Attractions Magazine shared this clip of the voice actor behind Disney's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the late Dallas McKennon, talking about recording the gig. Humorously, he looks just as you would expect him to (a ye olde prospector type):The voice from Big Thunder Mountain looks exactly like we expected. Here’s Dal McKennon: pic.twitter.com/M2ifhyX6ez— Attractions Magazine (@Attractions) April 7, 2020In his 50-year career, Dal's most-famous acting credit wasn't Big Thunder though. He also voiced Gumby in Art Clokey's The Gumby Show. Check out his other many credits. (Geek Tyrant)lead image via Disney Parks Read the rest

As if the Disney Dole Whip and Churro recipes weren't enough to plump us up in quarantine, now Hilton has offered up their recipe for DoubleTree Inn's famous chocolate chip cookies:For the first time ever, DoubleTree by Hilton is sharing the official bake-at-home recipe for the brand’s beloved and delicious chocolate chip cookie, so at-home bakers can create the warm and comforting treat in their own kitchens. The warm chocolate chip cookie welcome is synonymous with DoubleTree hotels worldwide, and travelers look forward to receiving one, fresh from the oven, upon their arrival. Watch and learn:Full recipe here.photo by L.A. Foodie/Flickr Read the rest

View this post on Instagram I did a Weird Al of Friday I’m in Love because I get sad every Tuesday // #alainalynnemusic #thecureA post shared by ALAINA LYNNE // (@thealainalynne) on Apr 7, 2020 at 5:53pm PDTMy friend Alaina Lynne is a singer-songwriter and a visual artist. She posted this on Instagram the other day and it just … really spoke to my quarantine experience, ya know?Image: Bixentro/Flickr (CC 2.0) Read the rest

Even in their well-stocked pantry of digital goodies, Illustrator might be the most stealthily powerful app that Adobe’s popular Creative Cloud offers. As the go-to platform to create virtually any scalable vector graphic project, its versatility is mostly unmatched, even by its more famous sibling Adobe Photoshop.Of course, learning how to harness all that creative power is another story. While you’ve got a few extra hours to kill these days, now’s a great time to go deep exploring the vast capabilities of this foundational graphic design tool with the training in The Ultimate Adobe Illustrator’s Guidebook Certification Bundle.Whether you’re a CC first timer or just could use some extra practice with everything Illustrator can do, this collection brings together nine courses from some top instructors to explain and explore it all.Four courses here lay the groundwork for beginners, advancing from understanding basics, exploring lines and brushes and using the pen tool to color management, creating vector shapes and typographies and how to do processes like image traces. Using those lessons on some real-world examples like redrawing famous logos will start giving you a firm command of everything Illustrator can do.The training advances from there, helping students tackle increasingly more difficult projects, yet always using actual hands-on training examples to help reinforce the learning.A course like Digital Design Masterclass for Graphic Designers With Adobe goes deep on digital design theory training in icon design, website layout, digitizing sketches, eBook cover design, social media campaign design, and more; while Master Popular Graphic Design Projects gets into specific media for you to create like building your own package designs, digital assets, social media graphics, album art, magazine covers, layout spreads and beyond. Read the rest

Hyoog if true."The President of the United States has the authority to do what the President has the authority to do," President Trump says. He says local government "can't do anything without the approval of the President of the United States." pic.twitter.com/MZsVSM1bcV— joshscampbell (@joshscampbell) April 13, 2020I'm going to put it very simply. The President of the United States has the authority to do what the President has the authority to do. Which is very powerful.Damn if that ain't goin' down in history.In other news, the GOP has continued to remain to surprisingly silent on the issue of states' rights for which they fought so hard to use an excuse for bigotry over the last 250 years.Image: Public Domain via the White House Read the rest

Good news, everyone!One of the side effects of coronavirus lockdown around the world has been the tremendous reduction in pollution level. One can breathe in fresh air. And after ages probably, stars are also visible in the night sky.This is an ideal time to stargaze, given the number of constellations one can easily spot in the night sky without a telescope or even binoculars. Hope you did not miss the giant pink supermoon that recently graced the night sky.You might not want to miss another major celestial event that is going to occur soon: Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and the moon will appear together for three days! April 14, 15, 16.Read the rest at the Indiana Times.Image: YouTube Read the rest

