--

The official Abominable Charles Christopher site is down due to server issues, so I’ll be posting stuff here and on Facebook until things get sorted out.
Click for a larger version!

DONUTS VS. CUPCAKES

Do you remember when—I love corndogs—we went to the town fair?

For modern browsers ligatures are available and a state's abbreviation is it's ligature. For example, "va" generates the glyph of the state of Virginia and "dc" the District of Columbia. Additionally, the ligature "usa" produces a character of the full US map.

Follow @drewtoothpaste on Twitter or join the TFD Facebook Page.

(NEW!) Drew's blog is The Worst Things For Sale.

Warmwell Quarry (as the cheetah planet)


Whatley Quarry (as Lakertya)


Westdown Quarry (as Lakertya)


Warmwell Quarry (as Segonax, home of the Psychic Circus)


Cloford Quarry (as Lakertya)

doctorwhogifs:

Quarries of the Seventh Doctor Era

Slickstones Quarry (as an actual quarry)


Little Rollright Quarry (as a cliffside on Earth)


Worsham Quarry (as Oseidon and Earth)


Betchworth Quarry (as Skaro)


Winspit Quarry (as Skaro)


Betchworth Quarry (as the landscape of the Matrix)


Beachfields Quarry (as the Gallifreyan outlands)


Buckland Sand and Silica Co Ltd Quarry (as Antarctica)

doctorwhogifs:

Quarries of the Fourth Doctor Era

Beachfields Quarry (as the planet of the Ogrons)


Totternhoe Lime and Stone Co Ltd (as Earth)


Springwell Quarry (as Omega's world)


Colliery Quarry (as Metebelis Three)


Binnegar Plain Quarry (as Exxilon)


Beachfields Quarry (as Spiridon)


Old Baal Clay Pit (as Uxarieus)

doctorwhogifs:

Quarries of the Third Doctor Era

spock and jim sporting this winter’s must haves 

Craig Brittain, proprietor of a "revenge porn" site, with reporter Brian Maass of CBS4-Denver. CBS4-Denver

The proprietor of one of the sleaziest "revenge porn" websites has gone public in a big way. The 28-year-old Colorado Springs man who created the site IsAnybodyDown, Craig Brittain, has been featured in a report airing on Denver TV station CBS4. Reporter Brian Maass also interviewed two women who were featured on the site against their will, and the station says it has been in contact with a half-dozen Colorado women in the same situation. 

IsAnybodyDown posts revealing pictures, mostly of women, without their consent, along with their full names and identifying information like phone numbers and Facebook snapshots. If they want to get off the site, victims are directed to a takedown "service" that costs $250. The site is an even sleazier, and possibly more extortionate, version of Hunter Moore's famous site "IsAnybodyUp." (Moore's site has since gone dark, but he's hardly worse for the wear; he's even working on creating his own TV show.)

In the interview, Brittain said his site should just be considered "entertainment" and not extortion. He was also straightforward about his desire to turn the controversial business of "involuntary porn" into a big moneymaker. As for the Facebook information he solicits and posts, Brittain said he just wants readers to get a more holistic view of "who the women are and what they are about," according to the CBS report.

Read 21 remaining paragraphs | Comments

This Justice Department memo about when the US government, without hearing or trial or due process or whatever other "rights" we as a country hold dear, can kill US citizens is fucking bullshit.

A confidential Justice Department memo concludes that the U.S. government can order the killing of American citizens if they are believed to be "senior operational leaders" of al-Qaida or "an associated force" -- even if there is no intelligence indicating they are engaged in an active plot to attack the U.S.

The 16-page memo, a copy of which was obtained by NBC News, provides new details about the legal reasoning behind one of the Obama administration's most secretive and controversial polices: its dramatically increased use of drone strikes against al-Qaida suspects abroad, including those aimed at American citizens, such as the September 2011 strike in Yemen that killed alleged al-Qaida operatives Anwar al-Awlaki and Samir Khan. Both were U.S. citizens who had never been indicted by the U.S. government nor charged with any crimes.

