firehose

The Neptune Memorial Reef is perfect for folks who want to spend their eternity sleeping with the fishes but also want to give loved ones a neat place to visit their remains. Folks can have their ashes combined with forms for a reef that is growing over the faux ruins of what looks like a lost city.

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An anonymous reader writes "The remote desktop service LogMeIn sent an email to its users today notifying them that 'LogMeIn Free' will be discontinued — as of today. This is a major shock with minimal warning to the millions of users who have come to rely on their service, made all the more surprising by the fact that 'consensus revenue estimates for LogMeIn in 2014 are $190.3 million,' suggesting that their system of providing both free and paid accounts for what is ultimately a straightforward service that could be duplicated for well under $1 million was already doing quite well." Asks reader k280: "What alternative tools are available for free, and how do they compare to LogMeIn?"

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Titan has acquired the rights to publish comics based on BBC Worldwide's "Doctor Who" franchise, featuring the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors.

AIR FLOTUS!

The weird thing is that Chris Bosh was nowhere to be see—

Oh, there he is.

In this vintage German TV clip dating to 1988, Martin Scorsese talks about the problem of the New York lunch, why his TV is always on, and how the telephone is the biggest distraction in the cutting room. (Also, the … more »

David Vitter To Enter Louisiana Governor's Race Huffington Post Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) is jumping into the race for Louisiana governor, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. Vitter sent an email to supporters, launched a campaign website and released a web video to announce his plans. "I believe that as our next ... and more »

Take away the postgame interview and all the hot takes, and Richard Sherman's pass deflection is actually a pretty routine play for an extraordinary Seattle secondary. Danny Kelly breaks down the play that launched a thousand think pieces.

The NFC Championship Game between the Seahawks and 49ers was pretty much exactly what everyone expected it to be. It was a physical, tough, emotional, back and forth defensive battle that pitted the NFC's two best teams against each other; it was a matchup that had been widely predicted going back as far as the preseason, and as high drama, it didn't disappoint. It had to be this way.

Harbaugh vs. Carroll. Wilson vs. Kaepernick. Lynch vs. Gore. Seattle's defense vs. San Francisco's. It had to be this way.

If you're a Seahawks fan, this graph below from Advanced NFL Stats makes you realize how close you really just came to total heartbreaking disaster, and if you're a Niners fan, this just tells you how close you really just were to ecstatic glory. After Vernon Davis caught a short pass over the middle at the Seattle 18-yard line to grab a San Francisco first down with 55 seconds remaining, the in-game win probability for both teams was at .50.

In other words, based on extensive modeling of previous game situations of this down/distance/time, this game was 50-50 with 30 seconds remaining.

50-50 to go to the Super Bowl. It had to be this way.

Since that fateful play in the end zone, the world's been focused on the histrionics, interviews, and Twitter beef that followed. For me, this play came down, essentially, to two players:

Colin Kaepernick and Richard Sherman.

The former, midway through the season, debuted a commercial for Beats by Dre that depicted the San Francisco quarterback drowning out the literal and figurative noise while arriving at a non-denominational stadium filled with non-denominational fans adorned in blue, green, and grey.

The latter, whose catch phrase just happens to be 'you wanted this noise', debuted his own Beats commercial during the actual game that Kaepernick's ad had foreshadowed. You bet your ass a smug Dr. Dre was in attendance on the sideline for this one and this morning, Beats by Dre's Mad Men are just sitting back, feet kicked up in their Manhattan offices drinking their Scotch and feeling awesome about themselves,  high-fiving a little harder for their amazing marketing coup de grâce.

There hasn't been a better destiny-aided sports-related ad campaign since Tiger Woods sank that putt at the '05 Masters where he made sure his ball defied the laws of physics to stop for a second and flash the swoosh. It had to be this way.

Look, I'll spare you my take on the post-play, post-game stuff. I am more interested in the actual football that took place. The Xs and Os, the strategies, the execution. People will say what they will about Richard Sherman's personality, but this play, in the most crucial of moments, was nothing short of brilliant.

An All-Pro cornerback making a play that sent his team to the Super Bowl. Peak performance when his teammates needed it most.

