Boing Boing

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C), reassured the public that America was prepared to fend off coronavirus. But being privy to decidedly non-public briefings, he knew otherwise, and sold off $1.5m in stocks before the markets crashed.Soon after he offered public assurances that the government was ready to battle the coronavirus, the powerful chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, sold off a significant percentage of his stocks, unloading between $628,000 and $1.72 million of his holdings on Feb. 13 in 33 separate transactions.As the head of the intelligence committee, Burr, a North Carolina Republican, has access to the government’s most highly classified information about threats to America’s security. His committee was receiving daily coronavirus briefings around this time, according to a Reuters story.It's remarkable how many pundits and public figures are making plausibly-deniable references to having Burr dealt with. The constitution endures, but civility is toast. Read the rest

photo by Julian MarkRestaurants and boutiques in San Francisco's Mission District -- a vibrant neighborhood at the heart of the City's struggle with gentrification and inequality -- are boarding up their windows apparently in fear of riots or robberies. The businesses are closed until at least April 7 due to the “shelter in place” mandate. From Julian Mark's story in Mission Local:“We actually don’t want to do it,” said Dylan MacNiven, the owner of West of Pecos. “I don’t think it’s good for the public to see this, but now that everyone else has done it, we’re going to be the only one on the street without it.” MacNiven was in the process of placing the final boards on his windows on Thursday afternoon, and he said the bar and restaurant was hesitant — but then a multitude of surrounding businesses had done the same[....]“We’re doing it so we can sleep at night,” said Needles and Pens owner Breezy Culbertson. Culbertson said she will be out $300 to board the windows. Just one of their front windows would cost $2,000 to replace. “It’s a bummer because it feels like it is bad for morale,” said a man named Scott who was helping Culbertson install the boards. "Apocalypse Chic: Valencia Street businesses board up their windows" (Mission Local, thanks Tim Daly!)“We’re doing it so we can sleep at night,” said Needles and Pens owner Breezy Culbertson.https://t.co/4h4XXViseD— Mission Local (@MLNow) March 20, 2020 Read the rest

The Q outfitted a bicycle with invisible wheels. It's a simple idea (while probably tricky to get right) with a rather wonderful effect. Read the rest

It’s the celebrity coronavirus edition in this week’s tabloids.

The great Al Jaffee turned 99 last week. He's been contributing to MAD for 64 years and is famous for his hidden-image-within-an-image MAD Fold-Ins on the inside back cover of the magazine. Happy belated birthday, Al! (Back in 2011, when Al was just a kid, Ruben Bolling and I interviewed him on my podcast, Gweek.)A couple of weeks ago I visited my parents and found a bunch of my old books and comic books in the attic. I found my copy of MAD's Al Jaffee Spews Out Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions, which I bought when I was 10 or 11 years old. I was surprised to see that I had filled in some snappy answers of my own to stupid questions."No, it's last year's hard-t0-melt snow.""No, I'm inspecting the quality of my pillow."[My 11-year-old self drew a blank for this one.]"No, but are you interested in buying some lizard coffins?"What are your snappy answers to these stupid questions? Read the rest

A group of celebrities, including Gal Gadot, Will Ferrell, Mark Ruffalo, James Marsden, Lynda Carter, Jamie Dornan, and Amy Adams, posted a video of each of them, in their isolation, signing lines from John Lennon's "Imagine." The attempted message was that we're all in this together, we will get through this, but the Twitter response was immediate and brutal.It was the line "imagine no possessions" that triggered the most vitriol. People seeing this tweet who are currently out of work and understandably nervous about it barked that they don't have to imagine it. Others shot back with sentiments like: We don't need you singing to us. How about you spending a million or two to buy ventilators and masks and donate them them to hospitals? One person posted the pay that each actor gets per film.“We are in this together, we will get through it together.”Gal Gadot just posted a video of her and other artists (who are also quarantined because of the COVID-19) singing Imagine by John Lennon on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/fRV6GhAF92— best of gal (@bestofgaI) March 19, 2020It's wonderful that everyone is at least trying to do the right thing in this very scary and trying time, but man was this ever an epic fail.Image: Screengrab Read the rest

IEEE Spectrum asked pioneering roboticist Rodney Brooks, co-founder of iRobot and former head of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the eternal engineering question: "What is a robot?" Inspired by computational neuroscientist Warren McCulloch who enjoyed writing sonnets, Brooks responded to the query in iambic pentameter. Here's the beginning:What Is a Robot?By Rodney BrooksShall I compare thee to creatures of God?Thou art more simple and yet more remote.You move about, but still today, a clod,You sense and act but don’t see or emote.You make fast maps with laser light all spread,Then compare shapes to object libraries,And quickly plan a path, to move ahead,Then roll and touch and grasp so clumsily.Read the rest: "What Is a Robot? Rodney Brooks Offers an Answer—in Sonnet Form" (IEEE Spectrum)image: Brooks led development of the COG robot seen in this photo by Rama (CC BY-SA 3.0 FR) Read the rest

