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40 of the Most Interesting Animated Black Characters Ever to Hit Television

There are very few animated TV shows that have compelling and memorable Black characters at the forefront. In the 1990s and early 2000s, there were Black people dominating the cinemas, live-action TV and animated television. Now that we are 15 years into the new millennium, that small number has become microscopic. Will there be more great Black animated TV shows in the near future?  That is unknown, but we can take a look at those who have made an impact on children and adult lives. However, characters like Cleveland Brown of The Cleveland Show will not be featured on this list because he is voiced by a white actor. Also characters from 2000s’ DC Comics shows like Cyborg from Teen Titans, Aqualad from Young Justice, John Stewart from Justice League: The Animated Series, Static Shock and Bumble Bee from Teen Titans and Young Justice have been covered on Blerds before so they won’t be on the list. Moreover, here are some of the most interesting Black animated characters.

The Prouds star in ``The Proud Family'' Thursday on Family Channel.

The Entire Cast of Proud Family

This early 2000s animated series was created by animator Bruce W. Smith for the Disney Channel. The star of the show was actress Kyla Pratt as high school teen Penny Proud. We followed her misadventures with her friends and wacky — yet loving — family.

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The Entire Cast of Fat Albert

Comedian Bill Cosby created this animated show in 1972 when there weren’t a lot of Black animated characters on TV. The series was animated by Hanna-Barbara Studios and it lasted until 1985 with 110 episodes in total.

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2015 ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Math and Science Scholarship Recipients Announced

Earlier this week, four high school seniors were selected by the Council of the Great City Schools to receive a $5,000 scholarship courtesy of ExxonMobil for perspective students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

The organization focuses on the needs of students attending urban area schools. The organization is composed of 67 different urban school districts in the U.S. that serve as a network to solve common issues and exchange information and problem-solving methods.

On June 3, the 2015 ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Math and Science Scholarship were announced: Matthew Guillory from Robert A. Millikan High School in Long Beach, California, of the Unified School District; Sofia Kennedy from the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, Texas, of the Independent School District; Summer Kollie of Girard Academic Music Program from School District of Philadelphia; and Nicolas Pena from Western High School of Broward County, Florida, Public Schools

The scholarship was created in 2010 by the first Black astronaut to walk in space, Dr. Bernard Harris. His foundation partnered up with ExxonMobil to give students in low-income districts a chance to prosper.

According to the executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, Michael Casserly, “these highly competitive scholarships provide an enormous opportunity for talented urban students to pursue STEM post-secondary studies and careers. The generous support of Dr. Harris and ExxonMobil contributes to the growth of these young men and women as they begin the next stage of their lives.”

After a long application process, Harris decides who will receive the scholarships.

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5 Crucial and Unexpected Nuggets of Information That Neil deGrasse Tyson Gave to Recent Graduates

Astrophysicist and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson gave a commencement speech at the University of Massachusetts Amherst last week. Tyson has risen to the forefront of the science world promoting, advocating and recruiting young minds into a new world that appreciates science, technology, engineering and mathematics. His speech was one of the best this year because he was genuinely honest about the world graduates are going into.

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Notes on the American Dream 

“It is OK to encourage others to pull themselves up by the bootstraps … just remember that some people have no boots.”

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Apple’s CEO Tim Cook Delivers Vital Speech on Encryption and Privacy

Apple CEO Tim Cook was honored at the EPIC’s Champions of Freedom event in Washington earlier this week for his leadership in the tech industry.

However, he took that time to highlight privacy and encryption practices. His speech was biting and clawing at Facebook, Google and the national government. In regards to Google, Cook attacked its recently launched photo service.

“Like many of you, we at Apple reject the idea that our customers should have to make trade-offs between privacy and security. We can and we must provide both in equal measure. We believe that people have a fundamental right to privacy. The American people demand it; the constitution demands it; morality demands it,” Cook opened.

Cook went on to discuss the ways companies hijack personal information in order to create personalized ads and make money from your personal details.

“I’m speaking to you from Silicon Valley, where some of the most prominent and successful companies have built their businesses by lulling their customers into complacency about their personal information. They’re gobbling up everything they can learn about you and trying to monetize it. We think that’s wrong. And it’s not the kind of company that Apple wants to be.”

