Rexfeng

There may be a way to quantify how quickly certain foods make the transition from urban elites to mainstream acceptance.

Illustrator and designer Akihiro Mizuuchi designed a modular system for creating edible chocolate LEGO bricks. Chocolate is first poured into precisely designed moulds that after cooling can be popped out and used as regular LEGOs. It’s hard to determine exactly how functional they are, it seems like he had success in building a number of different things, though I can only imagine how quickly they might melt in your hands, but I suppose that’s beside the point; this is two of the greatest things in the world fused together. If you google around there are numerous attempts at creating various forms of LEGO in chocolate or other food, but this appears to be the most detailed and well-designed of anything out there. (via Legosaurus)

People are taking photos of statues that cleverly make it look as though the statues are taking selfies.

There's a group on Reddit but most of the photos really aren't that good. There are more examples on Instagram, including this one and this one from June that predate the activity on Reddit. But the earliest instances I found of statue selfies were this Instagram photo from The Art Institute of Chicago and this tweet featuring the Statue of Liberty, both from December 2013.

(via @ThatAmelia)

Tags: photography

Here's a clever way to rid your home of unsightly cables: just hide them in plain sight. Designers Michael & George created the HB Lamps featuring a glowing eraser that can illuminate a room, and a black power cable protruding from the pencil tip that looks like doodles left by the pencil instead of an ugly power cord—genius.

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Brooklyn's line friendly foodie paradise Smorgasburg will be coming to Central Park for a one-night-only extravaganza next month. The food gathering already services the park's Summerstage program at Rumsey Playfield with four food vendors, plus their wine and beer program. Now, they're doing an expanded version with 30 of their vendors both old and new—and it could become permanent! [ more › ]

Anil Dash, at Medium: "It’s plain as day that the cops have no strategy, no end goal in Ferguson. There’s no leadership. They don’t even understand the situation that they’ve found themselves in."

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety

A former chief executive officer of one of the world's largest makers of red-light traffic cameras was indicted on federal corruption charges Wednesday, along with two city officials in Chicago.

A federal grand jury returned a 23-count indictment against the three, alleging that ex-Redflex CEO Karen Finley provided approximately $570,000 in cash and other improper benefits to an assistant transportation commissioner in exchange for inside information that helped the Phoenix-based company win contracts in Chicago worth as much as $124 million.

For a decade, Finley schemed with city official John Bills to help secure the rights to city contracts by providing him cash, meals, hotel stays, rental cars and golf outings, according to the charges. Redflex funneled more money to Bills through a friend, Martin O'Malley, who was hired as an independent contractor by the company and passed some of his $2 million in compensation back to Bills, the indictment alleges.

"When public officials peddle influence for profit, the consequences are severe," said Zachary T. Fardon, US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. "When corporate executives enable that corruption, the same rule applies. We will attack alleged public corruption from every angle.

Continue reading Ex-CEO of red-light camera company indicted on corruption charges

Ex-CEO of red-light camera company indicted on corruption charges originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Aug 2014 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nick Heer:

With Apple’s report today (finally), major tech companies have all published information about racial and gender diversity. I thought it might be useful to run the numbers and compare them against the demographics of the United States as a whole, for reference. All data is as-reported from each company.

A news crew, clearly no threat or impediment to the cops, films from a verge in Ferguson, Missouri. A pop and a cloud of white smoke marks the arrival of a tear gas canister at their feet, and the newscrew is forced to flee. Moments later, police pull up in an armored van and hurriedly try to break down the film equipment--until they notice that another crew is still filming them from across the street.

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Why should you spend 14 minutes watching every single Ultra combo from Ultra Street Fighter IV? Because thanks to some tweaking by YouTube video-maker moo422, you're seeing all the action — not just the cinematic close-ups you get while playing the game. Get an unvarnished, no-holds-barred look at the gritty world of competitive supernatural street fighting, where characters flicker in and out of existence for repeat shots, slam hard into thin air, and conjure up props from nowhere.

It's actually more fascinating to watch the way that different fighters' complicated Ultra moves spread out, unobscured, across the stage. If you just want to see what the martial arts style of your favorite character looks like without the game's normal...

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Here's Bob-omb Battlefield, the first course in Super Mario 64 with its mountains, low poly objects and its constant war, rebuilt with LEGO blocks. Veteran builder Pepa Quin even included secret locations and a really funny-looking Mario in his diorama.

