Tadeu

An appeals court in Italy has overturned the 2012 manslaughter conviction handed down to seven prominent scientists and engineers following a devastating earthquake in 2009. The decision came as a surprise---and a relief---to many of the accused’s colleagues, who worried that pressure from the community, victims’ families, and local press would compel the court to agree with the earlier decision.

The post Verdict Overturned for Italian Geoscientists Convicted of Manslaughter appeared first on WIRED.

hindru:

Patema Inverted

Can we talk about this please.

Photographer Kevin Twomey has a fascination with capturing complex objects in the most simple of compositions, and his series Low Tech is the epitome of this. The series features photos of old, mechanical calculators stripped bare, exposing the exquisitely complicated creations that they were from the inside out.

Similar to the advancements of cameras, calculators have evolved from a purely mechanical piece of machinery to digital gadgets that are now almost small enough to hide behind a silver dollar. Regardless of how large and cumbersome those old mechanic calculators were though, there is a certain beauty in the various designs that shows off their seemingly infinite intricacies.

The calculators themselves weren’t the only intricate aspect of this series though. To ensure he captured every motor, key and spring, Twomey took multiple shots of each composition and focus-stacked them using Helicon Focus. The results, as you can see below, are fascinating from top to bottom.

To see more of Twomey’s work, pay his website a visit by clicking here, or give him a follow on Facebook.

(via WIRED)

Image credits: Photographs by Kevin Twomey and used with permission

Thought the Guardians of the Galaxy were an odd bunch? Chris Pratt‘s next comic book adaptation could be even weirder. He’s reportedly attached to lead Universal’s Cowboy Ninja Viking, about an assassin whose multiple personality disorder gives him the attributes of three warrior archetypes: the cowboy, the ninja, and the viking.

Hit the jump for more on the possible Chris Pratt Cowboy Ninja Viking casting.

UPDATE: Pratt confirmed he’s in the movie on Twitter:

“@jbkelly80: @prattprattpratt pic.twitter.com/lNR1NYxT56” YES! But who is our director? That is the question. Who do u think it should be?

— chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) November 20, 2014

Collider reports Pratt would be playing Duncan, the protagonist of Cowboy Viking Ninja. Duncan is part of an experimental government program that transforms multiple personality disorder patients into “triplets” — lethal operatives with three distinct personas, each with his or her own set of skills. He eventually escapes and tries to track down the billionaire behind the program.

According to Collider, the latest draft of the script has the Cowboy, the Ninja, and the Viking played by three different people, though all of them look like Duncan (that is, Pratt) to onlookers. But that’s the kind of detail that could still change as the film continues to develop.

Cowboy Ninja Viking has been in the works for a few years already. The first issue of A.J. Lieberman and Riley Rossmo‘s comic was published in 2009, and Zombieland scribes Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese began working on the screenplay adaptation in 2010. Originally the project was set up at Disney, but the studio eventually deemed it too edgy so Universal scooped it up. Marc Forster was set to direct in 2012 but has since dropped out.

As of now, Cowboy Ninja Viking has no director. But getting a big star like Pratt on board is definitely a big step forward, and he does seem like the perfect fit for the job. He has the right kind of charisma to sell this bizarre premise, and he can move between comedy, drama, and action without missing a beat. Really, the very phrase “Cowboy Ninja Viking” sounds like Andy Dwyer’s dream job. Or maybe even Star-Lord’s.

Pratt had a huge 2014 thanks to the one-two punch of The Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy, and is only slated to get bigger next year with Jurassic World. Additionally, he’ll reprise his role as Andy Dwyer for one last season of NBC’s Parks and Recreation, which premieres off early next year. But since Jurassic World is already done shooting and Parks and Recreation only has a few episodes left to film, Pratt’s schedule is actually pretty open right now.

The post Chris Pratt Is A ‘Cowboy Ninja Viking’ [UPDATED] appeared first on /Film.

