What do you do if you want to complain about your job but your employer is the poster-child for surveillance capitalism? Buy a burner phone.As Facebook's internal tensions "boil over," Buzzfeed reports that the employees feel "under siege" after 600 days of bad news, and have resorted to using burner phones to talk to each other -- and the press.People are “hoping for a Sundar or Dara moment,” one former senior Facebook employee told BuzzFeed News, referring to past leadership changes at Google and Uber in which founding employees stepped aside from top jobs. A second senior employee echoed the view, suggesting that some inside the ranks are looking for a shakeup to come from the outside. The chatter has made its way outside of the company’s Menlo Park headquarters. “Senior people there know the only way out of this is by hiring a Dara,” a senior executive at a rival company told BuzzFeed News referring to Dara Khosrowshahi, the Uber CEO brought in to replace cofounder Travis Kalanick last year.Another former senior employee noted a growing sense of paranoia among current employees. “Now, people now have burner phones to talk shit about the company — not even to reporters, just to other employees,” they told BuzzFeed News.Mark Zuckerberg's Biggest Problem: Internal Tensions At Facebook Are Boiling Over [Ryan Mac and Charlie Warzel/Buzzfeed](via /.) Read the rest

In 2017, Pricewaterhousecooper published Using science fiction to explore business innovation, a guide for corporations that wanted to work with sf writers to think about the future of their businesses; it was part of a wave of corporate interest in the insights of sf writers, which also coincides with a parallel trend in academia (see, for example, ASU's Center for Science and the Imagination and UCSD's Clark Center for Human Imagination, both of which I have some involvement with). Some science fiction writers are now experiencing a small boom in consulting contracts, which often take the form of writing short stories (here's one I wrote for Intel) or participating in workshops. I've done a small amount of this work myself, and I've been getting more offers over the transom, including one this week, which I passed to my agent to negotiate; he told me that his other clients are also getting these gigs.I can't see any downside to this, to be honest. I recently spoke to a bunch of senior Audi people about the link between DRM and Dieselgate, and how a lack of competition in the corporate sector has led to market concentration, weak regulation, and a festering corruption problem. I don't know if the top management will take what I had to say to heart, but the people in the audience definitely connected, as I learned in speaking to them one to one afterwards.I don't think that science fiction is a very good way of predicting the future (I also don't think that the future can be predicted), but I do think that science fiction is a great way to influence the future. Read the rest

Sam and Simone realized they could build a house for the same amount they would have spent on a year's rent in Australia. So they did, in one of their parents' backyard. It looks great.From Living Big in a Tiny House:In this video, we discuss how they were able to construct their tiny house for such an affordable price and tips for building tiny houses for less. Especially in a country like Australia, where the material cost of building can be very high! As students of wildlife and environmental sciences, the couple now have plans to regenerate the property where the tiny house is parked. They are also using the tiny house as a base to launch a new online business. I hope you enjoy this full video tour of this stunning tiny home. Read the rest

I first learned about Liberator sex-furniture from the amazing sex-positive webcomic Oh Joy Sex Toy: the company makes foam wedges, half-spheres, pillows and even loungers that help couples (or more!) comfortably sustain sexual positions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible, whether due to a lack of athleticism or some kind of disability. What I didn't know was that Liberators are made by Luvu, the largest sex-furniture manufacturer in the USA, based in suburban Atlanta. Luvu is a fast-growing, profitable business that employs its workers full time and pays them three times what it would have to pay in China. Luvu works primarily with immigrants and recent graduates from addiction-recovery programs. They have an extensive in-house training program that gets new workers up to speed on CAD software and sewing technology.The company is committed to reducing manufacturing waste, and has launched a successful side-business that recycles offcuts of foam into bean bags and pool floats, and that business has grown so fast that it has absorbed all the waste from Luvu's own products, so the company now uses the waste of other furniture manufacturers as well.The company sources its materials locally, and enjoys a home-town advantage with US customers: shipping bulky items from China is less practical than shipping phones or other compact items. What's more, they have a discerning customer base who recognize the quality of Luvu's products and are willing to pay a premium for that quality.Not every company can operate like Luvu brands does. Read the rest

A British teenager, 19-year-old George Duke-Cohan, has been sent to jail for three years for emailing thousands of bomb hoaxes to schools. He had also called San Francisco Airport pretending to be the father of a girl on a United Airlines flight who contacted him to say her plane was being hijacked.According to NBC:George Duke-Cohan, 19, touched off panic in March 2018 when he emailed thousands of schools, warning about an explosive. The National Crime Agency says more than 400 schools were evacuated.He later caused a scare by telephoning San Francisco Airport and claiming his daughter had contacted him while on a United Airlines flight from Heathrow to say her plane had been hijacked.Here are more details, including audio of his convincing call to the San Francisco Airport, as well as bodycam footage of his arrest, by BBC. Read the rest

Qanon is an unbelievably stupid conspiracy theory whose underlying bullshittery is mathematically provable, and whose primary proponents are pallsy with the President, and whose adherents include mass-murderers whose crimes are linked to their belief in the Qanon conspiracy.Early on, person(s) behind Qanon made a bunch of very specific predictions that failed to come true, causing many to leave the cult. But Qanon learned from their mistake and has started to make much hazier, astrology-style pronouncements that leave sufficient leeway to allow virtually any event to be interpreted as proof of the prophetic insights of Qanon.An exception was a set of very detailed predictions for December 5, 2018, or #D5, which -- unsurprisingly -- also failed to come true. With the latest disappointment, many members of the Qanon cult are waking up to the fact that they got hoodwinked. Anthropologist Jennifer Raft, who writes about conspiracies, has addressed a set of remarks to these departing members, helping to ground them in what has happened to them while they were in the thrall of the cult.The short version: you got scammed, people gained both money and attention by scamming you, smart people are actually easy to scam because they form really good rationalizations and overestimate their own intelligence, and chances are, you helped scam other people.Not everyone will get out. Look at the Q Anon movement today. It’s still full of people—although less than there were at the beginning of the week—claiming that whatever hit the headlines proved his prophecies to be true, and demanding that everyone Trust the Plan and WWG1WGA, forever and ever, amen. Read the rest