If you don’t have to drive, why should you? For many, a car or truck is the only feasible way to get from place to place. But if you live in a mostly urban or suburban setting with your job, grocery store and most of your major destinations no more than a few miles away, the cost-effective and eco-friendly way to get there would be to leave the car at home.It’s a lot more doable than you might think, especially when you consider that the average car trip distance is actually less than six miles.We’re guessing you don’t want to walk everywhere, so the next best thing is a quick, easy transportation method for short jaunts around town — which brings us right to an option like the Levy Plus Electric Scooter.The Levy Plus is battery powered with a range of up to 16 miles on a single charge, well within the range to handle most simple round trips to the coffee shop, convenience store, doctor’s office or your friend’s house.Powered by a 350W motor, you can breeze along anywhere you need to go at around 18mph. When not in use, the Levy Plus is so ultra-portable that you can literally fold it up and stash it in the closet until you need it again.But in case you’re worried about running out of juice while you’re out in the world, the Levy Plus is one of the only scooters of its kind featuring a removable battery pack. Read the rest

To help entertain all of us while we hunker down in our domestic anti-viral combat bunkers, Rolling Stone is asking musicians to share performances from their bunkers. They kick off the series with the galactic treasure himself, Brian Wilson. Image: YouTube Read the rest

While there were certainly more people out than I expected to see … there weren't that many. Which somehow made it even weirder than the Boston Marathon Bombing Lockdown, when at least the shared sense of fear was more palpable. Read the rest

With food not always as readily available as it was a few weeks ago, Supercook is a recipe generator that might come in handy. Just check off the food you have in your kitchen and it dishes out a smorgasbord of recipes.The site lists food by categories, such as Dairy, Vegetables, Fruits, Meats, etc. So I checked off some of the stuff in my fridge -- potatoes, spinach, parsley, mint, and avocados -- and it found 59 recipes. I then added eggs, and the number of recipes jumped to 268.I haven't tried any of the recipes yet but this could be a good site to bookmark. Image: By Yoninah - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link Read the rest

In December I bought a pair of TaoTronics active noise cancelling bluetooth headphones for my two daughters to use on an 18-hour plane trip. They said they were excellent, and they also used them in the hotel to watch videos, play music, and play games. I tried them myself and was pleasantly surprised by how well they worked. They use them every day, and now that we are all cooped up together in the house, they use them all day. You can use L5G769UL to get them at a good discount on Amazon. Read the rest

I saw this tweet yesterday and though it might be a joke, but it's not. Conan O'Brien really is going to host his show remotely starting Monday, March 30. Guests will Skype in to be interviewed and the audience will be stuck-at-home, self-isolating types, like me (and maybe you?). The new episodes will air on TBS, as usual.The quality of my work will not go down because technically that’s not possible,” said O’Brien.“Our first priority is the health and well-being of everyone in the Team Coco family, and our second priority is to try and find a way that we can do our jobs safely, from home, and contribute some entertainment for our fans out there who may be hungry for silly distraction,” said Jeff Ross, Executive Producer.Speaking of a "silly distraction":screengrab via Conan/Twitter Read the rest

YouTuber Mark Rober got some powder with the delightful name Glo Germ, which glows when exposed to ultraviolet light. He then went to a 3rd grade classroom and put some of the powder on the hand of the teacher (the students were not told about the experiment). The teacher shook the hands of three kids. During recess Rober put more powder on the hands of a 3rd grader who agreed to allow it. Then at lunch he shined his UV flashlight on the kids and the the classroom. The dust was all over the place. Read the rest

Hand Mirror is a free one-click camera check. If you are about to join a Zoom or other video meeting, just click the icon on your menu bar and take a look at your beautiful face. Read the rest

A great video to help friends and family understand why these huge, early measures are necessary to stop the pandemic. “So far our new video about how to #FlattenTheCurve for COVID-19 has been translated into 26 languages,” says Dr. Joe Hanson and the team behind the PBS science show “It's Okay To Be Smart.”If you haven't watched it before, enjoy it now, in any one of those 26 languages.So far our new video about how to #FlattenTheCurve for COVID-19 has been translated into 26 languages. Thank you to everyone who has submitted subtitles in your language! https://t.co/cSV5OYI6uO— It's Okay to be Smart 🤓 (@okaytobesmart) March 18, 2020Out now on @okaytobesmart: A close look at what this curve really means for #COVID19 I hope this helps people learn why these huge, early measures are necessary. Watch here -> https://t.co/O1gDdFMzjJ pic.twitter.com/WWATWwRQy8— Joe Hanson (@DrJoeHanson) March 17, 2020 Read the rest

