The almost 20-year-old saga that inspired Serialsoldiers on: In court on Monday, Adnan Syed’s defense attorney filed a motion officially challenging the cell phone material used to convict his client more than a decade ago. The Baltimore Sun reports that Syed’s attorney, C. Justin Brown, cites an old AT&T fax cover sheet in his brief, noting that even the cell phone company said “Outgoing calls only are reliable for location status. Any incoming calls will not be considered reliable information for location.” As Serial listeners know, that kind of hesitancy is important considering much of the state’s case against Syed was based on a series of incoming calls he received back in 1999. (Specifically, the state used the calls to place Syed with Hae Min Lee’s dead body.)
According to The Sun, Brown believes this new evidence could be used to overturn Syed’s conviction ...
Every town of a certain size has at least one, and it’s nearly a zone requirement for northern New Jersey: the hair salon with a horrible pun for a name. Cutting Remarks, Curl Up & Dye, Mane Street—the possibilities are endless. Of course, there are plenty of other proprietorships prone to bad pun names. Landscapers, maid services, and coffee shops are all at risk for having a wince-inducing name.
Now you can help build an interactive map of punny businesses around the country. Atlas Obscura and Digg are teaming up to build a crowdsourced database of those punny names, and they are accepting submissions through September 7. If enough entries come in, the results can include statistical trends and interactive features. So if it really wasA Hare To Remember, don’t just forget it; submit your entries here and let’s get a map of bad-and-worse-pun named ...
ARLINGTON, VA—Touting it as an easy and effective way to superficially connect with Latino voters, education technology company Rosetta Stone unveiled Tuesday a new Spanish language program exclusively for pandering presidential hopefuls. “By using our interactive learning system, candidates will quickly become familiar with dozens of useful phrases they can trot out at campaign appearances across the country, including everything from ‘Los inmigrantes construyeron América,’ or ‘Immigrants built America,’ to ‘¡Vamanos Marlins!’ or ‘Go Marlins!’” said Rosetta Stone CEO John Hass, noting that the course is composed of five parts: Commending Hard Work, Celebrating Family Values, Attending Catholic Services, Praising Regional Foods, and Appearing On Univision. “In less than one week of daily language exercises, users can go from knowing no Spanish at all to appearing to care about the Latino community, all from the comfort of their own bus or hotel room.” Hass added that the company was ...
Commodities and stocks across the world have been dropping sharply over the last day, as investors questioned the health of the global economy—especially China.
The pain has spread to less-trafficked corners of finance, too.
The decline comes amid a broad-based market rout that many trace back to worries over China. The Shanghai composite index was down by more than 8% Monday. Some analysts have noted increasingly close linkages between bitcoin and China. Goldman Sachs analysts mentioned back in March that 80% of bitcoin volume is exchanged into and out of the Chinese yuan, which implies that many bitcoin traders are based in the People’s Republic (or at least use the yuan as their preferred currency).
Despite regulatory issues, China is a growing player in the world of bitcoin. Big Chinese mining pools are said to account for a large chunk of bitcoin mining activity. And even though the price of bitcoin is falling, many in China are looking at digital currency as an alternative to China’s more closely controlled yuan. “There are a growing number of people who feel that bitcoin is a safe haven of sorts, analogous to the role that gold played historically,” Greg Wolfson, an executive at large bitcoin miner BTCChina, told Bitcoin Magazine.
Yes. Writing a book is the easiest thing in the whole world. In fact, let me show you just how easy it is!
Goal: change all this paper into a book.
Eh, not that hard. I mean, you just have to read, right?
Maybe scratch a few notes in the margins as reminders.
Yeah, writing and editing isn’t time consuming or painstaking at all.
In fact, I find it quite relaxing. Good meditation. No stress whatsoever!
I mean, it’s not like writing a book involves any train of thought or decision making, like when to cut scenes, because whatever you write is perfect and there to stay!
I mean, come on, it’s not like I’m going to rewrite the first chapter 51 TIMES to make sure it’s how I want it, right? That’d be crazy.
