The Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, known for his unabashed use of social media that is banned in his home country, has started collecting photos of “hand-held guns” on his instagram feed. Users both inside and outside of China are sharing photos of themselves that look something like this:

Ai, who is based in Beijing, earlier shared an image taken from Red Detachment of Women, a Communist-era ballet based on the stories of female Red Army soldier, which looks to be the origin of the leg move.

As with most Chinese internet memes, there is no explicit political dimension to “hand-held guns.” That doesn’t mean there isn’t an implicit one, however. Maybe it’s a commentary on school shootings in the US, or the recently passed and quickly forgotten 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, or the combination of legs and guns that is on the minds of those protesting the World Cup in Brazil. Or maybe it’s just funny.

Here are a few more, but check out Ai Weiwei on instagram to follow along.

"My name is Anna [Redacted] and I am a writer and stylist living in New York City. While I'm not a professional model by any means, I was photographed and sexually assaulted by the delightful Terry Richardson following the July 2008 launch party of the Nolita restaurant Delicatessen. I was 23 at the time."

You’ve probably heard the yada-yada about how No Man’s Sky uses procedural generation to create big boundless worlds and thought, hey, that’s pretty cool. But it’s even bigger than you can imagine.

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Link

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Denny's Japan skips the suing part and outright arrests three people for mimicking its logo for Delyi's, a sensual massage and sexual services company.

houghtonlib:

Apian, Peter, 1495-1552. Astronomicum Caesareum, 1540.

Typ 520.40.150

Houghton Library, Harvard University

World Cup of Everything Else

Original Source

hodad

For the first time in recorded history, a 13-year-old boy successfully passed the Turing test and convinced a panel of middle-aged men that he was an actual human. This has far-reaching implications for future relationships between teenagers and everyone else

Original Source

hodad

Where to download 250 free art books

(via #LFF)

Getty Publications Virtual Library

Free digital backlist titles from the Getty Publications Archives

Original Source

hodad

click thru if you want photographic evidence

A journalist with RFI has published pictures of cops having a “blackface” party – more proof of how deeply institutionalized racism is – irking a huge scandal in France.

Original Source

As a Black mental health professional, I find it critical to share knowledge that has no spin and is supported by mounds and mounds of empirical research.  No matter your religious beliefs, your sexual orientation, your marital status or level of education, open your minds to the following truths behind common myths.  It could be a matter of happiness or despair or even worse, life or death for a loved one.

Original Source

Original Source

Peter Kokis is no stranger to building elaborate costumes from household objects. We’ve featured his Xenomorph before, and now we’re taking a look at his cosplay inspired by Tom Cruise’s character Cage in Edge of Tomorrow. When I say household objects, I mean it. Mouse traps, egg slicers, outlet covers – you name it. It’s a costume that seemingly includes everything but the kitchen sink. The finished armor weighs 130lbs, and Kokis estimates he spent 300 hours working on the costume. He listed some of the more interesting parts used:

hair clipper spacer, 6 toilet paper roll holders, air hose, digital voltmeter, handy talky, ergonomic bottle opener, 6 lawn sprinklers, weightlifting belt, 4 shoe formers, 7 kneepads, 3 bicycle frame bottle holders, 3 egg slicers, 3 water gun mags, 52 velcro straps, 3 compasses, door hinge, 5 flashlights, 6 flower pot bases, telephone cords, 2 hacksaw handles, lots of ice skate blade guards, 2 toolbox lids, toolkit box, 4 utility boxes, nomex flight gloves, faux flight suit, Army boots, lots of military web gear, headband, 3 faucet strainers, paintball mask, ski goggles, sport helmet, 4 hockey leg guards, 2 shin guards, ShopVac parts, door closer parts, 4 spraypaint can pistol grips, embroidered skull, wire bundle hangers, outdoor outlet cover, nylon rope, thermos parts, swimmers’ kick board, fish tank manifold, 4 storage bin dividers, 2 electrical connector bars, 2 radiator knobs, toy truck parts, toy rifle, lots of plumbing supplies, lots of vitamin and soda bottlecaps, lots of electrical tubing

See more photos at Kokis’ website.

via Kotaku, photos by Alan Camuto

sabrinasjoy:

(669) 221-6251

feminist-phone-intervention:

next time someone demands your digits and you want to get out of the situation, you can give them this number: (669) 221-6251.

when the person calls or texts, an automatically-generated quotation from feminist writer bell hooks will respond for you.

protect your privacy while dropping some…

Overbearing dudebro badgering you for your digits? Let bell hooks answer him.

