firehose

James Vaughan, the creator of the iOS disease-spreading hit Plague Inc., has agreed to speak to the actual Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a US organization that deals with real viruses and other infectious outbreaks. "They reached out to contact me," Vaughan told Polygon recently. "It was something they were all playing, and they thought, 'Wow, this is pretty cool.'"

Vaughan doesn't have any medical training; he started Plague Inc. as a hobby while working as an economic consultant. But he said he did make the game as "scientifically plausible as possible," and the CDC wants to speak with him not only to chat about infectious diseases, but how to best use games to educate and inform the public about real health issues.

Plague Inc. developer agrees to speak with Centers for Disease Control originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 09 Mar 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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casa d’estate. linescio by Buchner Bründler Architects via Afasia

Deekin_Scalesinger writes "More than eighteen months after being first brought to Cupertino's attention, Apple gets around to addressing insecure logins to the App Store. In theory, this could be used to view lists of installed apps and make unauthorized purchases." Yep, they were sending login information over plain http.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

English Sign Language

Xi3's Steam-focused PC "console," the Piston, is now available for pre-order, the company announced yesterday. The tiny, $999 box includes a 128 gig solid-state drive that can be upgraded to 512 gigs for an additional $750 (for real, SSDs aren't cheap, y'all), eight gigs of RAM and a 3.2 Ghz quad-core processor.

Any pre-orders placed between now and 11:59 p.m. Central on March 17, however, will have a smooth Benjamin shaved off the price. Pre-orders are expected to ship "in time for the 2013 Holiday Season," according to Xi3's announcement. Further information is expected to surface during the course of Austin's ongoing SXSW Interactive Festival.

Pre-orders open for Xi3's 'Piston' PC, $100 off during SXSW originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 09 Mar 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grocery chain Whole Foods has announced that in five years time it will require labels for all products containing genetically modified organisms (GMO), a first among major American retailers. The plan includes all stores across the US and Canada — Whole Foods' seven locations in the UK already require such labels. Genetically modified foods can include everything from faster growing salmon to apples that won't turn brown, and the retailer said that the decision to require labels was made due to consumer demand. "We're responding to our customers, who have consistently asked us for GMO labeling and we are doing so by focusing on where we have control: in our own stores," co-CEO Walter Robb said. The move isn't without its detractors, however, with the Grocery Manufacturers Association telling the New York Times that "these labels could mislead consumers into believing that these food products are somehow different or present a special risk or a potential risk."

• Via GothamistNew York Times
• Source Whole Foods
• Related Items whole foods gmo genetically modified food retail grocery label

Sorry

Best graffiti tag ever

The last iteration of the Mass Effect series went on sale one year ago this week, and to celebrate, EA is offering a big sale on all three versions of the game over on Origin. You can grab the original Mass Effect for just $7, the critically acclaimed Mass Effect 2 for $10, or a digital deluxe edition of the third game for $15, all about half off the standard prices.

Or if you haven't yet taken a trip aboard the Normandy, the whole trilogy is on sale for only $25, which is less than half what it would usually cost. That's a whole lot of excellent gaming hours, but then again, you'll need something to do while waiting for those SimCity servers, right?

[Thanks, Alex]

Mass Effect series for PC on sale via Origin through March 12 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 09 Mar 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hugh Pickens writes writes "Discover Magazine reports that Hugo Chavez will apparently get an embalming job designed to keep him looking alive for decades similar to that of Russia's Vladimir Lenin, whose body still lies in a mausoleum in Moscow's Red Square, nearly 90 years after his death. So how do you preserve a human body for decades without it turning into a pile of melted tissue? First, get to work quickly. Upon death, the human body starts decomposing immediately. The way to stop it is with formaldehyde, a preservative used for the past century, which inhibits the enzyme decomposition as well as killing bacteria. 'You pump the chemical in, and as the formaldehyde hits the cells of the body, it firms up the protein of the cell, or fixates it,' says Vernie Fountain, head of the Fountain National Academy of Professional Embalming Skills in Springfield, Mo. 'That's what makes them stiff.' With a body that will have to be on display for years, it's likely to require a top-shelf, super-strong solution. 'If I were doing Hugo Chavez, I would strengthen the solution and use more preservative product,' says Fountain. Next, get a good moisturizer. Formaldehyde preserves, but it also dries out the body. Vaseline or other moisturizers can preserve the look of skin, according to Melissa Johnson Williams, executive director of the American Society of Embalmers. Finally keep cool. Heat decomposes a body so for long term preservation, the body has to be kept at the temperature of a standard kitchen refrigerator, somewhere in the mid-40s. Lastly, if Venezuelans really want to keep Hugo Chavez around forever, like many other world figures, there's only one solution that works, according to Fountain. 'The best form of preservation is mummification.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

When the truck rolls up, everything seems normal enough. It’s a generic oil tanker. But when the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey” begins to play and the side of the tank starts to open, you suddenly realize things are not what they seem. This is no mere tanker truck, it’s a massive meat cooking monster dubbed the “X Grill”.

