Fellow ancient nerds like myself likely have fond memories of Steve Jackson's now-classic game of global conspiracy and high-weirdness, Illuminati. I still have, and cherish, my copies of the original pocket box games, the reissues, and way too many of the New World Order collectable cards.Now, Alex Yeager of SJ Games has posted a draft version of a set of rules for playing Illuminati solo. He describes it as a "game-play adjacent" experience. This means that it's not going to give you an experience equal to a full game of Illuminati against opponents, but it will (hopefully) be a satisfying session of Illuminati solitaire, and a way of enjoying the game even if you can't have mates around to play with.Image: Cover art Read the rest
Mitch McConnell is terrible. I've known this for a long time, though it probably first came to my attention personally after his open commitment to making Obama a "one-term president," which was near a decade before he started gleefully referring to himself as the "Grim Reaper." But while it's been no surprise to watch his Machiavellian enabling of Trump, I've never really understood how any rational human could look at McConnell and see someone worth rallying behind. He revels in the destruction of all social fabric and proudly caters to corporate interests that do objectively demonstrable harm to human life. Even if you take Republican voters at their word about the things they claim to care for, McConnell still disavows it all.Most private American citizens could probably reach a general consensus on the things that are wrong in Washington, even if they continue to disagree on the solutions — but Mitch McConnell embodies every single one one of those problems, and doesn't even try to hide it. Worse, he prides himself on it. He is a walking nuclear bomb, branded with corporate logos, who says, "Government is evil and will destroy your lives, and if you vote for me, I'll prove it."I recently read (or more accurately, listened to, via Audm) two longform articles that really dig into the Lovecraftian horror that is Mitch McConnell's overall existence. And while I emerged from these articles with an even more profound disgust for the man, I have at least come to a better understanding of his special brand of nihilism. Read the rest
I don't know anything about the context here except that Topeng Monyet — forcing macaques to wear human clothes and ride bicycles for entertainment — is a somewhat-common practice in Jakarta that's also (understandably) frowned upon by the animal rights community.When I frame it that way, I can kind of understand why this badass monkey is so pissed.(Just a heads-up: it's a strong, scary monkey going after a kid.)Ini pasti monyetnya tukang ribut di sekolah pic.twitter.com/niitXnmvwZ— ptr (@peteerh) May 3, 2020As of this writing, this video has nearly 11 million views, because it's just so WTF.Top image: Anton Ardyanto / Wikimedia Commons (CC 4.0) Read the rest
Someone beat Hemingway's challenge by a single word. pic.twitter.com/qtgzYo2zkK— mugrimm (@mugrimm) April 29, 2020Top image: JD Hancock / Flickr (CC 2.0) Read the rest
Twenty Thousand Hertz is a very cool podcast hosted and created by Dallas Taylor that explores the stories behind iconic sounds — from cartoon voices to tape reel mastering to the backmasking tactics of the "Satanic Panic." And just in time for May the 4th, they've just released a teaser for their upcoming episode that focuses on the sound design behind the Star Wars universe.Because everyone's familiar with the mod specs on Han Solo's coveted BlasTech DL-44 blaster pistol. But the actual real-world origins of that iconic pkew pkew sound are less well-known. Check it out: As it turns out, sound designer Ben Burtt quite literally stumbled onto the tone by accident while he was out hiking. After his backpack got caught on a guy-wire in the Poconos, he knew that the twang of elasticity was right — he just had to find a way to replicate and perfect it. Along the way, he also found the sound of a Y-Wing engine.The full episode will be available on May 13th, with Burtt and host Dallas Taylor going even more in-depth into the physical and material voices that brought the Star Wars galaxy to life. But for now, this little clip is a nice snack for May the 4th.Twenty Thousand Hertz PodcastImage: Jon McCormack / 2ok Hz. Used with permission. Read the rest
Science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson (Red Mars, New York 2140, Aurora) has a fascinating piece in The New Yorker on how the pandemic is opening our thinking up to new possibilities, both good and bad, as we suddenly find ourselves in a world we only used to know in dystopian fiction. Imagine a heat wave hot enough to kill anyone not in an air-conditioned space, then imagine power failures happening during such a heat wave. (The novel I’ve just finished begins with this scenario, so it scares me most of all.) Imagine pandemics deadlier than the coronavirus. These events, and others like them, are easier to imagine now than they were back in January, when they were the stuff of dystopian science fiction. But science fiction is the realism of our time. The sense that we are all now stuck in a science-fiction novel that we’re writing together—that’s another sign of the emerging structure of feeling.Science-fiction writers don’t know anything more about the future than anyone else. Human history is too unpredictable; from this moment, we could descend into a mass-extinction event or rise into an age of general prosperity. Still, if you read science fiction, you may be a little less surprised by whatever does happen. Often, science fiction traces the ramifications of a single postulated change; readers co-create, judging the writers’ plausibility and ingenuity, interrogating their theories of history. Doing this repeatedly is a kind of training. It can help you feel more oriented in the history we’re making now. Read the rest
