Did you know that the lovely Kate Leth is writing a graphic novel just about Adventure Time's mercurial hard rock half-demon vampire queen and plushie lover Marceline? Well, now you do. It's being drawn by Zachary Sterling and Leth says "Seeing Red is as Goth an Adventure Time story as they would let me write." Find out more here.
Previously in Adventure Time
This friendship reinforces what photographer Torgeir Berge has said in his fight against using animals, particularly foxes, for their fur.
Foxes are, like other animals, dependent on the freedom to explore, live and play over large areas. Instead , they are born into a meaningless life in a cramped wire cages, with no opportunity to live a natural life. What excuse do we have for causing such great suffering of approximately one million animals each year, only for an unnecessary and pretentious product?
The latest release of the Firefox web browser, version 26, now blocks Java software on all websites by default unless the user specifically authorizes the Java plugin to run.
The change has been a long time coming. The Mozilla Foundation had originally planned to make click-to-run the default for all versions of the Java plugin beginning with Firefox 24, but decided to delay the change after dismayed users raised a stink.
Beginning with the version of Firefox that shipped on Tuesday, whenever the browser encounters a Java applet or a Java Web Start launcher, it first displays a dialog box asking for authorization before allowing the plugin to launch.
Users can also opt to click "Allow and Remember," which adds the current webpage to an internal whitelist so that Java code on it will run automatically in the future, without further human intervention.
Mozilla's move comes after a series of exploits made the Java plugin one of the most popular vectors for web-based malware attacks over the past few years. So many zero-day exploits targeting the plugin have been discovered, in fact, that the Firefox devs have opted to give all versions of Java the cold shoulder, including the most recent one.
You can whitelist certain pages if you want – just be sure you know what you're doing
Generally speaking, Mozilla plans to activate click-to-run for all plugins by default, although the Adobe Flash Player plugin has been given a pass so far, owing to the prevalence of Flash content on the web.
In addition to the change to the default Java plugin behavior, Firefox 26 includes a number of security patches, bug fixes, and minor new features. The official release notes are available here and a full list of changes in the release can be had here.
As usual, current Firefox installations can be upgraded to version 26 using the internal update mechanism, and installers for the latest release are available from the Firefox homepage. ®
The consistently hilarious Billy Eichner (of Fuse's Billy on the Street) films a special holiday segment for Jimmy Kimmel in which he and Amy Poehler (sigh! eye flutter!) accost people on the street and force them to sing Christmas carols... correctly. Because it's New York, this does not go well. BUT IT'S FUNNY!
CAMBRIDGE, MA—According to a promising new economic report published Wednesday by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a steadily growing number of Americans have become delusional enough to open their own businesses.
For personal security during her expeditions on Earth, Eve is equipped with a powerful energy weapon in her right arm. Her gun has a variable power setting, and is shown firing blasts between “Melt that small rock” and “Mushroom Cloud visible from several miles away”
After each shot, the weapon is shown charging up before it is ready to fire again. This status is displayed by three small yellow lights on the exterior, as well as a low-audible charging whine. Smaller blasts appear to use less energy than large blasts, since the recharge cycle is shorter or longer depending on the damage caused.
On the Axiom, Eve’s weapon is removed during her service check-up and tested separately from her other systems. It is shown recharging without firing, implying an internal safety or energy shunt in case the weapon needs to be discharged without firing.
While detached, Wall-E manages to grab the gun away from the maintenance equipment. Through an unseen switch, Wall-E then accidentally fires the charged weapon. This shot destroys the systems keeping the broken robots in the Axiom’s repair ward secured and restrained.
Awesome but Irresponsible
I am assuming here that BNL has a serious need for a weapon of Eve’s strength. Good reasons for this are:
They have no idea what possible threats may still lurk on Earth (a possible radioactive wasteland), or
They are worried about looters, or
They are protecting their investment in Eve from any residual civilization that may see a giant dropship (See the ARV) as a threat.
