firehose

Everyone knows that pandas eat bamboo. But did you know that many of their closest relatives are carnivores? So how did the meat-eating ancestor of pandas become a vegetarian? According to this study, it may have had to do with the deactivation (technically known as "pseudogenization") of an umami taste receptor gene. Umami is the taste that makes things like meat, soy sauce, and mushrooms extra yummy. Apparently, at some point in panda evolution, the umami receptor became non-functional. Ba

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Federal regulators are cracking down on mobile service providers that advertise “unlimited” data plans only to reduce the speed of data transmission if customers reach a certain limit on their data use.

Reddit, the hugely popular Internet message board, released its first transparency report Thursday afternoon, giving its 174 million regular visitors a closer look into how often outside agencies request user information.

NASA scientists have used ice-penetrating radar to create a remarkable visualization of the many frozen layers that constitute Greenland's expansive ice sheet.

Read more...

"Empire," Fox's hugely successful hip-hop-flavored soap opera, had its biggest audience yet last night. It marks the fourth straight week of ratings growth. 

Here's more from Vulture:

According to preliminary same-day Nielsen data, Empire ruled over 11.3 million viewers, up from last week's overnight audience of 10.9 million and about 15 percent higher than the show's January 7 premiere tune-in. Among adults under 50, the show's growth spurt does appear to have ended, withEmpire notching 4.3 rating (the same number it did in last week's preliminary ratings; it ticked up to a 4.4 in final same-day numbers). Fox projects that once DVR replays are tallied, last night's episode will end up at a 6.1 demo rating, putting Empire on track to finish its freshman season in March as broadcast TV's No. 1 drama. 

Josef Adalian wrote more about how African-Americans are pushing it to historic highs. "Nielsen reports that last week's episode was seen in a jaw-dropping 33 percent of all black homes -- or five times as many as the No. 2 scripted broadcast show last week, NCIS: Los Angeles."

Read more. 

The numbers: Google reported fourth-quarter revenue of $18.1 billion. That’s 15% growth over last year and below analysts’ expectations. (Google cited “strong currency headwinds.”) Non-GAAP earnings per share reached $6.88, also below expectations. Shares initially fell in after-hours trading, but then climbed about 2% as executives calmed everyone down on the earnings call.

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Google’s overall growth in paid clicks, 14% year-over-year, represented a multi-year low. Paid clicks in its network business—ads that Google shows on other websites—declined 11% year-over-year, while paid clicks on its owned and operated sites—Google, YouTube, etc.—increased 25%.

The takeaway: While Google is still growing, there has been some pessimism about its future lately—led by the overall shift to mobile, where ads are historically worth less and where search queries are often performed in apps, rather than through Google. This isn’t going to shift that sentiment.

Google executives attempted to assuage investors on its earnings call, arguing that it’s investing prudently. It noted that the quarter’s numbers were “noisy,” and highlighted that mobile revenue on YouTube grew by more 100%.

What’s interesting: Google continues to add to its headcount, hiring more than 2,000 people last quarter, and finishing the year with 53,600 employees.

Google has begun manufacturing human skin for research at its Life Sciences facility, and it actually has nothing to do with designing disguises for the cyborgs that walk among us. That technology’s already perfected, thank you.

According to Business Insider, Google Life Sciences is manufacturing skin as part of their push to design magnetic nanoparticles that can comb the body for diseases and ultimately help patients develop a proactive attitude towards health. Head of Life Sciences Andrew Conrad explains, “the central thesis of what we’re trying to do [...] is change medicine from being episodic and reactive (like, I go to the doctor when my arm hurts), to proactive and preventative.”

That’s a lofty goal, but Google the All-Seeing Eye certainly has the resources to make it happen (including skin. Lots and lots of sweet, sweet skin). Over the past three years, the company has built a state-of-the-art research facility and hired over 100 doctors and scientists dedicated to designing a pill filled with thousands of nanoparticles that, when swallowed, will detect specific cells, proteins, and other molecules. Should the nanoparticles attach themselves to the skin of a tumor cell or detect other signs of trouble within the body, the particles will then “light up,” triggering a wristband that can help the patient identify the problem.

Business Insider says that the pills and accompanying wristband are a long way from becoming reality, but that understanding how light passes through different kinds of skin will be essential to perfecting the technology. According to Conrad, “We’re making good progress. But the journey is long and hard. So I think we will get there and I hope it’s years, not decades.”

To learn more about Google’s health initiatives, you can check out the rest of Conrad’s interview and some handy-dandy graphs over on Business Insider. Or, you know, just talk to your local Google-Certified Cyborg—as long as you’re willing to provide samples, that is.

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Everything there is to know about the weird, wonderful man that is Beast Mode.

Marshawn Lynch never gives interviews, but has several of the NFL's most famous quotes. He says over and over again he wants to avoid media attention, but gets called an attention-seeker. His job description includes getting tackled, but he inflicts more pain than the tacklers.

