Behind The Scenes | The Wade-Union Holiday Photo Shoot

Homeless 'Journeyman Hacker' Launches Eco-Friendly Mobile App

Leo Grand, by his own admission, didn't know the first thing about computer programming four months ago. The 37-year-old man was living on the streets of New York City in late August, when a complete stranger approached, offering a choice between two months of coding lessons and $100 in cash. Grand opted for the lessons, and 3,621 lines of code later, he has released his first mobile app. The app — an environmentally conscious carpool organizer called "Trees for Cars" — went live on the App Store just after 12:00 a.m. ET Tuesday, around the same time it went live for Android users.

We caught up with Grand and his teacher, 23-year-old programmer Patrick McConlogue, on the night Trees for Cars launched, and waited with the duo until after midnight in an otherwise empty New York City office.

" This is going to change my life in a magnificent way This is going to change my life in a magnificent way," Grand told Mashable shortly after the launch. For his part, McConlogue didn't seem to mind that his initial offer of lessons for one hour a day for two months had stretched to three-and-a-half month journey with a marathon finish. "It is by far the most rewarding experience of my life," McConlogue said.

The two began their lessons on Aug. 26. McConlogue provided Grand with a used Chromebook laptop and a few text books. The first two months consisted of outdoor lessons conducted on the city benches near Chelsea Piers, where Grand slept. After the hour-long lessons, McConlogue would head off to work, while Grand continued to review and practice what he learned until his computer's battery died. Aided by one of his many friends in the area, Grand recharged the battery overnight at a nearby warehouse.

At the end of the two months, however, Grand and McConlogue realized it was going to take much more work to achieve their goal of launching a mobile app. With the weather turning colder at the end of October, Grand and McConlogue received an unexpected bit of good fortune. Buoyed by an offer from McConlogue's boss, Princeton Review founder John Katzman, the duo moved their lessons into the New York City office of Katzman's new educational search engine company Noodle. Katzman allowed McConlogue to work with Grand on the app full time for the past five weeks.

"My boss deserves a...," McConlogue said, trailing off before finishing the thought: "I owe him big."

Though the project has earned them tens of thousands of supporters, Grand and McConlogue watched the app go live in the office where they had spent so much time working together. Instead of clinking champaign glasses and lighting celebratory cigars, they exchanged high fives and relieved looks surrounded by the energy drinks and empty pizza boxes that fueled them to the finish. Grand said he has already began to research for the next iteration of his app, "Trees for Cars II." He also said he hopes to soon land a job as a computer programmer, though he has yet to submit any applications.

"My first application will be at Google," Grand said. "It's right up the block."

Meanwhile, McConlogue is working to scale his mentorship program. He said more than 150 programmers around the world have signed up to spend an hour each day for two months teaching others how to code, though he hasn't yet figured out how to organize the effort. "I have to figure out how to structure this," McConlogue said. The duo did not have much time to enjoy their accomplishment. By 12:30 a.m., they left the office for a 1 a.m. TV interview. Their story has already been featured on NBC, CNN and a number of online news outlets. Grand carried three bags full of his possessions out of the Noodle office to the interview. At the end of the night, he said he would still be sleeping on the street. But with his new app and his new skills, Grand said he was optimistic his fortunes would change before long.

BY FRAN BERKMAN

from Mashable

Tell me again, what about the season?

Jean-Claude Van Damme's Epic Split for Volvo is Insane

A lot of auto ads run a disclaimer that the stunt was performed by professionals and viewers shouldn't try this at home. You'd definitely be wise to take that advice with regards to this ad Volvo Trucks featuring action star Jean-Claude Van Damme. In the ad, Van Damme does a stunt that is truly insane, involving an epic split between two Volvo trucks.

It's not clear whether anyone will buy a Volvo after this — the ad is designed to show off the trucks' Volvo Dynamic Steering — but you have to have a newfound respect for JCVD, who, by the way, is 53 years old.

{#why?} http://t.co/iYE5y7rQO9 via @AbsolutCreative

— Anthony Chiles (@soulhornet) November 9, 2013

PSA: Stay Away From White People This Halloween

Let’s face it: Halloween is a dangerous day for black people. This PSA from All Def Digital underscores that if you want to survive, you should stay inside.

late for meeting. what is this video about? comments please!

