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Philippe Halsman Dalí Atomicus 1948 Contact sheet Musée de l’Elysée © 2013 Philippe Halsman Archive / Magnum Photos


Philippe Halsman Dalí Atomicus 1948 Musée de l’Elysée © 2013 Philippe Halsman Archive / Magnum Photos


Philippe Halsman Dalí Cyclops 1949 Musée de l’Elysée © 2013 Philippe Halsman Archive / Magnum Photos

Dali, Philippe Halsman

Courtney shared this story from Super Opinionated.

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New submitter postglock (917809) writes "Swype is a popular third-party keyboard for Android phones (and also available for Windows phones and other platforms). It's currently the second-most-popular paid keyboard in Google Play (behind SwiftKey), and the 17th highest of all paid apps. Recently, users have discovered that it's been accessing location data extremely frequently, making almost 4000 requests per day, or 2.5 requests per minute. The developers claim that this is to facilitate implementation of 'regional dialects,' but cannot explain why such frequent polling is required, or why this still occurs if the regional function is disabled. Some custom ROMs such as Cyanogenmod can block this tracking, but most users would be unaware that such tracking is even occurring." Readers in the linked thread don't all seem to see the same thing; if you are a Swype user, do you see thousands of location requests, none, or something in between?

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Hugh Pickens DOT Com (2995471) writes "Reuters reports that last week's computer glitch at a California air traffic control center that led officials to halt takeoffs at Los Angeles International Airport was caused by a U-2 spy plane still in use by the US military, passing through air space monitored by the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center that appears to have overloaded ERAM, a computer system at the center. According to NBC News, computers at the center began operations to prevent the U-2 from colliding with other aircraft, even though the U-2 was flying at an altitude of 60,000 feet and other airplanes passing through the region's air space were miles below. FAA technical specialists resolved the specific issue that triggered the problem on Wednesday, and the FAA has put in place mitigation measures as engineers complete development of software changes," said the agency in a statement. "The FAA will fully analyze the event to resolve any underlying issues that contributed to the incident and prevent a reoccurrence." The U.S. Air Force is still flying U-2s, but plans to retire them within the next few years. The U-2 was slated for retirement in 2006 in favor of the unmanned Global Hawk Block 30 system, before the Air Force pulled an about-face two years ago and declared the Global Hawk too expensive and insufficient for the needs of combatant commanders."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

PC-only gamers haven't been able to enjoy Dynasty Warrior 8's hectic, definitely-true-to-history battles between ancient Chinese kingdoms, but Tecmo Koei is about to fix that. The publisher is bringing ​Omega Force's DW8: Xtreme Legends Complete...

In what has to be the most courteous moment ever witnessed between two cats, these felines each take a bite, then pass the dish to the other during a surprisingly polite mealtime…

(via cineraria)

madlori:

Got this gorgeous pick of the polar bear girls at the zoo this morning.  LOOKIT THE SHADOWS IN THE WATER.  I’M SO PROUD OF MY FERTOGRAFFY.

The Clipper's power forward decided to defy physics, and some how pull of an amazing shot.

Blake Griffin. Wow. Just wow. Let's take another look.

Blake be like, "Physics? I don't need no stinkin' physics". Assuming he believes in physics...I'M KIDDING.

Too bad he missed the free throw.

Literary elites love to rep Shakespeare’s vocabulary: across his entire corpus, he uses 28,829 words, suggesting he knew over 100,000 words and arguably had the largest vocabulary, ever. I decided to compare this data point against the most famous artists in hip hop. I used each artist’s first 35,000 lyrics. That way, prolific artists, such as Jay-Z, could be compared to newer artists, such as Drake.

popular shared this story from Greater Greater Washington.

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by Steven Yates

Protected bike lanes, or cycletracks, are great for encouraging bicycling, but intersections often don't offer much protection for cyclists. Enter the protected intersection:

The design is based on Dutch designs that gives all parties more time to react to conflicts and makes intersections much safer for cyclists. The design is not standard in the US, but neither were protected bike lanes up until a few years ago. Which intersections around here do you think should get this treatment?

Thanks to reader Jeremy Frisch for the tip.

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TV today, embarrassment of riches, hubbub hubbub, Golden Age — but my god for the love of all that's Bechdel everyone should be watching and losing their feminist-leaning minds over Orphan Black right now. What if I told you there is a femmed-up ass-kicker about clones with the campy dark humor of Heathers that's feminist in its bones and also riveting and fun, plus pulls off all the things people say female-led shows don't do? Face, naysayers! Face. Clone face. Because clones. Burn!

