Andrew

Come with me, if you will, back to 2009: the ninth year of the third millennium and the year Owl City released its hit song “Fireflies.” “Fireflies” eventually reached the No. 1 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, in part because it presented the world with a new scientific conundrum: can fireflies hug?

Here’s the lyric that started it: “Cause I'd get a thousand hugs / From ten thousand lightning bugs / As they tried to teach me how to dance.” Yesterday, Owl City’s Adam Young attempted to explain his lyrics, in response to a fan who asked on Twitter, “Does each firefly hug you 1,000 times or do only 1/10th of the bugs give you a hug?”

Young...

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Stop motion film is a way to bring to life inanimate objects. It’s totally fascinating, but also an incredibly painstaking process to complete. Brett Foxwell is no stranger to this, and is known for great feats in photographic animation.

In his latest film, titled WoodSwimmer, Foxwell slowly cuts away thin slices from wood. With each slice, he takes a high resolution photograph.

Stitching these together into a stop motion film, he creates mesmerising, hypnotic patterns from the shapes and colours within the wood. The journey through each piece of wood is a rapid, ever-changing one in this animation.

Foxwell is known for other films such as Fabricated, an undertaking that took 10 years to complete and follows the life of a metal dinosaur.

“This is a deep scan of both the material of wood and the time embedded in its structure,” says Foxwell. “It was a challenging technique to perfect, but once I did, I was able to shoot short sequences that move the camera through samples of hardwood, burls and branches.”

The results are beautiful abstracts. “In the twisting growth rings and the swirling rays, a new universe is revealed.”

(via bfophoto via FStoppers)

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From Crying Dawson to Homer in the Bushes.

The GIF is now 30 years old, but it already feels immortal — possibly because it’s already outlasted the internet’s most turbulent periods of evolution. And as we consider the legacy of the internet’s greatest file format, we must pause to recognize a special category of GIF that’s left an indelible mark on social media: the reaction GIF.

The internet would appear to have many, many, many candidates for “greatest GIF of all time,” but it’s undeniable that some reaction GIFs are so ubiquitous that the average internet user can likely picture them simply from reading a description. When you can shorthand “blinking white guy” and have people understand exactly which blinking white guy you’re talking about, your reaction GIF has reached peak internet saturation.

Here are Vox’s choices for the most iconic reaction GIFs on the internet — ranked by order of necessity to our lives, from occasionally essential to can’t-use-the-internet-without-them.

16) lol nothing matters

Origin: Tumblr word art artist Cat Frazier made this GIF in 2012. And many people thought it summed up the national zeitgeist then.

When to use it: Whenever the state of the world or the news or your life or anything else makes you feel like absolutely nothing matters anymore.

15) Homer slowly backing away

Origin: This iconic awkward Simpsons moment appears in season five, episode 16, “Homer Loves Flanders”; it’s Homer’s reaction to finding out that the Flanders family wants some non-Homer time to themselves.

When to use: You’ve walked into an awkward situation, or just stumbled upon a major internet can of worms that you’d prefer not to open.

14) Leo DiCaprio’s Gatsby

Origin: 2013’s The Great Gatsby was a sumptuous visual feast, but this meme-orable moment has transcended its context to become an all-purpose reaction for the ages.

When to use it: Whenever you want to toast or congratulate someone on the internet — either ironically or sincerely.

13) Obama’s mic drop

Origin: When President Obama finished his remarks at his final White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2016, he literally dropped the mic.

When to use it: Whenever you need to drop the mic, make a killer exit, or end on a high note.

12) How do you do, Fellow Kids?

Origin: Steve Buscemi’s 2009 guest appearance in 30 Rock’s fourth season led to this timeless moment — timeless because, for as long as the world continues to turn, old and uncool adults will continue to flail while attempting to connect with Today’s Youth.

When to use it: Whenever an Old is attempting to blend in with the Youngs. Warning: Using this GIF while Old may not actually make you appear more hip.

11) Blinking white guy

Origin: One of the newest additions to the reaction GIF canon has been everywhere this year. The blinking white guy in question is gamer Drew Scanlon, and the meme is his priceless reaction in 2013 to a fellow gamer’s casual description of “farming with my hoe.” (Admit it: You like it even more now that you know this.)

When to use it: Whenever Nathan Fillion’s speechlessness (see #6) just isn’t quite enough to convey your level of speechlessness.

10) James Van Der Beek Is Crying

Origin: This is actually a pivotal moment for Dawson’s Creek fans — it’s the season three finale, “True Love,” and the decisive moment comes when our (controversial) hero, Dawson, loses it over his realization that the girl he loves would be better off with her much healthier soul mate ... who isn’t him.

