A century ago, Iceland introduced full prohibition. Within a decade, red wine had been legalised, followed by spirits in the 1930s. But beer remained off-limits until 1989. Why?
New submitter sp1nl0ck writes Sir Terry Pratchett, the creator of Discworld, has died aged 66, following a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Sir Terry announced that he was suffering from The Embuggerance in an open letter to fans over seven years ago, and recently had to cancel a planned appearance at the International Discworld Convention last summer, and donated over £500K of his own money to research into the condition. He also spoke in favour of a euthanasia tribunal, the members of which would consider the case of each '...applicant...to ensure they are of sound and informed mind, firm in their purpose, suffering from a life-threatening and incurable disease and not under the influence of a third party'. Sadly, he didn't survive long enough to see such a tribunal — or indeed any kind of assistance for those suffering from an incurable condition who wish to end their own life — come into being. More at the BBC.
"Science is facts; just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of facts is not necessarily science."
Phopojijo writes The Khronos Group has announced the Vulkan API for compute and graphics. Its goal is to compete against DirectX 12. It has some interesting features, such as queuing to multiple GPUs and an LLVM-based bytecode for its shading language to remove the need for a compiler from the graphics drivers. Also, the API allows graphics card vendors to support Vulkan with drivers back to Windows XP "and beyond."
Finland-based symphonic metal masters NIGHTWISH will launch the European leg of their "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" in November in Copenhagen, Denmark. Support on the trek will come from AMORPHIS and ARCH ENEMY.
The dates are as follows:
Nov. 16 – DK - Copenhagen - Falconer
Nov. 18 - GER - Hamburg - O2 World
Nov. 19 - NL - Amsterdam - Heineken Music Hall
Nov. 21 - GER - Oberhausen - König-Pilsener-Arena
Nov. 23 - FR - Lyon - Hall Tony Garnier
Nov. 25 - FR - Paris - POPB-Bercy
Nov. 26 - FR - Toulouse - Le Zénith
Nov. 28 - CH - Basel - St. Jakobshalle
Nov. 29 - IT - Bologna - Unipol Arena
Dec. 01 - GER - Munich - Zenith
Dec. 03 - GER - Stuttgart - Schleyerhalle
Dec. 04 - GER - Frankfurt - Jahrhunderthalle
Dec. 05 - GER - Nürnberg - Arena
Dec. 07 - CZ - Prague - Tip Sport Arena Prague
Dec. 10 - RO - Bucharest - Romexpo
Dec. 14 - GER - Leipzig - Arena
Dec. 15 - GER - Berlin Max - Schmeling-Halle
Dec. 16 - LUX - Luxembourg - Rockhal
Dec. 17 - BE - Antwerp - Lotto Arena
Dec. 19 - UK – London - Wembley SSE Arena
NIGHTWISH's new album, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", will be made available on March 27 in Europe and March 31 in the U.S. via Nuclear Blast. The CD marks NIGHTWISH's first studio album with Dutch singer Floor Jansen, who replaced Anette Olzon in 2012.
The cover artwork for "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was created by the band's longtime collaborator Toxic Angel. Famed evolutionary biologist and atheist writer/leader Richard Dawkins appears on the effort as a guest.
Longtime NIGHTWISH drummer Jukka Nevalainen sat out the recording sessions for "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" due to health issues; Kai Hahto (WINTERSUN, SWALLOW THE SUN, TREES OF ETERNITY) replaced him in the studio and will join NIGHTWISH on tour in support of the new CD.
"Èlan" video:
It’s been a few months, but 8-Bit Cuisine is back yet again, and this time, Chef Jen is treating us to a sweet treat that would even make the toughest Orc to say “Yummy!”
In this episode of 8-Bit Cuisine, Jen makes some Dalaran Brownies, which are inspired from the Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack for World of Warcraft.
Transforming a convertible sofa into a bed can sometimes seem more complex than Optimus Prime changing into a truck. For a more compact emergency bed that's easier to move wherever you need it, check out Campeggi's Girella chair, which is as simple to transform as unrolling a sleeping bag.
Unless you're just wandering off into the wilderness for a week, there's often a lot of waiting involved when traveling—whether it's for a flight, a hotel room, a taxi, or even dinner. So for all those times when you're stuck in line with no place to sit, the Bagobago might actually be the best traveling companion since it's a lightweight backpack with a compact stool built right in.
In one of those naked PR moves, Nestlé announced today it would only use natural flavorings and colors in its candy. Which means it's a good time to remember that is "natural" does not mean better. The natural stuff is just as processed, and comes from places like beaver butts and insects.
When Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536, images of the queen were destroyed—leaving only one certain depiction of her in existence. Now, facial recognition software may have discovered another contemporary portrait of Boleyn.
