Drew Mackie's video above, remixing the homoerotic glory of 80's anime Saint Seiya, is your shot. Meg Elison's short story at McSweeney's, "If women wrote men the way men write women", is your chaser. (Previously)

Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell says he's going to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton instead of his own party's candidate, millionaire reality TV star Donald Trump.

This years Star Wars Advent Calendar does not end on Wookie Life Day, but I like the minifigs.LEGO Star Wars 75146 Advent Calendar Building Kit (282 Piece) via Amazon

This was so much god damn fun.

The Guinness World Record for breath-holding belongs to Aleix Segura Vendrell, who managed 24 minutes and 3 seconds floating in a pool. How do Vendrell and others, like free divers and, er, David Blaine (see below) do it? Psychological training is obviously the first step, says Clayton Cowl, chair of preventive occupational and aerospace medicine at the Mayo Institute. But there's physiology at work too. From Smithsonian:

A new study by IDC shows the market for smartwatches is shrinking. I think they are ugly, and mechanical watches are art.Via IDC:

The hot new amenity that NYC developers are building into their plans for luxury apartment buildings is a porte-cochère, aka a fancy driveway. In fact, in Manhattan an opulent private drive may actually add more value to a new property than using that same real estate for additional living space. Then again, why choose! From Bloomberg:

Researchers from MIT and the University of Southern California 3D printed tiny, and quite beautiful, sculptures out of two different materials that usually expand when heated. But the specific architectures of these sugarcube-sized sculptures instead enable them to shrink when heated. Theeffect is similar to a Hoberman sphere, the wonderful isokinetic toy sculpture that mechanically collapses to a fraction of its original size. From MIT News:

Waiting til Monday night did nothing to damper Samantha Bee's awesome analysis of the Trump third debate flame-out.

YouTube has a policy to remove the channel of anyone that receives three complaints of copyright infringement that go uncontested. Bad people use this rule to blackmail innocent YouTubers who don't know how to contest a complaint.Ethan of H3H3 explains how to respond to a bogus copyright infringement strike on YouTube.

Megan Rosenbloom at Lapham's Quarterly delves into anthropodermic bibliopegy, the strange history of books bound in human skin, like this pocket book created in 1829 from murderer William Burke of the Burke and Hare murders. (more…)

Yesterday, we learned The Wirecutter (with sister site The Sweethome) was headed to New York City. It's the sort of good ending that's also a good beginning: they succeeded in their mission and have bright prospects for further growth. But Matt Haughie points out how much of the story everyone's missing: the entire site is a mere 1,000 posts.

I love computer games but don't have time to plow through countless hours of padded-out nonsense. As I've enjoyed several of the picks in Joshua Rivera's roundup of 21 games you can finish in 6 hours or less, I'll surely be hitting the rest too! Pictured above is Campo Santo's Firewatch, worthy of two plays through to catch any backstory you missed the first time.

No one is sure how 51 year old British man ended up dead, pantsless, tied to a bench in front of the Malaga airport with luncheon meat on his buttocks and his penis in a can of tuna fish. (more…)

Scott Edelman writes, "Science fiction writer Thomas S. Gardner says in a 1940 issue of the fanzine Fantasy News that science fiction comic books hurt science fiction, but don't worry -- he also says that comics likely won't be around for long anyway:" (more…)

The company says it will start selling Caramel Crunch and Thin Mints breakfast cereals in January. It's not clear how the deal is structured and whether the cereals will be promoted as a way to make a charitable contribution to the Girl Scouts. (more…)

Miami Beach mayor Philip Levine has a history of blocking his critics on social media, including Grant Stern, who runs the Photography is Not a Crime group. (more…)

Despite the fact that minor possession has been a misdemeanor since 1976 (and medical weed has been legal since 1996) between 15,000 and 20,000 Californians are arrested every year for marijuana offenses. (more…)

Arbitration was conceived of as a way to allow giant corporations to avoid costly court battles by meeting with a mediator and talking things out: but since the Supreme Court ruled (in a series of mid-1980s cases) that companies could force their customers and employees into arbitration by adding "binding arbitration" clauses to the fine print in take-it-or-leave contracts, the US justice system has gone dark, which an ever-larger proportion of legal action disappearing into the opaque bowels of the arbitration system, where the richest participant usually wins. (more…)

In the face of overwhelming listener demand, Boars, Gore, and Swords will be deviating from their stated cause of Game of Thrones to cover all of HBO's video game vacation series Westworld. Ivan and Red worked overtime to get current, recapping episodes two, three (along with guest Walt Hickey of 538), and four over the weekend. And, of course, you can start with last week's coverage of episode one. They discuss all the fan theories, gaming references, and old-timey talk contained therein. If all that content wasn't enough, they also released a recap of episode nine of The Great British Bake Off over on their Patreon.

