ryancrobert:

fucking show-off

Research conducted by author, engineer, and activist Temple Grandin has shown that cultivating a bond between animals–even domesticated ones like the chickens above–and autistic children can make it easier for them to interact with their peers. Understanding relationships and the nuances of social interactions is extremely difficult for those with autism. Animal Assisted Interaction Programs now popping up around the country designed to help humans heal and create a natural relationship with animals while simultaneously strengthening their own social and emotional skills. Follow the link to learn more about these ground breaking programs.

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Post tags: animal therapy, animal therapy and autism, autism and pets, children and pets, Inhabitots, interacting with animals

Feast your eyes on a genuine relic from the late 20th century: "When You Meet a Lesbian: Hints for the Heterosexual Women." It is a handout from a women's studies class at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, circa 1988, and it is really something.

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There are companies who talk about going green, and companies who do something about it. This week, for the 206th time, IKEA proved that it belongs in the latter category. The popular home furnishings retailer recently announced its first wind power investment in the U.S., a 98 megawatt wind farm in Hoopeston, IL. Although it’s IKEA’s first wind wind farm here in the States, the company has purchased or heavily invested in over 200 wind power operations around the world. And it’s all part of the firm’s quest for total energy independence by the year 2020.

Read the rest of IKEA’s New 98 Megawatt Wind Farm in Illinois is Capable of Powering 70 Stores

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Post tags: ikea, IKEA buys first US wind farm, IKEA buys Illinois wind farm, IKEA buys wind farm, IKEA invests in solar power, IKEA invests in wind power, ikea renewable energy, ikea store

Tabula, by Manuel Aristarán, came out months ago, but I've been poking at government data recently and came back to this useful piece of free software to get the data tables out of countless free-floating PDF files.

If you've ever tried to do anything with data provided to you in PDFs, you know how painful this is — you can't easily copy-and-paste rows of data out of PDF files. Tabula allows you to extract that data in CSV format, through a simple interface.

It's not the fastest software in the world, but it really is simple to use and it sure beats manual entry. You just load a PDF file into Tabula, which runs on your computer, highlight the table to extract, and the program does the rest. Save as a CSV and do what you want with it.

Download Tabula here. Find out a little more about it on Source.

If you have always thought that you could design a better smartphone than any of the current phones on the market, Google’s Project Ara is giving you the opportunity to put your money where your mouth is. The company released a Module Developers Kit recently, giving developers around the world the opportunity to contribute to the modular phone. According to Google, the idea is that every phone can basically be a skeleton that the user can customize with their own modules based on their own needs.

Read the rest of Google Announces New Details for Their Modular Ara Smartphone

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Post tags: adjustable smartphone, Ara, crowdsource technology, flexible smartphone, Google Ara, Google Ara phone, Google module smartphone, Google Project Ara, Google Smartphone, module smartphone, open developer, open developer phone, open developer smartphone, project ara, Project Ara developers kit, Project Ara module smartphone, Project Ara smartphone

High profile San Francisco attorneys Bambo Obaro and Janice Jentz are getting hitched. But they’re not gonna downplay this momentous occasion – and why should they? – they’re going all out. Like alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the way. Here’s their Save the Date video. It is really something. I don’t know how else to describe it. There are […]
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[paperkutrob]

Remember Luke Skywalker’s home in Tatooine that was lovingly restored by fans? It’s currently one of several Star Wars sites threatened by desertification in Tunisia. In order to address the problem, this week Tunisia’s tourism ministry announced a new international fundraising campaign aimed at saving sets used in the Star Wars films before they are destroyed forever by the encroaching desert.

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Post tags: Anakin Skywalker, desertification, Luke Skywalker, Mos Espa, Ong Jmel, Save Mos Espa, star wars, Tunisia, Tunisia Tourism Ministry

Yoga can be great for relaxation, in addition to improving your overall health and well-being. This one move is an instant de-stresser, great for doing right before bed.

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[Video Link] Here's a video (well, real audio with some graphics) of the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing Ravel's "Daphnis and Chloé during a 5.1 magnitude earthquake. It's pretty interesting to hear the gasps and murmurs of the audience followed by the lovely music continuing without a hitch.

