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Computers & Internet | why doesn't an optical mouse work on a glass table? | Optical mice use an LED and a camera to rapidly capture images of the surface beneath the mouse. The infomation from the camera is analyzed by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and used to detect imperfections in the underlying surface and determine motion. Some materials, such as glass, mirrors or other very shiny, uniform surfaces interfere with the ability of the DSP to accurately analyze the surface beneath the mouse. \nSince glass is transparent and very uniform, the mouse is unable to pick up enough imperfections in the underlying surface to determine motion. Mirrored surfaces are also a problem, since they constantly reflect back the same image, causing the DSP not to recognize motion properly. When the system is unable to see surface changes associated with movement, the mouse will not work properly. |
Sports | What is the best off-road motorcycle trail ? | i hear that the mojave road is amazing!<br />\nsearch for it online. |
Health | What is Trans Fat? How to reduce that? | Trans fats occur in manufactured foods during the process of partial hydrogenation, when hydrogen gas is bubbled through vegetable oil to increase shelf life and stabilize the original polyunsatured oil. The resulting fat is similar to saturated fat, which raises "bad" LDL cholesterol and can lead to clogged arteries and heart disease. \nUntil very recently, food labels were not required to list trans fats, and this health risk remained hidden to consumers. In early July, FDA regulations changed, and food labels will soon begin identifying trans fat content in processed foods. |
Business & Finance | How many planes Fedex has? | according to the www.fedex.com web site:\nAir Fleet<br />\n <br />\n670 aircraft, including: <br />\n47 Airbus A300-600s 17 Boeing DC10-30s <br />\n62 Airbus A310-200/300s 36 Boeing MD10-10s <br />\n2 ATR 72s 5 Boeing MD10-30s <br />\n29 ATR 42s 57 Boeing MD11s <br />\n18 Boeing 727-100s 10 Cessna 208As <br />\n94 Boeing 727-200s 246 Cessna 208Bs <br />\n30 Boeing DC10-10s 17 Fokker F-27s |
Business & Finance | In the san francisco bay area, does it make sense to rent or buy ? | renting vs buying depends on your goals. <br />\ngenerally thinking is that buying is better b/c the payments that would go into the rent start building equity in your home. the govt also incentivizes you to buy by making your property tax payments and mortgage interest payments tax deductible.\nhaving said that current housing status in the bay area is such that housing cost to purchase is relatively high and rental prices (compared to ownership cost) are relatively low (relative to the rest of the country). it makes lese sense to buy vs. other places.\nbottom line you should base your decision on whether you think the market will keep going up or not. the other numbers tend to even out, the main gain or loss in buying comes from appreciation/depreciation. |
Computers & Internet | What's the best way to clean a keyboard? | There are commercial kits available, but a can of compressed air, a lint-free cloth or wipes, mild dishwashing liquid, and a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush are all you really need for a basic cleaning. \nAfter turning off your computer and unplugging your keyboard, gently shake the keyboard upside down over some newspaper to dislodge loose crumbs and particles. \nUse the can of compressed air to blow a stream of air between the keys. \nDampen a lint-free cloth with a diluted solution of dishwashing liquid and water to wipe down the keys. \nUse the vacuum cleaner brush attachment to suck away any remaining dirt or debris. <br />\nIf you have a membrane-type keyboard (it doesn't have a spring under each key) and the keys are truly grungy, you can remove the keys with a small screwdriver and use cotton swabs and 90% isopropyl alcohol to get it sparkling clean. If you are still feeling industrious, next you can tackle cleaning your mouse. \nOf course, if cleaning your keyboard seems a truly undesirable task, you can always buy a new one for around $20. |
Science & Mathematics | Why do people blush when they are embarrassed? | from ask yahoo...\nhttp://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20040113.html\n<<Blushing is a unique blend of evolutionary and social behavior. It's an involuntary reaction of the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our "fight or flight" response, but blushing is solely triggered by social cues. <br />\nPeople generally blush when they're feeling embarrassed, scared, or stressed. As a result of the "fight or flight" response, the capillaries that carry blood to the skin widen, and the increased blood flow lends the face, as well as sometimes the chest, neck, or even the body or legs, a reddened color. \nExcessive facial blushing, or erythrophobia, is caused by overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system. The condition can cause a lot of psychological duress and has engendered several support groups. \nIt's common knowledge that animals don't blush. So while there are some evolutionary cues behind blushing, it's also linked to something uniquely human -- moral consciousness.>> |