From Just Security:What follows is a comprehensive timeline of major U.S. policy events related to the novel coronavirus pandemic. We’ve focused on the U.S. government’s preparation for a pandemic, tracking warning signals of COVID-19, and public and internal responses when the outbreak hit inside the United States.In our view, the timeline is clear: Like previous administrations, the Trump administration knew for years that a pandemic of this gravity was possible and imminently plausible. Several Trump administration officials raised strong concerns prior to the emergence of COVID-19 and raised alarms once the virus appeared within the United States. While some measures were put in place to prepare the United States for pandemic readiness, many more were dismantled since 2017.In response to COVID-19, the United States was slow to act at a time when each day of inaction mattered most–in terms of both the eventual public health harms as well as the severe economic costs. The President and some of his closest senior officials also disseminated misinformation that left the public less safe and more vulnerable to discounting the severity of the pandemic. When it came time to minimize the loss of life and economic damage, the United States was unnecessarily underprepared, had sacrificed valuable time, and confronted the pandemic with a more mild response than public health experts recommended. These lapses meant that the United States was ultimately forced to make more drastic economic sacrifices to catch up to the severity of the pandemic than would have otherwise been necessary. Read the rest

My daughter and I are enjoying Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but when I read Cecilia D'Agostino's negative review of the smash hit Nintendo title in Wired, I couldn't help but think she has a point. "[T]rapped in an endless cycle of kawaii capitalism," indeed.Animal Crossing: New Horizons is relaxing to me the way a high-end Maui resort may be relaxing—the kind where at-attention employees taxi $20 cocktails to your stinging-hot metal beach chair atop 500 truckloads of stolen white sand. I sit out in the sun, getting more and more intoxicated, but nothing stops the stinging, and the bill just keeps getting steeper.How is it possible to feel so completely unrelaxed in Animal Crossing? I’ve wondered this for hours, pitching my brain against the game’s repetitive dialog, frustrating mechanics, and obsession with debt bondage in search for a lasting dopamine high. And while I’ve enjoyed small, short-lived bursts of joy—a new fish species, a gift dropped from a balloon!—in the end, Animal Crossing has only felt like the grind, charmingly reskinned.Image: Nintendo Read the rest

During a totally unhinged coronavirus briefing that was a verbal abuse session and campaign rally, impeached and manifestly unfit U.S. president Donald Trump said "When somebody is the President of the United States, the authority is total."TRUMP:When somebody's the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that's the way it's gotta be... It's total and the governors know that.That's it, folks. That's the blog post.Nothing matters. Apparently not even The Tenth Amendment (Amendment X) to the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights.Nope. Nothing matters now. TRUMP: "When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that's the way it's gotta be. It's total." pic.twitter.com/zIuiBn1Mhw— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 13, 2020Trump: "The President of the United States has the authority to do what the president has the authority to do, which is very powerful. The president of the united States calls the shots." pic.twitter.com/wia8r2Fd1g— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) April 13, 2020President Trump just now: "When somebody is the president of the United States, the authority is total."Fact Check: That is definitely not true.— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) April 13, 2020President Trump lays out his view of his own authority here: “When somebody’s the president of the United States, the authority is total. And that’s the way it has to be.”— Eamon Javers (@EamonJavers) April 13, 2020... the president of the united states of america: "the authority is total... Read the rest

'TRUMP TURNS [CORONAVIRUS] BRIEFING INTO PROPAGANDA SESSION'

“'The difference now is the speed with which it spreads, and the denigration of the institutions that we rely on to understand the truth. I think we're in dangerous territory.'”Don't miss the New York Times investigation detailing Russia's decade-long health disinformation campaign against the United States and other Western democracies, using social media and news outlets to sow confusion and hurt institutions. Vladimir Putin's years-long campaign to spread misinformation on public health issues included urging Americans to see vaccines as dangerous.William J. Broad / New York Times:The Russian president has waged his long campaign by means of open media, secretive trolls and shadowy blogs that regularly cast American health officials as patronizing frauds. Of late, new stealth and sophistication have made his handiwork harder to see, track and fight.Even so, the State Department recently accused Russia of using thousands of social media accounts to spread coronavirus misinformation — including a conspiracy theory that the United States engineered the deadly pandemic.The Kremlin’s audience for open disinformation is surprisingly large. The YouTube videos of RT, Russia’s global television network, average one million views per day, “the highest among news outlets,” according to a U.S. intelligence report. Since the founding of the Russian network in 2005, its videos have received more than four billion views, analysts recently concluded.Read more:Putin’s Long War Against American Science For Vladimir Putin, spreading disinformation about coronavirus fits into a long pattern of sowing doubt about science outside of his country. Interesting story by @WilliamJBroad. Read the rest

