The Latest from Boing Boing |  |
- Bosch Cordless Hammer Drill: light, snappy and blows through brick like butter
- TIE Fighter made from Starbucks detritus
- Artisanal Retro-Futurism and Team-Scale Anarcho-Syndicalism
- Leverage season one DVD: crime drama about Delta force who take down corrupt corporations
- Top Shelf Jazz's "Fast and Louche" -- part Cab Calloway, part Atomic Fireballs, all good smutty Prohibition jazz
- Google's new data-center cools with weather prediction, not electricity
- FTC video on avoiding con-arists who "foreclose" on your home or "help" with foreclosure
- Doug Rushkoff on The Colbert Report tonight Wednesday, July 15
- Boulder park warns that all bags "subject to search"
- Boing Boing t-shirts
- Todd Schorr exhibition at San Jose Museum of Art
- Metzger and McGinley's Dangerous Minds
- Sophie Jodoin "War Series: Small Dramas and Little Nothings" (Art)
- Richard Metzger's Tell It Like It Is Review of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
- @BBVBOX: recent guest-tweeted web video picks (boingboingvideo.com)
- Video about wannabee amputee
- Say Everything, Scott Rosenberg's history of blogging
- Learning from apes
- Humans will hand render any image like a digital printer
- Star Wars fan recreation
- Atom-Bomb Bikini: The Lurid Art of Robert Ullman
- China: electroshock therapy halted as treatment for Internet "addiction"
- MyDishBiz runs photo and false testimonial of murdered newlyweds
- Condition: Critical: Children of the Democratic Republic of Congo Speak
- Chemistry videos
- Astroturfing face-lift dirtbags get fined, stay in business
- TSA officer caught stealing laptops at JFK
- RIP, Phyllis Gotleib, the mother of Canadian science fiction
- Paperclips dance to electromagnets on train
- Recently on Offworld: space invaders evolved, Excel raves, Left 4 (Shaun of the) Dead
| Bosch Cordless Hammer Drill: light, snappy and blows through brick like butter Posted: 16 Jul 2009 01:14 AM PDT  I needed to make some holes. Specifically, I needed to drill into the brick support-pillars in my office because I have run out of wall-space to hang pictures. We've got a big 9mm Black and Decker drill at home and some mortise bits that I've used from time to time, but it's slow, heavy and difficult. I remember drilling the outside wall to put in a hammock-hook -- it took an hour and afterwards my arms and shoulders felt like I'd been broken on the rack. I also blew through two bits before the hole was done, and even then, it was sloppy and I needed to go buy a larger-gauge plug. Being a poor workman, I blamed my tools and set off in search of a better one. I'd heard good things about cordless hammer-drills -- the last time I looked into them, most of the power-packs were NiCad and subject to all kinds of finicky recharging crap, but LiOn is everywhere these days -- and so I started reading online reviews. I hit on the Bosch Uneo "3 in 1" Cordless Lithium-Ion SDS Hammer and Drill/Driver, a sweet little 1.1kg tool that seemed almost too good to be true. When it turned up, I charged it for a couple of hours and then went to work on the walls. Ever used a Demel to carve up styrofoam? That's about how smoothly the Bosch went into the brick while in hammer-mode, making quick, neat holes with just the lightest pressure. The clever chuckless head is the easiest one I've used so far, a collar that tugs up to admit a new bit, then snaps back to form a dust-collar. The rubber grips are right where I wanted them, and easily absorbed the shock of the hammer-drill action. Around the same time, we got a big plastic storage shed for the back porch that had about a million screws. I brought the drill home for the evening, thinking I'd give it a shot (even though I usually find that the wrist strain from a manual screwdriver is usually less than the pain of slinging around a heavy corded drill). It was almost magic. The drill's trigger is a variable-speed control, making screwing much safer -- I didn't crack a single piece of plastic by overdrilling, nor did I strip any heads (good thing, too, since I inevitably installed the wrong screws in the wrong holes and had to use the drill to reverse them all out again). Since then, I've drilled plenty of holes around the place -- once they're this easy to make, it's hard to resist the temptation -- and hung up my raygun collection, some framed assemblage sculptures, and many other little jobs besides. I'm sold -- going to get another one for home and give away the old Black and Decker. Bosch Uneo "3 in 1" Cordless Lithium-Ion SDS Hammer and Drill/Driver (Amazon UK) |
| TIE Fighter made from Starbucks detritus Posted: 16 Jul 2009 12:02 AM PDT  Wired contributing photographer Dan Winters made this TIE Fighter from Starbucks junk -- cups, stirrers, sleeves and such -- and now Wired's challenging you to make anything you can from the chain's stuff. |
| Artisanal Retro-Futurism and Team-Scale Anarcho-Syndicalism Posted: 16 Jul 2009 01:12 AM PDT Here's a set of intriguing notes by Joey DeVilla from a talk at the FutureRuby conference called "Artisanal Retro-Futurism and Team-Scale Anarcho-Syndicalism," presented by Brian Marick. I hope a video goes up soon -- I'd love to hear this in full. FutureRuby Talk: "Artisanal Retro-Futurism and Team-Scale Anarcho-Syndicalism" |
| Leverage season one DVD: crime drama about Delta force who take down corrupt corporations Posted: 15 Jul 2009 11:05 PM PDT  Here's some good news: the first season of John Rogers's TV show Leverage is out on DVD. Leverage is a taut, smart thriller about a Delta force of ex-grifters and special ops types who join forces to take down evil corporations and other scumbags. Rogers, the show's creator and runner, is a long-time comics writer (you might know him from Blue Beetle) with a long history in TV writing and stand-up comedy, and all these influences come through in the writing and the look of the show, which uses a lot of shots that remind me of really good comics panels. I only caught the first couple episodes of Leverage because it was on US TV and I live in the UK, so I'm looking forward to catching up with this. Really, really looking forward. Leverage: The First Season (via Kung Fu Monkey) |
