Boing Boing

That is one very large furry baby.Just a “Mama bear and cub taking a nap in my yard.”What a surprise this must have been for IMGURian @BruceNorris.Mama bear and cub taking a nap in my yard. Read the rest

MacRumors iPhone SE camera showdown helped me decide to wait.Apple's new iPhone SE is reportedly the high powered, low-cost wunderphone but the thing that matters most to many of us is 'How does the camera compare?' It is pretty good.The new iPhone SE sports the same CPU as the top of the line models but uses the camera hardware from the iPhone 8. MacRumors gives up a detailed study of how the extra CPU helps the older sensor.In the end, you get something in between the best and what was. As everything is constantly being upgraded only you can decide what phone is the right one for you.Camera Comparison: 2020 iPhone SE vs. iPhone 8 and iPhone 11 Pro Read the rest

“I will never lie to you. You have my word on that.” Trump toady Kayleigh McEnany said this to Associated Press reporter Jill Colvin, during McEnany's first press briefing as press secretary on FridaySeems legit.McEnany also said that impeached President Donald Trump has never lied to the American people, which is of course another lie.Clip below of the line in question:"I will never lie to you. You have my word on that." -- Kayleigh McEnany during her first press briefing as press secretary (bookmark this) pic.twitter.com/PqUhRAWiun— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 1, 2020Of course she means it.Some reactions from skeptical Twitter below."I will never lie to you," Kayleigh McEnany said from White House briefing room podium— Michael Tackett (@tackettdc) May 1, 2020Remember this:AP's Jill Colvin: "Will you pledge to never lie to us?"Kayleigh McEnany: "I will never lie to you. You have my word on that."— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 1, 2020Reporter: "Can you promise us that you'll never lie from the podium". Kayleigh McEnany: "Yes, I promise I will never lie from the podium. Also, did you know China developed COVID-19 as a biological weapon and aliens are real and also Biden kills babies and puppies?"— Holly Figueroa O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) May 1, 2020Reporter: “Will you pledge never to lie to us from that podium?” Kayleigh McEnany: “I will never lie to you, you have my word as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.”— Randy Rainbow (@RandyRainbow) May 1, 2020As @PressSec, Kayleigh McEnany vows, "I will never lie to you, you have my word on that." Read the rest

“Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.” ― William Congreve, 1697We assume William Congreve didn’t have the ability to see the future, but he probably wouldn’t be shocked over 300 years later to see you singing along exuberantly to The Ramones at the top of your lungs in your car. Granted, he might be shocked about the car. But the singing...no, we’ve known about the therapeutic value of music for literally centuries.With tech advances, we’re now at a point where the self-healing power of music can be served up right into your ears through your favorite apps. And we don’t mean Spotify. Streaming services are great and all, but only dedicated services like Humm.ly are designed to bring you spiritual well-being through the science of music therapy.Endorsed by Grammy.com and a certified no. 1 App of the Day in the Apple App Store, Humm.ly is the first and only app to serve up more than 200 tracks of music and guided meditation created by board-certified music therapists and world-class music producers to help brighten your day, reduce stress and anxiety and help you sleep better.Convinced music can change our mental state and impact our ability to connect with others, Humm.ly’s mood-based track sessions are created by playing music that matches someone's current mood, then shifts it gradually to the person’s desired emotional state. Whether you want to unwind and relax, relieve pain and spark joy, or conquer challenges and thrive, Humm.ly’s Read the rest

Well, looks like the reopening of Florida is going great, just great today.Ron DeSantis opened Florida's beaches, and lifted other anti-COVID-19 restrictions throughout most of the state on Friday. Friday is also the day Daniel W. Uhlfelder, a lawyer and resident in Walton County, launched his “Grim Reaper Beach Tour” of the state's beaches.Here he is above, being interviewed on WMBB News 13.Uhlfelder has been dressing up as The Grim Reaper in a hilariously shitty costume for a while now, and hanging out on beaches (social distancing!) to remind people that this shit is real.Many of you have asked if I am willing to travel around Florida wearing Grim Reaper attire to the beaches and other areas of the state opening up prematurely. The answer is absolutely yes. Beginning May 1 we will hit the road here in state. Please retweet and spread the word. pic.twitter.com/UO7QKg161n— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) April 22, 2020He says he is doing this to draw attention to how dangerous coronavirus is, and how people aren't taking precautions seriously. Busy day pic.twitter.com/uBmjaHmp2r— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) May 1, 2020Uhlfelder says he is most worried about people from hard-hit areas of the South.Uhlfelder launched a website where people can contribute to his tour.Stay home Florida pic.twitter.com/MV4fyAXvwu— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) May 1, 2020More coverage from the Pensacola News-Journal, below.holy shit pic.twitter.com/rVw24plXTp— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) May 1, 2020How's reopening going in Florida, you ask? pic.twitter.com/PT6detKiYj— Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) May 1, 2020[via @VeraMBergen] Read the rest