For anyone unaware: Sarah Manning (Tatiana Maslany) is a twentysomething crust punk ne'er-do-well who, upon the show's open, comes across a woman in the subway about to jump to her death. Moments before, she sees the woman's face and it happens to look exactly like hers. In a scrambling effort to ditch her abusive, drug-peddler of a boyfriend Vic and get financially stable, Manning steals the dead lookalike's identity, which turns out to be that of Beth Childs, a cop with a hot boyfriend and sweet pad, whom Manning soon discovers is her clone.

As season one unfolds, we learn that Beth is just one of many of Sarah's genetic identicals out there — first rule of clone club is don't say clone — each with a unique personality, look, identity, accent, hairstyle, you name it. Maslany plays all of these gals with virtuosic aplomb while navigating crimes, misdemeanors, shadowy corporate overlords, and more, and not only is the show somehow not confusing at all, it's hilarious, thrilling, and good plain fun. Also: When Maslany is playing a clone who is pretending to be another clone, you will have to pause the show just to marvel at how brilliant she is. (So brilliant that fans organized to give her their own award when she got snubbed for an Emmy.)

So what makes the show so great?

It's cheesy — in the best way.

I don't like sci-fi really — mainly I'm just not good at that kind of suspension of disbelief, making it hard to get into characters when premises feel really hokey, and they so often do. Orphan Black dodges this impeccably: One, it has a great sense of humor, cracking silly about identity mix-ups that prove they are in on the joke of how absurd such premises can be. Slate TV critic Willa Paskin called it "B TV" as a nod to its unabashed goofiness, but to me, this trait absolutely saves the show from itself.

Two, because we see the evolving world through Manning's eyes, we can share in her character's eye-rolling skepticism about cloning and lunatics and religious fundies, while sympathizing with her totally relatable instinct to survive, make ends meet, and figure out who she is and where she's from — whether the "she" is the misfit, the stoner lesbian scientist, the suburban craft mom, or the nutjob.

Three — the mythology of the show — Proletheans who are anti-cloning, transhumanism, body modification freaks (yes, there is something about growing a tail) — doesn't seem that far off, and here it's handled with a wicked sense of humor that has just enough of a foot in the door of reality to not seem that crazy.

It's about more than clones.

It's about identity, about a young woman trying to grow up, and how we define family. Manning and her sisters don't always make good choices, and they aren't always likeable. In a post about how much audiences need a show like Orphan Black right now, Audra Schroder at the Daily Dot notes that the first season could have been its last because its topics — clones, genetic engineering — have been "explored to the point of caricature." But she thinks maybe the fact that it's about women is what saved it:

At the heart of Orphan Black is a search for identity, and the storylines are moved along by actress Tatiana Maslany, who, throughout the first season, portrays Sarah Manning as well as clones Beth, Helena, Cosima, Alison, Rachel, and Katja. All of these clones have different personalities, accents, and demeanors; one is an evolutionary biologist, one is a cop, one is an ex-religious cult member; one is a mother and would-be actress; one is the head of a shadowy corporation.

We don't often see this many angles of the prism.

The show has its cake and eats it, too.

Here's the simplest way I can put it: It's like a show you'd normally expect to be written with dudes (it was written BY them), except written with women. It relishes in violence, action, intrigue, suspense, sex (for men and women) and sexuality (for hetero and queer) — a kind of Bourne Identity but with women, gays, clones and jokes.

However, it does one better than that, by not being afraid to explore the relationships inherent to the clone sisterhood. When Manning-as-Childs takes up residence as a cop in her new apartment and learns she has a new, very hot ex-military boyfriend, she rolls with it, right into bed with him. More than once. Later, Manning semi-laments her choice to hook up with him to the other clones, but not because it was slutty to fuck Paul or like sex or continue a sexual relationship when you may have no other connection with someone, but because of the sense that she was betraying Beth nagged at her.

The show has been called "brilliantly misandrist."