The famous moment reportedly wasn’t scripted — Van Der Beek–as–Dawson was just that upset. According to Vox’s own teen drama expert Constance Grady, “the fandom really hated Dawson and hardcore shipped Joey/Pacey, so there was a lot of schadenfreude in that moment where he essentially ‘lost’” — all of which helped catapult this GIF to perennial meme status.

When to use it: When you just can’t hold back your emotions or want to sarcastically overreact — or, if you’re feeling particularly mean, mock someone else’s overreaction to whatever situation is at hand.

9) Kermit flail

Origin: Jim Henson’s most famous Muppet is known for his frequent flailing jags on The Muppet Show, and this GIF captures the height of that tendency.

When to use it: When your excitement just can’t be contained.

8) The cool walk

Origin: It took seven seasons of Mad Men for Peggy Olson to amass the confidence and life experience required to make her famous penultimate-episode hallway walk a viral moment — but actress Elisabeth Moss sold every step, incidentally sauntering into internet history.

When to use it: This GIF is usually read as a mic drop moment, even though Peggy is technically entering her new office for the first time. Use it whenever you want to make an exit and leave ’em wanting more, or react to someone doing likewise.

7) The slow clap

Origin: Orson Welles determinedly applauding the critically panned opera debut of his mistress, as the title character in the classic 1941 film Citizen Kane.

When to use it: This GIF is tricky because, while its subject is fiercely clapping, contextually we know that the target of his applause is objectively Not Great, Bob. If you’re committed to a contextual reading, you should save this GIF for times when you’re mocking someone who’s standing alone in their commitment to an unwise idea. But if you just want to declare your unwavering support for someone online, go forth and slow clap them all the way home.

6) Speechless Nathan Fillion

Origin: This famous GIF features actor Nathan Fillion in Castle’s title role, and comes specifically from the 2009 episode “Love Me Dead.” The hour sees Castle rendered momentarily speechless after his daughter tells him she wants to go to college overseas.

When to use it: Whenever someone leaves you at a loss for words — and usually not in a good way.

5) Supa Hot Fire’s ultimate rap battle win

Origin: Satirical rapper Supa Hot Fire bested upstart challenger B-Bone in 2011 in one of the greatest parody rap battle videos on YouTube.

When to use it: In context, the reactions from the fans surrounding Supa are meant to be over the top. Out of context, their hysteria provides the perfect reaction GIF for that moment when you’re overwhelmed by the ultimate diss, mic drop, witty bon mot, or other supremely badass event.

4) We were all rooting for you!

Origin: Tyra Banks’s unexpected eruption at an America’s Next Top Model contestant who just wasn’t cutting it in 2005 went viral and became a famous reality TV moment — a reaction GIF before the reaction GIF really existed.

When to use it: Whenever someone disappoints you, and the internet collectively, as they inevitably will because life isn’t fair.

3) Simon Cowell is happy for once

Origin: Simon Cowell’s viral reaction to hearing Susan Boyle sing for the first time on The X Factor in 2009 captured a rare moment when the famously hard-to-impress reality host experienced unexpected bliss.

When to use it: Whenever a blissful ray of pure, unfiltered delight punctures your dark and cynical soul.

2) Surprise! Everything is on fire.

Origin: The 2012 episode of Community that spawned this GIF was nominated for an Emmy, and this “everything is on fire” moment is even funnier in the context of the scene it’s part of.

When to use it: Whenever you’ve briefly stepped away from something and returned to find chaos ensuing, drama unfolding, or madness happening — or whenever you think you may have entered the Darkest Timeline.

1) Popcorn.gif (Michael Jackson eating popcorn)

Origin: This GIF is so ubiquitous that internet users will often simply write “popcorn.gif” as shorthand for sharing the actual image, which hails from Michael Jackson eating popcorn in a scene from the 1982 video for “Thriller.” It’s fitting that one of the most famous pop songs ever written has also produced the internet’s most recognizable and all-purpose reaction GIF.

When to use it: Whenever there’s a debate, someone’s making an ass of themselves, or in general something entertaining is happening online. So basically, anywhere and everywhere.

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Contrary to what you (or your trainer) might believe, endorphins aren’t responsibly for that giddy exuberance you feel after a long run. What is associated with the sought-after feeling is something that gets you actually high: cannabis.

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There are few things in life more frustrating than tangled cords and rope, and you may run into both during a photo shoot. In under 5 minutes, this video from PremiumBeat will teach you how to properly wrap your cables to keep them tidy and save time.

