Boing Boing

Man, 81, goes on rampage with HTC Vive VR headset

“My work team has been one-upping each other every day during our quarantine meetings with homemade costumes,” says IMGURian @squirrld1. “Here's some of my favorites.”This is seriously epic. Go look at the whole gallery. I want to work with these people!My work team has been one-upping each other every day during our quarantine meetings with homemade costumes. Here's some of my favorites. Read the rest

Well, this isn't creepy at all. Facial recognition search.A facial recognition website based in Poland claims to offer a service in which you can upload a picture of anyone to the site, and it finds more images of that individual all around the internet.Dave Gershgorn reports at OneZero:PimEyes, a Polish facial recognition website, is a free tool that allows anyone to upload a photo of a person’s face and find more images of that person from publicly accessible websites like Tumblr, YouTube, WordPress blogs, and news outlets.In essence, it’s not so different from the service provided by Clearview AI, which is currently being used by police and law enforcement agencies around the world. PimEyes’ facial recognition engine doesn’t seem as powerful as Clearview AI’s app is supposed to be. And unlike Clearview AI, it does not scrape most social media sites.PimEyes markets its service as a tool to protect privacy and the misuse of images. But there’s no guarantee that someone will upload their own face, making it equally powerful for anyone trying to stalk someone else. The company did not respond to a request for comment.PimEyes monetizes facial recognition by charging for a premium tier, which allows users to see which websites are hosting images of their faces and gives them the ability to set alerts for when new images are uploaded. The PimEyes premium tiers also allow up to 25 saved alerts, meaning one person could be alerted to newly uploaded images of up to 25 people across the internet. Read the rest

Not too long ago, projectors were those rickety old reel-to-reel devices that projected actual film. Now, projectors are as high tech as they come, and portable units are not only capable of serving as full-service on-the-go multimedia display systems, they’re also small enough to actually be truly portable.It’s a lot of functionality to pack into a device that could slide easily into your back pocket -- and now, it can even convert your tiny smartphone screen into an image 10 feet wide with the Kinkoo 4K HD Pocket Projector for Android 9.0. Weighing under a pound, this projector’s compact and lightweight design allows users to take it virtually anywhere for entertainment or professional use on the road, at a friend’s house, or during a business meeting. This unit is about as simple to operate as they come. Just connect your phone via Bluetooth or the Miracast Mirror Display function, and this projector beams your phone screen on to any surface in full HD resolution at up to 120 inches across. It even works for projecting 3D video images with no distortion.With a full charge, this projector’s LED 50 ANSI Lumens light source will shine for up to 90 minutes. And, the bulb itself is capable of running for about 20,000 hours without needing a replacement.As for content, the Pocket Projector has all the biggest and most popular video file formats covered at up to 4K resolution, able to show H.265, H.264, MPEG4, WMV, and more with no problem. Read the rest

In early June, about a week after George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis — followed by the Trump administration gassing and shooting at peaceful protesters — Trump scuttled into a bunker to hide. He then built an ugly fence to cower behind. Now the eyesore has transformed into a wonderful collage of flowers, art, and messages like "Fuck Trump," "Black Lives Matter," "Let Them Breathe," "8:46," "The Media is Not the Enemy," and "Fund the Black Community." Thanks for the free cork board Trump! Read the rest

After spending months cooped up in the house and with the weather heating up, chances are you've already envisioned and planned your next road trip getaway for once the world opens back up.Of course, it isn’t always smooth sailing down the highways and byways. If you press too many people and too much stuff into the confined space of a vehicle, you’re bound to dig up some frayed nerves. Now more than ever, people need some room, you know?Rather than stacking your car, truck, van, or SUV to the roof with bags, supplies, and mountains of other stuff, the Pilot™ Automotive Cargo Carrier can quietly exile it all right out of your way, so everyone can enjoy traveling in comfort.This carrier mounts quickly and easily to either the crossbars or side rails of your vehicle’s roof, offering 18 cubic feet of convenient storage space, or enough room to hold about six medium-sized suitcases. Even at that spacious size, its aerodynamic design reduces your drag and will even save you on gas costs, which are not a small consideration on lengthy road trips.In case you encounter any weather, the carrier is completely weather-resistant and constructed with heavy-duty PVC material to be durable yet flexible, so it’s always capable of carrying objects of odd shapes and sizes. The large hooped zippers not only keep the elements out but are also lockable to keep all your contents safe even if you take an extended pitstop.With its portable construction, the carrier is also a breeze when your trip comes to an end. Read the rest

Last January, the BBC released the first episode of a true-crime style podcast called The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Created by Julian Simpson, this story took a Serial-esque approach to a locked room mystery involving an American man who disappeared from an asylum in England. But as the story progresses, it quickly becomes apparent that there's something darker going on.That "something darker" would be the fact that it's a loose adaptation of The Curious Case of Charles Dexter Ward by HP Lovecraft. Simpson's podcast version takes the initial Lovecraftian premise — a person of privilege uncovers some hidden knowledge that inevitably connects back to ancient evil Elder Gods — and spins an updated modern tale that spans the Atlantic Ocean. Simpson cleverly weaves in English folklore and the occultism of Aleister Crowley as the journalist narrators travel back-and-forth between England and Rhode Island.One of those narrators, it should be noted, is a woman. And there are people of color, and class issues, too — a clear response to Lovecraft's notorious bigotry (the dude was so terrified of black people and vaginas that he literally crafted an entire universe of creepy-ass tentacled fish monsters just to try and justify it). It's an organic way to breathe new life into a story that doesn't have to be so bogged down in Lovecraft's more unfortunate qualities.I recently binged all 10 episodes of the podcast while working on some home renovations, and I found it utterly delightful. The Investigative Reporting approach gives it an almost Blair Witch-like vibe — it's certainly presented as if it is a genuine true crime podcast, and you wouldn't be faulted for falling for it (In my humble opinion, that also makes for a more gripping narrative device than the usual Lovecraft method of Random Trustfund Baby Takes A Bus Into a Random Creepy Town and Randomly Gets Involved In This Dark Mystery About Cthulhu). Read the rest

