riotsiren:

Queen Of Shamakhan

In Russian, the word for “red” (красный) is remarkably similar to the word for “beautiful” (красивый)

Historical Map: New Orleans Streetcar Trackage Map, 1945

A neat little map from the July, 1945 edition of the Electric Railroader’s Association’s Headlights magazine – both the association and the publication are still going strong today.

The map shows all the tracks in the Big Easy at the time, including those that were in usable condition but not currently utilised (indicated by a hash across the track). Routes are indicated by letters that were keyed to the text of the original article – “A” is the “Canal-Cemeteries” route, for example.

The editor of the web page where I found this map provides the following notes:

“There are some small problems with this map, but overall, the details are accurate. Unfortunately, [the artist] did not sketch the trackage of the Napoleon Yard, at the foot of Napoleon Ave. on the southeast corner of Tchoupitoulas St.  Also, at Canal St., Royal and Bourbon Streets (Bourbon is not labelled) should be shown in line with St. Charles and Carondelet Streets, respectively.  A four-track crossover should be shown in the block of Canal St. between Carondelet and St. Charles.”

(Source: New Orleans in 1945, ed. J. George Friedman, Jr.)

In this photograph, (A) is a Lenovo ThinkPad T61 target, (B) is a Brüel&Kjær 4190 microphone capsule mounted on a Brüel&Kjær 2669 preamplifier held by a flexible arm, (C) is a Brüel&Kjær 5935 microphone power supply and amplifier, (D) is a National Instruments MyDAQ device with a 10 kHz RC low-pass filter cascaded with a 150 kHz RC high-pass filter on its A2D input, and (E) is a laptop computer performing the attack. Full key extraction is possible in this configuration, from a distance of 1 meter.

Genkin, Shamir, and Tromer

Computer scientists have devised an attack that reliably extracts secret cryptographic keys by capturing the high-pitched sounds coming from a computer while it displays an encrypted message.

The technique, outlined in a research paper published Wednesday, has already been shown to successfully recover a 4096-bit RSA key used to decrypt e-mails by GNU Privacy Guard, a popular open source implementation of the OpenPGP standard. Publication of the new attack was coordinated with the release of a GnuPG update rated as "important" that contains countermeasures for preventing the attack. But the scientists warned that a variety of other applications are also susceptible to the same acoustic cryptanalysis attack. In many cases, the sound leaking the keys can be captured by a standard smartphone positioned close to a targeted computer as it decrypts an e-mail known to the attackers.

"We devise and demonstrate a key extraction attack that can reveal 4096-bit RSA secret keys when used by GnuPG running on a laptop computer within an hour by analyzing the sound generated by the computer during decryption of chosen ciphertexts," the researchers wrote. "We demonstrate the attack on various targets and by various methods, including the internal microphone of a plain mobile phone placed next to the computer and using a sensitive microphone from a distance of four meters [a little more than 13 feet]."

Read 9 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Brandon Browner's former one-year suspension is now "indefinite," leaving him at the whims of the NFL as to when he returns.

Brandon Browner's appeal of a one-year suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy has been denied, according to reports. The Seattle Seahawks cornerback was tabbed with the suspension in late November, and quickly began the appeal process. His actions may have backfired, however. According to NFL.com's Ian Rapaport, Browner's suspension was escalated to "indefinitely," a potentially greater sentence.

Browner, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2013 season, turned down an offer from the NFL to reduce his sentence by three months earlier in December. Browner claims that a urine sample that tested positive for a banned substance was mishandled upon collection.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Browner's career may be in danger. Browner will very likely struggle to field any interest from teams on the free agent market with a lengthy suspension hanging over his head. He will need to be explicitly reinstated by the league. Terms for reinstatement are unknown.

Browner was once considered a pivotal piece of the Seahawks' secondary opposite fellow cornerback Richard Sherman. Seattle's defense has not missed a beat since Browner was suspended, however. Byron Maxwell has taken Browner's spot in the starting lineup, and the Seahawks have shut down the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants in recent weeks.