A class action lawsuit filed against McDonald's corporation claims that women who worked for the fast food franchise in Florida restaurants were subjected to widespread sexual harassment. The lawsuit was filed on Friday in Chicago federal court, and accuses McDonald's of fostering a climate of “severe or pervasive sexual harassment and a hostile work environment, including groping, physical assaults, and sexually-charged verbal comments.”From Reuters:McDonald’s said in a statement that it was committed to ensuring workers were not subject to sexual harassment. “The plaintiffs’ allegations of harassment and retaliation were investigated as soon as they were brought to our attention, and we will likewise investigate the new allegations that they have raised in their complaint,” it said.The plaintiffs, McDonald’s employee Jamelia Fairley and former employee Ashley Reddick, are seeking to represent a class of female employees of Florida’s more than 100 corporate-owned, non-franchise McDonald’s locations. They are asking for $500 million in compensatory damages and additional punitive damages.Fairley and Reddick said in their complaint that McDonald’s failed to provide training to prevent sexual harassment and shuffled serial harassers from one location to another without consequence. “McDonald’s strategy in Florida appears to be: deny, ignore, and punish anyone who complains too loudly, and at times, move harassers from one restaurant to another restaurant, where they have access to and can further harass more women,” they said. Read more at Reuters:McDonald's faces class action over 'pervasive sexual harassment' Read the rest

'The purchased accounts include a victim's email address, password, personal meeting URL, and their HostKey'

There are little lights in this darkness that shine through and make, for a brief moment, the invisible zombie apocalypse seem a bit less horrifying. One of these for me has been Robert Fripp and his wife Toyah cracking themselves (and the internet) up on her twitter channel. Watch them as they play DIY Dancing with the Stars in their kitchen and flit about as pollinating bees in their back garden.And yes, that is Robert Fripp, he of the impeccable 3-piece suits and dour resting face, in a full-on bee costume and sheer black stockings. Nice gams, Bob!Happy #lockdown lunch pic.twitter.com/mQmnGYjC2c— Toyah Willcox (@toyahofficial) April 5, 2020Happy #lockdown #EasterSunday to the world xxxxx #ToyahWillcox #RobertFripp pic.twitter.com/NZBm6yX8mw— Toyah Willcox (@toyahofficial) April 12, 2020The Easter bees are buzzing in an English country garden #lockdown 🐝 💐🐝 #easter #bees #toyahwillcox #robertfripp pic.twitter.com/pYLhy6kUEh— Toyah Willcox (@toyahofficial) April 10, 2020Image: Screengrab Read the rest

Pandemic tourism is all the rage! Take a virtual tour of the tomb of Ramesses VI in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt.نقدم لكم اليوم جولة افتراضية داخل مقبرة الملك رمسيس السادس بوادي الملوك بالأقصر.Today we take you on a virtual tour in the tomb of Ramesses VI in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor. https://t.co/opLKOoreDD#StayHome #StaySafe#ExperienceEgyptFromHome— Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (@TourismandAntiq) April 13, 2020Image: Screengrab Read the rest

For the first time in its 40-year history, Restaurant Depot has opened their doors to the public. The wholesale food service supplier has 135 locations in the United States and it just so happens there is one half a mile away from me. I have long wanted to check out, so, after hearing the news on Thursday night, I was in line first thing Friday morning. The promise of in-stock toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and food -- at wholesale prices -- was just too tempting. Here's some of what I saw in my nearly two-hour shopping excursion. Ok, first, the warehouse is MASSIVE. And it's full of stuff I've never seen sold anywhere else. It makes Costco look like amateur hour.No, really. These are WHOLE GOAT CARCASSES:And a freezer case full of COD LOINS (which I later learned are the "filet mignon" of cod fish):If you need a pallet of Medjool dates, this place has your back:Or maybe "Crab Meat Seafood Specialties" are more your jam:A vat of Bubble Gum Flavored Sno-Cone syrup? No problem!Did you know Chinese food containers were called "Food Pails" in the industry? Neither did I:Here's a list of some of the more everyday items *I* left with, and what they cost:-- 25 lbs. of flour for $7.38-- Enough Clabber Girl baking powder to start a bakery $10.65-- Two gallons of whole milk for $6.26-- Five lbs. of fancy shredded jack and cheddar cheese (enchiladas, yo) for $12.40 Read the rest

This clip is apparently from "Malltime," a 1987 episode of the British TV documentary program Equinox. Some insist that the woman is an actor, and that may very well be true especially given the mall is located in Los Angeles. But that doesn't mean she isn't also a very enthusiastic mall walker. (via r/ObscureMedia) Read the rest

