Boing Boing

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

The Washington State Department of Transportation tweeted a photo of Bigfoot caught on a webcam overlooking the mountainous Sherman Pass that crosses the Colville National Forest. People with overactive imaginations argue that what we're seeing is actually a shadow or even a human. Of course it's much more likely that this is a rare photo of the undiscovered large primate species residing in the Pacific Northwest.Watch the webcam yourself here.(CNN)Sasquatch spotted!!! I'm not superstitious... just a little stitious. Have you noticed something strange on our Sherman Pass/SR 20 webcam before? If you look closely by the tree on the left there looks to be something... might be Sasquatch... We will leave that up to you! pic.twitter.com/RaDGqQdEUF— WSDOT East (@WSDOT_East) January 22, 2020(Thanks, Bob Pescovitz!) Read the rest

When John Stumpf (previously) was CEO of Wells Fargo, he oversaw a string of scandals including literally millions of acts of bank fraud, and still managed to walk out of the business with millions in bonuses and no criminal prosecutions.He remains a multi-multi-multi-millionaire, but will have to surrender $17.5m in fines for his role in the scandals and is barred for life from working in banking. Many of his accomplices from Wells Fargo's C-suite are facing their own fines and restrictions on future involvement in the industry.Much of the activity occurred because employees faced "unreasonable pressure" to achieve sales goals, leading to widespread instances of unethical and illegal behavior, the OCC alleged Thursday in legal documents.Stumpf, the agency said, "was frequently informed by leaders" of the company's Community Bank division of the behavior but was told it was isolated and not systemic. He notably did not hold the head of the Community Bank division, Carrie Tolstedt, accountable and failed to take other actions "to prevent the Bank from recklessly engaging in unsafe or unsound practices," the OCC alleged.Stumpf earlier already agreed to relinquish about $70 million in compensation, including stock awards, because of the scandal.Ex-Wells Fargo CEO banned from banking, must pay $17.5M fine for role in fake-accounts scandal [Nathan Bomey/USA Today] Read the rest

Last year's EU Copyright Directive will require online services to install upload filters similar to Youtube's Content ID system, a $100m, voluntary tool that allows rightsholders to claim video and audio and either censor or earn money from any user videos that matches their claims.At the time, opponents of this "filternet" proposal pointed out that Youtube's Content ID had some glaring issues that made it unsuitable as a model for expansion into all services and all types of media (written words, code, images, videos, sound). First among these was that the system has virtually no protections against "copyfraud," in which people claim the rights to others' creations, either through carelessness, or because by so doing, they can misappropriate others' income, censor their critics, or blackmail them by threatening to "copystrike" their work (if a Youtuber receives three copyright complaints, they can lose their channels and all their videos, forever, with no appeal).In the months since the Directive passed in the EU (it squeaked through by a mere five votes, and then, immediately after, ten MEPs said they'd gotten confused and pushed the wrong button), Content ID has become even more toxic and hospitable to copyfraudsters.For example, a company called Studio 71 has bulk-submitted claims to Content ID that allowed it steal the revenues from whole genres of Youtubers, and has thus far paid no penalty.As bad as the situation is with Youtube and Content ID, it will be far, far worse under the Copyright Directive. Read the rest

The Base is a white nationalist terror group that made the news when three of its members were arrested and accused of planning to start a civil war at this week's gun rally in Virginia by murdering cops and opening fire on the pro-gun protesters.The group has a "culture of secrecy" and its members know its founder by aliases like "Norman Spear" and "Roman Wolf." But The Guardian has uncovered his true identity, using a combination of insider leaks and public records requests. According to the newspaper, "Norman Spear" is Rinaldo Nazzaro, a 46-year-old American from New Jersey whose personal history includes many extravagant claims of providing intelligence and security contracting to governments.Apart from this, Nazzaro has very little social media presence, but his biographic details and images of him line up with what is know of "Spear."It's not clear where Nazzaro lives; his wife is Russian and his image appears in advertisements for English language tutoring services in St Petersburg. He also owns an apartment in New Jersey.Nazzaro owns a consulting company called "OSI LLC" whose offices -- on Fifth Ave in NYC, K-Street in DC, etc -- are all virtual offices, private mailbox services that offer phone reception and mail forwarding. Nazzaro's proclaimed background in counterintelligence and government services, combined with any visible past history in white nationalist causes, has caused some white nationalists to accuse him of being a government operative running a honeypot to identify and neutralize Nazis (this is a common accusation and longrunning fear within the far-right).According to an internally placed source, the only people within the movement who vouched for “Spear” were connected to the Northwest Front (NWF). Read the rest

