Mark Zuckerberg explains, in a defensive Facebook blog post, that he thinks that fake news and state-level election manipulation are "ideas and content" and that Facebook is his vision of a neutral place for their propagation. As quoted by Alexis Madrigal,“Liberals say we helped Trump. Both sides are upset about ideas and content they don’t like. That’s what running a platform for all ideas looks like.”Trump wants Facebook to be seen as having a traditional anti-Trump bias. Mark Zuckerberg wants the service to be seen as neutral. And they’re both wrong.Zuckerberg’s statement begins with a play right out of the D.C. congressional playbook: The tough-minded, get-things-done pragmatist knows in his heart that if everyone is mad, he must have done something right.But the sophisticated critiques of Facebook are not about ideas and content that people don’t like, but rather the new structural forces that Facebook has created. Zuckerberg got played by people smarter than he is. All we see of him now is the bottomless narcissistic injury inflicted by the fact one of them was Donald Trump.

The code for Sheet fits in one of those newfangled 280-character tweets with room to spare: at 218 bytes, it's the most amazingly compact spreadsheet app committed to screen.A 218b spreadsheet app in HTML/JSInspired by aem1k.com/sheet Golfed by xem, subzey, p01, rlauck, aemkei, odensc, corruptio Related AMA answer See also my new favorite subreddit, r/TinyCode

There used to be 25 years of Howard Stern interviews with now-president Donald Trump to listen to. But not anymore: the unofficial archive's been taken offline after a DMCA takedown notice came by FedEx.On Wednesday afternoon, roughly 48 hours after it was put up, the audio trove has been removed from YouTube and SoundCloud. For now, the transcripts remain on Factba.se, a website created by the startup FactSquared. Factba.se published a total of around 15 hours' worth of audio—exclusively of the minutes when Trump was on The Howard Stern Show—gathered from nearly 25 years of shows, starting in 1993 and ending in 2015."We were in the process of putting [the audio files] on our own server, but then FedEx showed up and that was the official stop," Bill Frischling, the CEO of FactSquared, told Ars. "So we had a good conversation with our attorneys today, and we’re going to be reaching out to [SiriusXM’s attorneys] pretty darned soon. We’ve already exchanged brief notes, everybody is hoping to get it resolved amicably. Our goal is to preserve the record. At least right now, this is the only public version of a massive, quarter-century trove of interviews."

I don't know what is funnier - the things Amtrak passengers whine about, or the way the complaints have been redacted as if they were state secrets.In her what? C'mon, why won't Amtrak tell us?I'm trying to imagine what was censored here. Sure there's more to it than "no snack car."Finally, one that the censor with the black pen didn't catch, about a slow, not-friendly, screaming, laughing, smiling, lady with no name tag.Muckrock has the full, 112-page report.

We use our Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote multiple times a day. The Dot is in our kitchen and we use it to get news updates (NPR), play podcasts and audiobooks, and to get the weather forecast. I also like to ask it the price of bitcoin. The Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote is great if you are an Amazon prime member. It also streams HBO, YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Showtime and most other streaming services. Amazon has a good deal today: $60 for a Fire TV Stick and an Echo Dot.

It's already known that Trump throws creepy insults at people that include blood (remember his "blood coming out of her wherever" remark about Megyn Kelly, and "bleeding badly from a facelift" comment about MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski?).Now we've also learned that Trump uses blood as an excuse for his sociopathic behavior. In one of the tidbits we got from the Howard Stern Show archives this week from Bill Frischling at Factbl.og , Trump talks about how an 80-year-old man fell at Mar-a-Lago and started bleeding all over the marble floors. Trump, who thought the man had died, was upset about his marble floors turning red, but expressed no sympathy for the man. He said he forgot to call the man the next day to see how he was doing. "It's just not my thing," he said about the blood.Here's it is in Trump's words, via The Daily Beast:“I was at Mar-a-Lago and we had this incredible ball, the Red Cross Ball, in Palm Beach, Florida. And we had the Marines. And the Marines were there, and it was terrible because all these rich people, they’re there to support the Marines, but they’re really there to get their picture in the Palm Beach Post… so you have all these really rich people, and a man, about 80 years old—very wealthy man, a lot of people didn’t like him—he fell off the stage.“So what happens is, this guy falls off right on his face, hits his head, and I thought he died. And you know what I did? I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s disgusting,’ and I turned away. "I couldn’t, you know, he was right in front of me and I turned away. I didn’t want to touch him… he’s bleeding all over the place, I felt terrible. You know, beautiful marble floor, didn’t look like it. It changed color. Became very red. And you have this poor guy, 80 years old, laying on the floor unconscious, and all the rich people are turning away. ‘Oh my God! This is terrible! This is disgusting!’ and you know, they’re turning away. Nobody wants to help the guy. His wife is screaming—she’s sitting right next to him, and she’s screaming.“What happens is, these 10 Marines from the back of the room… they come running forward, they grab him, they put the blood all over the place—it’s all over their uniforms—they’re taking it, they’re swiping [it], they ran him out, they created a stretcher. They call it a human stretcher, where they put their arms out with, like, five guys on each side.“I was saying, ‘Get that blood cleaned up! It’s disgusting!’ The next day, I forgot to call [the man] to say he’s OK,” said Trump, adding of the blood, “It’s just not my thing.” Yep. Attaprez!

