Saturday, July 11, 2009

The Latest from Boing Boing

The Latest from Boing Boing

Link to Boing Boing

In the eye of the beholder

Posted: 11 Jul 2009 04:36 AM PDT

Susannah Breslin is a guestblogger on Boing Boing. She is a freelance journalist who blogs at Reverse Cowgirl and is at work on a novel set in the adult movie industry.

FingerMissingManCrop.jpg

From "Eye of the Beholder" by Anton Kusters:

I'm in the front seat, riding with Soichiro in his car on his way to Shinjuku. "One cuts off one's finger to make a point", Soichiro explains while driving. "Usually to show the sincerity of an apology after doing something wrong."

"You cut off a single digit of your own finger in a ceremonial way, while facing your boss, and then you present the severed finger on a folded napkin to him. It reinforces the power of your apology. It shows that you're serious about what you're saying."

Somehow, i don't feel like questioning that.

"Eye of the Beholder," "Meet Soichiro," "As Light Shines on Thy Thigh." (Image credit: Anton Kusters. Via This Isn't Happiness.)

Date Farmers and Logan in LA this weekend (art)

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 02:53 PM PDT

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To do tomorrow in Los Angeles: visit the opening of a site-specific installation by The Date Farmers and Logan at the Constant Gallery's exhibition, Desert Sexy. Snip from the folks putting it together:
Desert Sexy is a group survey that explores the concept of the influence and context of the California low desert, which appears in art, music, film, etc. Besides the amazing photographs, paintings and sculptures from 12 incredible artists, we are also lucky enough to have low desert legends Yawning Man play a special live set at the opening reception! It's absolutely free and open to the public.
You may recall that both Logan and the Date Farmers were the subject of a series of recent BB Video episodes.

More info about the show here. Opening reception: Saturday, July 11, 2009, 6-8PM (but will go later), The Constant Gallery. Featured artists: Lisa K. Blatt, Scott Bowering, Joel Kyack, Mario Lalli, Anthony Lepore, Logan/The Date Farmers, Joey Morris, Keith Patrick, Robert Stone, Peter Sutherland, Tony Tornay, and Stephen Walters.

More exclusive photos from the installation, which apparently includes some neat old arcade game hulls, after the jump.

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Previously:
BB VIDEO: "A VOLTA" FROM NASA PROJECT: NARCO-CHOLO GAME ULTRAVIOLENCE

Uighur crisis in Xinjiang: updates, link roundup, images.

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 01:55 PM PDT

uighur.jpg
A quick roundup of news links related to the ongoing violent clashes in China's Xinjiang region between Han Chinese and ethnic Uighurs (who consider the region a sovereign nation - in many respects, the conflict is similar to that of Tibet.)

♦ Image above, from an extensive Boston Globe photo-essay which contains some graphic content: "An ethnic Uighur woman looks out the window of an apartment one day after Han Chinese mobs attacked the compound in Urumqi, China on Wednesday, July 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)"

♦ From China's state mouthpiece, People's Daily, calls to "punish Facebook" (I'm visualizing stern, uniformed Communist party officials publicly spanking Zuckerberg). Snip: "Over 90 percent of (...) netizens said that 'Xinjiang independence' activists, carrying out this type of 'online activity' severely violates China's national interests and agreed that Facebook should immediately shut down the 'Xinjiang independence" online group."

♦ Xinhua would like you to know that everything is "normal again" in the capital city of Urumqi, and that people are happily wandering the streets in search of watermelon, kebabs, and eggplant.

♦ Reuters: "Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Friday genocide was being committed in China's northwest province of Xinjiang and called on Chinese authorities to intervene to prevent more deaths."

♦ CSM on China's savvier media strategy: "Taking a cue from Western PR tactics, Beijing moved away from trying to block coverage altogether - and was benefited by doing so."

