Boing Boing

In India and Pakistan, the variety of traditional sweets prepared for special occasions seems infinite. One popular treat is laddu (or ladoo), sweet little sugary carb balls. They're basically cookies, and they're munched at big celebrations--weddings, births, and the like. (more…)

President Barack Obama endorsed Hillary Clinton for president today, in a video posted to the Clinton campaign's Facebook and YouTube accounts, instantly shared far and wide. (more…)

A house caught fire in a home on High Street in Walworth, New York. After extinguishing the fire that was contained in a single locked room, investigators found 40 to 50 marijuana plants under grow lights inside.According to the AP, the fire is thought to have been caused by an electrical problem. One of the home's residents was charged with a misdemeanor for illegally growing weed.

The East Bay Times reports that "at least 10 prospective jurors" refused to participate in Judge Aaron Persky's next trial in protest at the cozy 6-month sentence (out in 12 weeks) he gave Stanford rapist Brock Turner."I can't be here, I'm so upset," one juror told the judge while the lawyers were picking the jury in the misdemeanor receiving stolen property case, according to multiple sources.Another prospective juror stood up and said, "I can't believe what you did," referring to the six-month county jail sentence Persky handed to Turner, who was convicted for sexually assaulting an unconscious intoxicated woman last year outside a Stanford University frat party.In each case, the judge said, "I understand," thanked the prospective juror and excused her or him from duty.Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden wrote an open letter to Turner's victim today, praising her willingness to speak out about her treatment by her attacker and by the legal system.And I am filled with furious anger — both that this happened to you and that our culture is still so broken that you were ever put in the position of defending your own worth.It must have been wrenching — to relive what he did to you all over again. But you did it anyway, in the hope that your strength might prevent this crime from happening to someone else. Your bravery is breathtaking.You are a warrior — with a solid steel spine.

Brian Brushwood is is the creator and host of over 400 episodes of Discovery’s Scam School, with over one million subscribers on YouTube. In 2015, his first full season of Hacking the System debuted on the National Geographic Channel (now available on Netflix). Brian has performed thousands of live stage shows (appearing in every state in the continental US), headlined 3 years at Universal Orlando, and recorded two Billboard #1 comedy albums with his “Night Attack” co-host, Justin Robert Young. (more…)

A "small" bomb exploded in a women's bathroom at the Target store in Evanston, Illinois Wednesday, and police said they thought the attack was related to the company's pro-transgender policies. They changed their mind, however, after taking a 44-year-old woman into custody, reports the Chicago Tribune."The detectives are not currently looking for any known additional suspects, and (at) this point there is no indication that the incident is related to any policies that the Target store has in place," the release reads.Evanston police requested the help of the Cook County bomb squad late Wednesday afternoon after an explosion in a Target store restroomWGNtv's Patrick Elwood reported that no-one was in the bathroom when the device exploded and that it caused minor damage. The bombwas housed in a plastic bottle and contained no shrapnel.Target upset conservatives recently by announcing that transgender customers would be permitted to use the bathrooms that they are most comfortable using, and police at first suspected a connection.

Six US states have banned the sale and use of the Kratom, a psychoactive plant-derived drug from Southeast Asia that is available online and in head shops. Researchers studying kratom have found that it affects brain receptors for strong opioids.From C&EN:A new study provides some data to support those states’ concerns (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b00360). A team of researchers shows for the first time that kratom’s primary constituent, mitragynine, and four related alkaloids bind to and partially activate human µ-opioid receptors (MORs), the primary targets of strong opioids in the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract.Countdown to kratom landing on the list of federally controlled substances in 3... 2... 1...

