A security guard at Pittsburgh's fancy Ross Park Mall was fired this week after bringing a gun to work, fooling around with it in the security office, and accidentally shooting a colleague in the arse.The guard was in the mall's security office at the end of his shift at 11 p.m. and was loading a personal firearm when the gun discharged, Ross police said.The bullet went through a wooden stand and struck another guard, who was treated and released from a local hospital.The mall was closed when the incident occurred.The guards there don't carry firearms. I live in the region and the most threatening things in Ross Park Mall are the tween shoplifters lurking around Claires. That and the inexplicable sense of coldness and despair that envelops oneself as one approaches Sears.Previously: The Legend of Mall Ninja

New research on trends in adult human height over the last century confirm that, no surprise, humans are getting taller overall due to better nutrition and disease control. However according to the health science group Non-Communicable Diseases Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), the gain in adult height varies dramatically by country. From their paper, published in the journal eLife:The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5–22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3–19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8–144.8). The scientists' hope is that understanding these changes and distributions could be used "to improve nutrition and health across the world.""It would also be valuable to understand how much becoming taller has been responsible for improved health and longevity throughout the world," they write.""A century of trends in adult human height" (eLife)"How humans have changed in height in the last 100 years" (CNN)

Between April and July, Iran's salty Lake Urmia changed from a bright green color to a blood red. NASA's Aqua satellite captured the image above and reported on the science behind the strange transformation. According to NASA, the periodic color change is caused by micro algae producing carotenoids that help with photosynthesis and act as antioxidants and Halobacteriaceae, a bacteria in very salty water that releases "a red pigment called bacteriorhodopsin that absorbs light and converts it into energy for the bacteria." From NASA:The color changes have become common in the spring and early summer due to seasonal precipitation and climate patterns. Spring is the wettest season in northwestern Iran, with rainfall usually peaking in April. Snow on nearby mountains within the watershed also melts in the spring. The combination of rain and snowmelt sends a surge of fresh water into Lake Urmia in April and May. By July, the influx of fresh water has tapered off and lake levels begin to drop.The fresh water in the spring drives salinity levels down, but the lake generally becomes saltier as summer heat and dryness take hold. That’s when the microorganisms show their colors, too. Careful sampling of the water would be required to determine which organisms transformed the lake in 2016, but scientists say there are likely two main groups of organisms involved: a family of algae called Dunaliella and an archaic family of bacteria known as Halobacteriaceae.While Lake Urmia has shifted from green to red and back several times in recent years, trends suggest that a red Urmia could become increasingly common. Drought and intensive water diversion for agriculture has been limiting the amount of fresh water reaching the lake. “The lake volume has been decreasing at an alarming rate of 1.03 cubic kilometers per year,” noted Tourian, who recently analyzed data from several satellites to track how Urmia has changed. “The results from satellite imagery revealed a loss of water extent at an average rate of 220 square kilometers per year, which indicates that the lake has lost about 70 percent of its surface area over the last 14 years.”

See sample pages from this book at Wink.Ciro's Nightclub of the Starsby Andra D. Clarke and Regina Denton-DrewArcadia Publishing2015, 128 pages, 6.5 x 9.2 x 0.3 inches $22 Buy a copy on AmazonIn the 1940s and ‘50s, everyone who was anyone went to Ciro’s Nightclub on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. The famous and infamous came to dine, dance, and perform during its 15 plus years in business. Regina Drew was a Cigarette Girl and photographer at Ciro’s for eight years. Her best friend Nancy Caporal was the head photographer from 1940 to 1957. These women were part of the glitz, glamour and decadence of the Ciro’s era, and they seemed to love every minute of it.Regina’s daughter, Andra Clarke, worked tirelessly to research and cull through both women’s photographic mementos. As tribute to what Regina called the “best job of my life,” Andra created Ciro’s Nightclub of the Stars, a compact coffee table book filled with photos and stories that capture the semi-private lives of Hollywood’s elite.Most of the pictures in this book had previously not been seen by the public. Some of my favorite photos include Elizabeth Taylor dining with President Nixon and his daughters; Bing Crosby photographed with his sons; Ray Bolger (from “The Wizard of Oz”) joking around with Zero Mostel (from Fiddler on the Roof), Clark Gable chatting with (or to) a bevy of admirers, and Lucille Ball having drinks at a table with Peter Lawford, with no Desi in sight. The captions for each picture are as interesting as the images themselves. There are also Ciro’s behind-the-scenes tidbits like Yvonne de Carlo having the hatcheck girls watch her pet monkey, and Errol Flynn’s special food preference of octopus. Ciro’s Nightclub of the Stars offers a great glimpse into the past and is much more interesting than today’s tabloids!Fun fact not in the book: Before these photos were turned into a book, Andra’s collection was appraised on the 18th season of Antiques Roadshow. Per the appraiser, the most expensive photo Andra brought in was of Marilyn Monroe. Monroe was photographed at Ciro’s after her movie premiere of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Andra was told at the auction that an unseen photo of Marilyn Monroe would sell for about $100 to $150. All the other photos were in the value range of $30 to $75 each. – Carole Rosner

