firehose

Collect them all, Twin Peaks

micdotcom:

India replaces the Ice Bucket Challenge with the much more sustainable Rice Bucket Challenge 

After seeing the dramatic results from the Ice Bucket Challenge, Indian journalist Manju Latha Kalanidhi was compelled to start something similar, but with an Indian slant. “I felt like doing something more locally tangible. Rice is a staple here,” Kalanidhi told CNN. “We eat it every day, we can store it for months. Why not donate rice to someone who is hungry?”

It’s fairly simple | Follow micdotcom

Some people sell body fluids and others sell bad art on Etsy. Everyone has their unique spin on making a buck out of their time. More power to them all. But there's this odd and reoccurring trend of truncating RSS feeds, tweets, and even Web site posts in an effort to force additional clicks. The trend surges every 18 months or so, but some sites try it again and again. It's difficult for me to believe that this method generates any additional value for anyone, especially the authors.

Truncated ideas and opinions are not taste tests. From the perspective of a reader, truncated thoughts create a barrier for my interest. The opinion or information must be so extraordinarily compelling that I'm willing to change my reading patterns to access it. The content needs to be worth a trip out of my feed reader or Twitter client just to be exposed to the writer.

From the perspective of someone writing on the Internet, it's so incredibly difficult to get someone to care about what I think, I can't imagine making them work for it. It's such a huge privilege to have anyone contemplate my words, that I feel obliged to roll out the welcome mat.¹ There are billions of new words put on the Internet every day and so many of them say the same things. It's a wonder anyone reads past the first "click to read more".

Here's to hoping new ideas in monetization are in all of our futures. After all, the value of making connections with actual humans that want to read our words is not derived by immediate page views, but by...

Remember Teeter-totters? It’s hard to find them in playgrounds these day, so why not build your own! Howtoons teams up with Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam for an awesome comic tutorial.

Howtoons has teamed up with Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam again, to create a building and prototyping guide – a sequel to Seeing the Future! A Visual Communication Guide.

This project features the amazing and talented Jeff Parker (writer) and Sandy Jarrell (artist).

This has been a huge project – it is a 24 page document filled with toons that teach you how to use tools and how to build projects including a swing, zipline, a see saw, monkey bars, and a rope ladder. We are extremely excited and proud to share this project. Enjoy!

Read more

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Each Saturday Morning here at Adafruit is Saturday Morning Cartoons! Be sure to check our cartoon and animated posts both nostalgic and new that inspire makers of all ages! You’ll find how-tos for young makers, approaches to learning about science and engineering, and all sorts of comic strip and animated Saturday Morning fun! Be sure to check out our Adafruit products featuring comic book art while you’re at it!

fromquarkstoquasars:

Curiosity Rover: Looking Back on the Two Years of Wear and Tear Inflicted By Mars

It’s insanely hard to believe that Curiosity has been traversing Mars for a full two years now, but, as these images show, time has certainly taken a toll on it. See before and after images of the damage: http://bit.ly/1pP0GpQ

Image Credit: NASA/JPL

So this happened

A federal judge in Austin, Tex., on Friday blocked a stringent new rule that would have forced more than half the state’s remaining abortion clinics to close.

Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Mariners minor league catcher Jesus Montero and scout Butch Baccala's ice cream sandwich incident has forced Seattle's general manager Jack Zduriencik to publicly apologize.

Less than 24 hours after Mariners farmhand Jesus Montero threatened scout Butch Baccala with a bat following an incident involving an ice cream sandwich, Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik has publicly apologized for what he called "behavior that is far below what we expect from members of our organization."

Montero was on assignment with the Everett AquaSox when the incident occurred, filling in as a first base coach for the game while he rehabbed from injuries. He had planned to begin playing Friday, according to MiLB.com. However, following this incident, Zduriencik -- who also stated the incident was a result of "bad judgment at nearly every stage" -- said Montero is out for the year, according to the Seattle Times Ryan Divish.

Both Montero and Baccala were sent to opposite corners, with the former brought back to Seattle and the latter sent home by the team "until further notice." Especially troubling to Zduriencik was the language used by Montero, for which he explicitly apologized to Boise Hawks fans in general, and parents of children in attendance in particular, on behalf of the organization.

It remains unclear what exactly the organization can and will do about this, especially regarding Montero, but the team has "assure[d] the Hawks and their fans that it will be dealt with appropriately" and have left the door open for further discipline regarding what they call "this unfortunate incident."

The match was about 17 minutes in when officials ordered an evacuation.

Let's go ahead and blame the delay in Friday's Sporting Kansas City-Houston Dynamo match on the apocalypse. At least, that's probably the best way to describe the weather that has descended upon Sporting Park on Friday evening.

