1467926123000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdotearth.blogs.nytimes.com%2F2016%2F07%2F07%2Fa-war-for-the-woods-as-an-asian-fungus-slightly-blunts-gypsy-moth-outbreaks%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
A Biological Surprise Attack Slows Gypsy Moth Invasion
This year's big outbreak of invasive gypsy moth caterpillars has been slightly blunted by an Asian fungus with a mysterious origin story.
gaia

1467926122000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Faaron-pomerantz%2Fphotos-reptiles-amphibians-ecuador_b_10818450.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
These Photos of Reptiles and Amphibians Will Transport You to Another World
"aaron

A high angle view of the Yasuni National Park in the remote jungles of Ecuador.

YASUNI NATIONAL PARK, Ecuador -- Ecuador is a beautiful country on South America's west coast, and despite its small size, it has an extremely diverse landscape -- including the Amazon rainforest, the Andean highlands and the Galápagos Islands. I recently conducted a research expedition to Ecuador, and it was an unforgettable experience to say the least.

During our travels through the mainland and the Galápagos, we encountered an incredible diversity of frogs, snakes, lizards and salamanders. Without further ado, here are my top 10 favorite amphibian and reptile encounters:

1. Rain Frogs

Our first night in Sumaco, Ecuador was a rainy one, perfect conditions for peeping rain frogs.

An itty bitty Dendropsophus minutus perched on my finger.

2. Fringed Leaf Tree Frog

The Fringed Leaf Tree Frog (Cruziohyla craspedopus) is one of the most fantastic amphibians in the Neotropics.

Living in high canopies, the Fringed Leaf Tree Frog is very difficult to spot.

3. Banded Tree Anole

A female Banded Tree Anole, characterized by those brilliant blue eyes.

This male Banded Tree Anole's bright dewlap is used to grab the attention of females and to defend his territory.

A Banded Tree Anole, perched on a leaf in the Yasuni National Park.

4. Amazon Tree Boa

An utterly gorgeous Amazon Tree Boa coiled around a tree in Yasuni.

A close-up of the Amazon Tree Boa.

The juvenile Amazon Tree Boa has a much redder underbelly than the adult.

The baby Amazon Tree Boas can be a little ... bitey.

5. Glass Frogs

Glass Frogs are incredible little amphibians. Their backs are mainly lime green but their underside is totally translucent. You can even see their little hearts beating.

Glass Frogs are one of my favorite critters in the cloud forest of Mindo. They lay their eggs in a clutch on leaves above a stream; when the tadpoles are developed enough to swim, they drop down into the water and venture off to become beautiful translucent frogs.

6. Tropical Salamander

Tropical Salamanders win the most adorable, squishy animal award, hands down.

We typically spotted these little guys on night hikes in Sumaco.

7. Geckos

A large gecko we found snacking on moths near a light at the Yasuni Research Station.

If it weren't for geckos, humans might never have invented sticky adhesive nanostructures. Gecko toes contain thousands of hair-like setae, and it wasn't until 2002 that the mechanism for their adhesive ability, which is based on van der Waals forces, was discovered.

8. Galápagos Iguanas

Galápagos Marine Iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) have short, flat noses so they can feed on algae in the ocean.

Current research and genetic data on Land Iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus) suggest the Marine Iguana split from the Land Iguana around 4.5 million years ago, forming the two different and distinct species we see today.

The night sky on the Galápagos Islands at the Floreana Lava Lodge.

9. Giant Galápagos Tortoise

Galápagos Giant Tortoises likely arrived at the islands around 2-3 million years ago by drifting from South America before diversifying into as many as 15 subspecies.

Giant tortoises are one of the longest-lived vertebrates, living over 100 years on average.

A treehouse located in the highlands of Santa Cruz island, where wild Giant Tortoises gather.

10. The Rare Pinocchio Lizard

The Pinocchio Lizard (Anolis proboscis) is an endangered anole found in the cloud forest of Mindo; only the males possess strange horns.

The Pinocchio Lizard has a very mossy pattern to camouflage with the wet moss in the canopy.

The Pinocchio Lizard's nose is used to attract females and defend territory from rival males.

I hope you enjoyed these incredible reptiles and amphibians as much as we did. Special thanks to Lucas Bustamante from Tropical Herping and thanks to TROPIC for hosting us during our visit to the Galápagos. If you want to plan your own trip, visit Destination Ecuador.

For more you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram!

An Ecuadorian, a Californian and a Venezuelan walk into a jungle...My first time in the field with Lucas Bustamante and Alejandro Arteaga, two amazing researchers and photographers who have traveled through the most remote parts of Ecuador's rainforests in search of new frog and reptile species. #Ecuador #TropicalHerping #snake #reptile #amphibian #research #Herpetologist #expedition #explore #discover #herpetology #journey #rainforest #science
A photo posted by Aaron Pomerantz (@nextgenscientist) on Jun 14, 2016 at 5:14pm PDT

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

gaia

1467926119000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Felizabeth-mcculley-gore%2Fget-smart-fast-off-shore_b_10862978.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Get Smart Fast: Off-shore Wind Power
Off-shore wind energy has long been considered an important option for renewable power especially given the focus on finding low-carbon or no-carbon energy sources. Off-shore winds are typically stronger and steadier over the ocean. In addition, off-shore wind farms can be located near densely populated coastal cities.

However, the industry has struggled. There are no operational commercial projects in the United States. Cape Wind - which was expected to be the first - has become a symbol of the difficulties for off-shore wind because it has been plagued with law suits, technical challenges, and local opposition.

Despite the setbacks that Cape Wind has faced, off-shore wind energy is gathering momentum. In recent years, technology has improved, prices have come down, and perhaps most importantly, lessons have been learned about siting.

Other parts of the world have embraced this technology as well with more than 3,000 off-shore wind turbines in Europe. Here at home, federal regulations have been simplified and dozens of projects are now in the planning stages, especially along the eastern seaboard. Several companies have announced investments in off-shore wind technology or manufacturing. Therefore, we should expect U.S. projects to come online in the near future as American business works toward increased use of this natural resource.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

gaia

1467926117000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedaily.com%2Freleases%2F2016%2F07%2F160707131151.htm&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Like humans, lowly cockroach uses a GPS to get around, scientists find
Rats, men and cockroaches appear to have a similar GPS in their heads that allows them to navigate new surroundings, researchers have discovered.
gaia

1467926116000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Frich-gurney-phd%2Fwhy-we-need-real-environm_b_10858980.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Why We Need Real Environmental Reform, Not "Greenwashing"
Does the "BPA-free" sticker on your water bottle mean it's safe, or just well-marketed? Is building an athletic field out of recycled tires a green choice, or one that introduces more toxic material into our environment?

These are the dilemmas we face as consumers. We make thousands of choices every day about what to put in, on and near our bodies. Even if we have the critical thinking skills to evaluate the merits of every product we simply don't have the time. We often must rely on others to make decisions that we implicitly trust are in our best interest. But often the toxic materials that make headlines are replaced by well-intentioned but unproven alternatives -- like replacing BPA with the chemically-similar and totally untested substance BPS.

The FDA currently does not have the budget to conduct extensive long-term research on many potentially harmful products. Industry is required to effectively self-regulate. Most consumers are completely unaware of this fact. This Spring my students raised a "Stink!" upon previewing the documentary by Jon Whelan and took incremental steps in a less toxic direction with the Silent Spring Institute's Detox Me App. The rest of us would be wise do the same.

Educators must ensure the STEM workforce be research-empowered to solve today's problems without creating issues for tomorrow. In the interim, consumers can turn to the Skin Deep Database and Think Dirty App, while decision makers must use the best information available.

Recently, Simmons College partnered with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to develop Daly Field, a Boston athletic complex with dirt fields that had fallen into disrepair. Hopefully, our stewardship and development choices will protect both our athletes and our community.

Simmons is installing new synthetic fields that save up to a million gallons of water needed to maintain comparable natural grass fields -- and help to eliminate existing erosion and reduce contaminants from fertilizers and pesticides.

Synthetic turf is an easy choice, but Simmons recently made a tougher call. As a result of an ongoing federal investigation into the safety of crumb rubber (made largely from recycled tires) as infill in synthetic fields, Simmons opted for a more expensive all-natural alternative at Daly Field. Geofill consists of 90% crushed coconut husks and 10% cork. It has been in use for more than 10 years. By choosing to install Geofill rather than crumb rubber, Simmons has assured that Daly Field will be the greenest and cleanest public playing field in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Long overdue reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act is headed for President Obama's pen with bipartisan support. Whether the legislation will lead to much-needed consumer protections or future problems remains to be seen. With any luck, the reform will not follow the current trend of replacing a hazard with an alternative that later proves to be worse.

Let's hope that the government looks to the future and funds the study and development of greener alternatives that are better for both our health and the environment. Our STEM students are up to the challenge.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

gaia

1467926113000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Ftim-profeta%2Fthe-climate-post-natural_b_10861456.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
The Climate Post: Natural Fluctuations Responsible, in Part, for Antarctica Ice Growth
Natural fluctuations specifically related to the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) are responsible for the increased growth of Antarctic sea ice, according to a new study in the journal Nature Geoscience. A negative shift in the IPO has caused cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the Eastern Pacific, allowing Antarctic sea ice to expand since 2000.

"The climate we experience during any given decade is some combination of naturally occurring variability and the planet's response to increasing greenhouse gases," said National Center for Atmospheric Research scientist Gerald Meehl, lead author of the study. "It's never all one or the other, but the combination, that is important to understand."

But what's new in the latest study, writes Chris Mooney in The Washington Post, "is the suggestion that this negative IPO phase had consequences that stretched all the way to the Southern Ocean waters surrounding Antarctica--and that this, in turn, explains why most climate models didn't predict the observed growth of Antarctic sea ice."

Study researchers suspect that the IPO began switching to a positive phase in 2014 and that ice in the region may shrink in the next decade.

Study Points to Human Influence on Changes in Earth's Biggest Body of Warm Water

A study in Science Advances has provided the first quantitative attribution of human influences on and natural contributions to warming of the Indo-Pacific warm pool (IPWP), Earth's largest region of warm sea surface temperatures and one "fundamental to global atmospheric circulation and the hydrological cycle."

To "fingerprint" anthropogenic forcings and natural causes of substantial IPWP warming and expansion, researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology and their international colleagues paired observations with multiple climate model simulations integrated with and without human influences. They found that the IPWP had warmed by 0.3 Celsius and increased in size by about a third over the last 60 years primarily due to an increase in human-made greenhouse gases.

About 12 to 18 percent of the warming has been due to natural variability in the ocean, but the remaining portion is due to the greenhouse gas increase, according to study co-author Seung-Ki Min of Pohang University in South Korea.

"We have more energy available from the hotter ocean," said Min. "That means the atmosphere will be enhanced to transport more energy from the tropical ocean to the high latitude zone."

The findings indicate that future ocean warming could increase storm activity over East Asia and strengthen monsoons over South Asia.

"This wasn't entirely surprising. We've long suspected climate change to be behind the changes, but no one had yet proven it," said Evan Weller, lead author, noting that what was surprising is that the western portion of the pool, near India, is expanding more than the eastern part in the Pacific. "We don't really know why. We'll try to figure that out next."

Report: United States Is Oil Reserves Leader

The United States holds the largest share of the world's oil reserves--264 billion barrels to Russia's 256 billion and Saudi Arabia's 212 billion, according to Rystad Energy, a Norwegian industry research group that tracks proved and probable reserves, discoveries and undiscovered fields. More than 50 percent of remaining oil reserves, it claims, are unconventional shale oil. Texas alone holds more than 60 billion barrels of shale oil.

On the basis of a three-year analysis of 60,000 fields worldwide, the group estimates global reserves to be 2,092 billion barrels--roughly 70 times the current production rate of some 30 billion barrels of crude oil per year.

"This data confirms that there is a relatively limited amount of recoverable oil left on the planet," the report says. "With the global car-park possibly doubling from 1 billion to 2 billion cars over the next 30 years, it becomes very clear that oil alone cannot satisfy the growing need for individual transport."

The Climate Post offers a rundown of the week in climate and energy news. It is produced each Thursday by Duke University's Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

gaia

1467926112000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedaily.com%2Freleases%2F2016%2F07%2F160707102620.htm&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Rhesus macaques may be preying on bird eggs in Silver Springs
A new study in Florida is suggesting that that more needs to be learned about animals' habits and impacts so that park staff can make science-based decisions on how to manage non-native monkeys.
gaia

1467926110000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Ftim-profeta%2Fthe-climate-post-natural_b_10861456.html&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Tim Profeta: The Climate Post: Natural Fluctuations Responsible, in Part, for Antarctica Ice Growth
Natural fluctuations specifically related to the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) are responsible for the increased growth of Antarctic sea ice,...

gaia

1467926109000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Ftheodore-j-boutrous-jr%2Fthe-ends-do-not-justify-t_b_10860438.html&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr.: The Ends Do Not Justify The Means
In 2014, a federal court found that an American lawyer fabricated evidence, bribed court officials and intimidated judges as part of a lawsuit in Ecua...

gaia

1467926107000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fjack-choros%2F5-things-you-can-do-to-ke_1_b_10863170.html&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Jack Choros: 5 Things You Can Do To Keep The Air Around You Fresh
It's within that spirit of constantly evolving as both global citizens and healthy human beings that I leave you with five things you can do to keep the air around you fresh.

gaia

1467926061000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgo.theregister.com%2Ffeed%2Fwww.theregister.co.uk%2F2016%2F07%2F07%2Fdying_satellite_sends_scientists_one_last_surprise_before_breaking_apart%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Dying satellite sends scientists one last surprise before vanishing

To wit: Pics of a burping supermassive black hole

Hitomi, the failed X-ray observatory sent up to space by Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency, peered deep into the heart of a galaxy to reveal hot bubbling plasma before it died.…

science

1467925451000

general

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatlantic.com%2Fvideo%2Findex%2F490241%2Fin-texas-stuck-on-mexican-side-of-the-border-wall%2F%3Futm_source%3Dfeed&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
The No Man's Land Beneath the Border Wall

There's a small stretch of soil north of the Rio Grande river that's still part of the United States, but exists below the Mexican border wall. The Atlantic went inside this no-man's land to uncover what life is like in a place that feels not-quite America, but not-quite Mexico.

general

1467925291000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F128566899%40N02%2F27876585230%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Have to love an evening sky

elainedavis189 posted a photo:

images

1467925287000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdailyoverview.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F147058030999&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
The Lebrija 1 Solar Power Plant in Lebrija, Spain is comprised...