Browner was suspended for the first four games of the 2012 season due to missed drug tests. The suspension may have played a part in the relatively modest one-year, $773,756 contract offer he received from the Seahawks this past offseason.

If Browner's agent Peter Schaeffer is any indication, he isn't taking his latest blow in stride.

As the great Revolutionary war Admiral J.P. Jones said when refusing to surrender to the British "I have not yet begun to fight" @bbrowner27

— Peter Schaffer (@peterjschaffer) December 19, 2013

Browner released a statement via Twitter on Wednesday evening:

I want to thank the Seahawks organization for the incredible opportunity they gave me when they took a chance on a player who was out of the NFL and playing in the CFL for 4 years. I also want to thank all of my teammates, coaches, trainers, staff and the 12’s for their support, respect, and friendship and for helping me grow into the player, father, and person I am today. I have been treated with nothing but first class by everyone associated with the Seattle Seahawks and for that I am forever grateful. Although I disagree with the circumstances surrounding my suspension, I accept responsibility for all of my actions and I apologize for any that causes any unflattering reflections of my family and the Seahawks. I believe in my innocence and will continue to fight with all legal resources available to me to. Go Hawks!!!

More from SB Nation NFL

• NFL mock draft: Can Teddy Bridgewater save the Texans?

• Stephen White: 5 ways to beat the Broncos

• Expert picks for NFL Week 16 games

• NFL Power Rankings: Seahawks, 49ers back on top

• Remembering a 22-year-old football player who died from a helmet-to-helmet hit

odditiesoflife:

Meet Krampus the Devil of Christmas

Half-goat, half-demon, all naughty - this is the centuries-old legend of Krampus. He is literally the Christmas Devil, the opposite of Santa. He is horrifying, vicious, and very, very naughty. 

The European practice of mummery during the winter solstice season can be traced back tens of thousands of years. Villagers across the continent dress up as animals, wild-men and mythic figures to parade and perform humorous plays. Among the most common figures in these folk rituals were Old Man Winter and the horned Goat-Man — archetypes now found in the forms of Saint Nick/Santa Claus, and the Devil (‘Old Nick’), also known as Krampus.

Wielding sharp long horns with a shaggy pelt and fangs, the anti-St. Nicholas comes lashing about with a bundle of birch sticks meant to swat naughty children. He then hauls the bad kids down to the underworld.

The historic origins to this “Christmas Devil”, Krampus, whose name is derived from the German word krampen, meaning claw, is said to be the son of Hel in Norse mythology. The legendary beast also shares characteristics with other scary, demonic creatures in Greek mythology, including satyrs and fauns.

The legend is part of a centuries-old Christmas tradition in Germany, where Christmas celebrations begin in early December. Krampus was created as an evil counterpart to kindly St. Nicholas, who rewarded children with sweets. Krampus, in contrast, would swat “wicked” children and take them away to his lair.

According to folklore, Krampus purportedly shows up in towns the night before December 6, known as Krampusnacht, or Krampus Night. December 6 also happens to be Nikolaustag, or St. Nicholas Day, when German children look outside their door to see if the shoe or boot they’d left out the night before contains either presents (a reward for good behavior) or a rod (bad behavior).

A more modern take on the tradition in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic involves drunken men dressed as devils, who take over the streets for a Krampuslauf—a Krampus Run of sorts, when people are chased through the streets by the “devils.”

Krampus’ frightening presence was suppressed for many years—the Catholic Church forbade the raucous celebrations, and fascists in World War II Europe found Krampus despicable because it was considered a creation of the Social Democrats.

But Krampus is making a comeback - a big one. In the United States people are buying into the trend with Krampus parties, particularly in Los Angeles with Krampusfest 2013 debuting the city’s first large Krampus festival. For its part, Austria is attempting to commercialize the harsh persona of Krampus by selling chocolates, figurines, and collectible horns. If the Krampus tradition continues to grow, we’ll have even more to celebrate during the holiday season.

source 1, 2

I’m sure that no one who actually reads my tumblr needs Krampus 101, but the images were too good not to repost.

