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Today in History: Lewis H. Latimer, Underrated Inventor

Lewis Howard Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, on Sept. 4, 1848. He was born six years after his parents ran away from slavery in Virginia. Latimer is considered one of the 10 most important Black inventors of all time. He died in Flushing, New York, on Dec. 11, 1928.

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War. After the war, Latimer returned to Boston, where he was employed by the patent solicitors Crosby and Gould. While there, he learned mechanical drawing, how to use the tools of the trade and the art of drawing to scale. After noticing Latimer’s skills and ability, he was promoted to the role of head draftsman.

While at Crosby and Gould, Latimer drafted the patent drawings for inventor Alexander Graham Bell’s patent application for the telephone. He spent countless hours working with Bell. With Latimer’s help, Bell was able to get the patent before competitors.

In 1876, Hiram S. Maxim hired Latimer to be an assistant manager and draftsman. Latimer invented a method for making carbon filaments for the Maxim electric incandescent lamp. In 1881, he supervised the installation of the electric lights in New York, Philadelphia, Montreal and London.

In 1894, he created a safety elevator that improved the elevators of that time. He next obtained a patent for locking racks for hats, coats and umbrellas that organizes people’s belongings and prevents theft. He next created an enhanced version of a book supporter that arranged and organized books.

He was a real “renaissance man.” In addition to being an inventor, he was a painter, poet, playwright and musician. Today, the Lewis H. Latimer House in New York City is a museum filled with Latimer’s work and is open to the public.

 

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5 Blatant Instances Of Racism in Video Games

Street Fighter

Although most people who grew up playing Street Fighter loved the franchise, it’s hard to overlook the blatant racial overtones of the characters. From Blanka, the savage from Brazil, to Dalsim, the yoga-practicing Indian, to Balrog, the only Black character in the game who’s portrayed as an evil greedy boxer.

Ethnic Cleansing

It’s hard to believe that a game this blatantly racist exists! Developed by Resistance Records, the game lets you play as a Klansman or skinhead in the quest to kill Latinos, Blacks and Jews.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex Human Revolution is a cyberpunk-themed, action role-playing video game developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix. Released in 2011, the game was critically acclaimed, except for one particular character, a Black female depicted as Letitia. As reported by time.com:

“Letitia’s a really bad part of a really good game. When lead character Adam Jensen encounters her in Detroit, she’s picking through the trash. It becomes clear that she’s an informant from Jensen’s police days.

“The purpose of talking to Letitia is to move the player forward and give some hints about Jensen’s backstory. Yet in doing so, you encounter something really ugly. Letitia embodies a strain of racist stereotype that renders black people as less than human, as the worst that society has to offer.”

Scribblenauts

The objective of Scribblenauts, as implied by its catchphrase “Write Anything, Solve Everything,” is to complete puzzles to collect “Starites,” helped by the player’s ability to summon any object (from a database of tens of thousands) by writing its name on the touchscreen.

However, users were able to uncover a particularly unnerving coincidence that when the term “Sambo” was typed, a watermelon appears on the screen and the character of color eats the entire thing and then falls asleep.

Resident Evil 5

The Resident Evil franchise is one of the most popular game franchises of all time, consisting of not just games but a string of movies as well. However, prior to the release of Resident Evil 5, a trailer featured the lead character (who was Caucasian) massacring numerous Black people in an African village, who had been infected with a disease that originated in Africa.

Although the game producers tried to defend their position by saying that other iterations of the game had taken place in other countries, the racial overtones in the trailer were too blatant and did cause serious backlash at the time.

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Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Confirms Villainous Role as DC Comics’ Black Adam

Dwayne Johnson, better known by some as The Rock, finally confirmed that he will be taking on the role of Black Adam in the upcoming DC Comics film adaptation.

There are still many questions left unanswered, like when the Shazam adaptation will hit theaters and if Johnson will be donning a spandex bodysuit for the role, but at least fans finally know who will be the face of the famous antihero.

Johnson took to his own social media to confirm the role and express his excitement over the part.

