Boing Boing

After a late-December Washington Post story revealed a nationwide epidemic of colleges quietly installing pervasive wireless location-tracking systems on campus, which gathered data on students without meaningful consent, inside and outside of class, broken down by protected categories such as race and gender, as well as on potentially invasive lines such as whether a student is from abroad, security researcher Lace R Vick (previously) tweeted an offer to students to explain how they could "dismantle such a system."In a followup Gizmodo article, Vick delves into the deficiencies with the notifications, consent and privacy policies associated with these services -- which are a typical mess of overbroad grabs that are subject to change without notice, couched in deceptive language.Vick also puts campus location-tracking in the context of campus information security, which is historically very poor, with low-quality passwords, a lack of access auditing, and interconnection of services and networks that allow both outside attackers and insider threats (such as a professor who wants to stalk a student) to operate with wide latitude and a low likelihood of being caught. Adding location-tracking to such a system vastly increases the risks of the kinds of cyberattacks that are already endemic to campuses. For his finale, Vick explains what he would have done had he been an undergrad on a campus with such a system, including setting up fake beacons that record every student as being present in every class; using their own tracking beacons to create public league tables of which profs preside over classes that students are likely to skip; disrupting Bluetooth radio frequency bands to block all the tracking beacons; decompiling the app to analyze how the services share data and to see if there are strong protections to stop users from getting location-data on other people. Read the rest

An explosive fight erupted at a UK Turkish cafe called Ken's Kebabs, with kicks and objects being thrown around. But that didn't stop this 52-year-old man from eating his meal while calmly taking in the scenery. Must be some damn good kebabs. Read the rest

Twitter user @sydneywhitson reported that "her coworker called in (yet again) and said she had a nail on her tire that caused her to have a flat" and reportedly sent in the above photo as evidence. Zoomed version below. Of course, Twitter delighted in the stupidity.Here’s an actual picture you can use next time pic.twitter.com/v0QqrymGUc— 𝚂𝚊𝚖 𝙱𝚘𝚒 (@SamuelJarman) January 9, 2020(via Petapixel) Read the rest

Still recovering after all that holiday shopping? That doesn't mean you can't ring in the new year with a new computer. These Mac minis are all refurbished, which means they're available for sometimes hundreds off the retail price. Here are of our favorite deals still out there.Apple Mac Mini Intel Core i5 2.3GHz 8GB RAM 500GB - White (Refurbished)Hook this 7.7" unit up to a keyboard and monitor, and you can take advantage of 2.3GHz Intel Core i5 processing. The 8GB RAM of memory is everyday browsing, streaming, and multi-tasking as well.MSRP: $399Sale Price: $249.99Apple Mac Mini Intel Core i5 2.5GHz 500GB HDD - White (Refurbished)Here's another compact computer that's fully ready for household use. Its Intel HD Graphics 4000 will keep gamers happy while the 4 USB ports let you hook up an array of peripherals.MSRP: $399Sale Price: $259.99Apple Mac Mini Intel Core 2 Duo 320GB - Silver (Certified Refurbished)The 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor on this 2010 model is still great for work use, and the DVD writer makes it easy to burn movies for your home library. Watching them on the NVIDIA GeForce 320M 256GB video card is pretty satisfying, too.MSRP: $479Sale Price: $349Apple Mac Mini 1.4GHz Intel Core i5 Dual-Core 500GB HDD - Silver (Certified Refurbished)Need a bit more speed? This 2014 Mac Mini comes with Turbo Boost 2.0, not to mention Hyper-Threading capability for those who need to multitask. The 500 GB HDD storage is mighty generous as well. Read the rest

In 2019, knife crime in England and Wales hit record highs with police counting 44,000 offenses over a year span, half of which were stabbings. In an effort to help (and also probably to, ahem, get some press), UK cutlery brand Viners is now selling a line of knives with squared-off tips. From Insider:Due to be released later this week, (a Viners press release states that the line) has been "repeatedly tested to ensure the tip does not pierce skin intentionally or otherwise.""With knife-related crime incidents at a record high and a reported 285 fatalities in the last 12 months alone, the UK government has taken the decision to reclassify kitchen knives as an offensive weapon with the new Offensive Weapons Act 2019, leading some retailers to remove single knives from sale in retail stores," a press release for the knife collection stated."The new Assure collection from Viners has been created in response to this new legislation, with the team extensively testing a new shape knife that is highly functional for the modern cook but shaped to reduce and prevent injuries, accidents and fatalities." Read the rest