Robbo writes, "Gerald Casale, founder of DEVO, has written an open letter in response to the band being inducted into the Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame."Casale was an SDS activist who was present at the Kent State massacre and who was friends with the students who were murdered by the National Guard there. He describes how his hope for an society that evolved toward a better world soured with the conviction that the world was devolving, thanks to the "encroaching fusion of technological advances with the centralized, authoritarian power of the state."Casale describes a 40-year career on the sidelines of America where "the capacity for critical thought and reasoning were eroding fast" thanks to right-wing dumbing-down, and the commodification of rebellion, right up to the 2016 election, with "our vile, venal Mobster-in-Chief (who makes Idiocracy’s Macho Camacho look fit for office) and his corrupt minions rob the nation’s coffers in a shamelessly cruel, Grab-'Em-By-The-Pussy Kleptocracy."He proposes that Devo was inducted into the Hall of Fame "because Western society seems locked in a death wish" -- they're "the house band on the Titanic."This is amazing stuff, especially played against Capital in the 21st Century, which describes the same phenomena in terms of capital flows: during the years when Casale was cultivating his belief in human progress, power and wealth were broadly distributed. The capital destruction of the World Wars had weakened the grip of the rich on policy outcomes, letting everyone else get a turn, with the result being a massive surge of innovation, prosperity and social programs to ensure inclusion. Read the rest

Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who called Trump a "moron" while he was in office, from which he was later fired, has expressed some more choice thoughts on the president. Speaking to Bob Shieffer last night, which was aired on CBS, Tillerson said, "What was challenging for me coming from the disciplined, highly process-oriented Exxon Mobil corporation, to go work for a man who is pretty undisciplined, doesn't like to read, doesn't read briefing reports, doesn't like to get into the details of a lot of things..." He also said that Trump "acts on his instincts," which "in some respects looks like impulsiveness." WATCH: Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is speaking publicly about what led to his firing in March by President Trump.CBS News political contributor @bobschieffer interviewed Tillerson in Houston last night, at a dinner to benefit MD Anderson Cancer Center. pic.twitter.com/47qDqcsrMs— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) December 7, 2018Not seen in the clip above but mentioned in The Washington Post is that Tillerson then talked about "how Trump as president regularly attempted to do things that violated the law."“So often, the president would say, ‘Here’s what I want to do, and here’s how I want to do it,’ " Tillerson said, according to the Houston Chronicle, “and I would have to say to him, ‘Mr. President, I understand what you want to do, but you can’t do it that way. It violates the law.’ ”Tillerson also wasn't keen on Trump's use – and the American's love of – Twitter. Read the rest

Since the InSight robotic lander touched down on Mars last week, engineers have been putting its scientific instruments through their paces. This included extending the lander's 6 foot (2 meter) robotic arm that will be used to deploy instruments and take images of the Martian surface."Today we can see the first glimpses of our workspace," said mission principal investigator Bruce Banerdt of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.People, these images are from the surface of Mars! MARS! NASA's Mars InSight Flexes Its Arm (NASA) Read the rest

Hey, remember those cops who ate a cannabis-infused chocolate bar that was supposed have been taken as evidence during a raid? Do you recall that they snarfed down their stolen snack while on duty and then proceeded to trip balls? Maybe the fact that they freaked out and called for police assistance--the sort of thing that the police normally do when they're in a life threatening situation--might ring a bell? OK, how about this: when their fellow officers responded, one slipped on the ice and was pretty badly injured as he tried to get to his distressed comrades. No? This link will jog your memory. Good to go? OK, buckle in: there's an update on their story.This past November, Constable Vittorio Dominelli pleaded guilty to attempting to obstruct justice and wants everyone to know that he's very, very sorry.From The CBC:Justice Mary Misener says Dominelli is a "complete idiot" for tampering with evidence.Crown attorney Philip Perlmutter, who read out an agreed statement of facts in court, says Dominelli took three hazelnut chocolate bars infused with cannabis oil from the raid.Perlmutter says Dominelli and another officer later ate one chocolate bar and became intoxicated in about 20 minutes, and eventually radioed for help.Const. Jamie Young and Dominelli allegedly assisted in the execution of a search warrant at Community Cannabis Clinic, a marijuana dispensary in the city's west end, in the early evening of Jan. 27.As a result of their poor judgement and inopportune snacking, Dominelli and Young both wound up facing multiple misconduct charges under the Police Services Act. Read the rest

As we know, the absurdly long CVS receipts are due to the rise of data mining and target marketing. A fellow from Lakewood, Ohio recently Tweeted his ingenious upcycling of one of those ridiculous receipts. From News 5 Cleveland:Andrew said he got the idea quite on accident – he bought a few items (less than 10, he said) from the Rocky River CVS, then laid the receipt out on his bedroom floor to take a picture of it to send to his friends.He came back later and actually thought the receipt was one of the blinds that had fallen on the floor. “…they’re cheap blinds so they fall off pretty often,” he said in a chat with News 5.“…and when I realized it was actually the receipt, I thought it would be funny to see if it fit in the window, and it happened to fit perfectly,” he said. Read the rest