After being shamed out of the Tribeca Film Festival, Anti-Vax hoaxer Andrew Wakefield continues to spread his lies. Someone in Kansas City thought giving time to Vaxxed, his conspiracy flick, was a good idea.Via The Kansas City Star:The anti-vaccination documentary “Vaxxed” was set to be part of this spring’s Tribeca Film Festival in New York. But then the festival and one of the film’s defenders, actor Robert De Niro, came under fire and pulled the film.Now Kansas City area audiences will have a chance to see the controversial film for themselves......Wakefield is the British gastroenterologist who claimed to link autism to the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. (De Niro has an autistic child.) Since then, his research has been called “an elaborate fraud,” and Wakefield’s medical license was revoked.

Grace VanderWaal, age 12, got a standing ovation for her ukulele performance of her original song on America's Got Talent.

One of my favorite computers of the 8 bit era, hocked by one of my favorite technology sales people of any. Pre-dating his fine work for Priceline, Shatner learns to sell us the future!(Thanks, Hugh Pearson!)

I'm glad I bought a cheap oral thermometer, and not a fancy one. I called my vet, vet asked me take the dogs temperature. I thought "I can do that."Don't tell Hannah, she'll want me to wash it!Clinical Digital Thermometer by Medalli® via Amazon

The Federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has determined there is no second amendment right to concealed carry.Via Mother Jones:This morning, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a long-awaited opinion in a case challenging how concealed-weapon permits are issued in California. Writing on behalf of the seven-judge majority, Justice William Fletcher delivered a blow to pro-gun advocates, stating that "there is no Second Amendment right for members of the general public to carry concealed firearms in public."The case's lead plaintiff, Edward Peruta, had argued that the state's current system for issuing concealed-weapons permits is arbitrary and unconstitutional, since it gives sheriffs and police chiefs broad discretion in determining who has the "moral character" and "good cause" to pack a hidden gun. In his finding that such regulations are constitutional, Fletcher cited the Supreme Court's 2008 Heller decision, which affirmed the right to keep guns for self-defense, but found that "the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited."

The Book of Gossageby Howard Luck Gossage and Jeff GoodbyCopy Workshop2006, 308 pages, 8 x 10 x 1 inches (softcover)$42-$50 Buy a copy on AmazonJust down the street from San Francisco’s North Beach strip clubs and Beat Museum, I had the privilege of interning for an ad agency located in one of the city’s original firehouses. When I started, I had no idea that the building once belonged to Howard Luck Gossage, an advertising legend. After taking a spin down the firepole I was given a copy of The Book of Gossage and told that if I wanted to work in advertising I needed to read this book. It opened my eyes to how amazing advertising can be, and introduced me to an icon that too few people know about. The book is dense, as it’s part textbook, part history lesson, and is filled with some incredibly witty and thought-provoking ads. The book collects a bulk of Gossage’s writings where he tackles the big issue: Is Advertising Worth Saving? He also covers topics like: How To Be Creative, The Shape of an Idea, and Our Fictitious Freedom Of The Press. His ads filled tires with pink air, started the international paper airplane competition, and prevented the Grand Canyon from being flooded. While his creative insights alone would be worth the price of this book, there is also a lot of historic context that’s provided by colleagues, and people who were influenced by his work. Hearing about his charm and love of parties makes you understand why people like Tom Wolfe, John Steinbeck, and Stan Freberg would just hang out at his agency. As Gossage said himself, “Nobody reads ads. People read what interests them, and sometimes it’s an ad.” If you’re curious about advertising, pursuing a creative career, or just want to learn about a very interesting man, then this book will interest you. – JP LeRouxNote: The first edition contains some colored photos of Gossage’s work, while the second edition (linked above) includes a CD-rom with a collection of his work – either is worth picking up.

Last week I found a black widow in my mailbox. Luckily, it was during the day so I spotted it right away. But we often pick up the mail at night. I told Carla about the spider and now she is nervous about getting the mail. I just ordered this motion-activated mailbox light on Amazon for $12. I hope it does the trick.

