November 30th, 2016

The École Nationale Supérieur des Beaux-Arts is a beautiful establishment in the centre of Paris, right across from the Louvre. Established in 1648, it is considered one of the top art schools in the world. Over the years, the highest honour students could earn was the 'Prix de Rome', which allowed them three to five years of studies in the Villa Medici in Rome. In 1968 the prize was discontinued for political reasons, and although still owned by the French Government, the Villa Medici now houses French students of all disciplines, not solely art.

Bonus:
Canadian mathematician cum musician Dan Snaith (who produces under the names Caribou and Daphni) created a youtube playlist of 1000 of his favourite songs, which you can listen to here.

November 29th, 2016

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field is the deepest image we've ever taken (well, the deepest optical image, otherwise the prize goes to images of the CMB). It was created by collecting distant light over 11 days, and every dot, blob, and smudge in the image is a distant galaxy. All in all, the image is thought to contain roughly 10,000 galaxies. It took years to comb the image for objects of interest (and research is ongoing), and in 2009 one especially interesting smudge was noticed. Named 'UDFy-38135539', the nearly invisible smudge is the oldest galaxy known to date (some potentially older ones have not be confirmed). UDFy-38135539, as it appears in the image, is 13.1 billion light years away, however because of the expansion of the universe it (or whatever is now left of it) is now around 30 billion light years away. In 2018 the James Webb Space Telescope will be launched, and be able to peer even further into the cosmos.

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November 28th, 2016

In recent years there has been an increased focus on the carbon production linked to our lifestyles. Cutting back on meats, especially beef, can be a step in the right direction. A pescatarian (no meats, but fish) diet leads to roughly the same carbon production as a vegetarian diet, and both are about half as polluting as a meat-heavy diet. In a year, a vegetarian (or pescatarian) produces about 1.5 tonnes of carbon, while regular meat eaters are closer to 2.5 tonnes. Flying is also a huge offender, producing an estimated 250 kg of carbon per hour of flight, or 1 tonne every 4 hours. A roundtrip flight across the Atlantic is thus roughly 4 tonnes, much worse than the yearly carbon produced through the diet of even a meat eater. That being said, driving is still worse per kilometer.

Bonus:
If she survives the night, Emma Morano will turn 117 tomorrow. She is the last living person verified to have been born in the 1800s.

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November 27th, 2016

Thanksgiving is now over, but fridges around the US will most likely be stocked with leftover turkey for quite some time to come. The turkey is quite an enigmatic bird in fact. It is now known to have originated in North America: across Canada, the US, and Mexico. Yet, on account of chaotic trading routes all over the world, there was much confusion in almost every language as to where the bird actually originated. The French thought it had come from India, hence 'dinde' (d'Inde). Indians, on the other hand, assumed Peru, hence पीरू (Peru). Khmers named it 'French Chicken', Arabs named it 'Ethiopian Rooster', Malays named it 'Dutch Chicken', and the list goes on. As for English, where do you think we assumed it had come from? Yep, Turkey.

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November 26th, 2016

Any time you catch a glimpse of the Paris skyline it's hard not to agree that some of the city's charm is the lack of skyscrapers. Although there are plenty outside the central city (defined by the ring-road), inside you will only see the Eiffel tower and church steeples. Well...almost. Tour Montparnasse is the only exception. Completed in 1973, it was part of a push by Georges Pompidou to modernize Parisian infrastructure. However, the brutalist structure was met with near unanimous disdain that continues today, so much so that a 37m height limit was imposed on all building projects in the city. To date no new skyscrapers have been built, although this will change next year when the controversial 118m Tour Triangle (approved in 2015) will begin construction. Some say skyscrapers are necessary; with 12 million people in the Paris metro area, living space is in high demand. Paris has amongst the highest rent prices on earth, and 1 square meter of storage space can cost over 110€/month.

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November 25th, 2016

The ancient city of Mari was built at the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC near the west bank of the Euphrates river, in present day Syria. A canal was dug connecting the city to the river, and Mari became a prosperous trading intermediary. The city was abandoned and rebuilt multiple times throughout its history, until it was destroyed by King Hammurabi in the 17th century BC. The city, however, continued to exist to some small degree until the last few centuries BC, at which point it was forgotten. In 1933 it was rediscovered, and excavations of the Royal Palace yielded a wealth of tablets, wall art, and sculptures, including an incredibly well preserved statue of Ebih-Il, superintendent of Mari. 48 sunken terracotta carvings puzzled archaeologists. Finally, as they were found near ancient ovens, it was realized that they were 4000 year old baking moulds.