The Lebrija 1 Solar Power Plant in Lebrija, Spain is comprised of approximately 170,000 individual mirrors installed on 6,048 parabolic troughs. If placed next to one another, the troughs would extend for 60 kilometers.

images

1467925285000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2F500px.com%2Fphoto%2F162001385%2Fwolf-by-jan-machata&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Wolf by Jan Machata

Wolf by Jan Machata

Jan Machata: Photos

images

1467925283000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2F500px.com%2Fphoto%2F161997209%2Fmidday-by-dasha-pears&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
midday by Dasha Pears

midday by Dasha Pears

Dasha Pears: Photos

images

1467925280000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.seattletimes.com%2Fnation-world%2Fphotos-of-the-day-july-7-2016%2F%3Futm_source%3DRSS%26utm_medium%3DReferral%26utm_campaign%3DRSS_photos-of-the-day&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Photos of the Day: July 7, 2016

Explore the news of the day with these images from around the world.
images

1467925278000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2F500px.com%2Fphoto%2F161968457%2Fscarface-by-l%25C3%25ADdia-vives&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Scarface by Lídia Vives

Scarface by Lídia Vives

if you like my work you can follow me on: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/lidiavivesphotography/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lidiavivesphoto/

Lídia Vives: Photos

images

1467925277000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2F500px.com%2Fphoto%2F161940825%2F-by-barbara-florczyk&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
... by Barbara Florczyk

... by Barbara Florczyk

photomanipulation 2016 Facebook page model http://fuchsfee-stock.deviantart.com/

Barbara Florczyk: Photos

images

1467925275000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2F500px.com%2Fphoto%2F161931845%2Fthe-spiral-manoeuvre-by-lezanne-gibbs&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
The Spiral Manoeuvre by Lezanne Gibbs

The Spiral Manoeuvre by Lezanne Gibbs

Lezanne Gibbs: Photos

images

1467925273000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2F500px.com%2Fphoto%2F161918035%2Fcomposition-by-thomas-thomopoulos&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Composition by Thomas Thomopoulos

Composition by Thomas Thomopoulos

Thomas Thomopoulos: Photos

images

1467925271000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2F500px.com%2Fphoto%2F161855177%2Fsnowy-toronto-nights-by-mindz-eye&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Snowy Toronto nights by Mindz.eye

Snowy Toronto nights by Mindz.eye

Mindz.eye: Photos

images

1467922335000

robots

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Duk%2526usg%253DAFQjCNGUDajMeQSOnGzReyfjP8JyNEFMow%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526cid%253D52779149073446%2526ei%253DQpp-V_CzKIPrzAaplaeYDw%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.thefiscaltimes.com%252F2016%252F07%252F07%252FUS-Navy-Wants-Locusts-Sniff-Out-Bombs%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
r0B0t: The US Navy Wants Locusts to Sniff Out Bombs - The Fiscal Times

The Fiscal Times

The US Navy Wants Locusts to Sniff Out Bombs
The Fiscal Times
Insects engineered to detect explosives sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but they may become a reality for the US military. Last week, the US Office of Naval Research awarded researchers at the University of Washington in St. Louis, Missouri ...
Can locusts sniff out bombs? The US Navy is trying to find outChristian Science Monitor
Engineers to use cyborg insects as biorobotic sensing machinesScienceBlog.com (blog)
US Navy Funds Scientists to Develop Locusts as Cyborg Bomb Sniffers of the FutureNature World News
National Post -Business Insider -Techworm -ChristianNewsToday.com
all 60 news articles »

robots

1467919154000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fsections%2Fhealth-shots%2F2016%2F07%2F07%2F484950849%2Fsynthetic-stingray-may-lead-to-a-better-artificial-heart%3Futm_medium%3DRSS%26utm_campaign%3Dresearchnews&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Synthetic Stingray May Lead To A Better Artificial Heart

Using gold, silicone, and heart cells from a rat, scientists have made a tiny artificial stingray. The engineering involved in propelling it could help make a heart that's more than a mechanical pump.

science

1467919152000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPhysicsWorld%2F%7E3%2FmOfVhKwsRgk%2Fgiant-planet-orbits-three-stars-and-enjoys-multiple-sunsets&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Giant planet orbits three stars and enjoys multiple sunsets
Young gas giant is the smallest planet to be imaged directly

science

1467919149000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Faaron-pomerantz%2Fphotos-reptiles-amphibians-ecuador_b_10818450.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dscience%26ir%3DScience&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
These Photos of Reptiles and Amphibians Will Transport You to Another World
"aaron

A high angle view of the Yasuni National Park in the remote jungles of Ecuador.

1. Rain Frogs

Our first night in Sumaco, Ecuador was a rainy one, perfect conditions for peeping rain frogs.

An itty bitty Dendropsophus minutus perched on my finger.

2. Fringed Leaf Tree Frog

The Fringed Leaf Tree Frog (Cruziohyla craspedopus) is one of the most fantastic amphibians in the Neotropics.

Living in high canopies, the Fringed Leaf Tree Frog is very difficult to spot.

3. Banded Tree Anole

A female Banded Tree Anole, characterized by those brilliant blue eyes.

This male Banded Tree Anole's bright dewlap is used to grab the attention of females and to defend his territory.

A Banded Tree Anole, perched on a leaf in the Yasuni National Park.

4. Amazon Tree Boa

An utterly gorgeous Amazon Tree Boa coiled around a tree in Yasuni.

A close-up of the Amazon Tree Boa.

The juvenile Amazon Tree Boa has a much redder underbelly than the adult.

The baby Amazon Tree Boas can be a little ... bitey.

5. Glass Frogs

Glass Frogs are incredible little amphibians. Their backs are mainly lime green but their underside is totally translucent. You can even see their little hearts beating.

6. Tropical Salamander

Tropical Salamanders win the most adorable, squishy animal award, hands down.

We typically spotted these little guys on night hikes in Sumaco.

7. Geckos

A large gecko we found snacking on moths near a light at the Yasuni Research Station.

8. Galápagos Iguanas

Galápagos Marine Iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) have short, flat noses so they can feed on algae in the ocean.

The night sky on the Galápagos Islands at the Floreana Lava Lodge.

9. Giant Galápagos Tortoise

Galápagos Giant Tortoises likely arrived at the islands around 2-3 million years ago by drifting from South America before diversifying into as many as 15 subspecies.

Giant tortoises are one of the longest-lived vertebrates, living over 100 years on average.

A treehouse located in the highlands of Santa Cruz island, where wild Giant Tortoises gather.

10. The Rare Pinocchio Lizard

The Pinocchio Lizard (Anolis proboscis) is an endangered anole found in the cloud forest of Mindo; only the males possess strange horns.

The Pinocchio Lizard has a very mossy pattern to camouflage with the wet moss in the canopy.

The Pinocchio Lizard's nose is used to attract females and defend territory from rival males.

An Ecuadorian, a Californian and a Venezuelan walk into a jungle...My first time in the field with Lucas Bustamante and Alejandro Arteaga, two amazing researchers and photographers who have traveled through the most remote parts of Ecuador's rainforests in search of new frog and reptile species. #Ecuador #TropicalHerping #snake #reptile #amphibian #research #Herpetologist #expedition #explore #discover #herpetology #journey #rainforest #science
A photo posted by Aaron Pomerantz (@nextgenscientist) on Jun 14, 2016 at 5:14pm PDT

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

science

1467919145000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPhysicsWorld%2F%7E3%2F_Gn9bTU9uw4%2Fpathway-to-planet-nine&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Pathway to Planet Nine
Konstantin Batygin explains what led him and astronomer Mike Brown to propose the existence of a ninth planet in our solar system

science

1467919142000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPhysicsWorld%2F%7E3%2FD1Es260zQQs%2Fpathway-to-planet-nine&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Pathway to Planet Nine
Konstantin Batygin explains what led him and astronomer Mike Brown to propose the existence of a ninth planet in our solar system

science

1467919132000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2F2096458-biggest-ever-die-off-of-ocean-forests-triggered-by-warming-seas%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Biggest ever die-off of ocean forests triggered by warming seas
Kelp forests crucial to marine life are disappearing fast in Australia as rapidly warming oceans transform the ecosystems
gaia

1467919130000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2F2096424-memories-of-favourite-locations-have-a-special-place-in-brain%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Memories of favourite locations have a special place in brain
The hippocampus is a brain area important for general navigation, and now it seems that mice use a specific part of it to store significant locations
gaia

1467919127000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedaily.com%2Freleases%2F2016%2F07%2F160707083437.htm&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Butterflies' wing patterns change with the seasons
Tropical butterflies adapt to their environment to improve their chances of survival. The changes are triggered by hormone signals that transmit information about temperature to the butterflies' tissues. A biologist shows how a complex combination of environment, physiology and genetics steers the development of young butterflies.
gaia

1467918544000

astronomy

%feed
http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/expedition-48-crew-launches-to-the-international-space-station
Expedition 48 Crew Launches to the International Space Station
The Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with Expedition 48-49 crewmembers Kate Rubins of NASA, Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos and Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) onboard, Thursday, July 7, 2016, Kazakh time (July 6 Eastern time), Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
astronomy

1467918456000

general

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatlantic.com%2Fvideo%2Findex%2F490319%2Fsex-advice-from-elders%2F%3Futm_source%3Dfeed&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Sex and the Senior Center

Why is aging so often equated with asexuality? In this episode of If Our Bodies Could Talk, James Hamblin explores how Americans are leaving a massive segment of the population out of conversations around sex.

general

1467918454000

general

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ozy.com%2Frising-stars%2Fyour-next-netflix-binge-watchfrom-india%2F69677&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Your Next Netflix Binge-Watch...From India
An indie directing star is crossing borders, bringing with him a raunchy comedy that manages to criticize inequality, too.
general

1467918297000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fsculptorlil%2F28049300992%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Grey sunrise with hot pink lips

Sculptor Lil posted a photo:

images

1467918294000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F119139718%40N03%2F28151696125%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Big Ben a Gull and the sunset

trevorhicks posted a photo:

images

1467917548000

pin-gaia

%feed
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/175077504243356217/
Did you know the Hai

Did you know the Hainan gibbon is the world's rarest ape? www.zsl.org/science/research/hainan-gibbon-conservation

pin-gaia

1467917547000

pin-gaia

%feed
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/175077504243356209/
Did you know Adélie

Did you know Adélie penguins are the smallest of the Antarctic #penguins?

pin-gaia

1467917545000

pin-gaia

%feed
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/175077504243356199/
We recently released

We recently released 19 rare dormice into the wild. Habitat loss is threatening dormouse populations but reintroduction programmes are helping to bolster the population and conserve the species. The captive-bred dormice were quarantined and health-checked by ZSL scientists before release to help ensure a healthy and successful reintroduction. http://www.zsl.org/blogs/wild-science/bringing-the-dormouse-back-to-uk-woodlands

pin-gaia

1467917543000

pin-gaia

%feed
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/175077504243356192/
Take the ‪#‎OneLess‬

Take the ‪#‎OneLess‬ pledge to ditch single-use plastic water bottles and use refillable bottles instead. Help us reduce plastic pollution in our rivers and oceans. www.zsl.org/oneless

pin-gaia

1467917542000

pin-gaia

%feed
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/354095589435291657/
Mite (Fuscozetes sp.

Mite (Fuscozetes sp.) collected in Forillon National Park, Quebec, Canada, and photographed at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (sample ID: BIOUG10353-B10; specimen record: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=CNFNE2672-14; BIN: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_BarcodeCluster?clusteruri=BOLD:AAH6648)

pin-gaia

1467917539000

pin-gaia

%feed
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/112027109460605743/

pin-gaia

1467917390000

pin-art

%feed
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/112027109460606794/
“Horses of Saint Mar

“Horses of Saint Mark.” Bronze. Attributed to the Greek sculptor Lysippos, 4th century BCE. Venice, Basilica of St. Mark.
pin-art

1467917388000

pin-art

%feed
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/112027109460606792/
“Horses of Saint Mar

“Horses of Saint Mark.” Bronze. Attributed to the Greek sculptor Lysippos, 4th century BCE. Venice, Basilica of St. Mark.
pin-art

1467916538000

astronomy

%feed
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond/~3/yy1tMtQDpd4/ancient-galaxies-of-the-universe-formed-a-single-supermassive-star-at-their-center-discovery-a-cosmi.html
Ancient Galaxies of the Universe Formed a Single Supermassive Star at Their Center --"Discovery a Cosmic Miracle"

"It's a cosmic miracle," said Volker Bromm of The University of Texas at Austin, referring to the precise set of conditions present half a billion years after the Big Bang that allowed these behemoths to emerge. "It's the only time in the history of the universe when conditions are just right" for them to form.

Astronomers have discovered evidence for an unusual kind of black hole born extremely early in the universe. They showed that a recently discovered unusual source of intense radiation is likely powered by a "direct-collapse black hole," a type of object predicted by theorists more than a decade ago.

These direct-collapse black holes may be the solution to a long-standing puzzle in astronomy: How did supermassive black holes form in the early epochs of the universe? There is strong evidence for their existence, as they are needed to power the highly luminous quasars detected in the young universe. However, there are several problems that should prevent their formation, and the conventional growth process is much too slow.

Astronomers think they know how supermassive black holes weighing in at millions of suns grow in the heart of most galaxies in our present epoch. They get started from a "seed" black hole, created when an extremely massive star collapses. This seed black hole has the mass of about 100 suns. It pulls in gas from its surroundings, becoming much more massive, and eventually may merge with other seed black holes. This entire process is called accretion.

The accretion theory does not explain supermassive black holes in extremely distant -- and therefore young -- quasars. Visible to us despite its distance of billions of light-years, a quasar's incredible brightness comes from matter spiralling into a supermassive black hole, heating to millions of degrees, creating jets that shine as beacons across the universe.

These early galaxies may have contained the first generation of stars created after the Big Bang. And although these stars can collapse to form black holes, they don't work as early quasar seeds. There is no surrounding gas for the black hole to feed on. That gas has been blown away by winds from the hot, newly formed stars.

"Star formation is the enemy of forming massive black holes" in early galaxies, Bromm said. "Stars produce feedback that blows away the surrounding gas cloud."

For decades, astronomers have called this conundrum "the quasar seed problem." In 2003, Bromm and Loeb came up with a theoretical idea to get an early galaxy to form a supermassive seed black hole, by suppressing the otherwise prohibitive energy input from star formation. Astronomers later dubbed this process "direct collapse."

Begin with a "primordial cloud of hydrogen and helium, suffused in a sea of ultraviolet radiation," Bromm said. "You crunch this cloud in the gravitational field of a dark-matter halo. Normally, the cloud would be able to cool, and fragment to form stars. However, the ultraviolet photons keep the gas hot, thus suppressing any star formation. These are the desired, near-miraculous conditions: collapse without fragmentation! As the gas gets more and more compact, eventually you have the conditions for a massive black hole."

This set of cosmic conditions is exquisitely sensitive to the time period in the universe's history -- this process does not happen in galaxies today.

"The quasars observed in the early universe resemble giant babies in a delivery room full of normal infants," observed Avi Loeb of the HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "One is left wondering: what is special about the environment that nurtured these giant babies? Typically the cold gas reservoir in nearby galaxies like the Milky Way is consumed mostly by star formation.

"The theory we proposed when Bromm was my postdoc (at Harvard) suggested that the conditions in the first generation of galaxies were different," he said. "Instead of making many normal stars, these galaxies formed a single supermassive star at their centre that ended up collapsing to a seed black hole. Hence the gas in these environments was used to feed this seed black hole rather than make many normal stars."

Bromm and Loeb published their theory in 2003. "But it was all theoretical back then," Bromm said.

Fast forward a dozen years, and Bromm is now a professor at The University of Texas at Austin with postdocs and graduate students of his own. That's where Aaron Smith comes in.

Smith, Bromm, and Loeb had become interested in a galaxy called CR7, identified from a Hubble Space Telescope survey called COSMOS (in a paper led by Jorryt Matthee of Leiden University). Hubble spied CR7 at 1 billion years after the Big Bang.

David Sobral of the University of Lisbon had made follow-up observations of CR7 with some of the world's largest ground-based telescopes, including Keck and the VLT. These uncovered some extremely unusual features in the light signature coming from CR7. Specifically a certain hydrogen line in the spectrum, known as "Lyman-alpha," was several times brighter than expected. Remarkably, the spectrum also showed an unusually bright helium line.

"Whatever is driving this source is very hot -- hot enough to ionize helium," Smith said. Bromm agreed. "You need it to be 100,000 degrees Celsius -- very hot, a very hard UV source" for that to happen, he said.

These and other unusual features in the spectrum, such as the absence of any detected lines from elements heavier than helium (in astronomical parlance, "metals,") together with the source's distance -- and therefore its cosmic epoch -- meant that it could either be a cluster of primordial stars or a supermassive black hole likely formed by direct collapse.

Smith ran simulations for both scenarios using the Stampede supercomputer at UT Austin's Texas Advanced Computing Center.

"We developed a novel code," Smith said, explaining that his code modelled the system differently than previous simulations. "The old models were like a snapshot; this one is like a movie," he explained.

The type of modelling Smith used is called "radiation hydrodynamics," Bromm said. "It's the most expensive approach in terms of computer processing power." The new code paid off, though. The star cluster scenario "spectacularly failed," Smith said, while the direct collapse black hole model performed well.

Bromm said their work is about more than understanding the inner workings of one early galaxy.

"With CR7, we had one intriguing observation. We are trying to explain it, and to predict what future observations will find. We are trying to provide a comprehensive theoretical framework."

In addition to Smith, Bromm, and Loeb's work, NASA recently announced the discovery of two additional direct-collapse black hole candidates based on observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. It seems astronomers are "converging on this model," for solving the quasar seed problem, Smith said.

