From the Dungeon Masters Guild:Eat the Rich is a collection of explicitly anticapitalist adventures for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Each original adventure dives into classic D&D tropes, and puts a new spin on them. Tackling issues of workers’ rights, health care, the prison industrial complex, the environment, animal rights, agriculture and more, these adventures will make you passionate to join the revolution.Eat the Rich features 17 original adventures for tiers 1-4, in a 213 page colour PDF. Set in the Forgotten Realms, Ravnica, Eberron, or ready to be dropped into your own setting, the anthology features work by a global team of new and established designers and artists.If you want to free the Goblins from the bonds of racial oppression and forge your dwarves together in an iron working union to face down the tyrannical production expectations of the rock giants, now's your chance.Eat the Rich, Volume 1 [Dungeon Masters Guild]Image: Huntleigh / Wikimedia Commons (CC 3.0) Read the rest

Last week, red wine flowed from the household faucets in the northern Italy town of Castelvetro di Modena. A broken valve at a local winery caused 1,000 liters of wine to flow throw the water supply to around 20 homes. Unfortunately the malfunction was resolved in a few hours. From CNN:The incident provided a moment of levity to the town that's in the midst of the coronavirus crisis -- which has hit northern Italy the hardest."At a time where we have very little to smile about, I'm glad we brought some levity to others," (deputy mayor Giorgia) Mezzacqui told CNN. "Hopefully some day they'll remember us and will want to come visit us..."Fabrizio Amorotti, commercial manager at Cantina Settecani, said the malfunction "was appreciated by many. Some clients in the areas called us to warn us about it, and to share they were bottling the wine!" Read the rest

This prototype Sony PlayStation, the result of a failed Sony and Nintendo collaboration in the early 1990s, sold Friday for $360,000 in a live online auction. Background here. While Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey was thought to have made the winning bid, the winner was actually Greg McLemore who made a fortune in the first dotcom gold rush as founder of Pets.com and Toys.com. McLemore is a an avid videogame collector and historian who runs the virtual International Arcade Museum. From Forbes:According to a profile in Robb Report, money from those early dot-com ventures helped (McLemore) start a 20-year journey collecting video game memorabilia, from strength-testing machines of the 1880s, to prototypes of coin-operated mechanical horse rides in the 1920s, to the first commercially sold arcade game Computer Space from 1971...I'm looking to not have this machine just buried in a closet somewhere," McLemore told Forbes, saying he wants to take his collection—which he estimates includes over 800 coin-operated machines and countless other smaller games, trade magazines and original art—and build out a permanent museum.Working his way toward that prospect, he's beginning to develop exhibitions with outside partners to display the items, including an upcoming run with the University of Southern California Pacific Asia Museum in spring and summer 2021 illustrating Asian influence on the video game industry; the Nintendo PlayStation will be included. Read the rest

Esteemed vernacular photography collector Robert E. Jackson curated a dreamy collection of vintage snapshots of people snoozing. Goodnight. From Flashbak:The intimacy of sleep is a subject mainly found in snapshots as opposed to fine art photography, writes Robert E. Jackson. The reason is that to be a witness to such an action, the person holding the camera generally must have a close association with the person sleeping– such as being a friend, lover, or family member. There is a vulnerability to being caught unawares in the act of sleeping, yet there is also a beauty to which these images attest. While voyeuristic in nature, these photos derive from a sense of play- one of the defining aspects of snapshot photography. Read the rest

First off, we wanted to give you one last reminder that we’re holding on to an iPhone 11, a pair of AirPods and a Belkin wireless charging pad, all with your name on them. They’re free — and they’re just waiting for you to make a move. All you’ve gotta do is enter the iPhone 11 giveaway by filling out the form and getting it back to us by March 9th. Be the randomly-selected winner -- and you’re instantly teched up. And it costs you nothing.Of course, not every offer out there is basically something for nothing. Below are a handful of computer accessories that, while not being free, are all on sale at some pretty hefty discounts.Keyboard and MouseIf you want to upgrade your Mac setup, you can step up to a cool new Apple Magic Keyboard and mouse tandem and save over $50. The Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (Certified Refurbished, $99.99; originally $129.99) is wireless with scissor mechanisms beneath each key for added stabilization. And the Apple Magic Mouse 2 (Certified Refurbished, $54.99; originally $79.99) tracks easier and moves with less resistance for a perfect great combo.ChargersPower on the go is always a huge consideration, and each of these items can help make sure that’s never an issue, no matter where to travel. If you’re short on outlets, the HyperGear 3-in-1 Multi-Charger, Holder and Nightlight ($19.99; originally $29.99) has two grounded outlets and 2 USB ports and it even holds your phone while it charges. Read the rest

