iokevins

Nicole Brauer's The Guardian is a dreamlike adventure about a boy with a girl's name who feels compelled to leave the village where he is shunned. I love both the Shadow of The Colossus-inspired design and the fact that your sprite is a single pixel seen from afar—like my own TinyHack, but backed by beautiful artwork and effective storytelling. Kevin McLeod's ominous music ties the mood together.

No matter how well you tie your shoes, be it with extreme speed or perfect balance, the laces inevitably come undone now and again. Lock Laces eliminates the problem of loose laces so you never have to tie your shoes again. More »

Lost Last Hurrahs Of #Menswear 1.

Royal Mail workplace posters, 1970s.

The post Clothing for Portraits – How to Tell your Subjects What to Wear appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darlene Hildebrandt.

What is the best clothing for portraits? The clothes your clients or portrait subjects are wearing in their portraits can be a touchy subject to discuss with them, especially if you are just doing a portrait for them as “a friend with a good camera.” Even as pros, we have a hard time getting people to listen; they frequently show up in clothes that make us cringe and that even hurt our eyes.

This article will help you understand what to suggest your subjects wear for their portrait photoshoots. You’ll also learn how to help clients understand why your suggestions really are in their best interests so they actually listen and get it right.

Clothes make the portrait

What your subjects are wearing is just as important as all the other portrait details, such as lighting, location, and posing.

Poorly-selected clothing can really take away from an otherwise great portrait.

Here are the goals when helping your portrait subjects or clients select clothing:

• Make the people the main subjects
• Flatter the subjects and make them look their best
• Make the clothing disappear and be a non-issue

Poorly-chosen clothing, or having no discussion about clothing for portraits at all, can result in just the opposite. This is not what you want to have:

• Clothing that stands out so much you hardly even notice the people
• Arms, legs, or tummies that look less than flattered and people that are unhappy with the end results
• Clothing that gets so much attention it becomes more about the clothes than about a portrait of the people wearing them

So what is the best thing for people to wear?

I get asked for tips on clothing for portraits a lot in my portraiture classes. People hear funny things about what they should or shouldn’t wear for their portraits, and they show up in the damnedest things that sometimes make you shake your head and say, “What were they thinking?”

But people won’t know what is right (or what is best) unless you tell them. And you must help them understand why.

This is what I recommend people do for a portrait session:

• Wear solid-colored clothing
• Choose muted tones that are a bit subdued
• Choose similar tones for the top and bottom (both dark or both light)
• Choose one to three colors for your group portrait, colors with similar tones that go nicely together. Then have everyone work within that color palette. For example, a group could wear dark green, navy, and burgundy, which are all dark jewel tones. Or a group could wear tan, a lighter olive-green, and denim, all of which are lighter, softer tones.
• Choose a top with sleeves at least to the elbow
• Choose long pants for men/women or a skirt below the knee for women
• Choose dark socks and footwear (unless it’s a barefoot photo on the beach)
• Keep jewelry simple and minimalistic
• Do hair the way you’d normally do it while wearing these clothes (more on that later!)
• If people plan to get a haircut or new hairdo, make the appointment at least two weeks prior to your portrait session

(I added a few bonus pointers on hair and makeup, but they go right along with the clothing.)

Did you notice how I did not use the word “Don’t” anywhere in the list above? 

There’s a reason for that.

People’s brains actually don’t register the words “Don’t,” “Not,” or “No.” So when you say them, the brain just disregards that part and registers what comes after. For example, if I say, “Do not think of a lemon,” what did you just do? Of course, you thought of a lemon. So when you are explaining clothing (or anything, for that matter) and giving suggestions on what to wear, take great care to always say what you do want.

If you tell people, “Okay, don’t wear stripes, flowers, or bright colors,” what will they remember? “I think my photographer said something about stripes and bright colors, so that’s what I’ll wear.”

Your subjects also probably heard somewhere that, for photography, you need to put your makeup on extra dark and heavy. Even people that normally wear no makeup or very little makeup can show up to a photoshoot with black eyeliner and raccoon eyes.

(I know because this has happened to me when I didn’t discuss makeup with my subjects ahead of time. And if it does happen, your subject will hate their photos because they won’t look like them. They likely won’t say anything; they just won’t pick any photos and you’ll think they didn’t like your work.)