The Whitefield Academy is a "Christ-centered, college-preparatory school for grades PreK-12 fostering a passion for learning, others ahead of self, and the living and active Jesus." That is to say, it's a school for religious maniacs.Kimberly Alford is a former student at Whitefield Academy. She was expelled after administrators saw that she had posted a photo of herself at her 15th birthday party, blowing out the candles while wearing a shirt with rainbow patterns on the sleeves.Whitefield expelled Alford for "lifestyle violations." According to the school's head, Dr Bruce Jacobson, the shirt "demonstrates a posture of morality and cultural acceptance contrary to that of Whitefield Academy’s beliefs." Though neither Jacobson nor his staff would meet with Alford and her family nor discuss her explusion with her, they did allow her to voluntarily withdraw from the school to spare her from having an expulsion on her transcript. She is now a student at a public school.Alford has denied that she wore her shirt in solidarity with gay rights. The school administrators claim that the photo was the final straw following violations of "our student code of conduct numerous times over the past two years." They did not elaborate on these "violations." Her mother says that she was once caught with an e-cigarette and once disciplined for leaving campus during lunch period.According to Whitefield Academy’s parent/student handbook, the school seeks to work in tandem with children’s families to “mold students to be Christ-like.”“On occasion, the atmosphere or conduct within a particular home may be counter or in opposition to the Biblical lifestyle the school teaches,” the handbook says. Read the rest

In Tampa, Florida, Emily Stallard, 37, was arrested for attempting to make a bomb inside a Walmart using materials she grabbed from the store shelves. From CNN:"A security guard with Walmart noticed the woman ... roaming the aisles of the store and opening unpaid items. The items included flammable materials, projectiles and matches," the sheriff's office said..."This woman had all the supplies she needed to cause mass destruction at her disposal," Sheriff Chad Chronister said."Had it not been for an alert off-duty law enforcement officer and a watchful security staff at Walmart, she may have followed through with her plans to cause an explosion inside the store..."Stallard had a child with her at the time of the incident, authorities said. She was arrested on charges of attempted arson of a structure, fire bombing, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, child abuse and battery on a law enforcement officer. Deputies said she spit on them while she was being arrested. Read the rest

Too bad, Twitterers! Jack Dorsey said Tuesday that they'll likely never let people edit their tweets. "Live with your mistakes," adds James Vincent, "which include joining Twitter"Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey uses the power of his own website (Twitter) to answer frequently asked questions about one of the world's most popular social media platforms, Twitter! Is the Twitter bird's name really Larry? How can you identify a Twitter bot? Why does Twitter have a character limit? How do you get verified on Twitter? Jack answers ALL these Twitter-centric questions and much, much more!Screengrab: Wired Read the rest

A teenager who had to move in with his grandmother after his parents died will have to move out: she's in a seniors' community where minors are banned and the homeowners' associated is doing everything it can to get rid of him. The family of Collin Clabaugh, 15, tells ABC15 that their grandson came to live with them after both his parents died two weeks apart.“It’s amazing how one rule is more important than one person’s life,” said Melodie Passmore, grandmother of Clabaugh.Passmore said she received an HOA letter from her community in Prescott that gives them a deadline of June to find other accommodations for Clabaugh. I love her response to the board — “I’ve stepped in things I find nicer than you people” — and hope the publicity means someone will help her find a rule to rub their face in it.It's a stark reminder that senior-only communities are inappropriate for people with grandchildren, but the underlying problem is HOAs. Avoid them unless you're willing to shackle your family's wellbeing to your worst neighbors' investments.Correction: An earlier version of this post misplaced the community in Florida. It is in Arizona. Read the rest

Judith Hope is a UK-based puppeteer who has created maneuverable art for theatre, festivals, parades, and more. Most recently, she was hired to work on a show called "Microbodyssey," which describes itself as a "visual theatre experience for both adults and children that features puppetry, shadow theatre and an original score" about microbes and other invisible organisms.And so, for this project, Hope has had the distinct pleasure of creating child-sized puppets of things like tardigrades: View this post on Instagram Tardy the Tardigrade off to her new home with @tatwoodpuppets ! She'll be performing in #microbodyssey this weekend at Centre for Life and at Moving Parts Puppetry Festival in Newcastle in April. Highly recommended! . . #tardigrade #tardigradepuppet #sciencepuppets #puppet #microbes #puppetmaker #puppetstudio #puppetworkshopA post shared by Judith Hope (@judithhopepuppetmaker) on Jan 5, 2019 at 3:29am PSTAnd a bacteriophage: View this post on Instagram Finished "Phagey" the bactetiophage, made for @tatwoodpuppets show #microbodyssey On this weekend at Centre for Life, Newcastle and Moving Parts Puppetry Festival in April. . #bacteriophage #microbes #sciencepuppet #scienceeducation #puppets #puppetmaker #puppetstudio #puppetworkshopA post shared by Judith Hope (@judithhopepuppetmaker) on Jan 5, 2019 at 3:22am PSTAnd they're all weirdly fascinating!You can check out more of these freakishly adorable puppets on Hope's Instagram, or you can check out the "Microbodyssey" touring show in the UK.Tiny Organisms Escape Life Under a Microscope in Oversized Puppets by Judith Hope [Grace Ebert / This Is Colossal]Image via Eden Pictures / Flickr Read the rest

The Upland Film Co. took a walk around Dublin with an old-timey cine camera loaded with Kodak film: "Shot a few rolls of 16mm in Dublin on the trusty ol' Bolex." The results are comforting yet uncanny, the new and the old in harmony and tension. Read the rest