And no, it’s not like I spent over 3,000 HOURS READING AND REVISING 14 DRAFTS OF THE BOOK to make this book readable.
No sweat, no tears, no blood, and DEFINITELY no coffee stains.
Nope, writing is the easiest job in the world. I don’t see why anyone thinks otherwise. I mean, all we do is scribble words and take a few out, right?
We feel no satisfaction AT ALL when we receive a shipment of the final product for a book signing. *yawn* BOR–ING.
Nope, we don’t get excited at all. It’s just another day in the life.
And the sequels? Bitch, please. That’s child’s play.
You’re right. Writing a book is so easy. It’s not stressful, not exciting, and it’s definitely not worth the reward of holding something that USED TO BE EXCLUSIVELY IN YOUR HEAD AND NOW YOU GET TO SHARE IT WITH THE WHOLE WORLD.
After I instinctively referred to the incident as a hoax, Gale got defensive, insisting it was anything but. He prefers to call it a “fictional story.” Whenever I slipped and said the word he got mildly irritated, launching into an elaborate rumination on the definition of truthfulness. Because a hoax implies deliberate deceit; to Gale, he was writing a narrative for entertainment — what he already does for a living as a reality television producer.
“It’s like going to the movies,” he insisted. “It’s not about whether you believe it or not. It’s not about whether Gone Girl really happened, you know what I mean? It’s about whether you’re enjoying it.”
Gale is far from the first person to pass off a story as fact on social media; it is part of our daily lives at this point. In some ways, we’re more skeptical than ever: Just as quickly as YouTubers Sam and Nia’s pregnancy and miscarriage announcements went viral earlier this month, people began raisingdoubts over their veracity. But we still make mistakes. In March, a 19-year-old aspiring comedian named Morgan Jefferis deliberately tricked the New York Times. When a reporter solicited for teenagers who smoke e-cigarettes on Twitter, it annoyed Jefferis; he found it unprofessional. So he came up with a fake name and email address, which he used to reach out to the reporter, writing he was “a teen and I love to vape what’s up.” The paper published his quotes on its front page.
Jefferis thought the whole ordeal would be entertaining, even if he felt a little bad after the writer was so nice to him. Although he used the pseudonym “LeVar Burzum” on his popular Twitter account @drugleaf (since changed to @weedhitler), he hoped the Times stunt would give his generally anonymous real-life persona a bit of recognition.
“I know it’s a terrible thing to say, but it’s a great feeling to be able to look at something like that and go out and say, ‘Yeah, I did that,’” he said. (After Jefferis gave me his name, I reviewed his driver’s license and the public records database Nexis. I knew he might want to mislead a reporter again.)
I’m grateful to Gale, in a way, for giving me an early stab at making what hopefully will be my biggest mistake. At the age of 23, the chastising crested over me and then, just as quickly, I was spit out dry. Even the Times, ultimately, didn’t use my name. I like to think our collective gullibility helped to usher in something of an end to those overly trustful Wild West days of the internet. My co-worker Michael Rusch, who got tricked by both of Jimmy Kimmel’s painstakingly crafted viral video hoaxes, put it well what the new reality is for writers who have gotten burned: “It’s something I think about each time I touch a story like this, even to this day: Is it worth trading in my credibility for this?”
Ten months ago I started a weird Instagram account and today I get to shower with the book. It's a weird world
— elan gale (@theyearofelan)
And creative people like Gale don’t just lie down after the first taste of virality. He told me he’s created plenty of other online projects. He proudly admitted that he writes Texts From Your Ex, an Instagram account that claims to collect “REAL texts from REAL exes.” The account has 1.5 million followers and a book coming out this fall.
“Here’s the fun thing about me,” he said with a grin. “You’ll never know what things out there I’m secretly doing in my spare time. There’s more. There’s all kinds of stuff out there.”
Gale considers his behavior online a “zero-victim game” — “I’m never mean to people,” he said. It’s not the first time he’s framed himself as a nice guy: Hours after his Thanksgiving flight, he wrote a blog post espousing kindness to service workers by encouraging readers to attack anyone who doesn’t act “nice,” using his caps lock key like a fist into the sky.
