Saturday, December 08, 2012
Friday, December 07, 2012
What do you pack for a 22,000 mile walk across the world?
What do you pack for a 22,000 mile walk across the world?: 
Next month, reporter Paul Salopek will begin a seven-year reporting trip called Out of Eden, in which he plans to walk 22,000 miles around the world and write about various cultures. Mirroring the path many anthropologists believe humans took from Africa to populate the globe, Salopek's trip will begin in Ethiopia in January, and he will cross Africa, Asia, and the United States, ending in the southern tip of South America in 2019. For more on Salopek's journey, check out the Neiman Journalism Lab's exhaustive overview of his preparations and what gear he plans to bring at the source link below.
Continue reading…
Next month, reporter Paul Salopek will begin a seven-year reporting trip called Out of Eden, in which he plans to walk 22,000 miles around the world and write about various cultures. Mirroring the path many anthropologists believe humans took from Africa to populate the globe, Salopek's trip will begin in Ethiopia in January, and he will cross Africa, Asia, and the United States, ending in the southern tip of South America in 2019. For more on Salopek's journey, check out the Neiman Journalism Lab's exhaustive overview of his preparations and what gear he plans to bring at the source link below.
Continue reading…
80 years of sci-fi space helmets in one video
80 years of sci-fi space helmets in one video: 
Space helmets typically feature the same basic elements, but over the years different science fiction movies have managed to put their own unique stamps on the familiar design. As a tribute to this variety, Keith Melton has cut together helmets from a wide range of films into one short video — from modern movies like Moon and Sunshine all the way back to 1929's Woman in the Moon. It's a terrific way to look back at sci-fi cinema history, though as Melton points out, there are a few notable absences. He says that he forgot to include the likes of Serenity and Planet of the Apes, but there was one movie he left out on purpose — the 2009 reboot of Star Trek. Maybe the sequel will make its way into his next supercut.
Continue reading…
Space helmets typically feature the same basic elements, but over the years different science fiction movies have managed to put their own unique stamps on the familiar design. As a tribute to this variety, Keith Melton has cut together helmets from a wide range of films into one short video — from modern movies like Moon and Sunshine all the way back to 1929's Woman in the Moon. It's a terrific way to look back at sci-fi cinema history, though as Melton points out, there are a few notable absences. He says that he forgot to include the likes of Serenity and Planet of the Apes, but there was one movie he left out on purpose — the 2009 reboot of Star Trek. Maybe the sequel will make its way into his next supercut.
Continue reading…
Listen to the BBC's radio version of Asimov's 'Foundation' trilogy online
Listen to the BBC's radio version of Asimov's 'Foundation' trilogy online: 
Isaac Asimov's Foundation novels are a cornerstone of science fiction, but getting into a vast series about, among other things, mathematically predicting the rise and fall of entire civilizations isn't always easy. In 1973, however, the BBC adapted Foundation into a serial radio drama, capturing the original trilogy in eight hour-long episodes. These are available on the Internet Archive, which means that you can listen to them online or download them in all their slightly scratchy glory. Like some of the other radio drama we've highlighted, this adaptation has been online for some time, but it's still a fun and accessible way to discover a classic series. If you're unfamiliar with Foundation, economist Paul Krugman has also recently...
Continue reading…
Isaac Asimov's Foundation novels are a cornerstone of science fiction, but getting into a vast series about, among other things, mathematically predicting the rise and fall of entire civilizations isn't always easy. In 1973, however, the BBC adapted Foundation into a serial radio drama, capturing the original trilogy in eight hour-long episodes. These are available on the Internet Archive, which means that you can listen to them online or download them in all their slightly scratchy glory. Like some of the other radio drama we've highlighted, this adaptation has been online for some time, but it's still a fun and accessible way to discover a classic series. If you're unfamiliar with Foundation, economist Paul Krugman has also recently...
