Make your video conferences more fun with these Star Wars backgrounds, which LucasFilm recently released over at the Star Wars website. These backgrounds are optimized for video conferencing apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Conduct your virtual meetings inside the Millenium Falcon, or have a seat at the Emperor’s Throne on Exegol.
See the free backgrounds available over at the Star Wars website.
Via Technabob
(Image Credit: LucasFilm)
Because of the novel disease that has been plaguing our world recently, we have been forced to stay at home. Aside from that, we are also to practice social distancing, keeping ourselves at least six feet from each other. But is this practice properly maintained? If not, then how can we enforce this practice? An AI monitoring tool would be a good enforcer.
Andrew Ng’s startup Landing AI has created a new workplace monitoring tool that issues an alert when anyone is less than the desired distance from a colleague.
On Thursday, the startup released a blog post with a new demo video showing off a new social distancing detector. On the left is a feed of people walking around on the street. On the right, a bird’s-eye diagram represents each one as a dot and turns them bright red when they move too close to someone else. The company says the tool is meant to be used in work settings like factory floors and was developed in response to the request of its customers (which include Foxconn). It also says the tool can easily be integrated into existing security camera systems, but that it is still exploring how to notify people when they break social distancing. One possible method is an alarm that sounds when workers pass too close to one another. A report could also be generated overnight to help managers rearrange the workspace, the company says.
Read more details about this AI monitoring tool over at Technology Review.
What are your thoughts about this one?
(Video Credit: Landing AI/ YouTube)
When you think of a convergence between a king and a pirate, you wouldn't be surprised to find he was the descendant of the Vikings. Eric VII had been king of Denmark since he was seven years old, and that realm eventually included Norway and Sweden, too. He was an unpopular ruler, waging ill-conceived wars and levying taxes, until the Swedes began rebelling and the nobles wanted to overthrow him. And he didn't even have an heir. Matters came to a head in 1438.
With the walls closing in, Erik saw that his fate was sealed. He decided to leave the country with the royal treasure chest, a few of the crown jewels, the royal regalia and the country’s historical flag. He knew where he was going: to join the pirates.
The pirates in question were sea-worn men who for years had created fear and havoc among the merchants and noblemen of Sweden, Denmark and the German towns known as the Hanseatic League. The pirates’ enemies — the nobility who were once King Erik’s friends — were the same people with whom he now found himself at odds. So naturally, his enemies’ enemies became his friends.
As he stood proud and unrepentant on that ship, the Dannebrog banner in hand, plowing through Oresund toward the pirate’s nest on the isle of Gotland, the Danish nobles were on his trail. And while he cursed the powers that be and readied himself for piracy, the nobles made a deal with his sister, Catharina, offering her son, Christoffer of Bayern, the Danish throne. They simultaneously started a rumor that King Erik was directly involved in a conspiracy to overthrow the Royal Council. According to a diary from the noble lady Anne Krabbe, found in the Royal Danish Library’s “New Royal Collections” and written in uneven handwriting, the nobles told a tale of Erik striking a deal with the rebel farmers of the time, supposedly telling them to kill their lords, so that Erik could return and claim his throne.
Read the story of King Erik VII of Denmark and his turn to piracy at Narratively. -via Damn Interesting
(Image credit: Darya Malikova)
humbly presented: jeff goldblum as poptarts (a thread) pic.twitter.com/9GDox0P4rX
— Rachel Clayton 🎣🛹 (@rachelclayday) April 14, 2019
That's about as nonsensical a post title as I've ever typed, but bear with me. Rachel Clayton had some extra time to investigate a pattern she'd noticed, which is how Jeff Goldblum's many sartorial expressions can be illustrated with different flavors of Pop Tarts. I was aware of the man's fashion sense, but I had no idea that Pop Tarts came in so many flavors.
— Rachel Clayton 🎣🛹 (@rachelclayday) April 14, 2019
On the surface, it seems like a dumb idea. But when you see how well they match up a dozen times (plus quite a few more contributions from followers), it's worth sharing. See the entire Twitter thread here. -via Geeks Are Sexy
The vicar from St. Budeaux Parish Church in Plymouth was performing an online service, when suddenly he felt his arm get a bit hot. The vicar, Reverend Stephen Beach, the aforementioned vicar, then exclaimed, "Oh dear, I just caught fire,” and then quickly snuffed out the flame using his hand. Fortunately, only his pullover and his shirt were burned.
