A big shout out to all the Homies:Three-year-old boy has never slept; parents maintain 24-hour vigil
In Nancy Kress's novel, Beggars in Spain, there were kid genetically designed not to sleep. LinkRhett has never taken a nap or gone to sleep at night, forcing his parents to keep watch day and night.
"(My husband) has the day shift and I kind of have the afternoon shift," mother Shannon Lamb said. "We share the night shift because no one can sleep in the house when he is up anyway."
Lamb said she is working extra to pay for Rhett's large medical bills. She also said her husband, David, has given up his job to care for their child.
Star Wars Geek shuts down college
"I can just say that Seth's family and friends are very concerned about the situation and are taking all of this very seriously."
A Billion-Color Display
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Hilarious money doodles
Flickr's Joe D! has a laugh-out-loud set of 75 "refaced" US bank-notes, in which the various dead presidents are reinvented as a series of ever-funnier defacements. Link(Thanks to everyone who suggested these!)
In a soft mumble, Simpson told him: "If she hadn't opened that door with a knife in her hand ... she'd still be alive."
TimeTube
LYNDA BARRY IS MY FAVORITE LIVING ARTIST
Just in case you wondered. Meeting her was a turning point in my creative life. And look: here’s a good portrait of her in the New York Times. Everyone go out and buy her new book next week.
Oh, no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. eBay is trying to acquire Craigslist.
Apple Mac Music Video
Wow, this is cool!
(via Kevin Marks)
Acting Locally: Will Chicago Push Back Against Iran Warmongering?
It's Over for Clinton
Gestalt: @mikemylen Two words, Embrace and Extend. Gotta love them boys from Redmond!
Gestalt: @mikemylen Two words, Embrace and Extend. Gotta love them boys from Redmond!Korean Village Runs On 100% Solar Power
The Korean village Donggwang gets 100% of its power from the sun. The village is located on the semi-tropical island of Jeju-do. Near the village, Halla Mountain, a volcano and the tallest mountain in South Korea, rises from the island’s center amidst a patchwork of small farms. The village’s forty houses and the school all have large solar panels covering their roofs. A typical roof will have a two kilowatt solar installation. In 2004, the government subsidized the solar systems in Donggwang, paying 70% of the installation fees.
Jeju-du island also has a large wind farm. Last year, the local government announced its plan to raise the island’s wind power generation capacity to 500 megawatts (MW) by 2020, in order to replace 20 percent of conventionally generated electricity. It also had said it will replace 26 percent of existing fuel used in transportation to environmentally friendly fuel.
Via: EcoWorldly and Korea.Net
A speed comparison of the latest Opera 9.50 snapshot and Firefox 3
Stars and Mars
Stars and MarsWandering throughthe evening sky,on May 4th planet Marsstood in line with Castor and Pollux,the two bright stars of the constellationGemini. In this time exposure of the celestial alignment,Mars actually takes on a distinct yellowishhue, contrasting in color withPollux;a giant star known to have aJupiter-class planet,andCastor;itself a multiple star system.Though inmythologyPollux and Castor are twin brothers,the two stars are physically unrelated and are about 34 and 50light-years distant respectively.Included in the skyview areProcyon,alpha star of Canis Minor, andfamous star cluster M44 also known as theBeehive Cluster.Dust in our own solar system reflecting sunlightcreates the faint band ofZodiacal light emerging from thelower right corner of the frame.Just put your cursor over the picture for helpwith identifications.Of course, bright Mars can stillbefound in the westernevening skies and tonight wandersnear the crescent Moon.
The power of the interface
Here's what happens when you rearrange YouTube to make it work.
Architecture matters.
