When I was a teen devourer of sci-fi, I was obsessed with the spaceship designs on paperback book covers. I would buy any novel or short story collection, however sketchy the contents seemed, if I dug the ship on the cover. Conversely, I would pass over well-regarded books if I thought the spaceship art was crappy. Sometimes, the covers would make a more lasting impression on me than the contents.I can't imagine how high over the moon teenage me would be for YouTube channels like Spacedock. This excellently-produced channel is a collection of deep-nerdings over the minutia of spaceship designs found in sci-fi media. Episodes look at categories of ships across different sci-fi universes or they are deep dives into a specific class of ship from a world, or a single, iconic ship from a series. The opinions are definitely those of the creator of the channel, and I don't always agree with them, but current me and teenage me are in love with the nerdiness of it all. Read the rest

If you remember your Norse mythology (or just watched Marvel’s Thor movies), you’re probably familiar with Heimdal, the god whose ever-watchful eye was entrusted with protecting the home of the gods in Asgard.Back on Earth, Heimdal Thor is also the name of a security package from Heimdal Security, that’s actually dedicated to much the same principle: protecting your home or business computer systems from viruses, malware, and other potentially crippling online security threats. Right now, they’re offering some of their most powerful cyberattack preventative tools at up to 87 percent off.First, Heimdal Thor Vigilance: Next-Gen Antivirus ($39.99; originally $249.75) is available as a first line of defense against online threats. Vigilance Home is lightweight, hassle-free software that uses both traditional and next-gen antivirus engines to root out cybercriminals, black malware, and stop viruses, APTs, ransomware, data leakage and a host of concerning digital problems that may infect your systems.But sometimes, that may not be enough. Since the newest, most deceitful malware is created specifically to bypass most antivirus detection methods, Heimdal Thor Foresight Home: Malware Prevention Software ($49.99, originally $349.75) increases your protection.Foresight Home gets proactive in the fight, assuring your systems are protected before they can ever be infected. It filters all internet traffic, blocks dicey sources that may distribute ransomware, throws another layer of security on your bank account and automatically spots and blocks any security holes found in your favorite apps.Finally, Heimdal Thor Premium: All-in-One Security Suite ($59.99; originally $499.75) brings both Vigilance and Foresight’s reactive and proactive measures together in one package, along with some unique threat prevention features that will have your computer and all its valuable information protected at all times. Read the rest

Everyone's got their nose in a phone these days, and that doesn't seem like it's going to change anytime soon. With the increase in mobile device and e-commerce reliance comes increased need for developers who can build the apps we're all so glued to. In fact, employment of devs is expected to grow up to 13% by 2028, quite a bit faster than other occupations. Milk that for all its worth by snapping up the 2020 Mobile App Developers Bundle and teaching yourself these in-demand technologies.With over 20 hours of beginner-friendly training, this bundle will teach you the skills you need to help market yourself for a $70K-ish salary, thanks to 7 courses presented by world-class e-learning platform Zenva Academy.Across 265 lessons, you'll use simple text color selecting and input/output apps plus more complex weather forecasting, pet activity, and contacts apps projects as hands-on teaching tools. You'll learn how to build apps for both Android and iOS using Swift & Apple's integrated development environment XCode, Android Studio, XML, Kotlin, SQL database integration, RESTful APIs, Flutter open-source framework, Java, and Firebase (Google's cloud-based platform that allows you to build mobile applications without needing to write the back-end code).The 2020 Mobile App Developers Bundle is available now for only $29.99, 91% off MSRP. Read the rest

Here's a little public service announcement with a lot to unpack. Fatbergs are horrifying agglomerations of grease, excrement and fiber clogging the waterworks beneath our cities. Britain's ancient sewers seem especially vulnerable, providing an endless stream of "thousand-foot fatberg removed" stories, complete with nightmarish footage of yet another London lard shoggoth. Flushed wet-wipes are a key cause of the problem, as they do not break down and instead become fatberg rebar.Hence the need for Andy Serkis to play a talking anus in an anti-fatberg PSA, begging Britons to stop flushing wet-wipes. Read the rest

Canada's privacy authorities on Friday said they are investigating New York-based Clearview AI over concerns the facial recognition technology may not comply with Canadian privacy law. “Clearview AI bills itself as a tool for law enforcement, scraping the internet for publicly available photos and using facial recognition to identify potential suspects,” reports Moira Warburton at Reuters, “Critics in both Canada and the United States have raised concerns about the lack of consent of those searched, and the potential for misuse of the service.” Snip:Several police forces in Ontario have publicly acknowledged they have used Clearview’s services, including the police force in Toronto, Canada’s most populous city.The privacy commissioners of Canada and of the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Québec will jointly investigate whether the company’s practices are in compliance with Canadian privacy legislation.The investigation was initiated as a result of media reports that “raised questions and concerns about whether the company is collecting and using personal information without consent,” said a joint statement from the commissioners’ offices. Read more at Reuters:• Facial recognition company Clearview AI probed by Canada privacy agenciesPreviously at Boing Boing:• Clearview AI founder linked to Trump world and Far-Right, NYPD denies facial recognition firm's boast that it helped catch terrorist suspect• Twitter tells facial-recognition app maker to stop scraping photos, Clearview AI used by 600+ US law enforcement agencies• The answer to the Clearview AI scandal is better privacy laws, not anti-scraping laws Read the rest