Many feminists are delighting in the show's flipped script of meaningful female characters versus less-than-meaningful male ones. On tumblr, hershotsonher writes:

not only does orphan black eat the bechdel test for breakfast lunch and dinner but it abysmally fails the reverse bechdel test

there are literally like three instances in the entire series where two men speak to each other about something other than a woman

what more reason do you need to watch this fucking show

In a piece I haven't stopped thinking about since I read it, Jessica Roake over at Slate argues that the male characters on Orphan Black are flat on purpose, and that this is its own long-overdue reward for female viewers. Initially, there's Manning's best friend, the snarky sidekick/foster brother Felix, there's Beth Child's partner on the force, the scowling Art Bell (does anyone assume this guy is named after the paranormal enthusiast/radio host of the same name?), and Beth's boyfriend Paul. After years, Roake writes, of watching breathlessly praised shows full of richly developed male characters, it's "perversely thrilling" to see two-dimensional male characters play reactive, "sexy, empty listeners":

Orphan Black is all about a woman, Sarah, and her many, many clones (all played by Tatiana Maslany), so it's no surprise that the male characters are secondary to the plot. But the men aren't simply less important to the story than the women. They are less than, full stop. With one exception, the male characters of Orphan Black are purposefully insubstantial, bordering on feeble. This gender reversal is not an accident on the part of the show's creators, Graeme Manson and John Fawcett; it's clearly a conscious decision, and it effectively delivers the show's most potent message about the nature, quality, and persistence of the enemy.

Related from amazon

Later, she writes:

Orphan Black's straight men are among the stupidest and least riveting fictional creatures to populate the modern television landscape. After years of suffering through completely unrecognizable female characters on TV, it's hard not to celebrate the show's almost gleeful denigration of its straight male characters. Orphan Black's creators are not interested in speaking to the straight guys' justifications or needs, except to show how superficial they are. The straight men of Orphan Black are stupid, weak, simple, unethical, violent, buffoonish, and easily manipulated. They are purposefully one-dimensional sketches denied the layers and complex motivations given to the female characters.

But I can't say I agree with Roake that the show is misandrist. One, I would argue that the male characters are more memorable than she thinks, and still have room to grow into something more realized. Felix, for one, already has. Two, I think it's feminist — it tells a story more heavily weighted on women and themes of relevance to their existence, and still manages to incorporate a number of male characters.

Besides, feminist critics aren't aiming to make every single story ever told a fifty-fifty split of male and female or simply start leaving men out. It aims to correct the overall discrepancy in the number of disproportionately male shows that are bought and sold and made and praised as intrinsically more valuable. It calls attention to shows where female characters would improve the story, or when shows about women are dismissed as less vital.

Beyond this, there's so much more the show does well, including deal with questions of nature versus nurture, agency and autonomy as a female, procreating body, treat queer sexuality as no big deal, never make excuses for the intelligence of its characters as being somehow exceptional in spite of their femaleness, and never apologizes for giving women a lot of badass fun on screen (not to mention fun outfits).

So does that make it "the TV equivalent of a Lorde album — fresh, cool, current, vaguely foreign and yet commercial-friendly" or "truffle fries in a Happy Meal" ? Perhaps. Maybe it is just a vampy, campy uber-feminist show about clones, but it's still got a heart. Or nine.

Original Source

hodad

#childstudies #nofuture #nodads #nomoms

Educated family seeks a part-time Nanny to start immediately for their newborn son. The schedule is 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. This position is live-out for 55-60 hours/week. Two weeks of travel with family will be asked and ability to work in a home with two small dogs is needed. This educated Nanny will preferably have a PhD, preferably in child studies such as psychology or education. The chosen candidate will be prompt, honest and have age appropriate experience caring for an infant. Must have a US Passport, Green Card or EAC Card with travel permission.

Original Source

hodad

Sounds fun

Original Source

submitted by throwawaaaayyyya [link] [154 comments]

Maynard Owen Williams, The Parthenon, 1930

submitted by throwawaaaayyyya [link] [2 comments]

alchemyprime:

hckleinman:

alchemyprime:

discovergames:

hckleinman:

theamazingsallyhogan:

share-art-and-smile:

If it seems like the objections are people insulting her and saying she’s not capable of doing things, then your anger and frustration are understandable. And some people definitely have been rude in how the expressed their opinions.

But most people aren’t saying that Samus is too weak to fight in them.

I get that some people don’t accept something new so easily, but come on! High heels + on Samus = Tremendous pain!

She’s Samus.  She shouldn’t need high heels to cause “Tremendous Pain”. 

But you’re right, rocket boots could theoretically give her a boost. Why did they have to be high heeled rocket boots, though? Because high heels are sexy. The fact that high heels are sexy is why they were added to Samus’ design in Other M, years before anyone thought to add rocket heels in an attempt to justify them.

