firehose

I met Akira Ouchi – or Akkie, as he prefers to be known (his site’s in Japanese, but you can use an auto-translation service) at the Big Raspberry Jam in Tokyo back in May. Although we didn’t have much, if any, language in common (besides Python), we became friends instantly. Largely because he had strapped a Raspberry Pi and a CD-ROM drive to his head, and kept issuing the whole system an eject command while shaking my hand warmly.

I noticed a different approach to hobbyist electronics in Japan. This is a broad generalisation, but it does hold some water: here in the west, we have a tendency to spread ourselves very broadly in our approach to projects (a carputer one week, a garden sprinkler the next). We noticed that our Japanese friends tend to explore a single idea very, very deeply and thoroughly: so rather than making a good-enough project and moving on to another, people like Akkie will take a single, simple idea, and refine and push it to a degree that…it’s either madness or genius. I’m still not sure which.

So. On the day, Akkie went on to give a presentation about what he was doing with the CD drive and the Pi. As well as making a fine fashion accessory, he hooked the kit up to the Twitter API, so whenever someone favourited one of his tweets, the eject mechanism would trigger. Call it an alternative to an LED notifier. (Akkie is @Akkiesoft on Twitter, and you should follow him even if you don’t speak Japanese, because as well as being able to trigger his CD-ROM drive, you will discover that the man is a savant of 140-character ASCII art.)

Akkie then gave me a little sticker he’d had made, with a CD-ROM drive on it.

Later on, Akkie attached a pencil to the CD-ROM drive and demonstrated that it could be used as a remote-control for his antiquated air conditioning system, which does not have its own remote. He triggers the Pi and CD-ROM drive with a web app and this time, instead of acting like an LED notifier, it works like a solenoid, and presses the on button on the air conditioner.

And then he showed it working as a hamster feeder.

On New Year’s Eve, it rang a bell to welcome in the New Year.

Since then, Akkie has refined his hat. (The original version was not well-adapted to a culture where you have to do a lot of bowing.)

He has also become a published author: he contributed a chapter (which I can’t read, but I bet it’s great) to the Japanese Raspberry Pi User’s Guide. See if you can guess what it’s about.

I have a picture of Akkie wearing a maid’s costume at the party we went to after the Big Jam (he had borrowed it from an NEC engineer), but he probably wouldn’t thank me for showing it here. So instead, here’s a picture I took of a picture Yuriko-san took of Eben, to whom Akkie donated his headgear for the evening.

I post this because I want to impress on you that sometimes simple ideas can have more application and potential than we imagine – we tend to write about huge, complicated systems here, but there’s beauty in simplicity. And I post it because I really miss our Japanese friends; the Raspberry Pi community there is huge, imaginative and more friendly and generous than any other group we’ve met. We’re hoping to return in 2014. Until then, check out Akkie’s eject gubbins on GitHub, and let us know if you can think of any more applications for his helmet.

(☝ ՞ਊ ՞)☝ウイーン, Akkie! (See. I’ve been practising.)

 

 

Want to know where the nearest roadblock or assassination attempt is happening in Lebanon? There’s an app for that.

A transgender man has given birth to his first child in Germany and wants to be registered as the baby's father.

Last week, NASA set its LADEE spacecraft blazing on a course to the Moon. While the launch was visible from much of the East Coast, those spectators nearest the VA launchpad were afforded the most breathtaking views. One amphibious Virginian, in particular, was especially moved by the spectacle.

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Forget Facebook, daddio, because Lifeinvader is where the cool kids are at. Yes, Lifeinvader is a social network parody launched by Rockstar ahead of Grand Theft Auto 5's arrival next week, and it likely features some of the characters and brands from the game itself.

The site loads up various profiles when accessed, including ones for returning soda Sprunk, hairdresser Herr Kutz Barber, and Redwood Cigarettes, the latter running a promo for 10 percent off your first visit to a hospital when you "stalk" them on Lifeinvader.

GTA 4 had plenty of parody websites, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Lifeinvader in GTA 5 when it launches on Xbox 360 and PS3 on September 17. We'll avoid detailing its content any further for those who want to go in knowing as little as possible, but we must mention some of the Lifeinvader taglines, because they're great: "Portray the life you want online," "Make friends with strangers," and "Making the private public," are a few of the best.