After having a computer study the speech patterns of an American President famed for his public speaking one naturally has it recite Palpatine?Alan Watts would be more fun. Read the rest

In an age where blockbuster MMOs and aggressive action-adventure games dominate the landscape, there’s always something to be said for smart, atmospheric, slow-burn gaming that truly forces players to stretch their minds rather than their firepower to notch a victory.That’s why the sci-fi themed, first-person puzzler Lightmatter has already started building a following as one of the most engaging and demanding new games of 2020.A descendant of past puzzle classics like Myst and Portal, Lightmatter finds the player stuck in the halls of the seemingly abandoned Lightmatter Technologies building. The company’s mad scientist of a CEO has unleashed a new power source called Lightmatter. As always, scientific tampering has its downsides — and the unholy side-effect of this experiment are weaponized shadows.Yes, all the shadows in this mostly darkened building can kill you dead. Unfortunately, there’s no simple light switch to be found either. You’re going to have to get creative and be resourceful to maintain constant access to life-sustaining light, solve the widening pool of mysteries found in the building and ultimately stop Lightmatter’s sinister plot before it’s too late.In addition to surviving the trek through seemingly endless tunnels and rooms holding both hidden knowledge and doom, you’ll also be sucked in by the visual creativity of Lightmatter as various light tricks and tactics offer some eye-candy dazzle to this tightly-wound story.Created by Tunnel Vision Games, Lightmatter is already kicking up a lot of attention in gaming circles, generating a host of very positive reviews on game platform Steam. Read the rest

Tech moves so fast that practically the minute you lift the latest, fastest, most tricked-out new laptop on the market off the store shelf, the staff is filling that space with a newer, faster, even more, tricked-out model.That’s just the speed of advancement — and that march is unstoppable. So instead of paying a premium for a laptop that’ll be discounted in a few months, it pays to always consider the factory-certified route. That approach nets you a recent model with comparable features to models still in their boxes, all guaranteed to work like new at a savings of hundreds off their original sticker price.Microsoft is moving some of that open-box stock right now with a sale on factory recertified Surface 2 laptops, now more than half off their original price at just $1,199.99.Sleek and light, with improved speed and performance, the Surface 2 is designed for multitaskers. Powered by a super-fast 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor running at 1.6GHz, this laptop has the juice to juggle multiple active apps all running at once seamlessly. With 8GB of RAM and a spacious 256GB hard drive, this is more than enough machine to handle anything from basic web-surfing and emailing to more labor-intensive app work.Rocking a 13.5-inch PixelSense Display with an interactive touchscreen and razor-sharp resolution, it’s perfectly suited for artists and other visual creators, not to mention anyone who likes to binge a whole show on Netflix in a single sitting. And with battery life approaching 15 hours, you probably won’t even have to plug in to finish the season. Read the rest

Erik Prince is the billionaire mercenary who behind the private military contracting empire of Blackwater and their many war crimes. He's also the brother of US education secretary Betsy Devos (who in turn is married to the guy who pioneered pyramid schemes) and has served as a kind of "shadow advisor" to Trump, including an effort to privatize the entire war in Afghanistan and an alleged secret trip to the Seychelles to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.He's basically Destro from GI JOE, but in real life, and somehow more evil (and without the shiny head).The Intercept had previously reported that the Trump Administration had considered using Prince's black-ops services to counter the made-up threat of the "Deep State." Now the New York Times has confirmed that this happened, in a way that's both shadier than I would've expected and somehow still not all that surprising:One of the former spies, an ex-MI6 officer named Richard Seddon, helped run a 2017 operation to copy files and record conversations in a Michigan office of the American Federation of Teachers, one of the largest teachers’ unions in the nation. Mr. Seddon directed an undercover operative to secretly tape the union’s local leaders and try to gather information that could be made public to damage the organization, documents show.Using a different alias the next year, the same undercover operative infiltrated the congressional campaign of Abigail Spanberger, then a former C.I.A. officer who went on to win an important House seat in Virginia as a Democrat. Read the rest

Back in 2007, high schooler Mike Radenbaugh got tired of pumping his old bicycle back and forth to campus every day. Instead, he pulled together some parts, attached an electric motor to his bike — and his first e-bike was born.It wouldn’t be his last. 13 years later, Radenbaugh heads up Seattle-based Rad Power Bikes, the largest and fastest-growing e-bike company in North America.And before you dismiss e-bikes as cute, but inconsequential tech toys, consider this: 28 percent of e-bike buyers told a National Institute for Transportation and Communities survey that they bought their bike specifically to replace driving. And when you know that the average car trip is less than six miles, the prospect of zipping to your destination and back with an electrically-powered pedaling assist starts feeling a lot more realistic.Factor in the dollar savings on gas, the reduced carbon footprint and just the enjoyment of being outside rather than sequestered in your car, and it isn’t hard to see why Rad is seeing their sales figures explode.Of course, it doesn’t hurt to make a great product too. Rad Power Bikes launched with the exotic RadRover electric fat tire bike, a bold step away from traditional, more dainty e-bike models. Since then, Rad bikes are all designed with the same vision, combining function, power, comfort, and utility.In addition to high-quality bikes with features head-and-shoulders above their competitors, each Rad model is also tailored to specific user needs. If you’re a busy parent, the RadWagon can haul kids around. Read the rest

