The 2014 San Francisco Tweed Ride, a bicycle ride for dapper cyclists, takes place November 16. The ride will begin at Patricia’s Green in San Francisco and will then proceed on a stately (and secret) route through the city. The latest edition of the ride is organized by Melissa Davies of Bike Pretty. Dapper cyclists can RSVP on Facebook.
Put on your most dapper tweed, grab a bicycle, and join the merriment at this one-of-a-kind bicycle event. The San Francisco Tweed Ride rolls again! The new edition of this venerable bicycle institution is organized by Melissa of Bike Pretty.
It’s a sartorial celebration–by bike–for riders of different ages, types, and skill levels to enjoy. Don your most dapper woolens. Ride with the most dashing dames and dandies as we tour San Francisco in fine, two-wheeled style.
The ride is fun and safe with stops to socialize along the way. We follow a planned (secret) route and endeavor to be courteous to our more pedestrian fellows. Of utmost importance is to spread the good cheer of the Tweed Ride.
The Taproot Foundation built the pro bono movement, bringing
critical skills to nonprofits and connecting high-powered professionals to rewarding
service opportunities—but we couldn’t have done it without our best-in-breed
tech tools. Now we’re building the next big thing: Taproot+, an online marketplace for pro
bono service. The right developer will help us make it even bigger.
This position requires creativity, curiosity, and user-centered
thinking. Our tech team operates in an agile environment, delivering products
for multiple internal and external stakeholders across Taproot’s many programs
and initiatives. The product is built in Ruby on Rails, but we have other
products built in different technologies.
The ideal candidate will have full-stack web application experience
and can handle the entire development cycle, from requirements analysis to
design, coding, and unit testing. We are looking for a junior-to-mid-level Ruby/Rails
developer OR someone with other coding experience who is a proven fast learner
and wants to move into the Ruby/Rails world. Either way, you must love making
big things happen in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial, mission-driven environment.
The right junior developer will find this a great growth opportunity.
You have:
► Strong engineering foundations
► Entrepreneurial, pragmatic mindset
► Customer focus
► High degree of personal motivation and attention to detail
► Interest in the nonprofit sector
► A successful track record
► 1-3 years of experience with Ruby/Rails or other technologies
► Experience deploying and supporting a full stack web application,
from server provisioning to light database maintenance
► Familiarity with Agile or Lean software development
► Track record of using source control, automated testing, and
deployment to facilitate a scalable development team environment
We have:
► A high-powered team dedicated to building ground-breaking products
for the social sector
► A name-brand nonprofit operating at the intersection of social
change and big business
► Great partners, including the innovation company helping us to
build the marketplace
This role reports to the VP of Product and National Programs.
About Taproot
Taproot is a
nonprofit organization that makes business talent available to organizations
working to improve society. Most organizations tackling social problems don’t
have access to the marketing, design, technology, management or strategic
planning resources they need to succeed. Without this talent, few are able to
have their intended impact on critical issues like the environment, health and
education. We engage the nation’s millions of business professionals in pro
bono services. By taking
lessons learned from our award-winning Service Grant Program and applying them
to our innovative new program areas, we work to stimulate the supply of pro
bono resources through our corporate Advisory Services practice, as well as
demand for these services by giving nonprofits the tools and training
that sets them up for successful pro bono engagements.
This is a full-time exempt position. Compensation and benefits are competitive, and
commensurate with experience and ability. Applications accepted on rolling
basis; position to start as soon as possible.
THE TAPROOT FOUNDATION IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. The
Taproot Foundation strives to reflect the diverse community it serves.
Applicants who contribute to this diversity are strongly encouraged to apply.
Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for the
position in a manner consistent with the Fair Chance Ordinance.
New submitter FarnsworthG writes A news story about the capture of a kidnapper mentioned that he was caught because a car dealer had secretly installed a GPS device on his car. Apparently this is becoming common for "buy-here-pay-here" dealers. The devices are sold by Spireon, among many others. Raises interesting privacy questions. FarnsworthG also points to this Jalopnik article condemning the practice, when it's done without disclosure. The kidnapping itself, of Philadelphia nursing assistant Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, was captured by a surveillance camera.