A striking message from babynames.com today: "Each one of these names was somebody's baby." Read the rest

Every year, the 5th graders at Wirtz Elementary School in Paramount, California get to have a big jam session concert with real musicians. It's the brainchild of teacher Eric Caruso, who recognized that a lot of the students came from underserved communities, and could really use the inspiration of an interactive arts program, complete with an awards ceremony and guest artists.In 2018, the students performed some Big Boi songs. In 2019, they grooved on Sly and the Family Stone. And in 2010, they rocked out to the seminal DC hardcore punk band, Minor Threat.We're not the first, I hope we're not the last'Cause I know we're all heading for that adult crashThe time is so little, the time belongs to usWhy is everybody in such a fucking rush?Make do with what you have, take what you can getPay no mind to us, we're just a minor threatWe're just! A minor threat!We're just! A minor threat!The kids are all right. Read the rest

I have a couple of different headlamps and this broadbeam LED headlamp, which uses a strip of 20 LEDs is my first choice for doing any kind of work in dark places. It lights a wide area and is very bright. It's lightweight, too. It uses 3 AAA batteries and has an easy on-off touch sensor switch. Read the rest

Minnesota State Troopers and deputies from the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office thought it was a good idea to slash tires of unoccupied parked cars during a protest in Minneapolis. Minnesota Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bruce Gordon said the officers slashed tires of cars to “stop behaviors such as vehicles driving dangerously and at high speeds in and around protesters and law enforcement,” which is odd because cars parked in a Kmart parking lot can't move. The cops also said they disabled cars that “contained items used to cause harm during violent protests” like rocks and pieces of concrete, but according to Mother Jones, the drivers included "protesters, news crews, and medics."From Mother Jones:“We’re so busy, it’s just unbelievable,” said a tow truck driver in an interview from the K-Mart parking lot with Andrew Kimmel, formerly the head of BuzzFeed’s video team. The towing company had received “call after call after call.” Asked whose cars were being towed, the tow truck driver said, “Everybody. Medics over there. News crews. Random people that were just here to protest and—tires slashed.”‼️THE POLICE SLASHED THIS TRUCKS TIRES‼️ all the protestors left the Kmart area as soon as they got closer. #MinneapolisRiot pic.twitter.com/eTGrHUUZLA— brandi (@brandiiimariiie) May 31, 2020Minneapolis Police slashed every tire on my rental car, as well as every tire of every car in this parking lot. pic.twitter.com/lchFplYQ0n— Andrew Kimmel (@andrewkimmel) May 31, 2020Radio-Canada journalists covering the protests in Minneapolis had their tires slashed. Witnesses told them police did it. Read the rest

I’m a voice actor, messing with Scammers again! ??? from r/funnyIRLRosie is a YouTuber who pranks telescammers by using different voices. She's really good! Read the rest

Actor and activist Keke Palmer, who we saw in a video from recent protests that went viral, has an amazing guest column in Variety today: ‘I Have Waited for a Revolution My Entire Life.’In the video, we see Keke confronting heavily armed members of the National Guard, and peacefully imploring them to “March with us.”Watch all of this. pic.twitter.com/YHq0QhXrnw— Gadi Schwartz (@GadiNBC) June 2, 2020“They didn’t march with us, and while one offered to for a short stretch, he also said he had to “protect the businesses” and buildings in the area,” Keke writes:White supremacy is the longest-lasting oppression in America, but it is not the only one. We may not all share in the Black experience of this, but I can guarantee you, almost everyone in this country has been oppressed in some form or another. It’s the reality of what happens when the illness of racism becomes validated through the system. It creates even more division, desensitizes us to the humanity of others to the point that so many can be easily blind to sweeping social injustices.I don’t know everything, but I know how to speak from my heart — at least I try to every day. I know there are others who are just like me. They don’t have the answers, but they are present and they know they can’t do it alone. They ignite the little fires everywhere that shine a light that casts out the darkness. Read the rest

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today voted unanimously to propose a $225 million fine against Texas-based health insurance telemarketers blamed for making 1 billion illegally spoofed robocalls. This is the largest such fine ever proposed by the FCC.BREAKING NEWS: FCC proposes its largest fine ever: $225 million against a health insurance telemarketer for making about 1 billion illegally spoofed robocalls in less than 5 months in 2019. #OpenMtgFCC #FCCLive— The FCC (@FCC) June 9, 2020From Reuters:The order names two individuals using business names including Rising Eagle and JSquared Telecom. The FCC said robocalls falsely claimed to offer health insurance plans from major health insurance companies such as Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group.FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said later on Tuesday a group of state attorneys general is going to file action against the companies in U.S. District Court. The companies could not immediately be reached for comment. Read more:FCC proposes record $225 million fine for massive robocall campaign Read the rest

