With Both Hands

Sign in Subscribe

History

The War Dividend

I was looking up some information on PID controllers yesterday, and I discovered that the PID controller was originally invented to steer ships for the Navy. Well, not exactly steer, but rather keep them going in a constant direction given both random wave motion and steady breeze or currents. I

Nothing is ever easy

John D Cook laments that Stupidity Scales: I’m fed up with conversations that end something like this. "Yes, that would be the smart thing to do, but it won’t scale. The stupid approach is better because it scales." We can’t use common sense because it

Theremin and the Great Seal Bug

Theremin and the Great Seal Bug

We were watching History Detectives tonight, and there was a bit on Léon Theremin. I had heard of his eponymous instrument before, but what I did not know was that Theremin used his invention as a ploy to steal industrial secrets for the Soviet. He used his contacts in RCA

Porco Rosso Anime Review

Porco Rosso 紅の豚, Kurenai no Buta Directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki (宮崎駿, Miyazaki Hayao) Another oldie but goodie from Studio Ghibli. This is one of the few movies by Miyazaki that does not feature a female protagonist, although we do see lots of character types that show up

Vulcan 607

From John Walker's Reading List comes a story of the Falklands War. When the Argentines occupied the Falklands, the British had a problem: how do we project force halfway around the world with the men and equipment we have on hand right now? They dispatched the Royal Navy,

300 Movie Review

300 Directed by Zack Snyder Written by Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, and Michael Gordon Starring Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Vincent Regan, David Wenham Yes, I know damn good and well this movie came out three years ago. I think I can do it better justice now. 300 has taken a