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Shore bug (Saldula laticollis) collected in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, and photographed at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (sample ID: BIOUG06729-G11; specimen record: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_RecordView?processid=SSJAE1693-13; BIN: http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_BarcodeCluster?clusteruri=BOLD:AAG8807)
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Stan in FL posted a photo:
This is the only dragonfly on the USA Federally Endangered Species list. Once thought to be extinct, the Hine's Emerald was rediscovered at the Mink River Estuary, Wisconsin in 1987. Today, Door County, Wisconsin harbors the largest population of this dragonfly in the world. Now the Hine's Emerald is found in very small populations in only 3 other states, IL., MI., MO. It is unlawful to kill, harass, or possess specimens. The Mink River Estuary is a Great Lakes coastal wetland fed by ground and surface waters as well as by Lake Michigan. This estuary, where the waters of Mink River and Lake Michigan meet, is considered one of the few high quality, freshwater estuaries remaining in North America. The preserve protects almost the entire shoreline of Mink River and much of the river's surface watershed, helping safeguard water quality and wildlife habitat. The Hine's Emerald lives in calcareous (high in calcium carbonate) spring fed marshes and sedge meadows overlaying dolomite bedrock.
They spend up to five years as larvae, surviving in small wetland streams fed by groundwater. The adult will live only 3-5 weeks. The best month to see the Hine's Emerald is July and early August at the Ridges Sanctuary in Door County, WI. This is where I saw several. Seeing this dragonfly was the highlight of a 4500 mile road trip.
Somatochlora hineana
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Read more: Brexit, Environment, Environmental Policy, Environmental Law, European Union, European Economic Area, Politics News
Few nighttime sights offer more drama than the full Moon rising over the horizon. Now imagine that instead of the Moon, a gas giant planet spanning three times more sky loomed over the molten landscape of a lava world. This alien hell exists in the two-planet system that includes rocky Kepler-36b, discovered in 2012 that has a turbulent orbital relationship with its neighboring world, 36c. Every 97 days that planet, a “hot Neptune” gas giant comes perilously close to 36b, roughly five times the distance between the Earth and the Moon.
"These two worlds are having close encounters," said Josh Carter, a Hubble Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).
Harvard-Smithsonian artist David Aguilar imagined the glorious spectacle shown above, with the purple gas giant "hot Neptune 36C looming some 2.5 times larger in the sky than our own moon. These picturesque planetary fly-bys that occur every 97 days on average that would trigger tremendous gravitational tides that would squeeze and stretch both planets, triggering even more volcanic activity on 36b, a planet already defined by its lava flows and 1300-degree Fahrenheit temperatures. (The image above shows what 36c might look like from 36b).
"They are the closest to each other of any planetary system we've found," added co-author Eric Agol of the University of Washington.
They spotted the planets in data from NASA's Kepler spacecraft, which can detect a planet when it passes in front of, and briefly reduces the light coming from, its parent star.
The newfound system contains two planets circling a subgiant star much like the Sun except several billion years older. The inner world, Kepler-36b, is a rocky planet 1.5 times the size of Earth and weighing 4.5 times as much. It orbits about every 14 days at an average distance of less than 11 million miles.
The outer world, Kepler-36c, is a gaseous planet 3.7 times the size of Earth and weighing 8 times as much. This "hot Neptune" orbits once each 16 days at a distance of 12 million miles.
The two planets experience a conjunction every 97 days on average. At that time, they are separated by less than 5 Earth-Moon distances. Since Kepler-36c is much larger than the Moon, it presents a spectacular view in its neighbor's sky. (Coincidentally, the smaller Kepler-36b would appear about the size of the Moon when viewed from Kepler-36c.) Such close approaches stir up tremendous gravitational tides that squeeze and stretch both planets.
Researchers are struggling to understand how these two very different worlds ended up in such close orbits. Within our solar system, rocky planets reside close to the Sun while the gas giants remain distant.
Although Kepler-36 is the first planetary system found to experience such close encounters, it undoubtedly won't be the last.
"We're wondering how many more like this are out there," said Agol.
"We found this one on a first quick look," added Carter. "We're now combing through the Kepler data to try to locate more."
This result was made possible with asteroseismology. Asteroseismology is the study of stars by observing their natural oscillations. Sunlike stars resonate like musical instruments, due to sound waves trapped in their interiors. And just like a musical instrument, the larger the star, the "deeper" are its resonances. This trapped sound makes the stars gently breathe in and out, or oscillate.
Co-author Bill Chaplin (University of Birmingham, UK) noted, "Kepler-36 shows beautiful oscillations. By measuring the oscillations we were able to measure the size, mass and age of the star to exquisite precision."
He added, "Without asteroseismology, it would not have been possible to place such tight constraints on the properties of the planets."
Today's Most Popular
The Daily Galaxy via CfA and University of Washington
When "Star Trek" was first broadcast in 1966, the largest telescopes on Earth could only see about halfway across the universe -- the rest was uncharted territory. But Hubble's powerful vision has carried us into the true "final frontier." Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, "Star Trek" has captured the public's imagination with the signature phrase, "To boldly go where no one has gone before." NASA's Hubble Space Telescope doesn't "boldly go" deep into space, but it is "boldly peering" deeper into the universe than ever before to explore the warping of space and time and uncover some of the farthest objects ever seen.
This is epitomized in the latest Hubble image released today in time for the new motion picture "Star Trek Beyond." The Hubble image unveils a very cluttered-looking universe filled with galaxies near and far. Some are distorted like a funhouse mirror through a warping-of-space phenomenon first predicted by Einstein a century ago.
In the center of the image is the immense galaxy cluster Abell S1063, located 4 billion light-years away, and surrounded by magnified images of galaxies much farther.
Thanks to Hubble's exquisite sharpness, the photo unveils the effect of space warping due to gravity. The huge mass of the cluster distorts and magnifies the light from galaxies that lie far behind it due to an effect called gravitational lensing. This phenomenon allows Hubble to see galaxies that would otherwise be too small and faint to observe. This "warp field" makes it possible to get a peek at the very first generation of galaxies. Already, an infant galaxy has been found in the field, as it looked 1 billion years after the big bang.
This frontier image provides a sneak peak of the early universe, and gives us a taste of what the James Webb Space Telescope will be capable of seeing in greater detail when it launches in 2018.
The cluster contains approximately 100 million-million solar masses, and contains 51 confirmed galaxies and perhaps over 400 more.
The Frontier Fields program is an ambitious three-year effort, begun in 2013, that teams Hubble with NASA's other Great Observatories -- the Spitzer Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory -- to probe the early universe by studying large galaxy clusters. Identifying the magnified images of background galaxies within these clusters will help astronomers to improve their models of the distribution of both ordinary and dark matter in the galaxy cluster. This is key to understanding the mysterious nature of dark matter that comprises most of the mass of the universe.
The Daily Galaxy via NASA/Hubble Space Telescopeeuropeanspaceagency posted a photo:
The island of Tongatapu and the nearby smaller islands all part of the Kingdom of Tonga archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean are pictured in this Sentinel-2A image from 23 May.
Tonga's population is spread across 36 of Tonga's 169 islands, but about 70% live on this main island. The capital, Nukuʻalofa, sits on the island's north coast and along the Fanga'uta Lagoon. The lagoon's mangroves provide an important breeding ground for fish and birds.
Built on limestone, the island has fertile soil of volcanic ash from neighbouring volcanoes, and we can see how agricultural structures cover most of the island. Crops include root crops such as sweet potato and cassava, as well as coconuts, bananas and coffee beans.
North of the island we can see many coral reefs. Although not part of its original mission objectives, scientists are experimenting with Sentinel-2 to monitor corals and detect coral bleaching a consequence of higher water temperatures.
Bleaching happens when algae living in the corals' tissues, which capture the Sun's energy and are essential to coral survival, are expelled owing to the higher temperature.
The whitening coral may die, with subsequent effects on the reef ecosystem, and thus fisheries, regional tourism and coastal protection.
The recent El Niño weather phenomenon has caused increased bleaching across the world's corals, and scientists are finding Sentinel-2's coverage helpful in monitoring this at reef-wide scales.
This image is also featured on the Earth from Space video programme.
Credit: Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2016), processed by ESA
Design Week: Why did you start the Local Heroes initiative?
Stacey Hunter: To present a snapshot of Scottish design that wouldn't look “Scottish”. I live and work in Edinburgh and so I see the sort of products that are marketed to tourists on a daily basis. Yet I'm surrounded by designers working on the most amazing projects they trade, collaborate and work internationally. So why can't we see it? I wanted to produce an ambitious project that showed Scottish design through the lens I looked through. It was also important to show Scottish designers that they are noticed and appreciated and that's where the name Local Heroes came from.
DW: What does the exhibition include and what are you hoping to achieve?
SH: The Local Heroes pop-up exhibition and shop features nine commissions from product, fashion, graphic and textile design. The project's designers were asked to “reimagine the souvenir” and produce a unique travel-themed design object.
All the designers have businesses based in Scotland. We want to identify and celebrate excellence in Scottish design, demonstrate how design thinking is at the heart of successful products, develop opportunities for diverse audiences to engage with, and enjoy design.
We have an elegant umbrella titled Rain Dance by Karen Mabon, who says: “I wanted to create a piece that was a little tongue-in-cheek nod to Scotland's famously changeable weather and something that would be really eye-catching among all the colour and drama of the Edinburgh Festival.”
The entire collection celebrates Scotland's contemporary designers who embrace colour, pattern and innovative techniques and materials, and will be available to buy throughout August.
DW: Why did you choose the airport as your canvas for design?
SH: I've always loved airports. Growing up my dad worked as an aeronautical engineer and I actually think that's when I began thinking like a designer looking at all of the pieces of a plane, the rivets, the turbine engines and seeing how it fitted together seamlessly.
I was introduced to the chief executive officer of Edinburgh Airport by Faith Liddell, the former director of Festivals Edinburgh. We talked about how bringing a design show to the airport in front of this enormous cultural audience which comes annually for festivals 1.2 million predicted would be a fantastic thing to do. Luckily, the Edinburgh Airport team agreed we will be the first thing many visitors see when they arrive in Scotland, and for the others, a fond farewell. In that way the airport is an absolutely perfect canvas for a design exhibition and pop-up shop.
DW: Who are some of the commissioned designers, and why did you choose them?
