Today I learned of the terms attachá, meaning a specialist assigned to the staff of a diplomatic mission; and snick, meaning a small cut.
This is TILT for the year of 2007. An 
feed is avaliable.
TILT is an attempt at a log of the things learned by MobileDigit on a day-by-day basis. Obviously, specific facts and terms are easier to record than a general impression from a Wikipedia article, so TILT cannot be expected to be fully complete.
Sometimes things supposedly learned are clarifications rather than previously unknown.
TILT is normally updated before 12:00 the next day.
Today I learned of the terms cassolette, which is a box with a perforated cover to emit perfumes; macula, which is a small area distinguishable from the surrounding tissue; bleary, meaning blurred or dimmed by or as if by tears; surfeit, meaning to satisfy to the full or to excess; chargeback, which occurs when a merchant is required to issue credit to a credit card holder's account; and lavage, meaning washing out a hollow organ by flushing with water.
Today I learned of the terms polyglot, meaning multilingual; ankh, which is a cross shaped like a T with a loop at the top; seethe, meaning to churn and foam as if boiling; and pillory, which is a wooden instrument of punishment on a post with holes for the neck and hands; offenders were locked in and so exposed to public scorn.
Today I learned of the terms proclivity, meaning a natural propensity or inclination; and limnology, which is the scientific study of the life and phenomena of fresh water, especially lakes and ponds.
Today I learned of the terms coeval, meaning belonging to the same period of time as another; bray, meaning to utter the loud, harsh cry of a donkey; slurry, which is a suspension of insoluble particles usually in water; nautical mile, which is 1.15 statute miles; and slag, which is the by-product of smelting ore to purify metals.
I also learned of firebugs.
Today I learned of the terms lampoon, which is a composition that imitates somebody's style in a humorous way; eschatology, which is the branch of theology that is concerned with the end of the world or of humankind; evert, meaning turn inside out; fob, meaning to deceive somebody; foible, which is a personal imperfection; abatement, a reduction in amount or intensity; adjuvant, which is an immunological agent that increases the antigenic response; eddy, meaning a current of air or water moving in a circular or spiral motion; apocryphal, meaning of questionable authorship or authenticity; compendium, which is a concise, yet comprehensive compilation of a body of knowledge; calque, or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, "word-for-word" translation; surreptitious, meaning stealthy; bon vivant, which is a person with refined taste, especially one who enjoys superb food and drink; and misandry, meaning the hatred of men.
I also learned about the Drake equation and colony collapse disorder.
Today I learned of the terms recognisance, which is an obligation entered into before a court or magistrate requiring the performance of an act (e.g., appearance in court), usually under penalty of a money forfeiture; and consortium, which is an association of companies for some definite purpose.
Today I learned of the terms austere, meaning severely simple; chauvinism, which is fanatical patriotism; aerodyne, which is a heavier-than-air aircraft which derives lift from motion, as opposed to an aerostat which uses buoyancy (such as a balloon) to fly; and enrapture, meaning to fill with rapture or delight.
Today I learned of the terms rive, meaning to tear apart; gauche, meaning lacking social polish; and desiccate, meaning to dry thoroughly.
Today I learned about the terms yips, meaning nervousness or tension that causes an athlete to fail to perform effectively, especially in missing short putts in golf; and rejoinder, meaning a quick reply to a question or remark.
Today I learned of the terms pluralis majestatis, which is the plural pronoun where it is used to refer to one person alone; ubiquitous, meaning ever-present; and attenuate, meaning to reduce in force, value, amount, or degree.
Today I learned about the terms opine, meaning to state as an opinion; landlubber, meaning an inexperienced sailor; a sailor on the first voyage; and reify, meaning to consider an abstract concept to be real.
Today I learned about the terms nom de guerre, meaning a fictitious name; and geisha, meaning a member of a professional class of women in Japan whose traditional occupation is to entertain men.
Today I learned of the terms acrimonious, meaning bitingly hostile; and epanalepsism, meaning the repetition after intervening words (the king is dead, long live the king).