It is your job as the photographer, even if you are just doing it for fun and for friends, to help people look their best in the portrait you take. So let’s look at the points above and how you should explain portrait clothing to your subjects so they get on board!

I actually had a hard time coming up with examples of what not to wear for portraits. I’ve been doing this for so long that I don’t have any subjects that come unprepared. So I’ve found a couple of group images just so you can see the difference clothing makes.

The image below is from a wedding, so the subjects weren’t all planning on having this group portrait done. But it shows what happens when the clothes have not been planned. There are multiple colors, some dark and some light. We have a few bright patterns and a short skirt. We have a lot of short sleeves (it was a hot day) and some white shoes. Can you see how all of those things make an impact? Overall, the effect actually isn’t that bad, and I’ve seen a lot worse. But let’s see what a little refinement can do to help.

Examples of clothing that is working

The family shown below chose all black and denim, and for the most part, it is working really well. I’d only suggest that the mother wear longer sleeves. Notice how much attention her arms get? For her, it’s fine, but for someone self-conscious about their arms or their weight, short sleeves will make their arms look larger.

In the image below, everyone is in black except for the baby. Babies are always tough, because finding plain colors or black for a baby is almost impossible.

Notice two things here:

1. The baby stands out the most. In this case, it’s fine, because she’s the smallest and you want to see her. 
2. If there had been an adult in the light outfit, would it work as well? I doubt it; the person would stand out and look larger. No one likes to look bigger! Trust me.

The image below shows my sister’s family, so they’ve been well-trained on what to wear.

Once again, dark tones have been selected: grays, deep purple, and navy. Those all work well with jeans. Can you see the difference between me wearing long sleeves (left) and my sister wearing short sleeves (upper right)? What does it do to the bare arms? How do they look compared to mine?

How to get subjects to agree and follow your suggestions

The key to explaining all this and getting people to agree and go along with your suggestions is in how you tell them. If you just list off all this stuff, it can seem a bit pushy, like you’re telling them what to do. Most people assume they know how to dress; giving them a list could make them feel a tad insulted, so they get defensive rather than listen to your suggestions.

Photography is part technical stuff, part artistic stuff, and part psychology!

Let’s look at my recommended list again, but this time add in the why. By stressing the benefits to your subjects, they will get it in a big way.

As I said:

I’ve had very few subjects that I’ve photographed in the last ten years who showed up in poor clothing – simply because I’ve prepped them so well. They know that, if they want to look their best, they must follow these guidelines:

• Wear solid-colored clothing so that we see all of your faces and no individual stands out. If you wear stripes or flowers, you will stand out from the rest of your group.
• Choose muted tones that are a bit subdued so that you are the subject, not your clothes, and so you don’t stand out from the group. Bright colors project (especially reds, oranges, and yellows), which makes you look larger.
• Choose similar tones for the top and bottom (both dark or both light). A white top and dark pants will make your top look bigger. White pants and a dark top will make your butt look bigger.
• Choose one to three colors for your group portrait, colors with similar tones that go nicely together. Then have everyone work within that color palette. For example, a group could wear dark green, navy, and burgundy, which are all dark jewel tones. Or a group could wear tan, a lighter olive green, and denim, all of which are lighter, softer tones. This is so we see people first and your portrait looks stunning. Wedding group photos look so good because they’re all wearing the same colors and the people stand out!
• Choose a top with sleeves at least to the elbow, because your arms take up more skin area than your face and will draw attention. It may also make your arms look larger.
• Choose long pants for men/women or a skirt below the knee for women so that your legs don’t take attention from your face, and you will be able to sit and bend without showing too much leg.
• Choose dark socks and footwear (unless preparing for a barefoot photo on the beach), because white sticks out like a sore thumb and that’s all you’ll notice in your portrait.
• Keep jewelry simple and minimalistic, because too much jewelry takes attention away from your face.
• Do your hair the way you normally would while wearing your portrait clothes: No fancy updos with jeans, no ponytails with evening gowns, etc. (This is common sense, or so you’d think, but I’ve had ladies go to the hair salon and get fancy updos, then show up in jeans and a t-shirt. It simply doesn’t make sense, because you wouldn’t normally do that when putting on jeans and going to the park for a BBQ or something.) This is because your portrait will be more timeless and represent more closely who you are, not just what you look like.
• If you plan to get a haircut or new hairdo, make the appointment at least two weeks prior to your portrait session. Fresh haircuts rarely look their best the same day or the next day. Ladies need time to practice working their hair; men need it to grow out just a little. Allow some time to live with your new look before your portrait session.

