This coming Friday, May 26, will be the 50th anniversary of the release of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The Atlantic takes a close look at one of its most memorable songs, "A Day in the Life." It's no sing-along, but more of an anthem that reflects the many changes the Beatles had gone through since finding fame in the early '60s. For example, John Lennon makes himself into an observer of life from inside a bubble instead of a participant.
That’s how he was writing, beachcombing inspiration from headlines and news briefs in the January 17 Daily Mail, which he had open at his piano (for this song); from a circus poster hanging in his home (“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite”); from a cereal advertisement (“Good Morning Good Morning”); from his child’s drawing (“Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”). In the song, the young man whose death gets noticed in the newspaper references an acquaintance of the Beatles, a Guinness beer company heir named Tara Browne, who crashed his Lotus sports car at high speed. Lennon reimagines Browne into the half-recognizable, presumably upper-class man who has it made and then throws it all away. What does it say that one crowd is transfixed by a privileged stranger’s grisly demise, but another crowd rejects a film about the achievement of a generation, the world war won? Only the singer of the song is willing to go back there, and only because he’s read the book.
There are many layers to the song, deconstructed in an article at the Atlantic. -via Metafilter
(Image credit: Maclen Music)
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but as it's just a concept, I won't.
shame
I've asked about this.
They all report that they can tell by the sound when a poured beverage has nearly filled a cup or glass.
Blind people have been pouring liquid into cups/glasses/mugs for centuries without problems (using various touch/sound clues) so why would they need/want something that turns a standalone device (i.e. a mug) into something that takes batteries, probably doesn't stand up to the dishwasher, and has more things that can break???
Instead of putting the sensor into a cup, put it into a "stirring stick". That way the stick can be placed into any existing cup and can be removed for hand washing or changing batteries, etc. Plus you only need one "sensor stick" (just design it so that one size fits most cups/glasses). Plus you could add temp sensors to the stick to warn the user if the liquid is too hot.
Even seeing people can easily learn to leave the light out when they go to the kitchen in the middel of the night to poor in a glass of water or milk. Just by sound and weightdistribution.
But hey nowadays if you can't stick a battery in something- it really is soooooo 2000-and-Late.....
1. Yes, the technique most use is to put their finger in the glass or cup, and feel the liquid. OK, one person says it's a little hot. Well, what about boiling water for tea? That's real hot! And what if you have a guest, or a date? You think they want your finger in their drink?
2. Many people who are blind have other problems as well. Blindness that is caused by a brain issue, such as a premature birth where the cortex may not fully be developed, often leads to other issues, from motor problems to cerebral palsy to perception issues. A person with blindness and motor trouble may not be able to do the finger techniqe at all!
3. A common misperception, as stated by Lasse, is that blind people compensate with their other senses. This is a myth. They may concentrate on their other senses, but blindness does not magically make your hearing stronger. You may be more sensitive, but your ears work the same as any other person! And again, many blind folks have other issues.
Ultimately, I applaud anything that makes something easier for a person to do everyday things the rest of us take for granted. It's not over-engineering, is compassionate engineering!
She will keep putting milk in mine, though - but that's not a blind thing, loads of people do that.