Neti pot brain-amoeba deaths are like shark week: an incredibly rare event that commands outsize attention due to reactionary schadenfreude and the sheer horror of the victim's demise. Fox News:When a 69-year old Seattle woman had a seizure earlier this year, doctors at Swedish Medical Center thought she may have had a brain tumor. However during surgery, they discovered it was something much more unusual. ... Dr. Cobb says she most likely became infected by the amoeba after treating a common sinus problem with tap water.“We believe that she was using a device to irrigate her sinuses that some people use called a neti pot. It’s extremely important to use sterile saline or sterile water. I think she was using water that had been through a water filter and had been doing that for about a year previously,” Dr. Cobb said.The FDA isn't quite so stern, saying you can use tapwater to irrigate your sinuses if you boil it for at least 3 minutes and, of course, let it cool first. The CDC says you can use filtered tapwater, but only if you're using filters that are explicitly designed to remove germs. Most fridge and store-bought filters do not remove germs. My local water department handed out this fancy Zerowater model to householders during a local water quality scare here and I can recommend it, though it's slow to filter and the replacement filters are pricey. It also removes dissolved minerals, unlike most store brands, resulting in all the pros and cons of drinking soft water. Read the rest

A patient suffering from heart failure reportedly coughed up a huge blood clot that somehow retained the shape of the lung passages it had blocked. The Atlantic's Haley Weiss reports that "Doctors Aren’t Sure How This Even Came Out of a Patient"In Wieselthaler’s case, blood eventually broke out of his patient’s pulmonary network into the lower right lung, heading directly for the bronchial tree. After days of coughing up much smaller clots, Wieselthaler’s patient bore down on a longer, deeper cough and, relieved, spit out a large, oddly shaped clot, folded in on itself. Once Wieselthaler and his team carefully unfurled the bundle and laid it out, they found that the architecture of the airways had been retained so perfectly that they were able to identify it as the right bronchial tree based solely on the number of branches and their alignment.He died a few days later. I looked it up. Sorry. Read the rest

A couple of years ago, I was asked if I'd like to review the reMarkable tablet. If you're unfamiliar with it, the reMarkable is an E Ink slate and pen solution that provides a digital note taking and sketching solution that feels eerily close to writing on paper. I was excited to take it for a spin: despite the fact that I type for a living, my note taking and a good chunk of my writing is decidedly old school. So far, I've had no luck in finding any hardware solution that serves me better than a piece of paper and a fountain pen can. Unfortunately, at its release, the reMarkable wasn't all that remarkable. While the latency of the tablet's E Ink display and pen were close to non-existent, the rest of its software felt under baked. The UI was far from intuitive. It functioned as an e-reader, but only barely. While you could export what you'd written to a smartphone or computer, there was no way to edit the text once it was there. It felt like a slog to use. I asked a colleague in Canada if he'd like to give it a try. I mailed it out to him and, a few weeks later, it came back to me, marked not "deliverable." I didn't have time to ship it out again as I was preparing to spend several months on the road. I threw it into the back of my workspace's storage cupboard. It lurked there until today. Read the rest

Smokers on the go can breathe a little easier. With an innovative, easy-loading spiral design, the Twisty Glass Blunt offered a smoother, more consistent draw than conventional pipes. Now the Twisty Glass Mini delivers the benefits of its heavy-duty sister pipe in a more discreet package.For those that haven't already made the Twisty Glass Blunt their new smoking buddy, the Mini loads just as effortlessly. Just pack up to .5 grams of the tobacco of your choice into the tube, twist the screw and light up. The smoke travels through five chambers into a cherry that's a particular highlight of this model. (It's 50% smaller and therefore a cleaner hit.) It all adds up to a smoking experience as smooth as it is compact, and it cleans just as easily - just twist the screw out. Want an even more comfortable hit? The mini is compatible with your favorite water pipe.Right now, the Twisty Glass Mini is $39.99, more than 20% off the MSRP of $50.99. Read the rest

Ok, if you're old enough, you'll remember those cute vintage Chalkware ceramics they used to make to hang in the bathroom. There were a bunch of designs like anthropomorphic seashorses and fish, and mermaids. Well, California artist Erin Tinney Halverson of Hell in a Handbag is bringing them back. Her mermaids are especially cool because she custom paints tattoos on them. They're $79 each which may seem steep, but for the right person it would make an amazing gift. Thanks, Erik! Read the rest

Our very own Gareth Branwyn has made Artistic Licenses. He writes: "They sport ‘self-issuing technology.’ By breaking the wax seal, you are committing to act genuinely, think uniquely, express creatively, and to invoke your muses often.”Love it!If you’d like one (or more), email Gareth directly: garethb2@gmail.com. They are $5 each or five for $20 (postage paid).(MAKE) Read the rest

AlphaZero lost only 6 games to Stockfish in a 1000-game series, winning 155 games and drawing the rest. The crushing win sharpens the challenge of neural networks to traditional chess engines.What can computer chess fans conclude after reading these results? AlphaZero has solidfied its status as one of the elite chess players in the world. But the results are even more intriguing if you're following the ability of artificial intelligence to master general gameplay. According to the journal article, the updated AlphaZero algorithm is identical in three challenging games: chess, shogi, and go. This version of AlphaZero was able to beat the top computer players of all three games after just a few hours of self-training, starting from just the basic rules of the games.Another neural net-powered chess AI independently learned one of AlphaZero's distinctive strategies--advancing lone pawns to vulnerable but irritating positions in the endgame--suggesting that it might be "a critical winning strategy" for human players to emulate. Read the rest