Time is running out for the galaxy NGC 3801, seen in the image at the top of the page combining light from across the spectrum, ranging from ultraviolet to radio. NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer and other instruments have helped catch the galaxy NGC 3801 in the act of destroying its cold, gaseous fuel for new stars. Astronomers believe this marks the beginning of its transition from a vigorous spiral galaxy to a quiescent elliptical galaxy whose star-forming days are long past.

Visible light from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey is seen in yellow shining from all of the galaxy's stars. Notice that NGC 3801 is starting to possess a broadly elliptical shape, the characteristic shape a galaxy assumes after forming from a merger of spiral galaxies. Some star formation is still taking place in NGC 3801, as shown in the ultraviolet by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (colored blue), and in the dusty disk revealed in infrared light by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (red).

According to theory, that lingering star formation will soon be quenched by shock waves from two powerful jets shooting out of NGC 3801's central giant black hole. Radio emissions from those jets appear in this image in green. Like a cosmic leaf blower, the jets' expanding shock waves will blast away the remaining cool star-making gas in NGC 3801. The galaxy will become "red and dead," as astronomers say, full of old, red stars and lacking in any new stellar younglings.

The Daily Galaxy via RAS

Image credit top of page: NASA

Strange Spiral Galaxy Observed --"A First of Its Kind"

Ancient Black Hole Discovered --12 Billion Times Mass of the Sun!

Scientists Explore How Radiation Escapes from Dense Gas Cover that Blankets Galaxies

ALMA Observatory Spies Monster Black Hole at Center of a Spectacular Spiral Galaxy

"Extreme Black Hole Jets Signal Galaxy Mergers" --Hubble/ALMA Observatories

"Biggest Explosion Since the Big Bang" --From a Supermassive Black Hole a Billion Times the Mass of Our Sun

astronomy

1467916535000

astronomy

%feed
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/28048044272/
NASA's Hubble Captures the Beating Heart of the Crab Nebula

NASA Goddard Photo and Video posted a photo:

Peering deep into the core of the Crab Nebula, this close-up image reveals the beating heart of one of the most historic and intensively studied remnants of a supernova, an exploding star. The inner region sends out clock-like pulses of radiation and tsunamis of charged particles embedded in magnetic fields.

The neutron star at the very center of the Crab Nebula has about the same mass as the sun but compressed into an incredibly dense sphere that is only a few miles across. Spinning 30 times a second, the neutron star shoots out detectable beams of energy that make it look like it's pulsating.

The NASA Hubble Space Telescope snapshot is centered on the region around the neutron star (the rightmost of the two bright stars near the center of this image) and the expanding, tattered, filamentary debris surrounding it. Hubble's sharp view captures the intricate details of glowing gas, shown in red, that forms a swirling medley of cavities and filaments. Inside this shell is a ghostly blue glow that is radiation given off by electrons spiraling at nearly the speed of light in the powerful magnetic field around the crushed stellar core.

The neutron star is a showcase for extreme physical processes and unimaginable cosmic violence. Bright wisps are moving outward from the neutron star at half the speed of light to form an expanding ring. It is thought that these wisps originate from a shock wave that turns the high-speed wind from the neutron star into extremely energetic particles.

When this "heartbeat" radiation signature was first discovered in 1968, astronomers realized they had discovered a new type of astronomical object. Now astronomers know it's the archetype of a class of supernova remnants called pulsars - or rapidly spinning neutron stars. These interstellar "lighthouse beacons" are invaluable for doing observational experiments on a variety of astronomical phenomena, including measuring gravity waves.

Observations of the Crab supernova were recorded by Chinese astronomers in 1054 A.D. The nebula, bright enough to be visible in amateur telescopes, is located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus.

Credits: NASA and ESA, Acknowledgment: J. Hester (ASU) and M. Weisskopf (NASA/MSFC)

NASA image use policy.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA's mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA's accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency's mission.

Follow us on Twitter

Like us on Facebook

Find us on Instagram

astronomy

1467916533000

astronomy

%feed
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond/~3/V83wU5jWLrg/saturns-titan-offers-a-blueprint-for-life-outside-the-box.html
Saturn's Titan --"Offers a Blueprint for Life Outside the Box"

To grasp the blueprint of early planetary life, said Martin Rahm at Cornell. "We must think outside of green-blue, Earth-based biology: "We are used to our own conditions here on Earth. Our scientific experience is at room temperature and ambient conditions. Titan is a completely different beast." Although Earth and Titan both have flowing liquids, Titan's temperatures are very low, and there is no liquid water. "So if we think in biological terms, we're probably going to be at a dead end."

NASA's Cassini and Huygen's missions have provided a wealth of data about chemical elements found on Saturn's moon Titan, and Cornell scientists have uncovered a chemical trail that suggests prebiotic conditions may exist there.

Titan, Saturn's largest moon, features terrain with Earthlike attributes such as lakes, rivers and seas, although filled with liquid methane and ethane instead of water. Its dense atmosphere - a yellow haze - brims with nitrogen and methane. When sunlight hits this toxic atmosphere, the reaction produces hydrogen cyanide - a possible prebiotic chemical key.

"This paper is a starting point, as we are looking for prebiotic chemistry in conditions other than Earth's," said Martin Rahm, postdoctoral researcher in chemistry and lead author of the new study, "Polymorphism and Electronic Structure of Polyimine and Its Potential Significance for Prebiotic Chemistry on Titan," published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 4.

Hydrogen cyanide is an organic chemical that can react with itself or with other molecules - forming long chains, or polymers, one of which is called polyimine. The chemical is flexible, which helps mobility under very cold conditions, and it can absorb the sun's energy and become a possible catalyst for life.

"Polyimine can exist as different structures, and they may be able to accomplish remarkable things at low temperatures, especially under Titan's conditions," said Rahm, who works in the lab of Roald Hoffmann, winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize in chemistry and Cornell's Frank H.T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters Emeritus. Rahm and the paper's other scientists consulted with Hoffmann on this work.

"We need to continue to examine this, to understand how the chemistry evolves over time. We see this as a preparation for further exploration," said Rahm. "If future observations could show there is prebiotic chemistry in a place like Titan, it would be a major breakthrough. This paper is indicating that prerequisites for processes leading to a different kind of life could exist on Titan, but this only the first step."

The Daily Galaxy via Cornell University

The Daily Galaxy via ESA

Close Up View of Saturn's Strange Moon Hyperion

The Search for Extraterrestrial Life --"Motion May Signal Microorganisms"

A Moment of Zen --Titan Beyond Saturn's Rings

astronomy

1467915497000

pin-astro

%feed
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/112027109460605752/
The Aurora Borealis.

The Aurora Borealis...FROM SPACE!
pin-astro

1467915412000

astronomy

%feed
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond/~3/iSZ5RekzeHo/deep-space-signal-from-the-most-powerful-explosion-since-the-big-bang-reveals-an-unknown-dark-univer.html
Deep Space Signal Detected From Most Powerful Explosion Since the Big Bang --"Reveals the Unknown Dark Universe" (Today's Most Popular)

The British writer Martin Amis once said we are about five Einsteins away from explaining the universe's existence. We took a step closer this past January, when an ancient signal from deep space verified that gravitational waves and black holes exist and opens a window on unknown mysteries of the cosmos. "It is by far the most powerful explosion humans have ever detected except for the big bang." said Caltech's Kip Thorne. "With this discovery, we humans are embarking on a marvelous new quest: the quest to explore the dark side of the universe—objects and phenomena that are made from warped spacetime."

“This is not just the detection of gravitational waves," said David Reitze, Executive Director of the LIGO Laboratory. "What's really exciting is what comes next. Four hundred years ago, Galileo turned a telescope to the sky and opened the era of modern observational astronomy. I think we're doing something equally important here today. I think we're opening the window of gravitational astronomy.”

“This is just the beginning,” said Gabriela González of aLIGO. “Now that we know binary black holes are there, we'll begin listening to the universe.” Evidence of “ripples in spacetime” detected by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration marks the dawn of gravitational wave astronomy, say astrophysicists. The gravitational waves were generated when two black holes merged 1.3 billion years ago.

“It tells us something about the power of the human mind to understand nature at its deepest level," said cosmologist Neil Turok, Director of Perimeter Institute, one old the world's leading experts on the cosmological constant and a cyclic model of the universe.

“This was truly a scientific moon shot, and we did it,” said Reitze.

In the early hours of September 14, 2015, during an engineering test a few days before the official search was to begin, aLIGO's two detectors recorded a very characteristic signal made by both facilities of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in Washington and Louisiana simultaneously. After numerous consistency checks, the resulting 5-sigma discovery was published.

The measured gravitational waves match those expected from two large black holes merging after a death spiral in a distant galaxy, with the resulting new black hole momentarily vibrating in a rapid ringdown. A phenomenon predicted by Einstein, the historic discovery confirms a cornerstone of humanity's understanding of gravity and basic physics. It is also the most direct detection of black holes ever.

BHmerger_LIGO_3600 (1)

The illustration above depicts the two merging black holes with the signal strength of the two detectors over 0.3 seconds superimposed across the bottom. Expected future detections by Advanced LIGO and other gravitational wave detectors may not only confirm the spectacular nature of this measurement but hold tremendous promise of giving humanity a new way to see and explore our universe.

“It was exactly what you would expect from Einstein's general relativity from two black holes spiralling and merging together,” said Reitze. “It took months of careful checking and rechecking to make sure what we saw was something that was a gravitational wave. We've convinced ourselves that's the case.”

Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime, created when two massive objects such as black holes or neutron stars hurtle around each other at extremely high speeds and collide. First put forward 100 years ago as a consequence of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, they have challenged theorists and experimentalists alike as one of the few elements of the theory that had not been experimentally proven. Until now.

LIGO, a system of two identical interferometers constructed to detect the tiny vibrations of passing gravitational waves, was conceived and built by MIT and Caltech researchers, funded by the US National Science Foundation.

The original LIGO experiment ran from 2002 to 2010 as a proof of concept. After significant upgrades to the detectors in Louisiana and Washington, Advanced LIGO did its first observation run in September 2015.

The first detection, at the Louisiana observatory, had a peak value of 10-21 meters. “For four kilometers [the length of the LIGO detector], that's a tiny, tiny fraction of a proton diameter. That's incredibly tiny,” said González. “We know it's real, because seven milliseconds later, we saw the same thing in the Hanford detector. This is it. This is how we know we have gravitational waves.”

The signals exactly match what Einsteinian gravitation predicts for the merger of two black holes. The signals also indicate the wave carried three solar masses of energy. The signal is so strong, the researchers reported in a paper published in Physical Review Letters, that it exceeds the “five sigma” standard of statistical significance physicists use to claim a discovery.

“The LIGO measurement is a spectacular confirmation of not just one, but two of the key predictions of Einstein's theory of gravity: the existence of gravitational waves and black holes,” Turok said. “Einstein developed his theory based on clues from experiment and prior theories, but even more on a remarkable intuition that gravitation is due to the bending of spacetime. A full century later, we're seeing his predictions verified with exquisite precision."

Even more than verifying Einstein, LIGO's detection of gravitational waves provides science with a new tool with which to potentially answer many more basic questions.

And it might lead researchers to the next great scientific theory, Perimeter researcher Luis Lehner said during the “Ripple Effects” panel hosted by the Perimeter Institute following the LIGO announcement. “When we can get more and more data, we might be able to see departures [from what is expected], and that may guide us in what replaces relativity,” he said.

As more gravitational wave detectors come online in the next few years, scientists will be able to glean increasingly rich information about the universe around us. “That will give us a very important network that will allow us to ... reduce serendipity from astronomy, at least for some sources,” Lehner said.

For many scientists, the most exciting prospect is that gravitational wave astronomy could enable researchers to probe the “dark” universe: objects and forces that don't absorb, reflect, or emit light, yet make up 96 percent of the universe.

Perimeter Associate Faculty member Avery Broderick said this is a seismic shift in astronomy, which has been studying the light side of the universe for 10,000 years.

“When we get this new window on the universe, history and experience has shown us that we find something totally different, something totally unexpected. This has happened over and over again in astronomy, where we've opened up windows in the X-ray and the radio, and we see a totally different universe,” Broderick said.

“I would be shocked if we don't see the same thing when we look with gravitational eyes, and see the gravitational wave universe as totally different. This is going to be absolutely critical to understanding how the dark universe and the light universe fit together.”

Perimeter cosmologist Latham Boyle is also excited about the unknowns that gravitational waves could now reveal. As he explained during the Perimeter panel, there was a span of decades between the discovery of radio waves and their use in astronomy.

“For 40 or 50 years, nobody built radio telescopes,” Boyle said. “Finally, when they did, there was a flood of all kinds of crazy discoveries. [There was] the cosmic microwave background radiation, which is kind of a cosmic selfie, then they discovered these things called pulsars, and they discovered quasars.

“They discovered all this stuff that people would have called you crazy if you'd suggested it before. As soon as you turned it on, it was out there. It's just a historical fact that often you see wilder stuff. That's one of the most exciting things for me.”

The Daily Galaxy via Caltech and The Perimeter Institute

Image credit: Binary black hole wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons

Supernova Mysteries --Why Some Collaspe Into Black Holes to Form a Space-Time Singularity

Black Hole Collisions --"Astronomers 'Hear' Them Via Gravity Signals"

"Giant Cosmic Microphones" --Soon to Detect Gravitational-Waves from Ancient Black Hole Collisions

astronomy

1467915411000

astronomy

%feed
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160707083309.htm
Astronomers find evidence for ‘direct collapse' black hole
Astronomers have discovered evidence for an unusual kind of black hole born extremely early in the universe. They showed that a recently discovered unusual source of intense radiation is likely powered by a "direct-collapse black hole," a type of object predicted by theorists more than a decade ago.
astronomy

1467915408000

astronomy

%feed
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160707083111.htm
Accelerating research into dark energy
A quick method for making accurate, virtual universes to help understand the effects of dark matter and dark energy has been developed by scientists. Making up 95 percent of our universe, these substances have profound effects on the birth and lives of galaxies and stars and yet almost nothing is known about their physical nature.
astronomy

1467915407000

astronomy

%feed
http://www.flickr.com/photos/europeanspaceagency/28045326232/
July on comet 67P

europeanspaceagency posted a photo:

Comet 67P cruising through space with Rosetta tagging along at distance of 15 km. Image taken by OSIRIS camera on board.

More info here.

Credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA

astronomy

1467915405000

astronomy

%feed
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond/~3/loq6UhSaDOI/coldest-known-object-beyond-our-solar-system-reveals-existence-of-water-clouds.html
Coldest Known Object Beyond Our Solar System --"Harbors Water Clouds"

Since its detection in 2014, the brown dwarf known as WISE 0855 has fascinated astronomers. Only 7.2 light-years from Earth, it is the coldest known object outside of our solar system and is just barely visible at infrared wavelengths with the largest ground-based telescopes. A team led by astronomers at UC Santa Cruz has succeeded in obtaining an infrared spectrum of WISE 0855 using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, providing the first details of the object's composition and chemistry. Among the findings is strong evidence for the existence of clouds of water or water ice, the first such clouds detected outside of our solar system.

"We would expect an object that cold to have water clouds, and this is the best evidence that it does," said Andrew Skemer, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz. Skemer is first author of a paper on the new findings to be published in Astrophysical Journal Letters and currently available online.

A brown dwarf is essentially a failed star, having formed the way stars do through the gravitational collapse of a cloud of gas and dust, but without gaining enough mass to spark the nuclear fusion reactions that make stars shine. With about five times the mass of Jupiter, WISE 0855 resembles that gas giant planet in many respects. Its temperature is about 250 degrees Kelvin, or minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit, making it nearly as cold as Jupiter, which is 130 degrees Kelvin.

"WISE 0855 is our first opportunity to study an extrasolar planetary-mass object that is nearly as cold as our own gas giants," Skemer said.

Previous observations of the brown dwarf, published in 2014, provided tentative indications of water clouds based on very limited photometric data. Skemer, a coauthor of the earlier paper, said obtaining a spectrum (which separates the light from an object into its component wavelengths) is the only way to detect an object's molecular composition.

WISE 0855 is too faint for conventional spectroscopy at optical or near-infrared wavelengths, but thermal emission from the deep atmosphere at wavelengths in a narrow window around 5 microns offered an opportunity where spectroscopy would be "challenging but not impossible," he said.