A Russian government-affiliated troll farm called Internet Research Agency bought a Black Lives Matter ad on Facebook targeting Ferguson and Baltimore, reports CNN, with "the apparent goal of the Russian buyers to amplify political discord and fuel an atmosphere of incivility and chaos."Facebook refuses to release the ad publicly, citing issues of privacy, even though ad ran publicly in late 2015 or early 2016.Snip:Facebook did not comment for this story but did point to a statement from Facebook's chief security officer, Alex Stamos, who said earlier this month that "the vast majority of ads run by these accounts didn't specifically reference the U.S. presidential election, voting or a particular candidate.""Rather," Stamos said, "the ads and accounts appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum -- touching on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights."Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said this week that the aim of the ad-buyers "was to sow chaos.""In many cases, it was more about voter suppression rather than increasing turnout," he told reporters.The Senate Intelligence Committee will also hear from Twitter on Thursday about how foreign nationals may have used its ad service to influence the 2016 election. Twitter has declined to shed any light so far on what information it plans to give to Congress.Related: Russian-generated Facebook posts pushed Trump as "only viable option."

Watch how this adorable little girl reacts when she finds out that she's going to have a baby brother. Not what she wanted. I've never seen a face go red so fast! Good thing there were sweet treats on hand.

Racine, Wisconsin's Reefpoint Brew House is dealing with quite a lot of outrage. Co-owner John Valko's moronic statement suggesting NFL players who do not feel the way he does about our national anthem be killed has not been well received.Via the Journal Times:A co-owner of a popular lakefront restaurant advocated for the killing of kneeling NFL players in a Facebook comment posted Monday, according to multiple screenshots circulating on social media.The owners of Reefpoint Brew House, 2 Christopher Columbus Causeway, acknowledged the comment from fellow co-owner John Valko in a statement released on their Facebook page Tuesday evening.In the comment, which has been deleted but appears as a screenshot multiple times in the comments on the statement, Valko advocates for the killing of NFL players who kneel during the national anthem before games, something more than 200 players did Sunday.“Kill the idiot players,” Valko wrote. “Execute them. They are nothing but garbage. The league is screwed up if they think it is their right. It is their duty to respect our country and our flag. They should go kneel in front of a freight train. Shame on these stupid misfits of society. They need to die.”

While the United States was monkeying about, the Soviet Union was sending dogs into space! Laika, Belka and Strelka were strays that became daring cosmonauts. Soviet Space Dogs shares their stories through the vast collection of art and objects that were made to commemorate and celebrate their adventures.Soviet Space Dogs (hardcover) via Amazon

I was going through my copy of Stewart Brand's 1974 book, II Cybernetic Frontiers (1974) when I came across this sketch by computer scientist Alan Kay, who conceived of a tablet computer in 1972 called the Dynabook. Although it used a stylus and a keyboard, his 43-year-old sketch of two kids sitting in the grass playing video games on their Dynabooks looks like kids today playing games on their iPads.

