Category: Quickhit

[How to put an image into your histogram](http://www.ironicsans.com/2007/09/idea_the_histogram_as_the_imag.html). This is quite clever, although I’m not sure there are a lot of images that this would work very well for… But is this just ‘hidden art’, or is it actually starting to get in to the realm of cryptography?

[A laser based fire extinguisher training](http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/14/laser-fire-extinguisher-simulator-threatens-arsonists-livelihoo/). I think this would make the six-monthly fire drills around here a lot more interesting.

[The most portable record player I’ve ever seen](http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2007/09/mister_disc.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890). I would, I have to admit, be a little bit worried about warpiing of the album from it not being supported at all points, but still a fairly clever idea.

Small, almost random observation: when calling my bank (Which Bank?) the other day I ended up doing the ‘on hold shuffle’ when they bounce you from department to department for bits of your query. And I noticed that *every single one* of the customer service reps started with ‘Hello, this is Glenda in Tamworth’ or…

[A cafe built into a shipping container](http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2007/10/09/illys-shipping-conta.html). More a piece of art than a real cafe, but there’s a genuine business idea underneath this.

[Hole punch art](http://www.notcot.com/archives/2007/08/hole_punched.php). It may take a little practice, of course. But there’s still over five weeks to go.

[A 4-mile streetcar route would supposedly boost Cincinnati’s economy by $2 billion](http://www.reason.com/blog/show/123001.html). A good example of why you need to always stop and think about what a result implies in the real world. $2 billion is about $6,500 per resident.

[The problems of universal screening when your test isn’t perfect](http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/10/think_positive.php). Human beings are, in general, really bad about thinking about rare events. This is a good example of the counter intuitive results these situations can throw up.

[How do views on economic management ability affect voting?](http://possumcomitatus.wordpress.com/2007/10/17/does-economic-management-influence-the-primary-vote/). Short version: being seen as good (or bad) can increase (decrease) the ALP vote, but doesn’t move the coalition vote around much.

[Al Gore rules out a run for president in 2008](http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/17/2062367.htm). It’s a pity. He’d make a great president. But his time has passed, so I suppose I should move on.