• One of the largest spy-for-hire operations ever exposedAn Indian cyber firm that few people have ever heard of, BellTroX InfoTech Services, is reported to have been serving as an international hacking shop for surveillance jobs, helping clients spy on at least 10,000 email accounts belonging to politicians, investors, journalists and activists around the world.The news comes from this report published Monday night by Citizen Lab:Dark Basin Uncovering a Massive Hack-For-Hire OperationBy John Scott-Railton, Adam Hulcoop, Bahr Abdul Razzak, Bill Marczak, Siena Anstis, and Ron DeibertJune 9, 2020“Researchers at internet watchdog group Citizen Lab, who spent more than two years mapping out the infrastructure used by the hackers, released a report here on Tuesday saying they had "high confidence" that BellTroX employees were behind the espionage campaign,” Reuters reports:New Delhi-based BellTroX InfoTech Services targeted government officials in Europe, gambling tycoons in the Bahamas, and well-known investors in the United States including private equity giant KKR and short seller Muddy Waters, according to three former employees, outside researchers, and a trail of online evidence.Aspects of BellTroX’s hacking spree aimed at American targets are currently under investigation by U.S. law enforcement, five people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.Reuters does not know the identity of BellTroX’s clients. In a telephone interview, the company’s owner, Sumit Gupta, declined to disclose who had hired him and denied any wrongdoing.Muddy Waters founder Carson Block said he was “disappointed, but not surprised, to learn that we were likely targeted for hacking by a client of BellTroX.” Read the rest

Director/writer Duncan Jones — whom you may know from his hyper-focused, small cast sci-fi films like Moon and Source Code, or the larger-scale Warcraft film that I admittedly never saw — has a new project out in the form of a graphic novel. Madi: Once Upon A Time In The Future is written by Jones and author/letterer Alex de Campi, with a huge team of artists including Ed Ocaña, Pia Guerra, James Stokoe, RM Guéra, Chris Weston, Rufus Dayglo, Annie Wu, David Lopez, Christian Ward, Matt Wilson, Nayoung Kim, Kelly Fitzpatrick, and many more. Here's a brief synopsis:Madi Preston, a veteran of Britain’s elite special operations J-Squad unit, is burnt out and up to her eyeballs in debt. She and the rest of her team have retired from the military but are now trapped having to pay to service and maintain the technology put into them during their years of service. They're working for British conglomerate Liberty Inc as mercenaries, selling their unique ability to be remote controlled by specialists while in the field, and the debts are only growing as they get injured completing missions. We meet Madi as she decides she’s had enough. She will take an off-the-books job that should earn her enough to pay out her and her sister, but when the piece of tech she’s supposed to steal turns out to be a kid, and she suddenly blacks out... she finds herself on the run from everyone she’s ever known.Madi is supposed to the final part of a trilogy comprised of Jones's other M-productions, Moon and Mute; while each story exists independently, they're also part of a loosely connected universe. Read the rest

A police officer chases a man on foot. The man starts running down a pier, which seems like a bad idea, until it turns out to be a brilliant idea. Read the rest

In the new Looney Tunes Cartoons series on HBO Max, Elmer Fudd no longer carries his signature rifle.“We’re not doing guns,” [series executive producer and showrunner Peter] Browngardt said in the New York Times. “But we can do cartoony violence — TNT, the Acme stuff. All that was kind of grandfathered in.”From CBS News:Yosemite Sam will also lose his iconic double pistols in the series. Neither Browngardt nor WarnerMedia, HBO Max's parent company, have explicitly stated the reason for the decision to drop guns from the series.Last summer, Warner Bros. TV released a short on its YouTube channel titled, "Dynamite Dance," which appeared to be from the new series. (Video above.) The cartoon shows Fudd chasing his nemesis Bugs Bunny with a scythe before the rabbit puts a stick of lit dynamite in the hunter's mouth. The 90-second clip features many sticks of dynamite and a plethora of massive explosions as Bugs Bunny blows up Fudd in multiple creative ways, all set to Amilcare Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours." Read the rest

"New York Times Best-selling author" is a one of those highly treasured accolades to which most writers aspire. It's the kind of recognition that can make or break a writer's career — even though the numbers are not curated in a plain and simple way. Consider the way that Donald Trump Jr. hacked his way to the top of the list by buying up copies of his own book, in order to become a "New York Times Best-selling author," thus guaranteeing higher sales for his book.(Full disclosure: I do work for a company that is owned by the New York Times, a fact which does not impact my perspectives either way.)Over on Medium, a user calling themself "John the Correlator" has compiled all of the publicly-available data related to the Times' best-seller list, and crunched the numbers to analyze the demographic diversity of the authors represented by the list. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, it's not very representative of the US population: There's a lot more specific data broken down in the blog post, titled, "We Need To Talk About The List." And I suspect that we'll be seeing more from John the Correlator soon. But needless to say, it all supports the thesis: we need to talk about the list.We Need To Talk About The List [John the Correlator / Medium]Image: Public Domain via U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Hailey Haux Read the rest

ABC offered a number of interesting messages under the guise of 'The Bod Squad.' Read the rest