NVIDIA GeForce To Quadro Software Mod
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
13 terrific movies that broke film's rigid storyline conventions
Sam Donaldson Is Hilarious [Party Crash]
Do you know what we miss? We miss Sam Donaldson yelling questions at Ronald Reagan, and telling weird stories, and doing his "webcast" at the Republican and Democratic presidential conventions in 2000. Here, our own Liz Glover asks Sam to tell some stories, and good lord, does he oblige. This was at the Michael Kelly Awards over at the Atlantic Monthly's office on Thursday night. (Yes we know Donaldson is on ABC's This Week but we never wake up in time for that, due to booze.)
How Food Riots, Pricey Gas and Home Foreclosures Point to a Better Future
Hillary Is McCain's Dream Candidate, Not Obama's
No "brand" is worthy of trust, trust is for individuals, not companies
God Sends His Only Severe Thunderstorm To Jenna Bush's Crawford Wedding [Like Rain On Your Wedding Day]
Here's tonight's severe weather alert from Waco's News Channel 25. Yikes, it's a big terrible thunderstorm over Crawford. But it should clear up by tomorrow evening. Meanwhile, all the poor people in Crawford have offered their barns and double-wides as vacation rentals for the wedding guests, but the elites aren't falling for that.
Let's remember the good times we've had with single-gal Jenna:
? Designer dresses and crappy, home-made souvenirs.
? Jenna meets the Nazi Pope!
? White House Reveals Where The Wild Twins Are.
? First the White House attacked the Waco Cultists, then it attacked the nice people of Crawford.
? J.B., phone home. Phone home!
? But her dad can't remember if she was ever born.
? For a few days, several years ago, Jenna seemed to sort of like her husband-to-be.
? And did Laura Bush like Henry Hager? Not so much ....
? But what about Jenna's South American boyfriend?
? And was she really pregnant?
The Worst Workspaces In Tech
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The Dangers of Electricity Addiction [Found Footage]
I am totally in love with indie flick Socket, a kind of body horror/scifi tale of people who get addicted to electricity and mod their bodies to suck up current better. Apparently when you get struck with lightning (at least in this movie) you are left with a hunger for more. Unfortunately, the most pure and complete feeling of voltage satisfaction comes only when you get that electricity while making a circuit with another person. The rules of the game change when Bill, a surgeon, gets struck with lightning and gets hooked on sockets. He and his intern boy toy start implanting plugs in their bodies (as you can see in this clip), while their group of wirehead friends start doing the same thing and having giant electroshock orgies. It wouldn't be the weekend without a little plugging in and getting off, would it? [Socket]
Woman Catches Thieves by Remotely Logging in to Her Stolen Mac and Snapping Pics
See The Future Of Star Trek [Star Trek]
J.J. Abrams' new Star Trek movie may have a complex narrative sequence worthy of a Lost episode, judging from some new reports that have just come out. Abrams told Rolling Stone his movie version of the long-running space-navy TV show is "more than a prequel" — and a new report from TrekMovie.com makes it sound as though that's literally true. In the same interview, Abrams revealed the ultimate fate of Cloverfield's monster — and the monster's name. Yes, there are spoilers.
So it turns out the new Trek movie has more ties to the other movies' continuity than we thought. The movie starts out after 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis, the last movie featuring Picard and crew. (I guess it's somehow made clear this is taking place later than that.) And the first character we meet in the film is Leonard Nimoy's Ambassador Spock, who's somehow back from Romulan space. And then we follow the older Spock back in time to the beginnings of the Kirk era, where we meet Zachary Quinto's young Spock. (As well as Baby Spock and Baby Kirk, by the sound of things.)
Meanwhile, Abrams told Rolling Stone the monster definitely died soon after the end of Cloverfield. "Yes, he's dead. Ultimately the bombs kill him." The monster's name? "We just called him Clover." Also, that object you saw drop into the water in the very last Coney Island flashback? Abrams says the Cloverfield crew have two theories about it. One of those theories may get followed up if they choose to take the story further. They've been kicking around ideas for a sequel, but nothing is definite yet. [Trek Movie, via TrekWeb]
RIAA Lawyer Jumps Ship
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You asked for it...You got it, Millimeter Wave images.
