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21 Apr 15:34
Updated list of potentially valuable android apps
LrbeverMissing Pony under games, tsk.
21 Apr 15:33
Mommy and Daddy Cat with their kittens
LrbeverWe's a felinamily.
Arwenclaythorn likes this
20 Apr 03:30
Ultimate Warrior documentary on WWE Network a must see
by Geno Mrosko
LrbeverI don't know how I'm going to see this but it looks fascinating.
If you haven't gotten eyes on it yet, do it now.
The WWE Network has been showing the Ultimate Warrior documentary, entitled Warrior: The Ultimate Legend, for a number of days now and I've gotten the chance to watch it multiple times. If you read the Rumor Roundup for the weekend(click here if you haven't), the word going around is that those within WWE feel it's good enough to shop to a television network.
I have to agree.
This is, without question, the best feature WWE has ever produced. After viewing, I had a few thoughts, presented in my beloved bullet point format:
- It feels honest, even when Hulk Hogan, the most notorious fibber/liar in the business, is being interviewed. You get the impression early on that with everything that has gone on between the two sides, his coming back for the Hall of Fame induction in 2014 was about cleaning up the mess both sides spent all those years creating. They couldn't do that without everyone being open to telling the tale as it actually happened.
- That includes Hogan coming clean on his various dealings, including footage of a deposition from Warrior's lawsuit with WWE over the Self-Destruction of Ultimate Warrior DVD. Hogan maintains that Warrior wasn't ready for the WrestleMania 6 title victory and subsequent push but this time makes clear the value Warrior had to the industry.
- For those interested, they talk about Warrior going to WCW and the program he had with Hogan. Everyone admits it was awful and the match was terrible. Hogan takes the blame for the match bombing. He also brings up Warrior never having a chance to get off the ground in WCW due in large part to the nWo running wild at that time. This is accentuated by comments from Sting talking about the ruthless politics of wrestling and how they can ruin potentially great things.
- There are some really cool behind-the-scenes moments like Warrior meeting with Triple H in his office and before they talk about business looking around in wonder at everything Triple H has in his office, including a live video feed of the WWE Performance Center. It's a very cool glimpse into that side of things.
- The scenes with Vince McMahon are raw. This movie, as much as it's about Warrior's career in WWE, is about his relationship and hardships with Vince. The petty bickering, the grudges, the lawsuits, the reuniting, and the finally making good. Anyone who has lived a long time and experienced a long relationship knows there are highs and lows, ups and downs that sometimes make for a rocky road that feels like a burden that is too much to bear. But there are always moments that remind you it's absolutely worth it, and you get to see that here. When Vince breaks down, it's a very powerful moment:
- It's also endearing to see Triple H describe a moment when Warrior was with his two children and smiling so big while watching the video package introducing him at the Hall of Fame ceremony. Triple H said he walked up to him and said, "This whole process was worth it for that", and this is the moment Triple H, a father himself, is shown breaking down:
- An interesting note we're told is that Triple H asked Hulk Hogan not to talk to Warrior until after the Hall of Fame ceremony because he didn't want anything ruining the moment. We end up getting to see backstage at WrestleMania 30 that Hogan and Warrior finally got the chance to reconcile:
- There's a really surreal moment when Warrior is shown leaving the arena at Raw, stopping to look back so he could say, "It's awesome to be back home. It's just really cool. I'm looking forward to the future." Immediately after those words, it flashes on the screen that he died the very next day of a massive heart attack. Sting talks about how surreal and prophetic his final promo ended up being.
- The final thought on all this is that it's sad to think that most of this is as powerful as it is because of his sudden passing after so much of this was filmed. It is impossible to watch any of this without the shadow of his death looming over everything. Don't get me wrong, this would have been an outstanding documentary were he still alive but his death coming so soon after such an emotionally draining weekend of finally reconciling with his past made this powerful, every interview packing a punch of heartfelt remembrance for a man who, while difficult at times, is fondly remembered for his contributions to the pro wrestling industry.
Again, if you haven't gotten the chance to see this documentary, go get your eyes on it as soon as possible. You'll be sad to see him go but happy he got to say goodbye.
20 Apr 00:03
We've goldfish living in our fountain for years without any problems. Then we bought some koi, and this fucker showed up and ate ALL of them. We don't even live near a marsh.
LrbeverOh wow
Margarida S likes this
19 Apr 23:59
I needed the sink and he wouldn't move so I turned on the water and he just played in it.
LrbeverKitteh: "Like I care"
18 Apr 15:58
Never Too Many Hugs!
