firehose

These days, it's rare to find a piece of San Francisco news that doesn't at least make a passing reference to the city's rapid-fire gentrification. And while numbers like the 115 percent increase in evictions over the past year are certainly astounding, nothing drives the point home quite like seeing the city evolve right before your very eyes.

The children — including pregnant teens and a 1-year-old with diarrhea — are sleeping in plastic containers and haven’t showered in ten days, according to the Honduras consul to the United States, who visited the site.

megzilla87:

My tumblr dashboard has been full of posts about either Sailor Moon, or Ladies in menswear/business suits, so I figured I’d combine the two.

The Sailor Moon art isn’t gonna stop anytime soon, just so ya know…

yesihaveathousandtongues:

Sommerfeld house, 1920s.

1. Front Door (Joost Schmidt)
2. Entrance Hall (carvings by Joost Schmidt and chair by Marcel Breuer)

laboratoryequipment:

Our ability to make choices — and sometimes mistakes — might arise from random fluctuations in the brain’s background electrical noise, according to a recent study from the Center for Mind and Brain at UC Davis.

"How do we behave independently of cause and effect?" says Jesse Bengson, a postdoctoral researcher at the center and first author on the paper. "This shows how arbitrary states in the brain can influence apparently voluntary decisions."

The brain has a normal level of “background noise,” Bengson says, as electrical activity patterns fluctuate across the brain. In the new study, decisions could be predicted based on the pattern of brain activity immediately before a decision was made.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2014/06/free-will-may-stem-brain-noise

The founder of online lingerie store True&Co thinks she has women all figured out, and thanks to the reams of data the site has collected, she just might be right. Today, the retailer—which until now only sold a handful of bras of its own creation, alongside more mainstream brands—announces a new bra sizing system and lingerie line based on the analysis of hundreds of thousands of women’s body types and preferences.

Great algorithms seem to be the key to e-commerce these days: Netflix is famous for its ability to guess what movies you’ll like, and everyone wants a quiz to magically present them with ideal products, perfectly curated to suit their needs. True&Co, which uses a home try-on model (à la Warby Parker) to sell bras and other lingerie, has followed this creed since its creation in 2012. Bra-buyers answer questions about their current sizing and problems with fit in an ever-evolving quiz, which the site uses to make possible lingerie picks. Shoppers receive a box of five bras and try them on, keeping and paying for the ones they like. But the key is that they’re asked for feedback on all five.

“It’s a virtuous cycle of data,” True&Co founder and CEO Michelle Lam told Quartz. “Our customers write us essays on why a bra didn’t work.” And by analyzing the feedback of 500,000 users, Lam says the site has a unique grasp on what makes a good bra.

“We knew going into this that a great fit was more than just a band and cup size,” Lam says. “And this isn’t a solution designed by two women. It’s been designed by half a million.” In contrast, she says, most existing bra companies work based on a single fit model. “If you’re buying a bra from an American company,” Lam said, “You’re getting one based on an Asian model’s breast shape.”

Lam expected to see a hundred or so basic body types. Instead, True&Co has classified more than 6,000 distinct types already. She’s used these to create TrueSpectrum, a “shape identity process” that will help women identify bras that fit their body type. And with it comes “uniform,” a line of basics tailored to fit particular groups.

“We’re all about the combination of art and data,” Lam says. “It informs the design, but never governs it.” The site’s quizzing found, for example, that 45% of women complained of painful underwires, but “were reluctant to go with a bralette [a bra with no wires] that felt too unsupported.” Uniform’s bralette has been tailored to give a bit more support than most would expect.

Data also showed Lam that women preferred dark colors, which outsold lighter bras 3:1. “But we didn’t want black,” she says. “That’s so boring.” So designer Nikki Dekker used “elevated neutrals” like charcoal for the new line. When it came to women’s underpants, “We also got very precise about cheek coverage,” Lam says. “Our customer is a little bit sexy, but she wants her hipster to cover enough that she feels comfortable.”

And it seems that True&Co customers have enjoyed being part of the data collection experiment: Customers are more likely to complete the quizzes when they’re longer, Lam says. But that’s probably because the company has drawn a crowd that enjoys feeling like they’re being matched to an ideal bra. “We’re like an OkCupid [the dating site] for your body,” Lam says.

