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33MTA3 seems like an innocuous combination of letters and numbers. Until you see them in a rear view mirror.Mental Floss has a list of vanity plate names that have been banned in four states. For starters here are 10 plates the Colorado DMV won't issue:BENDOVRBOYTOYDAMFINEDRUGS1EATPOOFATBUTTGIMEAZZIAMNUDEIGETNKDILFRT4U Read the rest

Denis Villeneuve's Dune, based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel about space travel, drugs, witches, feudal vendettas, hydraulic despotism, genetics, monologues, etc., is out later this year, rona permitting. Vanity Fair has an exclusive shot from the long-awaited production, with more promised today.That's Timothée Chalamet as protagonist Paul Atreides, all but certainly on his family's fiefdom of Caladan. my god pic.twitter.com/iHu4ymYTKI— Rob Beschizza (@Beschizza) April 13, 2020 Read the rest

Ray Harryhausen was a pioneer of stop-motion animation, who won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1949 for his work on Mighty Joe Young with Willis H. O'Brien. He was created the infamous skeleton sword fight from 1963's Jason and the Argonauts, and also worked on similar big-monster classics like The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Clash of the Titans. As you can see in the video, it's an impressively meticulous body of work!Image:Public Domain Read the rest

The Feuerkrieg Division is the Baltic version of the US-based Atomwaffen Nazi paramilitary. And like their American counterparts, they were planning some murder, specifically with bombs.Fortunately, authorities were able to put a stop to theses plans once they identified and found their leader — who turned out to be a 13-year-old boy. From Deutsche Welles:Investigators found the group was headed by a 13-year-old, the German magazinesaid, citing Estonian newspaper Eesti Ekspress. The young man operated online under the name "Commander" and was responsible for the recruitment and admission of new members.He also shared bomb-making instructions, spoke about planning an attack on London and suggested organizing military training camps in February, to commemorate the "100th birthday" of Adolf Hitler's former political party NSDAP.A spokesman for the Estonian Internal Security Service told The Associated Press that they had intervened with the 13-year-old Commander's parents in Finland in January, but that, "As the case dealt with a child under the age of 14, this person cannot be prosecuted under the criminal law and instead other legal methods must be used to eliminate the risk. Cooperation between several authorities, and especially parents, is important to steer a child away from violent extremism."The Feuerkrieg Division has operatives in Germany, Lithuania, and the US, and some of their other leaders have also been apprehended recently. But the group was largely organized online, and according to the Eesti Ekspress, which broke the story, no one seemed to be aware that they were taking orders from a maniacal 13-year-old. Read the rest

The Pocket Art Director II offers even better advice than the 2014 original, "conveying a fresh perspective to accurately address the context and vigor of today’s commercial arts professional." In a world where there are too many options and too many things to worry about, this makes life simple. And right now, no-one has to know you're consulting! [via @doctorow]See also the Pocket Dev and the Pocket Founder. Read the rest

Lines outside Costco. Lines at Target. Lines at your neighborhood grocery store. While many items have been cleaned off all store shelves in the wake of virus hysteria, there’s one commodity that reigns above all others as the Holy Grail of shopper ambitions: toilet paper.Did you ever think you’d see a time when you would actually go to the store because an employee tipped you off that it was toilet paper shipment day? Did you think you’d ever go literally weeks without seeing so much as a single roll of Charmin or Angel Soft available for purchase?Yeah, we didn’t either. And frankly, it’s nuts. And if we never had to think about toilet paper again, it would be too soon.Of course, that’s a plausible future if you just broke down and got a quality bidet. They’re all the rage right now, even before the great toilet paper shortages — and the Bliss BB-2000 Bidet Toilet Seat is a shining example of what a toilet paper-free life could be like.The BioBidet Bliss BB-2000 represents the pinnacle of new cleansing technology and offers the premium experience you’d expect. The 3-in-1 nozzle is reliable and effective, producing a signature vortex water stream with a high water volume for a gratifying clean as well as a softer feminine wash with bubble infusion technology.If you’re concerned about all that water and whether you’ll eventually be on the receiving end of an ice-cold blast, the Bliss employs one of the most innovative hybrid water heating systems around, combining instant heating with water flow and temperature consistency to produce a continuously warm water flow that could practically run forever. Read the rest

There are more than 16m colors addressable at the standard 24-bits of depth, and barely a handful have proper names. Color Names sets out of remedy this historical failure of imagination, and is accepting nominations. It feeds you unnamed colors and you suggest a name.I've added a few, shown here; you can go and vote on the latest submissions. Read the rest

