Another bananas White House coronavirus press conference.

“So how were they? Not bad. Some of them were kind of dry, but for the most part they tasted how you'd expect.”An idea for coronavirus quarantine funtime in the kitchen, dear reader. Preparing each different serving suggestion on the back of the Ritz Crackers box. RECIPE RATINGS (out of 5)Burger: 4Pulled Pork: 5Strawberry Cream Cheese: 5Pepperoni Pizza: 2 (flavor was ok but it looked a mess)Guacamole: 3PB&J: 5BLT: 4Apple Cheddar: 2PB Popcorn: 3White chocco sprinkle: 4An adventure in quarantine cooking shared by IMGURian @roxisasewingmachine.I made all the serving suggestions on the Ritz box[via IMGUR] Read the rest

In honor of Super Mario Bros 35th anniversary of the video game (released in 1985, two years after the arcade game launched), here's an amazing stop motion animation of the game in action. It took BigWendy over a week to create, using over 500 Rubik Cubes. Read the rest

“They want us to where a face mask??? I DONT THANK SO.”“I'm not gonna be ruled by common sense precautions to keep everyone safe and healthy!”Brent Terhune does a very good Southern Redneck Guy Who Watches Fox News, and he's recently taken on the MAGA/White Nationalist/???? types gathering in weird astroturfy rallies around the U.S., which may or may not be funded by some political group or something.More of Brent's very spot-on recent work below.‘I’m not going to be ruled by commonsense precautions’ — Comedian @BrentTerhune hilariously spoofed Trump supporters who refuse to wear masks pic.twitter.com/CIiBDsXWAj— NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 20, 2020This stay at home order is BULLSHIT pic.twitter.com/bvDvD3pbBt— Brent Terhune (@BrentTerhune) April 16, 2020 Read the rest

According to the suggestions of a professional golfer whose video was tweeted today by Donald Trump's companies, drinking an entire bottle of vodka every day will 'kill' coronavirus. There's only one problem with this advice: it is not true, and may harm you.Here's the original video.A big thank you to @PGA_JohnDaly who has always been one of our biggest fans. John thank you for the friendship. Everyone at @TrumpGolf truly loves you! #StaySafe #AmericaTogether pic.twitter.com/coWifMSa3W— Trump Golf (@TrumpGolf) April 9, 2020Drinking alcohol does not provide any protection against coronavirus and COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization. Heavy drinking can weaken the immune system, says the WHO.Excerpt:Trump’s golf business has been posting videos to Twitter in which home-bound pro golfers, including Daly, praise Trump’s courses as their “home away from home.” Daly played golf with the president in the summer and visited the White House in 2017.In his video, first reported by Golfweek, the famously hard-living and hard-drinking golfer said he hoped that viewers would “be healthy and be smart,” and that they could return to playing golf again soon.Then Daly continued: “But I kind of got a cure for this. I only drink one drink a day, it just happens to be a bottle. Of good old Belvedere.” He showed the camera a full bottle of the Polish vodka.“You know, you just drink one of these a day — you know, sippy-sippy on a little McDonald’s Diet Coke, you know, wash it down pretty good. Read the rest

I really don't know what to say here. This is so demented, and so awful, I just can't even.Natalie Allison, who reports on state politics for The Tennessean and USA TODAY, attended one of those weird astroturfy coronavirus rallies where MAGA types and white nationalists are fighting against the stay-at-home measures intended to slow the spread of COVID-19. This one guy:Today’s reopen rally organizer Steve Hasty of Murfreesboro says what he misses most is sitting in restaurants and getting free drink refills.“I hate having to get two iced teas in the drive thru,” he saysWOW.Today’s reopen rally organizer Steve Hasty of Murfreesboro says what he misses most is sitting in restaurants and getting free drink refills.“I hate having to get two iced teas in the drive thru,” he says. pic.twitter.com/373qBIeHof— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) April 20, 2020Here's her thread, and these are all her photos.Much smaller crowd at the Tennessee Capitol today for the reopen rally, but @RepMartinDaniel is in attendance. He’s one of at least 2 other legislators who have sent letters to @GovBillLee asking him to lift restrictions. (Lee has set May 1 as tentative start date for that) pic.twitter.com/rxRGrIC1x6— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) April 20, 2020This woman, Misty Smith, is a home health nurse in Nashville but she is announcing that “all our hospitals are sitting empty.” (Tennessee reports there have been 724 coronavirus hospitalizations) pic.twitter.com/ht0vwktIPe— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) April 20, 2020This lady is yelling toward the Tennessee Capitol at @GovBillLee, trying to compare the coronavirus shutdown to the Holocaust. Read the rest

Your “work routine” is likely in shambles. Between working from home and all that entails and the broken habits you built before while heading into the office every day, your work rhythm probably looks a lot different than it did two months ago.So if you’re already making changes, it might be time to consider another colossal shift in your status quo. Like...have you ever thought about getting a standing desk? Standing at a desk while working rather than sitting for three hours has been shown to burn almost 170 extra calories. There’s also evidence standing can lower your blood sugar, lower your risk of heart disease, and significantly reduce back pain. Armed with all that knowledge, the Stan Desk Adjustable Standing Desk could not only be a great way to shake up your workspace but actually improve your overall health and well-being.The Stan Desk is designed for laptop users with a variety of height adjustments and shelving slots to help you achieve your ideal posture. The whole thing comes together in about 30 seconds, and once you perch it on top of a regular office desk, you can hit just the configuration that works best for you.The sturdy wooden construction ensures you’ll get years of use out of your Stan Desk and its signature minimalist hourglass design. At just 11 pounds, it’s ultra-portable, so whether you’re at home or back in the office one day, your standing desk can start becoming your new normal.Beyond the physical health benefits, the standing desk allows oxygen-rich blood to flow to the areas of your brain that release endorphins and serotonin. Read the rest