America's great stagnation includes a hardening of class divisions, with fewer and fewer poor and working class people raising children who rise to the middle class or even the one percent -- a fact that strikes at the heart of the cherished American notion of rags-to-riches meritocracy where you rise to prominence on the basis of your contributions to society, not the accident of your birth. (more…)

The European Commission has a well-deserved reputation for bizarre, destructive, ill-informed copyright plans for the internet, and the latest one is no exception: mandatory copyright filters for any site that allows the public to post material, which will algorithmically determine which words, pictures and videos are lawful to post, untouched by human hands. (more…)

Equifax CEO Richard Smith announced his voluntary retirement yesterday, two months after the catastrophic breach that permanently leaked 140,000,000 Americans' most compromising financial data. (more…)

"This rainy season not only play with paper boat but also a paper umbrella. How to fold an origami umbrella."Here's Priti Sharma using scissors, which technically makes it not origami, I believe.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdBtBeKWD3w• Origami Umbrella : That Open and Closes (new) (YouTube / Surprise Toys)

Cape Town's Zeith Museum of Contemporary Art Africa was built from an old grain silo complex. (more…)

This short documentary about Korean fashion is on its surface about the many looks cultivated by Korean designers, but it's especially interesting as an analysis of what late-stage capitalism looks like in a homogenous culture. (more…)

The American Geophysical Union reports that a long-term study of major shipping lanes indicates that ship exhaust is dramatically altering lightning patterns. It's not clear what the long-term effects might be. (more…)

What’s the next step in your career? If it’s landing a better job, you need to start growing your network to make sure that when the ideal position opens up, you're the first name that comes to mind. If you aspire to be your own boss or run a business, you need to meet the right people to help you, such as cofounders or marketing gurus. If you have no idea what your dream career path is, maybe it’s time to start meeting other interesting professionals and get inspired by their trajectories. No matter where you see yourself in five years, one thing is clear: you will need help and inspiration from other professionals to get there. Luckily for you, there is an easy way to start making the right connections for your career.Shapr is a free app that makes networking simple. It connects people based on their interests, skills, and professional goals, facilitating useful conversations with potential mentors, future colleagues, and collaborators.The way the app works is deceptively easy. Every day, members of the Shapr community are algorithmically matched with a few relevant people who share their interests or career paths. Then, you can swipe to either connect or pass. If you connect, Shapr will initiate a chat, encouraging you and your new connection to meet up for lunch or coffee. It’s simple, fast and efficient, and you can build a meaningful network in a few swipes a day.“This app is a game changer,” says Sarah Yuro, an entrepreneur based in Atlanta. Sarah has been trying to build her dream startup for three years, a video sharing service called MyIntro. However, she struggled with finding the right engineer for the product until she met Viraj Shah through Shapr.“I found someone to collaborate with in literally three days. I haven’t been able to find someone of his caliber to collaborate with in three years!” Shapr user Olakunle Oladehin says he found success in a different way after using Shapr to find mentors. Olakunle had recently made a career shift from medical research to working on the executive team of a nonprofit organization called Everybody Dance Now! Through Shapr, he met other arts administrators who helped him navigate his first three months in the job. “Set a goal for yourself to meet at least one new person a week, and every day if you can,” suggests Olakunle. “These conversations will inspire you and help you on your own path, whatever that may be.”Whether you’re exploring a career shift, searching for your next job, plotting a side hustle or just looking for friends in your city, this app is for you. With Shapr, a professional network is only a swipe away. Download Shapr and start building your network today. Free for iOS and Android.This feature was produced in collaboration between Digital Trends and Shapr. Boing Boing’s editorial staff was not involved in the creation or production of this content.

Last week, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates expressed his regret over Windows' Control-Alt-Delete function, stating, "If I could make one small edit, I'd make that a single key."Since he can't travel back in time, that three-key reboot function is here to stay. Enter Joy Complex's snazzy Ctrl+Alt+Del statement ring, a cast steel way to make your nerdier side known. These keyboard button "brass knuckles" are available in several different colors for $40+ each. (Technabob, Dude I Want That)

A somewhat-recent trend has had each of us questioning whether we are an extrovert or an introvert. If you've figured out you're an extrovert, good news, other people energize you. Functioning in society is a breeze, at least compared to an introvert. But, being that outgoing and expressive might mean that you need a little guidance in caring for the introverts in your life. That's where this cute instructional video by YouTuber exurb1a comes in. (Holy Kaw!)