In the latest edition of High Weirdness author Erik Davis's essential e-newseltter The Burning Shore, he points us to this wonderfully rare live recording of a complete Kraftwerk concert from a 1975 performance in Canada. It's charging my battery and now I'm definitely full of energy. Erik writes:...It captures the newly-christened touring quartet of Schneider, Hütter, Flür, and Bartos stretching their electronic wings on their first full international tour. Delicate, playful, and unpretentious, having fun with their goofy machines and modest vocal chops, the group enters a low earth orbit with a “robot pop” sound that remains organic, improvisatory, and still friendly toward the flute. We open with the diaphanous cascades of “Kling Klang”, pass through the galactic drift of “Komentenmelodie 1”, and close with a 25-minute “Autobahn” that manages to both ride the groove and break down in all the right ways. The home-cooked rhythm rigs are particularly charming, constantly shifting timbres and patterns while forging the revolutionary conjunctio of electronics and The Beat. At a time when most prog bands were sludgy with cleverness, this music enacts a genuinely progressive marriage of kosmiche slop and electronic futurism, deployed with the lightest of radioactive touches.image: "Kraftwerk concert in Zürich, 1976" by Ueli Frey (CC BY-SA 3.0) Read the rest

The Snarkout Boys & the Avocado of Death AND The Snarkout Boys & the Baconburg Horror, two of the most wonderful books ever written are available 'free' via Kindle Unlimited.Absurdist literature for kids? I can not remember a time when I was not a huge fan of Daniel Pinkwater's incredible storytelling... and 'the Snarkout Boys' stories are my favorite.Snarking Out, or the practice of making late-night pilgrimages to a third-rate theater showing fifth-rate movies at the end of their projectable lifespan, has always sounded like the best idea. A lot of interesting folks do it. Join Winston Bongo, The Mighty Gorilla, Nosferatu the parakeet, Chicken Man, and an incredible cast of characters in what served as The Master and Margarita for a youthful me.The Snarkout Boys & The Avocado of Death Kindle Edition via Kindle UnlimitedThe Snarkout Boys & The Baconburg Horror via Kindle Unlimited Read the rest

Media rating council says Facebook could be denied accreditation

Today, Robert Fripp launched Music for Quiet Moments, a 50-week series of ambient tracks he'll be recording and releasing at home. If the first piece is any indication, this will be a welcome comfort. I found it seriously lovely and soothing. Healing, even.About the series, Robert writes:"Quiet moments are when we put time aside to be quiet. Sometimes quiet moments find us. Quiet may be experienced with sound, and also through sound; in a place we hold to be sacred, or maybe on a crowded subway train hurtling towards Piccadilly or Times Square. Quiet Moments of my musical life, expressed in Soundscapes, are deeply personal; yet utterly impersonal: they address the concerns we share within our common humanity."Image: YouTube Read the rest

I've had a busy few weeks of moving and renovating my home in the middle of a pandemic while also trying to work a full-time. So naturally, I decided to relax by … making a 4-song live EP of protest songs about unions and workers, to raise money for the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund for essential workers. Today in particular is not only International Worker's Day, but the music site BandCamp is also waiving their fees their day — so 100% of money you send my way for this pay-what-you-want album will go directly to workers in need.There are worse ways to celebrate May Day, in my humble opinion.Essential Songs for Essential Workers — Live From Quarantine [Thom Dunn / BandCamp]Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund Read the rest

Nastaran Mohit is the organizing director of the NewsGuild of New York, which represents more than 24,000 journalists and media workers in the US and Canada. I've met her through her work with the Wirecutter Union, and she's also helped to organize workers at The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Buzzfeed, and more.Teen Vogue recently published a great piece on Mohit, breaking down a day in her life — which is, as one might imagine, made even more complicated by the coronavirus pandemic. But Nas keeps fighting the good fight, doing crucial work at a time when media layoffs are more and more common. Solidarity matters, and there is power in a union.Nastaran Mohit: A Day in the Life of a Union Organizer [Allegra Kirkland / Teen Vogue] Read the rest

Every time I go back and watch an episode of Dinosaurs, I realize just how far ahead of its time it was (See: "What Sexual Harris Meant." Also the series finale.)Also Tim Curry voiced a bunch of parts, which has nothing to do with the show's cleverly subversive political nature, but is wonderful nonetheless.Here he is as the Devil in the fourth season episode "Life In The Faust Lane," in which Earl sells his soul in exchange for a collectible mug. Curry also played the voice of a very sassy jacket on another episode. Read the rest

If you are looking for a way to quickly remove corn from corn cobs, grab yourself an old office chair and a drill and go to work.[via Core77] Read the rest

