Quick anatomy lesson: the distance between your eyes is one-tenth the length of your arm. This is important, because it helps you estimate the distance between yourself and any object of reasonably known size to a rather accurate degree.
Let’s begin this with a confession: I can’t estimate distances worth a darn. 100 ft, 300 ft, 20 m, I can’t really do it. Thankfully with this trick, we can get pretty accurate distance estimates with only the tiniest bit of math, a general idea of the size of the object you’re estimating distance from, and an arm.
Basically, all you need to do to estimate a distance using this classic method is hold your arm out and stare at your thumb with an eye closed. Silly, yes, but it makes sense, because you’ll switch which eye you look through and sort out how far the object appears to have “jumped” to the side:
How far did it move? (Be sure to sight the same edge of your thumb when you switch eyes.) Let’s say it jumped about five times the width of the barn, or about 500 feet. Now multiply that figure by the handy constant 10 (the ratio of the length of your arm to the distance between your eyes), and you get the distance between you and the barn — 5,000 feet, or about one mile.
Easy enough, and from a few quick tests with known distances, it appears to be accurate enough for ballpark figures.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been around for as long as we recall, but it is still a great source for MacGyver-style tricks, even if this particular one requires no pens, matchboxes, or staples. Take a look at the link for more details on this estimation “rule” and others and be sure to stop in the comments to share your oldie-but-goodie sort of tricks. Thanks, TechTalk WRLR 98.3FM!
原文如下，有兴趣的请自读。我这里也懒得翻译了，就简单地说一下。Gmail里的赞助商广告[①]非常令人不爽[②]，Gmail是根据你邮件里的文字来决定投放什么广告的，所以只要你写一些比较灾难的词汇，屠杀啊悲剧之类（当然要是英文的。。），google就会心软不再投放广告了。关于哪些词会让google发慈悲，已经有前人为我们尝试出来的。现在更关键的问题是怎么把这些话放邮件里呢？你给你老板啊朋友啊写信，不能真的一会说地震一会说炸弹吧（当然，我相信这个世界是无奇不有的…-_-++）。所以呢，有人建议把邮件签名里加这么一条 : I enjoy the massacre of ads. This sentence will slaughter ads without a messy bloodbath. 这样就又得体又达到了我们阴险的目的了（google好可怜…）。
Those “Sponsored Ads” in e-mails are an annoyance to both sender and recipient and they seem to escape blocking. Until now. These two (so far) fail-proof sentences at the end of an email will let you enjoy e-mailed rants, ad-free.
(Click the images above and below for a closer look at the before and after effect.)
In his personal blog, Joe McKay writes about his experience in blocking Gmail‘s sponsored ads using words referencing tragic or catastrophic events (which Google bans from their ads) as well as words from George Carlin’s infamous list of seven words you can’t say on TV.
That’s great news, but how on Earth do you send an email to your boss that’s littered with f-bombs and talk of murder? After finding a few victims and experimenting with various potential ad-blocking words, here’s the relatively kindly signature we came up with:
I enjoy the massacre of ads. This sentence will slaughter ads without a messy bloodbath.
Result:
Those two simple (and innocent) sentences at the end of an e-mail appear to consistently block Gmail’s sponsored ads for us. We’ve tested e-mails of varying lengths because Joe remarked that he found that there needs to be a ratio of one ad-blocking word for every 167 normal words, but so far, we haven’t seen those sentences fail.
Got your own methods of avoiding the extra ads in Gmail? Maybe you’ve put together a better ad-blocking signature sentence? (Remember, we’re aiming for something workplace safe.) Let’s hear about it in the comments.
没文化的人容易大惊小怪，这很正常，我看完《V for Vendetta》后就呆了，太TMD精彩了！我这人比较后知后觉，直到这个片子在我的google reader里反复出现时，我才意识到有必要看一下。果然，没让我失望。电影明显是有所影射的，是好是坏众说不一，我没资格且也不太敢评价，但至少有一点不得不承认，这部片子很有感染力（另一种说法是“煽动性”）。关于影评之类我也不想写了，因为前辈们写得太好了，建议看一看豆瓣，当然要登录才行，不然好像看不到评论（其实我挺奇怪这部片子的为啥没被和谐掉。。）；也可以看李笑来的博客（内含torrent）。片子120来分钟，但丝毫不觉得冗长，感觉整场都有高潮，V说话是太有味道了，把文字和声调的美表现的淋漓尽致。我比较庸俗，想来最喜欢的一段应该也比较大众，即V的那段开场白。。。太炫了，从听到的第一遍起就迷上了，而且这还是在我基本没听懂的基础上，语言的韵律之美实在不可小瞧，决定理解并背诵之。这里摘抄下来，单词部分略作笔记，但翻译还是免了，网上版本也不少，但我觉得这个以49个v字打头的单词组成的自我介绍，能翻出来就已经实属不易，忠于原味实在不是那么容易的。
V- Who? Who is but the form following the function of what…and what I am is a man in a mask.