SH: They all live and work in Scotland, and have really interesting and impressive projects and clients in the UK and internationally. I'm just fascinated by how you would never see their work when walking down Edinburgh's strip the Royal Mile! I'm sure that this exhibition will have real impact and present people with an image of Scotland that's fresh, playful and exciting.
Karen Mabon sells scarves to Liberty of London; Tom Pigeon, who has produced an exclusive neckpiece which uses a playful combination of textures, materials and shapes, is based in a rural and quite remote studio in Fife and his work is stocked in the Tate Modern and Barbican Centre as well as in LA, Denmark, and Athens. Laura Spring prints her own fabrics and has everything made within a 20-mile radius of her studio, yet collaborates with some of Glasgow's well-known artists and bands such as Ciara Phillips and Belle & Sebastian.
Orkney based designer Hilary Grant's piece Archipelago is a lambswool travel blanket inspired by rhythm, mirroring and the knitting traditions of Scotland and its neighbouring Nordic countries. Design group Instrmnt has created the Instrmnt 01-D, a watch that comes unassembled with tools provided for customers to build their own accessory. In collaboration with Gabriella Marcella, Instrmnt has produced a limited edition risograph printed pack.
DW: What stereotypes about Scottish design are you hoping to dispell, and how would you like to see Scottish design perceived?
SH: I'm dual nationality (Scottish / Canadian) so maybe I pick up on it more but stereotypes which I feel are hemmed in are that Scottish design is always about heritage and tradition, and that its personality is romantic. The design community I'm part of isn't like that, it's part of a global discussion about design. It's diverse, modern, and polished. There is no doubt among creatives that the Scottish referendum had an effect it brought about a confidence, boldness and ambition I haven't seen before in my lifetime.
DW: What inspired you to start this project?
SH: This project was inspired by the important role design exhibitions have played in the past, in particular those which commission new work, like Scotland Can Make It! which took place during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. It demonstrated two very important things: that designers want projects that trust them to create and that there is an enormous public appetite for engaging with design in a cultural context as well as as a consumer.
When Scotland's Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design was announced I immediately saw the potential for Scotland to put designers on an international stage, presenting and promoting Scottish products and industries to the public, with a focus on high quality design.
I teamed up with Edinburgh Airport; Janine Matheson and Gillian Easson (directors of Creative Edinburgh and Creative Dundee respectively). We are also funded by EventScotland, which runs Creative Scotland. It's been an amazing insight for me to work with a project team that's bridging commercial and creative waters. We've developed a cross-sector partnership with expertise in design, culture, cities, creativity, enterprise, entrepreneurship, and travel and tourism.
DW: Why was it important that you access a global audience?
SH: Scotland is a small country and in some ways we are a bit isolated being at the edge of Europe. It's important to take every opportunity we have as designers to communicate what we are all about. I think people will be surprised when they see the show and the commissions. It's outstanding design from Scotland not “Scottish-looking design”. I am proud of the way that we have worked together to present Scottish design talent to the world.
DW: How can UK design work from outside of London be given more of a global presence?
SH: It begins with policy. Sadly there aren't any regarding design in Scotland that has to change, and it has to be led by the design community for it to be effective. The Office for the Design Economy in Glasgow is a grassroots campaign for a design policy for Scotland that I urge our colleagues in the rest of the UK to have a look at. You can see it here.
I also firmly believe that regions should put resources into projects like Local Heroes that match up designers with the marketplace in a meaningful way. If there was a Local Heroes shop in every airport in the UK, that would be a good start.
DW: Have you got any future plans for other similar initiatives?
SH: Local Heroes is a pilot project but I hope that when it completes its run at the end of August there will be the opportunity to reflect and begin dreaming about the next stage. Design is arguably one of the most accessible expressions of 21st century creativity and I hope that we can ultimately increase appreciation for design wherever we go. Now that we have created an easy to transport exhibition structure we'd like to take Local Heroes on tour.
The post Scottish design is “fresh, playful and exciting” in this new exhibition appeared first on Design Week.
Witness the sensual wonders of the middle ages in Cambridge while the Baltic explores playground utopianism. All that and more in your weekly art dispatch
Alice Neel
Touching, intimate portraits of Americans by this powerful modern realist promise to be a highlight of this year's Edinburgh art festival.
• Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, 29 Julyto 8 October.
Witness the sensual wonders of the middle ages in Cambridge while the Baltic explores playground utopianism. All that and more in your weekly art dispatch
Alice Neel
Touching, intimate portraits of Americans by this powerful modern realist promise to be a highlight of this year's Edinburgh art festival.
• Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, 29 Julyto 8 October.
in the british town, the artist has installed a generative and interactive virtual-reality installation that creates a immersive atmosphere of color and shapes.
The post miguel chevalier unravels interactive, kaleidoscopic carpet in milton keynes appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.
the mechanical motions of the machinery create hypnotic textures and patterns that are pleasant and therapeutic to see.
The post benedict redgrove documents the hypnotic manufacturing process of tennis balls appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.
Astronauts have their work cut out unloading essentials 400km above the Earth
The astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) are having a busy time unpacking supplies. This week, two uncrewed cargo ships arrived just two days apart from one another.
First to make the journey was the Russian Progress MS-03 module, which blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakstan, at 3:41am (local time) on 17 July. It followed a two-day rendezvous trajectory and docked using an automatic radar system on 19 July, while the ISS flew more than 400km above Chile.
Related: More than cargo riding on SpaceX launch
Continue reading...Hotel Monverde, Lixa, Portugal
When you have nurtured a design consultancy, it can be difficult to let go. Planning your succession can take several years, says Adam Fennelow, services director at the Design Business Association (DBA). “The DBA recommends people have a road map to exit the business,” he says. But what route should you take? Founders can be succeeded in a variety of ways. Here's a run-down of your options.
This involves making your employees stakeholders in the company. A business owner can hand their consultancy over to their employees in three ways: by making them individual shareholders, holding shares collectively for them through a trust, or a combination of both.
Paul Priestman, co-founder at PriestmanGoode, opted for a trust when he turned his consultancy into an employee-owned business this year. “Establishing a share trust felt like a fairer option for all employees”, says Priestman. “Only people who have the money can buy individual shares then it becomes a race to power. With a trust, the shares are distributed equally if the employees decide to sell the company. They can also collectively decide how to spend profit, rather than it going to the founding directors.”
The process took six years. “I began by taking designers, who were five years ahead of me, out for lunch to understand the process of restructuring,” he explains. When it started transitioning, PriestmanGoode began “empowering” its employees by creating new internal departments that were in charge of hiring their own staff, choosing their own software and equipment, and representing the company at events.
According to the Employee Ownership Association, the employee-owned business model can improve the company's recruitment potential because of its employee benefits. “In attracting talent, being employee-owned is a really big draw,” says Priestman. “There's a good feeling about the set-up, and it prevents hostile takeovers.”
Priestman went to specialists for advice during the process, such as creative industries' management consultant Clear Partnership and commercial law firm Fieldfisher. He recommends consultancy founders do their research, learn about the finances of their business and be prepared to delegate. “Talk to the Employee Ownership Association, and people who have done it. Be willing to let go and give your designers responsibility don't let your ego interfere.”
This involves selling the consultancy to select managers within the business, who have been trained through the ranks to eventually take over. The managers can pay the business owners out through different ways, such as an agreed mortgage or a bank loan.
Product design consultancy Kinneir Duffort took on a management buyout structure in 2002. Starting in 1997, the process took the consultancy's founders Ross Kinneir and Francis Dufort five years, and aimed to “grow a team-based entity, rather than a founders' company”, says design director Craig Wightman.
The consultancy has continued to involve more key members of its senior team in the management of the business, says Wightman. “Design consultancies are people businesses. To help the business develop and thrive, it's important to provide opportunities for people in the team to do so too, and to feel like their efforts and ideas can directly influence its direction.” Being an independent company encourages an “open, collaborative and team-focused” ethos, he adds, which would be more difficult to achieve if Kinneir Dufort was part of a network.
To complete a management buyout, Wightman says your business needs to be in good shape. “You need to have a clear vision, a strong and capable management team, a healthy business position and the drive and ambition to grow,” he explains. Wightman also suggests speaking with professionals, such as lawyers and finance advisors. “Designers may be experts at running a design business but the world of corporate transactions is not something we do very often, if at all,” he says. “You need to get good advice.”
This involves selling your consultancy to an umbrella company such as WPP or Publicis and becoming part of a group.
Coley Porter Bell was bought out by WPP in 1991, later becoming part of a sub-group called Ogilvy & Mather Group UK. Coley Porter Bell saw joining WPP as an opportunity to gain new skills through cross-disciplinary working and to find new talent, says Vicky Bullen, the consultancy's chief executive officer. The consultancy has been able to collaborate on a more diverse range of projects with other teams, says Bullen, as “clients' requests for integrated teams have grown”. Recently, all Ogilvy & Mather Group UK companies were brought together under one roof, which has also encouraged this, she says.
Other advantages include a bigger contacts list and therefore more referrals to clients for projects, career progression through training, and more stability, explains Bullen. “We have amazing training and development opportunities through both WPP and Ogilvy, and when you have the support of a group behind you, you don't suffer from the same cash flow problems as an independent. Plus, we have just gained a fantastic new home with amazing facilities such as recording suites and in-house digital studios.”
But in order to make the most of being part of a network, you need to get to know people, she says, and be prepared to work across a large team. “Just because you are part of a big group, it doesn't mean people will reach out to you,” Bullen explains. “Make sure you network, and go out of your way to help people across the company then they will help you too. Also, be prepared to compromise when you're part of a cross-disciplinary team, you can't always lead.”
Consultancies can also be bought by another design business. Equator acquired 999 Design in February this year, which founding director Richard Bissland says was a move to combine skill sets with another studio. “999 had been run by the same team for 34 years and it was time to look to the future,” says Bissland. “Equator needed specialist branding skills, and we needed a more sophisticated approach to digital bolting them together made sense.” The transitional process is still underway, with the two consultancies having already started collaborating on projects, but yet to move into the same office location in Glasgow. A big part of the process was reassuring employees and getting them on board with the advantages of collaboration, says Bissland.
Although the acquisition is still in process, Bissland believes the positives will outweigh the hassle of restructuring. “Sorting out space for various teams to operate in and pushing desks around might be a pain, but the pros will far outweigh the cons,” he says. “Having strength in digital and branding, merging client lists and having a more rounded offering are the key advantages.” Bissland advises that you pick a business you know you will gel with. “Make sure the partner or parent consultancy is a good fit for your culture and that you know and like the people you will be working with the chemistry is important,” he says.