These were provided to TSA by the manufacturer of the technology, L-3. We asked L-3 to blur the facial features just like they are blurred when our officers see the images in Phoenix, Baltimore, LAX and JFK. These are exactly what officers see at airports today and will see in future deployments.
I venture to say, Mikhail Baryshnikov may have exposed more in his ballet costume than this robotic images portrays. BBtv - Speed Racer's "photo-anime" hyperreality: John Gaeta interview, part 2.
Today on Boing Boing tv, part two of Xeni's visits with John Gaeta, the Academy Award-winning Visual Effects supervisor of the Matrix trilogy -- his new film, Speed Racer, opens today in theaters around the US.
This latest Wachowski brothers project reinterprets the classic 1960s Japanese anime series of the same name.
In this second part of BBtv's conversation with Gaeta, he reveals some of the art, anime, and pop culture elements that combine to form Speed Racer's "poptimistic photo-anime" feel. The live action Speed Racer is saturated in a candy-colored palette so rich, audiences may just leave the theater with a contact sugar high.
View interactive samples of the digital building blocks behind the movie in a related online feature in VRMAG, "Speed Racer Uncovered."
And Gaeta adds a special message for Boing Boing tv viewers, who are already well accustomed to all things digital -- "For optimal viewing experience, see Speed Racer at a digital cinema or IMAX theater." He's not kidding, with a feature like this, analog projection just doesn't do the work justice.
Link to Boing Boing tv episode with discussion and downloadable video.
PREVIOUSLY: Part One of BBtv's interview with Gaeta on "Speed Racer."
(Special thanks: John Gaeta; Andy and Larry Wachowski; and David Pescovitz)
Gestalt: Just figured out how to abstract and control one of the last messy, andy-only aspects of the Gestalt toolkit. Hooray!
Gestalt: Just figured out how to abstract and control one of the last messy, andy-only aspects of the Gestalt toolkit. Hooray!Lost: Move It or Lose It [Lost Recap]
I love John Locke. I love Buddy Holly. And yesterday was my birthday, so it was nice that they both showed up in "Cabin Fever," last night's episode of Lost. Alas, "Everyday" wasn't released until 1957, which is a year after Locke's birthday (May 30, 1956). Maybe more time travel? Kidding, just kidding. Anyway, what a pleasure to get more of the story behind Locke's rendezvous with destiny. Recapitude and spoileration after the jump.
Apparently, you could hide a lot of things under those 1950s circle skirts, because teenage Emily's got a bun in the oven and it hardly even shows. That bun turns out to be wee John Locke, born prematurely after Emily gets hit by a car. Little John is a "miracle baby," according to a nurse, because he's the youngest preemie to survive at their hospital. Shortly thereafter, who shows up peeking through the hospital window but the long lost Richard Alpert! It turns out he's got his eye on Locke, dropping by when the youngster is of school age to see if he qualifies for the home Alpert runs for kids who are "extremely special." Locke's special all right — he's already drawing the smoke monster attacking stick figures. Alpert sets a group of objects in front of him (baseball mitt, Book of Laws, Mystery Tales comic book — "What Was The Secret of The Mysterious 'HIDDEN LAND!'"—compass, vial of what looks like sand, and knife) — and asks John to pick the ones that belong to him. But when John picks the knife (in addition to the vial and the compass), Alpert angrily yanks it out of his hands and hits the road. Is little John messing with him—or just not ready to take the Book of Laws over the lawless knife?
When next we see Flashback Locke, he's being rescued from his high school locker by a sympathetic teacher/counselor. Turns out Alpert's been by the school — he wants Locke to go to Mittelos Laboratories' science camp. But Locke doesn't want to face his destiny just yet (even though his science fair project is a model of an island). He's not a science nerd; he likes cars and sports, dammit! When the teacher — okay, maybe he's not so sympathetic — tells John he'll never be a super hero, Locke for the first time utters, "Don't tell me what I can't do." He still isn't ready for destiny years later when, in physical therapy after his father tosses him out the window, his orderly — none other than Mr. Abbadon, apparently not a harbinger of death all the time — tells him to go on a walkabout.