In case the photo above doesn't quite capture the insanity and looks a little too digitalized, check out this Vine which shows that it might not be all that far from reality:

So, yeah, match officials did the only sensible thing and ordered all the players off the pitch and directed all the fans to get out of the stands while this passes. The match was about 17 minutes in when it became obvious that conditions were about to get rather unsafe.

Officials were hoping to resume the game at about 8:45 p.m. local time.

Terrelle Pryor is reportedly looking for a new home after being released by the Seahawks on Friday night.

Terrelle Pryor has been released by the Seattle Seahawks, according to Pro Football Talk, leaving the fourth-year NFL quarterback and once-college football star without a place in the league.

Pryor had been hoping to make the Seahawks as a backup behind Russell Wilson. He struggled to make an impression during the preseason, however, and appears to have ceded way to Tarvaris Jackson, who has much more experience and familiarity with Pete Carroll and the Seahawks.

The cut comes just ahead of the NFL's 4 p.m. ET deadline this Saturday for teams to reduce their rosters to 53 players.

Pryor saw extensive action in Seattle's preseason opener and finale. Through those two games, he combined for a respectable 20-of-33 passing for 271 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was held relatively in check on the ground, however, and was hardly featured in preseason Weeks 2 and 3, when teams tend to give extended reps to the first- and second-teamers.

Pryor was forced into extensive action for the Oakland Raiders last season due to a muddy quarterback situation, but didn't acquit himself well. He completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 1,798 yards at a respective 6.6 yards per attempt, but threw 11 interceptions to just seven touchdowns in 11 appearances.

The Raiders drafted Pryor in the third round of the 2011 NFL Supplemental Draft. He entered the NFL on a five-game suspension, meted out by Roger Goodell vis-a-vis the NCAA for the quarterback's participation in a memorabilia-for-tattoos scandal at Ohio State. Pryor was traded to the Seahawks in April in exchange for a seventh-round pick.

The customization didn’t end with just the over-the-top wrap. It extended to custom badges and floor mats with a Purrari logo, and that seems to be what set Ferrari over the edge. They decided this was not acceptable and sent Deadmau5 a cease and desist letter to have it all removed.

LibreOffice 4.3.1 (codenamed "Fresh") has been released ahead of the LibreOffice Conference next week in Bern, Switzerland...

THE BOTH, TELEKINESIS
(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie) Read our article on the Both.

NEGATIVLAND, DANIEL MENCHE, CASCADIAN KNIGHTS
(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside) Read our article on Negativland.

NINE INCH NAILS, SOUNDGARDEN, COLD CAVE
(Sleep Country Amphitheater, 17200 NE Delfel, Ridgefield, WA) A couple of true '90s giants are currently rumbling across the country. Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails flirt with nostalgia on this package deal, but I have to imagine they're pummeling audiences. As someone who's never been a big NIN fan, I saw them last year and it was a thrilling set, visually and audibly. I haven't see Soundgarden in 20 years, but they're bona fide live performers. What to expect: Kim Thayil will shred stoically. Ben Shepherd will scowl and hold it down with fill-in drummer Matt Chamberlain (no Matt Cameron, who's busy with Pearl Jam, which is a true bummer). And Chris Cornell, who's grown his hair back out, will strike Jesus Christ poses and try and make you forget he collaborated with Timbaland. Ah, fuck it... this is going to be a great show. MARK LORE Also see My, What a Busy Week!

THE DREAM SYNDICATE, THE MINUS 5, EYELIDS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Reunion tours attract a strange amount of derision. It's as if making music that's been culturally relevant—if not also influential—for 30 years is something to be embarrassed about. Of course, nostalgia's part of the equation, but these kinds of tours give us the chance to see acts we thought we'd never see live. Case in point: The Dream Syndicate. Steve Wynn takes a break from his Baseball Project duties for a short run of dates beginning tonight with his original band, one of the cornerstones of SoCal's vaunted but short-lived Paisley Underground. The Dream Syndicate reconvened just two years ago (minus some original members) for their first shows since 1988, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut The Days of Wine and Roses. This go-round it's the same for the follow-up, 1984's The Medicine Show, long characterized as Crazy Horse to the debut's Velvet Underground. Fellow long-timers the Minus 5 and Eyelids join them on a bill that destroys the notion that rock 'n' roll is just a young man's game. JEREMY PETERSEN

