Archives for July 2013

You can go anywhere online and find reasons to not like our country very much. What people forget is that you can go online and find reasons not to like any country very much. It is the nature of countries. Morals get compromised, lines get blurred. But people get fed and roads get built too. You take the good with the bad. For me life is simple. There are always extremists who justify their beliefs by demonizing everyone else. I exclude those people from my life. I have discovered that not giving them attention makes them go away. They are like the trolls in the classic movie Wizards. Leaderless and ignored they crawl back under their rocks. That being said there’s a lot of good that this country has to offer. It is rich in diversity. As a friend of mine said “It’s hard to hate what you know” and America offers you the chance to get to know a wide variety of people and places. Despite all the vitriol you see on TV I can assure you that the majority of Americans want nothing more than a roof over their head, food on their table and a chance for their families to prosper. In other words, they want what you and I want.

And they want to help those in need. Why else would there be a book called The Straight Girls Guide to Sleeping with Chicks? Ignoring the fact that the title has a punctuation error it still seems very helpful.

While I can’t be THAT helpful to our readers I can offer them some fun facts that they can enjoy on this holiday. The nice people at ABC News have put up their annual list of Independence Day Trivia. So, have fun winning bar bets with people not cool enough to read this blog.

Sparklers? Check. Head-to-toe red, white and blue outfit? Check. Pocket-sized Declaration of Independence? Heck yes.

The Fourth of July may be known for its stellar picnics, fabulous fireworks and heavy doses of patriotism, but what about the coincidental deaths and jumbo-sized gifts that have also marked America’s 236 birthdays?

If the Fourth of July had a greatest hits reel, this would be it.

1776: Pomp and Parade, Two Days Late

America’s second president John Adams is notorious for his love of Independence Day. But if you ask Adams, the country has gotten the date wrong for the past 236 years.

Adams wrote that July 2, the date the Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Britain, not July 4, the date Congress’ president John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence, should be “the great anniversary Festival.”

“The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America,” Adams wrote on July 3, 1776. “It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”

At least he got the pomp and parade part right.

1826 and 1831: The Death of a President (or Three)

For America’s first five presidents, the Fourth of July was not only a celebration of their great achievement, but it was also, apparently, a prime day to die. Three of America’s first five presidents died on Independence Day.

John Adams, the second president, and Thomas Jefferson, the third president, were bitter rivals throughout their political careers, but nearly twins in their deaths. They died hours apart on July 4, 1826, Adams at age 90 in Massachusetts and Jefferson at age 83 in Virginia.

James Monroe, the fifth president, also died on July 4, five years after Adams and Jefferson in 1831. The 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, was born on the Fourth of July in 1872.

1863: Vicksburg Victory

After one month, 15 miles of trenches, countless battles, near-constant bombing, Confederate Gen. John Pemberton surrendered to Union forces at Vicksburg, Miss. That surrender, on July 4, 1863 would mark a turning point in the Civil War, when the scales tipped in the North’s favor.

The South did not surrender for another two years. The town of Vicksburg refused to celebrate the Fourth of July for the next 81 years.

1870: Congress Makes It Official

It took nearly 100 years for Congress to make the Fourth of July an official holiday, despite the widespread celebrations that had been ringing in America’s birthday since the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.

Boston was ahead of the national curve, becoming the first city to designate the Fourth a city-wide holiday in 1783. That’s the same year Gov. Alexander Martin issued a state order making North Carolina the first state to officially celebrate U.S. independence on July 4.

1884: A French Birthday Present, Size XXL

The United States got what may be the country’s largest physical birthday present on July 4, 1884, when the French presented it with the Statue of Liberty. It took four months to assemble the 151-foot-tall statue, which was shipped from Paris in hundreds of pieces.

While the statue was intended to commemorate America’s centennial, it was not formally dedicated until 10 years after the fact, when President Grover Cleveland held a Statue of Liberty ceremony on October 28, 1886.

In other 1884 news, miners in Swan City, Colo., blew up their local post office on Independence Day because the town did not supply them with fireworks.

1912: The Fourth Goes Global

It may be America’s birthday, but the United States isn’t the only country that celebrates it. Denmark started throwing a Fourth of July bash in 1912 after thousands of Danes emigrated to the United States.