Mr. Beach was filming the last part of his online sermon when the incident took place but admitted that he had never recorded himself before.
Since the accident, Mr Beach said he had other vicars joke about "being on fire for Jesus".
"People have laughed and laughed, really," he said.
The vicar himself has posted the video online, and his video, as of this writing, has already gained over 91,000 views.
(Video Credit: Stephen Beach/ YouTube)
As we are all still stuck at home, it would be unsurprising by now if your kids would say that they miss eating out. But why eat out when you can have the same experience inside your own home?
Aside from the sausage and egg McMuffin recipe that they released a few weeks ago, McDonald’s also recently released their template for their iconic Happy Meal box, so that young’uns and the not-so-young’uns alike could have the McDonald’s experience right at their own homes.
Just head over here and download the template, and then print it and fold it.
Via Mirror
(Image Credit: Mcdonald’s)
my dad sent me this and i am LOSING MY MIND pic.twitter.com/DWFXBapxZq
— trini ⎊ (@hamlinton_) April 7, 2020
A Twitter user named hamlinton_ has posted a video that his dad sent to him, which he says made him lose his mind.
Is something hidden beneath the eggs? Is the video spooky?
Watch the whole video to find out.
(Video Credit: @hamlinton_/ Twitter)
Our hero, Florida Man, knew that the police were coming for him with a probation violation arrest warrant. He cleverly deduced that the officers would avoid infection with the coronavirus and so placed a sign on the door of his home, warning them that he was infected. This was a ruse.
It failed. WEAR TV reports:
Deputies say they properly researched to ensure Price was lying about his condition. They showed up with proper PPE just in case.
Price was booked into the jail and showed no indication of having the coronavirus.
-via Dave Barry | Photo: Putnam County Sheriff's Office
This is the sort of content I find fascinating. What's it like to live and work on board a ship? For a cruise ship, the answer is often "pretty good." For example, you'll occasionally need a haircut. This is the barbershop for crew members only on a Carnival-owned vessel.
Core 77 has a roundup of photos showing different crew-only areas of cruise ships, including mess halls, exercise facilities, and laundry rooms. Some of the crews have really nice amenities, including private pubs, weightlifting equipment, and pools that only they can access.
Photo: Cruise Hive
Looking for historical accuracy in Hollywood movies is often a losing proposition, but some movies get it more right than others. You might be surprised at what fashion historian Hilary Davidson has to say about Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.
I spent six years writing a book on Regency fashion, called Dress in the Age of Jane Austen. I have spent a lot of time looking at genuine Regency dress. But I also spent a lot of time in the last year or so doing a lot of tedious production work for the book. I watched a lot of films on the way. I love Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I was watching it in the background as I was copy editing my index or some tedious, tedious thing and just enjoying it. Then, we got to the bit where they kidnap Beethoven.
My eye is so attuned to Regency dress, and anyone who follows my Twitter will know that I get quite opinionated about Regency costume on-screen. I was looking at the background extras, and I suddenly paused it and went, “Hang on a second.” I rewound it a bit and went through it in slow motion and went, “You know what? This is really, really good.” It’s a 1980s teen comedy. You don’t expect a high standard of costuming. After that, I thought, well, that’s it. That’s my benchmark. If the main characters’ costumes in a Regency production aren’t better done than the background extras’ in a 1980s teen comedy, I think you’ve failed in the costume design.
So which movies pass the Bill & Ted test? Find out at Slate. -via Metafilter
It would seem that carbon dioxide not only harms the environment; it also harms our mental ability. According to this study recently published in the AGU journal GeoHealth, as the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases, indoor levels of the gas will increase as well, and this will “significantly reduce our basic decision-making ability and complex strategic thinking.”
"It's amazing how high CO2 levels get in enclosed spaces," said Kris Karnauskas, CIRES Fellow, associate professor at CU Boulder and lead author of the new study… "It affects everybody—from little kids packed into classrooms to scientists, business people and decision makers to regular folks in their houses and apartments."
[...]
Put simply, when we breathe air with high CO2 levels, the CO2 levels in our blood rise, reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches our brains. Studies show that this can increase sleepiness and anxiety, and impair cognitive function.
