Industriousness! Caution! Precision! Forethought! Patience! All skills vital to construction work that we don't have. Surely then, an architecture game that we like must have done something wrong?
Or maybe not. Blueprints is a clean design, constructed by professionals. Does your collection have space for a small game of building tiny little structures, out of dice? Let's be honest, now. How could it not?
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Every time I go downstairs to the laundry room, this pigeon tries to seduce me.
"we have incompatible genitals" is now my favorite excuse.
US restaurant chain P.F. Chang's China Bistro plans to temporarily bring back manual credit card imprinting while it investigates a security breach that allowed hackers to steal customer payment card data from multiple stores.
The old-school manual system has already been spotted by people affiliated with Sans, a computer security training institute. Readers may remember the system from decades ago, when eight-track tapes and, later, Betamax video, were still the rage. P.F. Chang's servers will be retaining carbon copies of the transactions, according to KrebsOnSecurity reporter Brian Krebs, who first reported the breach three days ago after finding that thousands of newly stolen credit and debit cards for sale in underground forums were all used at the chain.
"At P.F. Chang's, the safety and security of our guests' payment information is a top priority," a statement posted on the chain's website stated. "Therefore, we have moved to a manual credit card imprinting system for all P.F. Chang's China Bistro branded restaurants located in the continental United States. This ensures our guests can still use their credit and debit cards safely in our restaurants as our investigation continues."
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firehoseall carriers suck forever
Comcast owns New York City's famous 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and now it wants everyone in the city to have a permanent reminder of that. The company has put forward a proposal to remove the "GE" initials that have stood atop the landmark building since the 1980s. They would be replaced with Comcast's own logo — NBC peacock in tow. According to The New York Times, a local community board has already given the green light for the switch, but that's not the only approval Comcast needs. Before it can put its own stamp on New York's skyline, Comcast must first obtain a "certificate of appropriateness" from the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission.
If things proceed, the corporate giant's name and logo would be emblazoned on the building's north and south sides, with a larger peacock showcased on the western end. The Times notes that Comcast's renovations would in fact be "slightly more compact" than the current GE signs in terns of total square footage. But that's not stopping some local historians from crying foul. Many of them view the roof of 30 Rockefeller Plaza as sacred ground: before GE's initials went up in 1988, RCA had clung to the prized spot for over 50 years.
But with Comcast's growing influence and stature, it was probably only a matter of time before the peacock made its way to the top of the rock. It's just a shame that ugly font is going up along with it. The proposal also calls for a brand new entrance and marquee intended to promote The Tonight Show, which returned to New York under new host Jimmy Fallon.
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We are used to seeing see space settlements in sci-fi illustrations and movies, but these are not realistic. Bryan Versteeg—from Spacehabs—uses scientific principles to develop concepts that can actually happen one day. The Kalpana One Space Settlement is one of them. Bryan has sent us new renders of this awesome place.
He sent some descriptive text too:
The Kalpana One Space Settlement design is the result of research into the structures and shapes that large space settlements could eventually take. In the late 60s through the 80s some shapes were defined that became the de facto go to shapes for science fiction and future imaginings. Some of these shapes however had some structural problems and would have had stability issues when rotating while some shapes were not very efficient use of structural and shielding mass for the resulting habitable volume.
To find a shape that would create the most "one G" living space and habitable volume per shielding and structural mass, it was found that an elongated can shape would be very effective. Because of the dimensions of the design, it would take very little correction to prevent it from wobbling.
With a radius of 820 feet (250 meters) and a depth of 1066 feet (325 meters), it would spin at a rate of two revolutions per minute to give the feeling of one earth gravity on the level where everyone would live. This means that people could live long and healthy lives while their bones and muscles would develop as they would on earth. Since this habitat will be the permanent home of its residents, it is important that it has the luxuries and recreation that would keep people happy.
Although the physics of kicking or throwing a ball would be very different in this environment, the resulting variation on certain pastimes would undoubtedly be entertaining. You can see many variations of sports and activities in these concepts.
Bryan Versteeg is a Conceptual Design Artist who focuses on future technologies and space exploration. He has worked with many private space companies and publishers to illustrate the concepts that will be used to take humanity into space. Kalpana is just one of them.
You can follow this work in the Spacehabs site, Twitter and Facebook.
This is part of a seriesin which we are featuring really cool industrial design work. If you are an concept or industrial designer with high quality work, please drop me a line here.
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This is Florence and an Atlanta interchange at the same scale. Image: Steve Mouzon via Treehugger
It’s incredible how much we’ve given up in the United States all so we can travel slightly faster by car. The above graphic, revived by Lloyd Alter at Network blog Treehugger this week from an old blog post by author Steve Mouzon, really makes you stop and think.