The whole memo is here. A staggering disappointment from a man many think is better than this. See also: Obama's lethal Presidency.

Tags: Barack Obama   politics   terrorism   USA   war

First time accepted submitter ios and web coder writes "From the article: 'A dizzying story that involves falsified medical research, plagiarism, and legal threats came to light via a DMCA takedown notice today. Retraction Watch, a site that followed (among many other issues) the implosion of a Duke cancer researcher's career, found all of its articles on the topic pulled by WordPress, its host. The reason? A small site based in India apparently copied all of the posts, claimed them as their own, then filed a DMCA takedown notice to get the originals pulled from their source. As of now, the originals are still missing as their actual owners seek to have them restored.' This is extremely worrying. Even though the original story is careful not to make accusations, I will. This sure smells like a 'Reputation Defense' dirty trick."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

New submitter jzoetewey writes "An author I know (MCA Hogarth) recently had her book Spots the Space Marine taken off Amazon because Games Workshop claimed it violated their trademark. The interesting thing? Their trademark doesn't include ebooks or novels. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the money to fight them. Plus, the idea of a space marine was around long before they were: 'In their last email to me, Games Workshop stated that they believe that their recent entrée into the e-book market gives them the common law trademark for the term “space marine” in all formats. If they choose to proceed on that belief, science fiction will lose a term that’s been a part of its canon since its inception.' Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing also made this important point: 'Amazon didn't have to honor the takedown notice. Takedown notices are a copyright thing, a creature of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. They don't apply to trademark claims. This is Amazon taking voluntary steps that are in no way required in law.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

LordStormes writes "JJ Abrams, who apparently plans to direct every movie for the rest of time, is teaming with Gabe Newell and Valve to explore films for both the Half-Life and Portal franchises. 'Abrams and Newell made the surprise, succinct announcement at the end of their keynote speech, which took the form of a carefully rehearsed discussion between the two creatives about the strengths and weaknesses of games and movies as storytelling mediums. ... "Movies let you experience moments that you might not think are the point, but really are everything,” Abrams said, pointing to the early introduction of compressed air canisters in the opening scenes of the movie Jaws, which initially seem unimportant but prove consequential to the film’s ending. Newell pointed out that the “take your child to work” scene in Portal 2 accomplished the same thing, setting up important plot points in a way that made them initially seem like humorous throwaways.' No word on Half-Life 3, sadly..."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

A massive map of the Star Wars galaxy by W. R. van Hage. Even better? It's CC-BY-SA licensed. Check out the story behind it's construction and download the huge images.

This page is about a map I made of the galaxy far, far away.... which is the setting of the Star Wars movies, books, and games. You can download the map at the download section, but please don't hotli...

A vegan pizza spot in Allston has closed its doors, though it could be reopening at some point in another location.

According to a post on their Facebook page, Peace o' Pie on Cambridge Street is no longer in business, with the closure stemming from damage to the restaurant during the recent cold weather snap and the inability to resolve the "unforeseen consequences" with their landlord. The post mentions that the folks behind the pizzeria may be looking at new spaces and "new partnerships" to try to bring the eatery back to Boston.

Peace o' Pie first opened in the fall of 2009, replacing Tj's Vegan House of Pizza.

The address for this now-closed pizza spot in Allston is: Peace o' Pie, 487 Cambridge Street, Allston, MA, 02134.


Tweet

Petsami produced “Dog Eat Dog,” a true (though humorously exaggerated) story about how actor Zachary Quinto adopted his first dog from a Los Angeles animal shelter. It’s described as a “twisted, fun, morality tale about the lengths to which some of us will go in order to get what we want.” It co-stars Philip Baker Hall and Sharon Wilkins and was directed by Sian Heder. Quinto says, “…The story of the film is an exaggerated account of how I eventually found my rescue dog Noah, but it still reflects a bit of the reality I faced when I was looking to adopt a shelter dog…”

via Bonnie Burton

On her birthday, an adorable little girl named Madeline gleefully anticipates taking her first train ride.

video via Daniel Dubois

via Daily Picks and Flicks

Image Credit: Zyllan Fotografia.