On March 30, 1981 in Washington DC, John Hinckley fired six bullets at President Ronald Reagan in an effort to impress the actress Jodie Foster. Reagan fully recovered but his press secretary, James Brady, who was also hit, lived the rest of his life in a wheelchair. The courts found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity. As soon as next week, Hinckley will be released from the mental hospital where relives to stay with his elderly mother in Williamsburg, Virgina. From NPR:Under the terms of the order, Hinckley is not allowed to contact his victims, their relatives or actress Jodie Foster, with whom he was obsessed. Hinckley also will not be permitted to "knowingly travel" to areas where the current president or members of Congress are present. The judge said Hinckley could be allowed to live on his own or in a group home after one year."Mr. Hinckley shall abide by all laws, shall not consume alcohol, illegal drugs... shall not possess any firearm, weapon, or ammunition and shall not be arrested for cause," Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ordered...In a prepared statement, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said, "Contrary to the judge's decision, we believe John Hinckley is still a threat to others and we strongly oppose his release.""John Hinckley, Who Tried To Kill A President, Wins His Freedom"

Stranger Things, the supernatural thriller on Netflix, quotes wildly from the great horror/thriller/science fiction films of the 1980s. In fact, spotting those references may be the series' primary appeal. (Ulysses Thevenon)

In 1971, Australian filmmaker Paul Witzig released his fourth surf movie Sea of Joy, celebrating the rise of the short boards. To score the film, Witzig enlisted Sydney band Tully, best known at the time as the backing band for the Australian production of the psychedelic musical Hair. Now, the good people at Anthology Recordings have reissued Tully's "Sea of Joy" soundtrack on vinyl. Here's what they say about the release:Like many surfers and non-surfers alike, Witzig had been mesmerised by Tully's concert performances. By the time he finished filming his latest surfing epic, Evolution, the sound of Tully had changed though. Gone was the organ-dominated sound (the group was reputedly the first Australian band to use the Moog synthesiser), replaced by more gentle melodies, many with spiritual significance.Recorded at EMI's Sydney studios, Tully's soundtrack material was subsequently edited for the album release into cohesive musical interludes. As such, they are held together in the album sequence by a magnetic musical flow that starts with “Sea Of Joy (Part 1)” (above) and ends with “Sea Of Joy (Part 2).” Vinyl edition features booklet liner notes by Aussie surf historian Stephen McParland and other-wordly ephemera.Along with Tully's "Sea of Joy," Anthology Recordings have also reissued Tamam Shud's glorious soundtrack to Witzig's prior surf film, "Evolution."Pitted. So pitted.

Follow @RubenBolling on Twitter and Facebook.Please join Tom the Dancing Bug's subscription club, the INNER HIVE, for early access to comics, and oh so much more. (You will not learn anything, regardless of how little care you exercise.)And DID YOU KNOW that you can buy Ruben Bolling’s new book series for kids, The EMU Club Adventures? You can. Book One here. Book Two here. More Tom the Dancing Bug comics on Boing Boing! (more…)

This fellow is going to get his finger excarnated one day if he keeps it up.[via]

The Tor Project announced Wednesday that an investigation had confirmed sexual misconduct allegations against Jake Appelbaum, describing them as accurate and him as having humiliated, intimidated and bullied others inside and outside the project. Appelbaum left Tor in May, after public accusations forced the organization to act; The New York Times reports that the circumstances raised questions about the management of the project.Shari Steele, the executive director of the Tor Project, said in a statement that the investigation found that “many people inside and outside the Tor Project have reported incidents of being humiliated, intimidated, bullied and frightened by Jacob, and several experienced unwanted sexually aggressive behavior from him.”The investigation was conducted by a private investigator hired by the nonprofit group. Ms. Steele added that new allegations were made over the course of its investigation, and that two members of the larger Tor community had also been involved in the incidents. The two individuals were not named and Ms. Steele said they were no longer part of the Tor community.Appelbaum (who contributed an article to Boing Boing in 2011) denied the allegations and, the NYT's Nicole Perlroth adds, is planning to respond to the investigator's report.