I’ll admit to having been a CBD denier. I dismissed it as a bullshit trend; the second-most overrated after kombucha. The variety of products I’d tried always left me feeling somewhere between slightly nauseous and groggy. And mentally dull. It didn’t seem to matter what form the product took, or which sort of extra bells and whistles had been added to “enhance” the oil.Add to that the dizzying variety of distinctions: hemp extract vs. hemp seed oil, full-spectrum vs. broad-spectrum, oils vs. tinctures, the addition of terpenes, the claims of “sustainably grown,” “lab tested,” and “pure,” and, most maddening, the all-over-the-map price points that make no clear sense. Reading ingredient labels left me further confused, but more determined to sort it all out.I wanted something simple, but my standards were high. A Google search for “organic CBD drops” was a rabbit hole of false leads and dead ends. So I created my own filters, and after researching about a trillion oils, winnowed down the options from there.Filter #1: OrganicIf I opt for organic vegetables, why shouldn’t my CBD oil rise to the same standards? This one simple step eliminated all but a handful of products.Filter #2: PurityI wanted plain CBD oil drops, not a Wiccan brew of essential oils, spices, and exotic immunity boosters preserved in alcohol. Furthermore, I’m a grown-up, I don’t need my CBD oil to taste like a candy cane or an orange popsicle, and I couldn’t find any good reason why it should contain another ingredient besides its carrier oil. Read the rest

Moving forward in any career requires constant learning. The day you’re no longer open to new systems and new methods and new ways of improving how you go about your craft is the day someone else will learn those skills — and make you obsolete.For decades, there’s been no more reliable arbiter of what IT professionals need to know than the non-profit trade association CompTIA. Recognition as a CompTIA-certified pro is among the highest designations a tech expert can achieve.You can get the complete training needed to pass some of the most critical CompTIA certification exams with this Complete CompTIA Certification Training Bundle. Right now, the bundle is over 90 percent off, just $49.99.This collection of 12 courses will take students over 200 hours to complete. But once they’re done, they’ll have all the knowledge needed to pass vital CompTIA testing, like the all-important core CompTIA A+ (220-1001) and (220-1002) courses. Over nearly 30 hours, this training gets into all aspects of IT service, including mobile devices, networking technology, hardware, cloud computing, network troubleshooting, security, operational procedures and more.From there, students can go deep into more focused fields with the background to add extra certifications in more core IT disciplines. Learners can earn CompTIA PenTest+ qualifications with experience in network and system penetration testing; CompTIA Security+ certification with knowledge of different types of threats and attacks, networking technologies and tools, secure design architecture and more; and CompTIA Mobility+, with training in mobile device management, troubleshooting, security, and network infrastructure. Read the rest

Mesmerizingly cool.“Skilled craftsmen and craftswomen demonstrate how one goes about making a world globe starting with a wooden mould and finishing with a healthy coat of varnish.” A British Pathé film from 1955. [source, via] Read the rest

A South Korean street food treat. I could watch this 'making of' video on loop forever.“Tornado Omelette Rice, Magma Omelette Rice - Korean Street Food.” From Yummyboy.[via] Read the rest

New York governor Andrew Cuomo on Saturday declared a state of emergency in over the coronavirus epidemic, and confirms 76 cases of coronavirus in the stateNY Gov. Cuomo on nursing homes amid coronavirus threat: "That's what I'm worried about. That's what keeps me up at night."It is also in nearby Connecticut, with news just breaking today.UPDATE: We have learned of new confirmed cases of #Coronavirus in NYS bringing the total number of cases to 76.- 57 cases in Westchester County- 11 cases in NYC- 4 cases in Nassau County- 2 cases in Rockland County- 2 cases in Saratoga County— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 7, 2020Providing the latest information on #Coronavirus. WATCH: https://t.co/X69qRFAjYJ— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 7, 2020NEW: Cuomo just declared a state of emergency in NY as the number of coronavirus cases in the state rose to 76.https://t.co/yjDbY66A5Z— Cliff Levy (@cliffordlevy) March 7, 2020Note: in NY, you can report complaints about price gouging here: https://t.co/0iZKoaClNL #coronavirus— Kate Hinds (@katehinds) March 7, 2020Cuomo: "if you get the coronavirus, 80% of the people will walk around the self-resolve; 20% will be hospitalized." Says of the 76 ppl in NY who have COVID-19, 10 people are hospitalized right now.— Kate Hinds (@katehinds) March 7, 2020Cuomo: we are probably spending $30 million per week (on Coronavirus), says federal gov't $35 million "is nowhere near sufficient...NY has been getting the short end of the stick from the federal gov't from day one." Read the rest

