Hasta La Gadget!

Image credit – Eindhoven University of Technology

When the average person thinks of 3D printing, you might think of simple DIY home projects where you can 3D print little gadgets, custom made jewelry, knick knacks and whatnot. However in terms of commercialization, over in the Netherlands it seems that researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology are putting together a bridge for cyclists using 3D printed reinforced concrete (via Engadget).

So why 3D printing instead of more traditional engineering methods? For starters it seems that there is a “green” reason for using 3D printing, which is that whenever concrete cement is produced, it releases CO2. So by being able to print exactly what you need instead of pouring concrete into molds will cut down on those CO2 emissions, not to mention the flexibility when it comes to being able to 3D print any shape you want, versus using molds where changing it means getting a new mold made.

Another benefit to 3D printing is that the steel reinforcement cables can be printed at the same time. This means that the pieces produced can be “pre-stressed” for additional stability, and since no one wants to read about a bridge collapsing, this is good news. The construction is expected to begin in September, and so far researchers have tested it out by building a 1:2 scale model that was capable of holding a 2,000kg load.

The Netherlands Is Getting A 3D Printed Cycling Bridge , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

WASHINGTON ― A new organization launched Monday argues that the road to a Democratic majority in the U.S. House “runs through ‘red’ California.”

Red to Blue California PAC wants to help Democrats take back the chamber in 2018 by supporting and mobilizing Democrats challenging Republican incumbents in seven congressional districts that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton carried in last year’s presidential race. Democrats need a net gain of 24 seats for a majority in the House.

The PAC’s founder, Michael Eggman, is a Democrat, farmer and beekeeper in California’s Central Valley who ran twice against Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) in a district Democrats had hoped to flip. The idea came to him after he narrowly lost in last year’s bid against Denham, whose district voted for Clinton (and for President Barack Obama before that).

The PAC will focus on advising candidates on the mechanics of running campaigns, from online fundraising to speaking at events, guidance Eggman wished he had before his first congressional bid.

“You can have the best message in the world, but if you don’t have the resources to get that message out, or if you don’t have the proper platform to communicate your message, it’s not going to do you any good,” Eggman told HuffPost.

In designing an effective message, it’s important for candidates to recognize the “nuances of that specific district,” Eggman said.

The competitive districts and Republican incumbents the PAC is focusing on are:

• 10th District: Jeff Denham

• 21st District: David Valadao 

• 25th District: Steve Knight 

• 39th District: Ed Royce

• 45th District: Mimi Walters 

• 48th District: Dana Rohrabacher 

• 49th District: Darrell Issa 

All seven GOP representatives voted for House Republicans’ health care bill in May, an issue Eggman pointed to as evidence of the divide between the representatives and their constituents.

“These reps are standing with [President Donald] Trump and not the constituents of their district,” Eggman said. “Their constituents don’t share Trump’s values, and it seems like these reps do.” 

Several of the districts are in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, a Republican stronghold that last year went for a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since 1936.

In several of the seven races, Democratic candidates have already thrown their hats in the ring, buoyed by increased party activism.

Eggman said the PAC is not likely to endorse any specific candidates until after the primaries, but could intervene “on a case-by-case basis” if there is a particularly competitive primary.

Red to Blue California will also fund and train Democratic candidates vying for local office, to help them learn how to run sophisticated and efficient campaigns on the local level and to build a network of future leaders. 

“We want to pay attention to the bench, which is something that hasn’t been done on our side of the aisle. Of course, Republicans have been doing it for a couple decades, and I would attribute that to a lot of their success,” Eggman said.

“It’s great that a beekeeper ran for Congress, but it would have been better that a beekeeper that was also a county supervisor, that had already had a constituency footprint, ran for Congress. That would have given me a tremendous advantage.”

Fresh off defeats in several special elections that had been seen as bellwethers for the 2018 midterms, particularly last Tuesday’s race in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, Democrats nationally are at a crossroads.

But Eggman pointed out that, in those special elections, Democrats made significant improvements compared to prior elections and overperformed — in some cases, by double digits.

“If we did double-digit gains in all seven of these seats, then we win. I am very hopeful, but I’m in it for the long haul too,” he said, noting that he would not see it as a loss if Democrats did not pick up all seven seats in 2018. “You’ve got to be resilient.”

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Fancy donuts are all the rage these days, and for those of us who can’t get enough of these delicious creations, we’ve found 13 perfect items for serious donut lovers. 

For starters, we kicked off the list with a $770 necklace for people who want to show off their love of diamonds and donuts. A frighteningly realistic purse that looks like a plate of donuts also made the list, alongside more reasonably priced items like a donut-themed lamp, shower curtain and beach towel (the list is organized from most to least expensive). 

Donuts may be cheap, but some of these items sure aren’t: 

The HuffPost Lifestyle newsletter will make you happier and healthier, one email at a time. Sign up here.

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“The Incredible Hulk” actor Lou Ferrigno transformed into a real life hero ― again ― by helping a fan who was suffering from a seizure. 

Frank McAlister wrote on Facebook that his son, Ted, experienced the seizure while speaking to the actor and bodybuilder at FanBoy Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee over the weekend. 

“Mr. Ferrigno touched me on the shoulder and said that Ted was trying to tell him something that he couldn’t understand,” McAlister wrote. “I turned and knew immediately that Ted was having a seizure and I told Mr. Ferrigno what the problem was and I needed to get to him.”

As it turned out, Ted was in good hands. 

Ferrigno is a reserve deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and volunteers for the Montrose Search and Rescue Team. Last year, he helped to save a motorist who drove off a cliff.

“I’ve been a sheriff for 12 years,” Ferrigno told the Knoxville News Sentinel. “So I deal with this situation.”

McAlister wrote that the actor took quick action, clearing his booth so Ted could sit, and calling for medics.

“The Incredible Hulk made sure that I had everything that I needed,” McAlister wrote. “When Ted started to come around and started to get up, the Big Man reached down his hand and assisted me as Ted stood.” 

He even escorted Ted, McAllister and the EMT to the restroom. 

“It’s funny it happened at my table and it’s like, I’m glad it happened here because he was at the right place, knowing that he would be OK,” Ferrigno told the Knoxville News Sentinel. “If it was a strange environment, in the street, he could have died.” 

Once medics declared that Ted would be fine, Ferrigno invited him and his father to come back to the booth for another picture.

“Talk about a real life action hero!” McAllister wrote. “This man is the real deal. It was an absolute honor to shake his hand and a greater honor to say Thank You to a gentle Giant.”

Ferrigno has played The Hulk several times, most famously in the 1977-1982 TV series also starring Bill Bixby, who played Dr. David Banner.

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Well that didn’t take too long, especially for a device that sells itself as friendly to developers and modders. The OnePlus 5 has barely been a week in the market but enterprising developers lost no time in cracking the smartphone’s software wide open. More advanced users can now install the TWRP recovery and, if chosen, also root their device, opening … Continue reading