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CollegeHumor illustrator H. Caldwell Tanner created a funny series of Superman comic book covers exploring “Modern Problems Even Superman Can’t Defeat.” You can view all five covers at CollegeHumor.

images via CollegeHumor

The first alpha release of OpenMandriva Linux is now available. This new OpenMandriva distribution is derived from the Russian-based ROSA Linux distribution, which in turn was forked from mainline Mandriva last year...

When Google, king of the mobile maps, shelled out $1 billion to buy Israeli social mapping company Waze, the first question for many was: Where’s the anti-trust ruling?

After all, Google is a leading digital maps provider, and Waze was one of the few innovators actually catching up with fellow digital cartographers Nokia, Apple and Microsoft. An American consumer watchdog wrote (pdf) to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) noting that the acquisition would “remove the most viable competitor to Google Maps in the mobile space.” The watchdog quoted the company’s CEO telling reporters “we’re the only reasonable competition to [Google].”

As of now, Google isn’t under any government scrutiny. But consumer pressure and probable complaints from competitors like Facebook, which also considered a bid for Waze, are bound to change that. Google may have also invited scrutiny by pushing the limits of a loophole in the reporting requirements of anti-trust law.

When one company acquires another, it typically needs to file a form notifying anti-trust authorities at DOJ or the Federal Trade Commission. But Google, according to law professor Steven Davidoff, relied on an exemption for foreign companies that earn or possess sales and assets worth less than $70.9 million in the US. While this is technically true of Waze, Davidoff and consumer advocates think that valuing the company at $1 billion means its US intellectual property is at least worth more than the minimum for anti-trust consideration.

Part of the challenge will be figuring out how to define the market for digital maps, which affects Google-Waze’s market share: Does Google-Waze compete just with other smartphone maps, or directly with Rand McNally’s paper atlas, or Garmin’s standalone GPS units? Is the market limited to products offering turn-by-turn directions, which would put the combined Google-Waze deal behind Telenav in terms of market share, at least in the US? Does the service only compete with other social maps that are driven by user data?

These questions will form the groundwork of any battle over the Waze acquisition. If the government does investigate and find that Google’s move was anti-competitive, it could force the company to share more data with competitors, restrict how Google integrates the two companies, or even unwind the deal entirely.

But Google was on its toes. By moving ahead of the government and not filing for review in advance, Google may have made the deal harder for authorities to pursue; they’re less likely to block a sale that’s already happened.

Vlambeer is going to live-stream development of its next game. This wouldn't be notable for many other indie developers, but Vlambeer's history makes this strategy appear, for lack of a stronger term, absolutely illogical.

"At this point, all of our big games have been cloned," Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail tells me at E3.

He goes down the list: Super Crate Box, Ridiculous Fishing, Luftrausers and Infinite SWAT all have clones. The only acceptable one is the Infinite SWAT "homage," Broforce, from South African team Free Lives, Rami said - it's an example of developers taking inspiration from a game and creating their own world with it. The other ones, though. Those are straight-up clones.

These clones caused major problems for Ismail and Vlambeer's other half, Jan Willem Nijman. The Ridiculous Fishing clone affected the team so strongly that they almost stopped developing their own game completely. Ridiculous Fishing almost didn't exist. Because of a clone.

Hence, Vlambeer live-streaming development of its next game sounds like a pretty terrible idea. Until Ismail explains his reasoning:

"If you look at Ridiculous Fishing, one of the reasons the clone was such a nightmare was because nobody knew that we were working on Ridiculous Fishing. We had to rapidly announce Ridiculous Fishing while the clone story was going down, so people knew that it was our idea first and they stole it from us. With Luftrausers, when SkyFar hit, it was much better, because everybody already knew that Luftrausers was a Vlambeer thing and that SkyFar was a clone."

That makes sense, actually.

"No, it doesn't," Rami says. But Vlambeer is doing it anyway.

