Truth to tell, I haven't really thought about "why". I'm regularly brought up short by stuff like this, reminding me that I've now been around for a significant portion of modern history.
Does Apollo on the Moon now feel like ancient history?
My Father was a fast draw expert, and he was best at the fast cross-draw. While he served with the Texas Rangers he used 2 Colt Peacemaker .45's. He had his holsters custom made, as well as his saddle. He was a Brand Inspector had to deal with a lot of cattle rustlers during the period of 1953 when they were a very concentrated network in both Texas and Oklahoma.
He was among the best at the fast cross-draw, and the Peacemaker was the perfect weapon for that draw. Well balanced, fit the hand well and had good accuracy.
I happened to be in Watertown MA when the gun-battle against the Marathon bombers went down. Until then, not one of the dozen Watertown beat cops involved had ever fired his gun in the line of duty.
Indeed! Besides my Father, his Uncle also served as a police officer in Dallas TX. My Mother's Cousin was a Motorcycle Highway Patrol officer in Los Angeles CA until he was hit by a drunk driver and almost killed, and lost his left leg.
During the time my Father was a police officer he lost 2 partners, and lost 4 partners during his time as a Texas Ranger. They played for keeps in those days and law enforcement was the prime targets.
And my Brother and I are lucky to have lived as well. The cartel that my Father and his Texas Ranger partners were up against threatened our family, so my Brother and I were put into hiding for 3 months until the cartel was arrested and jailed. My hiding place was with a special family on the Cherokee Reservation, while my Brother's was with an OK State Intel officer and their family.
Thankfully, we kids did not know anything about about it at the time, so for us it was just a nice vacation. It wasn't until many years later that my parents told us about what happened.
I must recognize that I know absolutely nothing about that universe. The idea of personal danger from criminals is "unreal" for me. I'm permanently conventional, maybe.
What has been the long-term effect on your lives, you and your brother?
What has been the long-term effect on your lives, you and your brother?
It made me appreciate my parents much more, realizing what they were up against, and the imminent dangers they faced, and doing all they could to protect their children.
The main long term effect it has had on me and my Brother is that we grew up with little trust of others, as we never really know who the person standing next to us at the grocery store might really be.
Fortunately, maturity has a way of promoting a bit of common sense so that fear no longer controlled my life.
When we look at those nebulae (nebuli? nebulas?) surely we must think that there HAS to be life somewhere similar to ours. Otherwise, as Ellie Arroway (Jodi Foster) said in the movie "Contact": "It would be an awful waste of space."
True enough, we're a long way from even traveling in our own solar system very well. But perhaps a older civilization in a older part of the universe was a little less self-destructive and spent less time and resources thinking of ways to kill each other off and instead invested in science...
Who knows? It would have to involve sciences we haven't even thought of yet.
I got the name for today's posting by blowing up that first image and reading it off the sign at the start of the trail but I think, from notes on her social accounts, what she walked that day is more accurately described by her as, "The Big Bluff and Goat Trail (off of Centerpoint)".
6 Miles R/T: If you're looking for a big view of the Buffalo River combined with a world-class geologic experience, then Big Bluff and its narrow Goat Trail is your kind of place. At 550-ft tall, Big Bluff is just that---big. In fact, it's so big that it has the distinction of being the tallest sheer bluff face found between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains.
Centerpoint to Goat Trail is a 5.9 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Ponca, Arkansas that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Horses are also able to use this trail.
The trail's destination is the Big Bluff overlooking the Buffalo River. It is considered the tallest along the Buffalo, over 500 ft. tall. The side trail that leads to an outcropping on the bluff is called the Goat Trail, about 350 ft. tall, it is not for kids, the weak or those afraid of heights.
The trail is virtually all down hill on the way to the Bluff and the side trail called the goat trail. Consequently plan extra time on the hike out as its all uphill.
The goat trail segment takes you over a narrow out cropping on the bluff about 350 ft. tall. It is not for kids, the weak or those afraid of heights. A very scenic look over the Buffalo River valley , but exercise extreme caution, as people have died falling of the goat trail.
Reminds me of the song about "we sang in the sunshine, we laughed every day" for some reason. Maybe because it looks like a scenic and very interesting (and slightly dangerous) hike.
As I see it, when you look at the right side of the picture, the train is going into the tunnel, but if you look at the part of the train that is already in the tunnel, it appears to be coming towards you. Pretty strange illusion.
I have to admit I think it's less of a optical illusion and more of "play", "run in reverse and record", and "play/record forward" etc. and then record them and played end to end on a loop. I 'm not familiar with them, but isn't that sort of a long train? At least one of those people on the side should have itched or twitched or yawned or something.
If you’re skeptical of or put off by the idea of self-driving cars, then there’s a good chance you won’t be a fan of Ford’s intriguing research project designed to have robots get out of self-driving cars and deliver packages right to your door.