Companies like True&Co and Pinrose, a recent startup that uses quizzes and data analysis to suggest and create perfumes, are among many firms using large amounts of data to make irritating processes slightly more enjoyable. Neither store will actually cater to every potential customer on earth—many women will still have trouble finding bras that fit them on True&Co, and Pinrose can’t make scents that please everyone. But if e-commerce sites are to use algorithms as more than a gimmick, this is what it will look like.

I finally got to do another mod! This one is documented over at Make. Go check it out if you have trouble with those pesky thumbstick clicks.

Shelby Osborne will be attending Campbellsville University in Kentucky next year to play football. She answered SB Nation's questions about how she got into football, her recruiting process and what she expects in her first season of college football.

Last week, Shelby Osborne of Jeffersonville High School in Indiana made history when she committed to play football for Campbellsville University, becoming the first female defensive back in college football history.

Osborne, listed at 5'6, 140 pounds, has played just one year of football, but served as JV captain and appeared in JV games playing cornerback, safety, wide receiver and gunner on the punt return team. She also appeared at cornerback in five varsity games. And football isn't all she does. She was active in her school's drama department and even wrote a play called "Backwoods Football."

She's on course to become only the second woman to play a non-specialist position in college football -- several others have played placekicker.

As an NAIA school, Campbellsville doesn't have roster limits and doesn't hand out true athletic scholarships. Anyone who wants to play gets an opportunity to prove themselves. Osborne was contacted with an invitation to go to the Tigers' spring game for a visit, which ended with the opportunity for her to play college football.

What inspired you to play football in the first place, and when did you start?

Shelby Osborne: Well, it was the sectional championship game of my junior year, and we weren't playing so hot or even to the best of our ability. I said to myself, "I could play better than that," and that's what planted the seed in my mind that this might actually be possible! I went to my coach the next Monday and asked if I could be on the team and began working out from there.

Did you play other sports before this?

SO: Growing up I floated from sport to sport. Cheerleading, wrestling, track, cross-country, baseball, softball, and soccer. You name, and I've played it. I was always into athletics, working out, and being fit, but I never found that one sport that captured my heart until football.

What was the recruiting process like? Did you reach out to Campbellsville, did they reach out to you, or did you send tape to a number of schools?

SO: I filled out hundreds and hundreds of recruiting questionnaires looking for someone to give me a shot. I received an email inviting me to the (Campbellsville) Maroon-White spring game in April. I went and coach was one of the coolest about me being a girl. After I left from a visit, half the team and recruits hit me up on Twitter or Instagram, messaging me and expressing how cool it is of me to be trying, and other words of encouragement.

What was the reaction from your classmates and teammates when you first started playing, and has there any negative (or positive) feedback on social media since you committed?

SO: When I first started playing, the reaction was extremely negative. I was the only person in the world that believed in myself, but day-by-day I slowly began to change people's minds. I had to earn each and everyone's respect.

There have been a lot of people saying how their kids look up to me, or they are now fans. It keeps me encouraged that I'm following my dream. There has been some negative, but they say if people aren't laughing at your dreams, then they aren't big enough. I just have to keep faith and keep looking forward and keep focus and take negativity with a grain of salt.

Do you find that opposing teams play against you differently because you're a girl? Do they deliberately run plays toward or away from you?

SO: Well most of them didn't know I was a girl, because I would hide my hair and do anything possible to not show I was a girl. I never wanted anyone to take it easy on me.

They only realized I wasn't a guy when I unsnapped my helmet and my hair began to fall out of it. Shaking the hands of my competitors was my favorite part of the game because I showed I could play with them and they couldn't discount what I did because they never knew I was a girl. That is, until the stands started ruining it by chanting, "Shelby, she's a girl" at my opponents.

What are your goals, football-wise, with Campbellsville? Have your coaches given you any insight about how they plan to use you? Also, what do you need to improve to be productive at the college level?

I know I am expected to come in and do the same thing my teammates do, and that is what I want. I'm going to play to the best of my ability and do the best I can at all times. I believe if you really want to achieve your dream you must want it as bad as your next breath. I model my life after the "how bad do you want it" speech by Eric Thomas.

I gave everything, from waking up before everyone in my house was awake to run before school, joining track, weightlifting, and sports performance classes during school, to staying after with the coaches every day after practice just to improve my skill a little bit more. I don't return home from training until eight or nine o'clock on most nights. My sacrifice and determination are what separate me from anyone else, because somewhere out there are opponents training harder than you to beat you.

What are you expecting your college football experience to be like?