One of the best work trips I ever took was the overnight train from London King's Cross to Edinburgh: I had a comfortable berth, went from city centre to city centre, arrived rested and refreshed, and did not have to endure the indignities and discomforts of air travel.University of Westminster Senior Lecturer in Transport Planning Enrica Papa's editorial on the glories and possibilities of overnight rail as an alternative for many air journeys describes how the phenomenon of flygskam (Swedish: "flight shame") is giving rise to an overnight rail renaissance, with many European rail services reinstating and improving their overnight rail service -- for example, in 2022 you'll be able to take a sleeper car from Malmo to London, departing after dinner and arriving before lunch.A recent study from the Netherlands found that passengers who travel for leisure purposes seem to be most attracted to the option of night trains. It’s possible that night train services could simply generate new demand from these customers instead of substituting existing airline passengers. The researchers found that 40% of business travellers still opted to fly the day before and stay in a hotel instead, though many thought the relative comfort of sleeper trains was appealing. Could sleeper trains replace international air travel? [Enrica Papa/The Conversation](via Naked Capitalism) Read the rest

Terminal Phase is a side-scrolling shoot-em-up in the Gradius and R-Type tradition, but in text mode. In the terminal! It's free software created by Christopher Lemmer Webber [Patreon].The game is completely playable and is a fun game (well, at least a number of playtesters told me they thought it was fun). It includes two levels (one of which is more balanced than the other), and more content is on its way (1.0 isn't the end!). You can see it being played above in cool-retro-term but it works in all sorts of terminals, including gnome-terminal and etc.I also released a video recently (archive.org mirror) of me doing a live playtest of the game and also showing off how to make new levels and program new enemies (which serves as kind of an introduction, but probably not the best one, to Spritely Goblins).One of the first games I had as a youngster was Harrier Attack, which was essentially the same idea of a textmode side-scrolling shooter, albeit with redefined characters to try and get it looking "better". It was not great. Read the rest

Air Force veteran Sauntore Thomas was "humiliated" when a teller at TCF Bank in Livonia, Michigan decided, without any rational cause, that three large checks Thomas brought for deposit were fraudulent. Rather than easily confirm the checks, the teller called the cops!Thomas is now suing TCF Bank. I hope he receives some new large checks to deposit his new bank.ABC:Thomas' attorney, Deborah Gordon, said he was able to deposit the checks at another bank without a problem and they cleared less than 24 hours later. She said bank employees could have easily verified the check before calling law enforcement."My client had very legitimate checks and he had a bank account at this bank," Gordon told ABC News Thursday. "Right away they told him there was an issue with verifying the checks, which makes zero sense because these checks were from a large corporate entity.""They kept telling him there was an issue of fraud and that's what caused them to call the police. So then I have to ask, 'What is the reason you think there's fraud?'" she added.Gordon said her client called her as he was being interrogated by two police officers, while others stood guard outside of the bank. She said she called the bank, but the employees were extremely dismissive and denied her request to speak with a manager."There's no explanation for that other than the fact that my client is African American and that is my firm belief. They never offered an explanation as to why the police were called and they never offered an explanation that made any sense as to why they thought the checks were fraudulent," Gordon said. Read the rest

As soon as I saw it in my alert feed for weird and/or unpleasant unicorn-themed merchandise, I knew I have to have this very weird and/or unpleasant shirt from Amazon.armholes allow for freedom of movementUnicorn Skull Rainbow Tee [Amazon] Read the rest

Today, the Planters' Peanut brand announced the "death" of Mr. Peanut, the jingoistic mascot-in-a-monocle who sold his own people down the gullets of Americans for more than a century.It is with heavy hearts that we confirm that Mr. Peanut has died at 104. In the ultimate selfless act, he sacrificed himself to save his friends when they needed him most. Please pay your respects with #RIPeanut pic.twitter.com/VFnEFod4Zp— The Estate of Mr. Peanut (@MrPeanut) January 22, 2020Lest you thought this was supposed to be an indictment of cannibalistic capitalism, it's actually just a PR scheme to tie in with a Super Bowl commercial. Like a true race traitor, the anthropomorphic man died while saving the life of his human friends, Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh (the actor, not the idiot blogger).His peanut friends, meanwhile, continue to die en masse to satisfy our (read: my) taste buds.There will surely be another Mr. Peanut announced in the coming days to shamble forth like the zombie of corporate exploitation. In the meantime, at least we have this little gem from the delightfully under-rated Clone High USA, which I spend way too much time thinking about on a daily basis.Planters really has killed off Mr. Peanut, with a funeral planned for the Super Bowl. [Jessica Wohl / Ad Age]Image via InOttawa/Flickr Read the rest