In any of those cases, Eve would have to defend herself until more Eve units or the ARV could arrive as backup.
Given that the need exists, the weapon should protect Eve and the Axiom. It fails to do this because of its flawed activation (firing when it wasn’t intended). The accidental firing scheme is an anti-pattern that shouldn’t be allowed into the design.
The only lucky part about Wall-E’s mistake is that he doesn’t manage to completely destroy the entire repair ward. Eve’s gun is shown having the power to do just that, but Wall-E fires the weapon on a lower power setting than full blast. Whatever the reason for the accidental shot, Wall-E should never have been able to fire the weapon in that situation.
First, Wall-E was holding the gun awkwardly. It was designed to be attached at Eve’s shoulder and float via a technology we haven’t invented yet. From other screens shown, there were no physical buttons or connection points. This means that the button Wall-E hits to fire the gun is either pressure sensitive or location sensitive. Either way, Wall-E was handling the weapon unsafely, and it should not have fired.
Second, the gun is nowhere near (relatively speaking) Eve when Wall-E fires. She had no control over it, shown by her very cautious approach and “wait a minute” gestures to Wall-E. Since it was not connected to her or the Axiom, the weapon should not be active.
Third, they were in the “repair ward”, which implies that the ship knows that anything inside that area may be broken and do something wildly unpredictable. We see broken styling machines going haywire, tennis ball servers firing non-stop, and an umbrella that opens involuntarily. Any robot that could be dangerous to the Axiom was locked in a space where they couldn’t do harm. Everything was safely locked down except Eve’s gun. The repair ward was too sensitive an area to allow the weapon to be active.
In short:
Unsafe handling
Unauthorized user
Extremely sensitive area
Any one of those three should have kept Eve’s gun from firing.
Automatic Safeties
Eve’s gun should have been locked down the moment she arrived on the Axiom through the gun’s location aware internal safeties, and exterior signals broadcast by the Axiom. Barring that, the gun should have locked itself down and discharged safely the moment it was disconnected from either Eve or the maintenance equipment.
A Possible Backup?
There is a rationale for having a free-form weapon like this: as a backup system for human crew accompanying an Eve probe during an expedition. In a situation where the Eve pod was damaged, or when humans had to take control, the gun would be detachable and wielded by a senior officer.
Still, given that it can create mushroom clouds, it feels grossly irresponsible.
In a “fallback” mode, a simple digital totem (such as biometrics or an RFID chip) could tie the human wielder to the weapon, and make sure that the gun was used only by authorized personnel. (Notably Wall-E is not an authorized wielder.) By tying the safety trigger to the person using the weapon, or to a specific action like the physical safeties on today’s firearms, the gun would prevent someone who is untrained in its operation from using it.
If something this powerful is required for exploration and protection, it should protect its user in all reasonable situations. While we can expect Eve to understand the danger and capabilities of her weapon, we cannot assume the same of anyone else who might come into contact with it. Physical safeties, removal of easy to press external buttons, and proper handling would protect everyone involved in the Axiom exploration team.
Jay Machalani has a vision for Windows 8. Frustrated by the inconsistencies of Microsoft’s touch-friendly operating system, Machalani has been putting together a plan over the last three months to fix and unite the disparate desktop and “Metro” interfaces. It turns out that the 20-year-old self-taught user-experience designer might be mocking up concepts that are similar to what Microsoft is preparing for the next major version of Windows. Recent reports suggest Microsoft is planning to bring back the Start menu, along with improvements to its traditional desktop mode to allow new Windows 8-style applications to “float” and run in separate windows. Machalani’s concepts — which were completed long before the recent rumors — imagine how that might work in reality.