This 2½ minute commercial for termite spray is amusing, not least in how it explains why you shouldn't panic if the bugs don't immediately die. I feel more satisfied having watched it than most recent movies. Read the rest

Da solen stod op om natten, often translated as How a Baby Is Made or The True Story of How Babies Are Made, was originally published in 1972. Written by 1971 by Danish psychotherapist Per Holm Knudsen, it actually won a Danish Ministry of Culture Children's Book prize for its, uhh, highly accurate depiction of where, in fact, babies come from:How A Baby Is Made, by Per Holm Knudsen. Piccolo Books, 1975. #FlashbackFriday pic.twitter.com/btiqQjExGU— Pulp Librarian (@PulpLibrarian) January 10, 2020On one hand, this is uhhh, pretty graphic. On the other: well, maybe it's better that we stop lying to children and treating sex like some shameful secret. So in that case, it's pretty good. Just not in a creepy way.But if that's the kind of thing you want to share with your kids, you can pick up a used copy on Amazon for around $50.This ridiculous sex ed book demonstrates everything that was awesome about the 1970s [Jam Kotenko / Daily Dot]Image via Wikimedia Commons Read the rest

While the GOP continues their struggle to come up with reasons why "not having witnesses at an impeachment trial" is somehow a good thing, the House Democrats have released some new evidence that will be included in the Articles of Impeachment they inevitably send to the Senate. Most of the documents were obtained by Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani who was born in the Ukraine and who has sold property for the Trump Organization and also helped to broker deals with Ukrainian oligarchs.These documents include a handwritten note from Parnas reminding himself to "get Zalensky [sic] to Annonce [sic] that the Biden case will Be Investigated." Which is, uhhh, pretty much exactly the issue that this impeachment investigation hinges on.https://twitter.com/keithboykin/status/1217220632489971712There are also some creepy notes about the obsessive attention paid to Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, including some insinuations from Connecticut Congressional Candidate Robert Hyde that he was actively surveilling her.Um holy sh*t. This certainly makes it sound like Parnas and co. were actively tracking Yovanovitch's movements. This could explain why Yovanovitch was moved out of Ukraine so quickly. https://t.co/4rBRB06ZGN pic.twitter.com/5Gc8WcGPih— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) January 14, 2020What do you call a smoking gun when it's handwritten notes and text messages? Unfortunately, for most of the GOP, it's probably still a "Nothingburger."House Dems release new impeachment evidence related to indicted Giuliani associate [Andrew Desiderio / Politico]Image via House Intelligence Community Read the rest

Get ready to go directly to gross-out because a Garbage Pails Kids-themed Monopoly game is on its way! 2020 marks the 35th anniversary of the delightfully disgusting trading cards that parody the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. According to Bloody Disgusting, Topps has "all sorts of plans in motion for the big celebration," starting with this $39.95 board game.Relive the totally awesome 80’s with the MONOPOLY®: Garbage Pail Kids game! This game has the classic sticker artwork and new custom illustrations for a new generation of fans. Comes with 6 custom tokens.Hey, while we're talking about Garbage Pail Kids, do watch the 2016 documentary 30 Years of Garbage: The Garbage Pail Kids Story.image via ACD Distribution Read the rest

Tom the Dancing Bug, IN WHICH you are urged to do your patriotic duty to the military whims of Uncle Trump

If you love wine — and we mean, really love wine — it's a personal thing. You know what foods your favorite wine likes to mingle with and the ones they don't. You have a favorite time to drink. You've read a thing or two about its history, maybe visited where it was made. It's not just a drink — it's a ritual.This personal connection, more than anything, is why more wine lovers don't join those wine clubs that seem to popping up with increasing frequency. It's not that they don't love to explore and try new things. Far from it. It's just that the whole experience of having wine picked out by someone else who knows little to nothing about you feels, well, impersonal.But it doesn't have to be. WineAccess is the first wine club we know of where you get more than just wine. You get stories, context and above all, a reason why you should care about your bottle before you even pop the cork.None of this should be surprising. The people behind WineAccess have decades of experience making wine, writing about it and just plain loving it. (And of course, they're based in the vineyard mecca, California's Napa Valley.)With each shipment of wine you get, you can tell an expert carefully curated the selections. The wines are shipped under strict climate control, but you get more than just the lovingly packed bottles. You get tasting notes, plus access to a story and video that tells you about the winery, circumstances and struggles that resulted in the creation of your picks. Read the rest

TV-talking lawyer of Stormy Daniels vs. Donald Trump fame is now in federal custody

Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn is moving to withdraw his guilty plea, in a reversal that seems in line with a likely request for a pardon from President Donald Trump.WAPO:The retired three-star Army general turned against prosecutors after initially cooperating in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe and pleading guilty to lying to investigators about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the United States. A federal judge last month rejected Flynn’s claims that prosecutors withheld evidence and duped him into pleading guilty. A judge must approve any change in the plea. Read the rest

