The Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB), on behalf of The National Academies, is seeking input papers on human spaceflight until July 9th, 2013. You can also read the current submissions. From the website:In addition to the many sources of focused input to this study, the Committee on Human Spaceflight recognizes the importance of reaching out to the communities interested in human exploration. This request for input papers is open to any and all interested individuals and groups wishing to submit their own ideas on the role of human spaceflight and their vision for a suggested future. In developing their papers, respondents are asked to carefully consider the following broad questions. What are the important benefits provided to the United States and other countries by human spaceflight endeavors? What are the greatest challenges to sustaining a U.S. government program in human spaceflight? What are the ramifications and what would the nation and world lose if the United States terminated NASA's human spaceflight program?
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We're transitioning into living full time in an RV and several people have expressed interest in reading a blog about our experiences. I know the kinds of things I want to write, but I'm stumped on a name.Things about us that may help you: We're from Wisconsin and we're parked in a rural area for the summer, after that I'm not sure where we're going, hopefully west We have a 38 ft 5th wheel and a ginormous truck We're a married couple in our late 30s/early 40s with no kids We have two black cats and a lazy old dog I like photography, stargazing, and going for walks on the beach (lol) I love maps and geography, and when I say "love" I mean hopelessly addicted He likes (auto) racing, kayaking/canoeing, and biking We both like popular science fiction (Star Trek, etc.) and we both work in technology I'll probably do the bulk of the writing, with guest appearances from him Bonus question: I'm leaning towards Tumblr because I'm already familiar with it, but I'm open to suggestions. I must be able to post by email and I'd like to have the ability to use my own domain name (when I get one).
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My Imaginary Well-Dressed Toddler Daughter. Pinterest collection featuring the high style exploits of "Quinoa," an imaginary stylish toddler with her imaginary stylish friends.
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Digital mapping startup MapBox teams up with social data warehouse Gnip to create some stunning visualizations of every geotagged tweet since September 2011. There are three zoomable maps on offer: Locals & Tourists, Languages on Twitter, and Mobile Devices on Twitter. The continent-scale views are interesting global data but the real reward is zooming in to cities such as Tokyo, Chicago, or São Paulo to see neighborhood by neighborhood distributions of languages and tourist interest. The maps were developed by Metafilter's own Eric Fischer and Tom MacWright. Eric's work has been discussed several times on Metafilter.
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Well, all you lazy butt people who couldn't manage 7 minutes, here's hope. Norwegian researchers have discovered an even shorter and effective workout. Straight off the heels of the 7-minute workout (which really was more of a 21 minute workout), the 4-minute program (but designed to be done 4 times, so 16 minutes of HIIT total) is said to contain the minimum amount of exercise required to develop appreciable endurance and health gains.
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On blogginheads.tv Mark talks to Glenn Loury about helping the state of Washington to legalize marijuana. Licensing, costs, restrictions, methods of sale etc. One of the best conversations on the topic I've heard.
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Son of 1066 had early acceptance to a university six hours away. And we've been planning for him to go there since early December. Last week he decided he now wants to go to the local university and live with me. Acceptance is a given due to his grades. This is going to save me tons of money. The problem? I have had basically zero social life for the past sixteen years because I only had him on the weekends (no regrets). But I was really looking forward to meeting some friends and possibly even dating. So how do we go about transitioning from part-time mom and kid to full-time, loving, supportive, independent mom and adult son/roommate? Advice on any aspects of having a relative/roommate would be appreciated.
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I have a Readynas which will not boot. I have gone through support and am ready to give up. Assuming the problem is fixable, is there anyone in New York who you would trust with recovering your music / photo collection?
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Today saw the release of the first trailer for The LEGO Movie, and there are some interesting things to note about it. First, it should be mentioned that this is not the first LEGO feature length film. Earlier this year saw the release of a Batman direct-to-video movie and in 2010 there was a new character driven movie called The Adventures of Clutch Powers. Both were completely CGI and looked it, complete with minifig limbs bending as if made of rubber and everything looking very polished. And though there is surely a lot of CGI invloved in this new feature, it seems they have gone with a stop motion appearance that hearkens to all the short films on YouTube made by fans. The movement is slightly jerky and the lighting is more natural. It brings to mind Curse of the Were-rabbit where Nick Park had the animators who did the CGI portions make sure to include random "fingerprints" on the characters and elements that were CGI. Adding to the homemade "kids at play" feel is the inclusion of characters from many of the different LEGO series over the years (including the licensed ones) appearing side by side. So, yes, we will get Superman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the 2002 NBA All Stars all fighting evil together.
