In the first part of the 20th century, classical music was stripped of its majesty and injected with a healthy dose of discord and dissonance by avant-garde pioneers like Arnold Schoenberg, Pierre Boulez, and John Cage. Then in 1950s California and New York, a new form of contemporary classical music emerged: minimalism. "Tones, Drones and Arpeggios" is a terrific two episode BBC Four documentary on American minimalism pioneers La Monte Young, Terry Riley (above), Steve Reich, and Philip Glass who reimagined "classical" music and had a massive and continuing influence on punk, experimental, ambient, and electronic music.Watch Episode 1 below. More about the documentary here: "Tones, Drones and Arpeggios: The Magic of Minimalism" Read the rest

Tabloid headlines are from Mars, tabloid stories are from Venus. That’s how far removed are this week’s stories and the headlines that top them.“Scott Peterson murdered 2 other women!” screams the National Enquirer cover. No he didn’t, says the story inside, despite the spread headline: “Scott Peterson a Serial Killer!” Convicted wife-killer Peterson is nothing more than a possible suspect in two cold case deaths to which he has the most tenuous of connections.“Jen Garner Recruited by Hollywood Cult!” proclaims the Enquirer. No she wasn’t, says the Enquirer story. Rather than being recruited, actress Garner is simply the subject of an alleged crush by Scientology chief David Miscavige. Garner herself appears unaware of any interest in her by Scientology, but that’s enough for the Enquirer to say: “Friends fear she’s vulnerable to recruiters.” Right.“Money-hungry Meghan turns back on America!” yells the Globe cover. “Gives up U.S. citizenship to avoid taxes!” No, she hasn’t, says the story inside. The Duchess of Sussex “is still an American citizen,” an IRS source reportedly tells the Enquirer. And if she were to relinquish her U.S. citizenship it wouldn’t be to avoid paying taxes, but to avoid exposing the sources of her income – Prince Harry and the Queen – to unwanted scrutiny by America’s IRS. The Palace tells the Enquirer “there’s no truth” to the story. Indeed.Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber face a “billion dollar divorce shocker!" reports the Enquirer. No, they don’t. She’s simply been photographed without her wedding ring, for which there could be a hundred rational explanations not involving a marital split. Read the rest

What a wonderful time to be alive. A photo ID card issued to a young Vladimir Putin has been publicly released by Germany's BTSU, the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former East Germany, and subsequently published in the German news outlet Bild. Here it is. Russia is denying that Putin was ever issued a KGB identification card, which naturally means it's legit.From the New York Times:The German tabloid Bild’s publication of a photo ID card issued to a young Mr. Putin by the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police, pulls back the veil on one part of his tenure in Dresden, causing a ripple of excitement on social media and raising questions about his presence in the former German Democratic Republic.The Putin ID card was also released on Wednesday by the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former East Germany. Printed on green passport-style paper, the card bears a black-and-white photo of a young intelligence officer identified as Major Putin, who would have been 33 at the time.It was issued on the last day of 1985, and has validation stamps for each quarter except one — the last quarter of 1986. The ID also bears what appears to be Mr. Putin’s signature.The Stasi building was a stone’s throw away from the villa where the K.G.B. had its offices.[IMAGE: The photo ID card issued to a young Vladimir V. Putin by the Stasi.] Read the rest

Taylor Swift used facial recognition technology at her live performances so that technicians running the system could then check those face scans against a private database of her stalkers. The company that provided the scanning and analysis service appears to be this event counterterrorism division of Oak View Group, which has received a fair amount of press.Part of the reason they've been in the press so much: all the deadly attacks at big entertainment events around the world lately.There is now big demand for serious security at live events the size of a Taylor Swift concert. There have been so many bombings and mass shootings at music concerts over the past year to even remember without Googling. Fear of being killed at a music concert is something people factor in to the decision to buy tickets and go to live events. The demand for security is real.So is the potential for misuse and abuse of the technology, including by third parties -- hackers, foreign enemies, who knows.Steve Knopper at Rolling Stone:Taylor Swift fans mesmerized by rehearsal clips on a kiosk at her May 18th Rose Bowl show were unaware of one crucial detail: A facial-recognition camera inside the display was taking their photos. The images were being transferred to a Nashville “command post,” where they were cross-referenced with a database of hundreds of the pop star’s known stalkers, according to Mike Downing, chief security officer of Oak View Group, an advisory board for concert venues including Madison Square Garden and the Forum in L.A. Read the rest

Welcome back to The Bureau. This week will be a holiday segment. Above the fold you'll see this week's comic and playlist, and you can catch up here on the current story. While the main office building gets covered in gasoline and the intruders pounce upon The Brain, we're reminded of this time of year and the basic need of giving thanks and appreciations. Part of this series has been to acknowledge electronic instruments that impact our lives positively. We've already highlighted the work of Metasonix and Soma Labs, as well as the RF Nomad and SSL's Scat Talker, but there are some incredible pieces never made for mass production. Easily one of the most interesting categories of electronics is circuit bending.When asked about the weirdest thing in the studio, I'm happy to point to an unassuming set of toy guitars. One is a Hot Lixx guitar by TYCO and the other is a generically titled "Electronic Guitar" by Radio Shack. To certain friends with shared interests, the phrase "These are modified guitars by Mr Quintron" is usually all the introduction needed to elicit immediate interest. These are treasured items that I acquired about 15-20 years ago when he put them up for sale. First, let's meet the guitars without modification.By themselves, these toys are pretty damn funny and obnoxious. Here's a TV commercial from TYCO from 1989:The TYCO Hot Lixx Guitar promises you'll PLAY IT IN A MINUTE with its computerized buttons. Read the rest