♦ A report filed nearly 10 years ago by Rebecca MacKinnon, then CNN's Beijing bureau chief: "Rumblings of discontent among ethnic Muslims on China's Asian frontier"

♦ NYT reports the crackdown now extends to mosques: "Chinese authorities banned prayer gatherings at mosques here on Friday, the principal day of prayer for Muslims, as security officials tried to prevent further ethnic violence in the Xinjiang region."

(most links in this post via Rebecca MacKinnon)

Previously:


Afghanistan: US discouraged inquiry into mass killing of Taliban prisoners

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 01:54 PM PDT

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(image: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images via NYT)

During the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, an incident occured in which hundreds or thousands of Taliban POWs were killed by a warlord supported by the US.

Bush administration officials repeatedly thwarted efforts to investigate the mass killing, according to American officials and human rights groups. The warlord responsible, Abdul Rashid Dostum (shown above while campaigning for president in 2004), still retains a high position within the Afghan government. How (and if) the Obama administration will deal with ongoing calls for an investigation remains to be seen. Snip from NYT article today by James Risen:

American officials had been reluctant to pursue an investigation -- sought by officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Department, the Red Cross and other human rights groups -- because the warlord, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, was on the payroll of the Central Intelligence Agency and his militia worked closely with United States Special Forces in 2001, several officials said. They said the United States also worried about undermining the American-supported Karzai government, in which General Dostum has served as a defense official.

"At the White House, nobody said 'no' to an investigation, but nobody ever said 'yes,' either," said Pierre Prosper, the former war crimes ambassador for the United States. "The first reaction of everybody there was 'Oh, this is a sensitive issue. This is a touchy issue politically.' " It is not clear how -- or if -- the Obama administration will address the issue. But in recent weeks, State Department officials have quietly tried to thwart General Dostum's reappointment as military chief of staff to the president, according to several senior officials, and suggested that the administration may not be hostile to an inquiry.

U.S. Said to Have Averted Inquiry Into '01 Afghan Killings (New York Times)

Incidentally: Wikipedia says Mr. Dostum is also known as "Heavy D, and D-Diddy," and links to a subscribers-only National Geographic article as proof.

3D Radiology images

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 01:40 PM PDT

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The Stanford University School of Medicine has a fascinating Flickr stream, including a collection of mystery medical history photos that I posted about several months ago. Most recently, they added a small set of interesting images from their 3D Radiology Lab. Above: "3D frontal view of teeth with braces overlaid on 2D human mandible. The wisdom teeth (upper right and left) have not yet penetrated the gums." Below left: "The lumbar region of the spine with surgically implanted hardware." From the 3D Radiology Set description:
Spineeeeemriiii-3 The Stanford Radiology 3D Imaging Laboratory uses computed tomography and Magnetic Resonance imaging data to create three-dimensional images of the human body. Individual CT and MR scans of the body are taken around a single axis that are stacked and rendered using complex computer algorithms to create a three-dimensional volume of data. The images produced from this data can be manipulated on-screen to provide doctors with unique interior perspectives of the human body for diagnosing and treating patients. Each month the lab produces nearly 20,000 images.
3D Radiology

Report: US domestic surveillance program began within weeks of 9/11 attacks

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 05:44 PM PDT

The warrantless wiretapping program initiated under the Bush administration began within a few weeks of 9/11, according to a report recently released to Congress and compiled by intelligence agencies, the Pentagon, and the DoJ:
The report, mandated by Congress, provides context to information that has been leaked in press accounts and buttressed by congressional testimony and in books authored by former officials involved in the surveillance effort.

The report notes that several members of Congress -- including then-House Intelligence Committee Chairman Nancy Pelosi -- were briefed on the program on October 25, 2001, and a total of 17 times before the program became public in 2005.

Among other things, the report also cites a Justice Department conclusion that "it was extraordinary and inappropriate that a single DOJ attorney, John Yoo, was relied upon to conduct the initial legal assessment of the (surveillance program)."

Domestic surveillance program began soon after 9/11, intelligence agencies say (CNN)

Hey, did we mention that Yoo is still employed at UC Berkeley?

