Very clever and also practical!(via feed-me-tacos, r/pics)

Michael Witwer's Empire of Imagination is a new biography of Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax that not only tells the tale of this marvelous wizard but also explores the profound impact D&D had on popular culture, gaming, and geek culture. NPR spoke with Witwer for All Things Considered. Listen below."Many of the derivative games — and maybe it's all of the derivative games we've talked about — whether it be computer role-playing games or whatnot, they actually lack most of the most important fundamental elements of a role-playing game," Witwer says. "That is, sitting around with your friends and participating in this kind of group storytelling exercise: actually being in a room physically sitting at a table with nothing but pencils and paper and dice. There's something very special about that, and it's kind of a social experience that's pretty hard to frankly re-create over any type of electronic media."Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons (Amazon)

Your partner can touch you almost anywhere and you won't feel uncomfortable. A friend can touch your head, shoulders, hands, and upper back without ruffling your feathers. Your mother can touch you in the same places a friend can touch you, but she is also welcome to touch your lower back. Your uncle better not try to touch you anywhere but your arms and upper back, and a stranger can only touch your hands without causing you to be alarmed. (more…)

David and I love Blank on Blank, a video series that animates recorded interviews with notable people. It's produced by PBS Digital Studios, and the latest one is a 1982 interview with kidnapping victim Patty Hearst, who served time in prison for being forced to take part in a bank robbery by her captors, the psychotic Symbionese Liberation Army.(more…)

Kittify accomplishes exactly what its name promises. Here's the Kittehsburg Address:

https://youtu.be/Q_bfPm4UQFsLexie Kahanovitz and her colleagues made a two-minute, hand-drawn Schoolhouse Rock-style PSA about "what to do if your student debt has your food budget at zero. It's funny, and it aims to remove the guilt out of needing help, while also outlining steps to getting assistance."

Reelscary accepts public votes on the scariness of films, divided into three different genres of scariness: disturbing, gore and suspense.1979 classic "Alien" is currently leading the suspense category, with 2008's "Martyrs" taking the gore honors. Hopefully, there'll be sections for books, games and TV shows soon.See also Where's The Jump?, a public database of scary moments in movies and the quality of said scary moments.

Computing pioneer Paul Niquette's memoir begins with the tale of how he came to coin the term "software" in 1953, to the ridicule of his colleague, and how the idea of a computer whose code was separate from its machinery took hold and changed the way we think about computation forever. (more…)

It's a lovely piece of narrative theory from Wycliff Aber Hill's 1919 book Ten Million Photoplay Plots: The Master Key to All Dramatic Plots, part of a tradition of stage-play manuals that presented related taxonomies for aspiring writers. (more…)

The UK government continues to exhibit its historic, dangerous cluelessness about crypto. After promising to ban working crypto in the previous election campaign, the Tory government has advanced a nonsensical compromise: apps can use working crypto, but also have to be able to break that crypto on demand, without using backdoors. (more…)

The UK Prime Minister has doubled down on this Great Firewall of Cameron, which is an arrangement whereby the UK ISPs "voluntarily" agreed to block websites that had been secretly ruled to be pornographic, unless customers specifically asked them not tp. (more…)

Stay prepared – without rocking a tool belt. The multipurpose MyKee may look like a simple key, but can open boxes, pop tags, peel vegetables, remove staples, work as a screwdriver and wrench, and open, pop or cut just about anything else you need on the fly. That’s right, move over Swiss Army Knife. This Grade 5 titanium super-tool is crazy strong and wear-resistant, so it really can go the distance.

The always-brilliant David Malki ! of Wondermark writes "I love greeting cards, but what if you need one for a super unusual occasion, or have a very nuanced sentiment you want to convey? The answer: Tick-the-option greeting cards, made in the Wondermark style! They're so utilitarian, I like to think if you keep a few on hand, you'll be prepared for ANYTHING that comes up." (more…)

Sarah Hardy's megaladon (£28) and T.Rex (£28) teeth are full size, convincing, and made from gorgeous, single-origin chocolates. (more…)

I'd long wondered who recorded this, I'm not surprised to learn it is the famous Bob Crewe.

