Russian Sledges

Otter Relaxes on the Pool’s Edge

Via Beginners Blog Otter

Approximately 75 CD-Rs and 2 CD-RWs These are outside now at 9pm Monday waiting for the first one who wants them. I will update this post daily until they are gone. All are from a computer shop that closed. Most are not in the original packaging, b [...]

• Be home and be safe.

• Let everyone know that.

• Read this. Also this.

• If you’ve got a futon to spare, our friends at the Globe put together this.

• Know that you are loved. Let other know that they are loved. We’ll have more information as soon as we get it. Be well.

 

In light of this afternoon's tragedy at the Boston Marathon, many across the world scrambled to contact loved ones through calls, texts, and social media. Cellular providers had beefed up their networks in advance of the Marathon, but even with the extra capacity the networks became flooded, leading to reports of users being unable to make calls.

There was confusion this afternoon when the Associated Press reported that cell service in the city would be intentionally shut off as police looked to prevent any possible cellular activation of another explosive. However, the news organization basically retracted its original story and found no such shutdown was ordered. The carriers said heavy usage caused connection delays—but service remained available in the city throughout the day.

"Verizon Wireless has not been asked by any government agency to turn down its wireless service. Any reports to that effect are inaccurate," Verizon spokesman Tom Pica told the IDG News Service in an e-mail.

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Last month Google announced that Netflix was now available on ARM-based Samsung Chromebooks thanks to the use of HTML5 video — and now the streaming service has outlined its larger plans to eventually move to the format for all computers. Currently, Netflix primarily uses the Microsoft Silverlight plug-in when streaming video to web browsers, but Netflix's Anthony Park and Mark Watson point out in a blog post that the current solution really can't stand. Plug-ins don't play well with with most mobile browsers, they can be cumbersome for users, and perhaps most importantly, Microsoft itself may not develop a new version of Silverlight beyond the current release.

The solution is HTML5 video, but that relatively young technology requires further development to meet the needs — and DRM requirements — of a service like Netflix. According to the blog post, Netflix has been collaborating on three W3C initiatives that together will provide the required functionality for streaming video services. Dubbed the "HTML5 Premium Video Extensions," they include an extension that will allow the company to handle its delivery streams via JavaScript, another that will allow DRM encryption (perhaps the biggest obstacle for HTML5 video's broad adoption), and a cryptography extension that will allow Netflix to make sure any communication between its JavaScript code and servers remains secure.

According to Netflix, the Chrome OS version of Netflix uses the first two extensions in the suite already, but the third hasn't been built into Chrome at the moment so Netflix is using its own plug-in instead. Once Google builds that third extension into the browser, however, the door will be open for Netflix to start testing HTML5 video on a wide array of computers.

• Source The Netflix Tech Blog
• Related Items netflix streaming video html5 silverlight drm encryption plug-in Microsoft Google

The first explosion occurred about 3 p.m. on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the bridge that marks the finish line.

Circa 1908. "Mary Lyon Hall, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass." One of the half-dozen or so campus buildings at American colleges that are named after the 19th-century educator. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size.

Springfield, Mass., circa 1908. "Railroad arch on Main Street." Seen here a couple months ago from another vantage. 8x10 glass negative. View full size.

Photos by Sas R [deviantart]

[h/t: earthlynation]

One of the most popular pages on Alcademics is the Airline Liquor Regulations page. It rounds up the rules of what liquor you can pack in your luggage according to various airlines. But no matter what the airlines say, you can't neccesarily transport the maximum amount of booze into every state in the US: your final destination matters. Travel + Leisure magazine took to the 'what you can pack' rules in their April 2013 issue. Here's what they had to say about it. Anything less than a liter is generally permitted duty-free. Thanks to the 21rst Amendment, it's up to each state to determine how much alcohol you can carry. Most states limit you to a "reasonable" amount for personal use. If you're from a control state, however, check with the local alcohol board to see if there are restrictions. Utah, for example, sets a two-liter limit. For the record: absinthe (anything bearing the brand name Absinthe, containing thujone, or decorated with artwork "project[ing] images of hallucinogenic, psychotropic, or mind-altering effects") is not allowed in the States. They don't say it in the above description, but the absinthe for sale in the US is perfectly valid and can contain thujone,...

[Visit Alcademics.com for the full post.]

I saw people's legs blown off. Horrific. Two explosions. Runners were coming in and saw unspeakable horror.

Runner reunited with husband after explosions. Photo by Dani B.

Second explosion. Photo by Dan Lampariello.At least two bombs exploded near the Marathon finish line around 2:50 p.m. killing two people. One was an eight-year-old boy, the Globe reports. WCVB and WBZ report scores of people are being treated at local hospitals.

The windows of Marathon Sports blew in. Every ambulance in the city was ordered in as first reponders rushed in to help people with limbs ripped off. Boston University reports one of the critically injured was a BU student.

As late as 3:30 p.m., police were continuing to find injured runners, as far away as Mass. Ave. and Commonwealth Ave.

Police Commissioner Ed Davis said a third explosion occurred around 4:20 p.m. at the JFK Library in Dorchester; he said investigators are not sure if it was related, but that there were no injuries. UPDATE: Police tweeted around 5:30 p.m. that the explosion there was related to a fire, but was not a bomb.

Gov. Patrick: "We've had a horrific attack here in Boston this afternoon."

Davis and Patrick urged people to stay home; WCVB reports the Bruins game tonight has been canceled.

The Marathon medical tent was pressed into service to care for the wounded.

People were urged to stay off cell phones to avoid overloading the system for emergency calls.