Singer and actress Heba Magdi doesn't seem to be enjoying herself on this good-natured prank TV show, in which she was "kidnapped" by fake ISIS terrorists and forced to put on a suicide vest. C'mon Heba, lighten up!From YouTube:Is this the world’s cruellest TV prank ever? Actress is tricked into thinking she has been kidnapped by ISIS in Egypt and is made to beg for her life on video.The video shows Heba Magdi surrounded by men dressed as ISIS fanatics.She is then ordered 'at gun point' to pose for pictures infront of an ISIS flag.Repeatedly begs for her life as TV crew set off fake gunfire and explosions.

The world's central banks, freaked out about huge leverage by financial institutions and borrowers and unwilling to engage in economic stimulus themselves, have been moving interest rates lower and lower, until now, many banks are offering negative interest rates, meaning that buying $100 worth of treasury bills today will return $99 in cash tomorrow -- hoping that this will incentivize banks to issue enough loans to make up for politically impossible governmental fiscal stimulus. (more…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=q1Mrfu4yE-wI remember John Stewart's first nights on The Daily Show, when the radioactive, manifest awfulness of GW Bush and his nakedly opportunistic response to 9/11 seemed to reach deep into the comedian's psyche and conjure forth an heroic, blazing best self whose invective and wit skewered, enraged, and succored all of us who were living through those years. (more…)

We've been writing about the efforts of parfumiers to make book-smell scents (chemistry, product, hoax) for many years, but the reality has been pretty disappointing -- I bought some smell early on and found that I ended up just smelling like vanilla. (more…)

Sosha Makani, 29, was goalkeeper of Tehran's Persepolis soccer club. But not any more, after Iranian morality police saw him photographed in a pair of SpongeBob Squarepants pants.“Sosha suspended for six months because of yellow trousers,” read the headline of Varzesh3, an Iranian sports news agency. “SpongeBob [trousers] cause six-month suspension for Sosha,” said the online news agency Asriran. ... Last month, Iranian news agencies reported that Makani, who played for Iran’s national football team at the 2014 World Cup, was being scrutinised by the authorities over his trousers.

In a pre-sentencing letter to the judge released today by the New York Times, convicted rapist Brock Turner fails to own any responsibility for raping an unconscious woman behind a trash dumpster on Jan. 17, 2015. Turner's plea letter reads like a laundry list of white male privilege lost. It touched the white male judge in all the right places. Turner begs for leniency in his letter, and he got it. (more…)

Two Canadian families are suing Atlanta sperm bank Xytex for selling them sperm advertised as coming from a healthy PhD candidate in neuroscience engineering with an IQ of 160. In actuality, Donor #9623 was diagnosed in 2000 with "schizophrenia, narcissistic personality disorder, a drug-induced psychotic disorder, and significant grandiose delusions."MSN: While he was a donor, Donor #9623 was hospitalized for mental health reasons and arrested several times, according to court documents.In addition, he had no degrees, was a convicted felon and had been arrested for burglary, trespassing, driving under the influence and disorderly conduct.The donor is believed to have fathered 36 children.

16th century barber-surgeon Georg Bartisch began his barber-surgeon apprenticeship in 1548 in Saxony, and three years later, became an itinerant barber-surgeon in Saxony, Silesia, and Bohemia. (more…)

One of the things I hate about home video, is how shaky mine always are. This cheap camera stabilizer seems to be my answer.I've tried this solution, via Cory, many times, and I like to be able to walk around. I'll report back when I can get the animals out from under a table. Neewer Video Stabilizer for Digital Cameras, SLR's and Camcorders, Supports Up To 2.1 lbs/1kg via Amazon

Rudy Rucker, the consummate happy mutant, and Michael Blumlein, a writer of terrifying horror novels, will be interviewed by Terry Bisson, as is traditional at the SF in SF reading series, which has a new home at the gorgeous Bookbinders Museum: $10 at the door on June 12.(Images: Rudy Rucker by Rudy Rucker, CC-BY-SA, Michael Blumlein, Flurb)

