Devin Sarno

 

Meerkat is an app for iOS designed by San Francisco-based startup Life on Air Inc. that delivers live streaming video to Twitter with the press of a button, letting users broadcast events in real-time to their followers. The app creates a link on Twitter that followers can use to watch the video and comment using their Twitter handles. The video is a one-time only deal–no archive is created–but anyone can watch during a stream, regardless of whether they’re logged in via Twitter.

images via Meerkat

A self-described "Wellness Warrior," who attempted to battle a rare form of cancer with alternative therapies, died on Thursday the age of 29.

Seven years ago, Australian Jessica Ainscough was diagnosed with epithelioid sarcoma, a slow growing soft tissue tumour in her left arm. The survival rate of this form of cancer for is 68% at five years and 61% at 10 years, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine

The former Dolly magazine online editor gained thousands of followers on social media after she shunned traditional medicine to embark on a journey using Gerson therapy. The therapy uses coffee enemas, juices, supplements and a strict vegan diet, yet is banned in the United States and generally discredited by medical practitioners, according to the American Cancer Society and Cancer Australia. Read more...

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[Image via Sterling Davis / Curbed LA flickr pool]

This week the Los Angeles Department of City Planning released a revised version of the Mobility Plan 2035, an aspirational, wide-ranging blueprint for getting around Los Angeles in the next 20 years. The 180-page plan touches on virtually every aspect of mobility in Los Angeles, from walking and bikes to buses and trains, in an attempt to integrate them all into something resembling a cohesive vision. Major goals of the plan include establishing a network of "Complete Streets" that are accessible for both people and cars, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and solving the ever-vexing "first-mile/last-mile" issue for getting people to and from all those transit stops already here and on the way. The agency takes pains to explain that not all objectives will be accomplished —the plan is "a working guide and a reference document"— but it's fun to see the dream.

Biking is a big part of the plan. Paths, lanes, and protected lanes are all to be sewn together into the Bicycle Enhanced Network, which will allow Angelenos to commute by bike comfortably, without having to dodge cars to the left and open doors to the right. Major streets will be reclassified into two levels of boulevards and three levels of avenues, with the hope that it will "result in streets that better serve all users and needs." Reliability of public transit is also of concern; the plan aims to establish off-peak 5 minute bus frequency on a quarter of the transit network, and 15 minute frequency on all of it.

Other notable programs include:
· Industrial Street Infrastructure: "Provide adequate street infrastructure in established industrial areas; revise geometric design standards for intersections in/around industrial areas with high truck volumes." (Try riding a bike down Alameda between Seventh and Olympic to see how necessary this is.)

· Grade Crossing Elimination: "Work with Southern California Regional Railroad Association (Metrolink) as well as with freight rail operators to eliminate rail/street at-grade crossings on regional passenger rail and freight lines." (No more of this)

· Congestion and Cordon Pricing: "Evaluate potential revenues and performance improvements in congestion relief from the implementation of congestion or cordon pricing. Identify the boundaries of, and access points in and out of cordon pricing districts on which to implement congestion pricing." (London does it, why not LA? We already have a version in the ExpressLanes toll lanes on some of our freeways, which charge drivers varying amounts depending on how bad traffic is.)

· City Fleet: "Develop, fund, and implement an actionable strategic plan with accompanying timeline for converting the City's, including proprietary departments, fleets into low and zero-emission vehicles, and include alternative transport such as transit passes and a City bicycle fleet." (Tesla bus?)

· Meter Pricing: "Establish demand based meter pricing to maximize efficient use of on-street meters." (Either you'll find an open meter, or it'll cost so much you'll leave it open for someone else; it's already been very successful in Downtown.)

· Bus Bike Racks: "Work with transit providers to provide solutions for additional bike storage, such as bike rack systems to accommodate at least three bicycles on-board
the bus, or permitting bicyclists to board with their bicycles at the rear of the bus." (Try getting from Westwood to Van Nuys with a bike today.)

· Trash Facilities: "Increase the number of trash cans on sidewalks. Work with local business and community organizations to develop an adopt-a-trash can program." (Amen.)

The public comment period on this draft report lasts until April 6. The City Planning Commission will be presented with the final environmental impact report on May 14. —Ian Grant
· Mobility Plan 2035 [LADCP]
· ExpressLanes [Curbed LA]
· Experimental Downtown Parking Program Lowering Rates, Filling Spaces, Spreading to Westwood [Curbed LA]

Hollywood's big ole party to itself is happening next Sunday, so get ready for sidewalk and road closures in the area as they prep for the 87th annual Oscars, happening on February 22. [ more › ]

Basketball: Big first quarter, dominant defense lead Falcons past Arcadia, 46-34.

LA CRESCENTA — It is always a big game when Crescenta Valley High and Arcadia meet on the court to conclude the girls’ basketball Pacific League schedule. This was especially true for the Falcon seniors Thursday night.