The “Over and Under” method is a tried-and-true method for organizing cables that audio and video technicians use daily. It works best with longer cables, and can be done either left- or right-handed.

As the video explains, you may need to ‘retrain’ your cables if they have developed kinks or loops. To prepare them, just lay them out in the sun for a few hours. For rope, soak it in water first and then lay it out in the same way.

Now, the method. It’s easier to see this in motion, so check the gif below or the full video at the top. Basically, you want to grab your cable and create an overhand loop, then flip it and create an underhand loop. By repeating this, the cable will coil in to a nice circle.

Once you have your neat circle, secure it with a velcro tie or string. It’s better to secure it at the male end of the cable, so it won’t interfere with the equipment you’re plugging it in to.

Here’s an extra tip, since you made it this far: you can store the neatly coiled cable in a large bucket, which will help it keep shape and make transport easier.

(via PremiumBeat via Fstoppers)

Skyrim may be making a very-belated debut on Nintendo Switch, but when it does launch it’ll have at least a few notable additions in the form of gear pulled straight from Nintendo’s own The Legend of Zelda series. As you explore Bethesda’s open-world fantasy role-playing game, you’ll be able to make your hero look like Link in Breath of the Wild, and you can even wield the iconic Master Sword to take down foes. Unfortunately, it’s unclear whether or not you’ll be able to dress up as Tingle as well.

Skyrim is coming to Switch later this fall.

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Republican lawmakers in Kansas put an end to the state’s failed tax-reform experiment on Tuesday, overriding the governor’s veto after three attempts to pass a tax-hiking bill this year.

The new law raises income and business taxes closer to pre-reform levels — a move Republicans had been resisting for years. But pressure had been mounting to do something. The drastic tax cuts enacted five years ago left the state in a fiscal mess, unable to balance its budget and properly fund its public schools.

Gov. Sam Brownback’s signature tax reform closely mirrors the tax plan that President Donald Trump is trying to get through Congress. In fact, they were designed by the same supply-side economists.

While the new Kansas law doesn’t roll back all the elements of the tax plan, it eliminates most of them, including the most controversial one: the zero tax rate for owner-operated businesses. The change was intended to spur business investment and expansion, but instead, it created massive tax avoidance, according to researchers.

The fate of Kansas’s tax experiment provides many clues about what could happen if Congress goes along with Trump’s vision for tax reform.

Economic growth predictions were wrong

In 2012, Brownback pushed through aggressive tax cuts very similar to what Trump wants Congress to do. The state increased the standard deduction and lowered taxes on corporations, individuals, and owner-operated businesses. Like Trump, Brownback insisted that the cuts would unleash so much economic growth that the government would make up the lost revenue. The cuts were supposed to give the economy “a shot of adrenaline,” as Brownback put it at the time.

Instead, the Kansas economy tanked. For two years in a row, the state’s credit rating has been downgraded because of its budget problems. Job creation and economic growth is far below the national average. The state is facing a budget shortfall of about $889 million in the next two years.

How did this happen? According to economists, one major factor was that Brownback’s plan eliminated taxes on owner-operated businesses, known as pass-throughs. Brownback promised this would kick-start economic growth by encouraging business owners to reinvest the extra money and expand their businesses.

Instead — according to new research from economists at the University of South Carolina, Indiana University, and the US Treasury Department — it led to serious tax avoidance.

The researchers analyzed federal tax returns for more than 1 million taxpayers in Kansas and four bordering states — Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Nebraska — in the two years before the tax reform went into effect in 2013, and two years after.

If Brownback’s theory had been right, the tax returns would have shown that business in Kansas was booming.

“The initial expectation was that lowering the tax rate would increase business activity,” says Jason DeBacker, an economics professor at the University of South Carolina and the lead author of the study. “You might see people earning more income or businesses expanding in employment or investment. But there was little or nothing of that going on.”

The analysis showed that while reported business income did go up, it was mostly from people who previously earned wages from an employer (in a W-2 tax form), and later reported earnings from the same employer as contract business income (in a 1099 tax form).

In other words, people were gaming a particular aspect of the new system. Owner-operated businesses are treated differently by the tax code than other businesses. Instead of the business paying corporate taxes on the profits, the owners pay individual income taxes on them. (Income you make as profit from a business you own is known as “pass-through income.”)