Today, the Boston Globe's investigative reporter Deirdre Fernandes reports that sex offender and accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein had his very own personal office at Harvard University, and visited dozens of times in the years after he was released from his 2008 prison sentence -- all the way through 2018. Epstein died of suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019. Investigations into his crimes are still pending.According to the Boston Globe story, Jeffrey Epstein was given "his own office in a Harvard University department."He "visited there more than 40 times after he was released from jail in 2010.""The university received $9.2 million from Epstein between 1998 and 2007."Seems perfectly normal.Read the full story at the Boston Globe.Jeffrey Epstein had his own office at Harvard, and visited more than 40 times after he was released from jail in 2010. Those are some of the details in a new report released today on his ties to the university. https://t.co/ujvCjPxekQ— Jason Tuohey (@jtuohey21) May 1, 2020Well, @harvard has finally released its report regarding its own (i.e. not an independent) investigation into its links to Jeffrey Epstein https://t.co/WMpotdjaLA— Jonathan Eisen (@phylogenomics) May 1, 2020Jeffrey Epstein had his own office at Harvard and visited dozens of times in the years after he was released from his 2008 prison sentence — visits that continued until 2018https://t.co/kQk8AYln0m by @fernandesglobe— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) May 1, 2020Jeffrey Epstein's Harvard ties were extensive, a new report reveals. Read the rest

On Thursday, NASA announced that it has selected commercial space technology firms firms SpaceX, Blue Origin and Dynetics to build lunar landing systems that can carry astronauts to the moon by 2024. Elon Musk is the founder of SpaceX, and Jeff Bezos is behind Blue Origin. The manned lunar mission is part of the Trump White House’s accelerated timeline for a NASA moon-to-Mars campaign.“The three companies, which include firms of tech billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, will share $967 million from NASA, though specific amounts each company will receive were not immediately known,” reports Reuters.Excerpt:“This is the last piece that we need in order to get to the moon,” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters on Thursday, calling the agency’s first lunar lander procurement since 1972 “historic”.Unlike the Apollo program that put astronauts on the moon nearly 50 years ago, NASA is gearing up for a long-term presence on Earth’s satellite that the agency says will eventually enable humans to reach Mars, leaning heavily on private companies built around shared visions for space exploration.Picking three providers allows NASA to have redundancy in case one company falls behind in development, Lisa Watson-Morgan, NASA’s human landing system program manager, told reporters on Thursday. READ MORE:Musk's SpaceX, Bezos' Blue Origin land contracts to build NASA's astronaut moon lander[Joey Rouelette, reuters] Read the rest

オンライン飲み会から緊急脱出できるマシーンを作りました pic.twitter.com/gB2Ur6f21i— 藤原 麻里菜 | Marina Fujiwara (@togenkyoo) April 29, 2020Marina Fujiwara created this useful little gadget to trick zoomers into thinking your Internet connection is buggy so you can leave a videochat whenever you feel like it. Read the rest

OpenAI · Rock, in the style of Elvis Presley - OpenAI JukeboxOpen AI, the same organization that created the GPT-2 language model (try it here) which generates coherent stories from a text prompt, just released a new application called Jukebox, "a neural net that generates music, including rudimentary singing, as raw audio in a variety of genres and artist styles."Some of the songs are pretty good, and very strange as only neural nets are.Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash Read the rest

Amazon.com is facing an antitrust investigation.The House Judiciary Committee on Friday informed Jeff Bezos he needs to agree to testify at a hearing on Amazon's alleged misuse of third-party seller data, or the CEO faces a potential subpoena if he declines.READ THE LETTER FROM HOUSE JUDICIARY HERE [PDF]From the Washington Post:The dramatic escalation between members of Congress and the e-commerce giant follows reports that Amazon employees tapped data from third-party sellers in its marketplace to make decisions about launching its own competing products, despite initially telling Democrats and Republicans it did not engage in such practices.Lawmakers on the House’s top competition-focused panel specifically pointed to statements that Amazon made starting last July, when officials explicitly told Congress that “we do not use any seller data to compete with them." Lawmakers raised the potential that Amazon might have committed perjury during its earlier testimony on Capitol Hill.“In light of our ongoing investigation, recent public reporting, and Amazon’s prior testimony before the Committee, we expect you, as chief executive officer of Amazon, to testify before the committee," said Rep. David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.), the chairman of the antitrust subcommittee. He was joined by Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the House Judiciary Committee’s Democratic chairman, and F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.), the second most senior member of the House, indicating the early, wide support such a hearing has garnered in Congress.“Although we expect that you will testify on a voluntary basis,” lawmakers continued, "we reserve the right to resort to compulsory process if necessary.” Read the rest

Jeremy Barnes is a former police officer. He moved his family to rural Idaho, a half mile away from the Utah border. He set up a private investigator practice in Utah, but because he does not live in Utah, the state's Department of Public Safety will not let him work as a detective there. You have to be a resident of the state to have a license to be a private investigator. Barnes has retained a lawyer and is suing the department. Utah is the only state that requires a residency requirement for a professional occupation, and this law in unconstitutional, says his lawyer. In this video Barnes' lawyer is interviewed by the Institute for Justice. Read the rest