And played in Kyoto. Read the rest

Hey, I started something new. When I'm not blogging for Boing Boing or publishing my inbox zine, I'm busy crafting ways to take over the world. I mean, I'm busy trying to think of fun side hustles for myself. The first "hustle" out of the gate is Chicken Dinner Prize Co, a site I whipped together that sells award ribbons for grownups. Yes, I know there are other sites that make similar items but they all seemed to be geared to millennials. I thought it would be fun to make award ribbons for grownups like me, i.e. the more "middle-aged but still full of childlike mirth" variety. Since it's December, I decided to start with holiday-themed ribbons. I missed out on Hanukkah because it was so early again this year. But I was able to get out some Christmas ones. In the photo, you'll see the "Naughty," and "Nice," as well as "Log Off." I thought it would be amusing to hang one or the other (both?) on someone's stocking and have them discover it. I also thought they could be used as fancy gift tags or even bookmarks. I also made a ribbon with a saying my 14-year-old daughter SJ thought of: "Drunk on Eggnog." We both thought was funny. The final one speaks to that line between naughty and nice, "Nice-ish." I'll be making more (non-holiday) ribbons in near future. I have TONS of ideas ("I survived my mid-life crisis!" with clipart of a dumpster fire, for instance). Read the rest

“Added some epic wings to accompany my previous Perler Bead Armor set,” says Cosplay Amy. Holy cow this is beautiful and extremely committed. It's so gorgeous.Amy continues:Wings are made from 160 individually ironed “feathers” which are ironed flat and sewn onto a large piece of EVA Foam. I used PVC pipe to support the wings due to the fact that each side weighed 7+ lbs.More photos and videos on Instagram: @Cosplamy. If you like her work, donate to her cosplay fund! These fabulous outfits don't grow on trees, unfortunately. View this post on Instagram A side view of the wings with them closed to a 45 angle. I think I’m gonna try these wings on with my Perler Armor tomorrow 🤔 #perlerbeads #perler #pixel #pixelart #wing #cosplayA post shared by Amy Cosplay (@cosplamy) on Dec 1, 2018 at 5:33pm PST View this post on Instagram Hey insta it’s been a while. I’m back at it with the perler beads again 😂 Wings are made from 160 individually ironed and sewn feathers and they weigh over 14 pounds! The shirt was designed with holes in the seams so that the harness holding the wings is not visible from the front. This look was inspired by @katyperry what do you think? #perlerbeads #perler #fusebeads #pixel #pixelart #perlerart #katyperry #cosplay #wingsA post shared by Amy Cosplay (@cosplamy) on Nov 26, 2018 at 3:04pm PST [via] Read the rest

CNN's Brian Stelter is reporting that a bomb threat has led to the evacuation of CNN's NYC offices. The threat came during Don Lemon's show and the network is currently airing recorded programming. In what is sure to be a complete and total coincidence, the threat came around the same time as this tweet from President Trump.UPDATE: All-clear has been given by the NYPD and employees are returning to their offices. The bomb threat was called into CNN at 9:47 PM and mentioned there were five devices in the building. .⁦@CNN⁩ is back on the air live with ⁦@donlemon⁩ and ⁦@brianstelter⁩ pic.twitter.com/wWfB3TYlVq— Brian Steinberg (@bristei) December 7, 2018The phoned threat to CNN was made at 9:47p ET, according to Turner Security— Ram Ramgopal (@RamCNN) December 7, 2018Before Trump's tweet. https://t.co/cGqkYL5ZUl— Juliette Kayyem (@juliettekayyem) December 7, 2018Jeff Zucker addressed tonight’s bomb threat in a note to employees: pic.twitter.com/KbBvqmxO6D— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) December 7, 2018#BREAKING UPDATE: NYPD gives all clear after CNN office in Columbus Circle was evacuated after bomb threat was called in moments after Trump's 'fake news' tweet https://t.co/LtgWtqZ5tH pic.twitter.com/1UTxxRZx78— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) December 7, 2018(Photo: David Shankbone/Wikimedia CC BY 2.5) Read the rest

Remember when Malcolm Turnbull, the goddamned idiot who was briefly Prime Minister of Australia, was told that the laws of mathematics mean that there was no way to make a cryptography system that was weak enough that the cops could use to spy on bad guys, but strong enough that the bad guys couldn't use it to spy on cops, and he said: "Well the laws of Australia prevail in Australia, I can assure you of that. The laws of mathematics are very commendable, but the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia."He added: "I’m not a cryptographer, but what we are seeking to do is to secure their assistance. They have to face up to their responsibility. They can’t just wash their hands of it and say it’s got nothing to do with them."Malcolm Turnbull lost his job, though not for saying this goddamned idiotic thing. This goddamned idiotic thing has continued to fester in Australian politics, until today, when the pustule ruptured and Parliament sat down and voted to make the laws of Australia prevail over the laws of mathematics.Good luck with that.Under the new rule, cops can get court orders that will require tech companies to backdoor their encryption, serve malware, or do whatever else it takes to decrypt subjects' messages, even if those messages are so well encrypted that it would take more computational cycles than can be wrung out of all the matter in the universe to brute-force the key. Read the rest

Maybe it's because I'm not doing any of the work myself, or perhaps how serene all of the craftsmen involved in the project seem to be, but this 25-minute video of a traditional Finnish log house being built, from soup to nuts, is one of the most relaxing bits of video that I've watched in weeks. Read the rest

I'm a lifelong fan of Fleetwood Mac's California cocaine trilogy of Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, and Tusk. In the new 150th episode of Hrishikesh Hirway's excellent Song Exploder podcast, Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham (who the band recently booted out after 44 years) deconstructs the emotional mindset-- it's about his tumultuous relationship with Stevie Nicks -- and brilliant musicianship behind the 1977 classic "You Can Go Your Own Way" from Rumors. Listen below.Also announced in this episode, the wonderful Thao Nguyen of Thao & The Get Down Stay Down will take over as Song Exploder's host in 2019! Congrats Thao! Read the rest

