Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Where the Dollar $ Sign came from? Do you know? (facts, strange, academic, Auckland, "David Lim")

Today I found out where the dollar sign ($) comes from. http://tiny.cc/dollarsign
This symbol first showed up in the 1770s, appearing in documents of English-Americans who had business dealings with Spanish-Americans.  However, it wasn’t until the very early 1800s that it became popularized, around the same time as the first official U.S. dollars were being minted.  Previous to this, the symbol had already been in use as an abbreviation for names of Spanish currency, namely as an abbreviation for the Spanish peso “p”.
So how do you get from a “p” to the dollar sign, “$”?  When writing financial documents referring to pesos, it was common to abbreviate the peso, for instance, “1 peso” to “1 p”.  However, when pluralized, as in “1000 pesos”, it becomes “ps“.  Now when writing up financial documents and having to write “ps” numerous times, it started to become common among the English-American colonists to merge the “p” and the super scripted “s” as one.  The top half of this symbol then produces something looking very much like a double vertical lined dollar sign.  In an even further bout of laziness, it became common among the English-American colonists to write the “p” with just one downward stroke vertically slashing the “s”, thus the ‘$’.  In some of the earliest documents containing this short hand, it was common to see both the double slashed version as well as the single slashed version in the same document, referring to the same thing, the Spanish peso.
How then did this symbol that originally denoted pesos spread to also denote the U.S. dollar?  Around the same time the U.S. was minting its first dollar coins, in 1792, Spanish currency was extensively circulated in the U.S. and around the world.  In large part due to this, the U.S. chose to design the U.S. dollar coins to duplicate the Spanish coins, in terms of matching the material and weight, hence value (at the time, the coins were made of silver and valued after the price of silver).  Doing this allowed the U.S. coin to be exchanged for a peso in a 1 to 1 exchange.  Thus, it was natural to use the same symbol to denote the U.S. dollar as was used for the Spanish peso.
Bonus Factoids:
  • One interesting thing to note here is that it was the English-American colonists who first started merging the “ps“, which eventually formed the dollar sign.  So while the dollar sign was first referring to the peso, it was the English-Americans who “invented” the symbol.  This is only noteworthy because it explains why we write dollar based monetary sums as “$10″ instead of “10$”, as the Spanish-Americans would have written it.  Having the symbol proceed the numeric value was the common custom with the English pound and thus with the English-American colonists.
  • You will also occasionally hear that the dollar sign actually comes from superimposing the “U” and “S” from United States on top of each other, but this is proven false in Cajori’s book, written in 1929, “History of Mathematical Notations Volume 2“;  here he references some of the earliest documents containing the “$” symbol, which not only were referring to the peso in terms of the usage in those documents, but preceded the United States, so named, and also preceded the U.S. dollar.
  • Yet another popular incorrect theory held by many is that the dollar sign was derived from the “pieces of 8″ in the Spanish currency, with the 8 forming the “S” and the slash through it to denote currency.  But once again, the earliest documents using this symbol clearly show that it is derived and used interchangeably with the “ps“, which denoted pesos, not the smaller coinage “pieces of 8″.
  • The name ‘dollar’ derived from the word ‘thaler’ which is an abbreviation for the word “Joachimsthaler”, a coin type from the city of Joachimsthal (Jáchymov) in Bohemia, where some of the first such coins were minted in 1516.
Sources:

How to look cool riding on anything? (Funny, pictures, people, places, event, culture, Auckland, spa, auto, iPad)

http://tiny.cc/lookcool
Some people think they know how they should drive a car, ride a bicycle or motorcycle to look cool. Of course, seeing such a scene in real life won’t make me laugh as I would be scared to death for the guy’s life. But the pictures are funny.
Warning: Do not attempt to do this at home.  All actors in the pictures are paid professionals in motorcycling or Hollywood stuntmen!



 Brought to you by Abby Technology - Professional Apple iPad and iPhone Service Centre




'Luckiest lottery player' wins fourth jackpot (gambling, gaming, Auckland, spa, Auto, iPad)

July 29, 2010--A Texas woman has collected the $10 million top prize from a lottery scratchcard - her fourth jackpot win in 17 years.


According to AOL, 63-year-old Joan Ginther's total lottery winnings now top $20 million (£13 million) after she collected the eight-figure sum, her largest win to date, last week from a 'Texas Lottery Extreme Payout' scratchcard.


Ginther's first big win was in 1993 when she shared a $11 million lottery jackpot with another player. She then won $2 million in 2006 and $3 million in 2008, both from scratchcards.


World Lottery News congratulated her on the latest win, saying: "This final bit of winning lottery must confirm Mrs Ginther as the world's luckiest lottery player.


"We would be interested to see just how much she spends on lottery tickets and scratch-offs." Technology blogs Technology Blogs Technology Blogs

Things that you might not know about the White House of America ("David Lim", Auckland, spa, auto)

Some cool facts I picked up while surfing the net today.  Was tired of editing the graphics for my website earlier on.  This is the Apple iPhone jailbreak, unlock and mobile phone repair website I am building from scratch.



