Paul Brownlee

BarbaraHudson writes: Unless you're a smeghead, you'll be excited to know that (after 28 years after the smash cult sitcom began) Red Dwarf seasons 11 and 12 are now in production. The Guardian reports: "'I've known these guys longer than I've known my wife,' says Charles (Lister). 'That was what it came down to -- a choice between staying in Coronation Street or doing this.' Last year, after 10 years on the cobbliest of soaps, Charles left. He missed comedy, and the opportunity to strap on the famous dreads came up. 'I was like 'I've got to do it.' It's a career-defining role.' As it was with Llewellyn's (Kryton) re-application of the rubber head: 'The only reason I do it now -- and I don't do any other acting, it drives me mad -- is because it's being with your mates for a few weeks.' 'There's nothing similar about us,' says John-Jules (Kat). 'Except we all have Red Dwarf.'"

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Any true NASA nerd knows that Michael Collins was the third astronaut who joined Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. But even for those who are already familiar with Collins, this video is still a lovely, poignant tribute to an unsung hero of the space race.

by Erik Henriksen

According to reliable comics industry site The Beat, Image Comics is planning a move to Portland.

...At San Diego I started to hear a few whispers that Image Comics might be leaving its Bay Area headquarters for the cheaper and even more comics friendly environs of Portland, OR. Based on what I’m hearing, this is actually happening in the nearish future.

Image is currently located in Berkeley, CA, a once reasonable college town type area in the East Bay that, like all of the Bay Area, is now insanely expensive. The Image staff is fairly compact, around a few dozen people, so moving shouldn’t be that difficult and probably would be welcomed by everyone looking to escape the birthplace of commuting to the suburbs and artisanal toast. (Via.)

(Uh... they might be in for some bad news. And some more bad news.)

Originally founded in 1992 by some of Marvel's biggest creators, Image was positioned as an independent alternative to mainstream superhero comics. And it was, for a while—before settling into a loooooong period of stasis. But something interesting started happening a few years ago: Following smash hits like The Walking Dead, Image became the place for comics' top talent, leaping over more established publishers to put out inventive, daring, creator-owned work. Too look over Image's current publishing lineup is to see an embarrassment of riches: There's still The Walking Dead, sure, but there's also Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' Saga, and Sex Criminals and Pretty Deadly and Bitch Planet and ODY-C from Kelly Sue DeConnick and Matt Fraction, plus the ongoing collaborations of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark's Lazarus, Joe Keatinge and Leila Del Duca's Shutter, Kurt Busiek and Benjamin Dewey's The Autumnlands.... I'm leaving out a lot.

Image's move would add even more comics to a city that's already rich in the art form—alongside publishers like Oni Press and Dark Horse Comics, Portland also has some of the best comics shops in the world, the insanely popular Rose City Comic Con, and a bunch of resident writers and artists (if my count is right, seven of the creators I mentioned above are currently living in the city). So: Portland might be about to get even more comics-y, right when it seemed like that wouldn't even be possible.

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Actually, StreetPass is good now ⊟

Five new StreetPass games out today: Feed Mii and Ninja Launcher by Prope, both of which are kind of self-explanatory; Market Crashers, about following Miis’ stock predictions, Mii Trek, which uses Miis’ step counts, and Slot Car Rivals.

You can get either Slot Car Rivals or Market Crashers for free, then get a discounted bundle of the rest for $9. 

OH, and the StreetPass Mii Plaza limit is changing from 10 at a time to 100!!!!!!!!! New features will also allow you to process new Miis and play games and stuff more quickly. What a time to be alive.

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An anonymous reader writes:The birthplace of Hewlett Packard and Xerox Parc and founding place of Facebook is now considering whether to enforce a zoning regulation banning firms whose "primary business is research and development, including software coding," according to the New York Times. As the Times wrote, "To repeat: The mayor is considering enforcing a ban on coding at ground zero of Silicon Valley." Palo Alto Mayor Patrick Burt told the Times: Big tech companies are choking off the downtown. It's not healthy. Palo Alto is a software capital. It has also become a company town, with Palantir Technologies renting 20 downtown buildings, as Marisa Kendall wrote. Other notable tech firms there include Tesla, SAP, Flipboard, VMWare and many others. It has become a center for automation and cars and is home to Ford's research and development center.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

An enraging gallery features more than 50 screenshots and messages showing people asking artists to do free work and sometimes getting angry and nasty when denied. It's good for your portfolio! You're getting paid in exposure! Why do artists only care about money? Most are taken from the excellent For Exposure twitter account, where more beauties are regularly posted. And then there's this classic from The Oatmeal.

We’re excited to announce that PlayStation Now is making the jump to Windows PC. The app launches overseas in parts of Europe soon and will come to North America shortly thereafter.