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In the olden days, reaching level 99 in Diablo II was a pretty big challenge, but even though it's easier to level up in Diablo III, getting to paragon level 1000 is just insane. But one dedicated guy, Gabynator, did it way before anyone else.

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Drift Stage continues to be the coolest racer we've seen in ages. TAY interviewed the retro-flavored racer's creators recently, but this new video goes all-in on style and deliciously cheesy guitar riffs. Watch.

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Update: In a video featuring Snake sneaking around in a box stamped with the Steam logo, Hideo Kojima has officially announced Metal Gear Sold 5: The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeroes is coming to PC. The announcement was made during Konami's special...

Yeah, this is actually happening. Classic horror game series Silent Hill is back, with Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima and famed horror movie director Guillermo del Toro involved. Walking Dead TV show actor Norman Reedus is the star. It was revealed in the form of an interactive teaser on the PlayStation Store.

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Samsung will be showing its rumored virtual reality headset at its upcoming product event in early September, The Verge has learned, where the company is widely expected to announce the Galaxy Note 4. The headset — codenamed "Project Moonlight" — appears to be a bit like Google's Cardboard, a box with lenses that can effectively turn a smartphone display into an immersive world.

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Today at Gamescom, instead of showing off actual new gameplay footage from Metal Gear Solid V, director Hideo Kojima came out and gave us this:

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Tic Toc Transit is an iPhone app for New York City subway riders. It provides timetables for all of the system’s lines; just choose your station and you’re presented with countdowns for the next four trains arriving in a sharp, minimal interface. I’ve wanted this kind of data for years, and yet this is still…

Advertise on Subtraction.com.

Sony today announced that Share Play will arrive this fall as part of the PlayStation 4's 2.00 software update. First announced during the PS4's unveiling, Share Play will let any PSN friend hop into and play your games so long as he or she is a PlayStation Plus subscriber. Here's the kicker: only one person will actually need to own the game in question. Sony is selling the new feature as a convenient way to have friends help you through the toughest spots of a game's campaign or earn elusive trophies. It's basically the virtual equivalent of handing off your controller to the person sitting next to you. Sure enough, Sony likens it to a "virtual couch." Sound familiar? It should. This level of flexibility is something Microsoft wanted...

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Tim Davis, a Comcast customer and YouTube user, is the latest to go public with his tale of injustice at the hands of the cable company's customer service agents.

Yesterday, Davis posted a 14-minute video detailing how the company promised him he wouldn't be charged for something, charged him anyway, and then refused to undo the charges until Davis revealed that he had recorded the initial call.

"What have we learned today? Well for one thing, always record your calls with big companies," Davis says in the end of the video.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Supercars, Ferrari

If you've been looking at the seven-figure price tags (plus or minus) on the latest batch of hypercars, and wondering how their manufacturers could possibly charge that much, consider that their predecessors typically traded at well above their list price as it is. The Ferrari Enzo, for example, listed for "only" $650k, but with production limited to 349 units, demand far outstripped supply, driving the mark-up into seven-figures. In fact Enzos are still selling for a million or more at auction. Surely Ferrari deserves a piece of that action itself, at least as much as the speculators... hence the $1.7 million sticker price on its successor LaFerrari.

Here's the thing, though: according to the latest reports, buyers are paying that much again just for the privilege of getting their hands on a LaFerrari. In other words, they're paying double the already sky-high asking price: as much as $3.4 million to put it in the same ballpark as the Lamborghini Veneno (whose production was even more limited) and the latest Legend edition of the Bugatti Veyron Vitesse roadster.

The story gets a bit more sane with its rivals, though: according to the analysis reported by Oracle Finance, the McLaren P1 is commanding "only" a $500k premium over list, and the Porsche 918 Spyder "just" $335k extra. However even less expensive new models from high-end automakers like the Lamborghini Huracán and Porsche Macan are reportedly commanding $50k and $10k premiums, respectively.

LaFerrari trading at double its list price originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Aug 2014 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Performance, Etc., Nissan

Nismo was a tuning division once content (or required) to restrict itself to just one or two models at a time, but these days Nissan is taking the gloves off and allowing its motorsport department to tune just about everything's it's got.

Now in its thirtieth year, Nismo tunes versions of the GT-R, 370Z, Juke and Versa Note, and will soon be working its magic on the Sentra and European-market Qashqai and Pulsar. And that's not even taking into account its considerable racing programs. At this rate, Nismo is going to run out of vehicles to tune pretty quickly, so what has it done? Invent new ones!