But Brownback got rid of the tax on pass-through income. So there was suddenly a big incentive for people to find a way to reclassify their income as business income. If you were an engineer working for a company, you’d pay individual income taxes on the money you made. But if you were a self-employed freelance engineer — a one-person business — who contracted with the company instead, you’d pay zero income taxes.

And that’s exactly what happened. Businesses did not expand and invest more as a result of the tax savings, the report says, though it was linked to a slight increase in wages. Instead, the research suggests it just led to widespread tax avoidance. People found ways to get paid for the same jobs they were already doing but paid much less in taxes.

The consequences were big. Economists believe tax avoidance was responsible for about 1.7 percent of the 8 percent drop in revenue for the state the year after the reform was enacted.

Kansas is struggling to balance its budget

Moderate Republican lawmakers in Kansas are now in open rebellion, scrambling to find ways to roll back the tax cuts as the state looks for ways to balance its budget.

In recent years, lawmakers raised sales taxes and cigarette taxes to help balance the budget — a move that places a larger burden on low-income families. They also slightly reduced the tax deduction people can claim for mortgage interest and property tax payments. But even those moves weren’t enough to fill the state’s budget hole.

The budget crisis has collided with a long-running battle over public school funding. The state’s public schools are shouldering the burden of the state’s budget crisis, with $44.5 million cut from public education in 2015 alone.

The state was already tied up in a legal battle over school funding before Brownback took office. In March, the state Supreme Court ruled that funding for public schools was unconstitutionally low. The Court gave the state a June 30 deadline to find a new way to finance public education to close the achievement gap between white, affluent students and students who are ethnic minorities or poor.

Lawmakers have been struggling to come up with the money, which has increased pressure to roll back some of Brownback’s tax cuts.

Brownback and Trump got advice from the same economists

Trump and Brownback don’t have the exact same vision of tax reform — Trump doesn’t want to cut all taxes on pass-through businesses. The impact on the federal government would be different, though, because lawmakers in Washington, DC, aren’t required to balance the federal budget: They can borrow more money and add to the deficit. However, Republicans have signaled that they plan to pass tax reform through the budget reconciliation process, which means the tax cuts can’t add to the deficit after 10 years. This tool will allow Republicans to pass a bill with a slim majority (no Democrats needed).

Still, both plans have the same overall structure, because Trump and Brownback both got tax policy advice from the same two economists: Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore.

Laffer was an economic adviser for President Ronald Reagan and now runs an economic research and consulting firm in Tennessee. Moore is an economist at the Heritage Foundation.

For decades, these two supply-side economists have been pushing the notion that cutting taxes unleashes incredible economic growth. Both were the architects of the Kansas tax experiment, and both helped Trump craft the tax plan he touted during his campaign (which is nearly identical to the one he released last week).

Last month, they co-authored an editorial in the New York Times, urging Republicans to stop worrying about how much money the government will lose from cutting taxes.

President Trump and Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House, should stop insisting on “revenue neutrality.” In the short term, the bill will add to the deficit. But President Trump’s tax bill, like those of Presidents Ronald Reagan and John Kennedy, should be a tax cut, and it should be sold to the American people as such.

Toward the end of their editorial, they added this: “If we are right that tax cuts will spur the economy, then the faster economic growth as a result of the bill will bring down the deficit.”

Mainstream economist do not share their idea that tax cuts will be so good for the economy that they will flood government coffers with more money. While some economic growth often happens as a result of cutting taxes, it’s not enough to make tax cuts pay for themselves, as Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin suggests.

Earlier this year, the editorial board at the Kansas City Star warned Trump not to repeat the same mistakes that Kansas did. It was strikingly different from the op-ed written by the economists who helped craft both plans:

“We do not oppose tax reform. Paying federal taxes is too complicated and too distorted by tax breaks for special interests. Taxes at all levels should be simple, low, broad and fair. But the president isn’t just proposing tax reform. He also wants a trickle-down tax cut for the wealthy. Kansans know how this story ends.”

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The beloved TV host on love, peace, and why you're special.

Fred Rogers, host of the beloved Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, used television for good.

I've written at length about the wonders of Rogers's public television program and his tireless advocacy for the idea that television could be used to reach children and make them feel special, to make them feel okay. But he didn't just appeal to kids. There was something about his direct, kind approach that spoke to adults as well. Consider the way Joan Rivers found herself unexpectedly moved during an appearance by Rogers on The Tonight Show.

Rogers understood that on some level all any of us wants is to know that we're okay. And because he was so good at seeming to believe everybody was, indeed, okay, he could connect with our need for empathy and hope.