I can't wait to be on campus and to be with the team. I miss the sound of cracking helmets and pads hitting. I just want to be a part of the team. I could care less if I ever step on the field. I could care less if I ever play a down, as long as I'm a part of the team and get to practice and continue with my love and passion for football. If me playing in a game means sacrificing the quality of the team, then I don't want that.

The educational site Khan Academy has teamed up with NASA to provide online resources for students! via phys.org.

The interactive education lessons invite users to become actively engaged in the scientific and mathematical protocols that NASA uses everyday to measure our universe, to explore the exciting engineering challenges involved in launching and landing spacecraft on Mars, and to learn about other space exploration endeavors and destinations.

Exciting and realistic simulations, challenges and games transport students deep into STEM subjects, blending NASA’s space exploration expertise with Khan Academy’s compelling approach to online self-paced learning. The innovative collaboration on this pilot program began last summer with NASA supplying technical content and subject matter experts to ensure authenticity of the learning experiences and Khan providing proven expertise in delivering interactive online learning experiences for millions of learners worldwide.

Read more.

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Each Tuesday is EducationTuesday here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts about educators and all things STEM. Adafruit supports our educators and loves to spread the good word about educational STEM innovations!

Jenna Deboisblanc gove a how to on building your own electronic MINI xylophone with arduino

I built an Arduino-controlled electronic xylophone.

Piezo disks > voltage > Arduino > OSC and/or MIDI > Garageband

Code
Github repos:

New code that uses Pure Data and OSC to create and/or play MIDI and doesn’t rely on a serial to MIDI converter (updated June 15, 2012)
Old code that relies on serial to MIDI converter

Read More

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Every Tuesday is Art Tuesday here at Adafruit! Today we celebrate artists and makers from around the world who are designing innovative and creative works using technology, science, electronics and more. You can start your own career as an artist today with Adafruit’s conductive paints, art-related electronics kits, LEDs, wearables, 3D printers and more! Make your most imaginative designs come to life with our helpful tutorials from the Adafruit Learning System. And don’t forget to check in every Art Tuesday for more artistic inspiration here on the Adafruit Blog!

Wired took a deeper look into the science behind Oobleck, one of the most common classroom STEM activities:

Of course, the most famous force applied to oobleck is the weight of a person slamming their foot down as they run over a vat filled with the stuff. You can find plenty of videos on Youtube of people repeating this amazing feat, including the one above. It’s not just little children, college students, and Ellen viewers who are impressed. Explaining all of oobleck’s properties is actually the subject of serious scientific investigations.

In 2012, researchers at the University of Chicago published a paper where they described the battery of experiments they performed on oobleck (you can watch a video of their tests below). It’s hard not to be impressed by all the science these guys are doing on some bizarre stuff I used to play with as a kid: Lasers! High-speed cameras! X-ray machines! Their lab has got it all.

After measuring all the forces and deformations involved inside of oobleck, the researchers think they know how it is able to generate the support for messiah-like party tricks. If you hit oobleck hard and fast, the cornstarch particles get shoved together, bunching up like snow in front of a snowplow. This creates a quasi-solid column just below your foot, which can support your weight. But if you stop moving, you stop applying force and the oobleck returns to a liquid state.

Read more.

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Each Tuesday is EducationTuesday here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts about educators and all things STEM. Adafruit supports our educators and loves to spread the good word about educational STEM innovations!

“Where’s Grand Theft Auto V PC?” we once wailed. “Where oh where oh where could it be? Why haven’t they announced it?” Then Saints Row IV came out and we were distracted by the realisation that maybe superpowers were more fun than super-serious. But then hey, GTA V came out on consoles, and we peered over shoulders and muttered “Yeah, okay, sure, I’d play that. Why haven’t they announced it for PC?” The answer’s very simple: because it wasn’t pretty enough yet.

Grand Theft Auto V will arrive on PC this autumn, prettier than ever, Rockstar have finally announced at E3 this year.

… [visit site to read more]

Plates from a 1722 geometrical treatise that attempts to explore every arrangement of square tiles bisected diagonally with black and white shading.

Doüat, Dominique. Methode pour faire une infinité de desseins differens, avec des carreaux mi-partis de deux couleurs par une ligne diagonale, 1722.

Typ 715.22.334

Houghton Library, Harvard University

Courtney shared this story from Super Opinionated.