Fandango dang sure isn't selling movie theater tickets anymore. And Walmart appears to be easing out of the video-on-demand business, and into... something else.On Monday, Walmart's video-on-demand service Vudu announced it will be acquired by Fandango Media, the online movie ticketing service owned by beloathed cable and internet access behemoth Comcast.Here's the official announcement on the Vudu Customer Help website: “Fandango to Purchase Vudu.”From Reuters:Walmart bought Vudu over a decade ago, but the service, which allows customers to either buy or rent movies and TV shows, still lags far behind the monthly viewership numbers that competitors Netflix Inc and Hulu pull in.But Comcast is betting it can give the site a boost with Fandango, as the loss of cable TV subscribers forces it to focus its future around its internet business. (...)Vudu, which also offers a free ad-supported streaming option, said here it will not be shutting down and will still operate separately from the FandangoNow pay-per-view service. More at Reuters.Observations from reporters and links to related early news coverage, below.Fandango plans to maintain a Vudu office in the Sunnyvale, Calif., area and Fandango will be making job offers to the majority of Vudu employees https://t.co/W81O3Yj9T1— Todd Spangler (@xpangler) April 20, 2020There’s no indication yet if, or how, Comcast’s various streaming platforms (Peacock, FandangoNow, Xumo and now Vudu) will coexist https://t.co/yRVDnZw3UV— Jason Lynch (@jasonlynch) April 20, 2020Fandango will buy Vudu, Walmart's movies-on-demand service https://t.co/ugthnHl4QS— LAT Entertainment (@latimesent) April 20, 2020Fandango can't sell you movie tickets right now but it can rent you digital movies. Read the rest

Samaritan's Purse is the Evangelical humanitarian aid organization behind the emergency pop-up coronavirus hospital that's set up shop in Central Park to help with overflow from other health facilities, specifically New York's Mount Sinai. In addition to the 14 tent, 68-bed field hospital in New York, the group also dispatched 60 disaster response specialists with 20 tons of medical equipment to help address the disaster response in Cremona, Italy.On the surface level, this is largely good; hospitals are crowded and medical workers are overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.But it gets complicated when you factor in the group's founder: Franklin Graham, son of the infamous Evangelical fire-and-brimstone preacher Billy Graham. And lest you were hoping that the Graham apple had fallen far from the tree, Franklin is in fact a bit of an Endtimes Obsessive, who of course has a history of saying terrible things about Islam (particularly as it relates to Barack Obama) as well as Hinduism. Unsurprisingly, he's a hardcore Trumper, too, as well as an advocate for the s0-called gay conversion therapy that is unquestionably a form a psychological abuse. He's even praised Putin's anti-LGBTQ authoritarianism. In Franklin Graham's own words from 2014:It’s obvious that President Obama and his administration are pushing the gay-lesbian agenda in America today and have sold themselves completely to that which is contrary to God’s teaching.[…]Isn’t it sad, though, that America’s own morality has fallen so far that on this issue—protecting children from any homosexual agenda or propaganda—Russia’s standard is higher than our own? Read the rest

Creativity has no bounds when you're shut in your house for weeks on end. I only wonder how he has three rolls of toilet paper to spare. Read the rest

Spoken Word with Electronics is an audio series delivering to you a two side recording of unusual stories paired with vintage modular electronic soundsGreetings, all. To make this more like a proper series, I've expanded these posts into a more traditional radio segment format. You'll find a completely audio version in the playlist.In 1942, Mel Blanc screamed about food hoarding in a Warner Brothers animated short, "Foney Fables". I was pleased to see the cartoon is in the public domain – Meaning you can do whatever you'd like with much of it.THIS WEEK: Episode 6, "Food Hoarding with Mel Blanc"I'll post the download links for the "Food Hoarder" sample in the comments.Back next week. Have a happy hoarding, Ethan (Bandcamp/Soundcloud) Read the rest