Here’s an in-depth 3D app review from Tested for Adobe Photoshop’s 3D functionality, one of the most comprehensive tests we have seen so far. While a number of designers have produced amazing work using this tool, the cautionary notes towards the bottom of this review are well worth investigating further:

Adobe has been adding 3D functionality to Photoshop over its last few versions, and with this past January’s release they have also implemented 3D printing features. Adobe supplied me with access to Creative Cloud and a credit at the online 3D printing service Shapeways so I could give those new features a try. My experience with processing a 3D model for printing in Photoshop was mixed, with many bumps and hiccups along the way, but I ended up with a nice print by the end. Here’s what 3D printing enthusiasts can expect if they want to integrate Adobe Creative Cloud software in their modeling and printing workflow.

Photoshop CC’s 3D features allow you make or modify 3D models and even texture (paint) them which is particularly nice as it can be a frustrating process with most other pure modeling applications. The new 3D printing module allows you to size the model for printing, choose the level of detail and send it to a local printer or prepare it for online printing through Shapeways. It’s possible to build and modify 3D models purely within Photoshop CC, too. If you’re an Adobe-whiz and very comfortable in the CC suite of apps, this may be a good option as it utilizes familiar tools. With my more traditional modeling background, I actually found it frustrating. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad–it’s just different. If someone were to ask me how they should get started with modeling, I would still recommend more traditional programs, like what we’ve covered before. But for testing and curiosity, I attempted to use Photoshop to process a fairly complicated 3D model for printing.

Read More.

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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!

the-real-goddamazon:

themoonphase:

daisyshanti:

love

oh my goodness how adorable

DO YOU SPRAY FOR BUGS~

DO YOU TREAT THE WOOD SO IT DOESN’T ROT OVER TIME WITH MOISTURE

found-liquorstore-and-drank-itt:

ohmykarma:

miscreantive:

onlylolgifs:

Giant Gummi Bear dropped into boiling Potassium Chlorate

YES

I love his reaction

like, “Yeah bitches we gonna do some sciOH SHIT TOO MUCH SCIENCE ABORT ABORT FUCK”

TOO MUCH SCIENCE 

The NFL is considering a league to develop players, something that has been tried before only to fail.

The National Football League is the only one of the four major North American sports not to have a minor league proving ground. That could be changing by the end of the decade, according to a recent report by the Associated Press.

NFL head of football operations Troy Vincent, who announced in April that the league was looking into reassembling a developmental league for the first time since 2007, says he has received more than 100 proposals and told AP reporter Barry Wilner the idea was "worth a look."

While the NFL has no timetable to establish a league, Vincent says such a league would be good not only to enhance players' abilities, but to prepare coaches and officials, as well as test out new rules. The idea is to have the league play its games in the spring, between when the Super Bowl concludes and training camp begins.

It seems to be a popular concept among NFL coaches. Both Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jeff Fisher of the St. Louis Rams have publicly supported a developmental league.

"There's been discussions over the last couple years. I don't know what direction it's going, but I think we have a need for it," said Fisher, who also serves as co-chairman of the NFL's competition committee. "I think it would be beneficial from a young players' standpoint. If you have to make an outside roster move to get somebody that's in shape that you can evaluate on film."

With NFL teams limited to carrying just 53 players on their active rosters, it's tough for coaches to gauge those players on the fringes of rosters, the ones competing for practice squad spots or special teams roles.

With the NFL running preseason, regular season and playoff games from August through the beginning of February, any minor league would have to be played from roughly March-July. A schedule of 12 games plus playoffs would be conceivable in that timeframe.

This is not the first time the NFL has attempted to start up a developmental league. Since 1991, the league and private interest groups have invested in a series of startup leagues, none of which have been able to sustain long-term success.

Previous attempts

The World League

In 1991, the NFL launched the World League of American Football, known as the WLAF or simply the World League. The brainchild of then-NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, it was designed as a spring league that would serve as a proving ground for players on the fringes of NFL rosters. It had 10 teams scattered throughout the Western Hemisphere: six in the US, three in Europe and one in Canada.

The format lasted just two seasons before shutting down for 1993 and 1994. While the European clubs experienced some early attendance success (the championship game in Wembley drew over 61,000 in 1991), the league never caught on in the US. The World League lost $7 million in its opening season, and TV ratings on ABC remained low throughout its run.

NFL Europe

After a two-year suspension, the World League returned in 1995 with six teams all based in Europe. In 1998, the league was rebranded as NFL Europe (and again in 2006 as NFL Europa). Bolstered by a sponsorship from Reebok and American TV broadcasts by Fox Sports (who was also a co-owner), the league experienced mild success during a 12-year run.