Today I learned of the terms obdurate, meaning stubborn and unfeeling; alacrity, meaning liveliness and eagerness; exiguous, meaning extremely scanty; and usufruct, which is the legal right to use and derive profit or benefit from property that belongs to another person, as long as the property is not damaged.
I also learned about diceware.
Today I learned about the pre-Incan Moche civilization, and of the term garrote, which is an instrument of execution for execution by strangulation.
Today I learned of the terms qua, which is Latin for in the character or capacity of; déclassé, meaning lowered in class, rank, or social position; yoke, which is a connection between two things so they move together; gout, which is a painful inflammation of the big toe and foot caused by defects in uric acid metabolism resulting in deposits of the acid and its salts in the blood and joints; nib, which is the writing point of a pen; and about abductive reasoning.
I also learned about Cyc.
Today I learned of the terms excursion, meaning a usually short journey taken for pleasure; and veneer, meaning a deceptive outward appearance.
Today I learned of the terms abject, mean hopeless and downtrodden; ambuscade, meaning an ambush; carbacidometer, which is an instrument measuring the quantity of carbon dioxide in air; piccolo, which is a small, high-pitched flute; copacetic, meaning completely satisfactory; prolegomenon, which is a preliminary discussion such as a foreword; fervid, meaning marked by great passion or zeal; brat, meaning a very troublesome child; and mosey, meaning walk leisurely.
Today I learned of the terms daft, meaning mentally irregular; cacophony, meaning sound that is harsh and unpleasant-sounding; and cumulative, meaning increasing by successive addition.
I also learned of Python path configuration files, an easy way to edit Python's search path for scripts:
The most convenient way is to add a path configuration file to a directory that's already on Python's path, usually to the .../site-packages/ directory. Path configuration files have an extension of .pth, and each line must contain a single path that will be appended to sys.path. (Because the new paths are appended to sys.path, modules in the added directories will not override standard modules. This means you can't use this mechanism for installing fixed versions of standard modules.)
Today I learned of the terms intonation, which is the variation of tone used when speaking; bifurcate, meaning to divide into two parts or branches; bluestocking, meaning a woman having literary or intellectual interests; ancillary, meaning extra and supplementary; and deque, short for double-ended queue and meaning a queue for which elements can be added to or removed from the front or back.
I also learned about the term fnord.
Today I learned of the terms anaphor, which is a word used to avoid repetition; elide, meaning to leave or strike out; and parsimony, meaning extreme care at arriving at a course of action.
Today I learned of the terms abet, meaning to encourage or incite another to commit a crime; vista, which is a distant view or prospect, especially one seen through an opening; gaiety, which is a state of joyful exuberance; baguette, which is a gem cut in the form of a narrow rectangle; temerity, which is foolhardy disregard of danger; and chicanery, meaning deception by trickery or sophistry.
Today I learned of the term contraindication, which is a reason that makes it inadvisable to prescribe a particular drug or employ a particular procedure or treatment; and micro ISV, which is a micro independent software vendor.
How I Setup Scheme, Python, and Ruby on an iPAQ 1940
1. Download the binaries. (Pocket Scheme, PythonCE, Ruby-MSWinCE)
2. Download other useful software:
- Total Commander/CE - file manager and text file editor
- TascalRegEdit - registry editor for WinCE, useful to backup the registry
- myExtensions - associate files with extensions (.scm, .py, and .rb)
- PPC Command Shell [shell only] - for running Ruby
4. Use TascalRegEdit to backup the registry. (File > Export Registry)
5. Use myExtensions to add new extension associations. Example:
Extension: .rb Command: "\Storage Card\Program Files\Ruby\bin\ruby.exe" "%1" Icon: "\Storage Card\Program Files\Ruby\bin\ruby.exe",0 Description: Ruby script6. Create text files with the extensions you want to run.
Notes
Try this Ruby script, repl.rb:
You can also try running a Ruby script by running the command shell and entering the path to ruby.exe. Type the script, and when you type Ctrl-Z and Enter, the script will be executed.
Today I learned of the term felicitations, meaning congratulations.
