In 1990, probably around the time that the last film with the cast of the original Star Trek TV show had just finished wrapping up the principle shooting of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (which came out in 1991), MCI somehow managed to wrangle all the cast members, including William (I-Really-Don’t-Want-Anything-To-Do-With-The-Rest-Of-You) Shatner into making this commercial for MCI for their new “Friends and Family” package.MC-who? For many of us over the age of 40, that was our phone company before it sailed into the corporate void and was bought and put into stasis. It still exists, and is now owned by Verizon, but are there any MCI customers still out there? Maybe they are marooned on the planet where Kirk died after living in a time warp for a century before being killed in a meaningless gesture in Star Trek: Generations. Or maybe he died on some other planet … I’ve managed to erase most of the movie from my mind.While the commercial's dialogue never rises above late 1980s television cheese, at least it attempts to feed into the actors' onscreen characters. Of course Leonard Nimoy comes off best—he was always the coolest guy on the bridge.

Right after the 2016 presidential election, I wrote about my friend Tyler Feder’s #DrawMeTyler project, in which she drew free portraits of marginalized people as a form of activism. She’s now collected the first 100 portraits into a print on her Etsy shop and $10 from each sale goes towards the ACLU. Here's what the beautifully diverse full collection looks like:You can purchase a digital or physical copy on Feder's Etsy shop.

Daniel de Bruin built a homemade thrill ride that looks a bit like if The Zipper merged with a camera jib on steroids. The video says the machine reacts to the rider's biometrics, but it doesn't really show how a rider's heart rate changes ride speed. (more…)

Though, of course, an international conflict is too complex to fully explain in just a seven-minute video, this one from Vox at least serves as a starting point to learn more about the war in Syria. Vox also published a companion article with more detail too.

Since adults aren’t allowed to wear costumes in Disney World, adult Disney fans have created something called “Disney bounding.” It’s where you dress up in clothes that invoke a certain Disney character without being a full-on costume. And now Disney itself is getting in on the action with a new Disney World store called The Dress Shop that sells Disney-inspired dresses and accessories. The dresses would also be perfect for “Dapper Day,” an annual Disney World event in which people dress up in retro outfits. Right now the dresses are only available in-store. Here’s a vlog from someone who visited the shop:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS6rcd5xtbcYou can read more about The Dress Shop on Bustle.

μcapsmic zooms in on the found at of spray paint caps used to paint a mural of the Star Child from 2001: A Space Odyssey.Used and naturally clogged in the most random ways possible, these spray paint caps were once indistinguishable from one another to the human eye and untouched by the human hand in the making.Now, each of them is considered to be small-scale models of the Universe that they created it.The first part showed here is a selection of six clogged spray paint caps that were used to create the stellar mural "StarChild (Genesis)".• μcapsmic - A Vision of Cosmos (Vimeo / The Orion)

I could watch these Sneaky Zebra cosplay music videos all day, and the latest one from WonderCon doesn’t disappoint.

After being swaddled while he sleeps, five-month-old Kaden Patrick loves to throw his arms up while being unwrapped from his swaddling blanket. So his dad decided to improve Kaden’s morning ritual with a little help from pop culture. The resulting video is adorable and hilarious.You can see more of Kaden on the Instagram his dad set up for him.https://www.instagram.com/p/BSmY9HVgA-d/https://www.instagram.com/p/BSkPl4JA8sr/

Rose-Colored gaming's producing a limited run of transparent Super Nintendo consoles, refurbished from cosmetically-damaged originals. The guts are painted and polished to be pretty behind the new acrylic enclosures. [via]These SNES consoles have been treated to a 100% brand new, hand-built exterior, all while retaining complete original function. Each is assembled by hand with the care and attention to detail that you have come to expect from RCG. The housing consists of laser cut and etched acrylic components which have been drilled, bent, bonded, threaded, & assembled using all new anodized aluminum hardware. Many internal components have been slathered in various finishes then etched in order to accentuate items which were never meant to be seen. All hand-built, these units will only be available in VERY limited quantities upon release, with each being treated to a unique serial number.