Brain implants that allow people to read each other's minds. Pills that let you change genders temporarily. Reputation Statements that list any good deeds you do. These are a few of the things from the future I discussed with Chris Weller of Tech Insider. These things were created by Institute for the Future (where I'm on staff) to provoke people to think about current trends and innovations and how they might play out in the future.

In response to Michelle Obama's speech on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, former history teacher Bill O'Reilly told his viewers that the slaves who built the White House were well-fed and had decent lodgings. He didn't mention the other not-so-great parts about being a slave, which include being the property of another person.O'Reilly said:Slaves that worked there were well-fed and had decent lodgings provided by the government, which stopped hiring slave labor in 1802. However, the feds did not forbid subcontractors from using slave labor. So, Michelle Obama is essentially correct in citing slaves as builders of the White House, but there were others working as well. Got it all? There will be a quiz.From Think Progress:Liam Hogan, a historian whose work focuses on slavery, noted on Twitter that O’Reilly’s comments are reminiscent of “how chattel slavery was defended by slave owners and pro-slavery interests.” To cite just one example, a U.S. history primer put together by the Independence Hall Association notes that “defenders of slavery argued that by comparison with the poor of Europe and the workers in the Northern states, that slaves were better cared for. They said that their owners would protect and assist them when they were sick and aged, unlike those who, once fired from their work, were left to fend helplessly for themselves.”The reality, Hogan added, is that slavery were “treated like livestock.”

Netsweeper sells "internet filtering technology" -- a tool that spies on users' internet traffic and censors some of what they see -- that is used by governments to control their populations, including the government of Yemen, which uses it to block its citizens' access to material critical of its policies. (more…)

The excuses for this come prepackaged: it's what was on the photo wires, his was the great speech of the night, it illustrates a moment of transition in politics, etc. (more…)

Jamie writes, "A photographer filed on Monday a $1 billion copyright infringement suit in New York against Getty Images' American arm, alleging that the company is sending out letters demanding licensing fees for her photos that were donated to the Library of Congress." (more…)

Harkening back to my days as a boy scout, camping gear is some of my favorite stuff. This Minipresso portable espresso maker is has me pretty jazzed!Using boiling water and a small hand pump Wacaco's Minipresso makes a near perfect shot of espresso with a nice layer of crema. For consistency and ease of use it beats some home counter-top espresso machines I've had. Minipresso is small, about the size of at the average cycling water bottle. Great for camping, this incredible device is not only easy to pack, but easy to use and clean. Fill the basket with 1 scoop of grounds and attach it. Fill the water reservoir with boiling hot water and attach. Squeeze the pump and expresso will squirt out the bottom into your glass. The hand pump gives my CTS/RSI ridden hands a nice stretch after a long motorcycle ride. Clean up is simple. Rinse it out and off. Over time I'm sure you'll need to scrub a bit, or use some vinegar, etc to remove coffee crud deposits. It also feels well made, and like it'll last. I think of this as a high pressure, gasket sealing version of the Aeropress, for espresso instead of coffee. MiniPresso GR Espresso Maker by Wacaco via Amazon

The US Olympics Committee has sent a letter to companies that sponsor athletes but don't sponsor the games, warning them that mentioning the Olympics in social media is a trademark violation. (more…)

It's one thing to enjoy dinner at home and a nice glass of Cabernet Sauvignon with your best friend, Netflix, but it's another thing entirely to make that meal from scratch and get that wine delivered right to your doorstep.But what if we told you there's a way to make this possible? To keep your social life, stay caught up on your favorite shows, and enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal paired with that equally delicious glass of wine? It’s as easy as grabbing one (or any) of these deals from Blue Apron, Winc Wine Delivery, and Getflix.Blue Apron delivers gourmet recipes—and the farm-fresh ingredients to make them—directly to you. New customers can get three 2-person Blue Apron meals for $27 (54% off the usual $59.94). That's just $4.50 per serving.Winc Wine Delivery does the same with wine. Just answer a few questions about your taste preferences, and you’ll receive deliveries that are tailored to your palate. New customers will get three bottles from Winc for $26 (42% off the usual $45).And to cap off your lovely homemade meal and glass of wine, add Getflix to complete your dream evening. Getflix unblocks more than 100 streaming channels for only $39 (95% off the usual price) so around the world you can watch movies, TV, and sports wherever life may take you.If you really want to make a splash at your next 'Netflix and Chill' night, give these deals a try. But act fast, because they're certain to sell out shortly.

Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle and Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle sell lunch dishes for less than USD2.00, but that's not a predictor of the food's quality, as both restaurants have been awarded Michelin stars for their cuisine. (more…)

In Are CEOs paid for performance? Evaluating the Effectiveness of Equity Incentives, a new study from MSCI, researchers compared the salaries of 800 US CEOs of large and medium-sized companies to the returns to their shareholders during their tenure. (more…)

The "In Canada lesbians are considered hot!" campaign is the brainchild of Robbie Picard, a tar-sands booster from Fort McMurray, Alberta. (more…)

As long as it is "properly packaged, labeled and declared," one may take Victorian philosopher Jeremy Bentham's mummified head onto your flight. The TSA added that travelers may simply snap a picture and tweet it to @AskTSA if they are in any doubt about the flight-legality of any desiccated human remains with which they wish to fly. (more…)

North Korea is on Team Trump, reports Reuters, describing the millionaire mogul as a "wise" choice and his rival as "thick-headed Hillary."Run by a brutal and notoriously reclusive authoritarian clique, North Korea is under U.N. sanctions and regularly threatens the U.S. and the south with nuclear annihilation. Trump has indicated he will take a softer line with the regime."It turns out that Trump is not the rough-talking, screwy, ignorant candidate they say he is, but is actually a wise politician and a prescient presidential candidate," said the [DPRK Today] column, written by a China-based Korean scholar identified as Han Yong Muk.DPRK Today is among a handful of news sites run by the isolated North, although its content is not always handled by the main state-run media.It said promising to resolve issues on the Korean peninsula through "negotiations and not war" was the best option for America, which it said is "living every minute and second on pins and needles in fear of a nuclear strike" by North Korea.

Via Reddit, a photo of Pine Ridge High School, Deltona, Florida's interpretive road art.

Salt Lake City area health officials are investigating a very strange green foam that's emerging from a sewer grate in Bluffdale, Utah. Residents are freaked out because the nearby Utah Lake waterway was recently shut down due to a large toxic algae bloom.Resident Tara Dahl said she watched the foam "kind of bubbling a little bit, and then you got closer and you could see it start rising," According to the Salt Lake County Health Department though, this particular nasty green material is more likely the result of chemicals used for moss removal in Welby Canal. That said, Welby Canal connects to the Jordan River which links directly to, you guessed it, Utah Lake where the toxic algae is blooming.Salt Lake County is running more tests. (Fox 13 Salt Lake City)

I just bought a bottle of 90 Cellucor Cor-Performance Fish Oil capsules for $1 on Amazon using a coupon code generated here. You have to enter an email address to get the code, but it instantly gives you the code without verifying your email address. Once you get the code, go to your shopping cart and enter it in the field that says "Add a gift card or promotion code"

Berlin's Raubdruckerin ("Pirate Printer") roam the world's great cities -- places like Paris, Amsterdam and Lisbon -- and apply ink-rollers directly to the prettiest manhole and utility covers they can find, then print tees, hoodies, posters and bags to sell with them. (more…)

See sample pages from this book at Wink.How to Pack for Any Trip Lonely Planet2016, 160 pages, 7 x 4.7 x 0.5 inches (softcover)$12 Buy a copy on AmazonI’ve bought many a travel guidebooks from Lonely Planet before jumping on a plane, but this is the first I’ve seen from the adventure publisher that guides you before you leave the house. Reminding me of Marie Kondo and her magical ways of tidying up, How to Pack for Any Trip helps the traveler learn to pack efficiently and clutter-free. (The packing section even says, Kondo-style, that “the liberation of decluttering is magical.”)With modern clean graphics, this pocket-size book (about the size of my wallet) teaches us how to choose our luggage, decide what to bring, pack lightly, fold – or roll up – our clothes, organize a backpack, and how to pack with kids. It also has a section on how to pack for different landscapes, such as large cities, the snow, campsites, beaches, the mountains, jungles, and deserts. Fun, useful, and just released last week, this book is a no-brainer for anyone planning to pack for a weekend trip or a month-long adventure.