Parents around the world know what we're talking about: We all just need to let Disney's Frozen go

The exceptionally catchy animated musical was a success to say the least. Even today — over a year after the movie's release — we cannot escape the brain-numbing lyrics from getting deeply embedded into our brains

But finally, out of the darkness of happy children watching Frozen over and over again comes one child to which all adults can relate

One child who doesn't want to build a snowman. The chosen one.

More about Viral Videos, Kids, Disney, Funny, and Watercooler

Novak Djokovic won his fifth Australian Open title and his eighth career Grand Slam while extending Andy Murray's misery at Melbourne Park.

Djokovic beat Murray 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-0 in Sunday's final, relegating the Scotsman to runner-up status for the fourth time in four tries in the Australian Open final. Murray had lost twice previously to Djokovic — in 2011 and 2013 — and to Roger Federer in 2010.

The No. 1-ranked Djokovic, meanwhile, is a perfect 5-for-5 in Australian Open finals.

"There were a lot of turning points in the match," Djokovic said. "Regardless of the record I have here, we both knew we had equal chances to win. It was a cat-and-mouse fight, it always is with us." Read more...

More about Australia, Entertainment, Sports, Murray, and Australia Open

Said the cleric, “These days many Muslim women are taking selfies without shame. There are usually nine frames in one photo with facial poses that are just–my goodness–where’s the purity in women?” Read the rest

Doctor Who

Jon Lazar (previously), a New York-based social media consultant, has created a fun line of customized LEGO Friends mini-dolls (which have different proportions from LEGO minifigures) turned into recognizable characters from such television series as Doctor Who and The Walking Dead and such films as Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Hunger Games. Some of Lazar’s custom minifigures are available for purchase through his Etsy store.

Ghostbusters

Indiana Jones

The Walking Dead

Katniss Everdeen

photos by Jon Lazar

via The Brothers Brick

Researchers at the University of Rochester are laser etching the surfaces of metal in ways that make them attract water or repel water. The video here shows how remarkably effective the treatment is. [via]

Balloons, not doves, were released as a gesture of peace on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, a year after an attack by a gull and a crow on the symbolic birds set off protests by animal protection groups.

Rowlf the Dog of The Muppets sings the 1989 hit song “Just A Friend” by Biz Markie in this wonderful remix video by Mylo the Cat.

Iowa Republican senator Joni Ernst gave her party's official response to the State of the Union address by boasting self-righteously about her humble origins and how her self-reliant, heartland-state family pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps, but conveniently failed to mention that her family's farm was the beneficiary of nearly half a million dollars in federal subsidies. Read the rest

The former Florida governor laid out campaign rationale and opened a fund-raising apparatus for a possible presidential campaign.

In a recent video, Evan Puschak–known also as The Nerdwriter (previously)–takes a look back at some of the best slow-motion footage used in movies, television, and music videos in 2014. The full list of clips used is available in the video’s YouTube description.

via Laughing Squid Tips

A new video shows the aftermath of the fatal shooting of two NYPD officers, who were killed in New York City Saturday, in what officials called an "execution style" assassination. The attack, carried out by 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley, took place in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn.

The footage (see above), taken from a nearby apartment on the corner of Tompkins and Myrtle Avenues in Brooklyn, shows the massive emergency response immediately following the attack. Moments after the shooting, dozens of emergency responders arrived at the grisly scene. Some can be seen performing CPR on the victims Read more...

More about New York, Police, Nypd, Us World, and Us

RCA had planned to release “Black Messiah” in early 2015, but its reclusive singer was done waiting.

A recent study found that drug gangs have a pay gap wider than that of the legitimate business world.

Drug kingpins, the CEOs of their organizations, rake in $1.68 million to $2.52 million a year. But baggie-selling foot soldiers are paid $4,756 a year — nearly half the U.S. minimum wage, according to a study by treatment4addiction.com, a website that connects addicts with rehab centers.

At the higher end of the range, that's a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of 5,024 to 9.5. Compare that with the 331 to 1 divide found in the average U.S. corporation, according to data compiled by the AFL-CIO. Read more...

More about Crime, Drugs, Us World, Us, and Gang

It’s been half a year since Kent Sparling posted something to his SoundCloud account. That gap is probably good news for film-goers, since Sparling is an excellent sound designer and film composer (see his extensive credits at his IMDB page). But fortunately he took a break enough for a couple minutes of new, film-less work, in the form of this fluid, lulling piece (title: “Oregos in Fog”) that seems to play several different billowing sounds against each other — lush sounds that, in turn, billow at different rates, allowing for chance overlaps and tensions. According to a brief liner note it is the first of a 10-day plan to record as many one-minute pieces. This tracks in at closer to two minutes, but who’s going to complain? (As a side note, he lists the components as follows: “Simple analog and digital synths from the 1980’s, a rack of outboard signal processors and a Hohner Piano 36 melodica were the playthings.”)

Track originally posted at soundcloud.com/purling. For reasons beyond me, he only has 66 followers on SoundCloud, so please consider adding his account to your cue. More from Sparling, who lives in Berkeley, California, at jicamasalad.net.

