Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Boss Lady
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/06/30/ad-boss-leverages-virtual-reality--bond-consumers-and-brands/29477147/
Do You Swear To Tell the Truth?
From The Huffington Post -
How Data From Wearable Tech Can Be Used Against You In A Court Of Law
When wearable computers can disprove what someone told police, you know you're living in a future that has arrived sooner than expected.
According to LancasterOnline, a woman in Pennsylvania has been charged with knowingly filing a false report after forensic evidence and the data from her Fitbit undermined her claim of rape.
The court affidavit obtained by LancasterOnline indicated that data from her wearable fitness tracker showed that the woman in question, Jeannine Risley, was awake and active the entire night, including at the time she told police officers she was sleeping.
This wasn't the the first time that Fitbit data has been used in a court room. Last November, Parmy Olson reported how a Fitbit was used in a personal injury claim by a personal trainer in Calgary, Canada. In that case, data from the activity tracker was analyzed to establish a baseline reference for her level of fitness to compare it to someone of her age and profession.
In the case in Pennsylvania, however, Fitbut data was directly used to contradict a claim. As Kashmir Hill observed at Fusion, "it's likely we'll see more Fitbits being trotted out in court in the future, as the wearable trend takes hold, and self-tracking leads to self-incrimination."
That's why this case should catalyze a national discussion about when and how suspects can or should disclose data from a wearable computing device, whether it's a Fitbit, Apple Watch or Google health wristband. Last June, in a landmark decision on a crucial civil liberties issue, the United States Supreme Court applied the Fourth Amendment to the digital domain, holding that "the police generally may not, without a warrant, search digital information on a cell phone seized from an individual who has been arrested."
According to ABC 27, Risley gave the username and password to her Fitbit account to the local police department, which also discovered the device itself was in the hallway after she claimed it had been lost.
If she had refused to provide access to her account or the device data, it might have led a prosecutor to need to go to court to get a warrant to access the device. If the data was also accessible on Fitbit's servers, however, it would have fewer legal protections than data on a cellphone or home computer, as is the case with Web-based email and other cloud-based data.
That loophole is one reason that many civil liberties and privacy advocates have been pushing Congress to update the Electronic Communication Privacy Act to give citizens digital due process.
As the United States of America nears its 239th Independence Day, this liberty remains unprotected on the 4th of July. Despite 284 cosponsors for theEmail Privacy Act (H.R. 699), the bill has yet to be brought to a vote. Even it passed into law, however, there's no passage in H.R. 699 that refers to data from wearable computing.
It may be years before police officers will need to read an updated version of the Miranda Warning to citizens upon arrest: "Anything your data says you did may be used against you in a court of law."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexander-howard/how-data-from-wearable-te_b_7698764.html
50 Years of Funk
Check out the Rolling Stone article -
Kool & the Gang: Our Life in 15 Songs
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/kool-the-gang-my-life-in-16-songs-20150629#ixzz3ec4S1thj
Here they are performing arguably their most popular song.
She Did It!
From The Huffington Post -
Copeland, now 32 years old, has been dancing with the American Ballet Theatre for over 14 years, nearly eight as a soloist. Most recently, she starred as Odette/Odile in "Swan Lake" at the Met, a role dance critic Alastair Macaulay called "the most epic role in world ballet."
"Two aspects of [Misty's] performance ... proved marvelous," Macaulay wrote in his review. "One: that it all happened successfully. Two: the curtain calls."
Copeland's name is known far beyond the traditional confines of the ballet world, in part due to her emphatic openness regarding the problematic relationship between race and ballet. As Elizabeth Blair explained on NPR: "It's hard for any ballet dancer to succeed, regardless of race, but a black dancer is up against a centuries-old aesthetic -- the idea, for example, that the swan must be feather-weight and snow white, and so does her prince."
Copeland's rise to fame, despite the centuries of tradition working against her, has served as an inspiration for young dancers who don't fit the mold around the world. During "Swan Lake," she repeatedly experienced cheers so intense they stopped the show, according to The New York Times. The ballerina is also the author of an illustrated children's book and a memoir, both elaborating on her journey overcoming the odds to pursue her passion.
Both because of her immense talent and candor regarding her personal hopes and struggles, Copeland has become a heroine to young dancers around the world. She has over 516,000 followers on Instagram and her breathtaking ad for Under Armour received over eight million views on YouTube.
"Something that my mother instilled in me, as a biracial woman herself, and me being biracial, was that the world was going to view me as a black woman, no matter what I decided to do," Copeland said at the Time 100 gala, where she was honored. "I had no idea that that was going to be my truth at some point in my life, when I moved to New York City at 17 years old and joined American Ballet Theatre and realized I was the only African American woman in a company of 80 dancers."