Nathaniel Stern writes, "The World After Us: Imaging techno-aesthetic futures (Flickr set) is an art exhibition that asks, 'What will — and what can — happen to our gadgets over geological time?' For the last few years, I have been working scientists to artificially age phones and computers in different ways, growing plants and fungi in watches, phones, laptops, and more, and turning phones into ink (via blenders and oils), iMacs into tools (melting down the aluminum, and shaping it into a wrench, hammer, and screwdriver), and otherwise spiking electronic waste onto 12 foot towers and/or 'growing' them (intermingled with botanicals) across 1000 square feet of wall space. Here I want people to think and act differently in and with their media devices, their electronic waste, and the damage it does to create both in the first place." Read the rest

A Boing Boing reader and superfan who wishes to remain anonymous is auctioning of an amazing collection of Disneyana with Potter & Potter: "Lots of original silk-screened park posters, Castmember costumes, original park signs, WDI art, blueprints, plus lots of souvenirs." Read the rest

For decades, the "bystander effect" (previously) has been a bedrock of received psychological wisdom: "individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present; the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that one of them will help."Some experiments seem to have borne this out, though these experiments were, of necessity, contrived: "it is ethically and practically difficult to simulate violent emergencies." Now, an international team of psych researchers have created an empirical account of the bystander effect that punctures the received wisdom, finding that in 9 out of 10 times, bystanders do step up to help; and the more bystanders there are, the greater the likelihood is that you will receive help.The researchers used police CCTV video footage of "conflict between at least two individuals" and analyzed whether bystanders intervened to help. The footage came from central districts Cape Town, Amsterdam, and Lancaster, providing data on cities with very different public perceptions of the likelihood and severity of violent crime.The researchers concluded that not only did one or more people intervene in 90% of conflicts, but also that the likelihood of intervention went up with the number of bystanders present.The researchers say that earlier work on the bystander effect focused on "responsibility diffusion" (the feeling that someone else was likely to step in so you didn't have to), but not enough of "mechanical helping potential" (the pervasive tendency to want to help). They caution that they were only able to survey conflicts in cities' central business districts, and that these conclusions don't necessarily carry over to "conflicts at music and sporting events, or sexual aggression on campuses." Read the rest

L.A. City Fire says 2 classes were outside when liquid jet fuel rained down on them from the sky shortly before noon Pacific time.BREAKING NEWS: Delta Airlines flight 89 from Los Angeles to Shanghai was nearing LAX in an emergency landing sequence when it dumped fuel on a school playground, and the kids and teachers who were outside.• Authorities say 17 children and 9 adults were treated for minor injuries.• The FAA has declared an emergency.• Delta says the jet experienced an engine issue requiring return to LAX. • Plane landed safely after the emergency fuel release to reduce landing weight.As of 130PM Pacific time, LA County Fire Department said, “Patient count updated to 17 children, 9 adults. All minor injuries with no transports to local hospital from school. There are no evacuation orders for the immediate area. Substance was confirmed JET FUEL.”Parents are asked to refer to the school for plans to pick up their child. UPDATE*** Patient count updated to 17 children, 9 adults. All minor injuries w/ no transports to local hospital from school. There are no evacuation orders for the immediate area. Substance was confirmed JET FUEL.Refer to school regarding plans for child pick-up. #LACoFD— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) January 14, 2020Video below from eyewitness @SujeyHernandez.Caught this in Bell Gardens over my house NEWS SAID IT DROPPED FUEL OVER AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN CUDAHY @KTLA @FOXLA @cnnbrk @UniNoticias @NBCLA @ABC7 @ABC @NBCNews @TelemundoNews pic.twitter.com/VG3HBpyYtn Read the rest

Amazon has reinstated FedEx as a ground delivery carrier for Prime members' shipments. The online retailer said today the shipper consistently met its delivery requirements, after suspending it last month.On Tuesday, Amazon officially told third-party sellers they may now go back to using FedEx's ground-delivery shipping services for orders.Annie Palmer at CNBC reports that FedEx is confirming Amazon has lifted the ban. Excerpt:“This is good news for our mutual customers who have come to rely on the FedEx Ground offering,” the spokesperson said. “We look forward to working with Seller Fulfilled Prime merchants and providing outstanding service.”Sellers have been unable to use FedEx’s ground delivery services to ship Prime packages for almost one month. In December, the company suspended third-party sellers’ access to FedEx’s ground and home delivery services for Prime orders. Amazon blamed the decision on FedEx’s poor delivery performance, noting it would resume access once the service improved.The decision caught some third-party merchants off guard during the busiest shopping period of the year. Some sellers were forced to find a new carrier and potentially face higher upfront costs as a result. Other sellers said they had grown frustrated with FedEx’s service delays.Read more:Amazon lifts FedEx ground-delivery ban for sellers, FedEx shares rise [cnbc.com via techmeme] Read the rest

