![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif){kind=small} dilbertdaily |
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| 2009-12-01 00:00 | |
| Comic for December 1, 2009 | |
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Äpfel X has posted a comment: delaware! @grant! that thing made me crack up every time i passed it.
as promised part two to bartek’s jam packed interpretation of nadia and the gang! for more of bartek’s work visit his site graphicus. just so you know… it’s in polish :) NEXT WEEK: KUKUBURI RETURNS!
NVH posted a photo:
The first photo was taken in Laos but the next two were taken on the night train to Mandalay - in Burma. "Mingalaba" is a greeting used ONLY between Burmese and foreigners, for no reason that anyone could come up with.
Prosthetics have been used to replace lost limbs since there have been limbs to be lost; during this time, peg legs and crutches have transformed into power suits and robot arms. The prosthetic limb was once a static, inflexible mockery of what it was replacing. Today, incredible technology has gone into the science of prosthetics, making them elegant examples of technology and design that are awe inspiring. We are much closer to Science Fiction than you probably think. Your jaw will drop as you take a journey through the past, present, and future of prosthetic technology.
(Images via Africa Science, robot nine, mentalfloss)Prosthetic toes made of wood were recently found on an Egyptian mummy (pictured above), and such ingenuity continues to be required in less technologically advanced areas of the world. Where a prosthetic limb was once carved out of wood, they can now be fashioned out of an old basketball and some sturdy paddles.
(Images via we-make-money-not-art, marvelironman)No longer just an instrument to help the disabled recover functionality, some additions provide superior strength and stamina to the most fit individuals. An external suit can take the pressure off your limbs while carrying heavy bags, or help remove the stress of repetitive actions. No matter how they’re used, lurching power suits are incredibly appealing, as they dance close to the dream of bionic humans so often found in literature, film, and television.
(Images via boingboing, grinding, handicappedpets, treehugger)Animals get hurt too, and people are always coming up with innovative ways to maintain quality of life for their furry friends. A broken leg used to be a death sentence for a horse, but now even a lost limb can be taken care of.
(Images via prosthetic limbs, virtualworldlets, nydailynews, geek)Arguably the most difficult limb to replace is the arm, and by extension (literally), the hand. With an intricate weave of tendons and musculature allowing the most minute movements, early attempts to add functionality involved attaching a hook or wooden arm with the inability to move. From the revolutionary clasping motion, to the most modern neurally controlled arm in existence, the DEKA, prosthetics are progressing in sophistication at an incredible rate.
(Images via daylife, reason, wired)People who lost legs once had to resign themselves to lives spent hobbling with crutches; this is no longer the case. The advancement of material strength and flexibility, and the departure from feet that look like feet, allow the disabled to run with incredible speed – so much so, that the paralympic games are investigating whether modern prosthetic legs provide an unfair advantage.
(Images via mlive, bcgolfnews, rexfoundation, cnet, walkingadspace)Transportation for the disabled is difficult enough, but advances in sports technology are allowing people to maintain their hobbies despite any physical limitations. There are snowboards that hook directly into your prosthetic and special bikes usable even if you only have one leg. Innovations are consistently pushing the boundaries of what is and isn’t possible.
(Images via epitalizacion, science museum, hvmag)If one were to step back only a scattering of decades, the difference in prosthetic technology would be astounding. The peg leg of our great grandparents holds no comparison to the alloy legs of today. Performers with peg legs used to be notable mostly for their uniqueness, much like a freak at the circus. Thankfully, society is no longer as close minded.
(Images via iraqnam, mental floss, red-eye, life2heal, listicles)Mobility has long been the greatest hurdle for those who lose a leg (or two), but the variety of prosthetics is astounding. Some legs attempt to fool the eye by looking as realistic as possible, while others make no attempt to hide their function behind their form.
(Images via free republic, greendiary, science ahead)Prosthetic hands now provide enough feedback to cradle an egg, and enough strength to grab and lift almost any object. The means of manipulation have changed as well – pulleys have been replaced by connections back to nerves on the body that allow one to control one’s limb just as they control their originals.
(Images via gizmodo, uwaterloo, artificial limbs, methodist rehab)Their are over 26 bones in the human foot, and even removing one toe can cause issues with balance. With the amount of weight and stress placed each time you step down, and the need for feet to be able to bounce back without losing all of the energy pushing against the ground, designing a prosthetic foot is far from simple. Solutions range from the plodding mannequin foot and peg leg to the mechanically responsive and pnuematic.
(Images via coated, canadian space program, fast company, spike, gadget)The future of prosthetics can be an enjoyable exercise in design that uniquely bridges the gap between the personal and the technological. The above photos are conceptual, but from what we’ve seen thus far, don’t seem to be out of reach. These designs will no doubt inspire the look of the next generation of prosthetics.
(Images via gandt, lbufano, dvice, stelarc)The prosthetics link the technological and the personal, the inanimate with the human, in such a unique manner, that it’s the source of inspiration for a great number of artists. Lumbering man-machines and extra arms are the dreams of those without missing limbs, while the beauty and surreal natural of prosthetics are the source of a very different kind of art.
