March 2, 2014

Alternet provides this weeks top 10 right wing idiots.

Putting aside all of the nutjob reactions to the veto of Arizona’s crazy anti-gay law, some of which were chronicled here, right wingers were still plenty busy mouthing off this week.

http://www.alternet.org/10-biggest-right-wing-idiots-week-not-even-including-arizona-homophobes?akid=11560.1084699.Vaewxd&rd=1&src=newsletter964793&t=3&paging=off¤t_page=1#bookmark

Sorry for only having a link, I was having trouble pasting a snippet.

February 21, 2014

An example of how not to be a parent.

Here's a link to a Huffington Post story about an advice columnist responding to a parent whose kid is gay. The calmness advises them that it's wrong to try this change their sons orientation.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/19/ask-amy-homophobic-mother_n_4302316.html

I'm also including a link directly to the parents letter. The parents letter kind of frames the parent as a self-centered jerk. In the letter you will see that the parent seems to be more concerned about the parent being made fun of by the church group than about the kid. Also the parent apparently forgot the kid's birthday for the last three years. There will not be a parent of the year award for this one. "I have a busy work schedule" is not really a good excuse for being a bad parent. And yes, you are a bad parent if you forget your kid's birthday three years in a row. I hope you don't have a dog.

link:http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/ask-amy-parent-pressures-gay-son-to-change/2013/11/12/a46984d0-4815-11e3-bf0c-cebf37c6f484_story.html

February 20, 2014

Dog nail cutting tips - any help appreciated.

My dog absolutely hates having his nails cut. I know this is something that many of us encounter. Does anybody have some good suggestions for how to work with the dog to make it less stressful for both him and me?

February 20, 2014

Exoskeleton helps paralyzed skier walk again. Exciting stuff!

Cross-posted from science forum.



link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57619037-76/3d-printed-exoskeleton-helps-paralyzed-skier-walk-again/

Amanda Boxtel's doctors told her she'd never walk again. But her new 3D-printed exoskeleton says otherwise.
In 1992, Boxtel was paralyzed from the waist down in a catastrophic skiing accident. But 22 years later, thanks to a groundbreaking 3D-printed robotic suit developed by 3D Systems and EksoBionics, she's able to stand up and move around on her own.

Boxtel's new exoskeleton, the first of its kind, was custom-built for her. Designers from 3D Systems scanned her body, digitizing the contours of her spine, thighs, and shins, a process that helped them mold the robotic suit to her. Then they combined the suit with a set of mechanical actuators and controls made by EksoBionics. The result, said 3D Systems, is the first-ever "bespoke" exoskeleton.

This is really exciting stuff. If we can make the same sort of advances with this type of technology as we have with computers and networking people with disabilities like this skier have a much better life to look forward to.

February 20, 2014

Exoskeleton helps paralyzed skier walk again. Exciting stuff!

link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57619037-76/3d-printed-exoskeleton-helps-paralyzed-skier-walk-again/

Amanda Boxtel's doctors told her she'd never walk again. But her new 3D-printed exoskeleton says otherwise.
In 1992, Boxtel was paralyzed from the waist down in a catastrophic skiing accident. But 22 years later, thanks to a groundbreaking 3D-printed robotic suit developed by 3D Systems and EksoBionics, she's able to stand up and move around on her own.

Boxtel's new exoskeleton, the first of its kind, was custom-built for her. Designers from 3D Systems scanned her body, digitizing the contours of her spine, thighs, and shins, a process that helped them mold the robotic suit to her. Then they combined the suit with a set of mechanical actuators and controls made by EksoBionics. The result, said 3D Systems, is the first-ever "bespoke" exoskeleton.

This is really exciting stuff. If we can make the same sort of advances with this type of technology as we have with computers and networking people with disabilities like this skier have a much better life to look forward to.

February 5, 2014

Flow through - toon