Computer monitors float, screen upwards

Date:August 16, 2006 / year-entry #278
Tags:non-computer
Orig Link:https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20060816-35/?p=30083
Comments:    7
Summary:Oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer made another appearance on my local public radio station. Among the ocean garbage trivia is the fact that computer monitors float screen upwards (timecode 4:00). Other fascinating facts: Garbage from Japan collects near the United States; garbage from the United States collects near Japan. Researchers studying dead albatross chicks have found 60-year-old...

Oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer made another appearance on my local public radio station. Among the ocean garbage trivia is the fact that computer monitors float screen upwards (timecode 4:00).

Other fascinating facts:

  • Garbage from Japan collects near the United States; garbage from the United States collects near Japan.
  • Researchers studying dead albatross chicks have found 60-year-old plastic in the birds' stomachs.
  • Some beaches "specialize" in certain types of garbage.
Comments (7)
  1. John Goewert says:
    August 16, 2006 at 11:03 am

    Oddly enough, this was also done as part of a short piece on Tech TV’s Braniac show.

    They made a floating platform in a pool and constructed a small office to simulate flooding due to global warming. Each episode, the blow a foghorn and the guy grabs one thing and tries to use it as a flotation device.

    The CRT has ended up being the best one so far. The next being sealed bags of polystyrean cups. An office printer is not a good idea.

  2. Colin says:
    August 16, 2006 at 11:59 am

    …but in case you’re looking for a "how things work in Windows" topic, I’ve been searching all over the place to find out how the Windows XP Start menu "Recently Used Programs" list is generated.  (I prefer the "classic" start menu, but I’d like to have the capability to have a quick menu with the most recently used apps.)

    Thanks!

  3. Colin says:
    August 16, 2006 at 12:33 pm

    Naturally, as soon as I ask, find some info (with a bit of help from RegMon) that I think will let me solve my little problem: <a href="http://blog.pointstone.com/?p=6">http://blog.pointstone.com/?p=6</a&gt;.  Still quite curious… interesting that HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerUserAssist is "encrypted" with ROT13…

  4. steven says:
    August 16, 2006 at 1:37 pm

    Colin, don’t make off-topic posts. If you have a suggestion, check out the "Suggestion Box" link in the "Basics" panel on the right.

  5. HA HA HA says:
    August 16, 2006 at 2:19 pm

    japenaise shispve been ednign up in the pacific nrothwast for centuries. theere were laws limatign the seaworthness of shiops bacuse of the isolation policy. those poor halfased ships would get dismastad in storms an if they we’re in teh right curant theyd drift right on over.

    http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=1-0875952356-0

    http://www.old-japan.co.uk/article_daguerreotype.html

  6. me says:
    August 16, 2006 at 4:20 pm

    Isn’t Curtis great?  I’m riveted every time he comes on.

  7. j says:
    August 17, 2006 at 9:51 am

    don’t make off-topic posts. If you have a suggestion, check out the "Suggestion Box" link in the "Basics" panel on the right.

    Shouldn’t that be "don’t make on topic posts in an off topic post" :)

Comments are closed.


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