The latest episode of the always-outstanding Adam Ruins Everything (previously) is my favorite yet: a wide-ranging look at the way that tech has exploited policy loopholes to monopolize control over repairs, features, parts and consumables; to spy on users; to use predatory pricing to crush competitors; to avoid taxation; and to become a force for oligarchic control.But it's not a counsel of despair! Adam and his guests discuss how Big Tech can be cut down to size, using traditional tools like antitrust law, which will not make tech's leaders any less prone to evil fantasied -- but it will limit their ability to turn those bad impulses into bad deeds.You can see the whole episode if you're a Trutv subscriber, but in the meantime, the production has published a couple of great clips. Disclosure: I'm proud to say I pitched this to Adam and his team, and I'm delighted to see how it turned out! Read the rest

In the last three days of the Sri Lankan civil war, as thousands of people surrendered to government authorities, hundreds of people were put on buses driven by Army officers. Many were never seen again. In a report released today (see here), the International Truth and Justice Project for Sri Lanka and the Human Rights Data Analysis Group showed that over 500 people were disappeared on only three days --- 17, 18, and 19 May. To be clear, these people were not killed, we did not include people who were confirmed as dead. The estimate includes only people last seen in custody of the Sri Lankan authorities. I wrote the statistical parts of the report.The report begins with seven lists of people reported as disappeared. The lists were compiled by the UN, families of the disappeared, and Sri Lankan officials, among others. It then uses a method called Multiple Systems Estimation to estimate the "dark figure," that is, the people who were disappeared but have not been reported. From 443 people reported on one or more list, we estimate a total population of 503 victims in a two-tailed 95% credible interval from 468 to 554 (it's Bayesian!); see the figure for the posterior distribution of the estimate).The report contains several references to the academic literature in mathematical statistics that explains how this method works and what the assumptions are. In short, the intuition is that with multiple, independent lists, the more often they document the same people, the fewer people remain undocumented. Read the rest

The company that owns The National Enquirer tabloid will not be prosecuted for its efforts to protect Donald Trump during his presidential campaign.AMI, which owns the tabloid National Enquirer, admitted to making a $150,000 hush money payment, and will cooperate with investigators. AMI chief David Pecker is (was?) a longtime friend of Donald Trump, long before the campaign. Pecker has been granted immunity. He is singing. Trump should be worried. The U.S. Southern District of New York reached a non-prosecution agreement with AMI, in which the firm admitted it made "catch and kill" payment to Trump's alleged ex-paramour Karen MacDougal. AMI admitted that it paid her “in concert with” the Donald Trump presidential campaign.Said the SDNY prosecutors, “AMI admitted that it made the $150,000 payment in concert with a candidate’s presidential campaign, and in order to ensure that the woman did not publicize damaging allegations about the candidate before the 2016 presidential election.” Prosecutors say AMI admitted “its principal purpose in making the payment was to suppress the woman’s story so as to prevent it from influencing the election.”Excerpt from the SDNY press release.The Office also announced today that it has previously reached a non-prosecution agreement with AMI, in connection with AMI’s role in making the above-described $150,000 payment before the 2016 presidential election. As a part of the agreement, AMI admitted that it made the $150,000 payment in concert with a candidate’s presidential campaign, and in order to ensure that the woman did not publicize damaging allegations about the candidate before the 2016 presidential election. Read the rest

Jack Sparrow impersonator Amanda Teague married the ghost of a pirate coincidentally named Jack. Nearly 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Similarly, the Teague/dead pirate union did not last.The newly divorced pirate enthusiast warns folks away from casual spirituality.Irish Post:Amanda Teague, 46, from Drogheda, Co. Louth, married the Haitian pirate named Jack earlier this year.The wedding to her ‘soulmate’ took place on board a boat in international waters off the Irish coast. However the Irish Mirror reports the couple have called it a day after less than a year.WARNINGTaking to social media, Amanda said: “So I feel it’s time to let everyone know that my marriage is over.“I will explain all in due course but for now all I want to say is be VERY careful when dabbling in spirituality, it’s not something to mess with.” Read the rest

If you live in an area where grocery stores are easily accessible, count yourself lucky: there are large areas in the United States where food choices are limited to what can be found at fast food joints or the highly processed, canned and frozen "foods" available in corner shops. These areas are called food deserts and they suck. If you have the means to pay for the monthly upkeep of a vehicle, leaving the food desert you live in is a cinch. For low-income families or anyone else subsisting on a fixed income, however, that's just not possible. Unless they're close to public transit and have a few hours to kill to pick up some ingredients to make healthy meals at home, they're forced to eat at burger joints or sit their kids down to whatever less-than-nutritious meal they're able to scrap together from the freezers at the back of a 7-11. Lyft, the ride share company, is trying to do something about that.From The Verge:Lyft is partnering with a nonprofit organization in Washington, DC to give rides to local families living in food deserts. The pilot program will offer some families access to heavily discounted, shared Lyft rides to grocery stores.The partnership, with the nonprofit Martha’s Table, hopes to reduce time and effort spent shopping for food. For $2.50, qualifying families can ride to and from the limited number of grocery stores in their region, including Safeway, Giant, and Martha’s Table’s lobby market. The discount can’t be used on rides going to any other destinations. Read the rest