Pete Burns, fabulous freak singer of 1980s dance-pop group Dead or Alive, died yesterday of cardiac arrest. He was 57. From The Guardian:

For redheads, and people who love them, get past the slightly disturbing title and enjoy this collection of people, places, and things, all with red on top. The subjects are diverse, from movie stars to redheaded animals to L. Ron Hubbard to a recipe for carrot soup. The full-page, full-color, ink-wash illustrations are all charming and usually identifiable: Ron Howard is clearly nobody else, while Ginger Spice is less recognizable. Redheads of the White House, Thelma and Louise driving off a cliff, Mario Batali, and Malcolm X, all lovingly drawn here for your...your...well, it’s not clear what the point of the book is, but it’s enjoyable and odd, and isn’t that enough?A Field Guide to Redheads: An Illustrated Celebration

In a deal reportedly worth "more than $30 million," The New York Times announced today that it has purchased The Wirecutter and The Sweethome, consumer product review sites created by our friend Brian Lam. Congratulations, Brian and team! You built something amazing and we can't wait to see what you do next.(more…)

The Texas Park and Wildlife Department recently posted this photo of a particularly stylish Western rat snake.

Security experts hired by the short-selling firm Muddy Waters said in a legal brief filed today that cardiac implants made by St. Jude Medical can be hacked. If hackers can pwn your heart device, the researchers say, they can kill you--from as far away as 100 feet.(more…)

If you like to DIY and you like helicopters, you’re going to really love the Flexbot Hexacopter Kit. This copter blows traditional models out of the water: it includes everything you need to actually build your own hexacopter, and then pilot it like a pro, too.The construction is complicated enough to give you a challenge, but also straightforward enough that you won’t be scratching your head in frustration as you go. And the best part is, you can personalize your flying experience with any design you like, and even 3D print your own additions to the copter at home. As an added bonus, you can also lower flying noises, remove signals, etc by coding it yourself.As for controlling the Flexbot Hexacopter when it’s in the air, you pilot if directly from your smartphone or tablet. Basically, the Flexbot is the new, high tech helicopter model we’ve all always wanted.

Down but clearly not out, the presidential campaign of millionaire Donald Trump just issued a map of states that places him in a commanding position: "those colored red are states that we can safely assume will vote for Trump."The Trump picks add up to 201 electoral votes, 69 short of what he needs to prevail on Nov. 8. Hillary Clinton, in comparison, has only 187 votes secured on the map. The remaining states are gray, indicating battleground status, with 150 electoral votes available.According to polls, however, Clinton has a commanding lead, including in several of the states Trump's campaign believes are up for grabs.(Tepid take: this is what he'll actually win on the day, losing all the grayed-out states but holding on to Arizona.)

A whistleblower has provided The Intercept with leaked documents about Endace, an obscure New Zealand company based in Auckland, revealing that the company -- which received millions in government funding -- developed the mass surveillance equipment used by the UK spy agency to engage in illegal mass surveillance on fiber-optic lines that traverse the UK, and that Endace's customer list also includes a who's-who of telcoms companies, spy agencies, and the Moroccan secret police, who make a practice of spying on people, then kidnapping and torturing them. (more…)

"Sick isn't weak." Toronto's Hospital for Sick Kids has a perceptual challenge with "sick" in their name, so they created a great new ad called VS. that presents their patients and employees as heroes. (more…)

German artists Tarek Mawad and Friedrich van Schoor, aka 3hund, create beautiful works that juxtapose light forms with nature. Their latest, Lucid, is a hypnotic journey to remote places. All effects were done in-camera and not added in post: (more…)

Hayden (previously) was a political radical who was tried alongside Bobby Seale, Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin during the notorious "Chicago Seven" (nee "Chicago Eight") trials following on the 1968 Democractic Party Convention. He went on to serve honorably in the California state assembly and senate. (more…)

I was just flicking through Frank Herbert's classic masterpiece and the climactic fight scene seems to be more relevant than ever. Surprised no-one else noticed this!

