firehose

CowboyRobot writes "A proposed tax in Massachusetts may affect software services and Web design and hosting. If approved, the state estimates the tax may bring in a quarter billion dollars in 2014 by expanding its tax on 'canned software' to include some elements of cloud computing. The tax would cover custom-designed software and services based in the cloud. "Custom" software includes the design of Web sites, so the cost to local businesses of a new Web site would increase by 4.5% on contracts to design the site, write Java, PHP or other custom code. The cost of site hosting and bandwidth would also be taxed."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

BioShock Infinite weaves a complicated and intricate plot around ever-changing variables. Not only is it an evolving story that sees protagonist Booker DeWitt and the mysterious Elizabeth grow closer, but Irrational's latest deals with the hubris of a society built above the clouds, its ideals inflated with so much of the same hot air that propels it above the world below.

Though it touches on topics revolving around racism, religion, rebellion and revenge, these themes take a backseat to BioShock Infinite's primary topic: Love. Whether it be a society in love with its own patented brand of American Exceptionalism, a leader in love with his own self-appointed immortal image, or a pair of people that come together to care for one another, BioShock Infinite is a love story.

And it's an easy story to fall in love with.

Gallery: BioShock Infinite (03/25/2013)

Continue reading BioShock Infinite review: Of lions, lambs and liars

BioShock Infinite review: Of lions, lambs and liars originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The image above shows an entirely natural phenomenon, occurring inside the hollow (rotten) core of a white pine.

Whorled branch cores look like spokes inside the trunk of a white pine, top. The cores were resistant to the rot that consumed the center of the tree, which walled off the damage and continued to grow new wood for more than 20 years.

When I was a little kid, my parents and I used to search the woods for fallen rotten pine logs.  Opening them would sometimes reveal two treasures - grubs that could be used for fishing bait, and "knots" I suppose similar to the above, which were fragrant additions to the fireplace.

Text and image from an entry in the Washington Post's fascinating Urban Jungle series.

captaincreeds:

nightofthebayonet:

octopusinspace:

kitoky:

the-vashta-nerada:

i made a cover of one day more from les misérables except i replaced all the vocal parts with kazoos

It just builds…and builds…and builds….

i’m going to reblog this everytime i fucking see it jesus christ

THE HIGH ONE AT THE END I AM DYING.

maddieonthings:

This happened.

Want to build a wheeled, revolving bookcase designed in 1890? Yeah you do

Tools for Working Wood is the name of a Brooklyn-based company that sells, well, guess. And in addition to their retail arm, they've got a website featuring articles on craft along with some very interesting information for makers—from 1889. The company somehow got their hands on several volumes of Work: An Illustrated Magazine of Practice and Theory for All Workmen, Professional and Amateur, a 19th-Century British magazine aimed at craftspeople. And the team at TWW has decided to scan every issue they've got, releasing new updates each Friday and making them freely downloadable.

While the information listed in Work is over 120 years old—TWW goes so far as to include the disclaimer "[some of the articles] describe materials and methods that would not be considered safe or advisable today"—I've totally fallen down the rabbit hole. Advertisements for tools of the day, like this crazy-ass hand-powered table saw...

...share space with articles on how to build a workbench that folds into the wall, or breaking news like the then-new production method of metal spinning, or why you should make your own "callipers" rather than buy a set, and an "Our Guide to Good Things" section where they review tools and materials of the day.

One surprise is their letters section, called "Shop: A Corner for Those who Want to Talk It," whereby craftspeople of every stripe—metalworkers, furniture builders, watchmakers, toolmakers, and even people toying around with these newfangled things called cameras and electricity—sound off with tips, techniques and criticisms. Which brings me to a second surprise: Trolls existed even in the Victorian era. One reader writes in to criticize an article from a previous issue, opening with "I would point out that the description you give of the process is evidently far from correct, nor have I any idea as to what is intended...."

(more...)

Wound closure techniques ca. 1855

Back to work

“To be joyous is to be a madman in a world of sad ghosts.” - Henry Miller

Engineer Thomas Macrina set up an anarchic indie booth along one wall of the PAX East showfloor, behind a row of exhibits and under a pair of escalators, with three very hand-made signs. Still, he attracted our attention and a small crowd of curious players: Each person took turns holding Macrina's iPhone 5 as if snapping a MySpace profile photo, made a gun with one hand, held it to one cheek and went to town, snapping that thumb and rotating the phone around the room.

Macrina called it Pig Hunt, an augmented reality game for iOS devices. Think Duck Hunt, with your hand as the zapper and the world as your playground. Try not to smile.

Seen@PAX East: 'Super Poor Indie Area' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 24 Mar 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Double Fine Adventure, the adventure game whose progress has been a secret to all but Kickstarter backers, was revealed as "Broken Age" at a PAX East panel today. The website for the game is now live, offering art and plot information to the rest of us outside of the privileged Kickstarter class.

"Broken Age is a point-and-click adventure telling the stories of a young boy and girl leading parallel lives," the website explains. "The girl has been chosen by her village to be sacrificed to a terrible monster--but she decides to fight back. Meanwhile, a boy on a spaceship is living a solitary life under the care of a motherly computer, but he wants to break free to lead adventures and do good in the world. Adventures ensue."

Pre-orders are still available on the site, and provide access to the backer-only forums, as well as all past and future episodes of the documentary series about Broken Age's development, by 2 Player Productions.

