Wonder Woman's job as an honorary UN ambassador lasted less than two months. The UN fired the non-existing cartoon character after mounting pressure from people who signed a petition that said, "It is alarming that the United Nations would consider using a character with an overtly sexualised image at a time when the headline news in United States and the world is the objectification of women and girls.”From The Guardian:

The election may be over, but this week's tabloids see it as their constitutional duty to continue slinging political mud. Donald Trump has taken charge, Malia Obama is in rehab, and Bill Clinton is ravaged by cancer, proclaims this week’s Trump mouthpiece the ‘National Enquirer,' for good measure adding that actor Alec Baldwin only dislikes Trump because his ex-wife Kim Basinger had a crush on the president-elect. How happy is the ‘Enquirer’ with its past year’s political coverage? "The Enquirer forged into the political arena in a way we had never done before, influencing the election with scoop after groundbreaking scoop,” writes ‘Enquirer’ editor-in-chief Dylan Howard in a self-congratulatory op ed, no doubt referring to such classics as the magazine's unsubstantiated claims that Ted Cruz’s father aided Lee Harvey Oswald’s assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Hillary Clinton is suffering an array of potentially lethal illnesses including a “time bomb” brain aneurysm, and Bill Clinton has Alzheimer’s disease. “Mainstream media is the Real Fake News!” writes “the most feared voice in politics," former White House advisor Dick Morris, in the ‘Enquirer,’ which may be the embodiment of Orwellian Newspeak, when the birthplace of fake news dares to claim that it is the only purveyor of truth. ‘Enquirer’ stablemate the ‘Globe’ refuses to be left out of the fun, with its cover revealing “Hillary’s Nervous Breakdown on Election Night!” As Trump’s improbable victory became clear on election day, Hillary “became more and more unhinged and ‘started belting back booze to numb her shock’,” until she was “weeping and incoherent,” according to an unnamed source. Disappointment, anger and denial are responses you’d expect from Hillary under the circumstances. But a nervous breakdown? It’s thanks to the ‘Globe’ insisting that all its White House correspondents are medically trained and have degrees in psychology that we have such accurate reporting that you won't find anywhere else in the fake news offered up by the mainstream media.So what does real news look like this week? Malia Obama is in rehab, reports the ‘Enquirer,’ based on the claim that the president's 18-year-old daughter “hasn’t been seen in public for months!” Because if the ‘Enquirer’ can’t see you, you must be hiding, right? Like tennis ace Jennifer Capriati, who the ‘Enquirer’ claims is now a "hermit” simply because she doesn’t attend the Hollywood nightclubs and red carpet events where paparazzi lurk, and is therefore in hiding. Oscar winner Gene Hackman is a “boozy recluse” claims the ‘Globe,” because the ‘French Connection’ star has the audacity to live quietly in New Mexico “cooped up” behind the walls of his mansion. So he never leaves his home? Of course he does. Locals tell the ‘Globe’ that he’s seen driving around, and can be found at a local bar “from time to time to drink booze.” So he’s the kind of recluse who drives around town and hangs in bars. Sounds pretty sociable for a hermit. And it allows the ‘Globe’ to call him “boozy.” That’s certainly news that the mainstream media missed. Is Bill Clinton “ravaged by cancer” as the ‘Enquirer’ reports? The former president has lost 40 pounds in weight, which prompts the ‘Enquirer’ to write that “skeletal Bill spurs cancer fears!” Yes, it’s yet another case where unidentified “friends fear” an outcome that in the ‘Enquirer’ becomes fact. Poetically, this story is positioned right next to the ‘Enquirer’ proclamation that “mainstream media is the real fake news.”The ‘Enquirer’ also tells us that Kim Kardashian’s Paris kidnapper has been caught on camera, though even its report admits that it obtained its photos from “alleged security camera footage” - meaning it doesn’t trust that it has the real thing, and may have been hoodwinked into buying hoax photos. Even if genuine, the images are so dark, murky and blurry that it might take forensic experts to confirm that the alleged kidnapper is even human. Brad Pitt has undergone a facelift, claims the ‘Enquirer,’ offering as proof a photograph of his ear purportedly revealing scars left by a facelift, even though the photo shows no such scars, and his jawline seems unchanged from past years, though he may have lost a pound or two.Brad and Angelina Jolie’s custody battle is explored at length by both ‘People’ and ‘Us’ magazines, neither offering anything new that hasn’t come out in court papers. “No kids at Christmas?” asks the ‘Us’ cover over a photo of Brad with his signature jawline, though the story within notes that Pitt is entitled to supervised visitation with his six children, and a source adds: “Brad hopes to see the kids for Christmas.” ‘So its cover question is purely rhetorical. 'People’ mag devotes its cover to the husband-and-wife co-stars of TV’s reality series ‘Flip or Flop,’ Christina and Tarek El Moussa, whose “marriage explodes” under “the pressures of fame,” according to the report. They have been separated for months but living the lie of a happy marriage, which I’m sure has nothing to do with the fact that they are about to start filming a new season of their show and have a book coming out in March. Meanwhile reality TV’s Bachelorette couple JoJo and Jordan are “happier than ever” and “envisioning babies.” Because that’s how mainstream media does real news.Fortunately we have ‘Us’ magazine’s crack investigative team to tell us that Victoria’s Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio wore it best (well, she’d be a pretty poor model if she didn’t wear it best), 89 per cent of survey respondents prefer Marion Cotillard without bangs, and that the stars as just like us: they run errands, feed parking meters, and shop for the holidays. And they say the mainstream media doesn’t report real news any more!We have the ‘National Examiner’ to thank for reporting that a granite pyramid in the frozen reaches of Antarctica may be “proof of prehistoric civilization,” supposedly because natural phenomena could never produce a symmetrical giant pyramid, built by early humans “or some type of beings.” The ‘Examiner’ helpfully adds an artist’s impression of a giant flying saucer above the antipodean pyramid, because isn’t that what “real news” is these days - just an artist’s impression?Onwards and downwards . . .