Bruce Lee's 1970s films have entered the realm of cinematic fine art. The Criterion Collection is releasing a Bruce Lee seven-disc Blu-Ray box set appropriately titled "His Greatest Hits." Included are The Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972), The Way of the Dragon (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973), and Game of Death (1978). Never take your eyes off your opponent, even when you're bowing. Here's what's included in Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits:4K digital restorations of The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Game of Death, and The Way of the Dragon, with uncompressed original monaural soundtracks; New 2K digital restoration of the rarely-seen 99-minute 1973 theatrical version of Enter the Dragon, with uncompressed original monaural soundtrack; 2K digital restoration of the 102-minute “special-edition” version of Enter the Dragon; Alternate audio soundtracks for the films, including original English-dubbed tracks and a 5.1 surround soundtrack for the special-edition version of Enter the Dragon; Six audio commentaries: on The Big Boss by Bruce Lee expert Brandon Bentley; on The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Game of Death, and The Way of the Dragon by Hong Kong–film expert Mike Leeder; and on the special-edition version of Enter the Dragon by producer Paul Heller; High-definition presentation of Game of Death II, the 1981 sequel to Game of Death; Game of Death Redux, a new presentation of Lee’s original Game of Death footage, produced by Alan Canvan; New interviews on all five films with Lee biographer Matthew Polly; New interview with producer Andre Morgan about Golden Harvest, the company behind Hong Kong’s top martial-arts stars, including Lee; New program about English-language dubbing with voice performers Michael Kaye (the English-speaking voice of Lee’s Chen Zhen in Fist of Fury) and Vaughan Savidge; New interview with author Grady Hendrix about the “Bruceploitation” subgenre that followed Lee’s death, and a selection of Bruceploitation trailers; Blood and Steel, a 2004 documentary about the making of Enter the Dragon; Multiple programs and documentaries about Lee’s life and philosophies, including Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend (1973) and Bruce Lee: In His Own Words (1998); Interviews with Linda Lee Cadwell, Lee’s widow, and many of Lee’s collaborators and admirers, including actors Jon T. Read the rest

On the YouTube description of the latest episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: "As COVID-19 continues to dominate the news cycle, John Oliver looks at the various sources of misinformation about the disease - from televangelists and the right wing media, to President Trump himself."If you want to see something really scary, scroll to 3:30 in the video. (That's Kenneth Copeland by the way, who is worth $300 million and owns a $260,000 Maserati). Read the rest

In March 1978, the wonderful Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) presented a screening of Eraserhead followed by a Q&A with director David Lynch. BAMPFA just recently digitized the cassette and shared it for all to enjoy. Read the rest

On his Pluralistic blog, Cory Doctorow reports that the Zoom teleconferencing system purportedly uses artificial intelligence to detect naked people to block the video. He says "I think that Zoom is probably bullshitting about using machine learning to catch nudity." That makes sense, because how can you detect the content of a video stream if, as Zoom promises, the signal is encrypted end-to-end? Cory also looks at the reasons why pornography always seems to be one of the early use cases in any new technology:The thing is, when a new communications technology comes along, the people who have the most incentive to figure out how to use it are the people for whom the existing technology channels are not working....It's also why everyone else whose communications are disfavored, surveilled or blocked adopt technology.It's what political radicals, kids, religious extremists, terrorists, conspiracists, and criminals all have in common: using the established communications channels is expensive for them, so it's worth expending the effort to master the new ones. Read the rest

In Stockton, California, KCRA's Melinda Meza did a live TV segment about hairstyling on location in her home bathroom. Special guest star: her naked partner in the shower. Read the rest

To be clear: I have absolutely no sympathy for the selfish so-called "protestors" who are being irresponsibly cheered on by the President to "re-open the economy" and endanger millions of American lives. While I can understand economic stresses and concerns about an overreaching government, I simply cannot abide by a movement that was literally organized by nihilistic white nationalists bankrolled by greedy right-wing donors who want other people to die in order to boost a bunch of inherently hollow economic statistics that cannot hold any meaning without human life.That being said, the Raleigh Police response to the "ReOpen North Carolina" protest was also painfully ridiculous.The protestors are in violation of the Governor’s Executive Order and have been asked to leave. #ReopenNC pic.twitter.com/AIEetS42NE— Raleigh Police (@raleighpolice) April 14, 2020Protesting is a non-essential activity.— Raleigh Police (@raleighpolice) April 14, 2020"Protesting is a non-essential activity." That's what the police said.Humans are complex beings, and we are capable of holding more than two thoughts in our minds at once. That's how I'm able to recognize that these protestors were, at best, the unwitting patsies of a bigoted death cult — while also acknowledging that a police department deeming protest as "non-essential" is, at best, dumb, and at worst, utterly horrifying.Even if one is to agree that these protestors should have been arrested, this is a terrible way to justify that action. They could have just as easily written this off retroactively as reckless endangerment, or simply left it as a public safety violation. Read the rest

In this video (embedded below), a woman in a truck is participating in a traffic-snarling protest against the Covid-19 quarantine rules. But she has herself been brought to a halt by a counter-protestor on foot. The lockdown protestor leans out the window and gives the counter-protestor, wearing nurse scrubs, a piece of her mind.This video of a nurse who is on the frontlines of this pandemic being told to “go to China” has gotta be the most insane thing I’ve seen on Twitter dot com in the 11 years I’ve been on this platform. And I used to report ISIS accounts for a living.pic.twitter.com/5E4Hi6P7DR— Mari Manoogian 🧼🤚🏽 (@MariManoogian) April 20, 2020Also:People are crediting dailies and cable news for “figuring out” the anti-quarantine marches are far-right activists, so let me make clear that joking aside we all knew from day 1, we’re just picking the stories we want to tell. https://t.co/3VOuC4llgX— Rob Beschizza (@Beschizza) April 20, 2020 Read the rest

The nuns at the San Leandro convent in Seville, Spain have been very busy making masks as part of their charity work. But it's important to stay in shape in quarantine — plus, everyone deserves a break from sometimes. So naturally, they converted the 13th century courtyard into a different kind of court.Just watch out for those Hail Mary shots. Read the rest

