Inventables: Find new materials

Temperature-Sensitive Glass

Temperature-Sensitive Glass

Color changing glass tiles are 4″ x 4″ in liquid red.

$33.00

Shape Memory Polymer

Shape Memory Polymer

The sample pack includes five 8 in x 1/8 in x 1/32 in extruded strips of the shape memory plastic. Colors can vary from pack to pack but generally include a small variety.

$16.50

Light Diffuser Films

Light Diffuser Films

Sample pack includes 8 total 8.5 in x 11 in sheets. 4 sheets are matte on both sides and 4 are matte on one side and gloss on the other. The thicknesses are 0.3 in, 0.4 in, 0.5 in, and 0.7 in are respectively.

via inventables.com

Illegal Immigration On Ballot In Nebraska : NPR

FREMONT, Neb. — Angered by a recent influx of Hispanic workers attracted by jobs at local meatpacking plants, voters in this eastern Nebraska will decide Monday whether to ban hiring or renting property to illegal immigrants.

Enlarge Clay Lomneth/AP

In Fremont, a patriotic display.

Clay Lomneth/AP

In Fremont, a patriotic display.

The vote will be the culmination of a two-year fight that saw proponents collect enough signatures to put the question to a public vote. If the ordinance is approved, the community of 25,000 people could face a long and costly court battle. Either way, the emotions stirred up won’t settle quickly.

via npr.org

srikantiah, siciliano

Van der Sloot declines to give statement in court appearance – CNN.com

Lima, Peru (CNN) — Joran van der Sloot told a judge Monday that his rights and due process were violated after his arrest in connection with the killing of a Peruvian woman, his attorney told CNN.

The judge will decide on the legality of van der Sloot’s incarceration by Wednesday, lawyer Maximo Altez said. If the ruling is unfavorable to van der Sloot, Altez said he is prepared to appeal to the highest court.

While in front of the judge, however, van der Sloot declined to give a formal statement on the facts of the case, according to the court. The reason he gave was the ongoing motion for habeas corpus, which he hopes will nullify the statements he gave to police that led to his imprisonment.

via cnn.com

weisberg

Israeli Easing of Blockade of Gaza Draws Praise of U.S. – NYTimes.com

JERUSALEM — Bowing to worldwide pressure and condemnation, Israel on Sunday formally announced an eased blockade of Gaza that could significantly expand the flow of goods overland into the impoverished coastal Palestinian enclave, isolated by the Israelis for three years.

The announcement, made by the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, came three weeks after a deadly Israeli naval commando raid that thwarted a breach of the blockade by a flotilla of pro-Palestinian aid activists. That raid outraged much of the world and became a catalyst for a serious re-examination by Israel of its policy toward Gaza, which is governed by the militant anti-Israeli group Hamas and is home to 1.5 million Palestinians.

via nytimes.com

weiner

S.E.C. Accuses ICP Asset Management of Fraud – NYTimes.com

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday accused a New York firm that helped manage complex mortgage securities of defrauding investors as the housing market collapsed.

Related

The S.E.C. Complaint (pdf)

The firm, ICP Asset Management, used four mortgage deals called Triaxx like a piggy bank to enrich itself by diverting money from investors, the commission said in a complaint filed in the Southern District of New York.

via nytimes.com

grundfest

Iran Bars Two U.N. Inspectors – NYTimes.com

TEHRAN/VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran has barred two U.N. nuclear inspectors from entering the Islamic Republic, increasing tension less than two weeks after Tehran was hit by new U.N. sanctions over its disputed atomic program.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) rejected Iran’s reasons for the ban and said it fully supported the inspectors, which Tehran has accused of reporting wrongly that some nuclear equipment was missing.

“The IAEA has full confidence in the professionalism and impartiality of the inspectors concerned,” spokesman Greg Webb said in an unusually blunt statement which described the IAEA’s report issued last month as “fully accurate.”

via nytimes.com

weisberg

Regulators Failed to Address Risks in Oil Rig Fail-Safe Device – NYTimes.com

It was the last line of defense, the final barrier between the rushing volcanic fury of oil and gas and one of the worst environmental disasters in United States history.

Its very name — the blind shear ram — suggested its blunt purpose. When all else failed, if the crew of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig lost control of a well, if a dreaded blowout came, the blind shear ram’s two tough blades were poised to slice through the drill pipe, seal the well and save the day. Everything else could go wrong, just so long as “the pinchers” went right. All it took was one mighty stroke.

On the night of April 20, minutes after an enormous blowout ripped through the Deepwater Horizon, the rig’s desperate crew pinned all hope on this last line of defense.

But the line did not hold.

For days, technicians and engineers worked furiously to figure out why, according to interviews and hundreds of pages of previously unreleased notes scrawled by industry crisis managers in the disaster’s immediate aftermath.

via nytimes.com

wara, caldwell, sivas, fisher

Jane Lynch Does Vogue

This is awesome.

Personality

I was just reading a post over on the blog of the amazing Sarah Rhodes and she mentioned that she is an ENFP according the Myers Briggs personality test. It reminded me of the book I’ve been carrying around for the last year or so and I’ve been meaning to write up a lil something about. It’s called Now What? The Young Person’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Career. It’s basically a book that helps you choose a career that makes the most of your natural skills and passions. I highly recommend it if you’re trying to figure out what to do with your life.

Anyways, the test told me that I’m an INFP. That stands for Introversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perceiving. It happens to be a great personality type for becoming a photojournalist, which is awesome because I’ve recently decided to become a wedding and lilfestyle photographer!

If your ever wanted to know everything about me — what makes me tick — here’s my personality profile:

Idealistic, warm, caring, creative, imaginative, original, artistic, perceptive, supportive, empathetic, cooperative, facilitative, compassionate, responsive, sensitive, gentle, tenderhearted, devoted, loyal, virtuous, self-critical, perfectionist, self-sacrificing, deep, multi-faceted, persistant, determined, hardworking, daydreamers, improvisors, initiators of new projects and possibilities, change agents. Drawn to possibilities, what could be rather than what is. Values-oriented with high level of personal integrity. Their focus is on understanding themselves, personal growth, and contributing to society in a meaningful way. Under surface appearances they are complex and driven to seek perfection in themselves, their relationships, and their self-expression. If their career does not express their idealism and drive for improvement, they usually become bored and restless. Dislike conflict, dealing with trivialities, and engaging in meaningless social chatter. Thrive on acknowledgement and recognition so long as they are not the center of attention. Need a private work space, autonomy, and a minimum of bureaucratic rules.

Helvetica

Best documentary I’ve seen in awhile. Seriously.

http://www.helveticafilm.com/