See a common thread in my notes above? Most people have the same fears about being photographed – yes, fears! Being photographed is right up there on the fear list, next to public speaking and going to the dentist. I kid you not! 

People’s fears are about looking stupid, not knowing how to stand or pose, and looking fat or old. So if you can help them see that these clothing tips will allow them to eliminate at least one of their fears before you even start, then you just have to deal with all the rest later! 

Most of these clothing suggestions have to do with helping subjects look slimmer and not stand out. How to stand and pose to minimize weight issues is another question entirely.

Putting it all together

You may notice that most of the “good” examples here are wearing dark colors.

That’s pretty common, as most people have heard that dark colors or black makes you look slimmer. To some degree, that’s true. But light colors can work, too.

In fact, if everyone in the group dresses similarly, then the one person in dark clothes would stand out. Little kids in denim and white tops with bare feet are super cute, as are little girls in white sundresses.

So don’t be afraid of other colors or tones. Just keep them similar. Some of my largest extended family groups that have done the best went so far as to put each family unit in their own color scheme (one in browns, one in greens, etc.), with the mother and father in another color scheme – all with dark jeans. I’ve also had some ladies buy everyone a matching shirt.

The thing is:

Once you get your subjects on board and understanding the logic behind portrait clothing choices – the “why” – they will go to great lengths to make it work, because they know it’s for their benefit!

Clothing for portraits: action plan

If all this portrait clothing advice sounds like a lot and is overwhelming, feel free to copy my list and make a little sheet to hand out to people. Just make sure you add the benefits, as shown in my second list!

The post Clothing for Portraits – How to Tell your Subjects What to Wear appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darlene Hildebrandt.

Beating chronic stress is a long-term effort, and we've shared a lot of ways to deal with it—but what if you're overcome with stress right now and just want to calm down? Here are ten ways you can bust through stress and get on with your day.

10. Catch It Right Away

Your body stresses out at some of the most mundane things, and it can spiral out of control quickly. One of the best ways to fight stress is to stop that "stress reflex" right when it starts. Work-life consultant and author Joe Robinson notes that "the stress spiral is weakest at the very beginning of the cycle, so that's when you want to contest it." If your overflowed inbox is getting you stressed out, start thinking early on whether that's something really worth getting worked up over, and start using the following techniques as soon as you can.

9. "Label" Your Feelings

Sometimes, just admitting your feelings can calm you down. Try to figure out what that negative emotion is and just boil it down to two words. Thinking to yourself "I'm overwhelmed" or "I'm frazzled" can surprisingly go a long way into calming yourself down.

8. Fix Your Posture

Using more powerful body language can make you more confident, but psychologist Amy Cuddy found that it can also reduce stress—even if you're faking it a little bit. People who adopt more open, confident, powerful poses found their stress levels reduced, even if just for a few minutes. So, striking those poses in the mirror before your big meeting may not be as silly as they feel.

7. Eat

No, we don't mean you should go stress-eat that whole box of doughnuts, but sometimes, stress can be seriously intensified by certain mundane things—like taking care of your physical needs. If your blood sugar level is low, eating can seriously turn your bad mood around after just a few bites. Fatty acids and spicy foods might even help a little extra. Just make sure you don't go overboard.

6. Turn Off Your Phone

This one may be a little obvious, but the constant notifications and attention-seeking from your phone can really exacerbate stress levels—even if you aren't stressed about work! So, no matter where you are, if you're feeling a little stressed out, switch off your phone for a few hours. The disconnection might help calm you down.

5. Make a Decision

Big decisions can be stressful, and you don't want to rush them. But if the thing stressing you out is relatively small, just make a decision and move on—again, ask yourself whether your stress level is equivalent to the importance of the decision. Our brains have a way of synthesizing happiness even if we make the "wrong" decision, so as long as it doesn't have serious lasting consequences, you may be better off flipping a coin than you are going through all that stress for no reason.

