urban_mermaid's watery ramblings

The Hawkeye Initiative: Special Guest Edition: The Hawkeye Initiative IRL!

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:39:31 -0700

The Hawkeye Initiative: Special Guest Edition: The Hawkeye Initiative IRL!:

I recently received an email from an anonymous fan sharing how she pulled a Hawkeye Initiative themed prank on her CEO to illustrate a problem with some artwork.
My personal compliments to her and her accomplice on a mission well done; they perfectly took they perfectly took the concept of The…

Re-blogging for Grace. A little creativity goes a long way!

jtotheizzoe: thekidshouldseethis: Math + 80s glamrock = Angle...

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:53:09 -0700

jtotheizzoe:

thekidshouldseethis:

Math + 80s glamrock = Angle Dance. The rock group “Plane Geometry” singsplains angles in this clip from Children’s Television Workshop’s Square One Television, a show dedicated to teaching math. It ran from 1987 to 1992 (if that timeframe wasn’t already very, very clear from the video).

There’s more math in the archives.

Thanks, Leigh.

I’ll just leave this here.

Math would be more fun to learn if we had more Glam/New Wave lessons … just sayin.

This just made my day. The costumes, the cheesy synth riffs, and the vocals. It’s genius. Oh, and a nice refresher on angles if it’s been a while ;)

San Francisco Silent Reading Party: Next Silent Reading Party: May 15th

Sat, 04 May 2013 18:44:56 -0700

San Francisco Silent Reading Party: Next Silent Reading Party: May 15th:

SF friends, spread the word and we’ll hope to see you there and then.

sfsilentreadingparty:

Yes, Wednesday, May 15th, we’ll be having another Silent Reading Party. Come on down to the Americano at the Hotel Vitale, where we will have a fine adult beverage and read our books while in the company of one another.

Rough schedule for the night. Just know that if you arrive after 6:30,…

thereconstructionists: English mathematician and writer Augusta...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 22:37:17 -0700

thereconstructionists:

English mathematician and writer Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (December 10, 1815–November 27, 1852), born Augusta Ada Byron as the only legitimate child to the poet Lord Byron and better-known as Ada Lovelace, is commonly considered the world’s first computer programmer — a title she earned by writing the very first algorithm designed to be processed by a machine during her work on Charles Babbage’s seminal Analytical Engine, the early theoretical general-purpose computer that laid the foundation of modern computing.

Abandoned by her father when she was barely a few months old and half-orphaned by Lord Byron’s death when Ada was only eight, Lovelace was led to mathematics and logic by her mother, who saw these strictly rational disciplines as an antidote to the madness she feared Ada had inherited from her father. But even as Lovelace came to indulge her mathematical mind, she insisted on referring to herself as a “poetical scientist.”

Still in her twenties, she was enlisted by Babbage in translating Italian mathematician Louis Menebrea’s memoir of the Analytical Engine, originally published in French. It was in the elaborate notes on the book, which she penned during a nine-month period in 1842-1843, that Lovelace wrote the algorithm which staked out her corner of history.

Lovelace was in many ways a rebel of her era: Though she and her mother inhabited the upper echelons of London society, women’s participation in intellectual affairs was both uncommon and discouraged. Even among the gentlemen who pursued such disciplines as geology, astronomy, and botany, there were no professional scientists per se — in fact, the very word “scientist” didn’t exist until William Whewell coined it in 1836. And yet Lovelace, a woman, was very much a scientist — in addition to being the mother of three children — and an intellectual peer of Babbage’s.

But besides a pioneer of computer science, Lovelace, whose eclectic interests spanned from music to mesmerism, was also in a way one of the world’s first neuroscientists — at least a theoretical one. In 1844, she grew intensely interested in creating “a calculus of the nervous system,” confiding in her friend Woronzow Greig a desire to develop a mathematical model for consciousness that would explain how nerve signals give rise to thoughts and feelings in the brain. But, largely due to her mother’s instilled admonitions about Ada’s inherited capacity for madness, she eventually abandoned the quest.

Lovelace died of uterine cancer, after a short battle terribly managed by her physicians, two weeks short of her thirty-seventh birthday. She is commemorated with one of London’s famous blue plates, located at St. James’s Square and inscribed “Ada Countess of Lovelace 1815-1852 Pioneer of Computing lived here.” Her contribution to modern life is imprinted on every interaction we have with a machine on any given day.