The British press treat their Royal Family like a soap opera, complete with catfighting sisters-in-law, feuding brothers separating their lives, and an impatient heir to the throne, so it’s hard to fault the American tabloids for running with the soap opera theme – and doing it better.“William Seizes Throne – from murderer Charles!” screams the Globe cover. No, the Queen hasn’t died, and Prince William hasn’t launched a Palace coup to kill his father (Charles is branded a “murderer” by the tabloids for allegedly masterminding the death of Princess Diana.) William reportedly presented the Queen with "a damning new dossier of evidence” proving that Charles had ordered Diana killed. Considering all the trouble Diana was causing for the Royal Family after her split from Charles, you’d imagine the Queen might have welcomed such initiative on the part of her son. But no. The Globe claims that Her Majesty, believing the first piece of paper set in front of her, “ordered Charles cut out of succession to the throne.”There’s only one teeny tiny problem with this soap opera script: The Queen doesn’t get to choose her successor. This isn’t Saudi Arabia, and Prince William isn’t MBS. The Queen is obliged to adhere to The 1701 Act of Settlement, which requires by law that the monarch’s successor must be their immediate heir – and a Protestant, to boot. As long as he’s alive, that successor will be Charles. Sorry to let the facts get in the way of a good fantasy, but full marks to the Globe for imagination. Read the rest

National Geographic’s Almanac 2019 is a fun, illustrative guide to the natural world and breakthrough sciences and, with 400 pages of stunning, evocative images, celebrates some of the most amazing places, events, and facts about Earth’s history. Opening to a random page you may be surprised with the lifecycle of tardigrades, the logistics of eating insects, or the history of Timbuktu; for someone who enjoys picking up facts about niche subjects, this book satisfies any wandering impulses or curiosities they may have. The almanac doesn’t go into exhaustive detail about any one topic but covers an incredible range of scientific concepts, processes, and findings. The text is paired with amazing photographs and fun infographics, providing visual learners or less scientifically savvy readers with easy ways of understanding intricate ideas and data. It is effortless and enjoyable to learn from this book, especially since you can thumb through to any page, find an interesting topic or image, and dive right in. Anybody interested in facts and photographs of the natural world and sciences will love this book, simply because it covers a little bit of everything. A larger coffee table book, Space Atlas, Second Edition: Mapping the Universe and Beyond refines the scope of topics to space and astronomy. Full of charts, maps, and stunning photographs, the Space Atlas is a deeply informative and beautiful book. It is well-bound and lays flat so no small details are lost in the binding, which is important when looking at a two-page spread of a planet or trying to read the names of peaks, valleys, and craters on a moon. Read the rest

I'm very sad to hear that Pete Shelley, leader of The Buzzcocks, died of a heart attack today. He was 63.From The Guardian:The band formed part of the UK’s punk scene and have been closely associated with it ever since. Speaking later about his views on music, Shelley told the Guardian: “I’m not interested in being able to play. A musician is like another brand of entertainer.“There are plenty of musicians that I enjoy watching that are entertainers. But I wouldn’t want to be that, because the thing with an entertainer is that there is always that dishonesty, which is what punk tried to get rid of. It was like, you’re not pretending to be something you are not. You are just what you are. Punk is an art of action. It’s about deciding to do something and then going out and doing it.”Fellow artists paid tribute to Shelley after the news of his death was confirmed on Thursday. The author Neil Gaiman tweeted: “Part of my youth dies with him. RIP Pete Shelley.”It's with great sadness that we confirm the death of Pete Shelley, one of the UK's most influential and prolific songwriters and co-founder of the seminal original punk band Buzzcocks.— Buzzcocks (@Buzzcocks) December 6, 2018Pete Shelley wrote perfect three minute pop songs. The soundtrack to being a teenager. You’ll be missed Pete but you’ll be remembered for a long long time for your brilliant music https://t.co/bt03fGbcgd— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) December 6, 2018I am totally shocked and saddened to just hear of the untimely death of Pete Shelley. Read the rest

As his title indicates, Harvard astronomy department chairman Avi Loeb is an extremely credentialed astronomer. So when he asserted that an object currently passing through our solar system might just be the product of an alien intelligence - eyebrows went up. He made this argument in a scientific paper published on the 12th of this month, in the Astrophysical Journal, which is one of the top research publications in all of astronomy.I got wind of this paper before its official release date, and reached out to Avi. And we ended up having the longest and most in-depth interview he’s given on this fascinating topic thus far. You can hear our full conversation by clicking below:Avi’s generous availability delighted me, Because like anything connected to aliens, this story has Inevitably led to an avalanche of sound bites and clickbait.It’s also triggered a fair amount of controversy amongst professional astronomers. The negative reactions have ranged from skepticism, to something verging on … moral outrage. But adversarial debate is one of the key mechanisms by which science advances. There have been periods stretching for decades when the field of astronomy was divided over some of the most basic aspects of the cosmos. Is the universe expanding? Was there, or was there not a Big Bang? Are black holes a thing – or just a theoretical toy? Great minds lined up on opposite sides of these questions for large proportions of their careers.Luckily we won't have to spend quite so long on the edge of our seats, because the debate Avi has triggered has a sell-by date. Read the rest

The BACU Association -- the folks behind the incredible brutalist Socialist Modernism Tumblr -- have announced a limited run, 800-copy book collecting photos and details on 242 Socialist Modernist "objects" in Romania and the Republic of Moldova.The book is in Romanian and English, and costs €64.30 with worldwide shipping (slightly cheaper in the EU). I've ordered a copy!As a result of B.A.C.U. Association’s efforts to publish the Socialist Modernist research, we are happy toannounce that the first Architectural Guide of many others to follow, and our second publication, entitled”Socialist Modernist Architecture – Romania and the Republic of Moldova” will be available starting December1st, in 800 copies. The 242 architecture objects included in this volume have been organized by function,into eight sections. At the beginning of each section, a map shows the location of each of the buildingsdescribed. The authors’ viewpoints and assessments make this volume a surprising incursion into the historyof architecture.Architectural guide – Socialist Modernist Architecture – Romania and the Republic of Moldova [BACU] Read the rest