| Posted: 15 Jul 2009 09:44 PM PDT  Top Shelf Jazz, a British retro "Prohibition" jazz act, has released its debut album, "Fast and Louche" and it kicks ass. Combining smutty rhythms with comic touches and real jazz virtuosity, the Top Shelfers capture a swinging sound that's part Atomic Fireballs, part Cab Calloway, and entirely delightful. I saw Top Shelf perform at a steampunk White Mischief night at London's Scala and they were superb live -- show-stoppers who transfixed everyone who peeked into the upstairs room, dragged them in and got them dancing. I'm so glad to have their music in my possession now! |
| Google's new data-center cools with weather prediction, not electricity Posted: 15 Jul 2009 09:38 PM PDT Google new Belgian data-center uses weather prediction to save energy, shifting work to cooler centers when the mercury rises, rather than using energy-sucking electric coolers. Google's Chiller-less Data Center (via /.) |
| FTC video on avoiding con-arists who "foreclose" on your home or "help" with foreclosure Posted: 15 Jul 2009 09:34 PM PDT Nicole from the FTC sez, "Con artists often exploit our fears to take our money, and right now there are many families in fear of losing their homes. Scammers who promise to stop foreclosure are out to make a quick buck and can turn a homeowner's distress into disaster. Today, the FTC and its partners announced new law enforcement actions against deceptive foreclosure rescue companies. Along with the announcement, the FTC released "Real People, Real Stories," a video about keeping your home. It features people targeted by foreclosure rescue scams and advises homeowners in distress that free help is available from the Homeowner's Hope Hotline at 888-945-4673. We hope you'll post this video, and encourage your readers to get the help they need from a HUD-certified housing counselor. More information about mortgages is available at www.ftc.gov/yourhome." Real People, Real Stories (Thanks, Nicole!) |
| Doug Rushkoff on The Colbert Report tonight Wednesday, July 15 Posted: 15 Jul 2009 06:15 PM PDT Our friend Doug Rushkoff is going to be on The Colbert Report tonight, talking about his terrific new book, Life Inc.: How the World Became a Corporation and How to Take It Back . I'm looking forward to seeing him on the program! Doug Rushkoff on The Colbert Report tonight Wednesday, July 15
Previously: |
| Boulder park warns that all bags "subject to search" Posted: 15 Jul 2009 04:52 PM PDT  When I was in Boulder, CO last week I went for a walk in a city-owned "greenbelt" hiking trail. I saw this sign that read, "All bags and coolers subject to search. City of Boulder Rangers and Police Officers will be patrolling this area." Are the police allowed to search your bags in a public park without a warrant? (I saw no police officers or rangers while hiking that day; in fact I saw no other hikers either.) |
| Posted: 15 Jul 2009 03:51 PM PDT    Limited numbers of our latest Boing Boing t-shirts, made by GAMA-GO, are still available. They're $24/each and come in men's and women's sizes. Every style is available in every color, as long as it's black. And if you spend more than $25 at GAMA-GO on any of their fine products, BB t-shirts included, domestic shipping is free! Thanks for your support! Boing Boing t-shirts |
| Todd Schorr exhibition at San Jose Museum of Art Posted: 15 Jul 2009 03:13 PM PDT Pop surrealist pioneer Todd Schorr has a retrospective exhibition opening Saturday at the San Jose Museum of Art and running until September 16. True believers will want to hit the museum tomorrow (Thursday) night though, when our pals at Hi-Fructose are hosting a Surreal Night opening bash including a panel with Schorr, Camille Rose Garcia, Last Gasp publisher Colin Turner, and tattoo/comic artist Mark Bode. Schorr will also be signing copies of his beautiful new American Surreal show catalog. |
| Metzger and McGinley's Dangerous Minds Posted: 15 Jul 2009 08:33 PM PDT  BB pals/contributors Richard Metzger and Tara McGinley have launched their own blog, Dangerous Minds, and it's fantastic. Their taste in the outré, odd, and obscure is exquisite. Dangerous Minds is where I spotted this Klaus Kinski skateboard and a clip of the Thunderball opening credits with an unused, and IMO oddly great, theme song by Johnny Cash. Dangerous Minds |
| Sophie Jodoin "War Series: Small Dramas and Little Nothings" (Art) Posted: 15 Jul 2009 01:44 PM PDT  Above, one in a series of 112 small works on mylar (about 9.5" x 7.5") by artist Sophie Jodoin. "Inspired in part by contemporary war imagery, grafitti, and comic-style silhouettes," this series of collages and drawings "question the numbness with which viewers are habituated to observing the carnage of war and domestic violence." (via @nopattern) |
| Richard Metzger's Tell It Like It Is Review of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Posted: 15 Jul 2009 01:16 PM PDT Let the fan comments fling forth like handfuls of monkey-poo, Richard Metzger is not afraid to tell you exactly how he feels about the new Harry Potter film, which opens in US theatrical release today:
Looks great, same great cast, all the right ingredients, I grant you that, but I will say it again: The new Harry Potter movie is godawful. |
| @BBVBOX: recent guest-tweeted web video picks (boingboingvideo.com) Posted: 15 Jul 2009 01:05 PM 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.)