A bunch of dudes who lack college degrees figured out how to make a video, and they hate Donald.I also left school early, and can't stand Donald.(Thanks, Eric!)

Nothing is more frustrating than needing to edit or sign a PDF and not having access to the original document. That’s why PDFpenPRO is a must-have app in our books.With this extremely useful app, you can merge, markup, and create PDF documents without ever having to convert your PDFs into word processor file formats. Type directly onto PDF forms, convert websites into multi-page PDFs with working hyperlinks, even edit the table of contents.Best of all, you can then easily export your file in Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF Archive formats. It may seem simple, but this app will save you extreme amounts of time and frustration. It comes highly recommended and reviewed by Mac app specialists, and is currently 50% off in the Boing Boing Store.Also explore the Best-Sellers on our network right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba1OLoPIBfYThe Skunklock is a $109 crowdfunded gadget that contains pressurized vomit-inducing gas the creators call "Formula D_1," and which is intended to induce immediate vomiting when inhaled, as well as difficulty breathing, "A lot of similar symptoms to pepper spray." (more…)

Conservative justice minister Sam Gyimah staged a sucessful filibuster during the Parliamentary debate over "Turing's law", which would make the 65,000 men convicted of "gross indecency" under various UK anti-sodomy laws eligible for pardons, clearing their criminal records. (more…)

What's not to like about this 12-in-1 Stanley Multitool, especially when it costs just $8 on Amazon? I grabbed a couple to have around the house so I don't need to get my toolbox from the garage for minor fix-it tasks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcSolt0TIa4Andrew Holzschuh took a photo of his shoes every day as he hiked the Pacific Coast Trail, then made a fun timelapse of his shoes' daily wear and tear.Many hikers forgo hiking boots for trail runners on a well-marked trail like this. Eagle-eyed viewers who know the trail picked up on a detour, to which Andrew replied:

No one else thought a talking dog teaching us about God's love was weird? I kinda enjoyed these as a kid but always felt something was off...

The Inbetweeners is a great British comedy series that bombed when remade for an American audience. How can the same characters, plot lines, and jokes work so well in one case and fail in the other? YouTuber JackWolf dissects some examples, brilliantly explaining the essence of good comedic directing and editing. (more…)

Former Fox News chief Roger Ailes isn't talking to presidential candidate and alleged friend Donald Trump. National Political Director Jim Murphy quit. Trump's Campaign CEO, Kellyanne Conway, is reduced to sighing quips on Twitter. Trump himself might still be running, but his campaign seems all but over.

YouTube users who post videos mocking Samsung's recently-recalled Galaxy Note 7 smartphone report they get removed because of copyright claims by Samsung.The claims center on a popular add-on to the game Grand Theft Auto V, which lets players fool around with the hot handsets and use them as as grenades.This is not how copyright works, the BBC says, and is likely to only focus more attention on Samsung's failings and YouTube's own shortcomings when it comes to copyright enforcement.

From self-driving cars to stock market predicting software to the recommendations you get on Amazon and Netflix, machine learning is at the core of modern technology. You could find yourself building technology that is literally changing the world with the skills you'll learn in The Complete Machine Learning Bundle.This bundle of 10 courses includes 406 lessons that will teach you everything, including practical applications of machine learning like how to apply machine learning to stock trading. You’ll get hands-on instruction—63.5 hours of content—from expert teachers in this growing field, as well as comprehensive quizzes and assessments as you go.If you’re looking to make a career change that will place you at the forefront of the technology, there is no better speciality than machine learning. For a limited time, the Complete Machine Learning Bundle is 95% off retail and available for just $39.Also explore the top Online Courses on our network right now:

On November 12th, and for one night only, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will portray the Duchess of Krakenthorp in the Washington National Opera's production of "The Daughter of the Regiment."Please note: this is not the Notorious RBG's first role in an opera! Also, while the Duchess does not sing she will bust loose with the funny.Via NPR:

(Above, Chuck Berry in 2014 performing "Johnny B. Goode.")John Lennon said "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry.'" The man whose name is synonymous with rock and roll just turned 90, and he announced today that he will be releasing his first album in 38 years. The album, entitled Chuck, will be released in 2017 on Dualtone RecordsIn addition to being the first person inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Berry was also honored by NASA when his song "Johnny B. Goode" was included on the Golden Record that placed aboard the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft in 1977.Here's Berry and Lennon performing "Johnny B. Goode":https://youtu.be/kpTpxbnBWYM