On his blog, Cory Doctorow alerted me to the news that science fiction author Marc Laidlaw has started a YouTube channel and is re-reading his short fiction. He does an excellent job creating voices for the characters in his stories. Marc has also released his novels as Kindle editions, and if you have a Kindle Unlimited membership (try a month for free) you can read them as part of your membership. Read the rest

“The ICANN Board finds that the public interest is better served in withholding consent as a result of various factors that create unacceptable uncertainty.”ICANN, the entity that oversees web addresses, said on Friday it voted against a $1.1 billion deal to sell control of .org domains to a private investment firm. The decision follows persistent protest and activism “from internet pioneers and officials including California’s attorney general [Xavier Becerra],” reports Joe Menn at Reuters on Friday. This means the dot-org domain WILL NOT be sold to the private equity firm Ethos Capital, a story we've been covering here on Boing Boing since the beginning. Excerpt from Reuters:The surprise plans by the Internet Society to sell the Public Interest Registry to a newly formed for-profit firm, Ethos Capital, announced in November, provoked alarm from many of the more than 10 million entities that use the .org suffix, associated with non-profit organizations.ICANN, the Internet Corp for Assigned Names and Numbers, which gave the assignment of .org to the Internet Society and retains some rights, said on Thursday it was rejecting the deal.In particular, it cited concerns that there would be a drive to reward Ethos stockholders while repaying $300 million in debt taken on during the transaction. You can read the official announcement from ICANN here. It's a little hard to follow, unless you're used to reading legalese -- so here are some tweets from observers and reporters who've been following the dot-org potential sale controversy for a long time. Read the rest

David Icke is a UK conspiracy theorist who's been swimming at the reptile-illuminati deep end for a long time. After latching onto Covid-19, he finally found a truly explosive audience as social media companies struggled with shutting down the biggest engagement-generators in years. Facebook has taken action, however, banning Icke for good.Facebook has taken down the official page of conspiracy theorist David Icke for publishing "health misinformation that could cause physical harm".Mr Icke has made several false claims about coronavirus, such as suggesting 5G mobile phone networks are linked to the spread of the virus.In one video, he suggested a Jewish group was behind the virus.Following the ban, his Twitter account posted: "Fascist Facebook deletes David Icke - the elite are TERRIFIED."You'll have to head to Twitter for your fix of Bill Gates Annukai Tyranny Empty Hospitals.Icke, a former footballer and broadcaster, was a likeable presence on UK TV when he got into the whole "Queen-Is-An-Alien-Reptile" business, and his status as a household name gave him a large platform to publicize his viewpoints before he was marginalized. Here's a classic interview with Terry Wogan that gave prime-time BBC viewers their first taste of something new and magical in popular culture.Wogan regretted being mean to him. Read the rest

Once you run out of toilet paper–and you will–make sure you keep the empty rolls so you can try making fantastic molecular models! Physicist and 3D software engineer Ricky Reusser flattened and linked the cardboard tubes into models of buckminsterfullerene and carbon nanotubes! He's even written a software simulator so you can keep making these even once you've used your toilet paper rolls in place of the toilet paper you can't get. From his guide, Toiletpaperfullerenes and Charmin Nanotubes: Toilet paper tubes have the curious property that you can flatten them, cut out loops, and link the loops together without fasteners[...]My brand is regular Trader Joe's toilet paper, though I have no reason to believe anything about the brand is particularly important, beyond consistency—with the exception of those cowards who make tube-free toilet paper rolls. Those won't work. I've considered side-stepping material collection and waiting to buy tag board when shelter-in-place eases, though to be honest, the recycled nature of the raw materials is no small part of what draws me to this project.(via Kottke) Read the rest

Bradford Pears look beautiful in spring, but have a unique odor described by one source as fish and semen. Southern Living is taking action against "the worst tree".For years, the Bradford Pear has been an iconic Southern tree (simply because they're everywhere). Grumpy Gardener Steve Bender is here to tell you that this stinky, oversized tree is not worth the hassle.In 1966, Southern Living was created to highlight the beauty and culture of the growing South. In the decades since its inception, Southern Living, published monthly, has become one of the largest lifestyle magazines in the country. With characteristic Southern hospitality, Southern Living is committed to sharing the region we love with our readers, no matter where they may live.Mitchell and Webb had a good sketch featuring America's inexplicable love of cum trees. Read the rest

Behold the pig's foot pillow [Amazon], an easily-cleaned item of home furnishing sure to impress visitors. Printed with an image of juicy, glistening meat, it comes in five sizes, from 20cm to 80cm, with even larger sizes (and other meats) from other sellers.It is suitable for children,your children must be like it,it can be as toy and pillow,even be a decoration in your home or office.Toys can be enrich your daily spare life,you can use it when you are sleeping or resting and so on. Via Rob Sheridan, who remarks "what if David Cronenberg had a gift shop?" Read the rest

