https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j8pSu3U7WMDavid Axelrod, whose 1960s and 1970s production and compositions melding jazz, soul, and rock had an indelible impact on contemporary hip-hop and R&B, has died at age 83. From Billboard:

A wild hog, known to local Forest Grove, Oregon law enforcement as "Piggy Smalls" has been apprehended.Via Oregon Live:

Welcome to Sci-Fi Sundays! I'm in my mid 30s and grew up steeped in science fiction. From as far back as I can remember, the books on my family bookshelf bore the names of Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, H.G Wells, and the like. The books seemed, to my immature eyes, like such odd and frustrating things. They had these enticing and rich illustrations on their covers, but inside, mostly only walls of text that I wouldn't learn to appreciate till my age hit double digits.Occasionally I'd stumble upon something like Analog, and be delighted to find illustrations inside, sparse as they may be. Something about this experience left a permanent mark on me, and the illustrations of science fiction pulp has always seemed somewhat magical. It isn't usually the highest quality art work, but it was always something new and interesting, either some imaginary creature or piece of machinery.About 10 years ago, I was given a treasure; boxes and boxes of science fiction pulp. I have tons of Analog, some Perry Rhodan, Worlds of If, Galaxy, and a few others with publication dates ranging from the late 50s through the 80s. While each issue should, in my opinion, be scanned page by page and preserved forever, I'm only setting out to do so with the illustrations. In this series, I'll scan an issue (or two or 3 if they only have cover art), and share the illustrations with you. Sadly, I can't share the musty smell of the pages, but I may share some of my observations and thoughts on the issue, and I'd love to hear yours.Let's kick this off with the above issue:Publication:Analog: Science Fiction Science FactIssue: February 1970, volume: LXXXIV No. 6Cover art: Kelly FreasThe February 1970 issue of Analog seems almost like a bizarre amalgam of modern pop culture items; Is that a Viper probe droid from Star Wars? Is that bird man riding on Nessie? Illustrated by Kelly Freas (you'll see that name a LOT during the 70s), the cover illustration goes to the novelette Birthright, by Poul Anderson. As with anything more than just a few years old, it is fun to look at the cost of the issue, only 60 cents.Like most issues of Analog, this one is packed with illustrations, many by Kelly Freas. The styles swing wildly from minimalist scratchings to what appear to be painted works.This issue has a section in the middle that describes how solar wind works. Remember, this is Analog Science Fiction / Science Fact. There are a couple diagrams, but nothing exciting, and I've opted not to scan them.All illustrations from this issue are included below, along with credit to the illustrator, and the story they are associated with.[caption id="attachment_507729" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Kelly Freas From Birthright[/caption]This is easily my favorite illustration in this issue. The style of the spaceman's helmet and suit are just wonderful. His air tank almost seems Dr. Seussian![caption id="attachment_505316" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Peter Skirka from Dali, For Instance[/caption]I have no idea what is going on here. This is one of those illustrations where reading the story reveals the meaning of the illustration, but I'm not going to spoil it for you, that would make it boring.[caption id="attachment_505314" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Kelly Freas from Birthright[/caption]One thing I always enjoy is when there are creatures shown that are both extremely alien, and also apparently intelligent. Take the character on the left for example, there are clothes, tools, etc. It makes me wonder what the rest of that creature's culture and civilization are like. Maybe I'll have to read this story![caption id="attachment_505317" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Kelly Freas from The Fifth Ace[/caption][caption id="attachment_505318" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Kelly Freas From The Fifth Ace[/caption][caption id="attachment_505319" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Kelly Freas from In Our Hands, The Stars[/caption]Note that even though this is the same illustrator as the others, this story has a completely different art style. These appear to be paintings that were scanned in.[caption id="attachment_505320" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Kelly Freas In Our Hands The Stars[/caption][caption id="attachment_505321" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Leo Summers from The Biggest Oil Disaster[/caption][caption id="attachment_505322" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Leo Summers from The Biggest Oil Disaster[/caption]The rear cover isn't an illustration, but sometimes it is fun to look at the advertisements as well.