The team used the Gemini-North telescope in Hawaii and the Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph to observe WISE 0855 over 13 nights for a total of about 14 hours.

"It's five times fainter than any other object detected with ground-based spectroscopy at this wavelength," Skemer said. "Now that we have a spectrum, we can really start thinking about what's going on in this object. Our spectrum shows that WISE 0855 is dominated by water vapor and clouds, with an overall appearance that is strikingly similar to Jupiter."

The researchers developed atmospheric models of the equilibrium chemistry for a brown dwarf at 250 degrees Kelvin and calculated the resulting spectra under different assumptions, including cloudy and cloud-free models. The models predicted a spectrum dominated by features resulting from water vapor, and the cloudy model yielded the best fit to the features in the spectrum of WISE 0855.

Comparing the brown dwarf to Jupiter, the team found that their spectra are strikingly similar with respect to water absorption features. One significant difference is the abundance of phosphine in Jupiter's atmosphere. Phosphine forms in the hot interior of the planet and reacts to form other compounds in the cooler outer atmosphere, so its appearance in the spectrum is evidence of turbulent mixing in Jupiter's atmosphere. The absence of a strong phosphine signal in the spectrum of WISE 0855 implies that it has a less turbulent atmosphere.

"The spectrum allows us to investigate dynamical and chemical properties that have long been studied in Jupiter's atmosphere, but this time on an extrasolar world," Skemer said.

The Daily Galaxy via University of California Santa Cruz

astronomy

1467915403000

astronomy

%feed
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160706151851.htm
Astronomers find evidence of water clouds in first spectrum of coldest brown dwarf
Since its detection in 2014, the brown dwarf known as WISE 0855 has fascinated astronomers. Only 7.2 light-years from Earth, it is the coldest known object outside of our solar system. Astronomers have now obtained an infrared spectrum of the brown dwarf using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii. Among the findings is strong evidence for the existence of clouds of water or water ice, the first such clouds detected outside of our solar system.
astronomy

1467915400000

astronomy

%feed
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond/~3/bQZHW49LHz0/thermostats-of-the-universe-supermassive-black-holes-found-to-regulate-growth-of-galaxies.html
"Thermostats of the Universe" --Supermassive Black Holes Found to Regulate Growth of Galaxies

“We think that supermassive black holes act like thermostats,” said Brian McNamara, University Research Chair in Astrophysics at the University of Waterloo. “They regulate the growth of galaxies.”

Data from a now-defunct X-ray satellite is providing new insights into the complex tug-of-war between galaxies, the hot plasma that surrounds them, and the giant black holes that lurk in their centers.

Launched from Japan on February 17, 2016, the Japanese space agency (JAXA) Hitomi X-ray Observatory functioned for just over a month before contact was lost and the craft disintegrated. But the data obtained during those few weeks was enough to paint a startling new picture of the dynamic forces at work within galaxies.

New research, published in the journal Nature today, reveals data that shows just how important the giant black holes in galactic centres are to the evolution of the galaxies as a whole.

During its brief life, the Hitomi satellite collected X-ray data from the core of the Perseus cluster, an enormous gravitationally-bound grouping of hundreds of galaxies. Located some 240 million light years from earth, the Perseus cluster is one of the largest known structures in the universe. The cluster includes not only the ordinary matter that makes up the galaxies, but an “atmosphere” of hot plasma with a temperature of tens of millions of degrees, as well as a halo of invisible dark matter.

Earlier studies, going back to the 1960s, have shown that each of the galaxies in the cluster and indeed most galaxies likely contains a supermassive black hole in its centre, an object 100 million to more than ten billion times as massive as our sun.

“These giant black holes are among the universe's most efficient energy generators, a hundred times more efficient than a nuclear reactor,” said McNamara from Waterloo's Department of Physics and Astronomy in the Faculty of Science. “Matter falling into the black hole is ripped apart, releasing vast amounts of energy in the form of high speed particles and thermal energy.”

This heat is released from just outside the black hole's event horizon, the boundary of no return. The remaining matter gets absorbed into the black hole, adding to its mass. The released energy heats up the surrounding gas, creating bubbles of hot plasma that ripple through the cluster, just as bubbles of air rise up in a glass of champagne.

The research is shedding light on the crucial role that this hot plasma plays in galactic evolution. Researchers are now tackling the foremost issue in the formation of structure in the universe and asking: why doesn't most of the gas cool down, and form stars and galaxies? The answer seems to be that bubbles created by blasts of energy from the black holes keep temperatures too high for such structures to form.

“Any time a little bit of gas falls into the black hole, it releases an enormous amount of energy,” said McNamara. “It creates these bubbles, and the bubbles keep the plasma hot. That's what prevents galaxies from becoming even bigger than they are now.”

Because plasma is invisible to the eye, and to optical telescopes, it wasn't until the advent of X-ray astronomy that the full picture began to emerge. In visible light, the Perseus cluster appears to contain many individual galaxies, separated by seemingly-empty space. In an X-ray image, however, the individual galaxies are invisible, and the plasma atmosphere, centred on the cluster's largest galaxy, known as NGC 1275, dominates the scene.

Visible light and x-ray images of the Perseus cluster of galaxies (shown at top of page). Two images show the Perseus cluster of galaxies. The image on the left shows a close up image of active galaxy NGC 1275, the central, dominant member of the Perseus cluster (credit: Data - Hubble Legacy Archive, ESA, NASA; Processing - Al Kelly). The image on the right shows the cluster using an X-ray telescope revealing the atmosphere of plasma enveloping the whole galaxy cluster.

Although the black hole at the heart of NGC 1275 has only one-thousandth of the mass of its host galaxy, and has a much smaller volume, it seems to have a huge influence on how the galaxy and how the surrounding hot plasma atmosphere evolve.

“It's as though the galaxy somehow knows about this black hole sitting at the centre,” said McNamara. “It's like nature's thermostat, that keeps these galaxies from growing. If the galaxy tries to grow too fast, matter falls into the black hole, releasing an enormous amount of energy, which drives out the matter and prevents it from forming new stars.”

McNamara notes that the actual event horizon of the black hole is about the same size as our solar system, making it as small compared to its host galaxy as a grape is to the Earth. “What's going on in this tiny region is affecting a vast volume of space,” he said.

Thanks to the black hole's regulatory effect, the gas that would have formed new stars instead remains a hot plasma whose properties Hitomi was designed to measure.

Hitomi employed an X-ray spectrometer which measures the Doppler shifts in emissions from the plasma; those shifts can then be used to calculate the speed at which different parts of the plasma are moving. At the heart of the spectrometer is a microcalorimeter; cooled to just one-twentieth of a degree above absolute zero, the device records the precise energy of each incoming X-ray photon.

Getting an X-ray satellite equipped with a microcalorimeter into space has proved daunting: McNamara was deeply involved with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, launched in 1999, that was initially set to include a microcalorimeter, but the project was scaled back due to budget constraints, and the calorimeter was dropped. Another mission with the Japanese space agency known as ASTRO-E was equipped with a microcalorimeter; it was set for launch in 2000, but the rocket exploded shortly after liftoff. A third effort, Japan's Suzaku satellite, launched in 2005, but a leak in the cooling system destroyed the calorimeter. Hitomi launched and deployed perfectly, but a series of problems with the attitude control system caused the satellite to spin out of control and break up.

Infographic of doomed satellite missionsClick on the image to reveal an infographic detailing the trials and tribulations of getting a microcalorimeter into space.

The data from Hitomi, limited as it is, is enough to make astronomers re-think the role of plasma in galactic evolution, according to McNamara. “The plasma can be thought of forming an enormous atmosphere that envelopes whole clusters of galaxies. These hot atmospheres represent the failure of the past -- the failure of the universe to create bigger galaxies,” he said. “But it's also the hope for the future. This is the raw material for the future growth of galaxies which is everything: stars, planets, people. It's the raw material that in the next several billion years is going to make the next generation of suns and solar systems. And how rapidly that happens is governed by the black hole.”

The observations give researchers, for the first time, a direct measurement of the turbulent speed of the hot plasma. “This measurement tells us how the enormous energy released by supermassive black holes regulates the growth of the galaxy and the black hole itself,” said McNamara.

The Daily Galaxy via University of Waterloo

Image of the Day: Dusty Cloud at Milky Way Core Survives Supermassive Black Hole Encounter

Five 'Buried' Supermassive Black Holes Detected --"Huge Number Exist Throughout Universe"

ALMA Observatory Spies Monster Black Hole at Center of a Spectacular Spiral Galaxy

Solved! Puzzling Signals Thought Originating from Habitable-Zone Planets

Signal from Unknown Source in Perseus Galaxy Baffles NASA --Suspect Dark Matter Origin

Supernova Mysteries --Why Some Collaspe Into Black Holes to Form a Space-Time Singularity

astronomy

1467915398000

astronomy

%feed
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160706135933.htm
A new look at the galaxy-shaping power of black holes
Data from a now-defunct satellite is providing new insights into the complex tug-of-war between galaxies, the hot plasma that surrounds them, and the giant black holes that lurk in their centers. The Japanese space agency Hitomi X-ray Observatory functioned for just over a month before contact was lost and the craft disintegrated. But data obtained during those few weeks was enough to paint a startling new picture of the dynamic forces at work within galaxies.
astronomy

1467915397000

astronomy

%feed
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160706091731.htm
Earth-size telescope tracks the aftermath of a star being swallowed by a supermassive black hole
Radio astronomers have used a radio telescope network the size of the Earth to zoom in on a unique phenomenon in a distant galaxy: a jet activated by a star being consumed by a supermassive black hole. The record-sharp observations reveal a compact and surprisingly slowly moving source of radio waves.
astronomy

1467915375000

gifs

%feed
https://dribbble.com/shots/2822794-Untime-Loader-gif
Untime Loader [gif]

gifs

1467915187000

pin-gifs

%feed
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/213639576052174412/
Stay High

Stay High
pin-gifs

1467915184000

pin-gifs

%feed
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/213639576052168182/
DMT

DMT
pin-gifs

1467915171000

pin-images

%feed
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/146859637827865006/
Daily Dozen — Photos

Daily Dozen — Photos -- National Geographic Your Shot
pin-images

1467914156000

technology

%feed
http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2016/07/07/facebook-open-sourcing-platform-deliver-internet-access-areas-low-connectivity/
Facebook is open sourcing a hardware platform to deliver internet access to remote areas

Over the past few years, Facebook has been working on novel ways to connect the world to the Web from delivering internet services using drones and lasers to offering free access to select sites via a controversial platform in developing countries. Its next foray in this endeavor is OpenCellular, a wireless access platform that supports a wide range of network platforms, including 2G, LTE and Wi-Fi access points. The idea is that its open source hardware and firmware can be deployed at a significantly lower cost than traditional network infrastructure, so that remote areas can be brought online more…

This story continues at The Next Web
technology

1467914155000

gifs

%feed
http://borrachas.tumblr.com/post/147004967984
312

312

gifs

1467914138000

design

%feed
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/designers-tell-us-favourite-political-posters-time/
Designers tell us about their favourite political posters of all time

"Olly — Olly Guise, independent creative director and designer

“I'm probably not alone in my irrational hatred of the Keep Calm poster thanks to all the naff parodies, so I'll probably hang on to my £20,000 a bit longer. I'd have to choose from two great war-inspired pieces from two different eras.

Abram Games' Grow Your Own Food (1942) masterfully fuses a spade and a ship in support of Britain's Dig for Victory campaign, but arguably it's more advisory than political.

So I'm going for Noma Bar's debut Saddam Hussein image (1991), because it makes a statement so powerfully without using a single word (and it's topical).”

"pali — Pali Palavathanan, founder, Templo

“When I visit the London headquarters of our client Amnesty International, I'm always struck by the iconic posters hanging in the meeting rooms.

Posters like Football Yes, Torture No, which encouraged a revolt against the Argentina Junta in 1976; Pablo Picasso's iconicLa Colombe et le Prisonnier image; or Israeli designer Yossi Lemel's Reach image encapsulate a time in history and inspired people to engage with a problem.

You can ignore words but it's so much harder to stop the power of an iconic image. I'm intrigued by how these examples convey powerful ideology and create empathy.”

"jondaniel" — Jon Daniel, independent creative director

“This is such a tough question as political posters, and in fact poster design in general, was my first love in terms of graphic design.

There is a long list of designers that I have been inspired by, such as Emory Douglas, Shigeo Fukuda, Milton Glaser and Herb Lubalin, whose works could easily top this list several times over.

But the one I am going to choose for the fact that it was one of the first posters that had a real impact on me, and of course for its utter brilliance, simplicity, potency and playfulness is Black Power, White Power, designed by the one and only, Tomi Ungerer in 1967.”

"marksteen" — Marksteen Adamson, partner, ArthurSteenHorneAdamson

“I know this is an obvious choice, but the Obama Hope Poster designed and printed by Shepard Fairey speaks volumes. I like the fact that it transcends politics and stands alone as a statement of achieving the seemingly impossible.

I also like the fact that it wasn't designed by a traditional advertising agency. It felt very back street when it was originally produced, and the poster I have framed on our wall in the studio is an original silk screen you can still smell the ink.

For me, everything about this poster represents the biggest challenge for designers to do better. It will forever be a modern classic.”

"heidi_sq" — Heidi Lightfoot, founder, Together Design

“There's no way I could pick a favourite! Political propaganda and an agenda of social welfare has been a rich source of inspiration for so many amazing designers.

Tom Eckersley and Abram Games are two of my favourite masters of poster design, working in Britain during and after the Second World War.

An inspiring designer continuing that tradition is Alejandro Magallanes, based in Mexico City. Alejandro is a founding member of several activist poster groups.

His arresting, provocative and often humorous work is as comfortable promoting human rights and peace as it is illustrating a children's book.”

The post Designers tell us about their favourite political posters of all time appeared first on Design Week.

design

1467914136000

design

%feed
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/5-important-things-happened-design-week-3-4/
5 important things that happened in design this week

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar rolled out its new packaging

Coke Zero revealed a £10 million ad campaign this week, alongside a new name which aims to encourage consumers to consume less sugar.

Now Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, the brand has also revamped its packaging, taking on the company's recognisable “red disc” emblem in a move to unify the flavour with other products in the portfolio.

This same can and bottle design has been applied to Coca-Cola Original, Light and Life, ascribing different colours to each flavour.

Although it has been rolled out this week, the new design was first revealed in April. We spoke to Coca-Cola's vice president of global design James Sommerville about how the new packaging aims to “be bold” but “preserve simplicity”.

MPs debated the EBacc GCSE qualification

Following a petition, MPs took to Westminster this week to debate the fate of GCSE students across the country.

The EBacc English Baccalaureate includes English, maths, science, a humanity and a language, and is soon to be compulsory for 90% of GCSE students from “mainstream schools”.

The qualification has been subject to scrutiny by some MPs and many people within the creative industries for excluding art and design subjects from this compulsory list, the key argument being that it creates a learning environment where artistic subjects are not valued.

Other arguments included that the EBacc has already caused creative students, teachers and resources to decline which has a knock-on effect on industries, and that it puts children from less affluent backgrounds at a disadvantage.

The minister for education Nick Gibb retorted that including more subjects within the compulsory qualification would restrict rather than empower students, and that the Government had already secured £460 million for arts and music education programmes to help children from all backgrounds.

There has been no immediate action following the debate on 4 July, and the compulsory EBacc is still planned to come into force in September. You can read an extensive run-down of the key arguments voiced here.

It was announced that small businesses could lose significant future funding

This last week, it was announced that small businesses could lose significant financial support from the European Union's bank.

UK-based lender Funding Circle had secured £100 million funding from the European Investment Bank for small businesses the week before the EU referendum vote.

While this funding will still be distributed in the form of £50,000 loans this was meant to be the start of a much wider programme, which is now “unlikely to happen”, says the lender.

“The deal with the EIB was a start to create a multi-billion pound programme for getting more funds into UK business,” co-founder at Funding Circle James Meekings said. “The programme is at risk.”

Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) include businesses with less than 250 members of staff and a turnover of less than €50 million (£42 million), which includes the majority of UK design consultancies.

Dyson revealed its first ever UK “store”

Consumer goods brand Dyson open its first ever retail space this week…but whatever you do, don't call it a “store”.