Selfie 2 Waifu takes photos of people and draws an anime-style portrait. The results are outstanding. In this example, a completely normal-looking person is transformed into a ridiculous cartoon character. See the twitter thread below for more examples.Selfie 2 waifu. Official Tensorflow implementation of U-GAT-IT: Unsupervised Generative Attentional Networks with Adaptive Layer-Instance Normalization for Image-to-Image Translation (ICLR 2020)https://t.co/3zFxCp669q pic.twitter.com/KdNn80IzKP— tkasasagi? (@tkasasagi) April 15, 2020Based on U-GAT-IT: Unsupervised Generative Attentional Networks with Adaptive Layer-Instance Normalization for Image-to-Image TranslationBased on the official pretrain modelBasic principle: we will not save your selfie without your permission, all privacy-related actions will be clearly notified.Contact me: creke at creke.net Read the rest

There are plenty of productive ways to spend time while stuck indoors. While it’s undoubtedly fun to binge all 15 seasons of Supernatural or sink days of playtime into an Overwatch campaign, learning something new is definitely a more meaningful and long-term beneficial use of open hours.And if you’re going to invest time in learning something new, you better make sure it sticks. More than half a million Apple App and Google Play users have given the Babbel Language Learning system a 4.6 out of 5-star rating for its innovative and impactful methods in helping students learn a new language. So you know it works.Right now, they’re making their award-winning services available again at 60 percent off the regular lifetime subscription price, just $159.With this deal, you can learn 14 of the world’s most popular languages at your own pace with Babbel, the top-grossing language learning app around the globe.Developed by over 100 linguistic experts, Babbel even says they’ll help you start speaking confidently in your new language in only 30 days. Just choose the language you’d like to learn, and you’ll immediately get access to more than 8,500 hours of high-quality language education.Before you get overwhelmed, all those hours are broken down into easily digestible 10- to 15-minute lessons, so you can also find time to fit them into your day naturally.The focus of the Babbel method is building your basic conversational skills, working you through real-world scenarios on real-world subjects like your family, your business, ordering a meal, booking transportation, and more. Read the rest

Matt M. McKnight pulled over on Washington State Route 240 to film this amazing yet menacing "tumbleweed tornado".OMG TUMBLEWEED TORNADO! ? Saw this approaching and pulled over along WA-240 a few minutes ago near Hanford Site. #wawx pic.twitter.com/NL9Nny1j7a— Matt M. McKnight (@mattmillsphoto) April 30, 2020 Read the rest

Cops and store owners in Illinois are asking people to "tip" coronavirus masks -- remove them or pull them aside briefly -- so cops and store cameras can see people's faces. Do not do this: experts say it obviates the purpose of the mask and exposes the wearer to the virus. If the wearer is infected, it will expose others to the virus, perhaps for hours.They're claiming it's to prevent racial bias, but offer no reason why making people remove masks prevents racial bias.Authorities' long-standing dislike of masks and anonymity, however, is well-established. If this were an attempt to obviate new laws in the state that encourage masking and make wearing masks mandatory where social distancing is impossible, no-one would be surprised.You cannot account for others' stupidity or their contempt for public health. Police chiefs supporting this program include East Moline Chief of Police Jeff Ramsey, Rock Island Chief of Police Jeff VenHuizen and Silvis Chief of Police Mark VanKlaveren. If you don't want to choose between your health and not antagonizing hostile cops, stay away from the Quad Cities. Read the rest

Can't believe I had never seen this before! My pal Michelle posted it the other day on Facebook and I had to know the story behind it. It took me a minute, but THIS is what I learned:So, in 1985, Queen re-created their iconic 1974 "Queen II" album cover (see also: "Bohemian Rhapsody" music video), morphing the old into the new for the music video of their single "One Vision." Well-l-l, this gif of Freddie (picking his nose, no less!) and the boys goofing around is an outtake from that. What I wasn't able to find was the source video of this fine gif, just the "One Vision" video itself. Maybe one of you Happy Mutants will have better luck finding it..?! Standing by. Read the rest

So what the heck is a soft skill, anyway? Well, by contrast, hard skills are teachable, quantifiable abilities like the basics you learned in school — reading, writing, arithmetic, and the like. They may not always be easy, but hard skills are usually fairly simple to identify and measure.Which means soft skills are the talents that are often a lot tougher to grade. It’s your emotional intelligence. It’s your leadership ability. It’s how well you listen and understand what co-workers are telling you. With a name like soft skills, these attributes sound...well, soft. And maybe not as critical as hard talents.But these intangibles are often the real difference makers in any organization — or in the course of a career. The Ultimate 2020 Soft Skills Career Hacker Bundle not only can help you shore up those areas of your professional game, but it’s as comprehensive and deep a training package as you’ll find anywhere.This collection brings together a massive 128 courses that dig into every facet of improving your shot at a successful career, regardless of the industry. It’s all here -- nearly 2,900 lectures covering more than 150 hours of instruction. Business ethics and etiquette? Covered. Attention management and anger management? Covered. Courses to develop your office support skills, likability, problem-solving and critical thinking are all included. So are goal setting, coaching, customer relations, and communication strategies. And once you’re through with all those courses, you’ve still got dozens and dozens more, enough to keep you busy for months....literally. Read the rest