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The British Library has scanned an anthology of herbal remedies published in the 11th century. It was translated to Old English and illustrated throughout from an original Latin document attributed to the 4th-century scholar Pseudo-Apuleius. (more…)

Who among us can say they have the self-control to go an hour without serving their vices? Or that their vice is not holding an ersatz cigarette in the corner of their mouth in the style of Burgess Meredith as The Penguin in the 1960s TV show Batman? Or that this is the closest to convincingly human that anyone will ever see them act on screen?Previously: Hannity does not gargle piss.

Sea Monster YouTube is the best YouTube. SPOILER: It's just a jellyfish. But is it gold or blue?

You've seen Primitive Technology; now see Even Primitiver Technology. A fine spoof of an excellent YouTube series.

In contrast to other speakers, the Unicorn Speaker's key qualities are 'ABS plastic' and 'imported.' It contains a built-in battery and boasts 4 hours of playback on a charge away from the tether. It is not wireless; there's a 3.5mm jack.Reviews are mixed. "WORKS GREAT", says one verified customer, though another offers some great accidental Shakespeare in "it works not well." Worse, "the horn doesn't even stay in place once it it attached," warns Froggy. Unicorn Speaker [Amazon]

Hugh Hefner, creator of Playboy and a cultural icon who changed the world thought about sex in the 1960s, is dead at the age of 91.From The Hollywood Reporter:Hefner became the unofficial spokesman for the sexual revolution that permeated the 1960s and '70s and he was both lauded and criticized by feminists of the era, with some accusing him of objectifying women while others said he liberated and empowered them. During a conversation with Gloria Steinem in 1970, Hefner dismissed feminism as “foolishness,” and Steinem told him: “What Playboy doesn’t know about women could fill a book … There are times when a woman reading a Playboy feels a little like a Jew reading a Nazi manual.”Hefner was a staunch supporter of abortion – including helping to finance the landmark Rowe v. Wade decision in 1973 — and more recently was an outspoken advocate of same-sex marriage, and his dedication to such issues (along with his distribution of pornography) made him a pariah in some religious circles. “By associating sex with sin, we have produced a society so guilt-ridden that it is almost impossible to view the subject objectively,” he wrote in 1963 in one of his many broadsides aimed at Christian leaders.[caption id="attachment_548361" align="alignnone" width="580"] Gloria Steinem as a Playboy Bunny[/caption]

In collaboration with Hans Zimmer, Radiohead reworked their track "Bloom" from The King of Limbs into an epic orchestral number that seems just perfect for its intended use, in the soundtrack for Sir David Attenborough's new BBC documentary Blue Planet II. According to Thom Yorke, "Bloom" was originally inspired by the first Blue Planet series in 2001. "It sort of seeped into my subconscious. I found myself dreaming of these creatures quite a lot," Yorke says in the below behind-the-scenes clip about the making of the new track.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3ia8mn8ITs

Doctors discovered a small plastic traffic cone in a 47-year-old British man’s chest he had received for his seventh birthday. A recent cough caused the patient to seek medical attention and doctors originally suspected scans were showing a tumor on his lung, according to the BBC. The man admitted to swallowing small toys during his childhood. The Playmobil cone is believed to have been lodged in his lungs for 40 years — possibly causing his airway to adapt around the German playset piece. The man’s cough has significantly improved since the cone’s removal, no thanks to the miniature Playmobil doctors he may have swallowed as a kid.

