From 1977 to 1981 we were treated to Sha Na Na.Oh, Bowser!Sha Na Na has an official website. Read the rest

Volunteers at Novosibirsk's Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre put trackers on 13 wild eagles to track their migration patterns; the trackers connected to cellular towers and message the researchers with the birds' location.However, some of the eagles flew into territories with extremely high roaming charges -- notably Iran and Pakistan -- and the automated text-messages ran up a bill that exhausted the researchers' budget.After a crowdfunding effort to "Top up the eagle's mobile" raised 100,000 roubles, the team's mobile carrier, Megafon, offered to wipe out the remaining debt and switch the team's SIMs to a cheaper plan.20 years ago, at the dawn of wifi, I spent a week at a hotel in Walt Disney World (I was attending a training seminar and finishing my first novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom). The hotel charged $0.25 for local calls, but my ISP, Earthlink, offered unlimited dialup. I came up with a clever solution: I brought along my Apple Airport device (which had a dialup modem) and set it to connect to Earthlink when we checked in, with the plan that it would stay connected for the next seven days and only incur a charge of $0.25 for the whole week's service.But when I went to check out, the clerk had to go and fetch two extra reams of paper to print my bill. It turned out that the call to Earthlink had been dropped every 2-3 minutes for a week, and the modem in the Airport just kept on redialing. Read the rest

New Hampshire's Digital Fair Repair Act -- based on model Right to Repair legislation circulated by the Repair Coalition -- died this week after the state House of Reps voted it down, with Rep John Potucek [R-Derry] telling a reporter that he voted against the bill because "In the near future, cellphones are throwaways. Everyone will just get a new one."Potucek -- a retired teacher and engineer -- has a long record of being on the wrong side of the right issues, opposing legislation to increase the state minimum wage, against greenhouse gas reduction measures, against rail expansions, against solar energy, against investigating sexual harassment in the legislature, against funding job training, against rules prohibiting discrimination in public schools, against a death penalty repeal, against providing tampons and napkins in public schools, against banning carcinogenic flame-retardants in carpets and furniture, against recreational marijuana, against allowing undocumented people to obtain driving licenses, against stiffer penalties for dog-fighting, against state medical and family leave, against diaper-changing stations in public washrooms and against the repeal of voter ID laws.He is beloved of the state's House Republican Alliance, the Liberty Alliance, the NRA, the Americans for Prosperity and the American Conservative Union.These organizations are nominally opposed to burdensome government regulation and intervention in the market, but Potucek's vote means that out-of-state monopolists like Apple and Samsung will get to tell New Hampshire's small business people whether and when they can repair property belonging to the people of New Hampshire.Potucek's characterization of $1,000 phones as "disposable" paints a picture of a man who is either totally out-of-touch with his constituents' daily lives, or so beholden to his ideology and the corporate dark money that comes with it that he refuses to consider that reality. Read the rest

Chelsea Miller is a knife maker, and in this video she shows how she makes six kinds of knives, ranging from a simple wood knife that is cut, sanded, and oiled, up to a chef's knife that's made from raw materials and requires many steps including heat treating the metal and making a wood handle. Read the rest

In Tel Aviv, a man protesting circumcision was threatened by a man with a knife. The protestor sprayed the attacker with pepper spray, and the attacker ran away. It is interesting to see how effective pepper spray is against someone with bad intentions.Anti circumcise activist gets knife threatened by religious guy in Tel Aviv from r/PublicFreakoutImage: Reddit Read the rest

The Crap Hound Big Book of Unhappiness is a 544-page compendium of vintage ads and archival ephemera selected and arranged by designer Sean Tejaratchi, publisher of the Crap Hound zine. I've been a huge fan of Sean's work for many years, and have every issue of Crap Hound. I made the video above to give you a taste of just how astounding this book is - it will provide a lifetime of browsing enjoyment.Sean and the publisher Feral House, kindly gave me permission to several spreads from the book. Read the rest

This time-lapse video of a sportsball player getting covered in sweat is a classic in the annals of time-lapse videos of sportsball players getting covered in sweat. Read the rest