. . .and now a monday #blogpost about crowdfunded porn

James Franco, Zach Braff and Melissa Joan Hart now have something in common with some porn producers -- they've all taken to crowdfunding their projects.

The porn company Shane's World Studios says it is the first adult film studio to attempt to fully crowdfund porn. The company, which makes "reality porn," is raising money from fans for a new series called "Shane's World 43."

"Basically, we take pornstars on trips and film everything that happens," Megan Stokes, president of Shane's World, said to HuffPost. "In the past, we've been to St. Martin, Key West and Mexico."

Contributors will get to choose the show's location, stars and stars' activities, and a few will even get to travel with the crew to wherever filming will take place. Other contributors will win sex toys, porn star telephone calls and custom-made sex videos.

The project is posted on Offbeatr, a crowdfunding site for sex and adult-related creative projects. With the blow that free Internet porn has had on the adult film industry, it seems inevitable that porn producers would at least try this.

“The business model for the adult industry is changing, and we have to change with the times," Shane’s World co-owner Brian Grant said in a statement. "We were the first to bring porn stars to college parties and the first studio to send a black man, a white guy and three Asians on a road trip through Mexico. We enjoy breaking new ground.” However, it doesn't seem to be going too well so far. Shane's World hopes to raise $25,000 in 45 days but, five days in, their pot is only at $250.

Report: NSA Can Break Internet Encryption http://t.co/QUCBTcfsVD via @mashable

— Virus Killers (@50USDFixUp) September 9, 2013

If 'Game of Thrones' and the NFL Had a Baby, It'd Look Like This {PHOTOS} http://t.co/QO1FY3cPUI via @mashable pic.twitter.com/No64eT4wxC

— Anthony Chiles (@soulhornet) September 8, 2013

How to Make Facebook’s Recent News Feed Update Work to Your Advantage http://t.co/jgmcsa61Iu pic.twitter.com/UJ1QjLQJsD

— Absolut Creative (@AbsolutCreative) September 8, 2013

Oh it’s a Wednesday

Two videos about cheesecake. Which one is funnier? Seriously. Because I know which one I think is hilarious. Leave comments below.

An Empire of #Inequality Must-reads on income inequality and the rich-poor gap http://t.co/JZJnxjfvGZ pic.twitter.com/ZoZCbogbFq

— Anthony Chiles (@soulhornet) August 19, 2013

President Obama's Weekly Address: Working to Implement the Affordable Care Act

President Obama says we are on the way to fully implementing the Affordable Care Act and helping millions of Americans.

It's Janeane Garofalo. So I love it. (@YouTube http://t.co/VNPUTahp2F)

— Absolut Creative (@AbsolutCreative) August 17, 2013

So you want to hate on Blake Griffin? Oops it's too late because this is a classic. period.

I favorited a @YouTube video from @destorm http://t.co/kcDanLH65Q Zimmerman Verdict NOT GUILTY?

— Anthony Chiles (@soulhornet) August 4, 2013

Meet Helpouts, Google's Secret Project That Turns Hangouts Into A Commerce Platform http://t.co/5373wycOi4 via @techcrunch

— Absolut Creative (@AbsolutCreative) July 25, 2013

Advice for a White Chick Who Wants to Meet Black Friends http://t.co/uPQNXyc2Bd featuring @baratunde @tannercolby @clander

— Sara Benincasa (@SaraJBenincasa) July 24, 2013

20 Searches {Through Google Glass}

One of the most magical things about Google Glass is its ability to get you the answers you want almost instantly. As soon as you think of something you want to search, all you need to do is ask. Simply long press the touch pad with one finger and say your query. It's the easiest and fastest way to get the answers you want, when you want them.

YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS. RIGHT NOW.

I AM NOT TRAYVON MARTIN http://youtu.be/TBRwiuJ8K7w

Bryan Stevenson: We Need to Talk About an Injustice

Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, addresses the poverty distortion and racial inequalities that are rampant in the United States today. Discussing controversial issues such as the death penalty and life in prison without parole for children, Stevenson encourages us to talk about our uncomfortable past and present in order to solve the problems facing our society.