[Ken Foster], owner and creator of this $40K+ beast, worked with welder [Gary Webb] to custom design and fabricate every component of the vehicle, from hinges to hydraulic systems. They claim not a single part came from a box. The cooking area, complete with speakers and spotlights, has storage cabinets, stainless steel prep counters, a four burner stove, and a 42 inch grill. If that’s not enough, there are three more grills you can set up beside the truck and hook into the system. All the appliances are run off a 65 gallon propane tank that’s mounted to the side of the truck.

Although the “X Grill” is available to rent for private parties, [Ken] says they spend most of their time at community and charitable events. He donates his equipment and cooking services, and the host group supplies the food and gets to keep any profit.

Good work guys!

[via Neatorama]

Filed under: cooking hacks, transportation hacks

chicksdaddy writes "Threatpost has the story of the extreme — even hair-raising — lengths that Facebook's incident response team has gone to in order to prepare the company's staff to be hacked. Among the methods described at the CanSecWest Conference: 'Operation Loopback' in 2012, which was designed to mimic an APT-style attack from China and used what appears to be an internally developed exploit for an internally discovered 0day. From the article: 'McGeehan and his team this time identified a likely attacker — China — and decided to impersonate its tactics. For this one, they recruited an internal engineer as an accomplice. They wanted to get a backdoor into Facebook's production code, so they sent a spear-phishing email containing exploit code for a live zero-day vulnerability to the engineer. He dutifully clicked the link and his machine was promptly compromised. (McGeehan would not identify which product the vulnerability affected, nor how the Facebook team came into possession of it, but said that they disclosed it to the affected vendor before the Loopback exercise and used it before the patch was publicly available.)' Ouch!"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

ABC News

Fierce Brawl Mars Canada's 10-3 Win Over Mexico ABC News A fierce brawl that saw Alfredo Aceves and several players throw nasty punches erupted Saturday in the ninth inning of Canada's 10-3 romp over Mexico in the World Baseball Classic in a melee that also involved fans. Multiple fights broke out after Canada's ... Canada routs Mexico in fight-filled gameAFP Watch: Mexico and Canada brawl; Alfredo Aceves featured heavilyBoston.com (blog) Canada beats Mexico at WBC after a nasty bench-clearing brawlGlobe and Mail The Associated Press -ESPN (blog) -USA TODAY all 227 news articles »

Calibrating a Digital Billboard via TwistedSifter by fungiside

There's few things more heartbreaking to gamers than an Atari 2600 whose original components have given up the ghost. UK craftsman Peter Morris must not want all that faux wood to go to waste, as he recently converted two broken 2600 systems into speaker docks for the iPad and iPhone. Both include digital amps to improve the tunes, a line-in jack and both on-device as well as remote controls. We'd love to have either of them providing the soundtrack to our Pong sessions, although pure logistics may work against us: the iPad and iPhone docks are unique examples that ship from Morris' UK homeland at respective prices of £180 ($269) and £150 ($224). As such, there will likely be just a few Brits who'll get to mix modern sound with their childhood Combat memories.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Portable Audio/Video, Tablets

Comments

Via: TUAW, Waylou

Source: Etsy (1), (2)

“

A gang rape happened in Ohio and no one heard about it. A gang rape happened in India and everyone heard about it (as we should). The American media has represented India as a misogynistic country where women need to be constantly wary of the men that surround them. And after that gang rape, large-scale protests blocked the streets and clogged the media. Now, I am in no way saying that rape and domestic violence are not problems in India. As an Indian-American woman who has been to India many times and is incredibly familiar with the culture, I am in no way denying that. Rape, in India, is a serious problem. Rape, especially in lower class areas in India, is an extremely prevalent problem that needs to stop being ignored and taken seriously. Violence against women in India is a serious issue.

But violence against women in America is also a serious problem. Violence against women in South Africa, and Sweden, and Chile, and Thailand, is a serious problem. Violence against women is a serious problem. Period. Full stop. While our media went out representing India as a typical place for these deplorable events to happen, another woman’s similar story went ignored and without subsequent societal action. This country outright refuses to admit that it is a rape culture.

Our media and our country are so obsessed with presenting foreign countries as worse than us or uncivilized or, most importantly, undemocratic, they will blast our radios and timelines and homepages with news of rapes in India, but refuse to acknowledge that the same thing happens here and is happening here.

”

- Anisha Ahuja, Why Does America Pretend it Doesn’t Hate Women? (Feminspire.com)

I am so goad someone articulated this for me

bestnatesmithever:

Colin Mochrie will fuck you up.

Facebook has so many features that at least one of them has to be useful, right? Here's the page on Facebook that just shows you links shared by the people you follow. No tweets, no photos, no jingoistic rants from distant cousins. Just the links. (And if you like links on Facebook, you should like kottke.org on Facebook.)

Tags: Facebook

Submitted by: Unknown

Tagged: clouds , ocean , landscape , pretty colors , destination WIN! , g rated Share on Facebook

John Darnielle consoling a giant teddy bear.

