Boing Boing

Face-synthesizing algorithms often struggle with facial details like eyes and teeth. These features sometimes get pinned to a fixed spot as a head turns, resulting in an uncanny valley dweller.A new algorithm, StyleGAN2, fixes this problem and produces "eye-poppingly detailed and correct images." It can also generate never-before-seen cars, churches, and animals.Image: YouTube Read the rest

A few years back, my brother Rick Pescovitz came up with Under The Weather Pods, single-person pop-up shelters. You may have caught Rick on Shark Tank (video below). Rick was sick of getting soaked at his kids' soccer games and was inspired by a portable toilet he saw by the field. Under The Weather Pods are designed for watching sports, fishing, and other outdoor events where it's raining, windy, or cold, but you are either obligated to watch or having so much fun you don't want to leave. As travelers are taking unusual steps to protect themselves from the Coronavirus, from wearing water jugs on their heads to covering themselves in plastic tarps, my brother thought to see how his StadiumPod, meant for seated spectators at sports games, would work on an airplane. He tells me the flight attendant happily took his photo and that the man who sat next to him didn't even bat an eye. Stay safe out there! Under the Weather Pods Read the rest

Michael Harriot's take on why the NFL rejecting PETA's ridiculous ad is so notable is the best I have read....On one hand, PETA gentrifying the movement for social justice by likening the “human prejudice of fur coats, trained circus tigers and ribeyes” (yes, they actually said that), to the institutional racism that permeates America is despicable but expected. It’s just the next logical leap from Black Lives Matter to White and Blue Lives Matter. We know that whites are always gonna white, especially at the Super Bowl. I’m sure, somewhere in the PETA office, there’s someone explaining that “this is what MLK would have wanted.”On the other hand, I am not on the NFL’s side either. The NFL might contend that they don’t want to invite such a divisive political statement during the most-watched television event of the year. But you know what else is white as fuck?The Donald Trump ad claiming America is stronger, more united and more prosperous, which is scheduled to air during the Super Bowl. Or the $11 million Michael Bloomberg ad that will air during the Super Bowl. Or—and I just like to list things in groups of three—perhaps the whitest of them all:The Super Bowl itself.So, yes I’m conflicted. I can’t decide if my position of “Fuck PETA” is strong enough to overcome my “Fuck the NFL” stance. It’s like watching that time when white supremacist Richard Spencer lamented that Donald Trump isn’t racist enough. Or if Chris Cilizza played a game of Stupid Jeopardy! Read the rest

In 1982, Susan "Sulu" Dubow recorded "Ode to Spock," her terrific musical response to the Vulcan's death in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Dubow will be familiar to fans of Dr. Demento's radio show of odd music -- dozens of her songs were played on the program. The following is from Dubow's mini-autobiography on IMDB. What a fun and creative life!Sulu, Susan Denise Lubin Dubow, was born in Chandler, Arizona in 1956 and acquired her name while performing on the Dr. Demento Show. She has received numerous awards for her songwriting and began writing poetry as a young child at Calvert Street School in Woodland Hills, California. Her sixth grade teacher informed her parents that she should pursue her talent which she did. Sulu begun winning poetry and songwriting contests beginning at age 13. She also took classes in dance, drama,improvisation, guitar and piano to overcome her shyness.Sulu, an avid fan of the Dr. Demento show while in college in 1976 began submitting songs to Dr.Demento in 1976. Shortly after that songs such as "I Love Your Toes,"and "Locked in the Closet" were popular on The Top Ten and eventually became "1.Sulu was asked to join the live show in 1977 where she became a sidekick. She performed with Dr.Demento in venues such as The Pomona Fair and The Wolf and Rissmiller Country Club continuing to write nearly 100 songs that were aired on the Dr. Demento Show.Sulu also wrote jingles and performed them on KABC's Ken and Bob Show on KABC Talk radio in the 80's and 90's and for Sports Talk KABC. Read the rest

Cotton Branch Farm Animal Sanctuary in Leesville, South Carolina is seeking volunteers to cuddle pigs and, eventually, adopt the animals as pets. The organizations rescued more than 200 pigs from a Kentucky property about a year ago. After suffering abuse and neglect, the pigs need more human time before they are ready for their forever homes. "These pigs weren't socialized because they lived in such large numbers," said Joshua Carpenter Costner, the sanctuary's director of operations. "We noticed how quickly a lot of them were coming around when we spent time with them, and in order to find them homes, we thought it was a good idea to have people start coming out."According to the ad posted on Facebook, "belly scratches, cookies, sitting with, and even just talking to our pig friends can get them ready for their new home."(CNN)Does loving-on sweet little faces like these seem like a good time? Then we have some GREAT news for you! We need piggy cuddlers!Visit https://t.co/ukyFtZ09Dt to sign up!Can't come visit? You can still make a difference in their https://t.co/mcFHyzcQz7 https://t.co/MkPVXFD686 pic.twitter.com/c6euFXjNp9— Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary (@cottonbranch) January 29, 2020 Read the rest