Dan Doctoroff and Stephen Diamond could hardly suppress their affection for each other at their January 13 joint luncheon address hosted by the Toronto Region Board of Trade.No wonder: the two are firmly united in gunning for Sidewalk Labs -- a sister company of the Google/Alphabet behemoth -- to rapidly spin its all-encompassing, government-usurping, high-tech web first on the 12-acre Quayside site on Toronto’s eastern waterfront and then across the rest of the city, all of Canada and the rest of the planet.I’ve previously written about how Sidewalk Labs is poised to gain control of a vastly larger area than Quayside alone, thanks largely to eager enabling by our municipal, provincial and federal governments and by Waterfront Toronto, which is a creation of these three levels of government.The company hasn’t been secretive about its goal to use Quayside as a launching pad for much bigger ambitions. But now it appears they’re confident enough – due to the successful co-opting of our governments and business communities, together with much of the mainstream media and the public – to broadcast more of the scope of their plans.The sold-out Jan. 13 event was billed as an opportunity for Doctoroff and Diamond – Sidewalk Labs CEO and Waterfront Toronto board chair, respectively – to “share experiences on the successful negotiations between the two organizations” and to “share insights on how this new partnership will impact the development of Toronto’s waterfront, and the opportunity it brings to the broader region.”The pair delivered. Read the rest

Comments filed with the FCC by AT&T, Frontier, Windstream and Ustelcom (an industry group representing telcoms companies) have asked the FCC to change the rules for its next, $20.4 billion/10 year rural broadband subsidy fund to allow them to offer slower service than the (already low) speeds the FCC has proposed.The FCC wants the carriers to build out two new tiers of service: an "above-baseline" service of 100Mbps down/20Mbps up; and a "gigabit performance" tier of 1Gbps down/500Mbps up. Under the industry's proposals, they will receive billions to offer only 10Mbps up in the above-baseline tier. The carriers have also proposed that they be subsidized to offer a 50Mbps down/5Mbps up service. As Jon Brodkin notes at Ars Technica, smaller ISPs already serving rural communities have taken a different approach, advocating for rural users' right to fast broadband with high upload speeds. The providers and USTelecom claimed that 20Mbps upload speeds wouldn't benefit rural consumers much: [W]hen considering network build-out using fixed wireless technologies, an upload target of 20Mbps likely drives significant additional deployment costs—up to two to three times as high—compared to a 10Mbps upload target. At the same time, a 20Mbps upload target provides little to no additional benefits to the end user customer as all key upload use cases, including HD streaming, video conferencing, and gaming can similarly be accomplished with 10Mbps. By adjusting the upload deployment target from 20Mbps to 10Mbps, the Commission can promote competition at the 100Mbps tier, incentivize additional broadband deployment, and make limited Rural Digital Opportunity Fund dollars reach further.AT&T et al. Read the rest

In November, we posted that mysterious rolls of cash were showing up on sidewalks in the small English village of Blackhall Colliery, on the North Sea coast of County Durham. In the last 5 years, around US$30,000 had been found in twelve rolls. Now, the mystery has been solved. Two anonymous individuals have been placing the bundles on the sidewalk as random acts of kindness. From CNN:The generous pair voluntarily came forward to the police after residents were left puzzled by the regular appearance of cash bundles, which have been found 12 times in Blackhall Colliery since 2014.The couple, who have asked to remain anonymous, received unexpected windfalls and wanted to leave the money to help people, Durham Constabulary said in a statement.They chose Blackhall Colliery as they had an "emotional connection" to the village after being helped by a resident, police added.The pair would often stay to make sure the cash had been picked up, police said.It is not clear whether the pair will continue to leave cash, but police said that any money handed in will be returned to the finder. Read the rest

A Kansas gentleman has asked a court in Iowa for a legal sword fight – or trial by combat – with his ex-wife. According to the Des Moines Register, 40-year-old David Ostrom claims that she has legally destroyed him, and after hearing that duals have never actually been banned in the United States, thought it would be a good way to settle things once and for all. "To this day, trial by combat has never been explicitly banned or restricted as a right in these United States," he told the court. But he made it clear he would need 12 weeks "lead time" to get the Japanese katanas he has in mind. He also kindly invited his wife's attorney Matthew Hudson to the dual, who could either be a spectator or stand in for the lady.According the Des Moines Register, "Hudson argued that because a duel could end in death, such ramifications likely outweigh those of property tax and custody issues." Image: CC0 – pxfuel Read the rest

A bird rescue group in Las Vegas says one of three hat-wearing pigeons which gained popularity on social media has died.Lofty Hopes pigeon rescue of Las Vegas tweeted the sad news this past Sunday.Staff at the animal rescue organization say it's possible that fumes from the glue someone used to stick a hat on Bille the Pidge could have poisoned the little birb. Photos of Cluck Norris and Billie the Pidge's hats. They were extensively handled before this photograph so no gloves were used. Given the age and type of material fingerprints were not taken. pic.twitter.com/tSieB0jOJF— Lofty Hopes Pigeon Rescue (@Loftyhopespidge) December 18, 2019We are saddened to announce that Billie the Pidge has passed away. She was weak when we caught her and had lost toes to stringfoot in addition to the hat being glued onto her head. pic.twitter.com/FR3vXGlMe1— Lofty Hopes Pigeon Rescue (@Loftyhopespidge) January 13, 2020The three pigeons were discovered last month in Las Vegas, with these miniature red cowboy hats glued on to their heads by who knows what jerk for who knows what nutty reasons. Why do people do cruel and stupid things to animals?From the Associated Press:It wasn’t certain if the bird’s death was connected to the hat. It is still unknown who put the hats on the birds.Billie is survived by two other former cowboy pigeons — Cluck Norris and Coolamity Jane.Read more:Las Vegas animal rescue: Cowboy hat-wearing pigeon dies [associated press] Read the rest