Of course, Locke finally does go on that walkabout (it'll be interesting to see what happens when his path again crosses that of Abbadon — and you know it will), and now he's on Craphole Island looking for Jacob's cabin with Ben and Hurley — because they're the craziest, in Hugo's opinion. And when they do find the cabin — thanks to a dream visit from Horace, murdered Dharma Initiative math guy — Locke comes face to face with Christian Shephard, and ... Claire. Which is definitely one in the pocket for those in the "Claire is dead" camp — or is it? And how do you move an island anyway? In time or physically or some other way? My guess is the first.
Back on the freighter, Keamy's returned and he is ticked off. He tries to kill Michael/Kevin for giving him up to Ben, but Michael's unkillable. Keamy's prepping to return and "torch" the island, armed with a secondary protocol and lots of materiel. When Lapidus balks at flying them back to the island on this mission, Keamy slits the doctor's throat (thus fulfilling what the Islanders already know). He kills the captain too, for good measure, after Keamy reveals he's got something (a detonator, perhaps?) strapped to his lovely, well-muscled arm. (Note to Lost writers/producers: more naked Kevin Durand, please!) By now, Desmond has to be regretting his decision to stay onboard the Kahana, after Sayid escapes in the motor launch.
Lapidus, flying the helicopter against his will, jettisons a working satellite phone over the beach, where it's found by Jack and crew, who assume it's a message for them to follow the whirlybird. Don't know if that's a good idea, kids.
Lightbulb that's burned for 107 years
Link
In 1901, when the tiny bulb was first screwed into place inside a so-called hose cart house, it cast its light on a simpler era.Back then, horse-pulled carts carried water to fires. The bulb burned day and night, hanging at eye level from a 20-foot cord. Its job: to break the darkness so firefighters responding to calls wouldn't have to fumble to light the wicks of their kerosene lanterns. Manufactured by the Shelby Electric Co. of Shelby, Ohio, the bulb soon outlived its maker, which closed in 1914.
Later, in the main firehouse, it illuminated more modern rigs as horses were replaced by gas-fed engines.
It didn't always receive kid-glove treatment.
Climbing atop their engines, firefighters returning from World War II and Korea often would give the bulb a playful swat for good luck. The next generation -- the Vietnam veterans and the younger kids -- used it as a target for Nerf basketball practice.
Then, in 1972, a local reporter checked records and interviewed old-timers to trace its history. Firefighters suddenly realized they had a treasure.
"The good-luck slaps and target practice stopped," Bramell recalls. "We figured, 'Wow, maybe we should take care of this bulb.' "
![[link]](http://img87.imageshack.us/my.php?image=259k5eqma5.png){kind=link}
![[link]](http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/627/1210360596835pa3.jpg){kind=link}
(Image: Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
This is why airlines are 'tired, worn down, and old" - they are heavily subsidized by the government.
TapeDeck 1.0
'''TapeDeck is a new audio recorder exclusively for Mac OS X 10.5, designed with a quick-capture workflow in mind. You’re never more than a single mouse click (or keystroke) away from making a new recording, which are called, unsurprisingly, “tapes.” TapeDeck records directly to compressed MP4-AAC audio, making it equally useful for quick high-fidelity samples or hours and hours of lecture.'''
I've been testing TapeDeck for a couple of weeks, and it's pretty neat.
Congrats on shipping guys!