 

By Guest Contributor Jha; originally published as part of the series “Racist Things Steampunks Are Not Immune To” at Silver Goggles

So, this morning I woke up to two emails about the exact same thing: Some nonsense-filled thread talking about “how to not offend people” when it comes to multicultural steampunk. And a cursory glance through the emails proved to me once more how impossible it is to talk to white people who don’t want to change their minds about what offensiveness is and what not to do.

While I am certainly pleased that there are people who are aware of the racial implications of what they do–even in some fuzzy way that they can’t articulate–I am also aware that there are a ton of people, shall I say, “looking for offense,” or rather, the chance to be aghast by some perceived limitation of their actions and options. There are white fans of steampunk who will set up strawman arguments about how fans of color actively look for offense (e.g. racism and appropriation), so much so that other poor folks are walking on eggshells every time they move.

“I can’t wear a pith helmet,” they will whine, “because then it would be colonialist and thus offensive!”

“I can’t wear a kimono,” another set will whine, “because then it would offend Asian people!”

“I can’t incorporate gypsy styles,” some more will whine, “because then I’d be accused of appropriation!”

Can we even consider the absurdity of these statements?

You can’t because then… someone will remind you why it sucks for them to see you wearing it?

You can’t because then… someone might tell you off and express their anger at you doing it?

You can’t because then… someone will remind you they are hurt that their culture has become a commodity item, while they’re trying to live their daily lives trying to gain recognition as human beings?

I can’t even begin to fathom the amount of arrogance it takes not to empathize with the people you perceive are being needlessly offended. This reaction is stunningly, fucking self-centered–all about you and how you can’t, with no thought spared for anyone else. There is nothing at all in these statements demonstrating an understanding of what makes these actions problematic, much less why your offense is bankrupt.

Someone expresses anger that you done fucked up again? It’s about you and your anger and how you feel about being put on the spot and made to feel guilty, not the much larger and much more damaging issues of race and privilege and colonialism, etc., that have impacted millions across history.

I get comments at Silver Goggles sometimes from people I peg as looking for offense: “Well now I know [x or y is wrong], but you didn’t have to be so rude about it.”

If politeness got us anywhere, I wouldn’t be writing regularly about the pain I get reviewing potentially good, white author-written steampunk about people of color, ruined because the author clearly doesn’t talk to a wide range of PoCs with diverse experiences of oppression, let alone other white people on various axes of oppression. Gosh!

This is not a steampunk problem; this is a cultural problem–and this is a problem with white supremacy.

“Steampunk is just fantasy!” cry these people looking for offense.

Well then, don’t let your fantasy ruin mine!

“People aren’t perfect!” whine these folks looking for offense, in response to perfectly reasonable requests to not do things that may cause harm.

Well then, go fuck up on your own time and in your own goddamn space! Not where I can see you and not where other people can be collateral damage!

We ask nicely and get told “well, whatever.” We ask again and get told we are looking for offense where there is none. We ask again and get told that we always have a problem and never a solution. And we ask again and get told, “I just wanna do what I want.” We ask and ask and ask.

Since you want to make it about you, how about I make it about me?

I want to do what I want, too. I want to have fun in steampunk and have great discussions about how it can teach us real history and help us have conversations about the past. I want to talk about how the genre has been skewered and misread by historians and overlooked as a site of culture and knowledge. I want to have wonderful dialogue with wonderful people coming up with strategies to help ameliorate current suffering that came about because of the history we want to re-imagine. (Mark this: Solutions can never come about through one person alone. Solutions only arise through cooperation, willingness to listen, and honesty about the problem. If you expect an individual who notices a problem to come up with a solution alone, you fall back on the individualist hero thinking that got us to where we are in our selfish society).