The FBI has warned the New York Police Department that a group called the National Liberation Militia has planned a "Halloween Revolt" that involves attacking NY police officers, and news organizations are lapping it up.According to a "NYPD Officer Safety Alert" the National Liberation Militia has "no known New York City members" and "there is currently no known nexus between this threat and the NYPD or New York City." Nevertheless, NYPD officers are "strongly encouraged to remain vigilant" for the non-existent ruffians.From Jesse Walker at Reason:

The Walt Disney company has been trying to extend its reach into China for years. After the years of sputtering trying to get Hong Kong Disneyland on its feet, they built three more lands in the last few years and visitors are starting to come. But that’s nothing compared to the Disneyland they’re building in Shanghai, which is an enormous park with many attractions that are unique to it and have piqued the interest of Disney theme park fans all around the world.Now, thanks to my friend Alain Littaye over at his swell Disney and More Blogspot I can tell you a lot about Shanghai Disneyland, whose animated map has just gone live on line here. While the site is not yet fully functional, it will whet your appetite!Divided into seven “lands,” Shanghai Disneyland will open with a full day of attractions (unlike most Disney parks build in the last 25 years). Rumor has it that the Chinese government has closed over 100 factories in the immediate Shanghai area to eliminate the hideous gray throat-burning haze one encounters in Beijing, for example.Guests will first encounter Mickey Avenue, which takes the place of the usual “Main Street U.S.A.” Filled with shops and character meet-and-greets, this is a new style of entrance for a Disney park.A nod to the Chinese host country takes place in the new land Gardens of Imagination, which boasts seven “whimsical gardens,” as well as a carousel themed to the film Fantasia, a Dumbo spinning ride, as well as serving as the “hub” (a term Disney folks call that round spot in front of the castle from which paths to the other lands emanate). In this case, the hub is also the spot from which to view the castle stage and light show “Ignite the Dream, a Nighttime Spectacular of Magic and Light,” as well as the nightly fireworks. A new parade titled “Mickey’s Storybook Express” will also make its way through the park via the hub.Fantasyland will include Enchanted Storybook Castle with “Voyage to the Crystal Grotto,” a boat ride behind the castle through three-dimensional scenes from various Disney films, culminating in a wondrous special-effects laden trip through uncharted magic inside the castle. This land will also include the “Seven Dwarfs Mine Train,” “Peter Pan’s Flight,” a Winnie the Pooh spinning honey pots ride and an Alice in Wonderland maze.Adventure Isle takes the place of Adventureland in Shanghai, and boasts a new attraction based on the superb raft ride “Grizzly River Run” currently in Disney California Adventure, but the new “Roaring Mountain” in Shanghai also adds dinosaurs to the mix. Another new attraction is “Camp Discovery,” which will allow the strong of limb to climb all over the place on rickety scaffolding on the mountain side while wearing vests strapped to safety lines. In addition, the long awaited new version of one of Walt Disney Imagineering’s best rides, “Soarin’ Over California,” will debut as “Soaring Over the Horizon” in which you will fly over the landmarks of the world.Treasure Cove was originally designed for Hong Kong Disneyland, but reportedly nixed by Disney’s local partners in the Hong Kong government. It will feature an entirely new version of the classic “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride that is based directly on the film series, titled “Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure.” Tests for the film-based technology used in this attraction were done at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World in an attraction which featured Johnny Depp appearing on the bow of the Black Pearl. Even though you wore no 3D glasses, the filmed image had dimension and bodes well for this new experience, which will also feature physical effects and Disney’s signature Audio-Animatronic Robots. The more hearty among you will also be able to paddle around in this park’s version of the “Indian War Canoes” that have been at the original Disneyland since opening day in 1955.Tomorrowland will include a new and enhanced version of “Buzz Lighter’s Astro Blasters” (so popular at Disney parks around the world) called “Buzz Lightyear Planet Rescue.” Rather than the “Astro Jets” or “Orbitron” spinner rides at other Disney parks, Shanghai will feature a similar ride system where the passengers are strapped into “jet packs” with their arms and legs dangling. “Stitch Encounter,” in which guests interact with a cartoon Stitch, is identical in all but theme to “Turtle Talk with Crush.” Both of these inexpensive attractions, which are already in Disney parks worldwide, are highly popular with children because the characters respond to them in real time, use their names, etc. The centerpiece of Tomorrowland will be the “Tron Lightcycle Power Run,” which takes the place of the classic “Space Mountain.” In this destined-to-be classic attraction, passengers sit in the famous light cycles from the movie Tron and zip around at high speed both inside and outside the attraction building through—I assume—the world of “Tron.” Those folks who’ve gone on the rejiggered version of “Test Track” in Walt Disney World will have an idea what awaits them inside the show building, though in Shanghai the ride system will be completely new.There’s lots more in the park including shows and numerous restaurants and shops, plus two new hotels and a man-made lake. The Walt Disney Company appears poised to begin construction of a second park and additional hotels right next to Shanghai Disneyland if attendance is up to expectations.While the park was supposed to open this year, if you head over to the Disney and More Blogspot and look at the recent aerial shots taken by an ambitious Disney nut with a drone, it appears likely that they are still three-quarters of a year away from opening. I do know one thing … I’ll be there. And that thought makes me happy … even if it means summer in Shanghai.