If you have an avid gamer on your holiday gift list, here are some great game gift recommendations for 2018. You can also find plenty of other candidates in the "What's new in tabletop gaming" pieces I posted this year. Also, check out the Boing Boing Toys and Games gift guide for a few additional suggestions.Wildlands ($57)Game design doyen Martin Wallace is probably best known for railroad and civilization-building games (Age of Steam, Railways of the World, Brass, London, Struggle of Empires). His latest, Wildlands, is a grand and glorious departure. The game, published by Osprey, is gorgeous, easy-to-learn, fun to play, and very replayable, with lots of play choices and tactical depth (and already emerging expansions). Designed for up to 4 players, Wildlands is a card-driven fantasy skirmish board game with 20 beautifully-detailed, primed, and pre-washed miniatures. Four different factions, with different strengths and abilities, attempt to collect “arcane crystals” scattered over one of a two-sided game board. A hand of action cards, with multiple choices on each card, determine what each faction can do on each turn in their quest to vanquish foes and acquire crystals. The mechanics are elegant, the action, relentless and tense. Like last year’s Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate, Wildlands is a great way to introduce timid newbies to the world of fantasy miniature gaming and light dungeon delving.BuyAxis & Allies & Zombies ($33)If you like Axis & Allies and want to try throwing a wrench (or in this case, hordes of brain-eating undead) into the typical mechanics of the game, then you'll likely find Axis & Allies & Zombies a fun new twist. Read the rest

Donald Trump's longtime “fixer” and personal attorney has been sentenced to to 36 months (3 years) in federal prison, plus an additional 3 years of supervised release, in a case in the Southern District of New York.Judge William H. Pauley of SDNY also sentenced Cohen to 2 months for lying to Congress, to be served concurrently to his primary 36-month sentence.He also issued an order for $500,000 in forfeiture, payment of $1.39 million in back taxes, and a $50,000 fine.Judge Pauley also ordered an additional $50,000 fine, for lying to Congress. There are additional terms of imprisonment, but all will be served by Cohen concurrently. Cohen will be able to voluntarily surrender, he was not taken into custody as the hearing ended. — — —Federal prosecutors asked for a "substantial" prison sentence of about 3 and a half years. Cohen asked for time served. He could face up to five years, based on sentencing guidelines for his crimes.“We respectfully submit that the case calls for a full consideration of mercy,” Michael Cohen's defense attorney Guy Petrillo said during the hearing. Petrillo argued that Cohen should receive a lenient sentence in part because Cohen “came forward to offer evidence” against Trump. "I don't really understand the strident tone of the memo,” Petrillo said, referring to the Southern District of New York's filing. Implying that his connection to Trump was the reason for the strident tone, Petrillo added, “Mr. Cohen had the misfortune to be counsel to the president.”This, of course, implies that Cohen's position at Trump's side was not something over which Cohen had any choice. Read the rest

Today, in a debate scheduled to run between 18h-20h GMT (10AM-12PM Pacific), Theresa May's Conservative Party will vote on whether she will remain leader of the party and thus Prime Minister.If May loses (technically if 158 or more MPs vote against her, but practically speaking it's likely she'll step down if it's at all close), Conservative Party members will vote on the next PM; the frontrunners are Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Amber Rudd, Andrea Leadsome, Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid.The hardline Brexit Leave campaign has been urging its supporters to join the Conservative Party in anticipation of this vote, so there's a real chance that the next PM will be a pro-Brexit "ultra" like Johnson. Naked Capitalism has an excellent roundup of analysis of the likely outcomes, and the comments are especially good today. The assumption above is that the party will gravitate around a centrist, which is how May had positioned herself, and reject Boris. I believe Gove has tried to position himself that way, so I am not sure he should be written off so quickly, particularly since he has more Cabinet experience than Javid, who is still pretty wet behind the ears.Financiers and businessmen on the whole presumably prefer Remain, but that does not make them representative of the members of the party. And as the comment above indicated, the Tories have not yet come to grips with the idea that there isn’t even time for a referendum, even if the EU were to give an extension to the end of June, the longest time that multiple sources have said they’d be willing to offer. Read the rest

Leafcutter Designs of Oakland, California now has adorable mini metal mailboxes ($18 each) made to stuff full of their tiny letters and packages. Wee key included. You may already know that Leafcutter's founder Lea Redmond is behind the popular World's Smallest Post Service. This mailbox “bank” is perfect for sending tiny mail within your household, or for use as a keepsake box. Children and adults alike can have fun redistributing tiny mail by way of this super cute, sturdy collection box.Image: Leafcutter Designs Read the rest

Irene O'Shea of Athelstone, Australia just broke the world record for the oldest female skydiver. She's 102 years old. This isn't her first jump though. This badass centenarian started two years ago when she turned 100.ABC reports:Sunday's skydive, which broke the world record, "went smoothly," SA Diving said, describing her as "an absolute joy to have in the dropzone."O'Shea's daughter died of motor neurone disease years ago, according to SA Diving. She saw this year's skydive as the "perfect opportunity" to raise money and awareness for the Motor Neurone Disease Association of South Australia.O'Shea jumped from 14,000 feet at SA Skydiving's Langhorne Creek Dropzone with instructor Jed Smith, a 24-year-old paramedic who she made her previous jumps with. The pair fell at about 136 mph before the parachute was deployed, according to SA Skydiving.Wow. (VICE) Read the rest

Tom the Dancing Bug, IN WHICH we pay tribute to one of the Great Contributors to Science: the ample gut of Donald J. Trump!

