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πŸ”— Weird Number

πŸ”— Mathematics

In number theory, a weird number is a natural number that is abundant but not semiperfect.

In other words, the sum of the proper divisors (divisors including 1 but not itself) of the number is greater than the number, but no subset of those divisors sums to the number itself.

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πŸ”— Man on the Clapham Omnibus

πŸ”— Law πŸ”— England

The man on the Clapham omnibus is a hypothetical ordinary and reasonable person, used by the courts in English law where it is necessary to decide whether a party has acted as a reasonable person would – for example, in a civil action for negligence. The character is a reasonably educated, intelligent but nondescript person, against whom the defendant's conduct can be measured.

The term was introduced into English law during the Victorian era, and is still an important concept in British law. It is also used in other Commonwealth common law jurisdictions, sometimes with suitable modifications to the phrase as an aid to local comprehension. The route of the original "Clapham omnibus" is unknown but London Buses route 88 was briefly branded as "the Clapham Omnibus" in the 1990s and is sometimes associated with the term.

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πŸ”— Brownian Ratchet

πŸ”— Physics

In the philosophy of thermal and statistical physics, the Brownian ratchet or Feynman–Smoluchowski ratchet is an apparent perpetual motion machine of the second kind, first analysed in 1912 as a thought experiment by Polish physicist Marian Smoluchowski. It was popularised by American Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman in a physics lecture at the California Institute of Technology on May 11, 1962, during his Messenger Lectures series The Character of Physical Law in Cornell University in 1964 and in his text The Feynman Lectures on Physics as an illustration of the laws of thermodynamics. The simple machine, consisting of a tiny paddle wheel and a ratchet, appears to be an example of a Maxwell's demon, able to extract mechanical work from random fluctuations (heat) in a system at thermal equilibrium, in violation of the second law of thermodynamics. Detailed analysis by Feynman and others showed why it cannot actually do this.

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πŸ”— User: Junnn11

Arthropod enthusiast, mainly focus on Panarthropod head problem, phylogeny across arthropod subphyla and stem lineage, basal chelicerates, dinocaridids and lobopodians. Sometime drawing stuff, not so well in english, mainly active at Japanese Wikipedia.

Japanese: εˆ©η”¨θ€…:Junnn11

Commons: User:Junnn11

Twitter: ni075

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πŸ”— Body Doubling

πŸ”— Disability

Body doubling or parallel working is a strategy used to initiate and complete tasks, such as household chores or writing and other computer tasks. It involves the physical presence, virtual presence through a phone call, videotelephony or social media presence, of someone with whom one shares their goals, which makes it more likely to achieve them. For some people, it works best to both do similar tasks, while for others, just being in the same (virtual) room is enough.

It was partially popularized by those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to help manage symptoms. Its usefulness has also been noted by those with autism, but efficacy is not clearly known as long term studies have not been conducted on the topic. In 2023, J. Russel Ramsay, professor of clinical psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine and co-director of the ADHD treatment and research program of the University of Pennsylvania, noted that, while extensive research on the strategy's effect on productivity doesn't exist, "the idea of externalizing motivation is a longstanding evidence-based mechanism for managing ADHD."

ADHD body doubling comes into play allowing individuals with ADHD to perform and complete tasks more easily and with less distractions, where otherwise they might struggle more. "ADHD body doubling is a productivity strategy used by individuals with ADHD to finish possibly annoying jobs while having another person beside them."

Body doubling is said to aid individuals with focus and productivity while working. Another person, known as a 'body double' sits alongside the individual with ADHD to help them focus while completing a certain task. The role of this individual is to not partake in the task but, more importantly, serve as a support system and create a welcoming environment that allows the individual to focus by reducing any distractions. The idea of body doubling allows for specific reminders to the individual to stay on task which helps alleviate the symptoms of ADHD.

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πŸ”— Drosoulites

πŸ”— Death πŸ”— Greece πŸ”— Paranormal

The term Drosoulites (Greek: ΔροσουλίτΡς) refers to a long procession of visions, seen by residents around Frangokastello castle in Sfakia region of Crete (Greece). The phenomenon is rumored to be visible every year, on the anniversary of the Battle of Frangokastello or even in early June near a small village in southern Crete.

The visions, as described by witnesses, consist of a group of human-like shadows dressed in black, walking or riding, armed with weapons, moving from the monastery of Agios Charalambos and advancing towards the old fort, Frangokastello, a 14th-century Venetian fortification. Legend has it that this group of people are Greek fighters that died during the Battle of Frangokastello (17 May 1828) and since then they appear as supernatural beings in the area.

The ghost army is led by Hatzimichalis Dalianis, from Delvinaki in Epirus, the chief of the Greek men, 350 of whom were lost, in the battle. The army took refuge in the fort during the Greek War of Independence against the Turks, where they were killed after a seven-day siege.

The local people named them Drosoulites ("dew shadows") due to the time of day that the phenomenon takes place. The phenomenon is observed when the sea is calm and the atmosphere is moist and before the sun rises too high in the sky. It usually lasts about 10 minutes.

The shadows are visible from the valley at a distance of 1000 m. Many have tried to explain the phenomenon scientifically, and at one time it was explained as a mirage from the coast of North Africa, but still there is no accepted consensus. On the other hand, another, occult, interpretation implies the existence of a psychic phenomenon, clairvoyance, seen in some countries like Britain and Germany, also regarding ghost armies. The appearance of the Drosoulites is documented over the ages. In 1890 a transient Turkish army took the images for rebels and fled away. Even during the Second World War, a German patrol is said to have opened fire on the visions.

πŸ”— Clifford A. Pickover

πŸ”— Biography πŸ”— Systems πŸ”— Biography/science and academia πŸ”— Journalism πŸ”— Systems/Visualization

Clifford Alan Pickover (born August 15, 1957) is an American author, editor, and columnist in the fields of science, mathematics, science fiction, innovation, and creativity. For many years, he was employed at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown, New York where he was Editor-in-Chief of the IBM Journal of Research and Development. He has been granted more than 500 U.S. patents, is an elected Fellow for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and is author of more than 50 books, translated into more than a dozen languages.

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πŸ”— Mummy Brown

πŸ”— Ancient Egypt πŸ”— Color πŸ”— Archaeology πŸ”— Visual arts

Mummy brown, also known as Egyptian brown or Caput Mortuum,:β€Š254β€Š is a rich brown bituminous pigment with good transparency, sitting between burnt umber and raw umber in tint. The pigment was made from the flesh of mummies mixed with white pitch and myrrh. Mummy brown was extremely popular from the mid-eighteenth to the nineteenth centuries. However, fresh supplies of mummies diminished, and artists were less satisfied with the pigment's permanency and finish. By 1915, demand had significantly declined. Suppliers ceased to offer it by the middle of the twentieth century.:β€Š82β€Š

Mummy brown was one of the favourite colours of the Pre-Raphaelites. It was used by many artists, including Eugene Delacroix, William Beechey, Edward Burne-Jones, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, and Martin Drolling.

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πŸ”— Flotsam, Jetsam, Lagan and Derelict

πŸ”— Shipwrecks

In maritime law, flotsam, jetsam, lagan, and derelict are specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the remains of a ship that has been wreckedβ€”a destroyed ship at sea, whether it has sunk or is floating on the surface of the water.