Bruce Mendelsohn was watching the race from his office right above Marathon Sports, posted a graphic photo of the blood-stained sidewalk, writes:

There was a primary and a secondary explosion. I ran outside to help. Blood on sidewalks 10-12 casualties.

Police immediately shut Copley Square and began investigating a series of additional suspicious packages along Boylston Street. Businesses, bars and restaurants were evacuated from the rear; at least two apartment buildings in the Prudential Center were evacuated onto Huntington Avenue.

FBI, State Police joined the investigation.

Around 4 p.m., the BPD bomb squad blew up another suspicious device near the Copley library.

Explosion scene. Photo by Lori Magno

Police sent MBTA buses to Audubon Circle to ferry runners away from the scene. But that was too late for hundreds of runners who found themselves bottlenecked at Mass. and Comm. Ave.

The MBTA stopped Green Line service between Kenmore and Park, Orange Line trains were bypassing Downtown Crossing, Red Line trains were bypassing Park and Downtown Crossing. Logan Airport stopped all incoming flights. Police were stopping all people entering North Station for security checks.

Boston University and Northeastern University told their students to stay on campus.

Michael Zhang is wowed by Michael Wolf’s photography:

With a population of over 7 million people packed into an area of 426 square miles, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world. As with other places where development cannot expand horizontally, apartment buildings tend to get taller and taller in order to provide living space for all the inhabitants. German photographer Michael Wolf decided to capture this population density through a series of photographs studying the architecture of these high rises. The project is titled “Architecture of Density.”

The photographs offer a closeup view, turning the buildings into mesmerizing patterns of edges, windows, balconies, and air conditioning systems. In most of the photographs, the buildings completely fill up the frame, and the repetition is disorienting.

(Photo by Wolf, Architecture of Density)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is canceling the creation of a new military medal for drone and cyber warriors, and instead wants military leaders to develop a special pin or device that would be attached to already existing medals or ribbons.

The Distinguished Warfare Medal was created by Hagel's predecessor, Leon Panetta, and it immediately triggered bitter complaints from veterans and lawmakers who said it should not be ranked higher than traditional combat medals such as the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Senior military leaders reviewed the issue and recommended the creation of a device, similar to the "V'' for valor that can be attached to the Bronze Star and other medals to reward an act of heroism. They have 90 days to finalize details and criteria for the award.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.

(via Twitter / Boston_to_a_T: Explosion at coply …)

George W. Bush, former President and prolific painter of dogs, gave a rare interview to the Dallas Morning News, in which he addressed the question that's been gripping the nation: What's the deal with those dog paintings?

“People are surprised,” Bush said. “Of course, some people are surprised I can even read.”

He noted that he takes “great delight in busting stereotypes," but didn't really have an explanation for why he decided to take up the hobby, along with other activities such as mountain biking and golf. “You’ll have to call all the people who’ve written these books about me, who claim they know me, the psycho-babblers," he said.

“I like challenges,” Bush continued. “I find that charging up the hill is very rewarding — and frustrating. It’s important to set goals in life and have purpose.”

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Below is a complete list of actively hosted news readers and a few alternative apps, categorized by function and type, with comments where needed.

Vikram Gandhi grew weary of fake religious gurus. So he became one. He named his guru-self "Kumare." Producers: Glynn Washington and Nick van der Kolk, with Anna Sussman

Mr. Dalliard created an informative flowchart that shows Time Travel in Movies (here is a larger image).

via I Love Charts

my-beds-perfect-for-hiddleston:

wearejohnlocked:

every-body-lives:

rose-9-10:

captkylej:

hopeyouhateit:

I HAD TO MAKE A GIF BECAUSE I COULDN’T FIND ONE
AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO SAW THIS
I JUST

You now realize that the reason that the angels didn’t get her here is because THE CAMERA COUNTED AS SOMEONE WATCHING THEM.

And the only time the angels moved was when sally blocked them from the view of the camera

This episode breaks the fourth wall in more ways than one.  This shows that even the audience can be part of a Doctor Who episode.  Whovians, you’ve always wanted to be in an episode.  ”Blink” was the first.  You also hear the Doctor talking to you about the statues.  The “Don’t Blink” speech we know by heart.  And…what about the angel in the window?  If Sally wasn’t looking at that one, then why didn’t it move?

Because we were watching it.

nonooo i never signed up for this. i dont want to play peek-a-boo with these creepy bitches.

The MyTARDIS system was developed by Monash biochemist Associate Professor Ashley Buckle in partnership with software engineer Steve Androulakis from the Monash e-Research Centre (MeRC). The innovative program collects and catalogues research data, from, for example, the Australian Synchrotron, making it searchable, then securely transmits it back to the researcher's institution for analysis. Associate Professor Buckle said the system was one of very few worldwide to address the problem of more effective management of research data. "There is an international push to make not only research findings, but the supporting data publicly available," Associate Professor Buckley said. "With MyTARDIS we are leading the pack and facilitating transparency, which will benefit research outcomes overall."   

Original Source

The Vatican last year imposed an overhaul of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious after determining the sisters took positions that undermined Catholic teaching on the priesthood and homosexuality while promoting “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.” Investigators praised the nuns’ humanitarian work, but accused them of ignoring critical issues, including fighting abortion.

As the US and North Korea hurtle toward possible conflict, meet the ex-con (on espionage-related charges no less) who's the sole registered foreign agent for North Korea in the US. We tracked him down working out of a ramshackle apartment in Manhattan. And, oh yeah, he also imports the North Koreans main liquor product.