Entertainment & Music | Is Lin Qingxia (aka Brigitte Lin) "the most beautiful woman in Chinese cinema?" | Well. Everyone has different definition on what 'beauty' is. I like Lin Qingxia, but I think many girls are prettier than she was. (She is more than 40 years old now). \nIf "Lin Qingxia" is the most beautiful woman in the Chinese cinema, the most handsome man in Chinese cinema should be "Chin Han" because they always made movies together.\nHowever, A male movie star once was asked his girlfriend in real life or the girlfriend in movie is more beautiful. He gave a very good answer: "I think my mother is the most beautiful woman in the world." :) |
Computers & Internet | What is the origin of "foobar"? | Not sure if this is the origin, but I think it was popularized in the 1989 film "Tango & Cash". After Tango, played by Sylvester Stallone, and Cash, portrayed by Kurt Russell, were thrown into jail and setup in a failed jailbreak attempt, the bad guy Yves Perret (Jack Pallance) locked them in the boiler room with a bunch of felons Tango & Cash had put in jail. Prior to unleashing a can of whoop-ass, their conversation was as follows:\nGabriel Cash: I don't know about you, but I have an aversion to getting F.U.B.A.R...\nRay Tango: What's F.U.B.A.R.?\nGabriel Cash: Fucked-Up Beyond All Recognition. |
Science & Mathematics | How the human species evolved? | A tough question as it overlaps science and theology. Since you asked "how the human species evolved?" I'll assume you're interested in the scientific approach to the answer.\nThe current theory holds that Homo sapiens evolved from Hominid ancestors over the course of millions of years through a process called natural selection. Natural selection is the weeding and advancement of species variants over time based on the fit in that species' then current environments. The pressures for "fit" are competitive (with each other, with other tribes, and with other animals) and environmental (weather, terrain, availability of food, etc.). These factors all contributed to the development of our higher brain, which we now use to evolve as a global collective through communication & technology. |
Education & Reference | Who said the statement below and what does it mean? | That is kind of a tricky little quote. Sometimes placing it in context can help. This is a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self Reliance," which discourages basing one's opinions and actions on common opinion in favor of self-trust (see the full essay at http://www.emersoncentral.com/selfreliance.htm). \nI think the point of this quote is that it's very desireable to have one's own original thoughts and opinions, and to live by them. It's easier to live by one's own convictions and not be persuaded by others when in isolation (that's the "independence of solitude"). However, not so special to isolate oneself from others in order to attain this ideal. Because it's difficult to live by one's own thoughts and opinions while being a part of society, it's something only a "finished man" can truly do. Also, in the essay, Emerson refers to being childlike - unselfish, non-judgmental, open-minded, uncynical, unhesitant - as something to admire. So I think that's where the seemingly misplaced "perfect sweetness" comes in. When a man can remain pure of heart while living in the harsh world and also keeping and living by his own ideals. \nWhat do you think? |
Education & Reference | How do I find an out of print book? | There are several websites that you can find rare or out of print books. A couple would be alibris.com or abebooks.com. These sites list books by booksellers all over the country and some internationally. |
Business & Finance | What are some tips on finding a good mortgage broker? | the most basic thing is to have someone you have a decent amount of trust for. someone recommended by a friend etc.\nthe things you have to look for are:<br />\n1. top priority is seeing that the broker can actually get your loan on time. many deals fall through b/c the broker cannot get the deal through on time and has less control than the original lender<br />\n2. secondary priority is to see that they have access to competitive rates. not all brokers have access to all sources and rates, although most of them will be similar.<br />\n3. you need to see that the broker is someone you trust to get you the best rate regardless of how much money they make off the transaction. |