It’s a throw-back to the good ole days of aliens in the White House, Bat Boy and Sasquatch sightings in this week’s facts-be-damned tabloids.A “bloodthirsty devil boy intent on murder has crossed over into the land of the living – again,” reports the Globe. This “demon child’s ghost is trying to murder me!” claims New York designer Adam Ellis, who admits that the “evil entity” came to him in a dream, but left his arm bruised. Because nobody has ever knocked their arm during the day and woken the next morning to find a bruise that seemed to magically appear overnight. The ghost, which only appears in his dreams, is “wreaking havoc in his home” – meaning that his cats jump over something invisible. “I sort of feel like I’m losing my mind,” says Ellis. So are the editors of the Globe, apparently.“Selena Gomez Stole My Kidney!” claims a National Enquirer report claiming that patients on the transplant list are angered that the pop singer “used her celeb status to push her way to a life-saving kidney.” Except she didn’t jump any list – her close friend, actress Francia Raisa, donated a kidney to Gomez. Of course, no irate patients are identified, though the Enquirer attributes the story to “one righteously disgruntled angry person [who] posted on social media.” Right.The Enquirer also brings us “The Psychic Picasso,” a Brazilian “psychic painter” who channels dead artists including Renoir, Picasso, Manet and Modigliani to paint masterpieces with his eyes tightly closed – except the art looks like the work of an art school drop-out. And what are all these dead European artists doing in Brazil? Is the afterlife better on Copacabana beach?A Russian team is sending human corpses into space because it “wants aliens to bring dead back to life,” claims the National Examiner. While it’s true that Russian cryogenics company KrioRus recently announced an agreement with science consortium Space Technologies to develop cryonic storage of human remains in orbit – a move which itself makes little sense, since bodies can be stored for a fraction of the price on Earth – it’s a wild leap of the imagination to expect aliens to find the dead bodies and revive them. It makes as much sense as the Examiner story claiming there are “10 Elvis Love Children Grabbing His Fortune.” While it’s true that there have been numerous people claiming to be Presley’s illegitimate children, all have long since been either litigated and dismissed or settled out of court, so there’s nobody left to “threaten his legitimate daughter Lisa Marie’s legacy.”It’s as realistic as the Globe “world exclusive” claiming to reveal North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un’s plans for a $1 billion 15,000 sq ft bunker 250 feet underground, complete with swimming pool, gun range, gym, basketball court, ping pong and billiards room, home theatre, wine cellar, media suite and vintage car museum. Because when news is smuggled out of North Korea, the Globe is there first. Ignoring for one moment the fact that former North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il spent years building a massive underground bunker inside Mount Baekdusan designed to store helicopters and fighter jets, while allowing access to nearby China in the event that fleeing is the only option, it’s hard to imagine that the Globe plan is accurate and there is only one room for the “servant quarters.” Seriously, if “Rocket Boy” were actually constructing such a lavish underground mansion, servants quarters would occupy dozens of rooms. They can’t even make this stuff up properly.The Enquirer does little better in concocting its cover exclusive on a “Plot to Kidnap Prince George!” Inspired by the recent arrest of a Royal “superfan" who tried to gain entry to the Thomas’s Battersea School in London while no children were present, the Enquirer extrapolates on the possibilities to conclude “England’s four-year-old future king was targeted by terrorists who intended to hold him for a $50 million ransom!” The first clue that this is errant nonsense comes with the words: “Enquirer World Exclusive,” because there’s no way that a Royal exclusive or Scotland Yard exclusive would first break in an American tabloid. The second clue comes in the terrorists' proposed ransom of $50 million: It’s a nice round figure in America, but since this is happening in Britain, the terrorists would be demanding payment in pounds – and who asks for £37.35 million pounds?And of course the tabloids bring us their usual nonsense: The Enquirer tells us that actress Meg Ryan is suffering an “anorexia horror” because recent photos make her appear thin, Lindsay Lohan’s “face is a Halloween fright” thanks to “tons of filler and nonstop cosmetic work,” and Ben Affleck’s girlfriend Lindsay Shookus is allegedly pregnant, because she has the slightest stomach paunch in recent photos. The Globe piles in on Paula Abdul’s alleged “bulimia hell” because she has reportedly lost 30 lbs “in just a month.” As ever, it’s thanks to the miracle of spyware implanted in bathroom scales in every celebrity bathroom in Hollywood that the Globe can bring us such accurate reporting, and their experts can tell just by studying photographs whether a star is suffering from anorexia or bulimia. That’s something they just can’t teach you at the Columbia School of Journalism.Thankfully we have the crack investigative team at Us magazine to tell us that Jaimie Alexander wore it best, that Shania Twain’s "favorite place to listen to music is inside the horse barn,’” that TV’s Black-ish star Yara Shahidi carries an uncut amethyst, a Buddha statue and essential oils in her 3.1 Phillip Lin bucket bag (don’t we all?), and that the stars are just like us: they buy groceries, browse their laptops at coffeeshops, and play golf. Riveting stuff, as ever.Real Housewife of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice dominates the Us cover this week, explaining “Why I haven’t divorced Joe” despite her husband having been jailed for the past 18 months. So why hasn’t she filed for divorce? “I am giving him a chance,” she says. “That’s why I’m standing by him.” Wow. I never saw that coming.People magazine devotes its cover to “Pioneer woman Ree Drummond,” promising she will tell as about “food, fame and life on the ranch.” Yes, she’s a celebrity chef, who went from “ranch housewife to culinary superstar,” which is in keeping with the “19 pages of America’s favorite foods” that People also brings us this week. I can understand how pizza and pasta are among America’s favorite foods, but confetti biscotti? And what about Ayesha Curry? Oh, wait – that’s not a dish; she’s the wife of NBA star Stephen Curry, and she’s offering her recipe for pork chops with apples.For those seeking respite from such frippery, the Examiner offers the week’s real hard news: the piglet that comforts a sickly kitten; two albino giraffes found in Kenya; and a German shepherd and border collie mix that finds earthworms crawling across the road, gently picks them up in her mouth, and carries them to safety on the grass. No comment from the worms on how they feel about this.Onwards and downwards . . .