Aside from taking up considerable space and being horrifyingly out-of-date, VHS tapes degrade with every play. But what about home movies or lesser-known titles that didn’t survive the digital transition? With this Video Digitization Device and Editing Software Package, you can save your old tapes from analog oblivion.The conversion dongle connects to any composite video source, including VCRs, DVD Players, and CRT TVs. Just plug the USB end into any Windows PC and capture any analog video or audio source easily with the included software editor. High-speed rendering ensures you get a verbatim copy of your original source preserved forever.Once you’ve recorded your media, use the software to trim off unwanted preview sections and blank screens. Burn your projects to DVD, or export a mobile-friendly file to take your VHS movies on the go.For a limited time, get this Video Digitization Device and Editing Software Package for just $20.99. Usually $69.95, this is the best media preservation deal I've found.Explore other Best-Sellers on our network:

Machinist/sculptor Chris Bathgate (previously) continues his foray into collaborations to make gorgeous, hand-machined fidget today (see: the slider; spinning tops, slider mark II): his latest is a "spinner," made in collaboration with Mike Hogarty and Callye Keen from Revolvemakers. (more…)

This person looks at Donald Trump from a primatologist's point of view.

Alexander MacKinnon thought it would be "my word against hers" after he directed racial abuse at Sanaa Shahid on a train out of London—the sneering solicitor said she shouldn't be in the country, let alone first class. Unfortunately for him, he was overheard.

Hey Crackpot, here's a message from Batman!

Between lingering cold weather, overpriced Valentine’s gifts, and the general state of the country, February is shaping up to be a rough one. That’s why we’re sharing four affordable and last-minute gift ideas that will show someone some love when they need it most.#4 Teleflora Fresh Flower DeliveryTeleflora is a really cool company that works with local florists to deliver fresh bouquets around the country. Each bouquet comes in a vase, and can be ordered up until the day prior. You probably want to get a head-start on your Valentine’s Day order, but you’ll still save $20 rather than deal with the usual V-Day inflation._____________________Price: $20, 50% Off RetailBUY NOW#3 Blue Apron: 3 Meals for 2 PeopleDo you have a reservation for Valentine’s dinner? If you don’t already, you probably won’t get one. Order Blue Apron’s gourmet meal prep kits and you’ll be able to throw together a restaurant-quality meal at home. Light a few candles and you’ve got a pretty romantic night on your hands._____________________Price: $27, 54% Off RetailBUY NOW#2 Exhale Spa: 60-Minute Fusion MassageYou can book a massage at one of Exhale’s luxury spas for 26% off with this deal. When you throw in the perks of hitting the sauna and spa relaxation rooms, this package makes a really amazing gift. Plus, we could all use a little break from the Trumpocalypse._____________________Price: $99, 26% Off RetailBUY NOW#1 Winc Wine Delivery: 4 BottlesValentine’s Day is the perfect day to break away from your usual two buck Chuck. Winc includes tasting notes and pairing options with each delivery of bottles, which perfectly lays the groundwork for a romantic evening of wine tasting._____________________Price:$26, 52% Off Retail BUY NOW

Tens of thousands of women in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have complained to police about harassing phone calls from creepy men who bought their phone numbers from the operators of mobile phone recharging stations; they say the operators sneakily captured their phone numbers and sold them off to the stalkers. (more…)

So sad, so very very sad, that Frederick Douglass just sat there and did nothing to stop the Bowling Green Massacre.(more…)

Julio writes, "Writer and director Christopher Grant Harvey has shot Tears in the Rain, a stunning fan film set in the Blade Runner universe with just a $1,500 budget." Goddamn, that's some badass fanfilm. (more…)

The good people at Oakland's excellent Contact Records record shop are selling these delightful Devo "Energy Dome" adapters to play your New Wave 45s in style. Locally 3D-printed by Jeremy Solterbeck, they're just a few bucks each and big fun for vinyl geeks.

Someone won't like this.