When I first picked up this issue of Worlds Of IF, I have to admit that I didn't have high hopes. This hodge-podge collage of a cover simply didn't instill confidence that what I would find inside would be of much quality. Boy was I wrong. The illustrations in this issue are simply delightful. The cover is actually attributed to a specific story, so I guess an artist set out to create what, in my mind, looks like an introduction to microsoft powerpoint. Then again, this was the 60s, maybe this layout was new and edgy back then. (more…)

The Crash Course YouTube channel is one of my favorite things on the internet. The channel’s various series offer a crash course on, well, just about everything. I’ve previously highlighted one of their videos on thermodynamics, and this new series hosted by Mike Rugnetta focuses on world mythology. Though the series is ongoing, Rugnetta just wrapped up his first section on creation myths. And the five-part series offer a great intro to the world’s origins as told by all sorts of different cultures. Here’s the full collection of videos:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eVFgfQ2694https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fHDIiqLz9whttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlFVFRkEfwohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBbTkzakiM8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6f1-nEjDdM

Chasing the Wind is a beautifully-shot profile of windsurfer Jesper Vesterstrom discussing the death of his father. Perhaps it will inspire you to make the most of today! (more…)

Hexels is a charming and powerful art-making app built around grids: perfect for making isometric worlds, geometric illustrations or traditional pixel art.Hexels is an exciting grid-based painting tool that enables you to effortlessly create brilliant works of art. Whether you’re a pint sized pierogi, a professional cuddler, or my imaginary friend, Hexels’ shape-shifting personality will captivate you.We’ve added advanced features like animation and layers, a sharp, customizable interface, refined painting tools, and a slew of other improvements to bring you the most dynamic version of Hexels to date!Here's a video that makes clear how it works:https://vimeo.com/149068069

The Colorado Family Planning Initiative spent comparatively small sums making IUDs and other long-term birth control methods (such as implants and injections) available to women, through a "no wrong door" approach that let women start their journey through a variety of agencies, and included after-school and other counseling services, and also provided birth control to women on maternity wards before they went home with their babies. (more…)

If you often find yourself Googling fruitlessly for interesting photographic textures and graphics for design projects, a subscription to Stock-Graphics may just be worth checking out.Unlike most stock photo services with restrictive subscriptions that charge per image license, Stock-Graphics gives you unlimited, royalty-free access to their library of over 15,000 photos and vectors. This curated collection has plenty of high-quality images suitable for editorial design and assets for creative projects, including everything from food, people, and animals to unique wall textures.In addition to professional quality photography, Stock-Graphics includes hundreds of vector elements for icons, banners, and backgrounds in a variety of themes. Their collection is well-organized with a comprehensive selection of subject matter and filtering tools to help you easily find the content you're looking for.If you need flexible access to an image collection that helps you find what you are looking for and doesn’t overwhelm you with irrelevant results, take a look at this lifetime subscription to Stock-Graphics.

Mitch Wagner writes, "LiveJournal is a venerable online community that predates Facebook and even blogging. It got acquired by a Russian company a few years ago, but some of its American and British users hung on, including sf and fantasy writers and fans. Lately, I know one of my friends was scrambling to leave, but I'd been too busy to look into why." (more…)

For $500, you can become the proud owner of a computer in a Harley Davidson Sportster gas tank. You have never seen a computer like this before.This custom Harley Davidson themed computer was built for a youtube videoon Shawn's Test Bench. Check out the build videos from start to finish. ( Shawn's Test Bench on YouTube )This PC was hand crafted from a sportster gas tank.Specs are basic, but hell, it's a computer in a motorcycle gas tank.