Tom the Dancing Bug, IN WHICH the Seussian BLM-I-am wonders if he can protest here or there or anywhere

Legendary American explorer, soldier, and folk hero Davy Crockett (1786-1836) may be known as the "King of the Wild Frontier," but we all know that title actually belongs to Bigfoot. I hadn't realized that the two actually met in 1835 in Nacogdoches, Texas, a year before Crockett's involvement in the Battle of the Alamo and his death. From Mysterious Universe:Crockett purportedly took a seat upon a log, removing his sweaty shoes and digging into his small rations. As he ate his food, he sort of absent-mindedly tapped his axe against the wood, and that was when he claimed that an enormous bipedal beast that was “the shape and shade of a large ape man” and quite frightening in appearance materialized out of the trees and brush before him. He would describe the creature in a letter to his brother-in-law, Abner, as follows:Whether it was the axe’s disturbance or possibly the heat of the sun which caused an apparition to slowly form in front of my eyes, I know not. As a Christian man, I swear to you, Abe, that what spirit came upon me was the shape and shade of a large ape man, the likes we might expect among the more bellicose and hostile Indian tribes in the Territories. The shade formed into the most deformed and ugly countenance. Covered in wild hair, with small and needling eyes, large broken rows of teeth, and the height of three foundlings, I spit upon the ground the bread I was eating.[...] Read the rest

Are you a cop so bad you managed to actually get disciplined or charged with crimes for your behavior? Florida needs you! The Brevard County Fraternal Order of Police called on such officers to head south, where they can enjoy "lower taxes, no spineless leadership, or dumb mayors rambling on at press conferences."Brevard County F.O.P. President Bert Gamin, who said he is a 28-year law enforcement veteran, with two years as a Melbourne Police Department reservist and 26 years with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office , claimed responsibility for the recruitment post."Our citizens have a right to protest peacefully and legally. They do not have a right to block roadways, trespass on private property or disobey lawful commands from law enforcement officers," he wrote in response to emailed questions from FLORIDA TODAY.Gamin, a current Brevard County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant, specifically extended the offer to officers implicated in a felony assault in Buffalo and to six charged with a range of crimes in Atlanta. In Buffalo, two officers cracked open the head of a 75-year-old man by pushing him to the ground and dozens more cheered them after their arraignment on felony assault charges. In Atlanta, six officers were charged, four with felonies, after dragging black college students from a car and violently arresting them, inflicting serious injuries on two. Read the rest

Alice Cutter was a hopeful contestant in the Miss Hitler beauty pageant, but will be unable to compete again soon because she's been jailed as a member of the right-wing terrorist group National Action, banned after celebrating the murder of MP Jo Cox. Cutter was among four people thusly incarcerated this week, and is pictured above with fellow convict Mark Jones.The court heard Cutter had entered the Miss Hitler beauty pageant under the name Miss Buchenwald - a reference to the World War Two death camp.She denied being a member of National Action, despite attending the group's rallies, in which banners reading "Hitler was right" were raised.Jurors were also shown messages in which Cutter joked about gassing synagogues, and using a Jew's head as a football.Don't see the resemblance, to be honest.GoDaddy took down the Miss Hitler beauty pageant site last month as the trial date loomed. Read the rest

Covid-19 takes no prisoners, and North Safari Sapporo in Japan’s northernmost prefecture is no exception. Scott Wilson reported for SoraNews 24 that mandatory shutdowns have forced the animal park to get creative, so the zoo started a crowd funding campaign offering incentives such as earrings made from skin shed by their snakes and feathers dropped by their parrots, coasters gnawed by beaver, and for 70,000 yen ($639) a pair of distressed jeans that have been ripped, chewed and mauled by the park’s lions.North Safari took a cue from Yagiyama Zoological Park, who in 2016 put their lions, tigers and bears to work in partnership with a local retail chain to create ZOO Jeans: Read the rest

On Twitter, top UK tea brand Yorkshire Tea told a racist to get lost. The racist said they would henceforth drink PG Tips instead. The account of PG Tips waded in to tell them to get lost too. Please don't buy our tea again. We're taking some time to educate ourselves and plan proper action before we post. We stand against racism. #BlackLivesMatter— Yorkshire Tea (@YorkshireTea) June 8, 2020Per the BBC's summary: Laura Towler, a right-wing vlogger based in Yorkshire, praised her local brand for not having voiced support for the movement. Yorkshire Tea said it had not yet commented on the BLM protests as it had been "taking time to educate" itself. It tweeted: "Please don't buy our tea again." ... PG Tips, which is owned by consumer goods giant Unilever, soon lent its support to its rival as right-wing commentators urged a boycott on Twitter."If you are boycotting teas that stand against racism, you're going to have to find two new brands now #blacklivesmatter #solidaritea," the brand tweeted. Attention, Americans: there are few superior options for bagged tea than Yorkshire Gold, available by the box or in bulk from Amazon. I have them ship five boxes to me every three months and still run out. Steep in freshly-boiled water in a warmed cup or teapot for the best results.The other brand is not quite so good as Yorkshire Tea, in my opinion, but Amazon sells these enormous 1000-teabag sacks of PG Tips that bring the price of a quality cup to just 4 cents. Read the rest