In the days leading up to the U.S. presidential election and on Election Day, YouTube's homepage will reportedly be advertising only one candidate: Donald Trump.The impeached president’s re-election campaign bought out YouTube's costly advertising space for early November, and the deal ensures Trump will be all anyone sees on Google's YouTube during the critical days when voters get ready to head to the polls on November 3, reports Bloomberg News:While the bulk of digital ad spending typically focuses on targeting specific messages to certain audiences, the top spot on YouTube is more akin to a Super Bowl TV ad. About three-quarters of U.S. adults say they use YouTube, exceeding the reach of even Facebook, according to the Pew Research Center.Ads on the YouTube masthead—as the video on the top of the homepage is known—generally run for an entire day. The exact duration of Trump’s ad buy and financial details were unclear, but estimates for the space range from hundreds of thousands of dollars to more than $1 million a day.YouTube, owned by Alphabet Inc.’s Google, lets advertisers target users based on a variety of factors, though it recently limited those options for political content. The Trump campaign bought the digital real estate nationwide, one of the people familiar with the deal said, both of whom asked not to be identified.Read more at Bloomberg News, Business Insider, and CJR. [via MediaGazer]Donald Trump’s re-election committee will take over YouTube’s homepage in early November in the immediate run up to Election Day through advertising space it has purchased from the Google streaming video website. Read the rest

Ethos, the private equity firm owned by Republican billionaires that is trying to buy the rights to operate the internet’s .org domain range, said on Friday it will cap price hikes, and will agree to create an advisory board with veto powers to partly address some of the concerns of the nonprofit community.Boing Boing's Cory Doctorow and Jason Weisberger wrote previously about this story on Boing Boing, for those catching up:• ICANN hits pause on the sale of .ORG to Republican billionaires' private equity fund [12/2019]• We need to save .ORG from arbitrary censorship by halting the private equity buy-out [12/2019]• Private equity take-over of .ORG domain delayed [1/2020]Here's what happened today, from AP:Ethos Capital has offered $1.1 billion to buy the Public Interest Registry, the nonprofit corporation that runs the databases containing more than 10 million .org names registered worldwide. Organizations ranging from the Girl Scouts of the USA and Consumer Reports to the American Bible Society have opposed the sale, warning of potential price gouging and censorship. California’s attorney general has also requested information to evaluate a deal’s potential impact to nonprofits.It wasn’t immediately clear whether the concessions are enough to satisfy critics. The cap on price hikes, for instance, will expire in eight years, and most of the advisory board’s initial members will be appointed by the Public Interest Registry’s board.Domain names such as apnews.com have historically been used by computers to find websites and send email, and their value grew as companies and groups adopted them for branding. Read the rest

Reporting at the WSJ today says Alphabet/Google hasn't met the demands of state investigators to surrender emails, texts, and other documents in an ongoing anticompetitive digital-ad practices investigation.Google is reluctant to surrender documents in the investigation of alleged anticompetitive practices, reports John D. McKinnon at The Wall Street Journal:Google is resisting efforts to surrender emails, text messages and other documents sought by state investigators probing possible anticompetitive practices, according to records and interviews.Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., also hasn’t agreed to a waiver that would give the coalition of state attorneys general access to documents obtained by the Justice Department for its own probe, according to a person familiar with the situation.... Read more at the WSJ: Google Resists Demands From States in Digital-Ad Probe Responses from Twitter, below.Without a whiff of irony, Google is concerned that by handing over its personal information, it could end up in the hands of other companies @WSJ @johndmckinnon https://t.co/V1IvHf7XYE pic.twitter.com/HLIEpqU1rC— 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚐 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛. (@GregBensinger) February 21, 2020Can’t they just Google them? https://t.co/CgY8ftFii6— Joe Flint (@JBFlint) February 21, 2020Text messages and chats and emails are not the sort of documents that contain trade secrets about Google’s proprietary algorithms.They are the sort of documents that show intent, motivation and schemes — and ⁦@KenPaxtonTX⁩ is right to push for them https://t.co/U5jJwSF90F— Dave Yost (@Yost4Ohio) February 21, 2020New: Google reports to be defying efforts of 48 state AGs to investigate its anticompetitive behavior. “It’s the Google playbook—stall, stonewall, deflect and deny, because they are afraid the public will finally get the truth.” Read the rest

Drug dealer Clifton Collins, 49, invested his earnings in bitcoin, eventually racking up $60 million. For safekeeping, he printed the PIN codes to access his accounts and stored them in a fishing rod case at his house. But after Collins was busted on a weed charge and sent to jail, his landlord had all of Collins's stuff hauled to the dump. From The Guardian:According to the Irish Times, which first reported the story, workers at the dump told the Irish police force, the gardaí, they remembered seeing discarded fishing gear. Waste from the dump goes to Germany and China to be incinerated. The fishing rod case has never been found.Collins, 49, has apparently told the gardaí he has come to terms with the loss of the fortune and considers it punishment for his own stupidity.The high court in Dublin ruled this week that Collins had forfeited the accounts because they were proceeds from crime...The Criminal Assets Bureau thought it had hit the jackpot when it confiscated the accounts. Authorities hope they may some day access them."Irish drug dealer loses £46m bitcoin codes he hid in fishing rod case" (The Guardian)And in case you missed this excellent tale:• "‘I Forgot My PIN’: An Epic Tale of Losing $30,000 in Bitcoin" by Mark Frauenfelder Read the rest