Copeland grew up in San Pedro, California, and took her first ballet classes for free at the Boys & Girls Club in the neighborhood. At the time, her family was living in a motel, part of a personal narrative that strays greatly from the traditional tale of a young ballerina. Copeland has said that she always hoped to rise to the level of principal, the highest status in a company. "My fears are that it could be another two decades before another black woman is in the position that I hold with an elite ballet company," she explains in her memoir. "That if I don’t rise to principal, people will feel I have failed them."
Arthur Mitchell was the first African-American dancer to become a principal dancer, breaking grounds at the New York City Ballet in 1962. Years later in 1990, Lauren Anderson became the first African-American principal at the Houston Ballet. Anderson, along with Raven Wilkinson, a dancer and mentor of Copeland's, handed her bouquets on stage following her recent "Swan" performance.
There has never before been a female black principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, until now. "Seven amazing dancers from American Ballet Theatre were promoted today," Kevin McKenzie, Artistic Director of the American Ballet Theatre explained in an email to the Huffington Post. "Each has demonstrated the talent and hard work needed to succeed in a highly competitive environment. I couldn't be prouder." We reached out to Misty Copeland for comment and have yet to hear back.
"I never saw a ballerina who looked like me before," Copeland has said. "And I’m here to be a vessel for all these brown ballerinas who have come before me."
Congratulations, Misty, on a historical accomplishment, one that is sure to shape the future of ballet's diversity in ways we can only imagine.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/30/misty-copeland-principal-dancer_n_7697872.html
Ask Siri
To divide zero by zero.
Not game?
OK.
Here's her response:
"Imagine that you have zero cookies and you split them evenly among zero friends. How many cookies does each person get? See? It doesn't make sense. AndCookie Monster is sad that there are no cookies, and you are sad that you have no friends."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/06/30/why-you-should-ask-siri-divide-zero-zero/29503775/
Not game?
OK.
Here's her response:
"Imagine that you have zero cookies and you split them evenly among zero friends. How many cookies does each person get? See? It doesn't make sense. And
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/06/30/why-you-should-ask-siri-divide-zero-zero/29503775/
Job Seekers
Check out this app . . . SWITCH. It calls itself the Tinder for jobs, whatever that means.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/switch-job-search-find-jobs/id879185767?mt=8
As seen in USA Today.
http://college.usatoday.com/2015/06/30/switch-mobile-app-find-jobs-tinder/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/switch-job-search-find-jobs/id879185767?mt=8
As seen in USA Today.
http://college.usatoday.com/2015/06/30/switch-mobile-app-find-jobs-tinder/
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
This man spent 30 years on death row for a crime he didn't commit.
What a travesty of justice. He died on Monday.
ABC US News | World News
What a travesty of justice. He died on Monday.
ABC US News | World News
Monday, June 29, 2015
A Lack of Diversity in the Workforce
From The Atlantic -
The Least Diverse Jobs in America
Eight out of every 10 lawyers are white. Social scientists and architects are probably in need of some diversity too.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/06/diversity-jobs-professions-america/396632/
Swift Justice
From The National -
ABU DHABI // A woman has been given the death sentence for the vicious stabbing murder of the American teacher Ibolya Ryan at a mall on Reem Island in December last year.
Alaa Al Hashemi, 30, an Emirati mother of six, was found guilty of stabbing Ryan to death with a large kitchen knife in a toilet stall at Boutik Mall.
Al Hashemi, flanked by four police officers, showed no emotion as the verdict and sentence were announced in the State Security division of the Federal Supreme Court.
As she was escorted from court she smiled and waved at her father and brother.
Paul Ryan, the victim’s former husband with whom she had three children, said: “We pray that justice has been served today. Nothing will return the beautiful and delightful mother of my children.
“But if today’s verdict raises awareness and dissuades another so filled with hate to reconsider, to still her hand, something of worth will yet be salvaged from this horror, the remains of which my family bears day by day.”
Mr Ryan thanked the “attentive” Royal Family for paying for “the finest of educations” for his three children, allowing them to “maximise their opportunity to make the most of themselves, any parent’s dream – especially Ibolya’s”.
He said his children worked every day to make their mother “proud as she watches over them”.
“We feel deeply the kind wishes and prayers we have received from all over. They support and sustain us, and we are grateful. We wish peace in return to all,” said Mr Ryan.
Al Hashemi was convicted of making a handmade bomb that she planted in front of an apartment owned by an Egyptian-American doctor.
But the bomb failed to detonate.
Al Hashemi was also convicted of using an online account to spread information that ridiculed and harmed the country.
She was found guilty of sending money to Al Qaeda in Yemen, knowing that would be used to fund terrorist acts.
Before announcing the verdict, Judge Falah Al Hajeri said: “The UAE, with the Grace of Allah, over its history has been and will always remain a haven of safety and stability, and it is a model of correlation and societal peace.”