Tuesday, July 27, 2010

iGotaBigAssPocket Pants For iPad Owners (fashion, trend, gadget, tech, news, report, Auckland, Vodafone)

iBAP is new fashion trend which was apparently caused with the iPad aka ‘The Game Changer’.  The OhNo!Doom designer team has designed those pants to satisfy the needs of the market when new iPad arrives in stores. The message that is written on the photo says enough: The iPad ‘game changer’ requires from you to change your pants. iGotaBigAssPocket pants should cover all of your MyiPadPwnsYouriPhone-style needs.
The OhNo!Doom designers claim that they do not plan to produce this apparel line for any market, yet. They explained that their intention was ‘to bring the idea to life and send a message about the future of mobile devices and its portability by combining fashion with funtion’.


Use Your iPhone to Start Your Car (tech, news, gadgets, apps, Apple, Auckland, "Abby Tehnology"

The Apple iPhone, by design, is meant to be an all-in-one device, but who would have guessed it would be capable of doing some of the things it can? A few months ago we reviewed Rev for iPhone, which allows you to measure and graph many in-car statistics and analytics in real time, among many other features.
Viper Security has just announced a new iPhone app that allows you to start, lock, unlock, pop the trunk, arm security, or even find your car in a parking lot from anywhere you and your car have cell phone signal.
The system is called “Viper SmartStart,” and uses a downloadable app from the iTunes App Store to connect with the SmartStart system installed in your car. The system isn’t cheap, however. If you already have a remote start installed in your car, you can save some cash and just get the SmartStart module, which runs $299. If not, expect to fork over $499 for the whole system, which does not include installation at Best Buy, or the $30/year service charge (first year is free.)
This is a unique system, and might have some unexpected benefits. Standardkey fobs have a very limited range, and the Viper SmartStart system’s range is virtually unlimited, as long as you have cell phone coverage. For example, let’s say you’re at the grocery store and lock your keys in your car. You could simply unlock the car with your iPhone, or even have your spouse at home unlock the car for you. Another benefit is that you’re able to start your car and warm it up in the winter from anywhere. If you’re in the office, for example, start the car while you’re at your desk so it’s warm when you get to it. An interesting and useful system, though a bit pricey.

Turn Your iPhone into a High-Powered Performance Tool (Abby Technology, Auckland, Jailbreak)


When the iPhone was introduced in June 2007, we knew it was revolutionary. It combined a phone, MP3 player, video player, internet 
browser, hand-held game console, and GPS all in one device, and did it with a beautiful and slick interface. What we didn’t expect, however, is that a new batch of creative developers would create applicationsto turn it into much more than what it already is.
A perfect example of this an app that turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into an automotive analytics platform that can provide the same OBDII-reading functionality of high-end test equipment costing far more, and it can do it wirelessly. Simply titled “Rev,” this app costs only $40 in the app store, or you can download the limited “Lite” version for free.
By itself, the app can measure 360-degree acceleration using the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer, and a GPS Track feature which will map out the track you’re driving on after one lap. To use this app to its full potential, however, you will need to buy a piece of hardware to connect to your OBDII port in all 1996 or newer cars. We used the excellent new PLX Kiwi Wifi. This tiny $150 device connects directly to your OBDII port (usually under your steering column,) and sends a Wifi signal to your iPhone, transmitting all sorts of useful data for you to analyze. In my experience, it was very easy to set up from beginning to end.

With the Rev app and Kiwi Wifi working together now, you can read a wealth of information regarding your vehicle stats. One feature is an engine code reader if your check engine light is on, which will also clear the codes for you, saving you money at a repair shop and helping to diagnose issues. The coolest thing about Rev is the real-time reading and display of all sorts of stats, including:
  • Vehicle Speed
  • RPM
  • Fuel Consumption
  • Engine Coolant Temp
  • Fuel Pressure
  • Calculated Engine Load
  • Throttle Position
  • Intake Manifold Pressure
  • Air Intake Temp
  • Timing Advance
  • Mass Air Flow
  • Fuel Level
  • Barometric Pressure
  • EVAP System Vapor Pressure
  • Fuel Trim
  • Boost
  • The Rev App and PLX Kiwi Wifi combo will cost slightly under $200 total, which is a bargain when you consider the price of many other similar-featured vehicle metrics tools. And imagine showing this to all of your gearhead friends! For us car enthusiasts, this is the best tool out there for the iPhone, and I very highly recommend it.
    Check out the PLX Kiwi Wifi device

If Star Wars Were a Samurai Story (humor, fun, movie, Auckland, performing, art, "jailbreak unlock")

Some pictures for you to kill some time and goof off....

Obi Wan Kenobi
R2D2
C3-PO
Han Solo


Boba Fett

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Hydrogen-Powered Unmanned Phantom Eye Aircraft (tech, news, aviation, Boeing, Auckland, "Nokia Repair"

The Boeing Company has unveiled the hydrogen-powered Phantom Eye unmanned airborne system, a demonstrator that will stay aloft at 65,000 feet for up to four days.

Phantom Eye is the first of its kind and could open up a whole new market in collecting data and communications. Later this summer, Phantom Eye will be shipped to NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to begin a series of ground and taxi tests in preparation for its first flight in early 2011. That debut flight is expected to last between four and eight hours.




The Biggest Tent in The World (record, structure, building, top 10, Auckland, "David Lim", "iPhone Repair")


This is Khan Shatyr Entertainment Center located in Astana. It is the biggest tent on our planet that became a sensation in the architecture world since the capital of Kazakhstan has a difficult environment to build such a brave project. The new center is 150 meters tall with 100,000 square meters of striking beauty.