Liartown, USA is Sean Tejaratchi's (previously) incredible, longrunning visual surreal satire site, and it is the latest casualty of parent company Verizon's decision to purge the site of all NSFW content effective Dec 17.Tejaratchi writes, "I expect many posts will no longer be visible, and I’ve already noticed nonsexual material is being flagged. I wouldn’t bet on much being left up." He's going to leave his archive intact, but has few hopes it, and will not be adding to it (he's exploring the possibility of setting it up somewhere else).But it's not all bad news: Tejaratchi has also announced a new 544 page book celebrating his incredible found-art collage zine Crap Hound (previously), to be published by Feral House before next fall: it's a collection of unhappy people in bad situations. I didn’t want to make an anthology, so this book will basically be an enormous, horizontal tenth issue devoted to images notable for their lack of positivity. There will be men, women, children, and even pets in states of confusion, pain, fear, stress, anger, embarrassment, sorrow, depression, and frustration. There’ll be headaches, upset stomachs, storms, earthquakes, fires, floods, vehicular collisions, weight issues, drugs, suicide, murder, execution & punishment, atomic bombs, unemployment, riots, injuries, falls, fistfights, tantrums, and the silent, nocturnal shame of bedwetting. I’m including accessories (syringes, knives, pills, crutches, splints, etc.), and imminent unhappiness (e.g. roller skates on stairs and overloaded electrical sockets). From the tearful sting of a scraped knee to the ominous shadow of impending planetary doom, you can expect a rich tapestry of trouble. Read the rest

Nicole says: "Today's all-new episode of Vox Media's 'Consider It,' kicks off with Stephen Miller's uncle, David Glosser, who says that if his dead grandfather were to hear about his nephew's immigration policies 'he'd be spinning in his grave.'" Read the rest

Boing Boing pal Laura Hudson is helming a new project at The Verge called "Better Worlds," an anthology of ten science fiction stories written by diverse authors; half of them have been adapted as animations and the other half have been turned into audiobooks; all are explicitly optimistic, inspired by anthologies like Hieroglyph (which featured my award-winning novella The Man Who Sold the Moon).Hudson has a great working definition of the kind of optimism she's after: "The stories of Better Worlds are not intended to be conflict-free utopias or Pollyanna-ish paeans about how tech will solve everything; many are set in societies where people face challenges, sometimes life-threatening ones. But all of them imagine worlds where technology has made life better and not worse, and characters find a throughline of hope."The series launches January 14th.Better Worlds is partly inspired by Stephenson’s fiction anthology Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future as well as Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements, a 2015 “visionary fiction” anthology that is written by a diverse array of social activists and edited by Walidah Imarisha and adrienne maree brown. Their premise was simple: whenever we imagine a more equitable, sustainable, or humane world, we are producing speculative fiction, and this creates a “vital space” that is essential to forward progress.Announcing Better Worlds: a science fiction project about hope [The Verge](via Four Short Links) Read the rest

Don't let this kitten's cute and fluffy appearance fool you. Every time the wildlife official from the Center for Biological Diversity tries to cut the cage open to set the young bobcat free, he lunges, tries to bite the rescuer's hand off, and makes demonic sounds reminiscent of the possessed Regan from The Exorcist.The wild kitten, named Murderbritches by the Center, had been killing chickens before being relocated back into the wild. Read the rest

Jamie Dimon is CEO of Jpmorgan Chase, the massive bank that settled a $13 billion mortgage fraud case with the DoJ in 2013 by committing more mortgage frauds to raise the cash; he has since taken the bank into some of the dirtiest business on Earth, from the loans that keep the Keystone XL pipeline viable to funding the private border prisons where Trump's Kids in Cages are being held, terrified and separated from their families.Dimon is an infamous money-over-people crook: when Elizabeth Warren caught his bank failing to comply with rules put in place after the 2008 crisis, he smirked at her and told her to "hit him" with fines because the bank could easily afford them, having after the massive profit-taking from their massive frauds.He's even floated the idea of a presidential run in 2020. Now, Dimon's smirk is turning to rage, as he finds himself dogged by protesters everywhere he goes: speeches, shareholder meetings, when he comes and goes from work. The activists call on him to divest from the bank's unethical business, which will not happen while Dimon is in command. But in the meantime, they are keeping these issues alive, afflicting the comfortable and ensuring that he does not have a moment's peace while he is profiting from others' misery and the destruction of the planet.Protesters have targeted Wall Street for years, but criticism at the annual conclave has shifted from the traditional corporate complaints about pay and risk-taking. The CEO is annoyed by the activism that now overshadows the event. Read the rest

According to Wells Fargo, a "computer glitch" caused the improper denial of 870 loan modification requests, which led to 545 foreclosures in which Wells Fargo customers lost their homes; the bank is now offering those former homeowners -- some of whom saw the breakup of their marriages as the result of the stress of foreclosure -- insultingly small sums, like $25,000.America is in the grips of a foreclosure epidemic on a scale never seen in this country; Donald Trump's Secretary of the Treasury was a pioneer in dirty mass-evictions based on fraudulent documents; ironically, people who live in high-foreclosure states were more likely to vote for Trump.Wells Fargo is America's biggest bank, and has committed a string of frauds affecting millions of Americans, leading to the collapse of small businesses, credit delinquencies, the "improper repossession" (that is, theft) of their customers' cars (including cars belonging to US military service members stationed overseas), and more. Then in September this year, nearly three years later, he got a letter from Wells Fargo. "Dear Jose Aguilar," it read, "We made a mistake… we're sorry." It said the decision on his loan modification was based "on a faulty calculation" and his loan "should have been" approved. "It's just like, 'Are you serious? Are you kidding me?' Like they destroyed my kids' life and my life, and now you want me to – 'We're sorry?'" Aguilar said. Wells Fargo now said that "calculation error" on loan modifications affected 870 customers over an eight year period, customers who either were denied loan modifications or "were not offered a modification in cases where they would have otherwise qualified." About 545 of those customers ultimately lost their homes to foreclosure. Read the rest

