Bookcase Room, Ireland

Ancient Passageway, Stari Bar, Montenegro

Ancient Passageway, Stari Bar, Montenegro

No Tests

Overheard from a child about nine years old:

I’m never going to drive a car because I’m never going to take the test. I don’t like tests. … Except the tests we take at schol; I like those.

I guess my main question is: what other tests have you been taking?

Err

Err

Err

Artist Jeremy Hutchison wrote to factory managers and asked to order one of their products, but with an error. The error had to render the product unusable (for its ordinary purpose), and the factory working making the object had to choose the error.

Some factories ignored the request. One produced a flawed object only to have customs destroy it before it could leave the country. But many produced delightfully… erroneous objects.

This shovel with the handle backwards is one of my favorites. There’s also a pipe with nowhere to put tobacco, a comb with no teeth, and a variety of other misassembled or destroyed objects.

(via Creative Review)

Raptors at the Museum

Here are some headlines from the City of Longmont’s news feed:

Live Raptors at the Museum

Live Raptors at the Museum

Wait, go back to that last one. Live raptors in a museum? I’ve seen this in a movie! I assume everything will be okay if we can find a kid who knows UNIX.

Real World Subtraction

This page comes from one of Sophie’s summer homework books. It’s just one of many practice exercises in adding and subtracting:

Real World Subtraction

Real World Subtraction

Well, sure! My first thought whenever it’s raining out side is: “I wonder what the difference between the number of puddles here and the number of rain boots might be.”

This sort of infuriating problem is what leads to math being incomprehensible at higher levels. Subtraction isn’t a magical and arbitrary branch of abstract mathematics. It’s a tangible, everyday concept.

Sophie understands that when she spends money and gets change she can calculate the difference with subtraction. It’s an understanding not just of how but why. That’s harder to teach with higher-level mathematics. It shouldn’t be a challenge with elementary arithmetic.