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fuckyeahsources:

Nope. But the real story is better. Bolding mine:

The late Ruth Thompson, a cell painter on “Snow White” who later became a multiplane scene planner, recalled: “We tried everything - airbrush, drybrush, even lipstick and rouge, which is perhaps the basis for the legend because we did, in fact, try it. But nothing worked.”

The airbrush was difficult to control on such a small area; drybrush was too harsh; lipstick and rouge unwieldy and messy. Everything proved to be impractical and all hope seemed lost to give Snow White her little bit of color when the idea of using a dye was proposed.

Again Ms. Thompson: “Someone suggested a red dye because the blue day we added to give Donald Duck his distinctive sailor-blue never really could be washed off the cell without leaving a bluish stain where the paint had been applied.”

Ever since the mid 30’s when color became the norm for all the cartoons, not just the “Silly Symphonies,” all paints and inks were made at the studio. During this period as well cells were routinely reused for economic reasons, thus the need to wash them off. Apparently Donald’s special blue color was made with a dye added to the usual powdered pigments. “So we tried that.” As the women gathered around in what must have seemed just another dead-end effort, all eyes became fixed on the red dot which soon became a small glow with no perceptible edge. The hushed silence soon gave way to sighs of relief. The method had finally been found. Now the application.

…

Among the studio’s many inkers (an extremely demanding profession), was one young lady whose training and skill was unique: Helen Ogger. Just being an inker placed one within the elite confines of this most “holy of holies” area of the Nunnery, as the Ink and Paint Department was so called (Walt had strict and quite Victorian views that the sexes not mingle at the workplace, allowing no male personnel save the “gofer” boy and the paymaster “Mr.” Keener to enter this domain of mostly unmarried women ). But Helen was in addition a very fine cartoonist and one of the few women at Disney’s or anywhere else, who could animate.

…

Such a seemingly insignificant detail (as the cheek colors) might be thought not worthy of special mention (she, as well as the other inkers and painters, was given no screen credit). But when one adds up the number of footage required to be tinted freehand on each individual cell, the hours suddenly turn into weeks and months. In fact, such a treatment was never attempted again on such a scale and even today, the publicity stills from “Snow White,” most of which do not have the added blush, bear witness to how that little touch of extra care adds to the vitality we see on the screen.

The work was done on all close-ups, most medium shots, and even on some long shots. The Queen was also similarly tinted. Hundreds of hours were needed to complete this task, arduous, repetitive and, of course, hard on the eyes. Ultimately a handful of other girls were needed to assist Helen as the clocked ticked toward the deadline.

Helen had to place several cells together on an animation board, one atop the other, just like in the process of animation, in order to get the ‘registration’ right (the spot of red just right in relation to the preceding and following ones) - all of this without any guide. She would work out her own extremes and then ‘animate’ the blush in inbetweens. Her work deserves admiration and gratitude and it is unfortunate that her contribution has remained unknown and her anonymity unaltered during her lifetime. She was paid, as were the rest of the Inkers, $18 a week, which included a half-day on Saturday and the many, many hours of unpaid overtime “Snow White” would require - all given unstintingly, (by everyone involved, it should be added), to a project whose joy in participating was its own reward.

She eventually became head of Inking and Special Effects and even taught classes in animation at the studio. She left in 1941 (apparently part of the terrible strike that would leave the Disney Studio changed forever), taking her skills with her. She died in Glendale in February of 1980. Perhaps it is safe to say that her departure was critical to the abrupt demise of this now unique effect (it was also used, though on a much smaller scale in both “Pinocchio” and “Fantasia”). None of the other inkers or painters were animators and it is this fact, not just the factor of economy nor the changing tastes, which surely must be considered a reason why such details were never attempted again. The golden age was over.

iguanamouth:

iguanamouth:

petition to make more movies featuring sharks named after things found in a skeleton. shinbone. ribs. pinky knuckle.  shinbone 2: the revenge of shinbone

luftangrepp:

*angrily adjusts puppy*

Grim Fandango to be remastered for PS4, Vita ⊟

Yay! A Tim Schafer/LucasArts jam I’ve never played, on Vita!