Republicans Hate All Mothers, Including Yours [Mother's Day]
What is our magical Congress up to these days? Yesterday, they had just voted on House Resolution 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day." That's a very nice thing to do, celebrating the strategic "goals and ideals" of Hallmark this way. Then, however, some Republican asked to reconsider the vote, and 178 Republicans voted against it — including the bill's sponsor. Was this just some procedural move, to delay the Democratic leadership's agenda? The "cynics" might say that. In truth, House Republicans just hate your mothers for producing you. [Washington Post]
Gestalt: @mikemylen Sometimes the simpler solution is the best one. Simple Object Access Protocol- huh- It was always such an oxymoron to me.
Gestalt: @mikemylen Sometimes the simpler solution is the best one. Simple Object Access Protocol- huh- It was always such an oxymoron to me.Clone Wars Looks Great, Except For The Humans [Star Wars]
Lucas Films has released the trailer for Star Wars: Clone Wars in all its shiny, CGI glory. Everything mechanical and alien is quite sharp. The B1 battle droids look just as CGI crisp as they always have, but this time they actually blend with the surroundings. And the computer animation agrees with orange Jedi Padawan Ashoka Tano as well as with the green Nautolan. But as for the actual human beings, they stick out like a sore thumb. Update: We now have the full trailer.
Anakin is a completely different person, and Count Dooku's beard looks ridiculous. Also, none of the human voices seem to match their characters. So the new look for the Jedi's definitely lives up to the promise that this is a, 'Star Wars Like You've Never Seen It Before.' But with many of the characters being of a different species, like the baldy butt kicking Asajj Ventress, it works.
Did this week just really happen?
Jon and I got home last night at about midnight after an endless day of navigating the avenues and streets of New York City. There has been quite an uproar over what happened (and didn't happen) during my "Today" show segment, and I have a few things to say about it including some behind the scenes shots and commentary. Including the part where my husband and I suddenly and inexplicably switched roles, and he became the one in the room going HOW CAN I MAKE EVERYONE UNCOMFORTABLE and I was the one going PLEASE KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN, ALSO YOUR CLEAVAGE IS INAPPROPRIATE. I became the Victorian schoolmaster. He became the foul-mouthed pole dancer. I blame all that cocaine NBC forced us to snort before my segment.
But I'm barely able to sit up straight right now having developed a serious sinus infection and head cold that just this morning took away my voice. This is entirely my father's fault, a result of his careless and cruel scheming, and I want to collect a small Tupperware container of my neon green phlegm, drive over to his house and then use it to paint MEANIE! on the rear window of his car.
Because when your daughter has had insomnia for two weeks and just this minute finished taping a live segment on national television that will forever brand her The Woman Who Made Kathy Lee Gifford Uneasy, you do not casually mention over the phone that yeah, things are going great with the granddaughter, except one tiny little thing, not a big deal, but you know how her long, gorgeous hair keeps falling into her eyes? Yeah, that became more of a problem than he wanted to deal with, so he just cut it. Just a little trim. Snip snip here, snip snip there. But it looks fine, don't worry, when I get home I can even out the ends if I want to.
My heart stopped immediately, the room started turning flips, and right before I died I had a vision of my daughter reaching back to flip her hair with her hands only to be met with empty air, her face now framed by the jagged, sinister line of a hairdo my dad once saw on a mannequin at Sears just outside Louisville, Kentucky. In 1972. Something that screamed I'MMA FROM THE CITY! LEMME SHOW YOU MY INDOOR TOILET!
And then he started cackling. There was actual cackling erupting from my cell phone, and I can guarantee that if I had actually died from the shock of thinking my daughter had been given an impromptu mullet that my dad would have stood up at my funeral and beamed about how he had gotten me that time! No, of course he hadn't cut my daughter's hair, he just wanted to jar my heart enough that it would compromise my immune system. And here I am two days later, my heart still skipping a beat every other minute. I guess this means we're even because this is probably what his gut feels like every time he pulls up my website. Will she or won't she mention his name in the same sentence as the word poop? HE NEVER KNOWS.