He said that in the past few years “criminal techniques” new to the UAE had been “committed to terrorise and inflict violence”.
“Their purpose is to disturb the overall system of the country and expose society to danger by committing harmful acts. And that is in the implementation of a collective or individual act that harms people, puts their life, freedom or security at risk.
“So when the danger threatens the overall stability of the nation, then it is important to revise and confront the actions, which is why the new anti-terror law was achieved – to combat terrorism and eliminate it.”
The judge ordered the confiscation of all evidence and for the online account Al Hashemi had used to be shut down.
The court ruling will be sent to the President, Sheikh Khalifa, for final approval and ratification.
Verdicts issued by the Federal Supreme Court are final.
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/courts/death-sentence-for-reem-island-killer?utm_source=Communicator&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=&utm_campaign=UAE%20petrol%20prices%20among%20most%20affordable%20in%20world
He Makes Complicated Concepts Easy to Understand
From The New Yorker -
Malcolm Gladwell discusses tokens, pariahs, and pioneers.
ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING!
(This video is almost 1.5 hours, but he only speaks for an hour, then there's a Q & A).
He also has a riveting article on automobile safety.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/04/the-engineers-lament?intcid=mod-most-popular
Malcolm Gladwell discusses tokens, pariahs, and pioneers.
ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING!
(This video is almost 1.5 hours, but he only speaks for an hour, then there's a Q & A).
He also has a riveting article on automobile safety.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/04/the-engineers-lament?intcid=mod-most-popular
Ingenious Camping Hacks
Full Disclosure - I don't know anyone who camps, but many of these ideas will work anywhere.
My favorite = #36
From Buzzfeed -
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/camping-hacks-that-are-borderline-genius#.srBL0PG3a
1. Use foam floor tiles for a softer, more comfortable tent floor.
3. Paint the inside of a jar with non-toxic glow-in-the-dark paint for an easy DIY lantern.
See how she did this here.
6. Bring a tick deterrent.
7. Glue sandpaper to the top of your match holder.
Be sure to buy strike-anywhere matches.
9. Make crescent rolls over the campfire.
For maximum yumminess, fill ‘em with stuff like marshmallows and Nutella. Or wrap hot dogs with them.
Get the directions here.
13. Cut up a straw and fill the pieces up with antibiotic ointment or toothpaste for single-use packets.
Use a lighter to seal up the ends.
14. Make travel coffee bags out of coffee filters and dental floss.
Place a scoop of coffee grounds into a coffee filter and tie it up with dental floss. When you’re ready to brew, just make it like you would make tea in a teabag!
15. Need your coffee? Bring a few of these.
They’ll keep you from going into caffeine withdrawal.
17. Make single-use soap leaves from a bar of soap and a vegetable peeler.
You can also rub soap on mosquito bites to relieve the itchiness.
18. Use an empty laundry detergent dispenser as a hand-washing station.
Just fill it up with water.
22. Make pancakes with pre-made pancake mix using shortening and dry milk, which don’t need to be refrigerated.
Get the full recipe here. You can also find powdered eggs at most grocery stores (if you don’t shudder at the thought).
23. Put a battery-powered votive candle into an empty peanut butter container to make portable lanterns.
25. Make an easy-to-carry fire starter with a cardboard-only egg carton and match light charcoal.
You just have to light the carton and the fire will catch on to the charcoal.
27. Make pocket-sized oil lamps out of travel-size or hotel toiletry shampoo bottles.
Get the directions here.
28. Forgo the meat marinade and put the rosemary right on the coals.
Once the coals are uniformly gray and ashy, cover them with fresh rosemary branches. Your meat and vegetables will be flavored with the taste of savory herbs.
29. Bring cheeses in waxed packaging as well as hard cheeses.
Aged cheddar, Parmigiano, and/or Gruyère will keep for at least a week unrefrigerated.
31. Try roasting Starburst.
Sounds crazy, but it’s actually delicious. Crunchy on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. Roast it until it’s bubbling.
32. Forgo pasta for a quick-cooking alternatives like polenta, quinoa, or couscous.
Polenta is especially versatile because it can be shaped into patties and pan-fried for a sweet or savory meal. Get a recipe for grilled polenta cakes.
33. Cook cinnabuns (the canned kind) in a hollowed-out orange over a campfire.
Get the full details here.
35. Keep the kids busy with a scavenger hunt.
Write the items down on a paper bag so they have a receptacle for the items.
39. Freeze gallon jugs of water and place them in your cooler.
They’ll keep your food cold, and you’ll have plenty of water to drink for later.
Other things you can freeze to use for later: pasta sauces, chili, and pesto.
40. Make emergency light sources out of an Altoids tin, cardboard, and wax.
Get the instructions here.
41. Make sandwiches with this campfire panini press.
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