It is said that by the end of the century, indoor levels of carbon dioxide will be three times that of today’s outdoor levels.
More details about this over at PHYS.org.
Scary.
(Image Credit: geralt/ Pixabay)
Missing your IKEA meatball fix? We’ve created a recipe for you to recreate this delicious dish in the comfort of your own home #IKEAmeatballs pic.twitter.com/d89lRsJxH7
— IKEA UK (@IKEAUK) April 20, 2020
When it comes to meatballs, IKEA meatballs are god-tier meatballs. If you haven’t tasted them yet, then you’re missing out much in life.
Thankfully, you don’t have to wait for the time when you can go outside before you can have a taste of these divine morsels. You can “recreate this delicious dish in the comfort of your own home”, as the furniture retail company itself has released their recipe online.
Thanks, IKEA!
Via BoredPanda
(Image Credit: IKEA/ Twitter)
Have you ever heard of a "bottle whimsey"? It's an object, artwork, or complete scene inside a glass bottle. You are familiar with the classic ship-in-a-bottle, but that's only one type among an astonishing variety of things that people managed to get into a bottle. It's a folk art that people developed as a hobby that resulted in an impressive accomplishment shielded from damage by the bottle itself. Susan D. Jones, author of Genius in a Bottle: The Art and Magic of Bottle Whimseys, explains the rise of the art form.
“The vast majority of whimseys date from after 1900, even 1910,” Jones explains. “They didn’t become something everyday people could make until bottles became common and thought of as disposable. My guess is that the first disposable small bottles were patent medicine bottles; so many of my older bottles are stamped with the name of a drugstore.”
After the Civil War, handmade bottle whimseys became more popular in the United States and the themes expanded from the craft’s European roots: Some showcased Masonic or fraternal objects, wishing wells, farm or household tools, elaborate whittled fans, and other general whimsies. As Jones writes in her book, “A growing and mobile population of laborers spread the art form through contacts on the job, in the Army and Navy, in prison, and by the late 19th century, through the hobo communities connected by river, road and rail. Houses, intricate interlocking wooden puzzles, shops and saloons and brothels, fans and birds, framed pictures and memorials, tools, chairs, and wishing wells all became the subjects of this folk-art expression.”
“I think the yarn winders and niddy noddies and spinning wheels were popular because they are difficult to make and wind,” Jones says. “The kind with different levels of spokes coming out from the center, wound with thread around them and sometimes with beads, are very challenging. So there is an extra ‘gee whiz’ factor. And yarn winders were something many people had at home to copy from.”
Read the rest of the story, and see some amazing examples of bottle whimseys at Collectors Weekly.
Jones Bar-B-Q is the heart of Kansas City-style barbecue. The Jones sisters, how have operated it for more than thirty years, have built their business around take-out. So they've made a fairly smooth transition into the contactless delivery that is prized during our pandemic era. Atlas Obscura reports that they recently installed a vending machine:
“We got a pop vending machine, and I looked at it and thought maybe we could put food in,” Jones says. “The vendor couldn’t believe it when I first asked about putting barbecue in a vending machine.”
The machine is stocked daily with complete meals:
The burnt ends at Jones Bar-B-Q are one of the seven items available from the vending machine. Alongside chicken wings, turkey, and rib tips, they’re stocked between 5 and 10 a.m. as they come off a smoker sitting next to a big pile of hickory wood. Jones labels each clamshell package with a hand-written description on masking tape. The sandwiches come with a small cup of sauce and sweet barbecue beans, potato salad, or coleslaw. Stacked high inside a soft white bun, the smoky, charred burnt ends are tender, moist, and taste like meat candy.
It makes me hungry just to read that description!
Swedish artist Max Björverud turned the ordinary toilet paper roller into a sophisticated instrument at an installation at the SNASK creative agency in Stockholm. Hack A Day explains how it works:
Inspired by the way bicycle computers determine your speed, [Max] took a set of toilet paper holders, extended each roll holding part with a 3D-printed attachment housing a magnet, and installed a Hall-effect sensor to determine the rolling activity. The rolls’ sensor data is then collected with an Arduino Mega and passed on to a Raspberry Pi Zero running Pure Data, creating the actual sounds. The sensor setup is briefly shown in another video.