Marshawn Lynch makes so little sense in this world that wherever he goes, he leaves a trail of fascinating things in his wake. Sometimes they're weird words. Sometimes they're brutalized defenders. We can't hope to understand him, but we've tried to compile all the wonderful, strange, and good things about Marshawn Lynch in one post. This is the Marshawn Lynch Encyclopedia.

Bear Grylls

In 2016, Lynch went on an adventure with Bear Grylls for his NBC show Running Wild, which mostly consisted of Lynch reacting in disbelief to the things he and Grylls had to do Corsican Mountains -- like hunting a wild hog and making a fire from Lynch's dreads.

It made for a great buddy comedy, which sometimes became heartfelt. We know Lynch has been reluctant to talk to the media, but Grylls managed to get some insight on his social welfare work, and why he left football (until 2017, when he agreed to sign with the pre-Vegas Raiders.)

Beast Mode

The first recorded instance of Lynch's "Beast Mode" comes from this pre-draft interview. Lynch is asked about his attitude. He firmly responds with "BEAST MODE, on the field."

Although he coined the phrase earlier. As he explained in an interview with NFL Countdown his second season in the league:

It came about one of my coaches always called me a beast, from Pop Warner. And it kinda stuck with me. So when I got up to the league, that was my mindstate. That I was going to be a beast. I took it and ran with it.

By the end of his first NFL season, he already had a grill with the phrase.

The meaning of the phrase varies. Sometimes, it's a nickname for Lynch. Sometimes, it's the bruising, take-no-prisoners style with which he runs. Sometimes it's specific runs he's made.

Lynch's definition for the phrase fluctuates as well. From a 2014 profile by Kevin Fixler:

"Beast Mode, it's part of the lifestyle," he says later. "It's pretty much self-explanatory. It gets thrown around loosely, I mean, all over. It's not set to one specific thing like we're football players or basketball players. Just if you are in your everyday life and you feel like you just accomplished something big that you had going on, then that's Beast Mode. It's an accomplishment, that you put yourself through something to get something better out of it. I feel that that's Beast Mode."

However, the explanation that caught the most traction came in an interview with ex-teammate Michael Robinson released in December:.

The general idea is: Lynch wants to run through defenders, not around them. As Danny Kelly pointed out in his profile of Lynch Tuesday, his 101 broken tackles this season is the most since that category has been tracked. His 15 broken tackles in the NFC Championship game against the Packers was a playoff record, that broke... his own playoff record, from last year's game against the Saints. From that earlier NFL Countdown interview.

"When a defender comes up to tackle me, I want him to feel that ground. I would describe the point of impact as a wonderful feeling. It's what I thrive on: contact."

Marshawn now owns the trademark for "Beast Mode," and hats with the phrase sold out after he wore one at Media Day.

Beast Quake

With the Seahawks leading the massively favored Saints 34-30 late in a Wild Card playoff game, Lynch busted out one of the most impressive runs in NFL history:

He made contact with seven New Orleans defenders, but none brought him down, as he went 67 yards for the game-sealing score. The enormous sound from the Seahawks' fans in the stadium was such that area seismologists noticed the movement created by jumping, yelling Seahawks fans. Hence, Beast Quake. For any and all reading about this play, turn to Matt Ufford's story about it

What happened in the stadium next is the sort of thing that NFL Films molds into the league's mythology, a battle-sport fought by giants and replayed in slow-motion to Wagnerian string music.

But I was there, and I'm telling you: the sky ripped open with noise. A roar beyond sound, a physical thing more industrial than human. The earth shook. It really happened.

Against the Cardinals this year, he had a similar run dubbed "Beast Mode 2" (although there was no groundshaking, because they were on the road, and Arizona's fans did not feel like creating an earthquake while watching their team get run through.)

As it turns out, the seismic activity caused by Lynch's run wasn't unique. Scientists in the Pacific Northwest have to be on alert for such things because of the threat of area earthquakes and volcanoes. Plus, for fun and research, they've started paying special attention to CenturyLink Field during games.

They published a full seismic report of this year's playoff win over the Saints on the Seahawks' website, and the quake from after the two-point conversion in the team's massive NFC Championship comeback against the Packers was actually larger than the Lynch run. But the power of that run -- and the idea that Lynch's punishing style caused the ground to move -- will give the original Beast Quake its moment in lore.

Buffalo

Although the majority of Lynch's fame has come on the west coast, his first NFL home was out East. Lynch was selected by the Bills 12th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. Lynch knew that Buffalo was in New York... but didn't realize it wasn't New York, New York.

"I didn’t know what to expect, I just knew I was going to New York," Lynch told E:60. "I thought I was gonna be out there with Jay-Z, and then when I finally landed in Buffalo… [there was] slush on the ground. It had just finished snowing. I didn’t [know anything about snow]."