Today I learned of Null End Tags:
Toady I learned of the terms troubadour, which is a singer of folk songs; simper, which is a silly, self-conscious, often coy smile; mortise, meaning to join or fasten securely; indefatigable, meaning untiring; utile, which is Latin meaning useful; dulci, which is Latin meaning sweet/pleasant/charming; ineffable, meaning indescribable; and quotidian, meaning commonplace.
I learned about Pocket Scheme, and PythonCE, two ways to program on a Pocket PC. I also learned of using Total Commander to edit file extensions and text files.
Today I learned about Geoffrey Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales, and of the term rabble, which is a mob.
Today I learned of the terms kitsch, meaning art in pretentious bad taste; ancillary, meaning of secondary importance; and menagerie, which is a collection of live animals for study or display.
I also learned more shortcuts for tab control in Firefox:
Today I learned of the terms one-off, meaning only once; inexorable, meaning not capable of being persuaded by entreaty; typify, meaning to be a typical example of; and fletch, meaning to feather an arrow.
Today I learned of the terms execrable, meaning unequivocally detestable; anaglyph, which is a moving or still pictures in contrasting colors that appear three-dimensional when superimposed; indemnify, meaning to make compensation to for damage, loss, or injury suffered; palatial, meaning of or suitable for a palace; solace, meaning a source of comfort or consolation; et al, which is Latin and short for et alii, meaning and others; and self-hosting, meaning that a computer program can be used as part of the toolchain or operating system that produces new versions of that same program, like a a compiler that can compile its own source code.
I also learned that Gaim changed its name to Pidgin.
Today I learned of the terms primum non nocere, which is Latin for first, do no harm; mitigate, meaning to make less severe; malady, meaning a disease, disorder, or ailment; and lye, which is the liquid obtained by leaching wood ashes.
Today I learned of the terms epithelial, refering to the layer of cells forming the epidermis of the skin; ricin, which is a poisonous protein extracted from the castor bean and used as a biochemical reagent; and pro rata, meaning in proportion.
Today I learned of the terms flit, meaning to move about rapidly and nimbly; cutesy, meaning deliberately or affectedly cute; copywriting, which is the process of writing the words that promote a person, business, opinion, or idea; and angora, which is a type of cat, goat, or rabbit with long, silky hair, sometimes used for making yarn.
I learned about the HTML <del> and <ins> tags and a Google feature that allows you to see what sites link to another: 'link:http://google.com/'
Today I learned of the terms redux, meaning brought back or restored; and ad valorem, meaning according to the value.
I also learned about the wick effect, which can cause human
Today I learned about smelting.
Today I learned about Jimson Weed, and of the terms voir dire, which is the preliminary examination of prospective jurors or witnesses under oath to determine their competence or suitability; and pithing, which is a scrambling of the brain.
I learned that in Firefox holding down the middle button and clicking left or right will change the active tab.
Today I learned of the terms exaptation, which is the utilization of a structure or feature for a function other than that for which it was developed through natural selection; panache, meaning distinctive and stylish elegance; quiescent, meaning being quiet, still, or at rest.
I also learned how to associate .py files with CGI with .htaccess, and how to redirect with it.
Today I learned of the terms nub, meaning an unevenness or elevation on a surface; magnate, meaning a powerful or influential person; hotcake, which is a pancake; mercurial, meaning having the characteristics of eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, and thievishness attributed to the god Mercury; apt, meanings exactly suitable; stead, which is the function or position properly or customarily occupied or served by another arms, meaning armaments; and indubitably, meaning to a degree that could not be doubted.
Today I learned of the terms concierge, which is an employee who lives on the premises and serves as a janitor and general caretaker; hagiography, which is a worshipful or idealizing biography; jibe, meaning to be in agreeance; FUD, standing for fear, uncertainty, and doubt;blasé, meaning uninterested because of frequent exposure or indulgence; melancholy, meaning sadness or depression of the spirits; and indelible, meaning permanently resistive to fading.
Today I learned about anterograde amnesia, which is Loss of memory for the period subsequent to a sudden trauma or a seizure; and the term pine, meaning to feel a lingering, often nostalgic desire.
Today learned of the terms assuage, meaning to make less severe; and extant, meaning still in existence.
I also learned of the no break tag in HTML.