And the sexualization of Samus is nothing new.  Unfortunately, it’s been nibbling away at her character since Zero Mission.

This is just my opinion, but I think some of the fans don’t give Samus enough credit. They think she’s become sexualized,

Yes, we do.  We feel that way due to the increasing prominence of a skintight outfit (that we’ve seen has resulted in more gratuitously sexualized camera angles), now with added high heels, beauty mark, and the decision to give her model for SB4 larger breasts.  The high heels are part of an overall trend to sexualize the character.  We went from her presented in nominally athletic clothing, at the end of the game, when her mission was accomplished and she could relax, to her being presented in a skintight bodysuit for a good part of the games (and now as a playable character in a new game), to the detriment of storytelling.

And we’re not knocking characters that are played up as being sexy as well as powerful. It’s probably safe to assume that a lot of us adore Natasha Rominov, Selina Kyle, Lara Croft and the rest. But it gets old to see it becoming so ubiquitous in the industry that iconic characters get repurposed to fit that character type.

I’m sorry if anyone made you think that those of us who dislike her sexualization mean to insult her by saying “she couldn’t fight in those”. She could. Of course she could, she’s Samus Aran.

But she shouldn’t have to.

Agree with Sally here. What a bunch of straw man arguments.

Reblogging for the commentary - not the ridiculous comic at the top.

Spot on comments. 

I find it weird that a lot of defenders of the heels act like opponents are against Samus’s decision to wear high heels. It’s not her decision. It’s the decisions of the character designers. We love Samus. She’s one of our favorite characters. But we feel that this sexualization betrays what we’ve come to love about her.

As for “Bayonetta,” I don’t see anyone arguing against Samus’s sexualization saying they are OK with Bayonetta. Bayonetta is a straw man argument. I think Bayonetta is a great game, but I’ve complained about her in the past repeatedly. I compared playing Bayonetta for the gameplay to reading Playboy for the articles. Find some examples of people who are OK with Bayonetta’s design and not with Samus’s Heels before you make allegations.

Further, fighting in boots or flats is logical. Fighting in high heels is not. It reduces her balance and causes injury. Just because Samus CAN fight in heels doesn’t mean she SHOULD or WOULD. 

Again, this isn’t Samus’s decision. This is Sakurai’s. He’s not the first person to have creative control over her and he likely won’t be the last. Most of us love what Retro did with the character in Metroid Prime. 

In short, Samus is a character who should exude power and confidence, not sex appeal and foolishness. 

Aaaand reblogging again.

outofcontextdnd:

Sequential excerpts from an expense report: 5 nuyen for cat food, 5000 nuyen for a bribe, 20 nuyen for a cat carrier.

dama3:

baelor:

Trans Woman Dares Bible-Quoting Councilman to Stone Her to Death

that’s fucking hardcore

!!!!

Puma's latest limited edition boot offering brings classic style in a heritage package with modern accents.

Brown leather boots used to be ubiquitous on football pitches before being taken over by flash youngsters with modern black colorways on their feet. That is all but a distant memory with some of the eye-catching colorways currently on display in the sport. Puma may well change that, at least briefly, with a new boot release that is the very definition of class.

The new boot is the rebirth of a classic just in time for the World Cup. Based on the Puma King Top, it is a heritage boot to its core. With an upper made of kangaroo leather, a PU outsole and studs, brown leather, and a foldover tongue, it is heritage personified.

This special edition of the Puma King celebrates Italy's 1982 World Cup win and is limited to just 898 pairs (to honor the Italian federation's founding in 1898). The heels come equipped with the badge worn by Italy in that World Cup in Spain, complete with the third star that they won in that tournament. The side of the boot  features the classic King logo with "Campioni Del Mondo" and the year MCMLXXXII in gold letters. The insole features the same accents right under the heel.

Who knows, maybe Roberto Martinez won't be the only one on the sidelines in brown leather.

CollegeHumor and Lucasfilm teamed up to create an amusing video where a series of musicians including “Weird Al” Yankovic, Lisa Loeb, mc chris, Ben Folds, and Reggie Watts audition for a part in the Mos Eisley cantina band on the planet Tatooine from the Star Wars franchise. The video was made in celebration of Star Wars Day, or May the Fourth.

mc chris Bonus Footage

Liz Phair Bonus Footage

Mark McGrath Bonus Footage

Reggie Watts Bonus Footage

Ben Folds Bonus Footage

via mc chris

Cherry pie