Speaking to The Verge, Machalani enthusiastically explains he “left school to build a better way for students to work” as part of an upcoming collaborative platform currently in development. His work on a Windows 8 concept is a part-time hobby borne out of frustration. The basic concepts center on bringing back the traditional Start menu in a modern way with Live Tiles and easy access to settings in the desktop mode. “I’m not aiming to get anything out of it … this is really to voice some concerns that users have and to show Microsoft that there is a way for them to continue their strategy, but also respect the feedback from users.”
Machalani’s concept brings back the Start menu on the desktop in a way that makes sense. Complete with the Live Tiles found from the Start screen and Windows Phone, the menu is designed to be flexible in size, with a search interface and quick options to access notifications, settings, and power options. It also brings back some of the useful parts of the Windows 7 Start menu: recent and pinned apps. "My goal was to find a way for everything to work," says Machalani. "You need to find a way for the Start screen’s core idea to work on the desktop too." It might seem like a minor point, but for existing Windows users the Start menu on Windows 7 acts as a simple location that’s unobtrusive and quick to locate with a keyboard and mouse. Windows 8’s Start screen is a full-screen menu that obscures any apps you’re currently using, a common complaint surrounding the split between desktop and "Metro."
Some existing third-party Start menu replacements attempt to bring back the old-style menu, but Machalani believes this is the wrong approach. "By doing a new Start menu you’re actually bringing the Start screen to the desktop with the same typography, your own user icon … a reflection of how the Start screen can be on the desktop, a more compressed version with more functionality." In the concept samples the Start menu looks modern, and it fits with the style of Windows 8 without the obtrusiveness of the new full-screen Start screen. It’s a compromise that might work well, giving access to important settings and useful Live Tiles that flicker with information.
Windows 8-style apps that float away from the "Metro" world
Machalani has also turned his attention to other parts of the desktop: stylizing the icons, typography, and matching folder colors as well as other UI elements with the accent color of the Start screen. He’s also mocked up ideas for Windows 8-style apps that break away from the "Metro" world and float on the desktop. Referring to Stardock’s ModernMix, an app that allows Windows 8-style apps to run in windows on the desktop, Machalani describes this approach as "a hack." Instead, Machalani wants to see quick access to minimize, full-screen, and close buttons at the top of each app, alongside a Charms menu. The existing Charms menu for Windows 8 is tricky to access if you’re a desktop user, especially if you have multiple monitors. If Microsoft is planning to allow its new apps to run windowed on the desktop then Machalani’s concept would make things a little easier to navigate.
Machalani also proposes a method to create hybrid applications that switch seamlessly from desktop to Metro. If Microsoft executes well on allowing Windows 8-style apps to run on the desktop then this hybrid would be seamless by itself, but Machalani’s ideas ensure that desktop apps are relevant to their usage (keyboard and mouse), while still remaining optimized for touch when you switch. Other enhancements include simple access to exact battery percentages in the "Metro" environment, something Microsoft only currently provides with a tiny visual clue.
Ultimately, Machalani’s concepts are designed to highlight what could be possible if Microsoft pays some attention to the desktop environment and the little pieces of Windows design it often overlooks. Microsoft’s lack of attention to iconography over the years has often been criticized, but the company’s new focus on design has led to an impressive environment for touch-enabled devices. The main criticism of Microsoft’s latest OS is the confusing and jarring switching between desktop and "Metro," something the company has tried to address in the 8.1 update, and a problem that needs more solutions.
Microsoft needs to find the perfect balance for its millions of users.
Machalani is one of the many providing feedback alongside hundreds of designers that have offered their own take on the Windows look over the years. "I’d like to create a department in Microsoft where their only job is a bunch of designers only using the OS and pointing out all the little things," Machalani explains. While he doesn’t have all the answers, the mere fact that Microsoft is considering changes to bring back the Start menu highlights the feedback on its big bet. With lots of users still pointing out little niggles in Windows 8.1 it’s clear more needs to be done. Machalani’s concept is one approach, but Microsoft needs to find the perfect balance for its millions of users.
