aber-flyingtiger:

baguetttes:

this is how false information on tumblr works

Literally

oh hey it’s jim rash and paula newsome

Not content with enabling free, cross-continental video conversations, Microsoft has now moved to break down language barriers and make conversing with our international friends even more convenient. The company has unveiled Skype Translator, an application for its chat software that translates speech between different languages in (almost) real time... Continue Reading Microsoft unveils Skype Translator to break down language barriers

Section: Telecommunications

Tags: Language, Microsoft, Skype, Translation

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Hard to believe, but the BBC weren't sure if Doctor Who could go on without David Tennant. They were seriously considering pulling the plug on the show when the Tenth Doctor moved on, according to head writer Steven Moffat.

Read more...

gpoy

arcaneimages:

Dave Perillo

lightning-st0rm:

pearlmito:

smootymormonhelldream:

stripedsilverfeline:

anti-clerical:

ramirezbundydahmer:

When the Nazi concentration camps were liberated by the Allies, it was a time of great jubilation for the tens of thousands of people incarcerated in them. But an often forgotten fact of this time is that prisoners who happened to be wearing the pink triangle (the Nazis’ way of marking and identifying homosexuals) were forced to serve out the rest of their sentence. This was due to a part of German law simply known as “Paragraph 175” which criminalized homosexuality. The law wasn’t repealed until 1969.

This should be required learning, internationally. 

You need to know this. You need to remember this. This is not something to swept under the carpet nor be forgotten. 

Never. Too many have died for the way they have loved. That needs stop now. 

Make it stop? 

I did a report on this in my World History class my sophomore year of high school. It was incredibly unsettling.

My teacher shown the class this. Mostly everyone in the class felt uncomfortable. 

I have reblogged this in the past, but it is so ironic that it comes across my dash right now. I a currently working as a docent at my city’s Holocaust Education Center (( I say currently because I’ve also done research and translation for them )) and our current exhibit is one on loan from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum ((USHMM)). This is a little known historical fact that Paragraph 175 was not repealed after the war and those convicted under Nazi laws as a danger to society because they were gay were not released because they had be convicted in a court of law. There was no liberation or justice for them as they weren’t considered criminals, or even victims for that matter. They were criminals who remained persecuted and ostracized and kept on the fringes of society for decades after the war had been won. Paragraph 175 wasn’t actually repealed until 1994. And it was only in May 2002, that the German parliament completed legislation to pardon all homosexuals convicted under Paragraph 175 during the Nazi era. History has forgotten about these men and women — please educate yourselves so this does not happen again. Remember this history. Remember them.

Martin Kumm writes:

This page provides documents about a cheap SMD solder station built as an Arduino shield (Arduino UNO). It supports active soldering tips from Weller (RT series) which contain the heating element as well as a sensor and provides a standard 3.5 mm jack. Together with the corresponding female connector you will get a compact SMD soldering iron (see pictures below) with very fast heat up times of a few seconds.

The shield consists of a low-noise amplifier for measuring the temperature via the ADC of the AVR, a power MOSFET stage to control the heating using PWM and a 7-segment LED display and push buttons for setting and displaying the temperature. The controller is realized digitally on the AVR.
Hardware and software are open source.

Via the contact form. Thanks Devgiant!

We have just entered the Urban Age, when the majority of the world's population lives in cities. Most of us may live in the metropolis, but these miracles of engineering and cultural productivity are almost impossible to understand. These ten books will help you untangle the mysteries of today's city life.

Read more...

cinemagorgeous:

Marek Okon.

shining-latios:

hELP

coolscar:

The fantastic letdown that is public school art class

pugflavoredsub:

panamsat3:

No new Game of Thrones episode tonight because it’s a holiday weekend in the US, so here’s the continuing voyage of discovery of Arya & the Hound…

These two.

amazing

As the still-to-be-announced date of the first commercial flight of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo approaches, more and more of the technology involved is getting nailed down. A case in point is the company's announcement that it has decided which fuel will be used in the first passenger-carrying flights of the suborbital spacecraft. The solid fuel grains that will fuel the world’s largest operational hybrid rocket will be a thermoset plastic similar to nylon... Continue Reading SpaceShipTwo to be fueled by thermoset plastic similar to nylon

Section: Space

Tags: Commercial, Fuel, Hybrid, Motor, Plastic, Rocket, Spacecraft, Spaceport America, SpaceShipTwo, Test Flights, Virgin Galactic

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• SpaceShipTwo makes a spectacle of itself in “Cold Flow” test

As rising sea levels begin to engulf naval bases and extreme weather exacerbates conflicts worldwide, the military has sounded the alarm that climate change poses a long-term threat to U.S. security. The GOP response? It passed legislation that blocks funding for any Pentagon program that tackles climate change.