From Imgur: "A decent breakdown of all things real and fake news." Here is is full size.

Luigi Serafini's 1984 tribute to Punch the clown, Pulcinellopaedia Seraphiniana, is now available in a beautiful reprint by Rizolli.Much like the earlier reprint of the Codex Seraphinianus, this edition is on beautiful paper and will make a lovely coffee table book.Written in its own "language" the Pulcinellopaedia Seraphiniana is intended to serve as an extension of Serafini's incredible codex.Pulcinellopaedia Seraphiniana by Luigi Serafini via Amazon

A Comacast repairman in Indianapolis has "a job to do" on a slushy, slippery steet. If cars slide of the road and collide because of it, so be it.

Salt Lake City's Wyre Art, AKA Kyle Wyatt, makes these amazing, $30 skull and crossbones bun covers, which are so popular that they're on back-order, and which ship in three sizes: "5" x 2" for longer/thicker hair, 5" x 1.5" for longer/regular hair, 4.75" x 1.75" for mid length hair, and 4.5" x 1" for shorter hair." (via Crazy Abalone) (more…)

Documentarians and news-gatherers who record sensitive material from confidential sources live in terror of having their cameras seized and their storage-cards plundered by law-enforcement; they struggle to remember to immediately transfer their files to encrypted laptop storage and wipe their cards while dodging bombs in conflict zones, or simply to remember to have robotically perfect operational security while they are trying to get a movie made. (more…)

Stranger Things stars Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp couldn’t be more jazzed that their Netflix show was nominated for Best Drama Series (along with a nod to Winona Ryder for Best Actress in a Drama Series). (more…)

Kidnapping ransom markets are really tough: it's hard to convey the demand, hard to arrange the payoff, hard to get the kidnapping victim back in one piece -- but Lloyds of London has largely solved this problem by monopolizing the market for kidnapping insurance, then setting standards for the amounts of ransom to be paid and the conditions for payment. Kidnappers know that if they kill their prey, Lloyds will never pay them again. (more…)

Behold the Muriwai Monster, a horrifying beast that washed up last weekend on Muriwai Beach in Auckland, New Zealand. It's thought that the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit New Zealand’s South Island, raising the sea bed by two meters, spurred this evil behemoth to surface.Unfortunately, some non-believers are insisting that the Muriwai Monster is actually a hunk of driftwood covered in gooseneck barnacles. They'll learn, as soon as the Muriwai Monster awakens.(via News.com.au)

I've had these beautiful antique glasses for well over a decade. Retrospecs & Co., the folks who sold them to me, have also taken fantastic care of getting me lenses, and an upgrade, over the many years. (more…)

Huge New York Times investigation on Russia's role in the elections, and Trump's upset victory: "The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the US.” It's a riveting tic-tock narrative, and no doubt those in the intel/security biz will debate the contents.

