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31 May 01:10
Santa Barbara Killings: What We Know Now - KABC-TV
KABC-TV |
Santa Barbara Killings: What We Know Now KABC-TV The Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office continues its internal investigation into how deputies dealt with Elliot Rodger before and after the college student went on a murderous spree last week, killing six people and injuring more than a dozen others. Officials from ... Chair of Federal "Gun Violence Prevention Task Force" Introduces Wide ...Daily Caller all 1,202 news articles » |
31 May 00:28
trendingly: Bet you thought it was those puppies again, nope.
Bet you thought it was those puppies again, nope.
31 May 00:18
Twitter quietly changes its font from Helvetica Neue to Gotham
by Josh Lowensohn
Weeks after rolling out its new profile design to all its users, Twitter's made another big change to how its site looks. Today the company said it's dropped Helvetica Neue for Gotham, a font that was used heavily in Barack Obama's first presidential run, as well as by GQ magazine, which ordered the font from designer Tobias Frere-Jones. So far, the change can be found on individual profile pages, though has not extended to the home feed, notifications, or discovery pages.
"We primarily use the Gotham font family: elegant and direct, stylish but not exclusive," Twitter explained. "Putting well-designed words in our product enhances the user experience." Not everyone seems to agree with that, however.
Twitter's been known to roll back a bad decision if enough users complain, though font choice may not the highest priority. The decision also does not affect Twitter's mobile app, or third-party client apps that typically offer the option to change what fonts are used. Here's how the old and the new stack up:
30 May 23:45
Google’s Motorola Mobility to close factory #makerbusiness
by adafruit
firehosevia Bunker.jordan
WOKKA WOKKA
Google’s Motorola Mobility to Close Factory in Texas @ WSJ.
The company’s Motorola Mobility handset unit said Friday that it will shutter a factory in Fort Worth, Texas, by the end of the year.
The factory opened in May 2013. A few months later, former Motorola Chief Executive Dennis Woodside said it would challenge conventional wisdom that manufacturing in the U.S. is too expensive. At its peak late last year, the factory employed as many as 3,800 people, most on behalf of contract manufacturer Flextronics International Ltd.Today, the factory employs about 700 workers who assemble high-end Moto X smartphones that are sold in the U.S., a Motorola spokesman said.
“What we found was that the North American market was exceptionally tough,” Motorola President Rick Osterloh said in an interview.
Previously – Made in America: a look inside Motorola’s Moto X factory.
firehose likes this
30 May 23:42
Via the Telegraph:
Walmart World Cup Fail
by Joe Jervis
firehosevia Ibstopher
Supermarket Asda has defended a "wearable England flag" it has launched for the World Cup after claims it resembles a Ku Klux Klan outfit. The £3 St George's Cross, with the word "England" on the red cross, features a hood which Asda said was to allow fans to wear it and stay dry despite the unpredictable British weather. But some fans took to Twitter to point out what they believe were similarities with the hoods worn by the racist US organisation, also known by its initials "KKK". A company spokesman said it had also produced a wearable Brazilian flag ahead of the competition, with starts in the South American country on June 12. She added: "We know there's chatter on Twitter about our wearable World Cup flags, but it's simply a flag with a hood – nothing more, nothing less. "We opted for a hood on our wearable England and Brazilian flags as you never know what the British weather will bring. "We want customers to get behind the team without getting wet." The spokesman said there were no plans to withdraw the flag.Asda is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walmart and is the UK's third-largest retail chain. (Tipped by JMG reader Lynda)
30 May 23:32
RGAM (GIF Image, 697 × 470 pixels)
by djempirical
firehosein before multitasksuicide: http://achewood.com/index.php?date=07132004
bernot and -1 others like this
30 May 23:24
It's Cheaper to House the Homeless Than Not House Them (In Case Economics Is More Important to You Than Empathy)
by Anna Minard
firehosea chunk of Florida joins a sliver of Utah as #nevergos with homes-for-homeless programs
Here's Matthew Yglesias over at Vox on a fascinating new report out of Florida analyzing the costs of housing—and not housing—the homeless:
A new study is out providing support to one of my favorite ideas in public policy—that the best way to deal with the challenge of homelessness is to give homeless people homes to live in. To some it sounds utopian and it's natural to worry about the cost, but a great deal of evidence suggests that it would be cheaper to house the homeless than to let them languish on the streets and deal with the aftermath.