Post by: Grant Rodiek

This isn’t a terribly unique topic for a blog post, but it’s something that I think about constantly. We live in an age of great entrepreneurship. Yes, those of us in the board game space can quickly point to Kickstarter as big deal, primarily as a new way for companies to generate capital and market products. But, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

There are limitless technology solutions for new businesses. Need a way to accept credit cards for payment? Anywhere? Square can help you. Need to do some basic legal stuff? Check out Legal Zoom. Amazon allows you to sell products globally in your underwear from your living room. Honestly, think about how simple it is to have a web-presence now! These are just a few things that make 2013 a great time to start a business.

I don’t run a business, but man I want to. Though I’m not an entrepreneur myself, I am a customer, an employee of a product development firm, and an observer. I think about this topic constantly. Below are what I believe are the characteristics of a great company. What do you think? Share your thoughts and examples in the comments.

Note: I tried to write my characteristics generically, but most of my examples will pertain to the board game space as that is the focus of this blog. 

You regularly deliver great products and services. By great, I mean great. And not in the “my wife likes me” sense. If you make games, people love them. Period. You hold yourself to a quality bar that is unwavering. Yes, everyone has opinions, which will differ. But, by and large, you deliver the highest quality products.

For games, this means components, art, good rules, a unique, polished game with high replay value, and customer support when things go awry (confused with rules, broken pieces, just want to email you).

Many folks in the board game space point to the quality components in their games. This is good, but never forget that making a super thick box and linen finish cards isn’t really a competitive advantage, or at least one that is unique to you. Anyone can hire Panda Manufacturing. It’s just a matter of capital. Instead, think of the aspects of your product that are not easily replicated. Think of the special thing you can bring to the table as a company, your competitive edge. Often, these are the minds who make your games and the entirety of your vision.

An example, I’d like to use is Mice and Mystics from Plaid Hat Games (manufactured by Panda, I should note). To save my fingers the typing time, I’m going to share a screen of its components.

My message to you is not that your game needs more stuff. But, let me highlight a few of these. The game has 10 unique miniature figures, each with a unique sculpt to bring the game to life. There are well over 100 cards, all with unique art that is gorgeous. You have a 58 page storybook filled with unique adventures and a delightful narrative. This took years to put together and quite a bit of capital. It also took the efforts of the designer, writer, rules editors, illustrator, sculptor, and a close back and forth relationship between the publisher and manufacturer to get everything right.

This is a great product.

Something a bit smaller on the scale would be King of Tokyo. There aren’t so many games that are that easy to teach, that gorgeous to hold and look at, that fun to play, with that many people, in that short of a time frame.

Great companies hold their products to those same standards, regardless of the scope of the work. Before you put your product up for sale, ask yourself if what you’re making is as good or better than the best thing your target customers can currently obtain. Your answer needs to be “yes.”

Your products or services are unique. They are not easily replaced or mimicked. This could be a result of your unique way of thinking, or even just surrounding yourself with very intelligent, creative employees. Perhaps you have created a truly innovative technology or process that is difficult to replicate. Whatever it is, you know how to create trends and sustain them. Competitors try to follow you, not the other way around.

I can’t help but list a few parallels in the board game space right now. There are some really obvious ones.

• Dominion introduced in a very popular, outstanding mechanic. But, also a great deal of poor copycats. My hope is that we start seeing more games like Salmon Run and City of Remnants that use deckbuilding as an idea, not the beginning and end. One such prototype to eye is Xenon Profiteer by TC Petty III.
• Love Letter opened our eyes to the micro game. Hell, we’re now at nano! I’d love to think we’ll start seeing new things beyond just deduction mechanics, but it’s difficult for folks to ignore the money.
• Risk Legacy‘s concept of a game that grows and evolves with the players is just brilliant. Yes, you can argue the core of Risk held it back, but why aren’t other people taking this idea to explore?
• The Humble Bundle brought forth the notion of pay-what-you-want with a bundle of interesting goodies you might not have otherwise heard of.