Continue reading How live-streaming development can solve Vlambeer's clone problem

How live-streaming development can solve Vlambeer's clone problem originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A man suspected of groping a woman in Occidental Park was arrested Monday after an angry crowd chased him down. At 9:40 a.m., police responded to reports of a fight involving a group of vigilantes who’d chased after the man when he groped a woman, Seattle Police spokesman Jonah Spangenthal-Lee said in a statement. Officers [...]

Texas drug-eater Rick Perry denies that he is gay, but Texas? Gay as the dickens — FOR YOUR BUSINESS! That is the message of the “Texas Wide Open for Business” campaign that Gov. Perry is flogging in New York, California, and various other places where it is not torturously hot, humid, and buggy all the goddamn time like it is in Texas, and where people do not have an unearned sense of accomplishment just because they live in a certain place. Wait, scratch that last one, because we just said New York and California (we are New Yorkers and we love California, but srsly.)

Another goal is to entice Connecticut gun manufacturers to skirt new state regulations by relocating to Texas. Good, maybe once that happens, Texas can finally secede and then we can legally embargo all their bullshit. Problem solved!

How much more effective would Perry’s cheerleading be if he weren’t so widely known as a buffoonish ass? A bunch, probably! It’s also kinda weird that a government official has to pimp his state with a traveling medicine show and a shitty commercial we didn’t watch; shouldn’t the magneto-magical emanations of the Free Market be enough? Rick Perry, y u socialist? (Yes, we read how this is all funded privately. It’s a good thing there won’t be any Public Integrity Unit to wonder what that money’s really buying.)

If you’re thinking the states Perry is targeting probably don’t like what he’s doing, a gold star for you! Here’s California’s Gov. Jerry Brown on the initiative: “[B]arely a fart.” Oh Jerry, never change. And if you’re thinking it’s probably easy for Texas to be so business-friendly when they are last in the nation in providing health insurance and give less than a shit about polluting every other state with their filthy air, you are acing this class, and how!

Often imitated, never replicated: TEXAS! They ache for your business! And don’t worry about the ticks, even though they have one that can make you allergic to meat! Oh, and can we suggest a slogan, too? “The opposite of taxes is Texas!” You’re welcome.

[POLITICO]

by Peter Pavlowich

I came up with the idea for Casual Turtle Campers in the summer of 2010. On a road trip to Colorado, I noticed an abundance of truck campers, but a profound lack of variety or style. As a Wood Construction and Design graduate from the University of Idaho, I knew I could design and build a simple and attractive alternative to the big, heavy, white boxes I seemed to see everywhere. Over the next few years, I brought together ideas and drew up plans for what would eventually become the design for Casual Turtle Campers. This was, to date, my best chance of achieving a lifelong goal of being self-employed.

I knew that I wanted them to be decidedly small and simple. As a fan of Deek Diedricksen, Lloyd Kahn, Michelle Wilson, as well as the small living movement in general, I knew there were people out there that felt the same way. I also wanted them to be unique; simple wooden campers had certainly been done, even arched roofs aren’t that rare, but I had never seen a camper with a domed roof – that is to say arched in both axes. The dome makes for a strong, very practical roof that also enhances the aesthetics of the camper. It is simultaneously perhaps the most compelling and difficult element of my campers. And being lightweight (910 lbs as pictured), Casual Turtle Campers can be built for use with almost any pickup truck.

At 6’2″, I can’t stand up straight inside my campers. I can, however, sit and enjoy a Fort Collins craft beer with great ease. And that’s really the idea: a comfortable place to get out of the rain, grab a bite to eat, read a book, write, sleep at night, etc. And in the morning, grab a cup, decide where-to and what-for, and take off without having to tear down, collapse a pop-up roof, or hitch up a trailer. The idea of simplicity is meant not only to describe the product, but also the use of it. Casual Turtle Campers are also quite customizable – and I love to think about alternate uses; mobile office, writing shack, small studio space, etc.

