firehose

seanchaidh101:

rollership:

let the inter-species games begin!

I want to try this!!

Weirdly enough—no one could've predicted—Sarah Silverman's new video is pissing off tons of Christian conservatives. (Thanks for the tip, Steven Blum!)

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classynunchucks:

dinner’s ready

Part Two of the interview between Bill Moyers and Dr. Tyson.

While astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson believes all individuals have a right to their own beliefs, he’s passionate about what should be taught in science class – science.

“If you have a religious philosophy that is not based in objective realities that you then want to put in the science classroom, then I’m going stand there and say no, ‘I’m not going to allow you in the science classroom,’” Tyson tells Bill.

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This week, the latest DC Entertainment animated film Justice League: War premiered at the New York Paley Center for Media. Read on for our review!

Before you scoff at Martin Hsu and Bigshot Toyworks’ 6-inch Hayao Miyazaki figurine costing $95, note that proceeds are being donated to earthquake and tsunami relief organization Karakuwa-Maru. Also, just think of the therapy bills you'll save by having his cheerful presence on your desk at all times. (via CBR, available for preorder at Tenacious Toys) Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

submitted by ThisDerpForSale [link] [24 comments]

Velcroman1 writes "I've seen the future. It's called gigabit Internet by Google Fiber, and it just launched in my hometown of Provo, Utah, the second of three scheduled cities to get speeds that are 100 times faster than the rest of America. 'What good is really fast Internet if the content stays the same?' you may ask yourself. I certainly did, before testing the service. Besides, my "high speed" Internet from Comcast seemed fast enough, enabling my household to stream HD videos, load web pages quickly, and connect multiple devices as needed, largely without hiccup. I was wrong. Using gigabit Internet, even in its infancy, opened my eyes to speed and reminded me of why I love the Internet."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Using its own employees, Uber ordered and then cancelled over 100 cars dispatched by its competitor Gett in New York City.

David S. Peck is getting a lot of emails. In a glitch apparently related to the massive Gmail outage underway right now, there’s an odd bug in Google search which is pointing users directly to his personal email address.

Here's a bit of Friday feel-goodery: American comics fans aren't the only people excited about Kamala Khan, the teenage Muslim Jersey girl taking the role of Ms. Marvel on February 5th. So are Pakistani women, who hope that the character will inspire Pakistani girls and help their country's image.

Read more...

For those of us with small kitchens and big dreams, the Akebono All-in-One Kitchen Tool Set is pure serendipity. The set boasts nine handy tools including a funnel, flower vase, lemon squeezer, spice grater, boiled egg dicer, cheese grater, lid opener, egg separator and a 420 ml measuring cup, leaving a footprint no larger than a wine bottle. The set is part of the MoMA Design Store’s Spring/Summer 2014 collection.

images via Deputi-Japan

via Wired

New York City visual effects artist Richard Trammel, who make the video of a ‘Fight Club’ scene without Tyler Durden, has reimagined the trailer for the film Spike Jones film “Her” using Phillip Seymour Hoffman‘s existing lines from such films as Punch Drunk Love and Along Came Polly to portray the unseen role of Samantha (the Operating System).

video by Richard Trammel

When Valve first got its hands on Turtle Rock's Counter-Strike mod, Left 4 Dead, it tried upping the number of players from four to five or six, even after Turtle Rock said it wouldn't turn out well. Valve tried it and it didn't work out, and Left 4 ...

~Slavoj Zizek

charminglyantiquated:

siren song

(i did the thing)

arcaneimages:

Via Jeffrey Jon Pidgeon 

Lawrence Welk comics. Let me repeat that: Lawrence. Welk. Comics.

Part One of the interview between Bill Moyers and Dr. Tyson.

In a multi-part series with the popular astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill explores a variety of topics, including the nature of an expanding, accelerating universe (and how it might end), the difference between “dark energy” and “dark matter,” the concept of God in cosmology and why science matters.

“Science is an enterprise that should be cherished as an activity of the free human mind,” Tyson tells Bill. “Because it transforms who we are, how we live, and it gives us an understanding of our place in the universe.”

I am cautiously optimistic. But I wouldn’t say what we have seen so far means we are getting such a movie. There is a lot that has to happen first.