I'm a huge fan of Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, but I only recently learned that their bass player, Tarrant Anderson, also runs a company called Vans for Bands that handles vehicle rentals and logistics management for touring music group. It's a pretty cool idea, and a smart niche to find.Of course, there aren't a lot of touring bands right now.So Tarrant and his team are retrofitting some of their tour vans and tour buses to function as on-site facilities to help healthcare workers in the UK who are working on the frontlines of the coronavirus crisis. From their fundraising page:At Vans For Bands we are thinking of innovative ways to use our sleeper buses to help the NHS deal with the current COVID--19 crisis. We have been in touch with many hospitals throughout the UK and it's clear there is a need for on-site sleeping and rest facilities for those NHS staff who are working long or extended shifts or who need to get some well needed rest during or between gruelling 12+ hour shifts when going home is not an option.[…]Your generous donations will enable us to fund only the running costs for providing this invaluable service; we are not making any profit, simply covering running costs. Any unused funds will be donated to each of the hospital charities where our buses are being utilised.It's a smart idea, and one that can definitely help; those tour buses are a lot nicer than the break rooms in the overcrowded hospitals, and even the cots are already setup to reserve about 2 meters worth of personal space for everyone (except across the aisle). Read the rest

A recent piece in the journal Scientific Reports claims that remnants of twisted fiber found on a flint tool are between 42,000 - 52,000 years old and may have been made by Neanderthals. The tool and string were found in a cave in Southern France that was inhabited by Neanderthals.NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce writes of the discovery:The discovery adds to growing evidence that our closest extinct human relative wasn't as dumb as scientists had long assumed."They are this sort of ultimate 'other,' this creature that is very similar to us yet somehow is supposed to be too stupid to live," said Bruce Hardy, a paleoanthropologist at Kenyon College in Ohio. He points out that Neanderthals were smart enough to have persisted for hundreds of thousands of years before eventually disappearing around 40,000 years ago. This is the oldest string found so far by a wide margin. The earliest string recovered before this was "only" 19,000 years old.Read the NPR piece. Read the Scientific Reports paper.Image: Salmen Bejaoui on Unsplash Read the rest

Whether a world economy is scorching hot or facing the challenges of recent weeks, one inalienable fact remains the same — job seekers need to go where the jobs are.With literally millions of Americans trying to navigate layoffs and cutbacks, it’s probably time for many to start considering a whole new industry. Preferably, it’s also an industry that pays its finest a handsome wage.A certified Amazon Web Services (AWS) Solutions Architect is averaging $141,000 a year. As the web’s unquestioned leader in cloud services, AWS certified experts are in high demand — and the training in the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam Prep Course can put that AWS-trained personnel in line for lucrative jobs designing and growing AWS based systems.This 17-hour course featuring over 130 lectures is fashioned for intermediate-level AWS users, ready to advance their cloud skills to the next level. After some introductory training, the sessions here delve into everything a new architect needs to know to design, build and factor in room for growth for any sized company on the AWS platform.From security to ID management to data storage and communication needs, this training helps an architect understand all the tools available in the AWS environment and assemble those tools together to meet each individual company’s specific cloud needs.The training covers crucial topics for an AWS architect like using Amazon’s popular, yet wide-ranging S3 data storage services, its EC2 virtual server options and its extensive array of security protocols.Once you’re through this 17-hour course, you’ll be armed with all the knowledge necessary to take on the all-important AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam and pass it with flying colors, earning your ultimate mark of expertise and instantly making you hireable with any number of tech-hungry companies, both large and small. Read the rest

For years, pillows were just pillows. They propped up your head and offered comfort during rest, then doubled as decorative items during the day. And that’s really about as much thought as most people gave pillows for literally thousands of years.But when science began understanding the true importance of sleep in everything from our physical performance and health to its role in regulating our mental condition, the role of our no. 1 sleep buddy, the pillow, was also opened to reevaluation.Memory foam was created 50 years ago — and we haven’t looked back on sleep technology since, innovating a whole new wave of pillow developments that no one would have dreamed of before. Those advances in the pillow arts bring us to the Ceramo Queen Pillow, which brings together a pair of scientific methods for ensuring a sound sleep as well as a sound mind and body.The pillow itself contains that plush, luxurious air memory foam that stays cooler, better supports your head and shoulders and generally works wonders for sleepers, whether they slumber on their back, stomach or side.However, the Ceramo is also infused with a bio-ceramic gel that’s been found to have some pretty restorative effects on the body as well. In addition to diffusing heat and offering a cooler sleep, the gel returns that heat in the form of infrared energy.Soaking in that radiant body heat while you sleep, the infrared has been found to improve circulation, boost oxygen levels to increase muscle and tissue strength, promote relaxation, reduce stress and even help soothe aching or inflamed joints. Read the rest