Santa and Mrs. Claus were in downtown Burbank Friday evening for the mayor’s annual tree-lighting ceremony in front of Burbank City Hall.

Xeni Jardin collects news, videos and images of the new Nasa launcher that will take humankind to Mars. Read the rest

Since August of this year, Edinburgh-based artist Charles Young has been creating a wondrous paper architectural miniature every day for his ongoing project, Paperholm. The models–of windmills, houses, carnival rides, and more–are hand-crafted from watercolor paper, and many of them feature complex moving parts. Young, a trained architect, says the models are part of “a growing paper city.”

photo by Charles Young

via My Modern Metropolis

During an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit Saturday, the director of the Ferguson Municipal Public Library—which has become a symbol of resilience in a community rocked by protests—mentioned that The Fault in Our Stars is among the top-read Young Adult novels currently at the library

As an unexpected result, the author of the popular book-turned-movie, John Green, offered to send signed copies of his works to the library, which has been providing extra programming in the wake of violent protests earlier this week. Ferguson has been rocked by ongoing demonstrations—which became more peaceful as the days passed— since the grand jury announced Monday it would not indict Darren Wilson, the Ferguson police officer that killed unarmed teen Mike Brown. Read more...

More about Us World, Us, and Ferguson

The Mashable Media Summit is less than a week away. To kick-start the conversation on the future of digital storytelling, @MashBusiness is hosting a Twitter chat on Monday, Dec. 1 at 1 p.m. ET, which features several Media Summit speakers.

The Media Summit is a one-day conference analyzing the impact of technology on the media industry, with an emphasis on the evolution of storytelling. Our Twitter chat will focus on media industry trends, the impact of mobile and the future of media.

To participate, follow @MashBusiness and wait for our questions. Be sure to include the #MediaSummit hashtag in each of your responses. We'll be retweeting some of your opinions. Read more...

More about Storytelling, Twitter Chat, Media Summit, Business, and Advertising

from Sounding Out The City by El Michels Affair

Pee-wee Herman has launched a new blog that features an optional VIP Premium Diamond Platinum Club membership. When applying for the free VIP membership, users are encouraged to share things like their favorite hobby, shoe size, and even write an essay to Pee-wee.

images via Pee-wee Herman

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

The new Chinatown lounge has a full menu from Blossom chef Duc Pham.

CHINATOWN— General Lee's isn't just rocking a full craft cocktail menu, but a tight set of bar bites designed by Blossom's chef Duc Pham (remember that Blossom opened right next door a few weeks ago). See the menu below, which features oysters, imperial rolls, and salt & pepper shrimp.

PASADENA— 1886 is celebrating its four year anniversary by serving some of its greatest hits, with 13 drinks that have been most popular over the years. In addition, there are now two cocktails featured for $7 during happy hour, which runs 4 to 7 p.m., Tuesday to Friday.

MARINA DEL REY— Ruth's Chris Steakhouse opened another outlet on Maxella, just a stone's throw from Paiche, adding another high-end dining option for MDR denizens. Medium rare, please.

General Lees Happy Hour Food Menu

Shoppers that purchase some of Apple's most popular products on Friday will also receive a Product (RED) gift card that can be used on the U.S. iTunes Store, Mac App Store, App Store, or iBooks Store.

In the world of Borderlands, you're always in danger of being shot at, stabbed, double-crossed or eaten by mutant wildlife. Maybe that's why we can't get enough.

In the first gameplay trailer for Tales from the Borderlands, the story-focused adventure game developed not by Gearbox Software, but by Telltale Games, shows that the world of Pandora — and its twisted inhabitants — are just as dangerous as ever.

Although Tales from the Borderlands was announced in December, this is the first time fans have seen gameplay, though Telltale Games has shown the game to press at various trade shows. We see the game's two playable characters, Rhys and Fiona — who have their own motives — forced to team up. Rhys is an employee of Hyperion, which has been left in shambles after the death of Handsome Jack at the end of Borderlands 2. Fiona is a con artist taking whatever actions are necessary to survive in the cutthroat world of Pandora. Read more...

More about Entertainment, Gaming, Telltale Games, and Borderlands

Beyoncé won't be releasing Volume II of her self-titled visual album this month as rumored. Instead, the "Drunk in Love" singer will release a four-disc Beyoncé Platinum Edition Box Set, which will include two new songs and four unreleased remixes

Columbia Records and Parkwood Entertainment set the record straight on Tuesday, unleashing every detail for the two-CD, two-DVD box set that will be released Nov. 24

The More CD contains the two new songs — "7/11" and "Ring Off" — as well as collaborative remixes of "Flawless" (Nicki Minaj), "Drunk in Love" (Jay Z and Kanye West), "Blow" (Pharrell Williams) and "Standing on the Sun" (Mr. Vegas) Read more...

More about Beyonce, Jay Z, Entertainment, and Music