Major Spoilers For Interstellar

The finale of Interstellar has been quite a point of contention among film fans. Some intrinsically understand and decipher what Matthew McConaughey‘s character, Coop, experiences. Others are just totally in the dark and can’t grasp what’s happening once he goes into the black hole. And a very few actually know exactly what’s going on. No matter what, it would be nice to understand exactly what is happening once Coop begins floating around at the end of the film.

Enter Neil deGrasse Tyson, who has already had lots of interesting things to say about Christopher Nolan‘s film. In a new video, he explains how the five dimensions needed to understand the ending of Interstellar work in very plain, simple English. Watch the Interstellar ending explained by Neil deGrasse Tyson below.

Thanks to Business Insider for this great video.

Interstellar Ending Explained

So you’ve watched the video, but how specifically does it relate to Interstellar? Once Coop shows up in the center of the black hole, he’s experiencing five dimensions. The three dimension of space, one dimension of time (all of which deGrasse Tyson explains above) and then a mysterious fifth dimension. That fifth dimension is not comprehensible except in the fact that, once you reach it, time becomes a spacial dimension like the first three. So now that time is something you can travel into and through, Coop has the ability to contact Murp in the past, to change her future.

Admittedly, all of this is only theoretical because, like deGrasse Tyson says, we don’t know what happens in a black hole, let alone if a humanity eons more advanced than us could ever make an event like this possible. Plus, even if being in a higher dimension made time a spacial dimension, deGrasse Tyson believes you wouldn’t be able to change it. Coop can and does. So this isn’t some kind of swiss watch. But it’s still incredibly interesting.

Does that make more sense?

The post Video: The ‘Interstellar’ Ending Explained by Neil deGrasse Tyson appeared first on /Film.

Software engineering is one of the most in-demand and best paying careers, but learning computer science can also pay off even if you don't do it professionally. Google has a guide on the courses and experiences future software engineers should consider.

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gadaboutgreen:

celestialallegorist:

thinkinghurts321:

celestialallegorist:

Okay but check out this on-point campaign my schools starting
((Lone Mountain is one of the buildings on campus and there’s a ridiculous set of stairs to get up to it))

Um whoa, how cool. The school is seriously doing this? This makes me want to visit again haha. 

Do you know what started it?

I’m actually not sure, but the posters say it’s a couple professors from the psych department, design department, and school of management working together on it. The posters should be up next week, I’m stoked

cesarconacento

image by @skromnygeniusz

We can rebuild him.

When stopping to consider these masterful ceramic objects by artist by Matthew Chambers, a flood of familiar images came to mind as I tried to understand what I was looking at. The aperture of a camera, the protective shell of a curled up armadillo, ocean waves, bowls of pasta, or portals to other dimensions; all valid reactions to these hand-built ceramic vessels and sculptures that contain dozens of thin concentric layers.

For the last 8 years Chambers has been working from a 215 square foot studio in Newport on the Isle of Wight where he creates each piece without the aid of sketches or designs, preferring to experiment as he works. Each “layer” is an individual section thrown on a potter’s wheel which he then assembles with other layers to make a solid sculpture. How something so precisely geometric can be formed from clay by hand is nothing short of astounding.

Chambers most recently had work at New Craftsman Gallery. You can also read a studio visit from Ceramic Arts Daily, and a more in-depth interview about his process on Ideas in the Making. (via Rhubarbes, Contemporist)

skatedistrict:

Same place, different day.

I work out.

[via]

drst:

deeeeaaan:

feng-huang:

tastefullyoffensive:

Life and Donuts by Pablo Stanley

I need to say this is one of the most uplifting things I’ve seen.

well that’s my existential crisis sorted out

seriously though its nice to have that kind of comfort written out like that

"What connects us to life?"
"Right now? I’m going with donuts"

allaboutskyrim:

When Skyrim mods just go too far. 

blazepress:

Fireworks designed for daytime.

deathgripsforcutie:

old person meme from the 1600s

odinsblog:

npmp13:

203y:

odinsblog:

Republicans…

god fucking help us all

American politicians in general**

NOPE. I gotta call bullshit on your blithe “both sides" implication

Believe me, absolutely no one, and I mean no one, is calling Democrats perfect little angels—most certainly not the GOP-lite conservadems™ in mostly red states—but if you want to suggest that ALL politicians “generally” say such lunacy, specifically like that depicted above, then you gotta back that shit up and show me some concrete, contemporary examples (and no, Fox News, Breitbart and any other similar rightwing “news” sites don’t count)