In this video, a cow is pursued into a swimming pool by two dogs. The cow is not particularly threatened by the other animals, but is unable to haul itself out of the water and appears to be in danger of drowning. It eventually finds the shallow end, though, and gets a little last-minute help. The video has an interesting voice-over. Read the rest

When I'm not writing things on Boing Boing and elsewhere, I also play in an indie rock band called the Roland High Life. We're all huge fans of NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series, but we're all a bit scattered across the northeast right now, and coordination can be hard. So back in January, while we were together in person recording our new EP, we had the idea to do a remote video entry for this year's Tiny Desk Contest.Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. And suddenly, the idea of a remote tiny desk concert was … much less clever and original.But we did it anyway, complete with a Tiny Death Star, and you can check it out above. Given the quarantine circumstances, we were a bit strapped for gear — I'm on my back-up guitar, sans pedals, with a limited selection of mics — but I think we did all right. Hopefully Bob Boilen agrees.Here's the original (or at least, the album version; the original demo was a bit more Billy Joel-sy, if you'd believe it).We're in the process of mixing our new EP, tentatively titled "Songs About Comic Books and Mid-30s Malaise," which should be out in the summer. In the meantime, I'll let you speculate on the songwriting subject matter.The Roland High Life on NPR's Tiny Desk Contest Read the rest

With everything happening these days, it seems like celebrating anything on April 20th — otherwise known as 420 — might feel a bit...unorthodox. Maybe celebrating isn’t even the right word for this quasi-holiday. Maybe it’s more of a solemn observance of a day that means so much to so many.In honor of 420, we decided you could commemorate by leveling up your game with these 10 pipes, grinders and vaporizers that can bring the true meaning of the day into focus.PipesFreeze Pipe - $59.99; originally $120Experiencing harsh throat and chest burn is no way to enjoy your smoke, so the Freeze Pipe cools it all down. Inside the glass bowl, a freezable glycerin coil chills your smoke by over 300 degrees, which means you get an ultra-smooth, icy-cold pull for akin to a much more expensive water bong.Genius Pipe - $64.99; originally $99.95The stylish, durable and quick-cleaning Genius Pipe eliminates glass entirely, creating an extremely portable, simple alternative that slips into your pocket for smoking on the go. Your herb is stored inside the integrated bowl, so all you have to do is light up and inhale.GrindersRed and White Ball Grinder - $7.99; originally $14.99If you want fun, this three-piece grinder’s sharp teeth perfectly shred any herb or spice for increased potency. Just add your herb or leaves, twist the top and you’ve got finely ground pieces. Plus, it looks exactly like a red and white ball! Fun!Aluminum Herb Grinder with Extra-Large Window - $11.99; Read the rest

From NPR, always digging into the difficult issues:The coronavirus lockdown has raised a conundrum for scientists around the globe: What to do with creatures they study now that research projects have come to a halt.[…]So when the university gave the go ahead to bring home animals that were not at risk of escaping into the wild and harming the environment, [Todd] Waters brought the [arthropod] zoo [at the University of Maryland] home with him.The assortment included wolf spiders, assassin bugs, mantises, baby scorpions and baby tarantulas. Waters lives with four other people, which he says made things a bit uncomfortable when he showed up with the critters.You can listen to the story below, or check it out on NPR.Bring Home The Tarantulas? As Research Halts, Scientists Face Difficult Decisions [Apoorva Mittal / NPR]Image: Hugo A. Quintero G. / Flickr (CC 2.0) Read the rest

This video shows recent TV ads for all the usual stuff. There are sad pianos, somber voice-overs, but still, all the same, buy a car. Ad agencies are all cranking out the same maudlin haunted bullshit because they can't think of any other way to market things during a pandemic. Many use uncannily similar language, too.There's one pair which appear to have the same tragedy tune: a reminder that if you're licensing the top result for a simple seach term from a music library, you should pay extra to own it outright.I like how ads have gone from “buy a toyota” to “this is a difficult and uncertain time for us all...buy a toyota”— california guy now (@InternetHippo) April 14, 2020 Read the rest

In this video, the crazed maker Matt Denton (who someone in the comments refers to as the Colin Furze of giant 3D printed LEGO) 3D-prints a human-sized LEGO go-kart.My latest 3D Printed project is this GIANT LEGO Go-Kart large enough for me to ride! Yes, I'm hoping this time that this version will be big enough for me to ride.. I also intend on making it electric![H/t Hack-a-Day]Image: YouTube Read the rest

It should come as no surprise, but it turns out food delivery and delivery services are among the silver lining success stories of our homebound pandemic lifestyle. Researchers at Civic Science found that 22 percent of U.S. adults had food delivered last week, a sharp rise from 19 percent just the week before. And while younger and more affluent customers have traditionally been the biggest users of home delivery services, new figures show more parents are jumping on-board the convenience of local restaurant fare without the hassle. And it never hurts to support financially impacted local businesses during this time either.With all that in mind, we want to keep you fed while you pump dollars into your local community by giving you $1,000 worth of DoorDash home delivery in the $1,000 DoorDash Gift Card Giveaway.Of course, you already know DoorDash, who can immediately zip meals and other treats from dozens of your local restaurant favorites right to your door. Well, we want to give you $1,000 of DoorDash fun money to eat up right. Heck, even for a family of four, $1,000 in DoorDash deliveries can supply tasty dinners for a month. DoorDash even lets you set up all your own delivery preferences, so if you’d rather the driver just drop off your meal and ring the bell to minimize interaction, you can. All you need to do to make this $1,000 of culinary highlights yours is to sign up. No purchase needed. Putting your name on the basic entry form and hitting send is all you’ve gotta do. Read the rest