On Friday night, New York Police Commissioner Shea tweeted a photo of a bunch of bicycle repair gear and other commonly handy devices that had been confiscated from protestors, which he referred to as "the tools of criminals bent on causing mayhem & hijacking." At the time, I joked that it was some kind of sequel to the "Bicycle Rights" sketch from Portlandia. I carry every single thing in those photos (except the hammers) in my bicycle messenger at all times, and I've never even had a problem getting a plane with it all. The idea that these somehow constituted deadly weapons of war — in a country with a Constitutional right to bear arms, no less! — is utterly absurd.But apparently, I made my Portlandia joke too soon. Because the very next day, the known white-supremacist collaborators in the Portland Police Department tweeted a similar photo of the supposedly-awful things with which their officers had been allegedly assaulted: hard seltzer, chickpeas, and a half-eaten apple.More items recovered that were thrown at officers: Full beverage cans, bricks, bottles, rocks, food. pic.twitter.com/RTGILdcUKS— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) June 6, 2020Police officers in America can be armed to the teeth with riot armor and helmets, carrying chemical weapons and ordnance cannons in their massive Bearcat tanks … and every single one of them is paralyzed by fear at the thought of a plastic water bottle. Why is that?I guess it's true what they say: ain't no laws when you're throwing Claws. Read the rest

Coming this summer.”Whoa. The wait is finally over, dudes!” ?⚡Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter star in the first official trailer for Bill & Ted Face the Music, and the tease couldn't come at a more perfect time.“And remember: be excellent to each other.” Whoa. The wait is finally over, dudes! Keanu Reeves and @Winter star in the first official trailer for Bill & Ted Face the Music! Watch now! And remember: be excellent to each other. ?⚡ #BillAndTed3 #FaceTheMusic #BillAndTedDay pic.twitter.com/oh7Oj3mVK3— Bill & Ted 3 (@BillandTed3) June 9, 2020Video: BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC Official Trailer #1 (2020), ORION PICTURES#BillAndTed3 #FaceTheMusic #BillAndTedDay Read the rest

On March 5, 1770, militarized law enforcement officers committed a heinous act of state-sponsored violence in front of the Old Boston State House, shooting and murdering an innocent black man named Crispus Attucks along with four other people who were protesting against state-sponsored violence committed by militarized law enforcement officers. This massacre is largely recognized as a turning point in public sentiment against the corrupt authorities, which would eventually lead to a full-blown revolution.On June 7, 2020, militarized law enforcement officers staked out a position in front of the Old Boston State House as a pre-emptive measure against people who were protesting against state-sponsored violence committed by militarized law enforcement officers, largely motivated by the unjust murders of innocent black people at the hands of militarized law enforcement officers.While no one was killed during this embarrassing moment of accidental historical cosplay, public sentiment does appear to be turning against the authorities. Whether this leads to a full-blown revolution has yet to be seen.Irony is dead. pic.twitter.com/UJTQAdBOVO— Jake @ HUB History (@HUBhistory) June 7, 2020Image: Public Domain via Paul Revere Read the rest

The English language being short of words, Thomas Dimson created an AI-powered word generator. This word does not existnephromatosisan infectious bacterial infection of the lymphatic system in primary prevention of infection in animals, caused by a nematode parasite or by an enterovirus"nephromatosis is a serious and fatal form of typhoid fever"haholusan effeminate child, especially a boy monstruta fixed upright figure"a sculpted octagon and monstrut"Really delightful, and far ahead of "traditional" generative word-makers. Even if sometimes it's clear the machine has no real insight, it touches upon the greatness of Douglas Adams and John Lloyd's Deeper Meaning of Liff. I'll be putting pebblepenny (of a person, old-fashioned and rather vain, e.g. "a pebblepenny politician") to use soon. Read the rest

Pure happiness. I never get tired of "babies experiencing the weirdness of ice cream" videos.Pure happinessHere are more babies eating ice cream videos to wholesome up your day. Read the rest

“The greeting we get every time we come home!!!!”This dog's name is Teasel. She loves her humans. She greets the humans by presenting them with their own shoes.Says IMGURian @TomD97,So here we have teasel again, just like her bowl she loves to pick shoes up, even if they do smell? But either way it’s still really cute! Also look at the butt wiggle.The greeting we get every time we come home!!!![IMGUR] Read the rest

Whether you’re dedicated to practicing with an instrument or just want to learn to play for the first time, diving into music can be daunting. One of the steepest learning curves for budding musicians is reading and understanding sheet music, the backbone of virtually any musical performance.But, thanks to modern technology that learning curve might not be so steep for long. While it’s still seldom a simple process, aids like Tomplay Interactive Sheet Music can not only speed up a student’s learning but also offer some great accompaniment to already accomplished musicians always looking to sharpen their skills.Tomplay works with almost two dozen different instruments, including everything from the biggies like the piano, violin, or guitar all the way to less prominent instruments like the oboe, harp or tuba.Fire it up, select from the extensive archive of more than 18,000 titles covering pop, jazz, classical and more, then let Tomplay scroll the sheet music automatically on your screen, all displayed in time with the music itself.Tomplay scores are designed to be appropriate to the skill of each musician from beginner to expert, allowing users to just follow the cursor and focus on the score, while working on their listening skills.And the accompaniment isn’t one of those mid-80s keyboard MIDI arrangements either. Each high-quality audio track was recorded by professional musicians or licensed from the original recordings, so you can hear how your playing sounds with true experts.Students can slow down or speed up the pace as the learning advances and even record themselves so they can listen back to their playing and troubleshoot areas to work on. Read the rest

The president is nuts.

