Desktop Wallpaper Calendars: May 2016

We always try to challenge your artistic abilities and create some interesting and inspiring artwork. As a matter of fact, we discovered the best source for inspiration: desktop wallpapers that are a little more distinctive than the usual crowd.

This creativity mission has been going on for eight years now and, like every month, artists and designers from across the globe got their creative juices flowing to produce desktop wallpapers for you to indulge in. The wallpapers all come in versions with and without a calendar for May 2016 and can be downloaded for free. A big thank-you to everyone who contributed their works! Now, could there be a better occasion to freshen up your desktop?

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Supreme Court grants FBI decentralized warrants, power to hack suspects anywhere

The Supreme Court says the FBI may hack users with no known location, leading critics to wonder how to preserve rights in a world without cyber-borders.

Mapping more genomes will create a healthcare 'big data revolution'

Widespread genetic sequencing has the potential to reflect population-wide health trends, according to Ye Yin Genomics CEO Ye Yin.

By: Matt Kamen,

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May is National Electrical Safety Month

William Atkinson

• Safety

While National Electrical Safety Month was created and is also primarily managed by the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), a number of other entities engage in activities and promote in other ways. These include the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Web Development Reading List #135: Boxy SVG, How To Keep Up, CSS Frameworks

After spring has started marvelously, this week brought us some snow again. But today, the sun is shining, it's getting warmer, and nature is flourishing. Inspired by the fresh green of spring, I'd like to announce The Evergreen List.

This is a sub-part of my reading list, collecting important links that stay relevant over a longer time so that you can find them more easily. Give the page a try and if you have feedback, just email me.

The post Web Development Reading List #135: Boxy SVG, How To Keep Up, CSS Frameworks appeared first on Smashing Magazine.

Facebook Canada opens new HQ's doors to non-profits

Heart & Stroke and others share how they're using social in marketing

President Trump? President Clinton? Gold up in both scenarios?

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton may have very little in common, but Barry Allan, vice chair of mining for Mackie Research Capital, says if either moves into the White House, the U.S. dollar will fall and gold will rise. A higher gold price bodes well for gold equities, and in this interview with The Gold Report, Allan and his colleague Ryan Hanley share the names of some of their top picks for this environment.

SpaceX announces plans to launch Mars mission in 2018

A Red Dragon is headed for the Red Planet, courtesy of SpaceX.

Alternative thinking on capital gains taxes, hedge fund films and pharmaceutical fraud

“If you're an activist investor, a hedge fund or a billionaire, what you're trying to to is to force that company to make a certain amount of money every three months. And you want them to squeeze everything they can every year out of them so you can sell your stock in a year and a day and pay a lower tax rate.”

This Interface Is A (Good) Joke!

For a few years now, a mild debate has simmered over "delightful" interaction design. For some, features that instill delight, as long as they don't interfere with the fundamental capabilities of the system, sit with pleasure atop Maslow's hierarchy of needs as redrawn for interactive systems.

Others don't really care about such features, or place "delight" alongside "frictionless" and "seamless" as just the latest buzzwords (leaving "scalable" and "disruptive" in their dust). What none of these design partisans gets is the place of delight in a much larger process that everyone can enjoy: the hearing of a good joke.

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SmashingConf Freiburg 2016: Some Things Are Just Too Special To Miss

This upcoming September, SmashingConf Freiburg will be taking place on Smashing Magazine's 10th birthday and, well, we definitely wouldn't want to celebrate it all alone.

Freiburg is the smallest of all our conferences; this means a super-friendly atmosphere right at the foothills of the magical Black Forest, but also not that many seats! So, are you ready to celebrate with us?

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New microcontroller runs on radio waves, can be reprogrammed in the field

A new type of wireless sensor can run entirely off ambient energy and be reprogrammed in the field. It's a breakthrough for this type of device and could lead to major advances in wearable and wireless computing.

Alternative thinking on Goldman Sachs deposits, hedge fund revolving doors and obscure Chinese managers

“The trusts funneled millions of dollars over the years into various offshore investment vehicles through a Heinz trust called the “Heinz Family Commingled Alternative Investment Fund.”

Dear Bernie Sanders,

It was discovered that one of the Senate's most liberal members for decades – the current Secretary of State and his wife – have been shielding their money in offshore accounts for years…

Thoughts?

 

Steam, Lionsgate announce new streaming video partnership for movies

Valve just announced a major new initiative to stream Lionsgate movies to Steam users across all three operating systems -- but actually building a video-on-demand service into Steam's client would require more than a little retooling.

Web Development Reading List #134: AI, Keyboard Interactions And Living Style Guides

For a great project, we need a well-functioning team, solid style guides, smooth workflows and well-organized kick-off meetings. Last week, I found a couple of resources that help you achieve just that.

