The sixth most widely used website in the world is not run anything like the others in the top 10. It is not operated by a sophisticated corporation but by a leaderless collection of volunteers who generally work under pseudonyms and habitually bicker with each other.
Written by Melinda Wenner Moyer for Slate
There are many things we do in private that we hope others never see. Installing a car seat is up there for me. Having just moved from New York City, where I rarely drove anywhere, to the country, where I rarely walk anywhere, car seats have suddenly become part of my daily life, and even though I know they may one day save my son’s life, I do not get along with them. When I’m fighting to install one into my car by myself, the process invariably involves instruction manuals (for my car seat and my car), YouTube installation videos (necessary since my manuals seem to be written in Pirahã), ample cursing, and me punching the car seat. Whoever said violence is never justified clearly never owned a Britax.
Most parents will agree car seats are a b*tch to install; worse, the stats suggest that three out of four times, we’re doing it wrong. But the angst surrounding car seats does not end with installation — pretty much everything about them is ridiculously confusing. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently changed its recommendations on when to use which types of seats, but chances are, your state law disagrees. Rumor has it that next year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will tell parents to stop using the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children system (LATCH) to secure car seats once the combined weight of your car seat and your child exceeds 65 pounds, which begs the question — do you know how much your car seat weighs? I don’t even know how much my kid weighs. Then there is the Freakonomics claim that car seats are in fact useless, the Consumer Reports debacle in which the organization apparently had to recall some reviews after screwing up its safety tests, and, oh yeah, the fact that some car seats simply do not fit in some cars. But hey, guess what? Your kid should be in a car seat until she’s 8 years old and don’t even think about letting her ride in the front seat until she’s 13. K?
DENVER — DENVER (AP) — Two Colorado farmers whose cantaloupes were tied to a 2011 listeria outbreak that killed 33 people pleaded guilty on Tuesday to misdemeanor charges under a deal with federal prosecutors.
Eric and Ryan Jensen entered the pleas in federal court in Denver to six counts of introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce.
Today, Apple presented to the world its new iPad Air and iPad mini, along with details about OS X Mavericks, updated MacBook Pros, and the Mac Pro. But why waste breath talking about all that when we can just enjoy it in series endless loops instead?
     |
STAVANGER, Norway — STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Norway says it is considering a request to take the bulk of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile for eventual destruction.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ragnhild Imerslund says the U.N. and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which are charged with destroying the deadly arsenal, would like the stockpile destroyed in one country outside Syria, and have asked Norway to do that.
Good news for New York Giants fans who like to mix their football with female flesh: Rick’s Cabaret New York, the strip club that stopped showing Giants games because they were spoiling the mood, announced Tuesday that it will put the games back on its TVs.
After a 0-6 start, the Giants defeated the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night for their first victory.
“It was upsetting to watch the Giants lose every week, and that’s why we stopped showing their games,” Rick’s Cabaret employee Monica explained in a written statement. “But now they’ve won their first game and we will put them back on our TVs.”
Crime! Cars! Lululemon! There’s always something trying to bring your neighborhood down, right? Each week, we’ll round up the stories about what exactly you think is ruining our cities. See a story we missed? Drop it in the comments.
| |
Winter has started to arrive in many states with temperatures dropping and snow already falling. If you live in a cold-weather state and enjoy outdoor sports you may be interested to hear about BearTek Gloves. These gloves are designed to allow users complete control over Bluetooth devices while keeping your hands warm.
There are three versions of the glove available with one designed for motorcycles, one designed for skiing, and the other designed for outdoor sports. A version of the gloves is also available that gives users control over the GoPro action camera using Wi-Fi. The gloves have a control module in the wrist cuff supporting either Bluetooth or WiFi for the GoPro.
The gloves are designed to give users control over these devices without having to physically touch them. The gloves work by tapping the thumb the various finger touchpads embedded along the sides of the fingers. Touching the thumb to a different finger activates different functionality for the connected device. With the gloves on you’ll be able to control music as well as answer and decline calls.
The snow glove kit sells for $250(USD), the motorcycle glove kit sells for $275, and the Winter classic glove kit costs $225
Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde has designed everything from smart highways for the United Kingdom
| |
Apple put up some impressive numbers today: 170 million iPads sold to date. 475,000 iPad apps available. $13 billion paid to app developers. Yet those numbers only tell part of the story. While the iPad may continue to be the top-selling tablet line, it no longer dominates the market the way it once …
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