NFL Europe was best known for producing Super Bowl winning quarterback Kurt Warner and Super Bowl runner-up Jake Delhomme. After breaking out as a star in the Arena League in the late 1990s, Warner was signed by the St. Louis Rams and allocated to the Amsterdam Admirals, where he was backed up by Delhomme. Warner led NFL Europe in touchdowns and passing yards in 1998 before returning to St. Louis to lead the Rams to a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV. Delhomme would go on to play in Super Bowl XXXVIII with the Carolina Panthers during the 2003 season.

With interest in the league dwindling, Roger Goodell finally pulled the plug on NFL Europe in 2007. By the end, it was estimated the NFL was losing approximately $30 million per season through the venture, according to Nesha Starcevic of the Washington Post.

Can a D-league work?

Developmental leagues have to actually develop players

The cost of running NFL Europe wasn't cheap (each NFL team forked up about $500,000 during the final spring), but it wasn't exactly breaking the bank for a league that generated roughly $6 billion in revenue that year. In the end, the issue wasn't so much spending the money -- it was the fact that there wasn't much of a return.

Outside of Warner and Delhomme, there weren't many players that came out of Europe as NFL success stories. By the end, the league wasn't even being used for development purposes by most teams. Franchises that allocated players to Europe received an exemption that allowed them to bring in additional players into training camp, so teams began sending players overseas for the sake of stockpiling extra bodies during the summer.

As ESPN's Len Pasquarelli put it in 2007, "NFL Europa became a legal conduit for stashing players, one that finally outlived its usefulness."

For a new league to succeed, it will need to provide enough developmental return to make the investment worth it.

Injuries

In an age where medical science is revealing the dangers of football-sustained head trauma and the NFL is facing an onslaught of lawsuits over medical issues, adding more football might not be the answer.

Let's imagine a player goes through a full season of spring developmental ball, running roughly from March through July. He then rejoins his NFL team for OTAs, training camp and preseason games before making the final roster. He's just gone through about seven months of non-stop football. Then he has to start the NFL season.

Even if it were physically possible for a play to play football year-round, it seems unlikely the NFLPA would sanction that kind of schedule. For those players that managed to come out of a D-league and make it on with an NFL team, there would need to be some limit for how much football they could play in a calendar year, a pitch count of sorts.

There already is a development league

Let's not forget that a massive, well-organized developmental football league already exists. It cranks out hundreds of pro-quality players a year and does so without the NFL having to pay a dime. It's called the NCAA.

While you'd never hear an NCAA official admit it, college football has long been the default farm system for the NFL. Why invest more money to start a new one?

The NFL might be preparing for the possibility of the NCAA unraveling amidst their own set of lawsuits with the Ed O'Bannon case and college players attempting to unionize to get medical insurance and pay. If the NCAA is going to begin paying football players, albeit cheaper than the NFL would, would it behoove the NFL to pay them on their own and develop them how they want, rather than trying to fix what flaws were not nurtured in college football?

Most experts seem to think that an NFL-associated league playing in the spring wouldn't have too much of an issue getting a TV deal. The question is how much money would the television contract be worth, and how much would the players be paid? Ultimately, the NFL will have to weigh the costs of players, coaches, officials, promotions, stadium rights, staff and other various costs against revenue, and more importantly, player returns. If the league can make it work, perhaps another shot at a developmental league is on the way.

Lynch is looking for a new deal after performing at an elite level over the past three seasons.

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is expected to withhold his services from the team's mandatory minicamp next week as a show of frustration with his current contract, according to Yahoo! Sports' Rand Getlin. Should Lynch skip all three days of the minicamp, he will be subject to a $69,455 fine, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Lynch is entering the third year of a four-year deal, which still has $5 million being paid to him this year and $5.5 million coming in 2015 via base salary. However, the Oakland, Calif., native feels he is being underpaid after receiving $17 million the first two years of his deal.

The highest paid running back in the league is Adrian Peterson with a base of $11.75 million. Lynch ranks fifth, behind LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte and Arian Foster.

Over the past three seasons, Lynch has been a top-flight player. The former first round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2007 rushed for 1,204 yards in 2011 before posting a career-high 1,590 on five yards per carry in 2012. Last season, Lynch gained 1,257 yards on the ground and scored 12 touchdowns, giving him 35 over that span.

Having turned 28 years old in April, Lynch is still on the right side of 30 for a new deal. However, any kind of legitimate extension will bring him past that threshold. Seattle's offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell spoke this offseason about going to a running-back-by-committee approach before backing off that notion recently, according to the Seattle Times.

