Links

Kids Explaining Computers in 1984

mentalfloss.com

So what is a computer? According to kids on Sesame Street in 1984, “You press some buttons and then you can make a design.” Yeah, that is pretty much what a computer is (and certainly what they were to me in 1984). Also: “It’s something like a TV, and you can make pictures with it, and it helps you to read.”

Announcement: I’m Going to Miss You, But I Am Taking a Sabbatical

kottke.org

Here’s the way I’ve been thinking about it: there’s a passenger ferry that goes from Cape Cod to Nantucket and there’s a stretch of time in the middle of the journey where you can’t see the mainland behind you and can’t yet see the island ahead — you’re just out in the open water. That’s what I need, to be in that middle part — to forget about what I’ve been doing here for so many years without having to think about where I’m going in the future. I need open water and 5-6 months feels like the right amount of time to find it.

I don’t follow Jason closely, but I’m really glad he’s doing this. Sometimes it’s really needed.

Heating Your Soaking Tub – Basic Science

elementalworks.studio

The most common way of figuring this next part out is with BTUs. A BTU is an abbreviation for British Thermal Unit, which is the amount of energy required to raise 1 pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit at sea level. Since a gallon of water is 8.34 pounds, we have about 892.38 pounds of water in our tub, requiring about 900 BTUs to heat your tub 1 degree. 

If the water coming out of your hose into the tub is 54 degrees, we need to raise the temperature about 50 degrees, so in total that would be about 45,000 BTUs to get your tub up to temp.