Another example I’d like to discuss in detail is Cards Against Humanity. For a second, let’s skip the debate about the quality of the game. I know that’s contentious (Full disclosure, the game has provided me with hours of entertainment). Instead, let’s look at how they keep their product offering and services fresh and innovative constantly.

In addition to the core set and relatively frequent expansions (they just released the fourth), and consistently employing nice, clean, easy to use websites, this year they:

• Held a Game Design Deathmatch promotion.
• Released the Bigger, Blacker Box.
• Came up with Holiday Bullshit, a 12 gifts over 12 days for 100,000 people idea.
• Increased their prices by $5 on Black Friday. Read the linked article to find out why this matters.

They are consistently releasing new products and energizing their community with buzz-worthy ploys, gimmicks, jokes, and great promotions. Notice how much people are talking about their 12 gifts? It’s a very unique way of doing things that isn’t easily replicated.

When you define that edge that makes your company and its offerings special, also consider how long you’ll remain special and how difficult it’ll be for competitors to whittle away that advantage. It took, what, 8 minutes, for Groupon to find itself with a dozen competitors?

You take customer service seriously and understand that your relationship with your customer does not end when you collect their money for the sale. This one is so important and it’s too often relegated to “customer service is really hard” or “it’s so time consuming.” Guess what? You need to buck up and deal with it. Mistakes from your company are one of the best opportunities to stand out with your customers. It’s also the best way to lose a customer forever.

One of the age old maxims of business is that 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your customers. If you look at successful publishers like Plaid Hat Games and Stronghold Games with their great pre-order systems, or GMT with their P500, or the vigorous launches of Kickstarter campaigns by Tasty Minstrel and Dice Hate Me Games, you’ll see I’m not crazy. You need to build and support this 20%.

That means you’re on BGG answering every question like Ignacy Trzewiczek of Portal Games. It means you ship out replacement parts, no questions asked, as quickly as possible. It means you release new content for free or a reasonable price, because you want people to stick with you. Fantasy Flight’s Living Card Games, the Summoner Wars Reinforcement Packs, or the new scenarios from Collins Epic Wargames are all good examples.

Even an email that says “We hear you, we’re back up, but you matter and we’ll get to you soon” is key.

There are two things many customers will never forget: outstanding service and poor service. Why sit in the middle or fail here when you can stand out? It’s worth the effort.

You have a good reputation that precedes you. It is something your customers say, not something that is a part of your press release. Your success builds based on word of mouth and recognition that your logo means great things.

You are aware of your faults, even if you don’t necessarily share them publicly (generally a bad PR move), and strive to correct them. You treat failure as a lesson and opportunity, not a moment to dig in.

After some frustrating and lengthy delays shipping Mice and Mystics pre-orders, Plaid Hat publicly revised how they communicate dates. They explained their reasoning and their desire to improve. As a personal anecdote, when the initial printing of Farmageddon arrived with bowed cards (due to a manufacturing error), my publisher said he would make it right. He commissioned me to craft a 15 card mini-expansion with all new art that’ll be given free of charge to our backers. I think that’s pretty cool.

Another good example is the reputation of Jamey Stegmaier of Stonemaier Games. He has devoted countless hours to writing about and sharing his experiences with Kickstarter. This is a generous gift and it is also a great marketing device. People think kindly of him, as they should. And if you pay attention, his answer regarding compensation is always the same thing: support our games.

You should notice your reputation is a combination of many of the above points.

• How good your products are.
• How well you resolve customer service issues.
• How you evolve as a company.
• How you stay 2 steps ahead of your competition.

You take care of those around you. By this, I mean employees and partners. Now, many board game publishers, from “indie” up to the big timers have 1 or 2 employees. This is an industry powered by the help of passionate volunteers, contractors, supply chain specialists (fulfillment, distribution, retail, manufacturing, etc.) and, if you’re lucky and successful, an employee or two.