Over the past few months, Ford and Agility Robotics have been working on a new initiative designed to assess how intelligent robots and self-driving cars can work in unison to more efficiently deliver items like groceries, packages, and even pizza, straight to your door. The impetus behind the idea certainly makes sense insofar that a self-driving can only bring an ordered item to a nearby curb. And sure, a human could come out and pick up a given package, but why expend any energy at all when an advanced robot can literally do all the heavy lifting for you?
The idea seems to straddle the line between futuristic and creepy, but that’s just par for the course whenever we’re talking about advanced robotics.
As envisioned by Ford, a self-driving car would pull up to a specified house whereupon a robot would climb out of the back, pick up the package in question, and then bring it right to the front door.
Designed by Agility Robotics, the robot is called Digit and can eerily mimic the gait of a human and can even go up and down stairs. What’s more, Ford CTO Ken Washington notes on Medium that Digit can “walk naturally through uneven terrain, and even react to things like being bumped without losing its balance and falling over.” As far as getting around is concerned, Digit is outfitted with LiDAR and a suite of other sensors. Strength wise, Digit can lift packages that weigh as much as 40 pounds.
What’s particularly interesting about the venture is that self-driving cars of the future may serve dual purposes simultaneously, with Washington noting the following:
Since self-driving vehicles can potentially move people and goods simultaneously, they hold great potential to make deliveries even more convenient and efficient. A ride-hailing trip could double as a delivery service, dropping off packages in between transporting passengers.
A video demo of Digit in action can be seen below. It’s interesting to note that the video illustrates how Digit manages to identify an obstacle — in this case a scooter — and come up with a new path in real-time.
The last couple of weeks (and, um, stories ) have been awash in negative press and bad vibes for Nissan. Fortunately, mother nature stepped in to help one Florida dealership restore the cosmic balance by having a family of ducks move in.
A few months ago, a nest of ducklings hatched outside Sutherlin Nissan Orlando. They decided to stick around, creating an interesting incentive for customers. While we doubt the company would implement new dealer conditions that mandate an on-site petting zoo, it could be a novel solution to its sales woes. After all, promoting dogs worked extremely well for Subaru . Maybe Nissan can become the duck brand.
The Miami Herald (brought to our attention via Jalopnik ) reports that managing partner Ulrich Stanley Marine documented the ducks’ progress through his Facebook account, to our collective benefit. Apparently, the little scamps spend much of their day in a nearby pond but frequently came inside for attention and treats.
“At first the mother was really protective of the babies,” said Marine. “Now they come in at least 15 times a day, and she doesn’t mind at all.”
“We let kids feed them and they put people in a good mood,” he continued, adding that their presence had ultimately helped sales.
While we can’t say there’s much to take away from the story, other than further confirmation that ducks are extremely cute animals (at least until you look into their mating habits), and that dealership with access to adorable creatures can easily utilize them for free publicity. It works, and there’s really no way anybody can put a negative spin on it.
Marine, who said he now considers the ducks to be the business’ mascots, noted that the dealership constructed a small pond near the store’s entrance to encourage them to stay close by. They’re currently featured on the brand’s social media page and have been covered by various local news outlets.
Hélène and I just walked over to the polling-place in the local elementary school to vote in the elections to the EU Parliament.
The wait-in-line-to-vote time was... zero.
(Well... I kinda held up the lady behind me for a couple seconds, 'cause I'd put my ID card in a pocket...)
If anyone would like an explanation of why there there were thirty-four lists to choose from... you'll need quite a bit of patience. It's a l-o-o-o-n-g story...
You pet that particular kitty with heavy heat resistant gloves I can tell you. But on the plus side, when she does claw you there is very little bleeding and NEVER any infection, just a nice neat burn scar. I think the vet used the term "cat-terized" or something like that, it was hard to hear her through that welder's mask.
The moral of the story is NEVER accept a pet from a old red-eyed gypsy woman when she's in a bad mood no matter how much free cat food she throws in.
I bet you did that on purpose to get your ride smooth and quick and quiet and that the driver refused the tip.
Probably scared a layer of paint off his car too. The only way you could have messed the driver up more is at the end of the ride you paid cash with mysterious red smears on the bills. Maybe some slow drying paint that stays tacky for a long while.
I hate to think what you could come up with for Halloween if you put your minds to it and if you do, PLEASE tell me what you're gonna do.
Q. Humans can’t drink seawater. So what do sea lions, whales, dolphins and sea birds drink?
A. Marine animals may consume both freshwater and saltwater. They rely on various adaptations for survival when only saltwater is available.
Many marine mammals have specialized organs called reniculate kidneys with multiple lobes, increasing their urine-concentrating efficiency beyond that of humans. These animals can handle high concentrations of salt in seawater without becoming dehydrated by salt buildup, as humans would.
Experts now believe, however, that many of these creatures drink seawater only occasionally. Instead they get low-salt water from what they eat or manage to produce it on their own.
