Coming to Kindle and Smashwords
November 2013
Jan 30, 2013
Color film of the Three Stooges from 1938
Jan 29, 2013
Wow....
Stunning Blade Runner Animation, Made With 3,000 Watercolors
More than 3,000 watercolor drawings were combined to produce this stunning animation, an exacting, frame-by-frame re-creation of an early sequence from Blade Runner.
Jan 26, 2013
A Visual History of NASA Space Food
This gallery of freeze dried and preserved morsels spans more than 50 years of NASA space food, from the Gemini missions to the International Space Station. “Flight food systems” are the responsibility of NASA’s Space Food Systems Laboratory. Its mission:
…to provide high-quality flight food systems that are convenient, compatible with each crew member’s physiological and psychological requirements, meet spacecraft stowage and galley interface requirements, and are easy to prepare and eat in the weightlessness of space.Bon appetit!
via
Star wars alphabet
San Jose graphic designer Patrick Concepcion of Concepción Studios created a fantastic illustration that alphabetically displays Star Wars character silhouettes. Prints are available to purchase on Etsy.
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Jan 25, 2013
Secret exterior door with remote control lock
Jan 24, 2013
KBR Secret Indemnity Agreement Signed By Army Chief Tainted In Enron Scandal
WASHINGTON -- The Army official who signed a secret agreement that military contractor KBR claims should burden taxpayers with the bill for the company's negligent poisoning of U.S. soldiers in Iraq resigned from the military in 2003 after a tenure marked by questions about his ties to Enron Corp.
Thomas E. White, named secretary of the Army in 2001, signed an indemnity agreement protecting KBR, the military's largest contractor, from legal liability on March 19, 2003. KBR had asked for the agreement as part of its contract to rebuild Iraq oilfields destroyed in the U.S. invasion. White resigned a month later, on April 23, under fire for his previous role as a senior Enron executive and after clashing with former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over his advocacy for a multi-billion dollar artillery system.
KBR's indemnity agreement, obtained by The Huffington Post through a Freedom of Information Act request, was classified as secret until Dec. 21, 2012, the month after a federal jury in Oregon decided the company should pay $85 million for negligence that allowed a dozen soldiers to be exposed to a cancer-causing chemical sodium dichromate at the Qarmat Ali water treatment plant in Iraq. The agreement, never made public until now, is crucial because KBR claims it means taxpayers have to pay both the verdict and the company's $15 million in legal expenses. The company faces a separate lawsuit filed by national guardsmen from both Indiana and West Virginia, as well as troops from the U.K. The military has said it believes the agreement doesn't shield KBR from paying for the lawsuits.
It's not known how many defense contractors have secret indemnification agreements with the government. While most federal agencies are not allowed to enter open-ended indemnification agreements, the Pentagon is exempt under an executive order signed by President Richard Nixon in 1971. An amendment to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act pushed by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) now requires the Pentagon to disclose indemnification clauses that hold military contractors harmless and to justify the agreements to Congress.
White wrote in his 2003 memo granting KBR the indemnity that he "considered the availability, costs and terms of private insurance to cover these risks, as well as the viability of self-insurance, and have concluded that adequate insurance to cover the unusually hazardous risks is not reasonably available." He said he had no clue how much the indemnity agreement could cost taxpayers."It is not possible to determine the actual or estimated cost to the Government as a result of the use of an indemnification clause since the liability of the Government, if any, will depend upon the occurrence of an incident related to the performance of the contract," White wrote. The agreement was necessary to "facilitate the national defense," he said.
White, currently a partner at DKRW Energy, did not respond to HuffPost's request for comment.
White maintained he knew nothing about Enron's efforts to manipulate energy prices in the California power crisis in 2000 and 2001. His sale of millions of dollars in Enron stock in 2001 came under investigation by federal authorities, but no charges were ever brought. White said he was required to sell his stock under government ethics rules. The Pentagon's inspector general also investigated whether White and his wife used a military jet for personal travel.
The 2003 agreement between the Army and KBR protects the contractor from financial costs associated with unusually hazardous risks including the "sudden or nonsudden release of hydrocarbons or other toxic or hazardous substances or contaminants into the environment."
A KBR spokesman previously told HuffPost the company "is confident that it will prevail in enforcing the U.S. government’s legal obligations.” One lawyer representing soldiers in their lawsuit against KBR said the agreement amounted to a "pretty good bailout" for the company.
Cockaignesque, A Lush Photo Series Inspired by Baroque Paintings
“Cockaignesque” by German photographer Helen Sobiralski is a lush photo series inspired by Baroque still-life paintings. For more of her photography, see her Facebook page.
Thanks
Jan 23, 2013
What it's like to have a grand mal seizure
Radio producer Jess Hill, who has been working in the Middle East, wrote an account of what the experience of having a grand mal seizure was like.
She wrote the post a week after the episode, and two weeks before having brain surgery to remove the tumor that caused it. "At the time I was still having seizures every few days, and just the act of writing about the first seizure in such detail almost brought on another one," Jess explains. "I initially planned to keep this account private, but after two months, I’ve decided to share it, if only for the fact that it might be useful to others who have had or will have a similar experience."
It happened when she was in transit via plane from Yemen to Beirut.