NAOMI PUNK, BROKEN WATER
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) It's no secret that Olympia, Washington, has managed to hold true to its DIY roots as a nurturing home to a wide range of up-and-coming bands. The number of worthwhile acts pouring out of Olympia is astounding, and tonight two of the city's best make their way to Portland for a Friday night double feature. If you were a fan of Naomi Punk's grunge-channeling album The Feeling a couple of years back, you've probably already spent some quality time with the band's recently released follow-up, Television Man. Everything that the trio did well last time is dialed in this time around, making Television Man one of the better Pacific Northwest rock records to come down the pipeline this year. Fellow Olympia-based trio Broken Water make this show unmissable. Arrive early for their tumultuous set of quiet-loud noise rock that's always overflowing with raw and vital feeling. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

JESSICA HERNANDEZ AND THE DELTAS, CHARTS
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) As the music industry is still mostly filled with dudes, I'm always excited to see a frontwoman this good. And with a voice that resembles the dark warbles of Amy Winehouse and Sallie Ford, Jessica Hernandez paves her own genre with her own style. The Deltas are all trained jazz musicians, and it shows in their moseying, syncopated rhythms and frequent use of horns and accordions. Though their songs are seemingly simple—often comprising only a few chords—the group layers surprisingly catchy and palatable tunes around the soulful angst of Hernandez's voice. Their new album, Secret Evil, bounces from delta blues to angry rock-pop, all while keeping you on the edge of your seat. ROSE FINN

COLD WASTE, WOW AND FLUTTER, OTIS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Florida noise punks Cold Waste keep it simple: two band members, four songs, one drum machine. They make good use of these on their—you guessed it—Four Song Demo, a swirling bit o' melodic noise. James Hernandez's guitar work is the true force here, wiry and loose, with minor chords and single-note bends chasing each other over the course of each song's three-minute running time. Of course, a real drummer would send this two-piece into the stratosphere. In the meantime, they're otherworldly but earthbound. ML

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After my disagreement with parts of The Wirecutter’s headphone review, we had a heated conversation on Twitter. To many readers, it was a juicy fight. To the actual humans on both ends, it was a terrible, regrettable mess that ruined us for days, and I’m extremely sorry that it happened.

I had a long, pleasant phone conversation today with Jacqui Cheng, The Wirecutter’s editor-in-chief. In short, we both admitted to shortcomings and poor decisions, we both accepted each other’s grievances, and we’re both going to improve and communicate better.

It seems ridiculous that reviewing a bunch of headphones would bring this degree of controversy, but that wasn’t really the cause. I often speak and write with arrogance, absolutes, and generalizations that I don’t intend, and often don’t even realize I’ve done unless someone points it out. It’s probably the biggest flaw in my writing and personality, and while I’ve been trying to write (and think) with more qualifiers, fewer absolutes, and more consideration and inclusion of other viewpoints, I still have a long way to go.

Furthermore, my common move of retweeting outrageous comments to me on Twitter has more severe side effects than I usually consider. I’ve been doing that mostly as a coping mechanism to mask negativity with humor, but it’s also vengeful, and only amplifies and extends the negativity further as my followers inevitably fight back and spread the storm further. No amount of possible humor or defense is worth fanning the flames that much and causing so much additional negativity, so I won’t be doing that anymore. (If you catch me relapsing on this, please tell me.)

*   *   *

As a sidenote, the barrage of negativity, guilt, and self-doubt over this in the last few days affected me strongly, and I took some time away from Twitter. It was remarkably effective at helping me restore my mind to a peaceful state, and I highly recommend trying it.

Much of the stress I felt during this is from the amount of access to me that I grant to the public. A few months ago, Howard Stern pulled back from Twitter for this reason, after being flamed ruthlessly whenever he said anything, and raised a great question on his show: Why do we give people such access to us? Why do we read what every random asshole says two seconds after we post anything?

We allow people access to us 24/7. We’re always in public, constantly checking an anonymous comment box, trying to explain ourselves to everyone, and trying to win unwinnable arguments with strangers who don’t matter in our lives at all.

Schoolchildren face a related issue. When we were kids, almost nobody was on the internet. No matter how bad you had it in school, socially, you could go home every afternoon and have a break from it for the rest of the day. Today, everyone’s on social networks and nobody ever gets a break. Kids can get harassed in school all day, go home, and continue to get harassed by the same people online all night.

The same problem affects adults. If you have an online persona and a smartphone, there is no break unless you exercise a degree of self-control that almost nobody can. Information is addictive, especially when you know that people are talking about you and you’re not seeing it.

The best you can do is stop feeding the flames and stop paying attention.

If you’re having a rough day on social media, try taking a break. A big break. Delete the Twitter app or bury it in an obscure folder. Don’t check it for 24 hours. Go longer if you can. The difference is bigger than you might assume. It’s eye-opening.

And listen to a bunch of Phish. That helps, too.

