merbs writes: Our brains are unfathomably complex, powerful organs that grant us motor skills, logic, and abstract thought. Brains have bequeathed unto we humans just about every cognitive advantage, it seems, except for one little omission: the ability to adequately process the need for the whole species' long-term survival. They're miracle workers for the short-term survival of individuals, but the scientific evidence suggests that the human brain flails when it comes to navigating wide-lens, slowly-unfurling crises like climate change.
Sean Toon was one of the white McKinney residents who called the police on the group of teens at the pool last week. In honor of Toon dialing 911 when seeing black people engaging in “suspicious activity,” Twitter created a hashtag in his honor. Here’s how racists see the world.
At first I looked at this and laughed at the absurdity of it. Upon second look I noticed that the version in the background appears to be lye bread, and it all started to seem a whole lot more appealing. Which all just leads to the inevitable result that I have incrementally less self respect now than before I saw this article.
When people tell you "marketing isn't science," just point out this masterpiece by Pizza Hut.
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I'm imagining this as a tiny bit of the surface of an alien metal planet
This fellow started out reviewing a camp stove and ended up accidentally creating an beautiful piece of art made from Coca Cola and molten lead.
(more…)
The police will tell you that the reason they're arming up with surplus military gear and pursuing a shoot-first posture to their job is that being a cop is deadly business -- but as the saying goes, you're entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
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For many years Kim Dotcom was associated with a crazy lifestyle but these days he prefers to be seen more as a family man.
Regularly posting pictures of his children on Twitter and playing down his wild past, Dotcom seems unlikely to entertain a recent request from Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde to join him on the Gumball Rally.
But while yachts and fast cars might be a thing of the past, Dotcom has certainly not lost the fire in his belly when it comes to his current predicament. As he fights off a ravenous U.S. government determined to bring him to justice by any means possible, spying included, the Megaupload founder has positioned himself as a champion of Internet privacy.
On January 19, 2013, Dotcom marked the anniversary of the raid on his empire by launching the privacy-focused cloud-storage service Mega.co.nz. Next year on the same date, the tenacious German says he will deliver again.
Thus far, details are thin on the ground, but what we do know is that Dotcom is planning a new anti-censorship network he calls MegaNet.
“How would you like a new Internet that can’t be controlled, censored or destroyed by Governments or Corporations?” Dotcom teased in February.
MegaNet’s precise mechanism is yet to be revealed, but Dotcom has already stated that the network will be non-IP address based and that blockchain technology will play an important role.
What we also know is that users’ mobile phones will play a crucial role, although at launch other devices will participate in the network.
“All your mobile phones become an encrypted network,” Dotcom notes. “You’d be surprised how much idle storage & bandwidth capacity mobile phones have. MegaNet will turn that idle capacity into a new network.”
At this stage it appears that Dotcom envisions a totally decentralized system, an essential quality if he is to deliver on his claims of absolute privacy.
With the earlier promise that participants in MegaNet “become the MegaNet”, Dotcom’s announcement this morning that the project will seek monetary contributions from the masses seems entirely fitting.
“MegaNet details will be revealed and equity will be available via crowd funding on 20 Jan 2016, the fourth anniversary of the raid [on Dotcom and Megupload],” Dotcom confirmed.
And for now, that is all. Dotcom has become somewhat of an expert at dripping small details to the masses as and when he sees fit while allowing the media to fill in the blanks. It’s a somewhat effective strategy which provides millions in free advertising for close to zero marketing outlay.
The big question now is how much equity MegaNet will need to get off the ground and how many of Dotcom’s supporters will believe that privacy is a commodity worth supporting with their wallets. People were happy to support Peter Sunde’s Heml.is on the same premise, but as recently revealed the amount of cash required to compete can be considerable.
However, Dotcom probably won’t attempt this entirely on his own. Given his history there’s a significant chance that the entrepreneur will pull in heavyweights such as Julian Assange and Glenn Greenwald to support the campaign. That will definitely help to boost the coffers.
Update: Kim Dotcom has sent TorrentFreak additional details on how MegaNet will operate.
“MegaNet has a unique file crystallization and recreation protocol utilizing the blockchain. You can load entire websites with this new technology and it makes them immune to almost all hacker attacks and ddos,” Dotcom informs TF.
“In the beginning MegaNet will still utilize the current Internet as a dumb pipe but in 10 years it will run exclusively on smartphones with hopefully over 500 million users carrying the network.
“A network by the people for the people. Not controlled by any government or corporations. MegaNet will be a powerful tool to guard our privacy and freedoms and it will also be my legacy,” Dotcom concludes.