This iron-on three-inch patch, inspired by Untitled Goose Game, features an angry or perhaps merely determined goose preparing to commit crimes. It's on the etsy store of Roamin Bison Workshop, which specializes in cool animal pins. [via]Be Goose Do Crime design!3x3 inch circleIron-on backing Read the rest

Portland Laser Co. offers a puzzle based on Joy Division's famous cover to Unknown Pleasures, a plot of signals emitted by pulsar CP 1919. Yours for $50.One of the most iconic album covers of all time, made into a puzzle. Read the rest

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission was founded in 1972 with the purpose of "protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of types of consumer products." And since they brought on Joseph Galbo as a social media specialist in 2016, the department has grown increasingly infamous for its delightfully weird Twitter account.You know, things like this.As the Squirrel Realm believes pic.twitter.com/9HQr0HcqRi— US Consumer Product Safety Commission (@USCPSC) February 21, 2020At least there's one part of the federal government that's still improving the quality of our lives. And now I'm going to subscribe to these recall emails.How a Government Bureaucrat Became the King of Internet Memes [Taylor Lorenz / The Daily Beast]The U.S. Government's Weirdest Twitter Account Is Postmodern Internet Art [Emma Roller / Splinter]Why a government agency is spreading memes about dogs riding pigeons [Rachel Becker / The Verge] Read the rest

Whether you love cooking at home or you swore this was going to be the year you curbed your DoorDash addiction, you know you can't get the job done well without the proper tools on hand. For all your recipe and meal prep needs, this 3-piece Sukasu Osami Chef's Knife set will do you right and look pretty sweet in your Insta stories to boot.Forged from ultra-durable 3CR13 stainless steel with a cool-as-heck wavy pattern etched into the blades and set in gorgeous pakka wood handles, the 8" chef's knife, 5" utility knife, and 3.5" paring knife will have you slicing, dicing, chopping, peeling, cubing, and julienning even the toughest fruits, veggies, and meats.This cutlery set is built to last with better-grip 18/0 bolster handles and blades from 2 to 2.5mm thick. Plus, it comes in a sleek storage box, making it great for gifting to that friend who just got his first roommate-free apartment.Iron Chef your way through your next meal! The Sukasu Osami 3-Pc Chef's Knife Set is available for 60% off at $39.99. Read the rest

In recent years, the high-margin world of mattress shops has been heavily disrupted by mail-order alternatives. To get customers to buy vacuum-shrunk mattresses they haven't seen, let alone bounced on, these companies have generous return policies. But what happens to these big, heavy, unmailable items when someone comes to pick them up? Maggie Koerth (formerly at Boing Boing) explains over at FiveThirtyEight.At the other end of those eerily identical ads I found a single seller — an independent agent for a new kind of company that’s aiming to solve the mattress companies’ problems and reduce landfill waste. Called Sharetown, it works kind of like Uber and Lyft: A mattress company contracts with Sharetown to handle returns and, when one pops up, Sharetown connects the customer with an nearby agent who takes the mattress off their hands, cleans it up, and markets it for sale on local community sites like Facebook and Craigslist. When the mattress sells, everybody gets a cut — the agent, Sharetown and the company that originally sold the mattress. Read the rest

If you're not already familiar with what it takes to gather semen from an elephant, this video of the process will serve as the ultimate "I'm not sure what I expected" experience. The scene is from the Extinctions documentary released in 2011.Artificial stimulation of the animal does not produce large quantities of sperm. Each drop must be retrieved quickly. The sample is immediately sent to the neighboring laboratory. Read the rest

On Wednesday, Panama's National Aeronaval Service seized this homemade semi-submersible vessel in territorial waters off Bocas del Toro. Authorities discovered 5 tons of drugs inside and nabbed four Colombian citizens. According to CNN, "the ministry (of public security in Panama) did not specify what type of drugs were seized in the raid, but smugglers have previously been caught using similar vessels to transport cocaine into the United States and Europe."Indeed, you may recall the intense video below from last summer showing US Coast Guard crew members boarding a similar narco-sub in the Pacific Ocean: Read the rest

YouTube user Chave created a supercut of all the locust swarm videos being posted to social media by people in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. My favorites are "falling from the sky like hail" and "so thickly gathered on a tree they become writhing hallucinatory bark". Read the rest

Sure, when the rubes glance at your feet, all they see are five-pointed stars. But when YOU gaze in the direction of the underworld... HAIL SATAN!Provenance unknown; posted by u/black_rose_ to r/coolguides. Read the rest

It was hip to be square, even in 1986. Especially in 1986. Jma Mitch writes:As a teenager in 1985 and 1986, I used my trusty Commodore 64 and the "Music Construction Set" program to create computer versions of a slew of songs by the greatest musical artist of all time: Huey Lewis and The News. Only Huey songs, that was the only artist I did. I recently (Feb 2020) was able to access my 35 year old C64 disks, many of which survived, including the ones with the songs I'm uploading to this channel. Some of the songs sound better than others, but these are the original unedited files.More here: "Commodore 64 plays Huey Lewis (1985-1986)" (YouTube via Waxy) Read the rest