Today I learned of the terms mauve, which is a a pale to moderate grayish violet color; dotage, which is a deterioration of mental faculties; dotard, which is someone whose age has impaired his intellect; perambulation, which is a leisurely walk; capon, which is a castrated male chicken; synecdoche, which is a figure of speech in which a part of something stands for the whole or the whole for a part; poxy, meaning worthless and contemptible; panoply, which is an impressive or ostentatious exhibition and jell, meaning to cause to become firm.
I also learned that in Firefox Ctrl and Page Down or Up changes which tab is active, and that in Windows the Windows key + D shows the desktop.
Today I learned that the term hand over fist derived from the nautical hand over hand, describing how a sailor climbed a rope. vestibule, which is a room between the outside door and the inside part of a building; disdain, which is lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike; boutique, meaning a small shop where expensive, unique articles are sold; and exegesis, meaning critical explanation or analysis.
Today I learned of the terms diffident, meaning unconfident; provincial, meaning countrified, or limited; and schlep, meaning an arduous journey.
Today I learned of the terms grist, meaning ground grain; teem, meaning to be overflowing; and amenable, meaning willing to comply.
I also learned that with Python string formatting a double % will resolve to one, similar to double backslashes.
Today I learned of the Turabian format for the writing style of research papers, and of the term besmirch, meaning to contaminate the reputation of.
Today I learned of the terms bricolage, which is something created using whatever materials happen to be available; dapper, meaning Neatly dressed; prurient, meaning characterized by lust; veranda, which is a porch or balcony extending along the outside of a building; capstone, meaning the final touch; excoriate, meaning to wear down; acquiescence, meaning passive assent; and palpate, meaning to examine by touching.
Today I learned of the terms coup de grace, (pronounced 'coo da gras') means blow of mercy in French; hone, meaning to sharpen on a fine-grained whetstone; outbreeding, which is the breeding of distantly related or unrelated individuals, often producing a hybrid of superior quality; olfaction, which is the sense of smell; sanguine, meaning red or optimistic; throe, which is a spasm of pain; meta analysis, which in statistics combines the results of several studies that address a set of related research hypotheses; pugnacious, meaning combatative; and planchette, which is the device that points to letters on a Ouija board.
Today I learned of the terms pareidolia, which is the effect of the brain seeing recognizable images in randomness; miter, which is a liturgical headdress worn by bishops on formal occasions; kopek, which is a coin equal to 1/100 of the Russian ruble; and credulous, meaning gullible.
Today I learned of the terms homunculus, which is a diminutive human; eke, meaning to get with great effort or strain; catharsis, which is the purging of emotional tensions; eponym, which is a word or name derived from the name of a person; zany, which is a comical person given to extravagant or outlandish behavior; perverse, meaning utterly reprehensible in nature or behavior; squander, meaning to use up foolishly or needlessly; and whimsy, meaning an impulsive illogical turn of the mind.
I also learned about the Rorschach inkblot test, and salt lamps.
Today I learned of the terms conundrum, which is a riddle in which a fanciful question is answered by a pun; bumpkin, meaning an awkward, unsophisticated person; corpus callosum, which is the arched bridge of nervous tissue that connects the two cerebral hemispheres, allowing communication between the right and left sides of the brain; mellow, meaning soft, sweet, unhurried, and relaxed; deposition, which is testimony under oath, especially a statement by a witness that is written down or recorded for use in court at a later date; silo, meaning a structure used for storing bulk materials; silage, which is the forage preserved in a silo; callow, meaning immature; scion, which is a descendant or heir; wont, meaning in the habit of; piecemeal, meaning bit by bit; lex, meaning law; esprit de corps, meaning morale; and two bit, meaning costing or worth 25 cents.
Today I learned of the terms visage, meaning an outward appearance; enthuse, meaning to cause to become enthusiastic; embolden, meaning to foster boldness or courage; Sufism, which is Islamic mysticism; belabor, meaning to work at or to absurd length; stoic, which is one who is seemingly indifferent to or unaffected by joy, grief, pleasure, or pain; and thespian, meaning a theatrical performer or of or relating to drama.
