The thing with NASCAR is that there’s no preseason. Any new ideas you want to test have to be tested in real time. And since the biggest race of the year is also the first, the Daytona 500 — the Great American Race, the race you want to win — became a sort of beta test for this bold new plan that will play out over the remaining 35 races of the 2017 season.
So I went to Daytona International Speedway to watch it all play out. As a long time, but on and off, fan of NASCAR, I figured I’d either see something new and refreshing. At the least, I’d get to feel the heat of Rome burning.
What I didn’t expect to find was a sport careening toward a technological and philosophical revolution.
If you’re not a fan of NASCAR, that’s OK. No need to tell us in the comments. But if you are, what do you think of these rule changes? I’m a casual fan and I enjoyed the stages in the latest Daytona 500 but I’m not such a diehard I really care one way or the other.
City dwellers are subjected to an onslaught of stimulation: the roar of rush-hour traffic, the scent of garbage day’s distinctively prickly perfume, the spectacle of an out-of-towner trying to swim upstream against a school of pedestrians on a crowded sidewalk. While this sensory overload might not always be pleasant, it does help us make sense of where we are and what’s happening around us.
That’s nothing new. In her new book, The Sensational Past: How the Enlightenment Changed the Way We Use Our Senses, historian Carolyn Purnell unpacks the sensory world of 17th- and 18th-century Europe, from the darkened stalls of Les Halles market (known as “the Belly of Paris”) to the coffee houses where image-conscious urbanites tried to sip themselves genteel. CityLab asked Purnell about the way sight, taste, smell, touch, and sound shaped daily life, and how city dwellers’ sensory worlds have changed as urbanization rolled along.
One of the great/awful things about living in a city is the cacophony of sights, sounds, and smells. I’ve always been a “City Kid” but even I have a hard time with places like the busy core of New York City or Tokyo. It’s almost overwhelming. Imagine what it was like in the 18th century. And now that I love “out in the country”, it took me a while to get used to the different noises (birds, cows, roosters) and smells (manure, fresh cut grass) found out here.
The idea here is that, since it can be so insanely frustrating to hunt down recipes that seem decent only to find out you’re lacking one or more ingredients, MyFridgeFood takes all the ingredients you know you have on-hand and gives you recipe options based on those items. It’s the way all recipe sites should work, because it provides options for meals that you can make literally right now instead of some hypothetical time in the future when you already went shopping for the required ingredients.
Those of who (attempt to) cook know the struggle of, “What can I make with what I have?” This clever web site can solve that problem for you. It’s also a good argument for having staples on hand. If your fridge only has beer, yogurt, and an apple in it, this site won’t be of much help.
the list showcases some of the finest unaltered photographs we could find. Some of them are surreal, some are creepy, and some will positively blow your mind, and all of them serve to remind us that a good picture has nothing to do with your computer skills and everything to do with timing, location, and a keen eye for detail.
Some of these shots are amazing if only for the timing of the shots. Settle in – there are 17 pages of images.
It takes five months to build the Chiron, from the first parts order to rolling the completed car out the door. The car spends three weeks in the paint shop, then it’s an entire week just to assemble the chassis.
Each vehicle is extensively tested. The 16-cylinder, 1,500-horsepower engine is tested outside the car for eight hours. After the engine is installed in the car, the whole thing is tested to 124 mph on a rolling road inside the factory — a new piece of equipment installed especially for the Chiron because the old one, designed for the 1,200-horsepower Veyron, couldn’t handle the increase in power and torque.
The video is straight up car porn. The funniest part is the small print at the bottom, telling you the “fuel economy” of the car.
Apple said it has temporarily stopped buying cobalt mined by hand in Congo while it continues to deal with problems with child labor and harsh work conditions.
Last year, Apple pledged to clean up its cobalt supply chain, but the technology giant said it wanted to avoid hurting the Congolese miners by cutting them off. Mining provides vital income for hundreds of thousands of people in what is one of the world’s poorest countries. Now, Apple says it has stopped — for now — buying cobalt from artisanal mines.