“Most people are great,” he wrote. “And then there are a bunch of Dianes in the world.”
“And it’s OUR job to tell every Diane to shut up.
It’s OUR duty to put the Diane’s of the world in their place.
We need to REMIND them about the way of things.
We outnumber them.”
Championing niceness by acting like a bully; tricking me and then demanding an apology: That’s why I was so resentful of Gale — and so wary of sitting down with him — in the first place. Before we met, I had self-consciously practiced a retort to his nice-guy claims. But in the moment, I couldn’t locate the comeback I prepared. I started grinding my teeth, my nervous habit, and stumbled over my reply.
“You tweeted at me once, ‘I’m still waiting for my apology,’ which seemed very strange to me at the time.”
He thought for a second, but it felt much longer. “I must’ve been really mad,” he replied glibly. After taking a slow sip of his coffee, Gale told me that my follow-up story, in which I wrote “You got us, Elan!” felt like it put all the blame on him.
“‘You got us’ is, ‘You performed deviousness,’” he said.
“You did!” I shot back.
“You created deviousness,” he replied.
I resisted gnashing my teeth together, instead squeezing my hands under my legs. “You wanted people to believe it, though,” I said, hearing my voice rising.
“I wanted my followers to play along with a story I was telling.”
I couldn’t help feeling that most people see the distinction between a “story” and a “lie” as much more black and white. After all, so many readers wrote in comment sections and on Twitter that they felt betrayed by his tweets when the truth about Diane finally came out.
That wasn’t the only reason he wanted an apology, Gale added, mentioning there was some story, “maybe on CNET,” that reported I had reached out to him, a lie I never claimed. I haven’t been able to locate it. “I’m mad about that lie, whether you told it or whoever told it,” he said. “It’s just a lie. So whoever told it made it up somehow. And that really does change things.”
When I asserted that I never told anyone that, he said, “If I were you I would’ve lied about it.”
'delusional Lothario Ash from Army Of Darkness that they know and love, with all of his silly quips, sarcastic sense of humor, and mild racism'
For horror fans of a certain age, it’s hard to imagine that one of the most anticipated new series this fall is based on a 1981 low-budget cult favorite. But it is: Starz unleashed a new trailer for Ash Vs. Evil Dead over the weekend that sheds a little light—and a lot of gore—on the plot of the new series.
Ash and his cohorts are on the road, probably fighting a monster (or maybe monsters of the week) as our hero searches for “one spell [he] can say to undo this B.S. once and for all.” It would appear that audiences will be getting more of the delusional Lothario Ash from Army Of Darkness that they know and love, with all of his silly quips, sarcastic sense of humor, and mild racism. However it seems that the series itself is more in line with the tone ...
A photo posted by Janelle Monáe (@janellemonae) on
As reported earlier today on Blogtown, Janelle Monáe and her Wondaland posse—which includes Jidenna of "Classic Man," along with St. Beauty, Roman Gianarthur, and Deep Cotton—are visiting Portland today, performing at the Don't Shoot PDX rally in North Portland this afternoon. They performed at a similar rally in San Francisco yesterday.
It's timed to coincide with Wondaland's "secret" show that had already been scheduled for Portland tonight. That show was an RSVP-only affair, with the venue remaining a secret and attendance limited those who RSVP'ed for tickets. But judging by Monáe's Instagram post above, it's now open to the public. At one point rumored to be taking place at the Wonder Ballroom, the free show is now confirmed to be happening at the Roseland Theater (8 NW 6th).
Since it appears as if you now don't need to be on any sort of list to get in (and seriously, good luck getting in), there's likely to be a stiff line around the block for the show. Live music not your cup of tea? Still tired from MusicfestNW? Or just hate going out in public in general? Not to worry—Yahoo is live-streaming tonight's show for the agoraphobic and anti-social. Here's where you can watch it.
Monáe has been to Portland many times over the years (check out Jason Quigley's photos from her October 2013 show), but I think this is Jidenna's first PDX appearance since "Classic Man" blew up (and maybe ever?).