Impeached United States President Donald J. Trump said something awful again today that would end any other man's presidency in any timeline but this hellscape we're in.Anyway, here's what he said to a crowd of news reporters pressing him on the administration's feckless response to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic that has escalated to some 10,000 cases around the country. "We should get rid of about 75 or 80 percent of you. There's only two or three of you I like."Yep.President Trump just now on to reporters: "We should get rid of about 75 or 80 percent of you. There's only two or three of you I like."— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) March 19, 2020Trump, asked about any guidance for Congress re these positive tests among members, talks about reporters: "You're actually sitting too close. You should really -- we should probably get rid of another 75%, 80% of you. I'll have just two or three that I like in this room."— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) March 19, 2020TRUMP attacks reporters: "You're actually sitting too close. We should probably get rid of about another 75-80 percent of you. I'll have just two or three of you that I like in this room. I think that's a great way of doing it." pic.twitter.com/30ucSn9JSQ— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 19, 2020"You're actually sitting two close. We should really get rid of another 75 to 80 percent of you," Mr. Trump says to briefing room reporters, adding that he'd only have two or three reporters he likes in the briefing room. Read the rest

The Blue Sun (remastered) by Paul K & The WeathermenPaul Kopasz, the Lexington, Kentucky-based songwriter/guitarist best known as the leader of Paul K. and The Weatherman died this week. During the late 1980s and early 1990s in Cincinnati, Ohio, I had the fortune of catching Paul K's inimitable amplified post-punk blues several times and it was always an emotional punch to the gut. In an obituary in Lexington's Ace Weekly, Kakie Urch writes, "The music, from early days featuring an acoustic guitar with an electric pickup and effects, draws on influences ranging from The Who, The Velvet Underground, Big Star, Gram Parsons, The Kinks and Townes Van Zandt. The 1995 release, Love is a Gas, was produced by Mo Tucker of the Velvet Underground. 1997’s A Wilderness of Mirrors is the rock opera released on Alias and the basis of the “documentary/fairytale” movie. Other titles of note include Blues For Charlie Lucky, and the The Blue Sun, and, as the best place to start, the two-disc collection Stolen Gems."In 1990, the Afghan Whigs released a searing cover of Paul K's "Amphetamines & Coffee" (above) on their first Sub Pop full-length Up In It (1990). Here's their take on it. Upon hearing of Paul K's death, The Whigs' Greg Dulli wrote the following remembrance:John Curley and I walked into JR’s in Cincinnati one night back in 1986 and watched a gaunt and possessed singer/ guitarist manhandle a beat up acoustic guitar with a pickup and an overdrive pedal whilst leading his power trio thru an absolutely incendiary set that had our jaws on the floor. Read the rest

Americans abroad must return to US or prepare to shelter in place

A few days ago I started a sourdough starter because baking chills me out and provides stuff to eat.I took a look at the old French Press carafe I am using as a container a few hours after the 3rd time I fed said starter. The starter looked like it was READY TO GO but I figured I should probably feed it a few more times just to be sure. I did not, however, want to discard any of the starter, and as the off-gassing of the yeast was dangerously inflating towards the top of said carafe... I baked some pretzels.I use the same recipe and technique I do for commercially yeasted pretzels, simply replacing the 'one packet of active dry yeast' with ½ cup of sourdough starter AND reducing the flour and water additions by about ¼ cup each. I figure my starter is about 50/50 but maybe a little wet.I also used 1 cup of 'very old' whole wheat flour that my mother had in the back of the fridge. I replaced 1 cup of AP or bread flour with the WW and added a bit of water. Whole Wheat needs more h2o than white.I mix the starter, water, and brown sugar in a measuring cup and let them sit for 10-15 minutes before I combine with the other dry ingredients.Everything worked out just fine. I prefer the pretzels without the whole wheat but I was afraid I was wasting flour on a too young starter so all in all... Read the rest

The size and shape of a coffee cup has a factor in how people think the coffee in it tastes, reports Mental Floss.[R]esearchers showed 309 online participants images of eight different coffee mugs and asked them to rank the mugs on how aromatic, bitter, or sweet they would expect the coffee inside it to be. Participants hailed from China, Colombia, and the United Kingdom. Across the board, they said they expected that coffee in narrower cups would be more aromatic and taste more bitter, and they agreed that coffee in mugs with a wider diameter would taste sweeter.Photo by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis on Unsplash Read the rest

