Thursday Things: Eyes and Ears Edition
25 March 2021. Vol 3 No 12 By Dan McGirt. #85
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Photo by Marina Vitale on Unsplash
Can you hear a painting? Some people can. The Russian painter Vassily Kandinsky could, and tried to convey that experience in his work to those of us who don’t have synesthesia. Now, through artificial intelligence, maybe we can all hear a painting:
Google has launched a new AI tool that lets you listen to the sounds that Vassily Kandinsky may have heard as he painted.
The experiment explores the artist’s synesthesia, a neurological condition that causes one sense to trigger another.
In Kandinsky’s case, he’d see colors and shapes when he heard music, and hear music when he painted.
Listen and see for yourself at Google Arts & Culture. And see more of Kandinsky’s work at https://www.wassilykandinsky.net/
Composition 8, Wassily Kandinsky Source: wassilykandinsky.net
Space is big. So if you go there, you’re going to need a map, because GPS doesn’t work. An Astronomer Just Laid Out a Navigation System For Interstellar Space Travel
Using the positions and shifting light of stars, both near and far, astronomer Coryn A.L. Bailer-Jones has demonstrated the feasibility of autonomous, on-the-fly navigation for spacecraft traveling far beyond the Solar System.
We’re one step closer to zipping around the galaxy at Warp 9 and not running into things.
And we’d better hurry up with that, because maybe we’re not alone. US has 'secret evidence of UFOs breaking sound barrier without a sonic boom and performing moves humans don't have the technology for', says Trump's Director of National Intelligence
The U.S. has evidence of UFOs breaking the sound barrier without a sonic boom and making maneuvers impossible with known technology, the former Director of National Intelligence has revealed.
The revelations increased excitement about a forthcoming report detailing what the U.S. government has observed.
'And when we talk about sightings, we are talking about objects that have seen by Navy or Air Force pilots, or have been picked up by satellite imagery that frankly engage in actions that are difficult to explain.
'Movements that are hard to replicate that we don't have the technology for. Or traveling at speeds that exceed the sound barrier without a sonic boom.'
Coffee - is there nothing it can’t do? A strong coffee half an hour before exercising increases fat-burning
Scientists from the Department of Physiology of the University of Granada (UGR) have shown that caffeine (about 3 mg/kg, the equivalent of a strong coffee) ingested half an hour before aerobic exercise significantly increases the rate of fat-burning. They also found that if the exercise is performed in the afternoon, the effects of the caffeine are more marked than in the morning.
This is pretty much me. I drink a lot of coffee and I usually work out in the mid-afternoon. Glad to know science supports me on this.
Why am I just learning about this website? Rainy Mood (rainymood.com)
Welcome to Rainy Mood, the internet's most popular rain experience.
Millions of people use Rainy Mood while sleeping, studying, and relaxing.As it says on the tin, click the button and you get endless rain sounds. Perfect for relaxing or reading or other focused tasks. There are also app versions with more features. But rain is rain.
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