For the more technically inclined, here's a bit of fun. Or not.

@thismyusername at least get the phone model correct, jeez!

@jbartus OK some smartass engineer left their Samsung top loading washing machine in it…

@Barney

What are the technical specs of aforementioned tin cans?

@TickledLizard preferably campbells tomatoe campbell’s tomato soup cans

rinse with 1 part white vinegar, 2 part baking soda (stand back)

string can be harvested from those clacky balls (don’t go there) toys

tin can can be dried with dad’s rags (your old diapers), found in the garage, under the oil cans and other stuff

other details can be found here:

tin can recipe

@Yoda_Daenerys
@oldcatlady

@TickledLizard Who, me-eh-eh?

@baqui63
since phone booths have gone away, NYC wanted to create an information access system for the public, who might not have signal, or be out of power, or for emergencies.
NYC created a grid of powered, connected, tablet (built-in) and wi-fi kiosks around Manhattan, which included charging stations.

and they were used for … yeah, that.

some people who watched hours of continuous porn on them said they didn’t particularly want to watch that much porn. or watch porn at all. but, if the city chose, in its wisdom, to put connected, unfiltered tablets all around the city streets for just anyone to use for whatever, with no time or content controls, then it was one’s Millennial Duty, so to speak, to watch porn. whether you felt like it or not. if you didn’t, it would practically be rude.

the system is under evaluation.

@f00l

Yeah, when I first heard about those I just laughed and predicted that they weren’t going to be around for all that long, at least not the way they were described.

@baqui63 no no no, it is to help spread the infection…

@f00l Saw this article today, re: the NYC “Porn” Kiosks: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/linknyc-kiosks-usage-rises-12-month-web-browsing-disabled-article-1.2817227

Apparently, NOT allowing web browsing makes them more useful and used more.

@awk If you added solar-powered signal repeaters to the tags or collars they use on wild animals, it would help extend the mesh network to wherever the animals roam.

@Mehrocco_Mole I came here to post it. It looks sexier in action.

@Sarahsda You think it is Detroit, LA, Philadelphia or New York?

@baqui63

@f00l Thanks. I quite enjoyed that.

@baqui63 nope… Chicago!

@f00l i never became aware of the talking heads by seeing this movie in ~1987

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hooked ever since sense

@f00l @baqui63 hang on, he says houston, detroit, pittsburgh, pa

You think it is Detroit, LA, Philadelphia or New York?

i’m glad he, “Mr. Byrne”, clarified which Pittsburgh he was mentioning - that reminds me of a joke… i’ll tell ya later

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@FOO1 @f00l @fOOl @f001 how would you compare david and bruce? i think david has a better sense of humor, yea?

@Yoda_Daenerys
In a hurry, more thoughts laterz.

Notes: I have seen TH perform live far more often than any other band except the B52’s (they did double-headers together and played everywhere around NYC all the time, tix were insanely cheap.

I slightly prefer the earlier iteration of TH - just the 4 of them. More punk than orchestral. Raw. Immediate. But love both versions of them.

@f00l Just heard this on the radio today!

@Pavlov

https://www.engadget.com/2016/01/30/google-project-skybender/

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/29/project-skybender-google-drone-tests-internet-spaceport-virgin-galactic

@thismyusername Yeah, I was kind of going for the type of (military) drone that USSOCOM would either already have in their present arsenal or have ready access to . . .

@justbuyit
and nsa pre-hacked!

@justbuyit @thismyusername Whole “idea quest” seems ridiculous (premise) as the obvious answer to “The Problem: How would you create a solution to provide internet connectivity in an area with no consistent, reliable communications infrastructure?” - is by default providing a consistent, reliable communications infrastructure (within their parameters).

Repurpose a fucking Predator drone. Problem solved.

If you’re looking for an “off the shelf” (retail) answer, it requires one good tech guy and a shopping list, not a two week “idea quest” - in fact - they acknowledge as much in their literature - “We anticipate the full range of ideas involving; satellites, unmanned aerial systems, aerostats, mobile ground repeater systems, MESH/MANET, and many others.”

There probably really aren’t any novel or unimagined solutions to this problem.

Also from the Webpage:

“Outside of the confines of the area receiving the targeted internet service you are providing, the security situation is unpredictable and therefore mandates having transportable infrastructure to allow for recurring relocation to service other areas and to allude [emphasis mine] security threats, should your solution require some type of physical presence outside of the targeted area.”

Pretty sure they meant elude. Pretty sure that mistake isn’t the only one - and also pretty sure it has been there for a long time with no one bothering to correct it (or letting them know it was wrong).

Yes, it is nit-picking, however, IME, stupid shit like that leaves serious people whom might provide serious solutions generally unwilling to participate.

@Pavlov
surely, leaving out Google’s balloons and drones, and whatever is going on that the US govt and companies aren’t involved with, there are a number of well-funded security-cleared companies on contract in this area to DOD or NSA or USAID or some other DC acronym. with all kinds of seriously expensive or military-grade convolution.

The Doolittle Institute appears to be all about sparking new creative techno collaboration among whoever offers something interesting. it has an explicit STEM interest, among other missions.

“FAQ
What is SOFWERX?
Under agreement with USSOCOM, the Doolittle Institute implemented SOFWERX as a public facing intermediary to assist with collaboration, innovation, prototyping and exploration with industry, labs and academic partners. SOFWERX currently has two facilities, 1) a ~10,000 sf facility designed for collaboration, innovation and modest rapid prototyping, 2) and a 4000 sf garage designed for rapid prototyping with modest collaboration and innovation capabilities. Both are located in Tampa, Florida.”

late-nite eyes: i keep trying to misread “garage” as “garbage” in the quote.

the SOFWERX and the Doolittle Institute websites both have a lot of govt-speak and mil-speak: to be expected. Tampa. Gen Doolittle.

i wonder if the folks at USSOCOM just didn’t want California to have all the fun.

even if SOFWERX is looking more to set off a spark than for a real solution; or to do a little recruiting or PR; amateurs might come up with something that possess its own merit. Drones are the obvious, are understood, are funded and in play.
so this doesn’t feel like a solution quest. rather a lure. but who knows?

@f00l All I know for certain is they need to hire someone that can proof-read.

@Pavlov
that lets me off then.

i tried proofreading once, side job. thought it a waste of time. had a v adolescent attitude, and it was an era of powdered distractions.
why not just read what’s spozed to be on the page and don’t worry about what’s actually there? or if the nonsense is that impenetrable, mark it up into something it isn’t and never was, and turn it in.

my publishing company contact, a friend, kindly pointed out that i allowed nightlife activities to conflict with professional conduct.
i lasted less than a week.

@Pavlov …judging from the local newspaper; proofreader’s have gone the way of buggy whip or sealing way makers… they are few and (very) far between.

@Shrdlu
and whatever "solution’: ever comes to pass, and is implemented, will be an even bigger data mining target - i would guess

i think the acronymist organizations - ours, theirs (whomever is Oceania’s enemy of the day), everyone’s - own all, whatever little home gestures we may practice.

@medz huh?