Some EU countries' copyright laws allow rightsholders to make claims against street photographers who capture potentially copyrighted works, from the facades of buildings to public art. The EU's plan to harmonize a "right of panorama" (previously) would protect those of us who document the public world and upload our images to public places, from social media to Wikipedia to news-sites. (more…)

Vanity Fair breaks down the individual incomes of people who work on a major Hollywood blockbuster. Assuming a budget of $200m, the breakdown is approximate but based upon average union rates and published figures. [YouTube]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leUDOjV4LbcGus the hacker puppeteer (previously) writes, "Most of us have a relative whose computer or phone is still a snake's nest of pop-ups and malware. The 'YOUR COMPUTER HAS A VIRUS, CLICK TO SCAN' attack is still a thing, 2016 though it may be. And there are enough people asking 'why do ads pop up (on my iPhone, computer, etc)' for that question to register on Google search autocomplete." (more…)

Target employee SentioVenia uses all sorts of accents when he informs shoppers that Target will be closing in 10 minutes. A few of them are crude stereotypes, but it's worth it for Mickey Mouse. (more…)

Trump's voters don't care that he's racist or sexist. They don't care if he's really a billionaire or if he fudges his taxes. And they don't care if something he's blathering on about is impossible or went out of business years ago. But when an issue comes up that connects all three of these supposed weaknesses—his frauds, his bigotry and his failures— magic happens. Trump University and The Mexican Judge is exemplary, a story so strong that it's not only hurting Trump but any Republican dumb enough to open his mouth to try and parse it for him. A fraudulent shakedown that failed in the marketplace, Trump University punctures both his business credibility and his ego. But two out of three ain't enough. They exploded, though, when a third element—a "Mexican" judge—allowed those two factors to make contact with his racism. On the other hand, imagine a sort of fourth dimensional space outside the Venn diagram where all three factors are negated completely and it is conceptually impossible to hurt Trump at all. Think insults, cute nicknames, appeals to authority, that sort of thing. That's probably where Hillary will spend the next six months. Sad!

Motorcyclists should wear ear plugs. For as little as $5 you can get comfortable noise reduction that could have you a lot of trouble in the long run.It is a fact that riding a motorcycle at normal highway speeds, even in a full face helmet, without ear protection, does irreversible damage to your hearing over time. Noise fatigue is also a very real effect of riding, and can leave rider far more tired than expected.Another long time rider told me he's getting a hearing aid today, and he never wore ear plugs. I've heard a number of reasons from some friends about why they won't or don't wear them. Those reasons are weak. Here are a few:Traffic, horns, sirens and other noises will be hard to hear: Good hearing protection will lower high frequency noise, like wind buffeting your helmet. While ear plugs will lower the volume of all sound, they won't eliminate those interruptive sounds from making it to you at all, rather you'll be more likely to hear them as the effects of constant high frequency noise will not be as bad.I wear a full face helmet: So what? Comfortable helmets flow a lot of air, and are pretty damn noisy! Helmet noise reduction studies show very minimal improvement due to a full face helmet. I do not have loud pipes: While the silly loud pipes of many a Harley rider could make anyone deaf, you are really looking to block out the wind noise rushing past your head. Loud pipes just add another droning source of white noise like sound that will deafen you over time, but they are not the primary one motorcyclists need fear!Lately I've been using these Hearo's, for less than $6 shipped shouldn't you try?Previously on Boing Boing:Etymotic Research ER20 ETY-Plugs Hearing Protection Earplugs

From Reuters: "Actress Jamie Lee Curtis staggered people attending the global premiere of 'Warcraft' by turning up dressed as an 'Orc shaman' and talking about Hillary Clinton."

Ridendo was a French medical and humor (!) magazine launched in the 1930s. Recently, illustrator Jérôme Dubois found his great-great-grandfather's collection of the magazine and shared some of the fantastic pharmaceutical ads that ran in its pages. See more at Flashbak.