My wife, Lindsey and I are originally from Duluth, Minnesota. We now enjoy living in Fort Collins, Colorado with our dog, Moxie. We feel like we’re in a great spot for Casual Turtle Campers to be a success – that is, to create a lasting product for customers who become friends, and to enjoy doing it. We’d be grateful to anyone who wants to check out casualturtlecampers.com for more photos and information. And please feel free to get in touch, whether its praise or criticism, or just to say hi. Thanks a lot. Visit our website here: http://casualturtlecampers.com/

At today's House hearing for the NASA Authorization Act of 2013, witness Thomas Young was asked how long it would take the Agency to put a human on Mars with its current budget. His response was unambiguous: “Never.”

Read more...

New York Daily News

Republican Sen. Murkowski supports gay marriage San Francisco Chronicle WASHINGTON (AP) — Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Wednesday said she supports gay marriage, making her the third Senate Republican to do so. Murkowski's announcement comes with the Supreme Court days away from issuing a decision on two cases ... Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski is latest lawmaker to endorse same-sex ...New York Daily News Lisa Murkowski Becomes the First Red-State GOP Senator to Support Gay ...New York Magazine Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she supports gay marriage, becomes 3rd ...Minneapolis Star Tribune USA TODAY -KTUU.com -Politico all 64 news articles »

The American Medical Association has officially recognized obesity as a disease, a move that could induce physicians to pay more attention to the condition and spur more insurers to pay for treatments.

I have a confession to make. I’ve defaulted on my student loans.

Comic bubble plates!!

ABC News

Men's Wearhouse Board Fires Executive Chairman Wall Street Journal Men's Wearhouse Inc. (MW) said it has terminated George Zimmer from his position as executive chairman and plans to discuss the extent, if any, of the terms of his continuing relationship with the company he founded about 40 years ago. The apparel retailer ... Men's Wearhouse ousts founder George ZimmerUSA TODAY Men's Wearhouse kicks out founder, chairman George ZimmerLos Angeles Times Men's Wearhouse fires the 'I guarantee it' guyCNNMoney Denver Post -Barron's (blog) all 24 news articles »

Paula Deen was questioned for three hours regarding the $1.2 million lawsuit filed by the general manager of their Savannah restaurant last year, which alleged that Paula and her brother Bubba made black and white employees use separate bathrooms, threw the N-word around, repeatedly told racist and sexist jokes, and other shit your drunk grandpa might do at a block party.

Read more...

“Our organization recently moved most of its employees from several small offices into one large office,” writes our submitter in Vancouver. “It only took five months for the kitchen conflict to ramp up into a full-blown note war.”

related: Let the rest of us eat cake.

Daily Mail

Cameron's bid to spark Syria coup: PM pledges not to remove Assad military if ... Daily Mail David Cameron last night made an appeal to Syria's military and security leaders in an extraordinary attempt to spark a coup against Bashar al-Assad. The Prime Minister said the future of the country's army and security forces would be guaranteed were ... and more »

Imagine Game Of Thrones simultaneously filtered through Ingmar Bergman and Alejandro Jodorowsky. Viewers whose brains don’t explode will begin to have a feel for František Vláčil’s 1967 film, Marketa Lazarová, a sprawling, purposefully disorienting historical epic newly committed to Criterion Blu-ray. In his lengthy booklet essay, scholar Tom Gunning says it took him four viewings to begin to get the movie’s plot straight, and he admits that certain characters’ names and interrelations remain obscure even to him. So where does that leave viewers who, considering Vláčil’s films have been nigh impossible to see in the U.S., are almost certain to be getting their first exposure to the film?

They should start by setting aside the desire to get everything straight. Vláčil opens the film with a portentous Roman-numeral heading, then follows it with the first of several chapter headings that generally ...

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Chinese consumers love luxury products, but they drink crummy tequila. At least until now. Earlier this month, China’s President Xi Jinping and his Mexican counterpart Enrique Peña Nieto signed a bilateral trade agreement that will allow Mexican imports of 100% agave tequilas (Spanish link) into China for the first time since 2008.