Closing down does not have to be a result of financial difficulties if you co-own a consultancy and decide it is time to go your separate ways and move into different projects, shutting up shop could be an option, says Adam Fennelow at the DBA.
Brand consultancy FiveFootSix closed down last year for this reason, saying it was “time for a change in direction”. “This was a conscious decision with money still available in the business, which the partners were able to share between them,” says Fennelow.
Company founders Algy Batten and Mark McConnachie say the decision allowed them to “end things on a high” and “turn [their] attention to new challenges ahead.”
Jonathan Sands, chairman at Elmwood, led a management buyout of the consultancy 27 years ago. He hopes to keep the consultancy independent and pass responsibility to others in the management team, to “retain the culture of the business” and “provide a good future” for employees. Sarah Turner, managing director at Carter Wong, says the consultancy also hopes to stay independent to “keep creativity at its core”. “The freedom of being an independent agency is something we value highly,” she says.
The decision to restructure is a big one. Selling to a network might provide stability and opportunity to work with people of other disciplines, but lacks the autonomy an independent or employee-owned practice can bring. Ultimately, you need to work out what is most important for your own business.
1. Plan early
A successful exit can take years. The earlier you start thinking about what you want to achieve long-term, the easier and more successful it will be.
2. Consider what is important to you
A clean break, money, security for your staff, staying involved at some level, creating a legacy all are relevant issues to influence your decisions.
3. Take advice
Good advisors cost money, but are worth it. A financial advisor needs to be more of a coach than an accountant.
4. Have a plan
Make sure your plan has milestones that can be assessed and amended if necessary. Are you on track? Have you recruited the right team to move the business on? Have you developed your ability to measure business metrics?
5. Your sums need to add up
Your finances must be in order. Not just in a profit and loss sense you need to illustrate costs per head, profitability by client, new business projections etc. This is essential to minimise perceived risk for those taking over.
The post How to make sure your business survives without you appeared first on Design Week.
DN&CO has designed the brand identity for White City Place, the new creative business district in west London which was formerly the site of BBC Media Village.
The branding for the new business hub, which is being developed by Stanhope and will include restaurants, gardens, homes, retail and office space, centres on the concept of “Networked for Creative Thought”.
“The brief was all about placemaking,” says creative director at DN&CO, Patrick Eley, “creating a distinct place that helps creative businesses flourish, and ultimately a brand that is associated with creativity and innovation instead of office space.”
The visual identity includes a clean, bright colour scheme based on a prism of refracted light, which plays on the name of the White City area.
“The brand aims to explore collaboration and what happens when people and companies mix,” says Eley.
“White light passing through a prism is refracted and creates the colour spectrum, giving us all colours as a palette to work with. By blending those colours we can emphasise the mix of people and ideas.”
The visual identity also incorporates a grid-like shape that emphasises the area's role as a hub for transport, social activity and creativity, with the series of overlapping squares giving the impression of movement, according to Eley.
“We wanted the identity to be dynamic and active to set the visual tone for a creative place where nothing stands still, everyone bounces off each other,” he says.
“Taking two squares and overlapping them gives you three, and then we played with movement and multiplicity of those patterns.”
DN&CO was commissioned to work on the project in June 2015, and will oversee the rollout of the brand across digital, print, social and signage in the coming months.
White City Place is part of an ongoing £8 billion, 15-year regeneration of the wider White City area.
The post DN&CO creates place branding for White City Place appeared first on Design Week.
Witness the sensual wonders of the middle ages in Cambridge while the Baltic explores playground utopianism. All that and more in your weekly art dispatch
Alice Neel
Touching, intimate portraits of Americans by this powerful modern realist promise to be a highlight of this year's Edinburgh art festival.
• Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh, 29 Julyto 8 October.
Kieran Williams Photography posted a photo:
fiddleoak posted a photo:
this picture sort of goes with the last two, but this one is by far my favorite of the bunch. not sure if this is my favorite picture I have ever taken, but it certainly is my favorite I have taken for a long time.
instagram//blog//facebook
After years of lagging behind other ethnic groups when it comes to accessing the Internet, the "digital divide" between Latinos and whites is now at its narrowest point since 2009.
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Justin Bieber and Diplo would like to splash back into your hearts with their latest collaboration, a pledge of eternal devotion titled "Cold Water."
The Major Lazer track was co-written with Ed Sheeran and Benny Blaco. "Cold Water" also features vocals from Danish singer MØ, who said in a statement that when Major Lazer approached her with the song, she "would jump into a volcano to be a part of that record."
Bieber also seems pretty pumped about the song.
Soon we might be sharing our sidewalks with these self-driving delivery robots, zipping around the streets to bring us takeout and packages.
Ahti Heinla, chief executive of Starship Technologies, takes us for a test delivery to a Silicon Valley resident in the video above. We see how the robot detects and navigates obstacles as it rolls on down the street.
The robot achieves 90 percent autonomy — only occasionally calling for help when it encounters something confusing. Not a bad shout.
Emergency physicians learn to be prepared for anything thrown at us in the clinical arena. Personal life is a different story. Last year a drunk driver with multiple prior offenses and no valid driver's license smashed a truck through the wall of my son's daycare.
Fortunately, the children and staff were in undamaged areas. But just minutes before, my son and I had walked through the exact spot in the art room where the truck came to rest in a pile of debris.
Having worked in the ER for years, I've seen the aftermath of drunk driving often enough before, but that was the first time I had seen an accident caused by a drunk driver up close.
Drunk driving is a major public health problem in the U.S. In 2014 nearly one-third of the nation's 32,675 traffic fatalities were alcohol-related. This means a completely preventable death happened every 53 minutes in this country.
My brush with a drunk driver made me wonder about what practices and policies can help prevent accidents and fatalities. Research suggests lower blood alcohol concentration limits and interventions like ignition interlocks can make a big difference.
When drunk drivers come to the ER they often express surprise, disbelief or denial about their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or their level of impairment. They often are drunker than they think they are.
Higher blood alcohol levels, no matter how "sober" you feel, can have a real impact on your ability to perform tasks that require concentration, such as driving. While people who drink more often may feel the effects of alcohol less acutely than someone who does not, their reflexes and judgment can still be impaired. And the more you drink, the harder it is to judge how intoxicated you are.
At least one study involving college students has shown that higher BACs are associated with an underestimation of an individual's level of intoxication.
Studies have also shown that increasing BAC is also associated with a decreased reaction time.
For instance, one study pointed to an average decreased reaction time of 120 milliseconds, just over a tenth of a second, associated with a blood alcohol content (BAC) level of 0.08, the legal limit. Traveling at 70 miles per hour, a drunk driver would travel for an additional 12 feet before reacting to a roadway hazard.
In 2000 Congress passed legislation making 0.08 the national standard for impaired driving in the United States. Under the law, states that did not adopt 0.08 as the standard by 2004 faced cuts in federal highway funding. By the time the law was passed many states had already adopted the 0.08 standards, but some states used 0.10 as the standard.
The lowering of the limit was in response to a 1992 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report to Congress recommending this action as a way to reduce highway deaths. Implementation of these lower BAC laws has been associated with a decrease in alcohol-related highway fatalities. But 0.08 is still a fairly high BAC level compared to other developed countries.
Among the largest industrialized countries, only the U.S., United Kingdom and Canada permit BACs as high as 0.08. France, Germany, Italy and Australia currently set their BAC limit at 0.05. Japan has the lowest requirement of this group at 0.03. European countries in particular have sought lower BAC requirements in the past decades as part of an effort to decrease traffic deaths
When the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, made its recommendations to change EU laws to recommend a BAC of 0.05 as the per se limit for impaired driving, they included supporting data, including fatality reductions, from countries with existing 0.05 BAC laws.
It might not take as many drinks as you think to slow your reaction time and make safe driving harder.
For the purposes of standardization, a drink is defined as 12 ounces of 5 percent alcohol beer, five ounces of 12 percent alcohol wine or one and a half ounces of 80 proof (40 percent alcohol) liquor. To account for an individual drinking over a longer period of time, subtract about 0.01 percent for each 40 minutes of drinking time.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a 160-pound man, two alcoholic beverages can bring about some loss of judgment, decreased ability to rapidly track a moving target and result in decreased ability to multitask. Women generally weighing less than men, would see a higher BAC per drink.
Three alcoholic drinks will bring a person's blood alcohol level to a level of approximately 0.05 percent, which can impair the ability to rapidly focus vision, lower alertness, and decrease coordination to the point that steering becomes difficult and response to driving emergencies becomes blunted.
After approximately four alcoholic drinks, balance, vision and reaction time are often affected. It becomes harder to detect roadway dangers. Reasoning and information processing are often measurably impaired. This corresponds most closely to a BAC of 0.08 percent, the limit set by most states for legal operation of a vehicle.
A blood alcohol of 0.10 percent is generally associated with a clear loss of reaction time and control. There will be reduced ability to maintain proper lane position or brake appropriately.
Not surprisingly, as the BAC level climbs higher than 0.10 percent, it is associated with the progressively deteriorating ability to drive a vehicle safely.
Studies going back to the 1960s have demonstrated the correlation between BAC and accident risk. The relative risk of being in a crash is 1.38 times higher at a BAC of 0.05 than 0.00. At 0.08, the risk is 2.69 times higher. At 0.10, the crash risk climbs to five times higher.
When you consider the medical evidence, including the physiological effects, and the relative risk of crash, you can understand why some countries set the legal limit at 0.05 and why in 2013 the NTSB recommended that 0.05 become the new limit in the U.S.
Drunk driving is a tough problem to solve. One solution is to focus interventions on those who have a prior alcohol impaired driving arrest because they are at higher risk of doing it again. The reasons for this are not clear, but many drunk driving episodes are linked to binge drinking and not simply social drinking.
Ignition interlocks, which are essentially breathalyzers connected to the vehicle's ignition system, could also make a difference. These devices ensure that the vehicle can only be started by a sober driver. They've have been around for many years and modern versions have features to resist tampering, and require intermittent rechecks to ensure the driver doesn't drink after starting the vehicle.
All states use ignition interlocks to some degree, but as of January 2016, only 23 states require interlocks for all DUI offenders, which are sometimes called universal ignition interlock laws. The NTSB recommended the use of ignition interlocks for all first time offenders in 2012.