Read more...

Sometimes a relatively dense academic book breaks out of the Ivory Tower and takes the world by storm. Such is the case with French economics professor Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Here's one reason why the book is capturing people's imaginations — and fueling speculation about our global future.

Read more...

A recently-finished study of Kepler data is providing a new glimpse into the Milky Way's exoplanetary composition. Planets about one to four times the size of Earth appear to be typical around Sun-like stars. But researchers say we don't know yet whether they have the potential to harbour life.

Read more...

Earlier this week — and for a period of nearly 24 hours — a CNN iReport falsely claimed that a newly discovered asteroid has a nearly 50% chance of hitting the Earth in 2041. The story received more than 230,000 hits and 23,000 media shares before it was finally taken down.

Read more...

From the New World, 13′ x 26′ (400cm x 800cm), Epson Ultragiclee print on Epson fine art paper

From the New World, detail

From the New World, detail

From the New World, detail

From the New World, detail

From the New World, detail

From the New World, detail

From the New World, detail

In his largest artwork to date, Chinese artist Yang Yongliang (previously here and here) just unveiled From the New World, a sprawling digital collage depicting an overpopulated, futuristic landscape completely overrun with construction, debris, and high-rise skyscrapers. The new artwork is a continuation of Yongliang’s ongoing commentary about the devastating effects of unchecked development and industrialization through the use of dense, photography-based collage. From the New World measures almost 26 feet wide (800cm) by 13 feet tall, and while it’s impossible to truly appreciate it online, you can see many more detail shots over on his website.

A new attraction has been installed at a Chicago skyscraper for visitors with a head for heights. 360 Chicago, formerly the John Hancock Observatory, has installed a viewing platform with a difference. Tilt gradually leans visitors out by up to 30 degrees over a 1000 ft (305 m) drop... Continue Reading Chicago skyscraper viewing platform tilts visitors over the edge

Section: Architecture

Tags: Skyscrapers, Tourism

Related Articles:

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We do not post Kickstarters usually, however – we are posting this one. Bring Reading Rainbow Back for Every Child, Everywhere. by LeVar Burton & Reading Rainbow @ Kickstarter.

Bring Reading Rainbow’s unlimited library of interactive books and video field trips to kids everywhere & help classrooms most in need!

ancientart:

The sickle sword of Assyrian king Adad-nirari I.

Dates to ca. 1307–1275 B.C., northern Mesopotamia, 54.3 cm long, and made of bronze.

This curved sword bears the cuneiform inscription “Palace of Adad-nirari, king of the universe, son of Arik-den-ili, king of Assyria, son of Enlil-nirari, king of Assyria,” indicating that it was the property of the Middle Assyrian king Adad-nirari I (r. 1307–1275 B.C.).

The inscription appears in three places on the sword: on both sides of the blade and along its (noncutting) edge. Also on both sides of the blade is an engraving of an antelope reclining on some sort of platform.

Courtesy of & currently located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, via their online collections.

Google Self-Driving Car Project-

Fully autonomous driving has always been the goal of our project, because we think this could improve road safety and help lots of people who can’t drive. We’re now developing prototypes of vehicles that have been designed from the ground up to drive themselves—just push a button and they’ll take you where you want to go! We’ll use these vehicles to test our software and learn what it will really take to bring this technology into the world.

While it’s definitely come true that we now wear our tech for its fashion, I’m not so sure about those CD-rom shoulder pads… Discovery Channel Beyond 2000 Wearable Computers 1992

Sometimes I come across projects on The RPF that I can’t help but check in on every day to see the latest progress. I’ve been eagerly watching Kialna’s human version of Smaug the Magnificent evolve for months now, and while it’s not done just yet, there’s plenty to show off. She first posted about her idea to make a costume of the character in August of last year. She patiently waited until The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was released in December so she could gather more images and adjust her sketches. The project required her to try new skills like making a cast of her arm so she could sculpt dragon claws onto her fingers and make gloves from them. She made the base of the head from what appears to be foam core boards and filled it with expanding foam which she sculpted into shape.