And my comments about a WW film are all in the comic I wrote about WW in Hollywood. I can wait for a great movie, and I don’t want a bad one at all.

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Every state in the U.S. has its own flag, its own flower, its own animal and its own motto, so why not its own cocktail? Hannah C Gregg of BuzzFeed has compiled a delicious menu of suggested cocktails delineated by state.

America boasts an almost endless array of liquor, making the choice of one signature cocktail for each state a tricky task. But every state gets tipsy in its own special way, and we chose these cocktails with some semblance of logic: a combination of state of origin, popularity, and exclusivity.

Here are just a few:

New York – The Moscow Mule

Florida – Rum Runner

California – Mai Tai

Ohio – Velvet Elvis

Michigan – Golden Cadillac

images via BuzzFeed

1985.

Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins.

Sorry, but I don't want to play Cards Against Humanity with you.

It's not that I'm grumpy. Or humorless. Or that I dislike the concept of "enjoying myself." It's that I like my games to be games, and to me, Cards Against Humanity is less a game, and more a shapeless exercise in hackwork comedy using "edgy" Laffy Taffy wrappers. It's Family Guy writers' room bullshit at best.

I know this is unfair, and I know exactly why this is unfair. It's the same reason musicians came off like grumpy-gus party-poopers when Guitar Hero ruled the world. Cards is to being funny what Guitar Hero is to being musically inclined. And nothing made a musician sound more like a humorless bag of dicks than when they'd complain about how pointless Guitar Hero was, just like nothing makes me sound more like a pisspants comedy snob than telling you why I don't like the game you laugh your ass off playing.

Some musicians derided the that game's audience as clueless wanna-bes, fooling themselves with their plastic controller into thinking they were making music. If you thought Guitar Hero was a means to create, a substitute to learning how music works, then yeah, I see how "pointless" is a charge you'd level.

But that's not what the majority of people playing the game were doing, any more than people lining up for the umpteenth iteration of Madden every year think they could be defensive backs. They were under no illusion that they were becoming musicians by five-starring Knights of Cydonia. They were just having fun with the game, as a game. And I know the large majority of Cards Against Humanity players are under no illusions as to their comedic abilities as they build zingers out of pre-fabricated set-ups and punchlines. Nobody's going to kill a game of Cards and immediately elbow their way to the local comedy club and try a five-minute set at open mic.

Guitar Hero didn't damage musicianship, and Cards isn't hurting comedy.

Plus, it's really hard to argue that there isn't fun to be had. The popularity of the game speaks to that, (Just as Guitar Hero had its band-focused spinoffs, there's now an independently published, Doctor Who specific Cards game) as well as the sounds of laughter pouring out of my living room every time the game has been played when friends are over.

But I can't play it with you. I'm sorry. For a game whose entire purpose is to elicit laughter, it doesn't make me laugh very much at all, which is a problem. I can't get down with the arbitrary nature of the scoring, either. Comedy is subjective as hell, and even if I know you really well, I can't always predict what's going to crack you up. I like that. But in Cards Against Humanity, that's a negative. You lose for that. It's a "game" that makes me second-guess my sense of humor, and asks me to judge my friends for having their own. It's weird. It kind of makes the game pointless.

I know this puts me closer to the grumpy burnout complaining about those darn lazy kids with their plastic guitars, and far away from the laughing-'til-you're-crying friend who built a child molestation joke out of a card with Cookie Monster's name on it.

That's no fun for me, or for you. I don't want to judge you for the things you think are funny, and for me, it feels like the game is specifically asking me to do that. "Here. Spend an hour being Ant from Last Comic Standing." Even if "winning" Cards actually meant anything (and it doesn't), judging my friends based on what makes them laugh doesn't sound like a fun way to kill an hour. That's all that's left of the "game" when the stack of Laffy Taffy wrappers you're playing with is less-than-efficient comedy fuel. Part of what makes comedy worthwhile is the sense of spontaneity, of imagination, innovation, cleverness, surprise. Cards, by its pre-fabricated, jokes-as-Lego-bricks nature, subtracts all but the cleverness, and cleverness by itself turns cloying really fast.