The latest is a Central Florida Commission on Homelessness study indicating that the region spends $31,000 a year per homeless person on "the salaries of law-enforcement officers to arrest and transport homeless individuals—largely for nonviolent offenses such as trespassing, public intoxication or sleeping in parks—as well as the cost of jail stays, emergency-room visits and hospitalization for medical and psychiatric issues."
Guess how much the study found it would cost, per year, to give each person a place to live and a caseworker to keep an eye on them? Just $10,000. So it costs less than a third as much to just house people than it does to repeatedly arrest them for doing a bunch of normal human behavior that's illegal to do in public but totally not illegal to do inside your own home, like sleep and drink and pee? And to then also pay for the inevitable physical and mental health issues that arise or are aggravated when you live on the street and keep getting fucking arrested for sleeping or peeing or drinking? GEE WHIZ, WHO COULD'VE SEEN THAT COMING?!?
Yglesias again:
When it comes to the chronically homeless, you don't need to fix everything to improve their lives. You don't even really need new public money. What you need to do is target those resources at the core of the problem—a lack of housing—and deliver the housing, rather than spending twice as much on sporadic legal and medical interventions. And the striking thing is that despite the success of housing first initiatives, there are still lots of jurisdictions that haven't yet switched to this approach. If Central Florida and other lagging regions get on board, we could take a big bite out of the remaining homelessness problem and free up lots of resources for other public services.
There are some interesting graphs about the national decline in homelessness after federal policy started shifting toward a housing-first model. Go read the whole thing.
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30 May 23:15
This Kitty is a True Russian Patriot
firehosevia Rosalind
Russian cat beat
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30 May 22:23
San Diego Comic-Con Responds To Fan Petition Asking For A Formal Harassment Policy
firehose'Interestingly enough, CBR’s Albert Ching asked if there was room to be more explicit with their policy, which is what the petition asked for. “I think if you mean ‘clearer,’ [you mean] make it more specific. That certainly is something we could do, but I have to be honest with you: My concern is, the minute you start pointing out the types of harassment you don’t allow, does that imply other types of harassment are allowed? I hope nobody would make that leap, but as a gay man, I wouldn’t want to see harassment codified against a certain element by omitting orientation, or gender, or race, or religion, or disability,” Glanzer said. “So our policy not only mentions the fact that harassing or offensive behavior won’t be tolerated, we also let people know that if they find themselves in a situation where they feel their safety is at risk, that they should report it. I think we’re trying to get ahead of the curve on some of these issues.”
To that I say, you can never be too specific. If an organization is really worried about loopholes, that’s where legalese comes into play: “including, but not limited to X,Y,Z.” Are conventions afraid to put the word harassment front and center for fear people might assume it’s a regular occurrence at their event rather than a step toward prevention?'
30 May 22:15
Bottleneck Gallery’s New Blade Runner Art Show Is Absolutely Stunning
Tertiarymatt, firehose and -1 others like this
30 May 22:15
Deaf child stunned and overjoyed by baseball mascot speaking sign language with him
by Joey White
The Dayton Dragons are an affiliate team of the Cincinnati Reds and are one of the most popular teams in minor league baseball. One of their biggest fans is 7-year-old Hunter Samworth, a shy kid who’s also deaf.
When he approached the mascot at a recent game, Hunter was surprised that a team employee escorting the dragon began speaking with him in ASL. Then Heater the Dragon started signing with him too…
As mom says in the background, “I think I’m gonna cry.”
hamatoyoshi, cincy_j and one other like this
30 May 22:14
The Cartographer Who Created The Map Of Gotham City
by Mark Strauss
How did Batman manage to fight crime for so long without getting lost? Although the Dark Knight has been the guardian of Gotham for 75 years, the city's streets weren't mapped until 1998.
hamatoyoshi, firehose and -1 others like this
30 May 22:13
How Verizon Tricks You Into Paying For The Privilege To Pay More
firehoseall carriers suck forever
Thanks to some illuminating leaked documents from New York's Public Utility Law Project, we know for a fact that Verizon is taking an advantage of a little loophole in the law that gives them all the benefits of regulation without any of the obligations.
