Television: “seeing what is happening at a place concealed from the observer’s eyes”

I like this definition of “television” from the Oxford English Dictionary, quoted on etymonline.

1907: the action of seeing by means of Hertzian waves or otherwise, what is existing or happening at a place concealed or distant from the observer’s eyes [OED]

It makes it sound more mystical. Compared to how we currently think about it anyway.

Tele – comes from the Greek meaning ”far off, afar, at or to a distance”.

Why time slows down if you’re afraid

Interesting story on the guardian about how our internal means of measuring time – heartbeats, breaths – calibrate with how the clock measures time. When our internal systems speed up, for example when heartrate jumps if you’re afraid, then you perceive that a  longer time passes compared to straightforward clock time. eg if 70 hearbeats a minute is normal, and then your heart speeds up to 90/100, it feels like a longer time has passed going by your internal clock. That’s why time appears to slow down when we’re afraid. LOVE IT.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/jan/01/psychology-time-perception-awareness-research

Tax breaks for patents

Found this initiative interesting. Story is from a while ago, but law will be coming into force from April 2013.

Profits directly attributable to patents owned or wholly-licensed by a business will be taxed at 10% not 23% – the new corporation tax rate.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/09/patent_box_tax_cut_impact_on_business/

So patent anything you damn well can.