Businesses of any size continue to use PDFs despite - and perhaps because of - their stubborn resistance to simple editing. But for those who need a little flexibility on their documentation, the search is over for alternative software. PDF Expert for Mac is the catch-all solution for wrangling those PDFs, and it's available at a one-time low price.PDF Expert for Mac is Apple's Editor's Choice for good reason. It makes editing PDFs as easy as it should be, with a smooth interface that allows you to open and read large files in a jiffy. Sign your documents, edit images or text, change links, add outlines or annotations - it's all at your fingertips. When you're done, the app makes it simple to share your PDFs across multiple devices, and you can even password-protect specific documents for added security.The top paid app in the Mac App Store, PDF Expert for Mac is currently 75% off at $19.99 - the last time you'll see it at this price. Read the rest

Being able to dance and dodge my way out of attending the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas every January is one of the most important acts of self-care I commit to all year long. While it's always nice to catch up with colleagues at CES, the crush of human misery, drunk assclowns looking to cheat on their partner while they're off the leash in Vegas, and the multiple viruses that make the rounds each year at the event are a few of my least favorite things. This year, however, I almost regret turning down the opportunity to eat at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill every day for a week in between appointments and trips to the Las Vegas Convention Center: LG Electronics is said to be unveiling a fancy new home beer-brewing kit.From Tom's Guide:Similar to other home brewing systems, the HomeBrew uses capsules that contain everything you need—malt, yeast, hops, and flavoring—which you insert into the machine, add water, and press a button.The machine then sets the correct brewing temperature and time, and in about two weeks, will produce up to 10.5 pints (1.3 gallons) of beer.At launch, five packets will be available: American IPA, American Pale Ale, English Stout, a Belgian Witbier and a Czech Pilsner. The HomeBrew also has a self-sanitizing process, to ensure that your batch of beer isn't skunked. An app will also let you monitor the progress of the brew. It takes a lot of the guesswork out of making beer at home. Read the rest

A feature-length documentary about the making of the 1988 cult classic Beetlejuice is in the works. The film is being made and directed by French Beetlejuice superfan Fred China and produced by Adam F. Goldberg (The Goldbergs) and Lee Leshen (Back in Time, Ghostheads).Here's its trailer:They're currently running a second crowdfunding campaign to cover the cost of more interviews. (To note: For €25 you can get the doc's movie poster --shown above-- which was created by Kyle Lambert, the creator of Stranger Things art.)(Cult of Weird) Read the rest

Ret. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is asking for no prison time. A memo from the former Trump national security chief's legal defense team was filed tonight, just before his scheduled sentencing.They're asking a federal judge to spare Flynn from prison time, Flynn offers to do 200 hours of community service, and they want less than a year's worth of probation with minimal supervision, all in response to the government's sentencing memo. HERE IS A COPY OF MICHAEL FLYNN'S 'DEFENDANT'S MEMORANDUM IN AID OF SENTENCING.'In the memo (courtesy of CNN) Flynn says his cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation "was not grudging or delayed."Rather, it preceded his guilty plea or any threatened indictment and began very shortly after he was first contacted for assistance by the Special Counsel's Office," wrote his team.We know from other recent court filings that Flynn met with federal investigators 19 times, and spoke to them for more than 62 hours.The court filing was made available on Tuesday night, and includes references from multiple retired military officials, including General Jack Keane.Interesting color here about Flynn's January 24, 2017 interview with Peter Strzok and another FBI agent to discuss his communications with Russians. "One of the agents reported that General Flynn was 'unguarded' during the interview and 'clearly saw the FBI agents as allies.'" pic.twitter.com/D2h0GFrt6Z— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) December 12, 2018Flynn files his sentencing memo, asking for probation and not jail time: https://t.co/4y7RiDTDQl / Last week, Mueller already said that his office was OK with no jail time: https://t.co/QKwqqIHntZ pic.twitter.com/orj7wpMt5n— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) December 12, 2018This Flynn sentencing memo spends page after page reminding the court of what a model soldier he once was. Read the rest

There are few things finer in 2018 than being able to hunker down with a few friends, in person or online, and beat the living crap out of each other over the course of an hour playing Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. For those without a Nintendo Switch, this live action video featuring professional stunt actors beating each other down Super Smash style is the next best thing. Read the rest

A judge in Canada today granted $10 million bail for Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of China electronics giant Huawei. She has to remain in the Vancouver area, where she has a home. The United States has requested her extradition. China is not happy. Huawai's response follows..BBC:Meng Wanzhou could be extradited to the US to face fraud charges linked to the alleged violation of sanctions on Iran.A judge in Vancouver set her bail at C$10m (£6m; $7.4m) including C$7m in cash.Meng was arrested in Vancouver on 1 December. Her detention has angered China and threatened to worsen its trade war with the US.Here is Huawei's official statement on her release, which came out around 6pm ET Tuesday. Read the rest