Too soon? By way of Donald Bell's Maker Update comes this game where you send a shopping cart into a market in search of TP. The simulation was designed by Jelle Vermandere. You can either play the game in a browser or Jelle shows you how he used an Arduino Uno and motion sensing to create a shopping cart handle controller for that true invisible zombie apocalypse adrenaline rush.Image: YouTube Read the rest

"because we come from nothing"

Two of the largest U.S. airlines, American Airlines and Delta, said Thursday they will require travelers to wear face masks on U.S. flights, joining JetBlue to address coronavirus. Excerpt:Delta’s new rules start May 4, while Frontier’s start May 8 and American’s requirements begin May 11. The policies exempt young children from wearing masks or other facial coverings. Other airlines like United Airlines (UAL.O) are providing masks to travelers, but not requiring their use. Many U.S. airlines are also requiring pilots and flight attendants to use facial coverings while on board aircraft.(...) Delta said the airline will require face coverings “starting in the check-in lobby” and at “Delta Sky Clubs, boarding gate areas, jet bridges and on board the aircraft for the duration of the flight – except during meal service.”Delta added their use “is also strongly encouraged in high-traffic areas, including security lines and restrooms. People unable to keep a face covering in place, including children, are exempt.”American said the rules will prioritize “customer and team member well-being.” Read more:American Airlines, Delta to require facial coverings on U.S. flights[reporting by David Shepardson, Tracy Rucinski] Read the rest

The United Nations announced its app 1point5 to help people social distance this week.Motherboard reporter Joseph Cox took a close look at the app, and found that “doesn’t perform the most basic of tasks.”“We tested the app on multiple phones. It didn't detect them even when well within range. Literally does not do its one job.”Excerpt: When users download 1point5, the app is supposed to alert them when another Bluetooth device comes within 1.5 metres of their own phone, or a user can choose to increase the range slightly. The app is then supposed to display a message saying "Please keep your distance" if it detects other nearby devices.But when Motherboard downloaded the app earlier this week before the UN's official announcement, the app didn't even successfully perform this most basic of actions. Motherboard tested the app on two separate Android devices, and held them next to other phones with Bluetooth enabled. The app did not detect any other devices in either test.Multiple other users appear to have encountered the same issue, according to reviews left on the app's Google Play Store page."Waste of time.. This application is not working," one apparent user wrote."Waste app please don't download time wa[s]te," added another.The app has another design flaw as well. Independent researcher and consultant Ashkan Soltani noticed the app's description says the software is designed to alert a user to the presence of any nearby Bluetooth device, rather than just phones. All sorts of gadgets use Bluetooth, from Playstations, to computers, to speakers, to smart home and internet of things devices. Read the rest

More than 8,500 U.S. Veterans Administration patients have been diagnosed with Covid-19 and nearly 500 have died.The VA health network has ordered $300,000 worth of body bags, @ reports, as a growing number of veterans are hit by Covid-19, Betsy Woodruff Swan reports for POLITICO.Here's the contracting document reviewed by POLITICO. [usaspending.gov]“The department ordered the body bags from a major contractor called ISO Group because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the site. The contract was made on April 15.” Excerpt:The purchase came as the VA has seen a growing number of deaths due to the pandemic. More than 8,500 VA patients have been diagnosed with Covid-19 and nearly 500 have died, according to data on the department’s website Thursday morning. The number of confirmed cases has grown by 3,000 since the contract was inked on April 15.The contract did not say how many body bags the department was buying, and it is unclear if the VA bought them because it expects a spike in patient deaths or because it plans to redistribute them to others who may need them. VA spokespersons did not respond to multiple requests for comment.The Federal Emergency Management Administration recently paid $5.1 million for 100,000 body bags, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal––coming out to a price of about $51 per bag. If the VA paid the same rate, it would have purchased nearly 6,000 bags––a number 12 times larger than the number of VA patients who have died from the disease. Read the rest

Well, this was inevitable. Image: YouTube Read the rest

A friend of mine (who wishes to remain anonymous) shares my interest in finding swipes of famous illustrators and comic book artists. Neither of us begrudge these artists for swiping (that's the comics industry term for using reference material perhaps a bit too faithfully). After all, these artists worked under brutal deadlines and sometimes they had to cut corners to meet them. Here's a recent swipe he shared with me:This swipe is by lesser known artist Ernie Chan. As you can see, he literally traced the scene from Jack Davis and EC Comics' Tales from the Crypt #31. He lived and worked in Oakland and I met him at a few conventions. This is a commission by a fan who wanted a sexy Black Canary.Chan was a popular freelance artist who inked John and Sal Buscema in the early 70s before going on to solo runs with Conan the Barbarian for Marvel and Batman and Captain Marvel for DC. I find it interesting that Chan did not even bother to alter the source image (reverse it, repose the actors, etc) but I guess no one in 1977 would believe the internet would exist which would make instant cross checking possible.See other swipes here.I look forward to the inevitable comment that comes with my posts about interesting swipes: "It's just a coincidence. There are only a limited number of poses a human body can make, and this is a common one." Read the rest

Tabloid reporters are very much like America’s Commander in Chief: They don’t need to get bogged down with research or trouble themselves with accurate information, because they simply know stuff. They have what the president, a self-confessed “stable genius," calls "a natural ability."

