Get set for a live-action version of Transformers, as the company behind giant Japanese robot Kuratas has accepted a duel challenge from upstart US challenger MegaBot. However, it'll only fight on one condition: Combat must be hand-to-hand with no gu...
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Philip.paulsson
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06 Jul 23:54
Get set for a live-action version of Transformers, as the company behind giant Japanese robot Kuratas has accepted a duel challenge from upstart US challenger MegaBot. However, it'll only fight on one condition: Combat must be hand-to-hand with no gu...
Giant Japanese robot will fistfight America's MegaBot
by Steve Dent
Philip.paulssonAWESOME!
Get set for a live-action version of Transformers, as the company behind giant Japanese robot Kuratas has accepted a duel challenge from upstart US challenger MegaBot. However, it'll only fight on one condition: Combat must be hand-to-hand with no gu...
Jacopo.bertolotti likes this
06 Jul 19:30
A Calgary Man Pulled An "Up" And Tried To Parachute Off This Flying Contraption
by Lauren Strapagiel
Philip.paulssonNice.
06 Jul 18:02
23 Photos That Will Make You Incredibly Nervous
by Andrew Ziegler
Philip.paulssonYikes.
Stay safe out there, folks. H/T /r/OSHA
This awesome idea.
This dedicated employee.
This daredevil.
This poorly marked hole.
06 Jul 16:12
Fgjvshnb says FML
by Fgjvshnb
Philip.paulssonLOL
Today, I once again asked my girlfriend about getting married, as she had previously said she would only get married once gay marriage was legal. She still said no. FML
06 Jul 15:46
This Is What "Game Of Thrones" Would Be Like With Nicolas Cage
by Brad Esposito
Philip.paulssonLOL
A hell of a lot better, that’s for sure.
An Imgur user has uploaded photos that imagine a Game of Thrones universe that is completely made up of Nicolas Cage.
One can dream...
HBO / imgur.com
Game of Cage sees just about every character from the show... improved...
HBO / imgur.com
And made better...
HBO / imgur.com
With the Face of Cage...
HBO / imgur.com
06 Jul 11:50
US sees its first measles death in a dozen years
by John Timmer
Philip.paulssonUgh.
Today, Washington state health authorities announced that an autopsy revealed that a woman who had died earlier this year had succumbed to the measles, making her the first US casualty of the disease in a dozen years. The announcement comes just days after California's decision to tighten its vaccination requirements.
According to the announcement, the woman "had several other health conditions and was on medications that contributed to a suppressed immune system." Thus, even if she had been vaccinated (it wasn't clear if she had), her treatments put her at the mercy of herd immunity—having sufficient people immunized to prevent her from being exposed to the virus. But Washington has seen 11 cases of measles so far this year, half of them in the county where the woman was infected (Clallam, which covers the northern part of the Olympic Peninsula). The victim was apparently at a health clinic at the same time as an infectious individual.
In part because of her symptoms and other health conditions, the case was not diagnosed immediately but was only detected on autopsy.
Read 1 remaining paragraphs | Comments
06 Jul 11:49
Our favorite video games of 2015 (so far)
by Sam Machkovech
Philip.paulssonLOL: "It’s a great diversion for when you find yourself with a few minutes to kill. In fact, I’ve found it so engrossing that my leg has fallen asleep in the bathroom. That may be the highest (and grossest -Ed.) compliment I can pay a smartphone- or tablet-centric game."
Thanks to a heatwave zapping parts of the United States, some of this weekend's Fourth of July celebrations may have fewer fireworks due to issues like burn bans. That's as good an opportunity as any to enjoy the kind of virtual pyrotechnics that video games can afford—all in air-conditioned rooms with no annoying mosquitos or in-laws buzzing around, at that.
As such, we're taking this mid-year opportunity to pick out our favorite video games of 2015's first half, but in Ars tradition, our list comes with an asterisk. We've asked our staffers, most of whom aren't dedicated games writers, to list any favorite game they played this year, and we've broken the answers down into two lists: games published in 2015 and games published at any point in time.
This isn't necessarily a "best of" list, but rather a list of the games we've made time to play while reporting on the wider world of tech. In many cases, the results include a serious helping of comfort food and old franchises, and they're all games that have survived repeat playthroughs as opposed to being propped up by nostalgia alone.
Read 39 remaining paragraphs | Comments
06 Jul 11:17
ah, good times
Philip.paulssonLOL
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July 3rd, 2015: I hope that Dad Rap is a thing that catches on; dads need all the rap help they can get. – Ryan | |||
Bill Fritz likes this
02 Jul 23:43
The filler problem: Why Grand Theft Auto is wasting your time
by Ars Staff
Philip.paulssonI am thoroughly enjoying Witcher 3. Love gwent, too! I just need more cards. Heh.