Bonus 1:
Mari is one step in the complex rise and spread of civilization, which begun around 10,000 BC. A video by the California Academy of Sciences, based on work by scientists at the University of Utrecht, illustrates the process beautifully. Especially poignant is the astounding dimming of civilization in the Americas around 1500 - 1700 CE.

Bonus 2:
A small noddle shop in Hanoi received an unexpected endorsement in May, when President Obama and Anthony Bourdain sat down for some 6$ bún chả. Months later, there is still a constant line to get in, and so many customers ask to have what Obama did that the the menu now includes the 'Obama Combo'.

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November 24th, 2016

With Christmas now a month away, in which country does Santa Claus 'actually' live? The modern version of Santa evolved in the 19th century, incorporating elements from different mythologies. At this time it was thought that he lived in or around the North Pole. Ever since, northern countries have all argued over who gets to truly lay claim to Santa. All countries with territory bordering the Arctic Ocean (US, Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark) have at some point claimed Santa as their own, as well as a few others (Finland, Belarus, Slovenia, etc.). Perhaps Denmark, which contains the northernmost point of land on earth, should be the winner. However, Canada certainly upped the ante when they granted Santa Canadian Citizenship in 2008.

Bonus:
Romain Gavras' new music video for the Jamie XX song 'Gosh' is quite visually stunning. Filmed in the bizarre planned Paris-imitation city of Tianducheng it deals with, as the author explains, themes of cultural appropriation.

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November 23rd, 2016

The act of selling stocks, currency, or assets before a price decline, and then repurchasing them afterwards is known as 'Short Selling'. In 1992, billionaire George Soros noticed that the economic behaviour in the UK suggested the pound sterling could soon undergo a devaluation. He short sold £10 billion, forcing the UK to devalue the currency, and came out with a profit of £1 billion. The manoeuvre is estimated to have cost the country £3.3, and earned Soros the name 'The Man Who Broke the Bank of England'. Regardless, many argue that short selling is a healthy part of any economy, and helps expose faults, weaknesses, and fraudulent practices in stock markets.

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November 22nd, 2016

The birth of Rock and Roll in the early 1950s was driven by many names: Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and so forth. However, many of the stage antics and high-energy attributes we now associate with the genre were first seen in Jerry Lee Lewis. Lewis also introduced the piano as an instrument of Rock and Roll, and would slam the keys wildly as he played. In the late 50s Elvis and Jerry both fell in love with young girls (Elvis met 14 year old Priscilla Wagner when he was 24, and at 22 Jerry fell for his 1st cousin, 13 year old Myra Gale Brown). Elvis waited until 1967 to marry Prascilla, however Jerry married Myra in 1958, when she was still 13. The scandal nearly destroyed his career, and he fell out of favour for nearly a decade. His reputation never fully recovered, and it is anyone's guess if his name would be synonymous with Elvis had he postponed the wedding. In 1956, after an impromptu jam session with Elvis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash (dubbed the Million Dollar Quartet), Cash wrote that "Nobody wanted to follow Jerry Lee, not even Elvis."

Bonus:

Only 8 people have been granted Honorary American Citizenship, among which only two - Winston Churchill and Mother Theresa - received the honour while alive. Canada has granted Honorary Citizenship to six people, all of whom were alive to receive the award except one: Raoul Wallenberg. Wallenberg, who saved thousands of Jews during the 2nd world war before disappearing, was granted honorary citizenship by the US, Canada, Hungary, Australia, and Israel for his deeds.

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November 21st, 2016

On a sphere, the shortest distance between two points always follows a 'great circle'. That is, a circle that divides the sphere into two halves. It might seem, therefore, that planning the route an airplane follows is very simply a matter of following such a circle. However, the earth is much more complicated. Airlines must take into account dozens of variables, such as weather conditions, air traffic, political no-fly zones, fuel considerations, and the desirability of optimal flight paths. Complex computer algorithms are used to churn out flight paths, in a process known as flight planning. In some cases, the path an airline takes from A to B will be completely different from the one it takes from B to A.

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November 20th, 2016

The Rickshaw Run is a rally held thrice annually in India, where participants custom paint autorickshaws, and drive them across the country.

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November 19th, 2016

The sceptre-like utensil used to dribble honey onto toast or cakes is called a honey dipper. It certainly looks somewhat bizarre, but, as honey has high viscosity (thickness), any twisted into the spaces between the circular disks at the front will only begin dripping out after a few seconds: enough time to arrive safely above your target. By contrast honey will run off a knife somewhat faster than it will run out of the groves of a dipper. Making one requires finesse, as they are quite delicate, but the procedure can be quite satisfying to watch.