I know this makes me the bad guy, and trust me, I feel it. But look - while you guys are playing, I'll gather up the plates and glasses, run em through the dishwasher. Refresh some drinks. Maybe make a plate of little Triscuit pizzas or something. While I'm in the kitchen, scrubbing over the sink, maybe I'll laugh at the card combinations that do manage to work, without the pointless "game" aspect getting in the way. I'm more than happy to be the waiter at the impromptu comedy-club facsimile happening in the living room.

Just don't ask me to play. It won't turn out well for either of us.

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One more thing to make you pine for warmer days: Salt & Straw has released its flavor "series" for 2014, to be released in three phases at the beginning of June, July, and August. And yes I am looking at a press release for limited-edition gourmet ice cream flavors.

June is focused on cocktail inspired collaborations with some of the city's most lauded mixologists, because of course it is. These include flavors inspired by Brandon Wise of Imperial, Ross Hunsinger at Portland’s Aviary, Jeffrey Morgenthaler of Clyde Common, Kyle Webster of Expatriate, and Evan Zimmerman of The Woodsman Tavern, are are the most plausible sounding. "Lemon Amaretto Sour Sherbet" and "Rhubarb & Saffron Champagne Cocktail" sound interesting, but they don't boggle the imagination.

Moving on to July, things get more daring. Seizing on the Oregon berry season, S&S combines famously fantastic Oregon summer produce like strawberries and blackberries—working with area farms and fruit stands, obviously—and takes them to the unlikely places you come to expect not to expect, like "Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero" ice cream and "Black Raspberries and Pork Belly."

The late summer menu starts to sort of devolve out of specificity other than "produce," but has some intriguing submissions nonetheless, like "Tomato Water Olive Oil Sherbet" (which sounds awesome to me), "Melon & Prosciutto Ice Cream," and "Bone Marrow & Bourbon Smoked Cherries."

Complete descriptions of the entire series are pasted up behind this here break.

June Summer Cocktail Ice Cream Flavors
Chocolate Chip Mint Julep
This flavor blends together an ice cream world favorite with a classic cocktail, mint, bourbon and chocolate ice cream. Combining these delicious ingredients all together was, to Brandon Wise of Imperial, a no brainer. In execution, you find Oregon roasted single-origin chocolate, Oregon grown spearmint, and a hand-selected batch of bourbon from Four Roses Distilling. This flavor truly shines as the perfect marriage of a Brandon Wise mixing experience with Salt & Straw’s kitchen full of yummy Oregon ingredients.

Strawberry & Verbena Pimm's Cup
A sweet and bitter, citrusy pop in the mouth. Working closely with Ross Hunsinger at Portland’s Aviary, this ice cream taps into his bag of flavor manipulation techniques to create a subtly bright strawberry and fresh lemon verbena ice cream. The real inspiration is a Gin marmalade that spikes on the palate with a strong hit of Portland-distilled Aviation Gin.

Lemon Amaretto Sour Sherbet
When asked what cocktail is nostalgically summery to him, Jeffrey Morgenthaler of Clyde Common smiled and made us an Amaretto Sour. Capturing that childish smile in a scoop... it’s hard to taste this flavor without a grin. Eye opening punches of lemon egg cream top off an intensely fruity amaretto sherbet in this delicious combination. At home, dare to go the extra mile with a shot of cask-proof bourbon poured over the top.

Pineapple Honey Dorléac
We worked closely with Kyle Webster of Expatriate on this cocktail themed ice cream. Both Kyle and Salt & Straw’s Tyler Malek are self-taught with one building cocktails and the other ice creams based off of past experiences and personal flavor exploration. Together, Kyle and Tyler sat down with a case of ingredients ranging from bitters, essential oils, and fruits from every corner of the world and began riffing. The result: A honey, vodka, and aperol ice cream based off of Kyle’s own Dorléac recipe paired with a gentle ribbon of pineapple caramel.

Rhubarb & Saffron Champagne Cocktail
With the background of a pastry chef, Evan Zimmerman of The Woodsman Tavern crafts cocktails that make more sense from a chef’s perspective than from your average bartender. In a combination that carefully combines only a few delicate flavors, this ice cream is subtly yeasty from the champagne with a tart and carefully flavored ribbon of saffron and rhubarb jelly. A combination reminiscent of that perfect summer-fresh rhubarb spritzer.