“Old” is right — the Royal Society was founded in 1660, and is 355 years old. And in all those years, they’ve never had a woman president. How…odd? The current president is Paul Nurse, who is by all accounts a good guy, but curiously he was also co-recipient of the same Nobel prize Tim Hunt was awarded.
The Royal Society has acted to distance itself from reported comments by Sir Tim Hunt FRS about women in science made during an event at the World Conference of Science Journalists in Korea.
If this were a student paper, there’d be a bold red line drawn through “has acted to distance itself” with a scribbled remark, “WHAT did you do?” It’s bad writing, it’s ambiguous, it’s passive, it tells me that the Royal Society heard a rude remark at a party and has edged a few inches away while taking care not to spill their tea. I am unimpressed.
Hey, RS, you’ve got a fellow in your distinguished society who you’ve said maybe makes you a little uncomfortable and doesn’t, maybe, represent your values. Two things: maybe, if those really are your values, you should express your anger a little more vigorously (oh, what am I saying, you’re British), and maybe you should tell him he’s not a member of your clubhouse anymore. Removing a title from his name is a good way to really teach a Brit a lesson.
This is especially warranted in the light of Tim Hunt’s “apology”. It’s a classic.
I’m very sorry that what I thought were light hearted ironic remarks were taken so seriously, and I’m very sorry if people took offence. I certainly did not mean to demean women, but rather be honest about my own shortcomings.
I’m very sorry if people took offence. Fuck me. Just a hint to anyone who ever needs to apologize for anything: that is the construction of the damned. You are not apologizing for what you did, you are telling everyone else they need to feel apologetic for being offended. It is unconvincing. It reflects a total absence of remorse, and a failure to learn anything.
Another hint: shut up. Don’t babble on making it clear that you really do hold those odious views, and you really are trying to place the blame elsewhere.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday, Hunt apologised for any offence, saying he meant the remarks to be humorous – but added he did mean the part about having trouble with girls.
He said: It is true … I have fallen in love with people in the lab and people in the lab have fallen in love with me and it’s very disruptive to the science because it’s terribly important that in a lab people are on a level playing field.
I found that these emotional entanglements made life very difficult. I’m really, really sorry I caused any offence, that’s awful. I certainly didn’t mean that. I just meant to be honest, actually.
A rescue team with a sniffer dog walks at the site of destruction caused by Saturday’s earthquake in Bhaktapur, Nepal, on Monday. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook the capital of Nepal, a country in South Asia. (Niranjan Shrestha/AP)
Nepal’s April 25 earthquake killed more than 8,800 people, left more than 20,000 injured, and destroyed at least 600,000 homes. But despite international media coverage focusing on Kathmandu, the devastation was not concentrated on the capital, which escaped the tremor’s most severe destruction despite its vicinity to the epicenter. Rather, Nepal’s poorly developed rural regions were hardest hit.
Why was the suffering greater farther out? Because of state centralization. Nepal’s government has long focused on Kathmandu and ignored the outlying areas, leaving them destitute, neglected, and seriously lacking in the infrastructure needed to withstand a natural disaster. Local governing bodies lack the funding and autonomy to carry out the policies necessary even to lift Nepal’s ultra-poor from subsistence farming, much less fortify them against an earthquake.
Our current research and fieldwork have focused on how centralized political institutions and underdevelopment meant that the earthquake has had a devastating impact on rural Nepal. Rectifying this institutional tilt is vital to preventing future catastrophes.
Nepal’s government: Kathmandu vs. everyone else
Nepal’s centralized governing structure is a relic of the Kathmandu-centered monarchy and oligarchy that lasted two centuries. During this period, no entity could challenge decisions or policies instituted by the capital. Even after Nepal’s transition to democracy in 2006, which followed a popular uprising and civil war against a highly centralized and exclusionary state, the cabinet still controls the appointment of leadership personnel in the bureaucracy, the nation’s budget, and, in conjunction with the National Planning Commission, development schemes for the entire nation.
Centralized electoral institutions also concentrate power in Kathmandu. During parliamentary elections, voters choose in part between competing lists of candidates who are preselected by political parties. This makes many MPs accountable to the party elites who put them on the list rather than to their constituencies.
Moreover, local elections last occurred 13 years ago. Embroiled in civil war and then political transition, the central government simply did not hold elections. This has left district, village, and municipality representatives out of touch and illegitimate. And even if these officials wanted to build up their areas, they don’t have the funding: only 10 percent of tax revenue in Nepal goes to local governments.
