i don't know much about music production, but i frequently noticed references in music to something called an "808." i gathered by some of the lyrics that an 808 must be some giant drum that is widely known to be the most booming.
after doing a quick search to quell my curiosity, i discovered an "808" is not an actual drum at all, but the Roland TR-808, a synthesizer that has drum kit samples. apparently they are known to be rather unrealistic sounding samples at that, but this synthesizer is comparatively cheap and is frequently used to generate rap/hip-hop backbeats. this (plus autotune) explains the artificial sound of Kanye's 808's and Heartbreak album.
hear some 808 samples here
advertisement hijacking
what do you do to shake asian advertisers that are not actually asian and pretend to be interested in your blog but are actually using it just to post random links?
examples:
examples:
screen sizes
one would tend to assume a 40” screen is twice the size of a 20” screen, but the screen size is proportional to the square of the diagonal length (i.e. Area = k*h²). this is easy to do mentally for multiples (e.g. 40” is twice as long as 20”, so the 40” screen is 4 times bigger) but I wanted to simplify the calculation for calculating any screen size.
below I have the proportionality constants (k) and the formula used to calculate it
- for 16:9 (widescreen tv's) use A = 0.427 * h²
[k=(16 / 9) * (sin(arctan(9 / 16))^2) = 0.427299703]
- for 16:10 (widescreen monitors) use A = 0.449 * h²
[k=(16 / 10) * (sin(arctan(10 / 16))^2) = 0.449438202]
- for 4:3 (old tv's and monitors) use A = 0.48 * h²
[k=(4 / 3) * (sin(arctan(3 / 4))^2) = 0.48]
one interesting thing is that, for the same reported screen size, older 4:3 tv’s will actually be 12% bigger. this is not very helpful, however, since most tv/movies are now presented in 16:9, and 4:3 tv’s will need to use the black bars and actually end up with 25% smaller pictures for the same reported screen size.
bed sizes
this shattered alot of what i thought i knew about bed sizes:
i thought a twin bed was an even 3'x6' and every level up added one foot to the width.
the way it actually works is:
the way it actually works is:
- twin: 3'3" x 6'3"
- full: 4'6" x 6'3"
- queen: 5' x 6'8"
- king: 6'6" x 6'8"
- california king: 6' x 7' (<-- my choice :-D )
house centipede!
only once in my life have i come across this crazy critter that looks a little like a mutated centipede. his legs are too long! apparently confusion over this arthropod is common as 'nobody' has seen one before and 'everyone' is perplexed when they encounter one. i came across mine unmoving on the cement wall in the basement of an old church, and i shocked a friend when i knew exactly the critter being described (once again chillin on a wall)
they are harmless to humans (unlike regular centipedes) and hunt spiders and other bugs.
learn more about scutigera coleoptrata
learn more about scutigera coleoptrata
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