In Thailand, police auctioned off a Honda CRV that had been seized in a drug bust. The buyer spent 586,00 baht (US$19,000) on the vehicle. Later, a mechanic discovered a secret compartment behind the bumper that contained nearly 100,000 amphetamine pills. From the BBC News:Officials said they would conduct more thorough searches in future."According to protocols, we search every vehicle we have received and this case was no exception. However, we couldn't find anything at the time, perhaps because the pills had been well hidden," said Niyom Termsrisuk, secretary general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), according to the Bangkok Post.image for illustration only: "Ritalin" by Sponge (CC BY-SA 3.0) Read the rest

In 2010, the UN adopted a rule regarding incarcerated pregnant women: "instruments of restraint shall never be used … during labour, during birth and immediately after birth." In 2018, the Federal First Step Act banned shackling pregnant women, women giving birth, and women caring for newborns; but the law does not extend to local and state jails, where 85% of the incarcerated women in America are locked up.As a result, the practice of shackling women before, during and after childbirth is rampant across America, and in the majority (61%) of these circumstances, the women are shackled not because of any specific danger, but because the facility has a policy that insists that they be in chains. The US government does not require state or local lockups to maintain statistics on pregnancy among inmates, and a bill to require this data collection has languished in Congress since September 2018.Incarcerated women are disproportionately likely to have experienced violent trauma, especially sexual trauma, and the women who have given birth in restraints describe how the experience triggered their post-traumatic stress from these incidents. Lori Yearwood's Guardian story on the practice is heartbreaking, tracing how the trauma of giving birth in chains can redound for decades after.Harriette Davis, 64, once an inmate at the California Institute for Women in Corona, is now an anti-shackling advocate and remembers well the trauma of being handcuffed to a hospital bed before giving birth to her daughter 36 years ago. The attending doctor told the guard to remove the shackles, Davis says, so that Davis could move freely, helping her baby travel more easily down the birth canal. Read the rest

Andy Byford comes from generations of public transportation workers and worked his way from a London Underground platform supervisor to running multiple British rail lines; then went to Australia where he oversaw Railcorp in NSW; then to Toronto, where he ran a successful five-year initiative that turned the TTC into the American Public Transportation Association's Outstanding Transit System of the Year -- and then he moved to New York City, to turn around the ailing MTA.Byford is a legend among transit workers; last week in Toronto I had dinner with a friend whose partner drives a TTC subway who spontaneously started singing Byford's praises -- he spent his time out in the system, talking to drivers and passengers, and understood it from top to bottom, which allowed him to intervene in the system in compassionate and effective ways.But since Byford's arrival in NYC, he's been at loggerheads with Governor Andrew Cuomo, who fancies himself a latter-day Robert Moses, and who did everything in his power to thwart Byford's work. The final straw was redefining Byford's job so that he would only do day-to-day management, with no responsibility for improvements. Cuomo accomplished this by paying the consultancy Alixpartners $4m to produce a report that recommended a sharply constrained role for Byford.Byford has resigned, as has Pete Tomlin, a trusted and much-sought-after lieutenant whom Byford brought with him from the TTC.“Out-of-town MTA executive managers always come and go,” says retired Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office administrator and Railway Age opinion columnist Larry Penner. Read the rest

Writing in The Journal of Health Economics, three economists claim (Sci Hub mirror) that "a one standard deviation reduction in daily stock market returns is associated with a 0.6% increase in fatal car accidents that happen after the stock market opening" and that this is robust across "a battery of falsification tests."They examined data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System from 1990-2015, and conclude that this "might just be the tip of the iceberg" because most car accidents are not fatal and thus not reflected in their data-set. Moreover, the correlation between fatal wrecks and stock fluctuations underwent a sudden, persistent increase in the mid-nineties, when 401(k)s exposed millions of households' finances to the stock market for the first time.They recommend public information campaigns to warn people that they might drive worse after their pensions are wiped out. Though, of course, from a neoliberal perspective, this could just be the incredible serendipity of self-correcting markets: when pensions are wiped out by financial engineering, people fatally wreck their cars, circumventing the future pain of not having any pension savings. Capitalism works! When the market drives you crazy: Stock market returns and fatal car accidents [Corrado Giulietti, Mirco Tonin and Michael Vlassopoulos/The Journal of Health Economics] (Sci-Hub Mirror)(via Marginal Revolution) Read the rest

"Proactive credit line increases" (PCLIs) are when your credit card company increases your credit limit without your asking for it; it was very common prior to the 2008 crisis, but the post-crisis rules largely put a stop to it. Now, banks have figured out regulatory loopholes that allow them to throw PCLIs at their most vulnerable customers, leading to record-high national levels of credit-card debt of $880b as of last September, higher than the pre-crisis high.Credit cards are the most profitable loans that the finance industry originates, and 2019 was the best-ever year for the banks' profits from credit cards, with interest rates soaring to a 20-year peak. The US banks made $179b in credit card fees and interest in 2019, and 2020 is projected to be even better. Credit-card debt is the fastest-growing form of debt in the USA. Much of this PCLI activity is subprime -- extending credit to people who are already overburdened by debt and who will likely miss payments, leading to high penalties, which are extremely profitable for banks. The number of people aged 19-29 in the USA who are more than 90 days late on their card payments just reached a ten-year high. But after the stock slipped in 2017, [Capital One] executives came under pressure to show they could meet growth targets. They eventually tweaked their models to offer increases to more customers, betting on a quirk in human behavior, according to the person with knowledge of the decision, who asked not to be named discussing the talks. Read the rest