In the market for a tablet or laptop? Last year's tech is this year's bargain, especially when it comes to Apple technology. Here are 11 refurbished Apple products on deep discount from retail, including iPads, MacBooks and more.Apple iPad Pro 10.5" 64GB - Space Grey (Certified Refurbished)With a 12 MP rear camera and 7 MP capability in the front, this 2017 model is the pad you want for next-level vacation footage. it comes fully equipped with wi-fi connectivity and 64GB of memory storage. Take a full 27% off the retail price today.Apple iPad Mini 2 Retina Display 32GB - Space Grey (Certified Refurbished)With its A7 chip, this Mini still delivers some of the fastest performance you can hold in one hand. The 10-hour battery life is also a highlight, allowing you to get plenty of work - or play - done on the go. This Mini 2 is currently on sale for 6% off the MSRP.Apple MacBook Air 11" 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 128GB - Black (Refurbished)The Intel Turbo Boost tech on the MacBook Air means you can count on extra power when you need it, no matter the connection. And with 128 GB of flash storage, this is a great repository for all your games and videos. Pick yours up for more than 42% off the original cost.Apple MacBook Air 11" 1.3GHz Intel Core i5 128GB - Original Silver (Refurbished)Sporting great resolution and an Intel® HD Graphics 5000 card, this is the way to view your favorite streams. Read the rest

There's no shortage of stories about the benefits of cannabidiol, that benign (and non-psychoactive) cousin of THC. Some have been using it for years to deal with pain, stress, and sleeplessness. And the more people use it, the more discussion there is about how to use it.While there's no shortage of quality edibles on the market, oils and tinctures are emerging as a quicker way to get the effects, and an easier way to manage the dosage. Here are three of our favorites, but remember: Check your local laws before you buy. And as with any medicinal product, consult your doctor to find out if it's right for you.Medix CBD Oil 100MG (15ML)Made with a blend of hemp seed oil and 99.9% pure CBD isolate, this remedy is fully vegan and gluten-free. While you can take a drop under the tongue, this one is especially ideal for mixing in your favorite foods or drinks. It won't affect the taste and delivers the same salvation from insomnia or stress. Get this 15ml bottle of Medix CBD Oil 100MG for $21.99, down 18% from the retail price.Sunday Scaries 500mg CBD Tincture Sunday Scaries products have been around since the dawn of the CBD explosion, and for good reason. Their tincture is fortified with full-spectrum CBD, plus vitamins B12 and B3 for an extra boost to the immune system. The whole cocktail is carried along in a coconut oil solution for a bit of an energy kick, and there are no GMOs in any of the ingredients. Read the rest

Earlier this year a tree fell on a power line in our neighborhood and we lost power. Fortunately I had one of these 12V to 110V AC Car Inverters to power our computers and charge our phones. It has two USB ports and two standard AC outlets. We have a plug-in hybrid so we didn't have to keep the car's gas engine running all the time, but even if you do have a gas-powered car, you can use this inverter for a short while to power appliances on an as-needed basis. It's on sale right now on Amazon. Read the rest

Enjoy these demonstrations of figure skating elements and moves that the International Skating Union ISU) has apparently banned from competition. Examples include a one-foot backflip, spinning your partner by their ankles, and even lying down on the ice. Here are the ISU's official rule books. Read the rest

David Crosby's "If I Could Only Remember My Name" (1971) is one of my favorite records of all time. I'm excited to watch Cameron Crow's documentary about him, "Remember My Name," especially after seeing this delightful clip of Croz recounting the time he was so high while at a jazz club during a John Coltrane gig that he had to hide in the bathroom. And then -- surprise -- Coltrane himself burst into the bathroom playing his horn. In the video above, Crosby beautifully expresses what it sounded like.(Spin) Read the rest

Vorkuta, Russia is the fourth largest city north of the Arctic Circle. This coal-mining town has a population of 70,000 (it's been declining every year since the late 1980s). If you wish to live there, you can buy this 3-bedroom apartment for the price of an iPhone. The plush lion toy may not be included in the price.It looks like an interesting place! Image: by f-Lars, CC BY 3.0, LinkThe palm trees are a nice touch:Top Image: Avito[via Peter from Texas] Read the rest

A promotional company asked people to draw famous logos from memory and arranged the results on a graph, from least accurate to most accurate. I would do terrible at most of these. Some people were able to draw logos that looked exactly like the official ones.[via Core 77]See also: Drawing Mickey Mouse from memory Read the rest

Olmsted County, Minnesota's History Center are sharing portraits of the creepiest dolls in their antiques collection. Folks can vote online for their favorite and the winner will be on display next week for Halloween. From MPR News:"The doll I disdain handling is the one with human hair,” said curator Dan Nowakowski as he holds up a doll from the 1800s with an impressive braid and a dead-eye stare...One creepshow contender was made with cloth for the head and limbs. "And then it was painted with a facial tone color, but the paint has chipped away,” Nowakowski said. “And now, unfortunately with the paint chipping, it looks like a mummy."Nowakowski said that for a lot of the collection's dolls, the unsettling freakiness is all in the eyes. Read the rest