Computers & Internet | what's the best way to create a bootable windos/dos CD? | Well, the best way is to look at whatever program you have for burning CDs and see if it has an option to create a bootable CD. If you can't find it, or use Windows itself to burn CDs, then it's a little more complicated.\nNote: If you find that booting from CD doesn't work, you may have to adjust your BIOS setting to allow your machine to boot from CD.\nIf you want to boot to windows: the easiest way is probably to go here: http://www.nu2.nu/bootcd/ and download a utility that will do it for you. There are instructions there depending on what type of boot you want.\nIf you don't trust using a third party utility, Microsoft has some instructions here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/167685/EN-US/ . This process is not very straightforward though.\nIf you just need to get into your filesystem and poke around, you might consider booting a different OS. For example, http://www.freedos.org/ (FreeDOS) and http://www.knoppix.net/ (Knoppix Linux) may do what you want. For these, you can download ISO images and burn bootable CDs. |
Family & Relationships | what is the reason for the increasing divorce percentage in the western world? | IMO... our lives are much more complex than our equivalents from 50 years ago and thus it's more likely for married people to grow in different directions over time (values, needs, etc.). Add to that how easy and acceptable it is to get a divorce, and how quick we are to dispose of things that we no longer want, and you get an increasing percentage.\nI wouldn't be surprised if in the not too distant future the average length of a marriage drops to ~5 years and the average number of marriages per person increases to 2+.\nA parallel to consider: how many different circles of friends do you have and how often have you joined new ones and left others behind over your life? (grade school, high school, college, jobs, etc.). We are a nomadic species. :) |
Science & Mathematics | What is an "imaginary number"? | Imaginary numbers are numbers than when squared equal a negative number, as in i^2 = -1, where i is the imaginary number. You'll also often see them represented as i = √-1 (that's the square root of -1).\nDon't be confused by the poorly chosen name - imaginary numbers do indeed exist and are used in advanced math, such as in the physics of electromagnetic fields. The analogy that Wikipedia uses is a good one - just like you don't need the concept of fractions to count stones, it doesn't mean that fractions don't exist. :) |
Science & Mathematics | Faxing a pizza | We're pretty far away from being able to beam anything in the way that you are describing. There are some experiments where splitting entangled electrons allows us to observe some interesting 'action at a distance' effects, but the amount of data that would need to be stored to transmit something with as many atoms as a pizza is incredible. Also, such an operation would require nano-assemblers that could interpret such data an reassemble the pizza from the info provided. |
Entertainment & Music | What are good sources to find out about new gospel artists? | CCM Magazine or their online website will give you information on up and coming artists in the Christian Music field. |
Science & Mathematics | space missions | You also need to consider the economic effects of funding basic research. The moon missions of the 60's inspired an entire generation and helped to move many kids toward careers in science and engineering. As a result, the US was well poised to take advantage of the huge boom in information technology in the last few decades. The net effect of these engineers in the workforce could be see has a pretty impressive return on investment for the cost of those missions. |
Science & Mathematics | How a black hole is formed? | The current scientific theory holds that black holes are formed when stars of sufficient mass (about 3x the mass of our Sun) reach the end of their life and collapse down into a singularity, which is, in essence, an infinitely small point with a huge amount of gravity - gravity so powerful that not even light can escape it's pull if it gets too close. It is also thought that black holes can be formed from smaller masses if external energy/pressure is exerted to squeeze the mass into a singularity.\nNot sure if there's any direct experimental evidence of creation, but there is evidence that they exist. Cosmologists use several different methods to detect blacks holes, such as by looking for light being bent and/or disappearing as it travels from remote stars towards us, and also by looking for bursts of x-rays that are given off as matter is sucked into the back hole and destroyed.\nFun fact: current evidence and theory suggests that the center of the Milky Way is a giant black hole that was formed as the densly packed stars in the center collapsed and sucked each other in. |
