Realitista

One of the perks of married life

Wed, 30 May 2012 10:41:38 -0400

One of the perks of married life

"PRINCETON, NJ — The Gallup Economic Confidence Index held at -16 last week, the highest the..."

Tue, 29 May 2012 20:05:38 -0400

“PRINCETON, NJ — The Gallup Economic Confidence Index held at -16 last week, the highest the index has reached in the four-plus years of Gallup Daily tracking in the United States. This is slightly improved over the -18 readings in the first half of May, and up significantly from -27 at the start of the year.”

- Americans’ Economic Confidence Stable at Four-Year High

Money is evil..

Tue, 29 May 2012 18:35:45 -0400

Money is evil..

If you're an American citizen, under NDAA activities as mundane as "writing a book" or "organizing a demonstration" could result in your indefinite detainment, without trial, by military forces - even on U.S. soil - Huffington Post

Tue, 29 May 2012 16:06:42 -0400

If you're an American citizen, under NDAA activities as mundane as "writing a book" or "organizing a demonstration" could result in your indefinite detainment, without trial, by military forces - even on U.S. soil - Huffington Post:

A Few Ways To Get Yourself Detained Indefinitely:

Interview a member of the Taliban

Attend a fundraiser

Write a book

Organize a demonstration

Help out a friend

They’re probably just as pissed as I am.

Tue, 29 May 2012 14:22:03 -0400

They’re probably just as pissed as I am.

Re-visiting Assange’s show - Salon.com

Tue, 29 May 2012 12:32:00 -0400

Re-visiting Assange’s show - Salon.com:

Wow, I didn’t even know that Julian Assange had a TV show. You can find it here

When it was announced last month that the Kremlin-backed network RT would broadcast a new show from Julian Assange, American media figures predictably erupted with mockery and scorn despite not having seen a single episode (nobody provokes the animosity of America’s establishment media class more than those who meaningfully challenge American government power). Since I participated in the ensuing debate, I thought it would be worthwhile briefly to review the six programs Assange has now produced and let everyone decide for themselves how these programs compare to the criticisms voiced and, more generally, to the quality, substance, and range of debate from America’s cable and network news programs. Here are the first six episodes:

Best use of stock photos ever. From Love to Bingo Getty...

Tue, 29 May 2012 10:45:33 -0400

Best use of stock photos ever.

From Love to Bingo Getty Images AlmapBBDO (by AlmapBBDO)

How would you like this wrapped?

Mon, 28 May 2012 16:03:46 -0400

How would you like this wrapped?

Lol

Mon, 28 May 2012 14:16:37 -0400

Lol

Why Airplanes Have Ashtrays

Mon, 28 May 2012 12:28:41 -0400

Why Airplanes Have Ashtrays :

It’s likely not what you think.

Yes, you read me right. You’ve probably even seen them yourself. In airplane bathrooms, there is an ashtray (complete with No Smoking sticker) for the people who smoke in the bathroom, even though they shouldn’t.

When I first started bringing this up to people, I encountered the same reaction again and again. People would say, “oh, it just costs too much to replace the door or take out the ashtray”. This is absolutely not the reason, though. Allow me to quote from the Code of Federal Regulations for airworthiness:

Regardless of whether smoking is allowed in any other part of the airplane, lavatories must have self-contained, removable ashtrays located conspicuously on or near the entry side of each lavatory door, except that one ashtray may serve more than one lavatory door if the ashtray can be seen readily from the cabin side of each lavatory served.

The plane can not leave the terminal if the bathrooms don’t have ashtrays. They’re non-optional. That’s an awfully strange stance to take for a vehicle with such a stringent “no smoking” policy, but it really does make a lot of sense. Back in 1973, a flight crashed and killed 123 people, and the reason for the crash was attributed to a cigarette that was improperly disposed of.

emergentfutures: Roominate: Make It Yours! The toy that makes...

Mon, 28 May 2012 10:41:00 -0400

emergentfutures:

Roominate: Make It Yours!

The toy that makes every young girl an artist, an engineer, an architect, and a visionary!