30 May 22:13
Iceland is an island. The word for Iceland in Icelandic is “Island”
by bubbaprog
firehose and -1 others like this
30 May 22:09
When net neutrality backfires: Chile just killed free access to Wikipedia and Facebook
by Leo Mirani
Net neutrality is a sore subject in the United States. Proponents argue that allowing big companies to pay for faster data transfers to their customers would disadvantage start-up business that cannot afford such payments. They also say consumers could be forced to pay more for access to data-hungry services such as Netflix. Opponents of net neutrality say that those who use the most bandwidth should also be the ones paying the most for it. After all, the tubes that ferry data around the world are not public utilities—they are private business concerns.
A surprising decision in Chile shows what happens when policies of neutrality are applied without nuance. This week, Santiago put an end to the practice, widespread in developing countries, of big companies “zero-rating” access to their services. As Quartz has reported, companies such as Facebook, Google, Twitter and Wikipedia strike up deals with mobile operators around the world to offer a bare-bones version of their service without charging customers for the data.
It is not clear whether operators receive a fee from big companies, but it is clear why these deals are widespread. Internet giants like it because it encourages use of their services in places where consumers shy away from hefty data charges. Carriers like it because Facebook or Twitter serve as a gateway to the wider internet, introducing users to the wonders of the web and encouraging them to explore further afield—and to pay for data. And it’s not just commercial services that use the practice: Wikipedia has been an enthusiastic adopter of zero-rating as a way to spread its free, non-profit encyclopedia.
Designed to woo new users rather than those already connected to the internet, these free programs do not offer the full, whizz-bang version of the service in question. Facebook Zero is largely text-based; Google only provides access to a few of its services. And smartphones generally cannot access these sites. They are aimed squarely at poorer people with pre-paid connections and older phones.
But Chile’s Subsecretaria de Telecomunicaciones has decided (link in Spanish) that such promotions violate net neutrality laws and must end in two days, on June 1. According to the law (link in Spanish), internet service providers must “not arbitrarily distinguish content, applications or services, based on the source or ownership thereof” (translation by Google).
This is short-sighted. Chile’s mobile internet penetration is low by the standards of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as the chart below shows.
Tap to expand image
Fixed broadband penetration rates are even lower, running at 13%. (Switzerland, at the top of the heap, boasts 44 wired broadband subscriptions per 100 people.)
Still, Chile’s mobile penetration is higher than several European nations:
Tap to expand image
That suggests plenty of room for growth. People already have mobile phone connections, even if they are not yet using them to get online. Chile also has the one of the highest rates of pre-paid SIM-card use in the OECD. These pre-paying customers are less likely to pay for expensive phones or newfangled services, and they’re exactly the ones that Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Wikipedia (not to mention local Internet service providers) are trying to coax online.
Chile’s decision means Chileans will now have to pay to find out whether this thing called the internet is really for them. That is one more reason for Chileans to delay adoption of the world’s most transformative technology since electricity.
firehose likes this
30 May 22:08
McDonald's miffed as Thai protesters adopt Golden Arches - Toronto Star
firehose"McDonald's is not loving it in Thailand. The burger chain's famous golden arches have become part of the iconography of anti-coup protests and it is warning activists to “cease and refrain” from using its trademark."
