Boing Boing

Vakis Demetrious posted this clip from Limassol, Cyprus. He writes:5th day quarantine.Stay Home Safe but don't forget your dog happiness..(And yes, I understand that if the dog wanted to run off, it could easily pull the drone right along with it.) Read the rest

Enjoy disco diva Donna Summer's incredible isolated vocal track from "Bad Girls" (1979). Toot toot, beep BEEP. The song is about sex work and the police. From Gavin Edwards' book "Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton’s Little John?":“I was in my office in the old Casablanca [records] building,” Summer told me. “I was the only artist allowed to have an office there -- [Casablanca head] Neil didn’t want me too far away. I sent out my secretary to do something, and the police stopped her on Sunset Boulevard. She was dressed in business attire, but they were trying to pick her up. That ticked me off. All day, I pondered why that would happen to innocent people–and then I developed compassion for the girls working on the street.” And the “toot-toot, beep-beep” that concluded the track? “I figured, what do guys do when they pick up girls? I had to emulate them tooting their horns.” Read the rest

I asked a friend how they were enjoying the Trump Pandemic. Their response?"Hanging tough."If I have this stuck in my head for however many weeks we are self-isolating I may not make it. Read the rest

Sure, he pretended it was all a "Democrat hoax" for the last 2 months; neglected to do anything but downplay the virus for those 2 months; repeatedly used the pandemic as an excuse for anti-Asian racism; and brought his own precious economy to a grinding halt as unemployment reached record highs.But according to a new ABC News / Ipsos poll, 55 percent of Americans think that President Trump is doing a good job with the COVID-19 outbreak.JUST IN: 55% of Americans approve of Pres. Trump's management of the coronavirus crisis, compared to 43% who disapprove, according to new @ABC News/Ipsos poll. https://t.co/oNg6ZipDN2 pic.twitter.com/yVcGO0CpbD— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 20, 2020Political Polls / Survey USA presents similar results:Do you approve or disapprove of way President Donald Trump is handling COVID-19, the Coronavirus?Among Republicans:Approve 90%Disapprove 6%Among Independents:Approve 48%Disapprove 38%Among Democrats:Approve 24%Disapprove 68%@surveyusa 3/18-19https://t.co/fmvn6vH2uv https://t.co/v8Z2D0LB9t— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) March 20, 2020I'd like to see ol' Donny wriggle his way out of this one, nevertheless, etc etc.Coronavirus upends nation, as three in four Americans' lives changed by pandemic: POLL [Kendall Karson / ABC News]Image: Public Domain via US Department of Defense and Gage Skidmore/Flickr via CC 2.0 Read the rest

The Las Vegas Review Journal reports that Little Darlings—the largest 18+ nude club in the US—is offering drive-through strip shows during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Review’s Mick Akers reports:Little Darlings strip club will begin offering drive-through strip shows for those who want to indulge in some adult entertainment, but do not want to enter the building, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending people keep 6 feet in distance between themselves and others.“We’re going to offer drive-up window strip shows,” said Ryan Carlson, director of operations for Little Darlings. “Guests can drive up to the front door and we’re going to have dancers separate by the 6-foot separation rule and they can enjoy a totally nude show right from the seat of their car.” Read the rest

Colin of Why is this interesting? has published a list of some of his favorite radio stations and programs from around the world. He writes:As we are all sitting at our desks at home, the ambiance and textures from far-flung places can usher in a bit of adventure, as well as a bit of relief. I’ve compiled an interesting (and evolving list) of ways you can tap into different sounds and nationalities. If you reply to this email, we can update this post with more of your favorites from around the world.The following, and by no means comprehensive, dig through the internet and terrestrial airwaves is a fun, wide-ranging spectrum of sounds from bleeding-edge East London bass music to very sincere college radio to global pop, autumnal cardigan jazz and beyond. Read the rest

Here's Andy Merrill in character as Brak, the cat-masked intergalactic pirate from Space Ghost, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and The Brak Show, offering a timely lesson in respecting personal boundaries. Here's my favorite remix: Read the rest

Two of every three users recycle their computer passwords across multiple accounts. More than half -- 59 percent — use the same password everywhere. And 83 percent of Americans use weak passwords like their birthday, a hobby or even their own name.You are not shocked by these numbers. Because, as these statistics show, you’re probably part of these groups.It’s understandable. Between work, home, family and more, you’ve probably got literally dozens of password-protected devices and accounts demanding space in your memory. And unless you’re a super-computer yourself, you’re just not going to remember them all without some help.Instead of using password123 as your password on every account you use, you can let NordPass Password Manager carry the weight instead. Right now, their one-year subscriptions are half off, just $29.99.With NordPass Manager, you’ve got a smart, incredibly simple, ultra-secure means to assure your accounts are always safe. No less than PC Mag and TechRadar are among the outlets who say NordPass Manager absolutely passes their test for quality online protection of your access passwords.NordPass allows you to create a unique and totally secure password for each and every app or website you use. And rather than forcing you to keep all those in your head, NordPass does all your heavy lifting, allowing you to automatically populate your saved password every time, so logins are just one click away at all times.And NordPass doesn’t ever scrimp on security. They’re committed to following the latest security practices and industry protection standards, including XChaCha20, zero-knowledge architecture, two-factor authentication and more. Read the rest

View this post on Instagram Niblo is making sure I stay healthy and demands I entertain him in exchange... cats 🤷🏼‍♂️A post shared by Anthony Hopkins (@anthonyhopkins) on Mar 18, 2020 at 10:20am PDTSir Anthony is in self-isolation, but keeping his (and his cat's) spirits up during the pandemic by hitting the keys. I think that's one of Chopin's Nocturnes but Hopkins is an excellent composer and it might be a pastiche. CNN rounds up some of the better "isolated celebrity" performances:Coldplay's Chris Martin has been singing to an empty room, Justin Bieber has been dancing, David Spade has done a stand-up set in his living room, and Ellen DeGeneres has been watching herself on TV. Read the rest

Shaun of the Dead was and remains the seond-best zombie movie of all time. Here's some relevant advice for a very different scenario. Read the rest

In January, I covered the new season of NASA Explorers. This season (their fourth) focuses on space science and microgravity. In concert with the latest episode (inlined below), the NASA Explorers team posted, exclusively to their Facebook page, a behind-the-scenes interview with astronaut and space scientist, Don Pettit. Standing in a standard Earth gravity mock-up of the Destiny lab aboard the station, Pettit and NASA Explorers' Rachel Barry talk about the explorations of the past, present, and the future. There are some interesting moments here, like how long-term oceanic voyages of the past also taught us about the human body under such stressful conditions and how to better prepare it for future voyages. Understanding the blight of scurvy during such voyages opened up our whole understanding of vitamins and diet.Don also talks about future generations being born and growing up in space, in microgravity, and thus having a completely different perception of spatial relationships and how this might even change the way they think and solve problems. Image: Screengrab Read the rest

If I lived in Japan, I'd totally buy whatever cat food is being shilled in this (surprisingly suspenseful) "Cats and Domino" video. Bravo to the folks behind it!screengrab via Cat Navi Desk/YouTubeThanks, Julie! Read the rest

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C), reassured the public that America was prepared to fend off coronavirus. But being privy to decidedly non-public briefings, he knew otherwise, and sold off $1.5m in stocks before the markets crashed.Soon after he offered public assurances that the government was ready to battle the coronavirus, the powerful chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, sold off a significant percentage of his stocks, unloading between $628,000 and $1.72 million of his holdings on Feb. 13 in 33 separate transactions.As the head of the intelligence committee, Burr, a North Carolina Republican, has access to the government’s most highly classified information about threats to America’s security. His committee was receiving daily coronavirus briefings around this time, according to a Reuters story.It's remarkable how many pundits and public figures are making plausibly-deniable references to having Burr dealt with. The constitution endures, but civility is toast. Read the rest

photo by Julian MarkRestaurants and boutiques in San Francisco's Mission District -- a vibrant neighborhood at the heart of the City's struggle with gentrification and inequality -- are boarding up their windows apparently in fear of riots or robberies. The businesses are closed until at least April 7 due to the “shelter in place” mandate. From Julian Mark's story in Mission Local:“We actually don’t want to do it,” said Dylan MacNiven, the owner of West of Pecos. “I don’t think it’s good for the public to see this, but now that everyone else has done it, we’re going to be the only one on the street without it.” MacNiven was in the process of placing the final boards on his windows on Thursday afternoon, and he said the bar and restaurant was hesitant — but then a multitude of surrounding businesses had done the same[....]“We’re doing it so we can sleep at night,” said Needles and Pens owner Breezy Culbertson. Culbertson said she will be out $300 to board the windows. Just one of their front windows would cost $2,000 to replace. “It’s a bummer because it feels like it is bad for morale,” said a man named Scott who was helping Culbertson install the boards. "Apocalypse Chic: Valencia Street businesses board up their windows" (Mission Local, thanks Tim Daly!)“We’re doing it so we can sleep at night,” said Needles and Pens owner Breezy Culbertson.https://t.co/4h4XXViseD— Mission Local (@MLNow) March 20, 2020 Read the rest

The Q outfitted a bicycle with invisible wheels. It's a simple idea (while probably tricky to get right) with a rather wonderful effect. Read the rest

It’s the celebrity coronavirus edition in this week’s tabloids.

The great Al Jaffee turned 99 last week. He's been contributing to MAD for 64 years and is famous for his hidden-image-within-an-image MAD Fold-Ins on the inside back cover of the magazine. Happy belated birthday, Al! (Back in 2011, when Al was just a kid, Ruben Bolling and I interviewed him on my podcast, Gweek.)A couple of weeks ago I visited my parents and found a bunch of my old books and comic books in the attic. I found my copy of MAD's Al Jaffee Spews Out Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions, which I bought when I was 10 or 11 years old. I was surprised to see that I had filled in some snappy answers of my own to stupid questions."No, it's last year's hard-t0-melt snow.""No, I'm inspecting the quality of my pillow."[My 11-year-old self drew a blank for this one.]"No, but are you interested in buying some lizard coffins?"What are your snappy answers to these stupid questions? Read the rest

A group of celebrities, including Gal Gadot, Will Ferrell, Mark Ruffalo, James Marsden, Lynda Carter, Jamie Dornan, and Amy Adams, posted a video of each of them, in their isolation, signing lines from John Lennon's "Imagine." The attempted message was that we're all in this together, we will get through this, but the Twitter response was immediate and brutal.It was the line "imagine no possessions" that triggered the most vitriol. People seeing this tweet who are currently out of work and understandably nervous about it barked that they don't have to imagine it. Others shot back with sentiments like: We don't need you singing to us. How about you spending a million or two to buy ventilators and masks and donate them them to hospitals? One person posted the pay that each actor gets per film.“We are in this together, we will get through it together.”Gal Gadot just posted a video of her and other artists (who are also quarantined because of the COVID-19) singing Imagine by John Lennon on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/fRV6GhAF92— best of gal (@bestofgaI) March 19, 2020It's wonderful that everyone is at least trying to do the right thing in this very scary and trying time, but man was this ever an epic fail.Image: Screengrab Read the rest

IEEE Spectrum asked pioneering roboticist Rodney Brooks, co-founder of iRobot and former head of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the eternal engineering question: "What is a robot?" Inspired by computational neuroscientist Warren McCulloch who enjoyed writing sonnets, Brooks responded to the query in iambic pentameter. Here's the beginning:What Is a Robot?By Rodney BrooksShall I compare thee to creatures of God?Thou art more simple and yet more remote.You move about, but still today, a clod,You sense and act but don’t see or emote.You make fast maps with laser light all spread,Then compare shapes to object libraries,And quickly plan a path, to move ahead,Then roll and touch and grasp so clumsily.Read the rest: "What Is a Robot? Rodney Brooks Offers an Answer—in Sonnet Form" (IEEE Spectrum)image: Brooks led development of the COG robot seen in this photo by Rama (CC BY-SA 3.0 FR) Read the rest

If you don’t have to drive, why should you? For many, a car or truck is the only feasible way to get from place to place. But if you live in a mostly urban or suburban setting with your job, grocery store and most of your major destinations no more than a few miles away, the cost-effective and eco-friendly way to get there would be to leave the car at home.It’s a lot more doable than you might think, especially when you consider that the average car trip distance is actually less than six miles.We’re guessing you don’t want to walk everywhere, so the next best thing is a quick, easy transportation method for short jaunts around town — which brings us right to an option like the Levy Plus Electric Scooter.The Levy Plus is battery powered with a range of up to 16 miles on a single charge, well within the range to handle most simple round trips to the coffee shop, convenience store, doctor’s office or your friend’s house.Powered by a 350W motor, you can breeze along anywhere you need to go at around 18mph. When not in use, the Levy Plus is so ultra-portable that you can literally fold it up and stash it in the closet until you need it again.But in case you’re worried about running out of juice while you’re out in the world, the Levy Plus is one of the only scooters of its kind featuring a removable battery pack. Read the rest

To help entertain all of us while we hunker down in our domestic anti-viral combat bunkers, Rolling Stone is asking musicians to share performances from their bunkers. They kick off the series with the galactic treasure himself, Brian Wilson. Image: YouTube Read the rest

While there were certainly more people out than I expected to see … there weren't that many. Which somehow made it even weirder than the Boston Marathon Bombing Lockdown, when at least the shared sense of fear was more palpable. Read the rest

With food not always as readily available as it was a few weeks ago, Supercook is a recipe generator that might come in handy. Just check off the food you have in your kitchen and it dishes out a smorgasbord of recipes.The site lists food by categories, such as Dairy, Vegetables, Fruits, Meats, etc. So I checked off some of the stuff in my fridge -- potatoes, spinach, parsley, mint, and avocados -- and it found 59 recipes. I then added eggs, and the number of recipes jumped to 268.I haven't tried any of the recipes yet but this could be a good site to bookmark. Image: By Yoninah - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link Read the rest

In December I bought a pair of TaoTronics active noise cancelling bluetooth headphones for my two daughters to use on an 18-hour plane trip. They said they were excellent, and they also used them in the hotel to watch videos, play music, and play games. I tried them myself and was pleasantly surprised by how well they worked. They use them every day, and now that we are all cooped up together in the house, they use them all day. You can use L5G769UL to get them at a good discount on Amazon. Read the rest

I saw this tweet yesterday and though it might be a joke, but it's not. Conan O'Brien really is going to host his show remotely starting Monday, March 30. Guests will Skype in to be interviewed and the audience will be stuck-at-home, self-isolating types, like me (and maybe you?). The new episodes will air on TBS, as usual.The quality of my work will not go down because technically that’s not possible,” said O’Brien.“Our first priority is the health and well-being of everyone in the Team Coco family, and our second priority is to try and find a way that we can do our jobs safely, from home, and contribute some entertainment for our fans out there who may be hungry for silly distraction,” said Jeff Ross, Executive Producer.Speaking of a "silly distraction":screengrab via Conan/Twitter Read the rest

YouTuber Mark Rober got some powder with the delightful name Glo Germ, which glows when exposed to ultraviolet light. He then went to a 3rd grade classroom and put some of the powder on the hand of the teacher (the students were not told about the experiment). The teacher shook the hands of three kids. During recess Rober put more powder on the hands of a 3rd grader who agreed to allow it. Then at lunch he shined his UV flashlight on the kids and the the classroom. The dust was all over the place. Read the rest

Hand Mirror is a free one-click camera check. If you are about to join a Zoom or other video meeting, just click the icon on your menu bar and take a look at your beautiful face. Read the rest

A great video to help friends and family understand why these huge, early measures are necessary to stop the pandemic. “So far our new video about how to #FlattenTheCurve for COVID-19 has been translated into 26 languages,” says Dr. Joe Hanson and the team behind the PBS science show “It's Okay To Be Smart.”If you haven't watched it before, enjoy it now, in any one of those 26 languages.So far our new video about how to #FlattenTheCurve for COVID-19 has been translated into 26 languages. Thank you to everyone who has submitted subtitles in your language! https://t.co/cSV5OYI6uO— It's Okay to be Smart 🤓 (@okaytobesmart) March 18, 2020Out now on @okaytobesmart: A close look at what this curve really means for #COVID19 I hope this helps people learn why these huge, early measures are necessary. Watch here -> https://t.co/O1gDdFMzjJ pic.twitter.com/WWATWwRQy8— Joe Hanson (@DrJoeHanson) March 17, 2020 Read the rest

Impeached United States President Donald J. Trump said something awful again today that would end any other man's presidency in any timeline but this hellscape we're in.Anyway, here's what he said to a crowd of news reporters pressing him on the administration's feckless response to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic that has escalated to some 10,000 cases around the country. "We should get rid of about 75 or 80 percent of you. There's only two or three of you I like."Yep.President Trump just now on to reporters: "We should get rid of about 75 or 80 percent of you. There's only two or three of you I like."— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) March 19, 2020Trump, asked about any guidance for Congress re these positive tests among members, talks about reporters: "You're actually sitting too close. You should really -- we should probably get rid of another 75%, 80% of you. I'll have just two or three that I like in this room."— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 19, 2020TRUMP attacks reporters: "You're actually sitting too close. We should probably get rid of about another 75-80 percent of you. I'll have just two or three of you that I like in this room. I think that's a great way of doing it." pic.twitter.com/30ucSn9JSQ— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 19, 2020"You're actually sitting two close. We should really get rid of another 75 to 80 percent of you," Mr. Trump says to briefing room reporters, adding that he'd only have two or three reporters he likes in the briefing room. Read the rest

The Blue Sun (remastered) by Paul K & The WeathermenPaul Kopasz, the Lexington, Kentucky-based songwriter/guitarist best known as the leader of Paul K. and The Weatherman died this week. During the late 1980s and early 1990s in Cincinnati, Ohio, I had the fortune of catching Paul K's inimitable amplified post-punk blues several times and it was always an emotional punch to the gut. In an obituary in Lexington's Ace Weekly, Kakie Urch writes, "The music, from early days featuring an acoustic guitar with an electric pickup and effects, draws on influences ranging from The Who, The Velvet Underground, Big Star, Gram Parsons, The Kinks and Townes Van Zandt. The 1995 release, Love is a Gas, was produced by Mo Tucker of the Velvet Underground. 1997’s A Wilderness of Mirrors is the rock opera released on Alias and the basis of the “documentary/fairytale” movie. Other titles of note include Blues For Charlie Lucky, and the The Blue Sun, and, as the best place to start, the two-disc collection Stolen Gems."In 1990, the Afghan Whigs released a searing cover of Paul K's "Amphetamines & Coffee" (above) on their first Sub Pop full-length Up In It (1990). Here's their take on it. Upon hearing of Paul K's death, The Whigs' Greg Dulli wrote the following remembrance:John Curley and I walked into JR’s in Cincinnati one night back in 1986 and watched a gaunt and possessed singer/ guitarist manhandle a beat up acoustic guitar with a pickup and an overdrive pedal whilst leading his power trio thru an absolutely incendiary set that had our jaws on the floor. Read the rest

Americans abroad must return to US or prepare to shelter in place

A few days ago I started a sourdough starter because baking chills me out and provides stuff to eat.I took a look at the old French Press carafe I am using as a container a few hours after the 3rd time I fed said starter. The starter looked like it was READY TO GO but I figured I should probably feed it a few more times just to be sure. I did not, however, want to discard any of the starter, and as the off-gassing of the yeast was dangerously inflating towards the top of said carafe... I baked some pretzels.I use the same recipe and technique I do for commercially yeasted pretzels, simply replacing the 'one packet of active dry yeast' with ½ cup of sourdough starter AND reducing the flour and water additions by about ¼ cup each. I figure my starter is about 50/50 but maybe a little wet.I also used 1 cup of 'very old' whole wheat flour that my mother had in the back of the fridge. I replaced 1 cup of AP or bread flour with the WW and added a bit of water. Whole Wheat needs more h2o than white.I mix the starter, water, and brown sugar in a measuring cup and let them sit for 10-15 minutes before I combine with the other dry ingredients.Everything worked out just fine. I prefer the pretzels without the whole wheat but I was afraid I was wasting flour on a too young starter so all in all... Read the rest

The size and shape of a coffee cup has a factor in how people think the coffee in it tastes, reports Mental Floss.[R]esearchers showed 309 online participants images of eight different coffee mugs and asked them to rank the mugs on how aromatic, bitter, or sweet they would expect the coffee inside it to be. Participants hailed from China, Colombia, and the United Kingdom. Across the board, they said they expected that coffee in narrower cups would be more aromatic and taste more bitter, and they agreed that coffee in mugs with a wider diameter would taste sweeter.Photo by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis on Unsplash Read the rest

Dark Matter is a time travel story that reminded me of a Tom Clancy 'Jack Ryan' adventure and beats all the tropes over the head.Blake Crouch sets up a blazingly paced adventure revolving around what happens if a human can be placed in Schröedinger's box, instead of damn cat. That human is Jason Dessen, the guy who built the damn box in the first place.Talk about screwing yourself up, Dessen's adventure takes the cake.A fast read that touches on heady subjects but doesn't force you down a rathole, Dark Matter was a welcome read during this odd time.Dark Matter by Black Crouch via Amazon Read the rest

I have been learning to draw with this set of affordable colored pencils!With the help of YouTube and this set of colored pencils, I am trying once again to draw a monkey that doesn't end up looking like a penis. Thats just how they look to me, but I swear its a monkey. I do wonder what a Rorschach test might uncover...50 pencils for under $8? OK.Sargent Art Premium Coloring Pencils, Pack of 50 Assorted Colors, 22-7251 via Amazon Read the rest

A few days ago, I wrote about the transformation of WWE Smackdown into a beautiful work of Beckett-esque absurdist theatre once the audience was removed for coronavirus safety. I didn't think it could get anymore gloriously weird.Then Twitter user @SIDEEYEmusic took it to the next level by adding the Twin Peaks score.i added twin peaks music to pro wrestling without an audience and it fits perfectly pic.twitter.com/OVauro8c7L— SIDEEYE (@SIDEEYEmusic) March 18, 2020Image: peaked/Vimeo and Shamsuddin Muhammad / Wikimedia Commons (CC 2.0) Read the rest

Someone needs to tell him life is on the record pic.twitter.com/NPhxjQdcid— ALASTAIR CAMPBELL (@campbellclaret) March 19, 2020Recount assembled Trump's statements about coronavirus -- all downplaying it, some calling it an outright hoax -- and put them in a nice calendar so you can see the exact point where we were always at war with Eastasia.Facts First: From January until last week, Trump consistently minimized the risk the coronavirus posed to the country. He claimed to have the virus under "control," that the number of US cases would go "down, not up," that the virus might "disappear" through a "miracle" or something of the sort, that the virus might well vanish by April with the warmer weather, that the media and Democrats were overhyping the situation, and that "this is their new hoax," leaving it unclear whether he was calling the virus itself a hoax.The pundits who praise him after a single becalmed press event are worse than Trump. They know he'll immediately exit the stage to go back to ranting on Twitter or at one of his rallies. They know what they're doing, too, and why they're doing it: for access, prestige, professional advancement, and all the other perks of the courtier. Read the rest

The famous canals of Venice have been looking clearer since Italy went on lockdown to slow the coronavirus pandemic. From CNN:"The water now looks clearer because there is less traffic on the canals, allowing the sediment to stay at the bottom," a spokesman said."It's because there is less boat traffic that usually brings sediment to the top of the water's surface."While water pollution may not have decreased, air quality has improved, according to the spokesman."The air, however, is less polluted since there are less vaporetti and boat traffic than usual because of the restricted movement of residents," he said.And the result? Invasion of the dolphins.Thought I’d spread abit of positivity for you guys. Since the lockdown of Venice without the pollution from boats the water has been begun to clear up and a dolphin has been spotted in the canal for the first time in nearly 60 years! #venice pic.twitter.com/dbq4mGhfnp— Jack (@NotLacazette) March 17, 2020After a week of lockdown... The canals in Venice are all clear and full of fishes. Kinda gives you the idea what will happen to Earth without Humans! pic.twitter.com/FVc7N8vmty— TheSpaceAcademy.org✨🔭 (@ThespaceAcad) March 17, 2020Life, uhhhh, finds a way, I guess. Or we're just in the ending/opening act of 12 Monkeys.As Italy quarantines over coronavirus, dolphins appear in Venice canals [Anagha Srikanth / The Hill]Dolphins and swans appear in Venice canals a week after city locks down to prevent coronavirus spread [Bonnie Christian / Evening Standard]Image: Public Domain Read the rest

Spread the word: In this time of darkness, folks are starting to put their holiday lights back up! House Beautiful:In the midst of a global pandemic, people are looking on the bright side of life–literally. As COVID-19 continues to spread and the need for social distancing increases, Twitter users are calling for people to put their Christmas lights back up. With school and work closing, restaurants shutting down, and events being cancelled, many people are feeling the scary effects of the Coronavirus. And for parents with kids home from school for an indefinite period, the need for a light at the end of the tunnel is especially significant, which is why a call to get the Christmas lights back out is taking the internet by storm. I mean, if you're going to be stuck in your home, you might as well make it look pretty, right?A friend just shared that an elderly neighbor came to her house and asked her husband to turn on the Christmas lights because there's so much darkness and scariness now. So, there are bright dancing Christmas lights now on in their neighborhood. #coronakindness— Lisa St. Regis (@LisaStRegis) March 15, 2020My youngest son was bored today and said, "can we put Christmas lights on our tree outside to cheer us up?" Great idea buddy. Lights are on tonight as a sign of hope and the sweet mind of my 10 year old. #Rhodeisland #hope #lovemysons #Christmas #Cumberland pic.twitter.com/qhVjeuLc02— Mike Griffin (@rhodyknowsbest) March 16, 2020(To note: I'm ahead of the curve on this one, because I never took mine down.) Read the rest

On March 11, 2020, the hooflickers of the Pembroke Pines Police Department in Florida posted an ominous message to their Twitter page, warning residents about a rogue heffer who had been let loose upon their quiet community. This female brown cow with a white head was renowned for her speed and fence-jumping skills, and also apparently liked pools.For several months a loose cow has been seen wandering in the area of Sheridan & I-75. It has evaded capture by both our officers & assisting cow herders since January. If you know the owner of this cow, or if you know its whereabouts, contact the PPPD at 954-431-2200. 🐄 pic.twitter.com/S4QrBYYeIa— Pembroke Pines PD (@PPinesPD) March 11, 2020The specifics of the cow's alleged crimes of "MOOving violations" and "UDDERing false checks" are not currently known to the public at this time. The law-breaking bovine has since been apprehended, and is currently awaiting trial.This fugitive cow has avoided police capture for months in South Florida [Wells Dusenbury / South Florida Sun Sentinel]Image: Public Domain via Pexels Read the rest

Think of all of the real-world pleasures of the past we might rediscover while we weather Coronapocalypse 2020. Like "deep listening" to music. Clear your schedule for the next three hours. Choose three full albums, whether from your collection or your streaming service of choice. Put them in an ordered queue as though you were programming a triple feature. ...most of us are half-assed when it comes to listening to albums. We put on artists’ work while we’re scrolling through Twitter, disinfecting doorknobs, obsessively washing our hands or romancing lovers permitted within our COVID-free zones. We rip our favorite tracks from their natural long-player habitat, drop them into playlists and forget the other songs, despite their being sequenced to be heard in order.It doesn’t have to be this way. There was a time when listeners treated the mere existence of recorded sound as a miracle. A wonder, a kind of time travel. Priests warned of early wax cylinders being tools of the devil. Vintage images from the space age show couples seated around their high-fidelity systems as if being warmed by a fireplace. Read the rest in the LA Times.Photo by 𝓴𝓘𝓡𝓚 𝕝𝔸𝕀 on Unsplash Read the rest

VPN protection is a necessity in this security-conscious world of ours. But many VPN deals only cover a predetermined number of devices, which means families or businesses can ultimately have a tough time making sure every laptop, tablet, smartphone, and other enabled devices all stay secure.Syfer took a different approach to VPN coverage with the Syfer Complete Cybersecurity Router. Rather than protecting each device, this service focuses on cloaking your entire home or business Wi-Fi network, essentially throwing up a big shield over every device tethered to your connection.This tiny black box is less than 6 inches long, but when it’s plugged in and connected to your home or business router, it works like a VPN over your entire network. All your data is encrypted, essentially making all the activity on your connection invisible to hackers or any other malicious actors trying to access your information or monitor your movements online.And unlike other VPN services, this doesn’t just mean your phone, laptop and tablet are protected. Everything that accesses the web and can be infiltrated by a hacker is covered, from smart home systems to baby monitors to security cameras to smart TVs.But Syfer protection doesn’t stop there. Powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, Syfer allows you to set your own security level, ranging from basic adblocking that disrupts data collection by advertisers and digital marketers up to daily signature updates to protect your network from viruses, ransomware, malware or any other outside threats.Syfer also employs TunnelShaper technology, which helps make sure your security precautions don’t get in the way of home streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and others. Read the rest

It's hard to believe some of the shocking responses some people are having to the coronavirus pandemic.I mean, wow.Some young people who are still partying on spring break in Miami, despite public health warnings to basically stay at home and physically distance from one another, were interviewed by CBS News.I repeat:Wow. “If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I'm not gonna let it stop me from partying”: Spring breakers are still flocking to Miami, despite coronavirus warnings. https://t.co/KoYKI8zNDH pic.twitter.com/rfPfea1LrC— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 18, 2020I can't even.Says Aaron Rupar of Vox, “CBS’s interviews with spring breakers in Miami who refuse to stop partying despite a pandemic are like deleted scenes from Idiocracy.”CBS’s interviews with spring breakers in Miami who refuse to stop partying despite a pandemic are like deleted scenes from Idiocracy pic.twitter.com/mnNOJ5MkZ4— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 18, 2020[via @GreatDismal] Read the rest

Oh no, not this crap again

Twenty-four human beings have traveled from Earth to the moon. Fewer than half of them remain.Astronaut Al Worden, who flew to the moon in 1971 as a member of the Apollo 15 crew, has died. The retired astronaut was 88.Worden circled the moon alone on that mission, while his two crewmates test-drove the first lunar rover. From NASA:Worden served as command module pilot for Apollo 15 with Dave Scott and Jim Irwin. During the mission Worden became the first human to carry out a deep space walk. He logged 38 minutes in extravehicular activity outside the command module, "Endeavour."During 1972-1973, Worden was Senior Aerospace Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center, and from 1973 to 1975, he was chief of the Systems Study Division at Ames.BELOW, "Cycle," a poem by Al Worden:Umbilicals Breaking free Being born Eternity.Growing Up Getting wise Being worldly No surprise.Learn to fly Getting wings Rise above Those earthly things."Reactions to and official announcements of his death, below.Houston, Texas March 18, 2020 – It is with great sadness that the family of Colonel Al Worden, (USAF Ret.) CMP Apollo 15 share the news that “Al” died in his sleep last night. The family thank you all for your kindness, thoughts, and prayers. pic.twitter.com/K82iUyVbjm— Alfred M Worden (@WordenAlfred) March 18, 2020"Only 24 humans have left Earth orbit and journeyed to the moon. I'm one of the them. It's an exclusive club so small that I am still surprised they let me in." Read the rest

Ben McAdams of Utah is the second member of Congress to officially test positive for the new coronavirus

In case you needed any more proof that America desperately needs more cybersecurity specialists, look no further than the U.S. Congress. Just this week, the release of a year-long congressional study of America’s cyber defense capabilities showed the nation was still “ill prepared” to fend off cyberattacks and requires a full overhaul of its entire cyberoperations strategy.Whether you’re the U.S. military, an American company or just an organization that doesn’t want to fall prey to hackers and other cyber-criminals, you’re undoubtedly looking for trained and qualified professionals up to the task of keeping your digital systems safe. The training in The A-to-Z Cybersecurity Developer Bundle offers hours of introductory and advanced instruction in the areas where security specialists need it the most.This 10-course, 170-hour massive collection is as comprehensive as security training comes, packed with basic training as well as in-depth advanced tactics for handling most of the challenges an IT security expert faces on the job.A pair of courses spend almost 60 hours on ethical hacking and penetration testing, ensuring students have the most up-to-date training available in identifying system vulnerabilities and how to exploit those flaws to ultimately make any system as impervious as possible to attack.Three of these courses are directly designed to help new students pass three critical CompTIA security exams — CompTIA PenTest+ (PT0-001), CompTIA Security+ (SY0-501), and CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) — each an elite certification for any aspiring IT pro.Meanwhile, another 46 hours of coursework will lead students toward accreditation in three more important cybersecurity roles as a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), or Certified Information Systems Security Pro (CISSP). Read the rest

Don't be like Wez. Know your poop-roll prognosis for the coming coronapocalypse. Read the rest

Immigration and Customs Enforcement to halt most arrests until after coronavirus crisis

Tesla has agreed to cut down on the number of active workers inside Elon Musk's electric vehicle factory in Fremont, CA, but authorities say they have yet to comply with other coronavirus lockdown measures, like not making more cars right now.“Tesla needs to comply with the health order,” said a county spokesman Wednesday.The factory in Fremont is the only Tesla auto factory in the United States, and more than 10,000 people work there.From Reuters:“They told us they had gone from about 10,000 individual employees to about 2,500,” he said. “It sounds to me like they very well could still be making cars. We are continuing to stress to them that they must move to minimum basic operations, if they are still making cars.”Basic operations include maintaining the value of inventory, ensuring security and processing payroll and employee benefits.Alameda County, where the factory is based, is one of six covered by an order from regional officials to “shelter in place,” which limits activity, travel and business functions to only the most essential, and advises people to stay home except for the most crucial reasons. The county sheriff’s office said on Tuesday afternoon Tesla was not considered an essential business under that order and cannot continue to operate its factory normally.Reuters witnesses on Wednesday morning saw thousands of cars in the factory’s employee parking lot in Fremont, California, and employees were going to work as several 18-wheeler container trucks were seen pulling into the factory grounds. Read the rest