My friends at Reboot, the Jewish arts and culture nonprofit, are hosting a free Passover concert stream today at 2pm PDT / 5pm EDT with a killer lineup! The show, "Reboot Ideas: Liberation Through Music," features Nicki Bluhm (The Gramblers), Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All-Stars), Jeremiah Lockwood, and Zach Rogue (Rogue Wave). Dayenu! Tune in here on Zoom.And check out the calendar of upcoming Reboot Ideas sessions here!L'Chaim! Read the rest

There has probably never been a better time to cajole your family members and far-flung friends into playing D&D. It's a great escape from the strange world we now find ourselves in and a perfect organized activity that involves planning, social interaction, cooperative story-telling, logic and math, creativity, and the imagination.To make your shut-in days (weeks and months) a little bit more entertaining and fun, WotC has set up a "Stay at Home, Play at Home" section of their Dungeons & Dragons website. There you can find tons of free online tools to assist you in your games: how to play materials, free basic rules, campaigns, encounters, and even activities and coloring books for younger kids. They also have a resource section for ways to play D&D remotely.(And yes, that's a dragon wearing an N95 mask on the logo. As I said, strange times.)Image: Program logo Read the rest

A film by Lernert & Sander; happy Easter! Read the rest

Not long ago, the term weighted blanket elicited more blank stares than nods of recognition. But a funny thing happened over the course of the past few years. People who had trouble nodding off to sleep each night or who found themselves waking up multiple times throughout the overnight hours realized they didn’t just have to live with it — and the answer was simply a matter of adding a new bedding accessory.Of course, there is no magic solution to everyone’s sleep problems. And studies are only beginning to look into the true benefits of sleeping under a weighted blanket each night. But what’s undeniable is that many report a more restful, soothing sleep when they started using a blanket with up to 30 lbs of glass beads or other materials inside. This pressure therapy gives the body the sensation of being hugged or held, encouraging the brain to release neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine that encourage more restful sleep and even combat symptoms of autism, anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).No matter what’s keeping you from eight hours of uninterrupted rest each night, the Hush Blanket 2-in-1 Summer and Winter Bundle may help offer a tangible answer proven to work in thousands.Filled with 20 to 30 lbs. of non-toxic glass sand evenly distributed throughout this 60 by 80-inch microfiber blanket, the Hush Blanket helps alleviate stress and anxiety while promoting sleep health.Experts suggest choosing a blanket that equals about 10 percent of your body weight, so you can choose from 20, 25, or 30 lb. Read the rest

Some sports are slower. More about the strategy. pic.twitter.com/JMBaGJ1tSd— Andrew Cotter (@MrAndrewCotter) April 9, 2020Oliver and Mabel are what the world needs now.Previously: Dogs' breakfast commentatedImage: Twitter Read the rest

Who knew that THIS was the sound of one hand clapping?And as if that wasn't enough delight for the day:Image: YouTube Read the rest

American political memories can be so short. Remember that time way back in 2005, during the avian flu A(H5N1) crisis, when a junior senator named Barack Obama wrote an op-ed in the New York Times warning that America urgently needed to prepare for a pandemic, and that we could model our readiness on the lessons learned from the 1918 flu?As Dan Diamond pointed out online today, way back in 2005, before Obama ran for president, “there was growing political consensus to fund those planning efforts.”“A junior senator named BARACK OBAMA even argued in the New York Times that it was time for 'decisive action to prevent a pandemic.'”Here's an excerpt from that op-ed, “Grounding a Pandemic,” by Barack Obama and Richard Lugar, June 6, 2005:International health experts believe that Southeast Asia will be an epicenter of influenza for decades. We recommend that this administration work with Congress, public health officials, the pharmaceutical industry, foreign governments and international organizations to create a permanent framework for curtailing the spread of future infectious diseases.Among the parts of that framework could be these:Increasing international disease surveillance, response capacity and public education and coordination, especially in Southeast Asia.Stockpiling enough antiviral doses to cover high-risk populations and essential workers.Ensuring that, here at home, Health and Human Services and state governments put in place plans that address issues of surveillance, medical care, drug and vaccine distribution, communication, protection of the work force and maintenance of core public functions in case of a pandemic. Read the rest

The United States on Saturday reached a grim milestone. Our country has now surpassed Italy in having the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the world. Health experts call this toll 'an underestimation,’ because of the severe problems with access to coronavirus testing throughout America.Also today, Anthony S. Fauci, the country's leading infectious disease expert, says he hopes for “a real degree of normality” by November.Election month.Hold on to your butts.[washingtonpost.com] Read the rest

The Neon Museum in Las Vegas turned the cameras on their Neon (sign) Boneyard for a live tour focusing on Tim Burton’s Lost Vegas exhibit. I wasn't able to get down to Vegas for the show, so this was a real treat!More about the show here: Read the rest

