Having UAVs conduct routine aerial surveillance is already having a transformative effect on farming and and energy production but they can only operate when there’s a human at the controls. That’s about to change thanks to an autonomous drone system…
Drones have numerous applications in security, inspection, and other major roles at industrial facilities, but in many cases manual control is still the standard. Tel Aviv-based Airobotics aims to automate the process as an alternative to costly and involved human pilots, and has raised $28.5 million to do so. Read More
One of the world’s most storied shipwrecks is still yielding new discoveries.
More than 60 artifacts were pulled from the famed Antikythera shipwreck during a recent expedition of the vessel, which sank in the Aegean Sea in approximately 65 BC.
The expedition by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) found gold jewelry, glassware, the spear from a statue, marble sculptures and decanters in the past few weeks.
One of the more curious finds appeared to be an ancient weapon known as a dolphin:
The object is a lead and iron artifact that weighs about 220 pounds. Dolphins were defensive weapons that were dropped from the ship’s yard — a spar on the mast — onto the deck of an attacking ship, such as a pirate vessel.
The scientists used an autonomous robot to map a 10,500-square-meter (2.6 acres) area of sea floor at a depth of 170 feet, then sent divers down to inspect the site, according to a WHOI news release.
New lab techniques allowed the team to extract DNA from ceramic jars to determine what food, drinks and medicines were once inside, and test the isotopes of lead objects to determine where they came from.
“Our new technologies extend capabilities for marine science,” marine archaeologist Brendan Foley said in a WHOI news release. “Every new dive on the Antikythera shipwreck delivers gifts from the ancient past. The wreck offers touchstones to the full range of the human experience: from religion, music, and art, to travel, trade and even warfare.”
Some objects were brought to the surface while others were left on the sea floor.
The shipwreck, discovered in 1900 by sponge divers, was most known for the Antikythera Mechanism, an ancient device that in some ways may have been the world’s first computer. The clock-like gadget with interlocking gears was believed to have been used to help predict eclipses and the positions of celestial bodies.
Over the years, archaeologists have also recovered marble statues and thousands of other artifacts. At least 300 pieces were pulled from the wreck during a 1976 expedition by legendary underwater explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
“In 27 days and despite frequent bad weather, they recovered hundreds of objects: ceramic vessels, components of marble statues, bronze statuettes, bronze coins, gold jewelry and gemstones, fine glassware and human skeletal remains,” WHOI wrote about the Cousteau expedition.
There might be more discoveries to come. The researchers said they also found the wreck of a second ancient cargo ship nearby.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Laughter. That’s the first thing you hear in Gregory Briggler‘s second-floor walkup.
The giggles and guffaws are coming from his three boisterous boys, 12-year-old Harry, 9-year-old Simon and 6-year-old Adam.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Gregory’s the principal trombonist for the Astoria Symphony Orchestra.
They’re clowning around as Gregory’s wife, Katarina Vizina, prepares a mid-morning snack in the kitchen, and he presents homemade ice tea in tall glasses.
“I inherited the recipe from my mother,” he says, his voice as sweet as the cup of sugar she pours into every half-gallon pitcher.
Gregory judiciously cuts the sugar in his version to a quarter, but he suggests toning it down further with a dash of lemon.
As a musician, Gregory is an astute student of sound, whether it trumpets from his trombone or free-falls from the mouths of his trio in training.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
He started playing at age 10.
“I love sound, sound effects and music,” he says. “I get a lot of energy when I play. This week, for instance, I was up to midnight every night, and I had no trouble waking up every morning to go to work.”
Gregory, the longtime principal trombonist for the Astoria Symphony Orchestra, is also the full-time manager of The New School’s Music Library.
He’s been orchestrating his life between day and night jobs ever since he picked up the trombone some 30 years ago.
This moment innocently occurred in Conway, Arkansas, the small college-centric town near the foothills of the Ozarks where Gregory was born and raised. He was in elementary school.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Portrait of domestic bliss.
“I’m not sure why I chose the trombone,” he says, adding that “even at that age, 10, I liked its versatility, which ranges from jazz to classical, because I’ve never been 100 percent anything.”
By 13, he was listening to all kinds of music and completing his homework to the beat of classical compositions.
“I heard a lot of good country music,” he says. “Willie Nelson’s Red Headed Stranger was my Sgt. Pepper.”
He enrolled at the University of Central Arkansas, which is in his hometown, but after two years transferred to the University of North Texas, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music history.
“I wanted to get out of Arkansas and see bigger things,” he says, adding that right before graduation, he headed to Brno in the Czech Republic to study. “Prague was the hot-spot destination for Americans at that time. I thought I would at least experience a little of that magic. I thought I would find Paris in the 20s. Instead, I felt it was awash in boring Americans.”
It was there that he met Katarina, who is not American and is, decidedly, not boring. He calls her into the living room so she can help him tell the story.
A native of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, she, too, was a student. They became friends because she was one of the few people at the school who spoke English flawlessly.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Adam, top, and Simon goofing around.
“When we met, I called him a fat American,” she says.
“And I was a fat American,” he adds.