First, to set the stage. On the proceeding possession, the Seahawks had kicked a 47-yard field goal to take a precarious six-point lead. The Niners took over with 3:32 on the clock, at their own 22 yard line, and needed to go 78 yards against the best pass defense in the NFL in 2013 -- arguably one of the best pass defenses in NFL history -- to get a win and a berth in the NFL's Championship Game.

After converting a 4th and 2 from their own 30 and then grabbing a 16-yard completion on the subsequent 3rd down, the Niners found themselves at the Seahawks' 29 yard line with a minute to go. Seattle pucker-factor 9.5. After a timeout, Kaepernick next completed an 11-yard pass over the middle to Vernon Davis to move the Niners to the 18 yard line.

It had to be this way.

Though the Niners had two timeouts remaining, they chose to hurry to the line, set, and run a play. It made sense - they can either throw over the middle and then use a timeout or take a shot knowing they've got three more if it falls incomplete.

Again: 50-50 Win Probability right now.

The Niners line up in their '11' personnel, three wide receivers, a running back and tight end. The Seahawks are in their nickel defense, are spying Colin Kaepernick with their best athlete in Bruce Irvin, and have Richard Sherman in press coverage on the outside opposite Michael Crabtree.

You can see the routes below. Crabtree actually runs a stutter-go, hoping to get Sherman off balance and beat him downfield.

Here's how it plays out in real-time.

Kaepernick, who had thrown in Sherman's direction only once in the game prior to this play, took his shot at all the marbles. It was slightly underthrown, but against a shorter corner, probably would've been far enough into the corner/sideline to get the job done.

Sherman, after sticking with Crabtree on his double move and all the way into the end zone, feels his opponent on his hip, and gets his head turned around to spot the football. This is absolutely vital.

The ability to get his head around to find the ball and make a play on it is what sets apart the athletes from the players at that position. There's probably no one better than this -- particularly defending the sideline go-route -- than Richard Sherman.

For his part, Crabtree does a nice job of trying to establish leverage and position to the sideline with an ever-so-subtle pushoff to Sherman's shoulder. This is a savvy veteran technique to get separation right as the ball arrives, and because of it, Sherman nearly over-runs the play.

However, not many cornerbacks in the NFL have Sherman's length, body control, and athleticism. The combination of the three allows him to tip this pass.

A recent ESPN Sports Science segment looked to measure Sherman's range based on his measureables.

This play reminds me of an article I wrote about Sherman back in September, where I brought up a quasi-famous photo of the Seahawks' cornerback that had made the rounds on the Seahawks' blogosphere during the summer.

That photo was accompanied by the rumor that Sherman hadn't allowed a reception to anyone during OTAs, minicamp and training camp (photo HERE). As I said at the time, "good luck trying to drop a pass into a bucket down the sideline over a 6'3 corner with excellent timing and a 38" vertical."

That comment applies here.

In fact, the biggest question I have about the play pertains to Kaepernick's decision to challenge Sherman in the first place. You may or may not be into stats, but these paint a picture of the player you're throwing at with the season on the line:

Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) was the least targeted corner in the league this season. He also lead the league in INTs (8) #Seahawks

— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) January 9, 2014

Since entering the NFL, @RSherman_25 leads the league in interceptions(20) & passes defended(57).

— Numbers Never Lie (@ESPN_Numbers) January 20, 2014

Now. The pass deflection, in and of itself, was impressive enough, but the fact that Sherman had the piece of mind to tip it to his teammate - and make no mistake, this was an intentional act - made this play that much more magnificent.

From NBC's NFL Turning Point, Sherman explains how he and the Seahawks' defense practice this play.

If you're wondering why Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll said, "for Richard, I think [that kind of play is] pretty routine, to tell you the truth," it might be because he sees Sherman do this in practice on a weekly basis, and because made a very comparable play in Week 15.

Funnily enough, Sherman made this play - one that looks eerily similar to the one that made the Seahawks the NFC Champions -- on Met Life Stadium, on the field he'll be playing at in Super Bowl XLVIII.

