Cut a Watermelon into Sticks (Perfect for Kids and Parties)

Cut a Watermelon into Sticks (Perfect for Kids and Parties)

Summer’s beloved fruit, the watermelon, can get pretty messy to eat. Instead of serving the melon in traditional wedges, cut it into sticks—easy finger foods.

This is great for little kids or for serving a crowd and you need smaller portions. I did this the other day and found another benefit: The sticks stack up much better in a container, so you don’t have to do that Tetris-like watermelon wedges cramming to save space.

A Thrifty Mom has a tutorial for cutting the watermelon. Basically you’ll first cut it into three pieces, then the intersecting 1-2" slices. If you have an apple corer, you can make watermelon cylinders, but with this method you only need a sharp knife.

Watermelon Slices – Perfect for Little Hands | A Thrify Mom


via Lifehacker
Cut a Watermelon into Sticks (Perfect for Kids and Parties)

Insurance Claims Reveal Hidden Electronic Damage From Geomagnetic Storms

KentuckyFC writes: On 13 March 1989, a powerful geomagnetic storm severely disrupted the Hydro-Québec high-voltage grid triggering numerous circuit breakers and blacking out much of eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. Since then, Earth has been hit by numerous solar maelstroms without such large-scale disruption. But the smaller-scale effect of these storms on low voltage transmissions lines, and the equipment connected to them, has been unknown. Until now. Researchers from the Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory have analyzed insurance claims for damage to industrial electrical equipment between 2000 and 2010 and found a clear correlation with geomagnetic activity. They say that the number of claims increases by up to 20 per cent on the days of highest geomagnetic activity. On this basis, they calculate that the economic impact of geomagnetic damage must amount to several billion dollars per year. That raises the question of the impact these storms have on household electronic equipment, such as computers, smartphones and tablets, and whether domestic insurance claims might throw some light on the issue.

Share on Google+

Read more of this story at Slashdot.





via Slashdot
Insurance Claims Reveal Hidden Electronic Damage From Geomagnetic Storms

Fine-Tuning MySQL Full-Text Search with InnoDB

If you are using FULLTEXT indexes in MySQL and plan to switch from MyISAM to InnoDB then you should review the reference manual section on Fine-Tuning MySQL Full-Text Search to see what configuration changes may be required. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post when comparing query results on my database with FULLTEXT indexes in MyISAM versus InnoDB I got different results. Specifically, the InnoDB tables were returning fewer results for certain queries with short FULLTEXT search terms. Here’s an example of a query that returned fewer results on InnoDB:
select id
from flite.ad_index
where match(name,description,keywords) against(‘+v1*’ IN BOOLEAN MODE);
The issue was that all of the fine tuning I had done before was limited to MyISAM, so it didn’t affect InnoDB. In the past I configured MySQL FULLTEXT search to index words as short as 1 character (the default is 3), and to index common words (not to use any stopword list). These are the relevant variables I set in in my.cnf:
ft_min_word_len = 1
ft_stopword_file = ”
InnoDB has its own variables to control stopwords and minimum word length, so I needed to set these variables when I changed the tables from MyISAM to InnoDB:
innodb_ft_min_token_size = 1
innodb_ft_enable_stopword = OFF
Since those variables are not dynamic, I had to restart MySQL for them to take effect. Furthermore, I needed to rebuild the FULLTEXT indexes on the relevant tables. This is how the manual instructs you to rebuld the indexes:
To rebuild the FULLTEXT indexes for an InnoDB table, use ALTER TABLE with the DROP INDEX and ADD INDEX options to drop and re-create each index.
Rather than drop and recreate the indexes, I just used ALTER TABLE … FORCE to rebuild the table (and indexes), like this:
alter table flite.ad_index force;
After making those changes I re-ran pt-upgrade, and now I am getting the same set of rows back from MyISAM and InnoDB. The order of the rows is slightly different in some cases, but as I mentioned yesterday that is expected behavior.
via Planet MySQL
Fine-Tuning MySQL Full-Text Search with InnoDB

Thousands of Leaked KGB Files Are Now Open To the Public

schwit1 (797399) writes "Over 20 years after being smuggled out of Russia, a trove of KGB documents are being opened up to the public for the first time. The leaked documents include thousands of files and represent what the FBI is said to view as "the most complete and extensive intelligence ever received from any source." The documents include KGB information on secret Russian weapons caches, Russian spies, and KGB information on the activities of Pope John Paul II. Known as the Mitrokhin Archive, the files are all available as of today at Churchill College’s Archives Centre."

Share on Google+

Read more of this story at Slashdot.





via Slashdot
Thousands of Leaked KGB Files Are Now Open To the Public

CentOS Linux Version 7 Released On X86_64

An anonymous reader writes "Today, CentOS project unveiled CentOS Linux 7 for 64 bit x86 compatible machines. CentOS conforms fully with Red Hat’s redistribution policy and aims to have full functional compatibility with the upstream product released in last month. The new version includes systemd, firewalld, GRUB2, LXC, docker, xfs instead of ext4 filesystem by default. The Linux kernel updated to 3.10.0, support for Linux Containers, 3d graphics drivers out of the box, OpenJDK 7, support for 40G Ethernet cards, installations in UEFI secure Boot mode on compatible hardware and more. See the complete list of features here and here. You can grab this release by visiting the official mirror site or via torrents. On a related note there is also a CentOS Linux 7 installation screencast here."

Share on Google+

Read more of this story at Slashdot.





via Slashdot
CentOS Linux Version 7 Released On X86_64

​Keep Mosquitoes at Bay with This Plastic Bottle Bug Trap

​Keep Mosquitoes at Bay with This Plastic Bottle Bug Trap

No one wants to be eaten alive by mosquitoes, but there’s no need to resort to harsh chemicals to keep them at arm’s length. Instructables user Dartorso has a solution in the form of a trap you can easily make from a plastic bottle and a few other tools.

There are all manner of sprays you can use to keep bugs under control, but the plastic bottle mosquito trap is an environmentally friendly alternative. You should have the most of the necessary bits and piece lying around the house—a plastic bottle, sugar, brewer’s yeast, tape, black cardboard, and scissors.

The bottle itself needs a little preparation—just cut off the top portion and insert it upside down. The secret to the trap is the mixture that goes inside. Boil some water, add a little sugar, cool the mixture, and add brewer’s yeast. The yeast produces CO2 as it eats the sugar, which attracts the mosquitoes. It’s important to cool the water so you don’t melt the plastic bottle or kill the yeast.

Darthorso explains how the trap works:

The brewer’s yeast produce a small but continue amount of CO2, that, mixed with the high sugar amount in water, creates a smell that is irresistible for mosquitoes!

So, these little devils fly inside the small hole of the bottle cap and get stuck, with no way out except for the hole itself. The percentage of mosquitoes that fly out again from the trap is ridiculously low.

The completed trap can be covered with cardboard before hanging, or you can put it in a liquor container. The container makes the trap easier to hang, and also makes it easier to change the bottle when needed. You should find that a mere 10 grams of yeast lasts for around two weeks, making it highly cost-effective.

Plastic Bottle Mosquito Trap | Instructables

Image by Filippo.


via Lifehacker
​Keep Mosquitoes at Bay with This Plastic Bottle Bug Trap