On the left is Florence, Italy — a global treasure. On the right, a nameless interchange in metro Atlanta, just about the same size. Alter says:
Florence, Italy is perhaps the most wonderful place to walk that I have ever been in. In a discussion I had recently about the city, I remembered a post architect and writer Steve Mouzon did a few years ago on the true cost of sprawl. Steve wondered why cities give up so much land that supports no retail, no residential, pays no taxes, just to move people out of town on highways. He showed this extraordinary coupling of two photographs at the same scale: one of Florence, Italy, and one of an interchange in Atlanta, Georgia.
Steve notes that the entire Duomo cathedral could fit in one of the loops of the interchange. You could spend days walking the streets of Florence (I have) and find three hundred and fifty thousand residents shopping, eating, selling wonderful leather goods, going to fabulous galleries and palaces and museums. It even has a a grade separated elevated pedestrian skywalk.
Because of the need for speed, Atlanta has a great big expensive hole the size of Florence that does very little beside getting “a small fraction of Atlanta workers to their jobs a bit sooner, barring any accidents.”
Elsewhere on the Network today: Miles Grant of the Green Miles blog says a motorist who injured a pedestrian in New Bedford, Massachusetts, will face no penalty for what should be considered criminal negligence. ATL Urbanist ponders the link between political ideology and people’s desire to live in urban or rural locations. And Greater Greater Washington writes that Montgomery County doesn’t need to stop growing — it needs to make sure growth happens in places that are best equipped to accommodate it.
firehosetrains~
firehosevia Rosalind
followup
next time someone demands your digits and you want to get out of the situation, you can give them this number: (669) 221-6251.
when the person calls, an automatically-generated quotation from feminist writer bell hooks will respond for you.
protect your privacy while dropping some feminist knowledge when your unwanted “suitor” calls or texts.
* * * * * *
because we’re raised to know it’s safer to give a fake phone number than to directly reject an aggressive guy.
because we’re raised to know that evasion or rejection can be met with violence.
because women are still threatened and punished for rejecting advances.
because (669) UGH-ASIF, WTF-DUDE, and MAJR-SHADE were taken.
because why give any old fake number, when you can have bell hooks screen your calls?
so next time, just give out this number: (669) 221-6251
tech to protect.
* * * * * * * *
a note to friends and comrades!
when we started this phone line, we had no idea that it would receive thousands of calls in the first day, with no signs of slowing down.
if you would like to help sustain this service please consider donating, however modestly. any money raised beyond the cost of paying the phone bill will be donated to the The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.
many thanks!
firehoseYASSSSSSSSSS ZELDA YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
The game looks really wild in the Wii U game’s new trailer and these GIFs (supplied by Son of a Namek, Rabalogy, and kmno4s), but I might sit this one out because Dynasty Warriors-style games just aren’t my thing. Dragging the Majora’s Mask moon into the scene for a special attack is awesome, though.
BUY Hyrule Warriors, The Legend of Zelda (Wii U), upcoming games
firehoseyikes
firehosehrm
Geek blogs The Mary Sue and Geekosystem have officially merged to form a single editorial unit under The Mary Sue banner. Both blogs fall under the Abrams Media umbrella with The Mary Sue initially launching in 2011 as a sister blog to Geekosystem. Geekosystem, launched in 2010, had 33,608 posts to its name before merging.
Prior to my role as Contributor Editor at Laughing Squid, I served as Managing Editor at Geekosystem from November 2012 to September 2013.
firehosekind of feel a missed opportunity to have a pressurized water cannon in there that fires harder the longer you hold the trigger
The Mega Man Mega Buster Gun from ThinkGeek is a full-size replica of the main weapon used by Rockman in the early Mega Man video games. You can reach your hand into the geeky work of art and pull the trigger to “hear the power up sound and watch the power meter fill up.” It is available to purchase online.
The Mega Man Mega Buster Gun Replica is a real work of art. Turn it on and you’ll hear a power up sound and watch the power meter fill up. Reach in, grab the handle, and you’re ready for action. Quickly pull the trigger and you’ll hear a single fire sound and the end will flash. Hold in the trigger, though, and you’ll watch the power meter fill and the sound intensify until you release the trigger, firing a charged shot! When you are finished vanquishing evil robots for the day, switch the Mega Buster off and enjoy the power down lights and sounds. With a Mega Man Mega Buster Gun Replica on your arm, you’ll always be ready to Rock and/or Roll.
images and video via ThinkGeek
firehoseAd agency Allen & Gerritsen, which came up with the project'
Anonymously judging other people on the internet is easy, but doing it well can be difficult. Enter Pic Nix, a free service that lets you casually (and anonymously) shame a fellow Instagram user for over-posting one of "16 offenses" like too many photos of beer, cats, food, lattes, or dreaded selfies. Ad agency Allen & Gerritsen, which came up with the project, has put together a warning image for each of these that can be posted on a @PicNixer account on Instagram, and will call your friend by name and offense in the comments.