It’s no secret that learning about data analytics is one of the best things you can do for your career in an increasingly data-driven world.Through five courses and over 70 lessons, the Data Analytics Expert Certification Bundle will give you the skills you need in order to become your company’s go-to numbers guru, and it’s available for just $49.If you’re new to the field, start with the Introduction to Data Analytics Training Course, which will outfit you with a general understanding of the terminology of the industry along with the basics of using analytical methods to solve problems, creating charts and graphs, identifying upcoming trends, spotting inconsistencies in your data, and more.With the basics under your belt, you’ll move on to the Tableau Certification Training Course, which teaches you how to use one of the world’s most popular numbers platforms through training that focuses on data mapping, visualizations, establishing connections between events, and more.Next up, the Data Science with Python Training Course will introduce you to the limitless power and potential of Python, by teaching you how to use this go-to programming language in order to gain valuable insights from large data sets.From there, the Business Analytics Certification Training with Excel course will teach you how to use executive-level dashboards along with how to integrate Excel into your Python builds—all through easy-to-follow instruction that uses real-world examples.Finally, the MongoDB Developer & Administrator Certification Training module will solidify your new knowledge with 17 hours of MongoDB training that teaches you about a variety of in-demand analysis strategies and tools. Read the rest

Anyone who’s ever been fishing can attest to the fact that it can be mind-numbingly boring at times, which is where the intrepid GoFish Cam Wireless Underwater Fishing Camera comes into play.This WiFi-enabled camera will help you catch more fish and have more fun while you’re doing it, thanks to a 1080p lens that delivers HD footage from underwater directly to your smartphone.Compatible with both Apple and Android systems, the GoFish Cam sits on your fishing line and captures all of the underwater action while you wait for a bite.It attaches between your mainline and the leader line so you’ll be able to easily retrieve it without having to worry about it being gobbled up by a fish, and a special night vision feature allows you to keep an eye on the comings and goings of your potential catches even at night.Introduce a live underwater video feed to your fishing routine with the GoFish Cam Wireless Underwater Fishing Camera—available for just $239.99 today.Prices are subject to change.You can't beat free! Get $70+ worth of premium Mac apps for free today! Read the rest

A Bothell, Seattle hous -- so filled with garbage, water damaged, and hazardous that the real estate agent didn't allow anyone inside -- just sold in a bidding war for more than its $330,000 list price. Only one photo, of the exterior, was provided in the listing. There were 17 offers; the buyer and final price haven't yet been revealed. From the Seattle Times:Despite the fierce pace of offers on the Bothell home, the sale pales in comparison to the all-out bidding war that ensued in 2016 after a derelict West Seattle home was listed for $200,000.That home, with five feet of standing water and toxic air not safe to breathe, ultimately sold in 10 days for $427,000, more than double the asking price, after receiving a jaw-dropping 41 offers. It was razed and redeveloped, then sold for $1.19 million in 2017...The offers (on the newly-sold Bothel property) were almost entirely from investors and home flippers, according to agents familiar with the sale.Other homes in the same zip code sell for a median $620,700, up nearly 50% since 2015, according to Zillow.“A whole lot of potential awaits,” the listing promised.(via Fark) Read the rest

While recreational marijuana was legalized in Illinois on January 1, it is still illegal under federal law. So just a few weeks back, authorities installed "Cannabis Amnesty Boxes" at Chicago airports for travelers to drop their grass before flying. But last week, someone arriving at Chicago's Midway helped themselves to the stash. From the New York Post:Police reportedly noticed the marijuana missing from an amnesty box during a check on Wednesday evening at around 8 p.m., according to a source for NBC5. Upon reviewing the surveillance footage, police saw a man — believed to be an incoming passenger — reaching inside and absconding with the marijuana hours earlier.The marijuana itself was left behind by a separate passenger, who placed it in the amnesty box after being found with it during a security check...“Cannabis Amnesty Boxes have been placed at Chicago’s airports so travelers have the opportunity to ensure compliance with federal law, as well as the local laws at their destination. Tampering with them, or attempting to remove anything placed inside, is a crime, and detectives are investigating this matter,” said Anthony Guglielmi, the chief communications officer with the Chicago Police. “In the meantime, new, permanent theft prevention boxes are expected to replace the temporary ones in the coming weeks, making them more secure and preventing anyone from further accessing materials dropped inside.”There are also marijuana amnesty boxes at Las Vegas's McCarran International Airport and the Colorado Springs Airport.image: Chicago Police Department Read the rest

From BBC Earth's "Spy in the Wild" series. Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty robot! Read the rest

Got my daughter a broken Teddy Ruxpin “little bopper” off eBay, fixed it up and wired in a speaker. Unfortunately the only radio station I get good signal on is NPR so my testing just involves teddy ruxpin convulsing to the impeachment testimony pic.twitter.com/FTbwEGJEgX— Nunzio Vuono (@nvuono) January 22, 2020And if you don't know...From Wikipedia:Teddy Ruxpin is an animatronic children's toy in the form of a talking Illiop, which looks like a bear. The creature's mouth and eyes move while "reading" stories played on an audio tape cassette deck built into its back. It was created by Ken Forsse with later assistance by Larry Larsen and John Davies,and the first version of the toy was designed by the firm RKS Design. Later versions used a digital cartridge in place of a cassette. At the peak of its popularity, Teddy Ruxpin became the best-selling toy of 1985 and 1986, and the 2006 version was awarded the 2006 Animated Interactive Plush Toy of the Year award by Creative Child Magazine. A cartoon based on the characters debuted in 1986.And from the Muppet Wiki:Little Boppers were a line of toys made by Worlds of Wonder in 1987. The toys were sound-activated plush dolls that would "dance" to music. The toys featured plush covered plastic "feet" which were articulated at the "hips" and propelled the toys forward and side to side.Versions of Baby Piggy and Baby Kermit were produced, along with a line of Disney figures (Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy), comical versions of Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolf Man, and Worlds of Wonder's own Teddy Ruxpin. Read the rest