...paid for with your tax dollars

'Smallpox comes to Deadwood', a clip from the swearily beloved television series DEADWOOD, via Reddit, as pointed out by Helen Kennedy.An instructive video for our times.[YOUTUBE] Read the rest

Glover, Vermont’s eminently arcane Museum of Everyday Life is seeking submissions from “artists, philosophers, collectors, and ordinary people” for their 2020-2021 exhibition on knots.This is a self-service museum ("turn on the lights when you enter, and don’t forget to turn off the lights when you depart!") housed in a dilapidated barn in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, 30 miles south of the Candadian border. It's a cabinet of curiosities for the ordinary, with previous exhibitions such as "The Incredible Story of the Safety Pin," "A Celebration of the Match," and “Toothbrush from Twig to Bristle in All its Expedient Beauty.” They've mounted puppet shows, indulge in cantastoria, put on parades, and dabble in toy theater, and they even pushed their own boundaries with their 2015 exhibition, "Dust." Their current exhibition through May, “The Pivot and the Blade” explores scissors. Read the rest

Yes, even air purifiers are smarter than people now. While you thought sucking particulates out of the air and generally scrubbing the breathable space in your home or office was responsibility enough, smart technology has moved into air purification — so now, purifiers can take on tasks they’ve never faced before.The Wynd Essential is part of this opening wave of smart-enabled air purifiers — and it’s easy to see why the size and versatility of this mighty little unit could make it a key item for those concerned about the air they breathe, a group which should include virtually everybody.As a purifier alone, the Wynd Essential has its credentials intact. Initially funded by a Kickstarter campaign, the Wynd Essential sports a medical-grade filter based on materials used in hospitals. With a turbo-charged airflow designed by an MIT-trained rocket scientist, this filter generates over 9 liters of clean air per second and captures 99 percent of air particles over 0.3 microns. That includes everything from pollen and pet dander to bacteria and industrial pollution particulates.The filter is also infused with silver, which kills organic organisms like mold and bacteria on contact.The extreme portability is another of the Wynd Essential’s major calling cards. Weighing less than a pound and no bigger than a water bottle, the whole unit can sit unobtrusively in virtually any environment from a car cup holder to your office to a baby’s room. It also stores easily in a suitcase or travel bag when you’re on the road, so you’re ready to scrub the air whether you’re traveling on a plane or staying in a hotel room. Read the rest

If you weren’t yet panicking about the coronavirus, this week’s tabloids will have you stocking up on Depends adult underwear, toilet tissue and face-masks.

From business to science to sports, data can help answer virtually any unknown question. And if it can’t, it can certainly point you in the right direction. And with every company and organization looking for facts to validate their decisions, the job prospects of a well-qualified data scientist to sort all those numbers out are unequivocally bright.According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market is expected to welcome another 364,000 data analyst positions to the workforce this year. With that much opportunity, the prospects of launching an in-demand, well-paying career as a data pro are abundant. The 2020 All-in-One Data Scientist Mega Bundle offers the training to make that career happen.The coursework in this massive 13-course, 140-plus hour training package begins by introducing newbies to the basics of data analytics, including everything from the guidelines for defining a data problem to the tools available for finding a solution.And those tools are plentiful and speak volumes...if you know how to use them, that is. From Hadoop to Apache Spark to MongoDB, students get a complete look at the data organization and app-building tools that are the bread and butter of any data science career. There’s also a deep plunge into data visualization capabilities using the industry’s most popular data mapping tool, Tableau 10.Still, more courses are focused on coding languages that particularly impact data analysis, including training in Python and R programming. If your interests run toward the business aspects of Big Data, the Business Analytics with Excel course shows how that venerable spreadsheet program can play an elemental role. Read the rest

SXSW, Austin's annual festival for music, tech, business, art, and culture was canceled by the mayor because of the spreading coronavirus. By the festival producers' own calculation, SXSW pumped $350 million into Austin it 2018, $356 million in 2019.The Austin American Statesman has more:The cancellation — just seven days before the 2020 festival was scheduled to start next Friday — comes as SXSW organizers faced public pressure to scrap it, as well the prospect of a substantially diminished event anyway because a lengthy list of companies and speakers already dropped out.The cancellation constitutes a financial hit to downtown restaurants, bars, hotels and other businesses, many of which have come to count on free-spending attendees of the sprawling yearly conference.It also could be a big blow for SXSW itself, a private company that has held the event since 1987, depending on its insurance coverage and how it opts to handle possible requests for refunds. Read the rest