We brought you the new series image earlier this morning but more news has come of the revelation of the first (or is it sixth?) episode title and some brand new details!
The Official introduction to Clara Oswald will be in the episode called The Bells of St John. There are also some new story and cast details in the press release below...


"Doctor Who is to return to BBC One on 30 March in a modern day urban thriller announced today as 'The Bells of St John', as the first official image is revealed giving fans a sneak peak at what to expect from the epic new series. Written by Steven Moffat, 'The Bells of St John' will mark the official introduction of the Doctor's newest companion, Clara Oswald, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman.  Having already made two appearances last year, the opening episode will be the first time fans get to see the Clara that will accompany the Doctor across the series' eight adventures. Set in London against the backdrop of new and old iconic landmarks, The Shard and Westminster Bridge, 'The Bells of St John' will also establish a new nemesis, the Spoonheads, who will battle the Doctor as he discovers something sinister is lurking in the Wi-Fi. Steven Moffat, executive producer and lead writer, said: "It's the 50th year of Doctor Who and look what's going on! We're up in the sky and under the sea! We're running round the rings of an alien world and then a haunted house. There's new Cybermen, new Ice Warriors and a never before attempted journey to the centre of the TARDIS. And in the finale, the Doctor's greatest secret will at last be revealed!  If this wasn't already our most exciting year it would be anyway!" Featuring a movie a week from a ghost story to an underwater siege to a period drama, the new series will also introduce new monsters, as well as bringing back fan favourites the Ice Warriors and Cybermen. Meanwhile the series' stellar list of guest stars include: Celia Imrie; Richard E Grant; Warwick Davis, Jessica Raine; Dougray Scott and Tamzin Outhwaite, as well as for the first time on screen together, mother and daughter Dame Diana Rigg and Rachael Stirling." Get ready for a busy few weeks ahead, Doctor Who is nearly here!

North Korea may be threatening to launch a preemptive nuclear strike on the United States, but former Daily Show correspondent Wyatt Cenac has come up with a simple, fool-proof defense plan. Pay attention, Pentagon.

"The smartest thing would be for the president to disperse the ’92-’93 Chicago Bulls in a couple of our major cities," Cenac told Daily Intelligencer last night at the Comedy Bar finale party for Adult Swim's Delocated. "Put Jordan in D.C., Pippen in New York, B.J. Armstrong in Los Angeles, Horace Grant in Austin, Luc Longley, Craig Hodges — I can keep going. I can name more of these guys." [Editor's note: Longley and Hodges didn't play for the '92–'93 Bulls, but same idea.]

"You let it be known," Cenac continued. "If your intention is to blow up Manhattan, are you okay having Scottie Pippen’s blood on your hands, Kim Jong Un?"

Check. Mate.

Read more posts by Tory Hoen

Filed Under: party chat ,wyatt cenac ,sports ,north korea ,kim jong-un

You might not be the best judge of what medium is easiest to read on

Exhibition view of Paris Haute Couture at the city’s Hôtel de Ville, curated by Olivier Saillard/Musée Galliera. Photo via Dazed Digital.

The Musée Galliera’s maverick director, Olivier Saillard, has spun yet another historical thread of fashion magic into a show-stopping exhibition with his latest and greatest: Paris Haute Couture, both a study in high craft and an exaltation of the masters of this singularly French (or Parisian anyway, adopted or otherwise), tradition.  100 dresses comprise a visual survey spanning 150 years of singularly-minded design by the likes of Worth (the founder and father of Haute Couture), Chanel, Vionnet, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga, Courrèges, and even young, contemporary designers such as Alexis Mabille.  On view through 6 July 2013, this is sure to be a benchmark exhibition, much like Saillard’s previous Galliera exhibits on Madame Grès and Balenciaga (the latter on a quieter scale).

For those on foreign shores, this short video features a short teaser of the exhibition with Saillard himself.  Scroll down for a selection of dresses on view.

Exposition Haute Couture à l’Hôtel de Ville by mairiedeparis

Balenciaga, Evening ensemble of top + skirt, August 1967. Collection ©Musée Galliera, City of Paris, 2013

Schiaparelli, Evening gloves, circa 1936. Collection ©Musée Galliera, City of Paris, 2013

Jeanne Lanvin, “Concerto” evening dress, Winter 1934-35. Collection ©Musée Galliera, City of Paris, 2013

Balenciaga, Evening dress, F/W 1960. Collection ©Musée Galliera, City of Paris, 2013

Jeanne Lanvin, Evening dress, 1929. Collection ©Musée Galliera, City of Paris, 2013

Worth,Tea gown, circa 1895. Collection ©Musée Galliera, City of Paris, 2013

(larger)

Utah-based Western wear and tack company A.A. Callister created a handy chart on how to identify cowboy hat styles. (Personally, I am a fan of the “Cutter” mainly because head sizes in my family run abnormally large.)

via I Love Charts