A 2015 study in the American Journal of Public Health, found that states with these laws have fewer alcohol involved crash deaths. Researchers compared data for 18 states which implemented universal ignition interlock laws to 32 states that had not. In those 18 states, universal interlock laws saved 918 lives, a 15 percent reduction in deaths related to drunk driving.
It is every driver's responsibility to understand that there is no "safe" BAC level. It's simple: The more you drink, the less you are able to drive safely, and the higher the likelihood of an accident. For those who ignore the evidence and the law, at least there is a technical solution that could help stop further loss of life to this preventable problem.
Brad J. Uren, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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Unrest in Turkey, a Santa Claus competition in Denmark, virtual reality in Israel, kite running in Rio, the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, and much more.
Computerworld | Mars rover uses AI to decide what to zap with a laser Computerworld NASA's Mars rover Curiosity now has the ability to decide what targets it wants to capture with a camera or hit with its laser all on its own. No humans needed. The space agency announced this week that using artificial intelligence (A.I.) software ... Mars rover has a new bag of tricks: self-guided lasersChristian Science Monitor Mars Rover Curiosity Can Now Fire LaserSeeker NASA's Curiosity Rover now decides which Mars rocks to shoot all by itselfThe Verge SpaceFlight Insider -Forbes -Wired.co.uk -Mirror.co.uk all 30 news articles » |
Great first seasons aren't exactly common, but the last several weeks of TV have served as a reminder that great second seasons are even rarer. First, UnReal, one of 2015's most promising new shows, jumped the rails with series of ill-conceived episodes, and now Mr. Robot is threatening to follow it into the ditch. Last night's episode, “Kernel Panic,” wasn't a total disaster, but there were passages so cringe-inducingly bad I felt the urge to hide, as if I'd been confronted with an embarrassing grade-school photograph. (The line “Control is about as real as a one-legged unicorn taking a leak at the end of a double rainbow” made me want to run out of the room.) The USA network has thrown its weight behind the show, allowing creator Sam Esmail to direct every one of the season's episodes, but he's used that creative freedom to double down on Mr. Robot's worst tendencies.
Mr. Robot's first season ended, audaciously, with the suggestion that fsociety, the group of anarchist hackers led by Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), had succeeded in erasing the world's debt records, effectively putting anyone with a bank account instantly in the black. Part of what was exciting about the show's second season was how the show would address what a post-debt world looks like, especially since there's no conceivable to way to wipe out the computerized records of what people owe without wiping out their virtual savings as well. In a medium where common practice is to restore the status quo at the end of every episode, it seemed like a radical, even thrilling idea.
Unfortunately, the primary way Mr. Robot's second season has dealt with the consequences of fsociety's hack is by not dealing with them at all. One of Elliot's hackers calls it “the crime of the century,” but apart from the fact that corporate fat cats now have to pay for their fancy dinners up front, precious little seems to have changed. People still hold jobs, Fox News and Bloomberg TV are still on the air, pickup basketball games continue uninterrupted. After tossing around a lot of second-semester wisdom about the evils of corporate control, it seemed like Mr. Robot was finally making its way into less familiar territory, but instead, Esmail's taken a giant step backward. The season's first episode featured an entry-level lecture on the workings of the stock market presented as a devious conspiracy theory, and in “Kernel Panic,” Elliot unleashes a long, sub-Richard Dawkins tirade about the evils of organized religion, concluding, “Fuck God.”
Or rather, “F*** God.” “Kernel Panic” included what might have been a record number of bleeped obscenities for a scripted drama; I lost count after half a dozen. Given that Email knew his F words would be obscured for broadcast, stacking up so many in a single hour of TV seems willfully perverse. (They're included, unbleeped, in the digital version available from iTunes.) It's a distraction every time the sound cuts out, and a needless one. Esmail seems like like a teenager dropping f-bombs in front of his parents just to see how they'll react, getting giddy pleasure from his insignificant rebellion.
On their own, “Kernel Panic's” string of bleeped profanities would be just a mild annoyance, but they're an extension of how hard Mr. Robot is trying to seem “edgy” while actually backing off the show's more radical aspects. Instead of considering how society could actually survive without credit, or adapt to its loss, we get Grace Gummer's FBI agent masturbating to X-rated (but blacked-out) online chats and Elliot scooping half-digested Adderall out of his own vomit. Even the length of the second season's episodes—83 minutes for the two-part premiere, 63 for “Kernel Panic”—feel like an attempt to assert the show's importance without backing it up with actual heft.
A show like Mr. Robot or UnReal can get by for a season on an intriguing concept and long-term promise; you overlook its flaws because it's new and exciting, and hope they'll work out some of the kinks next time around. But when those flaws persist, or even deepen, you have to be concerned that they're endemic, that Esmail really thinks Elliot's adolescent anti-establishment rhetoric is profound, and that there's something subversive about smuggling it onto a TV network owned by one of the world's largest media conglomerates. Mr. Robot's first season held such potential, but now it seems more and more like the show was writing checks it can't cash.
In a July 22 Politics, Rachael Larimore misspelled Reince Priebus' last name.
In a July 21 Brow Beat, Matthew Dessem misspelled Ally McBeal.
In a July 21 Slatest live blog, Josh Voorhees misspelled Fran Tarkenton's first name.
In a July 20 Brow Beat, Sam Adams misstated that in the TV show UnReal Rachel arranged for Ruby's father to show up on the set of Everlasting. Quinn invited Ruby's father.
In a July 20 Moneybox blog post, Jordan Weissmann misstated that Donald Trump Jr. and his father are Wharton MBAs. They both have undergraduate degrees from the business school.
In a July 20 Moneybox blog post, Jordan Weissmann misidentified Youngevity founder Joel Wallach as Ben Wallach.
In a July 20 Slatest, Josh Levin misstated the source of a passage in Donald Trump Jr.'s speech. It was from the American Conservative, not National Review.
In a July 20 Slatest, Ben Mathis-Lilley misspelled Slate writer Jordan Weissmann's last name.
In a July 20 Slatest, Seth Stevenson misstated the date of the BuzzFeed party. It was Tuesday night, not Wedneday night.
In a July 19 Foreigners, Hamna Zubair misspelled Fouzia Azeem's first name.
In a July 19, Moneybox blog post, Henry Grabar misstated that Gretchen Carlson had been the host of Fox & Friends until June. Her last job at Fox News was as the host of The Real Story With Gretchen Carlson.
In a July 19 Science, Mike VanHelder misstated that a robot was made from silicon. It was made from silicone.
In a July 19 Slatest, Catherine Piner mistakenly included a tweet by Washington Post reporter Ed O'Keefe in a roundup of conservative pundits' reactions Donald Trump's nomination. O'Keefe is a political reporter, not a conservative pundit.
In a July 18 Brow Beat, Matthew Dessem suggested that a fake Katy Perry tweet was real. He also misspelled Selena Gomez's first name.
In a July 18 Climate Desk, Ben Adler misstated that Rep. Bob Dold was likely going to the Republican National Convention. He is not.
In a July 18 Slatest, Ben Mathis-Lilley misstated that Young Republicans national chairman Dennis Cook has two children. Cook has at least three children.
In a July 17 Slatest, Emily Tamkin wrote that protesters in Baltimore were arrested after blocking traffic on Sunday. The episode took place on Saturday.
In a July 15 Science, Rosa Li misstated the number of shootings that occurred in Houston from 200015. It was 500, not 1,500. The story has also been updated to clarify that there is a federal database documenting shootings by U.S. law enforcement, but it is not comprehensive.
Slate strives to correct all errors of fact. If you've seen an error in our pages, let us know at corrections@slate.com. General comments should be posted in our Comments sections at the bottom of each article.
Dallas Morning News | El Centro moves on after shooting: 'We will not be defined by this at all' Dallas Morning News In the end, Johnson was holed up in an El Centro hallway when police used a robot armed with explosives to kill him and end the standoff. Adames was able to tour his campus ... “People could envision the future of that space rather than the past,” said ... and more » |
7/22/2016
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Seattle, Washington, USA
47°26′56″N 122°18′34″W
I'll be heading to Seattle, Washington this morning for the State of the Map Conference! My flight to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will be one of the roughly 380,000 aircraft movements that take place at the facility each year and I will be one of roughly 42 millions passengers that travel through the airport annually. The facility also contains a 13,000-car parking garage, the largest structure of its kind in North America, which is visible at the top of this Overview.
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-- 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.
Be afraid. That was the clear message of the GOP nominating convention this week. Far from Reagan's morning in America, we're now living in night of the Purge. And GOP nominee Donald Trump, giving the longest acceptance speech in history, focused on the need for more "law and order." In his world, dangerous immigrants are waiting around every corner.
There are of course real dangers in the world, but are we worried about the right things? Yes and no. We're worried about a very many things these days. Gallup polls show that half of Americans say they are "very" or "somewhat" worried that "you or someone in your family will become a victim of terrorism." But at the same time, Gallup says, 64% of us are worried a "great deal" or "fair amount" about global warming.
But if you listened to this week's convention, we should only focus on terrorism, immigration, and home invasions. This general level of fear has seeped into the mainstream. A couple of days ago, a DJ on the popular New York radio station WPLJ (95.5) said that it seems anyone can get shot at any time. That's technically true, but random shootings are incredibly rare. Yes, it could happen to anyone, but you could also get hit by lightning, win the lottery, or die in a commercial plane crash (yes, I can get nervous when a plane bounces around...but I know it's irrational since the drive to the airport was much more dangerous).
There are well-documented reasons that we humans are fearful of the wrong things (from an odds perspective). One of the best known of the cognitive biases is something called the "availability heuristic." We reach into our brains to find readily available examples, and we consider those much more common than they are. So when the news covers basically every plane crash and every mass shooting in the world, we can easily picture how we'd be next.
Politicians have taken advantage of this natural bias forever. They give us vivid personal examples of a situation, even if they demonstrate a rare phenomenon. Presidents always bring citizens with compelling stories to their state of the union speeches. Look at that single mom over there that started a successful business because of my policies. Trump is no slouch on this front. Taking advantage of our biases, last night he talked the tragic story of a young woman killed by an illegal immigrant. He just left out the part about it not a violent crime, but a drunk driving accident.
But let's go back to our general fear of terrorism. It's a classic case of innumeracy - the lack of numbers sense where small, but emotionally vivid examples, well, trump reality. That Gallup poll is amazing - for 50% of us to think that terrorism will personally touch our families is truly bizarre.