(Images via Gizmodo, BoingBoing, moolf)Land animals having prosthetics is interesting, but not unexpected. Adding a missing limb or a wheel to a turtle or dog can be cute or inspirational, but adding a fin to a dolphin is just plain stunning. Wild birds and swimming creatures are not immune to the dangers of poachers and rogue boats, but fixing them is much more difficult, and even more amazing.
(Image via American Technology)The evolution of the prosthetic limb is not far from the hopeful image above, and there is little doubt that technology and design inspiration will continue to push the boundaries of what we once thought possible.  176 Great Geek Approaches to Design, Art & TechnologyMany of the foremost masterpieces of design, art and technology have been created by geeks. These 176 examples prove the geek way of design, art and technology is often the great way. Click Here to See More
You know what’s fun? Where fun equals needless and bizarre? Particular products, apparently picked at random, being marketed as just for the dudes. I mean, we are all probably familiar with companies making special pinkified versions of their products for the girlies, like tools! and tape! and… earplugs! (Lots of gendered goodness through that Sociological Images link, thanks to @Chromiee on Twitter for it.) But let’s delve into the differences in how gender is here enforced for men and women. For instance, tissues. I’m not certain that tissues need to be gender specific, but apparently Kimberly-Clark, manufacturers of Kleenex, are. Last year, I was casually walking down an aisle at my local supermarket when a tissue box caught my eye. ‘Ooh,’ I thought. ‘Giant tissues. I would like some of those.’ I took a closer look at the box. Lo and behold, the box said ‘MAN-SIZE tissues’ in big manly letters. Not for me then. Pardon me for asking, but do the rest of us not sometimes get a lot of snot and not want to bother with tiny little tissues only good for three blows? Or is it only manly men who blow out large manly chunks of dead cells from their noses who merit MAN-SIZE tissues? Do the tissues come extra tough for an extra masculine blow? Not only that, but the two box patterns one could choose from were cricket equipment and an old-style map of the world. So, what, playing sport and exploring are for men then? Just… why? So, because I was a bit amused and because I am a Scary Feminist™, I took down the number Kimberly-Clark provided on the box for feedback. I called them up, feeling a bit silly, and told the woman on the customer service line about misogyny and compartmentalising and cricket and marketing and assumptions and I want giant tissues, too! I must have gone on for a while, because: ‘So, what exactly is your complaint?’ ‘Uh. The packaging and the man-size messaging is full of misogynistic messages. If you changed those things, it’d be really good and it’d invite women to buy your product.’ ‘Okay. Thanks for calling. I’ll pass that along to the marketing team. Thank you very much.’ The tissue boxes are still in my supermarket, if you were wondering. The point is: when it comes to gendering non-gendery products, womanhood (and femininity! because they are the same thing!) is so often coded as bad. And it’s not just women who get hurt by this sort of thing; there is never any room for non-binaries in this world of rigid binary gendering. This is just another way to keep anyone who doesn’t conform to binary gender out in the cold. The girlie versions of these products are coded pink and sparkly and such by way of setting girls and women up as a subgroup. We need special things set aside for us, because the things for regular people (read: men) just won’t do. It’s that idea of the default human again, which we see in medicine and sport (it’s always pointed out when it’s a women’s cricket team, because “cricket team” itself is always male) and all sorts of areas in society. We are a special subgroup for marketers to exploit. Dudely versions of these products don’t cater to men as a special subgroup. The dudeification of products – that is, where it’s a case of specifically targeting products at men and boys rather than just assuming only men would by this stuff – relies on the disparagement of women. No girls here, we have manly products, you don’t want to be associated with that girly girl crap! Sometimes it’s merely in the unnecessary exclusion of women. That’s the case with Nutrigrain cereal being marketed as Iron Man food, which will help boys grow up big and strong (because that’s what you always want as a man, and never as a woman, right?). Then there are companies that like to make it explicit. For instance, you can go check out the charming Yorkie chocolate bar featured over at Shakesville the other day (with the slogan ‘it’s not for girls!’). Then you have the violent and full-on hateful; Cara blogged on rape-promoting pencil sharpeners back in 2007. Women can be used just as one pleases, from exclusion to counterpoint to objects on which it’s just fine to spill one’s hate. It’s about setting women on the outside: women are to be a subset of humanity, to be catered for specially or to be the standard of that which the real people ought not to want to be. And, as ever, those who don’t fit the sex/gender binary don’t exist. Excuse me while I go dig out my old handkerchiefs.
 Comment moderation will be turned on for a brief period to ward off attacks. The last couple days, BitchPhD has been vandalized by faceless and cowardly scumbags posting shit about the bloggers. Wading through this excrement is not only distasteful for the bloggers, its disrespectful of our readers. Nobody has the time to monitor comments round the clock and the vandals, apparently, have nothing better to do so, we're going to moderate comments for awhile. Reader's comments will be posted but the posting will not be immediate. We will return to our usual comment procedure as quickly as possible. 