Today, most people want to live a socially conscious lifestyle and minimize their impact on the world. While companies are addressing this need by embracing sustainable farming and sourcing recycled materials, many financial services firms only provide account holders with a secure place to store funds.Aspiration is a financial firm with a conscience, that puts customers first. They guarantee 100% of deposits will not be used to fund companies involved in fossil fuel refinement, private prisons, and firearms companies.Their core offering is the Spend & Save account which is a cash management account that provides up to 1.00% APY on deposits, unlimited fee-free withdrawals at over 55,000 Allpoint ATMs, and a zero-fee policy that covers overdrafts, check deposits, inactive accounts, and debit cards.What really sets Aspiration apart from traditional financial firms, however, is that they are built on a foundation of fairness. They use a “pay what is fair” model for monthly fees, allowing account holders to set their monthly account fee, even if it is $0. If a user chooses to pay a monthly fee, Aspiration donates 10% to charity.Account-holders also gain access to the Conscious Coalition™ cashback program which offers up to 10% cash back at socially responsible companies such as Toms, Warby Parker, Reformation, and Arcadia Power.Aspiration also makes it easy for account holders to have a significant positive impact on the world. For example, debit card users can opt-in to the “Plant Your Change” feature that rounds up purchases to the nearest dollar. Read the rest
On Saturday a giant crane mounted on a ship collapsed. Constructed to build wind farms at sea, the crane crumpled while lifting a 2,000 ton barge during a test in a German harbor. In the video above you can see the crane fold in half, then collide with the base. The damage caused is estimated to be between €50 and €100 million. The company said that a few people had minor injuries. Image: YouTube Read the rest
The LockPickingLawyer has no trouble picking the lock on this AmazonBasics folding bike lock. He says, "the core is, without question, the worst I have ever seen in a bike lock of the type." Read the rest
This woman thought her face mask wasn't comfy enough, so she customized it. And then she stoops down under the plastic protection window as she talks to the clerk. Let's hope this is a joke (if it is, it's pretty funny!), but it looks darn real to me. Read the rest
The Saudi sovereign wealth fund bought a $500 million stake in Ticketmaster, the much revilved ticket service with a long history of being terrible to venues, performer, and fans. On his Pluralistic blog, Cory Doctorow says the Saudi fund is controlled by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman...That is, the Mister Bone Saw widely believed to have personally ordered the kidnapping, torture and dismemberment of journalist and regime critic Jamal Khashoggi.So now, every time you see a gig, you directly contribute to the enrichment of a torturing, murdering dictator.Extremely on brand that in the future when you use Ticketmaster you will be propping up a murderous dictatorship https://t.co/x35jhwBuMM— Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) April 27, 2020Image by John Weiss (17xx-1843) - http://mortiquarian.com/2010/09/18/mr-weiss-and-his-instrument-of-certain-death/, Public Domain, Link Read the rest
It's been 14 years since amateur radio operators were expected to be able to tap out five words a minute in morse code to qualify for an Extra Class license, but this fellow didn't get the memo. Bielefeld, GermanyHe is very skillful at high speed keying with a straight key.Straight keys are still widely available [Amazon]. Read the rest
Clipped from his show last night, Don Lemon offers a class in how to get under Trump's skin. He does this by asking a simple and incisive question: what is it about Barack Obama that gets under Trump's skin? Read the rest
Billy Mitchell, the onetime Donkey Kong champion removed from the record book after evidence emerged that he used emulators to rack up his scores, is suing the website that bounced his name from its charts. He threatened to do so in September last year, but it turns out he had already filed without publicity. The lawsuit was filed under Williams' full name and with a spelling error that made it unlikely to turn up in searches.Mitchell and his lawyers said in a statement they would be forced to "resort to legal recourse" if Twin Galaxies didn't rescind its decision and reinstate Mitchell's scores. But court filings obtained by Ars Technica show that Mitchell had already filed suit against Twin Galaxies in a Los Angeles County court as early as April 2019.Mitchell's defamation lawsuit—misfiled as "William James Mitchell vs. Twin Galexies, LLC [sic]" and not reported in previous press accounts—has been slowly building to a planned July anti-SLAPP hearing, where Twin Galaxies will make use of a statute that lets defendants quickly strike down lawsuits that threaten "public participation." Twin Galaxies says in court filings that its statements regarding Mitchell's scores were not defamatory and that finding in Mitchell's favor "would have chilling effects on the freedom of speech."There are subtle discrepancies between how emulators and original hardware refresh Donkey Kong screens. Mitchell was denounced after they were observed in a high-scoring video he posted. Read the rest
I was invited to participate in the Face Shield Art project and draw illustrations on a face shield. The one I scribbled on, along with other face shield art, is up for auction on eBay.Proceeds from the auction sales will go toward protective equipment for healthcare workers. Read the rest