I really enjoyed this episode of Coffee or Suicide with my friend Maureen Herman. She was the bassist for Babes in Toyland, and is a writer and a frequent contributor to Boing Boing. In this episode, she "talks about the need for access to mental health care services, her experiences with addiction and trauma, and why she never called herself a riot grrrl." Read the rest

On April 19, 1943, Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman ingested 240 micrograms of lysergic acid diethylamide, a curious compound he had synthesized for possible use as a respiratory and circulatory stimulant. An hour later, Hoffman wrote one sentence in his journal: "Beginning dizziness, feeling of anxiety, visual distortions, symptoms of paralysis, desire to laugh." As he rode his bicycle home, the effects intensified. Eventually though, the fear gave way to wonder."Little by little I could begin to enjoy the unprecedented colors and plays of shapes that persisted behind my closed eyes," Hoffman wrote. "Kaleidoscopic, fantastic images surged in on me, alternating, variegated, opening and then closing themselves in circles and spirals, exploding in colored fountains, rearranging and hybridizing themselves in constant flux..."April 19 is now celebrated as Bicycle Day to commemorate the first intentional acid trip, a hallucinogenic revelation that had a profound impact on art, music, culture, and consciousness. We can't go out right now, but we can go in. Way in. To celebrate Bicycle Day, my Ozma Records partner Tim Daly and I are offering a 33% discount on The Family Acid: California, a book of marvelous photographs drenched in the psychedelic experience. For more than 50 years, photographer Roger Steffens has explored the electric arteries of the counterculture, embracing mind-expanding experiences, deep social connection, and unadulterated fun at every turn. After serving in Vietnam at the end of the 1960s, Steffens immersed himself in California’s vibrant bohemia. Since then, with his wife Mary and children Kate and Devon, he has sought out the eccentric, the outlandish, and the transcendent. Read the rest

It may be awkward to point this out during these tough times...but cooking is having a moment.All this extra time spent at home is sparking thousands to do what they’ve always wished they had time to do before: get in the kitchen and craft tasty meals with their own two hands.From Amy Schumer hosting her own cooking show to famous brands revealing their secret recipes, there’s never been a more opportune moment to ignite a love for cooking yourself. And it just so happens we’ve assembled 23 appliances, cooking utensils and meal aids that can help make all those culinary dreams come true.We can’t promise everything you make is going to work out, but it sure will be fun trying. And we could all use a little more fun right now.BreakfastIt’s the most important meal of the day — so whether you want to stay healthy with a smoothie or get decadent mixing up some pancake batter, the Personal 20-Oz Electric Blender ($22.99; originally $29.99) has you covered. Of course, if you’re going the smoothie route, this high-powered, innovative 400W blender also comes with a 20-ounce sports bottle to blend your drink and take it with you anywhere. Any breakfast needs a quality frying pan for those eggs, so the Swiss Diamond HD Classic 7" Nonstick Fry Pan ($33.99; originally $39.95) serves it up. Perfect for frying, sautéing, or browning ingredients for your favorite small meals and side dishes, it’s oven-safe up to 500°F and perfectly sized for small apartments and dorm rooms. Read the rest

"Hi, Lloyd. Little slow tonight, isn't it?"Deepfake auteur Ctrl Shift Face presents Jim Carrey in... The Shining.(Thanks, Jeff Cross!) Read the rest

When your under lockdown there isn’t always a good way to get any real separation or alone time within those close quarters. When the walls start closing in a little, there are two sure-fire ways that audio can help: either tune ‘em out — or drown ‘em out.With that self-preservation in mind, consider this assortment of great audio accessories, including earbuds and headphones to immerse yourself in anything but what’s happening around you; and Bluetooth speakers to build a blazing hot wall of sound between you and everyone else.Tough tactics? Sure. But these are tough times...and we all have to be prepared.Earbuds: Under $35There are loads of convenient affordable earbuds that can help make the world go away -- for a few minutes at a time, at least. The Skullcandy Jib Wireless Earbuds ($12.99; originally $29.99) help you live wirelessly without sacrificing any essential features -- although at over 50 percent off, getting these at less than the price of a quick lunch is probably their most impactful selling point.Meanwhile, the Crave Octane Bluetooth Earphones ($29.99; originally $49.99) are actually magnetic, up and running when they’re disconnected, powered down and conserving energy when the buds are stuck together. And the newest version of the best-selling AirSounds Pro True Wireless Earbuds ($34.99; originally $129.99) have a new and improved design, seamless connectivity, and battery life status updates every time you connect.Earbuds: $36-$50Beats Tour 2.5 Wired In-Ear Headphones ($47.99; originally $59.95) are built for function and durability in our busy world, engineered with a variety of fit options for all-day comfort and sweat and water resistance to easily shrug off all your life throws at them. Read the rest