Cobalt is essential for the lithium-ion batteries found in laptops and smartphones, such as the iPhone. Sixty percent of the world’s cobalt supply comes from Congo.
That last line is the “rock and a hard place” of Apple’s position. They need cobalt. The majority of cobalt is in the Congo. The Congo uses child labor. That labor may be the only work the people of the region can get.
A startup called Synaps Labs has brought it to the physical world by combining high-speed cameras set up a distance ahead of the billboard (about 180 meters) to capture images of cars. Its machine-learning system can recognize in those images the make and model of the cars an advertiser wants to target. A bidding system then selects the appropriate advertising to put on the billboard as that car passes.
This is really cool tech but a whole lot of creepy.
Interesting discussion of different kinds of engines but the most important line is: “In the end, time is the enemy of the privileged few. Cost is the enemy of the masses.”
Not quite like anything before it in American media, The Players’ Tribune was framed in an introductory post as an outlet for athletes to share stories and insights directly with fans while sidestepping the traditional press. It was written by Derek Jeter himself, the guy who became notorious for his reticence with reporters.
The site was welcomed with bemused curiosity in some corners, written off as part PR campaign, part fluff-piece factory and part vanity project in others.
Just how The Players’ Tribune grew up to become a sports media powerhouse is a story of creativity, opportunity and coming up huge: Two years in, the site has found its stroke.
I remember when The Players’ Tribune was first published and the traditional sports media mocked it unmercifully. It has become a great place to read stories directly from the players.
If you’d rather add USB charging ports to your outlets than buy USB power adapters, the best option is the Topgreener TU21548A Smart Dual USB Charger Outlet. It’s one of only two models we found that support 4.8-amp charging across two USB ports, meaning it can charge almost any phone or tablet at full speed, without making you give up plug receptacles. The outlet is simple to install and standards-certified for safety, and it won’t look out of place in any setting.
I’m not a fan of these devices (mostly because I’m an incompetent boob when it comes to tools and installing stuff) but this is important because if you do this wrong or buy an inferior product, you could have serious issues. Wirecutter says there are only two models that meet their standards.
Like many people I’m using Apple’s Airport base stations (I’m running two of them) in my home to provide wireless coverage. Again, like many people covering all the areas that I need a signal has proven to be difficult, so I started looking for solutions—the one I’m considering strongly is Google Wifi.
Here are the key points that Google promises for its router:
A new type of connected system that replaces your router for seamless Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home, helping eliminate dead zones and buffering
Network Assist technology keeps your connection fast by always selecting the clearest channel and fastest band for your devices
A simple app gets you set up quickly and allows you to see what’s connected, prioritize devices, and pause the Wi-Fi on kids’ devices
A single Wi-Fi point covers up to 1,500 sq. ft., a set of three covers homes up to 4,500 sq. ft. Wi-Fi points work together so you can add more if you need additional coverage
24/7 phone support from Google; 1-year warranty
I’ll be honest, I’m skeptical. However, I was speaking with a friend last night about these routers and he said they were amazing. He also said setup was really easy with the iOS app—the network was up and running in no time. Basically, plug it in, connect to the app and he was done.
He has a large home and recently replaced his Airports with Google Wifi. He purchased the 3-pack, which is much more than what I would need, but he said it covers his entire house with fast, reliable speeds.
That’s the key for me—fast, reliable speeds throughout the entire property. I want to be able to have the fastest speeds possible wherever I am—right now I don’t have that. If I go outside or a room farthest away from the routers, my speeds drop dramatically and sometimes it will disconnect completely.
There are other mesh network options available from a variety of companies, like the Eero, and Orbi, but they are much more expensive.
I’m trying to balance the cost with something that will give me the fastest connection I can get. Right now, that seems to be Google Wifi.
I’ll keep you up-to-date on how I make out with it.