Previously:


Tim and Eric Fans, behold: Awesomecon in San Diego, July 25

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 12:26 PM PDT

Awesomecon, a gathering for fans of Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, comes to San Diego on July 25. Snip from the event announcement:

WHAT IS AWESOMECON??! Awesomecon is an outdoor extravaganza where awesome fans can celebrate with Tim & Eric!! Meet the creators of Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and their special guests DJ Douggpound, David Liebe Hart, Richard Dunn, James Quall and many more! There will be karaoke, games, a costume contest, a trivia contest AANNDDD one lucky ultimate fan will win a wave runner ride with Tim & Eric! vrroooom vrooom.

So warm up your singing pipes, brush up on your Awesome Show trivia, pick out your best character costume and join us for our favorite outdoor summer tradition! See ya there!!!!

Previously:


Socialstructing: Statement of Social Currency

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 01:32 PM PDT

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Guestblogger Marina Gorbis is executive director at Institute for the Future.

For the past 8 years at Institute for the Future, we have been creating "artifacts from the future." We see them as a means of converting abstract, high-level trends and future visions into tangible objects that help people internalize our forecasts. However, we do not view them as prototypes for building new products or services. Artifacts from the future are a good way to engage people in important conversations about the future and to elicit meaningful insights that hopefully lead to positive actions.

The above artifact, a "Reputation Statement of Account," was designed by our colleague Jason Tester, a researcher and a designer, as a part of our 2004 Ten Year Forecast. It remains one of my favorite artifacts and seems to perfectly encapsulate emergence of new types of social currencies as a part of a reorganization of our lives around social relationships. In this world, it would be easy to imagine that the statement of your wealth would include accounting of your social capital as measured by contributions to various types of open communities, such as Wikipedia or Flickr.

Previously:


Default state of the human brain

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 11:59 AM PDT

What does the brain do when you're not doing anything in particular? That's when the brain's "default mode network" really kicks into gear. This series of connected regions in the brain is apparently a hot topic for cognitive neuroscientists. This week's issue of Science News surveys research on the default mode network, which apparently is responsible for allowing your mind to "wander." But it also seems to have a much more important role. From Science News:
Wandering And Wondering Default brain settings may lead to daydreaming and mind-wandering, but the network also conducts serious business. Neuroscientists still hotly debate the network's exact functions, however. Among its jobs may be running life simulations, providing a sense of self and maintaining crucial connections between brain cells. A few researchers doubt the network is anything special at all.

But evidence suggests that a malfunctioning default network is involved in diseases and disorders as diverse as Alzheimer's disease, autism, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, Tourette syndrome, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Despite its laid-back name, which neuroscientist Marcus Raichle coined in a 2001 paper, the default mode network is one of the hardest-working systems in the brain. It was discovered accidentally by researchers watching the activity of brains at work on various tasks.

Neuroscientists use PET (short for positron emission tomography) and functional MRI scanners to image and gauge brain activity. To tell which areas of the brain become more active during a mental task, scientists compare brain activity during the task with activity when the person is at rest, either with eyes closed or while staring at a dot or cross. Raichle, of Washington University in St. Louis, and others saw that every time a person engaged in a mental activity such as memorizing a list of words, a collection of brain regions consistently decreased activity compared with their resting levels. Only when people recall autobiographical memories or imagine alternative situations is the network more active than it is at rest, scientists have since found. (In this context, "rest" refers to a state in which the brain is not engaged in a mental task but is still monitoring the body and the world around it.) Raichle hypothesized that the network is more active when the brain is at rest and has to dial back its activity to let people concentrate on specific tasks.
"You Are Who You Are by Default"

Previously:


History of pantyhose

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 11:39 AM PDT

Fifty years ago, textile mogul Allen Gant Sr. introduced the world to the first pair of pantyhose. To mark this momentous anniversary, Smithsonian tells the story of their invention and place in fashion history. The heyday of panthose were the 1970s and 1980s but apparently sales have declined since the 1990s "casualization" of the workplace. From Smithsonian:
Images Gentlemen-Prefer-Hanes-Pantyhose The year was 1953 and if you were a woman, a night on the town meant either squeezing into a girdle or slipping on a garter belt. Formal dress dictated that females wear such intimate, and often uncomfortable, articles of clothing. How else could you hold up your nylons?