A Presbyterian minister born on March 20, 1928 — he would have been 88 years old today — the late Rogers was a real argument for the good religion can do in the world when it lives up to its best possible self. But he never really played up this side of his personality, choosing instead to work on boosting the self-esteem of the kids who watched his show. (After his death, he was called — jokingly, but as part of a larger segment about how his notions had harmed kids' work ethics — an "evil man" by the hosts of Fox and Friends because of this.)

Sadly, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is no longer on the air, but Rogers's legacy lives on, in the form of clips and full episodes available on streaming (currently on Amazon Prime). And for the next several weeks, a marathon of the complete series is running on the streaming site Twitch. Go back and watch a few, especially if you're having a rough, frustrating day. You'll be surprised at how involving the show is, how peaceful and serene. There's never been anything else like it in the history of television, and there likely won't ever be again.

But Rogers left us with lots and lots of quotes summing up his core philosophies. I've collected nine of my favorites below.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes are from 1995's You Are Special and 2003's The World According to Mister Rogers. The latter, in particular, is a great read, as is 1996's Dear Mister Rogers, a collection of children's letters to the host.

Mister Rogers on why he likes you

When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.

"It's You I Like" is, next to the Mister Rogers Neighborhood theme song, probably the most famous tune Rogers ever composed for the show. It's also the one that reduces Rivers to tears in the clip above.

Mister Rogers on where to turn during tragedy

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."

Though Rogers was deeply religious, he never attempted to argue that tragedy was part of God's plan for the world or anything similar. Instead, he aimed to keep our eyes turned toward the good things humanity is capable of, which are often in much greater evidence than the bad.

Mister Rogers on love

Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like "struggle." To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.

By far the most important aspect of Rogers's philosophy is the idea that you have to work to keep loving and caring about someone. It's not a thing that happens once and then ceases. It's a constant, lifelong process.

Mister Rogers on caring for others around you

If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.

A lot of what Rogers talks about in his books and on his TV show sounds very much like the so-called Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Mister Rogers on civic duty

We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say "It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem." Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes. [Source.]

Rogers believed deeply that other people's problems were also, on some level, his problems. He was careful to take the time to meet with as many fans as possible when he was out in public. For more on this, read this beautiful profile of the man by Tom Junod.

Mister Rogers on change

Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else.

The concept of hope was incredibly important to Rogers, who spent many an episode of his show trying to help children see past the big, scary thing right in front of them, be it divorce or the bathtub drain, in favor of what might be coming down the line.

Mister Rogers on peace

Peace means far more than the opposite of war.

Peace, like love or like hope, is an action one can take, something that can be done, not just something that might arrive.

Mister Rogers on solitude

Solitude is different from loneliness, and it doesn't have to be a lonely kind of thing.

Most episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood open with long sequences where it's just him, talking directly to the camera, in a very calm, soft, still voice. They project a sense of tranquility that feels a little dreamlike, which is probably why the show was so successful. Most of today's kids' TV blasts you; Rogers understood that kids also like to be soothed now and then.

Mister Rogers on God

I believe that human beings are God's vessels of mystery and beauty. [Source]

Though Rogers maintained a deep, unwavering Christian faith, he was most interested in the expression of the divine through the most mundane thing imaginable — other human beings.

Notably, Rogers was a vegetarian who kept to a strict diet and never drank or smoked. He also refused to condemn homosexuality, even when doing so would have been more in line with the American mainstream, because he felt everybody was, in some way, a reflection of God.

I have struggled, throughout my life, with belief, but the times when I've seen the best evidence for something divine haven't involved sunsets or other miraculous natural displays. No, they've been moments where humans are kind to other humans, even when they don't need to be, when people go out of their way to help, even when there's no reason. Is that because I watched a lot of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood growing up? I don't know — but I like to think it might be.

Great interactive feature by Farhad Manjoo for The New York Times:

Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft and Alphabet, the parent company of Google, are not just the largest technology companies in the world. As I’ve argued repeatedly in my column, they are also becoming the most powerful companies of any kind, essentially inescapable for any consumer or business that wants to participate in the modern world. But which of the Frightful Five is most unavoidable? I ponder the question in my column this week.

But what about you? If an evil monarch forced you to choose, in what order would you give up these inescapable giants of tech?

Great question. I love thought exercises.

My order (from first dropped to last):

1. Facebook. I love Instagram, but could live without it. I don’t use anything else Facebook offers.

2. Microsoft. The only Microsoft product I use regularly is Skype, for podcasting, and I suspect I could find another solution. (If I couldn’t, I might have to rethink my answer here.)