Chilling Ad Shows How Easy It Is to Steal Your Online Identity

We all know it's not a good idea to share too much information online, but what's the worst that can happen?

This video, by a Belgian bank, addresses that question. Tom Degroote, a seemingly average Belgian guy, gets punked by a rep from Febelfin, the bank. The sinister rep explains that with one phishing email and a phone call he can empty Degroote's bank account. But he has other plans for Degroote. Soon he is getting prosthetics to look like Degroote and then taking pictures of himself with a bunch of women that he posts to Degroote's Facebook account. Then he buys an expensive antique harp on eBay with Degroote's credit card and has it shipped to Degroote's house.

The video ends with Degroote's doppelganger telling him, "Your whole life is online and before you know it, someone like me takes it over." As Degroote notes, "That's freaky." The ad plugs SafeInterenetBanking.be, where consumers can learn how to protect their online identities. Duval Guillame Modem, the ad agency behind the effort, has pulled off similar stunts before, most notably "A Dramatic Surprise on a Quiet Street," an ad for cable network TNT that became one of the most-shared of all time. {see below}

ORIGINAL VIDEO - Bitchy Resting Face

First Lady gets Her Instagram On

First Lady Michelle Obama is joined by other participants backstage after the Connecting Continents Google+ Hangout in Johannesburg, South Africa for a group Instagram. Check out the First Lady's new Instagram account at http://www.instagram.com/michelleobama

F.T.C. Member Starts ‘Reclaim Your Name’ Campaign for Personal Data

The revelations this month about government surveillance programs that collect the phone logs of people in the United States and can monitor e-mail traffic abroad are provoking a larger debate on the rights of consumers to control the collection and sharing of data about them.

One industry under the microscope is data brokerages. These are business-to-business companies that collect thousands of details — like the shopping habits, vacation preferences, estimated income, ethnicity, hobbies, predilections for gambling or smoking and health concerns — about millions of consumers, the better to help marketers identify potential new customers as well as maintain their already loyal clients.

Although some of these companies do permit people to opt out of their marketing databases, most do not have systems to allow consumers to see records held about them and correct possible errors. Because of this lack of transparency, federal regulators and privacy advocates have long warned about the potential for such data-mining to discriminate against consumers based on sensitive details like financial or health information.

Now Julie Brill, a member of the Federal Trade Commission, has proposed an industrywide initiative to give consumers access to their own records held by data brokers. She envisions an online portal where data brokers would describe their data collection practices and their consumer access policies.

Ms. Brill has come up with a handy nickname for her proposed effort: “Reclaim Your Name.”

“Reclaim Your Name would empower the consumer to find out how brokers are collecting and using data; give her access to information that data brokers have amassed about her; allow her to opt-out if she learns a data broker is selling her information for marketing purposes and provide her the opportunity to correct errors in information used for substantive decisions – like credit, insurance, employment, and other benefits,” Ms. Brill said in a speech on Wednesday morning at the Computers, Freedom and Privacy Conference in Washington.

Here’s a link to the full text of Ms. Brill’s speech.

Over the last year, legislators in the House and Senate have separately opened investigations into the practices of some leading data brokers with the goal of increasing oversight of the industry. Participation in a voluntary “Reclaim Your Name” program of the kind Ms. Brill proposed might help the industry mitigate government efforts toward greater regulation.
By Natasha Singer | New York Times

Emanon Presents: A Tribute to @WuTangClan

Dedicated to the Wu-Tang Clan celebrating 20 years

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Twitter @emanondancecrew

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The Imaginary Big Business of Haters

Let's start this post here and pick it up Monday.

Sisters in the Park

Sisters in the Park from Anthony Chiles on Vimeo.

Helena and Hermia, two of the iconic four young lovers in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, here portrayed by the beautiful Judy Shaw {Helena} and the lovely Jacinda Bridger {Hermia} Let me give you some liner notes. This little filmstrip was filmed in Springfield, OH last March; across the street from the legendary State Theater, which served as centerstage for a thrilling production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream {which featured Judy and Jacinda in knockout performances} I shot this as an intended promotional short. Clearly that did not happen. IDK why. From the lost and found SD card bin of yours truly.