Heath Ledger's Joker may soon have a successor on the big screen. Sources with The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter both allege that the 30 Seconds to Mars frontman is being considered for the role of Clown Prince of Crime in DC's Suicide Squad, due out in theaters in August 2016. Sources couldn't confirm how far along talks are, and neither Warner Bros. nor Leto's representation would comment on the rumors, so it may be some time before the deal is sealed.
Leto, following his win at the Oscars earlier this year for his performance in Dallas Buyer's Club, was most recently in the running for the title role in Marvel Doctor Strange, also due out in 2016. However, since Benedict Cumberbatch has all but officially signed on for that part, that the actor may even be considering playing Batman's iconic nemesis seems like the right move. DC's Suicide Squad is a group of supervillains drafted into government service to take on bigger threats. Seeing as the most recent incarnation of the group includes the Joker's love interest Harley Quinn, it seems reasonable that Mr. J make an appearance. According to The Wrap, Will Smith and Tom Hardy are both in talks for roles in the film, as well, so official announcements shouldn't be far off.
This Q&A is part of a weekly series of posts highlighting common questions encountered by technophiles and answered by users at Stack Exchange, a free, community-powered network of 100+ Q&A sites.
The first compiler was written by Grace Hopper in 1952 while the Lisp interpreter was written in 1958 by John McCarthy's student Steve Russell. Writing a compiler seems like a much harder problem than an interpreter. If that is so, why was the first compiler written six years before the first interpreter?
“It is clear enough, after all, that women are never abducted unless they are open to the idea of it in the first place.”
-
Herodotus, THE HISTORIES, Book One, Section 4. 440 BC.
which is, like, page four of THE HISTORIES, the foundation work of western history. Sections 1-3 cover the abductions and rapes of Io, Medea of Colchis, Europa, and the abduction of Helen of Troy.
in case you were wondering how long have men been claiming women are asking for it? literally since we started writing shit down so we’d remember it.
"The video speaks for itself, doesn’t it?" Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson said Wednesday about a brief video recording that led to two New York Police Department cops being charged in connection to the pistol-whipping assault of a 16-year-old Brooklyn boy. The boy, who was arrested for marijuana possession, ended up with broken teeth and bruises.
The officers charged in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Wednesday are David Afanador, 33, and Tyrane Isaac, 36, both nine-year veterans.
The 82-second video of the teen's August 29 beating—widely available on the Internet—was captured by a local Crown Heights business. The tape shows the boy running before eventually stopping and raising his hands, after which he is pummeled and taken to the ground.
"Ashcraft: As a writer, I’ve always been interested in fandom."
as a writer I don't give a shit about fandom
It’s a cosplayer’s world, and we’re all just living in it. That’s how it feels when I attend conventions. Based on the increasing number of people in costumes I see at conventions, the cosplay hobby seems to be growing. Cosplayers pour money and countless hours into crafting wearable pieces of art, and Brian Ashcraft and Luke Plunkett explore the global cosplay phenomenon in their new book. Cosplay World offers an in-depth look that goes beyond glossy photos (though there are plenty of those, too). I got in touch with the authors and asked them about what inspired them to explore the topic of cosplay.
Adafruit: Tell me what makes Cosplay World different than other books on the market that showcase cosplay.
Brian Ashcraft: We’ve really tried to canvas the entire scene. We’ve talked to cosplayers, photographers, and prop builders as well as historians, former cosplayers, and people who have helped defined the scene. While doing this, we’ve really approached cosplay as an art form, which it certainly is.
Luke Plunkett: I think the interviews we’ve done, and how they cover little-known areas like the origins of the craft and the word itself, are things you won’t find in other books about cosplay. It’s more than just a coffee table book, there’s a lot to read and learn in Cosplay World as well, not just about the art form but the people who are into it. I also think the fact we’ve focused on not just cosplayers is important too; while they’re deservedly the main attraction, photographers and props builders can be just as vital to the finished product, so we made sure to include them in the book as well.