As parks in upscale areas were packed with sunbathing yuppies, NYPD spent the weekend arresting those who failed to social-distance on the streets. In this video, an unmasked plain-clothes officer is seen brandishing a stun gun sideways like a movie gangster, then attacking a bystander watching an ongoing arrest.Eyewitness News ABC 7 NY reports that the officer was placed on "modified duty" after the video emerged.As a couple was being arrested, video shows one of the officers break away from that arrest to walk up to a bystander with his taser drawn -- swearing and telling him to move back.Video showed the plainclothes officer, who was not wearing a protective face mask, slapping 33-year-old Donni Wright in the face, punching him in the shoulder and dragging him to a sidewalk after leveling him in a crosswalk.The man attacked by the officer was reportedly Donni Wright, 33. Wright was charged with assault on a police officer, menacing, resisting arrest and other crimes, reports NBC. NYPD would not confirm that Wright is the man attacked by the officer in the video.Same city. Same police force. Passing out masks to white folks not social distancing, while literally having their foots on our necks. This is beyond ridiculous at this point. pic.twitter.com/pY6kSGVEaZ— zellie (@zellieimani) May 3, 2020UPDATE: The original arrest was caught on CCTV was similarly violent and unnecessary. Two people not socially-distancing are approached up by the same officer, who pushes one against the wall before being joined by other plain-clothes cops who arrest both in shambolic fashion. Read the rest
After admitting that the U.S. Covid-19 deaths could reach 90,000, Trump bemoaned critics and claimed that Abraham Lincoln got better press."I am greeted with a hostile press the likes of which no president has ever seen," Trump said at the Fox News town hall Sunday night."The closest would be that gentleman right up there," Trump said, pointing to the 16th President's statue. "They always said nobody got treated worse than Lincoln. I believe I am treated worse."The previous estimate of up to 60,000 deaths was conclusively surpassed over the weekend. As of monday, Johns Hopkins University tallies 67,687 deaths from Covid-19 in the U.S. The true toll is higher still, as the official death toll accounts for only a portion of the excess deaths occurring since the coronavirus pandemic began.Look how CNN editorializes the remarks, in the second paragraph: "Trump's comments ... are likely to further polarize the raging politics of a current crisis that is stretching national unity."The real story is never the story itself but how many sides there are to it, which is two. Read the rest
Conor Burns, Britain's trade minister, quit Monday after it was revealed he had used his position to threaten a member of public in a financial dispute with his father.The committee's report found he had made "veiled threats" to use privilege to "further his family's interests" during the financial dispute involving his father. In February, Mr Burns had written to a member of the public connected to a company with whom his father was in dispute over the repayment of a loan. He wrote: "I am acutely aware that my role in the public eye could well attract interest especially if I were to use parliamentary privilege to raise the case". Read the rest
There’s a reason why Polaroids were so popular for so long. Even now, in a world where you can take a picture and send an exact copy to a friend in seconds, there’s something appealing about having a tangible, real-world representation of your image in your hand in seconds, ready to be saved for all time.Of course, between the cost of ink cartridges and their prohibitive size and lack of mobility, a regular printer doesn’t quite scratch the same itch. However, the Mini Magic Wireless Photo Printer checks all the right boxes, offering an easy portable method of printing up your favorite pictures all without the hassle of ink.This palm-sized printer uses thermal printing techniques, seamlessly transferring your image from your iOS or Android phone directly on to a thermal paper roll. Without the use of ink, you can print a pocket-sized version of all your favorite pics in a matter of seconds.The printer connects to your phone via Bluetooth or USB, then you open your image in the free PeriPage app. There you can edit your image, then hit print and watch your picture spool out. Of course, the beauty of this printer is that it doesn’t just print images. With the app, you can easily set up this printer to print virtually anything, including text. You can use it to print notes, create a shipping label or any of a hundred different uses.Build with sturdy construction and an ergonomic design, this makes a great travel accessory for a business person or a fun toy for a picture-obsessed teen. Read the rest
So...exactly how many years away are we from a real, honest-to-goodness working Star Trek universal translator? You know, a device that will actually interpret and convert another language into our own so we could carry on a regular conversation with a foreign speaker with little to no interruption? We aren’t there yet...but we’re making moves.In fact, we now have a version of that all-encompassing translation tool covering virtually everything — and it’s already online now. And if you think Google Translate is the height of what online language translators can handle these days, LingvaNex Translator is ready to shock you.Just like Google Translate and others, LingvaNex can handle your text, a document, or a website and instantly translate all of it into any of 112 different languages.But where LingvaNex truly shines is when it gets turned loose on everything else. Used on your phone, LingvaNex can facilitate a voice-to-voice conversation between speakers with a language barrier, translating spoken word into your preferred language. Its auditory skills also allow you to play an audio file or a podcast and get a complete translation of the file’s contents.In case that isn’t enough to impress, LingvaNex also tackles images with ease, identifying words in a picture and providing you with their meaning. Another impressive feature is the augmented reality mode, which allows you to put your mobile device camera on foreign text and have it virtually translated on your screen. The value of that feature alone while traveling in another country could be incredibly valuable. Read the rest