Lynch was the replacement for Willis McGahee, who was traded to the Ravens in the 2007 offseason. On his way out of town, McGahee gave a series of quotes about his distaste for Buffalo, a town he felt had unattractive women and little in the way of nightlife besides chain restaurants. Which led to this absolutely brilliant Kenny Mayne video about Lynch's passion for living it up at chain restaurants.

"As a matter of fact, he ate at Applebee's 12 times during the bye week."

"I love the ambiance... I love the decor... I spend a lot of time trying to figure out which one I love more: the ambiance, or the decor."

Lynch managed a thousand yards in his first two years and was selected to the Pro Bowl in his second season, but was unable to gain his starting spot back from Fred Jackson after missing the first three games of the 2009 season with a suspension. He was traded during the 2010 season to the Seahawks for fourth and fifth round draft picks.

Dancing

There's dancing with cheerleaders:

Dancing with an extremely unwilling Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka:

And dancing because, dammit, you just won the Super Bowl:

Football strategy

Microphones captured an instance where Pete Carroll tried to explain the intricacies of why a hole would open up for him. Lynch feigned interest, but eventually replied with "I just read it" until a bemused Carroll decided to walk away:

Marshawn's other important piece of football strategy is that scoring points is good:

Fuck

Marshawn wore a FUCK YOU hoodie before the Seahawks' divisional round game against the Saints in 2014:

Marshawn Lynch this morning at Top Pot Donuts. I guess you could say #PissedOffForGreatness? pic.twitter.com/l4mDK9hnNg

— Marshall Cherrington (@MWCherrington) January 11, 2014

He also forgot he wasn't supposed to say it in his E:60 video:

He doesn't just use his words to cuss -- before this year's game in Kansas City

Coworkers buddy ran into beastmode last night. Seems friendly. #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/K8Jpr2d9yh

— DRMiller (@DRscrilla8) November 15, 2014

Golf carts

Lynch ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns -- including the game-winner -- on a pair of sprained ankles against Washington. He didn't feel like using his legs anymore after the game, so he took a golf cart for a joy ride:

He would also commandeer a cart after his final college game, a 45-10 whooping of Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl:

Grills

The original video of Lynch purchasing his Seahawks grill has been made private, but this Vice Sports video of Lynch purchasing a Seahawks grill appears to be the same video:

In it, Lynch tells the story of the time he threw out his first grill at a Jack-in-a-Box after putting it in a napkin while eating so he wouldn't get it dirty.

Lynch also owns a Beast Mode grill, apparently purchased during his first NFL season.

Lynch notes that although he's one of the few football players to wear a grill during games, he doesn't notice it at all, especially with a mouthguard in.

Just about that action, boss

The highlight of Marshawn Lynch's brief 2014 Super Bowl media day appearance was an interview with Deion Sanders. When asked why he didn't want to talk to reporters, Lynch was blunt, saying he was "just about that action, boss:"

Because "that action" -- you know, football -- is more important than interviews to Lynch. One of the least talkative players in the NFL had spawned yet another catchphrase: Soon there was a Just About That Action Boss remix and now it's on a soundboard.

Lynch has never liked speaking to the media. Let's turn the clock back to when Lynch was but a sophomore running back at Cal:

A player who has enough jukes in his arsenal to fake out an entire defense, Lynch tries to pull one more move from his bag of tricks before practice ends on this particular evening. As he approaches the crowd of journalists, Lynch slowly creeps behind wide receiver Robert Jordan, who is walking off the field.

"Hide me, hide me," says Lynch playfully. "They ain't gonna see me."

Nevermind the fact that Lynch is about 55 pounds heavier than Jordan. The sophomore tailback is using his cousin as... a lead blocker to guide himself away from the expectant reporters.

At the time, Lynch's distaste for giving interviews didn't ring a million alarms. The title for this piece is "Reluctant poster boy," as if Lynch was hesitant to take the spotlight, whereas now, amateur psychoanalysts seem to believe Lynch's failure to talk to the media is in and of itself a way of gaining attention. However, his stance has remained the same: He'd prefer to play football.

From that Cal student paper story:

"It ain't that, man," he says. "I just try to do my thing on the field to get ready for the game, instead of being in the way."

From a wide-ranging profile with NFL.com's Michael Silver:

"I've never seen anybody win the game in the media. But at the same time, I understand what it could do for you, if you wanted to be someone who talks a lot. But that's not me...

"Football's just always been hella fun to me, not expressing myself in the media. I don't do it to get attention; I just do it 'cause I love that (expletive)."

And from a 2014 interview with former teammate Michael Robinson:

"I ain't got nothing to say. I just wanna play football."