This will bring a wide selection of PlayStation exclusive titles to Windows PC for the very first time, including entries in the Uncharted, God of War, and Ratchet & Clank franchises, as well as beloved PS3 games like The Last of Us and Journey. Current subscribers have a new way to access PS Now’s library of over 400 games, and the PC app provides a new way for even more gamers to discover and play the service.

We’re also introducing a new device, the DualShock 4 USB Wireless Adaptor, which launches in early September for a suggested retail price of $24.99 ($29.99 CAD). This adaptor will let you connect a DualShock 4 to PC and Mac wirelessly, and will enable every feature of the controller you know and love: buttons, analog sticks, touch pad, light bar, motion sensors, vibration, and stereo headset jack – as long as the gaming application supports these features.

The adaptor is a great match for playing PS Now on a computer, but you can also use it for PS4 Remote Play on PC and Mac. If you haven’t yet downloaded Remote Play on your PC or Mac, grab the installer here. Of course, owning the USB Wireless Adaptor isn’t required, as you can connect a DualShock 4 using a USB cable.

Here are the recommended specs for running PS Now on your PC:

• Windows 7 (SP1), 8.1 or 10
• 3.5 GHz Intel Core i3 or 3.8 GHz AMD A10 or faster
• 300 MB or more; 2 GB or more of RAM
• Sound card; USB port

A minimum 5Mbps connection is required to use PS Now on any device. We recommend a wired Internet connection for the optimal experience.
We’ll be in touch to confirm the exact launch date of the PlayStation Now Windows PC app in North America, and stay tuned for some exciting games that will be added to the library.

For more info on PS Now, including the full library of games, visit: PSNow.com.

Bandai Namco announced in Japanese video game magazines this week that Dark Souls III is getting its first DLC on October 26. It’ll feature new weapons, new magic, and a PvP-exclusive map.

Read Dark Souls III First DLC Adds New Weapons, New Magic, And A PvP-Exclusive Map on Siliconera!

VH1 has ordered a new unscripted series that will star Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg, under the working title “Martha & Snoop’s Dinner Party.”

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by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey

If you love Adult Swim—home of such beloved adult cartoons as Robot Chicken, Rick and Morty, and The Venture Bros.—then prepare to poop your pants in glee... because the Adult Swim Drive-In Tour is coming to Portland! Just like the old drive-in theater places of yore, Adult Swim will be setting up a huge inflatable screen at Portland Meadows on September 17, 2016 and providing you with lots o' entertainment. WHAT SORT OF ENTERTAINMENT? Take it away, Adult Swim P.R. person!

Each stop of the five-week, 10-city national tour, brings an ultimate exclusive sneak peek at unaired episodes, never-before-seen pilots and specials, and loads of other Adult Swim favorites. Fans will also enjoy food trucks, free popcorn, concessions, games, and prizes. Vouchers for a free meal from one of the food trucks on-site will be handed out, while supplies last. Attendees can also bring their own picnic dinners, see the official site for more details.

Best of all, tickets are ABSOLUTELY FREE—though it's only for people 18 and over, and you must RSVP on the Adult Swim site.

So if you're interested in what will certainly be a fun (and free!) night of snacks and Adult Swim entertainment, RSVP and do it PDQ!

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On Reddit, Nephelus notes the shambolic and rather menacing state of the forthcoming Olympics in Rio. In honor of Zika, the disease that will spread like crazy once the tourists show up, they created this striking new logo. (more…)

For anyone who actually reads the post before watching the video, this video is NSFW. For everyone else, you should have read this post first.



See more: Yu-Gi-No!

What to do if you've just signed up to work in one of the most expensive real-estate markets in the world, with almost all of your net worth tied up in illiquid shares in your employer's company? Just ask a Silicon Valley bank for a 100% mortgage, which they'll cheerfully supply on 24 hours' notice, with all the "white-glove service" trappings you could ask for. (more…)

The Wall Street Journal reports that storytellers—people with a natural inclination to craft concise yet compelling narratives without rambling—were found to be hot by science. Feels good to be a writa.

The results were the same across all three studies: Women rated men who were good storytellers as more attractive and desirable as potential long-term partners. Psychologists believe this is because the man is showing that he knows how to connect, to share emotions and, possibly, to be vulnerable. He also is indicating that he is interesting and articulate and can gain resources and provide support.

“Storytelling is linked to the ability to be a good provider,” because a man is explaining what he can offer, says Melanie Green, an associate professor in the department of communication at the University at Buffalo and a researcher on the study. The men didn’t care whether the women were good storytellers, the research showed.

There is also a "how to" guide for nascent storytellers: master the technical basics, set aside time to practice, build a repertoire of basics, develop a relationship to tense, and get emotional.

