I suffer from mild RSI: a warning to stop, but one that goes away when I do stop. The trigger is using a mouse for extended periods. The alternatives for general everyday computer use aren't great for my work habits, which center on precise pointing and clicking, so I'm in the bad habit of mousing until the ache begins, stopping, then picking it right back up later. I'd never tried a vertical mouse in the past because my malfunction is mild, the ergonomic improvements aren't clear, and they tend to be expensive. But the OJA Wireless Vertical Ergonomic mouse is only $6.99 on Amazon, so I decided to give it an impulse-buy shot.I imagined it would be an absolutely terrible mouse, but expected that I could at least use it long enough to see if the enormous vertical wedge shape of it would be good for my hand. As it happened, this thing is probably good enough to keep, with only a couple of slightly annoying issues holding me back.From the design, it appears to be a knockoff of something by Logitech, with dark gray satin plastic, chrome trim on the mousewheel, and large dimensions all around. It's wireless (a provided USB dongle fits inside the mouse for storage) and charges via USB cable. There two thumb buttons in addition to the usual left, right and wheel buttons. There's a DPI switch and an a power toggle underneath. The photos on the Amazon page depict it with FCC and CE symbols that are not in fact present on the device. It is instead marked with the text "wireless charging the mouse game."It's OK. It's not awful. It's like the half-decent mouse you might find bundled with a cheap desktop computer. It doesn't track quite as nice as even the cheapest Logitech or Microsoft mice, and it doesn't physically glide quite as smoothly, either, but it's half their price and in the large and unusual "vertical" ergonomic format. Frankly, if you've been thinking of trying it, it's perfect in that role, as a stepping stone before committing to something like the $80 Evoluent 4.On the ergonomic front, it's a clear improvement for me, but it doesn't quite fit right in my small, Trumpesque hands: it's as if they formed it by having an average American man gently squeeze a blob of clay, then loaded the model into a 3D app and smoothed out all the nobbly bits. Note that it (and other inexpensive models) are not quite as vertical as the pricey Evoluent model, either, which is presumably patented and more thoroughly scienced.The problems: it takes a second to wake from sleep, and it sometimes just goes hayware. The former is just how things are, and not really a problem, but the latter is hard to figure out. Is it a battery power issue? A wireless interference issue? A USB dongle issue? It's not a killer by any means, but it happens often enough to annoy. It's fixed by plugging it in and using it wired, even for just a moment.If they get to me, I might try Anker's $20 vertical mouse -- a price point that's still cheap, but as with wine, seems to promise something more satisfying and robust.

People with disabilities tend to be drastically underrepresented in both culture and journalism. And one website is hoping to change that. Disabled Writers is a simple resource to help editors connect with writers with disabilities. As the site explains:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsncLofhU48To celebrate the return of The Crystal Maze, Richard Cobbett recaps Britain's odd history of LARP shows, which pioneered chroma-key and VR-based special effects when such things were strange and expensive—and not as strange and expensive as the sets they were superimposed upon.All were brilliant but many were dreadful, and classics such as Knightmare seem to hover perpetually on the edge of being rebooted for a new generation. First up, though, is Richard Ayoade as the third host of Crystal Maze, previously helmed by Richard O'Brien (of Rocky Horror fame) and punk rocker and actor Edward Tudor-Pole.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlUGZSdWR9Q

If, like me, you missed and/or avoided the Power Rangers movie from earlier this year, Honest Trailers cheekily breaks down its highs, lows, and weird obsession with Krispy Kreme.

A judge in Spain has ordered the exhumation of artist Salvador Dali's body for genetic testing, so that a paternity lawsuit may be resolved. Dali died in 1989; Pilar Abel believes the painter is her father, from an affair he reportedly had with a maid in 1955.From Agencia EFE:

Seth Everman (previously) reports on "when you try all the sounds and beats on your synth while only playing Toto's Africa."

YouTube performers Peter Hollens and Whitney Avalon offer a catchy medley of the best songs that Disney villains have to offer.

Dan Kopf's Who Americans spend their time with is a chart—six of them—that show the number of hours a day people spend with n over the course of their lives. Together they tell a story. The sixth is a gut-punch. But not, perhaps, if you're introverted.