Whales, for example, have the specialized kidneys but need far less water than land mammals. Whales get water mostly from the small sea creatures, like krill, that form much of their diet.
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is one of the most iconic features of any planet in our Solar System. The colossal, swirling storm has dominated Jupiter for years, and it’s one of the things we always expect to see when new images of Jupiter are published. Unfortunately, the spot is dying a slow and agonizing death, and it’s possible that it could be entirely gone within our lifetimes .
The storm is running out of steam, and while astronomers are always striving to learn more about the mechanics of how Jupiter’s massive storms form and sustain themselves, it’s clear that the Great Red Spot’s days are numbered. Now, observations by veteran Jupiter observer Anthony Wesley seem to reveal the storm lashing out as it rotates in Jupiter’s atmosphere.
In most images you’ll see of the Great Red Spot from years past, the storm appears to be a bold oval shape with a distinctly round shape. Now, as the ever-shrinking storm begins to die, new blade-like shapes have begun to form along its edges. The long arms stretch out as the storm spins and eventually seem to detach from the main storm and dissipate.
As Space.com reports, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has made similar observations of the Great Red Spot, and NASA scientists are eager to study the storm’s behavior during their next flyby later this year. The blade-like formations, which were once a rare sight, are now happening with increased frequency, possibly signaling that there are some major changes about to take place.
At its current rate of decline, observers believe that the once-massive storm could be completely gone within a couple of decades. That said, nobody has ever observed such a dramatic change before, and we won’t know for sure what the storm’s behavior means until we see what the future holds.
Crude inventories are rising at the fastest pace in three years, fueling fears of excess supply and powering an 11% price drop since late April—despite global supply questions surrounding Iran, Libya and Venezuela. Analysts are also unsure about the effects of higher tariffs on demand. Many large oil companies posted underwhelming first-quarter earnings in recent weeks.
If refinery capacity picks up and domestic inventories begin dropping, as they typically do this time of year, some analysts think a quick oil-price rebound could be in the cards. But steady stockpiles into June could trigger more sharp price declines, particularly if fears of a global slowdown continue mounting. The combination of crumbling global-growth projections and robust supply is a familiar one from the oil slump late last year. The climb in stockpiles adds to the pressure on OPEC, whose meeting next month in Vienna will be closely watched.
A worker unloads crude oil from a tanker at an Enterprise Crude Pipeline LLC storage facility in Loving County Texas. Angus Mordant/Bloomberg News
Finding a single fossil of an animal that died some 50 million years ago is cool. Finding two? That’s just plain awesome. But what about finding 259 of them at once? Well, there just isn’t a word in the English language to describe that level of greatness.
That’s exactly what researchers from Arizona State University and Japan’s Mizuta Memorial Museum uncovered hiding within a big chunk of limestone in the fossil hotspot known as the Green River Formation. The hundreds of tiny fossils are what’s left of a school of tiny fish that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the discovery is helping scientists better understand how ancient fish behaved.
The discovery, which was written about in a new research paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B , is like a window back in time. The tiny fish, some as small as 20 millimeters from tip to tail, appear to have been traveling in a shoal much like fish do today, and that’s a big deal for researchers trying to paint a picture of how ancient species behaved.
Bones can only teach us so much about what long-extinct species were like, and trying to suss out clues to how they acted when alive can often be close to impossible. These pint-sized fish, which are thought to have been caught in a mass of collapsing sand in shallow water, were clearly banding together in a formation akin to what we see in small fish today, meaning that fish have been doing this for at least 50 million years.
“Collective motion by animal groups can emerge from simple rules that govern each individual’s interactions with its neighbours. Studies of extant species have shown how such rules yield coordinated group behaviour, but little is known of their evolutionary origins or whether extinct group-living organisms used similar rules,” the researchers write. “Our study highlights the possibility of exploring the social communication of extinct animals, which has been thought to leave no fossil record.”
BOB Marley’s daughter is behind the success of Jamaica's Women’s World Cup team after it was disbanded eight years ago due to a lack of funding.
Cedella Marley, 51, daughter of the late Reggae musician Bob Marley, bankrolled the squad after the Jamaican Football Federation cut the team's funding in 2011.
Nicknamed the Reggae Girlz, the team are the first Caribbean nation to qualify for the Women's World Cup.
They defeated Panama yesterday in a tense qualifying match that took place in Texas and ended in a deadlocked penalty shootout that left the star's daughter "light-headed".
For three years after the JFF cut the team's funding they were inactive, but Marley came on board as an ambassador in 2014 and bankrolled them to bring the players back into action.
She managed to get gather multiple corporate sponsors to support the team and she started an Indigogo campaign that raised £40,000 for “coaching, housing, proper nutrition and proper training".
The star then matched each dollar raised with £80 of her own money.
Cedella's famous dad Bob Marley was a well-known football fan and player - passion for the sport obviously runs in the family.