The cool kids are texting their textdoor neighbors—people whose phone number is a digit higher or lower than their own—and sharing their adventures at r/textdoor. About half the respondents seem incapable of grasping the concept and keep asking "how did you get this number?" Many conversations are a bit weird and stilted, expressing the paranoia and suspicion of modern internet life. But someone is going on a date, too!

Anuja Ravindra Dhir, the first non-white circuit judge at the Old Bailey, says "she was often mistaken for a witness or defendant when she started working as a lawyer" in the 1980s.The 49-year-old said at first, most clients did not want to be represented by a young Asian Scottish female.She also said that, when she wanted to go to university in the 1970s, she was told to be a hairdresser instead. ...Judge Dhir said she once had to produce her wig and gown before security allowed her into court."I got used to turning up at courts and people saying to me 'Witness? - no - Defendant? - no' and looking rather surprised when I said I was the advocate," she said.Now the youngest Central Criminal Court justice, she talks of the "incredible changes" over the last 30 years."There is one glass ceiling that's in our minds, that's what we think we can achieve so perhaps we impose our glass ceiling and that has happened to me several times."The Old Bailey houses 15 judges, of whom 10 are men and five are women, including one who is due to start soon. And of the recent intake of Old Bailey judges, three out of six are women.Judge Dhir said: "Child-friendly policies I think are important. As a society we are better at raising that now than we ever have been before."She praised the Recorder of London, Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC, for his commitment to change at the Old Bailey, a building steeped in history and tradition dating back to medieval times.She said: "I've been overwhelmed by the commitment to change that I have seen people here at the Old Bailey have.

It's been more than a year since RSA's Rotem Kerner published his research on the insecurities in a PVR that was "white labeled" by TVT, a Chinese company and sold under over 70 brand-names around the world. In the intervening year, tens of thousands of these devices have been hijacked into botnets used by criminals in denial of service attacks, and TVT is still MIA, having done nothing to repair them. (more…)

A new paper from a trio of Boston College researchers shows that the states with the highest degree of income inequality are also the worst offenders for carbon emissions; as the share of wealth and income claimed by the richest 10% increases, the amount of carbon-intensive consumption they engage in grows, as does their political clout, allowing them to buy laws and policies that let them pollute more. (more…)

Blue Apron delivers perfectly portioned ingredients so you can cook beautiful homemade meals easily, with subscription plans that match size of your household . Or appetite.If you want to wrangle in your restaurant habit and start cooking at home, Blue Apron eliminates the time-intensive trips to the grocery store to ensure that you have fresh, exciting ingredients on hand at dinner time. With their easy-to-follow instructions, you can try out unfamiliar flavors and pick up new cooking styles and techniques. Your meals are delivered weekly, so you can decide when you want to prepare them.While any home-cooked meal is going to be healthier than that fast food stop on the way home, Blue Apron portions servings between 500 and 800 calories so you can easily stick within dietary goals. All ingredients are seasonally chosen and sourced from local farms so you can enjoy delicious, home-cooked, sustainable meals.Blue Apron subscription plans are available in the Boing Boing Store.

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Veteran American journalist Dan Rather says he is “concerned” by how many in the U.S. press are praising Donald Trump's whimsical missile assault last night on Syria as “presidential.” Dan Rather is not the only one alarmed by this attitude. (more…)

The President is “a moron,” says former SNL cast member Taran Killam. That may be true. But can he read? (more…)

A woman shares this video of her rainbow lorikeet “hissing with me in perfect synchrony.”[video link]

Twitter today dropped a lawsuit it filed on Thursday against the U.S. Homeland Security Department, after saying the DHS withdrew its summons for records about who is operating a Twitter account critical of President Donald Trump. (more…)

Holmes from Fight for the Future writes, "Fight for the Future, notable for helping beat SOPA & PIPA and win net neutrality rules in the US, is now offering seed funding for new creative, online/offline activism teams (what we're calling 'A-'eams"). We'll fund US teams in any major political issue area, or international teams in the Internet freedom space." (more…)