The past six weeks have been a whole new world for those who have spent years investing on Wall Street. Massive swings sparked by the COVID-19 outbreak have triggered one of the most volatile markets in world history, soaring and plunging day-to-day, often with almost no discernible rhythm or reason.With instability as the new normal in financial centers worldwide, one thing should be crystal clear to anyone interested in investing and trading stocks. Now, more than ever, you better do your homework.For those feeling brave enough to dip their toe in investing right now, The Wall Street Survival and Stock Trading Guide Bundle can be the background you need to make all the difference between assembling a solid portfolio and losing your shirt.The course pulls together eight courses focused on building an understanding of how Wall Street works and how to create profit through day trading.The entire package is led by a full-time day trader and investor Travis Rose. Over the past five years, Rose has watched all the highs and lows of trading and constructed these courses to help make sure new traders don’t make some of the mistakes he made toward achieving financial freedom.Under Rose’s instruction, students will open with a step-by-step beginner's guide to getting started with stock market investing, including everything from how to get an account started, understanding price fluctuations, and what you should look for to find your first winning stock.Through lectures, quizzes, ebook studies and more, first-time investors will explore tactics for creating a trading plan that minimizes risk, simple technical and fundamental analysis for high-probability trades, how to read the stock "tape" like a professional trader to land a competitive edge ,and even trading psychology and tips to keep emotions in check during high-pressure sessions. Read the rest
Fifty years ago today at Kent State University, the Ohio National Guard gunned down four students and wounded nine more during a demonstration against the invasion of Cambodia. The tragedy inspired Neil Young to write the epic social commentary "Ohio" for his band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. (Video below.)Above is the Isley Brothers's masterful and moving medley of "Ohio" and Jimi Hendrix's "Machine Gun" from their 1971 album Givin' It Back. If you don't know, now you know.From John Lombardi's coverage of the Kent State Massacre in Rolling Stone's June 11th, 1970 issue:“A lot of the Guards were young and they looked scared,” [24-year-old Howard] Ruffner remembers, and then some kid with a black flag was down in front of them trying to get the students to charge. “Kill the pigs! The pigggs!!” he was screaming and the gas blew in clouds. But this time the students were picking up the canisters and throwing them back, and it didn’t even matter that the gas wasn’t having much effect, was in fact blowing up and over the heads of the combatants in the strong wind and back toward the football field where it managed to burn the eyes and lungs of some people who wanted nothing to do with any of this, including a blind student and his girlfriend who were crawling along the Spring grass in panic, digging at their tearing eyes and vomiting. A lot of kids who had just been standing around watching began to yell then, and everything got louder.The Guards had run out of tear gas and were retreating up the hill, to the left of Taylor Hall, when some of the students began to throw rocks. Read the rest
Back in 1982, John Warnock couldn’t get his employer Xerox to see the true value of new specialized printing software for graphics. Instead, he gathered some colleagues and formed Adobe in his garage. His vision led to innovation and almost 40 years later, the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of apps has over 18 million subscribers and is synonymous with all forms of digital creation. If you aren’t intimately familiar with Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, then you probably need a firm guide to help you navigate those powerful, yet occasionally treacherous waters with the training in The 2020 Adobe Graphic Design Certification School of courses.This three-course collection sears right into the heart of the Creative Cloud, offering up a 40-plus hour, top to bottom look at three of the most widely used digital creative venues anywhere.Everyone everywhere has at least heard of Adobe Photoshop — but mastering the world’s most popular photo editing software is another story. In this beginner-friendly training, students earn fast, practical, in-depth knowledge of creating in Photoshop from importing images to adjustments to composition and filters. Users also develop the design skills required to produce eye-catching images and how to turn them into new and original digital creations.Adobe Illustrator shifts the focus from images to vector graphics -- and over nearly 100 lectures, you’ll master the Illustrator interface and all the tools for crafting sharp, scalable illustrations of any type, including drawings, paintings, logos, typefaces and more. Even beginning Illustrator users will have the background to create special effects that will work for both conventional printing as well as electronic publishing. Read the rest
