Image: Mashable, Will Fenstermaker Our next selection for the MashableReads social book club is Molly Antopol‘s The UnAmericans. Molly Antopol, recently named one of The National Book Foundation’s top “5 Under 35” authors, makes her short story debut with her collection The UnAmericans. The collection follows a multiplicity of voices ranging from a teenager coming of age during the Red Scare to a former dissident writer from Prague reflecting on his negligence as a father. As Antopol navigates from story to story, she explores a global and multi-generational Jewish identity with so much heart, wisdom and tenacity that this story collection is bound to resonate with readers of all ages. Be sure to follow @mashlifestyle to discuss The UnAmericans, using the hashtag #MashReads throughout the month. You can also join our Goodreads group to stay updated on MashableReads, and let us know what you think of the book. Want to hang out with the author in person? Join our MashableReads San Francisco Meet Up for our event on March 26, at 6:00pm. If you’re in New York and want to get together with people to discuss the book, join our MashableReads New York Meet Up. Also, we’ve created some discussion questions and a suggested reading guide to keep you on track throughout the month. We encourage you to grab some friends and get together to discuss The UnAmericans some time in the month of March. And as always, tweet at us or post in our Goodreads group to let us know what you think of the book! Below, we spoke with Antopol about being a “5 Under 35” recipient, her advice for young writers and the influence of social media on storytelling. Q&A with Molly Antopol Mashable: You were named one of The National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35 Authors,” but the stories in The UnAmericans span generations. How did being such a young writer influence your story collection? Antopol: It’s an extraordinary honor to get this kind of recognition — I was thrilled to get the news, and to be in such incredible company. Writing is often such a solitary pursuit; it was very nice to be acknowledged by people who aren’t related to me! When I began writing these stories, I was blissfully ignorant of all things publishing-related. Reading was, at that point in my life, an entirely personal and haphazard experience. I’d stumble upon a book, fall in love with it and obsessively read everything by that writer, then read interviews with them to discover which writers they admired and go search for those books, and so on. The book took me ten years to write. It was really important for me to keep my blinders on the whole time. Because I teach in a writing program, a lot of my friends were publishing books. For some reason, the excitement of seeing close friends publish never pushed me to write faster — instead, it just made me want to tune out any noise so I could focus […]
One of my biggest regrets is not taking advantage of the stories my 90-year-old grandmother could have shared with me while she was alive. Like Clara Cannucciari, who has also now passed on, my grandmother lived through the Great Depression and likely could have shared similar recipes with me if I’d given her the chance. Thankfully, Clara’s family had the good sense to capture her warmth, stories, and recipes before it was too late. Each of the delightful videos showcases a meal Clara and her family survived on during one of the bleakest eras in U.S. history. Even while pushing a century on this planet, Clara’s sweet personality shines through the camera while she peels potatoes, sautés onions, and serves up the dishes they were able to piece together on their meager funds. Watching as she blends together the ingredients and listening to her memories of the time will fill your heart with happiness and, if you follow along, your stomach with delicious, budget-friendly food. Here she recreates the typical breakfast they would have each morning. And in this, she treats her grandson and his friends to a favorite: The Poorman’s Meal. I definitely encourage you to check out more of her charming videos over on her YouTube page. And if you’re lucky enough to still have your grandparents or great-grandparents around, give them a visit or a call and just listen to what they have to say. Even if they’ve gotten a tad grouchy with the passing years (they’ve earned the right to be!), you’ll still be so glad you did. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/great-depression-recipes/