And, a bit further down the road, the developers shouldn't miss out on anything either, of course, - having a proper workflow is essential to be productive, and that's why it might be a good idea to start playing with Docker. Have a productive week ahead!

The post Web Development Reading List #134: AI, Keyboard Interactions And Living Style Guides appeared first on Smashing Magazine.

The best camping gadgets and accessories reviewed

Make the most of the great outdoors with this trio of camping gadgets: a torch, binoculars and a water purifier

By: Kathryn Nave,

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Oregon Adopts 50 Percent Renewable Portfolio Standard

Rick Laezman

• Green Building

Government thresholds have become a commonly used tool in the pursuit of a cleaner energy mix that is less dependent on fossil fuels. Otherwise known as renewable energy portfolio standards (RPS), they require utilities in a given state to obtain a minimum percentage of their energy from renewable sources. According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA), thirty states have an enforceable RPS in place.
Recently, the state of Oregon turned heads by more than tripling its RPS, joining Hawaii, Vermont and California with one of the highest thresholds in the country.

Amazon refusing to sell certain video games, movies to non-Prime members

Amazon has always given Amazon Prime customers perks, but apparently "basic product availability" is one of those perks these days.

Can the NHS modernise without going broke?

Medical technology could help the NHS cut costs and improve care – but it's not easy to change.

By: Nicole Kobie,

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Alternative thinking on Andrew Jackson's face, the Panic of 1893, Elizabeth Warren's daily outrage and David Tepper's future

When historians look back on the debate of whether Harriett Tubman should replace Andrew Jackson on paper money, they will list this somewhere on the list of things that mattered to our national downfall next to “Why were Americans drinking so much coconut water in 2016?”

Chicago Announces Plans to Switch to LED Streetlights

Hannah Fullmer

• Your Business

The city of Chicago announced The Chicago Smart Lighting Project on Sunday, April 17th.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel outlined the initiative's goal to update 270,000 city lights in the next four years. Currently, there are approximately 348,500 outdoor lights across Chicago, including street, alley, viaduct, pathway and lakefront lights. The city plans to switch roughly 85 percent of these outdated high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights with light-emitting diode (LED) lights, calling the project "one of the largest municipal lighting modernization programs in the country."

Sony PS4K 'Neo' will target 1080p minimum resolution, upcoming titles universally compatible

The PlayStation 4's Neo update will target 1080p as a minimum resolution, games will receive "forward compatibility" patches, and the experience across both platforms should be seamless. Sony's new console is coming together beautifully -- at least, through unofficial channels.

Factors In Selecting A Mobile Prototyping Tool

Years ago, a kid was trying to fashion a bow by cutting a twig with a knife. Upon seeing this struggle, his grandfather handed him a saw, saying, “Always use the right tool for the job!” As the kid in the story, I learned a valuable lesson in craftsmanship: When you're picking a tool to solve a problem, there are many good tools, but some are better suited to the task than others!

In recent years, new prototyping tools have emerged, many for mobile design. The landscape is constantly changing, with some tools losing favor with UX designers (or UXers) and others taking their place. While this article will not serve as a complete paint-by-numbers manual for selecting a prototyping tool, we will discuss important factors that influence the selection process.

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East Side Mario's launches nation-wide delivery

Chain's new service responds to the growing appetite for convenience

FBI paid more than $1.3m to break into San Bernardino iPhone

Since the FBI accessed the data on the iPhone of the San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook it has been drip feeding details of the method used.

By: Matt Burgess,

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CGA Promotes Shared Responsibility During National Safe Digging Month

William Atkinson

• Safety

Not everyone knows it, but April is National Safe Digging Month, an event sponsored by the Common Ground Alliance, a 1,700-member organization formed in 2000 to bring together stakeholders involved in the underground utility industry (electric, gas, cable, etc.).

Nasa's experimental engine could put humans on Mars

Researchers at the University of Michigan's College of Engineering have developed a thruster that delivers ten times the exhaust velocity of chemical fuel

By: Kathryn Nave,

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Designing For The Internet Of Emotional Things

More and more of our experience online is personalized. Search engines, news outlets and social media sites have become quite smart at giving us what we want. Perhaps Ali, one of the hundreds of people I've interviewed about our emotional attachment to technology, put it best: "Netflix's recommendations have become so right for me that even though I know it's an algorithm, it feels like a friend."

Personalization algorithms can shape what you discover, where you focus attention, and even who you interact with online. When these algorithms work well, they can feel like a friend. At the same time, personalization doesn't feel all that personal. There can be an uncomfortable disconnect when we see an ad that doesn't match our expectations.

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The media has no idea what kind of deal VW will announce tomorrow

The wires are humming with news of what VW is planning to announce tomorrow, but much of what's being transmitted is confused at best.