Science & Mathematics | Heavy water | Heavy water is like regular water except that instead of two hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom (H20) it has two deuterium atoms and an oxygen atom (D20). Deuterium is a hydrogen atom with an extra neutron.\nWater is used in nuclear reactors to moderate the reaction speed, and to absorb heat. Nuclear fission starts by giving off neutrons that create a chain reaction. Any water around it absorbs those neutrons (becoming heavy water) and slows the reaction. If heavy water is used instead of regular hydrogen water, the neutrons are not absorbed. This means that less pure nuclear material can be used to sustain a reaction. For example unrefined uranium, which is much less expensive, can be used instead of enriched uranium. |
Entertainment & Music | When will Her Majesty be released in Dvd format? | It's already available in Australia, if your DVD player can handle PAL: |
Science & Mathematics | Is a transponder required to fly in class C airspace? | the answer is that you must have a transponder in order to fly in a class C airspace. |
Education & Reference | How to get rid of a beehive? | Call an area apiarist. They should be able to help you and would most likely remove them at no charge in exchange for the hive. The bees have value and they now belong to you. |
Business & Finance | Nice apartment building near SBC Park? | I can't tell you which of the many are best, but I can tell you about one I lived in briefly.\nI lived for a month in the Avalon at 4th and King. I was put up there as a corporate apartment. While it was fine, it was relatively expensive, and the rooms were small. It also had one of those rooms that served as kitchen, dining room and living room all in one. I'm not fond of these kinds of rooms, which are particularly American. The smell of cooking, people watching TV, people eating -- these all seem like activities that should be separated from one another. Call me old fashioned. \nThe Avalon had a big gym, however, which was very good, and concierge service, which was very convenient. Most of them were very friendly. One concierge even hugged me when we left and said she was going to miss me! Also convenient was its proximity to the Caltrain, the Safeway across the street and the Starbucks. But if you crave culture, this ain't it: everything is a chain store nearby.\nSo depending on your budget, your need for convenience and culture, and your tolerance for small rooms and/or omnirooms, it may suit you. |
Science & Mathematics | What are world's 3 smallest nations? | 1. The Vatican City in central Rome ranks as the smallest nation of the world. It measures 0.17 square miles.<br />\n2. Monaco. <br />\n3. San Marino.\nHow did they manage to become countries?<br />\n1. The political freedom of the Vatican is guaranteed and protected by Italy. It concordat between the Holy See and the kingdom of Italy signed in 1929 in the Lateran Palace, Rome, by Cardinal Gasparri for Pius XI and by Benito Mussolini for Victor Emmanuel III.<br />\n2. Monaco came under French protection in 1861. However from 1911, when the first constitution was promulgated, the prince of Monaco was an absolute ruler.<br />\n3. According to tradition, Marino, a Christian stonecutter from Dalmatia, took refuge (4th cent) on Mt. Titano, the chief geographical feature of present-day San Marino. By the mid-5th cent., a community was formed; because of its relatively inaccessible location and its poverty, it has succeeded, with a few brief interruptions, in maintaining its independence. In 1631 its independence was recognized by the papacy. |
Business & Finance | What is the best riddle that you know? | If you were standing in front of a door, one leading to heaven and one leading to hell, neither of which are labeled, and guarding that door is a guard, one who always lies and one who always tells the truth, but you don't know who's who, what question would you ask to definitively know which one is the door to heaven versus hell.\nanswer: "what would the other guard say that you would say is the door to heaven (hell)?" then you know the opposite door is the door to heaven (hell) |
Business & Finance | Economics of running a restaurant? | 90% of restaurants fail in their first year of existence. A 10% profit level for a restaurant is considered a success. The average revenue and net income is hard to define without knowing the food concept and what type of liquor license the establishment will have: just beer and wine license or full bar license? Will the restaurant depend heavily on take out food orders or mostly dining within? The hours are very long 12 to 15 hours a day if yo will be serving lunch and dinner. |
Science & Mathematics | Why do gas stations mix ethanol into gas? | Right. Fuel additives are helpful for reduction of emissions, although they are not always economical. For the most part, the US congress has subsidized the creation of ethanol, which tends to be a net cost unless created from waste agricultural products.\nAnother substance that has the same anti-emissions properties as ethanol is MTBE. There has been a lot of press about MTBE recently due to its tendency to pollute groundwater. |