I learned about black supremacy, the Blue Screen of Death, and Delta compression.
Today I learned of the terms nim, which means to steal, and is also a game; divest, meaning to dispossess; nebbish, which is a person regarded as weak-willed or timid; morbidity, which is the rate of incidence of a disease; and certitude, meaning certainty.
I also learned of the Cardiff Giant.
Today I learned of the terms fastidious, meaning meticulous attention to detail; per se, which is Latin for in itself; and tryst, which is a commitment to appear at a certain time and place.
I also learned about Norse sagas.
Today I learned of the terms prosaic, meaning lacking wit or imagination; ostiary, which is someone who guards the entrance to a building; and dolmen, which was a burial chamber consisting of two or more upright stone slabs supporting a capstone or table.
Today I learned of the terms purveyor, which is one that furnishes provisions; i.e., which is Latin for id est (that is); aegis, which is aid or support given by a patron; obstinate, meaning tenaciously unwilling to yield; placate, meaning to ease the anger or agitation of; eudaimonia, which is a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous; auteur, which is a filmmaker, usually a director, who exercises creative control over his or her works and has a strong personal style.
Today I learned about caribou a.k.a. reindeer, gate arrays, brain-computer interfaces, and boot polish.
I also learned of the terms tranche, which is a French word for slice and in structured finance refers to one of several related securitized bonds offered as part of the same deal; vogue, meaning transient impermanent fashionability; tribulation, meaning a state of pain or anguish that tests one's resiliency and character; vest, meaning to create an entitlement to a privilege or right; bohemion, which is a person with artistic or literary interests who disregards conventional standards of behavior; propriety, which is socially correct behavior; and thane, which was a freeman granted land by the king in return for military service in Anglo-Saxon England.
I learned that peon, in its obsolete usage in Spain, denoted a person who travelled by foot rather than on a horse.
Today I learned the terms a la mode and a la carte mean, in the mode of (the current fashion) and with a separate price for each item on the menu, respectively.
I also learned of the terms reticular, meaning netlike; qualm, which is a feeling of uneasiness about the fitness of an action; apropos, meaning related to the matter at hand; floc, which is a small loosely aggregated mass of flocculent material suspended in or precipitated from a liquid.
As well, I discovered a self-contained Python Imaging Library module for Linux. Here is a small package that contains only the needed files to run the PIL (the compiled python files and the .so files). The recommended installation is to extract the RAR file and upload it, then add "import sys; sys.path.append(<path to the PIL folder>)" to all the files that use it.
It comes from Scisoft, so if you want the entire package download that and use an RPM extractor to get the files.
Today I learned of the terms gormless, which is a British word meaning lacking intelligence and vitality; and etiology, meaning the study of causes or origins, particularly with disease.
I also learned that a teaspoon is 1/3 tablespoon is 5 milliliters, and that there are grizzly-polar bear hybrids.
Today I learned of the terms posh, meaning smart or fashionable; mea culpa, which is acknowledgment of your error; perseverate, which is when one repeats a response after the cessation of the original stimulus; CPM, which is cost per milli; and that API stood for application programming interface.
I also learned about telex, which was a precursor to facsimile, about espressos, and about using text with PIL.
Today I learned how to prevent an MS-DOS window from automatically closing in Windows.
I also learned how to use FTP with Python, and of the term dendrite, meaning any of the various branched protoplasmic extensions of a nerve cell that conducts impulses from adjacent cells inward toward the cell body.
Today I learned of the terms modicum, meaning a small amount; and apronym, which is a word which as an acronym or backronym has a meaning related to the meaning of the words constituting the acronym or backronym.
I also learned to view unread mails in Gmail by searching 'label:Unread'.
Today I learned about DOM, application service providers, internet operating systems, and electric plugs.
I also learned of the term prodrome, which is an early symptom indicating the onset of an attack or a disease.
Today I learned about HTML5, web apps, thin clients, the X window system, and SWAT.
I also learned of the terms deprecate, in the meaning of expressing strong disapproval of; nugatory, meaning unimportant or invalid; drop shadow, which is the effect in graphics that makes an object look like it is raised above another; and abseiling, which is is a British word for rappelling.