Disney+ didn't want butts on their platform so they edited Splash with digital fur technology pic.twitter.com/df8XE0G9om— Allison Pregler 📼 (@AllisonPregler) April 13, 2020If you watch Splash, the 1984 mermaid rom-com starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah, on Disney+, you'll be alerted that the film, rated PG when it was first released, has now "been modified from its original version. It has been edited for content." One piece of content that's been modified is Daryl Hannah's butt. Rather than cut her butt though, Disney+ attempted something much more delicate...(The A.V. Club) Read the rest

From sports to movies to concerts and beyond, so many of our favorite pastimes have been completely derailed by recent events. However, gaming is one hobby that’s only seemed to pick up steam with all these hours spent inside.Of course, it isn’t hard to see why millions of Americans trapped in their homes would lead to some hefty hours with a controller, blasting evildoers and losing oneself for a while in a completely digital world.However, we’d suggest rather than allowing Fortnite or Overwatch or Red Dead Redemption 2 gobble up all that time, this could be a perfect moment to start crafting a game all your own instead. With the training in The Hands-On Game Development Bundle: Make Your Own Games, you’ll explore what it takes to create your own intricate gaming universes from the ground up.This package includes 10 courses that start with the basic programming languages and key development platforms at the center of game creation. Most of these courses teach those disciplines as you’re actually creating small, playable games, making learning new skills not only informative but a lot of fun.After learning the C++ coding language to create a dungeon-based text game as well as Node.js to build APIs used in apps and multiplayer gaming, training also explores some of the most popular game creation platforms in use today, including Godot and the world leader, Unity.Different courses layout how to create an engaging strategy game, tactics for understanding movement and shooting in a virtual scenario and even how to build dynamic humanoid-style animated characters with the use of Unity and Adobe’s Mixamo 3D animation software. Read the rest

EXCLUSIVE | An underground nightclub in SF’s Bayview was shut down Saturday for illegally operating during the coronavirus outbreak, The Chronicle has learned.Story by @ctuan: https://t.co/cF9pGsCoIm pic.twitter.com/qYphlp7BRA— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) April 13, 2020San Francisco Police busted an alleged speakeasy operating in an industrial part of the Bayview neighborhood. Above is a clip of surveillance video that the city attorney's office says shows more than 150 people going in and out of the building. Not only is there a shelter-in-place mandate in San Francisco, the building apparently isn't permitted as a nightclub nor up to fire safety standards for that kind of use. From SFGate: Over the weekend, officers from SFPD's tactical unit and the Bayview Station seized "DJ equipment, two fog machines, nine gambling machines with $670 in cash inside, two pool tables, bins of liquor, cases of beer, bar furniture, and other nightclub-related items[...]According to court documents, the building tenant who has been allegedly operating the club told the property owner that he was using the building for storage.Police are also separately investigating a report of shots fired inside the building on March 15. Read the rest

"The lives of the rock stars are really not as strange as the lives of the fans."And here's Bowie's performance from the show that aired on December 5, 1974: Read the rest

The puzzle game Chocolate Fix has been a family favorite around our house for years.

We must come together to defeat the most dangerous president in modern history. I'm joining @JoeBiden's livestream with a special announcement. https://t.co/AC3zh3ChX3— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 13, 2020"We must come together to defeat the most dangerous president in modern history," Bernie Sanders just wrote on Twitter. "I'm joining @JoeBiden's livestream with a special announcement." And from the livestream: "We need you in the White House." Read the rest

In northeastern France, employees gave their boss, 64, a special gift experience of a flight on a Dassault Rafale B fighter jet. Apparently he had no interest in fighter jets and was rather freaked out by the prospect of flying in one. But he played along until, well, he didn't. From CNN:When the jet was 2,500 feet above ground and the pilot began to climb, the passenger panicked and reached for something to hold onto.Unfortunately, that something was the ejector seat button -- and the 64-year-old flew from the fighter jet.To make matters worse, he had not securely attached his helmet, which went flying in midair.Fortunately, the man avoided seriously injury after tumbling to earth in a field near the German border. Read the rest

Spoken Word with Electronics is an audio series delivering to you a two side recording of unusual stories paired with vintage modular electronic soundsTHIS WEEK:Episode #5: Audio PoliticsHello, everyone - I hope all things are continuing to be comfortable and well. This installment begins with the fourth part of an interview conducted with Paul Krassner. You can hear the entire interview here as one playlist - There will be two more installments added to this playlist in the next few weeks.The 60s offered a dystopian reality for many women. This installment focuses on an awful moment in US history (still at risk to return) where a satire magazine would be among the only places found to provide sanity and safety.When I interviewed Paul in 2017 for a comedy magazine I couldn't help but veer into the serious business of Paul running an underground abortion referral service. This wasn't being an abortion provider, merely indicating where such services could be found. I'll let Paul describe this best, but as an introduction, consider that there was ZERO public information on getting an abortion: no phone book, certainly no Internet (or social media, Google search, or any network), no public record. It had to be word of mouth, leading to many distortions, blackmail, and worse.Below is probably the most concise he's ever been describing his role of running an underground referral service. Paul did this for a decade, earning him a sizable chapter in his FBI file. Paul is a hero to me for a lot of reasons, but this most of all. Read the rest