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Do I really ½" of space on either side of my refrigerator?Our 16-year-old fridge died and we're looking for a replacement. It's tucked into our kitchen pretty good, with about a ⅜" gap on either side. Here's a crude diagram of the current setup. The problem is that the refrigerators we like are all at least a tiny bit wider than our dead one, leaving an even smaller gap. Many of the installation guides I've seen say to allow ½" of space on either side. But the dead one lasted 16 years that way, and there is that open space on the left side of it. Is it a bad idea to leave so little room? We have plenty of depth and height available. Thanks!
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Need to get MS Excel on a PC running Windows Vista. Latest Excel versions seem to require Windows 7 or 8. Any help on where I can get a downloadable version of Excel for Vista?
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I'm searching for an awesome 5th anniversary gift, made from wood or silver, with an adventure-y theme (this can be pretty loosely interpreted). It'll be a supplement to a primary gift I've already splurged on, so I'm looking for something
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My living room window 1" horizontal blinds have suddenly stopped closing fully when rotated upwards. The movement of the rod that rotates them seems to have become stiffer, with some "humps" that were not there before. Is there anything I can do to restore them to their previous non-problematic functionality? I can close them fully in the downward position, but I really would like to be able to close them fully in the upward position, as I get morning sun that I need to keep out. The blinds are closing less than 2/3 of the way in the upward position. I am reluctant to try forcing them to close further in case this might break the mechanism. (The blinds are about twenty years old; have they simply reached the end of their life cycle?)
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Andy Warhol bridge to be "yarn bombed" Maybe some of you saw the post about the Rubber Ducky coming to Pittsburgh. Well, apparently, now Pittsburgh is getting one of their bridges covered in yarn. This is so bizarre. I hope it all happens at the same time. Bath time fun for everyone!
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I'm lucky enough to work for a company that sponsors occasional off-site activities for team building. We get to go anywhere and do anything we want together, self organized, within a reasonable budget. We're (mostly) 20- and 30-something males. I'm looking for more awesome things to do in Manhattan, or within an hour or two's drive (i.e. chartered bus). Within one day or possibly including an overnight stay.Things we've done in the past: * Bus to Atlantic City with a one night stay there * Fishing trip off of Long Island * Visited a gun range in PA and shot all sorts of guns * The New York auto show * A hockey game at Madison Square Garden * Go karting * Quad Bike/ATV offroading * Six Flags Great Adventure Lots of us seem to be up for some sort of hiking/camping/geocaching type thing. Generally anything fun and/or exciting is worth consideration. Budget of roughly $100/head (more or less, we can "save up" two outings worth for really exciting things).
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I've started getting emails "from" people in my contacts list. The email is from their name, but with an email address that is not theirs and is different each time. I have an address with a local internet provider, not gmail or yahoo. Do I have a virus my antivirus hasn't caught? How can I fix it?
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So, this guy i know for 8 months and i started kinda heavy flirting 2 months ago. We both want casual sexual relationship, i told him bluntly and he is type of guy who does only sex thing.... He thinks i am hot, i think he;s hot blah blah.... he is always asking me to go to his place or somewhere to be alone but i always say 'no' bc....well, our situation is complicated so i am affraid to say yes even tho i want it sooooooooo much... We were kissing and touching a bit last week... OK so he knows i am in chair., i mean, after 7 month of seeing me in it i guess he figured out... I am like part time user, i don't have balance so i always use it on the move, but i never use it if i am standing and leaning against something, sitting, exercising....so i am very far from beiing chair bound... So we havent had sex yet... and i always think he will chnage his mind after seeing me using chair... even tho he was inviting me on sex after seeing me in it too... now, q FOR GUYS. do guys (ok, this type of guy, man whore basically) really cares if u use chair but u can leave it (i mean u dont have to be in it all the time) if ur good lay and can show them good time in bed? personally, i dont seee why would they, its just sex, its not like we r gonna be in relationship, go out tgh, meet parents or stuff.
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I'm looking for a clip of a man claiming to channel aliens from a BBC-style talk show I am pretty sure I saw here on Metafilter.It was black and white and looked to be from about the early 60s or late 50s, even, and involved a man who claimed to be channeling aliens (from Venus, I feel like?). The thing itself didn't last very long but there was a lot of build up before the channeling and some decompression after. The main thing I remember is that it was handled with a level of po-faced seriousness that was kind of amazing. I've googled a ton for it but all I can find is a surprisingly large amount of modern "Ancient Aliens"-type conspiracy theory stuff.