Frank Wu writes, "Brianna Wu (US Congressional candidate in MA-8 and cybersecurity expert) has a brand new article in The Boston Globe about election security. People think electronic voting machines are the biggest problem. They're wrong. The electronic VOTER ROLLS are the largest attack surface for hackers. 2% of all ballots cast (enough to sway many elections) are provisional and that number is growing."So, how are our voter rolls compromised? The movies might have you believe that it’s shadowy hackers writing custom malware to target high-level officials, but the truth is often a lot simpler. It’s the same way everything else is hacked: phishing schemes, recycled passwords, and unsuspecting election workers clicking on attachments that end up being malware. These concerns are far from theoretical. In 2016, election workers in San Mateo fell for spear-phishing attacks and had their email systems, as well as the website publishing voter eligibility and poll locations, compromised.With the 2002 Help America Vote Act, congress allocated $3.8 billion to strengthen our election systems. While this might sound like a generous amount of funding, consider that we spent over $100 billion preparing for Y2K, a far less complex technical problem. According to a 2019 report commissioned by Homeland Security, this funding “was not enough to have a significant impact.” In September, Congress allocated a mere $250 million dollars for election security.All of this is a strong argument for federal investment in a national electronic voter registration system. We can’t feasibly secure every machine in every office for 56 separate systems across our country, but we can build a world-class database with top-of-the-line security. Read the rest

Snopes looked into this viral video of a very young kid (some people are saying she is 10 months old) drawing excellent cat cartoons. Snopes found several "small oddities" suggesting subterfuge: "For instance, the child turns its head around the 7-second mark after apparently hearing a noise, but the baby’s hands continue to draw on the paper. And at the end of the video, the tail on the third character simply appears on the paper out-of-sync with the child’s hand movements."Snopes found other videos of the same child demonstrating remarkable talent:Snopes concludes:If we presume that the Peppa Pig backpack in the background of the viral video belongs to this child (in other clips the child can be seen drawing Peppa Pig and wearing clothes featuring the cartoon character), it may be reasoned that this child was at least old enough to attend school and likely 4-5 years old. If that’s the case, while this child’s artistic abilities were impressive, such skills would be plausible. The child in this video seems much younger that 4-5 years old. I'd say 2 years old is more likely. Read the rest

A family visited the Bragg Funeral Home in Paterson, New Jersey for a private viewing of their deceased relative Doris Chapman. When they opened the casket though, it wasn't Champman inside but someone else wearing Chapman's clothing. And the funeral home employees didn't believe them. They plan to sue. The family says that no matter how many times they told the workers that the body was not Chapman’s, they were told otherwise."They kept on insisting that was my grandmother, that things do happen, the body does change…we couldn’t believe it, but we had no choice but to believe it for the moment,” (Geralyn) McNeal says.“We thought that the funeral home knew best. They were telling us that she was not ready, ‘She won't look like this when we're done,’” says Chapman’s niece Valencia Coney.The family says that Chapman’s body was in the casket the next day for the service. They say that at least one funeral home employee admitted to the mistake. Read the rest

When Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez grilled Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Congress this week, she asked him about his "ongoing dinner parties with far-right figures" -- that is to say, the meals where he listens to Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, Hugh Hewitt and other Nazi- and Nazi-adjacent figures whine about "leftist social media bias."The criticism wounded the beleaguered billionaire, who used his own Facebook account to complain about it and to clarify that he eats with these would-be ethnic cleaners because he throws dinners where he can hear from "lots of people across the spectrum on lots of different issues all the time."Facebook's spokespeople could not name anyone from any part of "the spectrum" who wasn't to the right of Fox News, however, so The Intercept's Jon Schwarz canvassed the editors of The Nation, Mother Jones, Black Agenda Report, Jacobin, Current Affairs, FAIR, Democracy Now, and other members of the sweeping left-wing media cabal, and, surprisingly enough, not one of them has ever been invited to one of Zuck's dinners.Look, we all know why Zuck is masticating the far-right's most prominent grifter thinkfluencers: it's because he's fallen for the right's most tiresome rhetorical gimmick, in which they claim that because the press refuses to pretend that (say) climate change isn't real, or that (say) tax breaks for the rich don't create jobs, or that (say) Sandy Hook wasn't a false-flag masterminded by gun-grabbers, that there is "bias" in the system.And they're right: it's totally true that reality has a well-known leftist bias, which is why any moderation effort that prohibited literal Nazis would block "mainstream Conservatives" in the bargain. Read the rest

In Yelville, Arkansas, a 66-year-old experienced hunter died after he was gored by a buck he shot. From CNN:When his nephew found him, the hunter was alert and talking, and was even able to call his wife. But he stopped breathing by the time paramedics could get him to the hospital, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said.Officials are not certain that the antler wounds are the official cause of his death, the commission said in a statement. He may have died from other medical issues such as a heart attack, the statement said, but there will be no autopsy.Injuries resulting from wounded deer are not uncommon, said Joe Dale Purdom from the Game and Fish Commission. Read the rest