Allen Gant Sr., then running textile company Glen Raven Mills, was inspired by his wife's lament. "How would it be if we made a pair of panties and fastened the stockings to it?" he asked Ethel. She stitched some crude garments together, tried them on, and handed the products to her husband. "You got to figure out how to do this," she said. Allen brought his wife's experiment into the office, and with the help of his colleagues Arthur Rogers, J. O. Austin, and Irvin Combs, developed what they later called "Panti-Legs." Their product—the world's first commercial pantyhose—began lining department store shelves in 1959.

"It was wonderful," a 74-year-old Ethel Gant told the Associated Press 30 years later. "Most people my age loved them from the very beginning and couldn't wait to get a hold of them. I don't think we've ever changed our minds," she said.

Allen Gant Sr. had at least one satisfied customer, but the panty-stocking combo did not grab most women's attentions at first. Though the convenience of not having to wear a girdle or garter belt was a plus, what helped pantyhose take hold was the rise of the miniskirt in the mid-1960s.

For the fashion-conscious woman looking to wear a skirt shorter than stockings are long, pantyhose were the perfect fit. When iconic models such as Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy donned their mini skirts, demand for pantyhose exploded and women flocked to the stores for pairs of their own.
"50 years of pantyhose"

Witch booted from farmers market

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 11:17 AM PDT

The Rev. Joey Talley, aka "the Good Witch of West Marin," has been booted from farmers market in Marin, California. Apparently, Talley has been hawking her "personal witchcraft services" at the market for years but never applied for a vendor permit. From the Marin Independent Journal:
Witchmarinnn "I've been here year after year," Talley said. "There are teens who tell me things they could never take to their parents, and they could never afford to schedule a $100 session with me..."

A clinical psychologist by training - she previously worked with veterans services and at a drug rehabilitation clinic in San Francisco - she uses her skills as a counselor, herbalist and Wiccan healer to solve her clients' problems, which often have to do with money or sex, she said.

"There have been a lot of requests for money charms in the last year," Talley said. "A lot of people have asked me to put a glamour on a loan application or other paperwork, so when other people read it, it will look good to them."

Occasionally, she'll receive requests to perform black magic - but Talley always tells those clients she's not that kind of witch.

While they appreciate Talley's unique talents, Marin Farmers Market representatives insist she take part in the same application process as every other vendor at the Fairfax market. It's that process, Spilger said, that lets customers know what they see at the market is what they'll get.
"Marin farmers market asks witch to leave"

Happy Birthday, Nikola Tesla!

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 01:04 PM PDT

nikolai.jpgThis Studio 360 episode is a wonderful place to start in today's appreciation of "the father of electricity." This PBS documentary is also great. (thanks, Jesse Thorn)

Related: These folks are trying to preserve "Nikola Tesla's last and only existing laboratory, in Shoreham, NY (USA) [as] a science and technology center and museum." Apparently, AGFA wants to buy the space and turn it into a corporate center. The Tesla Science Center project solicits your support and donations to protect the site as a historic landmark. (thanks, Evelyn)

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Taser releases new "shock shotguns" - safety tests MIA, but they're on Twitter and Facebook!

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 09:19 AM PDT

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Over at Wired's Danger Room blog, David Hambling has an extensive post up about a new series of "less-lethal" weapons from "controversial electroshock weaponeer" Taser International. , is shown above. As Hambling notes, results from safety and field tests of Taser's new gear, which includes the eXtended Range Electronic Projectile (XREP) above, is coming along far more slowly. But hey, at least those new weapons are tweeting!
The Taser X3 has its own Facebook page and, worst of all, it Twitters. Presumably the agency were briefed to come up with something cute and non-threatening. Evidently they decided that the X3's image should come across less as Arnold Schwarzenegger and more as Paris Hilton, judging from these tweets:

"Check out my color screen. Like a Tele-Tubby ... only a little more intense!"