"Hi Drew, I'd really like to talk to you, but there are many far more important people here for me to talk to right now." -- Jared Kushner, publisher of the New York ObserverIn 1987, Arthur Carter began publishing The New York Observer, the salmon-colored broadsheet covering NY politics, show business, gossip and media. The Observer's first editor was SPY magazine co-founder E. Graydon Carter. Journalist Peter W. Kaplan became the Observer's new editor in 1994 and one of his first objectives was to line up four artists to create the newspaper's weekly covers each month. Peter first called me with an assignment to draw senator Al D'Amato and we instantly hit it off, realizing we shared a mutual love of old comedy films, Frank Sinatra and MAD magazine. Peter soon lined up the great caricaturists Philip Burke, Victor Juhasz and Robert Grossman as his other cover artists. He referred to the four of us as his "Murderer's Row", referencing the unbeatable 1927 New York Yankees starting lineup. Working directly with Peter, The four of us would create weekly covers for the NY Observer, (the NYO), for the next 15 years, with Barry Blitt drawing the small black-and-white cover caricatures.In 2006, 25 year old real estate developer Jared Kushner bought the Observer and Peter Kaplan continued on as editor. When I first talked with Peter about the new publisher, he seemed excited about the future prospects of the NYO with this young, wealthy new publisher, equating him to Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane, purchasing a money-losing newspaper and injecting new life into it.It didn't take long before I started picking up on slight pauses and hesitations during our conversations about things, and Peter's pauses and hesitations spoke volumes. I sensed that things were perhaps not going according exactly to plan. I never pressed Peter for any details, we mostly talked about the Marx brothers, Jerry Lewis, Jack Benny, Popeye and Joan Blondell, but the writing seemed to be on the wall. Peter seemed increasingly frazzled during each phone conversation.The first assignment Peter gave me under the new Jared Kushner regime was to draw Sacha Baron Cohen for a cover story, also in the guise of his two characters, Ali G. and Borat, (The Borat film was about to be released). When the issue hit the stands the following Wednesday, an very excited Peter called me to say that Jared, a huge fan of Ali G., loved the cover and wanted to purchase the original art for his younger brother Joshua as a gift. Peter also told me, (in his more subdued voice), that this was "finally really good news". Peter acted as Jared's liaison and we agreed on my fee, and at the end of the conversation he said, "Drew, thank you... thank you", as if I had done him a tremendous favor.In 2007, the NYO switched from the large broadsheet format to a smaller, trimer, tabloid size, yet still retained its salmon hue. The first issue of the new Observer featured my illustration of a Hillary Clinton floaty-head on its cover, silhouetted from a larger drawing I'd created for an earlier issue. As a publicity stunt, the morning the issue hit the stands, the young publisher and the seasoned editor both hawked copies, ("extry, extry..."), of the new tabloid outside Grand Central station as Observer photographers snapped away.Later in 2007, the NYO celebrated its 20th anniversary with a huge party at the Four Seasons Restaurant in Manhattan, which publisher Jared Kushner hosted. My wife, Kathy and I were invited, and we arrived to witness throngs of VIP's, media moguls, and young, tuxedoed real estate developers lined up to get in. The only one of my fellow cover artists attending was my friend Victor Juhasz and his wife Terri. A perpetually beaming Jared and his future wife Ivanka Trump held court and welcomed their friends and admirers. Peter made a short, optimistic welcoming speech and introduced Jared who discussed the future of the NYO, as well as his fondness for the Four Seasons.After Jared's speech, I told Kathy and the Juhasz's that I was going to go introduce myself to Jared, knowing that he enjoyed, and had purchased my artwork. Jared was standing at the bar holding a glass of champagne. I approached him and said, "Hi Jared, I'm Drew Friedman". He grasped my hand, surveyed the crowds, and responded "Hi Drew, I'd really like to talk with you, but there are many far more important people here for me to talk to right now". I quietly nodded and retreated back to my wife and friends. Kathy asked me how it went and I repeated what he had just said. She was shocked: "You're joking?" "No, that's exactly what he said to me... and you know what, I admire him for it, his blatant honesty... and... I'm sure he's right, there are far more important people here for him to talk to then me".By 2008 it was clear, at least to me, that the completely frazzled Peter Kaplan was at the end of his rope and after 14 years would soon be retiring from his beloved NYO. One of his cover assignments for me that year was to create a cover drawing for an article about Donald Trump's large, extended family, including Trump's ex-wives, his current wife Melania, their new baby son Baron, his, (then porky), son Donald, Jr, and Trump's daughter and Jared's future wife Ivanka, (to this day I'm not clear why I wasn't asked to include daughter Tiffany and son Eric. Such is their continuing lot in life). I asked Peter if I should perhaps hold back a bit as far as the caricatures went, considering that Ivanka was Jared's impending wife and Trump his father-in-law to be. Peter responded "NO!" I was later told that Jared was pleased with the drawing.Also in 2008, To help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the NYO, an anthology, "The Kingdom of New York" was published by Harper Collins, edited by Peter Kaplan and designed by NYO Art director Nancy Butkus, and featuring a new cover by me, (using the same Trump ref I had used for my earlier "Meet the Trumps!" cover). Tom McGeveran was now interim editor of the NYO, and Peter planned to stay on at the Observer as advisor, until the book was completed, and a new permanent editor was chosen. A publication party was planned at the Soho designer handbag store Longchamp, where Jared planned to formally introduce his new editor Kyle Pope. Again, my wife Kathy and attended the party, this time attended by all four of the NYO cover artists under Peter Kaplan's regime.Jared's fiancé Ivanka Trump, his brother Joshua and his father, real estate magnate Charles Kushner were also in attendance. The elder Mr. Kushner, on learning that Kathy was married to me, gushed to her that what he loved most about his son's publication were the covers.Once again, I decided to greet Jared Kushner. He was preparing to make his speech to the assembled crowd when I approached him. Going over his notes, he looked up and recognized me: "Hi Drew". I answered "Hi Jared, would you do me a favor and please mention my name during your speech?" He looked bemused but said "sure".Peter Kaplan addressed the assembled crowd, thanked Jared, discussed how proud he was of the new NYO book, and wished Kyle Pope luck as new editor, (also mentioning that it was perhaps the first time a "Pope" replaced a "Jew"). Jared stepped up next, thanked Peter for everything, introduced his new editor and discussed the new NYO anthology and said "the cover was drawn by Drew Friedman, who is here... " he paused and continued "... and who I mentioned because he asked me to," which got a big laugh.I continued creating covers for the NYO after Peter retired, (he became editor of Conde Nast Traveler, an odd choice since Peter hated to travel), for Jared's rotating door of new editors, starting with Kyle Pope, then Aaron Gell, and then Elizabeth Spiers, founder of Gawker. For Elizabeth I created the above drawing of embattled congressman Anthony Weiner channeling Burt Reynolds. After this cover appeared, Weiner, (finally), retired from congress the following day.Elizabeth Spiers left the NYO in 2013 and journalist and ex-punk musician Ken Kurson, a rabid comics fan and the brother of Robert Kurson, author of The Three Stooges Encyclopedia was hired as new editor. We hit it off.Under the new editors, the NYO became even more streamlined, the articles grew shorter and the focus centered more on tech, power brokersm and especially Manhattan real estate. It was also transformed into an oversized magazine, finally retiring the salmon to sea. New artists were hired to create cover art, and the "Murderers Row" that Peter nurtured for 15 years ended, although Burke, Juhasz and I continued to do occasional covers. I asked Ken to only consider using me if the article seemed to be a good fit, like the above Joe Lhota and Kevin Spacey, or this interior drawing of Gilbert Gottfried:In 2013, Peter Kaplan died of cancer at age 59. Over 700 shocked and saddened friends, family members and admirers attended his funeral. Jared Kushner wrote this tribute to him for the NYO.My final "encounter" with Jared came indirectly. I was contacted by an employee from Jared's real estate company "Kushner Industries." He told me I was Jared's first choice to illustrate a huge fold-out brochure promoting luxury condos for sale in the Puck building on E. Houston St, (where SPY magazine once had offices). Jared had recently acquired the Puck building. The complex job would include rendering the history of the Puck building, detailed maps of all the available units, and dozens of drawings of notables who had either lived or worked there, a "Sistine Chapel extravaganza", to quote Victor Juhasz. The deadline was very tight and the whole job had very little appeal to me but I asked for what I felt was a fair fee, considering the amount of work and the short turnaround. The reply was basically a low-ball counter-offer, and I was also reminded that "Jared knows what his illustrators get paid". I thanked him for that information and politely declined the job. Victor Juhasz would tell me later that he was next contacted and also requested what he felt was a fair fee for the enormous amount of work, and he was also reminded that Jared knew what his illustrators got paid. Victor also declined.My final cover for the NYO appeared in Dec, 2015, a portrait of the "world's greatest Cartoonist" Robert Crumb, (I concur), posed in his living room in France, for what turned out to be a highly controversial interview with him.The NYO's new art director contacted me several times in 2016 to create covers, but I felt the ideas just weren't a good fit for me, especially an assignment to draw the Republican presidential candidate and Jared's father-in-law Donald J. Trump. The NYO had been one of the only publications to endorse Trump in the New York presidential primaries. I declined the job.After Trump won the presidential election in November, Jared Kushner immediately ceased publication of the print edition of the Observer and he and his young family packed their bags and moved to Washington, DC. The rest you probably know. (The NYO still exists as a digital site).My thanks To Victor JuhaszDrew Friedman prints | on Facebook | Drew's blog.