LrbeverI've been playing with mine. He's a silly goose this morning.
18 Apr 15:57
Suddenly, you have HOOVES. How could this have happened? What will you do without your incredibly accurate and intricate hands?! Type something of course!
With your newfound hooves, drop any of the following in the comments below:
I think I might be coming down with i;,L ;LVD;LSX 'L;DF;[L'PDF '[L;DGH'L;WS SLKASL '[L;DFGH;L' S;G
S,KPFS,;KOSF O;DSA BFEAL.O
Discussion/Event: YOU NOW HAVE HOOVES.
by Sethisto
Lrbeverhjhuun, ki nhd nhkoko ews. ikl ..olfv dex m,
Suddenly, you have HOOVES. How could this have happened? What will you do without your incredibly accurate and intricate hands?! Type something of course!
With your newfound hooves, drop any of the following in the comments below:
- Letter to Celestia documenting your findings on hooves vs hands
- Letter to Twilight asking for your hands back.
- Love letter to your favorite pony
- A page from the nearest book to your keyboard
- A song dedicated to Luna's GLORIOUS night
I think I might be coming down with i;,L ;LVD;LSX 'L;DF;[L'PDF '[L;DGH'L;WS SLKASL '[L;DFGH;L' S;G
S,KPFS,;KOSF O;DSA BFEAL.O
17 Apr 15:29
Toddlers and Blood Sacrifice: You Can’t Start ‘Em Too Young
by Terry Firma
LrbeverThis makes me sick.
Nice picture, eh?
Supposedly, this is a group of young kids play-acting the crucifixion during “Holy Week” at an unidentified school in Brazil.
Considering that that info is from the often mendacious Daily Mail (the paper — falsely? — claims that the image went viral), I wouldn’t put much credence in the information. Searches I did on Google Images and Tineye yielded no useful results. (If you know where the photo was taken, and under what circumstances, please tell us in the comments — with a link.)
But clearly, somebody, somewhere, thinks it’s a great idea to smear fake blood all over a toddler’s loinclothed body … and have him mock-nailed to a cross by pint-sized centurions while other four- or five-year-olds look on, hands clasped in prayer.
And it’s not just one or two people. It’s hard to say how widespread this is, but Passion Plays for tots and other young kids do happen in various countries, including the United States and the Philippines.
I’m curious how many of the proud parents whose brood is involved in such a half-play/half-ritual think that it’s holy for kids to do this but would be terribly upset to learn that their children were playing video games featuring torture and murder.
17 Apr 15:27
What Is Project Ara?
by Todd Haselton
LrbeverA phone made just for you. hehe.
Google is hosting a developer conference this week focused on its Project Ara modular smartphone. We’ve covered a few of the news stories, like when the phone is expected to hit the market, but then we realized that, perhaps, some people aren’t familiar with what exactly Project Ara is. But you should be familiar with it, because Project Ara could potentially be one of the biggest things to happen in mobile since… well, forever.
The gist of the idea is this: with Project Ara, Google is aiming to create a modular smartphone that can be completely customized and with parts that can be swapped out at any time. It sounds like a daunting task, but that’s why some of the best minds inside of Google — including some who worked for DARPA — are working on it.
The team has set their own deadlines to make sure that a real, tangible product comes to fruition, something that you and I may be able to buy and hold in our hands as soon as next year. Enough with the teasing, though, we’re here to explain exactly what Project Ara is, what the heck the benefits of a “modular smartphone” might be (and what one even is) and how it may let you create the smartphone of your dreams all from your couch.
Let’s take a dive now into Project Ara, who’s working on it, when you can expect to see a real and final product, and more. Hopefully by the end, you’ll have a much better understanding of what Google is trying to achieve, and why it really does matter.
Where did Project Ara come from?
Project Ara is a special initiative inside Google that’s aimed at creating a modular smartphone. The idea was originally crafted by a man named Dave Hakkens, who created a site called Phonebloks in 2013 that basically called on the Internet to support the idea of a modular smartphone – one that allows you to customize and/or swap out specific components during the phone’s lifecycle. The Phonebloks idea is incredibly successful and to-date has 21,313,422 YouTube views and more than 979,000 supporters.
Motorola Mobility took note of the project and eventually tapped Hakkens to come help build it. When Google agreed to sell Motorola Mobility, it held on to Project Ara, which is now part of its Advanced Technology and Projects division (ATAP), a self-described “band of pirates, believers and makers.”
What’s the goal?