This Bodum pour-over coffee maker with a permanent stainless steel filter works great and is one of the cheapest I found.This thing works to make pour-over coffee and costs less than $20. If you want pour-over coffee this is a pretty good way to get there. I started drinking pour-over a few weeks back and prefer the smooth taste.I also prefer hot coffee to cold so there is that.Bodum Pour Over Coffee Maker with Permanent Filter, 1 Liter, 34 Ounce, Black Band via Amazon Read the rest

The decade-old warning to stay off public WIFI systems is no longer valid.EFF:There are still a few small information leaks: HTTPS protects the content of your communications, but not the metadata. So when you visit HTTPS sites, anyone along the communication path—from your ISP to the Internet backbone provider to the site’s hosting provider—can see their domain names (e.g. wikipedia.org) and when you visit them. But these parties can’t see the pages you visit on those sites (e.g. wikipedia.org/controversial-topic), your login name, or messages you send. They can see the sizes of pages you visit and the sizes of files you download or upload. When you use a public Wi-Fi network, people within range of it could choose to listen in. They’d be able to see that metadata, just as your ISP could see when you browse at home. If this is an acceptable risk for you, then you shouldn’t worry about using public Wi-Fi.Similarly, if there is software with known security bugs on your computer or phone, and those bugs are specifically exploitable only on the local network, you might be at somewhat increased risk. The best defense is to always keep your software up-to-date so it has the latest bug fixes.What about the risk of governments scooping up signals from “open” public Wi-Fi that has no password? Governments that surveill people on the Internet often do it by listening in on upstream data, at the core routers of broadband providers and mobile phone companies. Read the rest

...and then the kids wanted Rambo. Read the rest

Anyone who works in the great outdoors or in a variety of fields that require the use of a good old-fashioned blade every now and then needs to have a good knife handy at all times. But walking around with a blade in your pocket all day simply isn’t practical (or safe) for most of us.Enter the Higher Objects© Sawyer Utility Bracelet, which makes it easier than ever to safely and discreetly carry a blade in any environment.Perfect for police, construction workers, campers, fishermen, and pretty much anyone else who needs to be able to get themselves out of a bind quickly and safely, this wearable multitool lets you fashionably carry a sharp knife and a handy screwdriver right on your wrist.This practical and stylish accessory is perfect for conquering a wide range of odd jobs both indoors and outdoors, and it’s so light that you’ll barely notice it on your wrist when it’s not in use.It also features a genuine leather strap that fits all wrist sizes and is made to stand the test of time—regardless of whether you primarily use your blade on camping trips or in your tool shop.Outfit yourself with this practical and fashionable utility while it’s available for over 35% off MSRP at just $24.99. Read the rest

When the new civil war kicks off, will you have fourteen 1980s machine gun VHS babes on your side? They're sharper shooters than the F35 Joint Strike Fighter, that's for sure. Consider this your weekly reminder that Robocop was a documentary. Read the rest

Straight from Latvia comes a sweater that, when worn, looks like a cat is hanging off your back and holding on for dear life with its claws. A red heart and the simple word "cat" are there to possibly remind us that our feline friends are to be loved even when they're ripping up our stuff. Made by Etsy shop Rata Blanca Sweaters and is currently sold out.(Geekologie) Read the rest

In the digital age, it can seem as though the life of the physical notebook or diary has come and gone. But most serious writers will tell you that there’s a special connection that comes from putting pen to paper, and these Leather Notebooks & Journals will help you bring that magic back.Relive the golden era of writing down your thoughts and ambitions using good old-fashioned pen and paper with these elegant, handmade notebooks and journals.With unique designs and hand-stitched embossed leather patches, these notebooks are great gifts for lovers of the written word.They come in a variety of styles, feature durable hardcover backings, and come loaded with 50 sheets of handmade, tree-free cotton paper that can be used to record anything your creative mind can dream up.They’re also light and compact enough to take with you without weighing you down.Embrace your inner storyteller with these Leather Notebooks & Journals, starting at just $35.10. Read the rest

The Psychedelic Furs have just announced a spring release for their eight studio album entitled "Made of Rain." It's been a 29 year wait. The first single off of the record, "Don't Believe," has been posted to YouTube.The album is now available for pre-order. Read the rest