Trudging through the remains of The Witcher 3's earliest villages, protagonist Geralt comes across a priest. That’s not an uncommon sight, as the Church of the Eternal Fire holds a great deal of sway over the townsfolk looking for some greater meaning in lives ravaged by war. This holy man, however, has a job for Geralt: to scorch the nearby smoldering battlefields further, so as to dissuade carrion-eating monsters from making his charges' lives that much worse.
It's a bleak solution to a fantastical problem and one that fits our hero's profession of “professional monster slayer” perfectly. But it quickly branches off into a very different story, as Geralt finds a survivor among the "corpses." That survivor contradicts the priest's story about how he got there, and sends Geralt off to confront his would-be deceiver.
The sidequests in The Witcher 3 can vary greatly in length and long-term importance; some are relatively self-contained, others have consequences that don't reveal themselves for hours. What these missions all have in common, though, is a story that's worth witnessing in its own right. It’s part of what sets the game apart from your typical open-world game, which simply features the same dozen or so objectives Jackson Pollock'd hundreds of times across maps. While impressively rendered, those worlds don't warrant much exploration on its own.
Read 13 remaining paragraphs | Comments
02 Jul 13:29
This University In China Annually Hosts The Biggest Slumber Party Ever
by Beimeng Fu
Philip.paulssonLOL @ Central China Normal University
About 1,200 students from one university in China pack themselves into one gymnasium to help beat the heat.
Welcome to what is likely the world's biggest sleep-over — happening now in Central China Normal University.
Chinafotopress / Getty Images
Because of summer temperatures and the fact that many of the school's air conditioners aren't fully installed yet in the dorms, the school decided to let the students send the night inside the fully air-conditioned gymnasium.
On the night of June 29, the temperature broke 95ºF in Wuhan – a city notorious for its hot summer weather located in the central Chinese province of Hubei – where the top-notch university is located.
Chinafotopress / Getty Images
Students brought tents, bed mats, pillows, quilts from dorms, and, of course, popular card games. This group of students are playing Three Kingdoms Kill, or San Guo Sha, China's hottest card game based on legends of the country's Three Kingdoms period.
CCTV / Via weibo.com
The event stayed about as appropriate as any other slumber party. There's a loose line separating girls and boys, but a little bit of flirting with the line proved harmless.
The lights in the gym are kept on overnight in the consideration of security. About a dozen faculty guards inside and out of the gym and provides the students with necessities such as drinkable water.
Chinafotopress / Getty Images
02 Jul 11:58
Fans Rally Behind Laura Bassett After Her Own Goal Sends England Out Of The World Cup
by Richard Beech
Philip.paulssonThat was rough.
Great shot, though!
We’re all #ProudOfBassett.
England defender Laura Bassett's own goal sent the Lionesses out of the World Cup in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The heartbreaking stoppage time goal saw England lose 2-1 to Japan in the semi-final in Canada.
GEOFF ROBINS / Getty Images
01 Jul 19:44
Do You Know More Science Than A Kids "Jeopardy!" Contestant?
by Alex Kasprak
Philip.paulsson13/14
How does your science knowledge stack up against a 10 to 12 year old?
NBC
01 Jul 19:41
The World's First Honest Fancy Restaurant Menu
by Sam Weiner
Philip.paulssonLOL
So antipasti isn’t some sort of not-pasta?
Chris Ritter / BF
01 Jul 17:28
Watch Two Twitter-Mining Chatbots Have a Conversation With Each Other
Philip.paulssonThis is weird and depressing and hilarious and I couldn't stop watching it.
If you’re feeling self-conscious about a recent weight gain, it might be best to avoid talking to a chatbot.
Designed by Zabaware, Hal and Hallie are chatbots that learn both from prior conversations with humans and from observing human-to-human conversations on Twitter. In this video, which is a comedy goldmine that keeps on giving, chatbots Hal and Hallie have a conversation that ping-pongs from Marxism to making out. Hal repeatedly reminds Hallie “But you’ve put on weight.” He also insinuates that she has a drinking problem.
The bots have evidently come across the subsection of Twitter that engages in romantic and sexual roleplay, as a lot of flirtatious actions take place denoted in asterisks. (E.g., *Grins and runs fingers through your hair.*) By the end of the video, Hal and Hallie are full-on cyber-Frenching.
You can talk to Hal directly on Zabaware’s website, which carries this amusing disclaimer: “Hal learns from talking with people online. Occasionally, it may say things that seem inappropriate. Use at your own discretion and risk.”