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Photo credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports,  Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports, Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

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Puppy Bowl is an annual TV program on Animal Planet that uses a cute lineup of puppies to mimic a NFL Super Bowl game. This year, Puppy Bowl booked special guest appearances by feline YouTube sensations Keyboard Cat and Lil Bub. The two-hour Puppy Bowl X will air on Animal Planet February 2nd, 2014 at 3 PM.

‘Puppy Bowl X’ brings viewers a loveable lineup that’s itching to play in a winning combination of terrier tackles, touchdowns, puppy penalties, fumbles and Fido first downs. This year’s big game is sure to be a tail-wagger. From barking beagles and spunky spaniels to everything in between, we’ve got the cutest players taking the field on the most action-packed Sunday of the year. Plus, back for another year is the popular Bissel Kitten Halftime Show, guaranteed to bring the house down!

Puppy Bowl X Starting Lineup

The Kitty Stars of Puppy Bowl X

Here are some highlights from previous Puppy Bowl games:

images and videos via Animal Planet

via Entertainment Weekly

In a word, UnPub4 was a crucible. The game I brought Saturday morning was quite different than what came out Sunday night. It emerged sleeker, simpler, and more fun. Here are four reasons why UnPub4 was such a success, and some takeaways to make your next UnPub a success, too.

Small sample of on-the-fly edits to my components.

#1 MacGyver Factor
Because I was limited to whatever I had available to me at the event, I couldn't fall into the trap of just adding new mechanics or components to fix problems. Instead, I had to trim, edit, revise, and tweak. If point values were a problem, I used white-out or adhesive stickers to make edits. If components were a problem, I just removed them instead of wasting time between playtests.

Takeaway: Bring tape, white labels, white out, glue sticks, and markers in multiple colors. Make your prototype easily editable to respond to playtester feedback.

Teaching The River Ancient (Photo: Brad Smoley)

#2 Variety of Playtests
My first two tests had very enthusiastic and happy players. They gave very positive feedback, which was a great way to start the event. My third playtest had more game designers, publishers, and veteran euro players who gave much more grounded feedback with constructive advice.

We all spotted some unexpected emergent gameplay that led to some un-fun runaway leaders, but we didn't make edits mid-stream. We just followed the game as it was presented until it reached its conclusion, then discussed possible solutions. Further playtests refined those bigger changes after that early play session.

Takeaway: Be observant of player behavior, emergent patterns, mood shifts, and most especially any rules that got missed in your initial spoken rules description. It never hurts to repeat a rule or a point of procedure, even if you eventually feel like you sound like a parrot. UnPub is busy and distracting, so you must be persistent and patient.

Playtesting my party game Troll's Dilemma with 20+ players

#3 Generous Advisers
Even outside of the playtests, I was surrounded by some of the friendliest and most generous creative people in the hobby tabletop industry. Between playtests, while I was hurriedly scribbling numbers or applying stickers, folks came by to talk out some of my problems from the prior playtest.

From these discussions, my game went from phased play to turn-based play, with greatly adjusted point values that created multiple paths to victory. In return, I tried to make myself available to talk about other people's games and help them overcome their own hurdles.

(I'm pretty sure I ended up taking more than I gave, though.)

Takeaway: Even time not spent playtesting can be productive for your game. Talk out your problems with friendly audiences. Pay it forward by asking about their own games in exchange. You'd be surprised how universal some problems are, even between vastly different games.

Demoing Koi Pond

#4 Industry Presence
UnPub has quickly become a farm team for tabletop publishers. Dozens of games have graduated from UnPub's main event or satellite UnPub Mini events around the world, becoming published games on your store shelves.

This year alone, seven games were signed by the end of Sunday. Who knows how many more will be picked up in weeks and months to come? I do hope UnPub as a program keeps playtesting and development as its core mission, having an industry presence at the main event is a nice bit if inspiration for all the designers present. Just being able to talk out a pitch with a real publisher is educational for any new designer.

In my case, I didn't intend to get signed because I knew my game wasn't ready yet. I just wanted to get it played and revised. Having industry at the table was still very useful.

Takeaway: Know your goal for UnPub. Do you want to get signed or just get feedback for a game still in development? Designers around you might be getting signed by publishers, so prepare your emotional state for that. Do not fear rejection, use it as a stepping stone.