Continue reading…
Isaac Newton vs. Rube Goldberg
Isaac Newton vs. Rube Goldberg:
"This was a fun short Rube Goldberg Machine we produced in house. Mostly an experiment but defi..(Read...)
"This was a fun short Rube Goldberg Machine we produced in house. Mostly an experiment but defi..(Read...)
Thursday, December 06, 2012
Choose Your Superpower [Comic]
Choose Your Superpower [Comic]:
If a genie would give you the opportunity to grant you a single superepower, which one would it be? Let us know in the comments section below!
[The Doghouse Diaries]
No related posts.
If a genie would give you the opportunity to grant you a single superepower, which one would it be? Let us know in the comments section below!
[The Doghouse Diaries]
No related posts.
Tests Show Ford Fusion, C-Max Hybrid Are Not Getting Close To 47 MPG
Tests Show Ford Fusion, C-Max Hybrid Are Not Getting Close To 47 MPG:
Watch ads for the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid sedan or its C-Max Hybrid wagon and you’ll hear that the vehicles get 47 miles per gallon (highway and city combined), which sounds awfully nice considering the cost of gasoline. But real-road tests of these cars don’t seem to back those numbers up.
In fact, tests by our car-loving cousins at Consumer Reports found that C-Max only got around 37 mpg (city/highway combined). While that is a very good number — second in its class to the Prius V’s 41 mpg — it’s only 79% of the mpg touted by Ford.
The Fusion fared slightly better, with a combined 39 mpg, around 83% of what Ford claims. On the highway, the Fusion did get as efficient as 41 mpg in the CR tests, though its city number was down at 35 mpg. The C-Max came in with more consistent numbers — 35 mpg city, 38 mpg highway.
According to CR, more than 80% of the vehicles it has tested for gas mileage are within 2 mpg of the EPA-estimated numbers given by the manufacturers. See the chart below showing the real-world fuel economy numbers for a range of vehicles.
Before the tests on the new Fusion and C-Max, the largest discrepancy between the EPA numbers and real-world tests had been 7 mpg for the Toyota Prius C and 6 mpg for the Prius hatchback.
“Most buyers won’t get anything near 47 mpg in the real world,” says Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports’ director of auto testing. “Even though these two Ford hybrids are very efficient, this big discrepancy may leave customers disappointed.”
In response to our results, a Ford representative said in an email, “Early C-Max Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid customers praise the vehicles and report a range of fuel economy figures, including some reports above 47 mpg. This reinforces the fact that driving styles, driving conditions, and other factors can cause mileage to vary.”
This article explains the various ways Consumer Reports puts cars through the wringer, but in short, after breaking in each vehicle for 2,000 miles, testers run each vehicle through simulations of city driving conditions on the test track, while highway data is achieved by driving along a specific stretch of a nearby interstate.
Meanwhile, most EPA fuel-economy estimates certified by testers for the actual manufacturer. The EPA does later spot-check about 15% of cars with its own tests.
In November, the EPA spanked Hyundai pretty hard for overstating their fuel-economy estimates. The car maker will now be paying out millions of dollars in refunds.
Watch ads for the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid sedan or its C-Max Hybrid wagon and you’ll hear that the vehicles get 47 miles per gallon (highway and city combined), which sounds awfully nice considering the cost of gasoline. But real-road tests of these cars don’t seem to back those numbers up.
In fact, tests by our car-loving cousins at Consumer Reports found that C-Max only got around 37 mpg (city/highway combined). While that is a very good number — second in its class to the Prius V’s 41 mpg — it’s only 79% of the mpg touted by Ford.
The Fusion fared slightly better, with a combined 39 mpg, around 83% of what Ford claims. On the highway, the Fusion did get as efficient as 41 mpg in the CR tests, though its city number was down at 35 mpg. The C-Max came in with more consistent numbers — 35 mpg city, 38 mpg highway.
According to CR, more than 80% of the vehicles it has tested for gas mileage are within 2 mpg of the EPA-estimated numbers given by the manufacturers. See the chart below showing the real-world fuel economy numbers for a range of vehicles.
