MetaFilter posts tagged with transition

Still waiting on the jetpacks, but...

blahblahblah — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:01:54 -0800

With the Terrafugia Transition flying car (or drivable plane) getting closer to production (though there are doubters), the company has released plans for the TF-X, which looks like the flying car of our dreams. The plans call for a hybrid electric fully-automated transforming car that can take-off and land vertically, travel 200 mph, and not require a pilots license. Flying cars are apparently hot again, with crowdfunded efforts, a mysterious Silicon Valley startup Zee.Aero, the UK's AugustWestland, and the AirMule getting into the game; all while Terrafugia is also developing a "flying humvee" for the military. Of course, we have seen this all before, including one of the first flying cars, which was built around a Ford Pinto and killed its inventors.

Students all over the world are demanding a new curriculum.

infini — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:25:28 -0800

A Renaissance in Economics The American President Ronald Reagan once quipped, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” I get the same shivers when someone introduces themselves as an economist.

Boil the Frog

flex — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 12:00:10 -0800

"Boil the Frog lets you create a playlist of songs that gradually takes you from one music style to another. It's like the proverbial frog in the pot of water. If you heat up the pot slowly enough, the frog will never notice that he's being made into a stew and jump out of the pot. With a Boil the Frog playlist you can do the same, but with music." Here's more about Paul Lamere's new project, where he suggests some fun & incongruent playlists to try. Lamere's music projects previously on MeFi: infinite jukebox - infinite gangnam style - road trip mixtape - the labyrinth of genre - slow build - six degrees of black sabbath

I guess he had some kind of 'Total Recall' memory wipe in mind.

unSane — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 18:51:26 -0800

I've lost track of the many reasons that have been given for the [Apple OS X] switch to Intel, but this I know for sure: no one has ever reported that, for 18 months, Project Marklar existed only because a self-demoted engineer wanted his son Max to be able to live closer to Max's grandparents.

The Bedouin

Effigy2000 — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 21:58:15 -0800

The Bedouin are an ethnic group of tribes that live in the deserts of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Sinai Peninsula, amongst others. The Bedouin have lived a largely nomadic life, developing a menu, style of dance and sport they can call their own. Today they are a culture in transition as "startling changes over the last two decades have irrevocably altered the nature of life for the bedouin and for the land they inhabit." However a glimpse into their past can be seen through this great collection of images taken between 1890 and 1920.

Miss Gender — A Video Podcast About My Transition from One Gender to Another

item — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:14:10 -0800

Miss Gender — A Video Podcast About my Transition From One Gender to Another [via mefi projects] "Miss Gender is a video podcast created by Jay Frosting and me about about my transition from male to female. I’ve been contemplating my gender identity since I was 13 or 14 and, now in my mid-30s, I’ve started to get my head around the reality that I’m transgender. On the show we talk about how I came to realize I’m transgender, coming out to my parents and other family members, mulling over how to handle things at work, and simply trying to get the hang of being a girl." ——————————————————————— Honest and informative, Miss Gender gets into the emotions and dynamics behind transitioning as well as anything I've ever seen before. There's two 40-plus minute episodes posted so far, viewable via Vimeo streaming video or by subscription on the site or on iTunes. Audio-only versions are also available.

Transgender LA Times sportswriter Mike Penner dead in suspected suicide

Sova — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:19:57 -0800

Mike Penner, sportswriter at the Los Angeles Times, died on Friday in an apparent suicide. Penner was best known for his sports journalism until April 2007, when he publicly announced that he was transsexual and would begin writing as Christine Daniels (previously). He detransitioned in October 2008, returning to work under his original name, but without offering explanation. The story of Mike Penner's transition and detransition provoked comment on the issue of "regret", a topic which can be difficult for the trans community.

Crossing Over

fearfulsymmetry — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:27:04 -0800

Transition, the latest from Iain Banks... or is it Iain M. Banks? Anyway, as well dead tree and audio, it's also a free podcast on Itunes... ...a novelty for so prominent a writer. Unfortunately the promotion of that caused a bit of a palaver re existing podcasters (read the comments). Sounds good anyway (review in the Independent). And if you need any more incentive to check it out, apparently there's bad sex in it... what would Jane think? (Previously)

The Transition Handbook

sciurus — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 09:12:57 -0800

The Transition Handbook should be helpful to you if you are a proponent of planned energy descent and independence from fossil fuels and would like to start a Transition Town of your own.

The transition model emboldens communities to look peak oil and climate change squarely in the eye and unleash the collective genius of their own people to find the answers to this big question: for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how are we going to:

significantly rebuild resilience (in response to peak oil); and

drastically reduce carbon emissions (in response to climate change)?
The Transition Network

If you're interested in learning more about the movement, don't miss:

Tax Trouble at Treasury

Slap Factory — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:28:13 -0800

Timothy Geithner is an experienced financial leader (previously). He is President Obama's pick to run the Treasury Department, which includes the Internal Revenue Service. The problem is that Mr. Geithner did not pay more than $30,000 in taxes, even his employer reminded him to do so. Now his nomination may be in jeopardy. Is Mr. Geithner the new Zoe Baird?

I've been waiting for me

cashman — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:21:37 -0800

Change.gov, office of the president-elect went live today. Submit your story. Share your vision. Get a non-career job in the administration, or get ready to get involved.

The Presidential Transition Period

brandman — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:18:29 -0800

Well, the Presidential election is only one day away...after which, the US begins the 11 week transition period to a new administration! As established by the twentieth amendment to the US Constitution, "the terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January." So what exactly happens between election day and January 20th? There are a lot of interesting stories about that, which help convey the strong tradition behind lengthy transition periods in the US. In addition to the history, the General Services Administration has various (semi-)recently documented responsibilities during this period under The Presidential Transition Act of 2000, while other branches of the government focus on their respective areas. For example, the Office of Personnel Management focuses on...personnel changes, while the military plans for possible incidents during this time. But what exactly will President-Elect Obama or President-Elect McCain be doing? As you might expect, they've already started planning their administrations, an activity they have far more time to accomplish prior to the "official" transition than our friends in some other countries.

Is H5N1 flu transitioning to human-to-human transmission?

chakalakasp — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 01:30:31 -0800

Is H5N1 flu transitioning to a human-to-human illness? Recent reports of familial clusters suggest that it may be, though there are certainly other possible explanations, such as families living in environments contaminated by virus-laden bird feces. On the other hand, it would seem that epidemiologists are growing increasingly interested in the possibility that these clusters are indicative of human-to-human transmissions. Further, the virus may be inching towards being asymptomatic, which isn't as good as it sounds: if people can carry the virus and transmit it to others without showing symptoms, it will be very difficult to impossible to tell who is a vector and highly difficult to control any emerging epidemic.

No truth in White House vandal scandal, GSA reports

owillis — Fri, 18 May 2001 09:23:41 -0800

No truth in White House vandal scandal, GSA reports "The agency concluded that departing members of the Clinton administration had not trashed the place during the presidential transition, as unidentified aides to President Bush and other critics had insisted. "

The first step in setting up a parallel government?

tranquileye — Mon, 27 Nov 2000 14:04:28 -0800

The first step in setting up a parallel government? "Republican vice-presidential candidate Dick Cheney said if the General Services Administration will not assist George W. Bush's transition to the White House, the campaign is prepared to go ahead on its own. 'We will proceed drawing on other sources,' Cheney told reporters in Washington on Monday." Yeah, I just bet they will.