Named the Dyson Demo, the company is very keen to market the two-floor space as a teaching and trial space for consumers rather than a traditional shop, where they can chat to “Dyson experts” about products and try to suck up 64 types of debris from four different floor surfaces using a Dyson V8 vacuum cleaner.

The first floor even includes a hair styling salon, where consumers can experience the effects of the Supersonic hair dryer first hand.

Once visitors are done chatting, vacuuming and hair-drying, they can, of course, buy the products though, in a similar style to Apple stores, there are no tills.

The Dyson Demo concept was first launched in 1999 in Paris, France, followed by spaces in Tokyo, Japan, Jakarta, Indonesia and now London, U.K. The Dyson team says the expansion will continue, hopefully moving on to the U.S. next.

Earphones designed to control background noise are revealed

Working in busy cafés and personalising music at festivals just got a lot easier, with these new earphones from Doppler Labs revealed this week.

New sound-customising earphones Hear Active Listening enable wearers to turn down background noises, such as people chatting, sirens wailing and babies crying.

As well as blocking out noise, they can also layer and blend sounds coming from the headphones with sounds from the outside world, helping to create immersive experiences.

Background noises can also be turned up if the user wishes, allowing them to customise sound settings, for example at gigs and festivals where they might want to hear less guitar and more bass.

But at $299 (£228), the cost of sound control isn't cheap. The headphones will go on sale from November.

The post 5 important things that happened in design this week appeared first on Design Week.

design

1467914135000

design

%feed
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/va-wins-art-fund-museum-year-prize/
V&A wins Art Fund Museum of the Year prize

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) has won this year's Art Fund Museum of the Year award, pledging to support smaller museums and galleries all over the UK with the prize money.

The ceremony, which took place at the Natural History Museum, saw the art and design museum awarded the £100,000 prize by The Duchess of Cambridge last night.

Judges included Gus Casely-Hayford, curator and art historian; Will Gompertz, BBC Arts editor; Ludmilla Jordanova, professor of history and visual culture, Durham University; Cornelia Parker, artist; and Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund.

Imagination, innovation and achievement

They were tasked with selecting the museum or gallery that has shown exceptional imagination, innovation and achievement over the past 12 months.

The V&A beat five other UK based finalists to become the overall winner, including Arolfini in Bristol; Bethlem Musem of the Mind, London; Jupiter Artland, West Lothian and York Art Gallery, Yorkshire.

Stephen Deuchar, Art Fund director and chair of the judges, says: “The V&A experience is an unforgettable one. Its recent exhibitions, from Alexander McQueen to The Fabric of India, and the opening of its new Europe 16001815 galleries, were all exceptional accomplishments at once entertaining and challenging, rooted in contemporary scholarship, and designed to reach and affect the lives of a large and diverse national audience.”

“One of the best museums in the world”

“It was already one of the best-loved museums in the country. This year it has indisputably become one of the best museums in the world,” he says.

During his acceptance speech, Martin Roth, director at the V&A, pledged to use the prize money to re-establish a department that was first set up in the 1970s, but later axed due to budget cuts, in order to support and collaborate with museums and galleries across the country.

Roth says: “This award not only allows us to celebrate our achievements over the past year, but it will progress our ambitions…to transform our building and make our…collections of art and design accessible to the widest possible audiences in the UK and overseas.

3.9 million visitors in 2015

“We will ‘re-circulate' our collections, taking them beyond our usual metropolitan partners and engaging in a more intimate way with the communities we reach so that we can…be both a national museum for a local audience and a local museum for a national audience.”

The award comes after an exceptionally good year for the V&A in 2015, during which it attracted nearly 3.9 million visitors to its sites, 14.5 million visitors online and 90,000 V&A Members, the highest in its 164-year history.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty also became the museum's most-visited exhibition, attracting a record breaking 493,043 visitors from 87 countries.

The post V&A wins Art Fund Museum of the Year prize appeared first on Design Week.

design

1467914133000

design

%feed
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/gcse-ebacc-qualification-devalues-art-design-subjects-mps-debate-parliament/
MPs “urge Government to think again” over GCSE EBacc excluding art and design

MPs debated over the English Baccalaureate a GCSE qualification that excludes art and design this week, with some claiming that it devalues creative subjects and makes them inaccessible for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The EBacc was first introduced in 2010, but will be made compulsory in September this year for 90% of GCSE students, requiring them to take English, maths, science, a language and a humanity.

Parliamentary debate sparked by petition

A petition called “Include expressive arts subjects in the EBacc” was started in retaliation to the ruling and was signed by more than 100,000 people, stating that “the exclusion of art, music, drama and other expressive subjects is limiting, short sighted and cruel”.

The petition defines “expressive arts” as art, music, drama and “other expressive subjects”.

In response to the petition, a three-hour parliamentary debate took place in Westminster this week, where MPs who are opposed to the EBacc guidelines were able to put their points of view across to those in favour of them.

“Only EBacc subjects will count”

One of the arguments cited by MPs opposed to the EBacc, who were predominately Labour, was that the qualification devalues and reduces funding to art subjects because schools use the EBacc to measure performance.

Fiona Mactaggart, Labour MP for Slough, said: “We all know that what counts in public policy is what is measured and if what is measured is only EBacc subjects, only they will count.” She added there should be “an emphasis on both science and creative subjects”.

Research from the National Society for Education in Art and Design showed 44% of teachers of Key Stage 3 students (ages 11-14) found that time allocated to art and design had decreased over the last five years.

“Other GCSE subject slots can be filled by art qualifications”

Nick Gibb, Conservative MP and minister of state for the Department of Education, said in response that the EBacc is just “one of several measures against which school performance is judged”, stating that the newly-introduced Progress 8 measure looks at performance across eight subjects English, maths, three EBacc subjects and three other qualifications of the student's choice.

“It has been suggested today that arts are not valued in the school accountability system that is not the case,” he said. “Those other slots can be filled by arts qualifications, if a pupil wishes.”

Discriminatory towards disadvantaged students

Another argument against the EBacc was that it discriminates against students from disadvantaged backgrounds because their accessibility to arts and culture is comparatively limited compared to those from affluent backgrounds. According to research from the Cultural Learning Alliance, research shows that schools with a high proportion of free school meals were more than twice as likely to withdraw art subjects from the curriculum compared to more affluent schools.

“An EBacc that fails to make room for the arts can only entrench this inequality,” said David Warburton, Conservative MP for Somerton and Frome.

Sharon Hodgson, Labour MP for Washington and Sunderland West, added that trips to theatres, cultural sites and museums had become increasingly difficult for reasons such as safeguarding and costs. “Such trips will be lacking from some of the children's daily lives, weekends and holidays, so it is important that the shortfall is made up for in school,” she said.

Fewer students taking art and design subjects

MPs added that the introduction of the EBacc has resulted in the decline of students taking up art and design subjects. Official exam figures released this year showed that five times less students picked art and design subjects at GCSE this year compared to 2015, with design and technology taking the biggest hit at 19,000 fewer students.

A survey conducted for this year's New Designers exhibition also showed that 85% of this year's crop of design graduates studied an art or design subject at GCSE level.

Catherine McKinnell, Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North, said: “Although it is possible to take up jobs in our sector without exam results in creative subjects, it is much harder and potentially more expensive to do so, which obviously further diminishes the chance for young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds.”

“£460 million towards arts education programmes”

Education minister Gibb argued that since 2012, the Government has provided creative opportunities and improved access for students from all backgrounds and all over the country through £460 million of investment into a “diverse portfolio of music and arts education programmes”.

He also said the GCSE entry figures for art and design have increased from 162,000 to 176,000 between 2011 and 2015, though Labour MPs stated these figures were “flawed” because they “omit BTEC qualifications, include early entry AS-levels and neglect design and technology”.

English, maths and science “fundamental” subjects

While those opposed to the EBacc said that the qualification was reducing choices for students, those in favour said it was actually providing more flexibility. Gibb said that including more subjects such as art within the EBacc would restrict rather than expand student choice, by making more subjects compulsory. Fellow Conservative MP for Chippenham, Michelle Donelan added this would “dilute” the EBacc qualification “until it was dissolved”.

Gibb also spoke about the importance of language and essay-writing skills for young people, stating that 77% of employers have said they needed more employees with foreign languages.

“Every child deserves to leave school fully literate and numerate, with an understanding of the history, geography and science of the world they inhabit, and a grasp of a language other than their own,” he said.

Graham Stuart, Conservative MP for Beverley and Holderness, added that maths, the sciences and English are “fundamental” subjects which “help people to get on in life”.

Art subjects “improve health and wellbeing”

But MPs opposed to the EBacc stated the importance of abilities beyond academia, such as emotional development and communication skills. Labour MP McKinnell said the EBacc “sends a clear message about the value the Government places on subjects that help to create expressive, communicative, self-confident and well-rounded human beings”.

Jonathan Reynolds, Labour MP For Stalybridge and Hyde, added that the “health benefits” of creative subjects need to be considered. “Investment in the arts is known to improve wellbeing,” he said. “Studying creative subjects boosts self-esteem, improves emotional intelligence, and reduces depression and anxiety.”

Labour MP McKinnell concluded the discussion by saying: “The drastic reduction in the take-up of arts subjects seems to be a movement in completely the wrong direction. On behalf of everyone who cares about the issue, I urge the Government to think again.”

No changes as of yet following debate

Richard Green, chief executive at the D&T Association, said following the debate that design, technology and other creative subjects “contribute to profitable sectors” and have been “marginalised” by the enforcement of the qualification, resulting in staff and student shortages.

“If we are to move forward confidently into a post-Brexit future where access to talent may be more challenging, it is imperative that our educational system recognises and meets the needs of individual pupils and industry,” he said.

No decision or change has yet to be made following the parliamentary debate on 4 July. The compulsory EBacc is currently still set to come into force for 90% of GCSE school children in September, with the Government stating that it will be mandatory in “mainstream secondary schools”, with a “small minority for whom taking the EBacc is not appropriate” to be excluded from the rule.

The post MPs “urge Government to think again” over GCSE EBacc excluding art and design appeared first on Design Week.

design

1467914131000

design

%feed
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/lorna-allan-important-make-sure-young-female-designers-encouragement/
Lorna Allan: “It's important to make sure young, female designers are encouraged”

Design Week: What is Hidden Women of Design?

Lorna Allan: Hidden Women of Design was a response to a research question I was set: “Who are those that sit in the blind spots of design and have transformed design paradigms over the years?” The more research I did, the more I realised that perhaps the majority of those people may be women.

DW: How many people are involved in the project and how did you start it?

LA: The project started as a hashtag campaign (#HWODesign) to raise awareness of work by female designers of the past and looking forward, to ensure female designers would receive the same exposure as their male peers in design history books. After holding a focus group to discuss the project's future, it was suggested that a series of talks by practising female designers might be the next step. Some very helpful friends in social media (Alice G.Turner) and design (Jesse Prior) have joined me along the way to refine and develop the idea.

DW: Why did you start the project?

LA: It started as a college project, which I have handed in now but have continued, purely because of the interest and encouragement I have received on the subject. I really have been blown away by the response and support by the female design community. Even big designers like Ellen Lupton and Alice Rawsthorn took the time to reply to me and the support from Kathleen and Tori from the Women of Graphic Design website has given me the confidence to keep pushing it forward.

DW: What do you hope will come from the project? How long do you hope it will run for?

LA: At this stage, I don't know I do know that the interest has been high and through asking around after each event, the general vibe is that the talks are of real interest and a great opportunity to get to meet and have discussions with other designers.

DW: Which designers have you managed to involve so far?

LA: The first week we had: freelance designer Chauntelle Lewis, social policy designer Cat Drew and Jocelyn Bailey at Uscreates, which creates designs for health and wellbeing. The second week we had: Spike Spondike at Dalton Maag, Lubna Keawpanna, director of consultancy Smack, Sian Cook, co-founder at WD+RU and senior lecturer at London College of Communication. Next week we have: freelance designer Rejane Dal Bello, Emily Wood at REG_Design and graphic artist and design educator Dr Cathy Gale. Nine amazing ladies!

DW: In an ideal world, which female designers would you love to see involved in the project?

LA: I think have been very lucky with the caliber of women I have had for these talks- they have all been informative and inspiring.

DW: What are themes of the talks?

LA: The structure of the evening is similar to a Pecha Kucha where each designer has 20 mins and 20 slides to talk about their professional practice and how they evolved as a designer. We had three ladies each night.

DW: Beyond talks, what else is on the agenda for Hidden Women in Design? How could it expand in the future?

LA: After each talk so far we have been talking to the attendees and there's definitely a want to see more of this type of event. There are a lot of women's design groups happening and I think HWOD would like to focus on university leavers or designers new to the industry as this is a crucial stage which determines whether they stay in the design world or leave it. It's important to make sure they can get encouragement and inspiration when they find themselves out on their own.

DW: How do you feel about women's representation in the design industry at the moment?

LA: On the first evening of talks I was approached by a couple of American female design students who were in London doing studio visits they had been disheartened as every studio they went to was fronted by a man. They Googled “Women in Design” and found our talks and were very happy to meet and speak with other female designers and potentially arrange other studio visits. This is really at the heart of what the project is about. Mostly through research I have found that typographic design still has more men than women that's why I was so thrilled to have Spike Spondike at Dalton Maag talk about her practice.

DW: How do you think this can be improved?

LA: I think we need to keep talking about the subject. It still attracts attention so it is still an issue and to have groups of female designers promoting and supporting each other can make a difference.

The next Hidden Women of Design talk will take place on 13 July at 7pm at the Peckham Pelican, 92 Peckham Road, SE15 5PY.

The post Lorna Allan: “It's important to make sure young, female designers are encouraged” appeared first on Design Week.

design

1467914129000

design

%feed
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/blackberry-ditches-traditional-keyboard-discontinues-classic-handset/
BlackBerry ditches traditional keyboard as it discontinues Classic handset

Mobile phone company BlackBerry has discontinued the traditional QWERTY keyboard it became known for over a decade ago, with the announcement that it will no longer manufacture its Classic model.

The Classic handset was first introduced in 2014 as a follow on from its BlackBerry OS predecessors, in an attempt to appeal to people who still prefer to use plastic keys and track pads rather than completely touchscreen devices.

“Sometimes it can be very tough to let go,” writes chief operating officer and general manager for devices, Ralph Pini, in a company blog post announcing BlackBerry's decision.

Replaced by two mid-range Android devices

“For BlackBerry, and more importantly for our customers, the hardest part in letting go is accepting that change makes way for new and better experiences.”

To replace the handset, BlackBerry is set to release two new mid-range Android devices next February. The news comes as the company announced a quarterly loss of $670 (£520m) million last month.

BlackBerry has also recently announced that it will no longer make phones featuring its own operating system.

“workhorse device”

“[The Classic] has been an incredible workhorse device for customers, exceeding all expectations,” says Pini.

“But, [it] has long surpassed the average lifespan for a smartphone in today's market. We are ready for this change so we can give our customers something better.

Manufacturing of the Classic has been suspended from now, but the handset will still be available online while stocks last.

The post BlackBerry ditches traditional keyboard as it discontinues Classic handset appeared first on Design Week.

design

1467914127000

design

%feed
https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/4-10-july-2016/top-5-picks-years-dad-new-blood-festival/
Top 5 picks from this year's D&AD New Blood Festival

James Crossley, BA Graphic Design, Edinburgh College of Art

Open Shut

James Crossley's monochrome poster project explores the idea that mainstream media oversimplifies complex issues such as the recent EU referendum into binary choices.

Crossley makes the point that this can often lead to misunderstanding and division, which he couples with the increasing prevalence of borders in our society.

Each of the three posters is based around a striking grid structure, with facts relating to the topic separated into boxes on either side of the “binary”.

The Edinburgh College of Art graduate plans to develop the research side of his project later this month when he will be cycling across Europe visiting and writing about design studio projects in cities stretching from The Hague to Budapest.

Elisha Chaplin, BA Graphic Design, University Centre Southend

Napolina Porzioni

Graphic design student, Elisha Chaplin's rebrand project gives Italian cooking brand Napolina a bold, modern update.

The rebrand focuses on promoting convenience by introducing a new range called Porzioni, which means portions in Italian. Packets are divided up into a set number of portions, allowing the right amount of pasta to be cooked more easily.