Adafruit: What about cosplay interests you as writers?
Ashcraft: As a writer, I’ve always been interested in fandom. Cosplay is one of the ultimate expressions of that. With cosplay you can see just how much someone loves a character by the amount of work and detail they put into the costume. And unlike, say, drawing, cosplayers can bring that character to life in a three dimensional space.
Plunkett: As a writer, it’s the fact that cosplay is an emerging art form. It’s still so fresh and raw that it’s exciting to watch it grow, as its community develops and shifts as it explodes in popularity.
Adafruit: What new things did you learn about cosplay while researching and putting together this book?
Ashcraft: Both Luke and I were surprised to see how far back cosplay goes. It’s certainly not a recent thing.
Plunkett: Definitely the history of the craft. There’s an assumption that cosplay originated relatively recently in Japan, but as the book shows, cosplay is actually much, much older, dating back over 100 years (and going through some fairly important transformations along the way).
Adafruit: Based on cosplayers you’ve interviewed, what are the most common reasons why people cosplay?
Ashcraft: It really depended on the person. People cosplay for numerous different reasons. Some liked making costumes and dressing up, while others wanted to show their gratitude to a particular and thought the best way to do that was with a cosplay. It really depends, and that’s one of the things that makes cosplay so wonderful.
Plunkett: I don’t think it’s fair to single out one reason. Everyone is into it for their own reasons; for some it’s about tribute, others the craft, others the performance aspect.
Adafruit: How long have you been collecting photos and stories for this book? Do you have any idea about how many conventions and events you attended?
Ashcraft: We’ve been working on this for a long time. Even before we started officially working on this project, I feel like, since Luke and I have been covering cosplay for years, we were laying the ground work for this book. Over the years, I’ve attended many events and have always been impressed with the cosplay–and just how brave cosplayers are to put themselves out there like that. That cannot be stressed enough, I think.
Plunkett: We started work on the book early in 2013. Since we’re based in Australia and Japan respectively, it’s been tough getting to many conventions, but we’ve been lucky enough to get help from some of the world’s best cosplay photographers in putting the book together.
Adafruit: What were the most creative costumes you spotted while working on your book?
Ashcraft: Oh, there are simply too many! I loved all the costumes we featured in the book, and now you’re essentially asking to me pick my favorite child. That’s too difficult!
Plunkett: Hrm. I think the most creative are probably Peter Kokis’ (aka Brooklyn Robot) outfits. Most cosplayers dedicate themselves to replicating a character’s costume as authentically as they can, but Peter – who cobbles together huge robot suits out of everyday items – adds a lot of flair and individual touch to his pieces.
You can order your copy of Cosplay World in the Adafruit shop.
The female pup arrived at Shedd on October 28th from Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, where she spent the first four weeks of her life being stabilized. The pup has been doing well since her arrival, receiving continual care behind the scenes of Shedd’s Abbott Oceanarium, and she currently weighs in at just under 6 pounds and 22.6 inches long. She is the second pup from the threatened Southern Sea Otter population to reside at Shedd. Currently referred to as “Pup 681,” Shedd’s animal care and veterinarian teams are providing the continual, round-the-clock care she needs to thrive.
The small, vulnerable pup was found on September 30th on Coastways Beach in California, and, at that time, was estimated to be only one week old and weighing around 2 pounds. A citizen on an evening walk heard the newborn otter’s cry and quickly notified The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC). TMMC staff contacted Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otters Program, and scientists determined the pup could not be safely retrieved that evening due to the remote location and impending darkness. The following morning, the pup was still in the same location and determined to have been orphaned, and it was estimated she had been separated from her mother for at least 16 hours. Scientists from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the Sea Otter Program responded immediately to recover the pup and transport her to Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Sea Otter Program has been studying and helping recover the threatened Southern Sea Otter since 1984. The program works with other aquariums, such as Shedd, and wildlife rescue facilities to respond to every sea otter that comes ashore in distress along the California coast. Over the past 25 years, nearly 700 sea otters have come through this program.