Science & Mathematics | Why we are not using the sea waves to generate electricity? | Same reason solar power isn't more popular despite lots of sunshine: with current technology the cost per kwh is still much higher than for power generated with fossil fuels. As fossil fuel prices rise and technology improves so-called "alternative" energy sources become more cost effective, but the crossover point still appears to be several years in the future.\nForcing expensive alternative technologies on the market before they are economically viable simply raises electricity prices for homeowners--this is part of the reason CA electric rates were so far above the national average in the 1990's, opening the door for Enron and like to make their ill-fated arbitrage plays... |
Sports | Why doesn't the NBA implement a minor leagues? | The NBA does have minor leagues - they're called the CBA, and the International leagues. :)\nSeriously - because viewers seem to value explosiveness over efficiency, I think we're seeing a major shift in the average age of NBA players towards young athletes that are quicker, high-flying and more resilient to injury. I wouldn't be surprised at all if by the end of this decade the average age of the league allstars is well under 25. |
Education & Reference | What's the longest english word without a vowel in it? | The longest word without a vowel is Rhythm.\nIt is referenced on below web site where you can find more fun facts. |
Sports | Formula1 car | Let me break it down-\nEngine- 3 liter V10. Approximately 900+ hp, 19,000 rpm. The engine weighs about 200 lbs. It spins so fast that metal valve springs can't keep, the springs are pneumatic.\nBrakes- The better your brakes, the later you can brake and thus you can spend more time going fast. These are carbon fiber and take 3 months to make. They heat up to around 1500 F in use and can be seen glowing. The wheels are limited to 13 inches in order to limit braking capability. As they are, the driver experiences 4 G's of decelerating load under heavy braking. An average person would black out in an F1 car.\nAerodynamics- Surprisingly, drag is not the critical factor, downforce is. These cars have very high coefficients of drag, due to the open wheels and spoilers. The downforce is created by aero devices which are basically inverted aeroplane wings, which push the car to the ground under speed. It is because of the dependence on these devices that F1 cars have a difficult time passing, once the cars enter the dirty air behind another racer, downforce drops dramatically and so does the car's ability to corner quickly.\nTraction control- the cars generate so much power that the throttle is computer controlled to keep the tires from spinning. The governing body (the FIA) wants to make this illegal but right now it is not feasible because it is merely software in the engine management systems, and it is not feasible to decompile these systems to find illegal code.\nTransmisison- The cars utilize computer controlled sequential manual transmissions. The computers manage the throttle and clutch to pull off perfect shifts in one tenth of a second. All the driver does is pull a lever. The clutch is only used from a standstill and is engaged from a lever on the steering wheel. \nWhat doesn't make the cars fast-\nTires- The tires are grooved to limit traction. If the drivers were allowed to run slicks, the traction and G loading would be so high that drivers would black out and possibly crash. Starting in 2005, they also must last the entire race.\nWheels- Size limited to prevent the installation of overlarge brakes which would also push the drivers beyond the limits of human physiology\nBrakes- As stated earlier, size limited. Also, no ABS at all (outlawed in 1994). |
Science & Mathematics | how was Einstein's General Relativity theory proven ? | First, I would never say that a theory has been proven. There may be a lot of evidence that supports a theory, and as a result it may no longer be on the list of theories that are being challenged, but theories are always theories and should always be open to adjustment by new evidence. A good theory is just a collection of hypothesis, experiments and deductions that survives repeated challenge and can therefore be used to predict untested outcomes.\nNow to your question (sorry for the tangent)... I think that most physicists consider Arthur Eddington's observations of the bending of light during the 1919 solar eclipse as the first solid evidence to support Einstein's theory of General Relativity. Einstein's theory predicted that gravitational fields would bend light, and Eddington's measurements supported that prediction, thus making it the first empirical data to support the theory. |
Entertainment & Music | Can someone tell me what happened in Buffy's series finale? | The gang makes an attack on the First's army, aided by Willow, who performs a powerful spell to imbue all of the Potentials with Slayer powers. Meanwhile, wearing the amulet that Angel brought, Spike becomes the decisive factor in the victory, and Sunnydale is eradicated. Buffy and the gang look back on what's left of Sunnydale, deciding what to do next...\n--but more importantly, there will no longer be any slaying in Sunnydale, or is that Sunnyvale.... |