“It is unclear at the current time whether this outbreak can be contained within China”

China's President Xi Jinping said the nation faces a “grave situation” as the number of deaths in the Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV outbreak jumped to 42 on Saturday. Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations also began Saturday, and fears of a pandemic have put a pall on celebrations. President Xi held a politburo meeting on Saturday on ways to fight the “accelerating” outbreak, reported Chinese state television.From Reuters on Saturday, January 25:As of 8 p.m. local time (1200 GMT) on Saturday, the death toll in China had risen to 42, authorities reported. Some 1,372 people in China have been infected with the virus - traced to a seafood market in Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife.The virus has also been detected in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Nepal, and the United States. And you can now add Canada to that mix. Patient zero in Canada was just confirmed in Toronto.Wuhan city is located in Hubei province, and officials there are asking for help obtaining masks and protective suits.“We are steadily pushing forward the disease control and prevention ... But right now we are facing an extremely severe public health crisis,” Hu Yinghai, deputy director-general of the Civil Affairs Department, told a news briefing.Previous Boing Boing posts:First Canada Wuhan virus case confirmed, more than 1,400 people worldwide now infected with 2019-nCoVIMAGES, TOP, and BELOW courtesy of the Chinese government's Xinhua News.Peng Zhiyong (C), head of the department of critical care medicine of Zhongnan Hospital, performs diagnosis on a patient with his colleagues in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. Read the rest

On Saturday, the government health ministry of Canada reported the first presumed case in Canada of a patient with the so-called Wuhan virus, officially known as Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV.Coronavirus has infected more than 1,400 people worldwide, most in and around Wuhan, China's third-largest city. Also on Saturday, Australia confirmed its first four cases of the new coronavirus. On Friday, Malaysia confirmed four cases, France reported Europe’s first three. Health authorities around the world are rushing to prevent a pandemic. The true state of affairs inside Wuhan is not yet known. The lethality of the virus outside Wuhan is not yet known.IMAGE, TOP: First electron microscopic images of the novel coronavirus in China [CDC.gov, public domain, 1/24/2020]Toronto Public Health received notification of the first presumptive confirmed case of coronavirus in a Canadian resident who just got backfrom Wuhan, China's third-largest city in western Hubei province, which is the epicenter of the viral outbreak.“The individual is stable and is hospitalized” the statement added.From Reuters, on Canada's Wuhan virus patient zero:The individual arrived in Toronto on Jan. 22 and was hospitalized the next day after developing symptoms of respiratory illness.The victim is a man in his 50s and Ontario health officials said he took private transportation home after getting down at Toronto airport.Ontario health officials said his family members have been put into self isolation, though the government declined to give the number of people in the family.Read more at Reuters:Canada identifies first presumptive confirmed case of coronavirusPreviously on Boing Boing:Death toll in China from Wuhan virus now 41, with 1,000+ infected globally, 2 cases in U.S. Read the rest

Google's recently announced new redesign of desktop search results would have made ads pretty much look exactly like search results. Google is now backtracking, listening to the criticism, and trying a different visual approach.Our experimenting will begin today. Over the coming weeks, while we test, some might not see favicons while some might see them in different placements as we look to bring a modern look to desktop….— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) January 24, 2020“Last week we updated the look of Search on desktop to mirror what’s been on mobile for months. We’ve heard your feedback about the update. We always want to make Search better, so we’re going to experiment with new placements for favicons,” wrote Danny Sullivan, Google’s search liaison, in a statement posted to Twitter. “Our experimenting will begin today. Over the coming weeks, while we test, some might not see favicons while some might see them in different placements as we look to bring a modern look to desktop.”Writes Nick Statt at The Verge:Google made one of the biggest changes to how it displays search results in the company’s history earlier this month, with the changes taking effect over the course of the last week. It involved a visual overhaul that makes it more difficult to differentiate between advertising and organic search results with the removal of color overlays and the introduction of small branded iconography, known on the web as favicons, next to non-ad results.The company’s stated intention was to align desktop search results with the way they’re presented on mobile, but it became clear this also had the effect of making it harder to distinguish between paid results and non-paid ones. Read the rest

Boxed wines have come a long way since their admittedly subpar debut, and it’s now possible to grab a box of wine that delivers a surprising amount of flavor and body for a price that won’t break the bank.This Boxxle Premium Wine Dispenser makes it even easier to enjoy your favorite bag-in-box wine by offering a more streamlined and stylish enclosure, and you can grab it right now for 24% off its MSRP.Ideal for tailgating or entertaining guests at home, this dispenser takes your go-to wine bag and elegantly raises it about your glass—eliminating the need for you to lift, squeeze, or drag the cumbersome and unsightly box to the edge of your countertop.Made from high-grade ABS plastic and 202 stainless steel, this dispenser also makes for the perfect travel companion thanks to its lightweight build and compact design.Enjoy your favorite boxed wine without that annoying box that comes with it. The Boxxle Premium Wine Dispenser is on sale for over 20% off MSRP at $74.99.Prices are subject to change.You can't beat free! Get $70+ worth of premium Mac apps for free today! Read the rest

Mac users are getting hit with Shlayer, a malware that installs an “Any Search” bar on their computer, reports Lifehacker. It's easy to avoid Shlayer and most other Mac (and Windows) malware - never click on an Adobe Flash updater pop-up notification.From Lifehacker:There’s no reason to install, update, or use Flash Player to access online content in 2020, save for very rare exceptions—and no, none of those exceptions include watching illegal streams of sporting events or leaked movies. If you need to download Flash, get it directly from Adobe. Nowhere else.Image: Microsoft Read the rest

