Though we have previously covered the amazing fractal creations of Tom Beddard, we thought it would be worth revisiting his work to find some examples of his architectural explorations. As we’ve discussed many times, parametric modeling is becoming more popular in the architecture world, thanks largely to Patrik Schumacher of Zaha Hadid Architects. While many amazing projects have resulted from the meeting between programming and building, parametricism becomes more awe-inspiring and, paradoxically, more rigorous when it is freed from the constraints of human inhabitation. Read more…
More:
Pure Emergence: Tom Beddard’s Amazing Fractal Architecture
Sharing a link from Dropbox just got a little easier and faster. Now, when you right-click to share, you’ll see a “Share Dropbox Link” that will generate and automatically save said link to your clipboard. Neat. [ Dropbox ] Read more… 
After you might have read about the new release here , finally there it is! The next MediaPortal 2 alpha release – dubbed Alpha 2 – is out the door. Although progress since the winter-release has been immense, please be aware that this is still an alpha release and therefor not meant to be used on a productive system. Make sure that you read the instructions at the end of this news regarding installation, upgrade and extension compatibility. Summary of changes Server as a Service (# 3823 ): see MP2 Updates thread Improvements of share importer (# 4402 ), media shares are automatically imported once per day Configuration of Server settings from within the client (# 4283 ): Defining the server’s Dokan drive Defining the credentials the server uses to access network shares Installer and configuration improvements Simplified access to installation log files by providing a batch file (# 4329 ) Automatic download and install of LAV Filters during installation by offbyone LAV filters are preferred codecs (# 4364 ) New and improved plugins: New shutdown menu (# 3998 ) Weather plugin improvements by Valk: improved first run experience and a new feature to suggest location OnlineVideos plugin is included in this release News plugins includes new default news feeds per country Experimental 3D support (GUI / Video rendering of SBS/TAB videos, press F12 to toggle modes) ( 3D Video Support for MP2 ) The full change log is available here: MediaPortal 2 Alpha 2 change log Screenshots Installation Before installing MediaPortal 2, you need to make sure all requirements are installed. Then extract the downloaded .zip archive and simply run the .msi installer file. For screenshots refer to our installation wiki . Upgrade notes If you had an earlier version of MP2 installed you might not see your media items inside the libraries. The metadata for the media items have been extended (like the added geographic location support for images). Remove your existing share, then add a new one for the same location. Local cached online data will be kept (like covers and backdrops). Feedback & Support Discuss this release in the official release thread MediaPortal 2 Alpha2 If you are looking for further information please check out MediaPortal 2 wiki first. We are heavily working to improve it. If you don’t find an answer there create a new thread in MediaPortal 2 forums . If you found a bug, please check Mantis & bug report forums first. If it has not been reported already, create a new thread. Download If you would like to support MediaPortal, we would be happy to receive a small donation ! The Team wishes you a lot of fun with this new release! .::. Download – MediaPortal 2.0 Alpha 2 .::. .::. Post a Comment .::. 
The Tampa Bay Times has done some excellent investigative reporting on the 50 worst charities in America — organizations that took in more than $1 billion over the past 10 years, and gave almost all of that money to their own staffs and professional solicitors. The series explains how charities like this operate and skirt the regulatory system. But if you’re feeling TLDR, there’s also a PDF that can help you quickly figure out if you’re donating to one of these scams . A large portion of the 50 worst is made up of charities devoted to cancer and veterans’ issues. 
Zothecula writes “Polish architectural and deep-sea engineering company Deep Ocean Technology has inked a deal with Ridgewood Hotels and Suites Pvt. Ltd. to build its futuristic part-underwater Water Discus Hotel just off the shore of Kuredhivaru Island in the Maldives. ‘The luminous hotel features two large disc-shaped lounges seven-meters above the water, housing a luxury restaurant and spa. The lounges are connected to a glass tunnel plunging 30-meters below the water, leading to 21 opulent bedrooms. Not only does the hotel look like a spaceship — it actually moves like one, with the largest underwater saucer-shaped room able to slide to the surface in emergencies. ‘If you need to replace a window for example, it’s very difficult underwater,’ explained Podwojewski. ‘So we wanted to build a building that can surface any time for maintenance or safety.'” Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
Yahoo is set to release inactive mail accounts this August. Any account that’s been inactive for at least a year and hasn’t been accessed by July 15th will be released back into the wild, the company announced today. [ AP ] Read more…