And I didn't even know Keith Richards was missing.The New York Times reports on the discovery of a mudlarker's body in the Thames mud, complete with thigh-high leather boots.Britons fishing or scavenging in the River Thames in central London are a rare sight these days. But in medieval times, the river was teeming with workers toiling along its banks. The 500-year-old skeleton of a man believed to be among them has been found buried in layers of river mud in southeast London, offering a glimpse of a bygone era.Perhaps most intriguing, what remained of his legs was discovered in a pair of thigh-high leather boots — unusual even for his time. Specialists say the man could have been a fisherman, a dock worker or a mudlark — a scavenger who hunted for objects of value by the river. Read the rest

First, take this quiz to see how good you are at distinguishing between real faces and fake ones made with generative adversarial networks (GANs). Then, read this article that teaches you how to spot the fakes. In a few years AI will be able to generate images that don't have recognizable tells. Read the rest

Mack (9) and John (13) have lived in Korea for about 4 years. They speak Korean fluently and with good accents, and now appear on television frequently. (In the video, a restaurant server who spoke with the boys said she was "shocked" by how well they spoke the language.) The boys' mother was also interviewed in the video. She said she wanted to move from the US to Asia with her husband and kids just for a change, and her husband (a computer programmer) found a job in Korea. They planned to stay for two years, but now love South Korea so much they want to stay. Image: Asian Boss/YouTube Read the rest

Stephen Colbert points out some of the comical Trump moments at Bush's funeral, from destroying the casual chatty mood between the Obamas and Clintons to the zoning out when everyone else is reading the Apostles' Creed. He also reminds us of Trump's great journey to meet with the Bush family the night before, in which he took a stretch limousine with his motorcade to travel across the street, 250 feet away. Colbert sums it up perfectly when he says, “Donald Trump is the only person in the world who can bring down a funeral.” Read the rest

Composer and producer Josiah Steinbrick -- who has worked with the likes of Devendra Banhart and Danger Mouse along with releasing his own music -- is also a rigorous record collector and curator of all varieties of outernational music, ancient and contemporary, and experimental/avant-garde sounds from around the globe. Through his Instagram feed, Josiah has turned me on to countless new artists, musical cultures, and sonic experiences. This week, ARP's Cult Cargo program on NTS Radio presented Josiah's mix of "pan-global contempo/archival selections from the past 12 months of vari-functional sculptural laments, hypno-pulses, and abstractions in HD." Far fucking out. Listen below.Playlist:TOMOKO SAUVAGE ClepsydraREX ILLUSIVII DreamKӢR Az Esam LozaDISCO VUMBI Jo-DocuromaAPICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL Morse Beat RoarFRANÇOIS BAYLE Toupie Dans Le CielPALTA, SPORTS Forårets SkørhedCHAM-PANG Tant Pis Pour Les Heures De SommeilPANAQUIRE / OSWALDO LARES QuitipláSSTINE JANVIN Zen GardenMADANG / RAGNAR JOHNSON Boma, KaeanSUBA Wayang 04WRONG WATER CottonKONRAD KRAFT Arc 12PHEW Sonic Morning = 音の朝RAMZI EvoraUWALMASSA Untitled 07NSRD Kādā Rītā (One Morning)NAM DI VILLAGE / LAURENT JEANNEAU Lantene (Moon) WomenARTURO RUIZ DEL POZO Tarka En BrukasNOZOMU MATSUMOTO ClimatotherapyNIAGARA Damasco Read the rest

This morning David and I were texting each other about the Brady Bunch, which we often do because we love the show and so does every member of our families. We got to talking about the episode where the Bradys star in a laundry soap commercial. David texted me a photo of the director of the commercial, a middle-age faux-hipster dressed in cartoonish psychedelic clothes.I got curious about who this actor was so I googled and learned his name was Paul Winchell (1922-2005). Boy, did he lead an interesting life! Here are some highlights (found on emmys.com):He got polio at the age of six. His legs atrophied but through weight training he was able to build the muscles to full strengthHe stuttered as a child. He learned ventriloquism as a way to get over his stuttering, and became an accomplished professional entertainer. He had his own variety show in 1950 and his wife on the show was played by Carol Burnett.He was the voice of Tigger in Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. He also lent his voice talents to The Jetsons, Wacky Races, The Flintstones, and Yogi Bear.As an actor he appeared on The Lucy Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Perry Mason, The Brady Bunch, and Nanny and the Professor.In 1963 he invented an artificial heart, which was the prototype for the mechanical heart Robert K. Jarvik used in a successful transplant in the early 1980s.He held 30 patents for inventions including a fountain pen with a retractable tip, a flameless cigarette lighter, and an invisible garter belt. Read the rest

Trump can't make up his mind about his approval ratings, going from puffed up braggart last night to paranoid finger-pointer this morning.Last night he posted a boastful tweet that his approval rating, according to a poll by right-leaning Rasmussen, was at 50%, along with his back-patting message, "Working hard, thank you!" No matter that all of the other pollsters have his approval rating at a low 39%-43%, and that his "aggregate approval rating is around 42 percent, as of Wednesday," according to The Washington Post. And no matter that he boasted about how much he is admired on the same day that he attended former president George H.W. Bush's funeral. Working hard, thank you! pic.twitter.com/3SoWTkZjP6— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2018This this morning he did an about face, furious about his low approval rating, and blaming it all on the Mueller probe, calling it "presidential harrassment." Without the phony Russia Witch Hunt, and with all that we have accomplished in the last almost two years (Tax & Regulation Cuts, Judge’s, Military, Vets, etc.) my approval rating would be at 75% rather than the 50% just reported by Rasmussen. It’s called Presidential Harassment!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2018When will the madness end?Image: Gage Skidmore/Flickr Read the rest

