This lovely little gem is built as a space for quiet tea breaks and professional therapy sessions.
Source: TreeHugger – Contemplative teahouse built with wood offcuts rises among the trees
Monthly Archives: May 2017
Video Of A Server Room With A Seismic Isolation Floor During An Earthquake
This is some security cam footage during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake in Japan of a server room built with a seismic isolation floor . Engineering: it’s amazing. No word what those servers contained, but my guess is some very insane porn.
Hit the jump for the video while I jump up and down in the elevator and scare everyone heading out on their lunch break.
Source: Geekologie – Video Of A Server Room With A Seismic Isolation Floor During An Earthquake
Hotels Now See Online Travel Sites as Rivals
Major hotel chains are engaging in an online turf war with the very travel sites that have helped drive their businesses. From a report: Marriott, Hilton and InterContinental are using extensive marketing campaigns to claw back business from Expedia, Priceline and other travel-booking sites, which steer customers to hotel properties but also take commissions of up to 30% for each reservation. The chains are starting to treat these sites less as valuable business partners and more as gatekeepers standing between them and their customers. Many large hotel brands are offering lower nightly rates and other perks to loyalty members who book directly through their sites instead of online travel agencies. […] The new battle is the latest episode in a two-decade “frenemy”-style relationship between online travel agencies and the hotel industry. Sites such as Expedia and Priceline were crucial for hotels during down periods such as after 9/11, but they have gradually eaten into the share of overall bookings ever since. Also read: Why Bargain Travel Sites May No Longer Be Bargains.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Hotels Now See Online Travel Sites as Rivals
Single-wheeled self-balancing electric scooter offers 20-mile range & one hour charge time
The Kiwano K01 promises speeds of up to 20 mph and a staggering maximum load of 550 pounds on its single 8.5 inch tire.
Source: TreeHugger – Single-wheeled self-balancing electric scooter offers 20-mile range & one hour charge time
Google is done updating its Nik desktop photo-editing tools
Bad news if you’re a fan of the Nik Collection of free photo-editing apps: Google has announced it will stop supporting the software suite effective immediately. “We have no plans to update the Collection or add new features over time,” a banner atop…
Source: Engadget – Google is done updating its Nik desktop photo-editing tools
How to Watch the First Sean Spicer Briefing Since the Start of Trump's Global Cuck Tour
The White House hasn’t given a proper on-camera press conference since May 19th, when President Trump left for the Middle East and Europe. A lot has happened since then, and reporters have a huge backlog of questions. And thanks to the wonders of technology, you’ll be able to see Sean Spicer do his best to dodge those…
Source: Gizmodo – How to Watch the First Sean Spicer Briefing Since the Start of Trump’s Global Cuck Tour
CRISPR May Not Be Nearly as Precise as We Thought
The revolutionary gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 is often described as “molecular scissors” for its ability to turn previously improbable feats of genetic engineering into exercises in cutting and pasting. But while over the last few years CRISPR has become so commonplace that even middle school students are now…
Source: Gizmodo – CRISPR May Not Be Nearly as Precise as We Thought
NVIDIA aims to build better robots with the Isaac Initiative
Source: Engadget – NVIDIA aims to build better robots with the Isaac Initiative
This Freaky Frog Is So Transparent You Can See Its Internal Organs
Introducing Hyalinobatrachium yaku, a newly-discovered species of glassfrog that lives in the Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador. Like other glassfrogs, it features transparent skin on its belly, but this tiny critter takes things to another level by exposing the entire contents of its underside—heart and head included.
Source: Gizmodo – This Freaky Frog Is So Transparent You Can See Its Internal Organs
Intel Will Sell a Crazy 18-Core Processor for $2,000 Because Why Not
Here we go again. It’s Computex time in Taipei, and that means that Intel is announcing an insane new lineup of ultra powerful processors—some of which seemingly exist only so that you’ll pay attention to the cheaper CPUs the company sells to average humans. This year, Intel has outdone itself with the Core X-series,…
Source: Gizmodo – Intel Will Sell a Crazy 18-Core Processor for ,000 Because Why Not
PlayStation 3 Production Officially Ends in Japan
My fat PS3 from 2007 is still chugging along, but Sony has officially pulled the plug on the console’s manufacturing in Japan. Its 11-year run is pretty impressive, although the PS2, which debuted in 2000, was able to stick around until 2013 before being terminated worldwide. Some believe that the PS4 will also last for at least a decade, but the original has already been superseded even though it is only four years old…
That, obviously, means that there won’t be any more PS3s made for sale in Japan. Listings for the PlayStation 3 in the US and Europe don’t appear to have been updated yet, suggesting that this halt to production hasn’t spread overseas. Still, with Sony putting a cap on PS3 production in Japan, it probably won’t be long until that spreads to other regions. It’s been a surprisingly good run for the PlayStation 3, especially when you consider that it was third place in sales for much of the previous generation. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was able to just edge it out in overall sales, while neither the 360 nor the PS3 could beat the Wii’s stellar numbers.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – PlayStation 3 Production Officially Ends in Japan
Amazon Patents Shipping Label with Built-In Parachute
In the future, Amazon’s shipping labels may be a lot more complex than a mere slice of paper: a new patent describes a system of cords, a parachute, a breakaway cover, and possibly a harness placed underneath for softer drone deliveries. The chutes, which may be of any shape and size, could contain everything from bar codes and QR codes to coupons. I am looking forward to when the wrong gust of wind sends my poorly packed box of hard drives into the nearby river.