Watching last night's tense qualifying match, Marley told the BBC she was "light-headed" and had to leave the room to meditate because she was so tense.
She said: "I went outside and started to meditate.
"By the time the last penalty went in we were all on the floor.
"Daddy would probably not be surprised, when I put my foot into something stuff happens.
"He'd be like, 'that's my girl'."
After the game, the team's coach Hue Menzie said: "Big up to Cedella Marley for putting her neck on the line for us."
Cedella said of her father: “Football was like second nature in our house; if he wasn’t singing, he was probably playing football."
Cedella bankrolled the team because she believed they would be a "dominant presence" in women's football if they were given the same amount of funding as the nation's track and field stars.
Previously a singer in the family band 'Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers', Cedella Marley is now the chief executive officer of her late father's record label.
She is also a successful fashion designer and created Jamaica's kit for the London 2012 Olympics.
Image credits: - Cedella Marley, 51, is the daughter of the late reggae musician Bob Marley Getty - Contributor - She bankrolled the Jamaican Women's football team - who qualified for this year's Women's World Cup in a tense match last night Getty Images - Getty - Cedella Marley, pictured bottom right with her dad Bob and the rest of the family when she was a child @cedellamarley - Nicknamed the Reggae Girlz, the team was disbanded in 2011 due to a lack of funding from the government Getty Images - Getty - But the team qualified for the World Cup yesterday in Texas after a tense shootout between them and Panama Getty Images - Getty - She insisted the team would be a 'dominant presence' in women's football if they were given the funding Getty Images - Getty - The team will play at the Women's World Cup which takes place this year in France from June 7-July 7 Getty Images - Getty - Cedella Marley is a successful fashion designer who designed Jamaica's uniforms for the London 2012 Olympics Getty - Contributor
A blind man sits down at the bar and figures he'll break the ice with the bartender by asking "Wanna hear a blond joke?"
In a hushed voice, a man beside him says "Before you tell that joke, you should know our bartender IS blonde, our bouncer is blonde, I'm a 6'4" black belt, the man sitting on the other side of me is 6'2, 250 lbs, and a rugby player. The guy sitting next to you is pushing 300, 6'6, and he's a wrestler. We're ALL blonde.
So you think about it mister, do you really wanna tell that joke?"
The blind man sat for a second, thinking over the odds and then replied "No, not if I have to explain it five times."
East West Market hopes humorous bags like ‘Wart Ointment Wholesale’ will persuade shoppers to shun single-use plastic bags
If concern over the climate crisis or revulsion over the contamination of the food chain are not enough to change consumer behaviour, one grocery store is hoping that another emotion may persuade people to shun single-use plastic bags: shame.
Customers who don’t bring their own bags to the East West Market in Vancouver will instead have to carry their grocery home in bags reading “Wart Ointment Wholesale” or “Into the Weird Adult Video Emporium”.
David Lee Kwen, the shop’s owner, insisted that the plan wasn’t to embarrass customers. “We wanted to give them something humorous, but also something that made them think at the same time,” he told the Guardian. “It’s human nature not to want to be told what to do.”
Kwen initially hoped that a fee on single-use bags would discourage their use. But when the five-cent a bag charge failed to stop people using plastic, he tried a different approach.
The bags are meant to force customers to think twice about consumption habits. In a social media post , the store points out that millions of plastic bags are used once before being discarded – and are part of growing problem of plastic waste.
Like countries around the world, Canada is grappling with a deluge of plastics which cannot be recycled and instead end up in landfills.
Earlier this week, Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, announced plans to ban single-use plastics in 2021, including grocery bags, plastic cutlery and straws.
Kwen admits there may have been an unintended consequence to the bags: “Some of the customers want to collect them because they love the idea of it,” he said. But he still believes the plan is working. “Even if you have the bag, you have to explain its origin to your friends. And then, we’ve started a conversation.”
The bags, which Kwen has run in limited numbers of 1,000, cost customers five cents. It costs extra for him to print the newly designed bags so he’s hopeful customers instead opt to bring in their own.
In the meantime, he plans to transfer the images on the plastic bags to canvas bags. “It’s a double-edged sword. We wanted to address an issue, but we’ve also made something popular, so it’s turned out great.”
Hubble Telescope Turns 29, Shares Incredible Photo of Southern Crab Nebula to Celebrate
Truth to tell, I haven't really thought about "why". I'm regularly brought up short by stuff like this, reminding me that I've now been around for a significant portion of modern history.
Does Apollo on the Moon now feel like ancient history?
*** sigh ***
For an ever expanding number of us 1969, 50 yrs ago, wasn't that long ago.
*** sigh ***
Like effen yesterday for me.
This 65yo gunslinger owns a Colt peacemaker.45 in a fast draw rig and am damned good with it.
Yep, I watched way too many Westerns on TV in my life.
The Western genre will live forever in America.