There's something a little mysterious about the programs you can find in strange corners of the internet, and doubly so if you happen to find them in the bowels of someone else's computer.(more…)

Officials in Oklahoma claim to have halted the first attempt in the state to smuggle contraband into a prison with an unmanned aerial vehicle. (more…)

Nick Cole's novels are hard to put down, and as usual I read straight through The End of the World as We Knew It. This story is reminiscent of his stellar, post-apocalyptic Wasteland saga, as it introduces us to the civilization that replaced ours, several generations down the line, after a zombie apocalypse wipes us out.Cole's new society reveres and seeks to preserve the past. Through three of recorded stories of survivors, two as society fell, and one as humanity achieves victory over the undead, we see that humankind might have been worth fighting for.The characters are deep and grab you right away. Every page results in a surprise, new information, or fantastic action as this fast paced adventure takes off and doesn't stop til you are done. Cole's imagery is vivid and sets an emotional atmosphere as well, be prepared to be tired out if your tear through the novel in one sitting, like I did.The End of the World as We Knew It is free via available on Kindle Unlimited

Writing about yesterday's landmark Copyright Office ruling on the right to jailbreak, law-and-3D-printing expert Michael Weinberg says, "The 3D printer unlocking decision by the Librarian of Congress manages to capture exactly what happens when copyright is stretched to cover every possible problem that could come up in society." (more…)

Josh Winkler is the engineer & inventor behind Cripple Concepts - an innovative startup that provides assistive tech for people with disabilities, made and designed by people with disabilities.(more…)

https://youtu.be/tTnxmn2jWjoAustralian Kye Smith's video is a tribute to Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney's fantastic drumming for the Beatles.

MIT researchers developed this "Soft Cube Capable of Controllable Continuous Jumping." From IEEE Spectrum:

The DC Appeals Court has just ruled against Amir Meshal, a US citizen who was arrested in Kenya by a joint US-Kenyan-Ethiopian law enforcement operation, held for months, tortured with FBI agents present and threatened with his secret murder, then released without any charges. (more…)

https://youtu.be/d3gK7_jXurgOn his YouTube page, Stovie Wan Kenobi describes his rotten experience with some plainclothes Chicago cops who harassed him and his Lyft driver just because he was recording them being jerks. One cop said, "Because you're recording... I'm going to have to impound the vehicle." The cops impounded the 21-year-old driver's car (he drives for Lyft to pay his way through school) and wouldn't let Stovie get his luggage out of the back of the car until they got to the police station. It's not clear why the cops impounded the car, because the pickup allegedly happened away from the airport.

From Columbia University's Earth Institute:

Deputy Ben Fields, the school cop filmed dragging and throwing a disobedient teen, was fired today by Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott.Lott announced at midday EST that Fields has already been relieved of his duties and that the wheels are in motion to remove him officially from the force.A civil rights investigation is already underway into the conduct of Fields, a white officer whose attack on a black child took place in the context of rising tensions in the South Carolina community in which he serves. As Spring Valley High School resource officer, he was often accused of roughing up the youngsters in his care.But this was the first time he was caught doing it on camera.NBC News:

The largest carriers in the world partner with companies like SAP to package up data on your movements, social graph and wake/sleep patterns and sell it to marketing firms. (more…)

The New York Times reports on how the motorcycle jacket lost its cool and got it back again. (more…)

https://youtu.be/-VOtlZvQzrQLen Peralta writes, "Ken Plume, John Robinson and I have been releasing different celebrity readings of our book There's A Zombie In My Treehouse just in time for Halloween. We've been releasing one track a day for the past week and a half up until Halloween. Some of the readers include Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants/Adventure Time), Billy West (Futurama), Dana Snyder (Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and the whole cast of MST3K. Upcoming celebrity readers include The Venture Brothers Doc Hammer and Jackson Public, John Hodgman and Jonathan Coulton. It's a fun read and listen for Halloween." (more…)

Colored and embiggening contacts are done. The hot thing is contacts that include cartoon twinkles and other reflections. Brian Ashcraft reports on the latest thing from Japan.