• “New transit alerts show you when your trip is likely to be affected by COVID-19 restrictions”• “Safely avoid crowds on public transit” “In our latest release of Google Maps on Android and iOS, we’re introducing features to help you easily find important information if you need to venture out, whether it’s by car or public transportation,” says Google Maps Product Management Director Ramesh Nagarajan in a blog post announcing some new COVID-19 features for the navigation app.Excerpt:When you look up public transit directions for a trip that is likely to be affected by COVID-19 restrictions, we’ll show relevant alerts from local transit agencies. These alerts can help you prepare accordingly if government mandates impact transit services or require you to wear a mask on public transportation. Transit alerts are rolling out in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom and the U.S. where we have information from local transit agencies, with more coming soon. We’re also introducing driving alerts to notify you about COVID-19 checkpoints and restrictions along your route, like when crossing national borders (starting first in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.). You’ll see an alert on the directions screen and after starting navigation if your route is impacted by these restrictions. (...)To ensure proper social distancing, commuters are paying attention to how crowded or comfortable their ride and transit station will be. Starting today, you can easily see the times when a transit station is historically more or less busy to plan your trip accordingly or you can look at live data showing how busy it is right now compared to its usual level of activity. Read the rest

Game engines aren’t just the lifeblood of the video game industry. They may soon be the lifeblood of Hollywood.Since emerging in the late ’90s, the Unreal game engine has quickly become one of the world’s foremost tools for game creators. Now, Disney’s hit Star Wars spinoff series The Mandalorian is using Unreal as well.Artists are generating digitally-created settings and worlds in real-time via Unreal, then projecting those images on giant LED screens in the background of live-action scenes. Saving production crews time, money, and resources, it’s a revolutionary advancement that could soon change the way big-budget film and TV shows are made -- all because of a game engine. You can find out why everyone is using Unreal right now with the training found in The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Learning Unreal Engine for Game Design and Animation.In this package, users get eight courses exploring every facet of creating with Unreal, from character design and game mechanics to generating a 3D world that can be just as compelling as the game action itself.First-timers can get up to speed with The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Learning Unreal Engine 4, a comprehensive look at Unreal’s tools, commands, and capabilities. After understanding scene setup, importing assets, rendering and more, each additional course delves into more specialized areas offering different accent points to make your game world feel real.Four of these courses focus in on your game characters, including in-depth explorations of how each of your characters live in a 3D world. Read the rest

A decade ago, Santa Fe author and antiques dealer Forrest Fenn, 89, hid a treasure chest containing $1 million in gold, diamonds, rubies, and emeralds somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. A poem in Fenn's memoir, titled "The Thrill of the Chase," contained clues to the treasure's location and he hoped hunting for it would inspire families to enjoy nature and the adventure. (For more, watch the 2016 video above.) Now, Fenn reports that someone from "back East" found the treasure but does not want to be named. It's a wonderful tale except for the deaths, lawsuits, and arrests. From the Santa Fe New Mexican:An estimated 350,000 people have hunted for Fenn’s treasure. Some quit their jobs to do so. But it’s had deadly consequences. At least five people have died while searching for the chest.Barbara Andersen, a Chicago real estate attorney, said she is filing an injunction in federal District Court alleging she solved the puzzle but was hacked by someone she doesn’t know.“He stole my solve,” she said in an interview. “He followed and cheated me to get the chest."[...]And still others believe the treasure never existed — or had already been given away.“I think his announcement is at least a few years, and a few lives, too late. But he has to live with that. I believe this was over much earlier than today,” said treasure hunter Seth Wallack."Forrest Fenn confirms his treasure has been found" (Santa Fe New Mexican) Read the rest

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his iconic "Letter from the Birmingham Jail," a profoundly important message that King's adviser and friend Dr. Clarence B. Jones called a "symphony of social justice." In 2018, Oakland composer Zachary Watkins (Black Spirituals) wrote Peace Be Till for the contemporary classical group Kronos Quartet, in honor of Dr. King's activism. The staggering excerpt above features Dr. Jones, currently director of the University of San Francisco Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice, reads from the "Letter from the Birmingham Jail."Film edited by Evan Neff. Peace Be Till premiered on January 19, 2018, at New York City's Carnegie Hall during "The ’60s: The Years that Changed America" festival. Read the rest

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- restoration videos are a balm these days -- at least for me (and I assume other weirdos like me). There is something particularly wholesome and hopeful about taking something exhausted and broken and giving it new life again.And one of the best in the business is Eric of Hand Tool Rescue. I could watch these videos for hours.In this episode, he restores an especially cool old machine, a 1965 "Flymo" hovering lawn mower. I want one of these bad, now. Read the rest

Alissa Skelton reports in the Omaha World Herald that a Nebraska woman, Sylvia Driskell, 66, who claims to be “an ambassador for God and his son, Jesus Christ,” has filed a lawsuit against “all homosexuals.” She is representing herself in the case.“Citing Bible verses, Driskell contends ‘that homosexuality is a sin and that they the homosexuals know it is a sin to live a life of homosexuality. Why else would they have been hiding in the closet(?)’”"Driskell wrote in a seven-page petition to the court that God has said homosexuality is an abomination. She challenged the court to not call God a liar," Skelton's story says. Read the rest