Earlier this week alleged serial rapist Harvey Weinstein attended a event called Actors Hour at Downtime Bar in New York city. Weinstein and his entourage were seated at a prime table, which was allegedly reserved for him by Actors Hour producer Alexandra Laliberte. When several women complained about Weinstein being there, they were scolded and removed from the bar.One woman in attendance, Amber Rollo, posted a thread about it on Twitter. She said she approached Weinstein's table and "called him a fucking monster and told him he should disappear. His friend/body guard/goon/family member called me a cunt and I really really wanted to lunge over the table and strangle him."Keep getting new followers today is it because my tweets are so fire? lol fuck Weinstein and thanks @ambercrollo ILY #mysecondtweet pic.twitter.com/hLjWn5VM8Y— Kelly Bachman (@bellykachman) October 24, 2019Kelly Bachman, one of the performers at the event, talked in stage about being in the same room as "Freddy Krueger" and remarked "I didn't know we had to bring our own mace and rape whistles to Actors Hour." One or two men loudly booed and told her to "shut up."Another woman, actor Zoe Stuckless, approached Weinstein's table and expressed outrage that he was at the bar:Hey all, I know I’m late to the conversation here. I don’t usually use twitter but it seems like that’s where a lot of this conversation is happening. Last night I confronted Harvey Weinstein in a bar along with a number of other artists. Read the rest

I miss living in that world where a giant pitcher of Kool-Aid could have reasonably come busting through a wall at any moment. Things are a lot worse now.OH YEAH!Funko knows. This is the Koolest.Funko Pop! AD Icons: Kool-Aid - Kool-Aid Man via Amazon Read the rest

For those times when you are short a nickle, it's nice to know you have one stashed away.The replies to the tweet are amusing, because more than a few people seem to think this is a joke and not a valuable life hack.at no point in this video did i know what was coming next pic.twitter.com/XXaIlfc4bk— ً₂₄ (@ELMXRIACHI) October 24, 2019Image: Twitter Read the rest

As Joe Biden cruises towards his latest (and final?) humiliating defeat in a Democratic primary, The Senator from MNBA is talking a big game about how he will reverse his decades-long dependence on massive cash infusions from America's richest, worst people to sustain his political career.And it true that his (anemic, underfunded) campaign isn't directly taking money from big corporations. But since Citizens United, campaigns no longer have to climb into bed with the ultra-wealthy and their terrible corporations in order to become beholden to them: thanks to PACs and Super PACs, a literally unlimited amount of money can get behind a candidate like Tailgunner Joe in a bid to propel a corporate-friendly "centrist" to the presidency.Enter Larry Rasky, a key figure in the creation of the Biden Super PAC, and also founder of Rasky Partners, lobbyists for Raytheon, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and the Republic of Azerbaijan (as well as former clients like the Education Finance Council). Rasky is joined by fellow lobbyist Steve Schale, whose clients include the Florida Hospital Association, JetBlue Airways, State Farm Insurance, Walt Disney Parks, AT&T, and the Associated Industries of Florida. The Biden campaign has been in bed with America's most notorious lobbyists literally since day one, when the campaign launched at a private party held at the stately mansion of Comcast's chief lobbyist.Biden has articulated the problem with big-money donations in the past, noting that privately financed elections allow those donors greater access to politicians than ordinary Americans. Read the rest

The Really Online Lefty League has a wonderful ad running on Facebook. Using archival footage of Republican leaders speaking up for the environment, to prove AOC's point about Facebook being untrustworthy and duplicitous, the ad shows Lindsay Graham backing the Green New Deal.Facebook approves Green New Deal ad featuring endorsement by Sen. Lindsey Graham pic.twitter.com/3GHOvK5akQ— Adriel Hampton 🦇 (@adrielhampton) October 25, 2019 Video Link Read the rest

It is unsurprising that anyone in America would snub Mitch McConnell, however, the look on Chuck Schumer's face is priceless.The look between McConnell and Schumer when the brother doesn’t shake Mitch’s hand 💀💀💀👀 pic.twitter.com/UbRXLhtW36— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) October 24, 2019 Read the rest

The brilliant optical illusions of stop motion animator Kevin Parry. Read the rest