Anthony Bourdain is an idol of mine. I read his breakout book Kitchen Confidential while I was working in a dingy Teriyaki Bar. I’ve watched as he’s eaten his way around the world. I’ve read every book he’s put out. I was first-in-line to pick up his only other cookbook released more than a decade ago — a collection of recipes from his time working at New York restaurant Les Halles. But his new one, Appetites: A Cookbook, is much more personal and really captures who I imagine Anthony Bourdain to be.The recipes are a mishmash of cuisines taken from Bourdain’s travels and experiences, they’re what he likes to eat, and what he feeds his family. You’ll find new takes on old fare, like Mac and Cheese, Buttermilk Biscuits, and Thanksgiving Dinner. Also included, are recipes for some more worldly cuisine like Saffron Risotto, Banh Mi, and Poulet “Ev Vessie” Hommage á La Mére Brazier. Just don’t expect a chocolate tart recipe, as Bourdain’s not the biggest fan of baking sweets, or as he says, “Fuck Dessert.”On the cover of Appetites: A Cookbook is an incredible painting done by Ralph Steadman, which sets up the elegant punk rock vibe that fills the book. The food being photographed is often gristly, squiggly, and to some people “gross,” but it’s shot in a beautiful way. There are shots of his Jiu Jitsu star wife putting someone in a headlock, friend and fellow cook Eric Ripert, and lots of vivid color, making this as much of an art book as a cookbook. This is a must for fans of Bourdain, or just people who are fans of food.

In the latest episode of the Cool Tools podcast, Kevin Kelly and I interviewed Alan Henry, editor in chief of LifeHacker. He's also a recovering physicist, music lover, and self-proclaimed lover of dorky and niche hobbies. Alan told us about his favorite headphones, a cold brew coffee maker, a mechanical keyboard, and a web-based smart to-do list app.Subscribe to the Cool Tools Show on iTunes | RSS | Transcript | Download MP3 | See all the Cool Tools Show posts on a single pageShow notes:AKG Q701 Quincy Jones Signature Premium Headphones ($250)"I'm a bit of a headphone fiend and have far too many pairs, but these are my daily drivers."Takeya Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker ($20)"I love my Bonavita for my morning hot cup, but this takes the cake in hot weather!"Das Keyboard 4 Professional Mechanical Keyboard ($162)"I 'love' keyboards, and own way too many, but this is the perfect blend of mechanical feel and not-too-noisy for writing and work that won't drive officemates batty."Todoist"A no-frills, cross-platform, web-based smart to-do list app that has the bells and whistles in the right places, like reminders and apps/integration for just about every other tool you might use."

Women Who Draw has a seemingly endless directory of women illustrators. I love looking at artists portfolios and I could spends days going through the ones here.

Redditor justice recreated the crashing Enterprise from Star Trek Generations in gingerbread. Then Redditor nicholmikey promptly composited the sweet and spicy starship into the scene from the film, below. (via /r/pics)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bFbzgcwMt4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LUAC_zmO_sThanks to the archival spelunking of the crowdfunded documentary WHO THE F*@% IS FRANK ZAPPA?, we can now watch this amazing piece of video of Frank Zappa being greeted at SFO by the Navy Band, who played Joe's Garage in his honor (and to his manifest delight). (more…)

Execs representing the biggest tech companies in America are gathering for a meeting with Donald Trump tomorrow in New York; these companies have it in their power to spy on us, locate us, censor us, and terminally compromise the free and open internet. (more…)

Wired kicks off its first-ever science fiction issue with a short story by NK Jemisin, whose novel The Fifth Season won the best novel prize at the 2016 Hugo Awards. (more…)

ESNC, a German security research firm, discovered a critical flaw in PWC's enterprise software, which would allow attackers to hack into PWC customers' systems; when ESNC gave PWC notice of its intent to publish an advisory in 90 days, PWC promptly threatened to sue them if they did. (more…)

Ta-Nehisi Coates's 17,000-word history of the Obama presidency in the Atlantic is called "My President Was Black," but it's about the very special kind of blackness that Obama embodied -- not because whites saw the biracial politician differently, but because Obama's extraordinarily supportive white family and unique boyhood in Hawai'i spared him the racial trauma visited on other young black people in America. (more…)

This big cat cosplay is just about purr-fect.(more…)

When they weren’t filming HBO’s lastest smash hit Westworld, it turns out Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores), Jimmi Simpson (William) and Ben Barnes (Logan) were busy recording Dubsmashes. And the app was kind enough to round up all their short videos into one compilation.While the song lip syncs are fun, it’s the dialogue scenes that really push this over the edge. Along with the impressive Dirty Dancing homage at 3:08.[Facebook Video]

Beckett does not mess around when it comes to Whole Foods.

Iggy Pop's beloved cockatoo Biggy Pop has his own Instagram account, where he and his famous owner seem to be best friends: (more…)

This quirky short film was made in just 48 hours, and was named a national runner-up in The HP 48Hours Filmmaking competition.(more…)

As news of the CIA's assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election spreads, top Hillary Clinton adviser and likely Russian hacking victim John Podesta today publicly voiced support for a push by some members of the Electoral College to receive an intelligence briefing ahead of their formal vote next week.(more…)

This totally out-of-control gorgeous gingerbread castle is replete with elegant reclining peppermint bark reindeer and inlaid candy glass windows.(more…)

My old MAKE colleague Collin Cunningham made an entertaining and educational video that explains battery specs: milliamp hours, voltage, chemistry type, etc. I've never opened a 9-volt battery but Collin did, and he shows you what's inside: six little 1.5 batteries wired in series. Collin also makes the music for all his videos.