How to Create an Instagram Video in 7 Simple Steps

Instagram video, a new feature of Instagram 4.0, is now available for download, and we tested this new and super-easy video shooting and sharing capability. Watch this quick video of how to create your own videos using the new Instagram 4.0. {Android Forever}

Facebook Now Lets You Comment With a Photo

Facebook has started to roll out photo comments, a new feature that allows you to comment on posts with images rather than words.

Originally built during a Facebook employee hackathon, photo comments are starting to roll out globally on the web as well as the Facebook mobile site. Users can't yet leave photo comments within Facebook's mobile apps, but they are viewable. The feature is expected to come to those apps in a future update.

Google Launches Balloons to Bring the Internet to Remote Regions

Google is launching huge balloons to bring the Internet to remote and difficult terrain — think mountain ranges, archipelagos and jungles — beginning with New Zealand.

Last week, Google launched 30 Internet-enabling balloons in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, with plans to launch 20 more. The balloons, which resemble white, effervescent jellyfish, use a combination of wind, solar power and "complex algorithms" to stay in a fixed part of the sky, says project leader Mike Cassidy. The balloons communicate with antennas placed on the ground tens of thousands of feet below to provide Internet access to those areas.

The balloons are similar to the Internet-powered blimps Google has been testing on a smaller scale in parts of Africa and Asia. Initiatives developed by Google and other parties have also looked to satellites and highly placed antennas to achieve the same ends. Google has been working on this particular project, dubbed "Project Loon," for two years, according to Wired.

Google says its ultimate goal is to bring Internet to the two-thirds of the world that do not have or simply can't afford Internet access.
By Lauren Indvik Mashable

'Brunch On Sundays': Pooping Is Something Even Girls Do

A long-standing rumor maintains that girls do not, in fact, poop. Prepare to be shocked by the fact that not only do they poop, some girls aren't afraid to poop in front of people.

The second episode of "Brunch on Sundays" (watch the first here) follows three girls discussing their pooping habits, and could, in fact, start a revolution of women who will stop remaining silent about their bodily functions. Including -- no, especially -- with guys they have sex with.

 Poop.

Cheerios Parody "Just Checking" Response to Haters

Apparently, not even an adorable little girl can melt the heart of a bigot. After a fierce, racist backlash on YouTube, the comments for the Cheerios ad featuring a mixed-race couple had to be disabled, prompting many of us to ask, "What the hell is wrong with people?"

 In response to the controversy, Kenji (who also directed the hilarious Homo Thugs series) created this parody that ups the ante on bigots and tells the haters to "eat it." The spoof was co-written by Mark Normand and Eddie Lombardi, stars comedians Hollis Witherspoon and Joyelle Nicole Johnson, and features the adorable Adriana Barnett.

Witnesses to the Beginning of What is Probably the End of 'I Told You So'

Momma Love on Kickstarter

Total Virtuosity

the real and the imaginary

while working this morning I popped in a dvd at random. I spent 90min. or so not getting much work done but watching this movie. For 14 years I've been trying to figure out how the people behind this cinematic wonder shoplifted a chapter from my life and make it into a movie without ever telling me. Mixtapes on cassettes. what more can i say.

Why the Information on Ohio.gov is a Lie

this story will be updated tomorrow......

I Think I'll Call It Morning. Just like My Father Before Me.

I'm gonna take myself a piece of sunshine
and paint it all over my sky.
Be no rain. Be no rain.
I'm gonna take the song from every bird
and make them sing it just for me.
Be no rain.
And I think I'll call it morning from now on.
Why should I survive on sadness
convince myself I've got to be alone?
Why should I subscribe to this world's madness
knowing that I've got to live on?

I think I'll call it morning from now on.
I'm gonna take myself a piece of sunshine
and paint it all over my sky.
Be no rain. Be no rain.
I'm gonna take the song from every bird
and make them sing it just for me.
Why should I hang my head?
Why should I let tears fall from my eyes
when I've seen everything that there is to see
and I know that there ain't no sense in crying!
        I know that there ain't no sense in crying!
I think I'll call it morning from now on.