Centrally planned development programs are also frequently disconnected from actual needs. Not only do the programs often lack grass-roots insight, local political elites will manipulate funding policies to enrich themselves or enhance their power rather than provide aid to the people. And in the absence of political accountability at the local level, there is little recourse for voters to change the situation.
The central state, trying to run the country from Kathmandu, has historically been slow to respond to crises outside the capital. Basic services still have not been delegated to local governments: Kathmandu attempts to manage health, education, and security for a country of 27 million citizens spread over territory approximately the size of Illinois, with many dispersed across isolated mountain terrain. Rural citizens often must venture to Kathmandu to receive anything beyond basic health services or a high school education, and get very little protection from centrally coordinated security services.
This rural neglect showed after the earthquake. Poverty and underdevelopment in rural Nepal means houses are built by villagers themselves with mud walls and straw roofs— structures that are entirely at the mercy of the earth they stand on.
For instance, Sindhupalchowk, a rural district where half the population lives below the poverty line, saw the complete destruction of 64,000 homes—two-thirds of all the houses in the district. In Gorkha, where 90 percent of the population lived in houses that lacked reinforced roofing, at least half the houses are now uninhabitable. Poorly constructed roads were ravaged and left all but impassable.
Weak transport infrastructure connecting Kathmandu to rural areas slowed relief efforts. Many of the villages affected can be reached only by helicopter, which meant the injured had to be airlifted to Kathmandu hospitals for treatment.
And with minimal local security forces, villages and rural regions had to wait for the national army and police (or even international forces) to get there from the capital for search, rescue, and relief operations.
Kathmandu’s central control created a bottleneck for relief efforts
In Nepal’s centralized government, a few key stakeholders must approve all decisions. That bottleneck slowed efforts at a time when every hour mattered.
The reconstruction process has been slowed even further by disagreements between the international community and national government and between political parties.
Nepal needs both physical and political reconstruction. Yes, buildings and roads should be rebuilt to withstand large seismic events. But the electoral system and constitution must also be rebuilt. Even though the earthquake has catalyzed progress toward federalism, the focus must be to empower local communities, develop rural areas, and enhance political accountability, or Nepal will remain vulnerable.
Nirabh Koirala studies political science and economics at Grinnell College and is a research intern at the Centre for South Asian Studies in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Geoffrey Macdonald is a consultant at the United States Institute of Peace and a former Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Grinnell College.
His name is Jacque Fresco. He’s a futurist and social engineer. He lectures his views on sustainable cities, energy efficiency, natural-resource management, and the role of science in society, while being entirely self-taught.
He’s also the founder of the Venus Project, an organization that advocates a resource-based economy. The project combines Fresco’s versions of sustainable development, natural resource management, energy efficiency, and advanced automation in a global socioeconomic system based on social cooperation and scientific methodology.
“It makes him different than Luke Skywalker, but it’s not like that’s his super power. The best expression of the Force is not a lightsaber fight or other combat techniques. It’s really about your connection to life, to everything around you, and your ability or willingness to let go, to find peace, and ultimately become a selfless part of existence. Luke Skywalker does not use some special ability to save his father. He trains hard, finds discipline, knowledge, but in the end there is no power that aids him, except the power of compassion and love; the act of forgiveness and apparent self-sacrifice is what saves his father from the dark side. Not a lightsaber fight.”
one thing about the original trilogy as compared to the prequels is that the lightsaber duels in the OT aren’t primarily contests of skill – there’s always something much more important going on, and also no one’s particularly skilled. Obi-Wan’s an old man, Vader’s a burnt-out cyborg, and Luke’s in the best physical shape but almost completely untrained. and the fights are mainly holding actions, people buying time for someone else to get out or trying to persuade their opponent of something
in the prequels the fights are really, really showy, everybody’s really good at lightsabers, and for the most part people are trying to win. so it’s impressive, but not as interesting. And I just don’t want fight choreography, no matter how talented, as much as I want that sense of emotional investment.
I say pseudo, because, like most things in my life, I’ve jumped in headfirst without putting any thought or research into it (this is also how I ended up taking a workout class called “Insanity.” Afterwards, I was drooling and delirious. So I guess it delivered).
This is supposed to be a cookie.
So, despite being totally unclear on what Paleo entailed, I figured I would try it because the hot guy from the gym told me I ate too many carbs.
Parenthetically, I really should stop listening to people just because they’re attractive. If Jeff Goldblum told me to get a bowl haircut and rob a bank, I totally would.
As far as I can tell, Paleo is based off of the premise that humanoids were never sexier or healthier than when they were cavemen. Even though they had no birth control or Penicillin or dental floss, and everyone was probably covered in lice, they were super cut and sexy and that’s a lifestyle to which we should aspire. Behold:
And:
Creating an unhealthy body image since 1960.