Shame in a 1:1 square ratio
What makes Pic Nix particularly noteworthy is what's going on behind the scenes. Your image and a corresponding message are chosen and pecked out on a smartphone by robot the group has called Silent B.O.B. It types with a stylus that's hooked up to an Arduino-powered X-Y plotter that guides it to the precise parts of Instagram's app. The messages in each post (complete with an @ mention for your target) are then typed out on a nearby Bluetooth keyboard, and it's sent on its way (more on the whole process can be seen here).
Silent B.O.B. may not be limited to Instagram shaming, Allen & Gerritsen says. The group says it could use it for "brand experience" on its clients, meaning limitless callouts for less — or more — duckface.
firehosexkit is amaaaaazing
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I just remembered I can do this, and it feels a m a z i n g
firehosefor the note
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rice cookers are straight up magic, okay? they always cook rice perfectly, always (i mean, as long as us lowly humans don’t get the water to rice ratio wrong…) but they can also cook so much more than that! for example:
- risotto
- polenta
- frittatas (here’s another recipe just to double the awesome)
- rice pudding
- chicken
- quinoa
- chocolate lava cake
- jalapeno bread
- "stir fried" cabbage
- bibimbap
- vegetable hot cake
and that’s just a few of the recipes out there! sure, crock pots are the versatility hero of the culinary world, but rice cookers are SUPER easy clean up, and come in super cute colors like the one above (seriously, can someone buy me that one for my femme dream house?).
so, here’s to you, rice cooker, you unsung hero. you will always hold a special place in our kitchens.
firehosewelp
Google is planning to release a new product called Google Fit that will aggregate health data from various devices and apps, according to a report Thursday from Forbes. Fit will use available APIs to pull biometric information together into one place, but it's unclear whether it will be a standalone app or part of the Android OS.
Reports of Fit come on the heels of Apple's announcement of HealthKit in iOS 8, a system that also interacts with apps and APIs to curate and present health data like steps walked, calories consumed, and heart rates logged. Fit also follows the announcement of Sami, Samsung's health platform for culling health-related info.
Fit is a distant spiritual successor to Google Health, a short-lived medical record management service that Google shuttered at the start of 2012. Google Health required that participants volunteer their medical info to the service, which was not covered by the HIPAA privacy regulations governing medical records.
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firehosewelp
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Spelling things out in a receipt is a childish move. It's something a child would do. We don't know what to believe.
Some members of the NFL media are angry at Evan Mathis for having the audacity of fooling them with a fake receipt. Naturally we have some questions about this one's veracity too.
Giovani dos Santos has scored two goals. Neither counted. He wasn't offside for the first one, and he wasn't offside for the second one either.
The ball hit off a Cameroon defender's head. Even if he was inside the net, he couldn't be offside. Mexico is getting robbed.
firehosevia A
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| The Transcription Center home page |
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| Transcribing a page from a 1963 notebook on the observation of Cyanerpes (honeycreepers) birds by Martin Moynihan |
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| A page from the Charles Henry Hart Autograph collection, 1731-1912. |
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| A search result page from the Smithsonian Collections Search Center. |
firehosefuck your gameboy, but WOW, this is a nice project. he keeps the original gamepad and PCB, power and headphone jacks, even the volume dial!
It's a ~$140-ish project, and he had to compromise on the screen size, but wow. just, dang.
Imagine that handy small form-factor but hacking potential of a RasPi. I loved this note at the end of the tutorial sequence: “Its important to stress here that the point wasn’t to only play Tetris with a backlight its about the ability to play any game from many popular systems plus the unlimited reprogram-ability of a Raspberry Pi, with a backlight…”
Check out Travis Brown’s: How to Build A Raspberry Pi Gameboy Pocket:
The Pi-Pocket is a mini portable games console capable of playing Gameboy, NES, Sega Master System, Game Gear games along with other popular Linux ported titles such as Doom and Duke Nukem using the popular Raspberry Pi emulator front-end known as RetroPie. Complete with a rechargeable and that classic retro feel the Pi-Pocket provides over 3 hours of continuous play with unlimited play time while charging via the original power input.
Introduction
We start with the Gameboy Pocket, one of the greatest hand-helds that Nintnedo has ever produced has ever produced featuring a slim design and an exceptionally comfortable button layout. Having owned at one point each of the original Gameboy systems except for.. Damn you Gameboy Micro and Gameboy Light for being too elusive or otherwise too expensive.. Wait a moment.. I know! What if we take a Raspberry Pi, all the games you can shake a stick at, and the color backlit screen Nintendo teasted us with for years? Without further ado, lets begin! ..
Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!
firehosephallic~
firehosevia multitasksuicide
yo is it?
firehosevia Ibstopher
Greg and Mitch, the guys behind the wildly popular ASAP Science videos we often feature on Towleroad, have never officially come out of the closet online, until yesterday. They said they felt the need to come out because of the trolling, homophobic comments they receive on some of their videos. They have also been a couple for seven years!
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...
firehosevia Toaster Strudel: "What have I been doing with my life?"