3. Amazon. I buy stuff from Amazon almost every week. I just counted — 11 orders so far in 2017. My wife buys stuff from Amazon even more frequently. But just about anything we buy at Amazon, we could buy elsewhere. It’d be painful to replace, but not irreplaceable. There are a couple of shows exclusive to Amazon Prime that I enjoy, but none that I love.

4. Alphabet. I already use DuckDuckGo as my default search engine, so giving up Google search would be frustrating at times, but not a deal breaker. I use a few email accounts backed by Gmail, but I actually dislike Gmail, and have been procrastinating on moving all my mail to FastMail for years. I despise Google Docs. I don’t use any Android devices other than as a curiosity. I greatly prefer Safari over Chrome. YouTube, however, is irreplaceable, and so essential that it pretty much singlehandedly catapults Alphabet to #4 in my list.

5. Apple. I mean, come on. If not for Apple I’d be stuck using computers I don’t like and a phone that I consider a distant second-best. With all the other companies on the list, what I’d miss most are certain of their services — Instagram, Skype, Amazon’s store, YouTube — but Apple is the only company in the world whose hardware I consider irreplaceable. And you need the hardware to make best use of the services from any other companies. And that doesn’t even touch upon Apple’s crown jewels: the MacOS and iOS software platforms.

Avid Verge readers will know of my frustration with Apple's unsatisfying MacBook Pro update late last year. It was an anticlimactic end to a prolonged wait for users of MacBook Pro and Air laptops alike, and it led many of us to grow curious about how far the Windows alternatives had evolved in that time. The design, displays, and versatility of Windows laptops have all improved in major ways, but one of the final hurdles that kept many like myself attached to their macOS habit was the abundance of great utility apps. Well, I followed The Verge's own advice and used a set of apps to recreate my MacBook experience on a Windows laptop, and you know what, I'm kind of loving this new world I'm living in.

Wox

My MVA (Most Valuable App) on the...

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The Roadie Tuner is one of those feel-good Kickstarter success stories that makes the whole experiment worth it. It's a quirky solution to a common problem, and it actually shipped to its backers! The tuner works by pairing with a smartphone to listen to the string you're plucking, and then robotically rotating your instrument's tuning peg until the string is in tune. It didn't change the world, but it worked well and removed some of the stress of the tuning process.

Now Roadie is back for round two, and this time it's leaving the smartphone behind. There's a built-in screen on the Roadie 2, which lets you select the tuning you're going for, and there's also a built-in microphone. Roadie 2 can additionally read the vibrations of your...

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If you are a fan of nugget ice, also known as “Sonic ice” or “that good ice,” then I have some fairly exciting news for you. Thanks to the brilliant minds at FirstBuild, you can now get your teeth on some without having to leave your very comfortable home. The counter-top ice make is called The Opal, and it’s pretty…

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Wiley Werewolf. Hardy Heron. Saucy Salamander. There’s no doubt about it: Ubuntu has the best release names in the business. (Sorry, Android.) Ever since 2004, each new version of the Linux-based OS has come with an alliterative code name, comprised of one adjective and one animal. Now, 12 years after the fun started, Canonical has finally reached the end of the alphabet, releasing Ubuntu version 17.04 Zesty Zapus.

The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted that 17 versions isn’t enough to cover every letter of the alphabet, but the first three releases weren’t in alphabetical order. The first, version 4.10, was named Warty Warthog, followed by versions 5.04 (Hoary Hedgehog) and 5.10 (Breezy Badger). It wasn’t until Ubuntu 6.06 Dapper...

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Taking a brief break from his controversial plans to roll back net neutrality rules, FCC chief Ajit Pai today announced a proposal that would keep cellphone calls banned from US flights.

In 2013, the FCC considered relaxing rules from the 1990s that banned voice calls from planes. In proposing the change, the FCC, led by Tom Wheeler, suggested that the ban was technologically unfounded, and in a 3–2 vote, the agency opened up the plan for public comment.

But as USA Today points out, the plan was met with a wave of scorn from travelers, who enjoyed the silence during flights. The Transportation Department received similarly acrimonious comments about the plan, and last year floated a proposal that...

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There are 27 different blending modes in Photoshop, and unless you’re a real retouching junkie, chances are good you haven’t explored each and every one of them in detail. But have no fear, to paraphrase an old Apple ad, “there’s a [YouTube tutorial] for that.”

Jesus Ramirez of the Photoshop Training Channel has put together a comprehensive video walkthrough of all 27 blending modes in Photoshop. This is an indispensable resource for retouching beginners, and will probably come in very useful for almost anybody who uses Photoshop.