And you know…despite all that, I still do this–even with assholes railing against our work illuminating racism because they’re more keen on digging in their heels and defending their freedom from knowing about other people’s hurt and anger and even with ubiquitous louts who aren’t willing to admit that there is a problem or, if there is one, it’s really not that bad. I will still do this, even though I know, at every event, I’m going to come across at least one of these irredeemables looking for offense.

My love [for steampunk] is stronger than your ignorance. It is fed by the knowledge of past wrongs never uncovered because we are too afraid to reckon with them. And it is fed by the rage of knowing those past wrongs still surface today. And it is fed by the pain I feel that every thing I consume, every move I make, every cent I spend, is part of a machine built by greedy people and run by their fearful, perhaps innocent, minions and oiled by cowards.

Yes, my love manifests with fury and vengeance. If you cannot fathom how this can even be, yet allow that injustices will happen and you don’t have to hew your mind to fully comprehending your place in it…you’re not as open-minded or as inclusive or as welcoming as you like to think you are. Because you cannot accept that there are variegated ways of being and doing that are beyond your measly comprehension.

So yeah, go ahead, go do what you want to do. Just don’t limit the reactions you receive as a result. That’s not welcoming. Don’t try to tell people how they should react to you. (Frankly, I  doubt anybody is going to engage with you about your offensive-ass steampunk costume, anyway. If you have the brainlessness to wear it out in public, you probably don’t have the peace of mind to handle criticism of it without doing some crazy mental acrobatics justifying that shit.)

Do what you want to do. Just do it far away from me. Fandom is big enough, right? I’m certainly not looking for fuck-ups anymore. I don’t even have to; people keep pointing them out to me. I got better shit to do. Cut me a break and go fuck up somewhere else. But never mistake that I am offended by anything anymore. No, I’ve come to expect racist shit. I’m done having high expectations.

And you people allegedly cowed by the idea of giving offense? You sure do take a lot of offense when being told you’ve being offensive.

I’m now going to go read about slave ships. I’ll see you all later.

kwmurphy:

higregjohnson:

Greg Johnson

How can you not love this.

New York Times

US Postal Service loses $1.3 billion in October-December Reuters WASHINGTON | Fri Feb 8, 2013 9:39am EST. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Postal Service lost $1.3 billion in the October to December quarter, an official said on Friday, days after the beleaguered mail agency announced plans to cut back on Saturday ... Postal Service Loses $1.3 Billion In Last Three Months Of 2012Huffington Post Postal Service loses less, but still in troubleCNN Letters: The Postal Service's pension predicamentLos Angeles Times Evening Observer -Lebanon Daily Record -Ironton Tribune all 1,282 news articles »

Boston Globe

Obama to nominate CEO of outdoor gear retailer REI to become interior secretary Washington Post President Obama on Wednesday will nominate Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) chief executive Sally Jewell to head the Interior Department, according to a White House official who asked not to be identified because the public announcement has not yet ... Interior nominee is environmentalist, business execUSA TODAY Obama to name REI chief as Interior SecretaryThe Seattle Times President Obama's pick for Interior Secretary is chief of outdoor clothing chain REINew York Daily News Chicago Tribune -New York Times -Politico all 68 news articles »

On Friday night, Osmo Vänskä led the Minnesota Orchestra in an all-Sibelius program. Although the musicians are officially locked out in their dispute with management, an exception was made for this concert, which celebrated the orchestra's Grammy nomination. Writes Larry Fuchsberg: "[Finlandia] became a political act, destroying any lingering pretense of the conductor's impartiality." The management and board in Minnesota need to think long and hard about what they are doing.... The Rochester Philharmonic is another orchestra that has gone into a tailspin on account of destructive actions by management and board. Here is a dedicated blog.... Since August, the flutist Mimi Stillman has been performing Debussy's Syrinx every day and releasing videos of the results. Above is an Amtrak rendition; you can see more here.... Another edition of the Ecstatic Music Festival is under way. In a not unrelated development, maverick violist Nadia Sirota plays a new work by Judd Greenstein at the Kitchen on Tuesday.... Other Minds 2013 begins on Feb. 28; the programs are happily free of been-there-done-that, and are notable, among other things, for their gender parity.... Matthew Guerrieri joins the exceedingly small company of classical-music authors who have appeared on the Colbert Report.... Bang on a Can presents two neatly programmed concerts in conjunction with MoMA's Inventing Abstraction show: the first, on Feb. 26, pairs Debussy and Steve Reich, and the second, on March 4, brings together Arnold and Morty.