While keeping the original logo, Chaplin has opted to use a mixture of serif and sans serif fonts on the bright orange, black and white packets, which also feature roughly drawn illustrations of various pasta shapes including spaghetti.

Bronwyn Stubbs, BA Animation, Huddersfield University

Anime Iddio

This ingenious interactive installation uses conductive paint to bring Bronwyn Stubbs' cartoonlike illustrations to life.

While often included in wireless circuits, Stubbs decided to make up her own conductive paint from graphite powder and black acrylic. Painted on top of a conductor, it acts as a touch sensor which then lights up a cardboard illustrated lamp and animated window display.

The BA Animation student has also used conductive paint technology in other university projects, including a window display concept for John Lewis that makes bubbles seemingly appear from the top of a cardboard washing machine, and makes a cardboard vacuum cleaner move backwards and forwards.

Faye Rowbottom and Rebecca Parrish, BA Advertising, University of Central Lancashire

Alzheimer's Society Ad Campaign

These two advertising students' ad campaign for the Alzheimer's Society has been designed to raise awareness about the symptoms of the disease.

For the D&AD Festival, Rowbottom and Parrish have printed the image of an older person with Alzheimer's onto two 2000-piece jigsaw puzzles one that is already complete on the stand, and another that will come together over the course of the three-day festival.

All visitors have to do is donate 50p to the Alzheimer's Society festival and help piece together the puzzle, while a GoPro camera will capture its transformation by the end of the festival.

As the second jigsaw comes together, pieces from the original will be taken away, representing the gradual deterioration that the disease can result in.

Jordan Robertson, BA Graphic Design, Northumbria University

Everybody

Jordan Robertson describes his bold cosmetics brand concept, Everybody, as “an honest idea of beauty for everybody”.

Featuring simple orange packaging with black sans serif text, the branding recognises the importance of gender fluidity as a choice when it comes to cosmetics.

The rotating lid of the deodorant can be twisted to read either “his”, “her” or “every” body sweats, shaves (shaving cream) and wrinkles (moisturiser).

D&AD New Blood Festival branding

Consultancy Afterhours has also been commissioned to design the identity for this year's D&AD New Blood Festival, which spans everything from social media to exhibition graphics and is built around the strapline: “It all starts with a pencil”.

Afterhours' concept is centred around the phrase: “Just as every great creative piece begins with putting pencil to paper, so a creative career is launched by winning a D&AD pencil”.

Each window at the Truman Brewery site features giant pencil drawn posters that reflect various stages of the creative process, culminating in a giant pencil rendered hand holding a yellow pencil that points the visitor to the entrance of the festival.

The post Top 5 picks from this year's D&AD New Blood Festival appeared first on Design Week.

design

1467914126000

design

%feed
http://wallpapermag.tumblr.com/post/147004675983
The Orchid, Singapore

The Orchid, Singapore

design

1467913967000

culture

%feed
http://99u.com/videos/53989/tobias-frere-jones-break-things-deliberately/
Tobias Frere-Jones: Break Things Deliberately

About this presentation

As one of the world's leading typeface designers, and this year's 99U Alva Award winner, Tobias Frere-Jones believes that the best way to learn a new skill is to “break things down deliberately” to understand how it's really done.

In this talk, we learn to see the beauty in taking risks. Frere-Jones explains that in order to do our best creative work, we must not just permit moments of confusion, but actually go chase them. “When trying to figure out a problem, pause for minute, and see if you can make it worse,” he says. “A structure can really describe itself as it falls apart.”

About Tobias Frere-Jones

Over the past 25 years, Tobias Frere-Jones has created some of the most widely-used typefaces, including Interstate, Poynter Oldstyle, Whitney, Gotham, Surveyor, Tungsten, and Retina.

Tobias received a BFA in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1992. He joined the faculty of the Yale University School of Art in 1996 and has lectured throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia. His work is in the permanent collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2006, The Royal Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague awarded him the Gerrit Noordzij Prijs for his contributions to typographic design, writing, and education. In 2013 he received the AIGA Medal in recognition of exceptional achievements in the field of design.

Links

Frere-Jones Type

@frerejones

culture

1467913965000

culture

%feed
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2016/jul/07/steve-bells-if-on-chilco-the-hotts-whitewash-for-sith-lord-blair
Steve Bell's If ... on Chilco the Hott's whitewash for Sith Lord Blair
Continue reading...
culture

1467913690000

art

%feed
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/07/picasso-exhibition-friendship-boy-antony-penrose-jerwood-gallery
Picasso, by the boy who bit him

Antony Penrose, whose parents Lee Miller and Roland Penrose were friends with the Spanish artist, remembers their playfights as a new exhibition opens

The small blue and white ceramic by Pablo Picasso that now sits in a museum display case at the Jerwood Gallery in Hastings has a very different place in the childhood memories of Antony Penrose, the boy who bit one of the most famous artists of the 20th century and was promptly bitten back.

His father was Roland Penrose, the surrealist painter, critic, curator and founder of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, and his mother was Lee Miller, the photographer, model, muse and famously eccentric cook whose artistic blue chicken was never forgotten by dinner guests.

Continue reading...
art

1467913688000

art

%feed
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/07/ron-arad-twisting-aluminium-sculpture-unveiled-st-pancras-station-london
Ron Arad's twisting aluminium sculpture unveiled at St Pancras

Giant work is intended to have calming effect on the millions of passengers who pass through London station each year

A giant, twisted, rotating blade of aluminium has been unveiled in London's St Pancras station to welcome visitors and perhaps even calm them down.

The monumental artwork by Ron Arad will hang above the Eurostar platforms until January, part of an annual partnership between the station's owners HS1 and the Royal Academy of Arts (RA).

Continue reading...
art

1467913687000

art

%feed
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/07/stanley-kubrick-and-me-designing-clockwork-orange-poster
Stanley Kubrick and me: designing the poster for A Clockwork Orange

Philip Castle's airbrushed art features on album covers for David Bowie and Pulp but his lurid imagery for A Clockwork Orange remains his most infamous work he remembers his friendship with the director

Philip Castle shows me into his front room to see the naked woman on her knees next to the family piano. The plaster sculpture is battered and fragile and turning yellow with time, but I would recognise those nipples anywhere. This is one of the nude statues that serve as furniture and serve up drinks from their breasts in the sinister, darkly funny opening scenes of Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange. “There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening.”

In Kubrick's pessimistic parody of British youth culture, Malcolm McDowell's futuristic ultraviolent mod antihero sets the scene in voiceover as the camera pans back from him and his bowler-hatted, white-codpieced droogs, taking in one obscene statue after another, just like this one I viddied with my own eyes, O my brothers, in Castle's house.

Kubrick sent people to the cinemas where A Clockwork Orange was showing to make sure the screens were clean

Continue reading...
art

1467913685000

art

%feed
http://www.designboom.com/art/lagrima-sheikh-lotfollah-mosque-07-07-2016/
lagrima captures sheikh lotfollah mosque in iran in a kaleidoscopic fashion

the artist blurs and distorts different architectural elements of the mosque using various photographic techniques.

The post lagrima captures sheikh lotfollah mosque in iran in a kaleidoscopic fashion appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

art

1467913683000

art

%feed
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jul/07/vanessa-bell-break-free-bloombury-group-dulwich-show-artist
Vanessa Bell to break free from Bloomsbury group in Dulwich show

The sister of Virginia Woolf and lover of Duncan Grant is long overdue recognition as pioneer of modern art, say curators

The first major solo exhibition presenting Vanessa Bell as a pioneering 20th-century artist rather than a player in the tangled affairs of the Bloomsbury group of writers and artists will be shown at the Dulwich picture gallery next year.

She might have been better off, even better known, if she hadn't been part of the group

Continue reading...
art

1467910487000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.atlasobscura.com%2Farticles%2Fwhy-its-so-hard-to-find-let-alone-save-the-worlds-cutest-porpoise&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Why It's So Hard To Find, Let Alone Save, The World's Cutest Porpoise
The tiny mammal is facing eminent extinct ion after only being discovered in 1987.
gaia

1467909310000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Flindahall.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F147042735267&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
George Graham Scientist of the Day George Graham, an English...

http://www.ingenious.org.uk/media/4.0_SAC/webimages//1030/7/10307474_3.jpg

http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw36672/

http://imageweb-cdn.magnoliasoft.net/nmm/fullsize/d7167-2.jpg

https://watch-wiki.org/images/c/c3/George_Graham_No._5629_Werk_mit_Zylinderrad.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:T_Tompion_and_G_Graham.JPG

George Graham Scientist of the Day

George Graham, an English clock- and instrument-maker, was born July 7, 1673.

Published at the polite request of his lawyers

EMBARGO 15:00 7 JULY 2016…

general

1467907407000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Ftheatlantic%2Finfocus%2F%7E3%2F64I6BmOI6t0%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Mongolia's "Unbreakable Flower" (17 photos)

Soronzonboldyn Battsetseg, who's name translates to “unbreakable flower” is determined to win gold in Rio. The female wrestler won bronze in London in 2012 and is training twice a day in with both men and women to prepare for next month's Olympics. “From ancient times we have been a wrestling country,” her coach, Sukhbataar, said to Reuters. “Mongolian women are like warriors.”

Mongolia's Oyuntuya OtgoNbat, right, fights with her training partner during a daily training session at the Mongolia Women's National Wrestling Team training center in Bayanzurkh district of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, July 1, 2016. (Jason Lee / Reuters)

images

1467902225000

robots

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNGiAGjdGPPPUTaJ7MSpwvSfL673lg%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526cid%253D52779151568634%2526ei%253DLj1-V-nZOIu_1gaU1ZHQBw%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.theglobeandmail.com%252Fnews%252Fbritish-columbia%252Fanti-robot-project-explores-human-relationship-with-technology-in-ai-future%252Farticle30785362%252F%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
r0B0t: Anti-robot project explores human relationship with technology in AI future - The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail

Anti-robot project explores human relationship with technology in AI future
The Globe and Mail
The wearable machine is the antithesis of the kind of robots that leading scientists have warned against as they worry about an arms race in artificial intelligence. Scientist Stephen Hawking and Tesla founder Elon Musk were among hundreds of ...

and more »

robots

1467897033000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2F2096392-wallaby-wearable-tech-probes-how-light-pollution-affects-sleep%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Wallaby wearable tech probes how light pollution affects sleep
The animals inhabit either side of a Western Australian island, half of which has dark nights and the other half light pollution. How does this affect sleep?
gaia

1467897030000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2F2096364-new-railway-threatens-nairobis-unique-urban-wildlife-park%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
New railway threatens Nairobi's unique urban wildlife park
Kenyan conservationists are battling a plan to route a rail line through Nairobi National Park another case of development whittling away at nature reserves
gaia

1467897028000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fenvironment%2F2016%2Fjul%2F07%2Fbornean-orangutan-declared-critically-endangered-as-forests-shrink&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Bornean orangutan declared ‘critically endangered' as forests shrink

Mongabay: New IUCN assessment shows hunting and habitat loss are the biggest drivers, with experts warning ‘conservation is failing'

The Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is now critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This change means that both species of orangutan now face an “extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.”

“This is full acknowledgement of what has been clear for a long time: orangutan conservation is failing,” Andrew Marshall, one of the authors of the assessment, told Mongabay. Regardless of any positive outcomes of past conservation efforts, they have not achieved the only meaningful goal: a stable or increasing population.

Continue reading...
gaia

1467897024000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2Fmg23130810-300-too-cute-to-lose-saving-the-rarest-mammal-from-extinction%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Too cute to lose: Saving the rarest mammal from extinction
How can we ensure that future generations will still hear the haunting dawn song of the gorgeous Hainan gibbon? Sam Turvey has a plan
gaia

1467895929000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgo.theregister.com%2Ffeed%2Fwww.theregister.co.uk%2F2016%2F07%2F07%2Fthe_great_brain_scan_scandal_it_isnt_just_boffins_who_should_be_ashamed%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
The Great Brain Scan Scandal: It isn't just boffins who should be ashamed

It's the luvvies who went mad for fMRI neurobabble

Special Report If the fMRI brain-scanning fad is well and truly over, then many fashionable intellectual ideas look like collateral damage, too.…

science

1467895926000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgo.theregister.com%2Ffeed%2Fwww.theregister.co.uk%2F2016%2F07%2F07%2Fscientists_discover_how_to_have_sexual_intercourse_with_a_hyperlong_penis%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Scientists want you to know how to have sex with a hyper-long dong

Beetle boffins chop up horny insects to discover secrets of their giant penises

An international team of researchers have discovered how beetles with hyper-long penises make the beast insect with two backs.…

science

1467894253000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Follydenton%2F27533170094%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Empty

Olly Denton posted a photo:

While it is horrible to have to get at 4am for work, the streets are empty and there is a lovely light.

images

1467890474000

robots

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNFQVpd2f8JV3Ez3B_06GF2Ewwdt4g%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526cid%253D52779150395262%2526ei%253DghZ-V4jZGYK11gbzwoKIAg%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ibtimes.co.uk%252Fchina-human-memory-whizz-wang-yuheng-beats-alipays-ai-robot-facial-recognition-contest-1569237%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
r0B0t: China: Human memory whizz Wang Yuheng beats Alipay's AI robot in facial recognition contest - International Business Times UK

International Business Times UK

China: Human memory whizz Wang Yuheng beats Alipay's AI robot in facial recognition contest
International Business Times UK
The first two rounds of the competition required Wang and Mark to identify a large number of celebrities in the studio that were livestreaming on iPhones from between 150 and 300 photographs listed on an electronic board, and the AI robot was neck and ...

and more »

robots

1467886820000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2F2096369-uk-will-struggle-to-meet-climate-target-if-fracking-goes-ahead%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
UK will struggle to meet climate target if fracking goes ahead
Delayed report says fracking will not necessarily bust the UK's carbon budget but the strict conditions it sets out effectively rule out a fracking boom
gaia

1467885622000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgo.theregister.com%2Ffeed%2Fwww.theregister.co.uk%2F2016%2F07%2F07%2Floose_wrists_shake_chips_your_wrist_job_could_be_a_pin_snitch%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Loose wrists shake chips: Your wrist-job could be a PIN-snitch

Smart watch, dumb botch: sensor sensitivity equals insecurity say boffins

Chinese scientists have brewed a way to steal -- with 80 percent accuracy -- automatic teller machine PINs by infecting wearable devices.…

science

1467885621000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FScience360NewsServicePictureOfTheDay%2F%7E3%2F1Rii9aDCq4Y%2Ffractals-help-solve-wiggly-problems&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Fractals help solve 'wiggly' problems

Full Text:

The idea of a platform between two whole numbers might seem impossible to imagine. However, for someone working with fractals in math, the challenge is not so different. Fractals are used to measure things between dimensions, as in something that's more than 2-D, but not quite 3-D. A National Science Foundation mathematician created this fractal to better understand how wind would move oceanographic sensors in an eddy. This is just a snapshot in time, but wind would push the sensors back and forth, making it uncertain where they might go. Because of the stochastic nature -- a kind of organized randomness -- this fractal helps visualize the scenario and come up with an optimal control so sensors use as little battery as possible and minimize displacement.

Image credit: Lora Billings

science

1467885619000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FScience360NewsServiceBreakingStory%2F%7E3%2Fy164U6TEI8U%2Fscientists-isolate-culture-elusive-yellowstone-microbe&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Scientists isolate, culture elusive Yellowstone microbe

Full Text:

A microbial partnership thriving in an acidic hot spring in Yellowstone National Park has surrendered some of its lifestyle secrets to researchers. The team isolated the archaeon Nanopusillus acidilobi and cultured these tiny microbes just 100 to 300 billionths of a meter in size and can now study how they interact with their host, another archaeon (Acidilobus). The relationships between these two organisms can serve as a valuable model to study the evolution and mechanisms of more complex systems.

Image credit: Mircea Podar

science

1467876737000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fmukumbura%2F28145342945%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Juvenile Hawaiian Goose

Mukumbura posted a photo:

A young Hawaiian Goose (Nene) flexing its muscles and showing off its developing feathers at WWT Slimbridge.