4. Laugh Out Loud

We all know laughing can put us in a better mood, but it's a better stress cure than you may realize. Studies show that people who laugh the "most heartily," according to WebMD, show bigger drops in stress levels when watching a funny movie. Laughter really is the best medicine, and while it isn't always possible to plop down on the couch and watch your favorite comedy, you can stick a few of your favorite standup routines on your iPod and sneak them in when you're feeling stressed.

3. Exercise

Going for a jog isn't exactly the most fun thing to do when you're stressed, but when you're done, it can help you feel so much better. Exercise prepares your body for stress, because your body thinks you're in a stressful situation (like you're fleeing for your life). So, your brain releases chemicals to help fight that stress, which is why you feel that endorphin high after you're finished. Even if it's short, get a little exercise in and you'll feel much better.

2. Meditate

Ever hear someone to tell you to just "take deep breaths" when you're stressed? They're not far off. Meditation isn't the silly, cross-legged, hovering-in-the-air thing you see in cartoons—it's actually an incredibly beneficial way to calm you down, improve your focus, and get rid of distractions in your mind. It doesn't take a lot, either—all you really need to do is sit comfortably and breathe deeply and slowly, focusing your attention on your breath and away from all that stuff that's stressing you out. Check out our guide to meditation for more info.

1. Fight Your Long-Term Stress Now

These tips will get you through a quick bout of stress, but if you find yourself feeling this way more often, you're approaching a different, chronic problem. These techniques can still help, but the best thing you can do is fight your chronic stress at the source. First, learn what stress actually does to you and what you can do about it. Sometimes just changing your expectations of things can help. Be sure to check out these nine strategies successful people use to overcome stress, too. The little things can make a big difference.

Photos by J E Theriot, wagg66, Alan Cleaver, ginnerobot, Phil Campbell, Eneas De Troya, Jim Epler, Julien Tromeur (Shutterstock), Tess Mayer, and Phatic Photography (Shutterstock).

The folks over at Teehan+Lax have just released a new tool (you’ll need Google Chrome and a pretty kickin’ internet connection) that lets you scrape public data from Google Street View to create sweeping hyperlapse videos. What’s a hyperlapse? Via Teehan+Lax:

Hyper-lapse photography—a technique combining time-lapse and sweeping camera movements typically focused on a point-of-interest—has been a growing trend on video sites. It’s not hard to find stunning examples on Vimeo. Creating them requires precision and many hours stitching together photos taken from carefully mapped locations. We aimed at making the process simpler by using Google Street View as an aid, but quickly discovered that it could be used as the source material. It worked so well, we decided to design a very usable UI around our engine and release Google Street View Hyperlapse.

The team turned their new UI over to one of their motion designers, Jonas, who made the stunning clip above. Incredible. Some other great examples of art made with Google Street View: Address is Approximate and this clip from Giacomo Miceli. (via it’s nice that)

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I truly don't know why this video makes me laugh as hysterically as it does. And I'd be kind of chagrined if I learned that anyone was decapitated in any of these incidents. But I'm fairly sure that didn't happen so watch the video and tell me what you think ...

Actually, it gets better. There's a whole site with webcams -- I dare say a whole subculture -- dedicated to this one bridge with videos of all the crashes, which seem to happen about once a month. The site has videos of the last 61 wrecks, the last of which appears to have been on March 5th of this year.

“You just have to be cheerful about it and not get upset when you get insulted,” said rocket scientist Yvonne Brill.

She must be chuckling in heaven, because her obituary at the New York Times made the common mistake of making her femaleness and femininity a central part of their retrospective.  After objections, NYT corrected the obit.  Here are the tracked changes, courtesy of NewsDiffs:

At Feministe, Caperton offers a nice discussion of this phenomenon and draws our attention to the Finkbeiner Test, named after journalist Ann Finkbeiner.  Inspired by the Bechdel Test for movies, the Finkbeiner Test is used to judge whether stories about women focus excessively on the fact that they are women.  To pass the test, the story cannot mention:

• The fact that she’s a woman
• Her husband’s job
• Her child care arrangements
• How she nurtures her underlings
• How she was taken aback by the competitiveness in her field
• How she’s such a role model for other women
• How she’s the “first woman to…”

Awesome.