Stranded Sea Otter pups require extensive round-the-clock care and there are only a handful of facilities in the United States with the available space, staff and experience to provide the appropriate care. Shedd officials and animal care staff quickly accepted Monterey Bay Aquarium’s call to provide the stranded pup with a permanent home.
To ensure the pup receives everything that she needs, a rotating schedule of six to eight animal care experts provides care and attention 24 hours a day, seven days a week. During this intensive nurturing period, she will remain behind the scenes in the Regenstein Sea Otter Nursery as she develops certain behaviors, such as grooming, foraging, and feeding, as well as regulating her own body temperature by getting in and out of the water.
As she acclimates to her new surroundings, Pup 681 reaches new milestones every day, including taking formula from a bottle, eating solid foods such as shrimp and clams and even climbing upon white towels when she gets wet to help her groom and regulate her body temperature.
More info and amazing pics, below the fold!
Annual surveys, from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), indicate that the Southern Sea Otter population index reached 2,944 in 2014. This number was a slight growth from 2,939 in 2013. Marking its 50th year of service assessing 74,000 species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified Sea Otters as “Threatened” on the Red List, referencing the slow recovery of Southern Sea Otters in California. Southern Sea Otters were listed as “Threatened” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1977. The population of Southern Sea Otters has failed to grow consistently despite decades of federal and state protection.
With a long history of involvement with marine wildlife rescue projects, Shedd Aquarium is one of the first institutions to conduct training with Sea Otters to further their survival and care. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, Shedd participated in the wildlife recovery efforts and took in many orphaned pups. The aquarium is now recognized as an expert in rehabilitating sea otter pups. Nearly all of the Sea Otters residing in the Abbott Oceanarium at Shedd were rescued pups: three northern and two southern subspecies, including Pup 681.
Yes, this is an adorable HDMI television with incredibly high resolution and built in 3.5W stereo speakers! We tried to get the best possible HDMI/VGA display with high-res, high-contrast visibility. The visible display measures 10.1″ (25.7cm) diagonal, and the TFT comes in an enclosure with HDMI, VGA and Composite inputs. The display is very easy to use – simply connect a 9 to 12VDC adapter to the 2.1mm center-positive DC jack (not included) then connect a digital video source to one of the ports. Voila, a television display!
There’s some little buttons on the front that let you enter a menu system for adjusting brightness, color and contrast. It auto-detects which input you have and switches to that one or you can ‘select’ from the menu which to display. It comes with a basic stand (shown) and there are two ‘mounting thread’ holes in the back that are 72mm apart and you can use M4 screws to attach it to an enclosure. There’s also a “Camera Mount” 1/4-20 hole in the bottom so you can attach it to a camera-ready mount.
To demonstrate it, we took some photos with the display connected to a Raspberry Pi, but it will also work connected to any device with HDMI, VGA or NTSC/PAL output. It will not work with a device that only outputs DVI (without a DVI to HDMI adapter) or SECAM.
The + and – buttons on the front allow you to quickly change the speaker volume. Its not a HiFi but its fairly loud and good for movies & games.
Works great with a Raspberry Pi or a BeagleBone Black, as well as our XBox, Windows desktop and Macbook (with an HDMI adapter cable). Some OS’s such as Windows may require you to set the audio output to the external display but with the XBox & RasPi it immediately used the speakers without any poking or prodding.
A power adapter is not included. Any 9 to 12VDC adapter will work nicely: we prefer 9V DC. Video will work with 5-12V but the audio amplifier requires 9-12V so if you want the speakers to work, 9V is best. Check the technical tabs for current draw at various voltages.
'Spotify public response was quick and ingratiating'
Swift's now-empty Spotify profile, with 2 million followers.