Doesn't everybody need a jumbo sized deck of cards?These are great for the jumbo sized magic tricks I'm playing withGameland Super Jumbo Playing Cards (Humongous 8-1/4" x 11-3/4" Cards) via Amazon

The guys at RapidNadion must be proud of this bonkers expression of hobby craft awesomeness!Marvel as they land a model T-28 trainer and model F-22s on their model of the USS Kitty Hawk.

Neural nets are starting to wake up. These pickup lines, generated by a neural net maintained by research scientist Janelle Shane are much more interesting than standard pickup lines.Are you a 4loce? Because you’re so hot!I want to get my heart with you.You are so beautiful that you know what I mean.I have a cenver? Because I just stowe must your worms.Hey baby, I’m swirked to gave ever to say it for drive. If I were to ask you out?You must be a tringle? Cause you’re the only thing here.I’m not on your wears, but I want to see your start.You are so beautiful that you make me feel better to see you.Hey baby, you’re to be a key? Because I can bear your toot?I don’t know you.I have to give you a book, because you’re the only thing in your eyes.Are you a candle? Because you’re so hot of the looks with you.I want to see you to my heart.If I had a rose for every time I thought of you, I have a price tighting.I have a really falling for you.Your beauty have a fine to me.Are you a camera? Because I want to see the most beautiful than you.I had a come to got your heart.You’re so beautiful that you say a bat on me and baby.You look like a thing and I love you.Hello.

Jerry Kimball of Sioux Falls, South Dakota received a $190 ticket because he failed to put a leash on his pet boa constrictor, Lucy, when he took her to a park. “He was literally asking me to put a rope around my snake,” Kimball told The Argus Leader. “I was like ‘dude, no.’ I was dumbfounded.”Animal Control Supervisor Julie DeJong told the paper that the ticket was appropriate. “Snakes fall under the same restrictions as cats and dogs,” she stressed.