My Father was a fast draw expert, and he was best at the fast cross-draw. While he served with the Texas Rangers he used 2 Colt Peacemaker .45's. He had his holsters custom made, as well as his saddle. He was a Brand Inspector had to deal with a lot of cattle rustlers during the period of 1953 when they were a very concentrated network in both Texas and Oklahoma.
He was among the best at the fast cross-draw, and the Peacemaker was the perfect weapon for that draw. Well balanced, fit the hand well and had good accuracy.
That’s cool. So the Far West lasted a lot longer than most people think.
Did he ever have to use his guns? Nowadays, most cops never do.
Yes he did, both as a Texas Ranger and a police officer.
I happened to be in Watertown MA when the gun-battle against the Marathon bombers went down. Until then, not one of the dozen Watertown beat cops involved had ever fired his gun in the line of duty.
That's not Texas!
Indeed! Besides my Father, his Uncle also served as a police officer in Dallas TX. My Mother's Cousin was a Motorcycle Highway Patrol officer in Los Angeles CA until he was hit by a drunk driver and almost killed, and lost his left leg.
During the time my Father was a police officer he lost 2 partners, and lost 4 partners during his time as a Texas Ranger. They played for keeps in those days and law enforcement was the prime targets.
OMG... That's a pretty horrific score. You're fortunate to have your father today.
I knew there was a reason that I like you. I used to manage a shooting range.
And my Brother and I are lucky to have lived as well. The cartel that my Father and his Texas Ranger partners were up against threatened our family, so my Brother and I were put into hiding for 3 months until the cartel was arrested and jailed. My hiding place was with a special family on the Cherokee Reservation, while my Brother's was with an OK State Intel officer and their family.
Thankfully, we kids did not know anything about about it at the time, so for us it was just a nice vacation. It wasn't until many years later that my parents told us about what happened.
Wow... That's a scenario for action movie.
I must recognize that I know absolutely nothing about that universe. The idea of personal danger from criminals is "unreal" for me. I'm permanently conventional, maybe.
What has been the long-term effect on your lives, you and your brother?
It made me appreciate my parents much more, realizing what they were up against, and the imminent dangers they faced, and doing all they could to protect their children.
The main long term effect it has had on me and my Brother is that we grew up with little trust of others, as we never really know who the person standing next to us at the grocery store might really be.
Fortunately, maturity has a way of promoting a bit of common sense so that fear no longer controlled my life.
Wow...
... just... ... wow...
Stories like that re-situate one's own past. I had problems when I was a kid - medical problems. But your story is of an entirely different kind.
It makes me think about just how sheltered my childhood was.
Thank you.
YW Bob.
% of the World population below the line of extreme poverty over time
What else could this evolving economic phenomenon cause to go wrong?
I see your crab nebula with the horsehead nebula...
and raise you
The pillars of Creation.
All Hubble.
The Pillars of Creation may be the most famous ever... It gives meaning to the word "awe-inspiring".
Even more impressive when you realize these formations are measured by light-years, the distance light travels in a year.
Isn't is also referred to as the fingers of God?
According to Google... yes!
Now, a educational section (a odd end but you named it, Bob)
As you can see, not so pretty below AA rating.
Emeralds can also be blue, yellow, red or anything in between. This is a pic of a pale blue emerald.
A pale blue emerald.
There I feel better, learn something new ever' day...
When we look at those nebulae (nebuli? nebulas?) surely we must think that there HAS to be life somewhere similar to ours. Otherwise, as Ellie Arroway (Jodi Foster) said in the movie "Contact": "It would be an awful waste of space."
It does seem that the odds are good for other life out there, with untold number of galaxies (billons) and a even bigger number of planets.
I don't think we're alone, but also don't think any intelligent species would ever contact us.
To far away. It is impossible to travel the distance.
True enough, we're a long way from even traveling in our own solar system very well. But perhaps a older civilization in a older part of the universe was a little less self-destructive and spent less time and resources thinking of ways to kill each other off and instead invested in science...
Who knows? It would have to involve sciences we haven't even thought of yet.
Whatever you want to post...
How bout a stroll up a hill, (daughter sent me some new video of a recent hike she took).
Pumice Wilderness Trail, NWA
Couple of eye catchers along the trip up the hill.
Getting toward the top now.
The trees at the top of the trail are supposed to be around 800 years old.
And NOW the money shoots. What the climb up was all about!
I'm on my phone right now, not getting the videos. I'll try again tomorrow.
The photos are very nice. Particularly the one looking through a hole in the rock.
Is that the Buffalo River?
.
Yes'm
I got the name for today's posting by blowing up that first image and reading it off the sign at the start of the trail but I think, from notes on her social accounts, what she walked that day is more accurately described by her as, "The Big Bluff and Goat Trail (off of Centerpoint)".
Big Bluff & The Goat Trail
.