A message from the Arizona Department of Public Safety: "Think you can use the HOV lane with Skeletor riding shotgun? You’re dead wrong! ☠︎ One of our motor troopers cited the 62-year-old male driver for HOV & window tint violations on SR-101 near Apache Blvd this morning."Think you can use the HOV lane with Skeletor riding shotgun? You’re dead wrong! ☠︎ One of our motor troopers cited the 62-year-old male driver for HOV & window tint violations on SR-101 near Apache Blvd this morning. #NiceTry #YoureNotHeMan #AZTroopers pic.twitter.com/wQYY831mNY— Dept. Public Safety (@Arizona_DPS) January 23, 2020(Image: Arizona Department of Public Safety) Read the rest

A massive locust infestation has migrated from Somalia and Ethiopia into Kenya, reports AP News. The insects are devouring crops in a country already afflicted by widespread hunger. The United Nations warns that coming rains could increase the locust populations by a factor of 500. The most effective way to stave of the infestation is through aerial pesticide spraying, which comes with a $70 million price. "Even a small swarm of the insects can consume enough food for 35,000 people in a single day, said Jens Laerke of the U.N. humanitarian office in Geneva," says the article.(Image: Niv Singer, CC-BY) Read the rest

According to a commenter in Reddit "This is Otto the Skateboarding Bulldog, he passed recently. This is in Lima, Peru."My dad's friend saw this dog vibin from r/funny[via r/funny] Read the rest

Back in August someone found an interesting way to get rid of old CRTs. They did this over 50x!!!6ABC:No need to adjust that dial. Doorbell surveillance cameras captured the man with a TV set over his head, laying an older set down on someone's front porch and just walking off."He wants to be known as the TV Santa Claus. I don't know," Brooksbank told WTVR-TV.The bizarre discovery happened Sunday morning in Henrico's Hampshire neighborhood. Outdated boxes were found at more than 50 homes.(h/t Leo!) Read the rest

Companies like Edubirdie offer platforms for academic cheating, connecting freelance essay-writers with desperate students who pay hundreds of dollars to have their academic papers ghostwritten for them. Edubirdie has recruited customers with on-campus "epic parties" which offered organizers $250, along with branded cups and a standee with the company's mascot, in exchange for posting five or more photos of students posed with the standee and hashtagged with #EduBirdieParty. The organizer whose party that received the most attention would get $3,000 and a 2-hour DJ set.It's just one of the many techniques used by the cheating platforms to drum up business, including running deceptive "study groups": a recruiter posing as a student will post notices offering a "study group" for people struggling with an assignment, and when students call in to join, they're given a hard-sell to pay for ghostwritten essays.Some students are offered major discounts on cheating services in exchange for providing a photo or screenshot of their class email lists.One former ghostwriter who spoke to Ed Surge says that the majority of his customers were not spoiled rich kids (he says these were 15% of his business), but rather struggling students, especially adults who had returned to university, or foreign students with poor English language skills.Edubirdie claims it doesn't facilitate cheating, but the testimonials on its site come from customers who describe how cheating with Edubirdie freelancers saved their grades.Morgan, the spokesperson for EduBirdie, says the company no longer sponsors parties, but she defended the practice. Read the rest

Cum-ex (previously) is a technical, boring financial engineering technique that lets fraudsters file multiple tax-refund claims for the same stock transactions (they called it "dividend arbitrage"); from 2006-2011, the EU's largest, most respectable banks, law firms, and investors used the scam to steal $60,000,000,000.Cum-ex is the kind of scam that the finance sector excels at: a socially useless financial engineering marvel that makes staggeringly rich people much richer, protected by a thicket of dull, deliberately complexified terminology and tactics that exist solely to obfuscate the obvious fraud underway.A few bankers have gone on trial for criminal fraud for their role in cum-ex, but so far most of the perpetrators have gotten away with it, keeping the money (one trader, Sanjay Shah, relocated from London to Dubai and bought a $1.3m yacht he calls the Cum-Ex). But German prosecutors have embarked on an aggressive program of prosecutions for everyone who profited from cum-ex, including the prominent lawyers who wrote legal opinions arguing that cum-ex was legal. They are launching 400 prosecutions stemming from 56 investigations. Among those is Hanno Berger, a former German state tax auditor who switched sides and became a key player in the theft.Berger is a revered European finance law scholar, and his work was key to conferring a halo of lawfulness to the otherwise obvious scam. In private, Berger was more frank. One of the lawyers who worked with him says that he told the lawyers he supervised that they should quit if they didn't have the stomach for raiding the German state's coffers: "Whoever has a problem with the fact that because of our work there are fewer kindergartens being built, here’s the door." Read the rest

On January 25, 1921 the Czech play Rossum's Universal Robots premiered, entering the word into the Science Fiction, and several of my ex-girlfriend's vocabulary.Wikipedia:R.U.R. is a 1920 science fiction play by the Czech writer Karel Čapek. R.U.R. stands for Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti (Rossum's Universal Robots).[1] The English phrase "Rossum's Universal Robots" has been used as a subtitle.[2] It premiered on 25 January 1921 and introduced the word "robot" to the English language and to science fiction as a whole.[3]Image via Wikimedia Commons Read the rest

In 2012, Chicago PD collaborated with the RAND Corporation and the Illinois Institute of Technology to automatically generate "risk scores" for people they arrested, which were supposed to predict the likelihood that the person would be a "party to violence" in the future (this program was called "TRAP" -- Targeted Repeat-Offender Apprehension Program" -- seemingly without a shred of irony). Now, that program has been shut down, and the City of Chicago's Office of the Inspector General has published a damning report on its eight-year reign, revealing the ways in which the program discriminated against the people ensnared in it, without reducing violent crime.Jail abolition lawyer Shakeer Rahman has published an excellent Twitter thread going through the report's highlights. A few of the points he makes:* People who were assigned high risk scores by TRAP were subjected to "enhanced prosecutions" * Routine traffic stops and other activities that pose a high risk for racial profiling were pretenses for generating TRAP scores* Your TRAP score went up even if were acquitted or had your case dismissed (Rahman: "In other words, police run arrest people on racist/arbitrary whims, and then those arrests become 'data' showing you should be targeted again")* Cops could access TRAP scores at will, and routinely violated the rules about sharing these scores outside of policing/criminal justice contextsChicago just shut down a “predictive" policing experiment that started in 2012. This report about has a bunch of alarming details about it, including info other cities have kept secret about their similar programs: https://t.co/PmXCcgbcbh Read the rest

