Pixel Union | Premium Themes Buzz Andersen is what we in the design world call “a total badass.” After co-creating the hugely successful Birdfeed Twitter client, and working on both OS X and Soundtrack Pro at Apple, Buzz came aboard the Tumboat in late 2011 to lead the platform’s mobile division. Equal parts philosopher and programmer, Andersen’s approach to and reflections on his work stand as an incredible example to anyone working in a web-related field. Cornered for a few fleeting moments outside the Tumblr hive of whimsy, Buzz discussed meta-currents in design, the often misunderstood role of apps, and Tumblr’s facilitation of a new romantic self. Put your thinking socks on and join us for this very special edition of Tumblin’. You have a panel coming up at SxSW entitled "The Right Tool for the Job: Native or Mobile Web?" This is great in many ways—I personally dislike the Google approach and have little very desire to work on products designed that way. Wow, that’s a tough one.
The Problem Isn't That Life Is Unfair 258k shares Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Unless you’re winning, most of life will seem hideously unfair to you. The truth is, life is just playing by different rules. The real rules are there. Let’s try. Rule #1: Life is a competition That business you work for? We’re all in competition, although we prefer not to realise it. It’s a painful thing to believe, of course, which is why we’re constantly assuring each other the opposite. Fortunately, we don’t live in a world where everyone has to kill each other to prosper. But never fall for the collective delusion that there’s not a competition going on. Rule #2. Society judges people by what they can do for others. That’s not how we judge ourselves though. “I’m a good person”. Well-meaning intentions don’t matter. Abilities are not prized by their virtue. We like to like to think that society rewards those who do the best work. But in reality, social reward is just a network effect. Write an unpublished book, you’re nobody. Rule #3.
Noam Chomsky on linguistics and climate change Virginie Montet/AFP/Getty Images. Why can everyone learn Portuguese? Are some aspects of our nature unknowable? Let's start with the idea that everyone connects you with from the 1950s and ’60s—a "universal grammar" underlying all languages. It's virtually a truism. It can't be true. That's conceivable. Ideas about human nature naturally crop up in your work. To me it's just like bee nature. In your new book, you suggest that many components of human nature are just too complicated to be really researchable. That's a pretty normal phenomenon. If human nature is relatively fixed, as you argue, how do we achieve social and political change? Human nature is not totally fixed, but on any realistic scale evolutionary processes are much too slow to affect it. So within a realistic time frame there is not going to be any change in human nature. Sticking with social and political change, what is going on with climate-change denial in the United States? I'm probably the wrong person to ask.
Sad and Useless Humor Blog Town Jumps on Board to Give Wounded Marine a Home Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times Rescue workers from Heart 9/11 and other volunteers raised framing on Friday for “Manny’s house” in Glastonbury, Conn. More Photos » But complicated is just one way to describe the story. The short version goes like this: In mid-2010, Glastonbury decided to do something with the site of a fire-ravaged Marine Corps League post. Ms. Not long after, the Rotary Club of Glastonbury was searching for a “hands on” charity project when Ms. Many Town Council and Rotary Club meetings later, the wooden exterior of Corporal Jimenez’s 2,600-square-foot, three-bedroom house finally rose from its concrete foundation in a cacophony of pounding hammers and screeching saws over the weekend. Every stick of that furniture, as well as all the labor and nearly all the construction materials, will have been donated. “I’m surprised by everything,” said Corporal Jimenez, a remarkably even-keeled 23-year-old who rarely looks surprised.
Epic Failures: How Not To Drive A Tank Tank Driving 101 Don't drive your tank off a cliff. Don't drive your tank too deep in a bog. Keep your treads on at all times. Don't try to mount another tank from behind unless you've taken it out for dinner and bought it a few drinks. And while I'm not saying I could drive a tank any better than these guys, it'd be pretty hard not to. A nice big gallery of tank mishaps (and a few planes for the hell of it) after the jump. Tank Mishaps [discuss] Thanks Russell, want to help me steal a tank and park it on my ex's car?
