CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-24 23:09:06 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Chief Crazy Horse Memorial

Even unfinished this is an amazing project. I'd love to go and see it some time.

2013-05-24 22:40:31 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 15 +1s)

Review: Fiskars 6201 18-Inch Staysharp Max Push Reel Lawn Mower

So I've had this mower for about 3 weeks now which has given me some time to get used to how it works and how to get the most out of it. And I've got to say I really like it.

It's not going to work for everyone though. It's remarkably easy to push all things considered and the gearing works very well to keep the blades spinning but you are the one doing all the work in the end.

As you can see from the photo the wheels are small so bumpy, uneven ground will be a problem and soft ground is going to be hard work.

To get the most out of it you have to prepare your lawn a bit. First by removing any larger sticks that might jam the mower. Then, if the grass has gotten over 4" I'd strongly recommend you  take a weed whacker to it and bring it down to size.

After... more »

2013-05-24 21:40:38 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Starship Enterprise Knuckle Tattoo

The website calls these the best Starship Enterprise knuckle tattoo. Causing me to wonder how many Starship Enterprise knuckle tattoos are out there?

Well it beats Hate and Love I guess.

http://www.geekytattoos.com/the-best-starship-enterprise-knuckle-tattoo/

2013-05-24 21:35:12 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 7 +1s)

Pinocchio Has Some Advice For Voldemort

2013-05-24 21:15:58 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Is Yahoo Bidding For Hulu?

All Things D seem to think so anyway.

The streaming video service which is jointly owned by NBC Universal, Fox, and Disney was set up at least in part to fight YouTube and has actually proved successful almost despite its owners.

But with CEO Jason Kilar resigning the end seemed to be in sight and the infighting between the owners became more obvious. Worryingly employees seem to be starting to leave.

A number of bidders have already showed up including Time Warner Cable  and DirecTV.

But in many ways Yahoo might be the best we can hope for. It would keep it out of the hands of the established distributors and would give Yahoo an established brand in an area they are looking to make a name in. Assuming of course the license deals come with the Hulu name.

We already know that Yahoo is willing to spend moneyf... more »

2013-05-24 20:43:00 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

I notice that you can actually tell how is online in Hangouts because they have a green bar under their pictures.

Is that a change since they launched it?

2013-05-24 20:29:50 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

LEGO Dragons- Knight Battles Dragon

Mark of Falworth strikes again with his latest diorama which gives us a Knight back to the edge of a cliff by a Black Dragon and his rider.

So much action caught in this it's great. A real cliffhanger if you will.

Also of note, look at the effort that goes into even the vegitation here. Not an easy thing to do well with LEGO. And the multi-shaded cliffs!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mark-of-falworth/8814325942/

2013-05-24 20:26:23 (31 comments, 33 reshares, 159 +1s)

Mass Effect Cosplay - Tali

I'm not that familiar with Mass Effect but this costume design is impressive and some of the photos are really well done. All round nice work by Ayimera.

https://www.facebook.com/AyimeraDesign/photos_stream

2013-05-24 19:14:54 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

My Thoughts On Ghostbusters 3

Okay so I really just did this to test out WeVideo which is a free online video editor. And it's quite nice. Except unless you pay you can only upload in 480p with the bug in the corner. Plus I was just using my laptop's webcam which isn't exactly state of the art.

But it amused me, so I'm posting it for you all.

I kept it very succinct...

2013-05-24 18:10:34 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

I have now made over 5,000 public posts on G+.

You're welcome...

2013-05-24 17:57:04 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

I Am Eoghann-Vek

Or at least that's what this site tells me: http://glyphcreator.manofsteel.com/

What I really like though is that as well as creating a graphic for you, and pasting the graphic on a photo if you want, they let you download each of the component elements to do your own things to as well.

2013-05-24 17:03:44 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

Sony & LEGO Demonstrate LEGO Robots Controlled By PlayStation Controllers

The potential for this is almost limitless. The idea of using a controller and miniaturized motors in this way could produce some amazing builds.

2013-05-24 16:24:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Bundle of Holding +2: RPG Game Bundle

Bundles are all the rage these days and if you're looking to expand your RPG collection this one is worth a look.

All the games are DRM free PDFs and they're' quick start games (as little as 10 minutes) where you can run an entire game in 2 hours.

The core games in the bundle are: Grey Ranks (by Fiasco designer Jason Morningstar), , Shooting the Moon (Emily Care Boss), A Penny for My Thoughts (Paul Tevis) and KAGEMATSU (Danielle Lewon).