China banned high-end tequilas in 2008 because of the relatively high methanol levels found in tequila made with 100% agave (methanol is a small byproduct of the agave distillation process). It was part of a bigger legislative move to address the rising incidence of methanol poisonings in the country, many of which had been caused by the consumption of fake alcohols, often made with toxic amounts of methanol. The country has, however, continued to let in lower-end tequilas, or tequila mixtos, which only contain 51% agave, and therefore less methanol.  

The influx of high-end tequilas into China could be a big win for the Mexican tequila industry, which has failed to penetrate the Chinese market partly because its consumers aren’t aware of the product. At the moment, China imports less tequila than any other major spirit. ”Most people don’t even know what tequila is, and that’s a big problem,” Patricio de la Fuente Saez, managing director of Hong Kong-based wine importer Links Concept,  told Quartz. Chinese consumers only go for luxury goods that boast global prestige, says director of corporate communications at Patron Greg Cohen told Quartz. They appreciate “quality” and “sophistication,” he says.

With a little consumer education, Chinese drinkers could become prime targets for the beverage. According to Patron’s Cohen, Chinese tourists are already plucking high-end tequila from duty free shelves abroad. “Our duty free partners have told us that Chinese tourists are a huge part of our consumers.” Chinese drinkers are also fans of hard liquor, which makes up 60% of the country’s alcohol consumption. Ninety-five percent of that hard alcohol intake is Baijiu, a locally distilled white spirit that, like tequila, is consumed on ice or in a shot.

Despite the long-held ban on high-end tequilas, low-end tequila exports to China have grown more than four-fold since 2008. And there’s more room to grow. The country still only imports a modest 400,000 litres of tequila a year, but the president of Mexico’s national tequila industry chamber Francisco Soltero believes they will grow to 10 million litres in five years, assuming China’s wealthy latch on to 100% agave.

In that scenario, China would go from being the world’s 23rd largest tequila importer to its second largest in five years. And tequila would supplant whisky and cognac (brandy) as China’s hard alcohol of choice.

Even then, China would rank far below the world’s biggest tequila guzzler: the US. Americans bought $625 million in Mexican tequila last year, nearly 400 times as much as China. Even quintupling China’s tequila imports would only amount to a fraction of all those American tequila shots.

That Maciej guy is super smart and very reasonable. This is how I want to argue on the internet.

But Simon is not a fogey who doesn't understand how powerful computers have become (though I feel that there are such people in positions of oversight in the House and Senate). I believe his error is in assuming that the analysis of these 'computer-runs' is any kind of bottleneck. There are powerful techniques for surfacing interesting features in any comprehensive list of interactions between human beings. I've written in the past about my distaste for the 'social graph' and the perverse worldview it imposes on our projects, but part of the appeal of that worldview is the real power of mathematics applied to exactly this kind of data. The analysis can be automated, and no good comes of it.

Regardless of your opinions or interests, this is perhaps one of the most well reasoned opinions about data collection I've read.

As all 6-year-olds should, [Marc]‘s son is a huge fan of Star Wars. For his birthday party, he wanted a Star Wars themed cake, and making one in the shape of R2D2 seemed to be right up [Marc]‘s alley. Of course any clone of everyone’s favorite R2 unit should also display Leia’s distress message to Ben Kenobi, and [Marc] figured out a way to do just that.

Because of R2′s strange and decidedly non-cake shape, [Marc] first constructed a stand out of wood, cardboard, and a PVC pipe to hold the cake into place. The cylindrical droid body is of course made of cake and frosting, with R2′s dome made out of fondant.

The PVC pipe running up the center of the droid provided [Marc] with the ability to run a power and video connector up R2′s spine. These are connected to a small projector receiving video from a netbook placed out of the way.

You can check out a video of the R2 cake playing Leia’s holographic distress message below. At the end of the video, there’s a 6-year-old birthday party guest saying, “what is that?” It might be time to dig out the VHS player and the non-remastered trilogy, [Marc].

Filed under: portable video hacks