I often marvel at my daughters computing experience. My first computer was a Timex-Sinclair 1000, hers was an iPad 2.My Timex-Sinclair is in a box, in my basement. Short of taking a hammer to it, it's pretty hard to break. Sadly, tablets and children don't get along as well. I got sick of replacing Apple iPads, and decided I'd try a refurbished Amazon Fire HD 7. For $50 I didn't think I could go too far wrong. I'm happy to say they tablet is fantastic! The size, quality of the screen and feel in my hand are all great. Video plays back and looks fantastic. The web browser is a tablet web browser and works pretty much just like Safari did. Apps are apps. If I was getting a new tablet, I'd get one of these. Managing the iPad for my daughter was OK. Keeping her from buying things or adding apps I didn't approve was pretty easy, but I didn't much care for the parental controls. Amazon supplies a $3 a month walled garden of children's content, metered by age, called Amazon Free-Time. I decided to try the subscription out and was immediately pleased. A lot of kid-appropriate games, video and apps were instantly loaded, and when logged into her profile, content is filtered at a 9-year-old level. She still watches a lot of Brataley. We've gotten a few weeks out of the tablet with no signs of wear and tear. Battery life goes quick, and needs recharging daily, but thats about the only complaint I've got. For $45 I won't even mind much when she does break it.Certified Refurbished Fire HD 7 Tablet, 7" HD Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB - Includes Special Offers, Black (Previous Generation - 7th) via Amazon** I also have the RAM expansion pack for my Timex-Sinclair.

Amorphophallus titanum is known as the "Corpse Flower" because it smells like rotten flesh. The infamous stink attracts flies and beetles that helps it get pollinated. Native to Sumatra, the plant rarely flowers and can take as long as a decade to bloom if it does. The New York Botanical Garden has cultivated a fine Corpse Flower and you can livestream it blooming any time now. Watch the video stream above but don't blink or you may miss it. If only Smell-O-Vision had caught on...From the NYBG:Each day of careful tending and feeding has led up to this moment: a brief yet glorious window in which the enormous plant (up to eight feet high) will unfurl, displaying the striking red interior and uncanny scent to which it owes its name. This is the first time that a blooming titan-arum has been put on display at the Garden since 1939, and this unique plant is unpredictable—it may be in flower for only one or two days.The Corpse Flower (NYBG)

After reflecting on his statements during an event sponsored by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation equating Jewish settlers to being termites, Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson tweeted, "Poor choice of words – apologies for offense." “There has been a steady [stream], almost like termites can get into a residence and eat before you know that you’ve been eaten up and you fall in on yourself, there has been settlement activity that has marched forward with impunity and at an ever increasing rate to the point where it has become alarming.”@ADL_National Poor choice of words – apologies for offense. Point is settlement activity continues slowly undermine 2-state solution.— Rep. Hank Johnson (@RepHankJohnson) July 25, 2016

Take that, you wicked telephone pole. (@Alby)Lightning strike obliterates telegraph pole: pic.twitter.com/8UIsFk3qg3— Alby (@Alby) July 25, 2016

Original series, best series.

Marissa Mayer has a nice executive pay package coming her way if she is terminated from Yahoo. Via CNBCThe CEO of the embattled online news site, currently trying to sell itself, is entitled to severance benefits valued at $54.9 million in case she is terminated without cause, according to a regulatory filing after the market closed Friday. The potential payout would also be triggered by a "change of control," which includes the sale of the company, according to the filing.Mayer's potential payout includes cash severance of $3 million, $26,324 to continue her health benefits, $15,000 for outplacement, and—if that's enough—nearly $52 million worth of accelerated restricted stock and options.

https://youtu.be/riwKuKSbFDsTruseneye92 says:I start with accents from my own country and then move on to other countries around the world and then progress to other random voices which are not all accent specific but refer to different types of people including but not limited to; film and video-game characters and video-game races. I have also added subtitles this time because it was a heavily requested feature in my previous two videos. The subtitles include a few slang/ dialect translations in brackets.I picked up most of these accents and voices from TV, Movies, Video-games, internet and real life experiences. I apologise for the all the accents and voices that I didn't include or got wrong but it would be impossible to imitate every accent and voice on the entire planet (let alone do them all perfectly) I am only human after all. Accents labeled with "unspecified variant" mean that I am unsure of the specific type/region the accent is from and that it does not represent everyone from that country. I myself am a British, Southern English Londoner and my natural accent (that you hear at the beginning and end of the video) is a mixture of Formal RP and Cockney.I like the automated voices about 2/3 of the way in.