She looks at him and laughs.
“But as soon as I saw him, I knew that he was the one. Ever since I was 16, I had been praying every night to marry a good husband,” she says. “I prayed for an American with black curly hair.”
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Simon, left, and Adam making a discovery.
It’s Gregory’s turn to laugh. He notes that he wouldn’t fit her ideal image now.
Time may have painted his ravishing ringlets silver, but he’s still got tall and handsome going for him.
“To her, I was an exotic foreign exchange student,” he says.
Anyway, they fell in love, and when they parted — Gregory for a job as a trombone teacher in Texas and Katarina for a position as a translator and as an actress in a touring musical — they knew it was not forever.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Katarina and Gregory met when he was an exchange student.
Indeed, Gregory not only returned for a job with Berlitz teaching English as a second language in Bratislava, but he also asked her to marry him.
They came to New York City so she could further her career as an actress.
“I’ve always been attracted to New York City,” he says. “And we thought it would be a welcoming place for an immigrant.”
It wasn’t long after that that Gregory answered an ad in The Village Voice for a touring gig with The Monkees. He went on to play in solo shows for Davy Jones and Mickey Dolenz for several years.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
They came to New York City for Katarina’s career.
“I loved doing the tours,” he says, adding that they took him all across the United States as well as Canada and the United Kingdom. “I love to travel. I’ve never been much of a partyer. I wanted to see boring towns and amazing things and meet memorable people. I also like to sit and watch the road go by.”
Gregory, who has a master’s degree in music from Stony Brook University, has lots of projects in the works. He mentions an idea for a trombone solo and a dancer. And he’s toying with creating a show called Songs I Hate.
He’s also content to spend time with his boys.
Photo by Nancy A. Ruhling
Gregory’s all set for the next stage.
“I have no expectations for them to be professional musicians,” he says, “but in this house, music is part of their education.”
Harry plays the clarinet in the school band, Simon is taking lessons on the piano, and Adam, who likes to dance and prance, has shown interest not only in the piano but also the guitar.
Perhaps they will form a family band someday.
Right now, though, their voices are their main instruments. And they’re filling the apartment with a joyful noise.
Nancy A. Ruhling may be reached at Nruhling@gmail.com; @nancyruhling on Twitter; nruhling on Instagram. Copyright 2016 by Nancy A. Ruhling
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Broadway’s biggest names came together to sing an emotional tribute to the victims of the Orlando shootings.
A veritable who’s who of stage stars united to cover “What The World Needs Now Is Love,” in honor of the 49 people shot dead at the Pulse nightclub on June 12.
Whoopi Goldberg, Kristen Bell, Matthew Broderick, Gloria Estefan, Idina Menzel, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rosie O’Donnell and Sarah Jessica Parker were among the 60-plus artists to take part.
“All of us in the Broadway community are deeply saddened by the senseless tragedy that occurred in Orlando in the early morning hours of June 12,” the stars say, in turn, at the start of the music video posted online Monday.
The track is available to purchase for $1.99 from Broadway Records and iTunes.
All proceeds go to The Center, an LGBT advocacy organization, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
Broadway Records President Van Dean joined forces with SiriusXM Radio host Seth Rudetsky and producer James Wesley to organize the “Broadway for Orlando” project, according to the label’s press statement. They
Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote “What the World Needs Now Is Love” in 1965. It was initially a hit for Jackie DeShannon, but more than 100 artists have recorded it — Barry Manilow and Judy Garland.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Olufunmilayo Arewa, University of California, Irvine
The idea of “cultural appropriation” has recently entered mainstream debates about the ways in which African cultural creations are used, borrowed and imitated by others. In fashion, art, music and beyond, some people now argue that certain African cultural symbols and products are off-limits to non-Africans.
In March 2016, an African-American woman at San Francisco State University confronted a white student. She said he should cut his hair because dreadlocks belong to black culture. The incident went viral. Within a month, a YouTube video of the encounter had been watched more than 3.7 million times.
An online debate also erupted about whether it was appropriate for Canadian singer Justin Bieber to wear dreadlocks.
Debates about appropriation aren’t always limited to cross-racial borrowing. An online discussion about African-American appropriation of African cultural symbols also went viral. It began with journalist Zipporah Gene asking black Americans to stop appropriating African clothing and tribal marks. She argued this indicated “ignorance and cultural insensitivity”.
In these debates, the label of cultural appropriation is broadly applied to borrowing that is in some way inappropriate, unauthorised or undesirable. My argument is that borrowing may become appropriation when it reinforces historically exploitative relationships or deprives African countries of opportunities to control or benefit from their cultural material.
During colonialism, colonial powers not only extracted natural resources but also cultural booty.
The contemporary cultural appropriation debate reflects a justified sensitivity about this historical legacy of extraction, evidence of which can be found in various museums outside of Africa.
The theft of the renowned Benin Bronzes is just one example of this cultural looting. These artefacts were seized by the British in 1897 during a punitive military expedition against the Kingdom of Benin. British soldiers invaded, looted, and ransacked Benin, setting buildings on fire and killing many people. They then deposed, shackled and exiled the Oba (king). This ultimately spelled the end of the independent Kingdom of Benin.