English singer Conor Maynard, whose first album Contrast debuted on top of the UK Albums Chart in August, is tapping into his social media-hungry fan base to help him decide where in the United States he should perform this winter. To determine the five cities in which the 19-year-old will give free concerts, his label EMI Music has created MayniacMap. MayniacMap lets his fans (a.k.a. “Mayniacs”) earn points for their respective cities. Users rack up points by connecting their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, Tumblr and GetGlue accounts, and performing activities — such as following, Liking, commenting and sharing. So far, New York, San Francisco, Houston, Detroit and Tampa, Fla., have accumulated the most points so far. Maynard hails from Brighton and has experienced a similar rise to fame as Justin Bieber, having built a rabid global audience online with soulful YouTube cover videos starting in 2008 before earning a record deal. “It’s flattering to be compared to someone so big, but we have different sounds,” Maynard tells Mashable. His cover of Ne-Yo’s “Beautiful Monster” eventually caught Ne-Yo’s attention, and the two talked via Skype about Maynard’s future. The chat sparked media buzz in the UK, and EMI’s Parlophone label signed him. Maynard’s music video (watch below) for “Turn Around,” which came out in September, features Ne-Yo. Other musicians have also leveraged their online fans to propel projects. Most recently, American folk band Bon Iver asked people to remix songs from its album Bon Iver, Bon Iver; the songs are now on a Spotify album. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/08/conor-maynard-mayniacmap-concerts/
Most people tend to be disgusted by bugs, but some robot researchers are inspired by them. Scientists at Harvard have spent the past five years building robot bugs that can move with the same dexterity and speed as real-life insects. The goal, according to Harvard Microbiotics Lab, is to “create high-performance aerial and ambulatory microrobots,” which can perform tasks such as “search and rescue operations, assisted agriculture, environmental monitoring, and exploration of hazardous environments.” The researchers have designed robobugs that can move as fast as 37 centimeters — the equivalent of more than eight times its body length — per second. One of the bugs is about as small as a penny; another bug is a bit larger and has a built-in battery supply so it can scurry around for longer periods of time. It seems that Harvard has gone bug-crazy. Earlier this year, scientists at the university unveiled a bug-sized flying robots with a 3-centimeter wingspan — and yes, the wings look just like the wings on a bug. Image courtesy of YouTube, MicrobioticsLab Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/06/23/robot-bugs/
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) wanted to make a big impression when he voted against a controversial bill to make it more difficult for women to have abortions. He Vined his “nay” vote, making him most likely the first member of Congress to do so. Swalwell was protesting a bill called the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. It would ban abortions after a fetus is 20 weeks old, and is based on the idea that fetuses can feel pain earlier than previously thought.On Twitter, Swalwell posted that the bill was part of a “war on women.” Of the Vine, he said, “When House @GOP try to roll back health protections for women, this is how I vote.” The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act passed the House 228-196 Tuesday, with only 12 members of Congress breaking party lines: Six Democrats voted in favor of the bill, and six Republicans voted against it. There’s little chance of the bill actually becoming law. Even if it were picked up and passed in the Democrat-controlled Senate, President Obama has already promised to veto. He did not, however, stress his point in a six-second video with stuttering sound. Image courtesy of James Morehead/Wikimedia Commons YouTube experiments with its own Super Bowl halftime show The race to create our virtual realities A guide to Rob Gronkowski’s best Internet moments Black & Sexy TV wants to appeal to more than black audiences This article originally published at The Daily Dot here Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/06/19/eric-swalwell-vines-vote/
The rise of self-driving cars and automated technology is forcing us to ask some tough moral questions about the future of these machines. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/what-a-classic-moral-dilemma-means-for-the-future-or-technology/
Dance classes are a perfect way for children to let out some energy and learn something new. I took ballet for a few years when I was a kid and I absolutely loved it. In order to teach small children, those dance instructors have to be incredibly patient and kind. I know I was a handful, and I’m sure most kids are. That’s why it’s so shocking to see what surveillance footage caught at Jihui Kindergarten in China: a dance instructor abusing children. The woman beats, kicks, and slaps two of her kindergarten students as the other children watch on in horror. Read More: Those Baby Wipes You Use On Everything? They Might Not Be So Safe After All (via Mirror) Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/dance-teacher-abuse/