In 2019, a 3-year-old Nubian goat named Lincoln was officially inaugurated as the first mayor of Fair Haven, Vermont. And then she pooped. As Town Manager Joe Gunter explained at the time, "Originally we did it as a fundraiser to replace the playground behind the school, but it really turned into a small civic lesson for the children. 'Come out and vote. Get involved in the town.'"But that election only guaranteed a one-year term, and Lincoln only narrowly defeated Sammy, a K-9 cop. And now Sammy's taking another shot at the top seat in town. If elected, Sammy has promised to release her tax returns and recuse herself from all police business that might come before the town to avoid any conflicts of interest, according to her representative, Police Chief Bill Humphries. Humphries has also tried to soothe the concerns of Fair Haven's feline population, which has a long history of hostile relations with canine police officers.In response to Sammy's campaign, Lincoln has released a budget proposal that includes $0 spending on grain, $0 spending on hay, and a promise that there will be no tax increases to fund the playground that formed the foundation of her historic run for the town's inaugural mayorship.Fair Haven will hold the contentious election at their Town Meeting on March 3, 2020. And while I don't want to be partisan, I think it's only fair to point out that one candidate is literally a cop, and the other one is literally the GOAT, so I think we all know who deserves to be in charge. Read the rest

John Wilcock's foray into biography, documenting many of the Factory personas -- in what is largely considered the first critical assessment of Andy Warhol and his entourage -- From John Wilcock, New York Years, by Ethan Persoff and Scott Marshall. (See all Boing Boing installments) Read the rest

US to halt issuance of visas that can lead to permanent residency for nationals of Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Nigeria

Animals, including a bee, snake, eagle, and fish, all take a knee in PETA's animated Colin Kapernick-inspired ad created for the Super Bowl airwaves. The controversial commercial, which has voices gently humming the "Star Spangled Banner," calls for an end to "speciesism." But, the animal rights organization is reporting that it was blocked by the NFL and won't be showing on TV this Sunday, or ever. The National Football League (NFL) apparently found our new Colin Kaepernick–inspired ad—with its message of inclusion and respect—too daring and pressured FOX to snub our commercial.In 2016, Kaepernick put a national spotlight on the racial inequality that plagues the U.S.—and we applaud him for doing so with the simple yet powerful and peaceful act of taking a knee.PETA worked with a talented group of advertisers and artists who came up with the idea for our beautiful ad. Positively acknowledged by Kaepernick himself, this project pays homage to all movements that remind us to open our hearts and minds and reject all forms of injustice, including sexism, ableism, racism, ageism, homophobia, and speciesism.THIS is the PETA #SuperBowl ad the @NFL apparently didn’t want you to see and pressured @FOXSports to snub.It envisions a world where respect is the right of every being and pays homage to Kaepernick and movements rejecting injustice. https://t.co/kD1osnKhuX #EndSpeciesism pic.twitter.com/clXzU79aZV— PETA (@peta) January 31, 2020screengrab via PETA/YouTube Read the rest

Footage from George Lucas’ abandoned 2010 Star Wars TV series, "Star Wars: Underworld," has surfaced on YouTube.Released test footage from 2010 of the cancelled Star Wars TV show "Underworld," which was to take place in the lower levels of Coruscant. The series was set after the events of Order 66. The video game "1313" was to be a tie-in of this series. Due to the immense cost of shooting the series, as well as the selling of Lucasfilm to Disney, "Underworld" was delayed and eventually cancelled. Read the rest

Nothing is worse than firing off an important email only to realize later on that it was riddled with typos and plagued with poor sentences. This WhiteSmoke Chrome Extension ensures that you’ll never have to endure such post-send woes ever again, and a 5-year subscription is available for over 90% off its usual price right now.Whether you’re a professional writer or simply want to tighten up your grammar and spelling, this simple browser extension has your back.WhiteSmoke uses a series of advanced algorithms in order to scan your writing for a wide variety of errors ranging from grammar and spelling mistakes to punctuation slips and overall sentence structure, and it includes a 50-language translator to boot.Your subscription even grants you unlimited access to a huge database that you can use to check your work for inadvertent plagiarism.Take your writing to the next level with a 5-year subscription to the WhiteSmoke Chrome Extension for just $39.99—over 90% off its usual price today. Read the rest