From Denis Shiraev -- "[4k, 60 fps] San Francisco, a Trip down Market Street, April 14, 1906"Upscaled with neural networks trip down Market Street, San Francisco, 1906. This film was shot on April 14, 1906, just four days before the San Francisco earthquake and fire which killed an estimated 3 000 people and destroyed over 80% of the city of San Francisco. It was produced by: Harry, Herbert, Earle and Joe. Harry J.This is actually a staged shoot, so it's not actual traffic from that time [Wikipedia]Here's the unrestored version:Image: YouTube Read the rest

Burt Reynolds regretted turning down the part of James Bond, but now you can see how it would have turned out thanks to deepfakery.During his 60-year career, he claimed to have turned down several huge roles, including James Bond and Han Solo. Reynolds was eyed up as the replacement for Sean Connery's Bond, but told USA Today in 2015 that he turned down the part because he thought the public wouldn't accept an American 007.We're approaching the point where the seamlessness of the face-swap lets the attention wander to other things that haven't changed. In this, for example, the uncanny thing is the difference between Connery and Reynolds' very distinctive physical presences. In trying to summarize these differences, the best I can do is to say Connery is catlike and Reynolds is doglike. Read the rest

海外からの帰国者、成田空港でダンボールベッド。#コロナ #成田空港 https://t.co/31Hi5PKskf pic.twitter.com/s6j8uwZwtE— みさちゃす（Misachasu） (@misachasu0209) April 9, 2020Everyone entering Japan must be tested for coronavirus. While waiting for test results, they are welcome to stay in Narita airport's cardboard box hotel, conveniently located next to baggage claim. The service, which was set up by the Japanese government, charges about $70 a night. The average stay is 2 days.From Samchui:The cardboard beds have a futon mattress that is “pretty good”, according to an online review from a passenger who arrived at Narita on an ANA flight from Vietnam.Many travellers have commented that sleeping is difficult, since the lights remain on at all hours.The open-air beds have partitions at alternating corners, but are mostly exposed. Beverages and snacks are provided.You've got to admit, it looks pretty cozy. Read the rest

33MTA3 seems like an innocuous combination of letters and numbers. Until you see them in a rear view mirror.Mental Floss has a list of vanity plate names that have been banned in four states. For starters here are 10 plates the Colorado DMV won't issue:BENDOVRBOYTOYDAMFINEDRUGS1EATPOOFATBUTTGIMEAZZIAMNUDEIGETNKDILFRT4U Read the rest

Denis Villeneuve's Dune, based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel about space travel, drugs, witches, feudal vendettas, hydraulic despotism, genetics, monologues, etc., is out later this year, rona permitting. Vanity Fair has an exclusive shot from the long-awaited production, with more promised today.That's Timothée Chalamet as protagonist Paul Atreides, all but certainly on his family's fiefdom of Caladan. my god pic.twitter.com/iHu4ymYTKI— Rob Beschizza (@Beschizza) April 13, 2020 Read the rest

Ray Harryhausen was a pioneer of stop-motion animation, who won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1949 for his work on Mighty Joe Young with Willis H. O'Brien. He was created the infamous skeleton sword fight from 1963's Jason and the Argonauts, and also worked on similar big-monster classics like The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Clash of the Titans. As you can see in the video, it's an impressively meticulous body of work!Image:Public Domain Read the rest

The Feuerkrieg Division is the Baltic version of the US-based Atomwaffen Nazi paramilitary. And like their American counterparts, they were planning some murder, specifically with bombs.Fortunately, authorities were able to put a stop to theses plans once they identified and found their leader — who turned out to be a 13-year-old boy. From Deutsche Welles:Investigators found the group was headed by a 13-year-old, the German magazinesaid, citing Estonian newspaper Eesti Ekspress. The young man operated online under the name "Commander" and was responsible for the recruitment and admission of new members.He also shared bomb-making instructions, spoke about planning an attack on London and suggested organizing military training camps in February, to commemorate the "100th birthday" of Adolf Hitler's former political party NSDAP.A spokesman for the Estonian Internal Security Service told The Associated Press that they had intervened with the 13-year-old Commander's parents in Finland in January, but that, "As the case dealt with a child under the age of 14, this person cannot be prosecuted under the criminal law and instead other legal methods must be used to eliminate the risk. Cooperation between several authorities, and especially parents, is important to steer a child away from violent extremism."The Feuerkrieg Division has operatives in Germany, Lithuania, and the US, and some of their other leaders have also been apprehended recently. But the group was largely organized online, and according to the Eesti Ekspress, which broke the story, no one seemed to be aware that they were taking orders from a maniacal 13-year-old. Read the rest