The nene is the world's rarest goose. The nature reserve WWT Slimbridge, in England, was instrumental in the successful breeding of Hawaiian geese in captivity. Under the direction of conservationist Peter Scott, it was bred back from the brink of extinction during the 1950s for later re-introduction into the wild in Hawaiʻi. There are still Hawaiian geese at Slimbridge today.

gaia

1467875138000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F102105557%40N03%2F28138396565%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
IMG_2261

bestmilan posted a photo:

images

1467875137000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F102105557%40N03%2F27523011273%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
IMG_2247

bestmilan posted a photo:

images

1467875134000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F102105557%40N03%2F28034595352%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
IMG_2249

bestmilan posted a photo:

images

1467870668000

robots

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNFkQ5qW8ZGMa5VSWnfbXkuF5cZBKA%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526ei%253Du8N9V7C_OYew1QaL9IXwCw%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.dallasweekly.com%252Fopinion%252Fblogs%252Fownyourpower%252Farticle_c4a44f54-439a-11e6-9687-b38251057355.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
r0B0t: Meet Your New BFF, Your Journal - Dallasweekly (blog)

Dallasweekly (blog)

Meet Your New BFF, Your Journal
Dallasweekly (blog)
If you are a person that has been soooo “busy” that you can't even remember what your dreams used to be, soooo busy that you have become a bill-paying- robot…it's time, my friend. It's time to inspire yourself and also analyze ... A blank page in your ...

robots

1467870666000

robots

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNEw_npKKBZwPyEC0NMyzdbdMY3A4w%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526cid%253D52779150126372%2526ei%253Du8N9V7C_OYew1QaL9IXwCw%2526url%253Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.thesun.co.uk%252Fnews%252F1397865%252Fsuper-intelligent-predator-robot-taught-to-hunt-down-prey-with-chilling-efficiency%252F%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
r0B0t: Super-intelligent 'predator robot' taught to hunt down 'prey' with chilling efficiency - The Sun

The Sun

Super-intelligent 'predator robot' taught to hunt down 'prey' with chilling efficiency
The Sun
The research does have some benefits to humanity, because the technology could be used to make sure driverless cars don't hit other automobiles or pedestrians. Tobi Delbruck, professor at the Institute of Neuroinformatics, said that “one could imagine ...

and more »

robots

1467865834000

gaia

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedaily.com%2Freleases%2F2016%2F07%2F160706172030.htm&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Lessons of lager: Yeast origin becomes a complex tale
The story of hybridization that produced the lager yeast is far more complex and potentially richer than first imagined, investigators have discovered.
gaia

1467864875000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgo.theregister.com%2Ffeed%2Fwww.theregister.co.uk%2F2016%2F07%2F07%2Fnasa_curious_about_curiositys_fourth_safe_mode_event%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
NASA curious about Curiosity's fourth 'safe mode' event

My safe word is 'camera', what's yours?

NASA mission scientists are puzzling over why the Mars Curiosity rover entered “safe mode” during the weekend.…

science

1467864870000

science

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fsally-brown2%2Fwell-preserved--the-probl_b_10848296.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dscience%26ir%3DScience&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Well Preserved- the Problem with Landfills
Here is a picture I took at our regional landfill

"2016-07-07-1467856706-1108635-landfillnewspapercopy2.jpg"

If you were curious about back to school fashions in 1965- just have a look. I live in Seattle and our solid waste goes to a very well run landfill, operated by people who are consciously trying to do the right thing for our planet (http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/index.asp). Gas is collected at the landfill and used to generate energy. Landfill gas is touted as a source of green energy and often used as an excuse/ justification to landfill wastes that can produce gas. The gas in question is primarily methane (CH4). Methane is famous in the greenhouse gas world for having the 23 times the impact of CO2 on a 100- year basis. It only lasts in the atmosphere for 10 years so getting rid of it now has a potential for a big impact (https://www.britannica.com/science/greenhouse-gas). Methane is formed when microbes try to get energy from eating in an atmosphere without oxygen. Sanitary landfills typically fit that bill. The larger ones are required to collect methane. This was done primarily to prevent the gas from migrating from the landfill into the basements of neighboring homes. Methane is also full of energy and highly explosive. Lighting a cigar in the basement while watching the game before the regulations were put into place could have set off a very big bang. Captured, this gas is also known as natural gas and is a great source of energy.

The point of the picture though is that the newsprint in the landfill (and this is from a landfill cell made in 1965) does not decompose and does not generate methane.

Here is a picture of my food waste.

"2016-07-07-1467856739-9667059-Foodwaste.jpg"

I took this right after breakfast. We had just cracked the eggs and peeled the grapefruit. The colors were vibrant. You could still tell what had been on the menu. By the next day the colors had faded but the smell had just started to ripen. If left in the bin the mold would have been in full bloom within the week. I am very lucky because I can put this into the compost bin that gets collected and taken to the compost facility once a week. If this had been taken to the landfill instead, you would not find any trace of the grapefruit in 50 days, let alone the 50 years that the newsprint had been sitting there.

Food waste contains all of the water and all of the nutrients, plus the carbon that the microbes in the landfill need to make a solid meal and plenty of methane. The problem is that food waste is so easy to decompose (just look in the back of your refrigerator) that the methane is formed long before the gas collection switch goes on. Landfilled food waste has a very high methane generation potential and that is why it is so bad to put food waste into them. The US EPA recently recognized this with a revision of their Waste Reduction Model, known as the WARM model (https://www.epa.gov/warm). In the new model landfilling food scraps generates about ¾ of a ton of CO2 for each wet ton. On a dry weight basis- that is more than 3 tons of CO2 per ton of scraps. If you take it to a compost facility instead- you get carbon credits for enriching the soil- 0.2 tons of CO2 credit for each ton of food scraps that are made into compost.

Plus if you use them in your garden you get a whole lot more food to eat next time around. Take my onions as proof.

"2016-07-07-1467856778-4005287-onions2015copy.jpg"

If you want to compost your food scraps and collection isn't offered where you live- you can look for a compost facility here http://www.findacomposter.com/

You can also make your own or start a community compost pile- https://ilsr.org/initiatives/composting/

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

science

1467863427000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F144930473%40N02%2F28021662842%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Golf course sunrise

Julius Virca posted a photo:

images

1467859323000

technology

%feed
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/07/06/484988211/half-a-million-hoverboards-recalled-over-risk-of-fire-explosions?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=technology
Half A Million 'Hoverboards' Recalled Over Risk Of Fire, Explosions

Self-balancing scooters — better known as hoverboards (though they do not hover) — can spark, smoke, catch fire or explode, says the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

technology

1467859322000

technology

%feed
http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/07/06/484810475/-lintonlies-how-zambians-are-using-social-media-to-talk-back?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=technology
#LintonLies: How Zambians Are Using Social Media To Talk Back

Zambians have turned to Twitter to point out factual errors and criticize the tone in a British actress's memoir about her gap year in their country.

technology

1467859320000

technology

%feed
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/07/06/484923904/saying-goodbye-to-blackberrys-iconic-original-keyboard?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=technology
Saying Goodbye To BlackBerry's Iconic Original Keyboard

BlackBerry says it's discontinuing the final model that has the traditional clickety keyboard and trackpad — darlings of government workers, businesspeople and early episodes of House of Cards.

technology

1467859318000

technology

%feed
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/07/06/484086154/if-to-err-is-human-should-technology-help-us-shed-some-humanity?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=technology
If To Err Is Human, Should Technology Help Us Shed Some Humanity?

Over the past half-century, advances in technology have forced a drop in deaths caused by technical lapses. And now, we count on technology to save us from our own errors. But we can do better.

technology

1467859305000

robots

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ffeeds.gawker.com%252F%7Er%252Flifehacker%252Fvip%252F%7E3%252FT8ANlHAlBLA%252Fthe-hulking-robot-desktop-1782903347%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
r0B0t: The Hulking Robot Desktop

Giacomo's Windows 10 desktop doesn't have a ton of skins or moving parts, but combined with that wallpaper it's pretty dramatic. Here's how he set it all up, and how you can too.

Even though it's Windows 10, Rainmeter still works beautifully on it. If you're not familiar with Rainmeter, here's a handy getting started guide (albeit a bit dated) that will help you make your first custom desktop.

From there, here's what you'll need:

The wallpaper
The Rainmeter system tweaking and monitoring tool for Windows
The Cleartext skin for Rainmeter for the music player
The Elegance 2 skin for Rainmeter for the time and date display
The Lines 2 skin for Rainmeter for the system monitors
The Night Shade Clock skin for Rainmeter for the analog clock

That's about it. Not too many skins, and of course, if you don't need three clocks on your desktop, you can omit one or two of them to create your own look. If you like the look, head over to Giacomo's Flickr page (linked below) or over to his personal blog to let him know that you like his work!

Do you have a good-looking, functional desktop of your own to show off? Share it with us! Post it to your personal Kinja blog using the tag DesktopShowcase or add it to our Lifehacker Desktop Show and Tell Flickr pool. Screenshots must be at least at least 1280x720 and please include information about what you used, links to your wallpaper, skins, and themes, and any other relevant details. If your awesome desktop catches our eye, you might get featured!

Robot Desktop | Flickr

robots

1467859302000

robots

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fdigg.com%252Fvideo%252Fdeal-with-it-robot%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
r0B0t: This 'Deal With It' Robot Is What Too Many People In The World Need
Simone Giertz is sick of people trashing on her shitty robot s. So of course, she makes another shitty robot as the best response to it.
robots

1467855383000

general

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgo.theregister.com%2Ffeed%2Fwww.theregister.co.uk%2F2016%2F07%2F07%2Fdecoded_microsofts_cryptic_bae_invitation%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Microsoft's cringey 'Hey bae <3' recruiter email translated by <i>El Reg</i>

Redmond tries to prove it's cool to all ages and cultures from hip-hop to hip op

Today, Microsoft tried to connect with college-age kids, and it did not go over particularly well.…

general

1467852392000

robots

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Duk%2526usg%253DAFQjCNFiE002oXwoDX5VJaoQOICaY9-Nkg%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526cid%253D52779147222951%2526ei%253DxIx9V9DqNYjc1ga9h4K4CQ%2526url%253Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.theguardian.com%252Ftechnology%252F2016%252Fjul%252F05%252Famazon-robotics-competition-dutch-team-first-prize%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
r0B0t: Amazon moves one step closer toward army of warehouse robots - The Guardian

The Guardian

Amazon moves one step closer toward army of warehouse robots
The Guardian
Kiva robots transport goods at an Amazon Fulfillment Center, ahead of the Christmas rush, in Tracy, California in 2014. Photograph: Noah Berger/Reuters. Sam Thielman in New York. @samthielman. Tuesday 5 July 2016 15.15 EDT Last modified on ...
Pick a winner: Dutch robot rises to Amazon Challenge by grabbing and stowing items the bestGeekWire
Amazon Robot Challenge Helps Develop Automated Warehouse WorkersNewsmax
Watch the incredible 'suckbot' in Amazon's 'roboshopper olympics'Daily Mail
iProgrammer -IT PRO -Gizmag -PYMNTS.com
all 44 news articles »

robots

1467848511000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2F62747648%40N08%2F28137354955%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
British Airways A320-200 G-EUYM

birrlad posted a photo:

British Airways A320-232 Reg: G-EUYM "Speedbird 839" taxing to Rwy 10 on a sunny evening at Dublin departing to Heathrow.

images

1467848508000

images

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2F500px.com%2Fphoto%2F161806485%2Fgiraffe-kiss-by-hello-emilie&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Giraffe Kiss by Hello Emilie

Giraffe Kiss by Hello Emilie

Hello Emilie: Photos

images

1467846308000

robots

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ffeeds.mashable.com%252F%7Er%252FMashable%252F%7E3%252Ff-u_Age9zSc%252F%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
r0B0t: Penalty shootout decides robot soccer World Cup final
"Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f13696%2frobot"

"Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f13696%2frobot"

RoboCup 2016 might not have been too exciting for the robots — they don't have feelings, after all — but their programmers must have been thrilled. The robot soccer tournament has been running every year since 1997. This year's winner was a team from Iran. Read more...

More about Tech, Robot, Robocup, Us World, and Gadgets

robots

1467846306000

robots

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.slate.com%252Fblogs%252Fbusiness_insider%252F2016%252F07%252F06%252Fpolice_arrested_a_man_for_setting_a_google_street_view_car_on_fire.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
r0B0t: A Man Who “Felt Google Was Watching Him” Set One of Its Street View Cars on Fire

This post originally appeared on Business Insider.

Prosecutors have charged an Oakland man who "felt Google was watching him" for setting one of the company's Street View vehicles on fire.

Police arrested Raul Diaz on the Google campus on June 30 and found a firearms case and items to make a pipe bomb in his car, according to an affidavit filed July 1 with the U.S. District Court in San Jose.

Federal prosecutors charged Diaz with one count of arson. Diaz also admitted under questioning that he was behind two other attacks on Google's campus, including torching a self-driving car and shooting through an office window, according to the affidavit.

When police arrested Diaz, he told officers that he had intended to shoot into another Google building and that "he felt Google was watching him and that made him upset," according to the sworn statement.

The series of attacks on Google's campus began in May after Molotov cocktails were thrown at a Google Street View car on its Mountain View campus. On May 19, a Google employee spotted a man throwing what looked like beer bottles at the car, only to see one erupt in flames after it bounced off the hood. The car wasn't damaged, but the ground was scorched where the bottle had exploded.

A month later, police responded after shots were fired through a window of one of Google's buildings. The five projectiles, either bullets or pellets the report says, were covered in a white substance that's still being tested, according to the affidavit.

On June 19, another car on Google's campus was set on fire using what looked like a squirt gun filled with gasoline or another flammable liquid, the affidavit said. In the filing, police claim it was a self-driving car that was destroyed, but a Google spokesperson told the San Jose Mercury News Tuesday that a self-driving car was not involved in the series of attacks.

robots

1467846304000

robots

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.slate.com%252Fblogs%252Fbrowbeat%252F2016%252F07%252F06%252Fhow_anthony_atamanuik_vic_berger_and_tim_heidecker_use_unconventional_comedy.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
r0B0t: How a Few Weird, Surrealist Comedians Are Proving That Trump Is Not Actually Immune to Satire

Back in February, as Donald Trump was revealing himself to be a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination, New York Times TV critic James Poniewozik observed that he presented a challenge for comedians. “Election parodies traditionally exaggerate candidates,” wrote Poniewozik. But Trump was exaggeration itself, “the frilled lizard of politics,” constantly “inflating his self-presentation to appear ever larger.” Poniewozik declared him “almost comedy-proof.”

Poniewozik's assessment has become the conventional wisdom. “I don't think anybody's comedy about Donald Trump is as effective as simply Donald Trump's words themselves,” said Peter Sagal, of Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! on a recent episode of Slate's Trumpcast. “All I should do on my show is just read a transcript of what he said and then sigh.” Earlier this month, in Splitsider, John Hugar made the same point: “What Trump has taken away from satirists is the power of exaggeration.”

The frustration is understandable. Jimmy Fallon is repeating the same jokes about Trump's hair that he made in September. Colbert's recurring Trump impersonator has still no t mastered the accent. We seem to be developing a strange fascination for watching children take shots at the candidate, as though we couldn't bear to watch another professional comedian try and fail. And the enduring comedic artifact of this election cycle, so far, is an explanation.

But Trump is not, in fact, immune to satire. There's a handful of comedians who have figured out how to spoof him effectively—they just don't have the same exposure, and their comedy is reckless and weird. For the most part, they abandon the decorum and theatrical polish that hold together shows like SNL. That makes total sense: Trump is the embodiment of illusion, theater, spectacle. To really bring him down, you may have to go postmodern, to tear apart the medium itself.

Take Anthony Atamanuik, who honed his Trump bit at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York and has performed in two specials on Fusion. He's a superb Trump impersonator in a conventional sense: No one has a firmer grip on the voice and mannerisms. But Atamanuik's “Donald Trump” is downright monstrous. He takes Trump's antipolitical correctness crusade to a shocking extreme. When asked about his relationship with Megyn Kelly, he rattles off a few decreasingly euphemistic period puns, then gets to the point: “When the uterine lining drops out of her cervix, she can be a real cunt.”