Thousands of Danish Americans and U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe celebrate Independence Day at the annual outdoor festival in Rebild, Denmark. The Danish tourism office bills it as the largest Fourth of July celebration outside the United States.

Former presidents such as Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush have been keynote speakers at the celebration, as have other famous Americans like Walter Cronkite and Walt Disney, according to the Rebild National Park Society.

1938: Federal Employees Rejoice

Congress officially declared July 4 a federal holiday back in 1870, but it took them nearly 70 years to give federal employees a paid day off. July 4, 1938, was the first Independence Day that federal employees picnicked, barbequed and fireworked without denting their paychecks.

1998: A Presidential Premonition?

The current president’s first-born daughter, Malia, was born on the Fourth of July 14 years ago. For the past three years she has celebrated her birthday with hundreds of military families at a picnic on the White House lawn.

Also in 1998, Congress passed a bill declaring the 21 days between Flag Day and Independence Day as “Honor America Days,” encouraging Americans to celebrate their country for nearly a solid month. No more feeling guilty about throwing a barbeque and lighting sparklers every night in June.

2011: 21st Century Problems

Three presidents have already died on Independence Day and last year hackers tried to trick Twitter users into thinking President Obama had become the fourth.

Hackers broke into Fox News’ Twitter account and fired off six tweets declaring Obama had been shot and killed in Iowa. In reality, the president was barbequing at the White House.

The Secret Service investigated the tweets and Fox, after regaining control of its Twitter password, promptly declared them “malicious” and “false.”

Also, just FYI, Thomas Jefferson did not write the Declaration of Independence. I don’t care what those cartoons keep telling you. You can win lots of bar bets when you click that link.

So, go out, see America, say hi to America, get to know America, I bet you’ll like it when you do.

Team Rockstar Road Trip 2013 – Seattle Update from steve prue on Vimeo.

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Sunday was the pride parade. A day when a million people go out to celebrate diversity and then go home and hope none of that diversity stuff happens to them. I was on the bus Sunday morning on my way for my ritual breakfast with a couple of buddies. In case I’d forgotten about the pride parade the citizens on the bus quickly reminded me. Now, normally, when the phrase “hot, black and mini-skirt” gets tied together with “in my lap” I’m a pretty happy guy. However the exception that proved the rule was this nice young, African American, man in a kilt. The bus had hit a pothole and he was bounced from where he was to where I was. Nevertheless he seemed nice enough, I got off at the next stop (if you’ll pardon the phrase) and the world spun merrily onward. I’m no longer sure that’s good news. I’ll give you a good example; Paula Deen + Porn. No, you’ll never unsee that. A company called Pure Mature has offered Deen 6 figures to be their spokesperson. Allegedly nudity will not be involved but, still, ewwwww.

Or how about the story of Darrell Moore, that wacky guy who walked into a police station, reported a fake murder and then started masbturbating in the station. I know this is going to come as a shock to all of you, but Mr. Moore was arrested.

He was probably overstimulated thinking about Paula Deen.

The Huntsville Stars, a minor league baseball team in Alabama, had to cancel their big promotion of giving away guns to all their fans. It turns out that, among the many problems with this idea, that insurance companies frown on free weapons, ammo and beer being used in the same location.

Who knew?

Still, better than the soccer promotion in Russia. It seems that drunk kids decapitated a homeless guy and used his head for a ball.

Clearly the world’s gone to hell.

Scientists the world over, buying into the soccer theme, have decided to help usher humanity on its way to oblivion. Toby Sterling reports that they are building robots that will, sooner rather than later, be able to beat humans at sports.

With the score tied 1-1, it’s gone to a penalty shootout in a tense soccer match between teams from Israel and Australia.

As the Australian goalkeeper in his red jersey braces for the shot, the Israeli striker pauses. Then he breaks into a dance instead of kicking the ball.

Perhaps he can be forgiven: He’s a robot, after all.

Welcome to the RoboCup, where more than a thousand soccer-playing robots from forty countries have descended on the Dutch technology Mecca of Eindhoven this week with one goal in mind: beat the humans.

Eventually.

The tournament’s mission is to defeat the human World Cup winners by 2050 – creating technology along the way that will have applications far beyond the realm of sport.

To achieve the goal, organizers have created multiple competition classes – including small robots, large robots, humanoid robots and even virtual robots – with plans to merge their techniques into a single squad of all-star androids capable of one day winning a man vs. machine matchup.