Under The Weather is a single-person pop-up shelter to sit inside that my big brother Rick came up with a while back. (He was sick of getting soaked at his kids' soccer games and was inspired by a portable toilet he saw by the field.) Under The Weather is designed for spectator sports, fishing, and other outdoor events where it's raining, windy, or cold, but you are either obligated to watch or having so much fun you don't want to leave.Tonight, Rick and his wife/partner Kelly present the product on Shark Tank! No matter what happens, I can guarantee it will be very entertaining. I'm so proud of them!And if you want one, don't be fooled by crappy knock-offs. Please buy directly from Rick and Kelly here: Under the Weatherhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPdjACYL3R8

It may only be April but if you want to look super cool at the office holiday party this December it is time to get to work! (more…)

As this guy demonstrates, pushing the lid in the direction of the arrow results in a mishap.

Legendary comedian Phyllis Diller used a "gag file" to organize her jokes. The steel cabinet held more than 50,000 index cards, each with one joke on it. She filed them by subject, in alphabetical order. In 2003, Diller donated the archive to the Smithsonian and they need help transcribing them into a digital database. From the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History:Digital volunteers will be able to browse through all of the joke cards, transcribe any cards that make them chuckle, and review cards transcribed by other volunteers. Anyone can volunteer to help us transcribe Phyllis Diller's jokes, or any other project across the Smithsonian. Thanks to the efforts of volunteers like you, researchers and fans around the world will soon be able to explore, share, and enjoy the jokes of Phyllis Diller.From CBC Radio:"On my honeymoon I put on a peekaboo blouse. My husband peeked and booed."Diller's style was self-deprecating. She made jokes about her appearance, about a (fictional) sexless marriage, about her miserable cooking (which in real life was actually very good.) She knew she was playing a character and it made her wealthy, but it doesn't mean the jokes she gave to the Smithsonian still work today.I asked (Smithsonian Transcription Center's) Meghan Ferriter if any of the volunteers are cringing at the subject matter."Well, there actually are a number of jokes that really represent the historical context and cultural values and other forms of social relationships at the time. Some of our volunteers have surfaced them, and really have the opportunity to engage with, kind of critically reflecting on why that was acceptable humour at the time, why that made people amused."Help transcribe the Phyllis Diller Gag File (Smithsonian Digital Volunteers via Neatorama)

Puddles Pity Party is a pinball wizard. (via Marginal Revolution)

For robots to make our lives easier, they'll need to work together. But how do we teach them teamwork? University of Southern California engineer Nora Ayanian studies how groups of robots, including flying drones, can be better collaborators and what the machines can teach humans about collaboration. Mark Frauenfelder and I interviewed Nora about robot collaboration in this episode of For Future Reference, a new podcast from Institute for the Future:Please subscribe to For Future Reference: iTunes, RSS, Soundcloud

London's Evening Standard writes that since Britain's vote to leave the European Union, reports of crimes involving racial hatred on the London Underground have risen 57%.A total of 468 racially and religiously aggravated offences were reported on the Tube from July to December, compared with 297 in the six months leading up to the referendum in June.The crimes also surged in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote and in the weeks after the election of Donald Trump in November.Hate offences have increased each year since 2014. British Transport Police recorded a total of 765 last year, 580 in 2015 and 485 in 2014.British Transport Police make the important point that a nationwide campaign is underway to encourage victims and witnesses to report racial abuse, so it may be that greater awareness is as much in play as increased incidence. The crimes reported include what in the U.S. would be not usually be criminal (e.g. Nazi salutes and slurs) but also assaults, batteries, systematic harassment by tired and emotional solicitors, etc.

A couple days ago, a woman and her son on a walk near their home in Tonopah, Arizona found a very strange and deep concrete-lined hole. A representative from the American Pump and Well Service Repair said it doesn't appear to be a well. Local news 3TV dropped a camera into the hole, and at the bottom, around 30-feet down, the saw "mostly trash, a box and a bucket." The Bureau of Land Management has since filled in the hole. From 3TV:A BLM spokesperson says the land was owned by the Federal Aviation Administration back in the 1950s. The property was later turned over to the BLM...The BLM says the FAA still has access to the land as part of a 'right of way' grant, but says the hole has nothing to do with their operations. BLM says it had permission to cover it.