US Customs and Border Protection seized a human brain that was part of an international mail shipment from Canada to the United States. They discovered the brain during an inspection at Blue Water Bridge between Port Huron, Michigan, US and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The brain was on its way from Toronto to Kenosha, Wisconsin. From Fox5NY:During the routine mail operation, they say they came across a shipment manifested as an "Antique Teaching Specimen..."The brain specimen is being investigated by the CDC for any potential infectious biological agents, infectious substances, and a decision on what to do with the specimen. Read the rest

It may not rank up there with climate change or personal debt, but confess...isn’t it the worst when you’re trying to put a food container in the fridge, but can’t find the right lid to fit?Hey, not everything has to be a global crisis to be irritating to the core. But still...it’s even more annoying when you start thinking of how easy it should be to fix this all-container, no-lid conundrum.Apparently, modern science is tackling the big problems first because now, The Food Guard ($16.99 for a 5-piece set, 15 percent off) has arrived to solve this vexing kitchen dilemma.The Food Guard is the one-size-fits-all fix. While it looks like a typical food wrap, it’s actually a stretchable, stackable, washable, reusable, environmentally friendly, money-saving alternative that’s so simple that it’s surprising someone hadn’t created it before.Made from a silicon material, a 7 ½-inch Food Guard can stretch up to 3 times its normal size and clings to any container, plate, bowl, dishpan, or other storage items. The airtight seal keeps your food fresher and locks in flavor -- and when you’re done, the Guard snaps back into shape, never losing its strength or durability.If you want to use it in the oven or microwave, no problem. It’s capable of withstanding temperatures up to 446 degrees.With the Food Guard, you can stop sweeping the backs of your cupboards for stray lids and stop using all those plastic wraps that end up in a landfill.Right now, you can get $3 off this five-pack including a blue, red, green, yellow and clear Food Guard for just $16.99 Read the rest

An annual parade of kinetic sculptures and other artworks and performances in a Dutch canal to celebrate the work of hometown hero Hieronymus Bosch? More of this in the world, please!Bosch is known for his symbolic paintings often tying in gruesome representations of the afterlife and human desire and fear. He is also regarded as one of the earliest genre painters, depicting common people and their everyday experiences. The annual Bosch Parade is described by organizers as “a theatrical and musical art spectacle on water,” drawing thousands of visitors to the southern city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands, where Bosch was born and eventually got his name from.Read the full story and view some love photos on Colossal. Also, follow the parade's Instagram feed for more fun images.Image: YouTube Read the rest

“Can we get 'Gone with the Wind' back, please?” — Donald Trump, 2/20/2020, Colorado

• U.S. intelligence briefed House on Russia to ensure Trump's re-election.• Classified briefing to lawmakers made Trump angry• Trump said Democrats would “weaponize” news of Russian military campaign• Trump was mad DNI Joseph Maguire would let staff appear• That's why Maguire's out, Richard Grenell's in as 'acting' DNI. In Washington last week, U.S. intelligence officials told lawmakers that Russia is carrying out a military-grade attack on the 2020 elections, with the goal of making Americans doubt the integrity of the vote and ensure re-election for impeached, manifestly unfit and corrupt President Donald Trump, Reuters reported Thursday. Earlier today, The New York Times reported that one day after this briefing on Russian interference in the 2020 US elections, Trump punished acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Joseph Maguire for allowing his staff to appear before the committee. The NYT quotes five people familiar with the matter:The day after the Feb. 13 briefing to lawmakers, Mr. Trump berated Joseph Maguire, the outgoing acting director of national intelligence, for allowing it to take place, people familiar with the exchange said. Mr. Trump cited the presence in the briefing of Representative Adam B. Schiff, the California Democrat who led the impeachment proceedings against him, as a particular irritant.On Wednesday, as NYT notes, Trump announced Maguire was out and that Richard Grenell, a Trump toady who has served as ambassador to Germany since 2018, will be 'acting' DNI. Intelligence officials and analysts say Grenell is not qualified, and this is manifestly corrupt and bizarre. Read the rest

Until I bumped into the first video below on YouTube this morning, I had no idea that a lot of The Mandalorian was shot on a virtual set using the Unreal Engine.Over 50 percent of The Mandalorian Season 1 was filmed using this ground-breaking new methodology, eliminating the need for location shoots entirely. Instead, actors in The Mandalorian performed in an immersive and massive 20’ high by 270-degree semicircular LED video wall and ceiling with a 75’-diameter performance space, where the practical set pieces were combined with digital extensions on the screens. Digital 3D environments created by ILM played back interactively on the LED walls, edited in real-time during the shoot, which allowed for pixel-accurate tracking and perspective-correct 3D imagery rendered at high resolution via systems powered by NVIDIA GPUs. The environments were lit and rendered from the perspective of the camera to provide parallax in real-time, as if the camera were really capturing the physical environment with accurate interactive light on the actors and practical sets, giving showrunner Jon Favreau, executive producer and director Dave Filoni, visual effects supervisor Richard Bluff, and cinematographers Greig Frazier and Barry Baz Idoine, and the episodic directors the ability to make concrete creative choices for visual effects-driven work during photography and achieve real-time in-camera composites on set.Here is an article about it on the Unreal Engine's website.Image: YouTube Read the rest