For Inktober, Sabtastic has been drawing birds that have earned notoriety for their criminal behavior.Are you online enough to recognize these crooked birds?Day 14 of #inktober involves pigeon ESPIONAGE! More #birdcrimes!This little bird was arrested in Pakistan for spying when a message was found stamped onto its wing feathers!Source below! 👇👀 pic.twitter.com/cIYy4dohfn— Sabtastic @ Halcon 520 (@Sabtastique) October 15, 2019Telegraph:A suspected Pakistani 'spy pigeon' seized just inside India's border faces X-ray by security officials to ensure the bird is not carrying hidden messages, or spy gadgets.Made it to #inktober Day 23! This Arabian Green Parrot was arrested for helping its drug dealer owners. When police came near the house for a drug raid, it screamed "MOM! The POLICE!" 🚔 #birdcrimes pic.twitter.com/GHEmx9Zhjf— Sabtastic @ Halcon 520 (@Sabtastique) October 24, 2019Guardian:A parrot has been taken into custody in northern Brazil following a police raid targeting crack dealers.According to reports in the Brazilian press, the bird had been taught to alert criminals to police operations in Vila Irmã Dulce, a low-income community in the sun-scorched capital of Piauí state, by shouting: “Mum, the police!”My favourite #birdcrimes story of all time features Canuck the Crow! 🍁🔪 This little troublemaker got his infamous reputation for stealing a KNIFE from an active CRIME SCENE! This also marks day 20 of #inktober! pic.twitter.com/6qVBZjZeAV— Sabtastic @ Halcon 520 (@Sabtastique) October 22, 2019CBC:Canuck became a media celebrity in 2016 after he stole a knife from a Vancouver crime scene. Read the rest

From the Kino Library comes this set of film clips shot on the London Underground in the 1960s and 1970s. View at end of tube platform looking up at crowded platform and tube train, Victoria, pulling in. Men and women passengers board train, pushing on. POV from front of train through tunnel and past passengers waiting on platform as it comes to a halt. Shot on board tube carriage, sun streams through windows as it rides through London suburbs. Men in bowler hats reading newspapers. One woman in 1960s outfit sits in FG. Commuters. Passengers bounce around as train moves. Scene gets darker as train goes through tunnel. INT dark tube carriage. Men and women sit reading, quiet. INT tube station great shot at base of escalator, people coming down. Lots of miniskirts. Late 1960s fashions. 1960s passengers out of tube and up stairs, poster just seen ‘Heals Sale Now On’. People walking up stairs. People coming down escalator. I lived in London in the late 1970s, when it was as depicted here but more run down, and the late 1990s, when it was all being renovated into a clean new sci-fi set. Different worlds! (Except for the Northern Line, which for some reason was not being upgraded and I guess is still exactly like this video.) Read the rest

Disney is making it very tempting to join Disney+, their new entertainment streaming service, by offering a docuseries that puts a spotlight on its Imagineers. Entertainment Weekly:The Imagineering Story, a docuseries from The Pixar Story filmmaker Leslie Iwerks, pulls back the curtain on the work of the brilliant artist-engineers who have made real-life magic at the Disney Parks for decades. Narrated by Angela Bassett, the six-hour series chronicles the history of the Imagineers, beginning with the inception of Disneyland and tracing the development of all the of the Disney parks and all of the fantastical lands within them (yes, including Galaxy’s Edge) to the present day.The trailer for it promises a look behind the scenes of the Matterhorn and other restricted areas of Disney parks:The Imagineering Story will premiere November 12, the same day the new service launches. To be clear: the series will only be available on Disney+, which is $6.99/month or $69.99/year. I'm personally thinking it might be worth checking out.image via EW Read the rest

"Heard you say I'm not the saddest clown, you lied"You haven't heard Lizzo's "Juice" until you've heard a sad 6'8"-tall clown sing it. Puddles does this one "Quiet Storm Style."Our friend, Rebekah Del Rio, asked me how I would feel about doing Lizzo's song. I said I'd give it a go. I like saying yes first. This is how it turned out. I don't understand some of the references in it but I love me some Lizzo. Jonathan Burns helped me transcribe the lyrics. I especially like the David Copperfield lyric. And yes, that's really my voice. I didn't know I could do that before. Read the rest

Re-edit courtesy of Everything is Terrible, although I also found the original VHS source on Amazon which includes this delightful plot summary:Chadder Chipmunk wants to be the first chipmunk in space. So Space Mission Bible Camp sounded like the perfect place to launch his career. But no sooner did Chadder pull on his jumpsuit than he was spotted by The Exterminator … a rodent-thumping commando who can't wait to catch Chadder!Featuring footage shot at Kennedy Space Center, here's fast-paces, out-of-this-world adventure your kids will turn to again and again. And each time they'll be reminded that the best launch of all is to be launched on a mission of God's love!And yes of course the villainous Exterminator is Russian. Who else would want to ruin Space Mission Bible Camp for chipmunks? Read the rest