A baby elephant named Yindee at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand, quickly overcame his shyness to adorably lumber after a frisky dog who just wanted to play with the little pachyderm. The dog was very careful not to get too rough, somehow knowing that Yindee’s mother was keeping a sharp eye out for her baby.
MowtenDoo has created several Old Spice themed remixes over the years, including the amazing “Super Spice Bros 2″ in 2013. If you want to see more like these, consider supporting him via Patreon.
I've been shopping for a nice, heavy mug for a few years now. Just this past Gen Con, I found what I was looking for; a 36 oz. cast-iron stein from Crimson Chain Leatherworks stamped with the Imperial Dragon on red leather. This, of course, sent me off to find my Imperial Septim from the collector's edition of Oblivion, but... it was gone. Thankfully, I think I may have found the best substitute possible.
The Ragged Flagon is an Etsy shop that's only been around since April of this year. They only make one thing — 24k gold-plated Septims — and they do it really well.
Each Septim weighs .8 ounces, and the finish is mirror-like. There's a few imperfections, especially on the obverse of some of the coins where the brassy core shows through, but it's really impressive. I opted for the 5-pack, but they sell them singly or in cases of 50.
That's two-and-a-half pounds of Imperial gold, delivered to your door in a wooden chest. Not bad for $200.
My 5-pack came in a nice felt bag, and each one was individually sleeved in thick plastic. At $30, it was about the same price as an authentic, collector's edition Septim on eBay. And man, if they don't make a nice "ping" sound each time you flip them. My only issue is that they don't stack well, but as I recall that's also a defect/feature of the originals.
In quantity, these would be great for tabletop gaming. For me, I'll just be adding them to my Renaissance faire garb. Never know when you'll have to grease a palm in-character.
There are tons of games related crafters on Etsy and eBay. If you've had success with one, or just want to show off your most recent fandom purchase, please share in the comments below.
If you haven't noticed the Dutch angles in Thor, and I'm not sure that's possible, I'm about to ruin the film for you. If you're watching the movie with someone for the first time, just say, "Pay attention to how often the screen is tilted."
A Dutch angle is "a camera shot in which the camera has been rotated relative to the horizon or vertical lines in the shot. The primary use of such angles is to cause a sense of unease or disorientation for the viewer," Wikipedia tells us. The first Thor movie is filled to the brim with Dutch angles.
"Thor director Kenneth Branagh felt that the dutch angle would be be appropriate for nearly every single scene in the film," a post on Untitled Film Blog stated. "A new scene may not start off with a Dutch angle, but sooner or later, BAM! we have an awkward tilted shot of Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgard staring at a New Mexico sunset."
It was used so often, and was so distracting, that the lack of Dutch angles in the sequel became news.
"Clearly someone heard our cries, so for Thor: The Dark World [Dutch angles] were almost gone, and the ones that did exist were clearly subtle enough that they weren’t distracting," SceneCreek wrote.
The video above shows just about every Dutch angle in Thor. What the living hell were they thinking?
I am seeking an RPG that is pro-capitalism and that honors the values of production and trade, considering these to be the highest of moral values (rather than evil in _any_ regard). Any recommendations would be appreciated; thank you.
MANCHESTER, NH—Describing the current Republican frontrunner’s frankness on the topic as a welcome change of pace in the crowded race, female supporters of Donald Trump told reporters Monday they simply felt more comfortable backing a candidate who is openly hostile and belittling toward them. “It’s actually pretty refreshing to have a candidate who’s willing to come right out and disrespect women to our faces, rather than trying to conceal their actual views or spin their policy stances as if they’re beneficial to women,” said Trump supporter Laura Coyle, adding that she likes how she knows exactly where she stands with the billionaire due to his straightforward style of calling her gender worthless and disgusting up front. “Sure, I gave Ted Cruz and Mike Huckabee a chance. But they just talked in circles like Washington politicians, never offering any straight talk about how they view us ...
Businesses are sold for a wide variety of reasons, and America’s improving economy is the largest factor in the recent rise, according to those in the industry. But bankers and brokers say there is a significant increase in sales from business owners in their 60s and 70s who are ready to turn their creations over to a new generation of owners.