Far right Republican politicians seem to be allergic to even the most basic of facts and they’re ridiculously anti-science…it’s almost like they’re legally required to say the most asinine, untrue shit they can think of whenever they’re within three feet of a mic

 FOR EXAMPLE:

Michele Bachmann (R-IA): The founding fathers worked tirelessly on the constitution until slavery was no more 

FOR EXAMPLE:

Joni Ernst (R-IA): We have an apathetic president, Obama is just standing back and letting things happen, he is reactive rather than proactive. With Ebola, he’s been very hands off

reporter: What should he have done about Ebola? One person in America has Ebola.

Joni Ernst: OK, you’re the press and you’re giving me your “opinion”

Btw: that wasn’t an “opinion,” as only one person in America had it at the time (and a grand total of two people have contracted Ebola in the U.S.)

AND ON RAPE:

Clayton Williams (R-TX): Rape is kinda like the weather. If it’s inevitable, relax and enjoy it

Paul Ryan (R-WI): Rape is just another method of conception

There’s tons more of examples like this and the ones depicted above, and 99.99% of the time, it’s a Republican saying such things 

It’s lazy thinking to engage in the false equivalence that “politicians in general” say such garbage. Accepting that blatant falsehood as fact only increases voter apathy, which in turn decreases voter turnout, which ultimately only helps Republicans

Anyone always blindly insisting that it’s ”both political parties” doing x, y, or z doesn’t show that they’re being fair & even handed, and it doesn’t show keen understanding of politics…it shows quite the opposite

If actual facts happen to demonstrate that one side is disproportionately saying and doing terrible, draconian things, then it isn’t your job to charge in and utter the magic words, “both sides” or otherwise suggest that both parties are doing it equally, in some misguided attempt at fairness or equality

SN: for those who still get liberalism confused with conservatism, don’t bother trying to catch a free derail here —you’re wrong

Look…the Wall Street/conservadem™ wing of the Democratic Party is getting further and further away from their core liberal, progressive tenants of economic populism & protecting the public commons, so there’s actually tons to legitimately criticize them for, but things like anti-sience, climate-change denying and pro-rapist sentiments are beliefs that neither “all politicians” nor “both sides” have in equal amounts. Those are all prerequisite traits for Republican politicians. And that’s a fact

We’ve covered a ton of Back to the Future illustrated poster prints over the years, but this one is definitely one of my favorites. Matt Taylor, an artist we’ve covered quite a few times in the past, has teamed up with Mondo to deliver a colorful Back to the Future poster print. The 18? x 24? sized print will be released at Thought Bubble in the UK in an edition of only 225. Hit the jump to see the full Back to the Future Matt Taylor poster now.

Back to the Future Matt Taylor Poster

Here is more about the Back to the Future Matt Taylor poster from the artist:

“BTTF is basically my dream project and as such is utterly terrifying, because it is embedded in the public consciousness and has it’s own library of iconography that even people who haven’t seen the film will know. On top of that, the previous BTTF series at Mondo are amongst the highlights of their output – so a little bit of extra pressure to live up to there. For my design, I went back to Struzan’s original concept posters – there is a great one with Marty vanishing from the feet up, and as soon as I saw it I knew that I wanted to use it as my starting point. I think PCC and Laurent have closed the book on using the Delorean so I deliberately stayed away from that and focused instead on Marty and his instantly recognisable features. I used the title block from the original poster and stripped out the rest of the type so that the image stood alone on the page. I’m really happy with how it turned out and I hope that the Mondo faithful dig it as well.”

Mondo will be at Table #15 inside the TB TeePee in Leeds, opening November 15th, 2014 located between New Dock Hall and Royal Armouries Hall, and like most Mondo prints, Mondo will announce the on sale through Twitter.

The post Cool Stuff: Mondo’s Back to the Future Poster By Matt Taylor appeared first on /Film.