Demoing Suspense: The Card Game

Bonus Takeaways

• Actively seek players, especially if you don't get much foot traffic. Be friendly, welcoming, and (though it pains me to have to say this) well-groomed.
• Tell playtesters the player-count, time span, and age range. This year, players got raffle tickets for each feedback form they turned in. So, committing to a one-hour game had literal opportunity costs compared to playing three 20min games.
• Adjust your pitch and description according to the audience. Don't reference other media or games if you can help it. Not all geekdoms overlap.
• State the kind of feedback you're looking for before each playtest. Is a particular mechanic troubling you, for example?
• Describe your game's Theme in a single sentence, then the Goal of play as it pertains to that theme, then very basic steps of gameplay taking special care to introduce unique game terms for any components.
• Bring hand sanitizer and offer it to others. It's a good ice breaker.
• Learn how to project your voice from your belly, not from your head. It will save you many days of recovery from a sore throat.
• If you have first-turn order based on age, it's a nice surreptitious way of seeing the age range of your playtesters.

Overall it was a fantastic four-day visit. I got to playtest The River Ancient a total of 7 times, for players ranging in age from 10 to mid-50s. I also demoed Suspense: the Card Game, Nine Lives Card Game, Koi Pond, and promoted Belle of the Ball.

submitted by spinnelein
[link] [18 comments]

Sonja wins in a quaffing contest. 

But Diana is better at eating cake!

submitted by blackmonkeyninja3000 [link] [3 comments]

Anthropology, University of Montana

Officemax sent junkmail to Mike Seay at his address in Lindenhurst, IL, with the notation "Daughter Killed In Car Crash" under his name. Seay's 17 year old daughter was killed in a crash last year. Officemax says it bought Seay's name from a marketing company, and implies that the company had made the notation in its list. It's not clear what marketing purpose this information was intended for (is there a sub-list for "bereaved parents" that's rented out to grief counselors looking for business?) or whether this was a one-off in a data-entry department.

Seay is understandably very upset. The Officemax call-center person he spoke to refused to believe him, as did an official spokesdroid. He's seeking an apology from Officemax's CEO.

Seay, who is unemployed, said that he isn't interested in suing OfficeMax, but that since his wife was "traumatized" by the letter, he wants an apology from the company's chief executive.

He also wants to know how OfficeMax got the information. The last thing Seay remembers buying at OfficeMax since his daughter's death last February is some paper.

"Why do they have that?" Seay said of the information about his daughter's death. "What do they need that for? How she died, when she died? It’s not really personal, but looking at them, it is. That’s not something they would ever need."

Dad gets OfficeMax mail addressed 'Daughter Killed In Car Crash' [Matt Pearce/Los Angeles Times]

kadrey:

X-Men only

BFFs

taipanmay:

thisiswintermute:

LEAVE ME ALONE I JUST WANT TO TAKE A FUCKING NAP DAMN SQUIRREL!!!

A cat got outplayed!

Das jamaikanische Bobteam hat sich für die olympischen Spiele qualifiziert und sammelt grade Geld, um dort hinfliegen zu können. Und da sie nicht genug zusammenbekommen haben, gründete man den Jamaican Bobsled Dogecoin Fund, sackte dort bislang 26 Millionen Dogecoins ein, die sie in 35 Bitcoins konvertierten, rund 22.000 Dollar. Die schicken sie nun nach Jamaica. Cnet: Dogecoin raises $30,000 for Jamaican bobsleigh team

First time accepted submitter GPS Pilot writes "Previous reports said the rock that suddenly appeared out of nowhere was merely 'the size of a jelly doughnut.' Now, a color image shows additional reasons for this metaphor: 'It's white around the outside, in the middle there's kind of a low spot that's dark red,' said lead scientist Steve Squyres. In the image, the object does stick out like a sore thumb amidst the surrounding orange rocks and soil. Its composition is 'like nothing we've ever seen before. It's very high in sulfur, it's very high in magnesium, it's got twice as much manganese as we've ever seen in anything on Mars.'"

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