However, Lynch's lack of interest in talking to the press didn't really turn heads until the 2013-14 season. That's when he got a whopping $50,000 fine for refusing to speak to media shortly before Super Bowl 48. Fans tried to raise money to pay his fine, although Lynch said he would in turn donate their money to charity. It was eventually rescinded under a deal where the fine would be forgotten if Lynch upheld further media obligations, but it would be doubled if he failed to do so. A few weeks later, he went to Super Bowl Media Day for six minutes -- one over the mandatory five.

This November, after the Seahawks' loss to the Chiefs, the NFL ruled Lynch had failed to uphold his media responsibilities, despite the fact that he talked by phone to NFL Network reporters. This triggered the earlier $50,000 fine and an additional $50,000 fine. Since, he's made all his mandatory appearances, but has made a point of giving nearly identical answers to every question. After playing the Cardinals in November, every answer was one word:

The next week, he told reporters he'd changed his word from "yup" to "nope:"

Against the Cardinals in December, he used three words -- but the same three words each time:

Transcript of @MoneyLynch's post-game quotes: pic.twitter.com/cuEIfYgzau

— Danny 710ESPNSeattle (@DDMon710) December 22, 2014

After beating the Panthers in the playoffs his response was "I'm Thankful:"

On Super Bowl Media Day, he responded to every question with "I'm here so I won't get fined."

The next day, he said "You know why I'm here."

Despite the fines, Lynch might end up making money off his resistance to interviews: For this year's Super Bowl, Skittles and Progressive both made ads starring Lynch where the primary joke is Lynch suddenly being moved to free-flowing, jovial conversation when presented with either Skittles or the opportunity to discuss Progressive insurance. And the hat Lynch wore during media day quickly sold out (although he might pick up an additional fine for wearing it.)

Marshawn Lynch's dick

On Marshawn Lynch's first famous Beast Mode run, after shedding the trillion Saints who tried to bring him, Lynch realized he had clear sailing to the end zone. He responded to this freedom by jumping backwards into the end zone while holding his dick, as a sign of utter, complete disrespect for all the Saints he just embarrassed.

This crowning achievement was immortalized by a Youtube video where a guy commentated Lynch's run, punctuated by a sudden "HOLD MY DIIIIIIICK" as he bounded backwards into the end zone.

On Lynch's similar run this year against the Cardinals, he once again went to his dick:

But this time, the NFL was watching, and gave Lynch an $11,000 fine for the gesture.

Lynch had another big run against the Packers, and knew that if the referees saw him grabbing his dick, they'd give him a 15-yard penalty. So he tried to be subtle, and instead of jumping backwards, merely turned and put his hands on his dick:

Photo credit: Steven Bisig, USA Today Sports

It didn't work, as Lynch received a $20,000 fine and a warning that he would be penalized for dickgrabbing in the Super Bowl. There was a bit of humor here, as the NFL was spotted selling pictures of the penis-touching mere hours after the fine came down. The league also fined Lynch's teammate for allegedly making an obscene gesture near Lynch, although there's no evidence anybody has seen that this ever actually happened.

Before the Super Bowl, Lynch appeared on Conan to teach Conan O'Brien and Rob Gronkowski how to do the dick grab:

Marshawn the Magnaninmous

From the time he was taking his offensive line to Sizzler even though he was broke, Lynch has gone out of his way to give things to people. Even things it doesn't really make sense to give to people. From a Monday Morning QB profile by Robert Klemko:

During his college years at Cal, if a teammate, friend or acquaintance complimented Lynch on the shirt he was wearing, he would hand it over. "He’s walking around on the street with his shirt off," says Ravens running back Justin Forsett, a former teammate of Lynch’s at Cal and in Seattle. "Just because somebody said, ‘That’s a nice shirt.’ "

He gives away touchdown balls:

"I don’t know why," (fellow Seahawks RB Robert) Turbin said. "But he told me, ‘I want you to have this ball. It’s for us. It’s for the running backs, the group, a representation of how we go about our business on a daily basis.’ For whatever reason, that one particular touchdown meant a lot to him, and he wanted me to have it."

He gives extravagant gifts to teammates, although aside from a set of fancy watches, none have been reported:

Every year he takes care of the offensive line. And you hear about running backs taking care of the offensive line, but he goes well above and beyond. He does ridiculous things for the offensive line. I won’t get too much into it because it’s his business.

He makes sure wallets he finds get returned to their owners (although the same name might've helped) Marshawn Lynch returns a wallet to a fellow Lynch.

@MoneyLynch thank you so much for going outta your way to return my wallet!A Lynch taking care of a Lynch#GOODKARMA pic.twitter.com/19tTI211bQ

— Jason Lynch (@206Lynch) November 19, 2014

He handed $500 to a 19-year-old McDonald's employee who complimented his shoes, telling him to get some of his own.

"If you're serious about getting those shoes, here's some money to help you get 'em," Lynch said, according to Downs. "My job is to continue to see you grow."

Lynch thinks about people others wouldn't.