Remember the 1995 TV program Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction that we all wanted to believe was real? Of course, the ET autopsy turned out to be a hoax, or rather, according to producer Ray Santilli, a "reconstruction" of film shot in 1947 that he had seen. Now, one of the hoaxers, Spyros Melaris, has staged a one-man show in London's East End to tell the real (?) story behind the story of the autopsy that you can watch below. From Paul Seaburn's article at Mysterious Universe:(Melaris) claims he was the director of the film and the one responsible for creating the fake aliens and other special effects. Melaris says he met Ray Santilli, the producer and name most associated with the autopsy film, in 1995 at a music event in Cannes. Santilli later confided that he had the actual footage of an alien autopsy and wanted Melaris to make a documentary about it.However, when Santilli showed him a copy of the alleged ‘real’ film, Melaris determined it was a fake shot on video. He says he instead agreed to make a fake version of the autopsy on film, release it as the real thing and them make another documentary on how they pulled off the fake. He hired John Humphreys, a special effects expert who has worked on Dr. Who, to make the alien’s body using his 10-year-old son as a model. Melaris bought 1940s surgical outfits, used cow, sheep, pig and lamb organs (the local butcher must have loved them) for the alien’s internal parts and spliced in footage from a 1947 newsreel. He also claims he built the fake wreckage and hired all of the actors.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pukbzCC3cfQ

Jared Kushner's publicly available New York voter registration records show that the president's son-in-law ticked the "female" box when he signed up in 2009. (more…)

In the years since the 2008 financial crisis, Italy had seen European central bankers effect a regime-change in its national government in order to enforce a brutal austerity in the name of paying back its creditors, resulting in a 5% contraction in its national economy and unemployment soaring to 11.1%. (more…)

We need to get Donald Trump off Twitter before he gets us all killed.On September 23, 2017 he declared war on North Korea. (more…)

If you want to produce video content but don’t have time to get caught in the weeds with feature-heavy pro editors, Filmora gives you everything you need to cut together beautiful videos easily. The Windows version is currently available in the Boing Boing Store for half off.To get you up and running quickly, Filmora’s easy mode takes a handful of clips and stitches them together automatically with preset title themes and music. It’s great for making short clip montages and getting familiar with the interface. For more advanced users, the full-featured mode provides you with a conventional timeline editing interface for precise sequencing that doesn’t overwhelm with options. There’s even a dedicated mode for action cams that corrects fisheye lens distortion, removes unnecessary camera movement from footage shot on a GoPro.It also lets you upload to YouTube or Vimeo from within the interface, and even has options for creating hard copies on DVD. For a video editing experience that helps you get things done instead of endlessly tweaking keyframes, take a look at Filmora. You can pick up the Windows version here for $49.More Deals from the Boing Boing Store:1080p HD Waterproof WiFi Wireless Endoscopic Camera: $39.99 Pay What You Want: Learn to Code 2017 BundleThe MacX Media Conversion Lifetime License Bundle: $19.99

A man in Wales clings to a rock for dear life in river rapids until another man maneuvers his way over in his own kayak and saves the guy. A third person happened to catch it all on his camera.