“We’re seeing the most sales activity we have in decades, and a high percentage are baby boomers,” said Ken Connell, the business banking sales director at Huntington Bank in Columbus, Ohio. “For many small-business owners, that’s their retirement. All of their wealth is in the business.”
Lynn G. Ozer, the president of government-guaranteed lending at Susquehanna Bank in Lititz, Pa., said pent-up demand was contributing to this year’s surge.
“Baby boomers who were going to sell got stopped in their tracks in 2008, 2009 and 2010,” she said. “Things froze for a few years, then got better. In 2012, 2013 and 2014, they put together great years. Now, their books look good and they’re ready.”
Chronology and demographics are also a factor. “The ’90s were a very good decade, so a lot of businesses got launched,” Mr. Connell said. “A lot of business owners were in their 40s. Now, it’s 20 years later and they’re at retirement age. A lot of this is just timing.”
In the case of the Bimac owners, the decision to give up a business intersected with the ambitions of someone eager to take one on.
Working with a broker, they placed an online listing that drew the attention of Roberto Santos, 46, a mechanical engineer from Ecuador.
Mr. Santos spent most of his career in Latin America, working for a family business that was acquired four years ago by a Korean company. He transferred to the company’s office in Houston, but he grew concerned about his career prospects.
“The industry was taking a hit,” he said. “I decided it was a good time to look for something of my own.”
During his seven-month hunt, Mr. Santos gathered information on 10 potential acquisitions and visited two of the companies before finding Bimac. Four months ago, he bought the business and its assets, including its real estate, for $2.5 million.
Mr. Santos is emblematic of the next generation of small-business owners, which is noticeably more varied in gender and ethnicity than the previous one.
“The sellers tend to be Caucasian males,” said Bob House, the general manager of BizBuySell.com. “The buyers are younger and increasingly diverse.”
A study on buyers that BizBuySell.com commissioned last year found some sharp demographic differences. More than 30 percent of those from age 30 to 49 describe themselves as black, Asian or Hispanic, compared with just 8 percent of those over 65.
Monae and Wondaland will join Don't Shoot PDX from 1 to 4 pm at a community rally, called "Say Her Name, Say His Name," to commemorate the death of Mike Brown in Ferguson, Missouri one year ago, "as well as to draw attention to local citizens who have died at the hands of Portland police," according to a news release.
Monae's single, "Hell You Talmbout," features the names of many who have died in police custody, including Walter Scott, Sandra Bland, and Freddie Gray. Don't Shoot PDX activists are seeking to add the names of Kendra James, Aaron Campbell, James Chassee, Keaton Otis, and other Portland-area residents who were killed by police.
Don't Shoot PDX leader Teressa Raiford was arrested Sunday, August 9th during a protest on NE 82nd Ave as part of the group's events commemorating Brown's death. The next day, the group shut down the street in front of Portland's City Hall for 4.5 hours (marking the time Brown's body lay in the street in Ferguson).
Dont Shoot PDX organizers are asking attendees to bring school supplies for donation to local schools.
Take a listen to "Hell You Talmbout" in the video below:
Europa takes a simple question and makes it a challenge: Which of these are frying pans, and which is Jupiter’s moon? Eight of these are of cookware, and one is of a planetary object. How can this be so tricky?!
The concept of DC’s Prez miniseries is intended to be absurd. But with 15-year-old Brady C. Olson making headlines as the satirical presidential candidate “Deez Nuts,” the real-world election cycle is becoming just as ridiculous as this comic about a 19-year-old girl who becomes the next president of the United States thanks to Twitter voting, viral celebrity, and dysfunctional politics in the electoral college. Writer Mark Russell and the art team of penciler Ben Caldwell, inker Mark Morales, and colorist Jeremy Lawson have done remarkable work reinterpreting the classic Prez concept for modern times with the rise of President Beth Ross, a.k.a. “Corndog Girl,” named after a viral video showing her accidentally dropping her hair in a vat of fry oil at her day job. The miniseries uses Beth’s experience to explore contemporary issues the way the original, short-lived Prez series addressed the issues of the ...
Super Opinionated.