No, we're afraid that Nissan is not letting its Nismo division produce its own stand-alone product, but it has released two sets of amusing renderings combining two vehicles into one. One depicts a GT-R crossed with a Maxima, while the other crosses a Sentra with a 370Z.

Of course, neither of these are going to be built, but it's entertaining to check them out just the same, so check them out you should in the gallery above. And, if you want, feel free to suggest mashups of your own. We'll start things off with the Pathfinder/Juke, or, as we'd like to call it, the Puke. Your turn.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the GT-R was crossed with an Altima. That's definitely a Maxima, and thanks to all of you who pointed it out.

Nismo mashes it up with Sentra 370Z and Maxima GT-R [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Aug 2014 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last week, I was driving down West 24th Street when I noticed something…

They’re tearing down the West 24th Street skybridge.

Once connecting the two buildings that comprised the now defunct International Toy Center, the southern building at 1107 Broadway is currently being converted into luxury condos. While there’s certainly no need for the bridge anymore, I’m sorry to see it go.

I love Manhattan’s skybridges, the kind that connect two buildings over busy streets. They’ve always reminded me of a future New York as imagined in the early 1900s, a time when it seems everyone expected the city’s thoroughfares to ascend with the tallest skyscrapers. Below, William Robinson Leigh’s 1908 Visionary City…

Sadly, the 21st century requires a decidedly grounded passage through Manhattan. However, a handful of skybridges can still be found around Manhattan that speak to that futuristic city that never was. Here they are:

The East 24th Street Skybridge

This is one of my favorite Manhattan skybridges, connecting 1 Madison Ave and 11 Madison Ave:

Decked out in gorgeous stainless steel, the bridge was erected at a time when both gargantuan buildings were owned by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.

Today, the offices are primarily occupied by Credit Suisse, with the tower portion soon to become an upscale hotel. No word on whether the bridge is still in use, though working lights can be seen from the street.

The Staple Street Skybridge

Manhattan’s lowest skybridge is nonetheless one of its most photographed.

Located on an archetypal New York alley lined with wonderful brick buildings and zig-zagging fire escapes, the Staple Street skybridge was built in 1907 to connect 9 Jay Street to 67 Hudson Street, which were then the House of Relief medical clinic, run by New York Hospital.

On the north side, the skybridge actually angles out…

…to wrap around the side of 67 Hudson:

To this day, 67 Hudson Street still houses medical offices:

Also, be sure to look to the third floor of the 9 Jay Street annex…

…where you’ll see a terra cotta emblem from its New York Hospital days.

The West 32nd Street Skybridge

Another one of my favorites dates to a time when the Macy’s flagship store had a rival just a block away.

This gorgeous three-story (!!) copper skybridge was built in 1925 to connect the Gimbels Department Store (today, the Manhattan Mall)…

…to an annex at 116 West 32nd Street.

The art deco skybridge is no longer in use, though someone was able to snap a few photos of its interior this past June.

The West 15th Street Skybridge

Our next skybridge is located where the Oreo cookie was invented.

Though most know it today as Chelsea Market, the enormous, block-sprawling complex was once home to the bakeries of Nabisco (from National Biscuit Company, formerly the New York Biscuit Company).

In 1930, this skybridge was built to connect the bakery to Nabisco’s offices across the street.

Today, the skybridge is no longer in use. I was told the bridge is boarded up on the annex side; no word on the Chelsea Market side. I love the arched windows and zig-zagging motif below:

In fact, Nabisco liked skybridges so much…

The 10th Avenue Skybridge

…They built another one! Head around the corner and you’ll find Nabisco’s second skybridge, which connected the bakeries to a second office building on the west side of 10th Avenue.

Girded in an aluminum art deco motif, the skybridge runs above the rail tracks which once brought goods to the factory, since transformed into the High Line elevated park.

The Pine Street Skybridge

Probably the least photogenic of the bunch, the two-story skybridge on Pine Street connects 70 Pine Street to 74 Wall Street, infamous for being the former headquarters of AIG.

AIG purchased the properties in 1976, though I couldn’t find any mention of when this unremarkable skybridge went up.

Today, as 70 Pine Street undergoes renovations into luxury condos, cardboard covers the windows of the bridge. No word on whether it’ll remain in place.