Though she doesn’t discuss exact materials and how-tos for every step of the build, she has posted enough pictures and comments that you can learn a lot from her endeavors. You can keep up with the latest developments and photos over at The RPF. I highly recommend checking this thread out because it involves multiple materials, has some examples of problem-solving construction issues, it shows how much of a commitment a big cosplay project can be, and it also illustrates how a costume’s design can change over time.

Photo © Damien Mcfadden

Photo © Damien Mcfadden

Photo © Damien Mcfadden

Photo © Damien Mcfadden

Photo © Damien Mcfadden

Photo © Damien Mcfadden

Photo © Damien Mcfadden

Plant care comes in many forms. For some of us it’s enough to keep a few potted plants hanging on for dear life on a windowsill, while others indulge in the joy of pushing lawnmower around every few weeks, or maybe even keeping a garden. But John Brooker of Norfolk had a horticultural vision unlike the rest of us. For the past 13 years he’s hacked and trimmed and molded the 150ft-long (45.7m) hedge outside his Frizzleton Farm property into a massive dragon complete with flowing tail and wings. Photographer Damien McFadden (also on Facebook) recently stopped by to snap these fantastic photos of Brooker at work. All images courtesy the photographer. (via Neatorama, BBC)

For many residents today, the idea of fitting furniture into a 600 sq ft (56 sq m) condo or apartment has become a compact reality. Now a team from MIT’s architectural program have come up with the CityHome project; a versatile appliance-like solution, designed to increase usable space by two or three times. .. Continue Reading MIT's CityHome project re-thinks small space versatility

Section: Architecture

Tags: Compact, Ergonomic, Furniture, Interactive, Interior Design, MIT, Sensors, Transformable

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• Prisoners design Freedom Room low-cost micro-living module
• First BoKlok display home opens at Gateshead

Google has revealed its first self-driving car prototype, which as you guessed requires no driver. The prototype accommodates for two passengers and is missing quite a few of the features you'd expect to see in a standard car. With no need for a steering wheel, mirrors or braking and accelerating pedals, the car comes fully equipped with special software and sensors that feed information into an onboard computer, which then drives the car... Continue Reading Google takes its first 100 percent self-drive car to the streets

Section: Automotive

Tags: Autonomous Vehicles, Google, Self-Driving

Related Articles:

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• Autonomous cars to appear on UK roads by the end of the year

Something is leaving a bad smell in the Open source community, could it be the recent Patents of big cheese Bre at Makerbot.

It's always very sad when you see a company or group turn their back on whatever community or project that helped make them successful.

Makerbot seem to be traveling down a darker and darker road as time goes on. I'm not sure if they felt invincible or that no one would notice but a recent patent frenzy by Makerbot has angered the open source 3D printing community. And we don't yet know what more is to come.

I prefer to use this blog to document work and talk about good things, so this is really a summary of past and recent events and links for you to find out more and make your own mind up about Makerbot's actions and community reaction to these disappointing and Machiavellian maneuvers.

And before we go on, I am not against Patents, they can be used for good to protect ideas and costly investments into research, that for some is a necessity to fuel sales and marketing of a product or invention. I don't think they are very fair and certainly not appropriate in many (most) cases, but they are not going away any time soon. For this trade off of hard work you can exploit an idea under a patent for a set period whilst also disclosing information about the invention and use.

Yes, RepRap and many open-source developments were built on expired patents. That's how it's supposed to work. A company gets 25 years to exploit it's patented invention, if after that time the market demand is still there and competitors can build a better mouse trap, then competition usually kick-starts another industry cycle and one could argue the original patented idea was not exploited well enough or the market was not satisfied with just one source of mouse trap.

What angers individuals is when ideas and developments that were in the public domain, very often with a specific open-source license are taken and patented by a company so others automatically now infringe. (or could be accused to infringe).

Patent trolling or this is abuse of the patent system is about as insulting as you can get to a community that encourages open innovation and sharing of open source developments.

Companies that can afford to mop-up open innovation into hundreds of patents, loosely based on ideas common in an industry or sector often have the power to legally threaten anyone that becomes a competitor. Using this abuse of the patent system can tie up smaller companies and stop new developments from even starting due to this sword of damocles handing over head.