Douglas Rushkoff is one my oldest and dearest friends. He's also one of the sharpest media theorists and cultural critics I know. It's always a thrill to have a conversation with him because he makes me question my opinions and I alway end up with a changed brain. So it was great fun to have him on the Cool Tool podcast.Douglas is named one of the "world's ten most influential intellectuals by MIT. He's an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. His twenty books include the just-published Team Human, based on his podcast, as well as the bestsellers Present Shock, Throwing Rocks at the Google Bus, Program or Be Programmed, Life Inc., and Media Virus. He also made the PBS FRONTLINE documentaries, Generation Like, The Persuaders, and The Merchants of Cool. He's a professor of Media Theory and Digital Economics at Queens College, a columnist for Medium, and his novels and comics, Ecstasy Club, A.D.D., and Aleister & Adolf are all being developed for the screen. You can find him on Twitter @rushkoff and Youtube.Subscribe to the Cool Tools Show on iTunes | RSS | Transcript | See all the Cool Tools Show posts on a single pageShow notes:Written languageWritten language is definitely a tool. It's a medium. It's an environment. There's all these ways to think about it, but I love thinking about words as a tool. Because particularly, when I'm mad about something or I feel like there's something that people don't get, once I can put words around it, once I can articulate what's happening, what people are feeling, or the dysfunction, or the paradox, I feel like it empowers me and so many other people to then go do something about it. Read the rest

IEEE Spectrum's David Schneider participates in Quaker meetings where there are many elderly people who, even though they are wearing hearing aids, have a hard time catching comments from others around the room. One common solution to this problem is to provide headphones with FM receivers to pick up the sounds of the microphones. That approach isn't ideal, Schneider writes, because "a little awkward, in part because it makes you stand out. So Schneider and a friend bought a 1,000 feet (304 meters) roll of two-conductor, 20-gauge wire $125 and homebrewed an audio frequency induction loop that transmits the sound so it can picked up directly by hearing aids that contain a telecoil (T-coil). From IEEE Spectrum:These hearing aids can be switched to a mode whereby they pick up audio-frequency signals electronically instead of using their built-in microphones. This system for passing the signal wirelessly doesn’t involve radio transmissions—it just uses magnetic induction. Suitable audio induction loops for energizing T-coils are found in all sorts of places, including museums and theaters; even some taxicabs are equipped with them...(SI constructed an induction coil from a six-turn square loop of magnet wire that was about a half meter on a side (I taped the wire to a flattened cardboard box), using wire of the right diameter to make the loop resistance 8 ohms. I then attached it to the speaker terminals of an ordinary stereo receiver, one that was collecting dust in the back of my garage....(Encouraged by initial tests and further refinements of the , another friend and I recently placed a similar wire loop in the attic of the building—which was a lot harder than laying it on the floor because we had to snake the wire around an obstacle course of roof trusses and HVAC ducting. Read the rest

Watch this immediately.@CBSThisMorning’s @tonydokoupil using an epic pie analogy to show how the plutes own everything. pic.twitter.com/p4AShY04rA— Anand Giridharadas (@AnandWrites) January 31, 2020I knew the ultra rich own almost all the wealth, but this video really drives the point home in a powerful way. I was shocked all over again. Read the rest

This suture practice kit, which lets you stitch rubber wounds, comes with training videos created by a board-certified surgeon. What a fun gift idea. You can buy them on Amazon.This suture kit that allows you to practice stitches: from r/DamnthatsinterestingImage: Reddit video screenshot Read the rest

As predicted, via the Trump White House — the Pentagon is relaxing its policy on the use of landmines by U.S, forces, so that landmines can be used on the Korean peninsula.A Friday afternoon statement by the Trump Press Secretary formally announced that Trump has canceled the Obama Administration’s policy to ban United States military forces from using anti-personnel landmines outside of the Korean Peninsula. Said Stephanie Grisham to reporters: "The President is unwilling to accept this risk to our troops."PREVIOUSLY ON BOING BOING:Landmines are actually good, says Defense Sec as Trump prepares to undo Obama-era landmine banPresident Trump formally cancels Obama-era restrictions on use of landmines, WH announces pic.twitter.com/Se1MBNwtcP— Jordan Fabian (@Jordanfabian) January 31, 2020Just in from the White House - Pentagon is relaxing its policy on use of landmines so that they can be used outside of South Korea/DMZ— Josh Lederman (@JoshNBCNews) January 31, 2020Trump has canceled the Obama Administration’s policy to prohibit United States military forces from employing anti-personnel landmines outside of the Korean Peninsula. pic.twitter.com/ExZlHr19Jl— Jason Leopold (@JasonLeopold) January 31, 2020From Afghanistan & Angola to Cambodia & Colombia, anti-personnel landmines have devasted soldiers & civilians alike.For nearly 3 decades the US has limited their use, production & export — and for the past decade, used them only on the Korean Peninsula. https://t.co/Ey8KbUMaGe— Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) January 31, 2020The U.S. will now allow "advanced, non-persistent landmines specifically designed to reduce unintended harm to civilians and partner forces" to allow the military more "flexibility and capability." Read the rest

What unreleased FSD Autopilot sees. Straight from Tesla Autopilot recruiting website. pic.twitter.com/EaI5DzKbYs— The Tesla Show (@TheTeslaShow) January 31, 2020From The Tesla Show Twitter feed: "What unreleased FSD Autopilot sees. Straight from Tesla Autopilot recruiting website."From the job description:Apply cutting-edge research to train deep neural networks on problems ranging from perception to control. Our per-camera networks analyze raw images to perform semantic segmentation, object detection and monocular depth estimation. Our birds-eye-view networks take video from all cameras to output the road layout, static infrastructure and 3D objects directly in the top-down view. Our networks learn from the most complicated and diverse scenarios in the world, iteratively sourced from our fleet of nearly 1M vehicles in real time. A full build of Autopilot neural networks involves 48 networks that take 70,000 GPU hours to train 🔥. Together, they output 1,000 distinct tensors (predictions) at each timestep.Image: Twitter screengrab Read the rest

Some activists must have been heard, California's Attorney General has delayed the transaction wherein a private equity firm is buying the .ORG tld, seeking more information.Mashable:California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sent a letter to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) demanding more information about the private equity takeover of the .org domain registry. The attorney general is seeking answers to 35 questions concerning the sale as well as documents sent between ICANN, private equity firm Ethos Capital, and Public Interest Registry (PIR), which manages the .org domain.Ethos Capital disclosed last year that it was acquiring PIR from its non-profit parent organization, the Internet Society, for $1.135 billion.ICANN, the non-profit organization that oversees domain names, disclosed the letter on its website along with its own correspondence with PIR, informing it of the development. Previously, ICANN had until Feb. 17 to approve or deny the sale. According to ICANN, as a result of the California AG’s letter, it’s seeking to delay this deadline until April 20. Read the rest

• CDC issues federal quarantine orders for 195 Americans evacuated from China, who are being housed at March Air Reserve Base• First CDC quarantine in 50 years. Last federal quarantine was issued in the 1960s for smallpox. • The repatriated individuals will remain quarantined for 14 days, starting from when the flight left China.FRIDAY, 1PM EASTERN, JAN 31 2020: The United States Centers for Disease Control, under the authority of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says 195 American citizens are quarantined at a military base after having been evacuated from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of a growing global coronavirus outbreak. The 195 quarantined persons arrived earlier this week at March Air Reserve Base in California.Here is the CDC's tweet:The CDC, under statutory authority of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, has issued federal quarantine orders to all 195 United States citizens who repatriated to the U.S. on January 29, 2020. The quarantine will last 14 days from when the plane left Wuhan, China.— CDC (@CDCgov) January 31, 2020From the Washington Post: BREAKING: The quarantine authority, rarely used in the United States, would restrict the travelers’ movements for 14 days from when they left Wuhan, China, because officials say they’re still uncertain about how readily the virus spreads.All American citizens returning to the United States from Wuhan, China, will be quarantined, according to the Friday announcement.Last time the CDC imposed a quarantine order was in the 1960s, for a smallpox evaluation, the CDC official said on a Friday call with reporters. Read the rest

Trump asked national security adviser last spring in front of other senior advisers to arrange meeting between Rudolph Giuliani and Ukraine’s new leader ZelenskyWell, who bet that more Bolton book bombshells would explode on Friday? You win.“Trump asked Bolton to call Zelensky to ensure he would meet with Giuliani. Cipollone and Mulvaney were in room.” -- @nytmike.Oh boy.Excerpt from new reporting Friday by Maggie Haberman and Michael Schmidt at the New York Times:More than two months before he asked Ukraine’s president to investigate his political opponents, President Trump directed John R. Bolton, then his national security adviser, to help with his pressure campaign to extract damaging information on Democrats from Ukrainian officials, according to an unpublished manuscript by Mr. Bolton.Mr. Trump gave the instruction, Mr. Bolton wrote, during an Oval Office conversation in early May that included the acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, the president’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani and the White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone, who is now leading the president’s impeachment defense.Mr. Trump told Mr. Bolton to call Volodymyr Zelensky, who had recently won election as president of Ukraine, to ensure Mr. Zelensky would meet with Mr. Giuliani, who was planning a trip to Ukraine to discuss the investigations that the president sought, in Mr. Bolton’s account. Mr. Bolton never made the call, he wrote.Read more at the Times. Read the rest

Drones are now hovering over people in the streets of china, scolding those who aren't wearing face masks to protect them from the coronavirus, and it's quite eerie. Watch the video in the tweet below from the Communist Party's Global Times of the different folks the drone calls out, including an older woman: “Yes, auntie, this is the drone speaking to you. You shouldn't walk about without wearing a mask. Yes you'd better go back home and don't forget to wash your hands.”Chinese officials in rural areas are creatively using #drones to make sure local residents don‘t gather together without wearing masks during the nationwide battle against the #coronavirus. https://t.co/e6khcWvUrx pic.twitter.com/td7u1ZZ4Kz— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) January 31, 2020 Source: The Washington Post Read the rest

This Redragon 10-keyless mechanical gaming keyboard has increased my gaming enjoyment.I moved from controller to KB+M gameplay and things are better! I mostly wanted the insane update that moving to a modern graphics chipset, ram and storage would bring but the increased control of playing games with a keyboard and mouse are a huge bonus.I settled on this Logitech gaming mouse.The Redragon keyboard is a tactile delight. Solid and well made it is pleasing to rest my hand upon. The keys offer good resistance and click. Keys also are firmly in place and I do not feel any wiggle or give under my fingers, there is no side-to-side torsion to worry about.The keyboard itself sits firmly on my desk and doesn't want to slide around as I am pushing W and constantly driving my character forward.For less than $40 this keyboard is a winner, and helps me be one.Redragon K552 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, RGB Rainbow Backlit, 87 Keys, Tenkeyless, Compact Steel Construction with Cherry MX Blue Switches for Windows PC Gamer (Black)by Redragon via Amazon Read the rest

Vice asked its readers to tell them about scams they'd been subjected to trying to book and stay at AirBnB locations. It received thousands of stories: enough to generate a ranked list of the most widespread frauds pulled by AirBnB listers.The stories quickly started to fall into easily discernible categories. Scammers all over the world, it seems, have figured how best to game the Airbnb platform: by engaging in bait and switches; charging guests for fake damages; persuading people to pay outside the Airbnb app; and, when all else fails, engaging in clumsy or threatening demands for five-star reviews to hide the evidence of what they’ve done. (Or, in some cases, a combination of several of these scams.)In the aggregate, these emails paint a portrait of a platform whose creators are fundamentally unable to track what goes on within it, and point to easily exploitable loopholes that scammers have steamed their way through by the truckload.The company's solution appears to be generous to screwed-over customers, booking hotels and handing out nearby upgrades, but to let the scams happen and to let the scammers stay. They've presumably calculated that policing listings would be more expensive. The moral hazard this creates -- consider people who don't complain, or who are simply tricked out of money rather than literally stranded -- is overwhelming. Read the rest

As we've been blogging here at Boing Boing, the Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread, and airlines have begun suspending flights to and from China, where most confirmed cases are located. • As of Friday, 11AM Eastern time, the Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV outbreak has killed more than 200 people and infected an estimated 10,000. • On Friday, the U.S. issued a travel warning telling Americans to stay out of China.• The Chinese government replied by calling the U.S. 'mean' for the travel advisory.• Delta today suspended ALL US-CHINA FLIGHTS.• Commercial pilots, flight attendants, and other airline workers are demanding that more airlines shut down traffic to and from mainland China.HERE IS AN UPDATED LIST OF AIRLINES CANCELING FLIGHTS TO CHINA Source: Reuters.IN ALPHABETICAL ORDERAIR CANADAAir Canada said on Jan. 28 it was cancelling select flights to China.AIR FRANCEAir France said on Jan. 30 it suspended all scheduled flights to and from mainland China until Feb. 9.AIR INDIAAir India said it was cancelling its Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai flight from Jan. 31 to Feb. 14.AIR NEW ZEALANDAir New Zealand said on Jan. 31 it was temporarily reducing flights between Auckland and Shanghai to four return services a week from Feb. 18 to March 31 rather than the usual daily flights.AIR SEOULSouth Korean budget carrier Air Seoul said on Jan. 28 it had suspended all flights to China.AIR TANZANIATanzania’s state-owned carrier said it would postpone its maiden flights to China. Read the rest

This goat knows the routine as it excitedly jumps on the man for its morning pastries. It then jumps on the back of the man's motorcycle and embraces him as it reaches for more of the sweet stuff. Proof that goodness still exists in the world. Read the rest

I have lost hours of my life to Badger, Badger, Badger and the meter is clearly still running. Read the rest

Carnage-Boy asks: "What if Sam Mendes' latest badass movie was set in Bikini Bottom instead of Pas-de-Calais?"Here's the original trailer: Read the rest

My friend Peg Kay Aloi, a modern practicing witch, has two articles out on the “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina." In the first one, on Arts Fuse, she reviews the third season of the show and discusses the importance of the season's plot arc (spoilers aplenty).Also at the end of Season Two, Sabrina’s Aunt Zelda (the excellent Miranda Otto) renounced her marriage to Faustus, who turned out to be a misogynist patriarch. The coven of Satanic witches who preside over the shadow side of Greendale are a sort of elite society with their own boarding school. The daytime Greendale is all Scooby-Doo high school hijinks (with some intersectional activism and coming-of-age drama thrown in). Because of her duel nature, witch and mortal, Sabrina straddles these worlds. In Season One, her Sweet Sixteen Party was also her Dark Baptism, the ritual when witches must proclaim their allegiance to the Dark Lord. The Satanic antics are all rather arch and fantastical (Aunt Zelda’s smiling “Praise Satan” is now a popular meme), making this all rather fun and entertaining.In her second piece, for Refinery 29, Peg compares the show's TV hocus-pocus to modern, real-world witchcraft.RIGHT: Sex can be part of witches’ magical workings The show’s emphasis on sexuality keeps it firmly in the “adult” genre while also portraying a fascinating yet sometimes controversial aspect of modern witchcraft. Many of the seasonal holidays of Wicca have their origins in ancient rites performed by Europeans — including the rather erotic ritual of Lupercalia seen previously in Season 2, episode 3. Read the rest

Philosophia-47: "On the occasion of the Chinese New Year, here is a PJ17 image as seen through the eyes of famous Song Dynasty artist Chen Rong."The source image is from the Juno Mission's processing page.This is where we will post raw images. We invite you to download them, do your own image processing, and we encourage you to upload your creations for us to enjoy and share. The types of image processing we’d love to see range from simply cropping an image to highlighting a particular atmospheric feature, as well as adding your own color enhancements, creating collages and adding advanced color reconstruction.With the important caveat: "Please refrain from direct use of any official NASA or Juno mission logos in your work, as this confuses what is officially sanctioned by NASA and by the Juno Project." Read the rest

John Delaney, former representative of Maryland's 6th district, is dropping out of the race to become the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 2020."It has been a privilege to campaign for the Democratic nomination for President, but it is clear that God has a different purpose for me at this moment in time," Delaney wrote on Twitter, followed by a 17-tweet explanation. Half an hour after posting, each tweet in the sequence had been retweeted once, by Delaney's one reply guy. Some of the tweets' like counts are hitting double digits, however, a successful signoff for one of the party's most interesting candidates.In July 2017, he became the first Democrat to announce that he was running for president in 2020, doing so in a Washington Post op-ed. But despite campaigning heavily in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, Delaney failed to pick up considerable support, and missed the cut off for the several of the recent Democratic debates. Read the rest

Paul Barton (previously at Boing Boing) plays the piano for elephants and has been at it for many years. Here he is performing Beethoven's Quasi una fantasia, the Moonlight Sonata, for an old one who's led a rough life. Mongkol is a 61-year-old former logging elephant. His captive-held life was spent hauling trees in the Thai forest. His body shape is deformed through hard labor, he lost his right eye and tusk in this brutal logging practice. Mongkol was rescued and brought to Elephants World to spend the rest of his days relaxing peacefully in freedom by the River Kwai. I discovered Mongkol is an extremely gentle, sensitive elephant who enjoys music, especially this slow movement by Beethoven which I play to him occasionally in the day and night. Read the rest

RCtestflight on YouTube was dissastisfied with only being able to light up entire mountainsides from four kilometers away, so replaced the enormous array of LED lamps atop his truck with ones including parabolic reflectors.I initially built a 4kW LED array using 40 100W emitters with 60 degree glass lenses, but the beam was a bit to wide to be practical for use on a vehicle. After that I built a 1.8kW array using 18 100W emitters with parabolic reflectors. It had much better long distance throw and was way more practical.It requires more than 5kw of power to operate. Read the rest

When I was a teen, I lived for the Whole Earth Catalog, homesteading, building geodesic domes, solar power, communes, and other hippie fever dreams. But even back then, when I was literally making my own granola, Michael Reynolds' concept of the "Earthship" seemed too crunchy granola. I suspected that building a house out of garbage -- tires, cans, bottles, hay bales, rammed earth, etc. -- seemed a bit much; likely fraught with issues. But there were parts of the Earthship concept that I thought were smart then and still think so today -- things like passive solar heating, ground convection cooling, berming, rainwater collection, greywater reclamation and re-use.In this video on the excellent YouTube channel, Living Big in a Tiny House, host Bryce Langston visits an off-the-grid Earthship in Adelaide, Australia. This Earthship, while utilizing all of the Reynold's concepts, also touches on another niche building idea that is currently all the rage: The tiny house. This Earthship is a tiny(ish) 750 sq. ft. And you have to admit, those bottle wall mosaics look pretty cool. Read the rest

This ad features Raphael, the teenage mutant ninja turtle, brandishing pickles. It's not a perfectly on-model Raph — one commenter at YouTube describes it as "my sleep paralysis demon" — but he's perfect for the mood of the scene. This is also a good entry in the history of advertisements described as "banned" that obviously haven't been banned. Read the rest

“I was in Havana in 1961 during the Bay of Pigs invasion fighting on both sides,” said the great Leonard Cohen in 1965 before reading this fantastic satirical poem he wrote while in Cuba. It's called "The Only Tourist in Havana Turns His Thoughts Homeward."Cohen's experiences in Havana, including being arrested during the revolution there, were documented in a 2018 episode of the animated series Drawn & Recorded, with art by Drew Christie and narration by T Bone Burnett. You can watch the episode's trailer below and read about it in this Billboard article. Read the rest

Whoever said style, comfort, and function couldn’t coexist in the same garment within the same universe clearly hasn’t seen the DudeRobe—an unapologetically unique men’s hooded bathrobe that’s guaranteed to keep you both comfy and cool wherever your awesomeness may lead you.A modern twist on the boring and underwhelming old bathrobes that tend to adorn so many closets throughout the world, this effortlessly sleek and practical robe has been re-engineered into something that guys today actually want to wear.The DudeRobe combines a classic hoodie fit and style with a sweatshirt look on the outside and a supremely comfortable robe on the inside—making it perfect for lounging around the home or attending your friend’s pool party in unparalleled style.It’s made with a 100% cotton exterior and a 100% French Terry interior, and a Never-Lost Belt™ is permanently attached to the waist—meaning you’ll always be able to cinch up on the fly.Treat yourself to a rare combination of eye-catching style and comfort with the DudeRobe: Luxury Men's Hooded Bathrobe while it’s available for 20% off MSRP at just $76. Read the rest

The U.S. State Department is warning Americans not to go to China because of the risk of getting ill from the coronavirus, reports the New York Times. "The department set the new advisory at Level 4, or Red, its highest caution, which is reserved for the most dangerous situations," said the paper.Image by Gianluca Tomasello - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link Read the rest

In this student-made video, students at Richland High School in Richland, Washington were asked what they thought of their mascot, which is a mushroom cloud. The Richland Bombers were in agreement that the logo is awesome. The video then features a statement by a Japanese exchange student attending Richland. She is from Fukuoka, close to Nagasaki, which was hit by an atomic bomb in WWII. She says, "It is ironic that I ended up a Bomber. My city was initially targeted to be destroyed by the bomb. My grandparents would have been incinerated." She concludes with an articulate and moving request for her fellow students to think about what the logo represents to other people. Read the rest

This is an absolutely lovely example of a very well restored 1975 BMW R90S.I am also a fan of this '74 silver smoke, but I prefer the 1976 in Daytona Orange. Read the rest

Recovered from a burglar's haul, this "distinctive silver ring" was posted to social media by North Yorkshire Police in hopes of returning it to its onwer. They are quite oblivious to its significance and hope "someone will recognize the markings."Unfortunately we haven’t been able to find the owner of the ring and return it to them. As it is such a distinctive piece of jewellery, we’re hoping that someone will recognise the markings and be able to tell us who it rightfully belongs to, as I’m sure someone, somewhere is missing it.From the Facebook comments:"The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom, only there can it be unmade""The ring must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this.""It has been lost before and the last time, it turned into a continent spanning ball ache" Read the rest

The Museum of London will soon publicly display Charles I's execution vest for the first time. The doomed king wore the silk garment to the chopping block after his defeat in the English Civil War of the 17th century; 30 January is the 371st anniversary of his death at the Banqueting House on Whitehall.The stains are said to be vomit, not blood. Read the rest

I was able to inspect these K. Haring bubblers, rigs, water pipes, tasters, spoon pipes, glass trays, and catchalls up close and they are stunning, museum quality pieces. The prices range from $220 for the water pipe down to $30 for the taster. There's also a Bic lighter with the same Haring motif for $5. In the coming months the manufacturer will introduce three additional color designs featuring Haring's work. Read the rest