Prosecutors in the U.S. have demanded an interview with Prince Andrew, pal of dead billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew, himself accused of raping one of the then-girls Epstein trafficked, has no plans to subject himself to further scrutiny.The request, made under a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, or MLAT, is similar to a subpoena in this case for Prince Andrew's testimony. It's a rare move to seek an interview like this through MLAT, officials say, and it's focused on making sure the investigation is as thorough as possible. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman foreshadowed the move in March when he said he would consider legal action after Prince Andrew's representatives had closed the door to an interview. "Contrary to Prince Andrew's very public offer to cooperate with our investigation into Epstein's co-conspirators, an offer that was conveyed via press release, Prince Andrew has now completely shut the door on voluntary cooperation," Berman said, adding that his office is "considering its options." Read the rest

Randy Rainbow is burning Don down in "The Bunker Boy," his latest song parody!YT Commenter:Trump: holds up a bible in front of protestorsRandy: He acts like he knows how to read.GO RAINBOW!!!screengrab via Randy Rainbow/YouTube Read the rest

Apple AirPods have become the default earbuds beloved by millions. Unfortunately, they also cost $159, so it’s no surprise that since they were first introduced in 2016, companies have battled to produce comparable headphones at a lower price.The UK-designed and engineered Veho STIX true wireless earphones may have cracked that particular problem, striking a formidable balance between stellar sound quality and affordability that should make AirPod buyers reconsider. In a head-to-head competition with all the top flight earbuds on the market, the Veho STIX certainly hold their own, powered by premium audio drivers to deliver a high-end balanced sound. Easy connectable via Bluetooth 5.0, these earphones let you play music from your device at a range of up to 33 feet.With a water-resistant body that makes the STIX ideal for sports or braving the great outdoors, these headphones also feature built-in smart touch technology, allowing you to easily control your music or hands-free calls.Meanwhile, the Veho STIX also come with their own rechargeable docking case, offering on-the-go charging that can extend your battery life up to 2 hours before the case needs to be plugged in and recharged itself.The ergonomically engineered earbuds fit comfortably in the ears, making them perfect gym companions while powering through sweaty, gritty workouts or rugged enough to serve on extended missions outside, even if there’s some weather in the forecast.Even stacked against their premium audio quality and overall toughness, the strongest endorsement of the Veho STIX might just be their price, which on sale is a far cry from the list price of their Apple competitors. Read the rest

Best known for his "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" and the ever-ubiquitous MAD Fold-In, cartoonist Al Jaffee has retired today at the age of 99, making him the longest working cartoonist in history.Jaffee began his career working for Marvel pre-cursors Timely and Atlas Comics in the early 1940s but settled into his lifelong position with the usual gang of idiots at Mad Magazine beginning in 1955. It 1964, he cultivated one of mankind's all-time greatest inventions: the fold-in. It was always a dilemma - how to fold it just enough to see the hidden image without ruining the entire back cover?Jaffee talks about the origin of his other most enduring gag series, Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions, in this video from Heeb Magazine founder Jeff Newelt .Let's honor his life's achievements by making our own Fold-In and Snappy Answer tributes today.Q: Why did Al Jaffee retire?A: He decided to pursue his actual lifelong dream and become a stuntman.A: MAD Magazine reneged on his contract by neglecting to pick all of the green M&M's out of his backstage catering tray.A: He felt like waiting until 100 was just showing off.From The Washington Post:Jaffee said in a 2016 Baltimore Comic-Con session that hardship sharpened his humor. He was born in Savannah, Ga., but life grew rough during the six years of childhood he spent on a shtetl in his mother’s Zarasai — what he called “the Siberia of Lithuania” — with food in short supply and no running waters or toys. Read the rest

A half-hour special episode on how police in America respond to protests against police brutality: with greater brutality, armed for war.As nationwide protests over the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are met with police brutality, John Oliver discusses how the histories of policing and white supremacy are intertwined, the roadblocks to fixing things, and some potential paths forward. Read the rest

Instagram isn’t just for tweens and foodies. In fact, the image-heavy platform not only wants to mint new Instagram influencers — it also wants to make them rich. In the last few weeks, the company announced ad revenue sharing on IGTV videos, special badges you can buy from your favorite accounts through Instagram Live, merchandise sales via Instagram Shopping, and more access to its new sponsorship program Brand Collabs Manager feature.With IG usership still on the rise, marketers are increasingly taking notice of the financial gains to be had from a strong presence on the platform. Now, you can leverage the power of Instagram for your own merchandising or promotional campaigns with the training in The 2020 Ultimate Instagram Influencer and Marketing Bundle.Over six courses, this training uses already proven tactics to help turn even IG agnostics into believers capable of harnessing Instagram’s increasing reach to cultivate followers, engage, build brand loyalty and create a culture of awareness around a product or business.Training begins with the basics, including how you actually get started drawing attention. From creating fun content and finding potential fans, the Instagram Marketing 2020: Step-by-Step to 10,000+ Followers course is an easy-to-understand game plan for bringing over 10,000 Instagramers to your account in just a few days.While Instagram Marketing For Newbies and Small Business tackles ways to help small business owners avoid common IG problems, 10 Instagram Growth Secrets From Celebrities and Influencers turns the attention to some of the public faces who have most benefited from an Instagram presence. Read the rest