Summer 2020 is already in tatters if you’re a movie fan. Potential blockbusters like Black Widow, Wonder Woman 1984, F9, Mulan, Top Gun: Maverick, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and the latest James Bond thriller No Time to Die have all been shunted off the release schedule. No matter what happens with our current health epidemic, the cineplex is guaranteed to be stone-cold quiet until fall — at the earliest.Thankfully, the world has been slowly turning your home theater into a true home theater for years. Between rapidly growing screens, HD streaming, premium sound and more, it’s tough to see where the movie palace begins and your living room couch ends.However...there’s always room for upgrades. We’ve assembled a dozen cool deals on TVs, antennas and other options so the only difference you’ll see between your house and the cinema house is that addictive movie theater popcorn butter.For the junior home theaterNot too long ago, a 50-inch TV screen in your home was practically a movie screen. Now, it’s almost quaint. But for many shoppers facing space limitations or who just don’t want to turn an entire wall into a video screen, 50-inchers like the VIZIO E-Series Class 4K HDR Smart TV ($429.95; originally $469.99) pack more than enough viewing punch. With Google Chromecast built-in, the E-Series also boasts SmartCast, the app-based system featuring voice control to run your TV through Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa-enabled devices.Meanwhile, the VIZIO D-Series 50" Ultra HD Full-Array LED Smart TV ($429.95; originally $499.99) Read the rest

So many artists are now playing music online from home. For many, it shows a different, more vulnerable side to them.This is definitely the case in this set with the great Gary Numan. From his den, he plays guitar and sings, something he says he rarely does.In the intro and the patter between songs, he spends a lot of time with clearly an aching heart over what we're all going through, showing real tenderness and compassion. And he spends lots of time apologizing for his guitar playing and the raw circumstances of the performances. No need, Mr. Numan. It all sounded perfect and heartfelt to me.During the set, he does "Everyday I Die," "Bleed," "Crime of Passion," and "Down in the Park." On several songs, he is joined by his daughter, Persia.Image: YouTube Read the rest

In 2009, musician Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never) released a track called “Nobody Here” followed by the album “Chuck Person's Eccojams Vol.1” less than a year later. Now, that track is considered the first vaporwave song, and "Eccojams" the first vaporwave album, with one of the original 100 cassettes going for $2,000 on Discogs. Yesterday saw the launch of a crowdfunding campaign for “Nobody Here: The Story of Vaporwave," the first feature documentary about the genre, with artists on the soundtrack (and hopefully in the film) like Saint Pepsi, CatSystem Corp., Death’s Dynamic Shroud, Yung Bae, Luxury Elite, and more. The Indiegogo rewards range from the soundtrack on vinyl, cassette, or MiniDisc to a Macintosh Plus signed by the artists and filmmakers. They aim to complete the film by January 2021 but right now, there's not much to do but support the project and just enjoy yourself... Read the rest

There's an interesting piece in MIT Technology Review about how the COVID-19 virus and social isolation have re-enlivened the Web in ways that hearken back to its earlier, more human and optimistic days.It’s like turning the clock back to a more earnest time on the web, when the novelty of having a voice or being able to connect with anyone still filled us with a sense of boundless opportunity and optimism. It harkens back to the late 1990s and early 2000s—before social media, before smartphones—when going online was still a valuable use of time to seek community.You see it in the renewed willingness of people to form virtual relationships. Before social media soured us and made us aloof and dismissive, we used to take the internet’s promise of serendipitous connection more seriously. Now casually hanging out with randos (virtually, of course) is cool again. People are joining video calls with people they’ve never met for everything from happy hours to book clubs to late-night flirting. They’re sharing in collective moments of creativity on Google Sheets, looking for new pandemic pen pals, and sending softer, less pointed emails.I'm not so sure of some of its assertions, but I do love the thought of reclaiming some of that early optimism and genuine sense of (virtual) community. And it does beg the question of how the pandemic might change the character of the web in its aftermath.Read the rest.Image: Salorenzo Herrera on Unsplash Read the rest

Door stop books. Baby booster seat books. Boat anchor books. Whatever you want to call them, gargantuan novels have their weighty charms, especially now, as we're all looking for distracting rabbit holes to fall into.To that end, Literary Hub has put together a list of 50 fine, contemporary novels that clock in at over 500 pages. Read 'em if you can hold them up.Richard Powers, The Overstory (512 pages)Strap in for a 512-page book about trees. But of course it’s really about humanity—all literature is—and it’s weirdly engrossing. Though it lags a bit at the end when it succumbs to polemic, for the most part, Powers manages to entertain, inform, and inspire action in the most high profile work of climate fiction yet.Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose (512 pages)A murder mystery concerning a labyrinthine library, and probably the only bestselling novel to be based on semiotics.Tana French, The Witch Elm (528 pages)It’s not my favorite of French’s novels (that would be The Likeness, obviously, I’m not a crazy person), but it’s the only one that tips over the 500-page mark, and honestly, even my third favorite French ranks above most other people’s books. The Witch Elm is also perhaps her most fully realized, investigating not just a murder but privilege and society and the notion of memory—or sanity—itself. It’s very good.Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (639 pages)Chabon’s magnum opus is a gloriously fun, wham-pow novel of heroes, friendship, magic, the Golden Age of Comics, and sure, okay, Hitler. Read the rest