Before the tests on the new Fusion and C-Max, the largest discrepancy between the EPA numbers and real-world tests had been 7 mpg for the Toyota Prius C and 6 mpg for the Prius hatchback.
“Most buyers won’t get anything near 47 mpg in the real world,” says Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports’ director of auto testing. “Even though these two Ford hybrids are very efficient, this big discrepancy may leave customers disappointed.”
In response to our results, a Ford representative said in an email, “Early C-Max Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid customers praise the vehicles and report a range of fuel economy figures, including some reports above 47 mpg. This reinforces the fact that driving styles, driving conditions, and other factors can cause mileage to vary.”
This article explains the various ways Consumer Reports puts cars through the wringer, but in short, after breaking in each vehicle for 2,000 miles, testers run each vehicle through simulations of city driving conditions on the test track, while highway data is achieved by driving along a specific stretch of a nearby interstate.
Meanwhile, most EPA fuel-economy estimates certified by testers for the actual manufacturer. The EPA does later spot-check about 15% of cars with its own tests.
In November, the EPA spanked Hyundai pretty hard for overstating their fuel-economy estimates. The car maker will now be paying out millions of dollars in refunds.
Cable companies ordered to support HD content streaming within homes by 2014
Cable companies ordered to support HD content streaming within homes by 2014: 
The FCC has ordered cable operators (and TiVo) to update their cable boxes to include support for HD streaming over home networks to devices like PCs, smart TVs, and tablets. In addition to video streaming, cable boxes must also allow HD video recording on external devices through home networks. By June 2nd 2014 the vast majority of set top boxes will have to support an open standard, although cable companies with fewer than 400,000 subscribers have been given an extra three months to implement the changes.
The commission originally ordered cable companies to support network-based streaming back in 2010, but TiVo protested the order saying "if each cable operator...
Continue reading…
The FCC has ordered cable operators (and TiVo) to update their cable boxes to include support for HD streaming over home networks to devices like PCs, smart TVs, and tablets. In addition to video streaming, cable boxes must also allow HD video recording on external devices through home networks. By June 2nd 2014 the vast majority of set top boxes will have to support an open standard, although cable companies with fewer than 400,000 subscribers have been given an extra three months to implement the changes.
By June 2nd 2014 most set top boxes will have to support an open standard
The commission originally ordered cable companies to support network-based streaming back in 2010, but TiVo protested the order saying "if each cable operator...
Continue reading…
Nationwide Mutual hack leaves 1.1 million Americans' information exposed
Nationwide Mutual hack leaves 1.1 million Americans' information exposed: 
More details are coming out about a massive October 3rd data breach at Nationwide Mutual Insurance. The company reported to the North Carolina Attorney General that as many as 1.1 million Americans’ personal information may have been exposed, revealed Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. Nationwide reported the breach to police and disclosed it to the public almost immediately in October, but this is the first time we've heard the full scope of the intrusion. The attack is believed to have originated overseas, and according to the insurer, resulted in the theft of names, birth dates, social security numbers, and driver’s license numbers. While Nationwide attempts to reassure customers that it does not “have any reason to believe any...
Continue reading…
More details are coming out about a massive October 3rd data breach at Nationwide Mutual Insurance. The company reported to the North Carolina Attorney General that as many as 1.1 million Americans’ personal information may have been exposed, revealed Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. Nationwide reported the breach to police and disclosed it to the public almost immediately in October, but this is the first time we've heard the full scope of the intrusion. The attack is believed to have originated overseas, and according to the insurer, resulted in the theft of names, birth dates, social security numbers, and driver’s license numbers. While Nationwide attempts to reassure customers that it does not “have any reason to believe any...
Continue reading…
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
(908): ....I feel like you are...
(908): ....I feel like you are...: (908): ....I feel like you are deciding whether or not I'm good enough for you based on what I ordered from Chipotle.
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