I write a weekly newsletter with Claudia Dawson and Kevin Kelly, called Recomendo. In each issue we briefly recommend 6 things. Here's a great tip in the Jan 26, 2020 issue, which Kevin shared with me a few years back and has proven to be very useful in helping me make decisions about whether or not to accept invitations to events weeks or months away:Immediacy filterOne of the most useful bits of advice I ever got, came from the writer Anne Herbert who said that whenever she got an invitation to do something months away or even a week away, she asked herself whether she would accept the gig/meeting/task if it was tomorrow. The answer was often no. I use that immediacy trick all the time, and it has served me very well. — KKBy the way, Claudia, Kevin, and I recently published a book of the best of Recomendo, with 500 brief reviews of cool stuff. Read the rest

I really enjoyed this interview that Kevin Kelly conducted with sci-fi author, Neal Stephenson, as part of The Long Now Foundation's salon series at The Interval in San Francisco.During the one hour exchange, these two inspiring thinkers discuss Neal's latest book, Fall, or Dodge in Hell, some of the inspirations behind it, and how some of these technologies may come to pass. Half of the video is Q&A with the audience.Here is the cover slap copy for the book:Fall, or Dodge in Hell" is pure, unadulterated fun: a grand drama of analog and digital, man and machine, angels and demons, gods and followers, the finite and the eternal. In this exhilarating epic, Neal Stephenson raises profound existential questions and touches on the revolutionary breakthroughs that are transforming our future. Combining the technological, philosophical, and spiritual in one grand myth, he delivers a mind-blowing speculative literary saga for the modern age.Image: YouTube Read the rest

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon have come up with this new IoT Assistant app (available for both iOS and Android) that will supposedly inform you about what Internet-connected smart devices are around you at any point in time, and what kind of information they might be collecting.“Because of new laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), people need to be informed about what data is collected about them and they need to be given some choices over these processes,” says Professor Norman Sadeh, a CyLab faculty member in Carnegie Mellon’s Institute for Software Research and the principal investigator on the project. “We have built an infrastructure that enables owners of IoT technologies to comply with these laws, and an app that takes advantage of this infrastructure to empower people to find out about and control data collected by these technologies.”I've downloaded the app myself, and I plan on adding my own smart home devices to their database, just to see what I can find. I don't know how well it will actually work, but I'm certainly intrigued by the idea.New infrastructure will enhance privacy in today’s Internet of Things [Daniel Tkacik / CyLab, the Carnegie Mellon University Security and Privacy Institute] Read the rest

Facebook leader Mark Zuckerberg has a Facebook executive blow-dry his armpits before making speeches, according to a forthcoming book about the company by journalist Steven Levy.Zuckerberg is harder to read, ping-ponging in Levy’s portrayal between naive genius and robotic robber baron. He, too, is consumed by his public image. (A communications exec is shown blow-drying the CEO’s armpits before speaking appearances to eliminate anxiety sweat.)The book, Facebook: The Inside Story [Amazon], is out in two days and available for pre-order now. Read the rest

Assembling a truly autonomous smart home is getting closer and closer to reality every day. But for every new smart bulb, thermostat, home security system and appliance we set loose within our walls, there are still probably a half dozen “dumb” items we’d still love to replace.But whether they’re too costly or too big a hassle to swap out, there are also new alternatives for making dumb items smart. The AXIS Gear is one of those new smart accessories, turning old-school blinds and shutters into window coverings that do what you want when you want it.Indiegogo backers got the Gear off the ground, a smart device that allows you to control your existing window shades from your phone. After a quick 5-minute installation, your blinds are suddenly motorized.Compatible with any window shade that has a beaded chain, the AXIS Gear syncs with the free smartphone app so you can raise or lower your blinds at the touch of your phone. With Gear, you can also set custom schedules to raise or lower your shades so you can always make sure they’re closed each night, then open in the morning, then closed again during the heat of the afternoon.Right now, you can save $25 off the purchase of the AXIS Gear, only $224.99 with this offer. Read the rest

"I'm not only the Hair Club president but I'm also a client." If those words ring a bell, then join me in celebrating a man brought much happiness to others. I'm talking about Sy Sperling, founder of Hair Club for Men, who rose to fame when he starred in his own television commercials. In addition to founding a successful hair restoration company in 1976, Sperling went on to become an active philanthropist.From NBC News:Sperling's family said he was "most proud of his charitable contribution in the form of Hair Club for Kids, in which Hair Club for Men provided hair free of charge to children under 18 who lost their hair from chemotherapy."He acted as the honorary chairman for City Relief, which provides "Meals on Wheels" for the homeless. He also fought for animal rights and lived a "devout" vegan lifestyle, his family said."Colleagues, friends, and family recall Mr. Sperling as a visionary with an immense passion for business, innovation and helping others," said a statement from Hair Club. "We continue to live by his words 'Live life to the fullest, take chances and risks, and believe in yourself.'"Image: YouTube Read the rest