Is repetition about a drive for perfection — or does it just mean you’ve run out of good ideas? While many experts study in awe the nuance, style, and mastery found in all 250 oil paintings of water lilies by French artist Claude Monet, others could wonder why a talent like that would spend 30 years painting a pond with some water plants over and over. Of course, repetition could just be the result of using the same tools over and over. So if you’re starting to find your digital design projects are recycling certain elements time and again, the Design From Home Creative Market Bundle may be able to help.To your rescue comes a 25-item assortment of products, all designed to spark new life and inject new creativity into your work, no matter where you’re crafting it.The package is a true collection, offering a touch of original offerings like nine new fonts and three full scene creator mockups for use with your Adobe Creative Cloud apps. If you’re a regular PowerPoint user, you’ll find three brand-new presentation styles for you to try. If your talents lean toward photography and social media, you’ve got five new Instagram grid templates to play with.Meanwhile, those whose art includes literally digital brushes, the collection also features four new Procreate brushes to use with the Apple iPad’s popular Procreate app. Finally, an animated texture is also included to round out your collection of fun new artistic tricks.Whether you’re updating your portfolio, making a new website, practicing your lettering skills, teaching your kids how to work creatively, or even learning something new, this bundle has something for everyone. Read the rest

Maybe this coalition of 1200 tech, business, and news organizations

The astonishingly prolific author/scientist Clifford Pickover is a math enthusiast with a talent for ferreting out fascinating anecdotes about math, and writing them in a way that inspires wonder. Accompanied by beautiful illustrations, Pickover’s The Math Book about cicada-generated prime numbers, magic squares, the Golden Mean, Penrose Tiles, Xeno’s Paradox, and the butterfly effect just might turn you into a lover of math. It worked for me. Read the rest

In a fitting follow-up to Carla's post of "The Liar Tweets Tonight," I bring you the spooky parodic vision of "Ghost Donald in the Sky." The track is part of the Parody Project and was written and performed by Freedom Toast. The vocalist is an old and dear friend of mine, the immensely-talented jazz composer and multi-instrumentalist, Rick Harris.Bonus Tracks:Laurie Fox sent me this link to her friend Tom O'Connor's "Talkin' Trump Blues." The song was recorded live at the Tuba Czar show with Mark Beltzan on tuba and a surprise guest, Laurence Juber, on guitar (he of Wings and the Paul McCartney Band).And, last but not least, is a pretty spot-on Nitzer Ebb parody.Stay Inside Your Home (Nitzer Ebb parody) by Not-So EbbImage: YouTube Read the rest

When I was young, the first thing I'd do when visiting someone's apartment for the first time was to browse their bookshelf and record (or tape or CD) collection. That was a great way to find connection with others and spark conversation. These days, most people's musical tastes aren't reflected in any tangible way. Same mostly holds true for books but I do think many avid readers still like having some printed matter around. These days, lots of celebrities are streaming appearances from their homes where a full bookshelf makes a nice backdrop. So what are we seeing in their home libraries? In the New York Times, Gal Beckerman looks at the books in the background at the homes of Cate Blanchett, Stacey Abrams, Prince Charles, Anna Wintour, Jane Goodall, and others. From the New York Times:Jane GoodallOn “PBS NewsHour,” April 221. “The Hidden Target,” by Helen MacInnes: This 1980 spy novel tells the story of an American college student on a world tour who becomes entangled with secret agents looking to stop a terrorist plot.2. “The End of Food,” by Thomas F. Pawlick: Danger abounds at the grocery store in this 2006 expose of our current method of food production. Pawlick reveals that the vitamin, mineral and nutritional content of food is in shocking decline.[...]Paul RuddOn “Saturday Night Live,” April 251. “Code of Conduct,” by Brad Thor: The 15th installment in Thor’s thriller series has counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath uncovering the inner workings of a secretive committee of elites running the world. Read the rest

Jeffrey Ladish, an independent researcher and security consultant, wrote about a sophisticated credit card phishing scam he encountered while looking for a place to rent in Berkeley, California.I was recently the (unsuccessful) target of a very well-crafted phishing scam. As part of a housing search a few weeks ago, I was trawling craigslist and zillow for rental opportunities in the SF bay area. I reached out to a beautiful looking rental place to inquire about a tour. Despite my experience as a security professional, I didn’t realize this was a scam until about the third email! Below I will account the story in excessive detail including screenshots.I’m writing this to illustrate that the best phishing attacks will look very convincing. Often people are told to watch out for poor grammar and formatting to protect against phishing. This will work in some cases, but not in cases like the one I’m about to show. Sophisticated scammers use good English and pattern-match with legitimacy.[via Evil Mad Scientist] Read the rest

Stuck on VHS is a book that has over 1000 photos of stickers that video rental stores of the 1980s and 1990s would stick onto the cassettes. These stickers would be used to let people know about a video's genre and rating, and also to remind them that they could be fined if they neglected to rewind the tape before returning it. I don't have a copy, but it looks like a true delight for anyone interested in design.For a taste of what's inside, check out their Instagram account. View this post on Instagram You know it must be one HELL of a video! STUCK ON VHS is sold out online, but copies are available at all @drafthouse theater locations and VHStival Tour stops! We’re hoping for a repress sometime later this year, and will keep everyone updated! Thanks to everyone who picked up a copy! Let us know what you think when they arrive, dudes! Can’t wait to share it with you! #vhs #vhstapes #videostore #videostores #videorental #vhscollector #vhscollecting #vhsstickers #vhsculture #vhsforever #vhsishappiness #stuckonvhs #devilA post shared by STUCK ON VHS (@stuckonvhs) on Jan 22, 2020 at 6:57am PST View this post on Instagram And a doggone good deal, too!! Gotta love those animal mascots with human teeth! #vhs #vhstapes #videostore #videostores #videorental #vhscollector #vhscollecting #vhsstickers #previouslyviewed #fullyguaranteed #vhsculture #vhsforever #vhsishappiness #stuckonvhsA post shared by STUCK ON VHS (@stuckonvhs) on Oct 1, 2019 at 8:16am PDT View this post on Instagram It’s not a bad question, Burt! Read the rest

Rocky Bergen says: "Construct the computer from your childhood or build an entire computer museum at home with these paper models, free to download and share. Print, Cut, Score, Fold and Glue."They look amazing.Image: Rocky Bergen[via Evil Mad Scientist] Read the rest

A fatal Tesla Model X crash involving a "dozing driver" is blamed on the car's autopilot feature in a new lawsuit against the electric vehicle company led by Elon Musk.Surviving family members of a 44-year-old Japanese man who was struck and killed by one of its electric cars in April 2018 filed the lawsuit in San Jose federal court on Tuesday. Yoshihiro Umeda, who was 44 when killed in the auto crash, is described in the complaint as the first "Tesla Autopilot-related death involving a pedestrian," and claims the tragedy illustrates a "patent defect" in Tesla's technology. From Newsweek:Tesla, led by Elon Musk, is based in Palo Alto, California, and sells cars with automated driver assistance systems. The court motion, submitted by the victim's spouse Tomomi Umeda and daughter Miyu Umeda, was first reported by Bloomberg.Yoshihiro Umeda was killed on April 29, 2018, after being hit by a Tesla Model X that "suddenly accelerated" when a car in front of it switched lanes, the filing says.It adds that the Tesla vehicle crashed into a van, motorcycles and pedestrians that had stopped at the side of an expressway near Tokyo following an accident.The documents allege the Tesla car, which had its Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC) feature engaged, sped up after the car in front moved, "rapidly accelerating from about 15 km/h to approximately 38 km/h" before striking the motorcycles and Umeda.The driver was "found to have been dozing shortly before the crash," the filings note, adding plaintiffs expect the firm to "lay all of the blame" on that person. Read the rest

Nicole Stott is a talented artist and retired astronaut who spent more than 100 days living in space on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. Stott is one of several astronauts who in recent days has been asked to share their advice on isolation and social distancing. "Nothing beats that first hug after landing," Stott says.From the New York Times:[In the video above, Stott] reflects on the three months she spent on the International Space Station, far from her husband and 7-year-old son. Living on the space station, being alone on a spacewalk, watching lightning storms crisscross the planet — all these experiences taught her that we’re all inherently connected, even when we’re physically far away. Read the rest

Condom manufacturer Durex say sales are down because the Coronavirus lockdown is “having a toll on the number of intimate occasions," reports The Guardian.The demand for rubbers will probably bounce back after the pandemic subsides, but manufacturers are concerned that current latex shortages could mean supplies won't meet the pent-up demands for condoms in the near future.[Durex manufacturer] Reckitt Benckiser said it expected demand for condoms to recover when the lockdown ends, and said its condom factories would not scale back production. [Laxman Narasimhan, the chief executive of Reckitt Benckiser] added that in China, the slowdown in sex during its lockdown had recovered and condom demand was back at the same levels as before the crisis.There have been concerns of a global condom shortage because strict lockdown rules in Malaysia, one of world’s top rubber producers and a major source of condoms, had made it difficult for condom factories to operate.Karex, the world’s largest condom producer which makes one in five of all condoms, has warned of a global condom shortage after closing three of its factories. The firm said it expects to produce 200m fewer condoms than usual from mid-March to mid-April.Photo by Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition on Unsplash Read the rest