A couple of things to note here: 
-Walt Disney Concert Hall was built only 10 years ago and is made to withstand seismic activity.
-I work for the LA Phil and had a hand in making this video.

Clothing Store | UK

(I’m 26 but quite petite, so I often get mistaken for being a lot younger. I’m also married and seven months pregnant. I’m at a higher end department store trying on dresses. I’m just leaving the changing room with a very helpful salesgirl. The next person goes in leaving a customer and her teen daughter next in line.)

Customer: *in a stage whisper* “See! That’s why you keep your legs closed at school. So you don’t end up buying your prom dress looking like that.”

(Her daughter goes red as several other customers stare in disbelief.)

Daughter: “For God’s sake, mum! Shut up!”

Me: “Oh, no, your mum’s right. That’s exactly what my mum told me. When I was 16. 10 years ago.”

(The customer reddens as her daughter glares at her.)

Me: “So what I did was, I studied hard at school, went to university, and got a degree. I started my own business, bought a car, and then a house. I met my partner, dated for a couple of years, then got married. Now that we’re financially comfortable we’re having a baby. I’m not saying that’s for everyone but you don’t want to wake up one day to find you’re 50, miserable, bigoted, and rude.”

Customer: *very embarrassed by everyone’s stares* “I’m only 42!”

Me: “I’m sure that’s what your daughter will remember about today.”

Related:
Cause For Pregnant Pause, Part 5
Cause For Pregnant Pause, Part 4
Cause For Pregnant Pause, Part 3
Cause For Pregnant Pause, Part 2
Cause For Pregnant Pause

Vo Anh Kiet (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). Finalist: Travel. Terraced fields during harvest season. Mu Cang Chay, Vietnam, September 2012.

Carol Lynne Fowler (Seeley Lake, Montana). Finalist: Americana. A champion bronco bucks a champion rider at the Helmville Rodeo. Helmville, Montana, September 2013.

Sergio Carbajo Rodriguez (La Garriga, Spain). Finalist: Travel. Portrait of a young Suri boy going with his father to take care of the cattle. Ethiopia, August 2013.

Graham McGeorge (Jacksonville, Florida). Finalist: Natural World. McGeorge spent a quiet 6 hours trying to get the perfect image of this eastern screech owl out of its nest. Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia, April 2013.

Christopher Doherty (North Palm Beach, Florida). Finalist: Natural World. Breath at sunset, captures a sea turtle at a dive site called Black Rock. Kāʻanapali, Hawaiʻi, August 2013.

Karen Lunney (Brisbane, Australia). Finalist: Natural World. During their annual migration, wildebeests are forced to find new river crossings in the Serengeti-Mara region. “The animals were being taken by the unfamiliar currents of deep water and had to struggle to get close to the far bank. There were few rocks on which to land and the initial orderly progression soon became a desperate struggle of clambering,” says Lunney. Mara River, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, September 2013.

Nidal Adnan Kibria (Dhaka, Bangladesh). Finalist: Travel. Action Hero. As part of a show called “Well of Death,” a biker performs a stunt at a village fair to celebrate Rath Jatra, a Hindu festival. Dhamrai, Bangladesh, June 2012.

Vincent Cheng (Burnaby, Canada). Finalist: Travel. A group of locals playing billiards by Namtso Lake. Tibet, China, June 2013.

Dina Bova (Petach Tikva, Israel). Finalist: Altered Images. “Babylon—Made in Italy is inspired by the story of the Babylon tower, the painting by Pieter Bruegel and by a trip to the beautiful Cinque Terre in Italy,” says Bova. Cinque Terre, Italy, October 2013.

Aspen Wang (Hong Kong, Hong Kong). Finalist: Natural World. Penguins on Ice. “Although my photo hardly does justice to describing the tenuous balance in Antarctica’s ecosystem, it has served to crystallize in my memory one of the last stretches of untamed and inarticulate lands on earth,” says Wang. Antarctica, December 29, 2010.

