As The Crow Flies

Image: As The Crow Flies, this image is available to licence on EyeEm.

#220

Friday, July 17, 2020

In This Edition:
COVID-19 speech patterns, rock dust Co2 absorption, solar flow battery, data structures & algorithms in real life, & Window Snap!

A nation sheds a tear.
In Ireland, we dream big.
Jack Charlton taught that to so many of my generation.
RIP Jack Charlton.

COVID-19 Detection Through Speech

Image: Bryan Mastergeorge

Researchers MIT's Lincoln Laboratory have identified a way to recognise COVID-19 in asymptomatic people by analysing their speech patterns. The theory that the constriction of muscles caused by a COVID-19 infection could affect speech in otherwise asymptomatic people was put to the test by analysing speech from video interviews of asymptomatic celebrities before and after their postive diagnosis. The researchers found a decrease in speech complexity within 10 milisecond increments of the sampled speech of the asymptomatic subjects. (H/T to Mikael for sharing this.)

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Rock Dust CO2 Absorption

Image: Dr. Dimitar Epihov

A nation by nation assessment published in Nature shows that adding crushed rock (finely crushed basalt) to farmland could absorb up to two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air per year. The technique is called enhanced rock weathering and by-products of iron and stell manufacturing, and construction, could be processed to produce the rock dust needed.  (H/T to Jenn for sharing this.)

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Solar Flow Battery

Image: Wenjie Li

Researchers at University of Wisconsin-Madison have created a new device called a solar flow battery. The device combines a silicon/perovskite tendem solar cell with a chemical based redox flow battery. The device produces consistent 20% energy efficiency from a charge at any time.

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Data Structures & Algorithms In Real Life

Image: Pragmaticengineer.com

Gergely Orosz published an interesting post describing which computer science data structures and algorithms he has used in real life while working at tech companies such as Skype, Skyscanner and Uber. The article is in response to criticism of overly complicated algorithm technical interview questions. Gergely posits that data structures and algorithms are toolkits, and while some knowledge is needed, being able to demostrate off-by-heart complicated algorithms on a white board in an interview is overkill. I totally agree, being able to look up multiple algorithms and decide on how to implement them to your problem is much more beneficial to real life work than being able to recite the bubble sort algorithm like a poem.

Windows of the World

Image: Window Snap

Look through a random window anywhere in the world with Window Snap! You can even submit your own window view.

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About Found This Week

Found This Week is a curated blog of interesting posts, articles, links and stories in the world of technology, science and life in general.
Each edition is curated by Daryl Feehely every Friday and highlights cool stuff found each week.
The first 104 editions were published on Medium before this site was created, check out the archive here.

Daryl Feehely

I’m a web consultant, contract web developer, technical project manager & photographer originally from Cork, now based in London. I offer my clients strategy, planning & technical delivery services, remotely & in person. I also offer freelance CTO services to companies in need of technical bootstrapping or reinvention. If you think I can help you in your business, check out my details on http://darylfeehely.com

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