I’ve started whittling spoons again and I recently discovered flexible sanding sheets made by 3M. I’ll never use sandpaper again. These sheets are made from some kind of semi-stretchy plastic that makes it very easy to get the grit into tight spots (like the hollow of a spoon). They last much longer than sandpaper, too. Read the rest

A Georgia man is accused of mailing a holiday card stuffed with illegal drugs to a lady friend in jail. The gentleman who mailed the card ended up getting a surprise all-expenses-paid holiday for himself in jail, officials in Georgia say. Timothy Lee Snow, who is 40, is reported to have mailed an incarcerated woman a Christmas card that contained meth. Clever, and yet, not very bright. From the Associated Press:Bibb County Jail inmate Mary Beth Odum, 40, had told Snow over the phone how to put meth and other drugs into a card to send to her in jail, county sheriff’s officials said Monday.Deputies intercepted a contraband-filled card filled with methamphetamine and Suboxone and began investigating Snow. On Jan. 9, deputies followed Snow as he left his residence and found him with meth, Xanax and a revolver. When they searched his home, deputies found more meth, Suboxone, marijuana, steroids, packing materials, a shotgun and a rifle.Snow was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and giving an inmate drugs, news outlets reported. Read the rest

The FBI is seeking help from the public to catch the appropriately nicknamed “bad wig bandit” who is blamed for a series of bank robberies in North Carolina.The individual is identified as male in the FBI statement last Thursday, which says the suspect sported a different bedraggled wig during for each heist committed in the area of Charlotte, NC.From AP:One wig was blonde. Another was black. The third was red.The FBI said he robbed a BB&T in Huntersville on Dec. 13. He then robbed two banks on Jan. 7. The first was a New Horizon Bank in Belmont. The second was a Wells Fargo in Gastonia. Images courtesy of the FBI. Read the rest

“Old lady night gown, rubber boots, lampshade, red sunglasses.”Oh, this is wonderful. Extreme frugal thrift store shopping for maximum mayhem and fabulousness. I am here for this content. “I go to thrift stores with $20 and try to make the weirdest outfits I can,” says IMGURian @FaustandKluster, aka Hayden Pedigo -- an ambient musician, Immature politician, and bad comedian, according to Instagram.Here are some of the wildest twenty dollar outfits this very creative person has managed to assemble -- and if you love this as much as I did, definitely follow the Instagram account. Read the rest

The r/StarWarsLeaks Subreddit is erupting with the leak of what is reportedly an early draft of the Star Wars Episode IX script, as penned by the original director and writer Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly. The commenters are responding to the script breakdown below posted by Reddit user Lollifroll based upon Robert Meyer Burnett's talkthrough on his video blog. From Lollifroll's summary of "Star Wars Episode IX: Duel of the Fates":CRAWL:The iron grip of the FIRST ORDER has spread to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Only a few scattered planets remain unoccupied. Traitorous acts are punishable by death.Determined to suffocate a growing unrest, Supreme Leader KYLO REN has silenced all communication between neighboring systems.Led by GENERAL LEIA ORGANA, the Resistance has planned a secret mission to prevent their annihilation and forge a path to freedom...Opens at the Kuat Shipyards (man on a mission-style)BB-8 and Rose Tico (allegedly a key character in script) are infiltrating Kuat Moon where First Order build their ships (workers are oppressed). There is an orbital ring and moon below it. Finn and Poe are there. No R2/3PO. Rey arrives.The plan: Send explosive into the power shaft that delivers raw ore into the ring.Plan goes wrong. (RBM loves dialogue at this moment.) First Order is able to contain blast. Admiral Vaughn says Resistance tactics are "pitful."Rey disguised as a Tusken Raider is revealed to have created her own weapon (a double-blade lightsaber hybrid of her staff and Luke's cracked saber).They battle and Poe, Finn, Rose, Rey, and BB-8 STEAL A STAR DESTROYER (Eclipse-class) and escape.The Knife 9 a ship containing the Knights of Ren arrives a Kuat. Read the rest

As people were boarding a bus in Xining, China, a large sinkhole opened up, causing the bus to nosedive into the deep pit. Tragically, six people died and at least 16 others were injured. According to BBC:The incident occurred on Monday evening outside a hospital in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province.CCTV footage showed an explosion inside the sinkhole shortly after the bus and bystanders fell inside on Monday evening...The footage from the latest incident shows the moment people waiting at a bus stop are forced to flee as the ground underneath the bus starts to cave in.A number of people gather to try to rescue the bus passengers, but are engulfed by the sinkhole as it suddenly widens.The sinkhole was 32 feet in diameter. Read the rest