A U.S. judge today postponed Maria Butina's plea agreement hearing until Thursday. Butina is expected to plead guilty of being a Russian agent who conspired with Russians and Americans to throw the election to Trump, funnel cash to the NRA and other political figures, and soften U.S. foreign policy towards Moscow. Thursday will be an important news day if this plea hearing schedule holds.She was charged in July, and originally pleaded not guilty. The court considered her a high flight risk. She's been in jail for months.From Reuters, on the Tuesday court hearing schedule change:U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan did not specify a reason for the delay.Butina was jailed awaiting trial. Moscow has labeled the case against Butina “fabricated” and called for her release.Prosecutors have accused Butina of working with a Russian official and two U.S. citizens to try to infiltrate the NRA, which has close ties to Republican politicians including President Donald Trump, and sway Washington’s policy toward Moscow.The federal prosecutors in the case against Butina are not from the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 U.S. election and whether Trump’s campaign conspired with Moscow.Seen this Vladimir Putin video clip? No wonder she's flipping. The Big Boss ain't happy.Путин о Бутиной: Ей грозит 15 лет лишения свободы! За что?! Я когда про нее услышал, опросил всех руководителей спецслужб. Кто такая?! Никто о ней ничего не знает! pic.twitter.com/8KcFwNBIeV— Дмитрий Смирнов (@dimsmirnov175) December 11, 2018In this news clip, the Russian President says, “[Maria Butina] faces 15 years of imprisonment! Read the rest

Because it's always a good time to flog a dead horse.Chris Geidner of Buzzfeed writes, “The Trump administration went to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, seeking an order that would allow it to enforce its new policy barring asylum claims by those who cross into the country without authorization.”“On Dec. 7, the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit denied the Justice Department's request to put the district court judge's injunction on hold.”Follow Chris on this story.BREAKING: Trump administration goes to #SCOTUS seeking an order allowing it to enforce its asylum ban. https://t.co/fnCGP70YeV pic.twitter.com/T9326f5KCQ— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) December 11, 2018 Read the rest

Stormy Daniels must pay $293,052.33 in attorney's fees, costs and sanctions to President Donald Trump's lawyers, a California judge has ruled in the defamation suit attorney Michael Avenatti brought against Trump earlier this year.Trump attorney Charles Harder asked for about $780,000 from Stormy Daniels, the porn name of adult film actor and director Stephanie Clifford. That amount broke down to $389,000 in attorney fees plus $389,000 in sanctions, in a hearing last week.Harder called today's ruling "a total victory for the President.""The court's order, along with the court's prior order dismissing Stormy Daniels' defamation case against the President, together constitute a total victory for the President, and a total defeat for Stormy Daniels in this case," Harder said.JUST IN: Federal judge orders Stormy Daniels to pay President Donald Trump $293,052.33 in attorneys' fees in her defamation case against the president, which the judge tossed out. pic.twitter.com/MIfHSijuF9— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) December 11, 2018From CNN:The defamation suit -- separate from the original lawsuit about the non-disclosure agreement Daniels signed with former Trump attorney Michael Cohen that's now at the center of a federal criminal case against Cohen -- was brought earlier this year after Trump called an allegation by Daniels that an unknown man threatened her in a parking lot to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump a "total con job" in a tweet. Trump has denied having the affair.Federal District Judge James Otero tossed out the case in October and, as part of that decision, ordered Daniels to pay a portion of Trump's attorney fees. Read the rest

Gillian Brockell is very brave.We are so sorry for your loss, Gillian.“An open letter to @Facebook, @Twitter, @Instagram and @Experian regarding algorithms and my son's birth,” on Twitter:Earlier:Some sad personal news pic.twitter.com/ZkBOB7oqUq— Gillian Brockell (@gbrockell) November 30, 2018 Read the rest

Why do humans have so little hair, at least compared to all other primates? At Smithsonian, Jason Daley shares the latest genetic research on the biological factors that result in humans' minimal body hair and its unusual distribution. Daley also surveys the fascinating current theories about why we evolved into the only naked apes. From Smithsonian:One popular idea that has gone in and out of favor since it was proposed is called the aquatic ape theory. The hypothesis suggests that human ancestors lived on the savannahs of Africa, gathering and hunting prey. But during the dry season, they would move to oases and lakesides and wade into shallow waters to collect aquatic tubers, shellfish or other food sources. The hypothesis suggests that, since hair is not a very good insulator in water, our species traded in most of our fur for a layer of fat. The hypothesis even suggests we might have developed bipedalism to become more effective waders. But this idea, which has been around for decades, hasn’t received much support from the fossil record and isn’t taken seriously by most researchers.A more widely accepted theory is that, when human ancestors moved from the cool shady forests into the savannah, they needed better thermoregulation. Losing all that fur made it possible for hominins to hunt during the day in the hot grasslands without overheating. An increase in sweat glands, many more than other primates, also kept early humans on the cool side. The development of fire and clothing meant that humans could keep cool during the day and cozy up at night. Read the rest

Several weeks ago, Ted Pilkey of Westford, Vermont installed this massive wooden middle finger sculpture on his lawn atop a 16-foot-pole. From Boston.com:“I’m not trying to cause hate and animosity to the people who live in that town, because there’s very good people in that town,” the 54-year-old Westford native says of his fellow residents in the 2,000-person town. “All the people are very good people.”With the exception, Pelkey says, of the Westford Selectboard, Development Review Board, and other town leaders, who have blocked his efforts to get a permit to build the 8,000-square-foot garage, so he could move his truck repair and monofilament recycling businesses in nearby Swanton to his own property.Officials say Pelkey’s applications have fallen short of the town’s standards, but he thinks they’re biased against him...Although the structure is visible from a state highway, it is outside of the State Right of Way and not within our jurisdiction,” Jacqui DeMen, a spokeswoman for the agency, told Boston.com in an email. “The structure does not meet the statutory definition of ‘sign’ and thus can’t be regulated under the Vermont Billboard Law.”Perhaps Pelkey was inspired by a similar sculpture outside the Italian stock exchange in Milan. Read the rest