Orange County, Florida police arrested Richard J. McGuire, 42, who had been illegally camping on the abandoned "Discovery Island" at Disney World. All Disney parks are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, besides, Discovery Island has become overgrown and the structures decayed since it closed as an attraction in 1999. (Above is 2017 video of the property.) From the New York Times:As a deputy arrived, Disney staff members were helping a small boat with Mr. McGuire aboard to shore, according to an arrest report.Mr. McGuire told the authorities that he had reached the island on Monday or Tuesday to go camping and that he planned to stay there for “approximately one week,” the report said.Told that the area was restricted, Mr. McGuire said he was unaware of that and described the island as looking “like a tropical paradise,” the report said.(Thanks, Charles Pescovitz!)image: detail of photo by Gmaletic (public domain) Read the rest
Every week, we scare up a couple dozen awesome new deals for you to jump all over in the Boing Boing Store. Sometimes, you do, sometimes, you don’t, but with everything happening, it’s not uncommon for at least one or two to slip past your radar in a given week. Hey, it happens. We get it. It still doesn’t mean you should sleep on some of this cool stuff though. Therefore, we’re showcasing some of the week’s latest and greatest offers here all in one place so you don’t forget. It’s the least we can do. You’re welcome.Get outsideLook, one of these days soon, the world is going to ramp back up again, so these items should help you accelerate back into the great outdoors.The Splat 3N1 Flexible Tripod ($18.99; originally $24.99) has five flexible and extremely durable legs that can adjust to any surface and hold action cameras, regular cameras, and smartphones in countless positions to help you snap the perfect shot, no matter where you are.Of course, if you’re out and about, sturdy protection like the Active Rugged Case for iPhone 11 ($39.99; originally $49.95) with a sleek design wrapped in hydrophobic leather will keep your iPhone safeguarded against unexpected splashes, sweaty workouts, and any other potentially dangerous adventures.Also built to survive the outdoors, the Active Strap Modern Leather Strap for Apple Watch ($49.99; originally $69.95) uses waterproof Heinen leather from Germany designed to thrive in tough workouts without snapping like those cheap plastic watch bands. Read the rest
Well, that's curious.Something's oddly different about the message delivered by the American president on World Press Freedom Day. It's very different than the messages sent by other heads of state from around the globe. Can't quite put my finger on it. Something about Trump's tone.Here are Press Freedom Day messages from a few other heads of state: leaders from Greece, Namibia, Lithuania, and the Maldives. pic.twitter.com/LcyCS56tzx— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 3, 2020 Read the rest
The Ghanaian Pallbearer meme strikes again. Meet the Luxyboyz, a dance troupe from Taipei that incorporates hiphop and online pop culture stuff into their work.At this nightclub in Taipei, they bring out your bottles as the Ghanaian Pallbearers and it’s fucking lit pic.twitter.com/yHtJnQQjEr— Andrew Kang (@Rewkang) May 2, 2020If you get too drunk, they carry you.Looks like this video was shot at the Omni in Taipei. Looks fun!#CoffinDance #coffinmeme #champange #leddance #funny #OmniNightClub pic.twitter.com/6s7fUPqAbf— Luxyboyz Official (@Luxy_boyz) May 3, 2020The entrance is ? pic.twitter.com/aB8OashnGs— Andrew Kang (@Rewkang) May 2, 2020Get too drunk and this is what happens pic.twitter.com/E4R4mqvWVx— Andrew Kang (@Rewkang) May 2, 2020 Read the rest
The miniature model supercomputers that Cray salespeople carried sometimes hit eBay, and they're getting quite pricey. This 3.75" tall scale model of the Cray X-MP, once the world's fastest computer, is on offer for $700. I wonder, if you put a Rasberry Pi in it, would the resulting machine be faster than a Cray X-MP? The X-MP offers four processors and 800 megaflops, according to Wikipedia; a Pi 4, with four cores, cracks 2 gigaflops in this benchmarking roundup. In this test, a Pi Zero (240 megaflops) outpaces a Cray 2 at calculating digits of Pi, but the consensus seems to be that the Cray would roast it at linear algebra, the sort of work supercomputers were made for.This listing is for a Cray salesman's kit model used for sales calls for potential X-MP customers. The X-MP was Cray Research's second computer, following the Cray-1. It was the world's fastest computer from 1983-1985.This Cray X-MP scale model comes in four pieces. The computer floor is made from a 12.25"x7.5"x0.25" black Lucite. The Lucite has a white "felt" fabric has squares laid out that represent 2 foot square raised computer room floor tiles. The largest part of the model is the X-MP processor. The diameter of the "C" is 5.5". This, and the other two X-MP pieces, are all 3.75" tall. The second piece that connects to the X-MP with two arms is the SSD (Solid-State Device). The third piece, which sits part from the X-MP/SSD complex, is the IOS (Input-Output Subsystem). Read the rest
From South Korea's Cheongwadae, the executive office and official residence of the Republic of Korea's head of state, a cryptic statement about North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's recent absence from public life.'Kim Jong-un appears not to have undergone surgery.'Speculation ranged from coronavirus to surgery to death.From South Korea's Yonhap News Agency:North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears not to have undergone surgery, a presidential official said Sunday, flatly denying speculation over Kim's health."There were media reports speculating about Chairman Kim's surgery, citing a change in the way he walks," a senior Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters, saying the presidential office judges this not to be true.When asked whether the North Korean leader did not even go through a relatively moderate medical procedure, the official replied yes.The official, who asked not to be named, however, refused to unveil the grounds that this judgment was made upon.[IMAGE: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) cuts a ribbon for the completion of a fertilizer factory in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency on May 2, 2020.] Read the rest