My first thought was “this is why we can’t have nice things.” My second was “ask him to show you his penis.” Hal immediately came back with, “I show it to everyone but my mom.”
Seems like a nice guy.
01 Jul 17:16
ouch says FML
by ouch
Philip.paulssonLOL been there. She was pretty useless otherwise.
Today, the only reason my husband agreed to marriage counselling is because he finds our therapist attractive. FML
01 Jul 16:13
Report: In test dogfight, F-35 gets waxed by F-16
by Sean Gallagher
Philip.paulssonAnd that's where our enormous Defense budget goes. To developing slower, worse, more expensive aircraft for wars against enemies that have no planes to use them against anyway.
A test pilot report obtained by defense journalist David Axe of War is Boring detailed the performance of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in a mock air battle against a two-seat F-16D in January. The F-16D—based on a design developed 40 years ago and from a production run in the mid-1990s—bested the F-35 in close-range combat maneuvers.
In the report, which Axe had obtained but did not publish in full, the F-35 pilot reported that his aircraft was in a "clean" configuration for the test, carrying nothing under its wings or in its internal weapons bays. The F-16, on the other hand, was flying with under-wing external fuel drop-tanks, which in theory would have put the aircraft at an aerodynamic disadvantage.
Apparently, it didn't. "Even with the limited F-16 target configuration, the F-35A remained at a distinct energy disadvantage for every engagement," the F-35 pilot reported. That means the F-35 constantly found itself flying slower and more sluggishly, unable to effectively maneuver to get the F-16 in its sights.
Furthermore, the F-35's high-tech helmet, which is supposed to give the pilot the ability to essentially "see through" the plane with the assistance of external cameras and sensors, didn't help matters. "The helmet was too large for the space inside the canopy to adequately see behind the aircraft," the pilot reported, which made it impossible to keep visual contact with the F-16 during the dogfight.
Read 1 remaining paragraphs | Comments
01 Jul 14:27
Google dev apologizes after Photos app tags black people as “gorillas”
by Sam Machkovech
Philip.paulssonOh wow.
Last month, Google rolled out an updated version of its Photos app that had been divorced from Google+ and bolstered with a few slight tweaks—in particular, its ability to automatically tag photos and generate albums based on objects it identifies, including "food" and "landscapes."
And it's only photos I have with her it's doing this with (results truncated b/c personal): pic.twitter.com/h7MTXd3wgo
— diri noir avec banan (@jackyalcine) June 29, 2015
Unfortunately, that object database not only included wild animals but also conflated them with humans—specifically, on Monday, when an African-American man looked in his Google Photos collection and discovered an automatically generated album of him and his black female friend labeled "gorillas."
Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Mason likes this
01 Jul 14:26
This Video Is Letting Catholics Know That It Gets Better After The SCOTUS Ruling
by Rob Stott
Philip.paulssonWait, this isn't satire?!
Catholics are “not afraid and not alone.”
CatholicVote, a group looking to "inspire Americans of all faiths to prioritize the issues of life, faith, and family" has released a video letting Catholics know that it gets better.
The video was released ahead of last Friday's Supreme Court ruling which struck down same-sex marriage bans across the U.S.
CatholicVote
The message from the six young people featured on the video is that "they're not afraid. And they're not alone."
Brian Burch, President of CatholicVote told BuzzFeed News that conservatives are the new persecuted minority.
"It doesn't take much searching to find the growing hatred and bigotry directed at people of faith. Businesses are being shuttered. Prominent newspapers and magazines are calling for an end to tax-exemption of religious groups," he said.
But the style of the video is oddly familiar.
The video is very similar in style to the famous It Gets Better series, which aims to help LGBT teens who are struggling with their identity.
Chelsea likes this
01 Jul 14:02
Microsoft Research always has the best toys, and is especially strong in augmented reality (AR) with projects like Illumiroom and its insane Hololens Minecraft game. Redmond's think tank has just revealed another impressive demo called "SemanticPaint...
Microsoft is getting pretty good at digitizing reality
by Steve Dent
Philip.paulssonMS Paint for VR!
Microsoft Research always has the best toys, and is especially strong in augmented reality (AR) with projects like Illumiroom and its insane Hololens Minecraft game. Redmond's think tank has just revealed another impressive demo called "SemanticPaint...
01 Jul 13:59
In the same way that people write words onto grains of rice, one programmer has managed to build a game with code that can fit into a single tweet. The 140-character opus is called Tiny Twitch and was created by Alex Yoder after responding to an open...