The goal of Project Ara is very much based on the Phonebloks idea of creating a modular smartphone. Consumers will ultimately be able to buy what the team is referring to as a “Grey Phone” – or a body, and then add in the parts they see fit. You might want an 8-megapixel camera, a mid-range processor and an 1900mAh battery to keep costs down, for example. But your best friend might prefer to spend a bit more, and might want to choose a 16-megapixel camera module, a super fast high-end processor module and a massive battery.
In a few months, you might decide that you like your friend’s camera, and so you head to Google’s store and buy a new camera module instead of replacing your entire smartphone. Simply pop out our old camera, which is held in place with electromagnetics, and then pop in a new one. In a year, you decide to buy a new processor, but all along you’re still keeping the same body.
The goal, according to Project Ara, is to provide phones that last up to six years, instead of devices that are quickly outdated. At the start, Google will sell mini, medium and large size bodies.
Also, because they’re modular, Google hopes to create super low-cost devices that can be sold to the 5 billion people around the world who don’t yet have a smartphone. A consumer could potentially just buy a body with a processor, a small battery and just enough storage to get started.
The end goal is to create Grey Phones that cost just $50 to produce, so the end product shouldn’t cost much more – and would potentially allow Google to sell devices that cost less than even the Moto G – and that can be upgraded at any time.
Who works on Project Ara?
Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects division is headed by Regina Dugan, who was once the director of the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Under her is Paul Eremenko, who specifically oversees the development and progress of Project Ara, he previously served as the deputy director in the tactical technology office at DARPA, after serving as a program manager, and holds degrees from MIT, Caltech and Georgetown. Now, though, they work inside Google on some of the company’s most aggressive “moonshot” projects.
In other words, Project Ara is spearheaded by some of the brightest minds on the planet, and some of the people best suited for creating new and groundbreaking technologies. Project Ara, and others that ATAP work on, might be called moonshots, but these are people who excel under pressure to invent and innovate.
When Will Project Ara Launch?
The team behind Project Ara recently said that the goal is to get the first model on the market by January 2015, just nine months from now.
The team needs to get all of its partners on board to start making the individual parts, however, and that could take time depending on who decides to manufacture individual modules and sell them through Google’s Store. The idea, at least right now, is that customers will be able to visit a Google website to purchase and customize a phone, or to buy individual modules for upgrades.
The cost will vary depending on what components you choose, but as we said earlier Google expects it will cost $50 to produce the smallest, entry-level shell.
Potential Problems?
Right now, according to a story from The Verge, one issue is power management – the individual parts consume more power than a system-on-a-chip solution, for example. Google said it’s working to alleviate that by providing higher-power batteries that have fewer charge cycles – a trade off for sure, but not a huge deal considering you can just swap in a new battery later.
Also, as we talked about on today’s podcast, consumers who want unique form factors may not be drawn to Project Ara – which will have just three sets. Google will help to alleviate this by creating and selling custom 3D Printed shells – but that’s just going to change the look, not the form, of its smartphones. Also, Android doesn’t support modular smartphones yet, but the goal is to solve that problem before launch.
Final Thoughts
Project Ara, as you may have surmised by now, has a ton of potential. It may soon provide smartphones to people who don’t have them. It may let us pick the display size we want, the memory we want and the battery we need — instead of forcing us to pay for components we might not otherwise ever use.
That may completely turn the industry on its head, especially if you consider how a compeletly custom business model will affect other phone makers. Think about the potential for further innovation, too: a guy in his garage could potentially build a first-class camera module and sell it direct to consumers — and at a lower cost than a major OEM might.
Project Ara may soon change the way we all think about smartphones – or even electronics in general, and that’s why it matters.
Thesarcasticartist likes this
17 Apr 15:16
Thirty years ago this week, the first incarnation of the MLP hit the small screen, premiering on TV stations across the nation. Children all over the country were introduced to Fire Fly, Meghan, Spike, Twilight, Apple Jack and more and would shape a still young girl named Lauren Faust's life. So, in celebration of the anniversary check on after the break for a rare copy of the first TV special that even includes segues to and from commercial breaks!
While a lot of us didn't fall in love with ponies till recently, we owe it to these past incarnations for what we have today.
Read more »
MLP 30th TV Special Anniversary
by Calpain
LrbeverOh wow.
Thirty years ago this week, the first incarnation of the MLP hit the small screen, premiering on TV stations across the nation. Children all over the country were introduced to Fire Fly, Meghan, Spike, Twilight, Apple Jack and more and would shape a still young girl named Lauren Faust's life. So, in celebration of the anniversary check on after the break for a rare copy of the first TV special that even includes segues to and from commercial breaks!
While a lot of us didn't fall in love with ponies till recently, we owe it to these past incarnations for what we have today.