The Paleo diet demands that you only eat what cavemen did, which means that you need to chew raw woolly mammoth meat for hours with a mouth full of rotting teeth, and wash it down with a nice refreshing gourdful of mud.
I KID! I kid. Apparently with Paleo, you need to eat a lot of protein, in the form of meat, seafood, and eggs. Plus a ton of veggies. A crazy quantity. Like, “the neighbors will start asking if you are in trouble with the local CSA-mob” number of veggies. “You might be having an affair with the guy from the farmer’s market” quantity of veggies.
This has curious side effects, especially gastrointestinally. Without going into too much detail, some days are … biologically slower than others. And some days … on some days things flow way too quickly. Like, I’m basically a human Play-Doh press.
Paleo also requires you to give up processed food, refined sugars, and alcohol, which makes sense because those things are wonderful. But you’re also supposed to avoid grains, starches, and natural sweeteners (like honey), and you are supposed to limit your fruit intake. It’s sort of like the Inquisition, but less fun.
In some respects, it’s worked: being Paleo has killed my will to live, so I’m too sad to snack. My abs look pretty damn good, but I suspect that’s from all the nights I spend wracked with sobs because I can’t eat anything fun. I would take a selfie to show you, but this isn’t Facebook and I’m not your misguided teenage niece.
To give you an idea of the waking nightmare that is my life, I’d like to walk you through today’s Paleo abomination, in which I endeavored to make something called “carrot cake cookies” – a name which is at best a misnomer, and at worst a cruel mockery. The recipe describes them as “savory cookies” which is something that, if your blood sugar is low enough, you can almost pretend is a real thing.
But it’s not. Savory cookies do not exist. There are real, honest-to-god cookies, which are filled with sugar and flour and all sorts of wonderful things that some random hot guy said I can’t eat. And then there are crumbly pucks of carrot and nut that are held together by the indelible resilience of failure and good intentions. I ate three in a matter of seconds. And you know what? They weren’t bad … though they were seasoned by a bit of forbidden honey and the salt of my own tears.
Carrot Cake Cookies (a.k.a., Pucks of Suffering)
Ingredients:
Carrots
The salt of your own tears
Nuts or something
Ennui
You know what? It doesn’t matter what I list here. You should not make these.
If you want to go Paleo, you’ll probably need a food processor, which doesn’t really make sense, because cavemen didn’t even have pants, so they obviously didn’t have food processors or ovens or organic coconut oil. Take your ingredients, none of which are even remotely cookie-like, and grind them in the food processor until they resemble cat vomit.
(This is the first and only time in my life I didn’t want to eat the cookie dough.) Take the mushy chunks and form them into little patties of sadness.
Bake them in the oven for 30 minutes at 350, or just toss them directly into the trash because life is meaningless.
I have no words to describe these unholy abominations.
Remember when we cared about things? Remember when our great aunt sat us on the counter of her kitchen in Rome and we watched her fold tortellini by hand, which she made just for us? And how she smiled as we sat there, staring intently at her hands?
Remember that little girl? Who spoke Italian effortlessly and ate carbs with abandon? What would she think of all this?
“We forgot the taste of bread, the sound of trees, the softness of the wind. We even forgot our own name.”
The cookies look exactly the same before they are digested as after. They are eternal and unchanging. As time passes, they don’t decline in quality or taste because they can’t. They’ve already started out at theoretical zero on that scale.
I weep as I take a bite. These cookies will outlive me unless I destroy them.
Seriously, what the hell have you become? You traded your soul for nice abs.
Tomorrow, I am getting a slice of cake from the French bakery down the street and eating the entire thing. Then I will eat a plate of pasta, and think of people I loved who are no longer with me. Tomorrow, I will do this. And the cookies will be waiting, watching.
Fucking Paleo.
P.S. – You don’t want the actual cookie recipe. You don’t. But here it is.
There are already multiple official versions of Ridley Scott’s classic film Blade Runner, but YouTuber Uchuu Daisakusen managed to make a completely different cut using just the B-roll from the film and takes that ended up on the cutting room floor. Check out their 45-minute version of Rick Deckard’s journey.
Back in May, I was in New York City to treat Nestle’s Tollhouse Time “Sweetstakes” winner to a sweet tour of the city as one of her prizes. If you follow me on instagram, you may have seen a few of the pics. Well, I took a ton. Too many to even show here, but I thought I’d share all the places we visited in case you’re looking for a sugar-filled way to see the city, too.