I learned of PortableApps.com.
Today I learned of the term bocal, which is a curved, tapered metal tube. I also learned about the windows registry, and how to easily change file extension associations:
Start > Control Panel (switch to Classic View) > Folder Options > File Types Tab.
Now scroll down to whichever extension needs editing.
Today I learned of the term avaricious, meaning greedy.
In Lisp, I learned that the difference between defparameter and defvar is that defparameter always assigns the initial value to the named variable while defvar does so only if the variable is undefined.
Today I learned of the terms SOMA, standing for Sure Of Market Appreciation; soma, meaning the entire body of an organism, exclusive of the germ cells; and exiguous, meaning extremely scanty.
I also learned how to easily generate random passwords in Python.
Quote:
Simplicity is powerful.
-- Evan Williams
Today I learned of the terms retronym, meaning a word or phrase created because an existing term that was once used alone needs to be distinguished from a term referring to a new development; primeval, meaning original or ancient; maverick, meaning someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action; and vim, meaning a healthy capacity for vigorous activity.
Today I learned about Basic English, jala neti, that you cannot bend spaghetti and make it break into two pieces, that Columbus Day is on Oct. 12, and that Andrew Johnson was the first president to be impeached.
I also learned of the terms quandary, meaning a state of uncertainty or perplexity; circumlocution, meaning a roundabout manner of speaking; borborygmi, which are rumbling sounds caused by gas moving through the intestines; hirsutism, which is the presence of excessive body and facial hair, especially in women; caravel, which is a small, highly maneuverable, two or three-masted ship; cavalcade, meaning a procession of people traveling on horseback; amorous, meaning inclined toward or displaying love; bezoar, which is a hard ball of swallowed material (usually hair, vegetable fibers, or fruits) that is found in the stomachs or intestines of animals and humans; erstwhile, meaning in the past; horripilation, which is the bristling of the body hair, as from fear or cold; cutis anserina, which is goose flesh; pica, which is an abnormal craving or appetite for nonfood substances, such as dirt, paint, or clay; and tesseract, which is a hypercube.
Also, the reason you get pruney after staying in water is because:
... our outer layer of skin (the epidermis) absorbs a little bit of water when we soak too long in the tub. This outer layer swells, but the layer below it (the dermis) does not. This disparity causes the epidermis to buckle in some areas. The skin on the feet and hands is thicker than the skin on the rest of the body and therefore makes any changes more noticeable.
Today I learned of the terms swami, meaning a religious teacher or mystic; daft, meaning crazy; terpsichorean, meaning a dancer or relating to dancing; ephemeral, meaning temporary; and Pyrrhic victory, meaning a victory that is offset by staggering losses.
Today I learned about backdrafts, and of the terms flashover, meaning the near simultaneous ignition of all combustible material in an enclosed area; and quixotic, meaning idealistic without regard to practicality. I also learned of standpipes, which are water pipes used in multistory buildings by firefighters.
Today I learned of the term defenestration, meaning the act of throwing someone or something out of a window.
Today I learned of the terms BOLO, meaning be on lookout; and paroxysm, meaning a sudden outburst of a violent emotion or action.
Today I learned that twp stands for township, and about tapioca snow and mortgages.
Today I learned about Ray Ozzie.
Today I learned of the term bird-dog, meaning to keep (another) under surveillance by moving along behind.
Today I learned that ante in the phrase raise the ante, refers to a bet, in poker.
Today I learned of the term tawdry, meaning gaudy and cheap.
Today I learned about the Fabric of the Cosmos, and of the terms pernicious, meaning destructive or harmful; artifice, meaning cunning; protean, meaning readily taking on varied shapes, forms, or meanings; sensorium, which is the part of the brain that receives and coordinates all the stimuli conveyed to various sensory centers; and splay, meaning to spread (the limbs, for example) out or apart.
I also learned that HOV lane stands for High Occupancy Vehicle lane.
Today I learned of how to put a Reddit button on a page. I also learned of the new site called Startup News, written by Paul Graham in Arc.