You set your own price but if you pay over the average (just under $9 right now) you can get two further RPGs:

Monsterhearts (Joe Mcdaldno) and Hollowpoint (Brad Murray and C. W. Marshall), 

http://bundleofholding.com/index/current

2013-05-24 14:53:50 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 12 +1s)

Flickr Spotlight: Peaceful Sunset
Lake Kasumigaura, Inashiki, Ibaraki, JAPAN

So the recent redesign has been active on Flickr again and sometimes I see some gorgeous images. I thought I'd share the occasional one.

This photo was taken by chibitomu and as you can see there's lots to love about it. The blue color of the sky as the sun sets. The longe exposure creating that soft misty water. Lovely image.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uberdogleg/8805431526/in/explore-2013-05-23

2013-05-24 14:41:47 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Roseate Spoonbill, Smithsonian's National Zoo, DC

This spoonbill is happily cleaning itself while nosey onlookers such as myself take snapshots.

If you look at the bill you'll actually see a little bit of a blur.

2013-05-24 14:00:30 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Port Wrath LEGO Diorama

Another great build by Julias No. The photograph is not one of his strongest but there's so many crazy ideas in here.

The blood red water, the tentacles under the dock.

Does this look like a safe port to visit to you?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/72036844@N04/8757261537/

2013-05-24 13:42:36 (8 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox - Trailer

Even though this is a direct to DVD release, I decided to put it in comics because I think the audience for these animations is really the comic book readers.

This latest one is based on the recent Flashpoint storyline which reset the DC universe and gives us a story where the Flash is the central character.

I haven't actually read the story, did anyone like it?

The DVD comes out July 30th and the voice cast is:

Justin Chambers  - Barrya Allen / The Flash; Kevin McKidd  Thomas Wayne/Batman;  Michael B. Jordan as Cyborg; C. Thomas Howell as Thawne/Professor Zoom; Nathan Fillion as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern; Ron Perlman as Slade and Deathstroke; Dana Delany as Lois Lane; Cary Elwes as Aquaman; Danny Huston as General Lane; Sam Daly as Superman, and Kevin Conroy as Batman. 

2013-05-24 13:16:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

Steampunk Cosplay

Here's a nice twist on the usual cosplay. Rather than copying or doing a variation on an existing character, this is an entirely original steampunk character.

Lovely design and photography here.

http://nerium-oleandr.deviantart.com/art/Steampunk-Lady-373133917?q=gallery%3Anerium-oleandr%2F34119246&qo=1

2013-05-24 12:17:07 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 1 +1s)

2013-05-23 23:22:35 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Disney Villains Go 1920s Retro

Artist Katia Oloy has produced a series of images putting classic Disney villains into 1920s garb.

Captain Hook, Ursula and the evil queen from  Snow White are my personal favorites.

You can see the others here: http://blogs.disney.com/oh-my-disney/2013/05/21/1920s-disney-style/

2013-05-23 22:58:22 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

And What's Hot ruins another perfectly good post.

Oh well.

2013-05-23 21:30:38 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 16 +1s)

Avengers / Star Wars Mashup Artwork

So now that both Marvel and Lucasfilm are owned by Disney we are faced with the prospect of Star Wars characters with more than just Mickey Mouse ears.

Presenting two of the Stormvengers! That's right Marvel's Avengers Stormtrooper style.

http://ianbrooks.me/post/50991676252/stormvengers-by-jon-bolerjack

2013-05-23 20:50:52 (10 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Monsters University Trailer

It's just a trailer so I shouldn't read too much into it, but this one left me completely flat.

I enjoyed Cars 2 (apparently unlike a lot of people) but Brave was a disappointment to me and this one so far isn't doing much for me at all.

What's up Pixar?

2013-05-23 20:41:10 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Sea World's Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin Ride

Sea World Florida has spent a lot of money on their new expansion Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin and at the heart of is is this dark ride using state of art trackless vehicles that allow for customized routes.

This video gives you an idea of what the new ride is like and it does look pretty cool.

2013-05-23 22:30:06 (87 comments, 220 reshares, 517 +1s)

Star k Trek Theme  Played On Harps

So the Harp Twins have previously done a version of the Doctor Who theme tune. Now they tackle Star Trek.

It's really one of the nicer versions of the theme I've heard and they've even got some  classic Star Trek uniforms on, plus what looks like authentic alien planet scenery from the original series.

I'll never get the whole dressing identically thing though.

2013-05-23 19:18:05 (2 comments, 7 reshares, 29 +1s)

LEGO Alien Facehugger

So I realize it's basically impossible to top that life size LEGO X-Wing that everyone's been posting today. But since everyone's been posting it I don't see the point in copying them.