The Echo Dot, Amazon's voice-controlled device that play music, audiobooks, radio shows, podcasts, news alerts, and more is just $40 right now. I bought it a couple of months ago when it was $50. My family uses it many times a day. My favorite use for it listening to Audible books while I clean the kitchen (I'm currently tearing through Michael Connelly's oeuvre). I also use it a lot to add items to my shopping list and to-do list. The speech recognition is excellent. I love this thing.

Last night Eric Garland, a strategic analyst for businesses and government agencies, posted an epic Twitter rant explaining How We Got to Where We Are. It stars Putin, Snowden, Manning, Trump, Cheney, Limbaugh, and the American people

Twitter user @pmxpvrtmx posted images of an astonishing spherical cloud over the city of Fujisawa, south of Tokyo."When I saw the cloud it was an even more spherical shape, so I regret not taking the photo more quickly," she told Rocket News 24.While it's certainly an amazing photo, the roundness may be an illusion. An individual in Fujisawa posted a photo reportedly of the same cloud from a different angle."While I can’t verify the origin of this image (just above), or whether it was even of the same cloud, it appears that the cloud only appeared spherical from one direction," University in Melbourne atmospheric scientist Todd Lane told ScienceAlert. "That is, the photographer was lucky to be in the right place to capture an interesting image of what is likely an uninteresting cloud. It looks to me to be some form of cumulus fractus cloud."

Over at the Vinyl Factory, Anton Spice shares a wonderful collection of 1960s and 1970s stereo systems designed for Space Age bachelor pads. Above, the classic Electrohome Apollo 711 (1970); below are a few more of my favorites. See more at: "The 15 most incredible Space Age record players" (VF)Mega 3300 (1963):Rosita Stereo Commander (1975):Panasonic Audio Egg (1974):

Radio Garden is a beautifully designed interface for listening to live radio. Just roll the planet around and click on a dot.

This one squeaked past the list of prohibited personalized license plates.[via]

Joe Howard says, "One of my students asked me this question and I couldn't stop thinking about it."

The performance is from the 1977 TV special "Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas." From Wikipedia:

In Cryptomancer, players inhabit a fantasy world populated with elves, dwarves and humans, but they win out by designing and undermining cryptographically secured networks of magical gems that allow different factions to coordinate their actions over distance. (more…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbYInILDj6QI just got through dropping off several bags of groceries and wrapped presents for my daughter's school's annual, very successful charitable drive that benefits local families living in poverty as well as our local, excellent food bank. (more…)

America's international broadcasters -- Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty -- have fallen on hard times, failing to keep pace with other nations' superpower foreign broadcasters, like Russia Today and Al Jazeera; a Republican amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act will give the President the power to appoint a chief executive who'll be able to exercise total control over America's broadcasters. (more…)

Kameron "Geek Feminist Revolution" Hurley notes that writers like Octavia Butler crafted stories that feel eerily prescient of our present moments with books like Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents -- but not because they were fortune tellers, but because trumpism -- corrupt confiscation of wealth, overbroad policing powers, discriminatory hiring practices, impunity for violent abusers -- has been a daily fact of life for brown people, women and queer people. (more…)

Some of the most notorious criminals of South and Central America and China have resettled to the USA with money they looted from their countries' treasuries or defrauded their fellow citizens of. (more…)

J. M. De Cristofaro used an ex-Soviet IVL2-7/5 VFD tube as the core for his Cyberpunk Wristwatch, which adds steampunk notes in the form of a brass "roll cage" around the tube. (more…)

Dean Hutton is a South African artist whose most notorious project involves walking around in a custom-printed black and white suit and absorbing the responses from strangers. (more…)

French watchmaker Jean Jerome created the HDD Watch in 2014 with a successful Indiegogo campaign, recycling 1" hard drives for the movements. (more…)

These days, there's definitely no shortage of touchscreen gloves available, but the key is finding ones that consistently work well. These iGloves Touchscreen Gloves are super reliable, and are on sale for just $11.99.Super comfortable and functional, these gloves will keep your hands warm and still let you use any touchscreen, from phones to tablets. The iGloves' design allows for pinpoint accuracy, so you can even respond to emails without exposing your fingers to the elements.The iGloves come with a no-slip palm that improves your grip. So you could actually text while snowboarding or skiing if you ever feel the need to. The iGloves Touchscreen Gloves retail for $48, but you can get them today for just $11.99.Also check out the Boing Boing Store's 2016 Holiday Gift Guide to treat yourself or someone close to you.

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