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Is this purchasing designation known and sought after among SCM professionals in Canada?I am working for a government organziation as a purchaser in western Canada. I am pursuing my SCMP designation, but the process is long and expensive. I currently have the coursework, education credits and work experience to apply to test for a designation as a Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB), but I don't know much about this designation other than the information provided by the website. Is this designation much sought after in Canada? Is the supply chain management industry familiar with this, or am I going to spend the rest of my life explaining what the letters after my name mean? Will this designation be an aid to my career?
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Vice's Women in Fiction issue contained "Last Words", "a fashion spread featuring models reenacting the suicides of female authors who tragically ended their own lives." Jezebel called it "almost breathtakingly tasteless" and republished the photographs here after Vice removed them from their website. Additional Commentary: Talking Famous Female Suicide: The Right, Wrong, and Vice Way (New York Magazine) Bait And Twitch: Vice Magazine, Suicide Glamour, And Not Staying Quiet (NPR) Vice's suicide fashion pictures could be deadly (Guardian) Sensitive Internet Forces VICE To Remove Suicide Spread (Gothamist) A Response to Vice's Female Writers Suicide-Themed Fashion Spread (Fashionista) The real problem with Vice's suicide-themed fashion shoot (besides the obvious) (Globe and Mail) Tumblr Post from Rob Delaney
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Margaret Doughty is a 65 year old UK citizen, and founder of Literacy Powerline, recently applied for US citizenship after living in the United States for more than 30 years. When she noted in her application that she has a moral objection to taking up arms for her new country, the USCIS asked for a letter on official church stationery. But Ms. Doughty is an atheist. Related Supreme Court case from 1970, Welsh v. United States
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Where can I purchase a keyring for the modern gentleman?I've found the valet keyrings by Tod's, and those are nice, and some hand-stamped ones on Etsy, and those are nice, but I'm looking for a truly distinctive, high-end men's keyring or keychain of some sort. I've checked out Barney's and Mr. Porter but haven't seen anything all that exceptional. Well-executed hammered and rustic metals and leathers are especially welcome. Ordering from overseas just fine. Thank you, fancy people!
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What are examples of colleges that are doing new or innovative things in addressing HIV? I am most interested in approaches directed at men who have sex with men, but any general approaches about HIV that are directed at everyone or at other high risk populations would also be helpful.Most colleges seem to have adopted a message of "get tested" as their response to HIV, with "use condoms" often thrown in as well. I am looking for any other approaches to responding to HIV, especially being directed at men who have sex with men. I am primarily interested in approaches that come from official university bodies (i.e. a student health center or Office of LGBT Life), although anything that comes out of student led efforts, such as campus student groups or LGBTQ clubs would also be helpful. Some specific approaches that I'm hoping to learn more about include: 1) Any messaging that acknowledges that men who have sex with men might not be using condoms 100% of the time. 2) Any discussion of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). 3) Any discussion of hook-up apps or online sex sites (i.e. grindr or craigslist). 4) Any innovative or interesting approaches to outreach, such as maintaining a presence on social media. Beyond the specific numbered list above, I am interested in any schools that are doing something about HIV beyond telling everyone to get tested and use condoms. Thanks.
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My boss figuratively (and I suspect literally) has the memory of a goldfish. This can get more than a little frustrating. What can I do to make my life easier?I generally get along well with my boss. She is an overall friendly individual. Unfortunately, my boss is also a panicker. So when she doesn't have the information she needs at her fingertips, all hell will break loose. Beyond that, it's a lot of extra work for me to correct misunderstandings when she reports incorrect facts to increasingly higher levels of management. I've spoken with her about this on several occasions, and she openly admits that her memory and lack of organization are issues, but has not taken any tangible steps to address the issue. I do recognize that it can be difficult for her because of the sheer volume of work that she tackles on a daily basis exacerbates the memory problem. I worry that speaking to her supervisor or human resources is more likely to engender ill will than to correct the problem. I have tried several things on my end, such as drafting summary memos that she can have at her side to refresh her memory. Unfortunately, these memos were quickly consumed by the black hole of clutter on her desk. What are other things I can try to make a pre-emptive strike against her bad memory? Or to be ready when she does forget?
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I'm about to get a job offer from a small, but reasonably successful, Drupal development firm. It sounds like they may offer me the title of "Senior Developer." In most corners of the software industry, as I understand it, Senior Developer is a good title that implies you're an established professional with 5+ years of experience; 3 years at a bare minimum. The thing is, I actually only have a couple years of part time experience (though with a pretty well known site) and don't have a software related degree. Will future employers interpret "senior developer" the usual way--making this a really nice resume item? Or is the definition looser in the content site development field?
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