…the online retail giant this morning received a patent for a shipping label with a built-in parachute to help packages make a soft landing when dropped out of the air by drone or other airborne craft. According to the newly issued patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the parachute label could look and act just like any other shipping label, but underneath is a system of cords, a parachute, a breakaway cover and possibly a harness to keep everything in place. The package could also be loaded with sensors to make sure the package hits its landing zone and a shock absorber in case the cargo is coming in a little too hot.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Amazon Patents Shipping Label with Built-In Parachute
Watch DirecTV’s streaming service on your Roku device
Cable cord cutters, take note: AT&T’s live TV streaming service, DirecTV Now, is available on select Roku models starting today. The service will work on nearly every Roku device out there — 4K Roku TVs, as well as the Ultra, Premiere+, Premiere…
Source: Engadget – Watch DirecTV’s streaming service on your Roku device
Stop Mowing Your Lawn
I grew up mowing a giant, mangy lawn. My family lived on an acre of hilltop land, which we kept shaggily mowed, too spiky to walk on in our bare feet. On one side was a cornfield. On the other side was our neighbor, Mr. Howland, the Ned Flanders of lawn care. He seeded his lawn with fine golf-course-grade grass, mowed…
Source: LifeHacker – Stop Mowing Your Lawn
Andy Rubin’s modular “Essential Phone” has the oddest camera placement ever
Essential
2017 is the year of the slim-bezel smartphone, and the latest to enter the fray is Andy Rubin’s “Essential” smartphone startup. Today the company announced the “Essential Phone,” a flagship Snapdragon 835 device headed to the US for $699.
You certainly can’t accuse the Essential Phone of being boring. It has possibly the strangest implementation of a front-facing camera we’ve ever seen; the device is made of ceramic and titanium; there’s a magnetic modular connector on the back; and there isn’t a single logo on the entire device.
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Source: Ars Technica – Andy Rubin’s modular “Essential Phone” has the oddest camera placement ever
Get the Full Guardians of the Galaxy—Mission: Breakout Experience Right Here
The Guardians of the Galaxy have officially invaded Disney with a new ride, and they’re going to be there for a long, long time. This past weekend marked the opening of Mission: Breakout at Disney’s California Adventure. But if you don’t think you’ll get there for a while, these videos should give you an idea of what…
Source: Gizmodo – Get the Full Guardians of the Galaxy—Mission: Breakout Experience Right Here
As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating
An anonymous reader shares a report: College students have flooded into computer science courses across the country, recognizing them as an entree to coveted jobs at companies like Facebook and Google, not to mention the big prize: a start-up worth millions. The exploding interest in these courses, though, has coincided with an undesirable side effect: a spate of high-tech collegiate plagiarism. Students have been caught borrowing computer code from their friends or cribbing it from the internet. “There’s a lot of discussion about it, both inside a department as well as across the field,” said Randy H. Katz, a professor in the electrical engineering and computer science department at the University of California, Berkeley, who discovered in one year that about 100 of his roughly 700 students in one class had violated the course policy on collaborating or copying code. Computer science professors are now delivering stern warnings at the start of each course, and, like colleagues in other subjects, deploy software to flag plagiarism. They have unearthed numerous examples of suspected cheating.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating
Scientists take a big step toward creating custom organisms
Scientists dream of using custom organisms to fight illnesses or even build computers, but there’s a problem: it’s difficult to make the sweeping genetic changes that would give you exactly the lifeform you need. To that end, researchers have found…
Source: Engadget – Scientists take a big step toward creating custom organisms
The Original Alien Movie Recut As A Comedy Trailer
This is a video of the original Alien movie recut as a comedy trailer. Not a romantic comedy though, just a comedy. Me? I like romantic comedies. They give me hope that even a dork like me can still find true love, despite the fact I’m pooping insanely loud in the bathroom not realizing my girlfriend just walked in the door with a bunch of friends.
Hit the jump for the video.
Source: Geekologie – The Original Alien Movie Recut As A Comedy Trailer
KDE Neon User Edition 5.10 Released
There is an easy way to try out today’s release of KDE Plasma 5.10…
Source: Phoronix – KDE Neon User Edition 5.10 Released