It can be tough to convey to kids just how big and amazing the world really is, even with the internet. One of the great things about augmented reality is how it can combine education with tactile experience, making the facts really hit home.That's just one great feature of this SmartGlobe 3-in-1 Illuminated Globe, a toy that will do a lot more than just sit idle in your curious kid's room.By day it's a globe, with all the countries, capitals and oceans of the world rendered in rich detail. Flip a switch, and the terrestrial map fades to reveal an illuminating guide to the constellations - a fantastic night light or inspiration for any budding stargazer.Download the SmartGlobe AR app, and that's when the functionality really opens up. Use your tablet to scan the globe and "Patrick the World Traveller" will reveal a ton of info on every corner of the world. You can use him to reveal tidbits about important landmarks or activate animated tutorials about different climates. Wildlife-loving kids will get a kick out of his tour of indigenous dino species and local animals. There's even a host of puzzles and games to play, building on all the newfound geography knowledge.Right now, you can pick up the SmartGlobe 3-in-1 Illuminated Globe with Built-In Augmented Reality for 25% off the retail price. Read the rest

Renowned sci-fi and fantasy publisher Tor just launched a new book imprint called Nightfire, focusing on new horror fiction. And to celebrate, they're giving away 35 free short horror stories as audiobooks. The list includes stories by Alyssa Wong, Chuck Wendig, China Miéville, Carmen Maria Machado, and more.The only catch is that the stories are only available through the GooglePlay Store, or through Google Assistant commands. This is only really a minor inconvenience if you (like me) are not an Android user—but also if you're like me, it's totally worth it.Come Join Us By The Fire: 35 Short Horror Tales From Nightfire Books Read the rest

William Chyr’s psychogeographic abyss stares back. It's a good puzzle game, too.

This is an excellent Halloween costume.“I was the pink Yip Yip, my husband was the gray Yip Yip. It won us the best couple's at a friend's party last year.”That's @DumptruckWithABeard.Yip Yip Yip, uh-huh, uh-huhGot no idea what this is about? Watch.I remember being so scared of these Yip Yips when I was a kid.[IMGUR] Read the rest

In episode two of The Life Cycle, John and Eva stare up at the night sky and get deep. Where are all the aliens? Are we alone in the universe? Could it be that we’re just pets in some zoo run by alien overlords? Does this mean everything we do is meaningless? And what has Jodie Foster got to say about it all? Time to get your SETI on, folks... (Featuring Joshua Tan, Ph.D. in Computer Science at Oxford, and Professor Stefan Sorgner, Professor of Philosophy at John Cabot University, Rome.)The Life Cycle is a production of Klang Games, creator of Seed, the planet colonization MMO -- watch the new trailer here. Subscribe to The Life Cycle on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. Follow The Life Cycle on Twitter and Instagram. Read the rest

“It’s not clear why the resident ordered the uranium.”

Russia's state nuclear company Rosatom announced on Twitter today they have signed a deal with The Republic of Rwanda to build a center for nuclear science and technology.The Kremlin and the industries it controls are trying to expand in this Central African country and beyond, just like China is doing with its investments throughout the African continent.From Reuters:The center will also have a research water-cooled reactor with up to 10 MW capacity, Rosatom said. The deal, as Rosatom hopes, would allow in the future to supply Rwanda with small modular reactors for power generation, a Rosatom official said.Rosatom is the world’s biggest nuclear company by foreign orders, with a total of 36 nuclear blocks on order. The countries include Bangladesh, Belarus, China, Egypt, Finland, Hungary, India and Turkey.In a separate statement on Thursday, Rosatom said it has agreed with Ethiopia to cooperate in developing nuclear infrastructure. Rosatom was also in talks with South Africa on building more nuclear reactors there but President Cyril Ramaphosa put nuclear expansion plans on hold.READ MORE:Russia's Rosatom, Rwanda sign deal to build nuclear science center [REUTERS, photo courtesy @rosatom]Подписали соглашение с Руандой о сотрудничестве в сооружении центра ядерной науки и технологий в республике pic.twitter.com/2aBASl9bu7— Росатом (@rosatom) October 24, 2019 Read the rest

This is the former Newark, Ohio headquarters of The Longaberger Company, a basket manufacturer that went under last year. This week, the developers who bought the property announced that it will become a luxury hotel. According to WCPO, "project officials say the exterior look of a basket will remain intact." Well duh.From Wikipedia:The seven-story, 180,000-square-foot building was designed by The Longaberger Company, and executed by NBBJ and Korda Nemeth Engineering. The building opened in 1997. The basket handles weigh almost 150 tons and can be heated during cold weather to prevent ice damage. Originally, Dave Longaberger wanted all of the Longaberger buildings to be shaped like baskets, but only the headquarters was completed at the time of his death.(Thanks, Charles Pescovitz!)image: Derek Jensen (public domain) Read the rest