Dark Matter is a time travel story that reminded me of a Tom Clancy 'Jack Ryan' adventure and beats all the tropes over the head.Blake Crouch sets up a blazingly paced adventure revolving around what happens if a human can be placed in Schröedinger's box, instead of damn cat. That human is Jason Dessen, the guy who built the damn box in the first place.Talk about screwing yourself up, Dessen's adventure takes the cake.A fast read that touches on heady subjects but doesn't force you down a rathole, Dark Matter was a welcome read during this odd time.Dark Matter by Black Crouch via Amazon Read the rest

I have been learning to draw with this set of affordable colored pencils!With the help of YouTube and this set of colored pencils, I am trying once again to draw a monkey that doesn't end up looking like a penis. Thats just how they look to me, but I swear its a monkey. I do wonder what a Rorschach test might uncover...50 pencils for under $8? OK.Sargent Art Premium Coloring Pencils, Pack of 50 Assorted Colors, 22-7251 via Amazon Read the rest

A few days ago, I wrote about the transformation of WWE Smackdown into a beautiful work of Beckett-esque absurdist theatre once the audience was removed for coronavirus safety. I didn't think it could get anymore gloriously weird.Then Twitter user @SIDEEYEmusic took it to the next level by adding the Twin Peaks score.i added twin peaks music to pro wrestling without an audience and it fits perfectly pic.twitter.com/OVauro8c7L— SIDEEYE (@SIDEEYEmusic) March 18, 2020Image: peaked/Vimeo and Shamsuddin Muhammad / Wikimedia Commons (CC 2.0) Read the rest

Someone needs to tell him life is on the record pic.twitter.com/NPhxjQdcid— ALASTAIR CAMPBELL (@campbellclaret) March 19, 2020Recount assembled Trump's statements about coronavirus -- all downplaying it, some calling it an outright hoax -- and put them in a nice calendar so you can see the exact point where we were always at war with Eastasia.Facts First: From January until last week, Trump consistently minimized the risk the coronavirus posed to the country. He claimed to have the virus under "control," that the number of US cases would go "down, not up," that the virus might "disappear" through a "miracle" or something of the sort, that the virus might well vanish by April with the warmer weather, that the media and Democrats were overhyping the situation, and that "this is their new hoax," leaving it unclear whether he was calling the virus itself a hoax.The pundits who praise him after a single becalmed press event are worse than Trump. They know he'll immediately exit the stage to go back to ranting on Twitter or at one of his rallies. They know what they're doing, too, and why they're doing it: for access, prestige, professional advancement, and all the other perks of the courtier. Read the rest

The famous canals of Venice have been looking clearer since Italy went on lockdown to slow the coronavirus pandemic. From CNN:"The water now looks clearer because there is less traffic on the canals, allowing the sediment to stay at the bottom," a spokesman said."It's because there is less boat traffic that usually brings sediment to the top of the water's surface."While water pollution may not have decreased, air quality has improved, according to the spokesman."The air, however, is less polluted since there are less vaporetti and boat traffic than usual because of the restricted movement of residents," he said.And the result? Invasion of the dolphins.Thought I’d spread abit of positivity for you guys. Since the lockdown of Venice without the pollution from boats the water has been begun to clear up and a dolphin has been spotted in the canal for the first time in nearly 60 years! #venice pic.twitter.com/dbq4mGhfnp— Jack (@NotLacazette) March 17, 2020After a week of lockdown... The canals in Venice are all clear and full of fishes. Kinda gives you the idea what will happen to Earth without Humans! pic.twitter.com/FVc7N8vmty— TheSpaceAcademy.org✨🔭 (@ThespaceAcad) March 17, 2020Life, uhhhh, finds a way, I guess. Or we're just in the ending/opening act of 12 Monkeys.As Italy quarantines over coronavirus, dolphins appear in Venice canals [Anagha Srikanth / The Hill]Dolphins and swans appear in Venice canals a week after city locks down to prevent coronavirus spread [Bonnie Christian / Evening Standard]Image: Public Domain Read the rest

Spread the word: In this time of darkness, folks are starting to put their holiday lights back up! House Beautiful:In the midst of a global pandemic, people are looking on the bright side of life–literally. As COVID-19 continues to spread and the need for social distancing increases, Twitter users are calling for people to put their Christmas lights back up. With school and work closing, restaurants shutting down, and events being cancelled, many people are feeling the scary effects of the Coronavirus. And for parents with kids home from school for an indefinite period, the need for a light at the end of the tunnel is especially significant, which is why a call to get the Christmas lights back out is taking the internet by storm. I mean, if you're going to be stuck in your home, you might as well make it look pretty, right?A friend just shared that an elderly neighbor came to her house and asked her husband to turn on the Christmas lights because there's so much darkness and scariness now. So, there are bright dancing Christmas lights now on in their neighborhood. #coronakindness— Lisa St. Regis (@LisaStRegis) March 15, 2020My youngest son was bored today and said, "can we put Christmas lights on our tree outside to cheer us up?" Great idea buddy. Lights are on tonight as a sign of hope and the sweet mind of my 10 year old. #Rhodeisland #hope #lovemysons #Christmas #Cumberland pic.twitter.com/qhVjeuLc02— Mike Griffin (@rhodyknowsbest) March 16, 2020(To note: I'm ahead of the curve on this one, because I never took mine down.) Read the rest

On March 11, 2020, the hooflickers of the Pembroke Pines Police Department in Florida posted an ominous message to their Twitter page, warning residents about a rogue heffer who had been let loose upon their quiet community. This female brown cow with a white head was renowned for her speed and fence-jumping skills, and also apparently liked pools.For several months a loose cow has been seen wandering in the area of Sheridan & I-75. It has evaded capture by both our officers & assisting cow herders since January. If you know the owner of this cow, or if you know its whereabouts, contact the PPPD at 954-431-2200. 🐄 pic.twitter.com/S4QrBYYeIa— Pembroke Pines PD (@PPinesPD) March 11, 2020The specifics of the cow's alleged crimes of "MOOving violations" and "UDDERing false checks" are not currently known to the public at this time. The law-breaking bovine has since been apprehended, and is currently awaiting trial.This fugitive cow has avoided police capture for months in South Florida [Wells Dusenbury / South Florida Sun Sentinel]Image: Public Domain via Pexels Read the rest

Think of all of the real-world pleasures of the past we might rediscover while we weather Coronapocalypse 2020. Like "deep listening" to music. Clear your schedule for the next three hours. Choose three full albums, whether from your collection or your streaming service of choice. Put them in an ordered queue as though you were programming a triple feature. ...most of us are half-assed when it comes to listening to albums. We put on artists’ work while we’re scrolling through Twitter, disinfecting doorknobs, obsessively washing our hands or romancing lovers permitted within our COVID-free zones. We rip our favorite tracks from their natural long-player habitat, drop them into playlists and forget the other songs, despite their being sequenced to be heard in order.It doesn’t have to be this way. There was a time when listeners treated the mere existence of recorded sound as a miracle. A wonder, a kind of time travel. Priests warned of early wax cylinders being tools of the devil. Vintage images from the space age show couples seated around their high-fidelity systems as if being warmed by a fireplace. Read the rest in the LA Times.Photo by 𝓴𝓘𝓡𝓚 𝕝𝔸𝕀 on Unsplash Read the rest

VPN protection is a necessity in this security-conscious world of ours. But many VPN deals only cover a predetermined number of devices, which means families or businesses can ultimately have a tough time making sure every laptop, tablet, smartphone, and other enabled devices all stay secure.Syfer took a different approach to VPN coverage with the Syfer Complete Cybersecurity Router. Rather than protecting each device, this service focuses on cloaking your entire home or business Wi-Fi network, essentially throwing up a big shield over every device tethered to your connection.This tiny black box is less than 6 inches long, but when it’s plugged in and connected to your home or business router, it works like a VPN over your entire network. All your data is encrypted, essentially making all the activity on your connection invisible to hackers or any other malicious actors trying to access your information or monitor your movements online.And unlike other VPN services, this doesn’t just mean your phone, laptop and tablet are protected. Everything that accesses the web and can be infiltrated by a hacker is covered, from smart home systems to baby monitors to security cameras to smart TVs.But Syfer protection doesn’t stop there. Powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, Syfer allows you to set your own security level, ranging from basic adblocking that disrupts data collection by advertisers and digital marketers up to daily signature updates to protect your network from viruses, ransomware, malware or any other outside threats.Syfer also employs TunnelShaper technology, which helps make sure your security precautions don’t get in the way of home streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and others. Read the rest

It's hard to believe some of the shocking responses some people are having to the coronavirus pandemic.I mean, wow.Some young people who are still partying on spring break in Miami, despite public health warnings to basically stay at home and physically distance from one another, were interviewed by CBS News.I repeat:Wow. “If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I'm not gonna let it stop me from partying”: Spring breakers are still flocking to Miami, despite coronavirus warnings. https://t.co/KoYKI8zNDH pic.twitter.com/rfPfea1LrC— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 18, 2020I can't even.Says Aaron Rupar of Vox, “CBS’s interviews with spring breakers in Miami who refuse to stop partying despite a pandemic are like deleted scenes from Idiocracy.”CBS’s interviews with spring breakers in Miami who refuse to stop partying despite a pandemic are like deleted scenes from Idiocracy pic.twitter.com/mnNOJ5MkZ4— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 18, 2020[via @GreatDismal] Read the rest

Oh no, not this crap again

Twenty-four human beings have traveled from Earth to the moon. Fewer than half of them remain.Astronaut Al Worden, who flew to the moon in 1971 as a member of the Apollo 15 crew, has died. The retired astronaut was 88.Worden circled the moon alone on that mission, while his two crewmates test-drove the first lunar rover. From NASA:Worden served as command module pilot for Apollo 15 with Dave Scott and Jim Irwin. During the mission Worden became the first human to carry out a deep space walk. He logged 38 minutes in extravehicular activity outside the command module, "Endeavour."During 1972-1973, Worden was Senior Aerospace Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center, and from 1973 to 1975, he was chief of the Systems Study Division at Ames.BELOW, "Cycle," a poem by Al Worden:Umbilicals Breaking free Being born Eternity.Growing Up Getting wise Being worldly No surprise.Learn to fly Getting wings Rise above Those earthly things."Reactions to and official announcements of his death, below.Houston, Texas March 18, 2020 – It is with great sadness that the family of Colonel Al Worden, (USAF Ret.) CMP Apollo 15 share the news that “Al” died in his sleep last night. The family thank you all for your kindness, thoughts, and prayers. pic.twitter.com/K82iUyVbjm— Alfred M Worden (@WordenAlfred) March 18, 2020"Only 24 humans have left Earth orbit and journeyed to the moon. I'm one of the them. It's an exclusive club so small that I am still surprised they let me in." Read the rest

Ben McAdams of Utah is the second member of Congress to officially test positive for the new coronavirus

In case you needed any more proof that America desperately needs more cybersecurity specialists, look no further than the U.S. Congress. Just this week, the release of a year-long congressional study of America’s cyber defense capabilities showed the nation was still “ill prepared” to fend off cyberattacks and requires a full overhaul of its entire cyberoperations strategy.Whether you’re the U.S. military, an American company or just an organization that doesn’t want to fall prey to hackers and other cyber-criminals, you’re undoubtedly looking for trained and qualified professionals up to the task of keeping your digital systems safe. The training in The A-to-Z Cybersecurity Developer Bundle offers hours of introductory and advanced instruction in the areas where security specialists need it the most.This 10-course, 170-hour massive collection is as comprehensive as security training comes, packed with basic training as well as in-depth advanced tactics for handling most of the challenges an IT security expert faces on the job.A pair of courses spend almost 60 hours on ethical hacking and penetration testing, ensuring students have the most up-to-date training available in identifying system vulnerabilities and how to exploit those flaws to ultimately make any system as impervious as possible to attack.Three of these courses are directly designed to help new students pass three critical CompTIA security exams — CompTIA PenTest+ (PT0-001), CompTIA Security+ (SY0-501), and CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) — each an elite certification for any aspiring IT pro.Meanwhile, another 46 hours of coursework will lead students toward accreditation in three more important cybersecurity roles as a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), or Certified Information Systems Security Pro (CISSP). Read the rest

Don't be like Wez. Know your poop-roll prognosis for the coming coronapocalypse. Read the rest

Immigration and Customs Enforcement to halt most arrests until after coronavirus crisis

Tesla has agreed to cut down on the number of active workers inside Elon Musk's electric vehicle factory in Fremont, CA, but authorities say they have yet to comply with other coronavirus lockdown measures, like not making more cars right now.“Tesla needs to comply with the health order,” said a county spokesman Wednesday.The factory in Fremont is the only Tesla auto factory in the United States, and more than 10,000 people work there.From Reuters:“They told us they had gone from about 10,000 individual employees to about 2,500,” he said. “It sounds to me like they very well could still be making cars. We are continuing to stress to them that they must move to minimum basic operations, if they are still making cars.”Basic operations include maintaining the value of inventory, ensuring security and processing payroll and employee benefits.Alameda County, where the factory is based, is one of six covered by an order from regional officials to “shelter in place,” which limits activity, travel and business functions to only the most essential, and advises people to stay home except for the most crucial reasons. The county sheriff’s office said on Tuesday afternoon Tesla was not considered an essential business under that order and cannot continue to operate its factory normally.Reuters witnesses on Wednesday morning saw thousands of cars in the factory’s employee parking lot in Fremont, California, and employees were going to work as several 18-wheeler container trucks were seen pulling into the factory grounds. Read the rest

Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida today became the first member of Congress to test positive for coronavirus.“I'm feeling much better,” said Diaz-Balart in a social media update on Wednesday. “However, it's important that everyone take this seriously and follow CDC guidelines in order to avoid getting sick & mitigate the spread of this virus. “We must continue to work together to emerge stronger as a country during these trying times.”More on the congressman's website.I'm feeling much better. However, it's important that everyone take this seriously and follow @CDCgov guidelines in order to avoid getting sick & mitigate the spread of this virus. We must continue to work together to emerge stronger as a country during these trying times. pic.twitter.com/g5W5vSQIyH— Mario Diaz-Balart (@MarioDB) March 18, 2020Me siento mucho mejor. Sin embargo, es importante que todos tomemos esto en serio y que todos sigamos las instrucciones del CDC para evitar lo más posible esta enfermedad y su propagación. Sigamos trabajando juntos para emerger más fuerte como nación de estos tiempos difíciles. pic.twitter.com/9X8AXROoGR— Mario Diaz-Balart (@MarioDB) March 18, 2020 Read the rest

$21 billion is a lot of money—the kind most of us can't even fathom. That absurd amount is the estimate of how much Americans are overpaying for car insurance every year according to the Zebra, a trusted, independent source for industry research. Chances are, you're one of those Americans, which isn't great news. But here's the silver lining: you can absolutely do something about it. A recent survey by the Zebra revealed that drivers who know more about insurance tend to pay less.So even if you don't have a big event on the horizon —moving, getting married, changing jobs, having kids, or, ya know, buying a vehicle — motivating you to look into your car insurance, it would be a great investment of your time to educate yourself a bit about how it all works and how you can get some desirable rate quotes, easily and safely.For example, though you may know that your deductible is the max amount you pay out of pocket for repairs before your insurance company pays anything, you may not know what or who exactly covers damage in an accident with an insured motorist vs an uninsured motorist. Hint: Insured = their liability coverage; uninsured = your uninsured motorist coverage (which is optional in some states). And not understanding how coverage works can lead you to pay for things you don't need or skipping things that would save you money in the long run.If you're intrigued by the possibility of lowering your car insurance rates but bummed you'll have to wait for your policy term to end, you'll be pumped about this: You can switch car insurance providers at any time. Read the rest

My friend Dean Putney sent me a link to this new video series called "Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems" and I like the videos so much that I asked Dean to write a bit on how it signifies what is going on right now. Here's what he said:It feels like I haven’t met someone new on the Internet in a while. The start of this video series my mom posted on Facebook introduced me to children’s book author and illustrator Mo Willems in a wonderful way –-- drawing calmly in his home studio while we all observe social distancing. He talks to the camera, playfully gives you time to find your craft materials, and shows you some of his treasured original drawings from an early book in the brightly colored drawers behind him.People everywhere are reaching out increasingly over the Internet to provide this kind of calm and support as we all deal with something new and unexpected. This was the stuff that made being online so exciting when it still felt good to log in.But presumably these people existed before now. And the tools they’re using to make such important messages were there too -- they’ve gotten so good that you can whip up a video or a chat room pretty quickly. This raised a lot of questions for me: Is it just that people needed time and space for new projects? Have these sources of joy retreated from view as the open online became more hostile? Read the rest

US Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt has made entrance to all National Parks free for now. (Of course, some parks and facilities are closed so check before going.)"This small step makes it a little easier for the American public to enjoy the outdoors in our incredible National Parks," Bernhardt said. "Our vast public lands that are overseen by the Department offer special outdoor experiences to recreate, embrace nature and implement some social distancing."However, an organization of retirees from the National Park Service disagree. From CNN:Chair Phil Francis of The Coalition to Protect America's Parks argues that "to suggest to the public that gathering at national park sites is acceptable ... is irresponsible to the visiting public and employees.""National parks welcome visitors from around the world," Francis writes. "Many National Park Service employees interact with members of the public daily."image: Chinle Formation, Arizona by Doug Dolde (public domain) Read the rest

It’s impossible to overstate the impact of pod brewing on the coffee-crazy consumer market. Over the past decade, the single-cup quick-and-easy pod brewing systems have taken over every kitchen and workplace breakroom on the planet. Keurig sold over 10 billion of its single-serving K-Cups in 2018 alone.Unfortunately, there’s a problem with all those pods. Despite being made of recyclable plastic, they’re too small to be picked out by sorters in most recycling plants, meaning many of those pods just end up in world landfills. There’s even an estimate that there were enough coffee pods in landfills to circle the world about 12 times. And those numbers were calculated back in 2014.If you’re hopelessly addicted to your pod brewer, but cringe at the thought of further befouling our already beleaguered planet, Woken is there for you. Their 60-pack of espresso pods not only come in three popular flavors, but they’re each housed in their own 100 percent compostable and fully biodegradable pod.Made from Terrablend biocapsules, Woken pods can be used in Nespresso Original Line and a host of other compatible brewing machines then composted responsibly. Each pod will break down naturally in about 90 days and return to our eco-system.And while the thought of ending your contribution to the world’s plastic problem is a happy one, the taste is the primary reason you buy — and this collection gives you a sampling of robust flavors to enjoy.The assortment varies in flavor intensity with notes of chocolate, nuts, and fruit. Read the rest

Have you stockpiled enough toilet paper to last you through a lock-down? This calculator will help you determine that. Read the rest

Above, watch the first episode of Cats, biologist, naturalist and TV presenter Roger Tabor's wonderful BBC documentary series from 1991 that explores the history of the house cat around the world.And a bonus below, Tabor's 2011 short "The Secret Life of Cats: Report and Documentary":(via r/ObscureMedia) Read the rest

Teenage Engineering, maker of the very cool OP-1 keyboard synthesizer, has neat pocket synthesizers which are perfect to play with as you take breaks throughout the day.With PO-33, sample any sound source using line in or the built in microphone. Melodic mode lets you play chromatic melodies and drum mode lets you play drums, sequence it all and add effects on top.Unique to PO-32 Tonic [drum synthesizer and sequencer] is its wide range of sonic capabilities. Users can even use the standard desktop version of sonic charge microtonic to shape sounds, generate patches and pattern data, and have that transferred wirelessly back to the PO-32 tonic.The PO-35 offers 8 voice characters: Neutral, Autotune, Retro, Noise, Robot, Fifth, Vocoder, and Synth. Read the rest

Italy suffered its worst day of the coronavirus outbreak Tuesday, recording 475 deaths. The epicenter of the pandemic in Europe, Italy is further along an infection curve other countries in the west appear to be following, and its healthcare system has buckled under the weight of 35,000 cases.Italy has been on lockdown for almost two weeks as authorities try to halt the progress of the virus.People have been asked to stay indoors - but the number of deaths has continued to spiral.The WHO's emergencies director, Mike Ryan, said this was probably due to the "astonishing" number of cases within the health systems, as well as the high number of elderly people in the population at large."The first vaccine trial has begun, just 60 days after the genetic sequence of the #coronavirus was shared. This is an incredible achievement.We commend the researchers around the world who have come together to systemically evaluate experimental therapeutics"-@DrTedros #COVID19— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 18, 2020 Read the rest

Suburban Chicago restaurant The Beacon Tap is offering a free roll of toilet paper with each carryout or delivery order. Normally, restaurant providing toilet paper with their food would be an ominous promotion but in these times, it's boosted business! From NBC Chicago:"[We were] trying to figure out ideas, and one of our other general managers over at Cafe Touché said 'Hey what about this?'" (General Manager Tommy) Riemer said. "I immediately made a phone call to Trimark (which supplies toilet paper to the Beacon Tap) ... and ordered as much as I could so we could offer it to customers as a little comic relief."Riemer ordered 300 rolls. He said the response from customers has been "amazing" and he has already given out 80 rolls. image: GorillaSushi (CC BY-SA 2.0) Read the rest

Police in Murcia, Spain caught a Tyrannosaurus rex violating a coronavirus lockdown. The cops were kind enough to let the dinosaur off with a warning. From CBR:On the first released video, filmed by a neighbor, the T-Rex wannabe is clearly taking out the garbage. In the second video, however, it seems as if the T-Rex was making a break for a nearby park. The video was accompanied by John Williams' Jurassic Park theme. pic.twitter.com/Mvjovkzvw3— E. R.R.E. (@Elire72) March 16, 2020 Read the rest

Karl Rock, a YouTuber who posts tourist tips for travelers to India, uses a hidden camera to film people running recreational drug operations in their restaurants. Rock says:For some reason, drug dealers think I look like a drug user, so I often get approached in India and asked if I want to buy drugs. Mumbai and Goa are real hotbeds for drug selling to foreign tourists. It's not as common in Delhi, where I live.I don't do drugs, and this video is a warning not to go with these dealers and buy their product. It's no doubt fake product and you're putting yourself in a dangerous situation if you go down some dark alleyway with them. Not to mention you have no idea what these guys are selling you! Buying drugs in India is incredibly dangerous.One dealer says to him, "Weed and heroin. You like ketamine? You guys like LSD?" He reminds me of Easy Andy from Taxi Driver: Read the rest