A week after Taylor Swift released a new album,streaming service Spotify lost the rights to Swift's entire catalog and Rdio can no longer offer her songs to non-subscribers. Swift made a statement Thursday, saying that these services "[perpetuate] the perception that music has no value and should be free."
Swift surprised her enormous fan base by pulling her whole discography from Spotify on Monday, one week after the release her new album 1989, the first album to go platinum this year. To give a sense of scale of Swift's popularity on the service, her track from The Hunger Games soundtrack, Safe and Sound, has 32 million plays.
Spotify public response was quick and ingratiating. The company begged Swift to come back with tweets and music playlists dedicated to her and asked users to join their campaign. According to Spotify, 16 million of its 40 million users had streamed a Taylor Swift song in the last 30 days. The next day, Swift pulled her music from Rdio's ad-supported tier, too, though her songs are still available on-demand to paying subscribers and are still in rotation on Rdio's radio stations.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus didn't ship with the sapphire glass promised by the rumor mill.
Andrew Cunningham
The saga of Apple's troubled relationship with sapphire maker GT Advanced Technologies continues. Today, the United States Bankruptcy Court of New Hampshire filed a lengthy affidavit (PDF) by GT Chief Operating Officer Daniel Squiller in which the executive details the contract with Apple and the reasons why it fell apart. Chief among his complaints are so-called "bait-and-switch" tactics used by Apple. Over time, the company allegedly shifted most of its financial risk to GT—Apple stood to get a great deal on sapphire displays for iPhones if the partnership went well, but GT would absorb most of the losses if the deal went south (as it eventually did). From the statement:
In hindsight, it is unclear whether Apple ever intended to purchase any sapphire furnaces from GTAT. Indeed, after months of extensive negotiations over price and related terms, Apple demanded a fundamentally different deal: Apple no longer wanted to buy furnaces from GTAT; instead, Apple offered an arrangement that required GTAT to borrow money from Apple to purchase furnace components and assemble furnaces that would be used to grow sapphire for Apple. The new structure, as a contract matter, shifted all economic risk to GTAT, because Apple would act as a lender and would have no obligation to purchase any sapphire furnaces, nor did it have any obligation to purchase any sapphire material produced by GTAT. At the same time, Apple constrained GTAT from doing business with any other manufacturer in or supplier to the consumer electronics market, subject to extreme penalties...
Throughout the statement, Squiller presents Apple as a harsh taskmaster with almost all of the negotiating power in the relationship, and that the company's deadlines and expectations were unrealistic. According to Squiller, Apple didn't complete the Mesa, AZ facility until six months before it needed to be operating at full capacity; interruptions to electricity and reconstructing parts of the Mesa facility cost GT about three months of time; that Apple's inexperience with sapphire led to further delays and the purchase of inadequate equipment; and that ongoing construction created a "highly contaminated environment that adversely affected the quality of sapphire material."
The entire document is a fascinating read, but if you want the short version there a few particularly important takeaways. First, the contract with Apple does seem to give Apple a lot of power—GT Advanced couldn't sell sapphire to anyone other than Apple and according to Squiller, GT shouldered much of the risk involved. He claims that "Apple [had] no exclusivity obligations to GTAT," that Apple "[had] the right, without compensating GTAT, to cancel a purchase order in whole or in part at any time and reschedule a delivery at any time," and that GT couldn't make any modifications to the specifications or manufacturing processes without Apple's consent (even though Apple could demand mandatory changes to these same things without consulting GT).
'Lauw moved back to Texas in 2008 from Louisiana, hoping that her 30 years of experience teaching art and special education would help her find a job. But thanks in part to the financial crisis and subsequent recession, schools weren’t hiring. She did find a job at a school, but was later laid off and worked at a call center. She decided to move into an RV to save money. She now lives in her RV in Crystal Beach, Texas, which she said is “cool as heck” because she doesn’t have to rely on government housing. But it makes proving her residency difficult.