In case you weren't panicking enough about the way that ambient environmental factors might be surreptitiously destroying your body, the EPA decided that right now would be a great time to change the rules about how they calculate the risk associated with mercury and other toxic metal factory byproducts.From The New York Times:The new Environmental Protection Agency rule does not eliminate restrictions on the release of mercury, a heavy metal linked to brain damage. Instead, it creates a new method of calculating the costs and benefits of curbing mercury pollution that environmental lawyers said would fundamentally undermine the legal underpinnings of controls on mercury and many other pollutants.By reducing the positive health effects of regulations on paper and raising their economic costs, the new method could be used to justify loosening restrictions on any pollutant that the fossil fuel industry has deemed too costly to control.The real insult-to-injury here is that it would be easy for the EPA to turn a blind eye to these sort of regulations. Offices are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and with so much chaos in the world, shady actors in the EPA could deliberately let these rules slip by while still maintaining plausible deniability.In fact, the EPA already did something like that earlier in this lockdown crisis. In late March, it announced that it was suspending enforcement of environmental compliance — essentially leaving it up to private companies to decide for themselves if they're following pollution laws. Read the rest

On April 16, Marvel live streamed 10 hours of "footage" from outside Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, which you can now watch in its entirety on YouTube. It's kind of like a Lovecraftian YuleLog, with spooky sounds and energy demons and ghastly spirits peeking through the windows.It's also kind of like going outside, but without actually going outside, and somehow less terrifying (but still kind of eerie). Read the rest

Trying to relieve your own muscle aches without medication is usually an exercise coupling maddening frustration with the contortionism of a Jim Carrey routine. Trying to reach ailing muscle groups in your back, shoulders or legs on your own is often just futility, never getting the right angle, pressure or motion to make any headway in breaking up tightness and trying to roll discomfort.Sure, you could pay a massage therapist to knead your muscles the right way, but it’s usually expensive and difficult to schedule. And under our current conditions, it’s essentially impossible.Instead, the makers of the Vertiball have come up with a novel way to essentially turn suction and your own body weight into all the equipment you need to help release tension and promote muscle recovery all by yourself.The Vertiball uses a patented mounting system with industrial-grade suction to adhere to any flat surface. No matter whether you’re sticking it to painted drywall, metal or even plastic surfaces, the Vertiball locks into place and can even hold over 100 lbs. of weight without wavering.Once you’ve got the Vertiball positioned, then just use your own motion and body weight to roll your muscles over the 360-degree rotating ball’s firm, yet pleasing touch. You have full control over how much pressure to use, angling the ball’s precision focal point right to the painful areas that need relief the most.Users can fire up the Vertiball to combat headaches and neck pain, improve circulation, enhance sleep and relaxation and increase range of motion as it naturally cures muscle pain and promotes faster recovery. Read the rest

@chriswadih if someone could give me a scientific answer that would be great #fyp #aussie ♬ original sound - chriswadih From Chris Wadih on TikTok.The sequel has an unexpected ending: @chriswadih The Kookaburra Diaries: Part 2 ♬ original sound - chriswadih Read the rest

Florida is reopening its beaches, having gotten bored of coronavirus lockdown. To make a show of caring about the Covid-19 pandemic, Governor Ron DeSantis donned a protective mask. He put it on wrong, leaving it half-dangling off his face and completely useless.And here’s Florida Governor Ron DeSantis putting on his mask... pic.twitter.com/YKLHu7nuBo— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) April 18, 2020However low your expectations remain, they are too high. Read the rest

A police officer in Lancashire, England, was filmed threatening to falsify charges when challenged on why he was detaining a man: "I'll lock you up.... We'll make something up… who are they going to believe, me or you?"The BBC reports that the Lancashire force will apologize to the man and will investigate the unnamed officer."We are already aware of footage circulating on social media regarding an officer's actions during an incident in Accrington yesterday," it tweeted."It is clear from the footage the member of the public deserves an apology, which we will attempt to provide him with today." Read the rest

Two high-school seniors in Carrollton, Georgia, were expelled from the school this week after posting a racist video to social media. In a statement, Carrollton City Schools Superintendent Mark Albertus said the students’ behavior was unacceptable and “not representative of the district’s respect for all people.”“The racist behavior observed in the video easily violates this standard,” he said. “They are no longer students at Carrollton High School.”Just desserts for the racists, but the school's stated rationale for expelling them is meaningless officialese and could be (and will be) applied to any speech they don't like. The school should be made to explain what about the racist video goes beyond the diminishing free-speech protections students enjoy.Another way of putting it: the authorities don't care about the racism, they care about not being held responsible for an environment where it thrives. oh THAT’s why carrollton is trending? not surprised lol.— kiana (@_kimojo) April 17, 2020 Read the rest

The gorgeous and enchanting Bran Castle in Bran, Romania has long been associated with Bram Stoker's Dracula. There is no evidence to support any association with the novel and the castle has no real connection to Vlad Tepes, either, the historical Wallachian ruler that Stoker used as inspiration. But the connections have persisted because Bran Castle just looks like it should be Drac's crib (and it's fabulous for tourism).Now, thanks to Google Maps, you can tour some of the grounds and go from room to room inside of the 14th century stone castle. If you could look up "Goth Barbie Dream House" in a dictionary, a picture of Bran Castle would come up.Images: Screengrabs Read the rest