Little known: When Ken Norton Jr. returned to Seattle last yr. after father's death 1 player met him at airport to support - Marshawn Lynch.

— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) January 28, 2015

And per Klemko: .

Before Jauron’s daughter, Amy, married Falcons media relations assistant Brian Cearns in 2012, Lynch called his buddies who played for Atlanta, including former Pro Bowl safety Lawyer Milloy, to make sure Cearns was an upstanding guy. Apparently satisfied, he never told Jauron that he’d vetted the coach’s future son-in-law.

"That’s priceless," Jauron said upon being told the news more than two years later. "That’s Marshawn."

This profile by Kevin Fixler details the work he does with the Fam 1st Family Foundation, which he started with his cousin, 49ers backup Josh Johnson.

Origin story

Marshawn Lynch's mom tells a story about his birth explaining his incredible power:

One of four children raised by a single mother, Lynch arrived on April 22, 1986, with an unexpected message from the midwife: he might have had a twin that didn't develop.

"They just knew that Marshawn was living off two placentas," his mother, Delisa, said. "She told me that with that, he may be an amazingly strong child. And I was like, 'For real?'"

Plumbing

Lynch can fix an entire house's plumbing with his bare hands in a minute flat:

Quesadilla

It's Friday! Treat yourself to a quesadilla, Marshawn Lynch: https://t.co/x01gsZRAR6 https://t.co/RyGCX8a2Qq

— SB Nation (@SBNation) June 3, 2016

"WE WAS RIGHT AT TACO BELL, AND I COULDN'T EVEN GET NO MUHF**KIN QUESADILLA."

Sizzler

After rumbling for 163 rushing yards, 75 receiving yards, and five touchdowns in Oakland Tech's city championship, a high school-aged, admittedly broke Lynch promised he'd take his linemen to Sizzler for their job blocking:

As previously noted, Lynch is, on occasion, incredibly passionate towards family chain dining establishments.

Skittles

The first televised instance of Marshawn's Skittles habit comes on Dec. 1, 2011, as the Seahawks play the Eagles. After the play, a sideline attendant is seen giving Lynch a handful of Skittles, which he happily eats:

Lynch would finish with 148 yards and two touchdowns, but the biggest story is the Skittles. Within 24 hours, he's reached a promotional deal with the company earning him two years' free supply of the candy and a custom dispenser. However, it was far from his first sideline Skittles experience. Lynch's mom Delisa says she started giving him the candy for games when he was just a kid:

`"When Marshawn was 12 or 13, we'd go to his games and I'd always have little candies in my purse," Lynch's mama explained. "Before the game, I would say, ‘Here Marshawn, come and get you power pellets.'

"I would give him a handful of Skittles and say, ‘Eat 'em up, baby. They're going to make you run fast and they're going to make you play good."

When he broke down his famous run against the Saints for NFL Films, he credited the candy as his inspiration. In November, 2011, a teammate revealed Lynch couldn't stop thinking about the candy during a game-winning drive against the Ravens:

"All he was talking about in the middle of that last drive," Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson said, "was somebody give him some Skittles. That’s the type of guy he is."

Lynch wore a pair of Skittles cleats about a month later against the 49ers:

Photo credit: Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

And was fined $10,000 for wearing them. Soon, fans took to throwing Skittles on the field when Lynch did good things:

Photo credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

During the 2014 playoffs, Lynch was given his own flavor of Skittles:

As part of Marshawn Lynch deal, Skittles has produced a limited amount of this "Seattle Mix" pic.twitter.com/egfE9iMZSA

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 28, 2014

Lynch threw Skittles to fans from a duck boat at the Seahawks' Super Bowl parade -- and somebody handed him a bottle of Fireball in return:

Before the 2015 Super Bowl, he appeared in a Skittles ad that riffed on his infamously laconic press conferences, and in 2017, he traveled to Houston, Scotland to ask people about the Super Bowl, play bagpipes, and do wheelies on the street.

Another video of Marshawn Lynch doon Paisley High Street playing chicken with buses video courtesy of @jobbyweecher pic.twitter.com/3kxPBUcEOG

— Steff CSL RSC (@Steff_James84) January 17, 2017

Swimming

A story from Marshawn's mother, Delisa, from a Seattle Times profile:

Anything he tried, he excelled at doing. He came home one day and told his mother that he won a swim meet.

"What? You can’t swim," Delisa said.

He pulled out a blue, first-place ribbon. After asking around, Delisa realized her son was a good swimmer, even though he never had any formal lessons.

Lynch claims he's still elite, although we somewhat doubt it:

Michael Phelps wouldn't have been on the Wheaties box if I stuck with swimming. I've been swimming since I was a little kid. I still swim. I'm the best. I am Olympic caliber right now, hell yeah.