Centerpoint to Goat Trail
I have never actually been to the Buffalo River, except one time and that was to inspect a Corps campsite. I recognized it from the photos I've seen.
We constantly talk about floating it
As I've said before, Megan has an incredible photographer's eye.
I call the 1st video a "Footsie" (combination foot and selfie). LOL
Reminds me of the song about "we sang in the sunshine, we laughed every day" for some reason. Maybe because it looks like a scenic and very interesting (and slightly dangerous) hike.
Do you have to pack your own water in?
I get annoyed at Mike Lindell popping up all over the place with his sappy "My Pillow" commercials.
Does anyone have one, and are they that good?
This thread is a good ideal, it can become the community bulletin board.
So do I... and no, I don't know anyone who has one of his damned pillows!
My gf bought one. She liked it for a few months and then it was just like every other pillow you purchase. Imo not worth the extra money.
Yes, he's super creepy.
Thanks for the reminder I need to clean my closet, Bob
The direction of the train changes by how you look at it.
Weird...
Trippy and I am not even stoned.
Y... e... a... h... ....
As I see it, when you look at the right side of the picture, the train is going into the tunnel, but if you look at the part of the train that is already in the tunnel, it appears to be coming towards you. Pretty strange illusion.
I have to admit I think it's less of a optical illusion and more of "play", "run in reverse and record", and "play/record forward" etc. and then record them and played end to end on a loop. I 'm not familiar with them, but isn't that sort of a long train? At least one of those people on the side should have itched or twitched or yawned or something.
From BGR :
Ford’s demo of a robot working in unison with a self-driving car is a wild glimpse into the future
If you’re skeptical of or put off by the idea of self-driving cars, then there’s a good chance you won’t be a fan of Ford’s intriguing research project designed to have robots get out of self-driving cars and deliver packages right to your door.
Over the past few months, Ford and Agility Robotics have been working on a new initiative designed to assess how intelligent robots and self-driving cars can work in unison to more efficiently deliver items like groceries, packages, and even pizza, straight to your door. The impetus behind the idea certainly makes sense insofar that a self-driving can only bring an ordered item to a nearby curb. And sure, a human could come out and pick up a given package, but why expend any energy at all when an advanced robot can literally do all the heavy lifting for you?
The idea seems to straddle the line between futuristic and creepy, but that’s just par for the course whenever we’re talking about advanced robotics.
As envisioned by Ford, a self-driving car would pull up to a specified house whereupon a robot would climb out of the back, pick up the package in question, and then bring it right to the front door.
What’s particularly interesting about the venture is that self-driving cars of the future may serve dual purposes simultaneously, with Washington noting the following:
A video demo of Digit in action can be seen below. It’s interesting to note that the video illustrates how Digit manages to identify an obstacle — in this case a scooter — and come up with a new path in real-time.
From The Truth about Cars :
Florida Dealership Taps Ducks for Marketing Expertise
A few months ago, a nest of ducklings hatched outside Sutherlin Nissan Orlando. They decided to stick around, creating an interesting incentive for customers. While we doubt the company would implement new dealer conditions that mandate an on-site petting zoo, it could be a novel solution to its sales woes. After all, promoting dogs worked extremely well for Subaru . Maybe Nissan can become the duck brand.
The Miami Herald (brought to our attention via Jalopnik ) reports that managing partner Ulrich Stanley Marine documented the ducks’ progress through his Facebook account, to our collective benefit. Apparently, the little scamps spend much of their day in a nearby pond but frequently came inside for attention and treats.
“At first the mother was really protective of the babies,” said Marine. “Now they come in at least 15 times a day, and she doesn’t mind at all.”
“We let kids feed them and they put people in a good mood,” he continued, adding that their presence had ultimately helped sales.
While we can’t say there’s much to take away from the story, other than further confirmation that ducks are extremely cute animals (at least until you look into their mating habits), and that dealership with access to adorable creatures can easily utilize them for free publicity. It works, and there’s really no way anybody can put a negative spin on it.
Marine, who said he now considers the ducks to be the business’ mascots, noted that the dealership constructed a small pond near the store’s entrance to encourage them to stay close by. They’re currently featured on the brand’s social media page and have been covered by various local news outlets.
Looks like our house, we also have Muskies ( or rather they have us )
here is our latest bunch - Mom is a rare Lavender color.
All we have is a blackbird couple who have been around for longer than they're expected to live.
We ripped out the hedge where they lived, but they just moved along a bit further, to another hedge. They still prefer our lawn for snacking.
They'll be gone one of these days, and I'll miss them.
Sometime you just need a feel good story and this was it..
Watching the ducks enter the dealership and than follow the guy back out after feeding is hilarious.
Kudos
NATO troops are much closer to Moscow than Russian troops are to Berlin.
Hélène and I just walked over to the polling-place in the local elementary school to vote in the elections to the EU Parliament.
The wait-in-line-to-vote time was... zero.