E- Oh, I can see that.
V- Of course you can. I’m not questioning your powers of observation. I’m merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.
E- Right.
V- But on this most auspicious of nights…permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace sobriquet…to suggest the character of this dramatis persona. Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran…cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity…is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified…and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice…and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance, a vendetta…held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such…shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose. So let me simply add that it’s my very good honor to meet you…and you may call me V.
E- Are you, like, a crazy person?
V- I am quite sure they will say so. But to whom, might I ask, am I speaking?
E- I’m Evey.
V- Evey? E-vey. Of course you are.
E- What does that mean?
V- It means that I, like God…do not play with dice and do not believe in coincidence.
aus‧pi‧cious /ɔːˈspɪʃəs; NAmE ɔːˈspɪʃəs/ adj.(formal) showing signs that sth is likely to be successful in the future
in lieu (of sth) : instead 代替
sobriquet /ˈsəʊbrɪkeɪ/: an informal name or title that you give sb/sth绰号；外号
dramatis personae : (fml 文) (list of the) characters in a play 剧中人物（表）
vic‧ari‧ous /vɪˈkeəriəs; NAmE vaɪˈker‑/ adj.[only before noun] felt or experienced by watching or reading about sb else doing sth, rather than by doing it yourself ▸ vic‧ari‧ous‧ly adv. 有同感的
vil‧lain /ˈvɪlən; NAmE ˈvɪlən/ the main bad character in a story, play, etc.
vicissitude /vɪˈsɪsɪtjuːd/ : (usu pl 通常做复数) (fml 文) change in one’s circumstances, esp for the worse (个人境况的)改变，(尤指)变坏
visage/ˈvɪzɪdʒ/ : (joc or rhet 谑或修辞) person’s face (人的)脸，面容 (玩过DiabloⅡ英文版还不认识这个词的，自己去面壁，野蛮人的头盔装，一般随机加技能若干。本博主注)
ven‧eer/vəˈnɪə(r); NAmE vəˈnɪr/ veneer (of sth) (formal) an outer appearance of a particular quality that hides the true nature of sb/sth
van‧ity/ˈvænəti; NAmE ˈvænəti/ (literary) the quality of being unimportant, especially compared with other things that are important 不满意的或无益的境况；无价值
ves‧tige /ˈvestɪdʒ; NAmE ˈvestɪdʒ/ (formal) a small part of sth that still exists after the rest of it has stopped existing
vox populi :【拉】民意,公众舆论
va‧cant/ˈveɪkənt; NAmE ˈveɪkənt/ (of a look, an expression, etc.) showing no sign that the person is thinking of anything 无思想或智慧的；木然的
valour/ˈvælərəs/ : (rhet 修辞) bravery, esp in war 勇武，英勇(尤指战时). valourous adj
vis‧it‧ation /ˌvɪzɪˈteɪʃn; NAmE ˌvɪzɪˈteɪʃn/ visitation (of sth) (formal) a disaster that is believed to be a punishment from God
vexation /vekˈseɪʃn/ : state of being annoyed or worried 烦恼；忧虑
`ver‧bi‧age /ˈvɜːbiɪdʒ/ : (fml derog 文，贬) (use of) too many words, or unnecessarily difficult words, to express an idea,etc 冗词，艰涩词语(的使用)
veer /vɪə(r); NAmE vɪr/ : verb [v + adv. / prep.] (of a conversation or way of behaving or thinking) to change in the way it develops (只谈话内容、人的行为或观点)突然改变，明显转变
verbose /vɜːˈbəʊs/: (fml 文) using or containing more words than are needed 冗长的
这一切是怎么发生的？这都要怪谁？当然有些人要负起责任而他们也会被惩罚，但是，再一次我们说出真话：如果你们要找那个真正负责的人，只需要看着镜子就可以了。我知道你们为什么这么做，我知道你们被吓坏了，谁不害怕呢？战争、恐怖主义、瘟疫，可怕的问题像金字塔一样垒得高高（此处翻译可能有误，原文说的是: There were a myriad of problems.. 本博主注），共同侵蚀了你的理性和常识，恐惧是控制你们的最好方法。然后，当你们惊恐异常之时，投入了最高元首亚当·苏特勒的怀抱。他向你们陈诺了秩序、和平，他要的回报仅仅是你们的沉默和服从。昨夜，我结束了这种沉默，我炸毁了最高法院来提醒这个国家它忘记了什么！400多年以前，一个伟大的公民试图把11月5日永远铭刻在我们的记忆中，他希望提醒这个世界：平等、公正和自由不是泛泛之谈，而是高耸的灯塔。所以如果，你什么也没看到，如果，你始终无视这个政府的罪行，我建议你让11月5日就这样平淡溜走。但是如果你看到了我所看到的，如果你感到了我所感到的，如果你追寻我所追寻的，那么，我请你在明年的11月5日的夜晚，在议会的大门外，与我肩并肩站在一起，一起给他们，一个永远永远也不能忘记的，11月5日！
To: H. R. Haldeman
From: Bill Safire
July 18, 1969.