“More than 3.44 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 243,015 have died,” Reuters calculated as of 0200 GMT on Sunday, based on public health data from around the world.At least 66,441 people in the U.S. are confirmed to have died of COVID-19, as of May 3.There is widespread understanding that the U.S. death toll undercounts coronavirus deaths, in part because of problems with access to testing.Does this look like a flattened curve? Does this look like a good time to lift restrictions? Read the rest
No two minds work alike. Some function best when they focus, immerse in an idea and marinate in it a bit. Others stay open and know a eureka moment of inspiration is right around the corner, ready to pounce when it’s least expected. Some curate ideas and stockpile them for the perfect moment. Some attack when faced with a problem-solving event.If you’re like Kevin McCallister, maybe your ideation and problem-solving come with a very tactile, straight-forward solution. But for those who want to develop rock-solid plans and flesh out their best ideas logically, framework is often key. The MindMaster mind mapping software offers that framework to create fresh new ideas without losing momentum or critical details.Mind mapping can help bring all your thoughts, plans, and ideas from your brain into a visual reality, so MindMaster makes it easy to structure those thoughts and ideas, find connections, gather supporting data, and help bring form to your great notions.MindMaster lets you catalog your brainstorms in the way that works best for you. You can choose from 12 different structures like a tree map, a timeline, a circle map, or others. You can construct it using 33 different themes, each suited to a particular style from business mapping to more personal pursuits. And users have access to over 700 different clipart images to customize your mind map any way you like.Meanwhile, each bullet point on your map can be supported with important details, like callouts, relationships, summaries, marks, notes, hyperlinks, and more. Read the rest
David Icke, the longtime UK conspiracy theorist who finally became a social media star thanks to the the coronavirus pandemic, was banned today by YouTube.His sudden rise on the platforms became embarassing proof of their distinterested enforcement of anti-misinformation policies. But Facebook finally took action yesterday, with Google following suit today. He's still ranting away happily on Twitter. Read the rest
A species of giant hornets native to Asia, nicknamed “murder hornets,” with mandibles that look like spiky shark fins they use to bite the heads off honeybees. People who've been stung by these hornets say their venom and stingers feel like hot metal driving into skin. They make an appearance in the viral video above, by YouTube persona Coyote Peterson. “Murder hornets” have arrived in the United States. And scientists fear they may further destroy fragile honeybee populations, reports Mike Baker in the New York Times. The story opens with a beekeeper realizing his hive has been decimated by the 'murder hornets':With queens that can grow to two inches long, Asian giant hornets can use mandibles shaped like spiked shark fins to wipe out a honeybee hive in a matter of hours, decapitating the bees and flying away with the thoraxes to feed their young. For larger targets, the hornet’s potent venom and stinger — long enough to puncture a beekeeping suit — make for an excruciating combination that victims have likened to hot metal driving into their skin.In Japan, the hornets kill up to 50 people a year. Now, for the first time, they have arrived in the United States.Mr. McFall still is not certain that Asian giant hornets were responsible for the plunder of his hive. But two of the predatory insects were discovered last fall in the northwest corner of Washington State, a few miles north of his property — the first sightings in the United States. Read the rest
Man, 2020 is weird. And it's only May.Kim Jong Un and Brett Kavanaugh star in the latest reelection video promo for impeached and unfit U.S. President Donald Trump.Here's the original Trump tweet with the video. Read the rest
The U.S. government spent $30 billion last month in stimulus payments last month to most healthcare providers that billed Medicare last year, part of the $2.3 trillion CARES Act passed by Congress to address the economic damage of the coronavirus pandemic.“That speed resulted in taxpayers’ money flowing to some companies and people facing civil or criminal fraud investigations,”. Reuters reports, citing “defense lawyers and others representing more than a dozen firms and people facing such inquiries.”“I have an enormous amount of frustration with the way the Trump administration is distributing these dollars, and examples like these magnify the consequences of the White House’s efforts to limit transparency and stonewall oversight,” Senate Finance Committee ranking member Senator Ron Wyden told Reuters. Excerpt:Reuters interviewed six defense lawyers and others representing more than a dozen healthcare providers facing civil or criminal inquiries who received the money, including a pain medicine doctor who recently settled a civil false claims case, and an operator of an assisted living facility who is planning to plead guilty to healthcare fraud.“The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing,” said Joel Hirschhorn, an attorney who represents the pain medicine doctor and the operator of the assisted living facility.The lawyers who spoke to Reuters declined to identify their specific clients, citing confidentiality rules.The surprise deposit of funds has led attorneys to scramble to warn clients to be ready to return the money.“There is no such thing as a windfall from the government,” said Sam J. Read the rest