Ramirez isn’t shy about how comprehensive this guide is: he calls it “the last blending modes guide you will ever need,” and we’re tempted to agree with him. In 41 minutes he dives into each mode, explaining how it works and how to use it. We’ll give you a very basic breakdown below, but we highly suggest you click play on the video above for a deeper dive.

Finally, you can go even deeper in Ramirez’ full Mastering Color course that this video is pulled from.

Blending modes, in case you don’t know, take the pixels of a selected blend layer and “blend” them in a specific way with the pixels of some base layer. There are 27 layer blending modes in all, plus 2 more that are only available on the paint tools, and 1 more for layer groups.

For this tutorial Ramirez focused on the 27 main modes, found in the Layers panel to the left of Opacity. We’ll cover the 6 categories these 27 are contained in below, and let you dive deeper into each mode through the video:

1. Normal

This category contains the ‘Normal’ and ‘Dissolve’ blend modes, which are really misnomers because they do not blend pixels. These modes simply chose what to reveal based on opacity. Normal reduces the opacity of the blend layer all at once, while Dissolve reduces opacity of the blend layer in a “diffuse dither pattern” that looks like static.

2. Darken

The blend modes in this category leave the darkest pixels of the blend layer alone, while making the lighter pixels translucent. White pixels will disappear entirely, and the darker the pixel in the blend layer, the greater its darkening effect on the base layer.

3. Lighten

This category is essentially the exact opposite of the Darken category. Dark pixels will become translucent while lighter pixels will exert an ever greater ‘lightening’ effect on the base layer.

4. Contrast

The blending modes in this category use complementary blending modes to create contrast by lightening and darkening the base layer. Colors that are lighter than 50% gray will be brightened with a lightening blending mode, while colors that are darker than 50% gray will be darkened with a … you guessed it … darkening blending mode.

All of the blending modes in Contrast except Hard Mix turn 50% gray transparent.

5. Inversion

This category’s blend modes combine layers based on their differences.

The name of the blend mode gives a hint of what it will do. Difference sets the resulting pixel to the value of the difference between the blend layer pixel and the base layer pixel, Subtract subtracts blend layer pixel values from the base layer pixels, etc.

6. Component

The final blending category is Component. The blending modes in this category use different combinations of Hue, Saturation, and Luminosity to blend the base and blend layers.

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As we mentioned above, you really want to watch this video to dive into each mode in detail. And if you like what you see, definitely check out more videos by Jesus and the Photoshop Training Channel on YouTube.

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Problems have arisen when the store is crowded.

When I asked Target’s chief information and digital officer about Amazon’s new store of the future in January, he smiled.

“I’m kind of skeptical,” the executive, Mike McNamara, said in an interview at an industry trade show that day.

Just a month earlier, Amazon had unveiled a video touting a new store in Seattle — called Amazon Go — with no cashiers and no checkout lines. In their place, a tech cocktail of cameras and sensors would work together to automatically bill customers on the way out.

But McNamara, who spent 17 years at the British grocer Tesco prior to Target, said the concept had been around for more than a decade.

“It’s 14 years later,” he said, “and we’re still probably 14 years away.”

Well, Amazon is still trying to get Store No. 1 right. Recode previously reported that the technology required help behind the scenes from humans, in cases where the computers weren’t sure about which item a person grabbed.

And, on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company won’t open the first store, in Seattle, by the end of this month like the company had originally planned. The store is currently only open to Amazon employees; Amazon has said it would open to the public in “early 2017.”

For now, it turns out the store’s technology can’t handle crowds.

Amazon has run into problems tracking more than about 20 people in the store at one time, as well as the difficulty of keeping tabs on an item if it has been moved from its specific spot on the shelf, according to the people.

It’s tempting to say that the delay is a stark reminder for Amazon of the challenges it will face expanding its expertise in online retail to physical retail. But it’s really more a reflection of the home-run swing Amazon is taking with the system it has developed for the Go store — something it has dubbed Just Walk Out Technology.

McNamara left open the possibility that Amazon could pull off the idea at a single location — “I’m quite happy for them to take the lead and, if it works, I’m quite happy to copy them” — but he said any serious rollout of the idea would be difficult and cost-prohibitive.

He’s not alone; several retail executives expressed similar skepticism to me in private conversations since the original December announcement.

If Amazon can get it working — yes, still a big “if” — it can be employed in all types of settings beyond just Go stores. Industry sources have speculated the tech could move to Amazon Books stores, of which there are currently five with five more on the way. There has also been speculation that Amazon could license the systems to other retailers.