The number of people killed by violent jihadists in the US since 2001 is roughly 100. But let's triple that if we think it's too low. Those 300 are roughly 0.0001% of more than 300 million Americans. But we are really not good with numbers so we inflate the scary extremes in our minds.
Of course terrorism and national security have some unique aspects as risks go. The risks can jump quickly if, say, unstable people get their hands on a weapon of mass destruction. That's also a remote possibility, but it is possible. So obviously we do have to be very vigilant.
But if we go off of emotions only, and not include numbers and risk, we will pursue bad policies and ignore other massive and much more likely risks. I'm no security expert, so perhaps my whole view on this is moot. But how about listening to General Colin Powell on the topic? A few months ago, I spoke at an energy conference that Powell keynoted as well. He spoke clearly about not "overreacting" to threats. A few hundred people have died from terrorism in 15 years, Powell said, while 30,000 people die annually from gun violence.
But clear-eyed, balanced voices seem to be on the wane, and fear is of course a powerful motivator. When you're afraid, the higher functions of your brain take a back seat turn off and you don't think rationally. That's good on some level if you need to fight a saber-tooth tiger by charging it against all reason. It sucks when electing a leader of the free world.
We need our leaders to focus on all the big and real that can impact many, many more people, such as: the economic repercussions from Brexit; tens of millions of refugees moving around the world; deep changes in technology that could eliminate millions of jobs; lack of water in many regions; and of course the existential threat of our time, climate change.
What are your odds of being impacted by climate change? Since it's already happening, how about 100%? Of course the impacts any individual faces can be hard to see clearly. When we pay higher prices for food as droughts affect agriculture, do we know it's climate change hitting our wallets? When diseases like malaria and Zika move north, do we register that it's a warming planet that make mosquitoes more comfortable where we live? When extreme weather swamps a coastline or riverbanks overflow into a town, destroying homes, does that register as a climate issue? Or do we shrug and say it's an "act of God."
Or, more to the point of the Trump fear tour, do we see how climate change has helped destabilize regions, leading to refugee crises and, yes, terrorism? The National Academy of Sciences, among others, has linked the Syrian unrest directly to drought and climate change. And the Pentagon has repeatedly tied climate change to national security.
But even without that "law and order" reason to worry, the impacts of a dangerously shifting climate are orders of magnitude more likely than a terrorist attack or random home invasion. I know we're fighting our lizard brains to get a handle on that reality, but we have to.
Oh, and by the way, building a cleaner economy is not only a risk-reduction strategy. It brings prosperity, resilience, and a healthier and safer world. The pursuit of a low-carbon world creates jobs in vast quantities also.
I've heard so little optimism this week. I only hope we can choose leaders who understand all the threats - and grasp the vast opportunities - that sit in front of us.
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Pokemon's potential for precipitating the end of civilization has been starkly highlighted as the world's major religions begin to take up positions on the game which sees grownups wandering the planet in pursuit of non-existent entities.…
Pierre Lyonet Scientist of the Day
Pierre Lyonet, a French illustrator and microscopist, was born July 22, 1708.
HFC phase-down talks in Vienna are moving forward rapidly this week as countries engage on the specifics of freeze and reduction targets and funding needs. Negotiators have delved into key issues all week, and ministers are arriving for high-level talks over the next two days. Expectations are high for more progress this weekend and for completing the deal in Kigali, Rwanda, this October.
Talks this week have continued in the problem-solving spirit displayed last weekend, when parties resolved a list of key challenges. Having made huge progress on difficult issues, countries are now focused on the core questions: the pace of phase-down schedules for developed and developing countries, and the scope and scale of funding to help developing countries adopt climate-friendly alternatives, through the donor country-supported Multilateral Fund (MLF).
There's growing support for an “ambition linkage” that pairs early action by developing countries with early and sufficient donor funding. Many developing countries, especially the African Group and various Latin American countries, are offering to move quickly provided they have sufficient MLF support.
Donor countries are on the same wavelength. The logic is compelling early action best protects the climate by avoiding unnecessary HFC growth, and early financial support actually benefits both sides: It helps developing countries gain earlier access to climate-friendly and energy-efficient products and manufacturing methods, and it saves donors money by avoiding larger transition costs that would be incurred later if developing nations built up larger HFC-dependent industries.
Among the most notable contributions this week, China offered its own proposed schedule for freezing and reducing HFCs. As the world's largest HFC producer, China has supported moving forward with an amendment for several years, but it had yet to offer a specific proposal. China's proposed timetable is slower than schedules offered by the North American countries and Island States, but more aggressive than India's (see comparison chart). None of these countries have drawn lines in the sand; all are emphasizing flexibility.
A number of countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Argentina, and Pakistan are still more cautious, but they too are ready to negotiate.
The engagement by ministers Friday and Saturday including Secretary of State John Kerry and EPA Administrator McCarthy for the U.S. will add political visibility and momentum. Ministers from countries in the Climate and Clean Air Coalition today called for completing an ambitious HFC deal this year. Tomorrow, an expanded list of countries will join a “high ambition group,” like the one that scored a key breakthrough at the Paris climate talks.
As the ministers meet, their negotiators will keep working no doubt once again into the wee hours Sunday morning towards a condensed negotiating text that will set things up for striking the final deal in Kigali.
We'll update you again before the week is out.
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Marie.L.Manzor posted a photo:
Sculptor Lil posted a photo:
Sculptor Lil posted a photo:
Sculptor Lil posted a photo:
Gord McKenna posted a photo:
We had dinner in a small restaurant on the south bank of the River Thames then headed over to a plaza area on the other side of the brindge, staked oiut a spot on the seawall, and caught the various colours of the bridge and sky as the sun slowly sand. This photo is just before the end of civil twilight, about half an hour after sunset.
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IJS83 posted a photo:
IJS83 posted a photo:
Black and white sunset shot looking west of Regent's Canal towpath in King's Cross London, as seen from bridge on Caledonian Road.
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On this week's Slate Political Gabfest, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the Republicans' unconventional convention in Cleveland and the departure of Fox News head Roger Ailes amid a sexual harassment suit filed by former host Gretchen Carlson.
Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:
Emily chatters about voter ID decisions, in particular the federal appeals court ruling against a Texas law.
John chatters about Elektro the Motoman, a 7-foot-tall robot built by Westinghouse for the 1939 World's Fair that could move under its own power and smoke. He had a cameo in “Sex Kittens Go to College”—a 1960 exploitation film that Trailers From Hell breaks down.
David chatters about Atlas Obscura's new podcast “Escape Plan” that he's hosting with Reyhan Harmanci and John's live shows in New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., for his new book Whistlestop.
Topic ideas for next week? You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest (#heygabfest). (Tweets may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)
Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Links compiled by Kevin Townsend.
Slate and Future Tense are discussing Mr. Robot and the technological world it portrays throughout the show's second season. You can follow this conversation on Future Tense, and Slate Plus members can also listen to Hacking Mr. Robot, a members-only podcast series featuring Lily Hay Newman and Fred Kaplan.
The third episode of Mr. Robot (don't forget that the premiere was two parts) dropped on Wednesday night, bringing hacker protagonist Elliot Alderson deeper into his madness and despair. It's unclear how long the show will keep Elliot isolated and too confused about reality to actually, you know, do things, but it seems like this episode was the complication before some resolution.
Knowing the show, that resolution will almost certainly be complicating and strange. But Elliot is a talented hacker—he can't live a remote, analog life forever. Meanwhile, the fallout from Fsociety's massive hack of ECorp continues. People close to Fsociety keep getting murdered, an FBI agent is poking around, and ECorp CEO Phillip Price takes an interest in Elliot's childhood friend Angela Moss, who now works in communications for ECorp.
This week's episode didn't have technology driving the plot the way Mr. Robot episodes often do. It was more about exploring the parallels between our digital selves and our interior selves—parts of us that are very real, but don't have a physical manifestation. Season 2 also seems to be meditating on the impacts of digital warfare. Though there's no violent combat, Elliot still seems traumatized by the display of Fsociety's power and his own. Or is it Mr. Robot's power?
Previously:
England's No3 recalls his ugly shot in the first Test against Pakistan that had dire consequences and forging his steely character aged 12 in the Yorkshire leagues
“Unfortunately I am a human being and not a robot,” Joe Root says with a dry little smile as he looks down at the beautifully sunlit expanse of Old Trafford while remembering the ugly shot that cost him his wicket in the first innings of England's Test defeat against Pakistan at Lord's. As Pakistan carry out fielding drills in preparation for the second Test, starting on Friday, Root shakes off his lingering disappointment from a dismissal that changed the course of last week's fascinating match.
England's best batsman came to the crease on the second morning at Lord's. Pakistan had been bowled out for a decent if hardly imperious 339. Yet, after Alex Hales was caught in the second over, England were eight for one and Root was tested again. Batting in a new position, in the vital role of No3, he needed to build a foundation with Alastair Cook while shifting pressure back on to Pakistan.
Continue reading...Inflatable loungers, Jackery battery packs, and discounted video games lead off Thursday's best deals.
Bookmark Kinja Deals and follow us on Twitter to never miss a deal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more, and don't forget to sign up for our email newsletter.
Update: Sold out.
Just because you're outdoors and/or floating on a body of water doesn't mean you can't have something comfortable to sit on. This $38 CloudLounger inflates in seconds, folds down to fit in a small bag, and even comes with a water-resistant Bluetooth speaker. Just note that this is a Gold Box deal, so be sure to pick one up before it floats away. Multiple colors available.
As part of its Black Friday in July sale, Best Buy is offering up $5 gift cards when you purchase $50 in select gift cards to other retailers, or $10 when you buy $100.
Your options here include rarely discounted gift cards from the likes of Netflix, Google Play, and Hulu, so if you were going to spend money on those services anyway, this is a great chance to get an extra cherry on top from Best Buy.
Moosejaw is running a big sale right now on several brands of outdoor apparel, but Smartwool is the one you really want to pay attention to. Smartwool socks and jackets are incredibly popular, but hardly ever see significant discounts.
Even on sale, this stuff still isn't exactly cheap, but this is a great chance to build up your collection if you're a fan.
Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale offers up deals on TVs, computers, and more, but the most exciting discounts are probably on an array of video games and gaming accessories.
Scroll down to the gaming section to find deals on dozens of games, both major consoles, hardcover game guides, amiibo, headsets, and more. Just note that you'll need a free My Best Buy account to get the discounts.