Science & Mathematics | How does a person live his whole life with the notion of impending death | It's called denial... |
Science & Mathematics | how does a helicopter fly | A helicopter gets its power from rotors or blades. When its rotors are spinning, a helicopter doesn't look much like an airplane. But the rotor blades have an airfoil shape like the wings of an airplane. So as the rotors turn, air flows more quickly over the tops of the blades than it does below. This creates enough lift for flight. |
Education & Reference | Why would Big Ten keep its name inspite of adding a 11th school? | i would think to keep the "brand" recognition and the history of the Big Ten. the conference has invested a lot in building the Big Ten name as well as any merchandising and corporate sponsorship. |
Health | How effective is massage in relieving stress? | Massage is good for relieving stress if you find the right kind of you. \nOne of the most popular massages is Swedish massage. Light to medium pressure is applied with long, soothing strokes. Sometimes stress can cause muscle pain. Deep tissue massage can be tailored to the person's need. Aromatherapy massage makes use of the therapeutic effect of essential oil combined with a relaxing massage. Warm stone massage has become very popular in the past few years. Reflexology is a special form of foot massage.\nIt may take a few trials to find the right kind of massage for you. Once you find it, it can help maintain good physical health and stress reduction. |
Politics & Government | Is there a good reference for California Landlord-Tenant Law? | Check out "California Tenants: A Guide to Residential Tenants' and Landloards' Rights and Responsibilities" (listed as a reference below) from the department of Consumer Affairs. |
Computers & Internet | Triangular distribution random function | check out this site:\nhttp://mathworld.wolfram.com/TriangularDistribution.html |
Science & Mathematics | Capturing light in a container | So the answer to your specific question is 'no'. The problem is that if the container shines, it means that light and energy is being lost and will eventually run out. There are materials that will glow for a long time due to radioactive decay or via chemical processes, but all of these are using up their 'fuel' in the process and will eventually run out.\nSome radioactive substances have a pretty long half-life and will appear to glow steadily without much decay over the scale of a human lifetime.\nNow, to get more generalized... it is possible to trap light in a container that doesn't shine. Scientists have been able to free light in its place using supercooled clouds of sodium which are naturally opaque, but can temporarily transmit light when altered via a laser beam. If the laser is shut off, a light beam that is passing through the cloud will be temporarily frozen in place. Australian scientists have recently been able to extend this interaction to be nearly as long as a second.\nOnce the laser is reintroduced the beam is recovered and continues on its way. Now all this is a little debatable, since the photons actually get temporarily swallowed up by the material. The photons that come out afterwards have the same configuration and quantum state as what went in, but whether they are exactly the same photons is more of a question for philosophy than for physics. |
Business & Finance | When will Google buy Yahoo? | Their respective market caps are too close for this to ever happen.\nInterestingly, many reporters, analysts and tech pundits that I talk to think that the supposed competition between Google and Yahoo is fallacious, and that they are very different companies with very different strategies. Google's true competitor is often seen as being Microsoft, not Yahoo. This would support your claim that they are complementary. |
Science & Mathematics | Do animals have feelings? | It's clear that humans and animals (especially those close to us in the evolutionary tree), share similar chemical responses in their brain when faced with highly emotional situations. Whether it be fear, contentment, mating urges, we have a lot of analogous mechanisms going on. On this basis alone, there is a pretty strong argument that animals have feelings.\nOne possible counter-argument, however, is based on the definition that for certain chemical responses to be called feelings, that the being in question needs to have a conscious awareness of their state. With this defition, it becomes much harder to say whether animals experience feelings in the same conscious manner even though the neurochemical signatures are similar.\nMy opinion is that this definition based on conscious understanding is a little specious, as it's based on an ongoing desire by some to try to define humans out of the context of the natural world... and to claim that we are categorically better than the other animals. \nIf the neurochemical basis for consciousness is ever discovered we'll be able to quickly check which animals have this, and I suspect we'll find that many are conscious. If this is so, then their feelings will be as real as human ones in all senses. |