I've never really understood the modern concept of "owning a town" — other than, ya know, terrible wannabe feudal lords.But thanks a Reddit AMA this week, I've got a better idea of what exactly goes into owning and rebuilding up a deserted ghost town. Brent Underwood recently purchased the abandoned 22-building town of Cerro Gordo in California for $1.4 million dollars — not a bad price for a whole town, honestly, although it needs some work. Underwood was kind enough to answer some questions in the Reddit forum, and it's pretty enlightening to see how, exactly, he plans to make anything out of this desolate old mine-and-murder town. (It's also just interesting to see how he's meaning to survive his coronavirus quarantine in the snow without runing water.)I read the whole thread, and my only disappointment was the lack of answers on how you make a ghost pay rent. But Jeff Goldblum did stop by one time, so I guess life, uhhh, finds a way. View this post on Instagram Overview of Cerro GordoA post shared by Cerro Gordo (@cerro.gordo.ca) on Jul 12, 2018 at 7:29am PDT IamA guy who bought a 22-building 'ghost town' over a year ago with a friend. It was once California's largest silver producer and had a murder a week. I've been up here for past 3 weeks quarantining and currently snowed-in with no way out of the town. AMA! [Reddit]They Bought a Ghost Town for $1.4 Million. Now They Want to Revive It. Read the rest

Look, nothing about what's done in this video is easy or anything less than time consuming. But, if you're hellbent on being able to enjoy something as close to a Cadbury Creme Egg as possible, 365 days of the year, this recipe is your huckleberry. Read the rest

Apparently, Greater Manchester is the New Florida during spring break of the United Kingdom. Despite warnings, daily updates to the number of victims of COVID-19 and the threat of steep fines for breaking quarantine or engaging in large public gatherings, an absurd number of Mancunians refuse to do anything to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The local police? They're pissed off.From The BBC:There were 1,132 coronavirus-related breaches reported between 25 March and 7 April, the force said.That included 494 house parties - some with DJs, fireworks and bouncy castles - and 166 street parties.One woman in Bury became the first person in Greater Manchester to be charged under the Coronavirus Act 2020 after police had to repeatedly shut down one of the gatherings.The force, which has released updated figures, also had to deal with 122 different groups gathering to play sports, 173 more gatherings in parks and 112 incidents of anti-social behaviour and public disorder.All of this, of course, is absolutely insane. Not only does this sort of lunacy increase the possibility of infection for anyone in attendance of such bullshit get-togethers, it's also putting police officers in danger of contracting coronavirus, each and every time they have to show up to shut a party down. Also, where the hell do you get a bouncy castle in the middle of a pandemic?Having been safely, if not happily housebound since the end of February, I can't imagine what selfish needs that folks throwing parties and generally ignoring medical advice in the name of maintaining their social lives are thinking. Read the rest

While you're sheltering in place, I hope it's with someone who loves you and makes you feel whole. Read the rest

With workforces scattered, timelines busted and a reign of general uncertainty gripping our world, experienced project managers have never been more valuable. Now that most companies and industries face unprecedented belt-tightening and resource allocations, having a skilled project manager capable of successfully leading major initiatives while staying on time and on budget is an incalculable asset.There’s still room for motivated job seekers to get on board the project management track by mastering the most popular PM methodologies with training like The Project Manager’s Essential Certification Bundle ft. Scrum, Agile and PMP.Across 10 courses featuring more than 26 hours of instruction, students will dive into a complete overview of the entire project management field, examining each of the most popular ways of tackling a project and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each. Armed with that knowledge, you’ll be able to decide which method works best for each type of project.Agile and its most popular offshoot approach Scrum are known for its fast, flexible structure keyed around incremental advances that are constantly open to change and adaptation. Courses like The Complete Jira Agile Project Management Course, The Complete Agile Scrum Product Owner Masterclass, and Product Management: Agile Requirements Using Product Backlog explore understanding Agile and Scrum terminologies and enacting those principles.Meanwhile, students also dig into PMP methodologies based around the Waterfall approach that puts a much more structured and traditional spin on a well-defined seven project stage model. And there’s complete coverage of Kanban, which seeks to optimize project success by eliminating waste and banishing variations across the project timeline. Read the rest