Velvet ropes

Marshawn Lynch places velvet ropes around his Lamborghini when he parks it in public -- or at least he did once:

@FieldGulls beastmode's Lambo, complete with velvet ropes. pic.twitter.com/5nZXwY1gKf

— chuck brezina (@chuckbrezina) July 22, 2014

That's really Marshawn's Lambo, but this is apparently not a regular occurrence -- Kevin Fixler reports this was a staged scene in a movie about Lynch.

World of his own

Marshawn has a special talent for looking like he doesn't realize other people are there, too. At the ESPYS:

In the middle of a game:

In an interview, when he literally puts his mouth on the camera and yells if anybody is there:

The end

And at the end of it all, Marshawn Lynch retired in the most perfect way.

✌ pic.twitter.com/wesip4IhOR

— Shawn Lynch (@MoneyLynch) February 8, 2016

@McDonalds im disgusted w you. After all those cheeseburgers I used to buy #FastFoodAntLoyal pic.twitter.com/EOkitrn6Wm

— Elijah Thomas (@edotcash) January 28, 2015

Elijah Thomas is a 6'8 power forward from the Dallas area headed to Texas A&M as part of a huge recruiting class for Billy Kennedy. He's ranked the No. 29 player in the country by ESPN, but that wasn't good enough to get him an invite to the 2015 McDonald's All-American Game, which only takes 24 players.

At least he has a sense of humor about it.

If you want to bet on which way the coin toss will fall in the Super Bowl, it's getting cheaper to go with tails.

If you've gone down the rabbit hole of Super Bowl prop bets in the past, then you're likely aware of one that shows up every year but still manages to be hilarious every time: the coin toss odds. It's been one of the most popular prop bets each year, and this time around it's no different. Bettors can put money on whether it will land on heads or tails.

But apparently there are so many people betting, and so many of them betting heads, that sportsbooks are making it cheaper to bet on tails in an effort to even action, according to RJ Bell of Pregame.com.

As you can expect, the actual odds for either are even as per the latest odds from OddsShark, at -105 for either. But that's not the only thing you can bet on when it comes to the coin toss. You can bet on whether the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots will win the toss, whether the team that wins the coin toss wins the game, and whether the team that calls heads or tails will be correct.

That last one is a little redundant, given that we already mentioned you can bet on which team will win the coin toss, and we already know that the Seahawks, as the designated home team, will be calling the coin toss. So if you think they'll win the coin toss, then you think the team that calls it will choose correctly.

Strictly speaking, the coin toss bet is totally random, but there are several interesting stats out there. From 1998 through 2011, the NFC had 14 consecutive wins, and it's 15-2 in its last 17 coin tosses. That number alone likely leads to a lot more bets. Despite the fact that there is no actual memory at play here and any pattern is coincidental, the coin toss can actually be a smart bet to take. It's one of the top value bets out there, since bettors only have to go in at -105, so long as they know what they're getting into.

Ittyblox is a modular collection of 3D-printed miniature buildings that can be arranged, SimCity-like, into little urban dioramas. The 1:1000 scale buildings fit into base plates, which can be arranged to form city blocks. Ittyblox are available at Shapeways.

photos via Ittyblox

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Look at these photos, Blogtown:

Look familiar? Bring back memories of that day by a super underwhelming waterfall? Or that thoroughly mediocre hotel room you stayed in that was near the non-waterfall? Your niece Marissa's first homecoming dance? (Heads up: she might have been the teensiest bit baked.)

If so, the cops have your camera! Portland police just announced they arrested a 22-year-old alleged meth user during a traffic stop on Tuesday, and found a Canon camera in the back seat. They think it was stolen, and they're pretty sure it belongs to one of you. So the bureau's just shown us three of your photos—a first in Portland police work, for as long as I've been getting these releases.

If you know who these people are, e-mail Officer Sara Clark at sara.clark@portlandoregon.gov. Otherwise, anonymous criticisms and thoughtful musings on family dynamics will suffice.

Update, 12:40 pm: You did it, Portland! And, man, those pictures are old. Here's what the police bureau just sent out.

Thanks to many people sharing this story via social media, the owner of the camera has been in contact with police after seeing the information on the website for Portland's KGW.

The camera was stolen approximately 8 years ago near Centennial High School in Gresham.

Next week, officers will coordinate with the owner to return the camera.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

You know who hasn’t had enough representation on television these days? Dudes. At least according to Fifth Doctor Peter Davison, who thinks Doctor Who just wouldn’t be doable with a woman in the lead role.

Speaking with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Davison said, “I speak now as a fan who grew up watching it, I have trouble with the idea of a female Doctor, only because I reckon if you’re born on Gallifrey a man, you’re probably a male Time Lord.”

Along with the undercurrent of potential transphobia in that statement and the fact that , it seems like Davison needs reminding that there are plenty of lady fans of Doctor Who who might like to see themselves represented as more than just a companion. But Davison thinks that the dynamic of fallible Time Lord and strong companion only works if the genders are kept in their current positions.

