The Insomnia Sessions

Unknown mathematician hits a home run MAY 20 2013

Reads — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:28:32 +0000

Yitang Zhang, an unknown mathematician who worked at Subway while trying to find an academic position earlier in his career, has written a paper that makes significant progress towards understanding the twin prime conjecture, “one of mathematics’ oldest problems”.

Beijing’s Brand Ambassador

Reads — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:58:32 +0000

America’s top military official, General Martin Dempsey, went to Beijing recently to talk with his Chinese counterpart about cyberspace, which has become a big source of tension between the two countries.

Japan Is Back

Reads — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:43:26 +0000

After serving a brief, undistinguished term as Japan’s prime minister in 2006–7, Shinzo Abe seemed destined for the political sidelines. Then, last December, he surged back into the limelight, retaking office in a landslide victory.

The Waterfall and the World at Night

Reads — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:58:35 +0000

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Explanation: Above this boreal landscape, the arc of the Milky Way and shimmering aurorae flow through the night.

The deal between Serbia and Kosovo that changed history… or did it?

Reads — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:28:19 +0000

In a grim suburb outside Pristina, two schools exist in the same building. They are only one floor apart, yet the pupils speak different languages, learn different histories and their break times are staggered so that they never interact.

Want a Super-durable and Super-cheap USB Thumb Drive for $8?

john — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:14:56 +0000

The Kingston SE line is it

Is it fast? Nope – it’s slow beyond belief. You’ll never sustain write speeds above 5MB/sec on any decent-sized file transfer. But it must read really fast right? Well, it’s a little better, but it still parties like it’s 1999 – read speeds will average about 17MB/sec.

What it is is cheap and extremely durable. It is all metal, with no visible seams. I’ve had a bunch of these for maybe a year now, on keyrings, and short of an acid attack or fire, they seem to be indestructible. You’d have to run over it with a tank to crush it. They’re super handy and reliable, and very small to boot. They come in capacities of 8-64GB.

Need something faster, in the same vein, but perhaps slightly less indestructible? The Silicon Power Firma ZN is the answer. I have one of these, in 64GB. For $42, it’s fantastic. It’s slightly less stout than the Kingson SE, but still all-metal, and much faster. Write speeds are about 17MB/sec and read speeds about 30MB/sec. I don’t have the faith in Silicon Power as a brand that I have in Kingston, and the caseing is a bit thinner, with visible seams and a bit more flex to it, but it still seems to be a great drive and a great value.

Plot to kill Colombian journalists uncovered

Reads — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:28:46 +0000

Officials say a hit man was hired to kill Gonzalo Guillén and León Valencia, who were probing links between politicians and criminal groups Authorities in Colombia have uncovered a plot to kill a freelance correspondent and a magazine columnist just two weeks after another high-profile inves

Pope Francis hits out at global ‘cult of money’

Reads — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:28:44 +0000

Pope Francis has called on world leaders to end the “cult of money” and to do more for the poor, in his first major speech on the financial crisis. Free market economics had created a tyranny, in which people were valued only by their ability to consume, the pontiff told diplomats in the Vatican.

In Sri Lanka, a new divide brings back old fears

Reads — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:28:41 +0000

More than a month after Fashion Bug, a popular clothes store in the Sri Lankan capital, was vandalised, business is back to normal. Shoppers cram into the Muslim-owned store as the Buddhist holiday season for Vesak (in India, Buddha Purnima) begins this month-end.

Two more asylum seekers die trying to reach Australia

Reads — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:28:37 +0000

Two more would-be asylum seekers have died on the ocean trying to get to Australia while their 46 shipmates survived a boat journey that contained equal parts tragedy and luck.