We’ve documented lots of instances of the men-are-people and women-are-women phenomenon.  It’s no wonder it shows up in obituaries too.  I’m glad that we’re becoming sensitive enough to the issue to notice it and that institutions like the NYT are responsive enough to change the most egregious examples of it.  Next step: prevention.

Lisa Wade is a professor of sociology at Occidental College. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

(View original at http://thesocietypages.org/socimages)

kamikaze-kumquat:

kamikaze-kumquat:

onefishybastard:

sulaco-actual:

a-study-in-butts:

hiddletash:

thiinka:

raetherandom:

BIkers Against Child Abuse Helps Make Abused Children Feel Safe Again

“A biker’s power and intimidating image can even the playing field for a little kid who has been hurt. If the man who hurt this little girl calls or drives by, or even if she is just scared, another nightmare, the bikers will ride over and stand guard all night.

If she is afraid to go to school, they will take her and watch until she’s safely inside.

And if she has to testify against her abuser in court, they will go, too, walking with her to the witness stand and taking over the first row of seats.”

i love these guys

omfg are they giving her a bikers denim jacket???

NO ONE FUCKS WITH BIKERS

NO ONE HAS A BIGGER HEART THEN A BIKER

This made me cry a bit.

Rock on, you mighty beasts!

Reblogging again because their awesomness has had me crying for an hour, and they are now on my list of charities I always give what little extra money I might have when I can.

I wish they had been around when I was a kid.  I might have found the courage to tell people what my father was doing to me and actually be able to leave his house…I’m so very thankful these guys are there now, though.  Please, never let this stop…

“

I know I’ve told this story before, but my abusive ex refused to let me take birth control. I was on the pill until he found them in my purse.

I went to the Student Health Center—they were completely unhelpful, choosing to lecture me about the importance of safe sex (recommending condoms) instead of actually listening to my problem.

Then I went to Planned Parenthood. The Nurse Practitioner took one look at my fading bruises and stopped the exam. She called in the doctor. The doctor came in and simply asked me: “Are you ready to leave him?” When I denied that I was being abused, she didn’t argue with me. She just asked me what I needed. I said I need a birth control method that my boyfriend couldn’t detect. She recommended a few options and we decided on Depo.

When I told her that my boyfriend read my emails and listened to my phone messages and was known to follow me, she suggested to do the Depo injections at off hours when the clinic was normally closed. She made a note in my chart and instructed the front desk never to leave messages for me—instead, she programmed her personal cell phone number into my phone under the name “Nora”. She told me she would call me to schedule my appointments; she wouldn’t leave a message, but I should call her back when I was able to.

And that was it. No judgment. No lecture. She walked me to the door and told me to call her day or night if I needed anything. That she lived 5 blocks from campus and would come get me. That I wasn’t alone. That she just wanted me to be safe.

I never called her to come to my rescue. But I have no doubt that she would have come if I had called. She kept me on Depo for a year, giving me those monthly injections in secret, helping me prevent a desperately unwanted pregnancy.

I cannot thank Planned Parenthood enough for the work they do.

”

-

Curious Georgiana (via ifonechitiri-g)

Squee! Spotter: Unknown

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I think you should all listen to some Henry Rollins stories tonight. I've seen him do his spoken word thing once a year since around 1912. These are a few of my favorites.

Here he is on destroying Iggy Pop:

Wait, let's back up. Here's the first time he met Iggy.

He had some awesome teen jobs with Ian MacKaye.

Working at the movie theatre.
Working at Hagen Daz (5:55),
with rat poison (8:35):

And, working at the pet store:

That last one cuts off early. The punchline goes, "...and Ian's looking at me like 'now's the time for you to shut the fuck up', and I yell, 'THAT WAS US!'"

If anyone can find his story of recording a cover of Funkytown with RuPaul, please let me know. More importantly, I require a copy of the actual song.

After Anaïs Bordier, a French student living in London, saw American actress Samantha Futerman in a YouTube video, she noticed a striking resemblance to herself. She found one of Futerman's personal vlogs about being adopted, leading Bordier to find the two girls had the same birthday. After sending Futerman a Facebook message, the two realized they might be long lost twin sisters. Through Twitter, Skype and Facebook messenger, the girls have been using social media to cactch up on the first 25 years of their lives. They have since launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund a documentary about their first meeting, as well as a DNA test to confirm their relation.