Ah, Cyber Monday – the infamous online version of the even more dreaded Black Friday. But before we get to that, here are a few exciting new features for WebUrbanist to help you stay connected to not only the content on this site but also to other amazing articles and publications. We also have a small favor to ask should be feel in a giving mood (do not worry – we are not requesting handouts). Google Friend Connect (to the right) allows you to sign up, swap stories and favorite websites with old friends – and to make new friends as well with similar interests. Moreover, it is a great place to give us feedback on your favorite (as well as least-liked) aspects of WebUrbanist. Signing up (on the sidebar) is super simple and takes just a few seconds. Likewise, the new Facebook Fan Page for WebUrbanist is up and running – please help spread the word support us in our drive to get 1,000 fans as fast as possible. This will make for a stronger community of course but will also help us secure our custom Facebook URL.
You will already find that WebEcoist, Dornob and Gajitz have Facebook Groups – and they will shortly also have Google Friend Connection functionality. We really hope that in the holiday spirit of sharing you will consider helping to support WebUrbanist on Facebook and these other sites by joining up, participating in discussions and sharing what you like with your friends. In development: more dynamic, multifunctional and informational feeds on all sites – as well as additional image galleries, more streamlined load times and a reduced number advertisements shown to regular readers. It might seem simple, but a lot goes into making these publications work on a day to day basis. Nonetheless, the most important element is and remains you: our loyal readers, followers and fans both onsite and off.  7 Best Fun Ways to Waste Time OnlineSome are useful, some are silly, but it's the weekend: sit back and relax. Click Here to See More
 Do you love somebody? Don’t set them free, buy them Garfield minus Garfield the book for Christmas!
This post was originally written for the DML Central Blog. If you're interested in Digital Media and Learning, you definitely want to check this blog out.
Very few of us work in professions where we are forced to focus on one anti-social task all day, every day. Even academics, a notoriously hermitic bunch, have to interact with students, fellow faculty members, and perhaps grant makers at some point. Most of us are constantly relying on and honing our social skills, developing new techniques to communicate our message, navigate office politics, manage someone's expectations, and keep the peace. Those in service jobs face this in an acute way, having to manage irate customers and balance many people at once. Social skills are the bread and butter of professional life. So how do we learn them? It's easy to point to middle school as ground zero of youth drama. The rise of status hierarchies combined with budding sexuality throws all sorts of relationships upside down. Bullying, social categories, and popularity are all there. But the key to "surviving" middle school is learning how to navigate these muddy waters with an intact self-esteem. It's not that jealousy and other social dramas disappear after middle school; it's that they get much more nuanced as people's skills improve. But for people to improve their skills, they must learn how to manage unpredictable and uncomfortable social situations. These aren't skills learned in abstract; they're learned through practice. Over the last three decades, youth lives have gotten increasingly structured. Many youth spend little to no time in unstructured social settings, otherwise known as "hanging out." The practice of hanging out is consistently demonized by educationally-minded folks as a waste of time. Yet, it is in that space where youth learn to navigate social situations, make sense of impression management, and develop the social skills necessary to be productive adults. Social media has created an interesting rupture in the landscape. Youth turn to it to reclaim unstructured social encounters, to create a public space that allows them to simply hang out with their friends, peers, and cohort. The flirting, gossiping, and joking around that takes place is not proof that social media is useless, but proof that it's extremely valuable. Without other spaces in which to gather, youth have developed their own. They want to be social, but we also need them to develop social skills. What's fascinating is that they're learning to do so in a mediated landscape, developing norms that will persist through adulthood. It's not like all social encounters between adults are face-to-face; learning how to interpret a Facebook post is a great skill to have when entering an email-centric corporation. Rather than demonizing social media or dismissing its educational value, I believe that we need to embrace the environments that youth are using to gather and help them learn to navigate the murky waters of sociality. We cannot "fix" their social worlds, but we can provide the scaffolding that they need to help learn to make sense of sticky social situations. We can serve as listeners, guides, and cheerleaders. We can be there when they're trying to make a decision about a best way to handle a situation and play devil's advocate when they need to work through complicated dynamics. But to be there for youth, we have to treat them with respect and value what they're learning. We have to value the importance of learning about sociality. And we need to be able to listen as confidants, not judges. We can continue to demonize social spaces, dismiss hanging out, and overly regulate our kids. But I believe this does them a disservice. Being a successful adult in society requires social skills. And we desperately need to give youth space to learn them. They're committed to learning; why aren't we supporting them in doing so? Originally posted here.</a> learning sociality
arts enthusiast posted a photo:
Bring on the Christmas music! Sorry these cropped a bit funky. Wouldn't fit on the scanner and I can never quite square up photos of record albums.
( You are about to view content that may only be appropriate for adults. )
This was once an amusement park of sorts with a nursery rhyme/fairy tale theme in Ellicott City, MD |
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and buy something from Amazon.com, we get a small commission. Any revenue received by WU will be applied directly to offsetting our hosting fees. You will not have to pay a penny extra … just, well, if you are going to shop there anyway for the holidays, we would love it if you could help us out in the process!
up at 5 am, ichor-slimed dog
