After the contemptible jerks at Westboro Baptist Church announced their plan to picket little Christina Taylor Green’s funeral this week, Tucson residents came up with a plan to block them from view of people attending. CNN: They’re planning an “angel action” — with 8-by-10-foot “angel wings” worn by participants and used to shield mourners from pickets. The actions were created by Coloradan Romaine Patterson, who was shocked to find the Topeka church and its neon signs outside the 1999 funeral of Matthew Shepherd, a young gay man beaten and left on a fence to die in Laramie, Wyoming. “We want to surround them, in a nonviolent way, to say that our community is united,” Gilmer said. “We’re a peaceful haven.” “You don’t mess with Tucson,” said Gilmer, 26, who described it as “a little dot of blue in a sea of red.” Good for them. They’ve gotten a huge response from the community, too: But political persuasions don’t matter, she said. Republicans, Democrats, independents, right, left and center — they’ve all offered their support. Forty-two people have signed up on a Facebook page called “Build Angel Wings for the Westboro Funeral Counter-Protest and Meeting” and more than 4,500 have signed up on another page to “Show Support for the Families of the Tucson Shooting Victims.” “People, businesses, they’re all donating material and money to build the angel wings,” said Gilmer, who is helping organize the action. And, she added, they’re donating to a fund created to help pay for services for the victims of the shooting. Here’s the Facebook page if you want to show your support for them.
Continue reading …There’s a lot of great green ideas in Readymade’s Top 20 Projects of 2010 . Minimalist vases from light bulbs, kitchen cabinets from wine crates, wallets from comic books, upgraded dresses, outdoor solar showers…. brilliant ideas for low eco-footprint living. … Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …ASUS may not be anywhere close to ready for its Wavi Xtion to hit retail shelves (we’re hearing Q2 of 2012), but that didn’t stop our brethren over at Engadget Spanish from stopping by for a hands-on demonstration at CES. We’ll spare you the details on how it works, but in practice, we learned that it’s quite similar to Kinect . Not shocking considering that PrimeSense is behind both boxes , but the primarily difference seemed to be the reaction time. ASUS’ solution wasn’t quite as snappy as the Kinect, being slower to recognize and translate motions in testing. Of course, we wouldn’t expect a product that’s 18 months out from mass production to be completely on top of its game, but feel free to head on past the break to see exactly what we mean. Continue reading ASUS Wavi Xtion motion sensing control system demoed at CES (video) ASUS Wavi Xtion motion sensing control system demoed at CES (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …One of the reasons that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his legal team are fighting his extradition to Sweden, where he stands accused of sexual misconduct, is that he is concerned about winding up in the U.S., or at Guantanamo Bay, and facing much more severe forms of punishment, according to The New York Times. The New York Times: In a 35-page outline of their case against extradition, released on the WikiLeaks Web site, Mr. Assange’s lawyers said: “It is submitted that there is a real risk that, if extradited to Sweden, the United States will seek his extradition and/or illegal rendition to the U.S.A., where there will be a real risk of him being detained at Guantánamo Bay or elsewhere.” The document also cited statements by senior American politicians calling for the execution of those who leaked the State Department documents as proof that he could face the death penalty. “Indeed, if Mr. Assange were rendered to the U.S.A. without assurances that the death penalty would not be carried out, there is a real risk that he could be made subject to the death penalty.” Read more Related Entries January 8, 2011 Israel’s Hope Kindergarten December 27, 2010 Jon Stewart: Shades of Edward R. Murrow?
Continue reading …BAE Systems has had its hands in some pretty crazy research in the past, from Bug Bots to invisibility cloak development and more. But as this next item has implications for our planned dystopian gadget community on the high seas (think Waterworld -meets-The Engadget Show), we took notice tout de suite . Being marketed as a non-lethal deterrent to pirates, the heart of the ship-based system is a Nd:YAG laser that can be used to warn off attackers over half a mile away — and disorient them at closer ranges. “The effect is similar to when a fighter pilot attacks from the direction of the sun,” said BAE’s Roy Evans. “The glare from the laser is intense enough to make it impossible to aim weapons like AK47s or RPGs, but doesn’t have a permanent effect.” Wild, huh? Check out the PR after the break for the complete low-down. Continue reading BAE’s lasers blind high seas pirates, have no effect on Ice Pirates BAE’s lasers blind high seas pirates, have no effect on Ice Pirates originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …The father of one of Loughner’s close friends, Zach Osler, described a troubled relationship between the suspect and his parents. In an interview with The Associated Press, George Osler says Loughner had recently began experimenting with the plant salvia
Continue reading …Photo Credit: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources This $2 million project, funded mostly with private money, is billed as the most comprehensive look at the Chicago waterway system since the reversal of the Chicago River more than 100 years ago. This time, the threat is Asian carp, rather than pesky sewage. … Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Here’s a spectacular and moody time-lapse video of New York by Josh Owens . Whether it’ his technique or the music by Dredg, it makes us feel lonely and melancholy. It’s still pretty damn awesome though. [via LS ] More » Broadcasting platform : Vimeo Source : Gawker Discovery Date : 11/01/2011 21:19 Number of articles : 10
Continue reading …We were wandering the floor at CES just before the end of the show when we stumbled upon this oddly familiar device . It’s the Aigo A8 — n
Continue reading …Is it wrong to make connections between the charged political climate in the U.S., stoked by divisive rhetoric, and the deadly shooting last weekend in Arizona? Some right-leaning politicians and pundits are saying so in its aftermath.
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