In whichever headphones you like.

The DOVES are a flock of microsatellites tasked with rapid Earth imaging. Now all those images are free-to-use under a creative commons license.

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WWL

Report questions Mary Landrieu's residency WWL WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 1: U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) speaks during a press conference to urge Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, on Capitol Hill April 1, 2014 in Washington, DC. The act would ensure equal payment for equal work for ... and more »

Believe it or not, the classic superhero dramedy The Greatest American Hero may be coming back to television, and we're thrilled to see who is on board. The Lego Movie directors and Clone High creators Phil Lord and Chris Miller are shepherding the reboot.

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submitted by Frecklitis [link] [1 comment]

Submission - Historical Map: Greater London British Rail Map, 1969

Submitted by Peter Marshall, who says:

I’m currently trying to design a clearer diagrammatic representation of the maddening tangle of railway lines and services in the South London area. Just doing my initial research into historical versions online, I turned up this interesting map.  It appears to have been published in 1969 by British Rail, for what purpose, I am not absolutely certain.  It seems far too sparse in detail to be a map intended for use by the general public, as it gives so little information about lines and services, however it appears to have been published alongside a timetable.

I think it’s interesting mainly because the first thing I imagine anyone planning to map the railways around London doing is completely abandoning topography, however, topography plays such an important part of this map. The use of the BR typeface and stripped down use of only 3 shades (background, river and line) of the same BR red is beautiful in its simplicity. The strange angularity of the river seems to serve to instruct the user that this is a diagram using topography as its basic principle, but prepared to deviate from it as necessary, such as in the exaggerated separation of Lewisham from the Lewisham bypassing curves, or the large junctions at Selhurst and Streatham.

Perhaps I’m over-familiar with the region and therefore find it easier to use than an ordinary member of the public, but I think this is a really interesting approach.

——

Transit Maps says:

I think Peter has inadvertently provided the answer to his own question when he says that this map was published along with the British Rail timetable book. This is what I like to call a “boast map” — it serves no other purpose than to say, "Look how large and extensive our network is! Why, you can get just about anywhere on British Rail!"

Of course, to work out how you can actually get there from here, you have to consult the timetables in the accompanying book, or go and talk to a British Rail booking agent.

The map itself serves its purpose well and is another great example of how to make a compelling map with a limited colour palette. The major London terminals are nicely emphasised, and the restrained London Underground roundels to indicate stations with Tube interchanges are rather wonderful.

BR certainly used diagrammatic maps of their Greater London network at the time for use by the general public, as this superb poster from 1965 shows.

Source: Joyce’s World of Transport Eclectica

queertodaygonetomorrow:

atane:

wristxrocket:

dear-drifter:

lilightfoot:

Remember.

his life was totally in danger.

^^^^

True story; this officer (John Pike) got a settlement of $38,000 because he said he got depressed after pepper spraying these kids. Oh, the depression wasn’t for feeling remorseful for pepper spraying a bunch of college kids peacefully protesting. He got depressed because he said since the media kept playing the video of him pepper spraying peaceful kids without cause, he got threats and didn’t feel safe. He didn’t feel safe. I’m not making that up. This motherfucker collected nearly 40 grand on worker’s comp after assaulting a bunch of college kids.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/23/pepper-spray-cop-settlement_n_4152147.html

by @aloria

glassshard:

8bitmaximo:

leseanthomas:

OMFG. THIS. SHOW.

GPOY FOREVER.

This dude’s face is amazing. He’s like a Japanese Jim Carrey.

Rivers Cuomo has gotta be one of the most interesting figures in rock ‘n’ roll. Not only did the Weezer frontman grow up on an ashram, but he meditates, speaks near-fluent Japanese, wears the shit out of thick-framed glasses and has consistently written some of the catchiest alt-rock songs of the past 20 years.

For all these reasons (and more!), it’s no wonder Hollywood is interested in making a TV series based on Rivers’ life—especially the time in 1995 when the singer stopped playing music in order to attend Harvard University, where he earned a B.A. in English.

According to a piece in The Hollywood Reporter, the show, titled DeTour, “would embellish [Cuomo's] journey with a fictional character and the small band of misfit friends that make it possible for him to get through his formative years.”

The series has already been given a “put-pilot order” and is being written by Psych creator Steve Franks.

No matter whether the series is a blockbuster or a turd, it sounds like pure “Raditude” to us! The only thing that could guarantee success would be the addition of Muppets.

Sayin’.

Photos: New York Times, Glorious Noise

The post Say It Ain’t So: The Life Of Weezer Singer Rivers Cuomo Is Being Turned Into A TV Sitcom appeared first on POPHANGOVER.

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