I learned of the terms full text index, meaning "the database which a full-text search engine uses to respond to the query issued by the user"; antipathy, meaning a strong feeling of aversion or repugnance; and capitulation, meaning the act of surrendering or giving up.
In Firefox with the Mouse Gestures extension, holding the left button down and then clicking the right button goes forward, while holding the right button down and clicking left goes back.
Quote:A user interface is well-designed when the program behaves exactly how the user thought it would.
-- Joel Spolsky
Today I learned of the terms soporific, meaning inducing sleep; ire, meaning angry; condradistinction, meaning distinction drawn on the basis of contrast; and about Pavlov's dogs, which were dogs that were trained to salivate for food based on a sound they heard.
Today I learned about the diff algorithm and of JPEG 2000, and of the terms taqueria, meaning taco shop; imprimatur, meaning an official license to print; supine, meaning lying on the back or having the face upward; and interpunct, which are centered·dots, done in HTML as ·.
I also learned of the lotus effect, which is the self-cleaning property found with lotus plants, in which water droplets roll off a leaf's surface like mercury, taking mud, tiny insects, and contaminants with them.
Quote:... as they say on Wall Street, the bulls make money, the bears make money, but the pigs get slaughtered. In other words, don't be greedy. Whether you think things are going up or things are going down, you can make money going both ways. But, if you are piggish, are greedy, that's when you have problems; you'll be irrational about that.
-- Dan Bricklin
Today I learned of the terms crescendo, meaning gradually increasing; and loquatious, meaning very talkative.
I also learned of The Game, and how to delete a file and folder using the Windows Command Prompt:
Today I learned about random password generation, mononucleosis, drafting boards, and of the term prima donna, meaning first lady.
I also learned of another way to import a CSS style:
I also learned one feature of .htaccess:
Quote:My whole life was basically trying to optimize things. You don't just save parts, but every time you save parts you save on complexity and reliability, the amount of time it takes to understand somehting. And how good you can build it without errors and bugs and flaws.
Steve Wozniak
Today I learned of the terms phonon, which is a particle of heat; rheology, which is the study of the deformation and flow of matter; and staid, meaning full of or marked by dignity and seriousness. I also learned about fiberglass, and Faraday cages, which are enclosures formed by conducting material, or by a mesh of such material. Such enclosures block out external static electrical fields.
Today I learned what the term MO stood for, and of the terms precocious, meaning showing unusually early development; decant, meaning to pour off a liquid without disturbing the sediment; sabermetrics, which is the analysis of baseball through objective evidence; and aboutMarkov chains.
Today I learned of the term fey, meaning crazy; prosaic, meaning not fanciful or imaginative; and mesoscopic, meaning "pertaining to a size regime, intermediate between the microscopic and the macroscopic, that is characteristic of a region where a large number of particles can interact in a quantum-mechanically correlated fashion."
I also learned about how to send email using sendmail. This is Python code:
Today I learned that 1 kilogram equals 2.2046 pounds. I learned of the term mendacious, meaning lying; about server side includes, and about C-4.
Today I learned how to check whether a file exists in Python:
Today I learned of Mylar.
Today I learned about the terms triage, meaning a process for sorting injured people into groups based on their need for or likely benefit from immediate medical treatment; and deride, meaning to treat or speak of with contempt.
I also learned about how to send email using SMTP. Here is a Python example:
Today I learned about the term cogitate, meaning to think deeply about.
Today I learned about CSS tabs, and the difference between visibility: hidden, and display: none:
visibility: hidden hides the element, but it still takes up space in the layout.
display: none removes the element completely from the document. It does not take up any space, even though the HTML for it is still in the source code.
Today I learned of the terms impute, meaning attribute; and gumption, meaning initiative or aggressiveness.
Today I learned about the term lariat, meaning a lasso; and polypragmatic, meaning officious.
I also learned of how to vertically center using CSS.
Good development methodology is -- First, documentation. Next, unit tests. Then code.
Today I learned about the title attribute of the anchor tag in HTML:
Today I learned about the moon, and how to get rid of the border of an image:
Today I learned about the term reverie, meaning daydreaming; and about the Skinner Box.
Today I learned about file compression.