“ ‘Kneel at his feet or get crushed by his boot.’ My honor to become… #BlackAdam #TheAntiHero #DCComics,” he tweeted Wednesday.

He also shared an image of the magic-wielding supervillain he will portray putting his arch nemesis, Shazam, in a frightening chokehold.

For many fans, the 42-year-old actor’s decision was no surprise.

Last month, he talked to The Associated Press about how much he loves antiheroes and even pointed out Black Adam as one of his favorite DC Comics characters.

During an appearance in Mexico City to promote his latest film Hercules, he explained that he will do everything in his power to satisfy the fans.

“I am putting my heart and soul and my bones into this role,” he said.

Toby Emmerich, president and chief operating officer of New Line, is not the least bit worried about Johnson’s ability to bring this character to life.

“We love Dwayne and have had nothing but success with him over the years,” Emmerich said. “When I look at Dwayne both off screen and on screen, he is such a larger-than-life character, and it just made perfect sense to me that we put him in a DC Comics movie. You look at these comic book characters and they have this certain swag and charisma that Dwayne carries with him wherever he is, so that’s why this always made sense.”

Warner Brothers has not announced an official release date for the film.

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#BlackTwitterStudyResults Bashes USC’s Black Twitter Research

When the University of Southern California announced its latest study on Black Twitter, the virtual community gave the student researchers a firsthand taste of just how powerful of a digital vehicle Black Twitter really is.

The university’s Data Science at the Annenberg Innovation Lab website explained the details of one of the school’s latest studies – a closer look at the online sub-culture that has become known as Black Twitter.

Problems arose, however, when many users felt the research method watered Black Twitter down to nothing more than Scandal-watching live-tweeters with short attention spans.

“In order to observe the unpredictable flow of Black Twitter activity, we turn instead to a structured set of events around which a significant percentage of the Black Twitter community has gathered,” the DSAIL website explained. “Our case study focuses on the popular television show, Scandal (of which the protagonist is notable actress, Kerry Washington). From October 3 to December 12, 2013, we tracked the activity of any user tweeting about Scandal, and logged their Twitter conversations and user metadata. With this collection as a starting point, we have begun to map out relationships among users who ‘live-tweet’ Scandal in an effort to identify sub-groups of users that interact with one another outside of their shared interest in the TV show.”

The study, which initially seemed to be headed by only three white males, came across as offensive to many Black Twitter users who responded to the research in true Black Twitter fashion – with a sarcastic hashtag.

The hashtag #BlackTwitterStudyResults started circulating on the social media site rather quickly and even garnered attention from BET.

“#blacktwitterstudyresults: people still like #CollegeHill …That’s why we are re-airing it. MIDNIGHTS,” BET tweeted.

Others joined in by slamming the false perceptions that often swirl around the online community.

“Lacking the ability to multitask, Black twitter often forgets about Black on Black crime #BlackTwitterStudyResults,” another user tweeted.

Others used pop culture phrases to inspire their tweets.

“#BlackTwitterStudyResults Felicia is clearly disliked as everyone wants her to leave #ByeFelicia,” another user tweeted.

It wasn’t long before users began mentioning some frequently discussed topics in Black Twitter such as “shade throwing,” the term “beat face,” and thinning edges.

“If one catches fade then they also may be the victim of shade throwing? Something about edges. Still deciphering. #BlackTwitterStudyResults,” another user tweeted before quickly gaining over 100 retweets.

After the hashtag started to garner more and more attention, a young Black woman was added to the project’s website’s attribution section.

The woman, who was identified as Dayna Chatman, eventually took to her own timeline to defend the project that she claimed was her idea from the start.

“I want to voice my frustration with how the research is inaccurately represented online,” she tweeted. “I will say more about my role in the project.”

Through a series of tweets, Chatman said her only goal for the project was to “archive and understand the voice of Black people” because she feels it is not “done enough in Communication.”

She also explained that she “pitched this project” as a part of her dissertation.