IN EVENT OF MOON DISASTER:
Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.
These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.
These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.
They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by the nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.
In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.
In ancient days, men looked at the stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.
Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man’s search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.
For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.
PRIOR TO THE PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT:
The President should telephone each of the widows-to-be.
AFTER THE PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT, AT THE POINT WHEN NASA ENDS COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE MEN:
A clergyman should adopt the same procedure as a burial at sea, commending their souls to “the deepest of the deep,” concluding with the Lord’s Prayer.
We’ve featured many, many, many different ways to deal with mosquitoes using DIY solutions. But what about the even more common household fly? Turns out all you need to deal with that is a plastic bag or two.
RickyC wrote in to tell us that he recently visited a lakeside restaurant and noticed some clear plastic bags filled with water hanging from the railings. When he inquired about the bags, a waiter explained that they were used to repel flies.
Question-and-answer web site The Straight Dope gives more detail on why this trick works:
Evidently, houseflies, being highly edible and defenseless, are nervous types, and don’t like to sit still when they see something moving nearby, because it could be a predator. The water bag acts a bit like a lens—try it some time—in which the movements of people in the area are reflected. Even if the fly is too far from the action to see it directly, it can see a shifting of light and dark in the water bag, which it interprets as nearby movement, and it will fly away from the bag.
So, next time you have a fly problem, grab a few plastic bags, fill ‘em up, and let us know how this trick works for you. Likewise, share how you keep unwanted insects out of your backyard—including whether or not you’ve tried this method before—in the comments.
Clusters of Khmer homes , perched on spindly stilts to cope with flooding during the summer monsoon, dot the landscape from the Tonle Sap, the “great lake” of Southeast Asia, some 20 miles to the south, to the Kulen Hills, a ridge jutting from the floodplain a roughly equal distance to the north.
单词扫盲
perch: place(sth), esp in a high or dangerous position 将（某物）置于尤指高处或危险处
spindly: very long or tall and thin 细长的；又高又瘦的
stilt: any one of a set of posts or poles on which a building, etc is supported above the ground （将建筑物等支离地面的）桩子，支柱
We get asked all the time why Google keeps its products in beta for so long. And Gmail, five years after launch, is consistently a subject of this questioning, even of jokes.
Some people thought that once we opened sign-ups, Gmail should have come out of beta.
Some people think we should wait until we launch < one of ongoing secret projects >.
Others say that, over the last five years, a beta culture has grown around web apps, such that the very meaning of “beta” is debatable. And rather than the packaged, stagnant software of decades past, we’re moving to a world of rapid developmental cycles where products like Gmail continue to change indefinitely.
The end result (many visible and invisible changes later) is that today, beta is a thing of the past. Not just for Gmail, but for all of Google Apps — Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and Talk.
However, we realize that after five years, this leaves some of you wrestling with some tough questions. How will you ever get used to using Gmail without that familiar grey “BETA” text greeting you when you log in everyday? What example will you cite the next time you make an internet joke about perpetual betas? Don’t despair… for those of you long-time Gmail-ers who might feel some separation anxiety, we’ve got a solution. Just go to Settings, click on Labs, turn on “Back to Beta,” and it’ll be like Gmail never left beta at all.
…After the deadly protests of Tiananmen Square in 1989, which topped off a year of political unrest exacerbated by high food prices, the government started offering tax incentives to large industrial farms to meet the growing demand…
怪不得没有，这谁还敢翻啊？练练手，无责任翻译如下： …由于高昂的食品价格而恶化的政治动荡形势持续了一年，直到the deadly protests of Tiananmen Square in 1989之后才结束，这时政府开始对大型工业化农场推行税收刺激政策（以鼓励生产）来满足持续增长的（食品）需求…
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