Fun sidenote: when walking by the towering 70 Pine Street building, be sure to look above the entrance…

…where you’ll see a miniature model of the building:

The Lexington Avenue Skybridge

On the Upper East Side, Hunter College has several modern skybridges connecting its campus buildings, one of which can claim the prize for being the only skybridge in the city that crosses two different streets…

…first, spanning Lexington Ave…

…then, angling north-west…

…and continuing across 68th Street to connect with the school’s original building.

The 60th Street Skybridge

Not to be outdone by Gimbel’s, Bloomingdale’s also has a skybridge of its own on 60th Street.

Once connecting the flagship store to an office across the street, the annex is reportedly no longer in use by Bloomingdale’s, and the bridge has been sealed.

Another digression: I love this row of original Bloomingdale’s buildings wedged between the larger department store complex. The uniform white paint almost make them feel like ghosts of their former structures.

The New York-Presbyterian Hospital Skybridges

The last bunch takes us up to New York Presbyterian Hospital, which is home to at least six different skybridges by my count…

Four crossing Fort Washington Avenue…

…and two more spanning Riverside Drive.

My favorite thing about the NY Presbyterian skybridges? Unlike nearly every other example on this list, people are actually still using them.

-SCOUT

PS – Did I miss any? Be sure to let me know! Note: I’m specifically talking about inter-building skybridges that cross active streets or avenues (as opposed to pedestrian bridges crossing highways/streets, or inter-building skybridges that do not cross active streets).

The rumor floated last week that Korilla BBQ might take over the Archie & Sons space on Third Avenue and St. Mark's has now been confirmed. Co-owner Edward Song tells Gothamist that he plans to open the first brick-and-mortar location of his hit Korean barbecue truck in the former home of the short-lived deli, but no word on how soon that will happen. [Gothamist]
[Photo: Facebook]

The Fifth Element isn't just a movie about the future. It's a movie about New York, and what happens when the world's largest city can't grow outwards anymore and has to grow up. Roads aren't just roads, they're mid-air capillaries where cars movie like fish from point A to point B. As fanciful as traveling by flying car may seem, walking is still in fashion, and lengthy "skybridges" connect one building to another. Our dreams of building similar skybridges are mostly dead — but a few still exist peppered across New York City. Scouting NY has found them all, and has put together a nice collection of photos you should definitely check out.

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Why is the giant A380 jet wowing passengers, but not many airlines? Its maker may have made the wrong bet on air travel’s future.

The “baby wall” at obstetricians’ and midwives’ offices is gradually going the way of cigars in the waiting room, because of the federal patient privacy law known as Hipaa.

Filed under: Motorsports, Specialty, Racing

Bad news, boys and girls - at least those of you who love flat-out speed - the Southern California Timing Association has officially announced that Bonneville Speed Week has been canceled for 2014 after prolonged heavy rains flooded the salt flats. Speed Week had been scheduled to start on Saturday, August 9, but had been delayed due to weather. Officials on-site at the salt flats had thought that the area could potentially dry in time for competition, but that's apparently not going to happen.

It's possible that record runs will still be held in 2014, as the SCTA is looking into the possibility of extending the World Finals event that is currently scheduled to run from September 30 through October 3, but we'll have to wait for any official announcements over the next few weeks. In any case, would-be competitors who made the trek to Utah will be forced to go home and make new arrangements if they hope to set a record in 2014.

Those keeping track of such things may be aware that 2014 marks the hundredth anniversary of world records at Bonneville, so something tells us that the show will go on, in some form at least. Here's hoping for better weather next time... especially since the chances of seeing a 500-mile-per-hour wheel-driven streamliner are higher than ever before. Stay tuned.

Bonneville Speed Week canceled due to flooding originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 10 Aug 2014 01:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daft Punk's polarizing 2005 album Human After All got an extensive remix treatment back in 2006, featuring such acts as Soulwax and Justice. The only trouble was that the LP was exclusive to Japan, making it hard for diehard international fans to get copies. Eight years later, the duo has finally (albeit quietly) given the album a worldwide release, and have even gone so far as to include a few new tracks.

The 15-track album features no fewer than six remixes for Technologic, and boasts new appearances from Basement Jaxx and Le Knight Club, a side project of robot Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. In fact, the Le Knight Club version has apparently gained mythical status among fans; according to Harder Blogger Faster, the track never enjoyed...

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