Right, now to post this on Facebook ...

Rockstar launches GTA 5 social network parody Lifeinvader originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Sep 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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San Francisco Chronicle

First lady Michelle Obama visits Watertown Milwaukee Journal Sentinel First lady Michelle Obama plays a ring toss game with students during a visit at Watertown High School in Watertown. By Bill Glauber and Karen Herzog of the Journal Sentinel. Updated: 3:46 p.m.. Tweet. Email; Print. (18) Comments. Watertown — First lady ... First lady wants people to drink more plain waterMorning Sentinel Michelle Obama urges Americans to 'Drink Up'NDTV all 102 news articles »

Ellie K writes "After 500 years, Britain announced plans to fully privatize Royal Mail today. Shares of stock (common equity) will be offered to the public 'in coming weeks', according to Reuters. 10% of shares will be given to current Royal Mail employees, Deal size is estimated at $US 3 to 4.7 billion. Goldman Sachs and UBS were chosen as lead advisers." That doesn't mean you'll be able to buy a piece tomorrow, though; as the BBC's report notes, "The plans have provoked strong opposition from unions. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is currently balloting members on strike action. Ballot papers are due to go out on 20 September to 125,000 Royal Mail workers. The earliest possible strike date would be 10 October. Plans to privatise the 250-year-old postal service have been on successive governments' agendas since the early 1990s."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Metro-Cross (US Gold - Atari ST - 1987)

port of a 1985 Namco arcade platformer

notablegamebox:

Hey I know how we can get more people to want this game. Let’s put this guy on the cover, and imply that you can be just like him.

I found The Last Tango game by reading Killscreen Daily’s (online game mag) weekly games playlist. When we came up with the name Punk Arcade we were thinking about games that

1. were created using accessible software that doesn’t require knowing how to program
2. games that were made quick and dirty or D.I.Y.
3. games made by a single person or very small team.

Last Tango by CC Chamberlin hits all those points. Created as an entry to the 2013 New Mexico Game Jam using the Unity game engine and pixel art in only 48 hours. There’s some great info on how the game was created (including a timelapse video). The game’s tagline is great: 

Nothing ruins a honeymoon like a bullet. Superspies James and Anya are trying to enjoy their honeymoon, but they are marked for death by a raft of syndicates, governments, and masterminds. Can they keep the romance alive?

To keep the romance alive and avoid death, you must keep the duo dancing. Using the arrow keys or A S D W on your keyboard or by clicking directions, you execute steps and pirhouettes and take shots at your enemies. But don’t dance into trouble. There’s bad games and plenty of hazards. And I’m terrible at this game. I keep getting squashed by a falling weight.-LT

defrag building | João Cruz

lacedheartt:

Edwardian Actress: Lillian Gish (1893-1993).

The CIA has been delivering light machine guns and other small arms to Syrian rebels for several weeks, following President Barack Obama's decision to arm the rebels. The agency has also arranged for the Syrian opposition to receive anti-tank weaponry like rocket-propelled grenades through a third party, presumably one of the Gulf countries that has been arming the rebels, a senior U.S. intelligence official and two former intelligence officials said Thursday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the classified program publicly. The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal first reported the lethal aid. Top rebel commander Gen. Salim Idris told NPR on Thursday that rebels had received no such aid from the U.S. The CIA declined to comment.

On her way to the car, the bag broke and one of the cans of La Choy fell on her right foot, breaking her big toe and causing a deep cut, the lawsuit says. William Freis’ attorney, Gage Cobb, said that led to an infection. Despite multiple rounds of antibiotics and two surgical procedures, Lynette Freis’ condition declined and infection spread throughout her body, which led to hospitalizations “and ultimately resulted in her death on March 12, 2011,” the lawsuit says. The lawsuit argues that Walmart was negligent for not training employees to double-bag or separate heavy items. It also names the bag’s manufacturer, alleging the bag was defective.