Thank you, Mr. Oswalt.Do not watch this. Seriously. pic.twitter.com/QhIPuM8ysJ— JΞSŦΞR ✪ ΔCŦUΔL³³º¹ (@th3j35t3r) January 23, 2020 Read the rest

If you're interested in either beginning or furthering a career in graphic design, you need to have a thorough understanding of Adobe's famed editing and illustration tools, and these bundles will get you to where you need to be for a fraction of what you'd pay for an in-class education.1. The Essential Adobe Photoshop CC BundleMSRP: $199 | Sale Price: $25 (87% off)This bundle comes with five comprehensive courses that will teach you how to professionally edit your photos in the world’s leading editing platform—through instruction that walks you through lighting tricks, vector tools, contrast ratios, and more.2. The 2020 Adobe InDesign CC Master Class BundleMSRP: $221 | Sale Price: $40 (81% off)Learn how to create industry-leading layouts both online and in print with this 5-course bundle that teaches you about desktop publishing, newsletter layouts, design essentials, and how to get great print results in any medium.3. The 2020 Adobe Illustrator CC Master Class BundleMSRP: $284 | Sale Price: $40 (85% off)With six courses and over 30 hours of training, this bundle will teach you how to create incredibly realistic images—with courses that focus on scaling, alignment, color application, and more.4. The Adobe After Effects & Nuke VFX Production BundleMSRP: $617 | Sale Price: $29 (95% off)Master visual effects for movies with this 4-course bundle, which features instruction from an actual Hollywood VFX artist who introduces you to editing essentials, visual effects, post-production strategies, and workflow tools.Prices are subject to change. Read the rest

In the latest example of Trump's Used-Car-Salesman tactics of free-association to find any word that sticks with a listener just to close a deal, the Commander In Chief of the US Armed Forces said today on CNBC that the wheel was invented by an innovative American capitalist, as an example of the corporate ingenuity that must be protected at all costs.Trump seems to believe the wheel was invented in the United States: "We have to protect all of these people that came up with, originally, the light bulb and the wheel and all of these things." pic.twitter.com/re6CyRi6HY— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 22, 2020It's not particularly notable or remarkable that Trump also credits Thomas Edison with the invention of the light bulb. It is true that Edison (through his company) perfected and patented a practical modern light bulb for use in American homes. But people across the globe had been experimenting with incandescent bulbs for a century before Edison locked it down; in fact, Edison's initial patent was denied because it was too derivative of the work done by William Sawyer.But of course Edison gets all the credit. And in this case, that's not really an indictment on Trump. It is, however, a painfully accurate metaphor for the kind of "innovators" who actually get rewarded under American Capitalism — savvy business people who navigate legal loopholes to profit off of someone else's labor and ideas.This all reminds me of something I saw on Twitter once. I can't find the original source right now, but the argument was essentially that American colonists used the wheel to prove their superiority over Native Americans. Read the rest

Laptops are great when it comes to getting work done on the move, but sometimes you need a better and more responsive keyboard in order to get your work done away from your desktop. Here are six top-rated Bluetooth keyboards that will help you power through your tasks both at the office or while you’re traveling.1. Gotek Voyage Ergonomic Bluetooth KeyboardMSRP: $89 | Sale Price: $72 (19% off)Get your work done faster and more efficiently with this V-shaped keyboard that offers Bluetooth connectivity, an ergonomic 166-degree typing angle, and a stand that supports devices with screen sizes of up to thirteen inches.2. Gotek Slim Wireless KeyboardMSRP: $49 | Sale Price: $40 (18% off)This wireless keyboard features a full QWERTY layout, function keys, and a battery that can last for up to 100 hours on a single charge—making it ideal for frequent travelers and commuters.3. Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard with Built-In StandMSRP: $79 | Sale Price: $63 (20% off)This ultra-thin and lightweight keyboard makes for the perfect travel companion, thanks to its compact design and a built-in stand that makes it easy to attach a wide range of devices.4. Gotype Rollable Keyboard with Bluetooth SpeakerMSRP: $99 | Sale Price: $75 (24% off)Type more accurately and enjoy music on the go with this portable roll-up keyboard. You’ll be able to use it with both Apple and Android devices, and there’s a built-in stand along with an HD Bluetooth speaker that offers a rich bass along with crystal-clear highs. Read the rest

Warner subsidiary Otter Media has a division called Fullscreen ("a social content company for talent and brands") that has been demonetizing Youtubers' videos that use the numbers 36 and 50 (and possibly other numbers, for all we know), claiming that their use of these integers is a copyright violation. Doing so allows Warner to steal the money that these Youtubers' videos would otherwise earn.Youtube operates a filter called Content ID that allows rightsholders to automatically claim control over user-created videos that contain materials that are the rightsholders' copyrighted works. This system has no checks and balances and virtually no penalties for abuse, and users who complain can attract "copystrikes" -- three of these, and you lose your account and your videos, permanently, with no appeal.Filter systems like Content ID are now mandatory for all types of online communications services in the EU thanks to last year's Copyright Directive, and, unfortunately, European lawmakers deliberately chose not to including protections from this kind of bad-faith censorship and theft, despite repeated warnings.AnneMunition hit with bizarre copyright strike for using random numbers [Andrew Amos/Dexerto](via Techdirt)did you guys know you can copyright the number 36 pic.twitter.com/dnja297R73— Anne Munition (@AnneMunition) January 24, 2020 Read the rest