Check out A Year In The Life of Earth's CO, a visualization of greenhouse gases swirling in the atmosphere. A voice-over explains what you're seeing as the months roll by, such as summer carbon monoxide blooms in the southern hemisphere. Tip: change the projection by dragging the map.

Uber terminated access to its API for Urbanhail, a startup that compared pricing and availability among ride-hailing apps and taxi companies, after chastising the company's founders for violating its terms of service, which forbid creating competitive uses. (more…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhLY0JqXP-sFrank Schaeffer is the son of radical evangelical cleric Francis Schaeffer, who was instrumental in creating the modern anti-abortion movement and forging the alliance between the Republican party and evangelical Christians. (more…)

American photographer Spencer Tunick invited thousands of Colombians to take off their clothes and pose nude in Bogota's Bolivar Plaza. Every participant will receive free print. Tunick has taken over 75 similar photos in cities around the world since 1994.

In 1969, Hillary Rodham, at age 21, was the first student ever to give a commencement speech at Wellesley College, and the college has just released excerpts of it. I would not have recognized her voice, which was higher-pitched and had a faster rhythm, but she had the same intensity and self-assuredness then as she does now. Photo by YouTube

My wife likes this nylon spatula so much that she bought a second one. It's made from nylon and has just the right amount of flex. It has a very thin edge that slides right under whatever you are cooking in the pan or on the griddle - no more fried eggs with broken yolks. We got rid of the silicone spatula we'd been using because it acquired a soapy smell (has that happened to anyone else?).Zyliss Nylon Slotted Spatula ($5 on Amazon)

Britain faces a major maths challenge. The challenge involves a stock of people and a flow of learners. (more…)

Here is one couple's trip around the world, one second per day. What took them six months to experience takes us armchair travelers only three minutes!

Daniel Bukszpan of Fortune compiled a list of quotes about GOP apparatchiks who said very bad things about Donald Trump but now think he would make a wonderful president.Louisiana Governor Bobby JindalSeptember 15, 2015: “Donald Trump is a madman who must be stopped.”May 8, 2016: “I am planning to vote for Donald Trump.”Kentucky Senator Rand PaulJanuary 25, 2016: “Donald Trump is a delusional narcissist and an orange-faced windbag. A speck of dirt is way more qualified to be president.”May 5, 2016: “You know, I’ve always said I’ll endorse the nominee.”New Jersey Governor Chris ChristieJanuary 4, 2016: “Showtime is over. We are not electing an entertainer-in-chief. Showmanship is fun, but it is not the kind of leadership that will truly change America.”February 26, 2016: “There is no one better prepared to provide America with the strong leadership that it needs both at home and around the world than Donald Trump.”Florida Senator Marco RubioMarch 4, 2016: “Donald Trump has been perhaps the most vulgar — no I don’t think perhaps — the most vulgar person to ever aspire to the presidency in terms of how he’s carried out his candidacy.”May 10, 2016: ”I signed a pledge, put my name on it, and said I would support the Republican nominee and that’s what I intend to do.”Utah Representative Chris StewartMarch 7, 2016: “He’s our Mussolini… As a Republican, I’m telling you: Donald Trump does not represent Republican ideals.”May 7, 2016: “While Mr. Trump wasn’t my first choice, we must move forward and unite to defeat Hillary Clinton.”

The future is here! US Navy frogmen will no longer fumble with clumsy underwater dive computers, or GPS. I'm pretty sure AquaLung will acquire the US Navy to get ahold of this technology, and will be marketing it at local dive shops soon. Via the Tech Times:Professional divers could use any help they can get to make their work easier and more streamlined.The Navy acknowledges their need: it has built an underwater head-up display (HUD) prototype that allows divers to check their location and tap into sonar data by looking straight ahead, thus eliminating the need for a smartwatch display.The leader of the research team, Dennis Gallagher, says that "a capability similar to something from an Iron Man movie" is in store to those who will use the new helmet.To put it shortly, all the relevant information can be viewed "within the helmet."Surface sources, such as a ship, can send out information to the Divers Augmented Vision Display (DAVD). Future improvements to the device could bring sonar sensors mounted on the helmet, making it even easier to collect and display info.