Written by Gil Scott-Heron

Is It Still Possible to Disappear From Society?

Two of the country's most notorious survivalists — the Hermit of North Pond in Maine, and The Mountain Man of Utah, were found and arrested in the last few weeks. And a case of a missing family, the McStay family of southern California, was effectively closed when investigators said the family appears to have gone to Mexico voluntarily.

So is it still possible to "disappear" in 2013?

"Is it more difficult? Yes," said Jim Biesterfeld, a former U.S. army counter-intelligence special agent who teaches private investigations at California State University-Fullerton Jim Biesterfeld. "Impossible? Not even." For someone to hide away from society, he said, at least two things are essential: self-sufficiency, and desire. "There are not that many people who want to stay hidden for that long" in solitude," Biesterfeld said. "Most people try to establish new identities." That's why it's unusual for two cases of solitary survivalists to have been solved in such close succession.

Christopher Knight, 47, also known as The North Pond Hermit, appears to be one of those few who truly wanted to live on his own. For 27 years, Knight avoided making a campfire for fear of drawing attention to himself. He stole what he needed to survive from campgrounds; in fact, everything he had was stolen except his eyeglasses. If there's not much reason to be found, as in Knight's case, costly police investigations are unlikely. But, eventually, Knight's thefts of food and survival supplies prompted local law enforcement to get involved.

It would take a possible federal criminal violation in addition to a disappearance, such as a fugitive or kidnapping situation, for the FBI to become involved, said FBI special agent Kathy Wright.

"The FBI requires an authorized law enforcement purpose to conduct an investigation," she said. "The mere fact that an adult disappears, is not, on its own, a violation of law." In the end, a surveillance camera set up specifically to catch Knight triggered an alarm when he entered a campground kitchen looking for food, and Knight was arrested.

While technology — such as thermal imaging that detects people by tracking body heat — is helpful in pinpointing a location once a general area is mapped out, investigators haven't abandoned old-fashioned methods. In the case of Troy James Knapp, also known as The Mountain Man in Utah, it was snowshoe tracks that eventually gave him away.

Biesterfeld relies on the old adage of investigators and journalists: Keep It Simple, Stupid. Find out everything you can about the person. "What was he like as a kid? Did he have mental health issues? Had he ever talked about it before?" Biesterfeld said. "In most cases, people crave human contact. The rare few who do not are the Maine guy and the unabomber" — and, it appears, Utah's Mountain Man.

"He says, 'I don't hate people. I just don't like living with them,'" the Huffington Post quotes him telling Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Sheriff Curtis.

Knapp had been living off the radar since 2004. He caused more disturbances than Knight, sleeping inside other people's cabins and stealing food, camping equipment and guns. But because searchers knew his habits, they were able to discover the snowshoe tracks that led them to him. Knapp's trial started this week. There are 29 burglary-related felony and misdemeanor charges filed against him.

This article originally published at Discovery News

Another chapter of ruin is about to be written in the book of Social Media

The Rising Flash Mob

The Californication of Enlightened Girls

Just a warning, I'm really foggy on the Friday blog post.

Leave all your love and your longing behind, you can't carry love with you if you want to survive

I was in the Philadelipa station catching a train to Trenton when I was caught by off guard by something from a collective past. Pay phones. A row of pay phones. And a smile broke across my face. There is always an awareness on my part to notice how many ‘devices’ are always in use when I travel. At Dayton International the smartphone-a-thon was off and running and it was 6 am on a Sunday Morning. Landing in Baltimore the tweets and status updates were in the air. But it was in Philly that I was gift happy to see the pay

Can the NFL Say Aloha to the Super Bowl Bye Week?

Dear NFL,
Drop the bye week prior to Super Bowl Sunday. It's no longer uber hyping the game; it's now just an onslaught of bad press. Players bristling and crybabying over media questions. Allegations of drug abuse, spousal abuse, homophobia, bankruptcy, gambling, game rigging, game throwing, predictions of imminent on field player deaths, dire revelations about life after football, and was it mentioned that several players are crybabying.