Anthony Vincent brings his "20 Different Styles" genius to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Give It Away," as if it was performed by the Beastie Boys, Guns N' Roses, David Bowie, Naughty By Nature, Frank Zappa, Bob Marley, and many more. Behind the scenes:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRYYcdnLjYc

The Welcome Your Neighbors sign is being manufactured by printers across America, as the idea, started by Immanuel Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, VA, spreads across the country. (more…)

“Is becoming a successful manga artist an achievable dream or just one big gamble?” The back cover of every Bakuman. poses this question, the central question to a series about the highs and lows of professional art, and the troubles an artist has to endure for their work. In Bakuman., two high school students named Mashiro and Takagi team up to create manga, taking on the roles of artist and writer, respectively. They have different and unique motivations for pursuing this path, Takagi doing it to avoid falling into the trap of a boring life, while Mashiro endeavors to impress the girl he loves. They’re both incredibly well developed characters that struggle, win, lose, and never accept defeat. Over the course of the 20 volumes in this set, we’re offered an in depth chronicle of their attempts at success. Manga fans may recognize creators Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata as the team behind the popular Death Note. While Death Note was a high concept mystery, Bakuman. is a much more accessible “everyday life” kind of story that blends comedy and drama with ease. Now excuse me while I gush a little, because I think Bakuman. may be my favorite manga series. Any manga/comics fan should read it, but I cannot recommend it enough to anybody working in an artistic medium. Ohba & Obata use the simple plot to develop a complex reflection on the nature of creation. In their journey, Mashiro and Takagi have to confront the reality of achieving their dreams, struggling to discover if it was worth the struggle. They make sacrifices in the balance between art and commerce. They learn that life is what happens while you’re working towards your dreams, and that while it’s important to have a goal, it’s also important to appreciate where you are. There are no superpowers, no fights, no action scenes, just real character driven drama. The complete set pictured here also includes a double-sided full color poster, and a bonus “issue” of Otter No. 11, a fictional comedy series produced within the main story of Bakuman. The box itself is of high quality, with gorgeous illustrations on every side, and a velcro flap that seals in the volumes. If you’re already a fan of Ohba & Obata, this is the best value for your money. New adopters should at least check out volume one, which introduces the boys on their first summer creating manga, racing to complete a demo work before school starts again. If you’re looking for a change of pace from your usual superhero or shonen fare, Bakuman. will not disappoint.– Alex StrineBakuman. Complete Box Set (Volumes 1-20 with premium) by Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata (Illustrator)VIZ Media LLC2013, 3864 pages, 7.5 x 5.3 x 5.0 inches, Paperback$159 Buy on AmazonSee sample pages from this book at Wink.

Why have 3.5 inches of delicate magnetic medium and clattery mechanisms, when you can have a beautiful 3.5 feet replica? The first can coast one drink; the latter a great many. Floppytable is made of hot-rolled steel and the creator, Neulant van Exel, will apparently make one for you if you get in touch.

DC Dave's "Seventeen Techniques for Truth Suppression" are a good analytical tool for understanding what's happening when governments are embarrassed by revelations of corruption and criminality and get to spinning, a kind of Spicer-Conway masterclass (albeit one that's spoiled by its descent into conspiracy theory with the Vince Foster suicide as an example of such truth-suppression). (more…)

Take Rupert Degas's good impression of David Attenborough and add the dumpster-diving ibises of Australia, and you have Matt Eastwood and David Johns's magnificent Planet Earth: Bin Chicken: "it really is an awful bird."Rae Johnson, nevertheless, steps up in defense of the Bin Chicken.

Sammi Grant, professional dialect coach, runs through 12 different accents, from Londoner to Transatlantic.