David Lynch has directed many television commercials but this one from 1993 for Adidas, titled "The Wall," gives any surreal perfume commercials (including Lynch's own) a run for their money. (Get it? Run?) You can find a directory and clips of Lynch's other commercial, ad, and promo work here.(via r/ObscureMedia) Read the rest

In an open letter to the EU and European national officials who are negotiating the final form of the new Copyright Directive (by all accounts, a hot mess), some of the largest rightsholder groups and corporations in Europe -- sports leagues and movie studios -- have condemned the direction negotiations have gone in and asked to have their content removed from the scope of the Directive.The controversy is over Article 13 -- a rule requiring that online platforms never allow a user to display an unlicensed copyrighted work, not even for an eyeblink -- which was heavily promoted by the music industry and its lobbyists.The sports leagues and movie studios have broken with the record labels, arguing that the European courts have recently ruled that companies like Google might have more liability than Article 13 would heap upon them, and warning that passing Article 13 would give the Big Tech companies more power.So they're asking for all the negotiation on Article 13 since 2016 be torn up, and the process restarted -- something that's effectively impossible -- and that otherwise, movies and sports matches be exempted from Article 13's rules.That latter would be, if anything, even worse than Article 13 on its own: two conflicting liability regimes that only the very, very largest companies could navigate. Article 13 on its own is very likely to drive all the European competitors to US Big Tech out of business, but Article 13 in combination with the liability system promoted by the signatories of this letter would certainly leave US Big Tech as the only possible players in the online world. Read the rest

The Satanic Temple of Chicago has installed a stately and elegant statue at the Illinois Capitol between the Christmas tree and Hanukkah menorah. Predictably, some people are pissed. Approximately 4.5 feet tall, the statue features a snake around an arm with the hand clutching an apple. The pedestal is emblazoned with the statement "Knowledge is the greatest gift." From CNN:"We feel it's a First Amendment issue, we have other displays there -- a Hanukkah menorah and Nativity scene," (Secretary of State's office spokesperson Dave) Drucker said. "If you have displays of one type you need to be consistent and allow everyone to do so, aside from hate speeches and other unacceptable things."The Satanic Temple says that its members are atheists who are often interested in community activism, according to the group's website."We do not promote a belief in a personal Satan," the website says. "To embrace the name Satan is to embrace rational inquiry removed from supernaturalism and archaic tradition-based superstitions."The group says it embraces the "struggle for justice" and believes people should "strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures," according to its website. Read the rest

A teacher in Visalia, California, "forcibly cut a student's hair off" while singing the national anthem of the United States of America. College of the Sequoias police responded Wednesday to a University Preparatory High School classroom after reports of child endangerment involving a teacher and a "pair of scissors," said Police Chief Kevin Mizner. Science teacher Margaret Gieszinger, 52, of Exeter, was later arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment. Her bail was set at $100,000. The arrest followed two videos posted to social media on Wednesday showing a student sitting in a chair at the front of the classroom as the teacher cuts off portions of the student's hair. She then tosses the chunks of hair behind her. The video must be seen to be believed: a found-footage horror movie depicting her lurching, scissors whirling, at screaming children. She was arrested on suspicion of corporal injury to a child. There's more coverage here, with a different cut of the footage. Read the rest

We've talked before about how hard it is for folks driving for Lyft and Uber to break even. Things aren't so hot for cab drivers, either: as ridesharing becomes more prevalent by the day, those who own their own taxi or drive for someone else are finding it harder to make a living. The drop in revenue going into the pockets of New York City Taxi medallion owners has been so extreme that drivers have been forced to work 100-hour weeks just to stay out of the red. Others, feeling that their lives were ruined by mounting debt, out of desperation committed suicide. Today, New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission decided that they'd do something about it.From Gizmodo:Today, New York’s City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission approved measures to enact minimum pay requirements for app-based for-hire vehicles (FHV) like Uber, Lyft, and Juno. The new pay structure is set to take effect early in the new year.The $26.51 per hour gross pay floor (estimated to amount to $17.22 per hour, less expenses) comes after “growing evidence of declining driver pay” was confirmed by a labor study, commissioned by the TLC, which concluded that 85 percent of drivers in NYC were earning less than the local minimum wage of $15 an hour. The new requirements will increase the average driver’s take-home pay by an estimated $9,600 per year.Advocacy groups like the Independent Driver’s Guild and Amalgamated Transit Union have celebrated the change. “All workers deserve the protection of a fair, livable wage and we are proud to be setting the new bar for contractor workers’ rights in America,” Conigliaro, Jr., founder of IDG, wrote in a press statement. Read the rest

National Geographic compiled its list of the twenty coolest places on planet Earth in 2019. The top three: the small Japanese town of Setouchi, the continent of Antarctica, and the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Setouchi has the world's greatest small-town art scene and the coast looks like something from a movie about colonizing another worlds. Antarctica is the last place on Earth, a vast and unspoiled testament to nature's extremes. Pittsburgh has a giant Heinz ketchup bottle made of regular Heinz ketchup bottles. And it won World War II.Here is the entire “cool” list:1. Setouchi, Japan2. Antarctica3. Pittsburgh4. Corsica5. Cambodia6. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico7. West Yorkshire, England8. Hong Kong9. Zimbabwe10. Guyana11. Oslo, Norway12. Eritrea13. KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa14. Bhutan15. Dundee, Scotland16. Uganda17. Matera, Italy18 Indonesia19 Sibiu, Romania Read the rest