It’s going to be a very unusual, and likely a somewhat subdued Mother’s Day this year. Unless you live with your Mom, there’s a better than average chance you haven’t seen her in a while. And with everyone practicing social distancing, it really isn’t a good idea to make a surprise appearance or take her out for a celebratory meal...assuming there were any places you could even take her right now.Moms all get it. They understand their kids won’t be there this year. But if we’re being honest, that still won’t make it any easier.While many are in rough times financially right now, we’d suggest this might be a good year to make a little bit of an extra effort for Mom. And while flowers are a perennial favorite for a reason, they likely won’t survive quarantine, so no one other than Mom will get to see them.Instead, get her a special little something from New York-based Rose Box. Rose Box will send Mom one or more of their gorgeous, Ecuadorian-sourced roses, all preserved to stay fresh for one whole year. Rose Box roses are dipped in natural plant dyes and a non-toxic mixture to enhance their vibrant color and maintain their beauty for 12 months. Then, they’re dried, boxed, and delivered right to your Mom’s doorstep.Rather than flowers that come and go in a week, your Mom’s arrangement can be a focal point of her kitchen, mantle or dining room for an entire year. And in addition to making her happy every time she sees it until next Mother’s Day, just think of what a constant 12-month reminder of your dutifulness and love could do for your stock. Read the rest
The New York Times reports on a new pest from abroad, Vespa mandarinia, AKA the murder hornet or the yak-killer.With queens that can grow to two inches long, Asian giant hornets can use mandibles shaped like spiked shark fins to wipe out a honeybee hive in a matter of hours, decapitating the bees and flying away with the thoraxes to feed their young. For larger targets, the hornet’s potent venom and stinger — long enough to puncture a beekeeping suit — make for an excruciating combination that victims have likened to hot metal driving into their skin.In Japan, the hornets kill up to 50 people a year. Now, for the first time, they have arrived in the United States.Tracking the ‘Murder Hornet’: A Deadly Pest Has Reached North America [New York Times] Read the rest
Nebula-75 is a new "puppet lockdown drama" being made by some of the folks at Century 21, the Gerry Anderson studio that was responsible for "Supermarionation" programming in the 60s (and beyond), with such shows as Thunderbirds, Stingray, Supercar, and Fireball-XL5. Nebula-75 is also being filmed in "SuperIsolation" and Lo-Budget!Nebula-75 charts the exploits of Commander Ray Neptune and the crew of the spaceship NEBULA-75 as they make their way across the stars, encountering strange worlds and forms of life hitherto unknown by mankind. It has been created and produced by a small group of filmmakers during the British lockdown on 2020. Although team members from around the world contributed remotely to pre and post production, the entirety of the filming for Nebula-75 was undertaken by a crew of three who happened to already live together in a small flat in London. Their living room was transformed into a makeshift movie studio – with bookshelves, cardboard boxes, and other household objects becoming the interior of the show's hero spacecraft. This flat was also fortunately home to many of the puppets, props, and costumes that have been accumulated over the course of different productions.It might be a slight exaggeration--but not by much--that shows like Thunderbirds and Fireball-XL5, and the other Gerry Anderson shows of my youth, laid the groundwork for much of what still obsesses me today (sci-fi, space exploration, modeling, miniatures, making, and dreaming). These shows were like magic spells on my imagination that have never waned. Read the rest
It’s tough to know what to believe with certainty about the insidious nature of coronavirus, mostly because even scientists haven’t determined all the hard and fast rules of this surging illness.One thing we do know with some assuredness is that cleanliness and avoidance is one of our most important weapons against infection. A recent study found that the virus can survive up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.But no matter how long the virus can live on a given surface, your risk of infection drops if you just don’t touch those infected objects. The Safe Finger Hook is a contactless keychain tool that makes sure your exposed fingers actually touch as few doors, handles, countertops, and tables as possible, thereby massively decreasing your chance of contracting the illness.The Safe Finger is about 3.5 inches long, made of brass, and it’s ergonomically engineered to help you reduce germ exposure.The Safe Finger is equipped with a door hook, a flat stylus tip, and a finger hole so it can open door handles, pull levers and sliding doors or act as your finger to press touchscreens at the bank, during store checkouts or whenever you need to digitally sign anything on a display.Not only does a Safe Finger key reduce your direct contact with objects by over 99 percent, but its aluminum construction also resists and reduces bacteria infection by up to that same 99 percent, cutting your risk of infection to essentially zero. Read the rest
"We've just come up a ridge here, and this whole little plateaux-ey thing is covered in Hecastocleis, and ... while we're looking, there's a plane wreck over there" Read the rest
The Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo is pleading with the public to video-chat their garden eels starting on Sunday, because they are forgetting that humans exist. BBC: "Could you show your face to our garden eels from your home?"Yes, they're asking people to call in for a sub-aqua video chat and remind the eels that humans are friendly."Creatures in the aquarium don't see humans except keepers and they have started forgetting about humans," the aquarium wrote on Twitter."Garden eels in particular disappear into the sand and hide every time the keepers pass by."The eels are particularly sensitive - and the aquarium is keen to reacquaint the 300 eels it homes with humans so they can carry out important health checks on them.From May 3 to 5, you can use your iPhone or iPad (no Androids or PCs) to FaceTime these sensitive creatures. The aquarium will have five tablets pointed at the eels and ask that you (Google-translated from Japanese):1) Open the app from the iPhone or iPad, please take a video call by entering the following one of the gmail address to the destination...Helpchin001attogmail.ComHelpchin002attogmail.ComHelpchin003attogmail.ComHelpchin004attogmail.ComHelpchin005attogmail.Com2) After the beginning of the tablet terminal and a video call that was placed before the aquarium, to the spotted garden eel Shake or call while showing your face. Please refrain cry loudly ※.3) terminal to be installed is five. When you can see your face for about 5 minutes, hang up the call for the next person. Read the rest
You’ve probably heard somebody say it the past few weeks. If you leave the house after quarantine without at least one new professional skill under your belt, you wasted a prime opportunity.Of course, there are plenty of reasons a worldwide pandemic may not have been the best time to learn to be a web developer or how to edit video, but there’s no denying the opportunity is there to put a potentially impactful new bullet point on your resume.LearnNow has been delivering top-flight online educational experiences for a quarter-century. Now, with this LearnNow Complete Developer and IT Pro Library offer, you can essentially open that vault of endless learning options — and pick the bone clean.LearnNow is a go-to training resource for companies that want their employees to become versed in all the latest apps and digital procedures — companies like Microsoft, Intel, AT&T, and more. That’s why LearnNow has created a stockpile of more than 1,000 courses, covering almost any conceivable IT and software development training available anywhere.With that kind of volume, you’ll not only be prepared to find instruction in the subject you want, but all kinds of associated training opportunities as well to truly flesh out the experience. The back catalog of LearnNow courses covers virtually any topic users ever need to learning, Whether you’re looking for cloud expertise with AWS or Azure, coding tutorials on Python, C# or others, app and hardware background like Linux training or SQL database proficiency, or skill-based courses in cybersecurity and more, they’re all here. Read the rest
Celebrated poet and publisher, Janaka Stucky (Ascend Ascend), has launched a very unique and promising project on Kickstarter. It's called Ekphrastic Beasts.What the hell does ekphrastic mean? Ekphrastic writing "is the vivid, often dramatic description of visual art."Janaka has teamed up with four illustrators, Ellie Gill, Jeremy Hush, Joe Keinberger, and Nathan Reidt. Each of them will dredge up creatures from the depths of their subconscious and render what they invoke. Janaka will then take that art and create the names, backstories, and stat blocks for each creature, suitable for play in 5e Dungeons & Dragons. Hence, Ekphrastic Beasts.I'm in! Read the rest
Archive.org contributor Windsinger is uploading their entire VHS collection of MTV recordings from the channel's finest era, from its launch on August 1, 1981 until 1989 (with a few 1991 episodes of 120 Minutes thrown in for good measure). It's remarkable how the channel has evolved (?) from its pioneering earliest days filled with new music, youth culture, and visual experimentalism to its current form."I've been collecting recordings of full, unedited, WITH commercials & especially the VJs for years," Windsinger writes. "I've found these videos from old websites, torrent sites, sharing things, The Original MTV VJs facebook page, and of course the Archive."Above are the first four hours of MTV."80s MTV VHS Recordings 1981 to 1989 Collection" (Archive.org) Read the rest
No one really knows where Kim Jong-un is right now, but the New York Post and The Sun speculate that the supreme ruler of North Korea is at his seaside resort consorting with his "pleasure squad" of 2,000 sex slaves some as young as 13. "Foreign intelligence services think he's actually sheltering from the coronavirus pandemic in a secure luxury compound," reports The Sun:The Pleasure Squad or Kippumjo began during the reign of North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, who is still considered the country's Eternal President, despite dying in 1994.In the late 1970s, at the height of his power, he sent out his officials to scour the nation for its most attractive young women and girls to act as singers and dancers.Some of them also began working as maids, but the most sexually attractive were ordered to become "comfort women" for powerful officials.Many were aged around 13 and 14, and were sometimes even recommended for the sick service by their schools.KCNA reports North Korea leader Kim Jong Un resuming public activity https://t.co/Xp8MwHCT5E pic.twitter.com/f8vbOlx1q2— Reuters (@Reuters) May 1, 2020Image: Korean Central News Agency/Flickr Public Domain. Read the rest
This is my ex-husband, Alex Jones, graphically describing how he'll kill his neighbor to f e e d my kids:Homicidal. Terrifying.I lost my kids for tweeting about injustice. This is UNJUST to my kids.This is a mom's worst nightmare.Court must act.Help RT pic.twitter.com/vCxaVcros6— Kelly Jones (@RealKellyJones) May 1, 2020"I'm literally looking at my neighbors now. I'm going I'm ready to hang them up and gut them and skin them and chop them up. You know what, I'm ready. My daughters aren't starving to death... I will eat your leftist ass like corn on the cob." -- Internet tough guy Alex Jones Read the rest