In case you haven’t noticed, some of the best resources for eclipse information are the sites Space.com and EartySky, in my opionion.
Eclipse Corona Prediction
Suns Corona Revealed: What the Sun’s Outer Atmosphere Will Look Like During the Total Solar Eclipse.
Eclipse Mechanics
The Amazing Mechanics of How and When Solar Eclipses Occur.
Complete History of IBM PC
Not eclipse:
The complete history of the IBM PC, part two: The DOS empire strikes | Ars Technica. This is part two but it links to part one.
Eclipse Maps Wrong
Those maps of eclipse path? “Wrong,” experts say—off by up to a half-mile at edge.
Eclipse: Annie Dillard
Hal recommended this neat essay to me by Annie Dillard. Here it is at The Atlantic. You can also find an audio book collection on Audible with this essay.
Eclipse: What to Look For
The Eclipse Is Worth It
Yes, the Solar Eclipse Is Worth the Hype (Trust Those Who Have Seen One)
Back With Short Posts
Okay, I’m back with some short-length posts.
QAM
We noticed the other day how QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) bit rates, e.g., in optical fibre, increase by 4x at each step: QAM16, QAM64, QAM256. The Wikipedia page makes why this is completely clear. In the digital version of QAM there’s an NxN matrix, a “constellation” of points when viewed as an amplitude and phase angle. Scroll down to “Quantized QAM” on the page to see the animated GIF on the right.