The globe displays one year of global air passenger traffic. The data comes from modeled estimates compiled for the Vector-borne Disease Airport Importation Risk project (available for download at WorldPop). In 2010, the year for which the data was modeled, there were roughly 30 million commercial flights around the world carrying about 2.8 billion passengers.
This is an incredible data visualization. You can click on individual countries to see their incoming/outgoing traffic (Canada’s is unsurprisingly small) or zoom in to see individual details.
Right now, in a vault controlled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, there sits a 752-pound emerald with no rightful owner. This gem is the size of a minifridge. It weighs as much as two sumo wrestlers. Estimates of its worth range from a hundred bucks to $925 million.
Eight years ago the emerald was logged into evidence by detectives Scott Miller and Mark Gayman of the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau. The two men are longtime veterans: 30 years for Miller, 28 for Gayman. They dress as the Hollywood versions of themselves, in wraparound sunglasses, badges dangling off long chains. Among Gayman’s career highlights is the time he busted Joe Pesci’s ex-wife for the hit she put out on her new lover. One thing they both hate is the emerald case. It’s a whack-a-mole of schemers. Detangling all the rackets and lies is, Miller says, “a puzzle from hell.”
I love these weird investigative stories from Wired.
Wireless Internet—and the desire for it—has become an integral part of many consumers daily lives. And the appetite for Wi-Fi doesn’t subside out once they’re in a car.
General Motors has tried to respond to the demand by adding in-vehicle OnStar 4G LTE Wi-FI hotspot to its new vehicles. Starting Friday, the automaker is giving owners access to unlimited data for $20 per month.
GM released a few statistics last month that shows just how much data its customers use while in the car. Chevrolet owners used more than 4.2 million gigabytes (4.2 petabytes) of data in 2016—a 200% from the previous year. To put this data usage in perspective, Chevrolet owners and their passengers streamed the equivalent of more than 17.5 million hours of video in 2016.
As a motorcyclist, that “17.5 million hours” number terrifies me. I understand this particular genie has been let out of the bottle but I’m constitutionally against anything that decreases the amount of time the driver spends focused on driving and looking at and through the “dumb glass” of his windshield and rearview mirrors.
You might have seen articles about absurdly expensive bluefin sold at Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji fish market during the first sale of the new year. In 2017, a 466-pounder went for $632,000 — an astronomical price that was still a deep discount from the record-breaking $1.76 million someone paid for a 489-pound bluefin in 2013.
Until the 1970s, bluefin tuna was a literal trash fish. If it wasn’t put into cat food, sport fishermen paid to have it hauled off to dumps (after taking a smiling photo next to their strung-up carcasses). Until the mid-1900s, tuna’s reputation was so bad in Japan that it was referred to as neko-matagi, food too low for even a cat to eat.
Now, bluefin is the most expensive fish in the ocean.
I had no idea bluefin tuna used to be considered garbage fish. I do know we are overfishing at an unsustainable level.
A battery that lasts an entire year before you need a recharge. Pair with 4 different devices, each one getting its own dedicated keyboard button to make switching between devices trivial. Supports Mac and iOS devices.
At $95, this looks like a no-brainer purchase. Great find by Jeff Benjamin. Watch the video below and buy the keyboard here.
Great tip (and links) from Rob Griffiths on replacing any fluorescent bulbs in your house or garage with new LED bulbs. Do it. You’ll have better light and they’ll last forever.
‘I was told that I had to undergo a surgery and there were two methods. One totally sedated or, two, to wake me up during surgery.’
But because the second option had a much greater chance of success, he decided to choose that.
My guess is, they wanted to make sure they were cutting in the right place, his ability to play the guitar was an indicator. Both oogy and fascinating.
Apple’s Macs and iPads have lost significant ground in the U.S. educational market during the last three years, in 2016 slipping to third place behind Chromebooks and Windows devices, according to new research.