Toronto Star |
McDonald's miffed as Thai protesters adopt Golden Arches Toronto Star BANGKOK—McDonald's is not loving it in Thailand. The burger chain's famous golden arches have become part of the iconography of anti-coup protests and it is warning activists to “cease and refrain” from using its trademark. One of the McDonald's stores in ... and more » |
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30 May 22:08
Toddler badly burned after SWAT team throw stun grenade into his cot during ... - Mirror.co.uk
firehoseaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Atlanta #nevergo
Toddler badly burned after SWAT team throw stun grenade into his cot during ... Mirror.co.uk A toddler is in a medically induced coma with severe burns after a SWAT team threw a stun grenade into his cot during a drugs raid. Nineteen-month-old Bounkham Phonesavanh Jr has been left with serious injuries to his face and chest after detectives burst ... and more » |
30 May 22:04
Duck the police: Google's car could be the best thing ever for privacy on the road
by T.C. Sottek
firehoseright, until the actual infrastructure is in place with backdoors and data releases for enforcement to know exactly who and what and where and when, and switches to disable or redirect vehicles at will, because obviously
On January 2nd, 2013, David Eckart lived through a nightmare. After being stopped in a Walmart parking lot, New Mexico police asked Eckart to step out of his car, and patted him down. They searched his car without his consent. He was handcuffed, arrested, and eventually a search warrant was issued that allowed police to search his body for drugs, even though nothing had been found in his vehicle. He was taken by police to two emergency rooms where, despite his protests, he was humiliated and coerced into intrusive medical procedures. Hospital staff X-rayed him, searched his cavities for drugs several times, gave him three enemas in the presence of police, and finally an invasive colonoscopy. No drugs were ever found.
What happened to Eckart is a terrifying violation of dignity and privacy. And it all happened because police say he allegedly failed to yield at a stop sign.
It may never have happened if a computer were driving the car.
It’s ironic, but the future of privacy on America’s roadways could come from Google, a company that basically makes money from tracking everything you do on the web. This week Google showed off a bold vision for the future of cars; a custom-made driverless vehicle with no steering wheel and no pedals. You simply hop in the car, tell it where to go, and you’re off to your destination. It’s a crazy, amazing, optimistic bid for the future. It’s also controversial.
Google could protect our privacy in unexpected ways
All of these concerns are valid, except that they don’t present a future that’s appreciably different from our present situation. We’re already living in a digital world where you’re tracked at every turn. If you log in anywhere on the mainstream web, you’re probably being tracked with cookies, and if you’ve got a device with GPS in your pocket, the police can already track your historical whereabouts by obtaining a warrant. But what if mass adoption of driverless cars actually increased the privacy of drivers more than any other roadway invention in history?
Privacy is about more than just data collection. It’s also about feeling secure against someone searching through your belongings. While the Bill of Rights protects citizens against unreasonable searches, it’s no guarantee that your rights won’t be violated — just ask David Eckart. Eckart’s example is extreme, but the kind of traffic stops that led to his ordeal are very common. Forty-two percent of involuntary encounters with police in the United States happen in cars, and many of these encounters lead to searches.
But even traffic stops that don’t result in searches can bring citizens unwanted attention or questioning. Whether they’re questions from police about where you’ve been and who you’ve been with, why you’re in a certain place, what you’re photographing, what’s in your bag, or anything else you might not want to tell an agent of the government, they pose a potential danger for people who don’t want officers prying into their lives. That’s not a paranoid view of police, it’s just a fact about risk: even if most police have your best interests in mind, the best way to avoid invasive searches is simply to never come in contact with officers unless you want to. These concerns are especially significant for minority groups that are disproportionately targeted by law enforcement for searches.
According to data collected by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 26.4 million people were subject to traffic stops in America in 2011. Of those stops, BJS data shows that a vast majority were violations based on the behavior and decisions of drivers. That includes speeding (46.5 percent of all stops), not wearing a seatbelt or talking on a phone (6.6 percent), illegal turns and lane changes (7.0 percent), stop sign or stop light violations (6.7 percent), and roadside sobriety checks (1.3 percent). Those are all legitimate reasons for police to stop people, but they can also lead to unwanted intrusions that have nothing to do with traffic violations.
Of all the traffic stops in 2011, BJS says about 792,000 people (3 percent) were searched. The majority of those people didn’t believe the police had a legitimate reason to search them.