Submitted by: Unknown (via Kickstarter)

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Larry Lessig presented at TED his new project, an effort to curb the corrupting influence of money in American politics with a reform to campaign finance, so that the government depends on the people alone. It's a wonderful talk:

There is a corruption at the heart of American politics, caused by the dependence of Congressional candidates on funding from the tiniest percentage of citizens. That's the argument at the core of this blistering talk by legal scholar Lawrence Lessig. With rapid-fire visuals, he shows how the funding process weakens the Republic in the most fundamental way, and issues a rallying bipartisan cry that will resonate with many in the U.S. and beyond.

Lawrence Lessig: We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim

Rock Paper Shotgun's John Walker has published an excellent essay called "Misogyny, Sexism, And Why RPS Isn’t Shutting Up," making the case for games (and tech) writers of all sexes writing about sexism and misogyny in public, documenting the intimidation that writers experience when they do so, and offering some explanations for the violent, vicious response the work evokes. I particularly liked the section where he deals with accusations of "trying to get laid," and "white knighting."

Both phrases contain those truths. The accusation gets a grip because of them, causes me to hesitate, to pause as I write, to worry my motivations are wrong. And that’s their purpose. Generally the motivation for my writing any sort of polemic on RPS is because I’m angry about something – constructively angry about something a person should be angry about – and I want to see positive change. That’s what causes me to start typing, including this piece. But as I go along, those words creep in. “You’re just saying this to win the approval of others.” “You’re just trying to make girls like you.” “You think women need you to stand up for them.” And so on. They get to me. They’re getting to me right now. They’re evil spells, cast to insidiously infect.

I like it when people like me. I like it when people come up and compliment me. I like the approval of others. Because that’s normal. And I write this both to exorcise the infection those words cause, and to make it known to everyone else who feels the same that these are not words that should stop you from speaking up for what you know is right. They are words that will never silence RPS on these matters, and they should never silence you either.

It’s vital that men speak out about this subject. Mostly because it’s vital that people speak out, a unified voice with whatever genitals it may have, condemning cruelty and inequality. For some men, only another man’s voice will be heard. If you’re a fellow, and you object to the portrayal and treatment of women within gaming, start saying so. You will receive abuse. And I am sorry, because it’s not fair. It really damned sucks, and it gets to me, it weighs me down. But it’s so worthwhile.

Abuse is the natural response of anyone wishing to perpetuate a privilege that by its nature demeans or diminishes others. And receiving abuse is horrible. But so long as you surround yourself by others who will support and care for you, it’s worthwhile. The louder the united voice, the more effective it is. So long as people remain silent, they provide a safe space for the cruel and oppressive to speak. When it’s clear that such behaviour is not tolerated in a space, it’s harder for it to be heard. And look at the positive change that’s already been seen. The positive change is why there’s a fight. Things are already getting so much better.

Misogyny, Sexism, And Why RPS Isn’t Shutting Up (via Making Light)

There were two sessions in a row on Wednesday afternoon at this year’s GDC. The first was a panel of women in the games industry, discussing the causes and results of the #1ReasonWhy and #1ReasonToBe phenomena – the reasons to be and not be in the games industry. The second was Feminist Frequency’s Anita Sarkeesian, talking about the positive and negative consequences of her Kickstarter campaign, and the way forward from here. I came out of the first – vivid, passionate declarations of purpose from the likes of Leigh Alexander, Mattie Brice and Brenda Romero – feeling certain that the industry and its audience was on a wave of significant change. An hour later I came out of the second – Sarkeesian’s challenging and demanding story of recent horror – re-grounded to the current reality, introspective, and further determined.

There is a clear message: Rock, Paper, Shotgun will never back down on the subject of sexism and misogyny (nor racism, nor homophobia, for that matter) in games, the games industry, and the games journalism industry. Good times are ahead – we can see them.

(more…)

You know, one of the things that really hurt Apple was after I left John Sculley got a very serious disease. It’s the disease of thinking that a really great idea is 90% of the work. And if you just tell all these other people “here’s this great idea,” then of course they can go off and make it happen.