Many users felt as if this was merely a tactic being used to help fend off some of the backlash aimed toward three white males heading a research project on Black Twitter.

Others simply felt as if the study would serve to be pointless and was far too narrow-minded.

“If you want to understand the way blck ppl communicate you’ll have to go beyond Twitter #BlackTwitterStudyResults,” one user tweeted shortly after Chatman explained her involvement with the project.

 

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Are You a Wannabe or a Real Entrepreneur? 6 Differences Between Those Who Dream and Those Who Act

Wannabes Obsess About Ideas; Entrepreneurs Obsess About Implementation

Sometimes, we spend an inordinate amount of time talking about our ideas, dreams and aspirations. It is easy to content ourselves with simply having lofty ideas, not realizing their sheer abundance. Anyone who has taken a breath has likely had an idea that could have literally changed the course of his or her life in a revolutionary way. Unfortunately, such ideas rarely get implemented.

Real entrepreneurs overcome their mental barriers, move beyond their comfort zones and spring into action. Wannabes seek a perfect plan. Entrepreneurs execute and adjust the plan later.

Wannabes Want Approval from Family and Friends; Entrepreneurs Embrace Criticism

Some entrepreneurs allow those closest to them — their friends and family — to prevent them from going after their dream of starting their own business.

Meanwhile. others, while they know their loved ones have their best interest at heart,  know uninformed advice and criticism can be more harm than good.

Instead of wasting valuable time and energy being defensive or trying to get approval from those who cannot be persuaded by data, they use criticism to address holes in their business strategy.

Wannabes Focus on Getting ‘Rich’; Entrepreneurs Are in It for the Love

If you perceive starting a business as your golden ticket, think again. Many entrepreneurs who have built massive wealth likely didn’t go into business to get rich. They did so because they had passion for something and kept finding opportunities to expand the way they expressed that passion, and then they realized they could make money doing it.

Entrepreneurs who become rich do so because they love what they do. It has meaning for them, so much meaning that they are willing to do whatever it takes, at weird hours, often at high personal inconvenience and risk, to do it. Making money doing it becomes inevitable.

Wannabes Want to Get on TV and Get ‘Famous’; Entrepreneurs Build Desirable Products or Services

Since the days of the Dot-Com era, many entrepreneurs were treated like pop stars. This has attracted many wannabe entrepreneurs who are more concerned with the spotlight than actually running a successful business.

Real entrepreneurs recognize their natural desire to be recognized, but they don’t think fame is the only form of recognition that validates them. Rather than focusing on becoming famous, they focus on creating something deserving of attention.

Wannabes Hope, Pray and Wait for Their Lucky Break; Entrepreneurs Engineer Multiple Plans and Execute

Wannabes focus on positive thinking, expecting one day their big break will come and things will get easier.

Entrepreneurs put themselves in a position to get lucky by creating the right situations for success by planning for multiple contingencies, therefore, persevering through both the good and bad times.

They also make the right connections, believe in what they’re doing and then seize the opportunities that align with their goals and avoid those that don’t. 

Wannabes Are Discouraged by Failure; Entrepreneurs See Failure as an Opportunity

Wannabes fear looking stupid in front of their friends. Entrepreneurs willingly risk making fools of themselves, knowing that long-term success is a good tradeoff for a short-term loss of dignity.

Entrepreneurs don’t see failure as something to fear. Instead, they see it as an opportunity to expand their knowledge base and a stepping stone to success. Therefore, real entrepreneurs don’t hide their failures and aren’t afraid to expose their ideas to a cold reality as soon as reasonably possible.

 

 

 

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A Look Back in History: Guion S. Bluford — The First African-American Man in Space

Guion S. Bluford was born in Philadelphia on Nov. 22, 1942. He became the first African-American to travel into space on Aug. 30, 1983. He served as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

Bluford has multiple degrees in science and engineering. They include a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1964, a master’s with distinction in aerospace engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1974 and a Ph.D.