(Well... I kinda held up the lady behind me for a couple seconds, 'cause I'd put my ID card in a pocket...)
If anyone would like an explanation of why there there were thirty-four lists to choose from... you'll need quite a bit of patience. It's a l-o-o-o-n-g story...
I just thought this place should be brightened by a nice, sweet kitty picture.
Just make sure you're on time with feeding time.
Kitten pictures are always good...
...
...
... ... ... nice kitty... nice kitty...
You pet that particular kitty with heavy heat resistant gloves I can tell you. But on the plus side, when she does claw you there is very little bleeding and NEVER any infection, just a nice neat burn scar. I think the vet used the term "cat-terized" or something like that, it was hard to hear her through that welder's mask.
The moral of the story is NEVER accept a pet from a old red-eyed gypsy woman when she's in a bad mood no matter how much free cat food she throws in.
I know and I apologize, but I just couldn't stop myself.
HA!!!!!!!!!!! I found it!
Not already?!
I haven't read my email yet this morning...
LOL
I bet you did that on purpose to get your ride smooth and quick and quiet and that the driver refused the tip.
Probably scared a layer of paint off his car too. The only way you could have messed the driver up more is at the end of the ride you paid cash with mysterious red smears on the bills. Maybe some slow drying paint that stays tacky for a long while.
I hate to think what you could come up with for Halloween if you put your minds to it and if you do, PLEASE tell me what you're gonna do.
These Animals Are Surrounded by Water. But What Do They Drink?
Little questions and facts like that are what keeps life always interesting.
I think so. That's what Odds 'n Ends is for...
... along with terrifying kittens...
From BGR :
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is lashing out as it dies
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is one of the most iconic features of any planet in our Solar System. The colossal, swirling storm has dominated Jupiter for years, and it’s one of the things we always expect to see when new images of Jupiter are published. Unfortunately, the spot is dying a slow and agonizing death, and it’s possible that it could be entirely gone within our lifetimes .
In most images you’ll see of the Great Red Spot from years past, the storm appears to be a bold oval shape with a distinctly round shape. Now, as the ever-shrinking storm begins to die, new blade-like shapes have begun to form along its edges. The long arms stretch out as the storm spins and eventually seem to detach from the main storm and dissipate.
As Space.com reports, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has made similar observations of the Great Red Spot, and NASA scientists are eager to study the storm’s behavior during their next flyby later this year. The blade-like formations, which were once a rare sight, are now happening with increased frequency, possibly signaling that there are some major changes about to take place.
At its current rate of decline, observers believe that the once-massive storm could be completely gone within a couple of decades. That said, nobody has ever observed such a dramatic change before, and we won’t know for sure what the storm’s behavior means until we see what the future holds.
Now that's an interesting fact
When I was a kid, everything in the sky was permanent. Unchanging.
Somehow, the Great Spot disappearing is very sad, ...
It is sad
Anaconda snakes born to virgin mother in Boston
From the Wall Street Journal :
Growing U.S. stockpiles trigger oil-price swings.
From reporter Amrith Ramkumar :
Angus Mordant/Bloomberg News
from BGR :
Newly-discovered fossilized school of fish is like a snapshot in time
Finding a single fossil of an animal that died some 50 million years ago is cool. Finding two? That’s just plain awesome. But what about finding 259 of them at once? Well, there just isn’t a word in the English language to describe that level of greatness.
That’s exactly what researchers from Arizona State University and Japan’s Mizuta Memorial Museum uncovered hiding within a big chunk of limestone in the fossil hotspot known as the Green River Formation. The hundreds of tiny fossils are what’s left of a school of tiny fish that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the discovery is helping scientists better understand how ancient fish behaved.
The discovery, which was written about in a new research paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B , is like a window back in time. The tiny fish, some as small as 20 millimeters from tip to tail, appear to have been traveling in a shoal much like fish do today, and that’s a big deal for researchers trying to paint a picture of how ancient species behaved.
Bones can only teach us so much about what long-extinct species were like, and trying to suss out clues to how they acted when alive can often be close to impossible. These pint-sized fish, which are thought to have been caught in a mass of collapsing sand in shallow water, were clearly banding together in a formation akin to what we see in small fish today, meaning that fish have been doing this for at least 50 million years.
“Collective motion by animal groups can emerge from simple rules that govern each individual’s interactions with its neighbours. Studies of extant species have shown how such rules yield coordinated group behaviour, but little is known of their evolutionary origins or whether extinct group-living organisms used similar rules,” the researchers write. “Our study highlights the possibility of exploring the social communication of extinct animals, which has been thought to leave no fossil record.”
Image Source: N. Mizumoto, et al.
from The Sun:
BOB Marley’s daughter is behind the success of Jamaica's Women’s World Cup team after it was disbanded eight years ago due to a lack of funding.
Nicknamed the Reggae Girlz, the team are the first Caribbean nation to qualify for the Women's World Cup.