If you're in the market for a home theater audio upgrade, you can pick up a pair of Harman Kardon HKTS 30 satellite speakers for $89 today on Amazon. That's the cheapest they've ever been, and they typically sell for around $200 per pair.
https://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon-…
While supplies last (which usually isn't long), Amazon will sell you a sample box full of dog foods and treats for $10, and then give you a $10 credit back on a future pet food purchase. Assuming you use the credit, that's like getting all of the samples for free.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BZV5IQS
And if you missed out over the weekend, the same deal is still available on a $10 Amoretti syrup sample box, plus a $5 Crest oral care box.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01…
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01…
As part of its Black Friday in July sale, Best Buy is taking $125 off most 9.7" iPad Pros today, bringing the 32GB model down to $475, and the 128GB model down to $625, both all-time lows. The new 9.7" iPad Pro is actually better than the 12.9" model in a number of ways, so if it's been on your wish list, this is a great chance to save some cash.
Note: Unfortunately, the regular .edu discount doesn't seem to stack with this promotion. You'll also need a free My Best Buy account to see the discounts.
You can adjust the color temperature of this LED desk lamp by sliding your finger along its arm, or change the brightness by doing the same on its base. Plus, its brushed aluminum design looks way nicer than most LED desk lamp deals we've seen.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GH44C56/…
Jackery's newest battery packs include Quick Charge 3.0, and they're offering $8 launch discounts on both the 10,050mAh and 20,100mAh varieties today. Just use promo code THUNDERJ at checkout.
https://www.amazon.com/Powerful-Charg…
https://www.amazon.com/Powerful-Jacke…
I know we're all sweating under the heat dome right now, but winter will be back soon enough, and if you plan ahead, you can save big on coats, jackets, vests, and more in Patagonia's 30% off summer sale.
These $6 deals from Andake can support your neck, your back, and your senses while sleeping on a plane. If you have any long trips on the horizon, these are no-brainers.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01…
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Whether you're enticed by the idea of a Bluetooth-connected toothbrush, or just want it to get off your lawn, $85 is a great deal for an Oral-B toothbrush with a pressure sensor, five modes, and compatibility with several different brush heads.
If you want to pair it with your phone to track your brushing habits and learn which parts of your mouth aren't getting enough attention, great! If not, it's still worth buying at this price. Just be sure to clip the $15 coupon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O8ODHOA/…
With an extra 20% off sale items, PUMA's Semi-Annual Sale could score you two pairs of sneakers for the price of one. Apparel, bags and accessories, and workout gear are also included in this extra discount. Just add your choices to your cart, and you should see the discount at checkout automatically.
We see lots of deals on SSD enclosures, but this $5 USB to SATA IIII cable achieves the same ends while showing off the SSD itself, rather than hiding it behind plastic. Obviously, you wouldn't want to go this route if you're throwing the SSD in a bag, but if it's just going to be sitting on your desk, it looks pretty damn cool.
https://www.amazon.com/Inateck-Adapte…
http://gear.kinja.com/build-your-own…
We're no strangers to portable car jump starter/USB battery pack combos around these parts, but this new model from Aukey is unique in its ultra-compact, flashlight-like design. In addition to its 12,000mAh USB power bank, it can put out 400 peak amps through a set of included jumper cables, which should be sufficient to start most standard car engines.
https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Start…
Running shoes for a reasonable price are usually one of two things. They're either terribly quality or a ridiculous colorway. These Asics GEL-Flux 2 Running Shoes are neither, and they're only $38 on Asics' eBay storefront firght now right now, compared to $50-$70 elsewhere.
We know you guys like Velcro cable ties, but if you're interested in a different option for keeping your wires organized, these neoprene zip-up sleeves are cheaper than we've ever seen before.
https://www.amazon.com/Sumsonic-Neopr…
https://www.amazon.com/VELCRO-Brand-O…
Mpow's extra large motion-sensing solar outdoor lights can illuminate your entire front or back yard, and you can get one for $17, or two for $31 today on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Bright-We…
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Today only, Amazon's slashing prices on CRKT and Kershaw blades, ranging from tiny folding knives to freakin' machetes. This is a Gold Box deal though, so hurry (but don't run, because knives) over to Amazon to lock in your order.
Unlike smartphone lens add-ons that require a special case or a specific phone model, Mpow's 3-in-1 kit uses a clamp to attach to your device, which means it should work with virtually any smartphone. Once that clip's in place, you get to choose from three different lenses: Fisheye, wide angle, and macro. Several Amazon reviewers have uploaded sample photos and videos, and they look pretty great to my eyes, particularly the close-up macros.
https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Supreme-F…
http://gear.kinja.com/enhance-your-s…
You can seemingly build just about anything with a Raspberry Pi, including your own miniature NES, and here's a great deal on the newest Raspberry Pi 3. The kit comes with everything you need to get started, and will only set you back $57 with promo code D9UXNAIL.
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We see a lot of deals on Eneloop AA batteries, but your collection isn't complete without those pesky AAAs. While supplies last, Amazon will sell you a 12-pack for $20, or about $6 less than usual.
https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BK-4…
http://gear.kinja.com/the-best-recha…
Roombas have been bopping around our houses for about a decade now, but the Roomba 980 is the first model that might actually be considered “smart.” It's certainly not cheap at $760 (via Adorama's eBay store), but that's still $140 less than elsewhere, and the best price we've seen.
http://gizmodo.com/this-roomba-ma…
We've seen our fair share of cheap Bluetooth ear buds, but how about on-ears? Mpow's Muze Touch headphones are wireless, foldable, and can run for 12 hours on a charge. That's a heck of a package for $36. Remember, your next phone might not have a headphone jack, so this is as good a time as any to get accustomed to wireless.
https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Foldable-…
As long as its refurbished status and shiny gold finish aren't turn-offs, $100 is a the best price we've ever seen for a Pebble Time Steel.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01…
http://gizmodo.com/pebble-time-st…
This compact RAVPower battery pack can fit in just about any pocket, but still has enough juice to charge your phone about two full times, making it perfect for your next Pokémon Go outing. Plus, it's 2A input allows you to recharge it twice as fast as most comparable battery packs.
https://www.amazon.com/Portable-RAVPo…
For those who don't need a gooseneck kettle for pourover coffee, and aren't willing to spring for the ultimate tea maker, the Cuisinart PerfecTemp is one of the best (and best looking) electric kettles around. It's down to $50 refurbished today, which is the best price we've ever seen. Just be sure to grab yours before this deal boils dry.
Just when you thought you knew everything there was to know about cable management, the depths of Amazon toss you a surprise. This magnetic cable clip system includes one magnetic base that you can stick anywhere via its included adhesive, and three magnetic clips that you attach to your most-used cables, allowing them to stick to the base effortlessly.
There are surely less expensive cable holders out there—we post deals on them frequently—but the allure of just dropping your cable onto a magnetic base and knowing that it'll stay put is awfully tempting.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GG8DS6M/…
When it comes to having a corner on the market, nothing really compares to Nike. Use the code KICKS20 to score an extra 20% off already reduced men's and women's clearance items and hop on that sportswear bandwagon.
Away Travel arrived with a perfect set of reasonably-priced luggage for everyone, and they're offering Kinja Deals readers the company's first ever discount. Use promo code KINJA to take $20 off your order, and head over to this post to learn more.
http://deals.kinja.com/heres-the-firs…
If the SD card currently in your camera takes too long to write images, or if it just doesn't offer enough space for your upcoming vacation, this 64GB Sony is a fantastic value at $15.
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Class-Mem…
We've seen lots of deals on flash drives that include microUSB connectors for Android devices, but this one is designed just for iPhone and iPad owners.
Since iOS devices don't let you use microSD cards for extra storage, this could come in handy for offloading your phone's vacation photos if you're running low on space, or storing extra movies and TV shows for long flights. We've seen deals on a few similar products in the past, but $30 for 32GB is the best price we've seen.
https://www.amazon.com/HooToo-Lightni…
Update: Back in stock!
If you want to dip your toes into the world of electric toothbrushes, Philips' entry level Sonicare Essence line is an amazing value at $20. I've been using this brush for years, and I still love it.
You'll have a wait out a short backorder, but just clip the $5 coupon on the page to get the deal. This is easily the best price we've ever seen on any Sonicare brush.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00…
While we do see 20% discounts from time to time, a $100 iTunes gift card for $85 is still a solid deal if you pay for Apple Music, iCloud storage, or PokéCoins.
With a few rare exceptions, $4 is about as cheap as Lightning cables ever get, so stock up!
https://www.amazon.com/Mpow-Certified…
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This post originally appeared on Food52.
Remember when frozen yogurt was just a sweet, low-fat ice cream substitute that we all resented? (The carob chips probably weren't helping.)
To be fair, we didn't know what we wanted our frozen yogurt to be—yet. In digging deeper into our national relationship with froyo, one of the earliest mentions I found was from 1978, when The Country Gentleman advised, “In desserts, the tartness (lactic acid) [of yogurt] can be overcome with honey or fruit.”
It took Pinkberry's world takeover* in 2005** to help us realize how much we love—really, really love—frozen yogurt that actually tastes like yogurt.
That bright, undeniably yogurt-y flavor should have been our first clue. Because, as it turns out, making tart, sweet, creamy, soul-rebirthing-on-a-hot-day frozen yogurt at home is literally as simple as sticking yogurt in an ice cream maker, along with a little salt and a little more sugar.
You can eat it like soft-serve (like Pinkberry) straightaway, but even if you pack it up in the freezer, it will stay creamy and scoopable, not icy or grainy—particularly if you use this formula, developed and stress-tested by Max Falkowitz, and co-author of the forthcoming Dumpling Galaxy Cookbook.***
But how? Why don't you need to make a custard base or outsmart ice crystals with doses of invert sugars and starches, like homemade ice cream recipes typically do?
For one thing, think of frozen yogurt more like a sorbet than an ice cream, as Falkowitz and pastry chefs do: “It illustrates one of the most elegant heuristics about sorbet (and frozen yogurt, despite the dairy, behaves basically like sorbet): You want about 4 parts liquid to 1 part sugar by volume for something scoopable,” he wrote to me. After looking up heuristics, I agreed.
That said, frozen yogurt still holds onto a lot of richness in the form of dairy fat, so it's creamier than sorbet, too. I might even say it has a balance between sparkly-crisp and milky-comforting similar to my my signature ice cream float from second grade—lemon-lime soda over scoops of cookies & cream—but I don't expect you to agree with me.