© Armstrong Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
by dooce in Daily
Now Hillary Has Lost The Superdelegate Contest, Too [You Can't Always Get What You Want]
She really will continue campaigning until she actually dies, in 2027. The latest (and seemingly final) nail in the coffin of Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign comes from ABC News, which has done the "hard math" and confirmed that Mrs. Clinton has now also lost the superdelegate contest. Let's make a fun-filled, easy-to-read list of writing on the wall, after the jump.
* "Sen. Barack Obama moved into the lead today in the last category that Sen. Hillary Clinton had claimed to have an edge — support among the Democratic Party's superdelegates. The Illinois Democrat grabbed the superdelegate lead thanks to a switch by New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne and an endorsement from previously uncommitted Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon. Those two votes gave Obama a 267-266 lead over Clinton." [ABC News]
* "It has become clear that Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee .... With this in mind, Rasmussen Reports will soon end our daily tracking of the Democratic race and focus exclusively on the general election competition between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama." [Rasmussen Reports]
* "In a relatively short amount of time, Clinton has gone from being the inevitable winner to being the underdog to being a dead woman walking." [Roger Simon/Politico]
* "Obama should choose a running mate who 'is in tune with his appeal for the nobler aspirations of the American people,' Kennedy said. 'If we had real leadership — as we do with Barack Obama — in the No. 2 spot as well, it'd be enormously helpful.'" [Ben Smith/Politico]
![[link]](http://i31.tinypic.com/wvrex2.jpg){kind=link}
Reason Number 2,767 Why Gay Rights Matter to Everyone
Giant working NES controller/coffee table
Kyle Downes of the aptly named "Ultra Awesome" blog built this genius coffee table that's an enormous, working NES controller! It opens to reveal storage space for tons of game-carts .Link(via Wonderland)
I always wondered what would happen if marijuana were legalized for anyone over 18. It seems it already has been, and nothing happened.
Stroke Your Way to Health
click to visually comprehend the realtime speed of each of these sorting algorithms compared to quicksort
Gestalt: I got caught up clicking through a link from a Netflix e-mail and just ended up adding 20 movies to my queue. Perilous distraction!
Gestalt: I got caught up clicking through a link from a Netflix e-mail and just ended up adding 20 movies to my queue. Perilous distraction!Twin Moonraker Space Stations in Orbit, Obvious Plot to Destroy Earth! [Space Porn]
Robert Bigelow, owner of the Budget Suites hotel chain and head of Bigelow Airspace, has two functioning space stations in orbit around Earth. The older module, Genesis 1, just passed its 10,000th orbit, and both it and Genesis 2 appear to be functioning normally. It's pretty exciting that an entrepreneur can keep two small stations in orbit , and move ahead with his plans to launch a crewed "Sundancer" version by 2011. But has anyone thought about what Bigelow's really up to? "Bigelow Aerospace" sounds an awful lot like "Drax Industries" in Moonraker... oh sure, there's probably nothing to worry about. But could it really hurt if we politely asked Mr. Bigelow to search the Genesis modules for nerve gas? (from Space.com)
"Lessons from the Great Depression" (Updated)
Gestalt: @wilw Awwww yeah Kenny Loggins, Hiiiiiiigh Waaaaaaay toooooo tha DANGER ZONE! Huuuahh!
Gestalt: @wilw Awwww yeah Kenny Loggins, Hiiiiiiigh Waaaaaaay toooooo tha DANGER ZONE! Huuuahh!Caption contest
Well it's been a while since we've done one. And this one is just begging for it. Please have fun and don't be too mean. Okay, I'm kidding. You can be mean.
Finally, A Video Game Movie For Smart People [Bioshock]
Dystopian-future video game Bioshock will soon be a movie from Universal Studios, directed by Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean). Finally, a video game movie that has a chance at holding the audience's attention. According to Variety, this is the biggest video game-to-movie-deal since the abortive Halo film. At least we'll get to see the unraveling of an underwater dystopian society gone mad, with sea slugs and diver gear. Could this be the first decent video game movie ever? Click through to decide for yourself.