There has been talk the team likes Christine Michael, a second-year back out of Texas A&M. General manager John Schneider certainly has tough decisions ahead, with the looming free agencies of Cliff Avril, Byron Maxwell and K.J. Wright after this campaign. Russell Wilson is also in line for a massive raise over his current sub million-dollar salary following the 2015-16 season.

Should Lynch hold out, this would not be the first time a running back has been a no-show in hopes of cashing in. Back in 2011, Chris Johnson was scheduled to make $1.065 million before missing the beginning of training camp for a new deal, per the Washington Post. Johnson had previously held out in 2010 and gained nothing, but this time was made the highest-paid running back in NFL history with a four-year, $53.5 million deal with $30M guaranteed.

Ultimately, Johnson made it through three of those years before being released. He signed with the New York Jets this offseason on a two-year, $8 million contract.

Maurice Jones-Drew held out in 2012, pining for a more lucrative deal from the Jacksonville Jaguars after three consecutive seasons of 1,000-plus rushing yards. Jones-Drew held out for the entirety of the team's OTAs and minicamps before missing all of training camp. The Jaguars refused to bend, leaving Jones-Drew to come back days before Week 1. In the two seasons since, Jones-Drew has gained a total of 1,217 rushing yards.

Good news for cheese lovers: On Wednesday night, the FDA, besieged by the outcry over a newly released document suggesting the agency would start banning cheese makers from aging their products on wooden boards, has walked its statement back. Way back.

The agency first responded to the furor by stating that its position on wood had been on the books since the 1980s. Now it’s retracting even that assertion, effectively disavowing the staff member who issued what she called a “clarification” on the FDA’s position on the sanitary properties of wood. (In Wednesday’s statement, the FDA argued, “We recognize that the language used in this communication may have appeared more definitive than it should have.”)

Not only did one local cheese maker call the impact “a crushing blow,” cheese experts pointed out that banning cheeses aged on wooden boards could end up blocking imports of thousands of tons of European cheeses, including Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Here’s the full statement:

Recently, you may have heard some concerns suggesting the FDA has taken steps to end the long-standing practice in the cheesemaking industry of using wooden boards to age cheese. To be clear, we have not and are not prohibiting or banning the long-standing practice of using wood shelving in artisanal cheese. Nor does the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) require any such action. Reports to the contrary are not accurate.

The agency’s regulations do not specifically address the use of shelving made of wood in cheesemaking, nor is there any FSMA requirement in effect that addresses this issue. Moreover, the FDA has not taken any enforcement action based solely on the use of wooden shelves.

At issue is a January 2014 communication from the agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services, which was sent in response to questions from New York State.

The FDA recognizes that this communication has prompted concerns in the artisanal cheesemaking community. The communication was not intended as an official policy statement, but was provided as background information on the use of wooden shelving for aging cheeses and as an analysis of related scientific publications. Further, we recognize that the language used in this communication may have appeared more definitive than it should have, in light of the agency’s actual practices on this issue.

The FDA has taken enforcement action in some situations where we have found the presence of Listeria monocytogenes at facilities that used such shelving. Since 2010, FDA inspections have found Listeria monocytogenes in more than 20 percent of inspections of artisanal cheesemakers. However, the FDA does not have data that directly associates these instances of contamination with the use of wood shelving.

In the interest of public health, the FDA’s current regulations state that utensils and other surfaces that contact food must be “adequately cleanable” and “properly maintained.” Historically, the FDA has expressed concern about whether wood meets this requirement and these concerns have been noted in its inspectional findings. However, the FDA will engage with the artisanal cheesemaking community, state officials and others to learn more about current practices and discuss the safety of aging certain types of cheeses on wooden shelving, as well as to invite stakeholders to share any data or evidence they have gathered related to safety and the use of wood surfaces. We welcome this open dialogue.

abandoned-playgrounds:

The Tartar Tent, the Gothic Church, Temple to the God Pan, the Ruined column and the Pyramid all reside in the abandoned French garden ‘Desert de Retz’. Source.

Can you believe Seventeen looked like this in 1973? (photos via @ShamelessMag's Tumblr: http://t.co/Paq4RfWUxX) pic.twitter.com/djdR4lFLpf

— BitchMedia (@BitchMedia) June 10, 2014

Read more...

It is based on...a story that was written on...Brobible. If you're unfamiliar with the site, it is exactly what it sounds like. That story "revolves around three guys who try to build a bastion of bro-fueled debauchery in a house that happens to be situated on top of a magical portal to other worlds".

camijtee:

Sailor Moon may have my heart, but Tina Belcher has my soul.

Grabbing buns by moonlight.
Writing friend-fiction by daylight. 

villeashell