Though she's now based in Texas, Lauw still has a Louisiana driver’s license. She has tried to get one from Texas, but all the documentation she provided to The Huffington Post -- including her teaching certificate and her honorable military discharge from her time in the Army -- is under her married name. Lauw, who is divorced, has her birth certificate but not her marriage and divorce certificates or two proofs-of-residency, all of which she needs in order to get a Texas driver’s license.
Lauw didn’t bother trying to register or get an election identification certificate for this election, because she was discouraged by the new law and she thought she wouldn't meet the requirements. She was partially right: While a proof of residence isn’t needed for the voting card, Lauw would have needed to show a marriage or divorce certificate.
"Isn't that a part of being disenfranchised? Laws so complicated that a college grad can't figure them out," she said. "I shouldn't have to hunt for a 40-year-old document." ... “The new voter ID laws are ridiculous,” said Lauw, who said she has been politically active her whole life. Though she once served as vice president of a local Republican women’s club, she now considers herself a liberal.
“Back then, I really was a Republican," Lauw told HuffPost. "But they weren’t like they are now.” '
Betty Thorn, an 84-year-old grandmother who lives in an assisted-living facility in Austin, Texas, has voted in every major election in her life since she became eligible. But Thorn didn't vote this year, her granddaughter says. Thanks to Texas's new voter ID law, considered one of the strictest in the country, she couldn't get the right identification.
In the new "Reunions" issue of Entertainment Weekly, which brought together the surviving Ghostbusters stars, Hudson writes that the Zeddmore part was initially much bigger than playing fourth fiddle to stars Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Dan Aykroyd. In early versions of the script, Zeddmore was a former Air Force major, and part of the ghostbusting team from the beginning.
Then, things changed.
"The night before filming begins, however, I get this new script and it was shocking," Hudson writes. "The character was gone. Instead of coming in at the very beginning of the movie, like page 8, the character came in on page 68 after the Ghostbusters were established.”
Needless to say, this left him very alarmed, and unable to sleep. It was “my worst nightmare,” he writes, and he went to set the next day to beg director Ivan Reitman to reconsider.
"Ivan basically says, ‘The studio felt that they had Bill Murray, so they wanted to give him more stuff to do,’" Hudson remembers. "I go, ‘Okay, I understand that, but can I even be there when they’re established?’ And of course, he said no, there’s nothing to do about it. It was kind of awkward, and it became sort of the elephant in the room."
The big change left Hudson torn about his part, even today.
"I love the character and he’s got some great lines, but I felt the guy was just kind of there," he admits. “I love the movie, I love the guys. I’m very thankful to Ivan for casting me. I’m very thankful that fans appreciate the Winston character. But it’s always been very frustrating—kind of a love/hate thing, I guess.”
Advocatus Diaboli writes British spies have been granted the authority to secretly eavesdrop on legally privileged attorney-client communications, according to newly released documents. On Thursday, a series of previously classified policies confirmed for the first time that the U.K.'s top surveillance agency Government Communications Headquarters has advised its employees: "You may in principle target the communications of lawyers." The country's other major security and intelligence agencies—MI5 and MI6—have adopted similar policies, the documents show. The guidelines also appear to permit surveillance of journalists and others deemed to work in "sensitive professions."
Today at Blizzcon, Blizzard announced its first new franchise in 17 years: Overwatch. It's a first-person shooter, a type of game Blizzard hasn't made before. It seems to be based on team deathmatch combat, with a number of characters/classes that all have different abilities. The beta test will start sometime in 2015 (you can sign-up here at the official site, unless it gets crushed by traffic). Game director Jeffrey Kaplan (a.k.a. Tigole) said one of their big goals is to make it an approachable game in a way shooters often aren't. A cinematic trailer is available, as is a gameplay trailer. Blizzard has set up stations for players at Blizzcon to play Overwatch this weekend, so more details will be coming soon.