Bioshock's main character is the video game's Jack who crashes his plane into the underwater city of Rapture. This dystopian society is based upon its founder's idea to start a new Eden, but of course it goes horribly wrong with mutant sea slugs and scary 'Big Daddys' and 'Little Sisters,' which are little girls embedded with sea slugs. The Aviator and Star Trek: Nemesis writer John Logan is also rumored to be attached as the writer to this project.
In the wake of Resident Evil (all three), Silent Hill, Tomb Raider, Doom, Mortal Kombat, Super Mario Bros., BloodRayne and Hitman, I ask you: has there ever been a good movie based on a video game? [Variety]
Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.
A Buck Rogers Movie, Sin City Style [Frank Miller]
The original science fiction swashbuckler, Buck Rogers, is coming back to the big screen — and writer/director Frank Miller (Sin City, The Spirit) may be involved. How will the pulpy Buck mesh with Miller's trademark candy-coated noir style? Click through to find out.
Even if Miller does direct Buck Rogers, the film may not turn into a collection of long pauses, weird monologues and sexy ladies. Production company Nu Image/Millennium films plans to include some humor and hints to the old series. IGN reports that, 'the cheapness of the low-budget effects will be a running joke in the movie, which will retain the campiness of the 1980s TV series interpretation." (For a look at Miller doing humor, check out his recent All-Star Batman And Robin The Boy Wonder comic, which features Wonder Woman calling a man "spermbank.")
The $40 million dollar flick will be written by Flint Dille, who penned the 1990s Buck Rogers graphic novel. We know Miller will make it sexy, but will he remake the theme song? What about Twiki, how will Twiki translate in Miller's black and red pallette films? [IGN]
BLUNT OR AIDES ALLEGEDLY SOUGHT TO DESTROY RECORDS
HOUSE APPROVES PHOTO VOTER ID AMENDMENT
HJR 48
Shift Happens
The Shift is an exciting documentary project that highlights an emergent global culture and its push for change. You can get involved by visiting the site and sharing the video.
The film is a work in progress, and claims to be made by "the movemement."
A Suspension Bridge Built to Be a Musical Instrument [Architecture]
As we understand more and more about the materials to build suspension bridges, their shapes are going to become more bizarre and seemingly impossible. Architect Santiago Calatrava made this suspension bridge in Jerusalem to resemble the shape of a lyre, a stringed instrument popular during classical antiquity. This oddly-shaped suspension bridge will be completed this month, and stands at the gateway to the city, where it crosses over top of traffic so that pedestrians can cross the crowded roads without danger. It's the only suspension bridge to ever take this kind of shape.
According to Architectural Record:
Its gently curving span is suspended by 66 cables from a tilted 387-foot mast, anchored in concrete, that resembles a bolt of lightning. The mast is set at an angle to the deck of the bridge and it bends roughly halfway up, so the entire mast forms an angle of roughly 150 degrees. Cables are attached at various heights on its tapered top half, creating cross-hatched visual patterns as they seem to swirl out from the mast. At the sharpest bend of the bridge, the slightly concave, boat-shaped deck and the shape of the bend transfer the load to the ends of the bridge, which is 525 feet long; access ramps, clad in stone, add another 656 feet. A walkway on its southern side has glass decking and a glass railing.
Calatrava's Bridge in Jerusalem Incites Controversy [Architectural Record]
Russian World’s Largest Military Hovercraft
This is the world's largest military hovercraft and it belongs to the Russian army. It is armed with missiles, artillery and AA defense guns and can carry a few heavy tanks at once.After approaching to the enemy coastline it can give a burst of fire to tear of such fierce force that can tear big military ship apart, then without any slowing down start moving on the shore advancing deep inside to unload the tanks and infantry.There is a video below too. read more....