Methinks the fidget spinner craze is jumping the shark. How do I know? Because Гараж 54 ("Garage 54"), a group of Russian car enthusiasts on YouTube, have welded three beater cars together to make one giant gas-spewing "fidget spinner."(CNET)Previously: A working six-foot fidget spinner costume

In my opinion, black velvet paintings are the gold standard in kitsch wall decor. I'm not ashamed to share that I have no less than eight of them adorning the walls of my home, including a pretty decent Velvet Elvis.I'm not in Los Angeles, but if I were, I'd be heading to Velveteria (the black velvet painting museum) on July 1 for their black velvet painting class.Velveteria's "stooge" (his title, not mine) Carl Baldwin, wrote me:

British artist Lucy Sparrow spent nine months creating 8 ‘Till Late, a pop-up art installation that looks like a fully stocked convenience store but is actually made entirely of felt. This Tech Insider video has all the details on the 1,200 square foot installation, which is made up of over 9,000 hand-sewn felt items, including a felt bodega cat!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN07fnvGomoThe eminently electable Jeremy Corbyn, whose exemplary, inclusive election manifesto rescued the Labour Party (including its traitorous establishment Blairite wing) from history's dustbin and delivered a brutal blow to the nasty Tory party, the man who is arguably the UK's Prime Minister in waiting, addressed a roaring crowd at the Glastonbury Festival, damning war, Trump, austerity and the pitting of one generation against another. It's a hell of a speech.

After shooting Philando Castile dead during a traffic stop -- a killing that was livestreamed on Facebook by Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds -- the police obtained a secret warrant for Reynolds's Facebook account, including her private messages and deleted messages, accompanied by a gag order that banned Facebook from every discussing the warrant's existence. (more…)

This stand stops my spool of kitchen twine from rolling off the counter.Years ago I bought a loose spool of kitchen twine. My cat constantly knocks it off the counter. I finally finished that spool, and replaced it with this spool on a stand!Seriously a spool of thread lasts so long that I want a stand for it. I like to keep it on the counter, and not in a drawer. I do not like it on the floor. I don't like it rolling around.Thoughtfully, this stand even has a string cutter on top!Regency Cooking Butcher's Twine on Handy Dispenser with Cutter for Meat Prep and Trussing Turkey via Amazon

During a concert, this June, someone at Berkeley, CA's Greek Theater called out "FREE BIRD!" Naturally, rock and roll legend Bob Dylan obliged.

Evidently you can be full of the wrong shit. A cyclist, by testing her friends fecal output, determined she needed better critters up in herself to improve her pedal pushing. So she did.

From 1989 to 1994, the public broadcaster TV Ontario ran Prisoners of Gravity, a brilliant science fiction TV show that used a goofy framing device (a host trapped in a satellite who interviewed science fiction writers stuck down on Earth) for deep, gnarly, fascinating dives into science fiction's greatest and most fascinating themes, from sex and overpopulation to cyberpunk and religion. (more…)

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Although flagship smartphones are unlikely to adopt heavy-duty outer casing anytime soon, you can always prepare your device for the outdoors with a beefy case and and an external battery like this Nomad Tile Trackable PowerPack, available in the Boing Boing Store for $119.95.The Nomad Tile can fully recharge an iPhone 7 over three times on a single charge and it's about the size of a thick wallet. The 9,000mAh battery can even recharge most full-size tablets, and it features both USB-A and C ports for maximum compatibility. It’s rubberized polycarbonate frame is rated for military-grade shock resistance, so you don’t have to worry when it inevitably falls out of your pack. Plus, built-in Tile Bluetooth tracking makes your lost battery easy to locate.This battery pack is a mobile workhorse designed to keep your devices chugging no matter where you are in the world. You can get the Nomad Tile Trackable PowerPack today for $119.95.

No one involved with the reboot of The Gong Show will admit it, but it seems Mike Myers (in a heavy prosthetic disguise) is playing Tommy Maitland, the show's 'British' host.Ian Crouch of The New Yorker writes:

Bravo, CNN artist Bill Hennessy.

Jeff Reitz of Huntington Beach, California has visited Disneyland 2,000 days in a row and he has no plans to stop. Why? It makes him happy. From ABC7:

A secret passageway led to an trove of smuggled Nazi artifacts, say investigators in Argentina, and their collector is in trouble with the law.

This doggo is living life to the fullest.(more…)

Every day for the past year, the government of Bahrain has shut off the internet in Duraz between 7PM and 1AM, making this the longest internet shutdown in the history of the region, and one of the longest internet shutdowns in world history. (more…)

“When you're proud to admit you did it.”(more…)

Classic tactics in canine Passive Resistance.(more…)

Federal Communications Commission officials say Adrian Abramovich of Florida made as many as a million illegal telemarketing calls a days, at times using lines reserved for hospital emergencies. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said at a hearing yesterday, “This scheme was particularly abhorrent because, given its breadth, it appears to have substantially disrupted the operations of an emergency medical paging provider. It did this by slowing down and potentially disabling its network. Pagers may be low-tech, but for doctors, these devices are simple and dependable standbys.”From Miami New Times:

Last Sunday, an older woman in the drive-thru line at McDonald's in Scottsburg, IN told the cashier she wanted to pay for the $36 order of the man behind her. She didn't know him, but he was in a van with four children. She told the cashier, Hunter Hostetler, to tell the man "Happy Father's Day!"When the man received the free order of food including four Happy Meals, he told the cashier he wanted to pay for the two cars behind him. And so the day went, until by the end of the day, 167 customers had paid it forward, buying someone else's meal.So who was the woman who started the good samaritan chain?“I keep looking for her, hoping I see her and can tell her what happened,” Hostetler told ABC News. “I don’t know if she knows, but I hope to see her again so I can tell her.”Image: Mike Mozart

Paper Mate introduced the Flair felt tip pen in the 1960s. I liked them when I was a kid because the lines were so clean and you could vary the line width. I kind of forgot about them until I was at Maker Faire and my toy inventor friend, Bob Knetzger, said he uses them to produce his wonderful sketches. They are also cheap! Amazon sells a dozen black Flair pens for $6.71. A set of 12 colored ones go for $11.