July Oregon Berry Flavors
Strawberry with Cilantro Lime Cheesecake
This Summer, we are getting thousands of pounds of strawberries from Deep Roots Farm, located in Albany, OR. These strawberries are picked and delivered the same day we use them, creating a strawberry ice cream that is as fresh as it is delicious!

Birthday Cakes and Blackberries
Frosting flavored ice cream with ribbons of cake and blackberry jam. This blackberry jam is extra special because it uses Evergreen Blackberries from the Willamette Valley. These berries are pitch black in color and wonderfully sweet. With this combo it might as well be everyone’s birthday!

Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero
We got our hands on some of the best goat cheese to come out of the Willamette Valley from Portland's own, Portland Creamery. Using their "Sweet Fire" flavored chevre as inspiration; we churned out a tart goat cheese ice cream and swirled in ribbons of Marionberry Jam that has been infused with habanero peppers.

Summer Cucumber & Raspberry Sorbet
These raspberries, from South Barlow Berries, are bright and tart, the summer cucumbers are bitter and sweet. Each compliments the other so well... a scoop of this sorbet simply makes you smile!

Black Raspberries and Pork Belly
Oregon black raspberries can only be harvested for three weeks out of the year, making for an incredibly rare and unique berry experience. Taking advantage of their deep flavor, we paired these berries with a salty, smoky pork belly ice cream. This ice cream is indulgence at its finest!

Featured Flavors in August and September:
Tomato Water Olive Oil Sherbet
Tomato season in Portland, OR is short…. like four weeks short! But when it comes, we get some of the best tomatoes in the world. It’s almost like the tomatoes know that they will only be at their ripest for a few weeks and they want to make each season completely worth it! We’ve paired these uber-fresh tomatoes with Arbequina Olive Oil from Red Ridge Farms in Dayton, OR and a touch of lemon zest. This flavor is clean, sweet, and one that we will remember all year.

Carrot Watermelon Sorbet
To us, carrots in dessert are kind of a no brainer. We love the sweet, earthy flavors that summer carrots provide, but what we really look for when picking out carrots at the Portland Farmer’s Markets are ones that have a pleasant bitter note to them. Once we find perfectly bitter carrots, we bump up the sweetness with fresh watermelons. This combination leaves us in awe every time we try it!

Melon & Prosciutto Ice Cream
Another great salty-sweet combination provided by Italy. Re-imagining this into an ice cream was destiny for Salt & Straw. We teamed up with Portland’s Olympic Provisions vast array of charcuterie twists and turns through golden, sweet and fresh summer cantaloupe ice cream. A truly beautiful marriage of historical flavors and Portland culinary magic.

Bone Marrow & Bourbon Smoked Cherries
Unexpected and delightful, slow roasted and clarified bone marrow brings texture, flavor, and depth that has never been found in ice cream. In our kitchens we smoked Oregon Bing Cherries then cured them in spices and Portland distilled bourbon to add depth to this flavor. If you only get to try one flavor of ice cream this year, be sure it’s this one!

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The New York Times Magazine released an unusual cover depicting the face of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as a planet for its January 26 edition. Here are the New York Times Magazine covers featuring current, former, and would-be national political figures over the past five years:

Hillary Clinton:

Vice President Joe Biden:

Former Sen. Scott Brown:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie:

Former President Bill Clinton:

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo:

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich:

Sen. John McCain:

Barack and Michelle Obama:

President Barack Obama:

Former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin:

Former presidential nominee Mitt Romney:

Sen. Marco Rubio:

Former vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan:

Original Source

It’s no surprise that California dominates when it comes to US venture capital investment. More interesting is that startups based in 46 out of 50 American states received venture capital funding last year, according to analysis released today by CB Insights (p. 11, subscription required).

There’s been some head-scratching and hand-wringing this week about the inability of Boston to foster technology startups despite the presence of some of America’s most prestigious universities in Massachusetts. Yet the state still ranks second in the US for venture capital investment, probably due to its burgeoning biotech scene rather than internet tech companies.

At the other end of the scale, Alabama had three deals, including Hospicelink, a provider of medical equipment, as did Arkansas, including Collective Bias, which does marketing via its network of shopping bloggers.

But spare a thought for West Virginia, Mississippi, Alaska and Wyoming. There, according to the analysis, no startups received any venture capital funding last year at all.