On Twitter, Lorenzo the Cat posted this pic of cute kitty posters being pasted over racist graffiti in Manchester, England. You DO follow Lorenzo the Cat on Twitter, don't you?Signs being posted all over Manchester, England. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/szbFsdsS4Q— Lorenzo The Cat (@LorenzoTheCat) March 4, 2020Image: Twitter screengrab Read the rest

As you may know, YouTuber and Queen of Shitty Robots (and other sketchy maker projects), Simone Giertz, had to have brain surgery a year ago. One thing she acquired during this scary ordeal was a collection of MRI scans of her own brain.What to do with these scans? Well, make a brass paper shredder in the shape of your own brain, obviously! As Simone explains, the idea was to make such a machine so that she could feed her hopes and dreams into it and have them shredded. Dark, Simone. Dark.[Image: YouTube] Read the rest

Capsule toys from vending machines are a big deal in Japan, often putting our less-inspired ones to shame. Case in point, these new miniature figures introduced by the Tama-Kyu company, that depict people who are intoxicated in public!SoraNews24 reports:The series, named #YopparaiNau (Drunk Now), is made up of five different lushes, each in a different predicament and measuring about five centimeters (two inches) in height.All the greatest hits are there:...“Person Wearing a Pylon” ...“Person Sleeping on the Side of the Road” ...“Person Hugging a Telephone Pole” ...“Person Hugging a Telephone Pole” ...“Person who Needs a Waste Basket.”The cost? 300 yen (approx. US $2.72) each.Get a closer look at all five figurines at SoraNews24.Thanks, Lynn!images via PR Times Read the rest

Why don't more American homes have a bidet? Sure, it may seem odd at first, but travel around the rest of the world, from Europe to Asia and beyond, and those happy little spritzers are standard issue in practically every home. Considering what a clean-freak, germ-phobic society America has become, it's truly puzzling that this ultra-sanitary process hasn't broken through in the States. And don't even get us started on the green impact of phasing out all that toilet paper.Well, it's time for you to be the change. No, seriously. It's time to step up, be counted and push the United States into the pristinely clean, uber-washed land it was always meant to be. And that crusade starts right on your very own home throne.Check out this batch of bidet options, which should include at least one that fits your situation. C'mon...you know you want to.SlimGlow: The World's First Bidet Attachment Featuring a Night Light - $49.99; Originally $79If you just want to check out what the bidet life could be like, this starter option could give you a hint of the pleasures. The SlimGlow gets the job done with a comfort grip pressure control knob and dual nozzle cleansing action. It even features an incline that matches your natural body position and a soft blue light so you'll always be able to find your way in the middle of the night.Alpha One V2 Bidet Seat - $72.99; Originally $199The Alpha One V2 attaches easily to your current bowl and features a pair of retractable, self-cleaning dual nozzles. Read the rest

For those of you who enjoyed "These boxes aren't rotating" from earlier this week... These gears aren't spinning either. I promise. You are experiencing the "reverse-phi" illusion. Read the rest

I mostly credit cartoons for my appreciation of classical music. In this video pianist Lord Vinheteiro plays through a survey of cartoon music from 1928 to the current era. No, it isn't comprehensive, but it's still a wonderful medley! Read the rest

I bought this Inateck Laptop Sleeve Case for my 13-inch MacBook Pro. I wanted something well-padded, with a handle and a separate pouch to store the charger. This one fit the bill. It's not much bigger than than the laptop, so it doesn't take up a lot of room in a suitcase. Read the rest

Nina Kollars is a professor at the Naval War College inside the Strategic and Operational Research Department. Here she is at DEF CON 27 explaining how she learned about triangulation fraud when she started buying Nespresso pods on eBay at a discount. Not only did she get the pods, she also received a new Nespresso machine worth $280. It sounds like a good deal, right? As you'll learn as Kollars tells her fascinating story, it wasn't a great deal -- it was a scam.[via Dooby Brain] Read the rest

A pickup truck crashed into one of Easter Island's iconic moai statues, carved by the Rapa Nui people circa 1400 to 1650 AD. Police arrested a Chilean inhabitant whose truck apparently caused "incalculable" damage to the head. Since 2012, the Polynesian island's population has increased from 8,000 to 12,000 and tourism has skyrocketed. From The Guardian:Camilo Rapu, the president of the Ma’u Henua community, which looks after the moai, said the crash may have been deliberate.“As people know, the moai are sacred structures that possess a religious value for the people of Rapa Nui,” he said. “Something like this isn’t just dreadful, it’s an offence against a living culture that has spent the last few years fighting to regain its historic and archaeological heritage.”The island’s mayor, Pedro Edmunds Paoa, told El Mercurio the collision appeared to have been the result of brake failure. He said the incident demonstrated the need for stricter traffic controls.He previously told the paper: “Everyone decided against establishing traffic rules when it came to vehicles on sacred sites – but we, as a council, were talking about the dangers and knew very well what the rise in tourist and resident numbers could mean.”image credit: Ian Sewell (CC BY 2.5) Read the rest