All images copyright and published with the permission of Jay Machalani. More examples of Jay Machalani's Windows 8 concepts can be found on his website.
First time accepted submitter LibbyMC writes "Google's approach to bringing older C software to the browser is demonstrated in bringing the '80s-era AmigaOS to Chrome. 'The Native Client technology runs software written to run on a particular processor at close to the speeds that native software runs. The approach gives software more direct access to a computer's hardware , but it also adds security restrictions to prevent people from downloading malware from the Web that would take advantage of that power.'" Chrome users can go straight to the demo.
websocketd is a small command line tool that will wrap an existing command line interface program, and allow it to be accessed via a WebSocket.
WebSocket capable applications can now be built very easily. So long as you can write an executable program that reads STDIN and writes STDOUT, you can build a WebSocket server. Do it in Python, Ruby, Perl, Bash, .NET, C, Go, PHP, Java, Clojure, Scala, Groovy, Expect, Awk, VBScript, Haskell, Lua, R, whatever! No networking libraries necessary.
When Marnie Was There, the 1967 novel by Joan G. Robinson. It was #18 on Hayao Miyazaki's list of recommended children's books, so this shouldn't be a shock, although it's worth pointing out that Marnie will be directed by The Secret World of Arriety's Hiromasa Yonebayashi, as Miyazaki still maintains he's retired.
December 25th is fast approaching — but will yours be snow-laden? This map, released by NOAA and the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), gives the probability of a "White Christmas" across the continental United States.
(Est. 1983) "TurboTax builds software that makes it easy to get the biggest tax refund. TurboTax is part of Intuit Inc., a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals."
Opinion/Notes: This is a remarkably good redesign. It's friendly, it's serious, it's software-y. It doesn't look like a discount piece of software anymore. Even the bevel and shadowing of the checkmark button is well done and appropriate. Their website is also very nicely executed with some Avenir goodness in there and lots of white space. Very surprising.
Related Links: N/A
Logo detail.Icon.Packaging.Promo images from their Facebook page.
Starbucks is jumping on the soda streaming bandwagon. And amazingly it’s letting customers in certain stores globally carbonate not just juices and sodas but a selection of its coffee and tea beverages.
The company has been secretly testing the market for “handcrafted sodas” since this past spring, using Sodastream-like carbonation machines behind counters in certain stores to add fizz to the beverages when a customer orders them. Starbucks’ customers have been asking to carbonate a slew of other drinks, including teas and coffees, and Starbucks has actually been allowing it.
The offering was an experiment limited to certain stores in Japan, Singapore, Atlanta, and Austin, Texas. Starbucks now says it’s pleased with the results and has moved to trademark the name Fizzio as part of its still-unofficial plans to launch a bona fide soda line, or at very least official carbonation add-on.
CEO Howard Shultz is now calling out soda as a new initiative for the coffee giant going forward. “Carbonation. That is a new category for us,” Shultz told investors at the company’s most recent earnings call. “We think it’s a significant opportunity,” he added, calling the recent tests “very encouraging.”
As part of the tests, customers have been encouraged to try the three carbonated drinks—lemon ale, ginger ale and spiced root beer. Starbucks has selectively marketed them like this:
But it’s more likely you haven’t heard about this—the company has kept its experiment pretty hush hush. It’s also been pretty quiet about the fact that its three advertised offerings aren’t the only drinks customers can have baristas bubble up. They’re adding fizz to most things a customer requests. The only real, hard constraints so far have been espresso drinks and Frappuccinos, which the company can’t yet handle carbonating, a Starbucks spokesperson told Quartz.
Part of the original impetus for testing sodas, according to the spokesperson, is an understanding that customers prefer lighter, more refreshing drinks later in the day, and carbonated ones offer exactly that. But Starbucks isn’t merely offering canned or bottled fizzy stuff; it’s latching on to the popularity of soda streams by carbonating drinks, on the spot, behind the counter.
