MDF(smash)

Rescue efforts underway after oil rig accident in Gulf – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:47:11 -0400

Rescue efforts underway after oil rig accident in Gulf – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs:

Oh God no.

An oil rig accident has occurred in the Gulf of Mexico and rescue attempts are underway for at least 12 people, Coast Guard spokesman John Edwards told CNN.

The accident took place 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana on Vermilion Oil rig 380, which is owned by Mariner Energy. The Coast Guard has multiple helicopters, an airplane and several Coast Guard cutters en route. It’s unknown if there are any injuries.

The rig inquestion is Vermilion Oil rig 380 owned by Mariner Energy. 13 people were on board the rig, Edwards said, noting 12 have been accounted for, but one person was missing.

changetheratio: TechStars is opening in New York! A great,...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:44:42 -0400

changetheratio:

TechStars is opening in New York! A great, exciting locus of tech money, mentoring and talent for New York City as yet another indicator of its renaissance for the tech scene. It’s got a terrific, talented and innovative slate of advisors. I confess that I wasn’t expecting there to be a ton of women. But I also confess that I thought there’d be more than 2. From Guest of a Guest’s Chiara Atik:

For those that are counting (and I KNOW some of you are counting…), 2 of the 48 are women, but those who are looking to quickly remedy the “lack of women in tech” pandemic need only apply to the program to balance out the ratio!

After noticing that there were only 2 women, I noticed that I knew a LOT of the people. In one of my meetings yesterday my buddy recounted an anecdote, about a meeting he’d had with someone about being asked to help organize a conference, and looking at the slate of organizers/speakers and realizing he knew 90% of them. He said he told them, if I know 90% of them that means we all know 90% of each other, which means we’re limiting ourselves on who we bring in and what we cover. We can be smart and knowledgeable and helpful, but we won’t be surprising.

Just to be clear, there are so many amazing people on this list. We are friends with so many of them. This isn’t about playing tic-tac-toe with the people we think “deserve” or “don’t deserve” to be there. It’s not about individuals, it’s about how the little box of squares above is a stark indicator of a systemic, industry-wide issue: The male-female ratio is staggeringly out of whack, and no one ever seems to notice. If, as she wrote above, Atik knew we’d be counting, why didn’t the people running the program?

After the whole Arrington dust-up, where pointing out a stark 8:1 ratio somehow morphed into me personally accusing him of keeping women out of tech, I feel the need to be over-abundantly cautious and say: Just because I point out the ratio and agitate for this cause does not mean I am criticizing the organization or the people involved. TechStars has clearly sparked a ton of great innovation, fantastic entrepreneurs and a productive, close-knit community. If anything, it is a supreme compliment that women would look at that and think, I want in. Awareness is the first step. The second step is applying. So let’s all make sure we get the word out to the best people we can to apply, apply, apply.

Do it!

peterwknox: » Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble to Close;...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:57:18 -0400

peterwknox:

» Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble to Close; Century 21 Planned to Open in its Place - My Upper West

Terrible.

Nooooooo!

bbook: thedailywhat: Movie Montage of the Day: Kick off your...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:24:03 -0400

bbook:

thedailywhat:

Movie Montage of the Day: Kick off your Tuesday shoes and watch a whole mess of dance scenes from various films, set to Kenny Loggins’s “Footloose.”

[vulture.]

Well, this is a thoroughly enjoyable 4 o’clock on a Tuesday treat.

I’m a little sad Center Stage didn’t make it in there.

runonempty: I need to lose some weight, and the above chart...

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:49:01 -0400

runonempty:

I need to lose some weight, and the above chart (from runnersworld.com of course) illustrates why. I have at least 5 pounds to lose, probably 10. I am officially eating less sugar and drinking less booze.

Woo, I sound like a ball of fun!!!!!

Note to stomach (and metabolism), I can run faster -10 lbs.

I got an iPad! Now, what apps should I get??

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:40:19 -0400

What are your top 5 apps that you can’t live without??

Birthday pressie from Brian! I’m freaking out!

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:38:34 -0400

Birthday pressie from Brian! I’m freaking out!

A Dog Dancing The Merengue Speechless. Just...

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:31:49 -0400

A Dog Dancing The Merengue

Speechless. Just speechless.

[via laughingsquid]

The intro to the 2010 Emmy awards featuring the cast of FOX’s...

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:26:59 -0400

The intro to the 2010 Emmy awards featuring the cast of FOX’s “Glee”

So fantastic.

peterwknox:thegreg:augustajones:mollyabrams:uptheapples:unflinchingly:gleeky | jellybeanontop

As if my evening couldn’t get any better (ahem, bc of...

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:56:00 -0400

As if my evening couldn’t get any better (ahem, bc of nephew #5) I come home to dinner and a homemade birthday cake after my 7 mile run! my roommate is awesome!

A very Cc @official_saints

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:29:07 -0400

A very Cc @official_saints

newsweek: markcoatney: kateoplis: Katrina, a year later by...