China confirmed an additional 15 deaths on Friday from the so-called Wuhan virus, officially known as Novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV.Wuhan, the Chinese city of 11 million where the outbreak sparked, is in virtual lockdown.Around the world, 1,000 people are now confirmed infected with the new virus. Health authorities are working to prevent a global pandemic. EARLIER TODAY:Second U.S. case of Wuhan coronavirus 2019-nCoV confirmed by CDCFrom Reuters:The Health Commission of Hubei Province said in a statement published early Saturday that 180 new cases had been reported as of end-Friday, putting the total number of confirmed patients in the province at 752.All 15 deaths reported by the commission occurred in Wuhan, the province’s capital and epicenter of the outbreak that has been in virtual quarantine as China scrambles to contain the virus spread. There has been no new national-level data available yet from Chinese authorities. The National Health Commission on Friday had confirmed 830 cases.The vast majority of the cases and all of the 41 confirmed deaths to date have been in China, but the virus has also been detected in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Nepal, France and the United States. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus an “emergency in China” this week but stopped short of declaring it of international concern. The virus continues to spread globally, however: French authorities reported Europe’s first confirmed cases on Friday evening. More at Reuters:China virus death toll rises to 41, more than 1,000 infected [reuters.com] Read the rest

Kevin Kelly and I interviewed our friend Jane Metcalfe for the Cool Tools podcast. Jane is the founder of NEO.LIFE, a media and events company tracking how digital tools and an engineering mindset are transforming human biology. Prior to that, she made chocolate on a pier in San Francisco at TCHO Chocolate. Jane is probably best known as the cofounder of Wired magazine.The Kickstarter campaign for her new book "Neo.Life: 25 Visions for the Future of Our Species" is now live.Subscribe to the Cool Tools Show on iTunes | RSS | Transcript | See all the Cool Tools Show posts on a single pageShow notes:Offi Mag Table ($249)I love bent plywood! I also love magazines, so this bent plywood magazine holder/side table designed by Eric Pfieffer is a total winner. There is something just so satisfying about seeing a sweep of beautiful wood flow down into a curve and splash back up the other side. And that's not all. The table makes a perfect companion to your LazyBoy recliner for Sunday afternoon reading delight. But, you can also turn it on its end and use it as a makeshift work surface, which is great when a colleague has to come be in the video conference but also wants desk space to take notes. It's so good looking I used it this week on stage for an event we produced.Souk Shopper Basket by BohemiaI used to find shopping at farmers markets physically taxing mostly because I get excited and buy way more than I can carry, always. Read the rest

‘She’s just a jerk.’

In Vermont, a moose got stuck on an active railroad bridge, and state fish and wildlife officials managed to remove the moose and relocate it to the wilderness with minimal injuries.From AP:State Fish and Wildlife received a report Wednesday morning that a moose was stuck on a bridge near the Ludlow and Cavendish area in southern Vermont.Local game wardens and wildlife biologists, with assistance from the Springfield Fire Department and a crew from the Vermont Rail System, sedated the moose and picked it up with a railroad crane truck.Here's the original post from Vermont Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, which includes a video:SUCCESS!On Wednesday morning it was reported to Vermont Fish and Wildlife that a moose was stuck in an active railroad trestle bridge next to Route 103 in the Ludlow/Cavendish area. Vermont game wardens and wildlife biologists with assistance from the Springfield Fire Department and a crew from the Vermont Rail System were able to sedate the moose, pick it up with a railroad crane truck, and relocate it to a safe area where it could return to the wild with minimal injuries.The focus of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is on population level threats to species, and it is rare that this kind of intervention makes sense because of the risk posed to the animal and responders. Such recoveries are many times not successful. It’s great to see that in this case it ended well for those involved and for this very fortunate moose. Read the rest

CDC says 'risk to the American public is low at this time'

Europe's first three cases of the Wuhan coronavirus were confirmed in France confirmed on Friday. Two patients are hospitalized in Paris, and one in Bordeaux. French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn [BMFTV interview] said during a Friday news conference that two cases, Europe’s first, are confirmed. and that more cases were likely to occur in France.And in a different announcement on Friday by the Health Ministry, the third case was announced. This patient is a relative of one of the earlier two diagnosed.Excerpt from Reuters:Earlier, the charity SOS Medecins said it had treated one of the cases, a patient of Chinese origin who was showing symptoms of a fever and who said he had been in contact with people from Wuhan in China, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak.Buzyn said the patient was 48 years old and had returned two days ago from a trip to China which included a stop in Wuhan.“He’s been put in an isolated room so as to avoid any contact with the outside world. He’s fine”, she said. In separate news, China's Hubei province today confirmed 15 ADDITIONAL deaths from the Wuhan coronavirus.Read More at Reuters: France confirms first three cases of coronavirus in Europe [January 24, 2020]China reported 15 more deaths and 180 new cases of coronavirus, according to a statement from the health department of Hubei province, as the outbreak escalates.The outbreak that began in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, has prompted China to ramp up measures to contain the virus including suspending public transport in 10 cities, shutting temples over the Lunar New Year and closing part of the Great Wall. Read the rest