Trafficking guns and explosives to the Irish Republican Army, running a massive criminal enterprise for years in Boston, extorting drug dealers so that they could do business on his turf, acting as an FBI informant and oh, so many murders: James “Whitey” Bulger's life was both colorful and poisonous, to say the least. His long career as a professional criminal came to an end in 2011. After over a decade on the FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives list, Bulger was located and charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion, narcotics distribution and money-laundering. He was convicted and thrown in the clink in 2012. This past October, Bugler, 89 years old and confined to a wheelchair, was stabbed and beaten to death by his fellow inmates at the United States Penitentiary, Hazelton, in West Virginia.While it might be difficult for a lot of folks to have sympathy for a man responsible for so much pain, Bulger's family wants to know what happened inside of the penitentiary: why was Bulger sent to the cell block he was killed in? Why wasn't the murder, involving multiple inmates, stopped? They've filed a lawsuit to find out.From The Boston Globe:“It’s important for the family and the public to know why the prisons decided to wheel an 89-year-old man with a history of heart attacks into one of the most dangerous prisons in the country,” Hank Brennan, Bulger’s attorney of seven years, told the Journal.The Globe reported in late November that Bulger had wished for a “peaceful death” in a series of letters written over the past several years to a former convict. Read the rest

Jary, a police dog in South Dakota, puts on quite a performance as he tries out a brand new set of snow boots. Just a little practice and he'll be running with the best of them.Via AP, who found this from a post by The Rapid City Police Department Read the rest

Comcast offered to get internet service to (96% of) the good people of Charlemont, Mass in exchange for a $462,123 subsidy; instead, the town of 1300 voted to reject the offer and spend $1.4M to build their own super-fast fiber network.The town will charge $79/month for symmetrical gigabit access with no data-caps, and people can add phone and TV service for an extra payment.If enough townspeople sign up, there will be no extra taxes levied for the network rollout as they will be able to cover the whole costs through subscription fees.Go Charlemont! Today, you are the smartest people in America.An increase in property taxes would cover the construction cost. But the town would also bring in revenue from selling broadband service, and potentially break even, making the project less expensive than Comcast's offer."With 59 percent of households taking broadband service, the tax hike would be 29 cents [per $1,000 of assessed home value], similar to that for Comcast," a Recorder article last month said. "But if 72 percent or more of households subscribe to the municipal-owned network, there is no tax impact, because subscriber fees would pay for it."Comcast rejected by small town—residents vote for municipal fiber instead [Jon Brodkin/Ars Technica] Read the rest

It started when Tumblr flagged one of my retrospective posts (a five year old post about the right of British schoolkids to opt out of fingerprinting) as porn.So I made another post, making fun of the pornbot's shitty judgment. It got flagged. Undaunted, I made another post complaining about the pornbot's shitty judgment about its own shitty judgment. Guess what happened?Naturally, I couldn't let that slide. YOU WON'T EVER GUESS WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!I can keep this up all day, you know!Who says you can't win an argument with a computer? Read the rest

I've always had a soft spot for Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. They were met with middling enthusiasm from critics, but they served up a whole lot of what I wanted: the ability to build my own team of Marvel heroes to open cans of whoop ass on the forces of evil. Long before Diablo 3, the Ultimate Alliance games allowed me to scratch my "quest for gear" itch, without having to log on to World of Warcraft and deal with other people. Providing me with juuuust the right combination of mindless button mashing, light tactics and story to keep me coming back, they used to be among my favorite games to turn to when I needed to switch my brain off for an hour or two.Soon, there'll be a new addition to the franchise for me to play.From The Verge:Nintendo has announced Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order exclusively for the Switch. The game was announced through a trailer shown off at The Game Awards, which are currently in progress; it’ll be out in 2019. Team Ninja, the studio behind Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive, and Nioh, is on board as developer, marking its first Nintendo collaboration since Metroid: Other M.I'm curious about how it'll work for the Switch. The PSP version of the first installment in the series was playable, but often felt cramped on the portable console's tiny display. I guess I'll have the opportunity to find out in 2019. Read the rest

This snake has a mission. It slithers quickly into an open door police station in northern Thailand and makes it way to a visitor who is at the station to report an incident. Without provocation, the snake leaps at the man. The man panics for a bit, but handles the situation like a champ. After a few moments of trying to fight it off with his legs and feet, he manages to grab the snake at both ends and carry it off. He even seems a bit amused, offering it to an officer before taking it outside. Seems like this isn't the first time this dude has had to deal with a snake.Via YouTube Read the rest

SantaCon, a public gathering of soon-to-be-drunk folks in Santa Claus outfits, generally turns destructive. SF city leaders attempted to regulate it this year. Apparently, that did not help much. Some revelers were real jerks.SFGate:Two female suspects vandalized and struck an employee of a San Francisco restaurant after they were repeatedly asked to leave, according to SFPD.Videos shared to Facebook by a regular of the restaurant show a chaotic scene outside Shalimar, a Indian-Pakistani restaurant at 1490 Polk St. during Saturday's Santa Con, the city's annual pub crawl. In one of them, a female suspect throws napkins at an employee. Another shows a female suspect taking a chair from outside the restaurant and repeatedly smashing the glass door of the restaurant, after being encouraged by rambunctious onlookers. Read the rest

Even as an adult, I am entirely confused by cousin relationships beyond "first." This chart is very helpful though it lacks the category of "kissing cousin."(via r/mildlyinteresting) Read the rest