“It seems to me that if you reverse that,” said Davison, “you have an uncertain, fallible female Doctor with a really strong male companion, you’ve got more of a stereotype than anything else.”

While I appreciate what Davison is saying here – that a Strong Male Character would have to save the flustered, silly Lady Doctor all the time – I don’t think that’s entirely true. Though New Who companions have no doubt often been strong characters with their own agency, it’s an atypical episode when the companion ultimately ends up saving the day; I would argue that we see the Doctor make the final move or decision that ends the week’s drama in over 80% of episodes.

Davison has previously expressed similar sentiments, telling BBC America,

I’ve never quite liked the idea of a female Doctor. I think they’ve found a perfect situation now [in the modern show] where they have the slightly faulted Doctor with all his mad genius, and you have the strong woman as the companion. I think that works very well. If you reversed it, it would be difficult because you’d have the woman as the mad genius, but is she vulnerable? And then you just have a strong man as the companion. And somehow that doesn’t work well to me.

All of this, of course, is considerably more disappointing when you remember that Davison’s IRL daughter, Georgia Moffett, played Jenny in “The Doctor’s Daughter,” who herself would have made for an excellent Doctor (or at least spin-off star, which Davison has also suggested). I also take issue with the idea that a female Doctor would necessarily have to be any more vulnerable than, say, Eleven (a complex character is a complex character regardless of gender, and the Doctor has always been, to a degree, vulnerable), as much as I think it’s nonsense that a male companion would have to be “a strong man.” Why can’t we have the dude version of the naive Rose, or the starry-eyed Martha? We had Rory, who eventually grew into a strong character, but he certainly didn’t start out that way, and that’s okay. That’s character development. That’s how it should be.

I’m just going to leave this here:

Popping back in to say in light of the comments why a woman Doctor/male companion wouldn’t work, I offer this team. pic.twitter.com/713RROLyAS

— Shoshana Kessock (@ShoshanaKessock) January 28, 2015

(via ABC Australia)

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After successfully meeting its fundraising goal in November, we finally have some more details on when and where Geeks OUT’s LGBTQ Comic Con will be heating up the city later this year! Drumroll, please.

According to a GeeksOUT press release, the single-day event will be held Saturday, June 13 at Grand Prospect Hall in Brooklyn, with the Con’s main events and an after party taking place in the Hall’s beautiful ballroom.

Tickets are available now—at a discounted price of $20, with $25 earning you additional admittance to the after party—through February 14th. Flame on!

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halfEvilTech writes As part of its 2015 Broadband Progress Report, the Federal Communications Commission has voted to change the definition of broadband by raising the minimum download speeds needed from 4Mbps to 25Mbps, and the minimum upload speed from 1Mbps to 3Mbps, which effectively triples the number of US households without broadband access. Currently, 6.3 percent of US households don't have access to broadband under the previous 4Mpbs/1Mbps threshold, while another 13.1 percent don't have access to broadband under the new 25Mbps downstream threshold.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

“My Wonder Woman fights dragons with ambidextrous dual-axe technique. Also, she likes cake.— GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) January 27, 2015”

-

(via sensationcomics)

SHE CAN DO BOTH THINGS.

submitted by PC-LoadLetter [link] [57 comments]

For The Win is reporting that Seattle Seahawk running back Marshawn Lynch addressed the media in a press conference Thursday, just three days ahead of this year's Super Bowl. Lynch essentially turned his gaze on the media itself, stating, "I'll just be looking at y'all the way you looking at me."

Lynch, who, as my colleague Jamilah King has point out, has made the mistake of "being unapologetically black and rebellious in a league business that depends on military-like obedience," scolded reporters for their obsession with him:

So you all can go and make up whatever you want to make up, cause I don't say enough for you all to go put anything out on me. But I'll come to y'all event and y'all shove cameras and microphones down my throat. When I'm at home in my environment, I don't see y'all. But y'all mad at me. If y'all ain't mad at me, then what are you all here for?

You can read more from Lynch's statement--as well as his many shout-outs--today over at For The Win. 

penamerican:

(via gifsboom)

cindymayweather:

"I just want you to know that you don’t have to be perfect. Perfection is often the enemy of greatness. You are enough no matter where you come from." (x)

whimsy-cat:

Necklaces by RubyRobinBoutique.

Sports journalists have feelings on Marshawn Lynch's refusal to open up to the media, and Jon has feelings about those sports journalists. Here are those feelings, tuned to differing frequencies of hyperbole so that you can find the one that is right for you.

HYPERBOLIC INTENSITY LEVEL: NEGATIVE-3.1

I've never had to do the job beat reporters do. It seems like very hard work, and it takes a special sort of talent to be good at it. If I were to put my shoes on and do their job this afternoon, I would be bad at it. I also acknowledge that I don't understand firsthand what it's like for an athlete to be uncooperative. Maybe it feels insulting on some level. That feeling is valid.