Look, there’s a reason no one uses public restrooms outside of a serious emergency. That’s because they’re usually pretty disgusting.I mean, we don’t expect a fast-food restaurant or retail store to have a bathroom you would want to spend any real length of time in, but a general level of basic sanitation would be nice. And if we could break up the odor left by the last guy in that far stall, that’d be great too.Now with the surge in awareness of cleanliness and infectious disease protocol, even our own home bathrooms probably aren’t as hygienic as we’d like them to be. With all that in mind, there may be a day soon when we’re all carrying around sanitation go-bags like The Happy Sit Kit.This ultimate kit is built to immediately deploy every weapon you need in the fight against a less-than-pristine restroom. Everything is compactly arranged inside the portable 8-inch-long leather bag from your own toilet paper to a toilet seat cover to an air freshener to mask...well, anything someone else did in there.As for cleanup, the Sit Kit also includes sanitary wipes and hand sanitizer so any bacteria or other microscopic terrors creeping around never survive their contact with you.There’s even a mirror, so if you’re in a porta-potty or camping out in the woods, you can still double-check that you look stellar after your gross brush with the call of nature.The durable handle allows you to hook the Sit Kit anywhere so it never touches a counter or the ground and the whole thing packs back up easily to slide right into any purse or gym bag. Read the rest

These lockdowns are brutal on everybody. While many “essential” workers and locations remain in limited operation during this crisis, there are a few other places that many would argue should definitely be deemed essential.Like the gym. Or your favorite yoga studio.Sure, they might seem like luxuries, but considering the amount of tranquility and personal well-being that comes after a healthy yoga session, that time feels pretty darn necessary for lots of practitioners.Even if your yoga guru is off the mat TFN, you can still experience the calming, spiritual nurturing effects of your daily yoga routine online with courses offered by Yogaia Interactive Yoga.Launched in 2014, Yogaia is the world’s first live interactive online yoga studio, featuring a stockpile of over 1,000 classes and workouts tuned to enhance both mind and body.And when we say interactive, we mean it. Most courses have the option of enabling two-way cameras, so not only can you follow along with an instructor’s course in real-time, that instructor can also see you, allowing them to assess your form or offer guidance when needed. If you feel like online courses often end up feeling detached and impersonal, a Yogaia class offers almost the same level of personal attention you’d receive at the studio down the street.From yoga and meditation to pilates, stretching, foam rolling and more, courses range from 5-minute quickies to over an hour serving all skill levels from gentle beginners to advanced, rigorous pro sessions. Of course, even if you miss a class, you can catch up with a recording later to stay on track. Read the rest

View this post on Instagram Share this please 🙃 I honestly don’t care that my knee touched....the fact that i got this close with no step and on legit flat grass is good enough for me 🙃 A post shared by 🦁Lub🦁Lub🦁 (@lub._lub) on Apr 15, 2020 at 11:02am PDT Gymnast Kaleb Cave lands a double backflip from standing. "Does that count?!" he shouts at the end. Yeah, I'd say it counts. Below are videos of his progression. View this post on Instagram All I got to say is that I’m happy that I sent it, I know my knee touched but I’m sure I’ll do a cleaner one in the future...Make sure you see pt.1 if you haven’t Thank you to anyone who has been with me throughout me while journey ... may more challenges come later on 😌🦁 A post shared by 🦁Lub🦁Lub🦁 (@lub._lub) on Apr 16, 2020 at 10:03am PDT Read the rest

Hey, when life hands you virii, make cosplay. Zoidberg cosplay.From IMGURian @celestialcosplay, a splendid use of time spent at home, saving lives. Zoidberg is taking the trash out responsibly, and that's nice, but mostly this is about take-out dinner.Futurama forever.Here's my contribution to the Isolation Bin Outing group on Facebook. Except Zoidberg doesn't take bins out, only dinner. Read the rest

All for the love of Animal Crossing in the coronavirus pandemic.“My (relatively) young wife is in a nursing home with very aggressive [multiple sclerosis], writes her husband, IMGURian @KWIP. “She LOVED the previous Animal Crossing games, but it broke her heart she was no longer able to work the controls of a gaming system because of her MS.”So he built an accessible rig for her to use in the nursing home.All the feels. The setup was inspired by "My Mate Vince's" post on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZsaFPN0IrA. Powered by a Nintendo Switch, using an Xbox Adaptive Controller and the MAGIC-NS Controller Adapter for Nintendo Switch to allow the Controller to communicate with the Switch. My (relatively) young wife is in a nursing home with very aggressive MS. She LOVED the previous Animal Crossing games, but it broke her heart she was no longer able to work the controls of a gaming system because of her MS. On top of that, the nursing home has been on lockdown for several weeks now, so we haven't been able to see each other (other than every night on video chat, thank Gord!) and she's been bored out of her mind.So I built this system to allow her (and other residents of the nursing home - provided she shares!) to be able to have something to do. The whole thing is placed on a wheeled, height-adjustable desk that can be moved into her room or any available area and adjusted to fit the wheelchair height of whoever is using it. Read the rest

A Reuters calculation published today shows that more than 150,000 have died of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, the illness it causes.From Reuters:The first death came in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Jan. 9. It took 83 days for the first 50,000 deaths to be recorded and just eight more for the toll to climb to 100,000. It took another eight days to go from 100,000 to 150,000.The death toll is still far short of the so-called Spanish flu, which began in 1918 and is estimated to have killed more than 20 million people by the time it petered out in 1920.Oh, give it time, and Trump. More here, and there's an interactive graphic here that shows how steep that hockey stick climbed in the United States. Every number was a human being, with family members and friends and others who loved and cared about them. Read the rest