Learn more: Wikipedia | The Bride of Science (2000 biography)

Lovely recap of Ada Lovelace

The Fresh Ten Commandments: The Fresh Ten

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:17:33 -0700

The Fresh Ten Commandments: The Fresh Ten:

Thank you @mulegirl for these! This is the kind of thing that makes me happy. Happy that people think about things in this way.

thefreshten:

Recent events have made it clear that we are suffering from a broken moral compass. People today could use some general guidance.

Since the original ten commandments seem somewhat narrow and obsolete (too much focus on livestock, servants, and jealous god issues), here is a modest first…

Snobby Bartending

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 14:17:00 -0700

Snobby Bartending:

A rising trend is highlighted in this article - the increased snobbery of mixologists when less-than-savvy patrons come their way.

While this article is sympathetic to the plight of the vodka and soda aficionado, until recently I would have only wondered why someone would wander into a high end cocktail joint and want something pedestrian? A recent experience changed this. Some friends were in from out of town. One is a fancy cocktail lover, knowledgeable and picky about things, the other one who drinks flavored vodka and soda. We went to Local Edition here in San Francisco, which basically doesn’t serve much vodka. While the server was patient and explained some alternatives, there wasn’t much left for her to drink that she felt comfortable drinking. In this situation, we’ve asked someone who doesn’t normally go to this sort of place to come enjoy with us and it would have been nice for her to be accommodated. It sort of reminds me of the debate we often have with various dietary requests and picking a place to dine. However, we aren’t all born knowing we love esoteric spirits, artisinal bitters and odd herbal infusions. There has to be a gateway somewhere, so think these bars might be better served by meeting the customer halfway to help move their palate along to try new things.

/LARC - Carla

Old Tiki Bar!

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:51:13 -0800

Cross posting from the booze group Tumblr. Finding great stuff in Austin.

dailylarc:

Wandering around Uncommon Objects yesterday, I stumbled across this magnificent tiki bar!

One of the selling points was a cutting board, so I opened it up. Here’s what I found.

The classics, forever remembered.

/LARC - Carla

Fun Size Slackmistress: STARS! THEY'RE JUST LIKE US!

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 07:24:28 -0800

Fun Size Slackmistress: STARS! THEY'RE JUST LIKE US!:

slackmistress:

(Reposted from my blog, for those who don’t like to leave the warm blanket fort that is Tumblr.)

In my experience, a male stranger commenting on your tits is almost always about power.

I say “almost always” because on the Internet, when you say “always” someone almost always (see what I did…

AMAZING post by Nina. As someone who always have an oversized rack for her frame, every part of this rings true.

It rings true as a parent of a teenaged girl with DDD breasts who has become an ardent feminist because of street harassment. If a kid has to start fighting back when she is 12, as I had to do, or my daughter has, or Nina has, you are doing it WRONG.

As Nina says, you have coping mechanisms, but that doesn’t make it right.

Alto Is Going to SXSW

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:24:15 -0800

Alto Is Going to SXSW:

Lovely people - if you’re going to be in Austin for SXSW, would love to see you at this event!

altomail:

POP QUIZ!

What’s full of flavor, tinted with design, and found in the heart of Texas on March 11^th?

A. The launch of an app mapping all food trucks in the world that lets you order ahead with a simple blink of the eye

B. A new mobile tablet that doubles as a skillet debuting @ SXSW (because OMG pancakes!)

C. A Bloody Mary and breakfast taco brunch hosted by the Alto team

D. All of the above

Answer? D. Yeah, right. We all wish.

Real answer? C!! We’d love to make pancakes on our iPad (kind of… not really) but until that gem is invented, we’ll settle for a fun brunch at SXSW.

That’s right, the Alto team is taking SXSW and the general area of Austin, Texas, by storm this year. We’ll be running around doing on-the-spot demos, sharing tips and tricks and happily handing out t-shirts to our Test Crew!

Are you heading to SXSW, too, or are you lucky enough to live in Austin? If you’re in town on Sunday, March 11^th, come down to Icenhauer’s on Rainey Street and meet the team. Want us to have breakfast tacos and a Bloody Mary* ready for you? RSVP now and we can send you a reminder.

We’ll see you at SXSW and, hopefully, Icenhaur’s for brunch.

*Please note: while Alto keeps your inbox from getting sloppy, we make no such promises for attendees of brunch with Bloody Mary’s and our crew. Please brunch responsibly.

dvdp: Eye,Robot Compilation of student work from our Eye,Robot...