As much as we’d all like to think otherwise, the reality is there are many out there hurting right now. Furloughs, cutbacks and job losses have left millions of Americans in a tough financial place, for some even far worse off than during the 2008 housing crisis economic downturn.Many of those affected could use something to help get them back on the feet. And if it means a new career with the prospect of new job training, even that new lease on lease needs to come at an absolutely minimal cost.As the Financial Times reports, “Tech companies are still hiring feverishly as they move to take advantage of a world shifting increasingly to digital.” And IT security experts will be a huge portion of that expanded workforce. The Complete Cyber Security Certification Training Bundle not only offers the background to get hired in one of those new positions, but students can even pay the price they want to pay for that training.The package includes nine IT security certification prep courses with more than 100 hours of instruction in areas like ethical hacking, penetration testing, auditing and more.All the biggest IT security acronyms are here in this collection, including training for CISSP, CPEH, CISM, CISA, and CPTE certifications.From generalized training to validate knowledge about the information security and best practices to specialized looks at risk management, cryptography, ID and access management, network, server, and app security and more, this package lines up all the training to be ready to take and pass six different certification exams, including the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) test, issued by the world’s leading cybersecurity and IT security professional organization. Read the rest

How cool is this? The Quarantine Coloring Book is an open art project on Instagram where artists can submit black and white images to be considered for the "book" and all of the uploaded images are available to be downloaded, colored, and then uploaded and tagged so that everyone following the project can see your handiwork. Fun for shut-ins of all ages!The Instagram page is here. You can see all of the colored pages tagged to date here. View this post on Instagram Finished :) Go check out quarantine coloring book! They’re gonna be uploading pages for free, you can color them any way you want! #quarantine #coloring @gerardway @thequarantinecoloringbookA post shared by The_Seal (@that_odd_seal) on Apr 9, 2020 at 10:27pm PDT View this post on Instagram This was fun! The stars reminded me of Keith Haring so I added some more. And the rainbow lettering is my favorite, I like the palette I ended up with. Yes this is my cats account but a human did complete this... please sue me. #thequarantinecoloringbook #TQCB @thequarantinecoloringbook @gerardway @seriouscreep @lolaplusg @prentlerA post shared by nox🌙 (@noxxthecat) on Apr 9, 2020 at 4:30pm PDT View this post on Instagram did this instead of hw 👉👈 #thequarantinecoloringbookA post shared by 🕯 (@overusedpunchline) on Apr 9, 2020 at 6:47pm PDTImage: Screengrab Read the rest

“No. Bull. Shit.”I love this woman.Congresswoman Katie Porter of Orange County, California, speaking with Samantha Bee. 'If you're full of bullshit, I'm coming for you.'For those taking notes at home, here’s a list of things I don’t have time for:1. That.pic.twitter.com/apmGFOnZgz— Katie Porter (@katieporteroc) April 10, 2020 Read the rest

“[D]eaths over the last month dwarf what would be expected from seasonal variations, and look more like a mass casualty event.”

Some centenarians have survived coronavirus

Huh, that's... weird? No?The White House announced today that impeached U.S. President Donald Trump spoke today to Vladimir Putin of Russia. This was their second call in as many days.Putin and Trump “discussed the latest efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic and maintain stability in global energy markets. The two leaders also covered critical bilateral and global issues,” says the White House.Source: APWhite House: President Trump spoke today to Vladimir Putin of Russia. This is their second call in as many days.— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) April 10, 2020Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin today, the White House says. They "discussed the latest efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic and maintain stability in global energy markets. The two leaders also covered critical bilateral and global issues" per WH— Robbie Gramer (@RobbieGramer) April 10, 2020I’d previously assumed that the lack of reported Russian cases was due to the strong leadership of Vladimir Putin. But it turns out that the government may have been dishonest and now things are getting bad. https://t.co/4U2y5xr5A1— Isaac Chotiner (@IChotiner) April 10, 2020The Latest: Trump, Putin discuss virus, global energy (from @AP) https://t.co/W7ozIXFtk7— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) April 10, 2020Imagine the ratings Trump could get if he aired his Putin convos live.— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) April 10, 2020POTUS at WH coronavirus briefing yesterday: "I just spoke with President Putin, and the King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman, and we had a big talk as to oil production and OPEC and making it so that our industry does well and the oil industry does better than it's doing right now." Read the rest

Google and Apple are working on a joint effort to introduce opt-in Bluetooth-based COVID-19 contact tracing APIs in mid-May for iOS and Android.The companies say the technology will not track the users' location or identity.Contact tracing can help slow the spread of COVID-19 and can be done without compromising user privacy. We’re working with @sundarpichai & @Google to help health officials harness Bluetooth technology in a way that also respects transparency & consent. https://t.co/94XlbmaGZV— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 10, 2020To help public health officials slow the spread of #COVID19, Google & @Apple are working on a contact tracing approach designed with strong controls and protections for user privacy. @tim_cook and I are committed to working together on these efforts.https://t.co/T0j88YBcFu— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) April 10, 2020The idea is to slow the spread of the coronavirus that causes the potentially fatal illness COVID-19 by “allowing users to opt into a system that catalogs other phones they have been near,” Reuters reports:The rare collaboration between the two Silicon Valley companies, whose operating systems power 99% of the world’s smartphones, could accelerate usage of apps that aim to get potentially infected individuals into testing or quarantine more quickly and reliably than existing systems in much of the world.The companies said they started developing technology two weeks ago to allow mobile devices to trade information via Bluetooth connections to alert people when they have been in close proximity with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, the sometimes deadly respiratory disease associated with the novel coronavirus. Read the rest

Nothing says ur-Passover in Pandemic Land like bagels.I received a bag of artisan baking flour. I really wanted to test it out and baking unleavened crackers because of shit that happened a long time ago seems not to respect the gravity of our daily situation.I have improved my bagel recipe over the old one, but it is still fun to read. Also, today I used commercial yeast but you can use sourdough. Simply substitute the yeast, ¼ cup of four and ¼ cup of water for ½ cup of starter.ur-Passover Pandemic BagelsIngredients:3 ½ cups flour1 ½ cups warm water1 packet of active yeast1 ½ tablespoons white sugar1 ½ teaspoons saltBoiling solution:2 tablespoons baking soda1 tablespoon brown sugar1 teaspoon salt8 cups of waterBagel Toppings to taste.In a measuring cup I combined 1 ½ cups of water with the sugar and yeast. I let it sit for 15 minutes. In a bowl I put the flour and salt.I combined all the ingredients all into a big ball. I kneaded it 2-3 minutes and set it aside in a bowl for about 60 minutes on a warm surface.I spread baking soda on some aluminum foil to bake the moisture out of it and evidently up my bagel skin game. I heated it at 300F for the time my dough was rising.After an hour I set the pot of water to boil and separated the dough into balls. Read the rest

Several years ago, I tech edited a book on the Internet of Things. Prior to that, I had not thought that deeply about the complex issues surrounding self-driving cars, except (as a person with severe spinal arthritis) looking forward to owning one in my future. After editing that chapter, I came away with a much greater understanding on the infrastructural changes that will need to happen and the profound moral and legal questions that will need to be addressed before this technology becomes commonplace. My takeaway: I won't be owning an autonomous car in my lifetime. This is technology that is 20 or more years away.In this video, part of Kevin Kelly's The Future Of series, he discusses autonomous cars. His takeaway: the infrastructural changes that will need to happen and the profound moral and legal questions that will need to be addressed mean that self-driving cars will not be commonplace for another 15-20 years. Read the rest

If you own a piece of hardware, you should be able to do whatever the hell you want with it, period. Don't like the color? Paint it. Not enough storage? Upgrade it. Not thrilled with it's operating system? Change it out. Many companies disagree with this. They'll void thew warranties of the things you putter about with. If you're cool with that, then putter away.I do.A couple of weeks ago, I got tired of the way that my accidentally tapping any of a number of keys on my Pomera DM30 would switch my typing, in mid-sentence, into Japanese. So, I changed it: Popping the caps off of all of the culprit keys, I removed their membrane. After the keys were popped back into place, it looked exactly the same as the device I started with, boasting one important difference: it only types in English now. It's a small, successful hardware hack that pays dividends towards my quality of life and productivity when I use my DM30 to churn out text. I've performed similarly simple operations on other hardware in the past: installing a new battery and a larger SSD in my ancient 11" MacBook Air. A New battery and replacement display for my wife's iPhone SE? Yep. They're small wins that have gone a long way towards building my confidence as a tinkerer and, consequentially, make me want to tinker with even more of the shit that I own.Today, I was planning on sharing how easy it was to upgrade my 7th-generation iPod Classic with 256GB of Micro SD storage and a 3,000 mAh battery. Read the rest

I recently re-read Mindhacker: 60 Tips, Tricks, and Games to Take Your Mind to the Next Level, by Ron Hale-Evans and Marty Hale-Evans. It's full of interesting ways to memorize things, think creatively, solve problems, and learn new things.Here's a sample:Hack 36: Role the Mental DiceQuick! You need a way to generate random numbers using just your brain, because you're playing in the pool, driving, falling asleep, or doing something else that makes it difficult to roll physical dice. Maybe you're playing games (board, role-playing, or purely mental) or breaking out of a rut by making decisions randomly. Don't panic – you can use simple math on random words from your surroundings to quickly create random numbers, just about anytime and anywhere.For each of these procedures, you'll need to be able to come up with a short random word, either spontaneously or from the environment. To get one, check nearby signs or reading material, ask a friend or passerby, or do anything similar that seems good to you. You'll also need to know or work out the number value of each letter, corresponding to its place in the alphabet: A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, and so on through Z equals 26.To emulate a 6 sided die, follow this procedure:Find a short word, such as “cat.”Sum the numerical values of the letters in the word: C = 3, A = 1, T = 20, and then 3+1+20 = 24.Calculate the number modulo 09 (see the section “How It Works” for the procedure).If the remainder is a 0, 7, or 8, which will happen one third of the time, discard it and try a new word. Read the rest

Delta sent out an email yesterday to more than 25,000 flight attendants asking them to “please refrain from notifying other crew members on your own” if they test positive from coronavirus. HuffPost got a hold of this email, which also says to employees: “Please do not post on social media (including SkyHub) about your health status.” From HuffPost:“Employees have freedom of speech about their health,” one flight attendant, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being fired, told HuffPost in a text message Thursday night. “No employer can take that away. We have a responsibility to take care of ourselves, our coworkers and everyone we come in contact with.”It’s unclear whether employees who disregard the protocols will face penalties. At least one flight attendant said they received a call from Delta’s human resources department about social media updates they posted about a colleague who is currently on a ventilator in intensive care, but HuffPost could not independently verify the details of the conversation. Delta did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday morning. There's also a two-minute audio voicemail, which HuffPost now has, that a flight attendant had received from Delta, which tells the attendant that they “may have been exposed in the last 14 days to a person on your recent rotation who may have had symptoms of COVID-19” but to keep working anyway.More details at HuffPost.Image: by Delta News Hub / Flickr Read the rest

D-Wave Systems opened up free cloud access to its quantum computing resources for researchers responding to COVID-19. They're also enlisting their staff, partners, and customers to help others get up to speed on programming quantum computing for their specific tasks. By taking advantage of quantum weirdness – the ability of quantum bits (qubits) to exist in both a “one” and a “zero” state at the same time – these systems can potentially solve problems that cripple even the fastest of today’s supercomputers. From IEEE Spectrum:Since 2018, D-Wave has offered remote access to quantum computing via its “Leap” quantum cloud computing service. Baratz says an ecosystem of more than 1,000 developers has sprung up to apply Leap’s quantum computing resources to a variety of purposes, including protein folding and financial modeling, and optimizing public transportation routes in Lisbon, Portugal.Then, in February, D-Wave began offering an enhanced quantum computing cloud service (Leap 2) which couples simulated qubits (on a conventional computer) with D-Wave’s actual qubits.“We’ve seen problems being explored in the following areas: 1) the modeling and simulation of the spread of the virus, 2) the scheduling of nurses and other hospital resources, 3) assessing the rate of virus mutation, and 4) the assessment of existing drugs as potential treatments,” Baratz said. “We've heard positive feedback from organizations and developers around the world and are looking forward to their collaboration with our global partners to find potential solutions to COVID-19." Read the rest

My guest on the Cool Tools podcast this week is Thom Dunn, a frequent contributor here at Boing Boing! Read the show notes here.Subscribe to the Cool Tools Show on iTunes | RSS | Transcript | See all the Cool Tools Show posts on a single page Read the rest

Bruce Sterling posted this to his blog, but doesn't say where he came across it. His caption: "All Ages Show – especially you, punk grandpa." Read the rest

As coronavirus cases soar past 4,700 in the Czech Republic, the Eastern European nation’s nude sunbathers are being targeted by authorities for neglecting to cover up their mouths.“Citizens can be without clothes in places designated for this purpose, but they must have their mouths covered and must observe the numbers in which they can go into nature,” said police spokeswoman Markéta Janovská.https://nypost.com/2020/04/07/nudists-warned-by-police-to-cover-up-their-mouths-for-coronavirus/ Read the rest

A fantastic and rare live opportunity to hear the no longer touring Ramsey Lewis.Always in rotation, Lewis is truly one of the greatest.Broadway World:Three time Grammy winner and NEA Jazz Master Ramsey Lewis will be performing a special live stream concert Saturday April 25th @ 1pm CST! Tickets can be purchased by sending $20 to paypal.me/RamseyELewisJr. Just click on the link and type in the amount ($20). Since it's PayPal it's easy and secure. Once we have received your payment we will send you a Zoom link and password to the live stream concert (you will need the Zoom app and a PayPal account).A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. The Recording Academy and its affiliated charitable foundation MusiCares have established the COVID-19 Relief Fund to help those in the music community affected by the virus pandemic.This will be an extra special event considering that Ramsey is no longer touring. This event will be a look behind the curtain, as it will be live from Ramsey's home, in the room that he practices in and he will be telling the stories behind the hit songs he has made for the past six decades.Sigh, Zoom.Here is a link to a FB video of Ramsey discussing the stream. Read the rest

UK wedding photographer Chris Wallace is on lockdown like so many of us. To keep his creativity alive, he staged and photographed a fantastic LEGO wedding. You can see the photos and Wallace's narration of the nuptials over at Petapixel. It looks more romantic and fun than many real weddings I've attended! Read the rest

A team of anonymous volunteers at MIT are developing a ventilator that can be built for $100, reports SciTech Daily. The MIT Emergency Ventilator (E-Vent) uses a hand-operated plastic resuscitator bag common found in hospitals, and places it in a mechanical system that squeezes the bag automatically.From the E-Vent web site:At the present time, we are producing four sets of material, which we will be releasing and updating on this site in an open-source fashion:Minimum safe ventilator functionality based on clinical guidanceReference hardware design for meeting minimum clinical requirementsReference control strategies and electronics designs and supporting insightsResults from testing in animal modelsWe are releasing this material with the intent to provide those with the ability to make or manufacture ventilators, the tools needed to do so in a manner that seeks to ensure patient safety. Image: MIT Read the rest

9pm PST on the Instagrams! View this post on Instagram Tomorrow Night, April 11th, 9pm. Streaming from here on Instagram Live. Thank You. #almightyOpp #fullkundaliniblowoutA post shared by jeffrey's human persona (@almightyopp) on Apr 10, 2020 at 8:08am PDT Absurdist puppetry and the arcane! Join the almighty Opp for another uplifting Instagram stream.It's OK that it's NOT OK! Read the rest

Right after astronauts Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, and Michael Collins splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969, they were brought aboard the USS Hornet (CVS-12) and immediately entered a Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF) along with a NASA flight surgeon and recovery engineer. See below for a photo of when President Richard Nixon popped by to say hello. (You can visit the USS Hornet and see a prototype MQF!) A few days later, the group arrived at Houston's Johnson Space Center where they were locked down in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory (LRL) to continue a 21-day quarantine. While inside, the astronauts wrote reports, conducted debriefs, and enjoyed a surprise birthday party for Armstrong who turned 39 in quarantine. According to NASA, "Flight surgeon Dr. William R. Carpentier monitored their health status on a daily basis, and when they showed no signs of any illnesses they were cleared to be released from quarantine."From NASA:On the evening of Aug. 10, MSC Director of Medical Research and Operations Dr. Charles A. Berry opened the door to the LRL’s Crew Reception Area (CRA), and Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins stepped out into the hallway. They were welcomed by MSC Director Robert L. Gilruth, other NASA officials and colleagues, and a swarm of reporters once they stepped outside the building into the hot and muggy Houston night. It was the first time they could freely interact with the outside world since their preflight quarantine began more than a month before. Read the rest

Cory posted about Nitter "an alternative, free/open front-end to Twitter that ad- and tracker-blocks. That's very timely, as Twitter has just unilaterally obliterated all its users' privacy choices, announcing the change with a dialog box whose only button is 'OK.' What if it's not OK?" Here's what Cory's Twitter feed looks like in Nitter. Image: Pluralistic Read the rest

Chamath Palihapitiya, CEO of investment firm Social Capital, doesn't think the US should be propping up billionaires and hedge funds during the coronavirus pandemic, but should instead be focused on helping people on Main Street, who "are getting wiped out." The perplexed reaction from this CNBC anchor is fascinating. Read the rest

New Jersey, Connecticut, and Kansas are among the states whose unempoyment systems are being overwhelmed with new claims, and the systems run on old computer language that stopped being taught before many programmers were born. According to a report on CNN Business, "On top of ventilators, face masks and health care workers, you can now add COBOL programmers to the list of what several states urgently need as they battle the coronavirus pandemic.""Despite a dwindling number of COBOL programmers, a 2017 report by Reuters found that there are still 220 billion lines of COBOL in use today. 43% of banking systems are built on COBOL and 95% percent of ATM swipes rely on COBOL code." Read the rest

Starting at $9k and configurable up to $17k or thereabouts, the Dwellito Mini Office is an 8ft square "quiet place to work" (i.e. a shed) that will be delivered to your door. An extension cord is $31 extra, and they'll even include this Dyson fan [Amazon] for another $600.A Mini-Office,Delivered to Your DoorGive yourself a quiet place to work with a mini office next to your home. In 6 to 8 weeks, you could have a pre-built office delivered to your front door, starting at $9,000.A lot of smart people have no idea how much things cost. For those able to, it's a perfect time to learn how to build a she—sorry, a Mini Office: the big box hardware stores are still open, they all sell framing lumber, OSB and plywood sheets, roofing materials and even those big old ultramodern windows and doors, and they'll even rent you a pickup to take it all home for another $30 plus mileage. Read the rest