In this beautifully shot and un-narrated half-hour video directed by Baptiste Buob, we get to watch Dominique Nicosia use hand tools to make a violin. It's interesting to see him use specialized tools, and use them with confidence. After watching this, I almost felt like I made a violin myself!

The US Library of Congress has created an exemption to copyright law to make it legal to preserve abandoned video games, including online server code required to play them. (more…)

At $700, the beautiful Iikone single-cup coffee brewer is quite an extravagance, albeit one made of precision-milled, polished surgical steel. The coffee it produces will doubtless be delicious, because, assuming you start with good beans and carefully measure your water temperature and ingredients quantities, this is a very good coffee-production method. (more…)

If you love tree-climbing and lack upper-body strength, look no further: here's Canopystair, an ingenious system from Robert McIntyre and Thor ter Kulve, two RCA design postgrads. It uses ratchet straps and aluminum tripods to anchor the steps, and combines them with a flexible handrail. (more…)

Far fucking out! Weirdo space jazz prog-rock from French composer Jean-Pierre Massiera and his Visitors ensemble 1974. Here's what reissue label Lion Productions had to say when they re-released The Visitors:

FOLLOW @RubenBolling on Twitter and Facebook.And FURTHER, please join Tom the Dancing Bug's subscription club, the INNER HIVE for advance access to comics and more stuff.HEY, the second book in Ruben Bolling’s series, The EMU Club Adventures, is released next week! For a limited time, you can buy both installments, signed and sketched! HERE.More Tom the Dancing Bug comics on Boing Boing! (more…)

Discovering intelligent and automated ways to solve cyber security issues is the key to going from budding to booming IT professional. This bundle is the perfect step towards career excellence as it not only teaches you real world hacking techniques, but prepares you to earn the necessary certifications. Broken into 11 courses, the complete training will cover everything from the history of the software development lifestyle to intricate techniques for mitigating attacks.

Amazon is offering an HD rental of It Follows for 99 cents. I'm ready to watch it for a 3rd time! Here's my March 2015 review of the movie:I stopped being scared or creeped out by horror movies about 20 years ago, but when Carla and I watched It Follows on Saturday night we were both freaked out of our wits.The premise is simple. If you have sex with a cursed person, a monster will begin walking slowly in your direction. The monster can take on the form of a stranger or someone you know. When the monster reaches you, it will kill you in a horrible way. You can run or drive away from the monster, but it knows where you are and will start walking towards you. To rid yourself of the curse, you need to have sex with another person. The monster will target them. If it kills that person, it will then come after you.Lenika Cruz of The Atlantic says the monster of It Follows is "one of the scariest antagonists in recent cinematic history," because we don't know anything about it.

It is often observed that I do not like strangers to hug me! A recent study by Oxford University shows I'm not even close to alone. Many folks are uncomfortable hugging, or kissing, strangers too.The Telegraph reports:

Inventor, director and tinkerer Bob Partington made what he claims is the world's slowest Rube Goldberg Machine. (more…)

CISA won't make you and I any more secure, and it threatens what's left of our online privacy. The very helpful sounding “Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act” will definitely help the government, though: it'll make it a lot easier for technology companies to share your personal data with the government, and everyone knows that this data never ends up in the wrong hands, so you're fine.The gaping privacy flaws in CISA didn't stop the Senate from passing it by a wide margin today: 74 to 21. CISA now goes to a conference committee between House and Senate.

A guy who works by day as a pharmacist in Korea makes these funny video compilations of himself singing Asian pop hits. His supercut is going super viral in Korea and Japan. (more…)

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Let it hang out baby, do the Baltimore jig!

The playful condom company Einhorn is in trouble with the law over their claim that a packet of seven rubbers “corresponds to up to 21 orgasms.” (more…)

Auto maker General Motors today announced a recall of some 1.4 million cars in which a known oil leak problem can cause engine fires. All of the affected vehicles are over 10 years old, and the oldest were model year 1997.(more…)

The U.S. Department of Transportation is all, like, “I've had it with these mothafuckin' vapes, on this mothafuckin' plane!”Citing in-flight fire hazards, DOT announced a ban on vape pens, e-cigarettes, and other similiar devices in any checked baggage of passengers or flight crew. (more…)

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