"Just out of the solar radiation box. Tanning bed for TASER's... 3 months of Arizona summer sun radiation. Check that one off!"

"Never thought I'd get so excited about the feel of a safety switch. But wait until you feel it - smooooooth."

Safety Tests MIA for Taser's Shocking New Shotgun (wired.com)

Don't miss the breathing, pulsing, utterly over-the-top Taser X3 online ad campaign.

@BBVBOX: recent guest-tweeted web video picks (boingboingvideo.com)

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 08:57 AM PDT

(Ed. Note: We recently gave the Boing Boing Video website a makeover that includes a new, guest-curated microblog: the "BBVBOX." Here, folks whose taste in web video we admire tweet the latest clips they find. I'll be posting periodic roundups here on the motherBoing.)

  • Jesse Thorn: Count Arthur Strong discusses creationism and creation. Amazing insights. Link
  • Richard Metzger: Wonderful selection of Pina Bausch videos on Coilhouse.net Link
  • Sean Bonner: I'm kinda tired today, I think I need some Powerthirst!!! Link
  • Jesse Thorn: Another clip from Armando Iannucci's hilarious new film "In the Loop": ("Warning: contains exotic swearing"): Link
  • Sean Bonner: Live action Spanish language Simpsons. It's every bit as creepy as it sounds. Link
  • Sean Bonner: This is Pickle Surprise. What Pickle Surprise is, I have no idea. Link
  • Jesse Thorn: "In the Loop" comes out in the US in about two weeks. It is one of the funniest movies I've seen in years. Link
  • R. Stevens: I saw a friendly kitty chased by skunks today. Link
  • Jesse Thorn: The full run of Dave Hill's series "The King of Miami" is now available on Hulu: Link
  • Andrea James: Bill Bailey analyzes leitmotifs in 'Starsky & Hutch' incidental music: Link
  • Richard Metzger: Bleeding Billboard in NZ Link
  • Andrea James: Plate spinning with JugglerForJesus, set to an 80s John Carpenter action soundtrack ripoff: Link
  • Susannah Breslin: Auster talks writing: Link
  • Richard Metzger: Todd Rundgren performs 'Hello It's Me' on The Midnight Special 1973 Link
  • Andrea James: Police fursecution caught on video, set to "Horndog" by Overseer: Link

More @BBVBOX: boingboingvideo.com

Recently on Offworld: classics reborn, self-evolving games, Sackboys for sale

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 08:00 AM PDT

huntersack.jpgIt was a return-to-classics kind of day on Offworld, with Bethesda releasing their early first-person/open-world RPG Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall as a free download, and with the revivification of both Team17's classic Amiga shooter Alien Breed as a fully 3D affair, and the former FASA designers at Smith & Tinker giving MechWarrior a fantastic looking full reboot for PC and Xbox 360. Elsewhere we started to take our first look at the weird worlds of Galactic Arms Race, a self-described 'space Diablo' with a twist: all of the weapons in the game are designed by AI and are evolving over time based on the aggregate behavior of all the game's players, with some spectacular and unexpected results; and got a guide to the rest of this summer's Xbox Live Arcade releases. Finally, we bought our own custom Left 4 Dead Sackboys from the crocheter himself (above), saw Fangamer go all Anderson and release a browsable version of their fan-made Mother 3 guide for free, and our 'one shots' for the day: a plush member of Rhythm Heaven's Glee Club, and Cooking Mama, and Cooking Samus, and Cooking Zelda, and Cooking Lara...

The Significant Objects project

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 07:03 AM PDT

Susannah Breslin is a guestblogger on Boing Boing. She is a freelance journalist who blogs at Reverse Cowgirl and is at work on a novel set in the adult movie industry.