Smithsonian Magazine just announced the finalists of their 11th Annual Photo Contest. This year’s competition saw a whopping 50,000 submissions, from which 60 finalists were selected in 6 categories including: Natural, Travel, People, Americana, Altered, and Mobile. The contest is now open for a Readers’ Choice vote which runs from today through May 6, 2014. Vote here. All photos courtesy Smithsonian Magazine and the respetive photographers.

The team behind the + Pool, a floating pool proposed for the East River, has launched a mini version of their design to test its water filtering abilities. Called the Float Lab, the model will be tested in the Hudson River and if all goes well, the + Pool team hopes to upgrade to a large-scale iteration this summer.

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Post tags: + pool, arup, Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, CUNY, eco design, floating East River Pool, green design, hudson river park trust, Olollo, Persak & Wurmfeld, Pier 40, River Project, riverkeeper, sustainable design

(via) Combining a mix of photographs with some serious editing savvy, photographer Robert Jahns created a convincing set of images depicting the city of Venice with its famous canals frozen solid. He posted one of the pictures to Twitter two months ago and it went viral (before being debunked as a fake two days later). Pliable ice sheets formed on the canals back in 2012 for the first time in two decades, but the picturesque waterways have never frozen completely solid, as imagined so invitingly (for skating) above.

MORE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE

in case you don’t already know: http://heartbleed.com/

Go ahead and file this one under W for WTF Did I Just Watch and wheel my ass to the loony bin, because I was not emotionally equipped to handle whatever that was and it’s done some permanent damage. This is a video of digestive disease expert, Jini Patel Thompson, learning us all about Baby […]
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Swedish design wonder IKEA turned an entire monorail into a colorful showroom in Japan. To kick off their latest location in Tokyo near Tachikawa station, the company decorated the train with vibrant patterns, rugs and home accessories. Not only did this awesome party train give commuters a taste of IKEA’s wares, but it no doubt made their train journey a little more fun!


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Post tags: eco design, green design, green transportation, ikea, ikea japan, IKEA monorail showroom, Ikea party train, IKEA train remodel, Japan, pop up ikea, sustainable design, Tachikawa station

Someday in the future, when an earthquake hits a major city, we may be able to redirect the acoustic waves of the earthquake to a place where they won’t cause so much damage. At least, that’s the idea proposed by scientists at the Aix-Marseille University and French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). The scientists teamed up with French company Ménard to conduct a large scale experiment that uses metamaterial technology to deflect acoustic waves like those generated in an earthquake. So far, the results have been promising.

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Post tags: Aix-Marseille University, American Physical Society, CNRS, dampening earthquake waves, dampening earthquakes, dampening seismic waves, deflecting earthquakes, earthquake boreholes, earthquake shield, French company Ménard, French National Center for Scientific Research, Ménard, metamaterial, metamaterial technology, redirecting earthquake waves, redirecting earthquakes, shifting earthquakes, stop bands, stopping earthquakes

pale-fire:

Feminist Graffiti from the 1970s [x]

by Michelle Sproule | The main objective of this website is to scout out and promote the things that make Vancouver such a sweet place to be. We do this with an emphasis on the city’s independent spirit to foster a sense of connectedness within and between our communities, and to introduce our readers to the people who grow and cook our food, play the raddest tunes in our better venues, create our most interesting art, and design everything from what we wear to the spaces we inhabit. The Scout List is our carefully considered, first rate agenda of super awesome things that we’re either doing, wishing that we could do, or conspiring to do this week. You can also check it out in the Globe & Mail, from our calendar to theirs…and yours!

PUBLIC ART | Poodle sculptures, 16 ft sparrows, murals, installations – does public art add to the texture of the urban landscape? When well planned and genuinely considered, of course it can contribute not only to the beauty of a neighbourhood but to the dialogue within and between communities. At the main branch of the Vancouver Public Library this Wednesday night, there’s a talk focusing on not only the purpose and benefit of public art, but also “the process behind the management and production of public-art commissions”. See you there.
Wed, April 9 | 6:30-8:30 pm | Alice MacKay Room, VPL Main Branch | Free | DETAILS