My favorite avant-garde classical group Kronos Quartet are holding Kronos Festival 2017: Here and Now this weekend at the SF JAZZ Center! There's a wide variety of musical experiences all weekend long including a family concert on Saturday. The performances feature a stellar array of composers and special guests, including minimalist pioneer Terry Riley, legendary producer/songwriter Van Dyke Parks reading Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poetry, Indian violinist Kala Ramnath, Persian singer Mahsa Vahdat, and Vietnamese instrumentalist Vân-Ánh Võ. Iranian composer Sahba Aminikia is this year's artist-in-residence. Open your mind and your ears to some surprising and beautiful new sounds. Buy tickets here. Below, a Spotify playlist to give you a sense of what you'll hear at the Festival:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orW2tarWsYQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEkyS417KC0&feature=youtu.beBecky Stern writes, "Send your valentine a note through the net! This DIY electronics project uses a small vibrating motor to gently wave a tissue paper heart and flash an LED when it receives instructions over the internet from another device. I built two versions of the ESP8266 wifi circuit, also equipped with two buttons for triggering the two commands. The devices talk over the Adafruit IO cloud data service to communicate with each other from anywhere with wifi, and I'll show you how to activate your valentine with the API gateway service IFTTT as well, in case you only want to build one valentine circuit."

"Impeach the guy. He’s an unstable person. Yemen? Disaster. Everyone knows it’s true. Even he knows it. Awful. Everyone agrees." (more…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0OXgUstKYcPaul writes, "Now you too can create miniature tales in the style of "The Gentleman of Providence" with LOVECRAFTIAN LETTERS - magnetic words featuring H.P. Lovecraft's unique vocabulary. This cyclopean set contains over 500 pieces with which to share your dark wisdom and Lovecraftian tales with friends, family & unnamable things from beyond..."

Thursday February 9th, the Mechanics' Institute plays host to a panel remembering famed social rights and anti-war activist, California State Senator Tom Hayden.In addition to discussing Tom's newly released book Hell No: The Forgotten Power of the Vietnam Peace Movement, Willie Brown Jr., Judy Gumbo Albert, and Clara Bingham recall his life and work on a panel moderated by Steve Wasserman.Well known for his stand against the war in Viet Nam, as well as supporting student, human, and animals rights, Tom was always on the side of those who had little or no voice, helping ensure they were heard. Tom Hayden taught me that it is possible for someone to continually stand up for what they believe, stay true to their core beliefs, and make a significant difference in the lives of others.The event is held at San Francisco's historic Mechanics' Institute.Image by Joe Doherty

Etsy artisan Humayrah turns gold and iridescent thread into the most charming and intricate beetles, butterflies, and hummingbirds.Humayrah says:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h5qpXO3isM&feature=youtu.be&t=225Today in Onionesque quotes, that's one from presenter Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics. [via MeFi]Here's another:

A trio of "scientists against a fascist government" set out a program for resisting trumpism with science, delving into the moral duty of scientists to resist the perversion of their work to attain cruel and evil ends. (more…)

The Freemasons. Fight Club. The Bilderberg Group. The Illuminati. The Watcher’s Council. The Knights Templar. The Order of the Phoenix.Bookburners is available from Amazon.Bookburners, out now from Saga Press, is about a team of experts trying to keep magic from breaking out all over the world. It’s a secret team inside a (fictional) secret organization inside a (real) institution prone to secrecy. When Serial Box assembled its writing team for the first volume of Bookburners — Max Gladstone, Margaret Dunlap, Mur Lafferty, and me — we didn’t have to look far for inspiration. I didn’t have to look much farther than my own town.Those of us who live in and around New Haven, CT are no strangers to secret societies. We see Yale’s secret society buildings right on the street -- nearly windowless constructions that look like temples, or like tiny libraries. The societies that own them have names like Skull and Bones, Scroll and Key, Book and Snake, Berzelius, and no one outside of the societies is really sure what goes on them.

Der Postillon reports that Ikea now offers an affordable flatpack solution for any wannabe autocrats looking to shave a few dollars off their $25bn whitey elephants.

Enjoy this vertical video of a dog insisting that its master not have another glass of wine.