PHOTO provided by Anna Dubrovskaya, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. When a circus troupe tried to load the animals into a truck to head to the next destination, they resisted, and walked away. In Russia's third-largest city, Yekaterinburg, some residents recently witnessed two elephants wandering snowy streets, after escaping from an Italian circus passing through town.It's fun in the snow for two elephants who escaped from a circus in Russia's third-biggest city https://t.co/n3rIh8VNEm pic.twitter.com/1kL3uFdUiV— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) January 24, 2020From AP:Unreceptive to attempts to bring her back, one of the female elephants crossed a busy street and headed to a residential building to roll and cavort in the snow on Thursday. One man who tried to stop her by holding on to her trunk was pushed across the street, his feet sliding on the ice.The local circus said the two elephants — Karla and Ranni — belonged to an Italian company that ran a show in Yekaterinburg during the New Year holidays.When its troupe tried to load the animals into a truck to head to the next destination, they resisted and walked away. The circus said that Ranni loitered near the loading point but the more adventurous Karla decided to make a tour of the city. Handlers finally got a rope around one of the elephant’s front legs, but it took a dozen people to pull her back. She reluctantly obeyed after playing in the snow.2 elephants escape from circus in Russian city [apnews.com] Read the rest

I love when YouTube food maker Alexis Gabriel Ainouz (better known as French Guy Cooking) launches into a series of videos exploring some food obsession of his. He's done it for dry-aged beef, ramen noodles, croissants, and omelettes. Now he's on a quest to understand what makes the perfect Italian-style meatball and to make-a the meatball.His quest quickly takes him to New York City. Why NYC in search of perfect Italian meatballs? As Alex points out, the Italian meatball we carnivores know and love is actually the product of Italian immigrants living in the United States, using the ingredients available to them here.Next stop? Sweden (for obvious, non-Italian, meatball reasons). Read the rest

The life of an entrepreneur is rarely easy, regardless of whether you’re running Google or have yet to get your first idea off the ground. So why not make your life easier with a lifetime subscription to Zuitte 50+ Tools for Entrepreneurs while it’s over 90% off?With over 50 powerful tools that help everyday entrepreneurs run and grow their businesses, Zuitte makes it easy to manage virtually every element of your business from a single location.Built from the ground up for everyone from drop-shippers and Amazon FBA sellers to YouTubers and social media influencers, this all-in-one suite of apps and tools allows you to research your competitors, analyze customer behavior, explore keyword ideas, and more.It’s also easy to automate your social media platforms and schedule future posts—allowing you to maximize performance and enhance your marketing campaigns.Streamline your business management and promotion with a lifetime subscription to Zuitte 50+ Tools for Entrepreneurs for just $199.Prices are subject to change.You can't beat free! Get $70+ worth of premium Mac apps for free today! Read the rest

Jamie Dimon (previously) is the Jpmorganchase CEO who committed a $13b mortgage fraud and whose company received $25B in TARP bailout money, $500B in low-cost federal loans, and billions more through the bailout of their insurer, AIG.He's been talking a lot of shit about how bad socialism is for the world, but as Matt Stoller (previously) points out, Dimon is a very selective form of socialism, who wants a command economy where he does the commanding and where there is no state intervention in the market except when it benefits him.Stoller's in excellent form in this clip and well worth watching.(via Naked Capitalism)(Thumbnail image: Presidencia de la República Mexicana, CC BY, modified) Read the rest

I like almost everything OXO makes. This OXO Good Grips Silicone Sink Strainer ( on Amazon) was a welcome replacement for the wire mesh one we had, because some of the wires had broken. Those little protruding wires hurt when they poke your finger. The OXO strainer is made of soft silicone and that won't hurt you. To clean the collect food debris, just pop the cup inside out in the trash. One reviewer on Amazon said it is still in good condition after four years of use. I've had mine since 2016 and it is working perfectly. Read the rest

According to Wikipedia, Pantone 448 C has been dubbed "The ugliest colour in the world."Described as a "drab dark brown," it was selected in 2016 as the colour for plain tobacco and cigarette packaging in Australia, after market researchers determined that it was the least attractive colour. The Australian Department of Health initially referred to the color as "olive green," but the name was changed after concerns were expressed by the Australian Olive Association. Read the rest

A man in Alaska, approached by a lonesome moose, opted to duck into a shed rather than find out what was on the curious capreolinae's mind.Image: YouTube Read the rest

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is changing the city's official slogan from "What happens here, stays here." As we all know, nothing that happens actually stays in Vegas anyway because it all ends up on Instagram with that slogan as the caption. In any case, the new slogan, several years in development but not yet officially announced, is: "What happens here, only happens here." From ABC News:The new tourism slogan is expected to be officially unveiled in a 60-second ad during the broadcast of the Grammy Awards on Jan. 26, R&R Partners, the advertising agency behind the slogan told ABC News...."It’s personal to me and the 75 other people at R&R Partners who work on the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority account to get it right," Billy Vassiliadis, CEO R&R Partners said in a statement."Everything we do is driven by listening to our customers and what they want and need. We are confident this new campaign delivers that, and is the perfect evolution of 'What Happens Here, Stays Here,'" Vassiliadis explained..@LVCVA CEO @ShillforVegas announced at #PreviewLV that Vegas will be getting a new marketing slogan. It will be unveiled during the @GRAMMY Awards on January 26. Read more from @rickvelotta @reviewjournal https://t.co/MKpRvoXYGO— Vegas Chamber (@lvchamber) January 17, 2020image: Bill Debevc (CC BY 2.0) Read the rest

The Chinese embassy in Paris has located the woman who bragged about taking pills to reduce her fever so she could fly from Wuhan to Lyon to enjoy a meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant, reports The Telegraph.The woman posted on WeChat: "Finally I can have a good meal, I feel like I've been starving for two days. When you are in a gourmet city of course you have to eat Michelin [food]. Just before I left, I had a low fever and cough. I was scared to death and rushed to eat [fever-reducing] medicine. I kept on checking my temperature. Luckily I managed to get it down and my exit was smooth."She also posted photos of her gourmet meal:😐 Confirmation qu'une Chinoise de #Wuhan arrivée à #Lyon s'est vantée sur WeChat d'avoir réussi à éviter le contrôle à la douane à l'aéroport malgré sa fièvre et sa toux inquiétante. Rien ne prouve qu'elle est infectée par le #coronavirus mais son attitude est irresponsable. pic.twitter.com/nxIrL9ds1u— Conflits (@Conflits_FR) January 22, 2020From the article:The embassy later confirmed that her symptoms were under control.“She claimed that in the past few days, she has taken her temperature regularly and that now she no longer has any fever or cough symptoms,” it said in a statement.“She confirms that she has already phoned 15 (for emergency medical care) and that French medical services told her that without symptoms of fever or pain, she doesn't need to be examined." Read the rest