My husband read about San Francisco based interior design firm O + A in an issue of Fast Company magazine. Their focus is workspaces, and let me tell you, I'd give anything to be able to spend my days in environments like this (instead of staring at row upon row of dreary cubicles and industrial carpeting). Lots of cool ideas here that can translate to residential spaces.

US cable giant Liberty Global have made an offer for Virgin Media’s cable operations in the UK

• Liberty Cable
• Liberty Global
• Virgin
• Virgin Media
• Richard Branson
• Branson

» Accessible HTML5 Media Players and More

A list of accessible HTML5 Media Players, some articles on how to build one yourself, and a request for more information.

Film Fashion: Stealing Ryan Gosling’s Look In “Drive”

Silent, stoic, and devastatingly handsome; Ryan Gosling’s character in Drive may be one of the most stylish men in modern cinema. The dude straight murders it in classic American work-wear paired with luxury watches and designer shades. This is Menswear Dog’s tribute to our style icon.

Denim Jacket: Levi’s Vintage (alternative)  |  Short Sleeve Henley: Mister Freedom Vintage Dead Stock (J.Crew alternative)  |  Necklace: Personal Vintage

not shown:  Jeans: Acne Max New Raw Selvage  |  Sunglasses: Selima Optique Money 2 Aviator in Tortoise  |  Driving Gloves: Gaspar Gloves  |  Boots: Stacy Adams Madison Boot in Taupe  |  Belt: Torino Leather  |  Watch: Custom Patek Philippe (replicas were used in the film)

Não role a tela para baixo a não ser que seu cérebro seja feito de aço e seus nervos de Teflon. Algumas pessoas simplesmente não conseguem entender ilusões ópticas.

A cadeira presa de Ibride

Fonte: Dezeen

O truque do Cubo de Rubik

Fonte: brusspup

Uma clássica viagem não-animada

Fonte: Internet

Feijões ondulantes

Fonte: A. Kitaoka

Papel de parede de ilusão óptica

Fonte: Krycha182

Cobras rodando

Fonte: A. Kitaoka

Outra viagem clássica: rolos

Fonte: A. Kitaoka

Ilusão anômala

Fonte: A. Kitaoka

Cubo flutuante

Fonte: brusspup

Um olho ou uma pia secando?

Fonte: Redditor Liammm

Para que lado a roda gigante está girando?

Fonte: foto-jennic.com

Visão periférica transforma celebridades em monstros

Fonte: mbthompson.com

Observe a imagem por 20 segundos depois olhe para o rosto de alguém

Fonte: Internet

Quatro círculos. Cuidado: pode dar dor de cabeça

Cubra o meio do corredor e a animação acelera, cubra os lados e ela fica mais devagar

Fonte: Internet

Nosso truque óptico favorito do ano passado

A animação nasce das transparências

Fonte: brusspup

Esta imagem não para

Fonte: BuzzFeed

Não fume

Fonte: greeenpro2009

Engrenagens “rodando”

Fonte: Constantin Shebzukhov

Imagem do topo via Harry Thompson/Evening Standard/Getty Images

Wrotham Quarry (as Dulkis)


Gerrards Cross Sand and Gravel Quarry (as Dulkis)


Gerrards Cross Sand and Gravel Quarry (as Dulkis)


Gerrards Cross Sand and Gravel Quarry (as Telos)


Tank Quarry (unnamed planet)

doctorwhogifs:

Quarries of the Second Doctor Era