"Antiquated technology, safety concerns, crumbling infrastructure, and nonexistence -- it’s not hard to argue that the US public transportation network is just not good. Vast swaths of the US have no option but to drive because the alternative just is not there. This has consequences on the environment, on economic mobility, on where people live, the consequences of America’s lack of solid public transportation almost defines American culture." Wendover Productions explores the reasons why the US is so far behind every other developed country. It started with the advent of affordable cars and the Great Depression, which caused a decline in railed street cars, and then buses became cheaper than street cars and wiped them out almost entirely. One thing I didn't know before watching this video is that zoning laws in Europe are more relaxed than in the US, allowing for a mix of business and residential properties that encourages public transportation. New US cities like Denver are zoned in a way that forces people to drive.

Nelson A Denis is the author of War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America's Colony, a highly regarded, bestselling 2016 history of the injustices perpetrated against Puerto Rico by successive American governments starting in 1898 and continuing literally to this present day. (more…)

Bassel Khartabil was a Syrian free software, free speech and Creative Commons activist who was jailed and tortured by the Assad regime, which eventually secretly sentenced him to death, then executed him in 2015, but kept it a secret until 2017. (more…)

From the Vienna Bienalle: 1. Intelligent robots must serve the common good of humanity and help us humans to lead an ecologically, socially, culturally and economically sustainable life. (more…)

Undercover is a World War II training film from the OSS, precursor to the CIA, would be enough to dissuade most people from a career in espionage. They enact numerous examples of tiny slip-ups that ended up blowing the covers of various spies and secret agents. (more…)

In the 1860s, San Francisco's most popular tourist attraction was not a place but a person: Joshua Norton, an eccentric resident who had declared himself emperor of the United States. Rather than shun him, the city took him to its heart, affectionately indulging his foibles for 21 years. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll consider the reign of Norton I and the meaning of madness.We'll also keep time with the Romans and puzzle over some rising temperatures.Show notesPlease support us on Patreon!

Catacomb Culture's Human Skull Bowl is great as Halloween decor, but it's perfect for eating cereal like a savage cannibal all year-round. Each bowl is $100 and made to order by artist Jeremy Ciliberto. Added bonus: spells or blessings can be cast on your skull bowl by a certified & experienced shaman minister.(Nerdcore)

Artists are creating experiences in virtual reality, and it's especially exciting to hear that multimedia pioneer Laurie Anderson has entered this space. With Taiwanese new media artist Hsin-Chien Huang, she has created "Chalkroom" (aka "La Camera Insabbiata"), an immersive virtual reality experience that lets its viewers to fly through words and stories. Prompted by this interview with the Louisiana Museum, Open Culture writes:The piece allows viewers the opportunity to travel not only into the space of imagination a story creates, but into the very architecture of story itself—to walk, or rather float, through its passageways as words and letters drift by like tufts of dandelion, stars, or, as Anderson puts it, like snow. “They’re there to define the space and to show you a little bit about what it is,” says the artist in the interview above, “But they’re actually fractured languages, so it’s kind of exploded things.” She explains the “chalkroom” concept as resisting the “perfect, slick and shiny” aesthetic that characterizes most computer-generated images. “It has a certain tactility and made-by-hand kind of thing… this is gritty and drippy and filled with dust and dirt.”Chalkroom, she says, "is a library of stories, and no one will ever find them all.” It sounds to me, at least, more intriguing than the premise of most video games, but the audience for this piece will be limited, not only to those willing to give it a chance, but to those who can experience the piece firsthand, as it were, by visiting the physical space of one of Anderson’s exhibitions and strapping on the VR goggles. Once they do, she says, they will be able to fly, a disorienting experience that sends some people falling out of their chair..."Field trip: "Chalkroom" can currently be experienced at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. Thanks, Whitney!

Emily Seilhamer upcycled old Starburst wrappers into a woven dress, as well as purse and shoes. (more…)

Mick Kalber of Paradise Helicopters takes tourists and photographers up over Pu'u 'O'o's lava lake and other remarkable lava flows each week. For those of us who can go up each week with him, he shares a weekly diary of his favorite moments. (more…)

Poopy is a national treasure of Madagascar. Here she belts out Tahak'izay, which reached number two on the local pop charts. (more…)

Electronics manufacturer Xiaomi commissioned designer Rik Oostenbroek to create these cool abstract wallpapers. (more…)