Given Starbucks’ willingness to carbonate more just the three advertised beverages, including its coffees, the company could also be positioning itself to make carbonation the newest run-of-the-mill add-on. That means that asking for a tall, unsweetened, carbonated tea could soon be the norm, and making sure your order is uncarbonated could soon be a must if you’re not into that sort of thing.
Whether Starbucks actually launches a carbonated drink line called Fizzio remains to be seen, but there’s plenty to suggest that at the very least you can expect your Starbucks barista to be fiddling with a carbonator in the near future. Asked if Starbucks’ goal is to get on-the-spot carbonation to a point where carbonating a drink is akin to, say, adding a pump of vanilla or extra shot of espresso, a company spokesperson replied: “I would say that it’s a next natural step in our customization options.”
New California health department rules could mean a Sriracha shortage until mid-January. According to the Los Angeles Times, the state's Department of Public Health is enforcing stricter rules that mean the hot sauce (along with Huy Fong's chili garlic and sambal oelek sauces) must be held for 30 days after between production and shipping. While so far, there are no details about how new this policy is or what caused the change, it means that Huy Fong won't have new stock until next month, company COO Donna Lam told the San Jose Mercury News. "We're backordered as it is but now we have to tell customers we aren't sending anything until mid-January."
According to the LA Times, the delay isn't a direct result of an order last month to partially shut down its Irwindale, California factory due to an "extremely annoying" and possibly headache- and irritation-inducing smell, because the company could continue producing Sriracha using the facilities that remained open. But the beloved sauce is clearly facing challenges in its home state, and distributors say they're running out of supplies for grocery stores and restaurants alike.
'Please note that W-S suggests you top your waffles with "cranberry-apple compote". You people with your fucking compotes. If it were up to you, everything would be a compote.'
As Florida governor Rick Scott likes to boast, everyday 500 people move to his state. Its population is set to hit 20 million in 2016, surpassing New York to become America’s third most populous state (after California and Texas). That’s great news for a state with no income tax. With most of its budget coming from property and sales taxes, the best way to earn revenue is to attract more Floridans.
Just don’t tell them about this:
In 1981, this sinkhole swallowed up two Porsches and a street corner in Winter Park.
AP Photo
Hernando, Hillsborough and Pasco counties form what’s known in Florida as “Sinkhole Alley.”
Not that sinkholes only happen in Sinkhole Alley. (To the question of whether any area in Florida is safe from sinkholes, the state website says, “Technically, no.”)
For the statewide nature of its sinkhole menace, Florida can thank its fragile limestone bedrock and its coastal location. Over time, rain and layers of sand from prehistoric beaches erode that rock, creating underground caves.
The alternation of flooding and exposure have worn away Florida’s carbonate platform.
"Sinkholes, West-Central Florida," Ann B. Tihansky
When the top layer of ground falls into a cave—voilà, sinkhole. Dramatic changes in the land’s weight distribution can cause that to happen. Some factors, such as water from heavy storms, are natural. In 2010, nearly 200 sinkholes formed in Hernando County after Tropical Storm Debbie. Drought, too: Water drained without replenishment hollows out wells.
But many of the causes stem more directly from humans. Winter sinkholes often have something to do with Florida’s massive citrus and strawberry industries (pdf, p.134). To prevent frost damage, growers pump warm water onto crops, emptying wells and shifting water weight to the surface. Then there’s paving over ground, which prevents the ground from absorbing water evenly. Plus, Floridans generate 50% more waste (pdf, p.62) than the national average.
They also simply use too much water, says the US Geological Survey. Yet the Florida government has steadily slashed funding for water management. That’s not exactly surprising. Water conservation efforts require more taxes. And that could deter the 500-strong daily influx of people hoping to make Florida their new home.
Thank you all so much. I'm sitting in an airport with a dying battery, but seriously, I have not felt so unstressed in a long time. More on this later, promise!