Bonus:

On the topic of kitchen quirks, a 'pinch' is a well known cookbook instruction when adding salt, sugar, or spices. However, various sources throughout the years have tried to associate an exact quantity to this term. Unfortunately there is quite a range of suggestions for this: usually either  ¹⁄₈, ¹⁄₁₆, or ¹⁄₂₄ of a teaspoon. Perhaps it depends on the size of the author's fingers.

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November 18th, 2016

Spirited Away, released in 2001 and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, still stands 15 years later as the highest grossing film in Japan. It is also the only hand-drawn animated film to receive an Oscar for Best Animated Film. As with many of Miyazaki's films, and perhaps explaining their success, the delivery is colourful and fantastical, yet the themes explored are deep and unsettling. Spirited Away tackles the ailments of a carelessly modernizing Japan: corruption, pollution, capitalism, and a loss of identity. Chihiro, the protagonist, fights against these ills with her youthful benevolence, as of yet untainted by age. Miyazaki's other magnum opus, My Neighbour Totoro, supposedly contains even more macabre foundations. The plot contains striking similarities to the Sayama Incident, in which a 16 year old girl was raped and murdered.

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November 17th, 2016

In India, at the end of a meal a bowl on fennel seeds are often presented, sometimes mixed with other spices. In Hindi these are called सौंफ (saunf), and are meant to give a pleasant freshness at the end of a meal, as well as help with digestion. They are sometimes coated in, or accompanied by, colourful sugars.

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November 16th, 2016

Delhi has been expanding fast. The metro area now has over 25,000,000 people, making it the 3rd biggest city after only Jakarta and Tokyo. The city has grown outwards and spilled over into two neighbouring states: it now has territory in Delhi Capital Territory, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Around the city, new urban areas have been planned to accommodate spillover, such as Gurgaon to the south, and Noida to the east. The latter stands for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, which now comprises roughly one million people.

Bonus:

Turning a clock or watch upside-down in the UK will give you the time in India, and vice-versa, but only when Daylight Savings Time is not in effect (as India does not observe the switch).

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November 15th, 2016

The Jhelum Express is a passenger train that runs from Pune north through Delhi, and then ends in Jammu. The train is named after the Jhelum River, in Kashmir. It transports many soldiers up into the militarily active region up against the Pakistani border. As with many trains in India, the front sections are cheap to ride, and without reservation, meaning hoards of Indians begin clamouring onto it before it has even stopped, keen to secure a cheap ride.

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November 14th, 2016

The Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope (GMRT) is a group of 30 radio telescopes, each 45 meters across, built in 1995 near Pune, India. The individual telescopes coordinate to act as a giant telescope 25 km wide. If wind-speeds rise above 60 kph, the dishes all face directly upright and lock into place to protect the machinery from buckling. When technicians go to check on the individual telescopes they bang on the doors before entering. This is to scare away any snakes, which are common in the arid lands the array was built on.

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November 13th, 2016

Some religious buildings are churches, others are cathedrals, and others still are basilicas. What makes each unique is summarized quite while in this post. To summarize, Churches are any place of Christian worship, no matter how simple. Cathedrals are churches that contain the seat of a bishop (which may be a symbolic seat, and not a literal one). The term Basilica is sometimes used to designate any large building that was designed in a similar style to the Roman basilica. However it can also be used to refer to any building granted special status and importance by the pope.

Bonus:

To take this a bit further, Abbeys were or are the church of a monastic order, under the governance of an abbot or abbesse (the head of a group of monks or nuns). A Shrine is a sacred place dedicated to a figure (human or other-worldly), and is the only term in this list not exclusive to Christianity.

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November 12th, 2016

In Borneo, the bizarre and tragic story of an orangutan named Pony shocked the world when it came to light. Pony had been captured, shaven, tied up, and used as a prostitute by her owner, who sold her to local men. In 2003 she was discovered and rehabilitated, and now lives a much happier life.

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November 11th, 2016

After the 2nd World War, many measures were taking to prevent a 3rd one from breaking out. One was the founding of the United Nations. Another was organizing a series of 'Sister Cities', meant to promote exchange between cultures. In recent times the concept has become somewhat more business oriented, however alliances continue to be forged. According to a recent paper, the city with the most sisters is Saint-Petersburg, with 78.

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November 10th, 2016

After eliminating the 500 and 1000 ₹ on Wednesday, the 2000 ₹ note has now been introduced in India. The note is magenta, and features Gandhi as did the old notes. The reverse side shows the Mars Orbiter Mission. To some it may seem strange to have modest Gandhi on one side, and a grandiose space mission on the other. However, at 73 million US dollars, the Orbiter Mission was also quite modest in what it accomplished. It is the cheapest Mars mission to date.