Many things are just not worth patenting for companies or individuals, due to the cost and return possible along with the ability to be able to defend your patent if required. But if these seemingly insignificant ideas are patented by bigger companies who can afford the process, as a way to expand their patent portfolio, even if they were not 'invented' they take on another form of power.

Makerbot did 'invent' and patent an automated build platform, this was a commercial failure and proves the point not all ideas are worth patenting. Also the idea of an automatic build platform was openly discussed by various people when I first joined RepRap, long before the Makerbot patent, the difference here being that no one found it useful, practical or in any way essential, so the news Makerbot patented it was just not such of an issue.

Recent turbulent Thingiverse/Makerbot history - 
Back in September 2012 changes to the Thingiverse Terms of Service along with various concerns that Makerbot was moving away from it's RepRap and Opensource roots led to an Occupy Thingiverse campaign.

This was exactly what Thingiverse looked like on 20th September 2012 -

It was the Same day Thingiverse decided to promote and feature my 3-way colour mixing extruder. (And it had already been on Thingiverse and my Blog for 28+ days before this) - See image below 'Created by RichRap 28 days ago'


And the very next day after on the 21st September 2012 they filed a patent for build material switching.

Along with my 3-way multi-input material extruder above, I also posted, documented and shared my simple solution using lengths of different materials to produce multi-coloured objects - that was back in June2011.

Makerbot want to patent various things to do with multicolour and multi-matrial mixing, much of which has been done and documented in the open source community (Even directly at Bath University - UK as early as Feb 2012 and mentioned on the RepRap Blog June 2012 - Myles corbett report) This, over the last few years and is a very active area of open-source 3D printer development for myself and many others.

Plenty of other patent applications are also being submitted, we can only see the ones that have been published, so who knows what other things are in the pipeline...

Many of the recent Makerbot patent applications can be seen and read on this site here - You can search for Makerbot, or click on this search link here 

Title - BUILD MATERIAL SWITCHING
Abstract - A three-dimensional printer uses transitional lengths of build material to facilitate changes from one color to another during a fabrication process, and more generally to achieve multi-color objects corresponding to color patterns on the surface of a three-dimensional model. The transitional lengths of build material may be positioned inside a fabricated object, such as for infill, or outside the fabricated object where undesirable aesthetic properties of the transitional lengths will not impact the desired distribution of colors on the surface of the fabricated object.

Title - COLOR SWITCHING FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING
Abstract - By reversing the direction of a first build material fed into an extruder, the first build material can be wholly or partially evacuated from the extruder before a second material is introduced. This approach mitigates transition artifacts and permits faster, more complete changes from one build material to another.

A founders Perspective - 
A day later after the 2012 Occupy Thingiverse - Zach Hoeken posted his view of the changes he observed to Makerbot here-

Makerbot Patent Rage Coverage - 

OpenbeamUSA has one of the best overviews of recent Makerbot patent troubles, it's well worth a read, and I don't need to repeat things here - Stay classy, Makerbot

This also contains the details of how you can file a prior art application to help block a patent that is based on someone else's work or in the public domain.

Another good summary of the Quick Release Extruder Patent Here - 

Hackaday.com covered - makerbot files patents internet goes crazy 

Fabbaloo Posted - Has MakerBot Crossed The Line? For Some, Yes


Edit:- Added more coverage -
3deee.ch Makerbot Vs Open Source

TechDirt - MakerBot Files For Patent On A Design Derived From Work By Its Community

If you are now looking for a place to share, YouMagine is a very good starting point.

GitHub is also an option, and a simple method to export all your things from Thingiverse uses a simple Python script by Carlos García Saura - Look Here for info.

Repables is also looking good for content sharing, and is being further developed right now.

Ultimately work like the Thing Tracker Network, by Gary Hodgson may make it easier to link and share designs and models from almost any source, so don't stop sharing and keep it open source.
 If you see any other coverage on the Makerbot Patents, post links below. Thanks.

Other news - 

The 3D Printing Filament spool standard campaign is still going well, updates soon.

E3D Just released the V6 hot-end -I have had one for a while -  it's amazing !

++Lots++ of new things to share with you soon, new printers, extruders, developments and materials :) So long as people don't take them and patent the work as their own...


Rich.