David Lidsky's Blog, page 3106
December 3, 2014
Spicy Sriracha Beer: Now A Thing
Rogue has a new stout livened up with everyone's favorite chili sauce. Care for a sip?
We're already putting Sriracha in and on everything. Candy canes. Donuts. So maybe it was inevitable that the chili sauce everyone loves would wind up in the beverage most people love to guzzle.
Supreme Court To Hear Arguments In Pregnant-Worker Case
The case comes at a time when existing maternity and paternity leave policies are under fire.
A battle over pregnant-worker rights is set to take center stage at the U.S. Supreme Court today, as the justices hear arguments in a pivotal case that pits a former United Parcel Service (UPS) driver against the delivery company. The case could have wide implications, given that nearly 40% of all U.S. households are now led by a "breadwinner mom" who serves as the sole or primary source of her family's income.
Jared Leto Is Your New Joker
Jordan Catalano Jared Leto is your new homicidal clown in Warner Bros' upcoming Suicide Squad.
Heath Ledger left big, homicidal clown shoes to fill after playing the Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight. On Tuesday, it was revealed that one actor is willing to take on the challenge: Oscar award-winner (and recent Fast Company cover star) Jared Leto.
Meet Wire, A Communications App Backed By Skype Cofounder Janus Friis
New app promises to be both technologically and aesthetically pleasing.
Skype cofounder Janus Friis—and the collective he is a part of, Iconical—is backing Wire, a new communication app that launched yesterday for iOS, Android, and OS X.
See How Far We've Come: Witness The First-Ever Pizza Order Made Via Talking Computer
You'll never take Seamless for granted again.
Forty years ago this week, computers inched one step closer to sentient, when the warbley robotic voice of a computer ordered a pizza from a real live human for the first time ever. A group of scientists at Michigan State University's Artificial Language Laboratory used some of the earliest language processing applications to give its computer a voice. For the first public test, a man with Moebius Syndrome, a communication disorder, uses the "high-tech" language software to put in an order for a large pizza. It takes the choppy computer a few tries (and a few different pizzerias), but eventually it completes an order, and per the video, the pizza arrives:
December 2, 2014
Robin Williams Talks Sex and Comedy In Newly-Unearthed Recordings
The latest episode of the web series "Blank On Blank" goes back to 1991 for an illuminating and oh-so raunchy interview with the late actor.
It's been four months since comedic titan Robin Williams tragically took his own life, and just as he will always be remembered for his legendary acting roles, he'll also be remembered as someone who was emotionally attuned to the world—something PBS' Blank By Blank, a web series that animates unearthed interviews with celebrities, poignantly illustrates in their latest episode.
Haters Not Gonna Hate So Easily Anymore (At Least Not On Twitter)
In the wake of Gamergate, the company is rolling out improved harassment reporting and blocking features.
Twitter, at its best, is a fascinating window into the conversations of communities around the world. But Twitter, at its worst, is a place where those same communities can rise up together and target their enemies, often anonymously and often without penalty.
Your Windowless Cubicle Is Doing Horrible Things For Your Sleep And Mental Health
In a new study, half of participants worked for a week near a window. The other half did not.
Sunlight. Without it we wilt, like delicate little flowers. Yet cramped modern office life usually means someone will be cranking away at spreadsheets from a dark, windowless corner, which we already know is bad for mental and physical well-being.
You Can Find Margaret Cho Busking On San Francisco Street Corners, For The City's Homeless
Inspired by Robin Williams's activism, Cho is taking her art very public to raise money for the next two months.
"We have fresh food here," Margaret Cho shouts. "Fresh food from a rock star."
RIP, Clip Art
Microsoft shuts down the classic computer image library.
All good things come to an end. In a blog post from Monday, which, for some reason, has since been taken down (cached version here), Microsoft announced that Clip Art was being sent off to join Clippy in the great digital graveyard in the sky. No more two-dimensional birthday cakes. No more yin-yangs. Nada.
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