In keeping with Boing Boing’s mission of being a “directory of mostly wonderful things,” here’s a new video by Frank Sinatra’s bastard son, performing an updated version of The Dead Kennedys’ song "California Über Alles" while changing backstage. OK, it’s not the actual bastard son of Sinatra. It’s Toby Huss of TV’s Halt and Catch Fire, playing his alter ego Rudy Casoni, (who does claim to be the lounge singer's illegitimate son). Huss-as-Casoni references the current political circus before throwing some 2016 shade at Democratic California Governor Jerry Brown with some updated lyrics. The video offers us a brief respite from the 24-hour Trump-centric Republican bashing (deserving as it may be), using casual visual wit, some cameos by comedic actors like Kate Flannery and James Urbaniak of The Office, Boing Boing pal Mark Fite, and some pretty stunning Frank-channeling vocal work--especially on the breakneck-speed chorus mid-song.When I asked Huss why he made the video, he answered as Casoni, saying, "This shitbird parade of a presidential election has been trying to murder me for months now. So I fought back the only way I know how: with booze. Plenty of booze. But then a song. And then some drunken singing. Then I got sick all over a good suit and fell asleep in a warm dumpster behind a nightclub humming a punk rock tune. That's the Casoni way, so shove it. I know that bum Jerry Brown is behind this turdshow anyway, so I'm voting for Liquor. Mr. Malted Liquor." So there you have it.A fun diversion for us, but not all that unusual a move for Huss, who shows up at odd junctures of our pop culture. His first televised parodies of Sinatra covered songs by the likes of Dr. Dre and Cypress Hill for 90s MTV Network promos, where he also did voices for Mike Judge's Beavis and Butthead. From there, he just kept popping up, which is why he's often approached on the street as that guy people think they know, but can't place.Understandable -- besides Huss's current role as Bosworth on Halt and Catch Fire, he’s played the beloved Artie, “the Strongest Man in the World” on Nickelodeon’s Pete and Pete, appeared on a lauded Seinfeld episode as Elaine’s boyfriend, “The Wiz," did the voices of Kahn and Cotton Hill on King of the Hill for thirteen years, and is seen in a diverse string of TV shows like Reno 911, Carnivale, and Curb Your Enthusiasm, plus films like 42, Rescue Dawn, Ghostbusters, and Cowboys & Aliens. Huss even pops up in theaters this weekend for horror director Ti West’s critically-lauded foray into the Western film genre, In a Valley of Violence, starring Ethan Hawke and John Travolta. So, really, a Dead Kennedys-spouting Sinatra bastard debuting a video on Boing Boing is just another day in the life for the chameleon-like Huss. Enjoy.SoCal residents: The Rudy Casoni Boozebag Revue will have their annual XXXMas Show in Los Angeles Dec. 9th and 10th at Trepany House at the Steve Allen Theater, featuring Toby Huss, "most of the people from this video, The Dago 5 Band, shitbirds, Billy the Mime, the Poubelle Twins, boozebags, dum-dums, drunk Santa, and an elf who's a real prick," according to Casoni.(California Über Alles video directed by Peter Hastings; Featuring Toby Huss with James Urbaniak, Kate Flannery, Mark Fite, Pat Healy, Audrey Deluxe, Kelly Rae Cole and the Dago5 Band, Andy Paley, Phil Small, James King, Mike Bolger, Jordan Katz, Ryan Feves, and Mark San Filippo.)

J.T. Sexkik offers a "glimpse into the wonderful world of Yahoo! Answers." It would be inappropriate not to add the original:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll-lia-FEIYHot take: Yahoo Answers remains of the last places on the web where young women can talk candidly about their sex lives in relatively safety, and it's probably going to be gone soon.

Some partygoers were looking forward to their evening treats, but sadly it was not to be. (Insert Samsung Galaxy joke here...) [via]

Much of the web struggled to stay on its feet today, with outages bringing down U.S.-based services and sites such as Amazon, Twitter and Netflix. A massive distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack on Dyn DNS is reportedly the cause: as a popular provider of domain-name lookup services, it falling over means that browsers simply don't know where to find websites.

Yahoo has released a machine-learning model called open_nsfw that is designed to distinguish not-safe-for-work images from worksafe ones. By tweaking the model and combining it with places-CNN, MIT's scene-recognition model, Gabriel Goh created a bunch of machine-generated scenes that score high for both models -- things that aren't porn, but look porny. (more…)