David Lidsky's Blog, page 2911
August 20, 2015
Unraveling The Enigma Of Nintendo's Virtual Boy, 20 Years Later
How the 1990s VR craze inspired an infamous—and still misunderstood—failed video game console.
[image error]The Virtual Boy and its controllerPhoto: Benj EdwardsTwenty years ago, on August 21, 1995, Nintendo released the Virtual Boy in North America. The stilt-legged tabletop gaming console, which offered a unique red stereoscopic 3D display, attempted to ride a wave of popular interest in virtual reality. It was a risky, innovative gamble for Nintendo that didn't pay off, leaving many to wonder why it existed in the first place.
Janelle Monáe's Protest Song Is A Heart-Rending Roll Call Of Injustices
For all the black men and women who've been killed by police, won't you say their names?
Soul and R&B singer Janelle Monáe released a simple yet unquestionably powerful track that will force you to remember some of the black men and women who have been murdered.
Boeing Patents Transformer-like Swimming Drone
This James Bond-worthy drone is designed with components meant to automatically separate when it hits the water.
If James Bond had a drone, it would soar through the skies in search of bad guys, and then dive-bomb into the ocean, seamlessly transforming into an underwater evil-lair-seeking submarine.
Airport Stores Agree To Stop Selling Drones After Plea From Port Authority
Drones are technically banned at airports, but Brookstone and Hudson News sold the small aircraft to travelers.
Two stores that operate at New York and New Jersey airports are removing drones from their shelves at those locations, after local authorities demanded that they stop offering the merchandise—rightfully so, since drones have caused almost 700 near collisions with airplanes in 2015, as the Washington Post revealed Thursday.
This Snatch Of Code Can Give Any Website Better Typography
Typeset is a new Javascript tool that can make any website worthy of Gutenberg. (Not Steve.)
Good typography on the web is pretty rare, because it's hard. Consider quotes. Books use smart quotes, or quotation marks that mirror each other both horizontally and vertically on either side of the term being quoted. They just look nicer, but we don't really use them on the web, because they require you to memorize obscure keyboard commands to insert. Or how about the em-dash? Online, we substitute double dashes (- -), but properly, they look like this (—). A proper em-dash looks better, so why don't we use them?
Giphy's New App Lets You Make Super Easy GIFs On Your Phone
Verdict: addictive.
Giphy, the GIF search engine known for its exhaustive library of animated GIFs and distracting you at work, just launched its first-ever standalone app, Giphy Cam.
Uber's Background Checks Missed Murder And DUI Convictions, Prosecutors Say
The ride-sharing app's background check did not screen out 25 California drivers with criminal records.
A recent amendment to a lawsuit filed against Uber last year indicates that the ride-hailing app's screening process for prospective drivers is far from foolproof, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Banksy's Dismaland Is The Most Shameless Commercial Art Project Since Disneyland
Tickets available now to see art!
For Banksy's latest act, he's done the unthinkable. He's parodied Disney.
Banksy Unveils A Magical Kingdom Of His Own Called Dismaland
The "bemusement park" also features art and installations from a wide range of artists, including Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, and ESPO.
Poking fun and putting a dark spin on consumer culture is nothing new for Banksy. From The Village Pet Shop And Charcoal Grill in 2008, to 2013's Ronald McDonald shoe shine, among others, the artist has long used surreal yet familiar imagery and juxtaposition to create thought-provoking or just plain funny installations. His latest, though, takes things to a rather magical level.
No, You Can't Hire A Hacker To Erase You From The Ashley Madison Leak
Some desperate Ashley Madison users hope hired hackers can scrub their names from the leaked database, but experts say that's not possible.
Soon after this week's apparent leak of user data from Ashley Madison, users of the cheating-focused dating site searched frantically for ways to retroactively scrub their accounts from the massive data release.
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