Atamanuik's “Trump” will extoll the virtues of “white power” as an energy source and warn the Pope against “shaved, cold, Italian ISIS” in “his backyard.” Each pun is set up with a shaggy, winking preamble. At first glance, they're stupid vacations from the reality of the impersonation. They foreground the performer, the joke writer, over the character. But that's the point. They're an analogy. They suggest a Trump who is having fun at the expense of his message. Or who, perhaps, doesn't understand the meaning of the words he is saying. Or a Trump who speaks in a hidden language, to an audience within the audience.

At key moments, Atamanuik will climb almost entirely out of the character. He will maintain the outward mannerisms but ditch Trump's psychology. He ends performances of Trump vs. Bernie, his fake debate with James Adomian, on a description of all the terrible things that will happen in the early days of a Trump presidency (see around the 35:10 mark here):

And sometimes he climbs further into the character. Like other comedians, Atamanuik apparently subscribes to the Producers theory of this candidacy, which maintains that Trump never intended to succeed and has continued campaigning out of a deep psychological deficit. That idea's not too fresh, but Atamanuik uses it, as a performer, to great effect. He'll be spouting Trumpisms and slip seamlessly into a raw confessional mode. In a performance I saw in February, the closing monologue included a harrowing first-person disquisition in which Atamanuik theorized that Trump teared up at his New Hampshire victory speech because he felt unloved by his father as a child. Nothing changes about Atamanuik's demeanor when he does this. He wants to catch you off guard. At first you're just confused—and then you start listening, through the familiar bravado, to Trump's tortured inner voice.

It's not realistic, and it is deeply alienating, almost Brechtian in the way it sacrifices the coherence of character to make a bigger point. And it successfully disarms the demagogue. Once you've heard Atamanuik, Trump's cadence triggers the comedian's highly incongruous material in your mind. I cannot watch Trump read that stupid snake poem without hearing Atamanuik's substitute: “Agitate me! Disrupt me! Save me from myself!”

Quite apart from Atamanuik, there's Vic Berger, who creates representations of a Trump with no inner life whatsoever—a Trump-o-tron. He's been making Vines and longer videos using footage from the campaign trail since the beginning of the primaries, the most popular of which have racked up half a million views on YouTube. Early on, he produced a vast corpus of extremely awkward clips of Jeb Bush. Then he turned his attention to the debates.

Berger first won my love with his edit of the seventh GOP primary debate. It starts with Megyn Kelly observing that Donald Trump has refused to attend. Trump—a grainy cut-out image of him—and a podium then motor onto the stage to a chorus of airhorns and “We want Trump!” “Wait a minute, you dummies!” says this phantom Trump. Trump then proceeds to abuse Jeb Bush, interrupt him with further airhorns, and fire him, Apprentice-style. At one point, he and his podium whirr across the stage (it takes 14 seconds) and fire Bush a second time. Sad music plays; Jeb looks pathetic. Berger would return to this theme again and again in subsequent videos. In his wildly popular riff on the ninth debate, Trump is even meaner. “Jeb is a mess,” he says. “Jeb is a waste. Jeb is a mess. Jeb is a big fat mistake.”

There's an element of slapstick to this spectacle, bizarre as it may seem at first glance. The comically slow robotic whirr is tried and true shtick—the “mechanical encrusted on the living,” to use philosopher Henri Bergson's phrase. Bush's hesitations as Trump interrupts him are perfectly timed and could be played for laughs on a stage by real players. But the real value of these videos lies in Berger's unconventional use of video as a medium.

Before I go on, I should acknowledge that these videos are not for everyone. The Vines are acerbic and ephemeral, like Listerine breath strips. The longer pieces are abrasive, disorienting, and dystopian. If you're not tuned into the anti- and meta-comedy, you will find them incompetent.

But I'd argue that there's something sharply funny in the redundancy and stiffness of Trump's posturing in that debate vide, and in the equally redundant and stiff response of his chanting supporters. The intentionally bad cutout and the use of audio from the Apprentice remind us that Trump is a foreign element in our political world. He is a seam in reality. And yet we have come to accept him as though he were a being from the same dimension.

Like all of Berger's best videos, the debate takes place in a representational netherworld. In manipulating real clips, Berger paradoxically surrenders any claim to reality. You know immediately that Trump didn't say those things in that order, or sound an airhorn, or fart on camera. You know that what you're watching uses the same distortive techniques as propaganda.

But, in most of these videos, Berger doesn't seem to be trying to make anything like a propagandistic point. Usually, he's constructing a new reality, from scraps, the way a dream does. That's one reason these scenes can feel so internal, as if they're unfolding in someone's dazed, anxious mind. These videos are ultimately not about Trump. They're about you.

You could say the same for the work of Tim Heidecker, with whom Berger will be spoofing the parties' conventions this summer. Heidecker started observing Trump relatively early (the current right-wing political incarnation, not the “short-fingered vulgarian” of the '80s and '90s). Around 2011, he added a joke to his stand-up repertoire. It was: “Imagine if Donald Trump became president.” After that, he would go on for a bit about different things President Trump could fire (members of Congress, Obama, Obamacare). It was a “lame, shitty, bad joke,” he told me in an interview, but in the context of his gracefully inept routine, it killed. (Really—listen to that laughter.)

That joke would no longer play, but it illustrates a key to Heidecker's satirical strategy. He doesn't focus on Trump. Instead, he creates characters and situations that suggest a world that is wholly Trumpified. Trump does not appear in this clip—a music video for a song entitled “Our Values Are Under Attack”—but he haunts it. He is there in Heidecker's facial tension, and in the song's entitled pessimism. It could only have originated in a culture in which Trump is taken seriously.

The singer in the video is Jack Decker, the unimaginably arrogant hero of Decker, a 24-style spy-action series conceived by “Tim Heidecker,” a fictional movie reviewer played by Tim Heidecker on a different show, On Cinema. “Tim” is a terrible actor. As Heidecker explained in an A.V. Club interview in March, “Tim” is trying to emulate Clint Eastwood or Jack Nicholson, “and it ends up coming out like Donald Trump.” Decker's lips are permanently pursed in a Trumpian duckface.

But again, we do not really see Trump the man here. We a see a crudely exaggerated depiction of the frustrations, fears, and vanities that lead people to support him. The most recent episode of Decker tells the story of Decker's training as a Green Beret. When a new drill instructor from Saudi Arabia—played by the one white guy who plays all the terrorists, in the same stereotypical costume, ululating—is introduced to the recruits, Decker looks around suspiciously. “I got a bad feeling about this,” he whispers, stiltedly, to a companion. “This is a classic Taliban strategy. He's a Trojan horse sent to move in next door and become friends with everybody, and then the attack begins.” That aired a few days before a Trump supporter in New Hampshire exhorted the candidate to get rid of “all these heebie jobbies they wear at the TSA,” apparently referring to hijabs.

Weird Trump comedy may be starting to gain a pop cultural foothold. Earlier this month, a dystopian fake Japanese advertisement for Trump's candidacy, by a video artist named Mike Diva, went viral. As with Decker, Trump himself was not in the crosshairs. Rather, Diva wanted to capture and escalate the experience of being in Trump's world. “I wanted to make the omnipresence of his face really overwhelming but also weirdly visually pleasing,” Diva told Slate. “I wanted to confuse people.”

And he did. Trump supporters on 4chan were so confused that one of them started a thread about the video called “Which one of you was this?” Another wrote that “the video makes Trump looks great and cool and sexually vigiorous [sic] regardless if that was its intention or not.” Atamanuik, Berger, and Heidecker have all grown increasingly vocal about their opposition to Trump, but some of their work still leaves room for such misinterpretation. This is most true of Berger, who has an unwelcome following among right-wing internet trolls. This month, a horrified Berger tweeted a photograph from a Trump rally of a supporter clashing with a protester. The supporter's shirt said “Jeb is a mess” in an intimidating font.

This may just be the cost of experimentation. Regardless of their political impact, these videos and performances reflect the chaos and uncertainty of the current moment. As a a comedian, there may not be much you can do with Trump's self-presentation, the traditional target of satire. Unlike most humans, he does not have anything like stable principles or ideas. The visible Trump is an illusion, a chameleon, a glitch. In order to make a good joke or capture a truth, a comedian has to either delve deeper—expose the broken interior—or zoom out to the culture surrounding him. The weirdness of these comics reflects the weirdness of those uncharted zones. When we watch Atamanuik, Berger, or Heidecker, we do not see a comedian in more-or-less civil dialogue with a politician. (So much for Jimmy Fallon talking to Trump in the mirror.) We see artists facing evil—the potential for the disintegration of the individual, the corruption of society on the whole. We'll never know how our attempts to laugh at Trump—Fallon's or anyone else's—affected the vote. But when the election is past, and Trump vanquished, I'm skeptical that we'll want to re-watch John Oliver's level-headed explanation. We may prefer to hear those airhorns blowing.

robots

1467846302000

robots

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.slate.com%252Farticles%252Ftechnology%252Ffuture_tense%252F2016%252F07%252Fisrael_s_magshimim_program_trains_teenagers_to_work_on_cybersecurity.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
r0B0t: Making a New Pipeline

Ilana Gutman “knew nothing about computers” three years ago when two soldiers visited her freshman high school class in Ashdod, a city in the south of Israel, and encouraged the students to apply for a high school cybersecurity training program. Now 17, Gutman is finishing her third year in the Israeli program, called Magshimim, and is preparing to enter the army, where she hopes to work in intelligence.

Gutman and her boyfriend, May Kogan, whom she met through Magshimim, will spend this summer working at a camp for Israeli teenagers studying cybersecurity. They have just completed a final project that involved building an application to let teachers remotely control the computers of their students in order to administer an online class in the event that school is canceled due to “a war, or snow” (“what we have and what you have,” Gutman explained to me, referencing the different reasons for canceling school in Israel and the United States).

Many countries, including the United States, have programs designed to teach elementary and high school students coding and computer science skills; many have programs aimed at attracting diverse students to those subjects. But Israel—in large part because of the constant threat of war or cyberattack—is one of the only nations to boast a thriving program for training teenagers from underrepresented groups to focus specifically on cybersecurity.

Beginning in ninth grade, Israeli teenagers from the nation's “periphery” (that is, outside the well-populated and wealthier cities in Israel) are screened for the after-school cybersecurity program, which places a particular emphasis on recruiting girls. Magshimim was launched in 2011 by the Rashi Foundation, a philanthropic organization focused on supporting underprivileged Israeli youth, and has been co-sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Defense since 2013. More than 530 students have successfully completed the program, and it is in the process of trying to scale up the size of its classes tenfold, from roughly 400 students to 4,800 participants over the course of the next five years.

Magshimim accepts roughly 30 percent of the students who apply, following a series of tests and interviews during which the program screens for determination, dedication, and sociability—but not prior computing experience. That's how Gutman and students such as Revital Baron, 17, were able to make the cut, despite having no background in computing. “I just knew how to use Facebook and play computer games,” Baron said of her familiarity with computers prior to entering Magshimim. Now she, like Gutman, is finishing the program and has built, for her final project, a robot that can create a visual map of the space it occupies using ultrasonic sensors to compute the distance from walls and other obstacles.

The students selected for the program attend three-hour cybersecurity training sessions after school two days per week from 10^th through 12^th grades. Over the course of three years, they work on programming projects, study computing theory, implement cryptographic protocols, reverse-engineer malware, and study the architecture and design of computer networks. They finish high school with a skill set comparable to that of many college juniors and seniors who study computer science in the United States. (Many of them also finish high school fluent in English—a skill born of many hours poring over the forums on Stack Overflow to help answer technical questions, they told me.)

In the short term, these students are being groomed to enter the Israeli Defense Force's elite cyber branches during their compulsory military service. In particular, the teenagers in Magshimim hope to join Unit 8200, the intelligence and cybersecurity team featured in Richard Behar's recent Forbes article as “Israel's secret startup machine” because so many of its alums enter the private sector and launch successful tech (and often specifically security) companies. If Unit 8200 provides the pipeline for Israel's startup economy, then Magshimim provides the pipeline for Unit 8200.

In the United States, we talk a lot about the “pipeline problem” in technology—the lack of women and underrepresented minority students finishing college with degrees in engineering and computer science and the resulting lack of diversity at many major tech firms. Israel is concerned about these same issues, so Magshimim is not just any pipeline—it's specifically designed to recruit from underrepresented populations in cybersecurity, including girls, religious students, and children outside the major cities. To attract these populations into cybersecurity, it's important to recruit students when they're young, before they form too many ideas about what they can and can't do or should and shouldn't be interested in, before they begin to feel that they've already fallen behind and can't compete with their peers. In fact, the program is now working on extending its recruitment even earlier, to include training for eighth- and ninth-graders.

Perhaps in part because “Magshimim not only looks for smart people, but also social people,” one student told me, and perhaps in part because it includes so many girls, the students in Magshimim are an astonishingly outgoing bunch. When I was visiting Israel recently for their Cyber Week 2016 symposium at Tel Aviv University, which included a youth conference for hundreds of Israeli high school students studying cybersecurity, many of them were eager to tell me how important the program has been for them socially, as well as technically.

“I really feel like Magshimim is my second home,” Baron said. “All of my best friends are from Magshimim.” Gutman and Kogan, meanwhile, are quick to credit the program with their relationship. A WhatsApp group keeps all of the seniors in the program across Israel, some 150 students, connected online, and the program also hosts regular overnight “Cyber Nights” and challenge events that seem to combine elements of military or law enforcement exercises with the free-food, stay-up-all-night ethos of the hackathons that are commonplace on American college campuses.

For instance, one Magshimim event a few years ago required students to investigate a stolen pizza delivery by accessing a building's security feeds to retrieve surveillance video footage of the theft. “Then we found the pizza and we ate it,” recalled Omer Greenboim Friman. In another exercise, there was a simulated crisis in which the building's internet access had been completely shut off, and the students had to find a way to re-establish connectivity with the outside world.

Underlying all of Israel's efforts to ramp up its cybersecurity education and training programs is the sense that such threats (internet blackouts, not pizza theft) are never very far away and that no one is too young to be thinking about and preparing for them. The students in Magshimim make it clear in conversation—sometimes to an extent that feels shocking to an observer from another country—that they understand this is about war.

“We are a little country, and we have a lot of enemies, so we need to secure our data,” Kogan said. “When we were just kids, we didn't have anything we could do about these threats, but now when we are getting into the army, we finally have the power to do something about it.” Similarly, Gutman told me, “I really want to go to the army and contribute. My dream is maybe to stay in the army.”

It's almost inconceivable to imagine hundreds of tech-savvy teenagers in the United States feeling that way about, say, joining the National Security Agency. Daniel Ninyo, another Magshimim senior, has a life plan that might seem more familiar to U.S. high school students: After serving in the IDF, he hopes to launch a startup company.

When students in the United States get excited about computer science, their interest often lies in building new tools for social change or games or slick, marketable apps, rather than security. Two uniformed soldiers in a classroom would be unlikely to pique the interest of many U.S. high school freshmen the way that they did Gutman's. So is it possible to replicate the success of a program like Magshimim in the United States? In some regards, absolutely. The United States is, of course, a much larger country than Israel, with a much more decentralized education system and no compulsory military service. But it could still support competitive, well-regarded cybersecurity after-school programs that target students from underrepresented communities who have no prior coding experience and offer them not just classes but also a rich social environment; regular mentoring from older alums of the program; and, occasionally, pizza.

Yet it takes more than pizza to create a program that is held in as high regard as Magshimim, both by its participants and the rest of the country. (“I was in a restaurant with my friends once, and the waitress looked at us and she said, “Are you guys from Magshimim, that cool cyber program?” Gutman recalled.) To care deeply, passionately about security, I realize as I speak with the Magshimim students, it helps to feel truly, immediately threatened.

This article is part of Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.

robots

1467842164000

general

%feed
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgo.theregister.com%2Ffeed%2Fwww.theregister.co.uk%2F2016%2F07%2F06%2Falleged_arsonist_blew_up_google_street_view_car%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8
Bloke 'lobbed molotov cocktails' at Street View car because Google was 'watching him'

Nike shoes, Blue Moon beer, a VW Touareg and an unused pipe bomb

A man arrested for setting fire to one of Google's Street View cars has told the authorities he feared the company was watching him.…

general

1467840739000

mail

%mail
http://www.leletui.com/uploads/allimg/160424/1-160424214128-50.jpg
Macrocylix maia

loading...
one moment please