A contestant on the Romanian edition of Survivor lost a challenge, became angry, then punched and headbutted another contestant, apparently breaking his nose. An article in Gazeta Sporturilor reports that the woman, an MMA fighter named Ana Maria Pal, was kicked off the show.Machine translation:Ana Maria Pal, MMA fighter, shocking gesture on TV: hit a colleague in the mouth!Ana Maria Pal, an MMA fighter, was the star of a shocking gesture at the TV show Survivor Romania. Ana Pal hit the head in full figure Andrei Ciobanu, the competitor in the opposing team, and was eliminated from the competition transmitted by Kanal D.Pal has an interesting life story, becoming a mother at just 19 years old. Ana Maria took refuge in MMA, a tough contact sport, in which she was able to unload her nerves. Read the rest

“We are desperate — desperate — for more people,” Donald Trump cabinet member Mick Mulvaney said in a recording obtained by The Washington Post. “We are running out of people to fuel the economic growth that we’ve had in our nation over the last four years. We need more immigrants.” More from the Washington Post:“We are desperate — desperate — for more people,” Mulvaney said. “We are running out of people to fuel the economic growth that we’ve had in our nation over the last four years. We need more immigrants.”The Trump administration wants those immigrants to come in a “legal fashion,” Mulvaney said, according to the recording.Mulvaney’s remarks appear in contrast to the public position of several top figures in Trump’s White House — especially that of senior policy adviser Stephen Miller — who have been working to slash both legal and illegal immigration via a slew of policies that aim to close off the U.S. border to foreigners. They have insisted that the steady arrival of newcomers depresses wages for the blue-collar U.S. workers whose votes helped lift Trump to the presidency in 2016.Read more:Mulvaney says U.S. is ‘desperate’ for more legal immigrants Read the rest

A leaked demo has bright red and orange marks on 'harmfully misleading' tweets

'Colobus monkeys live in families with several females sharing in the care of newborns, a behavior called allomothering'

Residents of the Ocean Park neighborhood in Santa Monica, California are angry that adult film performer Ellie Eilish and a colleague allegedly filmed a porn movie inside the local public library. The video apparently turned up on PornHub where, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press, "library porn is not uncommon." From the SMDP:The video, which was posted three weeks ago, shows 19-year-old entertainer Ellie Eilish exposing herself while walking around Ocean Park, outside of the John Muir Elementary School and Santa Monica Alternative School House campus, and inside the Ocean Park branch library. Eilish then performs sex acts inside the library with a man, whose face is not shown...The city of Santa Monica issued the following statement Monday afternoon:“We are deeply disturbed to learn about this video. Sex in public spaces is against the law and the Santa Monica Police Department will be looking into this incident.”image credit: Santa Monica Public Library (CC BY-SA 3.0) Read the rest

Roger Stone, political operative and longtime confidant of President Trump, is sentenced to 40 months in prison by a federal judge who condemned his lies to Congress, witness tampering, and obstruction.The judge in Roger Stone's case said 7 to 9 years' imprisonment was too harsh, but probation also "insufficient."Judge Amy Berman Jackson laid down the law. Roger stone gets more than 3 years.Will he be pardoned in under 3 days?Will Trump respect the rule of law?[Broadcast news live screengrab: CBS NEWS via]Roger Stone leaves the courthouse after being sentenced to 40 months in prison. A few discordant chants of “pardon Roger Stone” pic.twitter.com/d2bPykOLOW— Lauren Gambino (@laurenegambino) February 20, 2020Roger Stone is met with yells of "lock him up!" as he exits the courthouse following his sentencing pic.twitter.com/hc5vxb0qpj— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 20, 2020Leaving courthouse, Stone does not speak to media.— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) February 20, 2020DOJ/Mueller team had recommended 7 to 9 years before Barr’s interference. If Trump and critics thought that was excessive, 3+ years seems clearly fair & appropriate. Trump now has no pretext to pardon or commute. Just corrupt and faithless execution. https://t.co/RFEKJSXRmg— Jed Shugerman (@jedshug) February 20, 2020Snapshot of Judge Amy Berman Jackson's remarks before sentencing Roger Stone, who, she said “was not prosecuted for standing up for the president; he was prosecuted for covering up for the president.” pic.twitter.com/Bu6xqyY3Vy— Andrew deGrandpre (@adegrandpre) February 20, 2020"The truth still exists. The truth still matters" in official government proceedings, Judge Amy Berman Jackson said. Read the rest

Learn about "Nook Inc.’s Deserted Island Getaway Package" in Animal Crossing: New Horizons for Nintendo Switch, which is coming out on March 20, 2020.Image: Nintendo Read the rest

The Amsterdam city council released plans to possibly move much of its infamous red light district into an indoor erotic complex with a hotel, sex club, theater, and cafes. From The Guardian:Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema, has vowed to clean up the city’s red light district as her staff complain that throngs of tourists, often drunk and rowdy, “disrespected both prostitutes and residents”.Halsema also wants to fight a new trend, a “major increase in unlicensed underground prostitution” around the city centre’s Wallen area, near the central station, for centuries the haunt of sailors and sex workers...“Sex work is a normal job and the idea is not to chase prostitution from the city,” the council said.The erotic centre will not just cater to pleasures of the flesh but also house a beauty salon, a hair dresser and a tanning studio.image credit: Bjarki Sigursveinsson (public domain) Read the rest