Understanding today’s rude teens Today’s youths are out of touch with some of the fundamental principles of life because teachers, parents and social workers are worried about infringing the child’s autonomy and integrity, says researcher. (Photo: Colourbox) When young people have loud parties on weekday nights or speak loudly in the cinema, they’re using roughly the same mechanism as when other youths jump on the heads of random bypassers or share mobile footage of gang rapes on Facebook. “Some youths can only relate to the relationship they have with their friends – and that relationship is often a reproduction of themselves,” says Sven Mørch, a psychology lecturer at the University of Copenhagen, who specialises in youth studies. “For these people the fellowship can become an extremely inclusive VIP club, while those who are not on the guest list are excluded,” he says, “In some cases, people who are outside their social network simply do not exists in their world.” “This is an appalling trend,” he says. Sven Mørch
PassiveAggressiveNotes.com Nation's Quadriplegics Immobilize On Washington In Support Of Stem-Cell Research WASHINGTON—Having arrived in the nation's capital by the wheelchair-accessible-busload, tens of thousands of quadriplegics from across the United States immobilized on the National Mall Wednesday, rallying in motionless protest against restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. The throngs of stationary protesters, who were unable to join hands, march from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol building, or hoist banners and signs or anything else into the air, called on lawmakers to subsidize the creation of new lines of stem cells from human embryos, which they sedentarily asserted could one day repair their injured spinal cords and restore motor function and sensation to their bodies. According to preliminary estimates, as many as 60,000 came together to metaphorically stand up for their beliefs. "For the most part, it was very peaceful," said U.S. Park Police captain Ray Barnwell, who confirmed no arrests were made during the day's events.
Sometimes I Feel Like I’m The Only One Who Gives A Shit About Rich, Lustrous Hair Today I saw a woman whose hair had incredible potential. With a little effort and the help of quality hair-care products, she could have had glorious, bountiful locks—the kind any man, woman, or child would kill for. I do not exaggerate when I say she had a head of hair that was a gift from God. But it was all a tragic waste, because atop her head sat a nest of horrors: flyaways, frizz, dry ends. At times like this, I often stop and ask myself: Am I the only person left in the world who still gives a shit about rich, lustrous hair? Even at the headquarters of Pantene, a 65-year-old institution dedicated to shampooing and conditioning, I see the erosion of this basic aesthetic value. Yet I realize the parade of sad, oily heads through my workplace is merely symptomatic of a larger trend—part of a culture in which people no longer give a flying fuck about undoing the damage caused by everyday brushing, blow-drying, and styling. What kind of world is this? Are you listening?
Residents Of Indiana Join Together To Form Collective Consciousness INDIANAPOLIS—Sources have confirmed that at approximately 10:30 a.m. today all 6.5 million residents of Indiana spontaneously exited their homes and places of business, formed thousands of perfectly uniform rows, and appeared to join together in a collective consciousness. "We are Indiana," the newly established hive mind announced loudly, using the unified voice of what was once every individual man, woman, and child in the Hoosier State. A full two hours of silence then ensued, with the millions of formerly independent citizens of Indiana looking straight ahead without speaking or blinking. The federal government has reportedly approached the developing situation carefully, especially after President Obama's requests to speak with Indiana governor Mitch Daniels were met with the response "There is no more Gov. Mitch Daniels. "There are no more mothers or fathers or brothers or sisters," said the single consciousness, an identical smile on the face of each of its human components.
U.S. Citizen Resigns After Making Controversial Remark About Country MATTOON, IL—Ending the firestorm of controversy that erupted after he made a highly critical comment about the United States, 43-year-old hardware store employee Keith Nellson bowed to public pressure Wednesday and announced he would be stepping down as an American citizen, effective immediately. Last month, when Nellson was heard in a YouTube video of a friend's birthday party remarking that "this country really needs to get its act together," the gaffe quickly went viral and led to extensive coverage across all major news outlets. Soon protesters were surrounding his home around the clock and calling for him to relinquish his citizenship. The Mattoon High School graduate addressed the media at a press conference on his front lawn early Monday morning. "First of all, I would like to offer my deepest apologies to anyone I may have hurt with my comments," said Nellson, flanked by his wife and two children, who have supported him throughout the ordeal.