Last night at the UK's Glastonbury Festival, Johnny Depp asked this rhetorical question of the crowd:"When was the last time an actor assassinated a President?"I believe that the answer is April 14, 1865, when actor John Wilkes Booth murdered Abraham Lincoln.The White House's response to Depp's comment? "Sad."According to an official White House statement, "President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and its sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead. I hope that some of Mr. Depp's colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if his comments were directed to a democrat elected official."Secret Service staff assistant Shawn Holtzclaw told CNN that they are aware of the matter but can't comment further.

The animal control officer doesn't know if he should use his net to catch the bird or the bottles of liquor falling off the counter.

At a recent press conference, a wasp flew into the mouth of Costa Rica's President Luis Guillermo Solís."I ate it," he said in Spanish with a smile. "I ate the wasp."As Weird Universe points out, it's similar to this memorable and unscripted moment in Raiders of the Lost Ark:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StIT0oYWyIA

The fine young men of MegaIceTV made a live action re-enactment of the entire "Pizza Delivery" episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. What a fantastic way to spend a Saturday afternoon! The original is below. Don't miss their other bad/good videos either!(via r/DeepIntoYou)

This Yoda pendant listed by Heritage Auctions "features full-cut yellow and near colorless diamonds weighing a total of approximately 9.00 carats, set in 14k gold." The estimated value is $2,500 - $3,500. will a lucky Boing Boing reader place the winning bid?

The Mini Museum is a small, self-contained cabinet of curiosity in a lucite box. This third edition contains such wonders as a Spinosaurus bone, rotor from a WWII Enigma machine, sliver of one of Pelé's soccer balls, and a tiny swatch from Steve Jobs' turtleneck. It's $300 (or $129 for a smaller collection). Maybe the next edition will come with Madonna's pap smear! Creator Hans Fex writes:

Dane Wilcox is the proprietor of FYM Hot Sauce. In December he took an Uber in Boston. When he got out of his car at the end of the trip the driver took off with most of his stuff in the car. Wilcox filed a police report and contacted Uber. "Everything I tried amounted to nothing," he said, "and Uber kept responding with the same response, 'We are not responsible for anything that happens in the car. Drivers are independent contractors and we can’t make them do anything if they say they hadn’t seen your bag.'"After a lot of sleuthing on his part, Wilcox gathered a bunch of evidence and presented it to Uber.

This woman was pulled over by police and refused to speak to the officer. She was arrested for "obstruction."(more…)

This Dutch cop was so determined to catch a suspect that he drove his motorcycle right into a supermarket. And what was the crime that deserved putting shoppers' lives in danger? Driving a moped without a driver's license. Sheesh, maybe we should all move to The Netherlands.Thanks Dutch News!

A couple of days ago, the Dallas Zoo posted a video of Zolo the "breakdancing" gorilla spinning around in a kiddie pool. That was pretty great on its own. But then, video producer Bob Hagh added the song from Flashdance "Maniac" to it and broke the Internet.(more…)

Jack writes, "Craig Egan has been a thorn in the side of the anti-vaccination movement for years. Now he's taking that passion for truth and facts on the road, following the Anti-Vaccination people in the Vaxxed bus. He's crowdfunding the tour and donating excess proceeds to a pro-Vaccination charity."

In a proceedings paper presented at a Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence social media conference, a team of British, Italian, and Cypriot academics who worked with a Telefonica researcher presented their work analyzing 8,000,000 comments from 4chan's "politically incorrect" (AKA /pol/) boards, a hive of alt-right racism and hate. (more…)

Uganda is so poor that few can afford medical care, giving it one of the lowest life-expectancies on the planet -- this toxic combination made the country ripe for infiltration by Tiens, a Chinese Multi-Level-Marketing "nutritional supplements" cult whose members set up fake medical clinics that diagnose fake ailments and proscribe fake medicines, then rope patients into becoming cult recruiters who convince their friends to sign up for the cult. (more…)

Janelle Shane trained a recurrent neural network with a data-set of more than 2000 ancient proverbs and asked it to think up its own: "A fox smells it better than a fool’s for a day." (more…)

A new report from the US Copyright Office on Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act -- a controversial law that bans breaking DRM, even for legitimate purposes -- calls for sweeping, welcome changes to the DMCA. (more…)