Cracked has compiled a collection of 20 fun-to-ponder paradoxes, including the famous Paradox of the Court. From Wikipedia:The Paradox of the Court, also known as the counterdilemma of Euathlus, is a very old problem in logic stemming from ancient Greece. It is said that the famous sophist Protagoras took on a pupil, Euathlus, on the understanding that the student pay Protagoras for his infrastructure after he wins his first court case. After instruction, Euathlus decided to not enter the profession of law, and Protagoras decided to sue Euathlus for the amount owed.Protagoras argued that if he won the case he would be paid his money. If Euathlus won the case, Protagoras would still be paid according to the original contract, because Euathlus would have won his first case.Euathlus, however, claimed that if he won, then by the court's decision he would not have to pay Protagoras. If, on the other hand, Protagoras won, then Euathlus would still not have won a case and would therefore not be obliged to pay.The question is: which of the two men is in the right?, also known as the counterdilemma of Euathlus, is a very old problem in logic stemming from ancient Greece. It is said that the famous sophist Protagoras took on a pupil, Euathlus, on the understanding that the student pay Protagoras for his infrastructure after he wins his first court case. After instruction, Euathlus decided to not enter the profession of law, and Protagoras decided to sue Euathlus for the amount owed.Protagoras argued that if he won the case he would be paid his money. If Euathlus won the case, Protagoras would still be paid according to the original contract, because Euathlus would have won his first case.Euathlus, however, claimed that if he won, then by the court's decision he would not have to pay Protagoras. If, on the other hand, Protagoras won, then Euathlus would still not have won a case and would therefore not be obliged to pay.The question is: which of the two men is in the right?

The Imedia Creative Bureau in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan designed this concept cow-swiping-UFO milk bottle.From Imedia:We are trying to tend to come up with original and smart packaging or product designs. So this time the task was to create a milk package unlike anything on market shelves.We wanted to find very abstract or distant association with milk and cow.Cow being abducted by UFO is pretty common used image in pop-culture. But it was very unexpected idea for milk bottle. So we begun working on it. At first we sketched the shape of the bottle and its proportions. Then Kanat (our 3D designer) started to model the bottle while the rest of the team were looking for appropriate naming. We had some cool names like Cowsmilk (which reads like “cosmic”), Mimimilk and among them was Molocow.As you know “moloko” is a Russian word but thanks to outstanding director Stanley Kubrick everybody knows this word, we suppose. Also we wanted to pay tribute to Stanley Kubrick’s greatest movie “Orange clockwork”, and “Space Odyssey – 2001″ which is sci-fi classic. We were happy with the product name.Kanat worked on this project for a month roughly. He’s done the visualsvery well that some could take them as real ones.[via]Previously

Hillary Clinton, 45th president of the United States, would like to remind you of a few important things.I can fix this fucking country for you. And all you little bitches need to do is get off your asses one goddamn day in November.“Oh but what about your eeeemaaaaillls???” Shut the fuck up. Seriously, shut the fuck up and listen for one fucking second.Here’s all you need to know about me: - In 1992, I said I was proud to have followed my career instead of baking cookies. - The GOP fucking dragged me for it. They made me bake cookies. They’re scared of me. - Every time I have a job, y’all love me. Every time I run for anything, the GOP breaks out the big guns again and fucks me up good. And apparently it fucking works.