In 1993, Bluford left the Air Force and NASA. Four years later, he was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame. On June 5, 2010, he was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Bluford led the way for many Black men and women to journey into space. Astronauts Ronald McNair, Charles F. Bolden Jr. and Frederick D. Gregory gained leadership roles on their missions. Mae Jemison was the first African-American woman in space. Other astronauts benefitting from Bluford’s legacy include Bernard A. Harris Jr., Winston E. Scott, Robert Curbeam, Michael P. Anderson, Stephanie Wilson, Joan Higginbotham, B. Alvin Drew, Leland D. Melvin and Robert Satcher.

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6 Insults Most Blerds Have Heard at Some Point in Their Lives

Being Called an ‘Oreo’

The term “Oreo” is defined as a Black person who is regarded as having adopted the attitudes, values and behaviors thought to be characteristics of middle-class white society, often at the expense of his or her own heritage.

Although Black culture is part of what defines Black people, the idea that the culture is static is completely ludicrous. The term “Oreo” completely discounts the fact that no matter how different a Black person acts in comparison to racial stereotypical images, that can never change his or her skin. So that person still has to deal with the day-to-day racism or injustices that are geared toward Black people.

‘Why Do You Sound/Look White?’

This insult is closely related to the “Oreo” insult. Not only is it offensive for not realizing the dynamics of Black people, it goes a step further in perpetuating the myth that white people somehow have a monopoly on looking, sounding and being intelligent.

‘The Only Reason You Got Into a Good College is Because You’re Black’

This stems from a lack of understanding of how affirmative action works, and believing that it has something to do with filling quotas. The truth is that Black youths have to be quite exceptional to get into a good school, especially when compared to their white counterparts.

Ironically, as many as 15 percent of freshmen at America’s top schools are white students who failed to meet their university’s minimum standards for admission, according to Peter Schmidt, deputy editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education. These kids are “people with a long-standing relationship with the university,” or, in other words, the children of faculty, wealthy alumni and politicians.

According to Schmidt, these unqualified but privileged kids are nearly twice as common on top campuses as Black and Latino students who have benefited from affirmative action.

‘You’re So Articulate …’

This is the ultimate backhanded compliment. Often, the people uttering the phrase truly believe they’re being nice when saying this. However, it is quite an ignorant statement. First, it assumes that the average Black person is dumb and inarticulate, and that the person they’re “complimenting” is so rare it’s like they’ve come into contact with a unicorn. It also assumes that there’s only one acceptable way for smart people to talk.

‘You Look/Remind Me of Urkel/Carlton Banks’

Because of the gross misrepresentation of Black people in mainstream media, characters like Urkel from Family Matters and Carlton from The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air are the only archetypes many people have of a Black nerd. However, equating someone as being a Blerd for simply wearing large glasses and “preppy” clothes undervalues the intelligence of true Blerds

‘Being a Sellout’

This insult is particularly offensive because it usually comes from another Black person. While there are many people who have betrayed the Black community, being smart and successful does not automatically make you a “sellout”.

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A Look Back in History: Jerry Lawson — The First Black Game Designer

Engineer Jerry Lawson was born Dec. 1, 1940, and died April 9, 2011. He introduced home video gaming by creating the Fairchild Channel F in August 1976, the first game system with interchangeable games.

As a child, he was inspired by the work of scientist and inventor George Washington Carver. Lawson started repairing televisions to make a little money before enrolling at Queens College in New York City. In the 1970s, Lawson joined the Silicon Valley’s Homebrew Computer Club as the only Black member at the time.

The Fairchild Channel F was the predecessor to the Atari 2600 and only lasted a year. This console was designed for one of the first coin-operated arcade games, Demolition Derby. The console was the first cartridge-based gaming system that came to market that featured a pause button and featured eight colors in a single game.

After leaving Fairchild in 1978-79, Lawson started his own video game development company called Videosoft. The company was started to create games and tech tools for the Atari 2600 but fell short of that goal. Videosoft ended up creating only one cartridge, Color Bar Generator, which was made to fix your television’s color and adjust the vertical and horizontal picture.