What does money smell like? Chemist and perfumier Marc vom Ende was commissioned by artist Mike Bouchet to create the well-known but hard-to-describe smell, and it turned out money smells like America itself: (more…)

Bill Binney resigned from the NSA in October 2001, after 30 years with the agency where he was viewed as one of their best analysts: he quit because he believed that Bush-appointed leaders in the Agency had chosen to respond to the challenge of electronic communications by building out illegal, indiscriminate mass-surveillance programs that left the country vulnerable to terrorists while diverting billions to private contractors with political connections. (more…)

Like you do.(more…)

This is part two in my "The Backfire Effect" series. This one focuses on motivated reasoning, specifically something called motivated skepticism. In addition, it features interviews with the scientists who coined the backfire effect term itself and who have extended their original research outside of politics and into health issues.By now you’ve likely heard of confirmation bias. As a citizen of the internet the influence of this cognitive tendency is constant, and its allure is pervasive.In short, when you have a hunch that you might already understand something, but don’t know for sure, you tend to go searching for information that will confirm your suspicions.When you find that inevitable confirmation, satisfied you were correct all along, you stop searching. In some circles, the mental signal to end exploration once you feel like your position has sufficient external support is referred to as the wonderfully wordy “makes sense stopping rule” which basically states that once you believe you’ve made sense of something, you go about your business satisfied that you need not continue your efforts. In other words, just feeling correct is enough to stop your pursuit of new knowledge. We basically had to invent science to stop ourselves from trying to solve problems by thinking in this way.Download – iTunes – Stitcher – RSS – Soundcloud—This episode is sponsored by The Great Courses Plus. Get unlimited access to a huge library of The Great Courses lecture series on many fascinating subjects. Start FOR FREE with Your Deceptive Mind taught by neurologist Steven Novella. Learn about how your mind makes sense of the world by lying to itself and others. Click here for a FREE TRIAL.There is no better way to create a website than with Squarespace. Creating your website with Squarespace is a simple, intuitive process. You can add and arrange your content and features with the click of a mouse. Squarespace makes adding a domain to your site simple; if you sign up for a year you’ll receive a custom domain for free for a year. Start your free trial today, at Squarespace.com and enter offer code SOSMART to get 10% off your first

“Donald Trump, but with his tie just a little bit longer and Melania's collar just a little taller each time,” via IMGUR.(more…)

“I was threatened with arrest for filming this 3 minute short documentary film about @nobanjfk lawyers at NYC JFK airport on Sunday,” says filmmaker Aaron Stewart-Ahn.https://vimeo.com/201813180Aaron wasn't the only one to report harassment, intimidation, and threat of arrest for photographing, filming or recording audio of the massive protests at this airport and others, as travelers officials scrambled to come to grips with Trump's sneak attack executive order.https://twitter.com/j0ncampbell/status/826108225460256768[Vimeo]

djBC writes, "My mashup record with Boston MC Moe Pope and ska/punk legends Big D & The Kids Table was picked up by Asbestos Records! It's 100% legal, too. And there are some great guests like the legendary rapper Edo G and saxophonist Dana Colley of Morphine. Asbestos Records did a lovely job with two different vinyl colorways- black/clear (100 available) and blue/clear (500 available). They even produced one of those 'word' videos for the jaunty single 'Fuckin' Love Music' featuring guest vocals from The Doped Up Dollies. GET IN!" (more…)

Sara writes, "It has been a few years since The Hobbit has its theatrical release and some fans have been toiling since then on the perfect edit.Joblit has posted links to his latest versions.They include the personal favourite Theatrical Edition (runtime 2:42), a somewhat indulgent Extended Edition (runtime 3:45), and a brisk Ludicrous Edition (runtime 2:10). He notes to keep in mind that the credits are 13 minutes long, so playback is considerably shorter.If you're a fan of the films and also like an early night then these film edits are for you." (more…)

Rainier Weber pays tribute to Rainier Weber with this chair, "upholstered in luxurious hand woven fabric from London and Venice" and matching lamp. The 22k-plate set is $127,000.(via Crazy Abalone) (more…)