Full Story: Kickstarter

This is the first kickstarter project I’ve donated to. I was thinking about a dollhouse for my daughter anyway, and I’m always looking for more ways to get her involved in science and technology.

Congressmen Seek To Lift USA Propaganda Ban

Sun, 27 May 2012 16:04:14 -0400

Congressmen Seek To Lift USA Propaganda Ban:

Yeah, that was the problem. Americans weren’t getting enough propaganda. The march to fascism continues.

An amendment that would legalize the use of propaganda on American audiences is being inserted into the latest defense authorization bill.

The amendment would “strike the current ban on domestic dissemination” of propaganda material produced by the State Department and the Pentagon, according to the summary of the law at the House Rules Committee’s official website.

The tweak to the bill would essentially neutralize two previous acts—the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 and Foreign Relations Authorization Act in 1987—that had been passed to protect U.S. audiences from our own government’s misinformation campaigns.

The bi-partisan amendment is sponsored by Rep. Mark Thornberry from Texas and Rep. Adam Smith from Washington State.

The more likely untold story of Super Mario Bros. (via...

Sun, 27 May 2012 14:23:00 -0400

The more likely untold story of Super Mario Bros.

(via Brainslug Comics » Archive » Super Mario Bros)

(via BREAKING: You Know That TED Talk You Weren’t Supposed...

Sun, 27 May 2012 12:35:37 -0400

(via BREAKING: You Know That TED Talk You Weren’t Supposed To See? Here It Is.) .. And you really should see it..

Photoshop in the 1950's: Pin-Up girls before and after

Sun, 27 May 2012 10:48:00 -0400

Photoshop in the 1950's: Pin-Up girls before and after :

Tons more here

Skin swap. Interesting.

Sat, 26 May 2012 16:03:50 -0400

Skin swap. Interesting.

A lot of possibilities here that you don’t think of at...

Sat, 26 May 2012 14:19:01 -0400

A lot of possibilities here that you don’t think of at first.

MIT Media Lab continually yields creations that will one day make our lives easier, better, and more fun. A new development that just passed its Kickstarter funding mark, MaKey MaKey, clearly lands in the “more fun” category. MaKey MaKey is a board laden with a number of ports that connect directly to your computer. Connect just about any item to one of these ports using an alligator clip, and you’ve created a button. For example, you can make arrows out of little gobs of clay, connect each to the directional controls on your MaKey MaKey, connect the device to your computer, and boom!—you’re executing controls on your computer using little arrow-shaped gobs of clay.

The applications of MaKey MaKey are pretty much endless, and the best part is that it requires absolutely no programming or circuitry know-how. You can create your own interactive installation, turning anything at all into an input device with just your computer, a MaKey MaKey, a few wires, and whatever you can come up with for a control surface. If you’re a novice and dabbling in circuitry with a MaKey MaKey sparks your interest, you can use it as an Arduino as well. Or forget that, let’s just keep turning Jelly Beans into Super Mario Bros controllers.

(via Turn Absolutely Anything In The World Into A Button With MaKey MaKey | The Creators Project)

Mexico's Drug War: 50,000 Dead in 6 Years

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:35:49 -0400

Mexico's Drug War: 50,000 Dead in 6 Years:

So, seems like that’s working out, then.

Since Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón began an all-out assault on drug cartels in 2006, more than 50,000 people have lost their lives across the country in a nearly-continuous string of shootouts, bombings, and ever-bloodier murders. Just last weekend, 49 decapitated bodies were reportedly discovered on a highway in northern Mexico. The New York Times reports on an increasing numbness and apathy among Mexicans after years of worsening carnage, about which they’ve been able to do virtually nothing. Gathered here is a collection of recent photographs from Mexico’s drug war and the people so horribly affected by it. [44 photos]

More parking lots should look like this.

Sat, 26 May 2012 10:45:43 -0400

More parking lots should look like this.

This worked out better than I thought it would: Republican...

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:14:03 -0400

This worked out better than I thought it would:

Republican Candidates Approval Ratings Turned Into Buttplugs

(by matthew epler)