We started out at Milk Bar Midtown. I figured their Cereal Milk soft serve topped with cornflakes would be a great way to start the morning. But we also left with compost cookies, cornflake-marshmallow-chocolate chip cookies and candy bar pie. Stocking up for late night snacks you know.
We went to Sprinkles Cupcakes next. This is Angela (the winner) and her husband. It was their first time so we grabbed a few flavors to take home and enjoyed a red velvet cupcake in the shop. It’s my favorite flavor after their black and white cupcake.
A couple of doors down is Baked by Melissa. These are the teeniest cupcakes. Smaller than mini and perfect for tasting… these one bite babies are just way too fun to eat and because they’re so small, you can try several flavors without feeling bad or full. I tried the PB&J in the store and brought these adorable “cupcarons” – macaron topped cupcakes – for the road.
Next we stopped in Ladurée for french macarons. Oh my gosh I loved it inside – so pretty – and I didn’t want to leave. We couldn’t decide between all the beautiful pastries, so we left with just the macs. Sampling would take place in my hotel room later though. I had to pace myself you know.
And also because we were heading to Levain Bakery next and I knew we’d be enjoying their decadent warm chocolate chip cookies on the spot. Head to NYC right now and get one of these. So so good. and big and warm.
Bouchon Bakery was next. One of my faves. I absolutely love their macarons (get the big ones) and TKO cookie sandwiches. Like giant homemade Oreos. But better.
After Bouchon, we headed down to Chelsea Market where we stopped in several shops. As a sidenote, I think the best thing I had here was actually lunch from Los Tacos No. 1. OMG The only mistake I made was only getting one. And I wish I had some right now.
Okay back to sweets.
If you like sugar cookies, stop in Eleni’s and treat yourself to one. Or cupcakes, too. So fun!
And if you like brownies, you’ll love Fat Witch with all their different flavors. Right about this point, I was super happy that these were packaged and individually wrapped. Easy to grab and save for later because I was still trying to pace myself.
Amy’s Bread has tons of baked goodies to choose from like cupcakes, cookies, bars and breads. Try the Yellow Cake with pink frosting if you get a chance.
Liddabit Sweets! Caramels, cookies and candy bars. They had a small setup in Chelsea Market and I was glad because we didn’t have time to make it to their shop in Brooklyn.
Ahhh Brooklyn! There are so, so many places I want to visit. The Original Baked, Ovenly, Hay Rosie and much more. I’ll just have to plan another trip for all their tasty treats.
Sarabeth’s – more goodies galore. Buttermilk Biscuits, cookies, tarts, pastries, pies and chocolate pudding, too.
I had to take Angela by Magnolia Bakery to adore their beautifully swirled buttercream frosting. We left with cupcakes and tried the Banana Pudding in the car on our way to our next stop for chocolate.
After chocolate we went to the place known for inventing the Cronut. Of course by the end of the day we had to settle for Dominque Ansel’s other amazing treats. S’mores on a stick, Cookie and milk shooters, Coco the cream puff cat, and the kouign amann… a croissant-like dough with a caramelized crunchy crust. That one was my favorite.
Sugar Sweet Sunshine is another cupcake bakery we stopped in. I enjoyed their vanilla cupcake best, but if I could top it with Magnolia’s frosting, then I think it would be perfect.
We ended the day with ice cream at Morgenstern’s. The ice cream parlor feel makes you want to hang out while you chill with your ice cream in hand. Such a cool little spot. And I love the paper hats they wear, too.
So that was all done on day one. Angela and her husband were so awesome to hang out with for the day. I hope you guys had a great time and enjoyed the rest of your weekend in the city.
The next day… because I obviously didn’t have enough sugar on Saturday, I stopped by a few more places with a friend who lives in the city.
Lady M – Gorgeous cakes and confectionary masterpieces. Try their signature Mille Crêpe Cake. Amazing! I love the simplistic decor. It’s stunning in white and really showcases all of the desserts.
My friend and I stopped in Sant Ambroeus on Madison Avenue. I had a proscioutto sandwich and just adored everything else.
The last place I visited in NYC was Ô Merveilleux. And OMGoodness. It was one of the best things from the entire trip. This ever so light meringue sweetened with whipped cream and covered in belgian dark chocolate shavings. Simply Merveilleux or Marvelous as they say in the shop.
Okay, that’s it. What did I miss out on? What should I try next time? And if you have any Brooklyn recommendations, I love to hear your thoughts on those too.
Super Opinionated.
For many years Kim Dotcom was associated with a crazy lifestyle but these days he prefers to be seen more as a family man.
“You look like a piece of soap, get diarrhea.” 