LISTEN: 'Heavyweight Reggae.' Yep, the name is right, and the channel delivers.My old pal Rusty Hodge from SomaFM, a longtime independent internet hero and early blogger and NASA space shuttle fanatic -- such a cool guy! -- ah, focus, Xeni! Okay, so Rusty and SomaFM just launched an awesome new SomaFM internet radio channel dedicated to the classic roots of reggae. Heavyweight Reggae.It is SO GREAT.I'm a GenXer, and when I was first getting turned on to reggae in the mid-1980s, this is what it sounded like. I am so grateful this channel exists.Here's the blurb Rusty sent around when they turned it on.I'm going to keep this radio channel locked all weekend. Welcome to SomaFM's newest channel, Heavyweight Reggae. Reggae, Dub, Ska, Rocksteady hosted by DJ Dion "The Watts" Garcia, the genius behind 7" Soul.https://t.co/9GC0KG1RKp main page, web player: https://t.co/cXKKsTPIXeor search for "Heavyweight Reggae" in most radio apps. pic.twitter.com/kC6J3t3is8— SomaFM Radio (@somafm) January 17, 2020SomaFM Jan 17, 2020, 2:19 PM (7 days ago)I'm really excited to announce our first new channel of a new decade:Heavyweight Reggae: Reggae, Dub, Ska and RocksteadyYour music director and host is DJ Dion "The Watts" Garcia, the genius behind 7" Soul.When Dion and I first discussed a reggae channel over a year ago, he suggested a format that "would cover Jamaican music of the 60s, 70s and early 80s, specifically, what I like to call Heavy Reggae." Read the rest

Check your mental health at the door: YouTube moderators are forced to sign an agreement acknowledging the risk of PTSD if they want the job. The Verge's Casey Newton:“I understand the content I will be reviewing may be disturbing,” reads the document, which is titled “Acknowledgement” and was distributed to employees using DocuSign. “It is possible that reviewing such content may impact my mental health, and it could even lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I will take full advantage of the weCare program and seek additional mental health services if needed. I will tell my supervisor/or my HR People Adviser if I believe that the work is negatively affecting my mental health.”The PTSD statement comes at the end of the two-page acknowledgment form, and it is surrounded by a thick black border to signify its importance. It may be the most explicit acknowledgment yet from a content moderation company that the job now being done by tens of thousands of people around the world can come with severe mental health consequences.The agreement protects them, not you. Read the rest

Restaurants and retail businesses in New York City will be required by law to accept cash from customers, or face fines of up to $1,500 per violation, reports The New York Post. Refusing to accept cash is unfair to the 25% of New Yorkers who are unbanked or underbanked, say drafters of the regulation. New York joins Philadelphia and San Francisco in banning cash-free establishments. Read the rest

Los Angeles's Cannabis Cafe is the first restaurant in the United States that encourages its patrons to smoke weed inside. They sell cannabis products (including pre-packaged edibles) but none of the items on the menu are prepared with it. Based on Dave Holmes's review in Esquire, quoted below, the Cannabis Cafe is certainly a high point in weed history:Once you’re inside, it is impossible to detect the scent of skunk. The place is outfitted with a casino-grade air filtration system that whisks the smoke up, through a charcoal filter, and out into the West Hollywood skies. It works so well, in fact, that the Cannabis Cafe is the only place in Los Angeles that doesn’t smell like weed. It’s a comfy space, walls lined with living plants, a bit like the common area on Love Island. It’s welcoming. Mellow. Of course....All of the Cafe’s waiters are equipped to handle your bummers. As a bartender must train to learn the ABV of her beers and spot the signs of intoxication, the staff here learns the potency of all the Cafe’s products and how to deal with someone who’s spiraling. (The secret, I am told, is a cold towel and a glass of orange juice)... You get two different menus, one for food and one for weed. We dive into the latter first at our table: my boyfriend and me, plus another couple we’d been long overdue for a dinner with. We peruse the pot menu exactly the way—and with exactly the same level of fluency, which is to say very little—we would a wine list... Read the rest

Batteries have always been a barrier in the evolution and adoption in soft, wearable devices. You wouldn't want the chemicals inside batteries to leak out onto your skin and ideally there wouldn't be a big risk of them bursting into flames either. Stanford engineers have developed a new kind of solid polymer battery that can stretch without breaking and doesn't contain liquid or gel that might seep out and ignite. From Stanford Engineering:"Until now we haven't had a power source that could stretch and bend the way our bodies do, so that we can design electronics that people can comfortably wear," said chemical engineer Zhenan Bao, who teamed up with materials scientist Yi Cui to develop the device they describe in the Nov. 26 edition of Nature Communications....The prototype is thumbnail-sized and stores roughly half as much energy, ounce for ounce, as a comparably sized conventional battery. Graduate student David Mackanic said the team is working to increase the stretchable battery's energy density, build larger versions of the device and run future experiments to demonstrate its performance outside the lab. One potential application for such a device would be to power stretchable sensors designed to stick to the skin to monitor heart rate and other vital signs as part of the BodyNet wearable technology being developed in Bao's lab.More: Decoupling of mechanical properties and ionic conductivity in supramolecular lithium ion conductors (Nature Communications) Read the rest