This video game is so small it fits inside a tweet
by Daniel Cooper
Philip.paulsson"If you're interested in giving this a go, it's available to play right now and let us know if you can get higher score than 17 before time runs out."
I got 18 on my 2nd try.
In the same way that people write words onto grains of rice, one programmer has managed to build a game with code that can fit into a single tweet. The 140-character opus is called Tiny Twitch and was created by Alex Yoder after responding to an open...
01 Jul 11:34
News in Brief: Terrifying Uniformed Bachelorette Party Storms Local Bar
Philip.paulssonHeh
TACOMA, WA—Bursting into the establishment seemingly out of nowhere and overtaking it within a matter of moments, a terrifying uniformed bachelorette party stormed local pub Casey’s Saloon Friday night, onlookers reported. “One second I was having a pleasant round of beers with friends, and the next we were surrounded on all sides by these frightening women in identical pink and white regalia who were wildly waving their feather boas in our faces—it all happened so fast,” said visibly traumatized customer Lee Gangridge, who reportedly hid in a corner booth as over a dozen young stiletto-clad women sporting the same glittery sashes, phallic plastic necklaces, and sparkling tiaras seized control of the entire line of barstools. “One of them was clearly their leader—she was wearing all white and had a pink tulle veil clipped into her hair to signify her rank. And when her favorite song came ...
30 Jun 19:18
The Trailer For "BoJack Horseman" Season 2 Is Here
by Whitney Jefferson
Philip.paulssonYES!
Get ready.
Grab your shades and get ready...
Netflix
...the trailer for season two of BoJack Horseman has arrived!
And this season BoJack is a whole new horse.
Netflix
When we first greet BoJack in season two it appears that he's gone the healthy healthy route.
Netflix
30 Jun 19:17
16 Rarely Seen Photos Capture Four Decades Of Chinese History
by Beimeng Fu
Philip.paulssonScroll down surprise.
This is a picture from photographer Bruno Barbey, capturing school girls preparing for the reception of the French President on Tiananmen Square back in 1973.
The red scarves they wore represent "the Young Pioneers of China", which remain in use today.
Bruno Barbey / MAGNUM PHOTOS
For years after the Communist takeover of mainland China, many photographers were unable to gain access. Those who did manage, frequently did their work in black and white. And most didn't follow up for decades. But Barbey, working for Magnum at the time, was an exception.
As one of the first photographers who were allowed to the cut-off country, the Morocco-born French photographer was able to record major changes in China first-hand over the course of four decades.
A selection of his works are now on display in Hong Kong. The exhibition is titled "China Since 1973," marking the year in which he first went during a ride-along with the French president at the time, George Pompidou in a historic trip.
This was snapped in Shanghai before the finish of this mural painting of the Cultural Revolution's "trinity": the worker, the farmer and the soldier. Shanghai had yet to undergo the rapid growth that marks it today as one of China's richest cities.
Bruno Barbey / MAGNUM PHOTOS
Barbey managed to capture the human moments in all of his subjects, even this member of the Guard of Honor of the People's Liberation Army caught peeking at the camera.
Bruno Barbey / MAGNUM PHOTOS
During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the Red Guards targeted at anything related to "culture" — millions of pieces of cultural artifacts and historic sites in China were destroyed.
With the accompany of a guard, Barbey managed to catch a man sitting on the foot of Leshan Giant Buddha, a 71-meter tall stone statue built 1,200 years ago.
Bruno Barbey / MAGNUM PHOTOS
Here's the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, Zhou Enlai. "He's not reading a speech, he's looking at the menu," Barbey told CNN. "And you can see on his face that he's quite happy about what he's about to have for dinner."
Bruno Barbey / Magnum Photo
Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, was once the only woman in the country allowed to wear western-style clothes. She designed this piece by herself. Anyone else could risk their lives, dubbed a "capitalist roadster" — a term for someone who imitated the West.
Bruno Barbey / MAGNUM PHOTOS
These are young Communist Party executives taking a picture at the Great Wall just like any other tourists.
Bruno Barbey / MAGNUM PHOTOS
The world-class photographer was able to capture many precious moments of everyday Chinese life, which present audience nowadays with a vivid sense of the society decades ago.
Change happened fast. On the wall behind this woman walking in the street in 1979 Yangshuo, Guangxi, is a poster announcing the projection of the film "Troubled Laughter" about the dark days of the Cultural Revolution. Ticket price: 0.18 yuan (3 cents).
Bruno Barbey / Magnum Photos
In 1978, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping introduced economic reforms — called "capitalism with Chinese characteristics" — that influenced people's lives within just two years. Here's two young Chinese women perming their hair in Chengdu, Sichuan, in 1980.