But the real genius is this: Once you realize that you can put yogurt in the ice cream maker, you can do anything you want! When she first reported on this technique last summer, our own Sarah Jampel flavored hers with Nutella and sprinkled raspberries and chocolate bits on top. Falkowitz developed these six other kinds, including a bizarre and delicious version with dry white wine. Cécile from the blog Royal Chill recently sent me a recipe for her chocolate version, which I also found very easy to eat.
To pre-empt your questions: Don't substitute nonfat yogurt. (Or don't say I didn't warn you.) Yes, you can use Greek yogurt, but you might want to cut it with a little liquid to keep it from being too creamy, like in the white wine version linked above. Yes, you can play around with different sweeteners and mix-ins and infusions. (Max's tips are here.) If you don't have an ice cream maker, do the things that people tell you to do. But also, did you know they cost approximately $50 and will do the stirring for you?
And yes, once you can get going, you can call yourself a frozen yogurt machine. Just not world's first frozen yogurt robot—I'm afraid that's taken.
Max Falkowitz' Best (and Easiest) Frozen Yogurt Recipe
Makes 1 quart
1 quart container (about 3 3/4 cups) full-fat plain yogurt (see note above about substituting for Greek)
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
See the full recipe on Food52.
*There are now Pinkberry stores in 21 countries, including Venezuela and Bahrain.
**Note that this 2007 New York Times Pinkberry exposé was reported by Jennifer Steinhauer, just a couple years before she was writing about Salmon Moqueca and other weeknight diatribes for us!
***Falkowitz would want you to know that credit should be shared with Ethan Frisch, his former co-writer of the ice cream column on Serious Eats. “Ethan's a legitimate 100% genius, in the kitchen and out of it, and when he's not doing NGO work in Afghanistan and Syria he's cooking beautiful elaborate meals in tiny kitchens,” Falkowitz says.
More From Food52:
Put Beer in Your Pizza Crust! Here Is How
Go to Sarasota for the Sunshine, Stay for the Shrimp
10 Mindful Grocery Choices You Can Start Making Today
It's Time to Reclaim the Kir Royale
All the Skills You Need to Treat Tomatoes with TLC
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The Lagoon Nebula is a popular stop in the constellation Sagittarius. It is estimated to be between 4,000-6,000 light-years from the Earth, in the direction of the center of the Milky Way.
Image credit: Kitt Peak Observatory
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A team of researchers and students at the University of California, Riverside has created a Lego-like system of blocks that enables users to custom make chemical and biological research instruments quickly, easily and affordably. The system of 3D-printed blocks can be used in university labs, schools, hospitals and anywhere there is a need to create scientific tools. The blocks are called Multifluidic Evolutionary Components (MECs) because of their flexibility and adaptability. Each block in the system performs a basic task found in a lab instrument, like pumping fluids, making measurements or interfacing with a user. Since the blocks are designed to work together, users can build apparatus -- like bioreactors for making alternative fuels or acid-base titration tools for high school chemistry classes -- rapidly and efficiently. The blocks are especially well suited for resource-limited settings, where a library of blocks could be used to create a variety of different research and diagnostic tools.
Image credit: UC Riverside
If only the world had listened to Ignaz Semmelweis. In the late 1840s, he helped run a large hospital in Vienna with two maternity wards. In one, the rate of deadly infection after childbirth was around 10%. In the other, it was more than double that. After puzzling over the discrepancy, he remembered that the second clinic was staffed by medical students who often arrived fresh from anatomy class to deliver children their hands clammy from human dissection. Semmelweis realised “cadaverous particles” could be responsible for the fate of the women and instituted a rigorous new hand-washing regime. Mortality in the ward dropped by 90%.
This was years before Louis Pasteur developed a scientific theory that microscopic germs were the cause of infections that would have explained Semmelweis's success. But being unable to account for why better hygiene worked made his protocol a hard sell. It was rejected by medical authorities and more than two decades passed before germs were identified and antisepsis practised. In the meantime, millions of women died avoidable deaths.
Leeches were dismissed as tokens of medieval quackery. But then it was discovered that they actually worked
Continue reading...Dallas Morning News | El Centro College moves on after Dallas police shooting: 'We will not be defined by this at all' Dallas Morning News ... college's second floor. In the end, Johnson was holed up in an El Centro hallway when police used a remote-controlled robot armed with explosives to kill him and end the standoff. ... “People could envision the future of that space rather than the ... and more » |
Peter Thiel is an openly gay libertarian billionaire financier, co-founder of PayPal and early Facebook investor. "Fake culture wars only distract us from our economic decline," he says.
This summer, it has felt like the terrible news just won't stop. A digital journalism expert at Columbia University offers advice for dealing with the barrage of news updates flowing to our screens.
It's been a long time coming for the VCR. After beating out Betamax and LaserDisc for home viewing dominance in the 1980s, VHS players are going away for good.
The answer to the first question of a Q&A during Mr. Robot's highly anticipated Comic-Con panel Thursday evening summed up the entire event. Asking the pressing question of Summer 2016, a fan wondered who among the cast plays Pokémon Go.
After audience laughter and cheers, Carly Chaikin replied, "From a Mr. Robot perspective, do you guys know what kind of access you're handing over when you play that game?"
It was a lighthearted remark with a serious undertone, and that set the tone for the whole panel.
While there were unfortunately precious few details given out about the rest of the forthcoming season (although Rami Malek did note that there is a "mesmerizing" hack coming that was filmed as one long take), cast members Malek, Christian Slater, Portia Doubleday, Chaikin and new Season 2 addition Grace Gummer all shared their opinions on why Mr. Robot has become a breakout — and Emmy-nominated — hit for USA Network. Read more...
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Big Shiny Robot! | 3 Comics That Are Sticking It To The Man Big Shiny Robot! Comic books have a long history of taking shots at the establishment. Superhero comics are pretty much predicated on the little guy standing up to the big corrupt guy; but if we're being honest, they're pretty tame in their dissent. They are published ... |
Wall Street Journal | SoftBank Embraces Smart Robots, Emotional Cars Wall Street Journal Speaking at a company event Thursday, Mr. Son, SoftBank's chief executive, laid out a future of artificial intelligence, smart robots and the so-called Internet of Things. These areas would be in addition to SoftBank's existing core business of selling ... Honda Softbank partnership to deliver smarter AI for carsSlashGear SoftBank Is Designing An Emotional Car To Make Your Drives Home Less LonelyFortune all 109 news articles » |
Phys.Org | Asimo meets Pepper: Honda and Softbank partnering in robots Phys.Org Honda said it's focusing on AI research with a new laboratory in Tokyo set to open in September. SoftBank said its robotics unit Cocoro SB, which is researching cloud-based artificial intelligence, will work with Honda on research that seeks to ... Ride-a-long-a-robot: Honda and SoftBank team up to work on robo-passenger endeavorDigital Trends all 11 news articles » |
Irish Times | Silicon Valley shifts focus to robots and artificial intelligence Irish Times The new era in Silicon Valley centres on artificial intelligence (AI) and robots, a transformation many believe will have a payoff on the scale of the personal computing industry or the commercial internet. Computers have begun to speak, listen and see ... |
Robohub | Why football, not chess, is the true final frontier for robotic artificial intelligence Robohub The perception of what artificial intelligence was capable of began to change when chess grand master and world champion Garry Kasparov lost to Deep Blue, IBM's chess-playing program, in 1997. Deep Blue, it was felt, had breached the domain of a ... |
Castanet.net | Melania Trump backlash Castanet.net In the future, a tiny robot made from pig gut could capture it and expel it. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are designing an ingestible robot that could be used to patch wounds, deliver medicine or dislodge a foreign object ... |
New York Times | Artificial Intelligence Swarms Silicon Valley on Wings and Wheels New York Times The new era in Silicon Valley centers on artificial intelligence and robots, a transformation that many believe will have a payoff on the scale of the personal computing industry or the commercial internet, two previous generations that spread ... and more » |
Dallas Morning News | El Centro moves on after shooting: 'We will not be defined by this at all' Dallas Morning News In the end, Johnson was holed up in an El Centro hallway when police used a robot armed with explosives to kill him and end the standoff. Adames was able to tour his campus ... “People could envision the future of that space rather than the past,” said ... and more » |
Slate Magazine (blog) | The Emmys Have a Knack for Being Both Stodgy and Trailblazing at Once Slate Magazine (blog) Joining The Americans as a first time Best Drama contender is the incisive Mr. Robot, whose star Rami Malek adds some fizz to the Best Actor in a Drama category. ... I'm sure these groups have overlapping taste, but this dynamic would explain both the ... and more » |
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It was the nicest shot of a poor evening sunset wise. Always bring a lee filter with you. via 500px ift.tt/1QDRrBO
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London, England.
Olympus OM-D E-M10.
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Search efforts for the three men killed in the Didcot power station collapse resumed today when the remainder of the building was demolished.
Demolition workers Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, both from Rotherham, South Yorkshire and Chris Huxtable, 34, from Swansea, were trapped under 20,000 tonnes of rubble when the structure unexpectedly crumbled on February 23.
Four people died in the disaster, but only one body, that of Mick Collings, 53, has been recovered so far. It is still unknown what the causes of the tragedy were.
A remote demolition brought down the remainder of the decommissioned site shortly before 6am, in a unique operation that will make use of 10 remote-controlled robots.
The building - which was due for demolition when it partially collapsed - was too unstable to be approached and a 50-metre exclusion zone was set up around what is left of the building.
The 11 plastic explosives attached to the structure were detonated and, once, the site is considered safe, teams will be deployed to resume searching the remnants of the plant for the first time since May.
Roland Alford, who is the explosives contractor at the power station, said the four-month delay in completing the demolition was necessary on safety grounds.
He told the Press Association on Saturday: “There has been quite a lot of criticism about delays, questioning why it has taken so long to get to this point, but the fact is nothing like this has ever been attempted before and this is not a simple demolition.
“We have been working on it night and day since March and built up quite a sizeable team of very expert people to work on this, to come up with the charges, the methods of doing it and training.”
He added: “It was almost unthinkable to send people to work underneath there and place charges, given the fact the building could come down at any moment - you legally can't justify that.”
Robots of a variety of sizes will carry out some of the work deemed to be too unsafe for humans, a number of which can be controlled remotely using a sophisticated camera set up.