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A while back, I received an email from Rob Walker, a friend, the author of Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are, and the guy who writes the "Consumed" column for the New York Times Magazine. With a friend of his, Joshua Glenn, who wrote Taking Things Seriously: 75 Objects with Unexpected Significance, he was working on a new project: Significant Objects.

The idea is this:

A talented, creative writer invents a story about an object. Invested with new significance by this fiction, the object should -- according to our hypothesis -- acquire not merely subjective but objective value. How to test our theory? Via eBay!

Each writer, Rob explained, would choose from a variety of "junk" objects bought by the curators at garage sales and thrift stores. A smiling mug. A Sanka ashtray. A JFK bust. Then, we would write a short story about the object. Whatever we liked. A fiction. Thereby, at least as I saw it, imbuing this seeming "worthless" object with a greater value, sentimental or otherwise. The story and a photo of the object would be posted on the website and put up for auction on eBay. Readers would be invited to bid on the item. If they won the auction, they would win the object and a printout of the story. No one would be "deceived" into believing the stories about the objects were true, as their fictional relationship would be made clear, and the proceeds of the auction would go to the author, who would retain the rights to the story. Or, as Rob puts it: "Voila! An unremarkable, castoff thingamajig has suddenly become a 'significant' object!"

I chose the All-American Official Necking Team button that you see here. The story I wrote about it has bits of truth and fiction mixed together. My paternal grandfather did die on the IRT and my father was a tall man, but I am not a boy and, so far as I know, my father was never on a "necking team."

After he had passed away, my mother and I had stood over the dining room table upon which sat a large box that contained what was left of him. Cremains, the man had called them. My father, I had longed to correct him. Thankfully, my mother had been willing to share what remained of him with me, his only son. My father was a skyscraper of a man -- six-foot-five, Ozymandias hands, a brooding forehead -- a great man, really -- and so, he had left a great deal of himself behind.

Other writers with story objects include Luc Sante, Ben Greenman, Stewart O'Nan, Kurt Anderson, and there's one coming from Boing Boing's own Mark Frauenfelder.

Check out Significant Objects here, read about the project here, and see all the items on eBay here. You can read my story here and bid on it here. More coverage here: The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The New Yorker.

Recently at BBG

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 08:17 AM PDT

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• LSD-discoverer Albert Hofmann wrote a letter to Steve Jobs asking him how/why LSD was useful to him. What else did Hofmann say?

• Rob reviewed the HTC Touch Pro 2. Check out the verdict.

• Steven reviewed Garmin's ultra-thin nüvi 1490T GPS unit.

• Joel reviewed the Mophie Juice Pack Air battery case for the iPhone.

• An art installation with enormous solar-powered flowers.

• A beautiful vintage world clock from 1975.

• Core77 made a bicycle. Expensive, but attractive.

• College students built a PDA-powered rig that accurately measure muscle strength.

• Joel posted a video review of the Vita-Mix 5200. Check out his mug and his mesh cap.

• Greenpeace released its annual report rating several major electronics manufacturers. How'd Apple do? What about Nintendo? Find out!

• Samsung filed a patent for a butterfly-like cell phone built with "doped polysilicon."

• If a Leatherman multi-tool doesn't have a knife, is it still a Leatherman? Hmmmm...

• We discovered a toy called the "Fighting Cock" &mdash and we're going to give one away to one lucky reader! Discuss all this and more at BBG.

Guinea pig hair comb and other taxidermied accessories

Posted: 10 Jul 2009 05:14 AM PDT

Susannah Breslin is a guestblogger on Boing Boing. She is a freelance journalist who blogs at Reverse Cowgirl and is at work on a novel set in the adult movie industry.

 GuineaPigHairComb.jpg Nothing says you are at the height of fashion like a dead, taxidermied guinea pig hair comb, I always say. UK-based dead animal designer Reid Peppard has created an entire line of no longer living beastly accessories and jewelry. Among my favorites: the pigeon wings headdress, the mouse and rat's head cuff links, and the jewel-encrusted hissing white rat clutching a silver skull headband. (Via the always awesome Refinery 29 Pipeline)

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