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:02:32 -0400

newsweek:

markcoatney:

kateoplis:

Katrina, a year later by Vincent Laforet

Hundreds of years ago, when I first started working at Time, I was taught that anniversary stories are some of the lowest forms of journalism around, and that Time would never stoop to them (clearly, that publication is in a much different place now).

But for Katrina, I think it’s important to suspend this rule, because it really was a critical moment. If there is any real, fundamental danger to America (as opposed to all of Fox’s made-up stuff, that is), this is it: That the country will fail because its government does not provide even minimally competent services to its citizens.

Look at Vince’s pictures—they’re fantastic; see NOLA’s really nice five year’s after coverage (and remember what an amazing, essential job that paper did in 2005); watch ABC’s livestream from there today.

You can find Newsweek’s Katrina coverage here, and we second the plug for ABC’s livestream coverage from there, starting at 12:30 EST today.

saucy: “I wish people would stop saying I’m a ‘foodie,’ and...

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:57:22 -0400

saucy:

“I wish people would stop saying I’m a ‘foodie,’ and would start saying what it actually is: I’m a prick about food… “

(via jakeandamir)

soupsoup: capricecrane: Dogs FTW. Heeeee

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:57:25 -0400

soupsoup:

capricecrane:

Dogs FTW.

Heeeee

hellandheartaches: thehardcandy: hide yo keeds, hide yo wife,...

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:30:22 -0400

hellandheartaches:

thehardcandy:

hide yo keeds, hide yo wife, hide yo husban’

I love him, deep in my heart I do but…too far.

No. Way.

thedailywhat: Meme Remix of the Day: Paramore’s Hayley...

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:16:51 -0400

thedailywhat:

Meme Remix of the Day: Paramore’s Hayley Williams, New Found Glory’s Jordan Pundik, and Relient K’s Ethan Luck cover the Greogory Brothers’ Billboard-approved “Bed Intruder Song.”

[thanks dustin!]

I might have just sent out a company email in ALL CAPS about this cover. Absolutely EPIC.

GDI Could Use Some Stuff (and People)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:30:30 -0400

I’m actually signed up for the HTML/CSS class and can’t wait for it to start! Please support GDI if you can. Let’s change the ratio!

girldevelopit:

We are now nearing the end of our mid-session break, and planning is going full hilt for the next two sessions that are approaching. We have our first Javascript series starting next Wednesday (9/1) and the following Tuesday begins our second round of HTML/CSS classes.

After our recent postmortem we will be making some curriculum changes. We decided that instead of doing small projects each class, we would create one project. We will introduce the finished version at the start of classes, and also show them what they will know how to do by the end of each class. We think this will add consistency. We also will be adding homework, which will only be suggested and not enforced. We thing that especially in the Javascript classes, retention between classes is an imperative.

We also have identified some needs. Now that we will be having double the classes we will have half the teacher’s assistants (we may offer math as the next course). We will be needing more for this round, we like having 2 or 3 per class. This is what we look for in TA’s:

Developers, you don’t have to be a rockstar, you can even be a baby. However you will need to be able to walk people through some remedial stuff.

Either gender is ok, we do not discriminate.

We ask that you be someone who is patient and generally understanding.

If this is you and you would like to volunteer some time to GDI reach out to us here. Classes are Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 7:00pm in the downtown area.

Our second ask is for books. We want to empower these ladies to teach themselves, and we feel that especially in the JS classes books are a necessity. We haven’t determined a good beginner HTML/CSS book yet. However, we’re either going with the Crockford Bible or JQuery: Novice to Ninja. Currently we are in debates of the advantages/disadvantages of teaching JQuery to those who don’t know Javascript.

Our classes are low cost, and we are currently only covering cost. We would have to raise rates a large percentage to cover books as well. We are hoping to find a company that thinks our cause is as awesome as we do that would be willing to donate the books. Maybe even more than one. We think these ladies are worth it. If you are that company, or know one that is please reach out here. We plan on emailing a few places that we think may be open to this as well.

More updates soon, including a really exciting new addition to the GDI family.

newsweek: imremembering: Show & Tell This photo just makes...

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:26:58 -0400

newsweek:

imremembering:

Show & Tell

This photo just makes me swoony. Had to share.

(via The Berry)

Well isn’t this just ador. Care of our fave source of 1990s pop-culture nostalgery: I’m Remembering. #nowwefeelold

I HAD THOSE SKATES!

thedailywhat: This Is Hilarious, You Should Watch It of the...

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:50:15 -0400

thedailywhat:

This Is Hilarious, You Should Watch It of the Day: Racetrack announcer Larry Collmus is forced to call Monmouth Park race with two horses named “My Wife Knows Everything” and “The Wife Doesn’t Know” in the lead.

Equilarity ensues.

[mediaite.]

LOLZ. My mom called to tell me about this. It wasn’t completely random, I was at Monmouth Park this past weekend :)

Click through for an incredible photo essay.

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:36:33 -0400

Click through for an incredible photo essay.