This Week I Learned - Week #40 2019

This Week I Learned -

With the direct-upload preview feature of Azure managed disks, you can bring your on-premises VHD files to Azure as managed disks.  Cross-region copyto another Azure region is also possible and powered by AzCopy v10 which is designed to support large-scale data movement in Azure.

* A security hacker has discovered a key vulnerability in WhatsApp that allows hackers to steal data from users’ phone by sending them corrupt GIFs. The vulnerability, however, exists only in WhatsApp's Android based platform.

* Most microprocessors—the chips that do the grunt work in computers—are built around designs, known as instruction-set architectures (isas), which are owned either by Intel, an American giant, or by Arm, a Japanese one. Intel’s isas power desktop computers, servers and laptops. Arm’s power phones, watches and other mobile devices. Almost every one of the 5.1bn mobile phones on the planet, for example, relies on an Arm-designed ISA. An isa is a standardised description of how a chip works at the most basic level, and instructions for writing software to run on it. To draw an analogy, a house might have two floors or three, five bedrooms or six, one bathroom or two. That is up to the architect. An isa, however, is the equivalent of insisting that the same sorts of electrical sockets and water inlets and outlets be put in the same places in every appropriate room, so that an electrician or a plumber can find them instantly and carry the correct kit to connect to them - The Economist

* Per an August 2019 CareerArc study, 48% of employed Americans suffer from layoff anxiety with nearly half of employed Americans (47%) saying that they do not feel prepared for the possibility of being laid off.

* The act of yawning stimulates the brain and lungs by increasing the amount of oxygen in these organs whenever people experience a stretch of inactivity. While the exact function of contagious yawning remains a bit of a mystery, researchers suggest that the ability to catch someone else’s yawn may be an evolutionarily advantageous and automatic response developed to show empathy and understanding - Go Ask Alice!

* More than one-third of people of Asian descent experience a flushed complexion after drinking alcohol. This is why the terms "Asian glow" or "Asian flush" are often used to describe the rosy cheeks, but the more technical name is alcohol flush reaction, which describes the body's inability to break down ingested alcohol completely. For those who experience this kind of reaction, it's most likely due to an inactive enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), which is normally responsible for breaking down acetaldehyde, a byproduct of the metabolism of alcohol. Because it’s genetic, it can be hard to prevent the flushing reaction in your face. Acetaldehyde is a toxin and if your body can't break it down, it accumulates and may lead to a sensation of warmth and visible reddening of the skin, most often in the face, neck, upper portion of the chest, and upper limbs. Flushing typically begins shortly after alcohol ingestion and will reach its peak after about 30 minutes. Other more severe symptoms such as increased pulse and alcohol-induced asthma may occur in a small percentage of people with inactive ALDH2  - Go Ask Alice!

* The Falaknuma Palace took 10 years to build and 22 years to decorate. It is home to the world's longest table. The Nizams ruled Hyderabad for over two centuries. The Nizam dynasty ended in 1948.

* Pokhran (पोखरण) means "place of five mirages". It is a remote location in the Thar Desert region and served as the test site for India's first underground nuclear weapon detonation.

* "..even Gandhi’s worst enemies would admit that he was an interesting and unusual man who enriched the world simply by being alive" - George Orwell

Gandhi in Cartoons & a host of other books are available for online viewing at the Gandhi Heritage Portal

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