It's hardly news that Donald Trump's spokesmonster Kellyanne Conway is an awful person, but rarely do we see evidence of the Third Reich's favorite blonde with a microphone threatening to investigate and expose the personal lives of news reporters.And yet, here she is, doing just that, to a Washington Examiner (!) reporter. Excerpt from transcript of the phone call between Kellyanne Conway and Caitlin Yilek:Yilek: Like I said, I’d be happy to pass you on to my editor, if you would like to speak with him.Conway: I’d be [inaudible] to tell him you have no answer when asked why you were characterizing somebody’s feelings, having never talked to that person. If you have some psychology degree [inaudible].Yilek: I don’t know that that is characterizing your feelings to say you are put in the middle if your husband and your boss are attacking each other.Conway: When are they attacking each other? When did the president even mention his name?Yilek: All right, like I said, I have got to go. I’d be happy —Conway: So, listen, if you’re going to cover my personal life, if you’re going to cover my personal life, then we’re welcome to do the same around here. If it has nothing to do with my job, which it doesn’t, that’s obvious, then we’re either going to expect you to cover everybody’s personal life or we’re going to start covering them over here.Transcript of telephone call between Kellyanne Conway and Caitlin Yilek [washingtonexaminer.com]The Washington Examiner (!) has published a transcript of its reporter’s conversation with Kellyanne Conway. Read the rest

Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, aka The Office's Pam and Angela, are launching a new podcast together about The Office. Listen to the trailer below. Titled “Office Ladies,” the podcast will feature the two actresses, who are real life best pals, rewatching every episode of the TV series and bantering about it. It premiers tomorrow! From an interview in the New York Times:So where did the idea for the podcast come from?KINSEY I was going through my garage, and I have all of these Rubbermaid bins full of photos and memorabilia. Jenna jokes that I’m a hoarder because I save everything. I would save a little note that Oscar passed me, a drawing that Jenna drew or a prop. I have Michael Scott’s business card.FISCHER You have Dwight and Angela’s wedding invitation.KINSEY So I was going through it all and Jenna came over and was looking through it with me, and it made us really nostalgic. We started reminiscing, and the 15-year anniversary is coming up so we thought this is a great opportunity for us to rewatch it and talk about our memories, our behind-the-scenes moments and share it with the fans. Read the rest

Finally, Trump tweeted something this morning that I can agree with: "Impeach the Pres." This came at the end of a longer tweet filled with the usual brags and exaggerated claims. Just out: MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME IS AT THE HIGHEST POINT EVER, EVER, EVER! How about saying it this way, IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY! Also, MORE PEOPLE WORKING TODAY IN THE USA THAN AT ANY TIME IN HISTORY! Tough numbers for the Radical Left Democrats to beat! Impeach the Pres.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 15, 2019 Via Mashable:Trump is infamous for splitting tweets in awkward places and chaotically threading his thoughts, so at first it seemed as though there would be more letters on the way. (Impeach the Press, perhaps?) But no. Trump tweeted "Impeach the Pres" and that's it. So it seems that was really just the tweet.Image: by Gage Skidmore - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/30566507291/in/photolist-Nz4kGp-NGQzxT-NyTxfp-NDt6Nq-Nz4p8c-NwvYaw-NDDNYm-MJSdQS-NGQDVF-NGEJ2M-MJSn2b-MJSje7-NfaSKN-NDtktb-MJEq7x-NfaTPw-NwkLgb-MJSpNd-NwkTvG-NwkZNw-NfaXx3-NyTQcv-NGF22i-MJSDc7-MJSGth-MJEHo6-Nwm57b-Nwmf3J-NyTS1R-NGFevX-NDtLe3-NGFmvZ-NfbioA-NGFgUz-Nvwird-NFEYzR-NGWyju-MJa9mo-NL3MmR-NF4NWn-NDNd4n-MFMkbp-NDNbHg-MF27TC-NCRx8z-NzCQZm-MEQQVp-Nsw3BS-Nsw1As-NbmxTG, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link Read the rest

In 2009, Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara was hanging out with his business manager Tim Blum in the Manhattan bar Niagrara. Nara pulled out a marker and drew some of his fantastic figures on the walls. (Later that night, he did the same thing at a subway station and was promptly arrested.) Last week, one of Nara's paintings sold in a Sotheby's auction for $24.9 million, driving up the value of his other work including this graffiti. According to Blum though, Nara doesn't want anyone to pull out the bar walls and sell his graffiti. Fortunately, the bar owners seem to agree. For now anyway. From CNN:"The (drawings at the bar are) quite in keeping with his style," said David Schrader, head of private sales at Sotheby's. "My guess is it's probably worth hundreds of thousands. For sure, when an artist gets a record-selling price, it elevates them in the market. My gut is there are definitely people who would want to own this or the multiple pieces individually..."The Niagara's management declined to comment, but a bartender told CNN that the artwork "has been a part of the bar for a long time and will stay that way." The drawings are safeguarded by a thin layer of plastic that was installed by the bar's ownership.#DailyJapanArt via #NYPost:Yoshitomo Nara’s Decade-Old Doodles At East Village Dive Bar Niagara Could Be Worth Millions.Value Skyrocketed After His Painting “Knife Behind Back” Sold For $25 million @ Sotheby’s Hong Kong On Sunday#奈良美智 #YoshitomoNarahttps://t.co/P8AEGWSMjP pic.twitter.com/sqOEBtAuPr— DailyJapan (@DailyJapan1) October 11, 2019 Read the rest

OpenAI Inc. demonstrated a one-handed robot solving a Rubik's Cube. Apparently the real breakthrough in this milestone was teaching the system to do the task in simulation. “While the video makes it easy to focus on the physical robot, the magic is mostly happening in simulation, and transferring things learned in simulation to the real world," writes Evan Ackerman in IEEE Spectrum:The researchers point out that the method they’ve developed here is general purpose, and you can train a real-world robot to do pretty much any task that you can adequately simulate. You don’t need any real-world training at all, as long as your simulations are diverse enough, which is where the automatic domain randomization comes in. The long-term goal is to reduce the task specialization that’s inherent to most robots, which will help them be more useful and adaptable in real-world applications. Read the rest

Omozoc created this terrific stop motion animation from 1,667 photographs! Read the rest

In Social, demographic, and economic correlates of food and chemical consumption measured by wastewater-based epidemiology, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, a group of researchers in Australia and Norway present their analysis of a 2016 Australian sewage census, which sampled 22 waste-water treatment facilities and looked for 42 biomarkers.The findings reveal that inequality can be detected in sewage. Wealthy people's shit has biomarkers for digested fresh fruits and veggies and grains, as well as higher doses of caffeine. The poorer you are, the more likely it is that your waste contains biomarkers for antidepressants, opioids, and meds for neuropathy and blood pressure. The findings bear out other epidemiological studies that look at self-reporting, prescription data, and other public health markers.They were even able to link demographics with specific types of antidepressants. A higher proportion of labourers were prescribed desvenlafaxine. Amitriptyline was most often prescribed to people who didn't finish high school. And people taking citalopram tended to live alone, and were often separated or divorced.We don't have to take the sewage at face value, either. All of these results appear to be consistent with other studies into the lifestyles of demographic groups. Social, demographic, and economic correlates of food and chemical consumption measured by wastewater-based epidemiology [Phil M. Choi, Benjamin Tscharke, Saer Samanipour, Wayne D. Hall, Coral E. Gartner, Jochen F. Mueller, Kevin V. Thomas, and Jake W. O’Brien/PNAS] There's a Depressing Difference Between The Sewage of Wealthy Areas And Poorer Ones [Michelle Starr/Science Alert](via Naked Capitalism) Read the rest

Trump Town is a Propublica/Columbia Journalism Investigations interactive database of everyone working in the Trump administration; the latest revision reveals that Trump has hired 281 former lobbyists to regulate the industries that used to sign their paychecks.That's one in every 14 political appointments, quadruple the peak rate of lobbyist hiring under Obama, which arrived six years into his presidency.In many cases, these lobbyists are working directly in senior oversight roles for the industries they once represented: Colin Roskey spent two decades repping the health care industry, and now he's deputy secretary for legislation for mandatory health in Trump's Department of Health and Human Services. His recusals are confidential, but prior to his appointment, he was working for the price-gouging dialysis giant Fresenius Medical Care, which made more than a third of a billion a year from Medicare. That was just one of 27 clients he lobbied for before he entered Trump's HHS. But don't worry, Roskey's not overseeing the health care industry anymore. He quit government service and was immediately rehired by the health industry lobbying firm he'd worked for prior to his government service, Lincoln Policy Group.And while Trump has dismantled the Obama ethics rule that lobbyists from working in government, Obama's former appointees are not shy about taking lobbying work. For example, Bridgett Taylor -- who was deputy secretary for legislation for mandatory health in Obama's Department of Health and Human Services -- now lobbies for PHRMA, the lobbying arm of the price-gouging, monopolistic, murderous pharmaceutical industry. Read the rest