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November 9th, 2016

The SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), founded in 1984, searches the sky for radio signals that could have originated from other intelligent life in the universe. In 2015, on behalf of SETI, Stephen Hawking and Yuri Milner announced the Breakthrough Listen project, which will examine radio signals from ten million stars over the next 10 years.

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November 8th, 2016

India opted to eliminate 500 and 1000 ₹ notes today, in an effort to combat counterfeiting. At 8pm it was announced that the bills would cease to be legal tender at midnight, inciting some scrambling around the country to get rid of any extra bills.

Bonus:

Indonesian is written with the Roman Script, and doesn't have explicit tenses, nor gendered nouns.

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November 7th, 2016

During the Cold War, Americans set up a radar surveillance system to prevent against any Soviet attacks. However, on May 23rd, 1967 a massive solar flare knocked out the radar. The US, thinking the Soviets had jammed their systems, immediate began preparing for war. However, thankfully some military space-weather forecasters noticed the coincidence, and narrowly avoided a full scale nuclear war.

Bonus:

Fast Radio Bursts, or FRBs, are quick and powerful bursts of energy in the radio range that seem to originate outside the Milky Way. Their origins are unknown. Luckily radio frequencies are not as dangerous as gamma-ray frequencies...

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November 6th, 2016

In Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport you can buy sweet tea in cups made out of clay, called कुल्हड़ (kulhar). These have been used for millennia, and were one of the earliest forms of disposable cups -- after drinking they can be tossed on the ground and crushed. The cups are still quite popular in Kolkata, where they are called भर (bhar), and can be bought in the streets for a few rupees. Many Indians swear by them, saying that the clay enhances the taste. Others, however, point out the environmental detriments of producing one-use clay cups en-mass.

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November 5th, 2016

Nov 5 - 21 I am in India for an Astrophysics conference, and posts may reflect that.

The largest festival in India is Diwali, or the 'Festival of Lights'. The festival is marked by many colourful celebrations, including many fireworks. The smoke from all the fireworks causes the city to be engulfed in smoke for many days, and pollution levels can reach quite dangerous levels.

Bonus:

The largest ever evacuation took place in Kuwait during the 1900s, during the Persion Gulf war. Roughly 175,500 Indians were airlifted out of the war-zone through 488 specially chartered passenger flights.

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November 4th, 2016

When trying to wrap a rectangular present, sometimes we miscalculate how much paper we will need, and the two sides don't quite meet up to fully cover the item. Somewhat counter-intuitively, if you place the present down tilted relative to the paper, you will find that diagonally wrapping the item is very slightly more paper efficient, and may allow you to fully conceal it.

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November 3rd, 2016

The capital cities of many countries are often also the largest city, however this doesn't always hold true. 36 countries have capitals that go against this trend. However, amongst these many capitals are close seconds (Yaoundé, Quito, Abu Dhabi, etc.) and others are the largest if you consider the metro area as well (New Delhi, Vaduz, Valletta, etc). After controlling for these, only 15 world capitals are truly dwarfed (4+ times smaller) by larger cities: Brasilia, Belmopan, Ottawa, Canberra, Sucre, Yamoussoukro, Rabat, Naypyidaw, Wellington, Islamabad, Abuja, Ngerulmud, Washington DC, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, and Dodoma. Oyala will soon join this list as well.

Bonus:

Of these cities, Ngerulmud (the capital of Palau) is the most dramatic example of disproportionately small capitals: over 40 times smaller than the largest city, Koror. In fact with only about 300 people, Ngerulmud is the smallest world capital (Vatican has around 450).

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November 2nd, 2016

As the first modern humans expanded around the globe, they eventually tackled the last section of earth warm enough to sustain life: the pacific islands. Their progress continued fairly quickly, and by around 1500 BC they had reached Fiji. However then progress seems to have stopped, and islands further east weren't touched by humanity for another 2000 years, a period known as the 'Long Pause'. A new theory suggests that the hindrance might have been strong winds experienced east of Fiji, which took two millennia of technological advancements to overcome.

Bonus:

The suffix 'don' or 'den' comes from the Old English word for 'hill', and is often found in the names of persons or places.

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November 1st, 2016

Traditionally, in a similar fashion to orthodox Muslim women, after marriage Hindu women were also supposed to veil their faces with a fabric called a ghoonghat. Tides began changing around the 3rd century CE, as is chronicled in an ancient sutra, in which a bride refuses to hide her face, insisting that women who veil their minds have no need to veil their faces. In most parts of India women no longer cover their faces, however the old tradition is still somewhat preserved by the duppata, which must be worn by Indians (Hindu and Muslims alike) when entering a place of worship.

Bonus:

Leonardo DiCaprio and National Geographic have teamed up for a powerful documentary about climate change.

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