TOSA, or Trolleybus Optimisation Systeme Alimentation, is a new electric bus charging system that takes only 15 seconds to power up. It is now being tested in Geneva, Switzerland. The system currently in place has the vehicles constantly connected to overhead trolley cables or, alternatively, running entire routes on a single charge. The new system allow buses to charge at every third or fourth stop using a device installed at the stop that engages with the roof using a laser guidance system. Once connected, the mechanism delivers a 15-second-long, 400-kilowatt boost to the bus batteries as passengers are getting on and off. TOSA’s charging stations will be completely wireless. Image courtesy of TOSA. TOSA enables flexible routes and eliminates the need for messy and unsightly overhead cables. Additionally, all of the electricity the buses use comes from hydropower, so no CO2 is emitted at any point in the process. The project is a collaboration between Geneva’s public transport company (TGP), the Office for the Promotion of Industries and Technologies (OPI) and the Geneva power utilities SIG and ABB. The trial will begin with a route from Geneva International Airport to the Palexpo exhibition system. If it succeeds, Geneva will be the world’s first city to use this concept and one step further towards a greener transport system. Image courtesy of TPG This article originally published at PSFK here Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/06/10/charging-electric-buses/
Photographer Chris Burkard recently teamed up with SmugMug Film and some professional surfers to do something amazing. Burkard and his crew took a trip up to the Arctic Circle in Norway to surf some of the roughest, coldest beaches in the world. They filmed the whole thing and have created a mini documentary of their adventure. It is seriously awesome: If you thought that was amazing, just check out some of the photographs Burkard took during the trip. Chris Burkard Chris Burkard Chris Burkard Chris Burkard Chris Burkard Chris Burkard Chris Burkard Chris Burkard Chris Burkard Chris Burkard Chris Burkard Chris Burkard Chris Burkard Burkard’s work is amazing. Check out some of his other non-Arctic pictures: Chris Burkard via Facebook Chris Burkard via Facebook Chris Burkard via Facebook Chris Burkard via Facebook Chris Burkard via Facebook Chris Burkard via Facebook Chris Burkard via Facebook Chris Burkard via Facebook (H/T: Petapixel) Now I’m itching for some adventure. Make sure to spread the love and share this post by clicking below. Read more: http://viralnova.com/arctic-surfing/
Private spaceflight company SpaceX has been testing its Grasshopper rocket over the past few months, but it set a record last week with its latest launch in which it flew 2,440.94 feet in the air — the vehicle’s highest leap yet. Using a single camera hexacopter drone, SpaceX was able to get closer than ever to record the video above, which the company released Monday. As the rocket climbed gracefully into the air, the drone camera — which you can see in the right-hand corner of the frame — adjusted to capture the seemingly slow launch. Grasshopper soared in an almost-perfect straight line — quite different from its August launch, when it leapt sideways. The 10-story-high Grasshopper is one of SpaceX’s most outside-the-box experiments. Most rockets burn up when reentering Earth’s atmosphere, but Grasshopper is a reusable Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) vehicle built to withstand these harsh conditions and return to the planet’s surface intact. Grasshopper holds the first-stage tank of the Falcon 9 rocket, which boosts SpaceX’s unmanned Dragon capsule to the International Space Station. BONUS: 10 Rare of Inside-Views of Spacesuits Inside the Spacesuit: 10 Rare Views of a NASA Icon Alan Bean Spacesuit Astronaut Alan Bean wore this A7-LB suit on the 1973 Skylab 3 mission. Bean logged 1,671 hours and 45 minutes in space, including more than 10 hours of EVA (extra vehicular activity). Image: Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino Boot X-Ray An x-ray of an Apollo-era “overboot” shows the adjustment strap that allowed astronauts to tighten this boot over another shoe that was attached to the spacesuit. Image: Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino Glove Astronauts wore special gloves during lunar excursions. Made with rubber and Neoprene interior bladders, gloves covered hands completely to the wrist and were attached to the arms of the spacesuit with aluminum rings. Image: Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino Helmet X-Ray This 1964 A4-H “Universal” helmet was designed to fit on more than one suit. The x-ray reveals ball bearings in the neck ring that allowed the helmet to move right and left without restriction. Image: Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino Phase I Apollo Helmet X-ray of a helmet that was developed for the Phase I Apollo program. Image: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino Mark V Spacesuit The Mark V suit was relatively flexible and incorporated design elements that allowed for a fuller range of movement. Image: Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino Apollo Spacesuit Overshoe X-ray of an extravehicular (EV) overshoe that was designed to be worn over the Apollo spacesuit boots while an astronaut was walking on the Moon. Image: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Mark Avino Alan Shepard’s Apollo 14 Spacesuit An x-ray of Alan Shepard’s Apollo 14 spacesuit allows curators and conservators to “see” inside space clothing — a task that had previously been done by peering through the neck or the wrist with a flashlight. Image: X-ray by Roland H. Cunningham and Mark Avino Freedom 7 Spacesuit Alan B. Shepard, one of the original “Mercury […]