• U.S. State Department blames Russia for cyberattacks that hit neighboring Georgia in October 2019• By identifying Russia's digital assaults on neighbors, US hopes to raise awareness of ongoing GRU attacks on USAndy Greenberg at WIRED reports today on a State Department announcement identifying Russia as having been responsible for online military attacks against its neighboring nation, Georgia, last October. From the WIRED story:For more than a decade, Russian hackers have tormented the country's neighbors, bombarding Estonian websites with junk traffic and even triggering blackouts in Ukraine. As long as Russia has kept those relentless, disruptive cyberattacks within its own region, the West has mostly turned a blind eye. But as the US seeks to head off any digital meddling in its own upcoming election, the State Department is trying something different: Calling out Russia for a broad-scale act of digital sabotage that hit the country of Georgia last fall.State Department officials today issued a statement blaming the Russian military intelligence agency known as the GRU for cyberattacks that hit Georgia in October. The onslaught took down or defaced thousands of websites, and even disrupted the broadcasts of two television stations. Specifically, administration officials tell WIRED that US and allied intelligence agencies have attributed the assault to the GRU's Main Center for Special Technology, or GTsST, which the State Department also explicitly linked for the first time in its statement to the notorious Russian hacker group known as Sandworm. The US had previously tied that same group to the destructive NotPetya worm that spread from Ukraine in 2017, causing $10 billion in damage, and the Olympic Destroyer malware that sabotaged the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Read the rest

Above, a visit to a building in Liuyang, China where stacks of roman candle tubes and pop-its cover the floor. This is a fireworks machine trade show, where companies purchase contraptions for cranking out explosions of all kinds. Liuyang is commonly known as the fireworks capital of China. Here are some of the captivating machines that make (or break) July 4th and New Years Eve in the US.(Props to Tasick Media on YouTube)And as a bonus, here's a video of another machine that was used for manufacturing M-80s before they were outlawed in the US in 1966 (unless you have a license):(Credits go to displayfireworks1 on YouTube) Read the rest

The Defense Information Systems Agency, which calls itself a combat support agency of the Defense Department on its website, employs 8,000 military and civilian employees.The DIA, which is responsible for secure White House communications, said Social Security numbers and other personal data its network held, was likely compromised, reports Reuters, citing a letter sent to compromised individuals.U.S. agency responsible for Trump's secure communication suffered data breach: letter https://t.co/NDqi9zJgYE— Chris Bing (@Bing_Chris) February 20, 2020From reporting by Chris Bing at Reuters:The letter, dated Feb. 11, 2020, says that between May and July 2019, personal data may have been compromised “in a data breach” on a system hosted by the Defense Information Systems Agency.The White House did not immediately answer a request for comment and the letter provided few further details. For example, it did not indicate what specific part of DISA’s network had been breached or identify which other individuals may have had their data compromised.The agency says it “provides direct telecommunications and IT support to the president, vice president, their staff, and the U.S. Secret Service.” Read more:U.S. agency responsible for Trump's secure communication suffered data breach: letter[reuters.com] Read the rest

Twenty-five experts have issued a warning about the potentially cataclysmic consequences of the rapidly shrinking insect population, reports The Guardian.In a two-part article for Biological Conservation, the scientists wrote: “The current [insect] extinction crisis is deeply worrisome. Yet, what we know is only the tip of the iceberg.We know enough to act immediately. Solutions are now available – we must act upon them.”From The Guardian:The researchers said solutions were available and must be implemented immediately. These range from bigger nature reserves and a crackdown on harmful pesticides to individual action such as not mowing the lawn and leaving dead wood in gardens. They also said invertebrates must no longer be neglected by conservation efforts, which tend to focus on mammals and birds.Photo by Neenu Vimalkumar on Unsplash Read the rest

With so many manufacturers out there these days, it’s tough to know who to trust in the ultra-competitive wireless earbuds market. If you’ve never heard of LinearFlux, you may soon. That’s because it’s a company with a stellar pedigree whose co-founders were two of the engineers behind the original success of two audio houses you likely have heard of: Beats by Dr. Dre; and Monster Products.They struck out on their own to start LinearFlux and created the HyperSonic Lite True wireless earphones. These ultra-powerful, yet ergonomically comfortable earbuds are on sale now for $59.99, 25 percent off their regular price.As you’d expect from seasoned engineers, sound quality is job no. 1 with the Hypersonic Lites. Sporting Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, these headphones offer extended range without the dropouts you find in competing models. Meanwhile, these buds also feature LinearFlux’s exclusive DL02 Immersive Sound Engine, which connects the unit wirelessly to all the popular streaming music services. All you’ve got to do is turn on and tune in to listen to your favorite Apple Music, Spotify or Pandora channels.Of course, great sound always starts with a proper fit. The HyperSonic Lites’ lightweight design is reinforced to withstand sweat and water, and crafted with soft ear tips to allow comfortable listening for up to eight hours on a single charge.The HyperSonic Lite earphones are currently $20 off retail, down to just $59.99. Read the rest

In this video, Claude Debussy's Clair de Line is presented on a modular synthesizer. The accompanying Haiku says all:from the modular,a landscape a wee sterile,just a reflection ~The performer is ann annie, who can be found on Instagram and Bandcamp. There are only a few other recordings on YouTube, but they're all wonderful. Here's "North Wind": Read the rest