Education & Reference | Is Trigonometry considered high school or college level math? | In the US, Trig is normally considered as a high school level course, however, it is not a required course to graduate. I believe Algebra is the highest of the high school math courses that are required for graduation, although some schools may still only require Geometry.\nIn the US the typical sequence for math courses is Pre-Algebra, Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry and then Calculus (which is usually taken at the high school level as Pre-Calculus, but may also be taken as full "AP" Calculus, where the "AP" stands for "Advanced Placement" and means that the student can get University-level credit for that course when they go to College). |
Business & Finance | Why is there often a mirror in an elevator? | The purpose is functional, but it's psychological rather than mechanical.\n\nHere's an explanation, from: http://www.slyasafox.com/book/book_33.html\n\n"In the early industrial age, buildings began to spring up all over the east coast. Many of these new buildings were taller than anything ever built before and most had elevators. As buildings got taller and taller, more people began to use elevators. Elevators in those days were pretty darn slow. People were constantly complaining about how slow the elevators were. \n\nElevator companies were challenged with this problem and came up with the typical problem statement elevators move too slow. So they went off to design elevators that were faster and safer, but at the time it was very expensive to do so. Several companies went off and running to build a safer and faster elevator, and one elevator company proposed a different problem statement. They may have had a different name for the approach, but they were using the fundamentals of the �est problem statement tool. One engineer said, I think our elevator speeds are just fine, people are crazy. \n\nThen an engineer proposed that they work on a different problem statement. He proposed that the problem was people think elevators move to slow. He inserted two words people think into the problem statement which allowed the design team to approach the problem from a completely different angle and thus a whole new set of ideas. Instead of concentrating on larger motors, slicker pulley designs and such, they concentrated on the passenger in the elevator.\n\nWhen they looked at the problem from this angle, the ideas started to snowball. Is it really too slow? Why do they think it is slow? How can we distract them? How can we make it more comfortable? Are customers scared of heights?\n\nThis lead to some first hand customer research. They found that a lot of people thought the elevators were a lot slower then they actually were. \n\n\nThey also discovered that people had an exaggerated sense of time because they had nothing to do but stare at the wall and think about the safety of the elevator being suspended in the air, and preoccupied with the fear of falling. \n\nt room for additional equipment of any sort, so they brainstormed on that. This lead to the idea of mirrors in elevators so people would think about something else besides danger. Was their hair combed properly? Did her makeup look okay?\n\nBy installing mirrors in the elevators, people became distracted and were no longer preoccupied with the fear of falling. On a follow up survey, customers commented how much faster the new elevators were even though the speed was exactly the same. The elevator design itself had not changed at all." \n\n |
Science & Mathematics | Can someone explain the theory of e=mc2? | In general it means that in a very high speed (also apply for low speed but hard to measure) , a Mass turns into Energy and vise versa. The conversion rate is C2 (C square). |
Politics & Government | Why can Bush get away with misinforming us about intelligence, then use that as reason for war? | Because the American public is more willing to forgive presidents that don't project themselves as smarter then them. Its similar to how Oliver North and the Irancontra scandal in the 80's did not affect Reagan's popularity, but how Clinton's "lies" about Monica almost resulted in impeachment. In a way, this may be Bush's genius, that he understands what lies Americans are willing to accept, and not accept. |
Education & Reference | where did term "tie the knot" come from? | Bed frames used to be sprung with rope. To make a marriage bed you needed to 'tie the knot' |
Sports | How can the Chicago Cubs break their curse? | Do what the Red Sox did. Fire the coach from last year, trade your best player, and get a long haired guy to bat 1st. |