The Pocket Art Director II offers even better advice than the 2014 original, "conveying a fresh perspective to accurately address the context and vigor of today’s commercial arts professional." In a world where there are too many options and too many things to worry about, this makes life simple. And right now, no-one has to know you're consulting! [via @doctorow]See also the Pocket Dev and the Pocket Founder. Read the rest

Lines outside Costco. Lines at Target. Lines at your neighborhood grocery store. While many items have been cleaned off all store shelves in the wake of virus hysteria, there’s one commodity that reigns above all others as the Holy Grail of shopper ambitions: toilet paper.Did you ever think you’d see a time when you would actually go to the store because an employee tipped you off that it was toilet paper shipment day? Did you think you’d ever go literally weeks without seeing so much as a single roll of Charmin or Angel Soft available for purchase?Yeah, we didn’t either. And frankly, it’s nuts. And if we never had to think about toilet paper again, it would be too soon.Of course, that’s a plausible future if you just broke down and got a quality bidet. They’re all the rage right now, even before the great toilet paper shortages — and the Bliss BB-2000 Bidet Toilet Seat is a shining example of what a toilet paper-free life could be like.The BioBidet Bliss BB-2000 represents the pinnacle of new cleansing technology and offers the premium experience you’d expect. The 3-in-1 nozzle is reliable and effective, producing a signature vortex water stream with a high water volume for a gratifying clean as well as a softer feminine wash with bubble infusion technology.If you’re concerned about all that water and whether you’ll eventually be on the receiving end of an ice-cold blast, the Bliss employs one of the most innovative hybrid water heating systems around, combining instant heating with water flow and temperature consistency to produce a continuously warm water flow that could practically run forever. Read the rest

There are more than 16m colors addressable at the standard 24-bits of depth, and barely a handful have proper names. Color Names sets out of remedy this historical failure of imagination, and is accepting nominations. It feeds you unnamed colors and you suggest a name.I've added a few, shown here; you can go and vote on the latest submissions. Read the rest

I'm a huge fan of Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, but I only recently learned that their bass player, Tarrant Anderson, also runs a company called Vans for Bands that handles vehicle rentals and logistics management for touring music group. It's a pretty cool idea, and a smart niche to find.Of course, there aren't a lot of touring bands right now.So Tarrant and his team are retrofitting some of their tour vans and tour buses to function as on-site facilities to help healthcare workers in the UK who are working on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis. From their fundraising page:At Vans For Bands we are thinking of innovative ways to use our sleeper buses to help the NHS deal with the current COVID--19 crisis. We have been in touch with many hospitals throughout the UK and it's clear there is a need for on-site sleeping and rest facilities for those NHS staff who are working long or extended shifts or who need to get some well needed rest during or between gruelling 12+ hour shifts when going home is not an option.[…]Your generous donations will enable us to fund only the running costs for providing this invaluable service; we are not making any profit, simply covering running costs. Any unused funds will be donated to each of the hospital charities where our buses are being utilised.It's a smart idea, and one that can definitely help; those tour buses are a lot nicer than the break rooms in the overcrowded hospitals, and even the cots are already setup to reserve about 2 meters worth of personal space for everyone (except across the aisle). Read the rest

A recent piece in the journal Scientific Reports claims that remnants of twisted fiber found on a flint tool are between 42,000 - 52,000 years old and may have been made by Neanderthals. The tool and string were found in a cave in Southern France that was inhabited by Neanderthals.NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce writes of the discovery:The discovery adds to growing evidence that our closest extinct human relative wasn't as dumb as scientists had long assumed."They are this sort of ultimate 'other,' this creature that is very similar to us yet somehow is supposed to be too stupid to live," said Bruce Hardy, a paleoanthropologist at Kenyon College in Ohio. He points out that Neanderthals were smart enough to have persisted for hundreds of thousands of years before eventually disappearing around 40,000 years ago. This is the oldest string found so far by a wide margin. The earliest string recovered before this was "only" 19,000 years old.Read the NPR piece. Read the Scientific Reports paper.Image: Salmen Bejaoui on Unsplash Read the rest