She managed to get gather multiple corporate sponsors to support the team and she started an Indigogo campaign that raised £40,000 for “coaching, housing, proper nutrition and proper training".
Cedella's famous dad Bob Marley was a well-known football fan and player - passion for the sport obviously runs in the family.
Watching last night's tense qualifying match, Marley told the BBC she was "light-headed" and had to leave the room to meditate because she was so tense.
She said: "I went outside and started to meditate.
"Daddy would probably not be surprised, when I put my foot into something stuff happens.
"He'd be like, 'that's my girl'."
After the game, the team's coach Hue Menzie said: "Big up to Cedella Marley for putting her neck on the line for us."
Cedella said of her father: “Football was like second nature in our house; if he wasn’t singing, he was probably playing football."
She is also a successful fashion designer and created Jamaica's kit for the London 2012 Olympics.
Image credits:
- Cedella Marley, 51, is the daughter of the late reggae musician Bob Marley Getty - Contributor
- She bankrolled the Jamaican Women's football team - who qualified for this year's Women's World Cup in a tense match last night Getty Images - Getty
- Cedella Marley, pictured bottom right with her dad Bob and the rest of the family when she was a child @cedellamarley
- Nicknamed the Reggae Girlz, the team was disbanded in 2011 due to a lack of funding from the government Getty Images - Getty
- But the team qualified for the World Cup yesterday in Texas after a tense shootout between them and Panama Getty Images - Getty
- She insisted the team would be a 'dominant presence' in women's football if they were given the funding Getty Images - Getty
- The team will play at the Women's World Cup which takes place this year in France from June 7-July 7 Getty Images - Getty
- Cedella Marley is a successful fashion designer who designed Jamaica's uniforms for the London 2012 Olympics Getty - Contributor
Here's an excellent, much grittier, much more "feminist" article: How Bob Marley's daughter saved Jamaican women's soccer . Long-form...
Kudos to Cedella Marley and the Jamaica's Women’s World Cup team.
There's something particularly cool about this being the work of the ghost of Bob Marley...
Countries that use the “Month-Day-Year” date format
There are more than this that use inches and feet, the other American aberration.
I was going to say, I thought the US was the only place that does that.
The US is indeed the only country that uses such an illogical date format. (The red dots in the Pacific are island possessions).
Year-month-day is reasonable. Day-month-year is reasonable.
Month-day-year makes no sense at all.
A bird that walks on all fours! Cool video!
... Video in English, but text in French, I'm afraid...
The adult:
A blind man sits down at the bar and figures he'll break the ice with the bartender by asking "Wanna hear a blond joke?"
In a hushed voice, a man beside him says "Before you tell that joke, you should know our bartender IS blonde, our bouncer is blonde, I'm a 6'4" black belt, the man sitting on the other side of me is 6'2, 250 lbs, and a rugby player. The guy sitting next to you is pushing 300, 6'6, and he's a wrestler. We're ALL blonde.
So you think about it mister, do you really wanna tell that joke?"
The blind man sat for a second, thinking over the odds and then replied "No, not if I have to explain it five times."
Where countries stand on Huawei
We lost Dr. John today.
An Apple a Day
Adult video! Grocery store urges customers to rethink plastic with embarrassing bags
If concern over the climate crisis or revulsion over the contamination of the food chain are not enough to change consumer behaviour, one grocery store is hoping that another emotion may persuade people to shun single-use plastic bags: shame.
Customers who don’t bring their own bags to the East West Market in Vancouver will instead have to carry their grocery home in bags reading “Wart Ointment Wholesale” or “Into the Weird Adult Video Emporium”.
David Lee Kwen, the shop’s owner, insisted that the plan wasn’t to embarrass customers. “We wanted to give them something humorous, but also something that made them think at the same time,” he told the Guardian. “It’s human nature not to want to be told what to do.”
Kwen initially hoped that a fee on single-use bags would discourage their use. But when the five-cent a bag charge failed to stop people using plastic, he tried a different approach.
The bags are meant to force customers to think twice about consumption habits. In a social media post , the store points out that millions of plastic bags are used once before being discarded – and are part of growing problem of plastic waste.
Like countries around the world, Canada is grappling with a deluge of plastics which cannot be recycled and instead end up in landfills.
Kwen admits there may have been an unintended consequence to the bags: “Some of the customers want to collect them because they love the idea of it,” he said. But he still believes the plan is working. “Even if you have the bag, you have to explain its origin to your friends. And then, we’ve started a conversation.”
The bags, which Kwen has run in limited numbers of 1,000, cost customers five cents. It costs extra for him to print the newly designed bags so he’s hopeful customers instead opt to bring in their own.
In the meantime, he plans to transfer the images on the plastic bags to canvas bags. “It’s a double-edged sword. We wanted to address an issue, but we’ve also made something popular, so it’s turned out great.”
Wow, that's the most gnostic thing ever.