My guest this week on the Cool Tools podcast is Amber Mac. Amber is the co-host of the award-winning podcast series, The AI Effect, the author of two bestselling business books. She's also the President of AmberMac Media, and a former host on G4TechTV and TWiT.See the show notes here. Read the rest

Simon Niklaus, Long Mai, Jimei Yang, and Feng Liu developed software that gives a 3D Ken Burns effect to still images.From their paper:Experiments with a wide variety of image content show that our method enables realistic synthesis results. Our study demonstrates that our system allows users to achieve better results while requiring little effort compared to existing solutions for the 3D Ken Burns effect creation.Photo by Pontus Wellgraf on Unsplash[via Bruce Sterling] Read the rest

Jack Nitzsche was a legend in his own time; an arranger, producer, songwriter, and Academy Award-winning composer. His disparate discography includes collaborations with Phil Spector, the iconic 1966 Batman theme, titles by The Rolling Stones, Doris Day, Ike & Tina Turner, The Monkees, Glen Campbell, and the Ronettes, as well as several film soundtracks, including Performance, The Exorcist, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and An Officer and a Gentleman. But one of his earliest known arrangements was for a song so unlistenable it isn’t even named on any of his published discographies.The title dates from 1963, when a hit song that doubled as a dance craze was the holy grail of the Top 10. But not even the hand of Jack Nitzsche could get this eminently abrasive earworm, "The Fuddy Duddy Walk" by The Entertainers, to join the ranks of "The Twist," "The Mashed Potato," or "The Watusi." "The Fuddy Duddy Walk" is more like proto-punk dance craze anarchy, and it’s not hard to imagine a crowd of pencil-skirted and flat-topped teens covering their ears in buzzkill horror, stampeding from the dance floor and fighting their way to the nearest exit. It’s an aural assault strictly for music masochists, with a nearly unintelligible vocal that codes neither male or female, rock or soul, black or white. Just sweetly painful. Read the rest

it's a spaceship until you see the picture upside down.This is cool - someone took a photo of UFO hovering over the scene of an accident. If you rotate the photo 180 degrees, it almost looks like the UFO is a car in a lake. Read the rest

Promobot created an Arnold Schwarzenegger robot -- an animatronic head, really -- and told journos they had permission from the actor and former California governor. They didn't, Schwarzenegger says, and he's suing them.The actor’s team hit Promobot with a cease-and-desist after CES and was reportedly assured the company would stop touring its Arnold bot. That didn’t happen, though. Promobot showed off the lifelike replica again the following month at the New York Toy Fair. And, to top it all off, this all comes after Promobot was personally shut down by Schwarzenegger in St. Petersburg in 2019. According to TMZ, the company attended a speech he was delivering and asked the actor to pose for a photo with the robot. He flat-out declined. Read the rest

I prefer this to the real thing. The cartoon fun is infectious and, well, nobody dies.More thrills at 3Dbotmaker, home to 1:64 Diecast Sports Action Racing!(Jalopnik) Read the rest

The excellent headline "Fursuit of Happiness" belies the seriousness of the topic: how do furries fare in therapy? Professionals find that it's best to bring along the fursona rather than put it aside on the couch, writes Hussein Kesvani.According to Sharon Roberts, a sociology professor at the University of Waterloo and one of the few researchers who focuses on identity within furry communities, Max’s therapy experience is pretty common. “There are some psychologists who associate fursonas with dissociative behavior, which by and large isn’t the case,” she explains. “In other cases, because of the aesthetic of furries — that they’re a colorful and quite loud subculture — society generally sees them as more likely to suffer from mental health issues, when the research shows that’s not true either. In a lot of cases, furries are less likely to develop severe mental health conditions because of how strong the bonds are in the community.”To better spread (and back up) this message, Roberts co-founded the International Anthropomorphic Research Project, a collective of academics dedicated to producing evidence-based research on furry culture and providing insights about it to therapists.Photo: Rob Beschizza (CC BY 3.0) Read the rest