Roads and trains will be halted in the surrounding area while the demolition takes place.
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Read more: Climate Change, Democrats, Republicans, Energy, Environment, Clean Power Plan, Epa, Green News
Over the past 30 years, coal companies have been playing fast and loose with our land, water, and pocketbooks by using a loophole in our federal laws that allows them to issue non-binding IOUs, instead of purchasing reliable insurance, to clean up dangerous coal mines if they go out of business. This reckless practice is known as self bonding.
Since there is nothing backing up these IOUs except the companies' own impermanent balance sheets and the legal equivalent of a pinky swear, when self-bonded coal companies go out of business, working families and honest taxpayers are left to foot the bill for cleaning up (also known as reclaiming) dangerous coal mines, while coal companies get off scot-free.
This horribly irresponsible practice has been so prevalent that, over the years, coal companies have racked up billions of dollars worth of mining liabilities without providing any assurance that the money will be there to finish the job of reclaiming their mining sites.
Fortunately, the federal Department of Interior is reviewing self bonding and considering making changes to the process. That's why this week, on the last week of the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement's (OSMRE) comment period on self bonding, we are standing up and demanding the federal government put a stop to it.
On Wednesday, more than 37,000 Sierra Club members and supporters submitted comments to OSMRE, calling on them to end the practice of self-bonding. Sierra Club volunteers also dropped off a check for $3.86 billion at OSMRE's headquarters, reminding administrators of the enormous amount in self-bonded coal liabilities still outstanding across the US.
While this was going on, Sierra Club and our partners also made an aggressive media push that included holding a teleconference outlining the significant risks to letting this practice continue, and also placing ads saying as much in a popular Washington, D.C. newspaper frequented by policy experts. This week, we wanted to make clear that it's not OK to just walk away from land you've destroyed, polluted, and then profited from, while leaving your neighbors to foot the bill for billions of dollars worth of mining liabilities.
The need to end self-bonding is especially urgent given the ongoing wave of coal company bankruptcies ― which has claimed some of the world's biggest coal companies like Peabody Energy, Arch Coal, and Alpha Natural Resources ― and the real danger these coal companies' finances pose to taxpayers. After all, $2.4 billion of the $3.86 billion in outstanding coal mining liabilities across the country is held by bankrupt coal companies.
Unfortunately, it doesn't stop with the costs of reclaiming coal mines. On top of the billions of dollars Americans must pay for these unreclaimed mines, the sites themselves can also be highly polluting and dangerous, and leaving them unreclaimed poses serious health risks to surrounding communities. They also pose an economic threat, because leaving them bare, open, and unreclaimed makes it very hard for communities to attract and support other forms of economic development and opportunity, which is urgently needed in coal country, including here in my home state of West Virginia.
We're calling on OSMRE to immediately issue a new guidance that no new self-bonds should be issued to any coal company and make clear that bankrupt mine operators must not self-bond as they emerge from bankruptcy.
We're committed to making sure local families are protected from irresponsible coal executives who are threatening to leave behind dangerous, polluting mine sites that will plague communities for generations to come.
Self-bonding is about simple fairness, after all: if you destroy the land, you clean it up ― especially if you've made big profits in the process. You don't walk away and leave it to your neighbor. It's time for self bonding to stop, once and for all.
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Read more: Environment, Coal, Pollution, Fossil Fuels, Energy, Corporate Responsibility, Sierra Club, Osmre, Green News
It felt like we had stepped into a scene from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea as we glided along the Great Barrier Reef in a ten person submersible. Outside the window, gigantic clumps of taupe brain coral, Elkhorn and Stag coral slipped past. Lavender and lettuce-green sea fans waved gently in the current. Plump pink and purple anemones raised their tentacles to trap their next meal. And all around and through the coral forms, a rainbow of tropical fish wandered blue and yellow Tang fish, yellow grunts, orange and white striped clownfish, and so many others I couldn't identify.
It was February 2002 and we were on the adventure of a lifetime with our four kids, then ranging in age from twelve to five. “Wow!” a collective intake of breath swept through our little pod as a sea turtle big enough for one of them to ride floated silently by on the other side of the glass. And as we moved past a shadowed opening in the reef, high-pitched shrieks erupted when an enormous olive-green moray eel whose mouth was all teeth emerged, on the hunt for its next meal. Our scheduled dive of the reef had fallen on a day with chop that made the sea too rough for snorkeling with small children, but in the submersible we were able to motor to the best viewing spots of the incredible variety of plants and creatures.
As longtime residents of Florida, we'd enjoyed snorkeling in the Keys and the Bahamas, but the scale of what we were seeing here was completely different. The Great Barrier Reef appears to be a rocky structure upon which things grow and swim, but the reef itself is actually made up of the accumulated exoskeletons of innumerable individual living organisms stacked upon each other, the marine equivalent of a high-rise apartment building. It is the largest living structure on earth, visible from the moon. We felt blessed to have the opportunity to visit it, and the thousands of plant and animal species that call it home.
Coral reefs are critically important to the planet's health. More than 90% of all marine species are directly or indirectly dependent on the coral reefs, even though they make up less than 5% of the ocean floor. These places are the rain forests of the sea; according to NOAA, they provide habitat to more species of fish, hard corals and other organisms per unit area than any other marine environment. And NOAA estimates there may be as many as eight million species within the coral reef ecosystem that have not yet been discovered. Who knows how many medically useful substances might be waiting for discovery there, as in the tropical rainforests on land?
Fast forward a decade and a half from that submersible ride to May 2015, when CNN reported that as much as 93% of the Great Barrier Reef had recently suffered bleach damage.
Headlines like these are becoming commonplace:
We're now in the third straight year of elevated ocean temperatures causing the worst worldwide reef destruction in history. Analyzing cumulative data, scientists at the Carnegie Institution of Science project the demise of all the reefs by 2100 if current carbon dioxide emission trends continue.
When I read these reports I want to weep. I think of our experience there just fourteen years ago the submersible ride through an underwater wonderland of strange and beautiful fish, mammals and plant life and it's hard to imagine that in this short time parts of that place, then teeming with life, are now a white skeletal structure devoid of color, animals or plants.
Coral bleaching occurs when ocean temperatures rise so high that the corals become stressed and expel the algae that live in symbiosis inside them. Without its algae the coral turns white and starves, and if temperatures remain elevated for too long they die. But the elevated water temperatures create other problems as well.
Warmer water is more acidic and makes reef regeneration after damage more difficult. It also holds less dissolved oxygen, which affects not just the reefs but other fish and animals in the ocean. Marlin and sailfish have already been curtailing deep water diving in search of prey. As deoxygenation becomes more severe, affected waters will no longer support life at all for some fish and crustaceans; populations of large fish such as tuna, cod, swordfish and marlin have already declined; some scientists report by as much as 90% over the last century. And areas of warming are increasing in size. An April 2016 study showed a devastating decline in oxygen levels in many areas of the Pacific Ocean, which by 2030 to 2040 will wipe out populations of marine life dependent on oxygenated water.
The fate of the Great Barrier Reef, and coral reefs worldwide, should be an urgent wake up call for all of humanity. Our planet surface is 70% water, and the health of its water is critical to the survival of life on the planet. The reefs are a barometer of that health, and they are failing. Human-driven climate change might steer us off the cliff of existence if we don't change direction, and change it immediately.
What will the world look like if we don't? In areas where colorful and vital coral reefs exist today, stark white boulders and skeletal branched antler-like forms will be all that remain to remind us of what we've lost. The stench of rotting animals will saturate the waters around these graveyards. Those periodic algal blooms and red tides along coastal waters? They will become commonplace, the sulfurous smell of rotting vegetation, the sickly sweet odor of dead and decaying fish and mammals, and the respiratory difficulties in susceptible people in beach towns all will define a new normal. As many as five hundred million people will starve or become climate refugees.
The sad truth is that we aren't taking very good care of what we've been entrusted with. My Christian faith forms my own views on this; we are called to be stewards of God's creation. But even if you feel no particular religious or philosophical urge to care for this most vulnerable piece of earth, you would do well to be motivated by survival instincts. The reefs are the canaries in the planetary coal mine; their death presages conditions hostile to life in the ocean, and by extension, the planet.
There are some recent glimmers of hope. Efforts like Sweden's pledge to become one of the first countries to end its dependence on fossil fuel entirely, and the sharp uptick in renewable energy production in countries like Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, Scotland and Ireland, are encouraging signals that humanity might yet recognize the crucial role the oceans play in the health of the planet, and the devastating effects the last hundred and fifty years' explosion of carbon emissions have had on them. The business world, too, is beginning to see that there is money, and lots of it, to be had in developing renewable energy and non-petroleum based products.
As individuals, there are many actions we can take to spur the corporate world to move in more planet-healthy directions. Some of these actions are ridiculously simple. Turn out lights when you leave a room, use canvas bags for shopping instead of plastic ones made from petrochemicals, recycle paper, plastics, clothing. So many easy changes can be steps to free us from our addiction to petrochemicals and fossil fuels.
We will not stop global warming by switching out incandescent light bulbs for LED ones. But changed habits change people's paradigms, and changed paradigms are what changes the world. The most influential player in the capitalist system is the consumer who drives it you and me. If we don't buy it, they won't make it. Of course I recognize that I am less than a drop of water in the grand scheme of things. I am one molecule, maybe less. But imagine what we might do if each of us took simple and easy steps like these. Collectively we would unleash a tsunami of change.
Perhaps the current plight of the reefs will force us to wake up to the danger of unchecked planetary abuse. By all means, let us hope and pray that it is so. But let us also act.
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If there's one thing everyone can agree on at the Republican National Convention, it's how they feel about Hillary Clinton. The Atlantic's Alex Wagner is on the ground, asking attendees about their opinions—and the vitriol towards Clinton feels especially high. “Donald Trump is going to win,” shouts one protester. “And Hillary Clinton is going to jail!”
Sculptor Lil posted a photo:
The hot springs at the Lukacs Bathhouse have been in use, in one way or another, since the 12th century. According to Reuters, locals and visitors alike attribute the mineral-rich waters with a special healing power. Bathers flock to the Hungarian spa for its steam rooms, saunas, pools, and special treatments.
It sounds like a fairy tale but it's real. A study shows how wild birds and people communicate to find bees' nests and share the sweet honeycomb. The teamwork may date back thousands of years or more.
Ungry Young Man posted a photo:
Evening walk along the Thames