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 13:29:16 -0800

dvdp:

Eye,Robot

Compilation of student work from our Eye,Robot Seminar at SCI-Arc Fall 2012.

“Eye, Robot” focuses on the intersection of computation, robotic fabrication, and cinematography. The course explores robotic motion control as a creative medium for designers, mainly through the use of the custom robotic animation software platform, designed specifically for the SCI-Arc Robot House. The platform has the unique ability for the designer not only to design motion, but also to program, simulate, and speculate all at the same time. This type of animation space suspends the distinction between simulation, speculation, and ‘the real’, making it very hard for one to determine which is which while questioning traditional notions of architectural representation.

Instructors: Brandon Kruysman, Jonathan Proto

Institution: The Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc)

//via fantasypark -> theklob

Just so cool!

Fun times with Mozart! salon97: Mozart turned 2,091 years old...

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 12:44:12 -0800

Fun times with Mozart!

salon97:

Mozart turned 2,091 years old (just kidding) on Sunday. He had a party to celebrate, but BOY was he rude to his guests.

Just awesome. vagina2012: Vote with your vagina. Vote for...

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 17:59:59 -0800

Just awesome.

vagina2012:

Vote with your vagina. Vote for Barack Obama. Find your polling place.

If you have a vagina or love someone who does, share this video. #vagina2012.

vagina2012.com

LOVE LOVE LOVE this. aolartists: Check out this amazing piece...

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 11:58:18 -0700

LOVE LOVE LOVE this.

aolartists:

Check out this amazing piece by AOL Artist Erika Somogyi, now available on Saatchi Online!

Fieldwork War Story: A Dirty Diaper

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 09:15:35 -0700

Fieldwork War Story: A Dirty Diaper:

I wrote a post over at Steve Portigal’s War Stories about an experience I had doing some fieldwork. I spend a lot of time in people’s home (just this week, I got to visit some folks in LA). This serves as a constant reminder of the life of privilege that I possess. This story is just a window into someone’s life where I really had to take a step back and put the person into the whole context of who they are. It is also a reminder to be grateful for the life I lead.

Alto Mail: Introducing Alto

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 07:53:56 -0700

Alto Mail: Introducing Alto:

When you work on a product, or a series of products for a long time, it’s nice to see them come out into the light. This is one I’ve really been close to over the past year+.

I’m working on a post describing the various research methods we’ve used, just so people understand how deeply we into understanding how people use email.

Proud of the team and what they’ve accomplished, too!

Head on over and sign up for the beta.

altomail:

We’d like to introduce you to Alto, a new product from AOL. The premise behind Alto is simple: email has changed massively over the past twenty years, increasing in volume, complexity and frequency. But the tools for reading email are no longer up to the challenge of organizing the volume of mail…

So excited about this, but nervous traffic this weekend will be...

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:18:41 -0700

So excited about this, but nervous traffic this weekend will be a joy kill.

innatthepresidio:

THE OFF THE GRID PRESIDIO PICNIC IS HERE!

Click above link for MUCH more exciting info….

Every Sunday in October, 2012

Every Sunday in October

October 7 (Fleet Week + America’s Cup Racing)
October 14
October 21
October 28

Off the Grid’s Picnic at the Presidio showcases the best of the Bay Area culinary scene, combined with traditional outdoor games that will be fun for the whole family. It’s a traditional picnic day with an updated twist!

I can only hope wearing Dior Addict transports me to St. Tropez...

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:02:57 -0700

I can only hope wearing Dior Addict transports me to St. Tropez for a wonderful adventure. I love the music and the Bardot looking model who appears in this video.

Painkiller Ocean Grill, Vero Beach Your classic recipe in a...

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 14:52:00 -0700

Painkiller

Ocean Grill, Vero Beach
Your classic recipe in a less than fancy cup. Still, branded.

/LARC - Carla

We're No. 1! A look at first issues in comics

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:28:33 -0700

We're No. 1! A look at first issues in comics:

geekquality:

Have you been keeping up with Jeff’s weekly column giving us a snapshot of the No. 1 (and sometimes No. 0, like during September’s Zero Month at DC Comics) comic book issues & sharing his favorite hits, a well as some misses? You need to get on that. You can start with today’s installment and work your way back!

Every week I enjoy what Jeff has to say about comics.

Sort of rips my heart out every time. The photo set that JCN...

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 09:29:20 -0700

Sort of rips my heart out every time. The photo set that JCN lovingly put together is a testament to what happened.

pith:

September 11, 2001, New York City

There really isn’t anything else I want to say about this.