Instead let me present to you this life size LEGO Alien Facehugger. Complete with authentic face hugging action!

http://al13n163na.deviantart.com/art/Facehugger-1-372751016

2013-05-23 16:35:40 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

For Those Who Were Concerned About The Future Of Google Voice

2013-05-23 14:49:05 (13 comments, 5 reshares, 8 +1s)

Does Google Now Have Apple Worried

It could just be that Apple is an incredibly litigious company (at least recently) or are they actually upset that Google Now seems to have really stolen all of Siri's hype and then you know... actually worked as advertised?

2013-05-23 14:31:30 (11 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Change The Direction This Train Moves With The Power Of Your Mind

Once you get the hang of it, it's actually quite easy to change how your brain processes this gif so that the train moves the other way.

Which way do you see it moving?

2013-05-23 11:44:36 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Well The New Look For G+ Is Working

While I do wish that Google would get on and fix some of the quirks and bugs that the new interface has introduced, it's clear that for me the new look is achieving its main aim.

I'm seeing more posts and from a wider variety of people.

Now keep in mind that I follow a relatively small number of people (somewhere around 600) and yet I am seeing people who's posts I never seemed to catch before as well as seeing more posts from the various communities I'm in.

So much so I've actually started to remove a few people from my circles again.

2013-05-23 11:33:09 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Adding Two Factor Authentication To Your Wordpress Installation

As the most popular self-hosted blogging platform, Wordpress is under constant attack from hackers.

There are a lot of steps you can take to make your installation more secure, but one of the easiest is to install this plugin which implements two-factor authentication using the Google Authenticator Android app.

2013-05-22 23:44:02 (1 comments, 4 reshares, 14 +1s)

The Kid Avengers Battle Thanos... Sort Of

Another great bit of art from Skottie Young.

http://skottieyoung.com/post/50583208449/infinity-1-variant-cover

2013-05-22 23:29:57 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 17 +1s)

Going For A Swim

2013-05-22 22:52:42 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Ch..Ch.. Changes

Okay so the changes have started. You will now see a link the About box when you enter the community.

That link takes you to a page I'll host which has the current version of the Community Rules and Spoiler Policy. I'm still open to discussion on some of the finer points of those. This is a benevolent dictatorship.

In the mean time I will be moderating based on those standards. I'll also be approaching people about becoming moderators (feel free to volunteer if you haven't already).

I have also gone ahead and removed the Blatant Self Promotion topic because no one really seemed to want it. Again I'm still open to tweaking the policies on promoting projects but it has been over-running the community.

You may also have noticed the What Are You Reading post in Books. I plan on doing that about monthly and... more »

2013-05-22 22:01:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

LEGO Spaceship  - UNEN Von Braun

LEGO builder John Moffat has designed the wonderfully named spaceship UNEN Von Braun.

The Goddard class of destroyer was produced relatively late in to the Coalition war. Designed as a response to the massive dreadnoughts of the Tarsin Imperial Navy, these vessels were the first outfitted with the Typhoon nuclear cannon to take on their heavily armored opponents.

Which is all pretty cool in its own right. But what put it over the edge was the forced perspective shot of a shuttle going in to dock.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/crazy_texan/with/8783560575/

2013-05-22 21:50:45 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Most Ridiculous Flickr Design Complaint I've Read So Far

It rapes the eyes with it's non-standard picture sizes.

2013-05-22 21:08:28 (7 comments, 9 reshares, 48 +1s)

Disney Cosplay - Merida From Brave

Nice bit of cosplay here that captures the look of the character Merida. The cosplayer in question sews her own costumes apparently and bonus points for being around about the age that Merida must have been in the movies.

http://doxiequeen1.tumblr.com/post/50764219500/here-we-go-some-photos-that-dont-involve-a

2013-05-22 20:49:39 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 8 +1s)

Will Sony Sell Spider-Man Rights Back To Marvel?

This would be huge. If it happens.

Basically Sony has the rights to produce Spider-Man movies for as long as it wants, so long as it releases one every X number of years. They have to keep it in production.

But Sony as a company has a lot of problems and debts. They're looking to restructure and they need money to do it.

Meanwhile think what Disney/Marvel could do if they got the movie rights back to their signature character.  Wouldn't it be great to see Spider-man interacting with Captain America and the rest of the Avengers like in the comics?

http://www.geekrest.com/2013/05/sony-third-point-spider-man-film-rights/

2013-05-22 20:36:52 (3 comments, 4 reshares, 19 +1s)

Darth Vader Stress Head

What does the Dark Lord of the Sith do when he finds himself a little stressed out by those Rebel scum?

Why he squeezes his head of course. What else would you do?

Amazon.com: Darth Vader Stress Head - http://amzn.to/14ShmQG

2013-05-22 20:31:43 (1 comments, 6 reshares, 10 +1s)

Google Drive For Android Brings OCR Scanning

This is one of those things that seems like a small update but could be a huge benefit.