Good companies take care of those around them. For us as board gamers, this means:

• You respond to inquiries from your designers in a timely fashion. Yes, I know there are thousands of submissions. I’m talking about people with whom you’ve signed and formed a business relationship with.
• You provide clear, timely feedback to your contractors. If someone needs to illustrate 100 cards, they have no questions (for long) as to what you want.
• You pay people quickly. It is shocking how many contractors remain unpaid for too long. When they do the work, you pay them. Simple as that.
• You pay people for their work. Far too many contributors write stories, test, edit rules, make videos, and more with little to no compensation. For one, there’s the saying that you get what you pay for. But more importantly, good work should be compensated. That is only fair.
• You give recognition when it’s due.

All of us have been employees at one time or another. We’ve all had bad bosses and bad situations. Think about what you didn’t enjoy, where you were unhappy, and improve upon that. Having a motivated, passionate workforce will be your greatest asset.

So. Where did I get things wrongly? Where was I right? What does it mean to you to be a great company? Share your thoughts below.

I’m glad that our planet’s Bacon Years are over, and now we can go back to normal stuff like Sriracha socks. Sure, it’s not very good for a hot sauce, but at least it’s pretty healthy, and

Haha yeah, it looks like you’re drinking Sriracha, but it’s for water! I’m glad this isn’t going overboard like the bacon stuff, because

Wait, you cock hot sauce? What do you mean? Is this some kind of

No!!! Not this again! Just because people like one thing doesn’t mean you have to

NOOOOOOOOOOOO 

amandasautopsies:

Time for Tweed

videogameads:

GUEVARA
SNK
Famicom 
1988

Source: disk-kun.com

Since 2007 artist Benedetto Bufalino and lighting designer Benoit Deseille have been converting phone booths into aquariums in an ongoing collaborative project. The illuminated aquariums have been displayed as outdoor installations at a variety of art festivals around Europe. We previously posted about a similar project by a group of art students in Japan.

photos via Benedetto Bufalino and Benoit Deseille

via Hi-Fructose

danaykroyd:

im playing this dating sim and im pretty sure im about to fuck galaga

ronsalas:

Rad Sonja

Inexplicably great.

Activist Joe Walsh—speaking this morning as the Portland City Council took up a proposed new four-year contract for the Portland Police Association and a related peace deal on federal reforms—distilled what was going to happen when city commissioners finally got around to voting.

"You bring in the public to testify at this point?" Walsh, a retired labor organizer for the International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union, nearly bellowed. "For you to overturn this contract, you'd have to kick in the teeth of your negotiators. You bring us in at the wrong time. The chances of you not voting for this is zilch. Nada."

And so it was a little while later. City commissioners, with some mention of minor reservations, unanimously approved a new PPA contract that police accountability advocates loudly and clearly accused of falling short. And they also approved an agreement, first teased at a press conference last month, that ends what loomed as a protracted PPA challenge to a reform deal negotiated last year between the city and US Department of Justice.

Together, the two votes mean US District Judge Michael Simon can move ahead to considering those reforms—holding a "fairness hearing" for community members on the deal next February. And Portland can continue making changes meant to answer a federal finding that our officers to regularly use excessive and unconstitutional force, especially against people who seem mentally ill.

"We do need to settle this contract to move forward," Commissioner Amanda Fritz said, "and therefore it's the right thing to do."

The terms are pretty much as we've been reporting all along.

• Holiday comp time cashouts will go away for officers, leading to a potential $1.5 million hit first reported by the Mercury, and helping pay, ongoing, for a raft of new premiums and bonuses. Not including cost-of-living increases already built into city forecasts, the contract is "revenue neutral."

• The police bureau can officially implement new use of force, Taser, and performance policies (first aired yesterday by the Mercury) that make as clear as ever that officers can face sanction not only for how they use force but also for the decisions that put them in that position.

• Performance reviews for cops will be resurrected, but not for disciplinary purposes. Those reviews also won't include all complaints against officers, just those that have been "sustained."

• Cops who can prove they inadvertently showed positive for steroids or prohormones in random testing, because maybe steroids were an unlabeled ingredient in a legal supplement, can escape immediate dismissal. Those officers must pay to have a laboratory examine their supplement. And they can still face termination or some other discipline. It just won't be automatic. (To date, no officer has tested positive for drugs or steroids, human resources director Anna Kanwit said.)