Today I learned of various terms: facile, meaning easy; semiotic, meaning of or relating to semantics; holophrasis, meaning the expression of a complex of ideas by a single word; and epitome, meaning abbreviation.
I learned about artifical languages, that (e^pi)-pi = 19.999099979 and that the 4th root of (9^2 + 19^2/22) is pi.
Quote:If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to treat everything as if it were a nail.
Today I learned about Python's shelve. I learned that ellipse and oval are synonyms, of the terms ersatz, meaning an inferior substitute imitating an original; parsimonious, meaning excessively frugal; and of phlogiston, a hypothetical substance once believed to be present in all combustible materials and to be released during burning.
Today I learned that in Commonwealth English ladybug is ladybird.
I also learned about Saint Elmo's fire, which is the luminous discharge of electricity extending into the atmosphere from some projecting or elevated object.
Today I learned of the term knave, meaning an unprincipled, crafty fellow.
Today I learned how to disable Firefox sounds.
Today I learned that the backtic operator evaluates an expression and returns the result as a string:
Today I learned of the terms brazen, meaning disrespectful; and bumptious, meaning offensively self-assertive.
Today I learned that a microwave is effective cheap sterialization equipment and that microwaving a sponge for 2 minutes is very effective for killing microorganisms.
Today I learned that a vertical bar can be used instead of a colon in such a situation:
I also discovered a piece of Python code that returns the name of the file that runs it:
Today I learned a gallon of water weighs 8.3453 pounds. I also learned that in Python this is illegal:
Today I learned about the Python cgi module.
Today I learned of these terms: presage, meaning an omen; stymie, meaning to thwart; circuitous, meaning going around, indirect; rancorous, meaning bitingly hostile; amalgam, alloy containing mercury; and ratiocination, meaning reasoning based on formal logic.
Today I learned of how the term B Movie came about: in the Golden Age of Movies they were made to made to accompany the main feature in a double billing.
I learned about eddy currents, which are "currents induced into a conducting core due to the changing magnetic field". For example, if you drop a powerful magnet through a copper tube, it will only slowly pass through.
I learned of various terms: pernicious, meaning destructive; percolate, meaning to drain or seep through; fatuous, meaning foolish; replete, meaning full to the uttermost; reticence, meaning reserved; pitch, which is resin derived from the sap of various coniferous trees; intrepid, meaning fearless; preturb, meaning to impair or destroy the composure of; and crestfallen, meaning dispirited and depressed.
I learned about avenues, about how to make Firefox 2.0 always/never start a new session, and that the threshold for a human falling and getting up and walking away is a velocity of 25 ft/sec, while 50 ft/sec is the threshold for major injury.
Today I learned of the term paunch, meaning potbelly.
Today I learned of the term career, meaning moving headlong at high speed.
Today I learned about the term parochial, meaning narrow-minded, or having to do with a parish; and the sound encoding format .flac.
Today I learned about petipalps, which are the second pair of appendages near the mouth of a spider or other arachni; and annals, which are chronological records of the events of successive years.
Today I learned of the term sublet, meaning to subcontract.
Today I learned about mutton, which is meat from a mature domestic sheep.
Today I learned of the term superjacent, meaning lying above or upon.
Today I learned of the term aleatory, meaning characterized by chance or random elements
Today I learned a Latin phrase:
Felix qui nihil debet.
fay-leeks kwee ni-hil dayb-et
Happy is he who owes nothing.
Today I learned about the phrase run of the mill. Quote:
This expression alludes to fabrics coming directly from a mill without having been sorted or inspected for quality.
I also learned of the of the terms frenetic, meaning frantic; abeyance, meaning temporary cessation; aplomb, meaing self-confidence; and aeolian, meaning related to the wind.
Today I learned that light does not travel in a straight line but curves with the universe.
Today I learned of the terms repose, meaning relaxation; and harangue, meaning a long pompous speech.
Today I learned of Fitt's Law.
Today I learned of Spivak pronouns.
Today I learned of the Boyer-Moore string search algorithm.
Today I learned about the interrobang and of the term mewl, meaing to whimper.
Today I learned of the Cicero quote: "There are many degrees in excellence."