Adding the option to scan documents straight into Google Drive from your Android phone (complete with optical character recognition) will be a huge benefit for people who need to track cheques, receipts etc.

Of course it will also give my employer's security people a heart attack. We already have facilities where cell phones aren't allowed because of cameras.

http://androidcommunity.com/google-drive-android-app-update-brings-document-scanning-with-ocr-20130522

2013-05-22 20:23:24 (6 comments, 8 reshares, 28 +1s)

Mickey And The Magical Map

There's a new show starting up in the recently renovated Fantasyland at Disney World. It's called Mickey & the Magical Map and Disney have released a few photos of the rehersals.

Looks like fun. Everyone always talks about the rollercoasters, but I rather like the shows and parades at Disney World.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/05/first-look-mickey-mouse-and-friends-onstage-for-mickey-and-the-magical-map-at-disneyland-park

2013-05-22 16:12:26 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Portland Rejects Fluoridated Water... Again

Science? Bah!  We don't want no chemicals!

2013-05-22 14:35:38 (8 comments, 2 reshares, 7 +1s)

Amazon Announces Kindle Worlds - Legal FanFic Publications?

In it's attempts to conquer the entire publishing world, Amazon has now cut deals with Warner Brothers to enable authors to legally write and publish (and sell) fan fiction.

In part perhaps because of licensing costs the royalty rates are different. For works over 10,000 words you'll get 35% and for shorter works 5,000 to 10,000 you'll get 20%

Keep an eye on those rates there have been rumors that Amazon would like to deprecate the short stories so we could see something similar happening for the rest of KDP.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1823219&highlight=

2013-05-22 12:34:19 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

So many whiny posts in my stream for the last few days. Apparently the world has ended at least 5 times this week whether it's from Google's UI refresh or Flickr's UI refresh... or.. you know.. something else important.

Look I'm as negative and cynical as the come, but can't you guys find anything to get excited about?

2013-05-22 01:45:41 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Spoiler Policy (1st Draft)

To go with the general community guidelines I thought I should address the thorny issue of spoilers. No system is perfect so this is a compromise at best, but I'm hoping it meets most people's concerns.

What Counts As  A Spoiler?

Rumors are not spoilers. The information provided in promos and synopsis is not a spoiler. Episode titles are not spoilers. Plot information, key characters or events that have not been released by the author/tv station are not spoilers.

Unwelcome Spoilers

Any plot details for a movie/tv show or book that has not aired/been released yet are spoilers and should not be posted or discussed in the community.

Acceptable Spoilers

Plot details, key characters, twists from movies/tv shows or books that are available to read/watch are spoilers, butm... more »

2013-05-22 01:34:54 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

What Are You Reading (May 2013)

Currently I have a couple of books on the go. I'm listening to Flood by Stephen Baxter during my commute and he always does great world disaster scenarios.

Meanwhile on my Kindle I have a book called Scrivener by Ben S. Dobson which is proving to be an above average fantasy read.

What are the rest of you reading at the moment?

2013-05-21 23:04:43 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Orangutan, Smithsonian's National Zoo, DC

This particular orangutan seems particularly deflated in this picture. It was a warm day.

2013-05-21 22:43:22 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Madam Vastra The Series - Fanmade Credit Sequence

This pretty much shows you why we really do need a spin-off  (I'll settle for a mini-series rather than a full series) featuring Madam Vastra, Jenny and Strax.

I think I'd play down the Doctor Who connection more than these credits do mind you.

H/T to +Fred Hicks for posting this.

2013-05-21 22:04:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

The Leaning Girl Kickstarter Campaign

The Obscure Cities is a series of graphic novels by Belgian artist  François Schuiten andwriter Benoît Peeters that were originally published in the 1980s.

Only some of the material was published in the US. This Kickstarter campaign is an effort to resume the translation and production of the Obscure Cities series starting with The Leaning Girl

In this alternate earth, humans live in independent city-state, each of which has developed a distinct culture and architectural style.

The artwork, as you can see, is quite stunning.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/51096880/the-leaning-girl-translated-graphic-novel-project

2013-05-21 20:41:04 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Pre-Order The Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-ray And Get 50% Off

So there's this movie. You may have heard of it. It's called Star Trek Into Darkness. I think it's something the kids are into...

Turns out that even though the Blu-ray edition won't actually be released until... well actually I'm not sure they've even announced a release date for that yet...

ANyway Amazon will let you pre-order for half price which is a pretty good deal if you've seen the movie and like it or you just buy everything that has Star Trek written on it anyway.

http://amzn.to/119DfGw