HYPERBOLIC INTENSITY LEVEL: 0.0

But I'm still having a whole lot of trouble getting a grasp on the attitude of entitlement here. Marshawn Lynch is not your co-worker, he's a figure and you're a journalist. If his employer tells him to talk to you, and he doesn't in a meaningful way, that is a bummer for you and you have a right to be bummed about it. Let's just suppose for a moment that talking to you is his job. Whether he decides to do his job is none of your business.

HYPERBOLIC INTENSITY LEVEL: 3.4

Three things, gooneybird! First, he gave you a story by not giving you one. If you sat down with one of your readers, I think it's likely that their first question would be, "so what was the Marshawn Lynch thing like?" You didn't lose out.

Second, beat writing is a highly competitive business, but even if you do think of the Marshawn Lynch Experience as losing out, all y'all lost out equally, right? Nobody beat you with any kind of scoop. Lynch is an equal-opportunity non-talker.

Third, this place is full of really interesting people. The Seahawks alone have plenty of fascinating dudes who will probably tell you great stories and funny shit and all kinds of shit that you and your readers will think is cool.

I just don't know why the Hell you're complaining.

HYPERBOLIC INTENSITY LEVEL: 17.7

It could be because you're a giant fucking baby, I guess.

HYPERBOLIC INTENSITY LEVEL: 0.86

OK, I acknowledge that nobody likes being called a "giant fucking baby." I'm trying not to carelord. I'm not being sharp about this because I'm so worried about Marshawn Lynch -- I really feel like he should be free to do or not do whatever he wants, and face whatever consequences he sees fit, but he'll be fine, and it doesn't really matter.

HYPERBOLIC INTENSITY LEVEL: 7.3

It's just that I can't stand people in this business complaining and feeling entitled. At large, sports media people are often miserable, sad-sack, self-important, self-oblivious lumps. (I won't except myself from that, although I really try to not be that.)

There are millions of people in America today who would kill to have a job like mine or like yours, whether we're a sports op-ed person, or a beat writer, or whatever. I wanted this job I had when I was 11 years old, and my eyes still bug out once every few days when I realize, "oh shit, I have it."

The ability to do something this enjoyable for a living, I suspect, is a socioeconomic mutation happening somewhere on the margins of humanity. We are the pin in the gutter, existing in the slice of time after the ball hit us and before the giant Brunswick machine puts us somewhere that makes sense.

HYPERBOLIC INTENSITY LEVEL: 0.0

And you don't have an obligation to perpetually feel like puppies and sunshine about it. It's a dream job, but it can also be a hard job, and I know that. You absolutely have a right to be frustrated, to maybe not like your job all the time.

HYPERBOLIC INTENSITY LEVEL: 10.00007

But if your neutral resting point is one in which you're comfortable with complaining and slamming someone else for this shit, I mean, there's the door. You don't have this amazing job by birthright. I don't know you, but I'm pretty sure you worked hard enough to place yourself in a position to be really, unreasonably, extraordinarily lucky. That is the best that can be said.

You don't deserve this, and neither do I. You're talking like you deserve things. We don't "deserve" to live in this carnival of fun and games and talking to famous people and traveling and expensing Shake Shack. Listen, dingus: one day, society will notice the gauche, exorbitant error that is the professional sportswriting industry, frown, wonder "how the Hell long has that been there," and send us all to mine ore on Saturn. Be quiet! Don't blow this for the rest of us, dumbass! Shut the fuck up, they'll hear you!

HYPERBOLIC INTENSITY LEVEL: 4.0

We all have fits of discontent, but we're not special. I'm so privileged to even acknowledge that a challenge of my job is to remind myself that I'm not special, but the fact remains. Carpenters don't question the moral fabric of a family that doesn't want new kitchen cabinets. Fishermen don't stand at the edge of the boat and shout "real mature" into the water.

HYPERBOLIC INTENSITY LEVEL: 18.0

This entire situation is actually all about me, Jon. I am the only person anyone should be concerned with. I am annoyed by people getting upset and entitled when they should really be in a perpetual state of groveling to the Sportswriting Moon-God. Those are my feelings, and mine are the only feelings that matter.

HYPERBOLIC INTENSITY LEVEL: 166.982

I am the Sportswriting Moon-God. The tides rise and fall with each of my tweets about liking bacon. One day I will compose the perfect "critical of Delta Airlines" tweet, and my fingertips will emit rays of light that stretch out interdimensionally into quantum space, incinerating the first three dimensions and bathing dimensions four through eight in my alabaster light of wisdom. All shall cease to exist, save for myself and the GIF of Chris Kaman trying to run a fast break. I am light. All matter is my body.

HYPERBOLIC INTENSITY LEVEL: 0.08

The "big game" is big business for athletes and advertisers alike. It will be interesting to see who will win!

.