Zach Cowie is a cratedigger of the highest order. Following gigs at Rhino and Sub Pop, Zach turned his insatiable record collecting into a job: He's a music supervisor for TV and movies with credits like Master of None and The Little Hours and curated musical selections for the fashion label Rodarte. As a DJ, Zach (aka Turquoise Wisdom) frequently makes the scene in LA and elsewhere, sometimes spinning with pals like Elijah Wood and Andy Cabic (Vetiver). It seems that his destined role in life is to turn us on to the best music we've never heard of. And he's got a Voyager Golden Record tattoo, so that makes me like him even more. Here's an interview with him from Dust & Grooves.Zach is now recording a monthly set for NTS called "Play It As It Lathes" that mixes ambient, psych, spiritual jazz, prog, cosmic country, dream pop, folk, and every other far-out genre you can imagine into stunning two-hour sets."It's the best place to hear what i’ve been listening to at home lately," Zach says.Turn on and tune in below.(Thanks, Jess Rotter!)Image at top by Eilon Paz/Dust & Grooves

A breathtaking photo of Saturn's moon Mimas taken this week by NASA's Cassini space probe.You may recall, that another photo (below) of Mimas raised concerns that it isn't actually a moon but rather the Death Star.(Images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute)

https://youtu.be/y0IEfohAIuwI don't know anything about Bo Burnham, but I once spent an otherwise pleasant afternoon on a beach next to a guy who played contemporary country music loudly on a speaker. I heard enough of it that day to think Mr. Burnham is into something.

https://vimeo.com/202247118Houthi rebels from Yemen attacked a Saudi frigate; White House spokesman Sean Spicer falsely claimed that this was Iranian forces attacking a US Naval ship and thus an act of war; no one from the White House press corps corrected him or followed up. (more…)

Barry White, Jr teaches fifth grade English at Charlotte, NC's Ashley Park School. Every day, he greets every one of his students with an amazing, personalized handshake, to "bring them excitement and pump them up for a high-energy class." (more…)

In a beautiful example of biomimicry, researchers at Caltech and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign developed the Bat Bot, an autonomous flying robot with silicone wings that change shape as it flies, just like a real bat. From Caltech:

Cartoonist Maki Naro made this one-page comic for The Nib that compares the world of today with 1990s era Cyberpunk dystopia fiction.

Matt Kiser has started a good newsletter called "What The Fuck Just Happened, Today? Logging the daily shock and awe." He summarizes and links to the major political news events of the day (Trump Picks Neil Gorsuch, A Scalia Clone, For The Supreme Court") and includes a a few items of Lesser Importance (Bannon explained his worldview well before it became official U.S. policy) as well as a section called Tweets to Shake Your Head At (The estimated security cost for Melania living 200 miles away from Trump is double the annual budget for the National Endowment for the Arts.)

The short answer is efficiency! But it was also an artistic choice that became a creative convention..."We didn't want (Mickey Mouse) to have mouse hands, because he was supposed to be more human," Walt Disney wrote. "So we gave him gloves. Five fingers looked like too much on such a little figure, so we took one away. That was just one less finger to animate."

Who among us can say they didn't found Fascism Forever clubs in an age when totalitarian autocracy was an impossible dream? It's a joke, see, about what's needed to resist a world ruined by liberals. Laugh already, would you!

In response to students violently protesting hate speech on campus, the Orange Menace once again took to twitter and threatened to de-fund the University of California.

Malcolm Turnbull, the Goldman-Sachs investment banker turned Australian Prime Minister, secretly donated AUD1.75m to his own 2016 re-election campaign, giving it the funds it needed to squeak into victory. (more…)

This is Vincas Juska, a knygnešys -- "book smuggler" -- one of the brave people who defied Tsar Alexander II's "Temporary Rules for State Junior Schools of the Northwestern Krai" by smuggling books written with Latin characters into Lithuania, defying the ban put into place after the Polish-Lithuanian insurrection of 1863. (more…)

Drones have really upped the aerial photo game, so SkyPiixel's winners for their annual contest include some really remarkable shots, like the caravan above. (more…)

Eli Broad is a billionaire who's made major donations to both the GOP and Democrats to push for charter schools, and his Broad Foundation has spent millions lobbying for public funds to go to private schools ("school choice"); but even he thinks that charter school advocate/ponzi scheme billionaire/Christian warrior/plagiarist/sister of war criminal Erik Prince/latter-day Marie Antoinette/convicted election fraudster, Betsy DeVos is unqualified to serve as Secretary of Education, a role that Donald Trump has selected for her. (more…)