The NFL has lost all control of the spin. This past week the NFL was simply spun. The league would be better served letting players tweet because they are being chewed and spat out on media day. Media outlets {who have shown that they have zero interest in the actual game} are too fast and too furious getting out stories of murder, infidelity, and lip syncing. There is not one football related feel good story coming out of New Orleans. Just for the record, NPR reports that advertising for this year's Super Bowl is more Social Media savvy, yet ESPN is reporting that advertisers are rolling out ho hum campaigns. What's this? Are advertisers are creating more pre-game buzz than either of the teams? Yup.

Of course the NFL is a business, an American business. The NFL is a complex corporation that is both the pimp and the pimped. The NFL brand is tied to everything. Everything. The marketing gurus for the NFL are no doubt proud of what they have accomplished; yet it is a cautionary tale. Take note, people are talking more about the commercials already, the biggest sporting event in the world has become a guest star on its own stage.

The NFL has a lot of baggage, yet most likely enjoying this circus, embracing the motto there's no such thing as bad press. Dirty laundry doesn't clean itself; it makes sense that Ray Lewis is the NFL's poster child. The NFL, like Lewis, has things to answer for that it will never give an answer to.

Oh, by the way. Here's a Social media guide to Super Bowl XLVII

Anthony Chiles

Prince Returns With New Song 'Screwdriver' and Lyric Video

"Screwdriver," a new song from superstar Prince, has surfaced online along with a lyric video. The video appeared on 20pr1nc3.com, a never-before-seen website showcasing empty "STAY TUNED" boxes that presumably will be filled with videos.

A mysterious and fairly new Twitter account, 3rdEyeGirl, shared a link to 20pr1nc3.com late Tuesday. A YouTube account with the same '3rdEyeGirl' name also uploaded the video.
 

Rumor has it that 3rdEyeGirl is Prince's newly hired backing band, consisting of three female musicians {guitarist Donna Grantis, drummer Hannah Ford and bassist Ida Nielsen}

A Big Dose of Fiber? Google Rolls Out Biggest Free Wi-Fi Network in New York City

Google, in an expansion of its role as an Internet Service Provider, introduced Tuesday New York City's biggest contiguous free public Wi-Fi network in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

Google's choice of location for the giant network is no surprise: Chelsea is home to Google's New York headquarters, meaning employees out at lunch breaks or area meetings will be able to remain productive even while out of the office. The network runs between Gansevoort St. and 19 St. from 8th Ave to the West Side Highway and in area public spaces, including the Chelsea Triangle, 14th Street Park and Gansevoort Plaza.

The secured network will also be used by businesses, residents and students in the area, and it will cover the outdoor areas of the Fulton Houses, a housing project owned by the New York City Housing Authority.

"Google is proud to provide free Wi-Fi in the neighborhood we have called home for over six years," said Ben Fried, Chief Information Officer for Google, in a statement. "This network will not only be a resource for the two thousand-plus residents of the Fulton Houses, it will also serve the five thousand-plus student population of Chelsea as well as the hundreds of workers, retail customers and tourists who visit our neighborhood every day."

Jordan Newman, a Google spokesman, told Mashable that the new Wi-Fi network is Google's way of "giving back to the community that we've been in for the past six years or so." He also pointed out that Google has similar W-iFi networks in Mountain View, Calif., where Google's main headquarters are located, and also in many neighborhoods with Google data centers.

Newman said the Wi-Fi network was in no way a precursor to a New York City rollout of Google Fiber, Google's high-speed broadband service recently introduced in Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo. He told Mashable there are no plans to bring Google Fiber to New York City or to expand Wi-Fi access to other parts of the city.

Despite Google's presence there, Chelsea is not yet a hotbed of technology startups in New York City. Google's free Wi-Fi may change that.

Google previously worked with Boingo to provide 200 public hotspots around the city, including in several subway stations — a welcome bit of connectivity in an otherwise largely disconnected public transit system.

Would you use Google Wi-Fi if you were living, working or studying in Chelsea? Yeah you would

Block Websites from Tracking You - great information from Tekzilla Daily