An investigation by the New York Times into the shadowy world of location-data brokerages found a whole menagerie of companies from IBM, Foursquare and the Weather Channel to obscure players like Groundtruth, Fysical and Safegraph, who pay app vendors to include their tracking code in common apps.These apps sometimes disclose that they will track your location for ad personalization or to "improve service," but they don't generally reveal that they are beaconing your location to ad brokers you've never heard of, sometimes as often as once a minute, and that this data can be easily traced back to individuals (say, by looking for phones that go from your home address to your job five days a week), and that it is sometimes retained indefinitely.The Times found evidence of children, public officials, and people with sensitive addiction, health, and employment situations being tracked in fine detail by these ad brokers.For their part, the brokers say that this is merely service being traded for data, and blame users for not realizing that all this secretive, creepy shit is happening all the time.In an accompanying guide to reducing location tracking, the Times suggests going through app-by-app location permissions but also points out that this kind of data marketplace is essentially unregulated.Companies that use location data say that people agree to share their information in exchange for customized services, rewards and discounts. Ms. Magrin, the teacher, noted that she liked that tracking technology let her record her jogging routes.Brian Wong, chief executive of Kiip, a mobile ad firm that has also sold anonymous data from some of the apps it works with, says users give apps permission to use and share their data. Read the rest

If there was ever collective schadenfreude to be had, it was when we learned that a bunch of young, privileged rich kids got swindled by the promoters of the 2017 Fyre Festival and were left to fend for themselves on a remote island. On January 18, Netflix is releasing a documentary about the dumpster Fyre. Here's its teaser trailer:Get your exclusive first look at FYRE — a revealing new doc about the insanity and rapid unraveling of Fyre Festival: the greatest party that never happened. Premieres January 18. #NetflixNewsWeek pic.twitter.com/B4iaR3UJwM— See What's Next (@seewhatsnext) December 10, 2018Previously: Fyre Festival fraudster sentenced to six years in federal prison(COS) Read the rest

I am a bicycle snob. I'm at a point where beauty and function generally win out over comfort or financial considerations. This is where non-cyclists start to get really confused. Deep down, riding a bike is about sacrifice, and that's not a popular starting point for most people. There's usually a faster way to get where you need, or a drier one, or one that causes a bit less hardship and pain. But the combination of physical challenge and childlike entertainment makes a bicycle a special thing, and this leads to a cascading series of strange decisions. Eventually, you end up riding around on tires that are too skinny, with bars that are too low and a saddle that is too hard.But we revel in this. We love the confusion in our coworkers when we show up for work late, soaked to the bone and exhausted. We love it when they shake their heads, muttering about our grease-stained pants. The more confusion we sow in others, the more certain we are in our feelings. There's a masochistic pride in our ability to do something that others can't (or don't want to). And I think this is why the cycling community has not embraced e-bikes.That's an understatement, really. In the cycling pecking order, e-bikes reside somewhere just above a recumbent, but just below driving around with the AC blasting out the open windows of our diesel belching pick-up. They're a thing that you look sideways at while at a stop light, or roll your eyes at when they blow by you up a hill. Read the rest

OMG, these hand-crocheted Yip Yips stockings by Carissa Browning sure do make me smile. The big mouths of Sesame Street's Muppet martians are perfect for stuffing in holiday gifts (and later for storing toys, Browning suggests). One catch: If you want these, you'll have to crochet or knit them yourself. Fortunately, Browning has provided patterns for them which can be downloaded for free from her Ravelry page.The spaceship has landed, and any fan of late 20th century children’s public television will recognize these lovable aliens.Crochet them or knit them, use them as holiday stockings, toy storage, kids’ laundry, whatever really!You should also be prepared to play with ping pong balls and pipe cleaners, and do a little light sewing.Yip yip uh-huh uh-huh(Cool Mom Picks, Daily Crochet)photo via Carissa Browning, used with permission Read the rest

Today, activists delivered more than 4,000,000 Europeans' signatures opposing the inclusion of an automated censorship system in the new Copyright Directive to the European officials in Strasbourg who are negotiating the final form of the Directive before the next vote.It's hard to recall any EU initiative that was this unpopular, and nothing the negotiators have done since they slipped behind closed doors more than three months ago has improved it. Instead, they've added an incoherent slaw of contradictory subrules to the proposal that can't possibly be honoured, none of which alter the incontrovertible fact that Article 13 (which required algorithmic copyright censorship bots from the very start) will inevitably lead to AI filters making billions of judgments a day about what Europeans may and may not say.At this point, it's safe to say that nearly everybody hates this rule: the largest movie companies and sports leagues in Europe have asked the EU to remove their content from the scope of Article 13; the world's preeminent internet technologists have warned that it could wreck the internet, and millions of Europeans agree.The EU is in a crisis, with Eurosceptic movements on the rise in almost every member-state. To counter this, the EU has promoted the idea that it is an evidence-based, neutral policymaker, devoted to promoting the interests of all 500,000,000 people under its jurisdiction. It has called on Europeans to strengthen their relationship with the EU by engaging more in European policy questions.European experts and the European people have spoken, and overwhelmingly what they have said is that Article 13 is unsalvageable. Read the rest

I don't ask for much from a Godzilla movie other than it be ridiculous. Big explosions, Kaiju and doomed citizens running to and fro before being crushed underfoot or by a building are mandatory. In the latest trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, there's plenty of that. That it also offers up CCH Pounder, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, and Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown is icing on the cake.We'll have to wait until the end of May before we can see how goofy this glorious-looking flick gets. Read the rest