But first, Amazon needs to get the initial store right. Until then, retailers can keep telling themselves something they haven’t been able to say about Amazon in a long time: “Told ya so.”

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Google is removing the ability to send and receive SMS messages from its Hangouts service in May, according to an email sent to its G Suite administrators. The email, posted in its entirety on Reddit, says that Google will cut the option from the app on May 22nd, and will prompt users to find a new default messaging service beforehand.

Users of Hangouts’ Android app will see a message from March 27th informing them of the upcoming removal of SMS functions. If they have another chat app installed, Hangouts will ask them to select it as the default; if they don’t, the app will direct them to the Google Play Store to find a new alternative. For Google Voice users, it’s a little more...

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If you take a drive down the Gene Autry Trail in California sometime before April 30th, you’ll run into an unusual set of billboards. Rather than ads, you’re greeted by a landscape photograph that, for a fleeting moment as you drive by, will blend perfectly into the mountains in the distance.

Called Visible Distance, the billboards are actually an art installation by Jennifer Bolande, part of an outdoor exhibition of art installations for the not-for-profit charitable organization Desert X. Using photos by Lance Gerber, Bolande created a drive-by installation that turns the very concept of the billboard on its head.

“…at a certain point as one approaches each billboard, perfect alignment with the horizon will occur thus reconnecting the space that the rectangle of the billboard has interrupted,” explains the project description. “Within the desert empire of roadside signs, Bolande chooses to advertise the very thing so often overlooked. Looking up at the billboards our attention is drawn back to the landscape itself, pictured here as a stuttering kineasthetic of real and artificial horizons.”

Scroll down to see all the installations for yourself:

To learn more about Desert X, Visible Distance, or any of the other art installations created for the non-profit, visit the organization’s website by clicking here.

(via designboom via Fstoppers)

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Image credits: Photographs by Lance Gerber, courtesy of the artist and Desert X.

Bay leaves are the dryer sheets of the kitchen. I know that they do something, I’m just not entirely sure what it is, and I don’t really miss them when I run out. Yet I keep buying them, because this what humans that cook do. They buy bay leaves and put them in things.

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Is It Down Right Now, a website that tells you when websites are down, is down right now. With Is It Down Right Now down, you will be unable to learn what other websites are down — at least until it’s back up. At this time it’s not clear when Is It Down Right Now will be back up.

Like many websites, Is It Down Right Now has been affected by the partial failure of Amazon’s S3 hosting platform, which is down right now. While we can’t tell you everything that is down right now, some things that are down right now include Trello, Quora, IFTTT, and Church Web, which built your church’s website.

For other outages you would be able to tell that these websites were down by visiting Is It Down Right Now. But, as we mentioned earlier, Is It Down...

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Google's researchers specifically cited Git when they announced a new SHA-1 attack vector, according to ZDNet. "The researchers highlight that Linus Torvald's code version-control system Git 'strongly relies on SHA-1' for checking the integrity of file objects and commits. It is essentially possible to create two Git repositories with the same head commit hash and different contents, say, a benign source code and a backdoored one,' they note." Saturday morning, Linus responded: First off - the sky isn't falling. There's a big difference between using a cryptographic hash for things like security signing, and using one for generating a "content identifier" for a content-addressable system like git. Secondly, the nature of this particular SHA1 attack means that it's actually pretty easy to mitigate against, and there's already been two sets of patches posted for that mitigation. And finally, there's actually a reasonably straightforward transition to some other hash that won't break the world - or even old git repositories... The reason for using a cryptographic hash in a project like git is because it pretty much guarantees that there is no accidental clashes, and it's also a really really good error detection thing. Think of it like "parity on steroids": it's not able to correct for errors, but it's really really good at detecting corrupt data... if you use git for source control like in the kernel, the stuff you really care about is source code, which is very much a transparent medium. If somebody inserts random odd generated crud in the middle of your source code, you will absolutely notice... It's not silently switching your data under from you... And finally, the "yes, git will eventually transition away from SHA1". There's a plan, it doesn't look all that nasty, and you don't even have to convert your repository. There's a lot of details to this, and it will take time, but because of the issues above, it's not like this is a critical "it has to happen now thing". In addition, ZDNet reports, "Torvalds said on a mailing list yesterday that he's not concerned since 'Git doesn't actually just hash the data, it does prepend a type/length field to it', making it harder to attack than a PDF... Do we want to migrate to another hash? Yes. Is it game over for SHA-1 like people want to say? Probably not."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.