There’s a case to be made that animation might be the most labor-intensive storytelling method out there. For every second of finished film, animators have to create 12 different moving character images, each minutely adjusted to give the illusion of fluid motion. And that’s in addition to the background drawings and any other elements needed to bring a scene to life.For most of us, our hands would be cramping before we’d finished a half-second of usable footage. But thanks to tech advantages, we’ve got some much more time-efficient means for rendering animation, including some that don’t really require you to be an animator or even much of an artist to produce some fantastic work. You can get a grasp on how to create cool animation for presentations, social media, or just an old-fashioned film with The Complete Cartoon Animator 4 Pro Bundle. With CCA4, you can add anything from basic motion all the way to highly intricate movements to almost any 2D image. With their motion capture innovations, you have the ability to turn basically any drawing, character, or creature into a live digital puppet with real-time animated movement. CCA4 even allows you to basically “play” your animated character yourself, shooting yourself on a smartphone, then integrating your movements directly into the physicality of your cartoon alter-ego. Using character templates and extensive motion libraries, you can make a cat talk with mouth movements that perfectly mimic human speech, help your company’s logo jump off the page and dance, or give a classic artwork a voice and personality all its own. Read the rest

Look, with everything going on right now, there's a good chance you might have missed some of the cool products offered up over the past few days, all at healthy savings off their original price.We’d feel like we were doing you a disservice if we didn’t give you one last shot at ‘em. To help us all sleep at night, they’re all assembled below. Jump in...the water’s fine!Home ImprovementCheck Clipboard - $20.99; originally $24Sure, it looks like an average clipboard...and yeah, it’s a clipboard. However, it does have a tight clip for holding thick stacks of paper, even up to beefy memo pads. And hey...whose desk or workspace doesn’t look for efficient and organized with a clipboard on it?TP-Link Kasa Smart Home WiFi Plug (2-Pack) - $48.95; originally $68.53This smart power plug lets you control electrical devices anywhere, all with the power of your smartphone. Plug it in and light up your house even when there’s nobody home — or fire up the space heater before you get back to make the house nice and toasty warm when you get there.The possibilities are endless.JASHEN V16 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner - $164.99; originally $299.99Powered by a 350-watt digital brushless motor and sporting a built-in filter sensor, the V16 provides strong suction to lift embedded dirt and stain with ease and zero noise. With the dust brush, you can modify to clean hard floors too. And it’s all powered by a rechargeable 2,500mAh battery that delivers up to 40 minutes of runtime on a single charge. Read the rest

When you think of the single program that seems to absolutely epitomize business in all its forms, you probably think of Microsoft Excel. It’s been around for three decades, it’s the cornerstone of the ubiquitous Microsoft Office suite and that neat, ordered grid of a spreadsheet is synonymous with 21st-century commerce.While many have Excel on their resumes, far fewer actually know how to use this valuable business tool to the full extent of its power. Now, users can get the in-depth user knowledge to take your spreadsheet projects to their heights with the training in The 2020 Master Microsoft Excel and Power BI Certification Bundle.This collection brings together eight courses aimed at demystifying this venerable app, laying out the full scope of Excel’s spreadsheet-loving, data-manipulating power.Everything kicks off with Microsoft Excel - Excel with Excel Pivot Tables Bootcamp, the most comprehensive Excel Pivot Table online course ever created, packed with over 200 short targeted tutorials. Whether you’re a first-timer or an experienced user, this course will offer the guidelines for analyzing data, formulating conclusions, and presenting findings in insightful, interactive ways. In fact, this course promises to turn users into advanced Excel experts within a week.With the Bootcamp setting your baseline knowledge, the other seven courses cover major Excel topics, all in timeframes of two hours or less. Want to know how to use Power Query to bring data sets together for analysis? In 120 minutes, you will. How about integrating SQL Database Queries with your Excel sheets? Read the rest

You’d think the biggest complaint that can be leveled about a pair of earbuds is that they just don’t sound all that great. Granted, there are plenty of cut-rate headphones that fall under that category, but we’d wager the pet peeve that makes most users throw away earbuds in frustration is when they just don’t fit in your ears comfortably.Sometimes, they’re too small. Other times, they’re too large. They’re either too loose, too plastic-y or just feel like you’re wearing weights in your ears. Even with many earbuds coming with extra sets of randomly sized ear tips to supposedly fit any ear, there are lots of instances where that just doesn’t happen. That won’t be a problem with the Decibullz wireless earphones, the first DIY custom-molded headphones that will actually stay in your ears no matter what.They were designed by former gymnastics coach Kyle Kirkpatrick, who got tired of dealing with headphones that constantly fell out, sounded awful or hurt his ears. After consulting with audio engineers, material specialists and high-level athletes, he came up with the Decibullz system that contours earbuds to the unique shape of each person’s ears.All you have to do is heat the Decibullz thermoplastic molds in boiling water, then let them cool for a minute before shaping them to your ears. That’s it. Once they’ve settled, you’ve got earbuds that won’t be a constant struggle. And if you somehow botch the process, it’s no problem. Decibullz custom earbuds are completely re-moldable, so you can go through the process again -- and get it right this time. Read the rest