women-future

Way back in 1902, a French manufacturer released a set of trading cards designed by artist Albert Bergeret that imagined the “women of the future.” The cards envisioned women stepping into roles that would have seemed fantastical to most ladies at the time: doctor, lawyer, politician, firefighter, even members of the military.

Although there’s a pin-up quality to many of the images—they’re showing an awful lot of arm, after all—there’s something charming about this retrofuturistic attempt to expand the role of women in society, even if it was nothing but fantasy at the time. Indeed, fantasy and science fiction can often help us open our minds behind the limitations of the world we live in and imagine a better one instead. In the small and fashionable world of these cards, at least, women were given a more equal role in society, not to mention some spectacular hats.

Here are some of my favorites:
women-future2

(Lawyer)
women-future3

(Journalist)
women-future4

(Master of Arms)
women-future5

(General)
mayor

(Mayor)
firefighter

(Firefighter)

Check out the full series of cards here.

from Boing Boing

Put Together A “Packet of Power” in Case Your Flight Is Cancelled

Having the right information on hand when your flight gets cancelled can mean the difference between getting rebooked or being stuck in the airport. Create your own info “packet of power” before each trip so you’re ready to exercise your air travel rights when you need to.

http://lifehacker.com/5967162/what-s…

Your packet will be invaluable, but it’ll only contain just three pieces of information: You’ll need the airline’s phone number so you can call instead of lining up with everyone else to talk to the gate agents. You’ll also want a copy of your airline’s terms and conditions or “contract of carriage” so you can insist agents help you if the cancellation is the airline’s fault. The final item your “packet of power” needs is a list of other airlines that also fly your route. It’ll make rebooking easier since you can look up alternative flights yourself if your flight is cancelled and no one can help. Having your flight cancelled is frustrating, but as long as you’ve prepared this information and are pleasant to the airline reps, you’ll improve your chances of getting your trip back on track.

http://lifehacker.com/the-air-travel…

How to Get Where You’re Going When Your Flight Gets Canceled | LA Times

Image from Butz.2013.

from Lifehacker

In this TED talk, Michael Kimmel, sociologist and author of Angry White Men, makes the case for supporting gender equality: Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but also because everyone benefits.

He points to countries and companies in which there’s more gender equality than average and, as a result, people are happier, men included.

It’s an illuminating talk, often funny. One of the best quotes from it: “Privilege is invisible to those who have it.”

The video’s only 16 minutes long, so give it a watch for some discussion-stirring fodder.

Michael Kimmel: Why gender equality is good for everyone — men included | TED

from Lifehacker

This DIY Bike Safety Light Never Needs Batteries, Is Powered by You

We’ve shared tons of ways to stay safe and seen while riding your bike, but if you’re looking for something automatic that you build once and works forever, this DIY safety light is induction-powered, mounts on your back wheel, and stays lit as long as you keep pedaling. Plus, it’s easy to build.

You’ll need the right components, of course, including some magnets, spoke mounts for the light itself, an LED, and some electrical components (diodes, resistors, etc) that you can get at an electronics or hobby store (or just buy online.) Instructables user tom4zs had the spoke mounts 3D printed online, and even includes the schematics to get them printed yourself, but you could rig your own attachment if you prefer. The whole parts list is at the link below too.http://lifehacker.com/five-best-3d-p…

Ultimately, when you assemble the whole thing, you’ll notice there are no batteries and no on/off switches. The whole rig is smart enough to know that you’re pedaling and uses the energy of you pumping the pedals to power the LED. Plus, once you have all the components, putting everything together is really as easy as soldering a few wires and then screwing the thing onto your bike. Check out the full tutorial below—it’s seriously only a few steps.

Bike Wheel Induction Safety Light | Instructables

from Lifehacker

Mystery surrounds a man dressed as an undertaker in a coffin who has been spotted gliding through the morning mist on Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, Australia.

Fellow paddlers on the lake were baffled by the sight of the man and his vessel, which had been decorated with brightly-coloured plastic flowers. Jeanne Mclauchlan was one seasoned paddler who spotted the man during an early morning venture to the lake on Saturday morning.

“In the distance, we noticed a figure emerge from the thick fog,” she said. “It was a figure of a man dressed in a tuxedo and top hat on a stand-up-paddle coffin, complete with flowers, paddling toward us. We asked ‘coffin man’, ‘Where are you going’?

“His response was, ‘To Queanbeyan cemetery as I have a 3pm grave site to prepare’.” The man’s appearance didn’t thrill everyone who saw him. It is understood some relatives of patients at Clare Holland House, which sits on the edge of the lake at Barton, felt the sight of the coffin kayaker out the hospice’s windows was inappropriate and insensitive.

from Nothing To Do With Arbroath