When it comes to tech, smaller is better, and these items fit the bill both in terms of size and price. We've rounded up our favorite stocking-ready gadgets, most of which are already on sale - and you can take an additional 15% off any of them with the special code MERRY15.iPM 3-in-1 Fast Wireless Charging PadThanks to the Qi wireless charging capability of this slim pad, you can charge two smartphones and an Apple Watch simultaneously. A great space saver that doesn't sacrifice charging speed for convenience, the iPM 3-in-1 Fast Wireless Charging Pad is currently sitting at a 62% discount of $48.99.2-in-1 Smart Plug with Alexa, Google & IFTTT CompatibilityWith an easy set-up to any Wi-Fi connection, this unobtrusive gadget lets you enable any plugged in devices for remote activation. Manage groups of items with a single button or command, or create an energy-saving schedule to automatically turn your appliances on or off. All that functionality is 9% off with a 2-pack of 2-in-1 Smart Plugs at $37.99.BentoStackWhen you love your gadgets, it's easy to run out of space. The BentoStack is a cute, elegant way to cart around those ancillary iPhone items like chargers, earbuds, and styluses - even internationally-compatible wall plugs - in a Japanese-inspired carrying case. Right now, the BentoStack is 14% off at $42.95.SolarJuice 26,800mAh External BatteryTeam up with the sun and give your phone or tablet some extra life on long trips with this sturdy unit. Read the rest

When it comes to making rope, there's no school like the old school. I love that, despite the advances made in the areas of fabrication and industrial automation, there are still products made using methods that haven't changed in a century. Some things, as this video from How it's Made illustrates, are better off without updates. Read the rest

Warner Bros. has just released Emmet’s Holiday Party, a cute nearly-2-1/2-minute-long short that has The LEGO Movie's Emmett decorating Apocalypseburg for the holidays. It doubles as a promo for The LEGO Movie 2, which hits theatres in February 2019. Read the rest

This spells doom for Trump and the NRA. Paul Erickson, hope the sex was fantastic.Maria Butina, 30, was either a perky gun nut with a fetish for sex-starved GOP losers, or a secret agent in Russia's covert influence operation to influence the 2016 United States elections. We had a pretty good idea. But now we know. And she's flipping. Today Maria Butina's lawyers said she agrees to plead guilty to conspiracy and cooperate with federal, state and local authorities in any ongoing investigations."The agreement, which Butina signed on Saturday, Dec. 8, also notes that the conspiracy charge carries ... up to five years in prison, but the deal could see Butina receive a lesser sentence, depending on the level of her cooperation, before likely being deported back to Russia." Previous reporting links her to the NRA. The already broke NRA is now in extremely deep shit. Butina is reported to have admitted, as part of the deal copy obtained by ABC News that is expected to be filed to the court, that....She and an unnamed “U.S. Person 1,” which sources have identified as longtime Republican operative Paul Erickson, with whom she had a multiyear romantic relationship, “agreed and conspired, with a Russian government official (“Russian Official”) and at least one other person, for Butina to act in the United States under the direction of Russian Official without prior notification to the Attorney General.”Based on the description, the “Russian Official” appears to be Alexander Torshin, deputy governor of the Russian Central Bank and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Read the rest

Rocky Bergen creates gorgeous, downloadable papercraft models of retro PCs, from the Commodore 64 to the Apple ][+ to the Amstrad, with different screens to print celebrating classic 8-bit games, and accessories like tiny floppies in tiny paper sleeves. As Waxy points out, these would make stunning Christmas ornaments. Read the rest

Add this to the ongoing list of "quirky and downright strange" calendars for 2019: Sean Tejaratchi of LiartownUSA's Social Justice Kittens.It’s 2019. All around us, ancient evils lurk in the deepening shadows, growing more powerful by the hour, feeding on hatred and centuries of oppression. The signs and symbols are everywhere for those willing to see.Thanks to LiarTown, you can now take the most courageous step of all: remaining silent while others speak. Once again it’s time to amplify the voices of those fluffy little activists, the Social Justice Kittens! They’ve returned, rested and ready to call out and clap back!But don’t think for a minute these woke, whiskered warriors have come alone! Get an eyeful of the all-new litter of Social Justice Puppies scrambling along behind them! These progressive pups have endured marathon struggle sessions and merciless “self-crit” to achieve dizzying levels of abject submission and self-debasement. They’re determined to be on the right side of history, and positively squirming for a chance to recite their gut-wrenching confessions!It’s up to you. Will you celebrate the voices of the marginalized, or further stain your soul with murderous complicity? Every moment you delay causes further abuse and gentrification. Those far more woke than you roll their eyes at your absurd doubts and questions! Desperate times call for desperate measures! Answer that call NOW…with kittens!Please note: As usual, every bit of kitten and puppy dialogue is sourced from genuine social media posts. Nothing has been taken out of context or misrepresented. Read the rest

Leon Hong writes, "I made this science-y animation for my wife Elaine Hsiao's research — with the hopes that people will learn something new about how all the microbes that live in and on us affect our brains and behavior."Professor Elaine Hsiao heads the Hsiao Lab in the Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology at UCLA where she teaches the class “Me, Myself, and Microbes”. Her lab researches how microbes affect our brains and behavior. Elaine received her bachelor's in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UCLA and her PhD in Neurobiology at Caltech.Me, Myself & Microbes — A short story on how microbes affect our brains and behavior [Elaine Hsiao and Leon Hong] Read the rest