December 4, 2016
In British English Checkers is called Draughts
1. In British English the game checkers is called draughts.
October 12, 2016
As of October 2016, The Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver is the world's second widest bridge (213ft) behind the SF-Oak Bay Bridge (258ft)
1. The Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver was the world's widest bridge from September 2012 until the opening of the new SF-Oak Bay Bridge 213ft (65m), which opened on September 2013.
Image credit: Klaus Johansson
October 9, 2016
In buddhism, a mandala represents the nature of the Enlightened mind and is expressed through the art of sandpainting
1. A mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Indian religions, representing the universe. In Buddhism, the mandala represents the nature of the Pure Land, Enlightened mind and is expressed through the art of sandpainting.
Video of construction and destruction of a sandpainting: https://youtu.be/10084L3Pqsc
Image credit (going clockwise starting top left):
-http://goo.gl/VHjv2S
-http://goo.gl/EKK2Jj
-http://goo.gl/GKXa63
-http://goo.gl/r6E0RE
Image credit (going clockwise starting top left):
-http://goo.gl/VHjv2S
-http://goo.gl/EKK2Jj
-http://goo.gl/GKXa63
-http://goo.gl/r6E0RE
August 23, 2016
The Deming Prize, honoring William E. Deming, is the top prize given in Japan for Total Quality Management (TQM)
1. The Deming Prize in Total Quality Management (TQM), established in 1951, honors William E. Deming, an American engineer, statistician, professor, author, lecturer, and management consultant. Deming is credited with proliferating statistical quality control throughout Japan after World War II and for his 14 points, published in 1982 in his book Out of the Crisis.
1. Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service, with the aim to become competitive and to stay in business, and to provide jobs.
2. Adopt the new philosophy. We are in a new economic age. Western management must awaken to the challenge, must learn their responsibilities, and take on leadership for change.
3. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection on a mass basis by building quality into the product in the first place.
4. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag. Instead, minimize total cost. Move toward a single supplier for any one item, on a long-term relationship of loyalty and trust.
5. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, to improve quality and productivity, and thus constantly decrease costs.
6. Institute training on the job.
7. Institute leadership (see Point 12 and Ch. 8). The aim of supervision should be to help people and machines and gadgets to do a better job. Supervision of management is in need of overhaul, as well as supervision of production workers.
8. Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company (see Ch. 3).
9. Break down barriers between departments. People in research, design, sales, and production must work as a team, to foresee problems of production and in use that may be encountered with the product or service.
10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the work force asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the work force.
A. Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor. Substitute leadership.
B. Eliminate management by objective. Eliminate management by numbers, numerical goals. Substitute leadership.
11. Remove barriers that rob the hourly worker of his right to pride of workmanship. The responsibility of supervisors must be changed from sheer numbers to quality.
12. Remove barriers that rob people in management and in engineering of their right to pride of workmanship. This means, inter alia, abolishment of the annual or merit rating and of management by objective (see Ch. 3).
13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement.
14. Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. The transformation is everybody's job.
 |
| https://www.juse.or.jp/deming_en/award/img/pic04.jpg |
2. Adopt the new philosophy. We are in a new economic age. Western management must awaken to the challenge, must learn their responsibilities, and take on leadership for change.
3. Cease dependence on inspection to achieve quality. Eliminate the need for inspection on a mass basis by building quality into the product in the first place.
4. End the practice of awarding business on the basis of price tag. Instead, minimize total cost. Move toward a single supplier for any one item, on a long-term relationship of loyalty and trust.
5. Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, to improve quality and productivity, and thus constantly decrease costs.
6. Institute training on the job.
7. Institute leadership (see Point 12 and Ch. 8). The aim of supervision should be to help people and machines and gadgets to do a better job. Supervision of management is in need of overhaul, as well as supervision of production workers.
8. Drive out fear, so that everyone may work effectively for the company (see Ch. 3).
9. Break down barriers between departments. People in research, design, sales, and production must work as a team, to foresee problems of production and in use that may be encountered with the product or service.
10. Eliminate slogans, exhortations, and targets for the work force asking for zero defects and new levels of productivity. Such exhortations only create adversarial relationships, as the bulk of the causes of low quality and low productivity belong to the system and thus lie beyond the power of the work force.
A. Eliminate work standards (quotas) on the factory floor. Substitute leadership.
B. Eliminate management by objective. Eliminate management by numbers, numerical goals. Substitute leadership.
11. Remove barriers that rob the hourly worker of his right to pride of workmanship. The responsibility of supervisors must be changed from sheer numbers to quality.
12. Remove barriers that rob people in management and in engineering of their right to pride of workmanship. This means, inter alia, abolishment of the annual or merit rating and of management by objective (see Ch. 3).
13. Institute a vigorous program of education and self-improvement.
14. Put everybody in the company to work to accomplish the transformation. The transformation is everybody's job.
March 14, 2016
The Cadaeic Cadenza is a short story that represents the first 3835 digits of pi through using words that are equivalent in length as their representative digit place of pi
1. The Cadaeic Cadenza is a short story written by Mike Keith that outlines the first 3835 digits of pi through using words that are equivalent in length as their representative digit place of pi, with zeros being 10 letter words.
2. The technique of using words as a mnemonic techniques to remember a span of digits is referred to as piphilology.
2. The technique of using words as a mnemonic techniques to remember a span of digits is referred to as piphilology.
March 11, 2016
The Amen, Break is a 6 second, 4 bar drum solo played by Gregory C. Coleman that has been sampled over 2000 times.
1. The Amen, Break is a 6 second, 4 bar, drum solo that has been sampled in over 2,000 songs in a variety of genres in the past 40+ years (WhoSampled). It was originally played by drummer Gregory C. Coleman in the song "Amen, Brother" as a member of the band, The Winstons.
Click to hear the Amen, Break
Coleman died homeless in Atlanta following a battle with drug addiction in 2006 at the age of 62.
Click to hear the Amen, Break
Coleman died homeless in Atlanta following a battle with drug addiction in 2006 at the age of 62.
 |
| Image Source: BBC G.C. Coleman (back-center) |
March 9, 2016
Brigade 2506, a CIA-sponsored paramilitary group, invaded Cuba on 17 April 1961 during The Bay of Pigs Invasion
1. Brigade 2506, a CIA-sponsored paramilitary group, invaded Cuba on 17 April 1961 during The Bay of Pigs Invasion. The operation failed after just three days.
February 28, 2016
Dunbar's number suggests humans can comfortably maintain 150 stable relationsihps
1. By extrapolating the correlation between the neocortex size of 38 species of primates and their average social group size, British anthropologist Robin Dunbar suggested humans can maintain about 150 stable relationships (95% CI 100-230).
February 4, 2016
The nomenclature hurricane, cyclone, and typhoon refers to the location of the same weather phenomenon.
1. The nomenclature hurricane, cyclone, and typhoon refers to the location of the same weather phenomenon. Hurricanes occur in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific. Typhoon is the term used for Northwest Pacific and in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, the event is called a cyclone.
image source: Wikimedia
image source: Wikimedia
February 2, 2016
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