When it comes to top-quality kitchen gadgets that won’t break the bank, nothing beats Gourmia. These eight best-selling Gourmia tools will help you take your culinary prowesses to the next level, and each one is available for an additional 15% off when you enter the coupon code COOKSAVE15 at checkout.1. Gourmia GTF7350 6-in-1 Multi-Function Stainless Steel Air Fryer OvenMSRP: $95 | Sale Price: $90 | Price w/ code COOKSAVE15: $77This multi-function air fryer makes cooking fast, healthy, and easy—thanks to patented 360-degree cooking technology that ensures your food cooks evenly every time.2. Gourmia GPC965 6-Qt Pressure Cooker with Auto ReleaseMSRP: $200 | Sale Price: $100 | Price w/ code COOKSAVE15: $85This simple appliance makes cooking 70% faster while maintaining maximum flavor, and you’ll be able to create up to 13 presets for your go-to meals.3. Gourmia GAF575 5-Qt Digital Air FryerMSRP: $100 | Sale Price: $80 | Price w/ code COOKSAVE15: $68Enjoy all of your favorite savory food without the unwanted calories with this digital air fryer, which eliminates most of the needless fatty oils and grease from your favorite fried foods.4. Gourmia GAF688 11 Qt Digital Air Fryer Oven, Rotisserie & DehydratorMSRP: $190 | Sale Price: $150 | Price w/ code COOKSAVE15: $128Prepare healthy, delicious meals for the entire family with this 360-degree multi-function cooker that also acts as a rotisserie and dehydrator.5. Gourmia GCG205 14-Oz Automatic 4-Mode Digital Conical Burr GrinderMSRP: $100 | Sale Price: $100 | Price w/ code COOKSAVE15: $85This digital grinder makes it easy to enjoy the perfect cup of coffee every morning, by allowing you to fine-tune your grind with 39 different grind sizes from extremely coarse to extra-fine. Read the rest

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic isn't just the best Star Wars game of all time, it is one of the best video games of all time! I still play it today and I would play the hell out of a remake.The recent Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order is the first game to come close to this wonderful playstyle and storytelling. They could almost port the story into this the Fallen Order platform. Fallen Order is well worth playing and is just beautiful. This is in stark contrast to every other recent videogame in the Star Wars universe except maybe Beat Saber.Comicbook.comAccording to a new report, Electronic Arts is planning on bringing back a classic Star Wars game in the remake form. More specifically, a remake of BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is currently and allegedly in development. The report comes way of Cinelinx, which claims that it as been told by two independent sources -- one of which has been reliable in the past -- that EA is currently working on reviving the classic game. Now, one source claims it's a straight up a remake, while the other says it's more of a sequel that would take elements from the game and its follow-up and combine then into one single game. Meanwhile, it would also make the game canon. In other words, it would be more of a reboot or reimagining than a straight remake.I am ready to pre-order! Read the rest

US Representative for California's 28th district Adam Schiff gave one of the most impressive speeches I have heard. Read the rest

English actor Laurence Fox told an interviewer that it was "oddness" to see a Sikh soldier in World War I epic 1917, agreeing that shoehorning people of different ethnicities into dramas "is kind of racist - if you talk about institutional racism, which is what everyone loves to go on about, which I'm not a believer in, there is something institutionally racist about forcing diversity on people in that way." The problem for Fox, of course, is that Sikhs fought in World War I, for the British, in the trenches where 1917 was set. He soon "apologized", but only for being "clumsy."Fellow humans who are #SikhsI am as moved by the sacrifices your relatives made as I am by the loss of all those who die in war, whatever creed or colour.Please accept my apology for being clumsy in the way I have expressed myself over this matter in recent days.L— LAURENCE FOX (@LozzaFox) January 23, 2020Here's what you should understand about this apology: he still thinks that he's right. Just because it's true Sikhs fought for Britain in World War I, it still "feels incongruous", as he put it in another interview. Crow all you like about the forced half-apologies, but the only thing that's moved for this guy is the goalposts. Read the rest

The Homeowners' Association in Val Vista Lakes -- a private community in Gilbert, Arizona -- has threatened at least 11 residents with fines of $250 each if they do not delete Facebook posts that are critical of the HOA and its board, thereby demonstrating the case for criticizing the HOA and its board.The controversial posts relate to a recent, contentious board election, and involve candidates for board seats.“Compared to what you see on the national level, it was pretty moderate,” said Keith Faber, a former board member who participated in some of the discussion.He was among residents to receive a letter from the HOA attorney. “The comments you have posted specifically defame and negatively impact others in the community,” the letter to Faber reads. “The Association demands that you cease posting any disparaging, speculative, or defaming comments that negatively impact specific individuals in the Association or on the Board.”Gilbert HOA board may fine Val Vista Lakes residents $250 per day over critical social media posts [Alison Steinbach/Arizona Central](Thanks, Rick!)(Image: Val Vista Lakes) Read the rest