Bruno Barbey / Magnum Photos
Barbey returned China for many times after his initial trip, re-visiting various places such as Nanjing, Suzhou, Macau, Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai.
The economic changes came with relaxed government reins on social matters as well. In 1980, Huxingting tea house in Shanghai's Yu Yuan Garden was a popular place for people to hang out.
Bruno Barbey / MAGNUM PHOTOS
This sculpture class in the Academy of Fine Arts in 1980 could be a class in any other art institute in the world.
Bruno Barbey / MAGNUM PHOTOS
Barbey recorded the lives of China's ethnic minorities as well. At this theater in Kashgar, Xinjiang in 1989, posters can be seen for "In the Hit List," a Chinese film about the last days of the Nationalist government and Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor."
Bruno Barbey / ©Bruno Barbey / Magnum Photos
This was the central market in Kashgar for its Uyghurs, a Muslim minority living in this region. The area today looks completely different, as according to a Huffington Post report, the majority of the Old City has now been demolished.
Bruno Barbey / MAGNUM PHOTOS
Back in the 80s, the most common vehicles on Chinese streets were still bicycles. People rode bikes to work, to do grocery shopping, and to their own wedding ceremonies.
Bruno Barbey / MAGNUM PHOTOS
This is the city of Chongqing before the area was completely changed by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Now the city is China's most populous area with over 30 million residents. You can see the huge difference here.
Bruno Barbey / Magnum Photos
In this picture, Uyghur men leaving the Id Kah Mosque blow on food to bless it for the sick.
Bruno Barbey / Magnum Photos
Barbey's photos are on display by appointment in Hong Kong at F11 Gallery, 11 Yuk Sau Street, until July 15, 2015.
30 Jun 14:10
The Hardest "Game Of Thrones" Quiz You'll Ever Take
by Vikky
Philip.paulsson5/15. Ouch.
What do we say to wrong answers? Not today! WARNING: SEASON 5 SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
30 Jun 14:04
25 Sorbet Recipes That Will Make You Want To Give Up Ice Cream
by Emma Cooke
Dairy-free frozen treats.
Raspberry Sorbet
Pure, unadulterated raspberry deliciousness. Recipe here.
Lemon Sorbet
Served with your own adorable lemon holder! Recipe here.
Cucumber Mint Sorbet
The only afternoon tea treat you need. Recipe here.
Melon Sorbet
Honeydew or cantaloupe? Why not both! Recipe here.
30 Jun 13:34
26 Ingenious Products That Will Vastly Improve Your Shower
by Christina Lan
Philip.paulssonMy Dad has #5. I kinda want #1, #10, #24, and #25. Though I think #25 could get gross/doesn't look quite as advertised.
Showering just became your new favorite activity.
Jenny Chang / Buzzfeed
This rainbow LED showerhead that will brighten any morning.
Get it here.
This shower curtain that lets you check your morning email.
Get it here.
This filter that will shower you with your daily dose of Vitamin C.
Because you absorb a lot of chlorine while showering, this filter acts as a neutralizer and meets the de-chlorinating requirements of the EPA's Clean Water Act. Your hair and skin will thank you.
Get it here.
30 Jun 13:04
This Graffiti Artist's Epic Battle With A Clean-Up Crew Is The Greatest Story Ever Told
by Daniel Dalton
Philip.paulssonHahah nice.
Well played, Mobstr. Well played.
Street artist Mobstr has spent the last year locked in a battle of wits with the local council in Hackney Wick.
Mobstr / Via mobstr.org
The prize? An unassuming substation wall:
Mobstr / Via mobstr.org
In a post on his website, Mobstr recounted the epic tale of the wall, and the diligent clean-up crew out to foil his schemes.
Mobstr / Via mobstr.org
Mobstr wrote: "I cycled past this wall on the way to work for years. I noticed that graffiti painted within the red area was “buffed” with red paint."
Mobstr / Via mobstr.org
30 Jun 06:54
Finally, The Reason Behind Why Cilantro Tastes So Bad To You
by Candace Lowry
Philip.paulssonUh.... this isn't new, is it? I'm pretty sure we learned about this in high school.
IT’S A REAL THING, OK?!
You heard it here (or at the SciShow), it's OFFICIALLY A REAL THING! Your cilantro aversion isn't just your imagination, and here's some science to prove it.
If you're part of the 4-14% of people who have this problem, cilantro usually turns meals from this:
Nickelodeon
To this:
Nickelodeon, Thinkstock
It turns out it's not you, it's your genes. In a study of 30,000 people, researchers found that people who hated cilantro had similar smell-receptor genes. They shared the gene OR6A2.