Traffic-Simulation.de is exactly what it says it is: a depiction of traffic that you can toy with and bend to your will. A useful reminder that no matter how easy you make it for humans (at least modeled ones) they will turn even the most benign cooperative herd activity into a snarling mess of opportunism and incapacitating self-interest.

In 1976, Muhammad Ali collaborated with Howard Cosell, Frank Sinatra, Jayne Kennedy, Richie Havens, and others on an LP titled "Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay." Listen below! Apparently, there was a planned sequel titled "Ali and His Gang vs. Fat Cat the Dope King" but sadly it never appeared.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtiNbm9o8zU

As season six of HBO's Game of Thrones continues, characters make returns both expected and incredibly unexpected. Each week following the show, Boars, Gore, and Swords recaps everything that goes down in the world of Westeros. For this week's "The Broken Man," Ivan and Red discuss skateboarding preachers, Margaery's manipulations, Yara's immersion therapy, and how Lady Mormont is the greatest character on the show even if she's only ten.To catch up on previous seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m2LbZIXia4In August 1963, Cassius Clay released a spoken word/musical LP titled "I Am The Greatest." This was before he became the heavyweight champion of the world and renamed himself Muhammad Ali after converting to Islam. Above is the title track from that album, which was also released as two different 7" singles. The first single's b-side was a song called "Will The Real Sonny Liston Please Fall Down," (released after Ali beat Liston), and the second was a cover of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me," both below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1uuHt4WCwkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK5JEkGixS4

Doug Costello, 66, sold a printer on craigslist for $40. The buyer—described as a "prolific, abusive litigant"—alleged it was broken and sued him claiming astronomical damages. The resulting artisanal interstate legal snarl has cost Costello $12,000 so far. USA Today reports on a mess that's still not over after 7 years.The printer's buyer was Gersh Zavodnik, a 54-year-old Indianapolis man known to many in the legal community as a frequent lawsuit filer who also represents himself in court. The Indiana Supreme Court said the "prolific, abusive litigant" has brought dozens of lawsuits against individuals and businesses, often asking for astronomical damages. Most, according to court records, involve online sales and transactions.Small claims court wasn't interested, but Zavodnik's pro se actions were relentless. Even though they were insane, that's the point: Costello's failure to respond meant a default verdict for the plaintiff.Zavodnik also had sent Costello two more requests for admissions. One asked Costello to admit that he conspired with the judge presiding over the case, and that he was liable for more than $300,000. Another one requested Costello to admit that he was liable for more than $600,000.And so was necessitated the hiring of very expensive lawywers. Zavodnik appears to be a master of plinking the legal system until he shops his way to a useful-enough judge.Wuertz said the case went through several Marion County judges, many of whom recused themselves. At one point, Zavodnik sought to have a judge removed, and the Supreme Court appointed a special judge from Boone County. Finally, in March 2015 — six years after Costello sold the printer — Special Judge J. Jeffrey Edens issued a ruling. He awarded Zavodnik a judgment of $30,044.07 for breach of contract.The ruling was overturned on appeal: "the trial court abused its discretion," wrote Chief Judge Nancy Vaidik, issuing an award "with no basis in reality" using logic that "would have granted Zavodnik a judgment for $600,000, or $6,000,000, or $60,000,000, if Zavodnik had simply linked such an amount to the phrase “for breaching the legally binding contract.”"Seven years of this.

John Oliver now holds the American record for largest single giveaway in history, doubling Oprah's "you get a car!" record -- but Oliver did it by forming a debt-collection agency and buying up the debt of Americans who'd defaulted on the sky-high expenses from life-threatening illnesses, then forgiving the debts. (more…)