• Maybe most important to city officials, an "advisory" discipline matrix can be finished and used by the police chief and police commissioner. The matrix will spell out a range of consequences for specific failures and/or acts of misconduct, and for a history of mistakes or bad behavior.

The PPA, as part of the global agreement it's reached with the city, won't challenge the city's ability to consult the matrix. It still can fight, however, any individual discipline decision—just as it's always been able to do. The bureau has struggled to defend dismissals and terminations in front of arbitrators in part because the PPA has been able to show inconsistent punishments for similar actions. (And also, in part, because the constitutional standard for force makes it hard to prove that an officer's actions weren't reasonable.)

Citing the presumed benefit of "consistent discipline, Commissioner Steve Novick offered, "I also hope we'll stop losing so many arbitrations."

PPA President Daryl Turner spoke about "collaboration" before the vote, noting the long legal path that got the two sides inching toward a deal. But advocates for police accountability still railed at the agreement and the things it didn't change. Another fight, in fact, is looming later this afternoon when the council takes up proposed reforms to the Independent Police Review Division.

Critics were especially stung the city didn't get the union to budge on the so-called "48-hour rule" generally giving cops a two-day window before they must submit to internal interviews after the use of force.

Testimony at the hearing made clear that the rule has some exceptions—when the chief believes waiting could jeopardize an investigation or if criminal conduct is involved.

But advocates weren't swayed. Shauna Curphey of the National Lawyers Guild referenced a letter (pdf) she sent to the city in October arguing that city officials didn't need the union's permission to do away with that rule, citing past state Employment Relations Board rulings.

"This means the city chose to keep that on the table," Curphey said, "instead of taking a public stand for accountability. You missed an opportunity by not negotiating it."

Kanwit, prompted by questions from commissioners, agreed that Curphey could partly be right. But Kanwit said interviews involving the use of force could be seen differently by state regulators. She also said it wasn't worth holding up the contract for a provision that would certainly be challenged by the PPA and take months to have settled by the ERB.

Advocates questioned why the city didn't do more to ensure that IPR investigators be able to compel interviews with officers. That's going to come up in the hearing later today, and the agreement with the PPA still allows it the right to challenge whatever council decides.

"We believe there have been some missed opportunities," said Dr. T. Allen Bethel, vice chairman of the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice and Police Reform.

Bethel, and others who spoke, also said he was troubled by the advisory nature of the discipline matrix. He said the chief could always veer from the matrix. (Although, something else coming up this afternoon, changes to city code proposed by the IPR would force the chief to explain in writing any time he deviates from whatever discipline range the matrix suggests.)

"If it's simply an advisory tool, rather than something that will give certainty to police officers and the public," said former state Representative Jo Ann Hardesty, a member of the AMA's steering committee, "that's a mistake."

Commissioner Nick Fish, hearing some of those concerns, tried to put city officials on record with a few assurances. He got Police Chief Mike Reese to promise that the police commissioner, when reviewing promotions, would be able to see cops' performance reviews. He made clear the city could choose to reopen the contract to take up changing the 48-hour rule. And he reminded everyone what Simon could do if he didn't like the deal that the city, feds, and PPA have just entered into.

Simon can't make changes after next year's fairness hearing. But he can reject the deal wholesale—indirectly pressuring the union and city and feds to alter pieces of the deal to his satisfaction. The threat of a bench trial next year with Simon in greater control, after mediation failed, proved a powerful incentive for all sides to dig down and overcome whatever roadblocks had been in place.

"We fear officers will conduct themselves in inappropriate ways, either with force or words," Mayor Charlie Hales said, "and not face the consequences. So we insure against our fears. But we also have to think about our hopes [that officers will act in exemplar fashion]. That's what we now have a better chance of having."

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On the eve of the Normandy invasion, three planes carrying the members of Britain's 13th Battalion took off for France. In addition to the 60 men aboard, each plane carried one dog. The story of how these paratrooping canines got there — and what happened next — is nothing short of remarkable.

Read more...

richgayboy:

lanactrlaltdelrey: