Skim Milk: Strelein Warehouse by Ian Moore Architects

Skim Milk: Strelein Warehouse by Ian Moore Architects:

This converted warehouse, located in Sydney, Australia, is a 150 sqm design by Ian Moore Architects. Strelein Warehouse was transformed into a two-level residence in 2010. The residence has two entrances, with the front-entrance composed of a steel frame with brick overlay.

There is a 1.7 meter height difference between the two streets that the warehouse is located on, which can be seen in the tall ceilings of the living space. The kitchen is located half a level above and overlooks the living room area that is screened by a black steel plate. Anything from the existing structure was painted white, while any new elements were painted black.

The black and white features of the interior are stunning, especially because the colors are coded in accordance to the period of the structure’s construction. I also love unassuming, industrial exteriors that lead into a clean, minimalist interior.

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© 2012 Design Milk | Posted by Leo in Architecture, Interior Design | Permalink | 1 comment

Why we don't hire programmers based on puzzles, API quizzes, math riddles, or other parlor tricks

Why we don't hire programmers based on puzzles, API quizzes, math riddles, or other parlor tricks:

I remember the first time I interviewed for a front-end programming position and got asked how to do something in JavaScript on a white board. The specifics are vague, but it’s crystal clear how stupid it made me feel and how little it had to do with the actual job.

Since then I’ve rarely heard a kind word about the parlor tricks of programmer hiring, but I’ve heard plenty of scorn. There’s certainly a minority of puzzle solvers who love to get their fancy tickled like this, but I sure wasn’t one of them and neither have most programmers I’ve met.

I’ve known fabulous programmers flame out in the quizzing cage and terrible ones excel. So unless you’re specifically hiring someone to design you the next sorting algorithm, making them do so on the white board is a poor gauge of future success.

The only reliable gauge I’ve found for future programmer success is looking at real code they’ve written, talking through bigger picture issues, and, if all that is swell, trying them out for size.

(If you need help posting a comment, feel free to use any of these samples: “You make todo lists, you don’t need real software engineers”, “Math is actually really important, you know!”, “Google is worth one gajillion dollars and they use quizzes, so there!”)

Parenting Fails: At Least You Have the Speed Thing Down!

Parenting Fails: At Least You Have the Speed Thing Down!:

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Sensics Natalia head-tracking 3D goggles work alone or with PCs, consoles and phones

Sensics Natalia head-tracking 3D goggles work alone or with PCs, consoles and phones:

Well, it looks like Sensics is going to give Sony some competition in the high-end, head-mounted display arena with a new 3D head-mounted display. Like the HMZ-T1, Sensics' Natalia headset has dual OLED screens and can connect to consoles, PCs, or phones to let you see your favorite movies and games in 3D. Unlike the Sony, Natalia sports higher-res 1280 x 1024 screens, and isn't simply a display: it has a 1.2GHZ dual-core CPU and 1GB of memory, an SD card slot, WiFi, Bluetooth, and runs Android 4.0. That means that it can be used as a standalone device, and the company's libSensics app programming interface gives devs the tools needed to create software for the new platform. Oh, and did we mention that Sensics' headset does 360-degree head tracking, and can track your hands to allow for immersive AR user experiences (think Minority Report). The final feather in her cap? Though Natalia can run on DC power, she also has hot-swappable batteries so you aren't tethered to an outlet. Sensics isn't telling how much this nifty bit of kit will cost, but the company's aiming for a late 2012 release and will be showing the headset off at CES next week -- where we'll be getting hands on with it and will let you know how well (and if) it works.

Continue reading Sensics Natalia head-tracking 3D goggles work alone or with PCs, consoles and phones

Sensics Natalia head-tracking 3D goggles work alone or with PCs, consoles and phones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IED attack simulator prepares US soldiers prior to Afghan deployment

IED attack simulator prepares US soldiers prior to Afghan deployment:

Just one question. Can I use this system to play Dirt or Battlefield 3?

A new simulation exercise is now in place for US troops at the Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center near Edinburgh, Indiana. Built primarily from off-the-shelf components, the system is designed to better prepare soldiers for the physical and psychological challenges of IED attacks, which are currently the number one threat to military personnel stationed in Afghanistan. Situated inside a mounted vehicle and positioned in front of a large screen, service members are exposed to jarring explosions, smoke, noise and poor visibility -- all common occurrences of IED assaults. The system records the entire nightmarish scenario, which allows participants to review their performance and learn from their mistakes.



For soldiers who've never been to Afghanistan, the simulator will also be used to familiarize troops with the war zone terrain and other situations they may encounter along the way. Just how realistic is the IED simulation? According to Spc. Darren J. Ganier-Slotterbeck, "I deployed in 2005, 2007 and 2008 with the Marines. I've been blown up multiple times, and it definitely brought back memories. I was a little shaky when I got out of that thing. I'm not going to lie." He went on to say, "If we'd had the ability to go through training like this at the time, those deployments would have been a lot different." Sounds scary. We're not going to lie.

