Fast and slow if-statements: branch prediction in modern processors

http://igoro.com/archive/fast-and-slow-if-statements-branch-prediction-in-modern-processors/

Did you know that the performance of an if-statement depends on whether its condition has a predictable pattern? If the condition is always true or always false, the branch prediction logic in the processor will pick up the pattern. On the other hand, if the pattern is unpredictable, the if-statement will be much more expensive. In this article, I’ll explain why today’s processors behave this way.

EURion constellation

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/EURion_constellation

The EURion constellation is a pattern of symbols found on a number of banknote designs worldwide since about 1996. It is added to help software detect the presence of a banknote in a digital image. Such software can then block the user from reproducing banknotes to prevent counterfeiting using colour photocopiers.

Screws Small Encyclopedia

http://justpaste.it/7ux

Julian Assange On 60 Minutes

Julian Assange did a 30 minute interview on 60 Minutes.  In case you aren't currently in a retirement home, it's online here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7300034n - Part 1
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7300036n - Part 2

The crescent and the company

http://www.economist.com/node/18008627?story_id=18008627

For most of its history the Middle East was just as dynamic as Europe. The great bazaars of Baghdad and Istanbul were full of fortune-seekers from hither and yon. Muslim merchants carried their faith to the far corners of the world. In the 1770s Edward Gibbon had little difficulty imagining Islamic theology being taught in Oxford and across Britain—if only the battle of Tours-Poitiers in 732 had turned out differently.
But even before Gibbon the balance of power had shifted. Angus Maddison has calculated that in the year 1000 the Middle East’s share of the world’s gross domestic product was larger than Europe’s—10% compared with 9%. By 1700 the Middle East’s share had fallen to just 2% and Europe’s had risen to 22%.

Strange Maps

http://bigthink.com/blogs/strange-maps

If You Don't Find Things Like This Interesting, I'm Afraid You May Not Be A Nerd

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Hours_of_daylight_vs_latitude_vs_day_of_year.png

Watch a man with nothing better to do than drive around a parking lot trying to confuse complete strangers.

http://www.someecards.com/2011/01/10/speaking-nonsense-to-strangers

The Apollo Astronauts' Fascinating Insurance Covers

http://www.ukinsurancenet.com/blog/index.asp?post=apollo-insurance
http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum20/HTML/000118.html

It's incredible to think that astronauts once needed to improvise in such a way, but these fascinating images show the lengths to which some crew of the Apollo program had to go in the name of life insurance. As we all know, the job of an astronaut is inherently filled with risk, and as such - particularly in the early days of the Apollo program - an astronaut's mission into space was literally uninsurable. Of course this situation didn't sit well with the astronauts, many of whom had families and other dependants to support should their space flight unfortunately end in death.

What Are The Chances Infographic

http://www.onlineblackjack.com/blog/what-are-the-chances-infographic/