Jerry Holliman received Bronze Stars for his military service in Iraq and Vietnam, where he was dosed with Agent Orange. Now 69, Hollman has survived multiple cancers, but lost both his legs to complications from diabetes.The VA would not cover the artificial legs he received from Hanger, a med-tech company. Hanger told him to try to get Medicare to pay for them, but Holliman refused because no one would tell him how large the co-pay he'd be liable for would be.While Holliman was in a VA nursing home learning to use his new legs, Hanger sent a technician to service his legs. When Holliman refused to sign paperwork that said he would use Medicare to pay for them, the technician took his legs and left the facility.After being investigated by the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, Hanger returned his legs, but refuse to service them until they are paid for them. Without service, they are unusable, so Holliman is now legless.The legs are basically useless if Hanger won't make any more adjustments, Holliman said, and without those adjustments, he's stuck at the Veterans Home. Depression and anxiety are setting in, he said.At 69, Holliman said he's one of the youngest residents at the home. He said his roommate died last month.“I was here for one thing — to get my prosthetic legs, learn how to walk in ‘em, and go home," Holliman said. "...I’ve been here over a year. I wanna go home. This place is not for me. Read the rest

It's hard to think of any reason other than racism for the way the British press looks for every opportunity to lambaste Meghan Markle. Buzzfeed News compiled a bunch of side-by-side headlines to contrast the way the two princesses are treated. Read the rest

In 2006 New York photographer Noah Kalina became well known for his video of daily selfies he'd been taking for six years, called Everyday (Wikipedia). He hasn't stop taking selfies and a couple of days ago he uploaded an eight-minute video with 20 years of selfies.[via Kottke]Image: YouTube Read the rest

When Brits were asked by YouGov if they'd be willing to take a trip to the Moon (with safe return assured) half said no. Top reasons cited: not interested (23%), not enough to do or see (11%), would rather visit other places on Earth (10%), no point (9%), and (most British of all) reject premise that safe return could be guaranteed (9%). Read the rest

Do you know Python? If you're interested in any aspect of web development, data analytics or the Internet of Things, you should. Python is the computer language used to drive everything from that voice recognition software on your phone to the gaming apps you use to kill time.So yes, there's a market for those who know it. There are a lot of worse places for beginning programmers to start than by learning Python. And the Python Programming Bootcamp 2.0 is just the place to start.This online course package is suitable for anyone, even if they've never written a single line of code. But in more than 35 hours of training, users will dive into almost every marketplace application for this ubiquitous tool.A "fast track" intro gets you going right away with some simple programming, and even gamifies the process so these foundational lessons stick. From there, you get deep dives into Python's uses in the world of finance, data analytics, IoT and more. You'll learn not just how to comb websites for data with Python, but how to present it effectively. You'll even be able to create your own, functioning smart camera for home security.The full course pack is now available for $19, a price drop over the previous sale price of $39. That makes the package more than 98% off for Boing Boing readers. Read the rest

Jambajim writes: In 1992, the El Paso police department fancied themselves rappers in this cautionary tale about gangbangers. The song's called "Think Twice" (words & music by Greg Brickey) and it's pretty awesome. I bet a lot of gang members saw this and were like "Woah, I should stop being a gang member!"Even now, watching this has forced me to reconsider my life of crime. Read the rest

The Kindle Oasis is lovely, but $200 is too pricey for an e-reader. The Kindle Paperwhite is the one I recommend and 35% off today at Amazon, bringing the price down to $85. This is a great deal and maybe signals imminent new products, but it's not as if "basic decent e-reader" is a category vulnerable to disruptive innovation in 2020. The Paperwhite has high-dpi text, subtle backlighting and weeks of battery life, and that's probably all you need.35% off Kindle Paperwhite [Amazon] Read the rest

Watching the Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam is really quite a thrill! It's pointed at a nest near Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino National Forest (Southern California) occupied by Jackie and Shadow, a bald eagle couple waiting for their two eaglets to arrive. One of their eggs was laid on January 8 and the other just on Saturday. Jackie sits on the eggs the most, typical for paired eagles because the females are bigger and heavier. They simply provide more warmth and protection. But Shadow is doing his share, feeding Jackie, fluffing the nest, and, as in the past years, sitting on the eggs for stints in the daytime hours when it's not as cold. The incubation period for eagle eggs is 35 days, so the first eaglet is expected to hatch around Valentine's Day. My friend Heather was the one who showed me the cam and told me to gird my loins because (spoiler alert!) for the last two years, "the second / smaller chick always dies." Arggggghhhhh!Here's a peek at the mother's first peek. You can always tune in to the live webcam here, thanks to the Friends of the Big Bear Valley: https://t.co/CxVUU6yVf9 pic.twitter.com/SanBnsi6i7— San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) January 12, 2020The Friends of the Big Bear Valley are doing a bang-up job on Facebook of narrating the day-to-day activities of these majestic raptors. screengrab via Big Bear Bald Eagle Cam Read the rest