According to Matthew Panzarino for Techcrunch.com, “this marked the first time that EPIC, a nonprofit research center in Washington focused on emerging privacy and civil liberties issues, has given the honor to a person from the business world. The hosts of the event included cryptographer Bruce Schneier, EPIC president Marc Rotenberg, lobbyist Hilary Rosen and Stanford lecturer in law Chip Pitts.”

Many would say that Cook has blood on his hands. His company had a major iCloud hacking fiasco late last year where many celebrity nude photos were released. Also, Apple has recently launched Google Photos on its iOS.

However, the speech was necessary.

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Transforming PC Tower Gives New Meaning to Robot in Disguise

The 2015 Computex Taipei conference is the largest IT trade show in Asia. According to Yahoo News, “the Taiwanese event is one of the key dates in the calendar for major announcements on the latest chip technology for PCs and mobile platforms, pointing to what we can expect in the year ahead for desktops, laptop hybrids, tablets, mobiles and even wearables.”

One of the more impressive products at the trade show is a transformed PC tower with the capability of showing off the inner workings of the machine. There is very little information released about this machine. At the moment, ASUS has partnered with In Win, a company that designs computer cases, towers, servers and power supplies for computers. This means that in the near future, a product of this magnitude will be on the market for mass consumption. However, the date and more details are yet to be released.

Here is a clip of the ASUS Tower in action:

Source: YouTube

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Oculus Seeks to Make Virtual Reality a Social Experience

Oculus wants to expand into 3-D animation and 3-D filmmaking as it continues to push the boundaries of virtual reality.

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According to Engadget.com writer Edgar Alvarez, “Oculus Story Studio, arguably the Pixar of virtual reality, this is the first step in making the medium more social. And it’s using its short film Lost, introduced earlier this year at Sundance, as a test bed. Still, whether we’re talking about a cute movie or a fun game, most VR activities so far have one thing in common: They’re solitary experiences. Oculus wants to change that.”

Blerds reported that the Oculus Rift headset will hit store shelves for virtual reality enthusiasts everywhere to enjoy in 2016.

Oculus’ goal is to make story-telling and virtual reality as interactive as possible. The Lost short film allows people to be characters in the film. Two people wearing Oculus Rifts can be the fireflies in the film that interact with the story world and the other characters.

The end game is to convince filmmakers to make works that are flexible enough to have audience members interact in the story as actual characters.

“We think the future of VR in cinema is social, that you’re with your friends. You’re not in the same room, maybe; maybe you’re all going in together at the same time, and that’s where the lines between cinema and an MMO (massive multiplayer online) start to blur,” states Story Studio producer Edward Saatchi.

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Six-Part Web Series Illuminates Race and Gender Boundaries in Silicon Valley

Blavity is a San Francisco-based tech startup founded by Morgan DeBaun in 2014. The site is an interactive and thriving social engine that focuses on the lives, stories and shared experiences of Black millennials in the United States. However, the site is just the tip of the iceberg. It features listicles, curated videos and articles about Black current events and history in addition to providing resources for Blerds in tech.

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However, there is much more.The startup created the Blavity House for women of color to stay at during the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. This house is for women interested in tech, brainstorming ideas and networking to change the very homogeneous industry that is technology. For more info on that, check out their site.

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Their most current project is a web series that shines a light on the inner workings of Silicon Valley from the perspective of women working there.

According to Elon Evora for Blavity.com, “the six-part web series, premiering this Thursday, June 4, features entrepreneurial women who hold positions at Google, Facebook and a variety of emerging startups. The series delves into the unique experiences of professionals who range in age, background, career and workplace. Despite differences, each of their stories has one commonality, they are all black women working in Silicon Valley where they are a part of a scarce minority.”

For those who are interested, here is a trailer for your viewing pleasure:

Source: YouTube

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6 Out Of The Ordinary Inventions You Didn’t Know Actually Existed

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The U.S. military and the private sector have been developing super-strength-enabling exoskeletons for soldiers for decades now. In 2014, they became a reality. They were developed in a top-secret program called the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS). The goal of the program was to enhance a soldier’s speed, strength and stamina in the battlefield.

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