Verizon yesterday bought Yahoo, which had earlier bought Flickr, a photo-sharing site, and Tumblr, a blogging platform. Both of these places have three key qualities that raise important questions about their survival: 1) they're both oldschool platforms locked in time because they were bought by Yahoo, 2) both still have vast, dedicated userbases, 3) both have unique cultures that will be invisible to Verizon's legendarily banal middle-management culture.Flickr tried modernizing a few years ago to compete with Instagram and other fresh social-driven competitors, but had atrophied so much since the 2005 takeover by Yahoo that it couldn't recapture the lead. Yahoo seemed to listen, at least fleetingly. The company finally released some functional mobile apps and started offering a terabyte of storage space to users for free, but it was too little too late.For Ward, Yahoo was desperately trying to appeal to the Instagram generation, and in doing so started to alienate the site’s core users, many of whom were professional photographers. “We all had a lot of hope that Yahoo would be able to bring it back to life, but the changes that were introduced took away things we really loved,” she said.“When we gave feedback it felt like no one was listening. It was a little bit insulting to people who had been using it so actively for so many years. We were clearly not the target audience any more.”Tumblr, meanwhile, is neck-deep in smut and self-absorbed blather and other things likely to terrify suits—but its also one of the net's last safe redoubts for young women. Yahoo never had a plan for the site and left it to hang, but Verizon could shake things up—if it even notices it owns it."Verizon has two choices in my view. They can either let everything as is, and Tumblr will forever be a small service you provide for the benefit of a small quirky community that nobody gets or is able to make money out of, or they change what Tumblr in essence is," writes Rocha. "I doubt there's a middle ground here. There might be, since I'm not exactly business savvy, but smarter people than me tried and failed. Either way, neither choice will be easy and I guess nobody will be happy with it either way.""So I'll be honest here, I don't know if Tumblr can ever survive, as it is, once they monetize it," he continues. "As it exists now, it is a community that has survived for so long specifically because it hasn't been spoiled by other interests."

Having to pack and drag your stuff through security can put quite the damper on your vacation plans. Thankfully, we've got your back with one way to make traveling more painless: the Jumper Overnighter Travel Bag.This compact bag is so lightweight that you can effortlessly carry it, and fit it into any overhead compartment. But just because it’s small doesn’t mean it isn’t spacious: you'll actually pack more than you're used to.The Jumper Overnighter features a portable shelving system that keeps your clothes in order while they’re in the bag, and after you've reached your travel destination too. In other words, no more fussing with hotel hangers or forgetting your things in the closet when it’s time to leave.There’s even a laundry compartment that separates the clean clothes from the dirty, and a zippered shoe pocket that lets you bring along an extra pair of kicks without compromising your wardrobe.If you’ve had enough of traveling the hard way, you’re in luck: the Jumper Overnighter Travel Bag is now 24% off the regular price of $99—just $74.

Language Evolution Simulation is exactly that, showing words changing little by little as time passes in a tiny world with three islands. It's agent-based, which is to say that it models little computer folk interacting with one another to simulate the little mutations that add up over time.RulesIf an agent intersects with another, selects a word from the own vocabulary and tells that. The neighborhood receives and adds that word into its vocabulary as- Mutation of a vowel sound with 0.1 probability- Mutation of a const sound with 0.1 probability- Compounding with another word with 0.1 probability- Without any mutationThere's nothing to do but watch words change, but it feels like the underpinning of a very strange computer game about culture. I love agent-based models; check out this simulation of political cliques I made. It randomly generates several personalities, who then go around and bicker or flatter one another. It's very bland and primitive, made in Flash, and the "next turn" text is rather fiddly to click. But I've always had plans on expanding it into a more fully featured game.

Infernal Scoop is a crowdsourced storytelling site with a no-nonsense, functionalist vibe. Create a story, let readers wander through branching plot developments, and watch everything go weird and wild as they add their own. The format is geared to paragraph-length units posted anonymously—there doesn't seem to even be a way to set up an account—so it feels like a crazy experiment in "authorless" interactive fiction. [via r/internetisbeautiful]There are other sites like it, but this one has the feel of a tool rather than an environment. The street is finding its own uses.

Telecomunicaciones Indígenas Comunitarias A.C. -- a nonprofit telcoms company operated by and for indigenous groups in Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Veracruz -- has received a license to operate cellular services in at least 356 municipalities. It's the first time the Mexican telcoms regulator has given a operations license to an indigenous social group. (more…)

A sustained and rousing standing ovation for Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, tonight. (more…)

Here are some animals teaching people a lesson.

Amazon.com says it has entered into a partnership with the British government to get the nation's aviation authority approval for deliveries via small drones. (more…)

Vic Berger and Tim Heidecker’s epic RNC special is terrifying and hilarious. (more…)

Will Smith's entry in the annals of catchy Thomas the Tank Engine remixes is even better than Biggie the Tank Engine. Also, "Insane in the Train" is the perfect title, but that mix isn't quite up to the gold standard of the others:https://youtu.be/S5g8WMFpBEEHere's Back in Coal Black, just madness:https://youtu.be/Ofy-BgRzLQg