FILM FEAST | There’s an imaginative pairing of film and food taking place at Lost & Found Cafe this Thursday night. Get this: the Winner Winner team of Chen-Wei Lee (Wildebeest, Blacktail Florist), Stanley Yung (Dirty Apron), and Alain Chow (Bao Bei) are cooking a pop-up dinner that takes inspiration from Tampopo, the mid-80′s Japanese flick that was a (back then) strange hybrid foodie/comedy that focused on the quest for a perfect bowl of ramen. For $35 (when was the last time you had a meal and a movie for that price) expect Nori Popcorn, Ahirun (duck) ramen with nukazuke pickles, and a butter mochi cake to finish. This event will sell out, so don’t wait!
Thurs, April 10 | 7pm | Lost & Found Cafe (33 W Hastings St) | $35 | DETAILS

SHOP HOP |  The Gastown Spring Shop Hop happens this Thursday night. The one-night-only event offers Vancouverites the opportunity to cruise 44 of Gastown’s best shops, check out all of the new spring wares, and be treated to great deals, in-store specials and the occasional cupcake or glass of bubbly. And get this, the kind people of Gastown want to make sure that you don’t get weighed down by the trying on of clothes and the carrying of bags, so with every purchase you make you’ll receive a food or drink voucher to one of your favourite nearby participating restaurants (think Nicli Antica Pizzeria, Salt, Peckinpah, Pourhouse). Even if you’re not looking to spend, the vibe is good and the business owners are friendly. Bonus: The Block is unpacking fresh boxes of A.P.C.’s spring collection this week!
Thurs, April 10 | 5pm–9pm | Various very cool locations | FREE to browse | DETAILS

EAT THIS | Ever heard of the Hult Prize For Social Enterprise? No? Neither had I. It’s a start-up accelerator that annually sees over 10,000 international college and MBA student teams compete to be awarded one million dollar dollars toward establishing their business. So it’s not small potatoes. The 2013 winners were a group of McGill University students who devised a system for insect farming that aims to address issues of hunger and malnutrition by providing protein through bugs. This team will be at The Four Seasons to conduct a panel discussion about food security and sustainability that will undoubtedly be fascinating and informative from both a food security and business perspective. Bonus: there will be a cash bar and, I kid you not,  grasshoppers to munch on. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required (register HERE)
Thurs, April 10 | 6pm | Arbutus Room, Four Seasons (791 W Georgia St) | Free | DETAILS

RUMBLE TIME | The Warriors is on at the Rio this week. Can you dig it? Recall, if you will, The Riffs, The Rogues, The Orphans, The Lizzies, The Baseball Furies. Man, those Furies still freak me out! Made in 1979, it’s a ”highly stylized action classic set in New York. A messianic crime lord calls a meeting of all the city’s gangs with plans to unite them against the cops. He gets assassinated and The Warriors are set up by a rival gang to take the fall. The Warriors then find themselves fighting for their lives on their way across the city to their home turf of Coney Island.” But it’s waaaay creepy. Particularly those Baseball Furies. Warriors…come out to play-ay-ay!
Fri, Apr. 11 | 11:30pm | Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway) | $8 ($6 in film-related costume) | DETAILS

NATURE | Although the city and people of Vancouver demonstrate a respect and connection to nature that is at the core of our civic identity, we also know that this city, like any city, has dramatically altered the natural environment around it. The Museum of Vancouver is currently showing Rewilding Vancouver, an exhibition that does it’s best (using everything from taxidermy specimens and clever dioramas to video installations and soundscapes) to get us thinking about ways in which we (as humans and Vancouverites) shape nature, as well as the ways in which nature shapes us. This show is curated by author J.B. MacKinnon (The Once and Future World; co-author of The 100-Mile Diet) who will be at the MOV on Friday night to lead a discussion of “how the past can teach us about what a healthy ecological world looks like, and delve into how we’re learning here in Vancouver, and beyond, how to raise the bar on what we see as the ‘normal’ state of nature.”
Friday, April 11 | Doors 6pm | Talk at 7pm | MoV, 1100 Chestnut | $14 | DETAILS