And the problem with that is that there’s just a tremendous amount of craftsmanship in between a great idea and a great product. And as you evolve that great idea, it changes and grows. It never comes out like it starts because you learn a lot more as you get into the subtleties of it. And you also find there are tremendous tradeoffs that you have to make. There are just certain things you can’t make electrons do. There are certain things you can’t make plastic do. Or glass do. Or factories do. Or robots do.

Designing a product is keeping five thousand things in your brain and fitting them all together in new and different ways to get what you want. And every day you discover something new that is a new problem or a new opportunity to fit these things together a little differently.

And it’s that process that is the magic.

—Steve Jobs

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Only the best thing ever: Advice to Little Girls – a playful and mischievous short story penned by young Mark Twain in 1865, encouraging girls to think independently rather than obey social mores, newly illustrated by beloved Russian children’s book artist Vladimir Radunsky.

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josephdreamboatlevitt:

senorrandom:

Fuck… This always cheers me up.

amazing.

Believe in this video’s power.

Oh my goodness, this video is so moving and electrifying. The artist Marina Abramovic did a 2010 performance art piece at the Museum of Modern Art, where she sat in a chair, and, one by one, people could sit opposite her and look into her eyes. It was a powerful experience even with strangers, but then her former love Ulay arrived without her knowledge. This video shows the moment she sees him. Apparently they had had a passionate love affair back in the 70s, but when they felt the relationship was fizzling, they decided to walk the Great Wall of China, each from one end, meeting in the middle for a last hug and never seeing each other again. Here they are, meeting once again.

P.S. Old loves.

(Via Swissmiss. This video is edited footage from the documentary, The Artist is Present)

“You’ve got a 46-year-old employed father, with no criminal record, caught selling four bottles of prescription pain pills. “Under Florida law Horner now faced a minimum sentence of 25 years, if found guilty,” the BBC reports. Twenty-five years minimum! It costs Florida roughly $19,000 to incarcerate an inmate for a year. So I ask you, dear reader, is keeping non-violent first-time drug offender John Horner locked behind bars in a jumpsuit really the best use of $475,000? For the same price, you could pay a year’s tuition for 75 students at Florida State University. You could pay the salaries of seven West Palm Beach police officers for a year. Is it accurate to call a system that demands the 25-year prison term mad?”

- A Heartbreaking Drug Sentence of Staggering Idiocy

bshell writes "According to the CBC, there was a massive leak of "files containing information on over 120,000 offshore entities — including shell corporations and legal structures known as trusts — involving people in over 170 countries. The leak amounts to 260 gigabytes of data, or 162 times larger than the U.S. State Department cables published by WikiLeaks in 2010...In many cases, the leaked documents expose insider details of how agents would incorporate companies in Caribbean and South Pacific micro-states on behalf of wealthy clients, then assign front people called "nominees" to serve, on paper, as directors and shareholders for the corporations — disguising the companies' true owners." Makes a good read and there are some good interactive components. Perhaps Slashdot readers can figure out how the source of the leak, the D.C.-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists got their hands on this data."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Hybrid Memory Cube Consortium has been almost too patient in developing a standard for for its eponymous technology -- efforts began 17 months ago -- but it at last has more than good intentions to show for its work. Its just-published HMC Specification 1.0 lets companies build platforms and RAM with 2GB, 4GB and 8GB chips incorporating the stacked, power-efficient technology, all without compatibility jitters from other supporters. The completed spec is a scorcher when living up to its full potential, too. With eight links, a memory cube can reach a peak 320GB/s (yes, that's gigabytes) of aggregate bandwidth -- more than a hair faster than the 11GB/s we often get from existing DDR3 memory.

The Consortium is teasing us with more. Although we'll have to wait until the second half of the year before HMC 1.0 products appear in earnest, the Consortium already has a next-gen blueprint due in early 2014 that should nearly double individual data link speeds (from 15Gbps to 28Gbps). While we'd like to see the group walk the walk with real products before it talks more talk, there's still a chance that some memory performance bottlenecks could vanish for a good, long while.

Filed under: Storage, Samsung, Microsoft, HP

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Via: Computerworld

Source: Hybrid Memory Cube Consortium

Submitted by: Unknown (via Reddit)

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