He's just so stupid. Trump does not know how many people have died in the United States from coronavirus and COVID-19. The answer, for now, is 14.President Trump doesn't know what the US death roll from coronavirus is (it's actually 14) pic.twitter.com/EG4vnYw4we— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 6, 2020Also why was a Murdoch in the room when he signed the coronavirus $8.3 billion spending bill?News Corp exec Lachlan Murdoch, Rupert's son, was in the Oval during Trump's signing of $8 billion coronavirus emergency funding bill.— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) March 6, 2020 Read the rest

What's the world's best cheese? A gruyere from Switzerland, selected from a record-breaking number of entries from 26 countries in the 2020 World Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin. From the Wisconsin State Journal: “This is quite a good cheese,” said Stefan Truttmann, who happily accepted the award when a Gruyere from Switzerland was named the 2020 World Champion Cheese Thursday night at the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace.The cheese from Bern, Switzerland, topped the field at the biennial contest and made a two-time winner out of its maker, Michael Spycher of Mountain Dairy Fritzenhaus for Gourmino AG. Spycher’s Gruyere also won in 2008.Truttmann and Christian Schmutz, who were contest judges, accepted the award on behalf of the Swiss cheese makers’ association and hoisted the 77-pound wheel in victory.From the Associated Press:The contest is the largest technical cheese, butter and yogurt competition in the world and started Tuesday in Madison with a record 3,667 entries.The 55 judges taste, sniff and inspect the 132 classes of dairy products during the biennial contest. The judges include cheese graders, cheese buyers, dairy science professors, and researchers from 19 nations and 14 states. PREVIOUSLY AT BOING BOING:Largest technical dairy competition in world opens in WisconsinRead more:Swiss gruyere named best in world cheese competition[apnews.com]And from the Wisconsin State Journal:Swiss cheese comes out on top at World Cheese Championship in Madison Read the rest

"Cute otters," promises Britain's public broadcaster, "Intimately filmed by spy cameras."Spy Otter quietly films the most intimate views of otters using tools and caring for their young. Animatronic spy creatures go undercover to explore the world of animal intelligence and reveal their use of tools, self-medication, culture and subterfuge. Read the rest

'Rule will require immigration officers to collect cheek swabs from what could amount to hundreds of thousands of people a year '

Impeached and manifestly corrupt U.S. president President Donald John Trump on Friday signed the $8.3-billion Coronavirus response funding bill before leaving the White House for golf or whatever.The spending bill to combat the outbreak passed the House and Senate nearly unanimously.In related news, Trump, a noted germophobe, has called off a planned trip to the Atlanta headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.Trump said on Friday he called off the CDC trip to Atlanta because of a suspected case of coronavirus there, which ended up coming back negative.With @SecAzar at his side in the Diplomatic Reception Room, Pres Trump has signed the $8.3-billion Coronavirus response funding bill. Bill passed by near unanimous margins in both Chambers of Congress this week.— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) March 6, 2020Happening today: #Trump preparing to sign $8 billion #Coronavirus aid package this AM. Coronavirus task force has #WhiteHouse briefing on preparations at 5 PM pic.twitter.com/gLU8POcEJt— Nancy Ognanovich (@NOgnanovich) March 6, 2020Also, @realDonaldTrump just tossed @steveholland1 the pen he used to sign the coronavirus spending bill. Steve caught it expertly. Trump says it’s the first time he’s ever done that.— Philip Crowther (@PhilipinDC) March 6, 2020Trump shows off the signed coronavirus supplemental spending bill. pic.twitter.com/MAym2pIdo0— Philip Crowther (@PhilipinDC) March 6, 2020Trump says he "may be going" to the CDC after all today -- he said the agency thought they may have had a case of coronavirus, suggesting that's why the White House canceled his expected trip. Read the rest

The number of people around the world who are infected with the new coronavirus is close to 100,000 as of Friday, according to global health officials. In the United States, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases is now 226 in 19 states, including 12 deaths.The virus that causes the potentially deadly respiratory illness COVID-19 has now infected people in about 90 countries. On Friday, the first cases were reported in the Netherlands and Cameroon.From the Associated Press's roundup of the disease spread on Friday:The head of the U.N.’s food agency, the World Food Program, warned of the potential of “absolute devastation” as the outbreak’s effects ripple through Africa and the Middle East. (...)And in the United States, more than 230 cases were stirring anxiety around the country, nowhere more than its northwestern corner in Washington state, where officials are so concerned about having space to care for the sick they were expected to close a $4 million deal Friday to take over a roadside motel. (...)The 100,000 figure of infections — likely to be passed on Friday — is largely symbolic, but a milestone nonetheless. Other major outbreaks in recent decades, including SARS and MERS, affected far fewer people but had a higher mortality rate.More at AP. [image of the coronavirus via CDC] Read the rest

From the Vocal Synthesis channel: "The voice in this video was entirely computer-generated using a text-to-speech model trained on the speech patterns of John F. Kennedy." Read the rest