Based on her income, Gudger will qualify for federal subsidies that will pay nearly half the premium for a midpoint "silver" plan, which covers 70 percent of costs and includes co-pays. An online calculator created by the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates her annual premium at $3,163 and the federal subsidy at $1,434, leaving her with a premium of $1,729, or $144 a month. Even with the federal subsidies, that estimated cost is higher than what she hoped to see. And because she wants a decent insurance policy, not the bare-bones coverage cheaper plans offer, she's still not sure just how she'll proceed. "If I was to be able to be offered affordable health insurance, I would say I would probably afford anywhere between $60 and $100 a month," Gudger said. "I wouldn't want to pay more than $75, considering I'd have to pay for prescriptions and copays if I have to see a doctor."

Freedom Partners was unknown to almost everyone in politics. It raised and spent $250 million in 2012 to shape political and policy debate nationwide. It is an outlet for the ideas and funds of the mysterious Koch brothers.

Time machines similar to "Doctor Who"’s Tardis are possible, Professor Brian Cox said in a speech at the British Science Festival.

NYFW Recap: LuisaViaRoma #Socialyte Gala

Menswear Dog recently got the chance to schmooze with the fashion elite this past Sunday at the LuisaViaRoma #SocialyteGala as the evening’s host and the only dog blogger in attendance.

The event featured award presentations by Style.com’s Dirk Standen and celeb stylist Pierre Michel, while guests enjoyed performances by emcee DJ AcE and Natalia Kills.

It was a fantastic night, and it was all for a good cause (with proceeds going to the Rescue Paw Foundation). Check out all of this year’s winners and the full event recap over at Socialyte.

ofmusesandsins:

sandandglass:

Not even John McCain has time for their shit. 

when John McCain has to call you out on your shit something has gone hideously wrong with your life

dreaminpng:

dropkickbatarang:

megaprime93:

New Wonder Woman short launching this September.

http://rainfall.tv/press/wonder-woman-announcement/ 

OH. HELL. YES.

Omfg that costume design!

In the 10th episode of the fifth season of Doctor Who, the Doctor visited Vincent Van Gogh and destroyed an alien monster only the artist could see. In real life... well, apparently the same thing happened, because that totally looks like the TARDIS is in that recently revealed new Van Gogh painting.

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You’re constantly meeting new people and working on new teams. You’re not fresh out of college any more, in fact you’re reviewed well and ranked highly, but you’re still the only young woman in the room, and nobody’s tired of the joke yet. Now, if someone wants you out of their way, they say you’re “unqualified” because you’re “only 24.” Or 25. Or 26. When there’s a decision to be made about who from the company will go visit a developer to discuss a new project, you are told that they really need to send “a guy’s guy… Someone who can hold his liquor, drink a lot with the developers, and earn their trust.” Definitely not you. You have a nice window office. One night, you’re working late. Most people have already gone home. A drunken coworker, also staying late, leans across the doorway of your nice window office and makes slurred conversation with you for about 20 minutes. He starts to make comments about your appearance. He’s still blocking your doorway. You feel afraid, because you don’t know how to get rid of him. Your heartbeat is fast; you glance at a big stupid corporate plaque on your desk and wonder if, in case of need, it could knock this guy unconscious. A friend drops by at the right time and the drunkard scuttles away, but after that, you feel anxious every time you work late. You feel lonely, you feel like a novelty, you feel like a fraud. You feel like you don’t deserve a seat at the table. You’ve had long hair most of your life, but you cut it short in hopes that people will take you more seriously. When you investigate new jobs, the men interviewing you ask how old you are. In one interview, the HR staff warn you that at their company, you’d better be able to “take a joke.”

Ponies for Pathfinder:

Ponies for Pathfinder began as a racial sourcebook. It provided a simple and balanced approach to adding ponies to existing content with minimal headache or balance concerns. With this goal, it performed well. But what if you don’t want to have a pony in a human, elf, dwarf, and halfling dominated world? Don’t ponies deserve a world of their own?

We think they do.

And we want you to help us make this happen. The Ponies for Pathfinder Setting Handbook would expand greatly on all the details left vague in the racial book. 

We want you involved in this! And though we do appreciate it, we don’t just mean your money. Many of the tiers include contributor input. You can help to shape this book. You will name the famous ponies and cities, and give ideas for artifacts and pony prestige classes. This book is for you, the community.