Lawson may very well be the first Black video game designer, producer and engineer in the industry.

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Could IBM’s Watson Get to the Bottom of the Issues in Ferguson?

IBM’s “cognitive supercomputer” is starting to get involved in law enforcement, and now there is speculation that the data-crunching device could get to the bottom of issues with law enforcements in Ferguson, Missouri, and other Black communities across the nation.

IBM’s supercomputer, better known as Watson, garnered a lot of attention after it soared to victory on the Jeopardy game show more than three years ago.

Since then, the computer has been used in matters pertaining to food science, customer service and helping veterans prepare for life after the military.

Now, authorities are hoping Watson can get more involved with police investigations like the shooting of Michael Brown, the unarmed teen who was fatally shot Aug. 9 by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.

Police investigations very quickly lead to thousands upon thousands of pages of reports, statements and lab results that investigators have to sort through.

While this can be a lengthy process for a human and leave tons of room for someone to miss a connection, Watson has the potential to complete years of work in a matter of seconds.

“There may be something in lead No. 25 that doesn’t make sense until you get to lead No. 2,050,” Tucson, Arizona, chief of police Roberto Villasenor told Mashable.com “How is a human going to tie those things together? Cognitive computing can.”

While authorities hope to get Watson involved in their investigations, Villasenor made it clear that humans will still need to be very involved in checking out leads and checking Watson’s results.

“It cannot be a computer or a human analysis,” he said. “It has to be an ‘and.’ We say, ‘Watson said this – let’s go check it out.’ ”

The analytical power behind the supercomputer could allow it to get a deeper understanding of issues with police that are currently being debated in situations like Ferguson.

Many influential figures are launching national discussions to try to figure out how to solve law enforcement issues in urban communities that are leading to Black men being killed and aggressive police tactics being used.

This is where Villasenor believes Watson could help sort through the chaos in Ferguson.

“There are a lot of theories being thrown out in the news media,” he said. “Being able to trudge through all the information and data, and put out accurate information, as opposed to speculation or analysis based on speculation and supposed truth that’s being put out through third-party hearsay … You need to filter through that.”

As Mashable writer Pete Pachal pointed out, it isn’t fair to say that all the comments regarding Ferguson have been “third-party hearsay.”

“Most of the commentators on Ferguson cite some statistics or studies to support their point of view,” Pachal wrote.

The difference, however, is that Watson would be able to digest more relevant data, link relevant information and sort through more files than humans can alone.

With the issue of police militarization being prominent in the media, Watson can sort through all the records that reveal what type of equipment was sold to which police agencies and departments and how this equipment has been used so far.

By analyzing this information, Watson can clearly identify if different, more aggressive tactics are being used more often in Black, urban communities.

“There are mounds of information out there that we’re going to need help sorting through to help us not necessarily answer the question, but at least define the problem,” Villasenor added. “We need to get the data-driven information, and not go with anecdotal information because there’s a lot of emotion behind it. We need to try and get past the emotion and find the truth. It may be bad, but we need to find out what it is so we can adjust.”

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18 Black Child Prodigies Mainstream Media Doesn’t Talk About

 

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Andrew Koonce

Andrew Koonce, 15,  is a talented African-American violinist from Atlanta. His list of awards and titles are impressive. As an eighth grader, he ranked first place at the Heritage Music Festival in Florida, winning the Maestro Award for best solo.

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Rochelle Ballantyne

At 17, Rochelle Ballantyne is one of the top chess players in the world. This Brooklyn, N.Y., native  is a high school senior now, but her name is still at the top of Intermediate School 318’s list of best players. She is on the verge of becoming the first black American female to earn the title of chess master.

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Stephen R. Stafford II

While most of his peers slog through seventh grade, Stephen Stafford, 13, earns credits toward his pre-med, computer science and mathematics degrees at Morehouse College in Atlanta. The wide-smiling, fast-talking, classical piano-playing Lithonia, Ga., resident has been labeled a “prodigy” (a term he doesn’t really like).

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