"My whole existence is flawed / You get me closer to God."In 2009, Zach3333 assembled a star cast on YouTube: "Obviously I did not produce this song or any of the video, merely re-arranged and combined some readily available content on the internet in a new pattern. Featuring The Muppets, Harry Belafonte, Cloris Leachman, Rita Moreno Alice Cooper, and Dudley Moore." Read the rest

North Ronaldsay, a remote island in the Orkney archipelago off Scotland's northern shore, long ago built a flint wall to keep sheep close to the shore and away from the cows' grazing land. Since then, the sheep have adapted so well to beach life they only eat seaweed, and scientists have found they belch less methane as a result. In a year, a cow produces about the same greenhouse effect as a car that burns 1,000 litres of petrol, so it's fairly evident how beneficial it would be to reduce livestock's carbon hoof-print simply by altering their diet. Experiments have shown that carbon dioxide as well as methane emissions are lowered when seaweed is introduced into feed. And if he succeeds in creating a nutritious seaweed blend that's palatable to ordinary livestock there would be other environmental benefits too, including being able to source more animal feed locally and sustainably. The seaweed business was once big on North Ronaldsay and elsewhere in Scotland, so its use as food could be a commercial boon to islanders. Read the rest

Japan's Game Urara was a magazine about hacking, porn, piracy, mods, and underground gaming culture. It lasted only a few issues in the mid-1990s, but its extraordinary contents distinguished it from all others. A quarter of a century later, it lives on as a set of high-quality scans at the Internet Archive. Senn writes at Gaming Alexandria about the most NSFW game mag of them all.One could say that this magazine is also a preservation of the shady side of the 90s internet in Japan, and this is reflected by the very informal and laid back articles. From game strategies to cheats, doujin (self-published) games, and even internet guides, it’s an interesting read on how Japanese gamers used to pull all of this off before a wider-scale version of the internet went on to make it all obsolete. Of course, all of this is the more normal side of Game Urara, and it’s not exactly hard to stumble upon the weirder stuff it has to offer either.The magazine quickly transitions from casual discussions of video games and guides, to borderline illegal practices of suspicious “drug” dealings, piracy, hacking, and whatever of illegal interest found in the communities back then. It’s genuinely a bizarre sight as among the innocent video game content lies disturbing articles and ads, such as Mr. Kurosawa’s (of Hong Kong 97 infamy) shock value section, and advertisements for an extremely bizarre “do it at home” foreskin removal tool. (Yes, you read that right) This magazine did not attempt to sugar-coat gore, scat, and other bizarre paraphilia, and neither did it try to filter its advertisements. Read the rest

As these videos so dramatically demonstrate, there is a reason why lumberjacking is one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet -- and why an amateur tree-feller with a chainsaw is an accident (and maybe a crushed car or cleaved roof) waiting to happen. Sadly, there are 22 of these videos in the series. Read the rest

The Knight's tour is a traditional chess problem where a lone knight is placed on a chess board and must visit each square only once. You can play this perfectly simple free implementation created by u/psrwo on Reddit. The source code is at github. The knight is randomly placed at the outset.I can't visit more than fifty-something squares, because I'm terrible at stuff like this. Read the rest

Eating pancakes and omelets? Super fun. Cleaning up afterward? Almost more trouble than its worth. Nothing makes us appreciate our mothers more than having to scrape the batter off those well-worn skillets and griddles, just like we never had to do after those magical Saturday morning breakfasts.Now, making those breakfast treats might just be as fun as eating them thanks to the Gotham Steel Pancake Bonanza.Be assured this company does not use the word "bonanza" lightly. Their stainless steel, specially coated twin skillet has a "double-dome" design that's particularly great at making pancakes, omelets or any number of fluffy cookie treats. Simply pour in the batter or eggs, wait a bit, then flip it over. The extra dose of radiant heat cooks your dish faster, and you've saved yourself the use of a spatula.And possibly the use of a scrub brush, too. Thanks to the non-stick coating, you can just slide dishes right off onto your plate.Right now, you can pick up the Gothamâ„¢ Steel Pancake Bonanza for more than 35% off the MSRP. While you're at it, get your mom one, too. Read the rest

In Sacramento today, a woman who is accused of tossing menstrual blood at California lawmakers was ordered by a judge to not go anywhere near the state Capitol while she waits for her trial.Rebecca Dalelio, 43, did not enter a plea on Monday. She is scheduled to return to Sacramento County Superior Court in February to face charges of vandalism and assault on public officials.From AP:Senators had just finished taking a vote Sept. 13 when Dalelio allegedly tossed the blood onto the floor of the Senate from the public gallery, saying: “That’s for the dead babies.”At least six state senators were hit by the cup or the blood and red splatters were visible on some desks and the carpeting. Tests showed the blood did not contain pathogens or infections. Senators had to move their proceedings to a committee room.The Santa Cruz County resident was among a group protesting vaccination legislation.Suspect in blood throwing banned from California Capitol [via Adam Beam of the Associated Press] Read the rest