Read more »
17 Apr 15:16
Facts About Mosquitos (5 pics)
by sonoro
LrbeverI knew they preferred me for a reason.
Get ready for summer.
17 Apr 15:14
We've all had those moments, especially involving school work. Procrastination truly is the devil!
Comics, comics, comics! Click for full!
Comic: Procrasti-guilt / Rocks in the Bag / Maud's Magic
by Calpain
LrbeverMaud comics!!
We've all had those moments, especially involving school work. Procrastination truly is the devil!
Comics, comics, comics! Click for full!
Twitter: Calpain
17 Apr 04:48
GTA: The Ballad of Professor Layton
LrbeverOh wow
A true gentleman never leaves a puzzle unsolved.
17 Apr 04:42
Statue of Edgar Allan Poe with a giant raven will be unveiled in...
by cranberryzero
LrbeverWoo
Statue of Edgar Allan Poe with a giant raven will be unveiled in Boston in October 2014, will be totally epic and might start a land war between Boston and Baltimore
16 Apr 22:27
149. MOTHER JONES: Sit down and read
by Gav
LrbeverReminds me of what we will need to do for our own kids.
RELATED COMIC: Books Are Awesome by Carl Sagan
Mary Harris “Mother” Jones (1837-1930) was an activist and union organiser who led strikes and helped establish reforms for miners throughout America in the early 20th century. She was known for her toughness, leadership and wit.
As quoted by miner Fred Mooney, from the book Mother Jones – The Miners’ Angel by Dale Fetherling:
“She could permeate a group of strikers with more fight than could any living human being. She fired them with enthusiasm, she burned them with criticism then cried with them because of their abuses. The miners loved, worshipped, and adored her. And well they might, because there was no night too dark, no danger too great for her to face, if in her judgement “her boys” needed her. She called them her boys, she chastised them for their cowardice, she criticized them for their ignorance. She said to them, “Get you some books and go into the shade while you are striking. Sit down and read. Educate yourself for the coming conflicts.”
Jones’ most famous quote is still used by union workers today: “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.”
- It took me over two years, but I finally gave my two nieces starring roles in a comic. Angie (8) and Talia (5) are already voracious readers (Angie is hooked on Tintin at the moment) and I’m sure they’ll kick AUTHORITY, IGNORANCE and PREJUDICE’s butts as they grow older.
- Hope you all have a fun and safe Easter holiday weekend!
16 Apr 22:10
WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS COW
LrbeverIf we have desk pig, we can have cow slug.
16 Apr 20:48
Morning political cartoons: “Greed” Sadly, this...
by cranberryzero
LrbeverSounds about right.
Morning political cartoons: “Greed”
Sadly, this isn’t even exaggeration.
Joao.de.melo likes this
16 Apr 20:45
NBC's Hannibal is pushing the boundaries of nudity on network television. They way they're getting away with it is GROSS
LrbeverAmazing that more people are offended by butt cracks than they are the gruesome violence of a murder. What a country this is.
NBC's Hannibal is pushing the boundaries of nudity on network television. They way they're getting away with it is GROSS
In one of the upcoming episodes, a couple is murdered and flayed. Their skin is cut in such a way to resemble the wings of angels. Of course, they were portrayed in the nude, visible butt cracks and all, so NBC had a bit of inhibition towards the sexual and violent imagery.
In order to solve this debacle, Fuller offered to "fill the butt cracks with blood." NBC, deciding that this would at least cover up some of the nudity in the scene, gave Fuller the "okay" to continue on even though whether or not the imagery was truly improved is still debatable. To many this still remains an offensive proposition, possibly even more so than its original content. Fuller's defense of his artistic choices was that "they were cracked in many ways, and their butt crack to me was a less offensive crack they were sporting."
Whether or not the butt cracks offend you, it is clear that the 2014 season of Hannibal will be exciting in every which way.
16 Apr 04:41
Oklahoma protesters threaten to "secdee" if Cosmos isn't cancelled
by cranberryzero
LrbeverLMAO! Oh I'm crying.
Furious with Neil DeGrasse Tyson o their Fox channels and his anti-Creationist “knowledge” and his truthy “facts” have gotten a group of people in Oklahoma so hopping mad, they’ve threatened to secede from the Union if Cosmos isn’t pulled off the air. You know, to form a freer union with one god, one religion, where science is outlawed and the truth about what we know about the world squashed. Good times those will be.
16 Apr 04:40
So Sweet, You'll Need an Insulin Shot
Lrbevereee... adorable!
Arwenclaythorn likes this