Spotted via the sneering Gilfoyles of Hacker News, who seem fabulously angry about this for some reason.

In spring, 2015, American farmers started to spread the word that John Deere claimed that a notorious copyright law gave the company exclusive dominion over repairs to Deere farm-equipment, making it a felony (punishable by 5 years in prison and a $500K fine for a first offense) to fix your own tractor. (more…)

Mexican artist Mateo Pizarro draws these beautiful and insanely tiny illustrations using just a pencil. (via Juxtapoz)

An anonymous Slashdot reader writes: "We just came from Oracle, then we go to HP, Google; we're going to do Tesla, Intel, eBay and Yahoo. And Apple, I forgot Apple..." says one San Francisco resident, describing a tour he's providing for his friend from Tokyo. In fact, Silicon Valley's iconic tech companies have discovered tourists are now dropping in on their headquarters. "It was nice to walk between the buildings, take some pictures and see the employees enjoy their lunch break," wrote one visitor to Google's campus, before complaining that Google hadn't also provided them with bathroom access. "We got told not to use the Google bikes as they are for employees only, which was a bit of a shame," another visitor complained. "Hundreds of people a day visit the Facebook sign and Google's Android sculpture garden in Mountain View," reports the Bay Area Newsgroup, "with many stopping at other tech giants as well, snapping photos and shooting video..." In fact, Tesla, Apple, Facebook, and Google have all now installed stores where tourists can purchase branded merchandise. (Google sells figurines of their Android mascot for $15). "What you're seeing are people on a pilgrimage..." said Stanford communications professor Fred Turner. "Folks are looking for a physical place behind the kind of dematerialized experience that they have online." Intel has its own museum, and the Los Altos garage where Steve Jobs started Apple has even been designated a historic site. Are there any other historic tech sites that should be preserved to inspire future generations of tourists?

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Government at its finest.



See more: Overwatch in Real Life

In 1998, TranDirect Holdings created this video pitching an online home banking system that ran on Nintendo's Super NES. Ah, another 16-bit dream that didn't quite become real.

by Ben Coleman

Milkfed Criminal Masterminds, the creative headquarters of comic book rock stars Kelly Sue DeConnick (Bitch Planet, Captain Marvel) and Matt Fraction (Sex Criminals, Hawkeye), occupies an inconspicuous green house in the sort of shady suburban Portland neighborhood where you might conceivably find porn in a tree. Inside, the word "inconspicuous" doesn’t apply, but when you’re in the home of the author of a book called Bitch Planet, subtlety isn’t the order of the day.

In front of a wall of cerulean bookshelves loaded with comics and action figures, sprightly executive assistant Kit Cox assembles the team around the kitchen table while Fraction putters in the kitchen and DeConnick organizes colored pencils by hue. Along with Cox, the crew includes Managing Editor Lauren Sankovitch and "Majordomo" Wendy Klein, who manages most of the household duties. Here’s what DeConnick and Fraction told me about running their company, crossover appeal between their comics, and how compasses work.

On day-to-day operations at Milkfed Criminal Masterminds:
KELLY SUE DeCONNICK: It’s like a theater troupe. It takes a lot of people to get these books out the door. There are people who sit and do the whole thing themselves, top to bottom. Those people don’t live in my house.

MATT FRACTION: We were lucky enough to get to a place where we could hire these three amazing, competent, capable people to help us run our lives both professionally and personally, so we could not just be the writers we wanted to be, but the parents we wanted to be.

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Just look at these poor wretched souls trapped in the shopping hell… Women truly are the most cruel creatures in the world.

(source)

Every July 4, Cabel Sasser photographs the artwork used to sell that year's crop of Independence Day fireworks, which are a graphic design sub-genre that reflects pop culture sensibilities and the national mood. (more…)

turkeydance quotes a report from Daily Mail: A Japanese sex festival was over prematurely as herds of virtual porn fans caused overcrowding fears. Streams of locals were looking to get their hands on the latest inventions from the adult entertainment industry in the first festival of its kind -- the Adult VR Fest 01 in the Akihabara region of Tokyo. But fans of virtual reality porn, which re-enacts sex and other acts using a blend of simulation headsets, male-friendly sex toys and other gadgets, were left disappointed as the event was shut down due to unprecedented popularity. A Japanese reporter told VR Talk: "For those who did get to go inside, excitement ran wild. I'm not entirely sure if the same thing would happen in the U.S., but VR porn enthusiasts rushed to have a go at some of the latest virtual reality gadgets." About 20 fans were able to make it inside, but the event was reportedly called off due to the unsettling crowds gathered outside. VR Talk also reported that Google searches for the phrase 'VR Porn' have soared nearly 10,000%.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.