At an operating system level, Chromebooks continue to gain market share, reaching 58% in 2016, up from 50% in 2015. The strong combination of affordable devices, productivity tools via G-Suite, easy integration with third party platforms/tools, task management/distribution via Google Classroom and easy device management remains extremely popular with US teachers and IT buyers alike.
And:
Whilst the growth of Chromebooks has certainly been a major headache for Apple and Microsoft, they are not standing still. Both made major developments through 2016, Apple announcing the ‘Classroom’ app and major education focused functionality updates on iOS 9.3, including the ability to share iPads.
To me, the issue is not Apple devices losing luster. As the linked report makes clear, this is about the growth of Chromebooks and the Google ecosystem. Google’s ecosystem is incredibly affordable, just perfect for the education market.
Apple Inc. sued Qualcomm Inc. in a U.K. court, adding to lawsuits across the globe in a sprawling battle over patents and licensing fees between the iPhone developer and the largest designer of mobile phone chips.
And:
Apple is separately suing Qualcomm in California, accusing it of monopolizing the market for chips for wireless devices and withholding $1 billion in retaliation for cooperating with South Korean antitrust authorities.
At the heart of the dispute between Apple and Qualcomm is a push by phone makers, with support of some regulators, to reduce the patent royalties Qualcomm charges. Qualcomm gets the bulk of its revenue from selling chips, but more than half of its profit from a separate licensing business.
If I read this right, Bare Bones Software will take all of TextWrangler and fold it into the demo version of BBEdit. When your free 30-day demo expires, you’ll still have basic BBEdit features and ALL of the TextWrangler features.
Smart move, and respectful of the user base. And it still doesn’t suck.
Spotify this afternoon announced that it has hit a new milestone, reaching a total of 50 million paying subscribers. That’s up from 40 million in September, suggesting Spotify is growing at a rapid pace despite the surging popularity of Apple Music.
I wonder where all of these people are coming from. Are the Tidal and Pandora users or are they new users that have never used streaming services before? Clearly, there’s still a lot of growth in the streaming business.
Spotify is preparing to launch a lossless audio version of its streaming service, according to multiple sources. The offering, which is currently called Spotify Hi-Fi, will offer lossless CD-quality audio to users — similar to what Tidal offers in its Hi-Fi service.
I’m interested to see what the response will be to this service. Lossless isn’t something Apple ever seemed to be keen to offer users, but they may be forced into it if Spotify’s becomes popular.
The Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) team was debugging an issue causing the S3 billing system to progress more slowly than expected. At 9:37AM PST, an authorized S3 team member using an established playbook executed a command which was intended to remove a small number of servers for one of the S3 subsystems that is used by the S3 billing process. Unfortunately, one of the inputs to the command was entered incorrectly and a larger set of servers was removed than intended. The servers that were inadvertently removed supported two other S3 subsystems.
It’s good that Amazon got to the bottom of this and let all of its customers know exactly what happened.
When filmmakers and other folks in the know make mention of “pure cinema,” they are referring to films that rely heavily on their imagery for storytelling. Cinema is, after all, a visual medium, not just a place for dialogue to come alive, and as such to distinguish itself from other storytelling media cinema must take advantage of its particular facets.
Alfred Hitchcock was perhaps the most significant purveyor of pure cinema in his time, he was a filmmaker that infiltrated your senses and emotions more often on a visual level than a written one.
I’ve been a huge Hitchcock ever since I found out one of my relatives worked with him in the 1950s. As the article points out, we think of him as a director of suspense films but his visual artistry and manipulation of your emotions through images was incredible.
More than two million people have watched an eight-year-old goalie from Brampton bust a move — right on the ice.
A Facebook video of Noah Young dancing in his skates and goalie pads to the Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall song ‘Juju On That Beat’ has gone viral in less than 24 hours.
Noah’s mom, Paige Rowswell, says the footage is from his novice AAA team’s last game on Saturday and was posted by someone on Monday.
Hockey isn’t the only thing we Canadians do on ice. We can bust a move, too.