Traditional headphones are overrated, especially now that this HumBird Bone-Conducting Speaker allows you to enjoy a rich and completely unique listening experience depending on where you place it.A must-have item for true audiophiles looking to switch up their usual listening routine, this compact speaker uses cutting-edge bone conduction technology in order to deliver a high-volume sound that’s completely customizable based on your individual preferences.It delivers your favorite tunes by turning them into mechanic vibrations of different frequencies—leveraging the effects of the different materials you place it near.You’ll be able to listen to music for up to three hours on a single charge, and it’s easy to take this tiny-yet-mighty speaker with you on the go thanks to its small size and lightweight design.Ditch the boring speakers and transform your listening experience with a HumBird Bone-Conducting Speaker, currently available for over 35% off at $26.99.Prices are subject to change.You can't beat free! Get $70+ worth of premium Mac apps for free today! Read the rest

House Antitrust chairman David Cicilline's interview with The Verge's Nilay Patel reveals the exciting shifts in how Congress thinks about Big Tech's monopolies.Cicilline doesn't think Congress can break up Big Tech, though he moots passing a "Glass-Steagall for tech" that makes tech companies engage in "structural separation" -- for example, platform companies would not be allowed to compete with the companies that use their platforms. And he wants to do a lot more scrutiny of mergers in the future, which is an outstanding idea.I'm worried, though, that if they start blocking future mergers but don't unwind past mergers, they'll just lock in the monopolies of the companies that did their merging in the past -- for example, if future Google competitors can't buy ad-tech companies but Google gets to keep Doubleclick, it basically guarantees Google's eternal dominance. I'm not saying we should allow future search companies to buy ad-tech companies, rather, advocating for breaking Google up on structural lines.Also notably absent from the conversation: breakups of other industries, like ISPs, entertainment conglomerates, banks, etc, etc.But I do think that the other suggestion that Sen. Warren has made is a really interesting one and something I think about a lot: the notion of “You can be either a platform or you can be a manufacturer or a producer of services, but you can’t do both.” Sort of the Glass-Steagall of the internet. It’s kind of an interesting idea because people go to a platform thinking, somehow, when they do a search, there’s some neutral way that evidence is reviewed, and you’re provided with a result from that search. Read the rest

The US health insurance industry resents being on the receiving end of surprise bills and price-gouging, so Blue Cross/Blue Shield are spending $55m to have the nonprofit Civica Rx tool up to make generics of off-patent drugs whose sole manufacturers are shkreliing the prices into the stratosphere.Civica already supplies drugs to 1,200 hospitals.Drugmakers hiked prices 1,000% in massive price-fixing scheme, states allegeIn an interview with The New York Times, Civica board chairman Dan Liljenquist said that the new venture “will not solve all the problems of the world, but we do know that 90 percent of prescriptions are generic, and there are certain parts of the generic markets that are not functioning like competitive markets should. And we intend to compete in those markets.”Sick of Big Pharma’s pricing, health insurers pledge $55M for cheap generics [Beth Mole/Ars Technica] Read the rest

You don’t need to be a professional chef in order to enjoy a great set of knives in your kitchen, yet far too many would-be culinary pros settle for subpar blades that lose their edge after a few months.This Schmidt Brothers® Cutlery Carbon 6 7-Pc Knife Block Set will bring a new level of quality and style to your kitchen, and they’re available for just $181.99.Crafted with the home chef in mind, these knives are made from 100% German stainless steel that offers incredible strength and durability, and you’ll never have to worry about the edges going dull even after repeated uses.They feature an ergonomic Schmidt Brothers Curve for a comfortable grip, and the included magnetic knife block makes it easy to stylishly store the knives when you’re not using them.Embrace your inner chef by ditching the underwhelming knives and landing a Schmidt Brothers® Cutlery Carbon 6 7-Pc Knife Block Set while it’s available for $181.99—30% off its usual price.Prices are subject to change.You can't beat free! Get $70+ worth of premium Mac apps for free today! Read the rest

"I didn't plan to be persecuted simply for joking," he said.

Oh this is gloriously satisfying. IMGURian Phoenix3600 did a step-by-step build gallery of what I am assuming is the very pricey and fancy LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Millennium Falcon 75192 Expert Building Kit. I no longer need to buy it, as I have seen all the assembly photos and foud them to be most pleasing indeed.I built a thing, grown men can still have these right? Read the rest

In Switzerland, the state-owned Swissmint says today that a 2.96-millimeter (0.12-inches) gold coin created with Albert Einstein's face on it is the smallest in the world.The coin, shown above, weighs 0.063 grams (1/500th of an ounce) and has a nominal value of 1/4 Swiss francs ($0.26). From the Associated Press:Swissmint said the coin, of which just 999 have been made, will be sold for 199 francs with a special magnifying glass so owners can see the famous physicist on its face.IMAGE courtesy Swissmint: A gold coin with the face of Albert Einstein on the image side. (Handout Swissmint/Benjamin Zurbriggen) Read the rest