Whether a world economy is scorching hot or facing the challenges of recent weeks, one inalienable fact remains the same — job seekers need to go where the jobs are.With literally millions of Americans trying to navigate layoffs and cutbacks, it’s probably time for many to start considering a whole new industry. Preferably, it’s also an industry that pays its finest a handsome wage.A certified Amazon Web Services (AWS) Solutions Architect is averaging $141,000 a year. As the web’s unquestioned leader in cloud services, AWS certified experts are in high demand — and the training in the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam Prep Course can put that AWS-trained personnel in line for lucrative jobs designing and growing AWS based systems.This 17-hour course featuring over 130 lectures is fashioned for intermediate-level AWS users, ready to advance their cloud skills to the next level. After some introductory training, the sessions here delve into everything a new architect needs to know to design, build and factor in room for growth for any sized company on the AWS platform.From security to ID management to data storage and communication needs, this training helps an architect understand all the tools available in the AWS environment and assemble those tools together to meet each individual company’s specific cloud needs.The training covers crucial topics for an AWS architect like using Amazon’s popular, yet wide-ranging S3 data storage services, its EC2 virtual server options and its extensive array of security protocols.Once you’re through this 17-hour course, you’ll be armed with all the knowledge necessary to take on the all-important AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam and pass it with flying colors, earning your ultimate mark of expertise and instantly making you hireable with any number of tech-hungry companies, both large and small. Read the rest

For years, pillows were just pillows. They propped up your head and offered comfort during rest, then doubled as decorative items during the day. And that’s really about as much thought as most people gave pillows for literally thousands of years.But when science began understanding the true importance of sleep in everything from our physical performance and health to its role in regulating our mental condition, the role of our no. 1 sleep buddy, the pillow, was also opened to reevaluation.Memory foam was created 50 years ago — and we haven’t looked back on sleep technology since, innovating a whole new wave of pillow developments that no one would have dreamed of before. Those advances in the pillow arts bring us to the Ceramo Queen Pillow, which brings together a pair of scientific methods for ensuring a sound sleep as well as a sound mind and body.The pillow itself contains that plush, luxurious air memory foam that stays cooler, better supports your head and shoulders and generally works wonders for sleepers, whether they slumber on their back, stomach or side.However, the Ceramo is also infused with a bio-ceramic gel that’s been found to have some pretty restorative effects on the body as well. In addition to diffusing heat and offering a cooler sleep, the gel returns that heat in the form of infrared energy.Soaking in that radiant body heat while you sleep, the infrared has been found to improve circulation, boost oxygen levels to increase muscle and tissue strength, promote relaxation, reduce stress and even help soothe aching or inflamed joints. Read the rest

My friends at Reboot, the Jewish arts and culture nonprofit, are hosting a free Passover concert stream today at 2pm PDT / 5pm EDT with a killer lineup! The show, "Reboot Ideas: Liberation Through Music," features Nicki Bluhm (The Gramblers), Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All-Stars), Jeremiah Lockwood, and Zach Rogue (Rogue Wave). Dayenu! Tune in here on Zoom.And check out the calendar of upcoming Reboot Ideas sessions here!L'Chaim! Read the rest

There has probably never been a better time to cajole your family members and far-flung friends into playing D&D. It's a great escape from the strange world we now find ourselves in and a perfect organized activity that involves planning, social interaction, cooperative story-telling, logic and math, creativity, and the imagination.To make your shut-in days (weeks and months) a little bit more entertaining and fun, WotC has set up a "Stay at Home, Play at Home" section of their Dungeons & Dragons website. There you can find tons of free online tools to assist you in your games: how to play materials, free basic rules, campaigns, encounters, and even activities and coloring books for younger kids. They also have a resource section for ways to play D&D remotely.(And yes, that's a dragon wearing an N95 mask on the logo. As I said, strange times.)Image: Program logo Read the rest