The Satanic Temple, an established New York City-based religious organization, has offered to donate a public monument to Oklahoma’s Capitol Preservation Commission for display upon Oklahoma City’s capitol grounds. Described as an “homage” to Satan, the purpose of the monument is to complement and contrast the Ten Commandments monument that already resides on the North side of the building. The donation offer has been submitted and is currently awaiting the commission’s reply.
"sales of the grilled pork belly dish known as samgyeopsal have reportedly skyrocketed more three-fold due to a belief that the dish can absorb environmental toxins"
Smog-choked skies in Asian cities are nothing new, but this winter is shaping up to be a particularly bad one for air quality. In the absence of an easy fix, some citizens are getting desperate in their attempts to keep their lungs clear of particulate matter. Unfortunately the scientific evidence behind their methods is sketchy at best, and harmful at worst:
Cigarette filter nose plugs
Don’t do this.
Sina Weibo
“A magical fix for coping with the haze. Take two cigarette filters, strip away the wrapping paper, and insert them in the nostrils,” claimed a popular message on China’s Sina Weibo, as reported by the New York Times. Authorities quickly rushed to debunk the claims, noting that the filters could impair breathing and even send tiny filaments into users’ lungs. Besides, cigarette filters can’t even counteract the harmful effects of tobacco.
Pork Belly
Eat this, by all means, but it won’t counteract pollution.
Flickr/Kimtaro
In South Korea, where Chinese smog has blown across the sea and blanketed the capital Seoul and other cities, sales of the grilled pork belly dish known as samgyeopsal have reportedly skyrocketed more three-fold due to a belief that the dish can absorb environmental toxins. There is no science backing up this claim, but samgyeopsal looks delicious nevertheless.
Anti-haze martial arts
“Do you think that’s air you’re breathing now?”
Chinanews.com
Escape: The Curse of the Temple Mascarade Citadels Telestrations Love Letter Carcassonne Cosmic Encounter Tobago Bang! K2 Jungle Speed Power Grid Survive: Escape From Atlantis
Paul: Like a snowman at the door, having a wank through your letterbox, Christmas is coming fast. Everyone and their dog is going to be asking for board games and hoping to unwrap something special but, but not everything that you ask for is going to be suited to families.
Does your brother want to play Twilight Imperium for eight hours? Does your dad understand how the Ambush card works in Memoir ‘44? Will your mum flip the table again if she loses another game of Space Hulk?
Here, then, are Shut Up & Sit Down’s recommendations for games your family can play at Christmas. These are all games with rules you can learn in just a few minutes, and won’t keep you returning to the manual. Some are simple, some are smart, some are physical and some are outright dangerous. But they’re all terribly, terribly good fun.
how does Dunkin Donuts have product placement in a show set in New Orleans
nobody in Louisiana even knows what Dunks _is_
we think they actually make and sell _donuts_
It’s hard to top last week’s episode, but “Like Mama Made” is a great episode of Top Chef, albeit without the excitement and suspense inherent in “Restaurant Wars.” It’s the most emotional episode of the season we’ve seen yet, and it hits at just the right moment. There are only nine contestants left, all of a sudden, and our connection to them feels very real. I don’t know if the writers planned for this moment to push our emotional buttons, but anyway, it totally worked.
At least half of our contestants cried at some point in the process of the elimination challenge. It’s an episode for faces: Both the funny reaction shots that make Top Chef what it is, and the actual grief experienced by many of the contestants who are remembering their loved ones they’ve left behind. The standout stories of the episode revolve around Nicholas and ...
When Marnie Was There, the 1967 novel by Joan G. Robinson. It was #18 on Hayao Miyazaki's list of recommended children's books, so this shouldn't be a shock, although it's worth pointing out that Marnie will be directed by The Secret World of Arriety's Hiromasa Yonebayashi, as Miyazaki still maintains he's retired. 
hodad