Human beings get pulled over because they're human
In total, violations based on driver behavior accounted for 68.1 percent of traffic stops by police. In other words, human beings were pulled over in most cases because they’re human: they break the rules of the road and sometimes make mistakes. In some cases, like obeying speed limits, there’s even a cultural expectation that most people will routinely break the law. As the ACLU's senior policy analyst Jay Stanley tells The Verge, this means that roads are quasi-authoritarian spaces that give police huge discretion in choosing who to punish. But in a world with self-driving cars, things would look much different. "The latitude of the police to pull people over would be much reduced," Stanley says. "People wouldn’t be subject to so much arbitrary enforcement."
When humans become passengers instead of operators, moving violations would disappear as quickly as the steering wheel. Automated red-light and speeding cameras that ding drivers with robotic precision will become mostly obsolete. Self-driving cars won’t speed, they won’t make illegal turns, they won’t blow through stop signs, and they’ll safely ferry you home without incident if you’ve had too much to drink or if you’ve got a really important text message that can’t wait. That means police will either need a very good reason to pull you over, or a clearly bogus one; but either way, it’ll drastically lower the number of encounters people have with police.
That’s not to say the road to a driverless future will be perfect. The first self-driving cars will probably be expensive and rare; hybrids and all-electric cars are still the exception to the cheap, reliable internal combustion engine. Wealthy people and those in cities with access to taxis will enjoy the benefits of self-driving cars first, even though the least privileged are searched most frequently. And taking the steering wheel away from privileged groups first (read: wealthy white families) may make those still driving traditional cars bigger targets for police in the interim before mass adoption. In the 2011 data from BJS, black drivers were relatively more likely to be pulled over in a traffic stop, and blacks and hispanics were more likely to be ticketed than white drivers. White drivers were both ticketed and searched at lower rates than black and hispanic drivers.
Getting to scale won’t necessarily be pretty. But the wide adoption of self-driving cars could provide substantial benefits to everyone. A recent report from the Eno Center for Transportation notes that driverless cars could eliminate at least 40 percent of fatal crashes in the US, saving tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars every year. Our commutes to and from work could be smoother and safer. Lots of people who can’t drive, like the young, elderly, and disabled, would be given new freedom.
And we probably won’t get pulled over by the cops.
30 May 22:01
FCC may re-define “broadband” as 10Mbps to reflect actual Internet usage
by Jon Brodkin
The Federal Communications Commission defines "broadband" Internet as bandwidth of 4Mbps downstream and 1Mbps up. But many Internet services want consumers to use more than that. Netflix, for example, recommends 5Mbps for high-definition video and 25Mbps for "Ultra HD 4K" quality.
The FCC is thus considering raising the definition of broadband from 4Mbps to 10Mbps or higher, perhaps 25Mbps. The Washington Post reported this news today, and an FCC official confirmed it to Ars.
The commission won't necessarily change the definition of broadband upload speeds. The FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau sent a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) to commissioners today which asks whether broadband should be redefined as 10Mbps down and 1Mbps up or some other level. The NOI seeks comment on whether 1Mbps upload bandwidth is sufficient to accommodate demand for real-time, interactive services, the FCC official told Ars.
Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments
firehose likes this
30 May 22:00
'Sherlock' Season 3 will stream as a Netflix exclusive next week
by Jacob Kastrenakes
Sherlock fans, clear your schedule: according to Vulture, its third season is heading online next Monday, and it'll be available to stream exclusively at Netflix. While it's certainly one of Netflix's smaller exclusives — after all, the season has already aired — the show has a passionate fanbase and has seen plenty of accolades. It also appears that Netflix may have locked up Sherlock's first two seasons as well, adding another big series to its roster. Netflix has been in a heated battle with Amazon and Hulu to lock up exlcusive content lately — some original, others just popular — and Sherlock serves as only a further piece of ammunition in the battle.
30 May 21:58
Kids With Wheels: Should the Unlicensed Be Allowed To 'Drive' Autonomous Cars?
by Unknown Lamer
firehosebabies driving cars
cats driving cars
Hallie Siegel (2973169) writes "From the Open Roboethics Research Initiative: Earlier this month, when we asked people about your general thoughts on autonomous cars, we found that one of the main advantages of autonomous cars is that those who are not licensed to drive will be able to get to places more conveniently. Some results from our reader poll: About half of the participants (52%) said that children under the legal driving age should not be able to ride driverless cars, 38% of the participants believe that children should be able to ride driverless cars alone and the other 10% also think that children should be able to drive autonomous cars with proven technology and specific training." 
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
firehose and -1 others like this
30 May 21:46
Brews Wayne is the greatest name ever for a beer
by Kevin Melrose
firehose and -1 others like this
30 May 21:45
From Space.com. This space wallpaper is an artist’s impression...
From Space.com.
This space wallpaper is an artist’s impression showing the magnetar in the very rich and young star cluster Westerlund 1. This remarkable cluster contains hundreds of very massive stars, some shining with a brilliance of almost one million suns. European astronomers have for the first time demonstrated that this magnetar — an unusual type of neutron star with an extremely strong magnetic field — probably was formed as part of a binary star system.
Credit: ESO/L. Calçada
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30 May 21:44
Donald Sterling plans to file $1 billion lawsuit against NBA
by Mark Sandritter
firehoselooks like he'll be putting that money to use pretty quickly
Weeks after sending a letter to the NBA threatening a lawsuit, it appears Donald Sterling is now going to follow through and sue the league.
Los Angles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is planning to file an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA for damages in excess of $1 billion, according to a report from Tim Stelloh of NBC News. The reports of a lawsuit come a day after Shelly Sterling reached an agreement to sell the franchise to Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.
The purpose of the lawsuit is to recover money Sterling believes the league cost him through the lifetime ban and $2.5 million fine. There may be another lawsuit coming against Shelly Sterling that will attempt to block the sale.
Blecker tells Yahoo that Sterling is "looking ... separately" at possible legal action to stop sale agreement of Clippers to Steve Ballmer.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) May 30, 2014
NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Donald Sterling from the NBA in late April after racist audio recordings of Sterling surfaced. Sterling has since gone back-and-forth on whether he would agree to sell the team. His attorney sent a letter to the NBA threatening to sue the league over what he called "illegal" actions to force him to sell. While Sterling initially gave his wife Shelly permission to sell the team, he later changed his mind. Meanwhile, Shelly Sterling's lawyers suggested that Donald was found to be "mentally incapacitated," giving her the right to sell the team without his permission. Donald Sterling's lawyers denied that charge.
Other lawsuits may be on the way. Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated wrote Shelly Sterling could file a lawsuit against Donald on behalf of the trust.
More on Donald Sterling
The long-term impact and ultimate result of the lawsuit remains to be seen, but the immediate impact could delay Ballmer from buying the team. The NBA Board of Governors is scheduled to meet on June 3 to vote on whether they should strip the Sterling family's ownership of the franchise. The league currently plans to have that meeting on schedule unless they receive paperwork making the sale to Ballmer official.
30 May 20:34
Beowulf
firehosecover for Tolkien's Beowulf
Danbusha, Tertiarymatt and one other like this
30 May 19:33
University Study on Sexism In BBC’s Doctor Who (Infographic) | The Life and Times of an Exceptionally Tall Mormon
by gguillotte
firehoseRTD vs. Moffat. Yes, the Bechdel test is flawed, but it's still interesting to see the trends on a common metric.
# Number of episodes that passed the Bechdel test:
89% (24/27) of the episodes written by Russell T. Davies passed the Bechdel test with 78% (45/58) passing during his 4 seasons as showrunner.
57% (12/21) of the episodes written by Steven Moffat passed the Bechdel test, with 58% (19/33) passing during his era.
## Per companion:
Rose: 74%, 2:37 speaking time per episode
- Rose's pass rate increases to 82% when eliminating episodes Moffat wrote.
Martha: 78%, 3:15 speaking time per episode
Donna: 100%, 3:46 speaking time per episode
Amy: 53%, 2:35 speaking time per episode
(Study was done in April, before Clara had enough episodes to analyze.)
## Episodes where the female companion splits time with a male companion:
Rose: 39% (12/31; Mickey Smith 5, Adam Mitchell 2, Jack Harkness 5)
Martha: 11% (2/18; Jack Harkness 2)
Donna: 25% (4/16; Jack Harkness 3, WILFFFFF 1)
Amy: 73% (24/33; Rory Williams 24)
# Average speaking time for companions and women:
Companion Speaking time went from 3:12 to 2:35 per episode, a 19% decrease.
Female Speaking time went from 8:30 to 5:46 per episode, a 32% decrease.
Female Speaking roles went from 5.5 to 4.2 per episode, a 24% decrease.
# But What About River Song?
Ironically, the woman who is often propped up as proof that Steven Moffat is, in fact, not a sexist was one of the worst in terms of the Bechdel test and overall independence of thought and character. While maintaining an average speaking time, the episodes she is in only pass the Bechdel Test 57% of the time, and she herself only passes 42% of the time. She also never passes it on her own after Series 5. It is also important to note that River’s “passes” barely scraped by this test. Her passing conversations were always around three or four lines of exchange total, limited to one per episode, and were always in the presence of/with the Doctor.
# Personal Commentary
As I watched these episodes again with a fine tooth comb, I noticed many things that were not included with this study, as they were not quantifiable, which was the purpose of this research. One thing that struck me was the difference between Rose Tyler and River Song, and how the two writers dealt with the main love interest during their run.
I think when it comes to giving women love interests in fiction, you have to let them maintain their own independence of thought. This keeps them from simply becoming a sex object or plot device. Rose (and Martha and Donna) had that in spades. While both Rose and River had their share of arguments with The Doctor, how they handled them was drastically different. Rose argued when she had moral issue with his choices, stood her ground, defended others, and overall became the moral compass of their relationship. River rarely if ever, disagreed on issues or principles. If asked to do something she disagreed with she would just yell, “I hate you,” and then do it. Her mentality toward The Doctor can be summed up with a conversation she has with Amy in series 6. The Doctor has left them with instructions Amy does not want to do, but River tells her, “We’re going to as The Doctor’s friends always do. As they’re told.” I think I just heard Rose, Martha, Donna, Romana, and Sarah Jane slap you. When it comes to River Song, it seems that audiences were fooled into thinking she was a strong female character because of her propensity toward violence, and some admittedly excellent monologues.
We conducted two major tests on all the companions since 2005 that had completed their tenure in the show. The first was a Bechdel Test, and then the second was speaking time.
30 May 19:15
“Readymake” Duchamp Chess Set #3DThursday #3DPrinting
by Matt
Pete Prodoehl shared an incredible project of “Readymake” art he has been participating in — an art project created with Bryan Cera and Scott Kildall to resurrect Marcel Duchamp’s Chess Set. Both a gorgeous, modern set and a complex re-examination of the “readymade” object in the context of a world with 3D printers, check out this “readymake” project and print a set for yourself!
The Duchamp Chess Set I made was part of a project that Bryan Cera and Scott Kildall hatched to recreate the lost hand-carved chess set that Marcel Duchamp created.
To be honest, it’s been a while since I’ve taken an art history class, so I did a bit of homework on Marcel Duchamp and reacquainted myself with his work. My favorite piece is Fountain, which I remember well from my art studies, and yes, you can grab the file from Thingiverse and 3D print your own version.
(Note that Rob Myers, who commissioned the 3D model of the urinal, has a few thoughts on Readymades. I mention this because Bryan and Scott have chosen the term “Readymakes”, a play on Duchamp’s Readymade idea.)
As for my contribution to the project, Bryan invited me to print my own set, and I did, but I chose to split each piece in half and reassemble them after printing. I found this to be the cleanest method of getting quality prints on my specific 3D Printer. I also gave mine a coating of metallic paint, which transformed them from simple plastic-looking piece into metallic-looking pieces, or at least, metallic-plastic-looking pieces….
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!
Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!
The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! We also offer the LulzBot TAZ – Open source 3D Printer and the Printrbot Simple Metal 3D Printer in our store. If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!
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