Tig Notaro is the fucking coolest. Two years ago, she performed what quickly became one of the most legendary stand-up sets of all time, tearing the roof off Los Angeles' Club Largo with a searing, heartbreaking, hilarious set about being diagnosed with breast cancer. Last night at Town Hall in New York, she followed that up by doing most of her routine topless, displaying her double mastectomy scars.
Today’s #3DThursdayCommunity Spotlight features 3D designer and artist Jim Rodda (aka Zheng3). A year ago, I would have said that he is best known as “SEEJ Patient Zero” (creator of the addictive, open source tabletop war-game — one of the best to leverage what desktop 3D printing can “bring to the table”), but since then he has been quite busy. A successful crowdfunding effort Faire Play that finally provides your Barbie the battle armor she has been craving. He has also been generating his own dungeon-gnome-factory worth of solo design efforts at The Forge.
He is someone I look to frequently when considering the intersection between 3D printing, gaming, and toys — a designer as thoughtful about the role his creations might play in others hands as he is a great resource for improving your design chops. Check out the selection from a recent interview below — as well as a number of examples of his recent work.
Matt Griffin Interviews Jim Rodda “ZHENG3″
Hi! Who are you, and what do you do?
Howdy back! I’m Jim Rodda, better known to the 3D printing community as Zheng3. When I’m not designing 3D printable stuff, I’m the creative director for an indie video game studio. In my spare time I study Mandarin Chinese, train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and hit as many yoga classes as I can.
What are your go-to machines? (Desktop printers, services, hand tools, etc!)
I started a few years ago with a MakerBot Replicator 1, but lately I’ve been using a Type A Machines 2014 Series 1. Every now and then I’ll throw a model over to Shapeways when I need a print in something other than plastic. I use a battered Canon G11 camera for my photography work. Clothes Make the Maker; ripstop cargo pants are a must-wear, pockets bulging with components, pliers, Sharpies, and hardware store receipts. Never go anywhere without a SpyderCo folding utility knife for opening boxes and removing stubborn models from a print bed.
And what software do you use to get your work done? (Design packages, CAM software, slicers, host software?)
Autodesk Maya takes care of the lion’s share of the work around here. Slicing is usually in ReplicatorG or Cura, and printing happens either from RepG or Octoprint, depending on the printer.
What is one (or what are some) of your designs that you’d like for everyone to check out?
Faire Play — Barbie-compatible medieval armor — and Seej, a tabletop wargame designed to advance the state of hobbyist 3D printing through competition and player-directed evolution. Also, SQUIRREL! with NUNCHUCKS!
What are design challenges that you have faced (and perhaps or perhaps overcome) when creating your work?
Time. There’s never enough of it. On the plus side, sometimes technology catches up to an idea if it’s back-burnered for long enough. Careful planning and batch processing helps with productivity.
What challenge do you most look forward to tackling in the future?
I’ll be launching a second Kickstarter in early 2015. Can’t wait to get this one out the door — working on it has been a tremendous amount of fun so far.
Any pointers for those just starting out with design and 3D printing?
Study drawing first and learn as many other traditional art techniques as you can. Once you’ve got some traditional skills under your belt, your design for 3D printing will take off like a rocket.
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!
Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!
The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! We also offer the LulzBot TAZ – Open source 3D Printer and the Printrbot Simple Metal 3D Printer in our store. If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!
MBTA Transit Police are looking for a man who they say took the cell phone of the woman who was struck and killed by a train on Thursday.
The victim, who has not yet been identified, allegedly jumped in front of an oncoming Red Line train at Downtown Crossing, according to a witness on scene. The police and emergency response pronounced her dead on the scene. No foul play was suspected.
MBTA Transit Police said on Friday that during the incident, the woman’s cell phone “became dislodged upon impact,” landing on the platform. The man, pictured above, then put his foot on top of the phone on the train platform, police said.
After a few moments, he reached down to pick up the phone and walked away “casually,” according to the Transit Police.
Anyone with information can call the MBTA Transit Police Criminal Investigations Unit at 617-222-1050.
