Protean Pixels

Stamen Star

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 11:07:11 -0400

Stamen Star

Rather ironic, but very cool!

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 09:18:40 -0400

Rather ironic, but very cool!

sensorystimulus: Video - Mike Call Glass Studio - Esque Sweet...

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 05:36:41 -0400

sensorystimulus:

Video - Mike Call

Glass Studio - Esque

Sweet video of glass blowing. Sweet soundtrack, too.

“Saving energy” / 「節電中です。」 a’la #hipstamatic ...

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:25:29 -0400

“Saving energy” / 「節電中です。」 a’la #hipstamatic (Taken with instagram)

Amazing nature photographer

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 12:32:21 -0400

Amazing nature photographer:

This award-winning photographer has been featured in National Geographic, as well as in a host of other world wide galleries.

His shot of a charging lion is breathtaking…and aptly titled “Oops”.

“To repost or not to repost this image…”...

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 03:36:00 -0400

“To repost or not to repost this image…” …in case you never thought about it.

p.s. due credit is clearly written on the lower right margin.

45% of kids in Fukushima survey had thyroid exposure to radiation+

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:46:07 -0400

silverstar22b:

TOKYO, July 5 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Around 45 percent of children in Fukushima Prefecture surveyed by the local and central governments in late March experienced thyroid exposure to radiation, although in all cases in trace amounts that did not warrant further examination, officials of the Nuclear Safety Commission said Tuesday. The survey was conducted ..read more..

See what your friends are reading on Twitter and Facebook

The Declaration of Independence

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:04:58 -0400

The Declaration of Independence:

dbooster:

After you all get done celebrating America by blowing up things, it’s worth remembering what got us here.

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Wish politicians these days could write this well.

In case your PC takes a dump: "Off-Site Backups" — by Shawn Blanc

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 01:17:00 -0400

In case your PC takes a dump: "Off-Site Backups" — by Shawn Blanc:

Plenty of us barely backup properly. Maybe we use a local hard drive. Maybe we use pieces of Internet storage in various sites, like Flickr for photos, etc. Many of us are looking forward to iCloud, perhaps.

As many know, Apple announced recently the forthcoming iCloud, a veritable reincarnation of MobileMe. Many might remember that not long after MobileMe kicked off, it basically “kicked out”, leaving more than a few frustrated customers.

Now plenty of people use MobileMe, but in recent years, several web-based applications (supported by pc and smartphone apps) have also been well-received. Evernote, Simplenote, Dropbox, to name a few, have offered free and upgraded services for syncing, not storage per se. Keyword: “syncing”…not “backup”.

Still, plenty of people rely on those services as quasi-backups, just in case.

In the article “Off-Site Backups”, Shawn nicely reviews what we should be doing, beyond syncing services, by talking about real backup services that fulfill the more robust need of protecting your system, or key parts of that system.

This is something that iCloud was never meant for, in case you imagined.

I know certain documents I’m working on are safely backed up, but I personally need to revisit my own backup plan.

(via Instapaper)

Junkyard Kitty - This cat was not happy about my presence, but...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:40:00 -0400

Junkyard Kitty - This cat was not happy about my presence, but nonetheless allowed me to take his picture. Guessing by the environment there, I would say it’s a popular place to dump trash like PET bottles and televisions.

You know it’s summer in Japan when you see two things:...

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 04:51:43 -0400

You know it’s summer in Japan when you see two things: yukata and matcha flavored ice-cream.

A “yutaka” is basically a lighter-weight, and thus more comfortable version of a kimono.

Not fast enough...

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:28:00 -0400

Not fast enough...:

Various “art” magazines in Japan have mentioned that tagging (applying graffiti art) to a bullet-train is a nice prize.

Apparently someone got the prize…in 2008

You’ll notice that there’s a barb-wire fence in my previously posted pic of a stopped train. Security around the Japan Rail’s Shinkansen is comparatively higher than other train lines. And despite much lower, sometimes non-existent security, local lines don’t get tagged like the NYC subway.

I suppose it’s saved for more high-profile targets. ;)

A Japanese bullet-train. Need to get somewhere fast and far?...

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:03:51 -0400

A Japanese bullet-train. Need to get somewhere fast and far? Take the “Shinkansen” (新幹線) to cut time and distance.

Japanese cops…going somewhere. If you are traveling in...

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 03:49:00 -0400

Japanese cops…going somewhere.

If you are traveling in Japan, and someone wearing a uniform (notice I did not say “a police officer”) approaches you asking for your passport or ARC, you should have this with you. It is a fairly good guide for handling what could be a troublesome situation.

Otherwise, most cops are pretty relaxed.

Pimped out mobility scooter! Need to make the early bird special...

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:12:18 -0400

Pimped out mobility scooter!

Need to make the early bird special before it closes? Then this 111km/h mobility scooter will get you there fast.

Go here for more on this project.

What can I say? I see an elderly man rolling along in a mobility...

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:02:42 -0400

What can I say?

I see an elderly man rolling along in a mobility scooter, puffing away on a cigarette.

I cannot help but think his chances of walking from A to B might at least be 1% higher if he didn’t smoke.

But what do I really know?

Critical Physics

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 01:52:00 -0400

Critical Physics:

Why is a Triple Back Flip on a Bike So Difficult?

First you should watch the clip I posted…or you can watch it by going to the this link.

From the top of the narrow, extremely high ramp, the idea of riding down full speed seems crazy!

OMG.

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 01:46:00 -0400

OMG.

Critical Mass

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 04:45:16 -0400

On a serious note, in 1992 mass participation took a turn, well actually many turns, when a few dozen San Francisco based bicyclists decided to assert the bicyclists’ right to the road by riding en masse at 6:00 p.m. Of course, this was commute time in the Bay Area.

Originally called “Commute Clot”, the demonstration gathered enough momentum by the fourth ride that it took on the name “Critical Mass”. Participation was almost up to 1,000 riders at that point! Riding during peak traffic times was certainly making a point to local authorities.

This was remarkable in that the organization of these mass rides was decentralized. There wasn’t an Mp3 with instructions. Not everyone was on Facebook like today. The Internet did however enter the picture later here. But in the beginning it was by word of mouth. It even started up in other countries.

Wiki has more great info here.

The Mp3 Experiment Seven The power of the masses! This hilarious...

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 04:15:18 -0400

The Mp3 Experiment Seven

The power of the masses! This hilarious clip demonstrates what can happen when thousands of people download the same Mp3 and play it at the same predetermined time.