The punitive force looted an estimated 3,000 bronzes, ivory-works, carved tusks and oak chests. Benin’s cultural heritage was then sold in the private European art market to offset the cost of the expedition. Today the Benin Bronzes can be found in museums and collections worldwide. And, in 1990, one single Benin head was sold for US$2.3 million by a London-based auction house.
In 2010, a looted Benin mask with an estimated value of £4.5 million was withdrawn from sale by Sotheby’s auction house following protests concerning the sale. The mask was due to be sold by descendants of a participant in the punitive expedition.
In contrast, the descendant of one participant in the looting of Benin has returned looted artwork.
This colonial booty was taken without permission or compensation. Some people argue a similar dynamic exists in contemporary use of African cultural symbols, creations and products.
Accusations of cultural appropriation raise important and complex questions about the nature of culture. The reality of human experience is that borrowing and cultural mixture are widespread. This is evident in language, religion, agriculture, folklore, food and other cultural elements.
The fairy tale Cinderella provides a good example. Versions of the story can be traced back to the Far East, Near East, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe and Northern Europe. By the mid-20th century, the Cinderella story could be found in India, North Africa, North America, the Western Sudan, Madagascar, Mauritius, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Cultural boundaries are fluid and shifting. Cultural systems may be significantly transformed by different forces and influences. This means that incomplete discussions of appropriation may fail to account for borrowing, diffusion, collaboration and other factors that lead to cultural material being shared.
Discussions of appropriation may also take insufficient account of the importance and benefits of borrowing. Borrowing has led to the international spread of denim, mathematics and even democracy.
In some instances, a line is crossed and cultural borrowing can become exploitative. Crossing this line may turn acts of borrowing into cultural appropriation.
Context, particularly as it relates to power relationships, is a key factor in distinguishing borrowing from exploitative cultural appropriation.
For example, cultural borrowing from Africa must be considered in the context of historical power asymmetries between Africa and the rest of the world. This is particularly the case with European powers, which developed trading relationships and spheres of influence in Africa.
These later formed the basis for colonial territories. Relationships between African countries and the colonial powers were often extractive and included varied forms of cultural imperialism.
Examining past instances of borrowing can give guidance for future models. Continuing discussions and a lawsuit about the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight are noteworthy. This discussion draws attention to the Zulu musician Solomon Linda, who received little compensation for his song Mbube, recorded in 1939. Linda’s song became The Lion Sleeps Tonight, a global pop classic that has generated substantial money for others.
When patterns of borrowing fail to acknowledge their sources and compensate them, they can be categorised as cultural appropriation. This is particularly the case when cultural flows reflect, reinforce or magnify inequalities. Even in instances where sources receive compensation, later compensation does not always redress past inequities.
The Linda family did eventually receive compensation after filing suit. When Linda died in 1962, his widow could not afford to purchase a gravestone. His daughter died of AIDS-related illness in 2001 because she was unable to afford antiretroviral medication.
Understanding the context of borrowing is important for preventing exploitative cultural appropriation. An understanding of both borrowing and appropriation should be incorporated into legal, business and other institutional frameworks.
In fields such as intellectual property law, greater recognition of the power structures underlying borrowing in different contexts is important.
This can be an important starting point for blocking future exploitative cultural flows. And it can help prevent extraction of more cultural booty.
Olufunmilayo Arewa, Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
This mountain biker got a little too close to nature.
Davis Souza was speeding down California’s Mills Peak Lookout Trail on his mountain bike last week when a dark figure emerged from the shadows and leapt directly in front him, according to Grind TV.
The collision with the black bear, combined with Souza’s high speed, knocked him off his bike, over his handlebars and into the rocky terrain. Souza recorded the collision on his helmet camera, as seen in the video below.
“Yeah,” Souza says in between moans of pain. “That was a bear.”
By the time Souza got back up on his feet, his friends had caught up to him on the trail. The bear, however, disappeared into the woods.
“This bear came out of nowhere and was gone before I could ask if it was all right,” Souza explained on an Instagram post.
Souza took a screen grab of the video after the crash and brightened the shadows to show his friends the true horror of his beary scary clash.
“Unfortunately this bear wanted to test my reflexes,” he wrote in a separate post.
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Analysts, researchers, and even governments believe that IT jobs will still be en vogue by 2020, but the number of jobs will outnumber the roster of students capable of filling those openings. That’s why a lot of companies and programs are trying to start kids young by introducing them to the world of computers and robotics, in the form of … Continue reading
If you’re not familiar with what on earth Groove, more formally Groove Music, is, you would be in good company. Put it simply, it’s the new name of what was once called Xbox Music, since it wasn’t available only the Xbox only anyway. If you haven’t heard much about it since the renaming almost a year ago, that’s because it … Continue reading
Samsung might not yet be jumping into the standalone VR headset race, preferring to remain on the smartphone-powered route, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its fingers in other cookie jars. A new Chinese company has popped up with its own brand of VR, called the Idealens K2. And deep inside this headset might not be a smartphone but … Continue reading
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.