For now, Lionel Messi doesn’t need to look over his shoulder. Humanoid robots have difficulty keeping their balance, and the largest – human height – move more like, well, robots than world-class athletes.

“To be honest, I think a 3-year-old could win against any of the humanoid teams,” says Marcell Missura of the University of Bonn, whose NimbRO team won the “teen” humanoid class in Mexico City last year.

NimbRO’s 3-foot (120 centimeter) striker sports a shock of white hair and a flashy pink bandanna as it towers above a Japanese opponent in one match. That’s because the Japanese player doesn’t have a head, just a prong with a camera mounted on top.

The NimbRO striker shuffles over to the ball where it lies near one sideline, centers itself carefully, and then raises its head to gauge the placement of the goal. It then shifts its weight to one foot, draws back the other foot and kicks.

GOAAAAAAL!

The shot is not powerful, but it’s spot on, and it leaves the opposing keeper flat-footed.

“It’s starting to look like soccer,” Missura says hopefully.

Missura says his robot’s outfit, which also includes a pair of shorts that hang clumsily from its robotic hips, actually hinders its performance, leading to overheating. But making the bots look human is part of his task.

“If they’re ugly they will not be accepted by people,” he said. “Plus it is a little fun.”

While the humanoid robots have a long way to go, it’s a different story when robots are allowed to be robots – that is, with wheels, joints that can pivot 360 degrees and a wide array of sensors.

The smallest robots, each about the size and shape of a birthday cake, swarm across their field, weaving around like piranhas. These bots play with a golf ball they tick into the goal so powerfully it’s difficult to see it happen.

As in all the divisions, once a game starts, there’s no human interference – except for substitutions, when humans are allowed to remove a bot that has broken down, and when referees eject a player for fouling an opponent.

The mid-size robot competition – which some fans refer to as “the R2-D2 league” – most resembles real soccer, played on a 60 foot (18 meter) long court.

Majid Gholipour, leader of teams from Iran’s Qazvin Open University, says his mid-size bots, which are shaped like buoys, have a top speed of around 14 mph (22 kph).

The bots use different kicks for passing and shooting, and they communicate their position to each other via wireless Internet connections.

The University of Eindhoven’s “Tech United” is favored to repeat as mid-size winner. But the Iranians were runners-up in 2012, and Gholipour says his robots’ strategy is becoming more complex.

“If they are losing, they go on the attack,” he says. “If they are winning, everybody goes to defense. Like Italians.”

Both the Dutch team and the Iranian team confide that they’ve got a secret weapon this year: “path planning,” where the ball is passed toward open space as a robot scoots to intercept it.

But arguably the most enjoyable matches to watch are in the “standard platform” division, where all contestants use the same small humanoid robot, manufactured by Aldebaran Robotics. These are built with a stylish white design that includes glowing eyes that can change color to signal `emotion.’

In this league, the challenge is purely in the software: the best computer code wins.

Many teams play looking like they’re drunk. When programmers push the limits on speed, the bots tend to fall down even more often than human professionals do.

But watching the bots stand back up, rotating their knees forward and pushing up off of one hand, it’s possible to envision them running and jumping someday.

Unlike with human players, there are no prima donnas among the robots. Each plays every position equally wall, and they shift roles seamlessly. Goalkeepers have been known to come out and act as strikers. And when a bot gets a shot on goal, it rarely misses.

“That’s the advantage a robot has over a human,” says Dickens He, on the University of Pennsylvania’s `UPennalizers’ team. “There are no mistakes: a robot does what it is programmed to do.”

Tournament director Rene van de Molengraft says the humanoid bots range from as little as $5,000 for the standard platform bots, when bought in bulk, to $35,000 or more for handmade adult-size models, which are taller.

Still a bargain compared to the $75 million Barcelona just paid for Brazil star Neymar.

That’s right, what could possibly go wrong if you build a race of immortal beings who are smarter and stronger than you and then discount their price for bulk buying?

I’ve written about this before so there’s no need to dredge up uncomfortable memories. Suffice it to say good things are never the result.

And, no, I have no idea what today’s music video is about. But since we’ll all be extinct soon anyway I guess it doesn’t matter

Chinese Grandpa – Components Music Video from Ashes Wednesday on Vimeo.