EXPLORE | The Great Bear Rainforest, the temperate coastal forest of Northern BC, is said to be one of the most stunningly beautiful and pristine ecosystems on earth. By all accounts, time spent in this region will effect you profoundly, but it’s a bit of a trek and not everyone has the experience, funds or time to make the journey. Now you don’t have to travel to get a sense of the place. The Beaty Biodiversity Museum out at UBC will launch the Wondrous: The Forest and Sea of the Great Bear exhibition this month. It invites Vancouverites to wander a series of photographs and sound recordings aimed at transporting us to the region to illustrate “the relationship between the land and the ocean, forest and river, economy and ecology.” All events related to Wondrous are free with entry to the museum.
Saturday, April 12 | 10:30am | Beaty Biodiversity Museum (2212 Main Mall, UBC) | DETAILS

PARK WALK | Get to know a little bit about the wildlife of Stanley Park this Sunday evening with a special twilight stroll along the shores of Lost Lagoon and into the trails around Beaver Lake. As you wander, the knowledgeable Stanley Park Ecology Society volunteer leaders will explain the habitats of the otter and beaver populations of the park. You’ll learn to  listen for the sound of a beaver tail slap across the water and will hear all about the sneaky ways of the otter.
April 13 | 6-7:30pm | Stanley Park Nature House on Lost Lagoon | $10 | DETAILS

SPRING | Along with daffodil-studded boulevards, cherry blossoms, and occasional blue skies, the annual Spring perogy lunch at the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Strathcona is a sure indicator of the true arrival of the most welcome of seasons. In addition to the shining linoleum-floored basement lined with communal lunch tables ready for plates of home-made borscht, perogies and kielbasa sausage, there will be a bazaar to pick though upstairs. Leave with a full belly and a few treasures from the sale, grab a cup of tea at The Wilder Snail and then park your bum in MacLean Park for a hang out session (weather permitting).
Sunday, April 13 | 11am-3:30pm | Ukrainian Cultural Centre (805 E Pender) Street | DETAILS

LAUGH | Vancouverites love Portland. It’s a magical land that celebrates all we hold dear (good food, craft beer, artisanal cheese, unpretentious wine and casual fashion) but without the astronomical real-estate prices, stifling bylaws, or heavy taxes that are so pervasive here. It’s our sexier and adventurous big sister. Even so, the ‘independent’ mantra that coats (like locally-sourced honey) every little detail of life and sometimes (like an over-waxed moustache) it makes us want giggle. Enter Portlandiapalooza! Yup, hit The Rio Theatre this Sunday for a daylong ‘bingefest’ of seasons 1-3 of Portlandia! Indulge in the guilty pleasure of laughing at the city that we long to be. From The Rio: “There will be birds on things. Pickled popcorn. Artisanal grilled cheese sandwiches. A selection of some of Portland’s very best craft beer courtesy of the fine folks at Copper & Theory. Official Portlandia swag signed by stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. and…series co-creator and star Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Seth Meyers) will be joining us for a live Skype Q&A!”
Sunday, April 13 | 1pm | The Rio Theatre (1660 E Broadway) | $15 | DETAILS

Check the Globe & Mail every Thursday for our Special Weekend Edition of the Scout List

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Michelle Sproule grew up in Kitsilano and attended University in Australia and the University of Victoria before receiving her graduate degree in Library Sciences from The University of Toronto. She lives in beautiful Strathcona and enjoys wandering aimlessly through the city’s streets with her best friend – a beat up, sticky, grimy (but faithful) camera.

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Read the rest of The Jane: Historic Military Chapel Transformed into Edgy Restaurant in Antwerp

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Post tags: .PSLAB, adaptive reuse, eco design, green design, Nick Bril, Piet Boon Studio, repurposed chapel, Sergio Herman, sustainable design, The Jane Antwerp

I’d puke too if I came in 5th place. If you’re not first, you’re last! [UPROXX] Coming Soon: a Hall & Oates-endorsed oatmeal called… Hall & Oatesmeal. [Thrillist] These 3D tattoos will blow your tiny mind. [Fashionably Geek] Hello Kitty has a new BFF and it’s an egg. LOLWUT? [LA Times] A TEN THOUSAND calorie burger. […]
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