BUY PS Vita (PS Vita Slim / Borderlands 2 bundle), upcoming games

Toothpaste for dinner

Autodesk said today that it had acquired Bitsquid, the Swedish creator of the Bitsquid 3D game engine. The acquisition firms up Autodesk's support for game development, setting the stage for the creation of a new Autodesk 3D game engine, but … more »

PvtVoid (1252388) writes "In the semiannual report to Congress by the NSF Office of Inspector General, the organization said it received reports of a researcher who was using NSF-funded supercomputers at two universities to mine Bitcoin. The computationally intensive mining took up about $150,000 worth of NSF-supported computer use at the two universities to generate bitcoins worth about $8,000 to $10,000, according to the report. It did not name the researcher or the universities."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

An anonymous reader writes "South African makerstore OpenHardware.co.za has designed and built a new RepRap-derivative 3D printer which it plans to sell for less than R5000 ($470). The first completed units are being put together now, with an eye to shipping late June. Store owner Peter van der Walt says that he designed Babybot — which has a print area equivalent to a RepRap Prusa Mendel-style machine — in order to reduce build and support costs. He's been selling various RepRap designs in kit form for two years, but as they become more popular is struggling to keep up with demand and handle returns. By sourcing more materials locally — he also designs his own controller boards — he's looking to beat the likes of RS Components and large shopping chains which have begun shipping the likes of Cubify in the country."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

According to his lawyer, the soon-to-be former Clippers owners will pursue his lawsuit against the NBA after all.

Donald Sterling, who has been banned by the NBA and fined $2.5 million, has changed his mind and will proceed with a lawsuit against his wife, Shelly Sterling, and the league, his attorney told the media on Monday. Sterling had previously threatened to sue the league and his wife to prevent the sale of the Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

Shelly Sterling took control of the Sterling Family Trust, which owns the Clippers, in the past month due to a reported declaration by doctors that Sterling was "mentally incapacitated." Following that and Ballmer's $2 billion bid, the NBA and Shelly Sterling announced a settlement in which the Sterling Family Trust would provide indemnity for the league in the case of any suit by Sterling. That means that if Sterling sues the league and wins, any penalty paid to him would be covered by the Sterling Family Trust. Which is Donald and Shelly Sterling's money.

Last week, Sterling announced he would not pursue the lawsuit, clearing the way for the sale of the club. Had he done so, he would have walked away with loads of cash and notoriety. But on Monday, Sterling's lawyer, Max Blecher, announced that the suit would go "full steam ahead."

Why? Apparently, a Monday leak showing that Shelly Sterling may still have a small role in the Clippers organization while Donald Sterling remains banned for life has rubbed the outgoing owner the wrong way. There's also the matter of personal animus.

Main reason Donald Sterling has decided to fight: Adam Silver's adamancy when it comes to Sterling. "Just plain nasty" per Blecher.

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 10, 2014

So basically, in the end, Donald Sterling is choosing to sue himself on principle. Good show, buddy.

UPDATE: Sterling released a statement. Ramona Shelburne was kind enough to share it on Twitter. Here the whole thing is in a digestable macro.

Ronaldo picked up the pigskin and fit the part perfectly.

The Portuguese soccer team stopped by Jets practice to try a little futebol Americano, which ... I dunno, we're close enough to the World Cup that it seems unpatriotic to quarter another nation's team, but ANYWAY: Portugal in New York means Cristiano Ronaldo in New York, which means Cristiano Ronaldo playing football, which means Cristiano Ronaldo looking about as adept as any Jets quarterback in recent history. Think of Mark Sanchez while you look at these photos:

We know @Cristiano can play fùtbol, but football? Not so sure... http://t.co/RG3YYOOjw1 pic.twitter.com/Ode6c44PpD

— SportsNation (@SportsNation) June 10, 2014

There's no way that's a tight spiral, but he's also not fumbling the ball off a butt, so ADVANTAGE RONALDO.

Ronaldo ready to try a new sport? #NFL #Jets pic.twitter.com/r7EjdL99j3

— The Whistle (@TheWhistle) June 9, 2014

Look at how calculated the helmet placement is. He's lining it up perfectly so as not to muss the coif, just like the Sanchize would. PUSH.

Saw some hops from @Cristiano today in Jersey! pic.twitter.com/NQC9zH4oLT

— Nick Bellore (@NBELLORE54) June 9, 2014

Yeah, I don't think Sanchez could ever have touched the goalpost with his head. ADVANTAGE RONALDO.

I have concluded from this scientific analysis that Cristiano Ronaldo's Jet career was superior to Mark Sanchez's.

nosdrinker:

no new pokemon snap so who cares

ninjakato:

ruaniamh:

kaymonstar:

I keep laughing.

HERE COMES THE AIRPLANE

"EAT THE FUCKING BISCUIT MEATBAG!!!"