Double Fine Adventure unveiled as 'Broken Age' originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 24 Mar 2013 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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schwit1 writes "Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) wants to create a 'virtual Congress,' where lawmakers would leverage videoconferencing and other remote work technology to conduct their daily duties in Washington from their home districts. Under a resolution Pearce introduced on Thursday, lawmakers would be able to hold hearings, debate and vote on legislation virtually from their district offices. The big loser would be the DC area and K Street in particular. The change would also be a double-edged sword for security."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

When we were Kings

le Bat

Warning

hypnosec writes "UEFI guru Matthew Garrett, who cleared the Linux kernel in Samsung laptop bricking issues, has come to rescue beleaguered users by offering a survival guide enabling them to avoid similar issues. According to Garrett, storage space constraints in UEFI storage variables is the reason Samsung laptops end up bricking themselves. Garrett said that if the storage space utilized by the UEFI firmware is more than 50 percent full, the laptop will refuse to start and ends up being bricked. To prevent this from happening, he has provided a Kernel patch."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Early Batgrrrl

In your face, Mario

With Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon releasing today and March Madness now in progress, let us celebrate both with this shot of the taller Mario Bros. sinking a basket over his sibling. With this buzzer beater, I’m sure Luigi has messed up almost everyone’s bracket.

I bet you forgot all about Mario Hoops 3-on-3.

BUY Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, upcoming releases

As expected, T-Mobile has pulled the wraps off a new plan structure that eliminates two-year contracts altogether, part of its upcoming "Uncarrier" initiative to streamline pricing. A base price of $50 per month buys you 500MB of high-speed data (with overage-free throttled data after that), unlimited voice minutes, and unlimited texts; you can add unlimited data on the phone alone for $20 more, or up to 12GB of hotspot data through tiers of up to $110 a month. The new plans would seem to complete T-Mobile's move away from deeply-subsidized phones in exchange for two-year agreements, a bold strategy that the other nationals — Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon — have yet to adopt.

T-Mobile's pricing undercuts its rivals considerably. The tradeoff, of course, is coverage and a lack of LTE service — something its competitors have all now launched — but that's about to change: the first T-Mobile LTE markets are set to go live later this month.

• Via TMoNews (Twitter)
• Source T-Mobile
• Related Items plans pricing plan contract no-contract uncarrier T-Mobile

Google is taking a lot of heat for its decision to scrap the popular Reader RSS feed aggregator, leading many to question why it would pull the plug on such a popular service. It turns out that the answer might have a lot to do with the hidden costs of safeguarding privacy. According to a report from All Things D, an unnamed source says that the closure is at least partly because of Google’s reluctance to build out the staff and infrastructure needed to deal with legal and privacy issues related to the product.

---

"Unless it's going to get to 100 million users it's not worth doing."

The source says that Google is trying to position the company so that it stops getting stuck in expensive privacy lawsuits, like the $7 million Wi-Fi data-slurping case in the US. When the company announced it would be shuttering Reader, the service reportedly didn’t even have a project manager or full-time engineer assigned to it, and it’s said that Google didn’t want to spend the money to build the service out into a tentpole app. And while many longtime users of the service have questioned why Google doesn’t simply Reader off to a third party, its deep integration with other Google Apps means it’s easier for the company to just shutter it. So how many users would have made it worthwhile for Google to keep Reader around? Former Reader product manager Nick Baum tells ATD, "my sense is, if it’s a consumer product at Google that’s not making money, unless it’s going to get to 100 million users it’s not worth doing."

• Source All Things D
• Related Items google google reader rss closure nick baum compliance privacy

CERN researchers confirm that they have finally identified the elusive Higgs Boson particle and destroyed it forever.

President Obama and Rachel Goldstein really hit it off during a group trip to Israel, a man with strong brand loyalty is willing to kill for Mazda, and Macaulay Culkin is hoping some 'Funny or Die' writer comes up with a video idea for him.

CHARLOTTE, NC—Attempting to put together an offensive play during last night’s matchup against the Detroit Pistons, the Charlotte Bobcats’ starting five got lost while driving to the basket, team sources confirmed Sunday.

Since white smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel in mid-March, the world has speculated on the policies of the new papacy. Would Pope Francis continue the theological conservatism of Pope Benedict XVI, or would he be every single Say Yes To The Dress bride ever—drawn to a modern (liturgical) cut, but restrained by elder family members who demand a more traditional number?

Last night, the official Vatican’s Communications Twitter seemingly srtuck a blow for both traditionalism and mild befuddlement when it tweeted a link to an article titled, “Holy switcheroo! Batman has grown bitter, more vengeful with the years.” Posted on the Vatican Communications website, the article comments on the darkening tone of the comic-book franchise, ever since Batman’s ka-pow fisticuffs heyday in the 1980s. While ostensibly related to the social values that concern the Church, the article seemed so out of place among tweets about Pope ...

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Queens Of The Stone Age have announced a new record. … Like Clockwork is due out sometime in June, is the follow-up to 2007’s Era Vulgaris, and promises to be full of top-notch guest appearances. Dave Grohl returns to drum (replacing former Queen Joey Castillo), while Trent Reznor, Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears, and Elton John all pop up on various tracks for various reasons.

The band has been dishing out details through letters to UK music magazines like Kerrang!, Uncut, and Mojo. In a recent letter to Kerrang!, for example, the band described the record as a “real-time document of the manic ups and downs of the last year,” adding that the group “embraced our evil, held the horrible, licked the lunacy, and blew the beautiful” while “rid[ing] shotgun on our emotional bandwagon”—all apparently implying that the recording process was a little crazy. The band has also described ...

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by @stoilis