IED attack simulator prepares US soldiers prior to Afghan deployment originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TG Daily | US Army | Email this | Comments

The Other 1%: People Who Still Use IE6

The Other 1%: People Who Still Use IE6:

Today the Internet bids another goodbye to Internet Explorer 6, whose U.S. death is inevitable. New data from Net Applications shows that less than 1% of U.S. Internet users choose IE6 as their browser of choice. And when it comes to the mobile/tablet browser market share, only 0.41% use some variation of Internet Explorer, period. iOS devices come with pre-installed Safari browsers, which make for 53.3% of the mobile browser market. Meanwhile, Opera Mini and an Android browser account for 21.66% and 15.87% of the mobile market, respectively.

Browser trends from Sitepoint showed some IE6 death signs just a month ago, noting that more people browsed the Web on their smartphones than used IE6 and IE7 combined.

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Yet, little more than one year ago, IE6 was still the third most popular browser in the world. At the time, companies were lazily using IE6 as a means of social control - social networking sites were nearly inaccessible through the dinosaur browser. This was all despite the ridiculous security risks it posed. Yet, at the time, the future of IE6 was still up for debate.

Web developers, designers and regular users noticed that IE6 was on the decline earlier last year, with only 2.9% of the U.S. Internet using IE6. At the time, the highest number of IE6 users were located in Asia.

Wordpress.com stopped supporting IE 6 last May and YouTube stopped supporting it back in early 2010.

Even Microsoft apologized to developers about that whole "wasting time on building stuff for IE6" thing. The company began automatically upgrading Internet Explorer on Windows 7, Vista and XP.

Regardless of how you feel about IE6, data shows that the end is near.

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Turn Your WiFi Network Into A Twitter-Like Private Messaging Platform

Turn Your WiFi Network Into A Twitter-Like Private Messaging Platform:

Internet users usually think of Wi-Fi networks as either open (hey, let's steal Internet from our neighbor instead of paying for it!) or closed (only those with a password can access the Internet). If you leave your network open, how often do you actually know the people who are also logged on?

Wifis.org, a new site created and operated by Berlin-based Mathias Nitzsche and "Robert," turns your WiFi network into a contact form of sorts, making you accessible to others via private messages that are transmitted through your WiFi network. To create an account on WiFis.org, login using your Facebook or Google account.

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After you have logged on account, go to your wireless router or modem and change your Wi-Fi network's name (SSID). This won't change anything about the service itself.

Should Wi-Fi networks be more social? WiFis.org seems like it might be more useful for a Wi-Fi network you would access while traveling. Take the case of hotel lobbies, for instance. If anything, you may want to stop sharing your files with others in the lobby, but you still may want to find some way to connect with people around you in a less-than-awkward fashion.

"Robert" suggested another possible use to us via email: You've just moved to a new neighborhood, and you haven't yet set up your WiFi connection. So you start looking for open networks. You could do the old-fashioned "knock on peoples' doors and actually say hello" thing, or you could use WiFis.org to message them. What you decide to do is up to you.

WiFis.org is not designed for the hotel or cafe experience - at least, not yet. For now, it's best for the everyday home Wi-Fi user who might not know who their neighbors are, and might actually want to. But not necessarily in-person.

Discuss

Developer pairs robot with gaming controllers for remote cat grooming, affection expression

Developer pairs robot with gaming controllers for remote cat grooming, affection expression:

You could take the time to make your cat feel loved. Or you could augment a robot to do it for you. Software engineer Taylor Veltrop has accomplished this by combining a 21-inch-tall Nao robot, a few Wiimotes, a Kinect sensor bar, a treadmill and a head-mounted display. The configuration, which represents about a year's work and several thousand dollars in parts, uses the Kinect and Wii remotes to control the robot's arms, the sensor bar and treadmill to provide movement and the head-mounted display to move the Nao's head and adjust its camera angle. This is still a work in progress, and doesn't include things like two-way audio, which Veltrop plans to implement using an integrated microphone and speakers. Click past the break for a video of robotic feline grooming action.

Continue reading Developer pairs robot with gaming controllers for remote cat grooming, affection expression

Developer pairs robot with gaming controllers for remote cat grooming, affection expression originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chris Taylor (game designer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chris Taylor (game designer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
I had no idea I was a fan of Chris Taylor's work until I read this wiki. Great minds and all of that...

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Inside Will Wright’s next big game: HiveMind (exclusive) | VentureBeat

Inside Will Wright’s next big game: HiveMind (exclusive) | VentureBeat: " buff himself, Wright had a great time talking to those people. It was random luck, but quite entertaining.

“I"

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28c3's Channel - YouTube

28c3's Channel - YouTube: