Boing Boing

Ironic toxic masculinity is in fashion! The Duke Cannon Naval Supremacy Big Brick of Bar Soap for Men [Amazon] promises that those thusly-soaped will smell of "naval supremacy", "productivity" or other humorously-abstract scents. (More traditionally "manly" odors such as tobacco, leather, burned vegetation, etc. are also available).The veil of humor is threadbare -- "get clean and smell good without using feminine shower gels and accessories" -- but I'll admit that I do bathe in warm turpentine and it really helps.Are you ready for images of the best “soap but for MEN” product you’ve ever seen? pic.twitter.com/kVAWb57UlF— Shayna Moon, Unity Lich (@qorquiq) May 8, 2020UPDATE: Here's a balding treatment called "Lethal Uprising", spotted by Greg Sideyr.I'll see your Naval Supremacy, and raise you pic.twitter.com/UJE9wxeRvp— ?Greg | Applied Eschatology ? (@Greg_Sideyr) May 8, 2020Looking forward to Internecine Violence Toothpaste, Shambolic Venezeulan Coup Ice Cream, and Silently Endure Prison Abuse Hemmorhoid Cream with Aloe Vera. Read the rest

It took hundreds of exposures and a complex method of removing occlusions, but this "lucky" shot is the result: a depiction of the hot regions lurking under Jupiter's uppermost clouds.The picture was captured in infared by the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii, and is one of the sharpest observations of the planet ever made from the ground. To achieve the resolution, scientists used a technique called "lucky imaging" which scrubs out the blurring effect of looking through Earth's turbulent atmosphere. This method involves acquiring multiple exposures of the target and only keeping those segments of an image where that turbulence is at a minimum. Read the rest

The Leopards Ate My Face subreddit is dedicated to mocking people who thought the Republican party would hurt their enemies only to be surprised to find that it hurts them, too. Inspired by a tweet by Adrian Bott—'I never thought leopards would eat MY face,' sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People's Faces Party—it has now banned posts about people who claimed Covid-19 was bullshit only to die of Covid-19. There are simply too many, and it's getting depressing."We've seen a billion of them in the past two weeks and the vast majority of them don't fit the subreddit," writes moderator u/ROBOT_OF_WORLD. "People dying from their decisions isn't justice, karmic, or funny." Read the rest

A couple of days ago, Thomas Dolby posted this video to Twitter and YouTube of a track called "Corona and the Pirate Twins," a spoof of his 1982 hit, "Europa and the Pirate Twins." The song is credited to Dolby Kids. Thomas included the following note:"This is what my mischievous offspring have been getting up to during the Lockdown."Here is the original video for "Europa..."Bonus track:And here is Thomas Dolby doing a touching home solo version of his achingly beautiful "Screen Kiss" from 1984's Flat Earth. He did it as a tribute to Matthew Seligman, the celebrated bassist who recently died of COVID-19. Seligman played bass on Dolby's recordings, including Flat Earth, and also played for Bowie, Robyn Hitchcock, Peter Murphy, and countless others. He was also a member of the Soft Boys.Image: YouTube Read the rest

Yesterday saw the online premier of a mini-episode of a new animated comic series based on the classic Gilbert Shelton underground comic, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. As a hippie wannabe teen in the 70s, this (and Zap! Comics) was everything to me. In 1969, life in San Francisco consists of free love, communal living, and political protest. Freewheelin’ Franklin Freek (Harrelson), Fat Freddy Freekowtski (Goodman), Phineas T. Phreakers (Davidson) and their mischievous, foul-mouthed cat, Kitty (Haddish) spend their days dodging many things —- the draft, the narcs, and steady employment -– all while searching for an altered state of bliss.But after partaking of a genetically-mutated strain of marijuana, the Freaks wake up 50 years later to discover a much different society. Quickly feeling like fish out of water in a high-tech world of fourth-wave feminism, extreme gentrification and intense political correctness, the Freaks learn how to navigate life in 2020 -— where, surprisingly, their precious cannabis is now legal.OK, sounds good. But is it? If the reaction to the first mini-episode is any indication, maybe the Freaks should have remained in their drug-induced coma. As one Facbooker commented: "Get yourself a collected set of the original comic and skip this drivel!" Read the rest

"They sing the song," writes Real Big Boys. "Thanks to the Melni Pinniped Choir for barking."Previously. Read the rest

Nicholas Love's Penguin Classics cover generator lets you upload an image and set type in humorous imitation of the label. It can also do the similar but inverted Oxford World Classics look. But sadly not the classic classics look.Many excellent designs in this twitter thread; embedded here is my contribution. Read the rest

We’ve all heard that if you want to help a kid learn a second language, get them started early. Younger minds are genetically built to absorb information almost unconsciously, a process that generally slows down once kids start reaching their teens. So if a 6 or 8 or 10-year-old can find success in learning a language like Spanish or French or German, wouldn’t that same theory work to help a child understand a coding language?The makers of Tangiplay say yes. Created by a trio of coding dads and funded through a $24,000 Kickstarter campaign, Tangiplay is a game directed at kids 4 to 12 years old that opens up their computational and creative thinking pathways as an introduction to coding.In Tangiplay, kids use 12 cute robot toys to interact with Tangiplay’s free iPad app. When they press, slide, or rotate the robot on the game board, the move translates into code that creates a unique response in the game.As kids in this railroad-inspired game start building new railways, overcoming obstacles, and getting passengers to their destination, they aren’t just having fun — they’re also picking up basic coding skills through those repetitions. Each hands-on computer toy performs different functions, plus each comes with replaceable emoji faces so kids can actually create their own stories. In the game world, there are more than 120 different puzzles with different themes and backgrounds to keep the gameplay fresh and the learning going. In fact, children end up having so much fun, they don’t even realize it’s a STEM toy. Read the rest

A San Diego-based Disney fan has made "happy haunts materialize" on his Animal Crossing: New Horizons island. Player Weary Bones (who goes by the Twitter handle @capuchinokappu) has re-created the experience of the Haunted Mansion as his in-game home, and it's nothing short of A-MAZING. It must have taken him weeks to make this. The level to detail is impressive — a real dedication to a worthy concept! Take a look:My HAUNTED MANSION in Animal Crossing New Horizons is finally finished!!! I made this spooky video of it to celebrate, I hope you guys like it :’)#acnh #hauntedmansion ??? pic.twitter.com/hx3qvhPdyv— Weary Bones ??? (@capuchinokappu) May 2, 2020Incredible, right?He has since added the attraction's gate:I would like to inform everyone that after acquiring the ‘Jail Bars’ recipe, the Haunted Mansion now has a very spooky gated entrance pic.twitter.com/4bhUGRH3uy— Weary Bones ??? (@capuchinokappu) May 7, 2020By the way, if you're looking for that wallpaper, it's called "Corridor of Doors" and it's available here. You can follow Weary Bones on Twitch.--A quick note about the game, from my perspective: At the beginning of this shelter in place, my 15-year-old asked for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and a Switch Lite to play it on. I obliged, not knowing that I would soon be swept up into this great quarantine escape. Before this, it had been about 16 years since I've played a video game regularly (Sims). Now, every time I play, I find something new and joyful. Read the rest

New jobs report from U.S. released on Friday:JOBS LOST IN APRIL: 20.5 million UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 14.7%This is the worst U.S. jobs report since the World War II era.The U.S. Labor Department delivered a historically bad employment report at 8:30AM on Friday, which shows that 20.5 million people lost their jobs last month as the jobless rate spiked to the highest level in America since the Great Depression.Over 3 million Americans reportedly applied for unemployment last week, indicating an unprecedented wave of job losses.The president was very busy this morning just before the figures were released, but not dealing with unemployment or the coronavirus pandemic that has now killed 70,000 Americans. He was busy nursing his grievances with Fox and Friends.Here's what impeached President Donald Trump was doing minutes before the jobs report was released on Friday Morning.More than ten minutes into President Trump's interview on Fox & Friends and there has not been a single word yet on the still raging coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 70,000 Americans— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) May 8, 2020Wow. Moments before govt releases what is expected to be the worst jobs report in history @realDonaldTrump has called in to @foxandfriends to air grievances about federal investigations into his 2016 campaign. Ten mins in and no mention of #Covid_19 pandemic or unemployment.— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCBS) May 8, 2020 Read the rest

Citizen DJ is the brainchild of Brian Foo, a 2020 Innovator-in-Residence Program at the U.S. Library of Congress. The goal of the project is simple: to provide free audio and video samples to encourage creativity through remixing. Or, in Foo's words:Cultivate the creation of new and transformative music using free-to-use audio and video materials from the Library.Connect the general public with culturally significant, underutilized, and free-to-use audio and video collections available from the Library.Engage communities, such as secondary school students and amateur musicians, that may have a strong relationship with hip hop music, but little to no existing relationship with the Library or the Library’s materials.Provide the general public (in particular, those with little to no formal research training) with the tools and resources to navigate the United States copyright system in the context of sample-based music creation.Contribute to human-computer interaction research and best practices for search and discovery of large audio and video collections.As for why, specifically, to take a DJ/hip-hop approach to this kind of project?Today, collage-based hip hop as it existed in the golden age is largely a lost (or at best, a prohibitively expensive) artform.I believe if there was a simple way to discover and access free-to-use audio and video material for music making, a new generation of hip hop artists and producers can maximize their creativity, invent new sounds, and connect listeners to materials, cultures, and sonic history that might otherwise be hidden from public ears. Read the rest

Clearview AI is reportedly set to cancel client accounts that are not associated with law enforcement or other government entities, as scrutiny grows over abuses of the facial recognition AI app.The controversial face-tracking technology firm is associated with right-wing extremists and known for scraping more than 3 billion photos from social media sites including Facebook and Twitter.Facing a number of lawsuits, the New York startup said it "is cancelling the accounts of every customer who was not either associated with law enforcement or some other federal, state, or local government department, office, or agency,” report Ryan Mac, Caroline Haskins, and Logan McDonald at Buzzfeed News:Responding to one of those lawsuits, Clearview claimed in legal documents filed in an Illinois federal court on Wednesday that it was taking those voluntary actions and would “avoid transacting with non-governmental customers anywhere.” That specific suit, which argues Clearview violated an Illinois statute regarding the use of biometric data for commercial purposes, is seeking a temporary injunction that would prevent the company from using the information of current and past Illinois residents for its facial recognition software.Clearview’s shift away from private businesses comes after months of mounting legal threats and scrutiny from lawmakers, activist groups, and news organizations. In February, a BuzzFeed News investigation found the company had provided its facial recognition tool to more than 2,200 police departments, government agencies, and companies across 27 countries. Despite public assurances from Clearview CEO Hoan Ton-That that its software was meant for law enforcement, internal documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News showed numerous private companies had used the service including Macy’s, Walmart, Bank of America, and Target. Read the rest

I am obsessed with this new track and cool video from DC's severely underappreciated punky art rock band, Beauty Pill. The song, called "The Damnedest Thing," is from their forthcoming record, Please Advise. As the simple and unique "textfilm" video points out, the track was inspired by a profile of photographer William Eggleston that Pill's Chad Clark read in The New York Times. I can't wait to hear the rest of Please Advise which is out today, May 8th, on Northern Spy Records.Image: Album Cover Read the rest

So real, I can smell it!Ludo is a gigantic beast in the wacky movie 'Labyrinth,' and IMGURian @Twyliteskyz made an extremely cool and fuzzy and adorable replica of Ludo, shared in this photo gallery.From the Muppet fandom wiki, a little more about Ludo:Ludo is a gigantic beast in Labyrinth, whom Sarah found being tortured by goblins. After she rescued him, he became one of her traveling companions.Ludo looks monstrous, but has a gentle and playful nature, and is one of the few residents of the labyrinth who is not under Jareth's control. He speaks rudimentary broken English and refers to himself in the third person.He also has the ability to summon rocks, from small stones to boulders capable of defeating an entire goblin army. This ability proved quite useful several times during the group's journey.His name is likely derived from the board game, as a copy of it is stored on a bookshelf in Sarah's room.Ludo I just finished! Read the rest

Elon Musk's electric car company plans to reopen its one and only factory in the United States as soon as Friday, for 'limited operations,' in a county where coronavirus lockdown is ongoing.Bloomberg reported the news first on Friday, citing an email from the company to its staff. Here is a copy:CEO Musk has been vocal on Twitter and elsewhere about his desire to reopen the Fremont factory, and the rest of the economy, despite the ongoing threat of the coronavirus pandemic.Reuters:The move comes a day after California allowed manufacturers in the state to reopen operations, shut due to coronavirus-led lockdowns, which drew an enthusiastic “Yeah!!” on Twitter from Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk.Musk, who recently became a father, has been criticizing the lockdown and stay-at-home orders calling them a “serious risk” to U.S. business, even tagging them “unconstitutional” and saying they would not hold up before the U.S. Supreme Court if challenged.Musk said Tesla aims to restart its Fremont factory on Friday afternoon, according to the Bloomberg report. (here)Even though the lockdown in Alameda, the county in San Francisco Bay Area where Tesla’s factory is located, is scheduled to last until the end of May. So according to a county order, the Fremont factory is not allowed to operate regularly.California’s order from Thursday does not supersede the county plan, Alameda Sheriff’s Office spokesman Ray Kelly told Reuters on Thursday. REUTERS:Tesla aims to restart Fremont plant as soon as Friday: Bloomberg NewsBLOOMBERG:Tesla Aims to Restart California Plant Despite County OrderPREVIOUSLY:'What the f*ck' — Elon Musk coronavirus meltdown on Tesla earnings call, 'Give people back their god damn freedom'Musk sent this email tonight to Tesla employees saying the Fremont factory will reopen on Friday afternoon. Read the rest

Asked about the Justice Department's intent to drop all criminal charges against impeached President Trump's first national security advisor, Mike Flynn, Trump's Attorney General Bill Barr says nothing matters, and “history is written by the winners.”REPORTER: How will history look back on your decision to drop charges against Flynn?BILL BARR: “Well, history is written by the winners. So it largely depends on who’s writing the history.”REPORTER: How will history look back on your decision to drop charges against Flynn?BILL BARR: “Well, history is written by the winners. So it largely depends on who’s writing the history.” pic.twitter.com/GVr2bIaavc— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 7, 2020 Read the rest

In these days of downsizing and economic uncertainty, it’s not unusual to see companies, particularly small- to medium-sized firms, going without some much-needed support. Sometimes, that means no human resources or no front desk personnel. Other times, that can mean there’s no in-house department servicing a company’s IT needs.It seems crazy, but it’s not unheard of for a company to decide employees will have to brave the tech world on their own. However, Jamf Now helps make sure Apple-based companies can still handle all their business needs and even expand their capabilities, with or without an IT department.Jamf Now is a mobile device management (MDM) solution that allows business owners and managers to simply and easily configure and coordinate all their company’s Apple devices, all from one all-inclusive platform.Whether a company is trying to set up new iPhones, iPads or Macs, do inventory, configure WiFi and email settings or update and protect their devices, Jamf Now's intuitive layout and operations make it easy to make sure every member of the organization has the apps and tools they need.With Jamf Now, you can make all those device decisions yourself, activate them company-wide and make sure updates and changes happen automatically. The Jamf Now dashboard also makes it easy for managers to handle problems like passcode resets, activation lock bypasses, and more.And, you don’t need to be up to date on every security protocol under the sun either. Jamf Now gives you all the tools to keep devices safe, from remotely enforcing passcodes and data encryption to even locking and wiping devices with the touch of a button from anywhere. Read the rest

Gregory and Travis McMichael, videotaped chasing down jogger Ahmaud Arbery and killing him in the street, were today arrested and charged with his murder and with aggravated assault.The killing, of an unarmed black man in broad daylight, occured months ago, but shot into news after the shocking footage was leaked to the media. Evidence of such a blatant public lynching, in the deep south, immediately resulted in a barrage of criticism and condemnation aimed at local authorities' contempt for the victim and favoritism toward his killers. As Thom wrote:The shooters, George and Travis McMichael, had connections with the local police and district attorneys office, and, according to their lawyer, were acting within their rights to carry firearms and perform a citizens' arrest in the state of Georgia, thanks in part to Stand-Your-Ground laws that state, "A private person may arrest an offender if the offense is committed in his presence or within his immediate knowledge." The McMichaels claimed that Arbery attacked them after they chased him with guns, which, technically, made it self-defense; Arbery was not alive to refute this statement.The District Attorney recused himself from the case over personal conflicts of interest with the McMichaels family, but not before publishing a letter that smeared the late Arbery as a violent, mentally ill criminal.The sudden attention from the press and politicians has somehow changed hearts and minds in the state of Georgia.In a press release, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said investigations are "all active and ongoing." Read the rest

Donald Trump's thoroughly corrupt Justice Department today dropped its criminal case against Michael T. Flynn, President Trump’s first national security adviser, who pleaded guilty previously to lying to F.B.I. agents about his conversations with a Russian diplomat.The Justice Department said it had concluded that Flynn’s interview by the FBI was “untethered to, and unjustified by, the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into Mr. Flynn.” ?? SCOOP --> WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Department is dropping criminal case against ex-Trump adviser Flynn, according to court filing obtained by AP.— Mike Balsamo (@MikeBalsamo1) May 7, 2020Here was Flynn's reaction, a tweet after a long silence on the case.My grandson Travis...“and JUSTICE for ALL” ⚖️❤️??? pic.twitter.com/IuOGugjOC3— General Flynn (@GenFlynn) May 7, 2020Trump said he was ‘very happy’ after the Justice Department, led by Attorney General and noted scumbag Bill Barr, suddenly announced intent to drop criminal charges against Flynn on Thursday. President Trump said he was ‘very happy’ after the Justice Department abruptly sought to drop criminal charges against his former national security adviser Michael Flynn https://t.co/GbBjrSZiPK pic.twitter.com/m18Me4KqSj— Reuters (@Reuters) May 7, 2020Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said the move incriminates Bill Barr, “in the worst politicization of the Justice Department in its history.”Flynn pled guilty to lying to the FBI about his illicit Russian contacts.His lies do not now become truths.This dismissal does not exonerate him.But it does incriminate Bill Barr.In the worst politicization of the Justice Department in its history.— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) May 7, 2020And never forget, from 2017:I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. Read the rest

View this post on Instagram Follow @witloofcollective "Bubbel blind"/"Bubble blind" Inspired by "Meisje met de parel"/"Girl with a pearl" Johannes Vermeer #johannesvermeer #meisjemetdeparel #gettymuseumchallenge #girlwithapearlearring #classicpainting #painting #gif #giphyartist #jocondedunord #vermeer #animatedpainting #jeunefillealaperle #gifart #pearl #perle #art #mauritshuis #kaatjevandamme #witloofcollectiveA post shared by Witloof Collective (@witloofcollective) on May 1, 2020 at 1:07pm PDTThe Witloofcollective animates classic paintings. [via JWZ, via @doctorow] Read the rest

In the ultra-competitive, ultra-crowded VPN market, it isn’t easy for a new entrant to distinguish itself. In fact, scores of providers come and go, with many never making much of an impact before slipping into obscurity.However, Fastest VPN accomplished the feat, securing rave reviews from outlets like TechRadar, who praised FastestVPN for its “lengthy list of appealing features for one of the lowest prices around,” while TenBestVPNs called them "one of the most promising VPN services in the market."Fastest takes advantage of its server infrastructure, allowing users on its 350 high-speed servers to retain full online protection while facilitating fast connection speeds (hence, the name).Since security is the bellwether of any VPN provider, Fastest users enjoy military-grade 256-Bit AES encryption utilizing multiple protocols such as OpenVPN, IKEv2, IPSec, OpenConnect, L2TP, and more. Those procedures make your activity virtually invisible to monitoring by cybercriminals or any other online black hats. We can’t validate their claims of being the fastest VPN provider on the block, but among their strong selling points are a 99.9 percent uptime rate as well as no speed caps on downloading and uploading files.As for those features, FastestVPN users get Smart Connect, which routes users to the best server instantly; Smart Tunneling, which pushes select traffic through the VPN automatically even when the app isn’t open; and DNS Leak Protection, which keep your IP protects by plugging any attempts to send your web requests beyond FastestVPN coverage.Meanwhile, FastestVPN also gets users around regional geo-blocking restrictions that keep content like country-specific Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney+ streaming accounts accessible from anywhere in the world, while also protecting your connection with ad blocking and malware detection. Read the rest

IMGURian @zikikki1 does wonderful “nerdy crochet,” and this Doctor Who 'dalek' is a fantastic example of their work.I do nerdy crochet Read the rest

San Francisco poet and musician Watsky is attempting to freestyle rap for 33 straight hours to raise money for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund supporting musicians and music industry workers affected by COVID-19. From the YouTube page:how does watsky pee? - he has a mic on his shirt, continues to rap, and pees standing up.how does watsky eat? - one of his cups is a strawberry smoothie. View this post on Instagram For those of you wondering what’s up, here’s what’s up ❤️ A post shared by W▵TSKY (@gwatsky) on May 5, 2020 at 12:01pm PDT Read the rest

We've been battling pesky pantry moths in our kitchen cupboards. They get into any open container of rice, flour, cereal, chips, nuts, etc. Then they breed in the boxes and bags.I hate it when I open a cabinet and a couple of moths fly out. It's even worse when I look at a bag of rice, and it is alive with motion.Lately we've been putting our food into wide-mouth mason jars with these convenient one-piece plastic lids. That has reduced the problem but there are still a few stragglers. So I bought a pack of pantry moth traps. These traps fold into little A-frame houses. The interior is coated with a sticky material that traps the flies. The traps also come with a postage stamp size pheromone lure to fool the pests into thinking a sexy moth is inside waiting for them. These things work well. After using them for a few weeks the only moths I see now are the dead ones stuck to the inside of the traps. Read the rest

Via Futility Closet:Editorial guidelines from Spicy Detective magazine, 1935:In describing breasts of a female character, avoid anatomical descriptions.If it is necessary for the story to have the girl give herself to a man, or be taken by him, do not go too carefully into details. …Whenever possible, avoid complete nudity of the female characters. You can have a girl strip to her underwear or transparent negligee or nightgown, or the thin torn shred of her garments, but while the girl is alive and in contact with a man, we do not want complete nudity.A nude female corpse is allowable, of course.Also a girl undressing in the privacy of her own room, but when men are in the action try to keep at least a shred of something on the girls.Do not have men in underwear in scenes with women, and no nude men at all.“The idea is to have a very strong sex element in these stories without anything that might be interpreted as being vulgar or obscene.”(From Nicholas Parsons, The Book of Literary Lists, 1987.) Read the rest

As we face an invasion of murder hornets, we can look to our alien protectors, the praying mantis, to save us. Read the rest

• Fox News personality who once proudly boasted on TV of not having washed hands in 10 years tells Americans to go out and get coronavirus on purposeIn this clip, Fox News' Pete Hegseth calls for people to go out and get infected by coronavirus.“Now that we are learning more, herd immunity is our friend. Healthy people getting out there -- they are going to have to have some courage.”Fox News' Pete Hegseth calls for people to go out and get infected by coronavirus: "Now that we are learning more, herd immunity is our friend. Healthy people getting out there -- they are going to have to have some courage." pic.twitter.com/PCSHm9yUAW— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) May 7, 2020Notes Justin Baragona of The Daily Beast, who shared this nutty clip -- “Remember, Pete Hegseth is also the guy who proudly admitted last year that he hasn't washed his hands in 10 years.”Because there are likely to be waves of infection, and Trump makes rash decisions on the basis of his changing political interests, and bottom-feeders like @PeteHegseth will say whatever Trump wants them to, we’re in for a few more turns on the “it’s the enemy/it’s the flu” ride. https://t.co/Q1z4zfX46h— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) May 7, 2020 Read the rest

• Justice Dept. asked justices to temporarily halt lower-court order, saying executive branch would suffer irreparable harm if the evidence is disclosed.“The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to block Congress from seeing grand jury secrets gathered in the Russia investigation by Mueller, saying the executive branch would suffer irreparable harm if lawmakers see the evidence,” writes Charlie Savage at the New York Times.Excerpt:In a 35-page filing, Noel J. Francisco, the solicitor general, asked the justices to halt an order by a federal appeals court that imposed a May 11 deadline on the Justice Department to turn over the evidence to the House Judiciary Committee. He said the Justice Department should first get a chance to fully litigate an appeal of the ruling before the Supreme Court.“The government will suffer irreparable harm absent a stay. Once the government discloses the secret grand-jury records, their secrecy will irrevocably be lost,” Mr. Francisco wrote, adding, “That is particularly so when, as here, they are disclosed to a congressional committee and its staff.”Nothing could stop House Democrats, he added, from publicly releasing the evidence Mr. Mueller gathered by a simple-majority vote in the Judiciary Committee.READ MORE:Supreme Court Is Asked to Block House From Seeing Mueller’s Grand Jury Secrets[May 7, 2020, 1:59 p.m. ET] Read the rest

In 1976 someone shot 8mm footage of New York City and added a soundtrack to make a nice little Christmas vacation movie. It's a treat to see the kind of New York Travis Bickle drove his taxi around in.[via Dooby Brain] Read the rest

James Hoffman, "the weird coffee guy," looks at the benefits of adding salt to your coffee. Usually you shouldn't do it, he says, unless your coffee has the bad kind of bitterness. That's because ordinary table salt can mitigate bitter flavors. Read the rest

This is 100% how they found Buck Rogers.Also, I imagine Space Force must be pronounced as if Space Ghoooooooost is yelling it. Read the rest

CNN reported today that one of Trump's personal valets has come down with Covid-19. Valets are in close contact with the president, doing things like them serving food and drinks and traveling with them. After hearing the news, Trump and Vice President Mike Pence supposedly got tested for the virus, and the tests came back negative.According to CNN:A White House source said the valet, a man who has not been identified, exhibited "symptoms" Wednesday morning, and said the news that someone close to Trump had tested positive for coronavirus was "hitting the fan" in the West Wing.Trump, who is a self-described germophobe, has chastised aides before who coughed or sneezed in his presence. He has claimed to rarely get sick himself.Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and the senior staffers who regularly interact with them are still being tested weekly for coronavirus, two people familiar told CNN.Still, the White House has not enforced strict social distancing guidelines for staffers and few people inside the building wear masks during the day, including valets.Image: GPA Photo Archive / Flickr Read the rest

Dr. Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s state epidemiologist who leads the country's no-lockdown plan, said Sweden's high death rate from Covid-19 compared to neighboring countries has "come as a surprise."From Business Insider:Dr. Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s state epidemiologist, appeared on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” on Tuesday, when he described the country’s controversial approach.“We never really calculated with a high death toll initially, I must say,” he said.“We calculated on more people being sick, but the death toll really came as a surprise to us.”As of Tuesday, Sweden reported more than 2,700 COVID-19 deaths and more than 23,000 infections. That death toll is far higher than its Nordic neighbours’ and many other countries that locked down. Read the rest

On May 6, 1937, LZ 129 Hindenburg burst into flames. 36 lives were lost as the horrific event was caught on camera. Read the rest

South Dakota has asset trusts that allow people to hide and shield their wealth. According to CNBC, the world's global elite use these trusts, including Chinese and European billionaires who want to avoid paying taxes and keep their money away from governments who would otherwise seize their fortunes for one reason or another. For the ultra rich, South Dakota is becoming a kind of mini-Switzerland.The public became aware of these secretive South Dakota trusts when a billionaire couple recently divorced. While they were married, the husband transferred almost all of their assets into a South Dakota trust that she was not made a beneficiary of. The ex-wife is now suing her ex-husband, but the ex-husband's lawyers say the assets are controlled by the trust so they are not marital property.Trusts in South Dakota are perpetual, meaning a wealthy family can put assets into a trust that are held in perpetuity, rather than for a limited period of time. The state also gives trusts sweeping privacy and asset-protections against creditors, business partners, lawsuits or ex-spouses. Adding to its attraction, South Dakota has no inheritance or capital gains or income taxes.Photo by Jason Dent on Unsplash Read the rest

Paper airplane enthusiast Mahir Cave teaches you how to make two different types of paper planes (5 minutes each) in this video. These are some of his easier folds – if you like them, check out his YouTube page, where he shares a new design (some this easy, some more advanced) every Friday. He says his specialty is "paper airplanes that fly far," and his goal is "to make the best paper airplane in the world." Read the rest

It’s easy to miss the days of Bat Boy, Hillary Clinton’s adopted alien baby and Bigfoot’s love slave.

Upscale department store chain Nieman Marcus today filed for bankruptcy protection, the fanciest retailer to fail so far during the coronavirus pandemic.Creditors hope to have the company solvent again next year. Though knocked out by the lockdown, the company was already sickly after years of private equity buyouts and its own general decrepitude.At the end of March the coronavirus pandemic temporarily forced the closure of all 43 Neiman Marcus stores, as well as its two Bergdorf Goodman locations and Last Call outlets, all but stopping sales and crushing revenue. But while that may have been the immediate cause of Neiman’s filing, its problems had been building for years. The company took on an untenable amount of debt as part of two leveraged buyouts by private-equity firms and did not respond quickly enough to changes in shopping habits. Together, those developments left the group in a precarious position even before the virus hit. Read the rest

In this video of The Action Lab, the Action Man puts a small fan into a vacuum chamber and pours a bunch of little styrofoam beads in it. At atmospheric pressure the beads fly all over the place. As he reduces the pressure inside a vacuum chamber, the beads slow down and eventually stop moving. Pretty obvious, but still fun to watch.Image: YouTube Read the rest

For sale over at Bring a Trailer is a lovely 1964 AmphiCar 770.I first saw one of these as a kid and I was fascinated by the idea of being able to drive into a lake or the ocean. As an adult, I am horrified by the amount of preservation a vehicle like this must take.Kudos on the current owner for keeping it so function and not apparently rotted out!The 770 model designation refers to the vehicle’s purported ability to travel at speeds of 7 knots in the water and 70 mph on land. Finished in Beach Sand White, this example retains factory trim including a marine-style horn, lights, and side bumpers. Twin nylon propellers can be seen below the bumper, and the exhaust exits high on the back panel above the water line.When entering the water, the transmission is shifted into neutral and a lever is engaged to activate the propellers. The front wheels then become rudders. 13″ steel wheels wear Amphicar covers and Goodyear Vector whitewall tires. The white convertible top has a tear on the driver’s side as shown in the photo gallery below. Read the rest

Banksy hung this stunning painting in the foyer of Southampton General Hospital's emergency department. Apparently the installation of the framed, one meter square artwork was completed in cahoots with the hospital management. Video below. Banksy left a note that reads, "Thanks for all you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if its only black and white."According to the BBC, "the painting will remain at Southampton General Hospital until the autumn when it will be auctioned to raise money for the [UK's National Health Service]." Read the rest

Yes, the crate said "killer bees" not "murder hornets," but we know what they meant. The above clip is from "Marge in Chains" (season 4, episode 21).A response from The Simpsons writer Bill Oakley:ok fine i guess we did https://t.co/Nf4suyC8A3— BILL OAKLEY (@thatbilloakley) May 6, 2020 Read the rest

One of Trump's personal valets has tested positive for coronavirus, CNN reports.The man who works with Trump as one of the President's personal valets is a member of the US Navy, and reportedly showed obvious symptoms. The fact that someone with intimate contact with the President has tested positive for coronavirus escalates concerns about the Trump's level of exposure to the virus.Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other senior staffers who regularly interact with both men are still being tested weekly for coronavirus, two unnamed sources who are familiar told CNN. Excerpt:The valets are members of an elite military unit dedicated to the White House and often work very close to the President and first family. Trump was upset when he was informed Wednesday that the valet had tested positive, a source told CNN, and he was subsequently tested again by the White House physician.In a statement, the White House confirmed CNN's reporting that one of the President's valets had tested positive."We were recently notified by the White House Medical Unit that a member of the United States Military, who works on the White House campus, has tested positive for Coronavirus," deputy White House press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement. "The President and the Vice President have since tested negative for the virus and they remain in great health."A White House source said the valet, a man who has not been identified, exhibited "symptoms" Wednesday morning, and said the news that someone close to Trump had tested positive for coronavirus was "hitting the fan" in the West Wing. Read the rest

Impeached U.S. President Donald Trump spoke today with Russian crimelord Vladimir Putin today, ostensibly to mark the 75th anniversary of V-E Day, but one wonders what other information may have been exchanged, don't one.Trump and Putin are reported to have also talked about what Trump refers to as the war on Coronavirus. The White House readout of their call says the two leaders also talked about ways to avoid a costly arms race that would include China. “President Trump reiterated that the United States is working hard to care for Americans at home and is also ready to provide assistance to any country in need, including Russia,” the White House readout says.Trump and Putin spoke by phone today.— Aamer Madhani (@AamerISmad) May 7, 2020WH says Pres Trump spoke today with Pres Putin to mark the 75th anniversary of V-E Day. They also discussed what @POTUS regards as the war on Coronavirus. WH readout says the two leaders also conferred about ways to avoid a costly arms race that would include China.— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 7, 2020Today, @realDonaldTrump spoke with President Vladimir Putin of Russia to commemorate and reflect upon the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. President Trump and President Putin discussed progress on defeating the coronavirus pandemic.— Judd Deere (@JuddPDeere45) May 7, 2020From the White House readout of today's Trump - Putin call: "President Trump reiterated that the United States is working hard to care for Americans at home and is also ready to provide assistance to any country in need, including Russia." Read the rest

Impeached and manifestly unfit U.S. President Donald Trump is telling his GOP MAGA allies that him wearing a mask would “send the wrong message,” and make him look ridiculous. PREVIOUSLY:• Trump wears goggles but no mask on Arizona PPE factory tour• Trump denies it: 'I can’t help it if you didn’t see me' wear face mask The president said doing so would make it seem like he is preoccupied with health instead of focused on reopening, reports AP.The president is wearing safety goggles but no mask on his tour of Honeywell PPE manufacturing line pic.twitter.com/e6RD3BXu3n— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) May 5, 2020Excerpt from the Associated Press story today:Trump has told advisers that he believes wearing one would “send the wrong message,” according to one administration and two campaign officials not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations.The president said doing so would make it seem like he is preoccupied with health instead of focused on reopening the nation’s economy — which his aides believe is the key to his reelection chances in November.Moreover, Trump, who is known to be especially cognizant of his appearance on television, has also told confidants that he fears he would look ridiculous in a mask and the image would appear in negative ads, according to one of the officials.More at the Associated Press:Trump tells allies his wearing a mask would 'send the wrong message', make him look ridiculous Read the rest

Brazil's Trump, right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, formally authorized deployment of military forces in the Amazon rainforest region, purportedly to fight deforestation and fires. Surely the massive influx of armed troops to the region populated by indigenous people won't result in coronavirus infections and COVID-19 deaths. The decree was published in the government gazette today.From Reuters:Last year, Bolsonaro waited until August to send troops into the region, following international outcry over a wave of fires in the rainforest, which traps vast amounts of greenhouse gases that cause climate change.The order is effective from May 11 to June 10, but can be extended to 60 days in total, as Bolsonaro did last year.Vice President Hamilton Maurao said last week that the government planned to send in the military as part of a plan to establish bases in the Amazon to fight deforestation.More:Brazil's Bolsonaro readies troops to fight Amazon rainforest destruction?: kremlin.ru Read the rest

Truly one of the greatest television shows of all time, Sanford and Son is memorialized with these Fred and Lamont FunkoPops.While I loved the show, the actors and their performances, the very, very best thing about Sanford and Son was Quincy Jones' themesong, The Streetbeater.I am fairly certain my father modeled his approach to parenting on Sanford and Son, with a healthy added dose of All In The Family.You big dummy!Funko Pop! TV: Sanford & Son - Fred Sanford, Multicolor via AmazonFunko Pop! TV: Sanford & Son - Lamont Sanford, Multicolor via Amazon Read the rest

From People:PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the cover of Sweet Child O'Mine, an upcoming picture book the band created in collaboration with James Patterson that takes the lyrics of Guns N' Roses' song of the same name and spins it into a story perfect for the littlest fans."As a longtime fan of Guns N' Roses, I'm thrilled to partner with the band in bringing their famed hit song to life on the page," Patterson, 73, says in a release.The book is illustrated by Jennifer Zivion, and will be available in September at whatever book retailers still exist by then.Guns N' Roses to Release Children's Picture Book Titled (What Else?) Sweet Child O' Mine [Jen Juneau and Sarah Michaud / PEOPLE] Read the rest

A woman in Oklahoma City opened fire on staff at an area McDonalds on Wednesday, shooting one and injuring three more in the resulting melee. The staff, according to KOCO news, had refused to open the seating area for her due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions.Police arrested two women who fled the scene but have not released their names. Read the rest

It took Michelangelo four years to paint the frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. Leonardo di Vinci may have taken up to 14 years to work on the famed Mona Lisa. And it took 33 years for Sabato Rodia to construct his legendary Watts Towers.The point being: good art takes time. And even if you’ve got a bunch of other stuff to do, sitting down and completing a graphic or illustration for a website or a presentation or a marketing campaign often ends up taking a lot longer than you originally planned.ITG.digital realizes you probably don’t have that kind of time. So instead, they offer eye-catching vector graphics for use in any of your media projects, all with ultimate customization options to help create just the image you want without sinking hours into making it happen. Once you’ve got access to the ITG.digital graphic builder, you’re off and running. Their stockpile includes more than 1,000 predefined illustrations with up to 1 million different customization possibilities. Off your template, you can adjust colors, modify characters to match the look you want, add fun extras like an animal, or a custom graphic, whatever you want. Each element of the graphic can be adjusted easily, even if you have zero design knowledge or experience.Once you’re done, you can download your image as a JPG, PNG or SVG file for use on your website, app, PowerPoint presentation, marketing materials, or anywhere you need a graphic. ITG.digital compositions are also presented in five distinct styles, so you can always choose the overall aesthetic that best fits your project. Read the rest