Sega Arcade: Pop-Up History [Read Only Memory] is a beautifully-illustrated hardcover book about six classic Sega "body sensation" arcade cabinets – Hang-On, Space Harrier, Out Run, After Burner, Thunder Blade and Power Drift – complete with pop-up cardboard models. Accompanying this 3D showcase is a written history from Guardian games writer and best-selling novelist, Keith Stuart, punctuated by specially restored production artwork and beautifully reproduced in-game screens. The book features contributions from arcade game innovator Yu Suzuki, who offers first-hand insight into the development of these groundbreaking games and the birth of the Taiken cabinet phenomenon.The book's £35 and shipping now. Read the rest

In this video, Xenos moutoni are carefully extracted from hornets. Xenos parasites, in the order Strepsipsera, live their entire lives in the abdomens of wasps and similar insects, altering the host's behavior. Here's a story about Xenos vesparum, which parasitizes paper wasps. And here's a scientific paper about Xenos myrapetrus, which lives within swarm-founding wasps.The infected wasp begins to suffer nutritionally, then flies to meet with other infected wasps. The male parasite exits the wasp's abdomen and mates with the female parasites which stay inside their host. Wasps infected with the male parasite die. Wasps infected with the female parasite then fatten themselves up much like queen wasps do. They then fly to meet with other uninfected queen wasps. Then when the parasite is mature, the infected wasp flies to mingle with other uninfected wasps, thereby spreading brood and larvae into new environments. Tiny tweezers and a steady hand. Read the rest

Two-thirds of American adults drink coffee every day. On average, they’re each drinking about three cups per day, which works out to nearly 400 million cups downed each and every day.We don’t have stats on what percentage of those cups are God awfully bad, but you have to assume with so many ways to screw it up, lots of Americans are draining bad brews just to get through the day.The Ratio Six Coffee Maker is a home brewing system funded by a Kickstarter campaign that wants to bring a world-class cup of joe with each and every pour.Consistency and convenience without compromise are the Ratio Six rallying cry. Just add your water and grounds, then push the button. That’s it. The meticulously handmade unit kicks into action, simulating the pour-over technique of a skilled barista. Hot water is slowly dispersed over the bloom with sharp precision, offering more evenly extracted grounds and an excellent cup of coffee.Brewing up to 40 ounces at a time, the Ratio Six looks as good as it brews, cutting a sleek stainless steel profile that helps it fit in on any countertop. The Ratio folks are also backing their quality machine with a 5-year warranty, so you know that it’s built to last.The Ratio Six Coffee Maker is just now rolling out to Kickstarter buyers, but you can still get one now at $35 off the regular price, just $310.99. Boing Boing readers can save an additional 10% when using code RATIO10 at checkout. Read the rest

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has opened an investigation into a former Google employee’s pregnancy discrimination case, CNBC reports.Chelsey Glasson worked as a former user experience researcher with Alphabet’s Google for five years. She wrote an internal memo that went viral in the summer of 2019 called “I’m Not Returning to Google After Maternity Leave, and Here is Why.” This newest investigation adds to a growing pile. Google is facing a number of federal probes and widespread employee dissent, reports Jennifer Elias for CNBC:In [“I’m Not Returning to Google After Maternity Leave, and Here is Why”], she alleged her supervisor made discriminatory remarks about pregnant women. She also claimed that the company retaliated against her with poor performance ratings and unfairly denied her a leadership position.Glasson told CNBC in December that Google’s human resources department did not investigate her complaint until after she hired an attorney, adding that she was never interviewed by HR before Google said it did not find her claims credible. At the time, Google didn’t respond to requests for comment. Glasson filed a complaint with the EEOC late last year with the allegations, which had more detail, including that one of the alleged supervisors was on the Google Cloud team.The company responded to the EEOC complaint in January, saying it found no evidence of discrimination and that it didn’t make Glasson a manager due to insufficient headcount, according to materials viewed by CNBC.The agency transferred Glasson’s case to the EEOC’s investigation division Wednesday, where the Seattle field office will take it on. Read the rest

Post-Brexit, Google plans to move UK user accounts out of the control of European Union privacy regulators, and will place them under U.S. jurisdiction instead, where privacy protections are weaker, reports Joseph Menn at Reuters.Excerpt:The shift, prompted by Britain’s exit from the EU, will leave the sensitive personal information of tens of millions with less protection and within easier reach of British law enforcement. The change was described to Reuters by three people familiar with its plans. Google intends to require its British users to acknowledge new terms of service including the new jurisdiction.Ireland, where Google and other U.S. tech companies have their European headquarters, is staying in the EU, which has one of the world’s most aggressive data protection rules, the General Data Protection Regulation.Google has decided to move its British users out of Irish jurisdiction because it is unclear whether Britain will follow GDPR or adopt other rules that could affect the handling of user data, the people said.Read more:Exclusive: Google users in UK to lose EU data protection - sources.@google never has to follow any government regulations because they are more powerful than any government.Good luck, UK. https://t.co/Dd6oazD5Cd— Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) February 19, 2020“The shift, prompted by Britain’s exit from the EU, will leave the sensitive personal information of tens of millions with less protection and within easier reach of British law enforcement.” https://t.co/Y4b1GoWfnf— blmohr (@blmohr) February 19, 2020Sure, we lose data protection but BLUE PASSPORTS! Read the rest