A film by Lernert & Sander; happy Easter! Read the rest

Not long ago, the term weighted blanket elicited more blank stares than nods of recognition. But a funny thing happened over the course of the past few years. People who had trouble nodding off to sleep each night or who found themselves waking up multiple times throughout the overnight hours realized they didn’t just have to live with it — and the answer was simply a matter of adding a new bedding accessory.Of course, there is no magic solution to everyone’s sleep problems. And studies are only beginning to look into the true benefits of sleeping under a weighted blanket each night. But what’s undeniable is that many report a more restful, soothing sleep when they started using a blanket with up to 30 lbs of glass beads or other materials inside. This pressure therapy gives the body the sensation of being hugged or held, encouraging the brain to release neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine that encourage more restful sleep and even combat symptoms of autism, anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).No matter what’s keeping you from eight hours of uninterrupted rest each night, the Hush Blanket 2-in-1 Summer and Winter Bundle may help offer a tangible answer proven to work in thousands.Filled with 20 to 30 lbs. of non-toxic glass sand evenly distributed throughout this 60 by 80-inch microfiber blanket, the Hush Blanket helps alleviate stress and anxiety while promoting sleep health.Experts suggest choosing a blanket that equals about 10 percent of your body weight, so you can choose from 20, 25, or 30 lb. Read the rest

Some sports are slower. More about the strategy. pic.twitter.com/JMBaGJ1tSd— Andrew Cotter (@MrAndrewCotter) April 9, 2020Oliver and Mabel are what the world needs now.Previously: Dogs' breakfast commentatedImage: Twitter Read the rest

Who knew that THIS was the sound of one hand clapping?And as if that wasn't enough delight for the day:Image: YouTube Read the rest

American political memories can be so short. Remember that time way back in 2005, during the avian flu A(H5N1) crisis, when a junior senator named Barack Obama wrote an op-ed in the New York Times warning that America urgently needed to prepare for a pandemic, and that we could model our readiness on the lessons learned from the 1918 flu?As Dan Diamond pointed out online today, way back in 2005, before Obama ran for president, “there was growing political consensus to fund those planning efforts.”“A junior senator named BARACK OBAMA even argued in the New York Times that it was time for 'decisive action to prevent a pandemic.'”Here's an excerpt from that op-ed, “Grounding a Pandemic,” by Barack Obama and Richard Lugar, June 6, 2005:International health experts believe that Southeast Asia will be an epicenter of influenza for decades. We recommend that this administration work with Congress, public health officials, the pharmaceutical industry, foreign governments and international organizations to create a permanent framework for curtailing the spread of future infectious diseases.Among the parts of that framework could be these:Increasing international disease surveillance, response capacity and public education and coordination, especially in Southeast Asia.Stockpiling enough antiviral doses to cover high-risk populations and essential workers.Ensuring that, here at home, Health and Human Services and state governments put in place plans that address issues of surveillance, medical care, drug and vaccine distribution, communication, protection of the work force and maintenance of core public functions in case of a pandemic. Read the rest

The United States on Saturday reached a grim milestone. Our country has now surpassed Italy in having the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the world. Health experts call this toll 'an underestimation,’ because of the severe problems with access to coronavirus testing throughout America.Also today, Anthony S. Fauci, the country's leading infectious disease expert, says he hopes for “a real degree of normality” by November.Election month.Hold on to your butts.[washingtonpost.com] Read the rest

The Neon Museum in Las Vegas turned the cameras on their Neon (sign) Boneyard for a live tour focusing on Tim Burton’s Lost Vegas exhibit. I wasn't able to get down to Vegas for the show, so this was a real treat!More about the show here: Read the rest

I've never really understood the modern concept of "owning a town" — other than, ya know, terrible wannabe feudal lords.But thanks a Reddit AMA this week, I've got a better idea of what exactly goes into owning and rebuilding up a deserted ghost town. Brent Underwood recently purchased the abandoned 22-building town of Cerro Gordo in California for $1.4 million dollars — not a bad price for a whole town, honestly, although it needs some work. Underwood was kind enough to answer some questions in the Reddit forum, and it's pretty enlightening to see how, exactly, he plans to make anything out of this desolate old mine-and-murder town. (It's also just interesting to see how he's meaning to survive his coronavirus quarantine in the snow without runing water.)I read the whole thread, and my only disappointment was the lack of answers on how you make a ghost pay rent. But Jeff Goldblum did stop by one time, so I guess life, uhhh, finds a way. View this post on Instagram Overview of Cerro GordoA post shared by Cerro Gordo (@cerro.gordo.ca) on Jul 12, 2018 at 7:29am PDT IamA guy who bought a 22-building 'ghost town' over a year ago with a friend. It was once California's largest silver producer and had a murder a week. I've been up here for past 3 weeks quarantining and currently snowed-in with no way out of the town. AMA! [Reddit]They Bought a Ghost Town for $1.4 Million. Now They Want to Revive It. Read the rest

Look, nothing about what's done in this video is easy or anything less than time consuming. But, if you're hellbent on being able to enjoy something as close to a Cadbury Creme Egg as possible, 365 days of the year, this recipe is your huckleberry. Read the rest