“Before Clearview Became a Police Tool, It Was a Secret Plaything of the Rich.” That's the title of the New York Times piece, and that's the horrifying reality of how artificial intelligence and facial recognition are already being used in ways that violate your expectations of privacy in the world. Investors and clients of the facial recognition start-up with ties to the extreme right used an early version of the Clearview AI app on dates and at parties — “and to spy on the public.”At one time, Clearview AI was trying to put together a nationwide repository of mug shots from the last 15 years. One rich guy used it to do a background check on a man his daughter was having dinner with in a restaurant where he was also eating. He also used it to catch people stealing Haagen-Dazs ice cream from his grocery store locations.The New York Times identified “multiple individuals with active access to Clearview’s technology who are not law enforcement officials.”From the story:And for more than a year before the company became the subject of public scrutiny, the app had been freely used in the wild by the company’s investors, clients and friends.Those with Clearview logins used facial recognition at parties, on dates and at business gatherings, giving demonstrations of its power for fun or using it to identify people whose names they didn’t know or couldn’t recall.“As part of the ordinary course of due diligence, we provided trial accounts to potential and current investors, and other strategic partners, so they could test the technology,” said Hoan Ton-That, the company’s co-founder. Read the rest

• Criminals are tricking people who want to buy protective masksIn the United Kingdom, vulnerable people who are afraid of coronavirus have lost more than 800,000 british pounds ($1 million in US dollars) to coronavirus scams in the last month.One victim paid 15,000 pounds for anti-coronavirus masks that never arrived. Britain's National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) said on Friday there have been 21 reports of fraud since February 10, mostly mask scams. More from Reuters:Britain has so far registered 115 cases of the coronavirus known as COVID-19, which has killed more than 3,300 people globally since it started in China. On Thursday, health officials reported the first death of a patient in Britain who had tested positive for the virus.Demand for face masks has surged in North America, India, China and Europe since the outbreak of the virus, with Washington considering invoking special powers to boost the production of masks and other protective gear.Britain’s competition watchdog warned retailers about price hiking on highly sought-after goods during the outbreak as the price of disinfectants and hand sanitizers online soared to as much as 40 times normal rates. Read more at Reuters:Coronavirus fraud: UK victims lose 800,000 pounds in scams Read the rest

If you've ever tried to create swapable arms and weapons on gaming miniatures, using rare earth magnets, you know what a hassle it can be. Great idea, not fun to implement. In 2018, a Kickstarter called Hand of Glory raised $156,000 to create a line of hot-swapable fantasy miniatures. With a collection of figures outfitted with rare earth magnet wrists and a line of weapons and other accessories, you could mix and match to create unique miniatures tailored to your game. Hand of Glory is back with another campaign to add more figures and tons more weapons and accessory options to the line.The folks at Hand of Glory were kind enough to send me a sample box of minis and weapons. The minis are wonderfully sculpted and the weapons and other components are varied and characterful. Hand of Glory 2 introduces 11 new figures and over 100 new weapons and other items. Among the new additions are chain-based weapons and animal figures on chain leashes. I have never played a game using magnetized minis, so I can't judge how fussy the process is of changing out parts on the fly, or how often things fall off. The magnets do seem strong, but I did notice that some of the bigger, heavier weapons sometimes pivot on the magnetic wrist as you move the figure and "go limp," not something you ever want your scary, intimidating weapon to do. But this is a minor quibble.With so many people using miniatures in RPGs these days, and so many cool "miniature agnostic" fantasy skirmish games out there, these sort of modular, design-your-own minis make a lot of sense. Read the rest

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What falls under the heading of digital marketing these days? Well, frankly...a heck of a lot. Once you start factoring in everything from search engines and social media to emails and the vast network of websites out there and before you know it, it’s easy for new digital media creators to get overwhelmed quickly.But with retail eCommerce expected to amount to $4.5 trillion next year, it’s way too important to ignore. So with that much at stake, it’s vital to know your stuff. The massive block of training available in The 2020 Complete Digital Marketing for Beginners Bundle will go a long way toward helping growing digital professionals understand the landscape and get their arms around everything it entails.And trust in this...this collection is absolutely comprehensive. Featuring a whopping 14 courses packed with more than 100 hours of instruction, your digital marketing career will start the right way with full introductions to social media marketing, SEO, email outreach, paid ads, content creation and more.After courses in the fine art of sales and negotiating as well as digital media basic learning covering blogging and creating the right content around your marketing efforts, the coursework starts to delve into all the most important venues for your messaging.Since social media is where so many modern shoppers live, you’ll get in-depth guides to reaching audiences on some of the most vital platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. You’ll even get training in using the exploding viral video environment of TikTok to maximize your reach. Read the rest