Jan 22, 2013
Xpogo, Extreme Pogo Stick Riders Who Perform Tricks Worldwide
Xpogo is a group of athletic individuals who show off their extreme pogo stick riding skills and tricks in a multitude of locations worldwide. You can view more videos, which includes tutorials, on their website.
via
Haggis Flavored Potato Chips
Snack company Mackie’s of Scotland has created Haggis & Cracked Black Pepper potato crisps, yes, haggis-flavored potato chips. They describe them as being “distinctively Scottish” and note, “You may be surprised.” They pair their haggis snacks with the following whiskys: Aberlour a’bunadh, The Famous Grouse, or Talisker.
via bookofjoe
Jan 21, 2013
Yikes...Virginia Mandatory Ultrasound Law's Repeal Blocked By State GOP
A Republican-controlled committee in the Virginia State Senate voted 8-7 on Thursday to block Democrats' efforts to repeal a new mandatory ultrasound law and a set of regulations that could shut down many abortion clinics in the state. The committee also voted down a new anti-abortion bill that would have prevented Medicaid from paying for low-income women's abortions in cases where there is a severe fetal anomaly.
Virginia Republicans attracted national criticism in early 2012 when they proposed a bill requiring women to undergo invasive, medically unnecessary transvaginal ultrasound procedures before having an abortion. Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) later helped Republicans revise the bill to require only external, "jelly-on-the-belly" procedures, and he signed that version into law.
State Sen. Ralph Northam (D), the only physician in the senate, proposed a bill that would repeal the mandatory ultrasound law because he says it violates the privacy and sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship. "I am giving you the opportunity to right the wrong committed last year," he told committee members on Thursday.The Medical Society of Virginia and the Virginia American College of Obstetricians testified in favor of repealing the ultrasound bill, echoing Northam's concerns.
Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia and a top anti-abortion lobbyist, also testified at the hearing. She accused abortion providers of "hiding the picture" of the ultrasound from women in order to prevent them from changing their minds and to increase profits, according to The American Independent's Reilly Moore.
The Senate Health and Education Committee voted along party lines to block the repeal of the ultrasound law, as well as the repeal of a set of abortion clinic regulations, known as Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers, or TRAP. The law requires that first-trimester abortion clinics meet the same building standards as newly constructed hospitals.State Sen. Mark Herring (D), the sponsor of the bill to repeal the TRAP law, said he is going to continue fighting to keep the clinics open. "What [the committee] did was wrong," he told The Huffington Post. "I think the votes today indicate that Republicans still have an extreme agenda, and they're intent on reducing access to women's health care."
The committee also voted down an anti-abortion bill on Thursday. One Republican on the committee, State Sen. Harry Blevins (R), crossed over and voted with Democrats to kill a bill that would have banned state-subsidized abortions for women with severely impaired fetuses
Lego Stop-Motion Animation of the Man Of Steel Trailer 2
Lego Stop-Motion Animation of the Man Of Steel Trailer 2
By on January 17, 2013
Antonio Toscano did a great job of creating a stop-motion animated LEGO variant of director Zack Snyder‘s recent Man of Steel – Official Trailer #2. Here is the original trailer for Man of Steel (due out on June 14, 2013):
via
Geek Love, Online Reality Series Focuses on Sci-Fi Speed Dating
“Dating has never been easy, but try dating in a Darth Vader mask or Wonder Woman ensemble.”
Geek Love is an online reality series that focuses on Sci-Fi Speed Dating, a speed dating business founded by Ryan Glitch that brings “like-minded people together to embrace their idiosyncrasies and find love” at events like Comic-Con. The series is three episodes in and new ones come out on Thursdays.
Thanks
Jan 20, 2013
"Nerds are one of the most dangerous groups in this country"
Jan 19, 2013
Green Army Man Bottle Opener
Green Army Man Bottle Opener
By on January 18, 2013
This green die-cast metal Army Man Bottle Opener brings a tough military style to popping the top off of your favorite beer and is available to purchase online at Vat19.com.
…It features the same iconic styling of the original Army Men from the 1930s and 1940s. This sucker is tough as nails, looks awesome, and gets you that much closer to enjoying a frosty beer. Yeah, it’s pretty much glory incarnate.
image 1 via The Awesomer, other images and vi
Jan 18, 2013
Scumdance, A Group Art Show That Celebrates Famous Movie Villains
Scumdance, a group art show at the Blonde Grizzly gallery, will be showcasing a bad ass collection of artwork that celebrates famous movie villains. New paintings and drawings will be displayed that were created by a group of talented Zerofriends artists. The art show opening will take place January 18, 2013 from 6 to 9 PM at Blonde Grizzly in Salt Lake City, Utah. It just so happens to “coincide with the first day of the Sundance Film Festival.”
Featured artists include:
Alien by Jon Wayshak
images via
Jan 17, 2013
Vinyl Boba Fett Action Figure by KAWS
Brooklyn street artist and designer Brian Donnelly (aka “KAWS“) created an awesome vinyl action figure of the Star Wars bounty hunter Boba Fett for OriginalFake. The overall shape and design is based off of KAWS’ character Companion. According to The Khooll, keep a look out on KAWSONE.com for the action figure’s Saturday, January 26, 2013 release.
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