More @BBVBOX: boingboingvideo.com |
| Posted: 15 Jul 2009 12:02 PM PDT  I've posted before about body integrity identity disorder, a condition in which an individual has an overwhelming desire to have a limb amputated. ABC Catalyst posted a fascinating short documentary about an man who purposefully destroyed his leg with dry ice so that a physician would have no choice but to cut it off. "The next time I woke up, it was absolute ecstasy," he says. "The leg that I wanted to get rid of for all those years was reduced to a little bandaged stump." Catalyst: Body Identity (via Mind Hacks) |
| Say Everything, Scott Rosenberg's history of blogging Posted: 15 Jul 2009 11:53 AM PDT Scott Rosenberg, the co-founder of Salon, has written an excellent new book called Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's Becoming, and Why It Matters. It's well-researched and very entertaining. Scott interviewed me last year and there's an entire chapter about Boing Boing in it. He also has chapters about Justin Hall (who started the blog Links From the Underground in 1996), Dave Winer, Jorn Barger (who coined "weblog" for his Robot Wisdom blog), Blogger founders Ev Williams and Meg Hourihan, and Heather Armstrong of Dooce, among others. Above, an interesting video in which Scott tries to identify the very first blogger. It's sort of like trying to find the first rock'n'roll song. Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's Becoming, and Why It Matters |
| Posted: 15 Jul 2009 12:29 PM PDT Guestblogger Marina Gorbis is executive director at Institute for the Future. Whenever you are tempted to feel superior about our unique status as humans in the animal kingdom and our extraordinary achievements in building a sophisticated civilization, it is worth reading Frans De Waal, a Dutch primatologist who has studied apes for almost 40 years. Several years ago when I picked up his book "Our Inner Ape," it quickly occurred to me that this is probably one of the best management books I've ever read. (OK, so I don't like management books). Behaviors that we, humans, embellish with complex rationalizations and justifications, De Waal was able to observe with clarity among his subjects, apes. Making alliances to achieve power, engaging in acts of reciprocity to build and maintain social capital, puffing up to threaten the opponent and scare enemies -- so ape and so human at the same time. So if you are looking for an entertaining, yet humbling experience, above is De Waal's speech from 2004 at Pop!Tech. Previously:
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| Humans will hand render any image like a digital printer Posted: 15 Jul 2009 10:26 AM PDT   thehumanprinter is a group of people who will hand-render pictures for you in the style of a digital printer. "Throughout the printing process, thehumanprinter assumes the role of the machine and is therefore controlled and restricted by the process of using CMYK halftones created on the computer." Each of the human printers has his/her own unique characteristics. For example, one is "fast and inaccurate" while another is "quick and efficient, yellow tends to be faint." You can even choose black and white, full color, or spot color prints. Fascinating art project. thehumanprinter (Thanks, Mathias Crawford!) |
| Posted: 15 Jul 2009 10:17 AM PDT The creators of Star Wars: Uncut sliced Star Wars: A New Hope into 472 fifteen second clips and invited anyone to pick a scene to recreate scenes. Once completed, all of the recreated scenes will be cut together into what will almost undoubtedly be a funny and weird crowdsourced fan remake. Star Wars: Uncut (via @BBVBOX) |
| Atom-Bomb Bikini: The Lurid Art of Robert Ullman Posted: 15 Jul 2009 12:06 PM PDT  Robert Ullman has a new art book out, called Atom-Bomb Bikini: The Lurid Art of Robert Ullman, which includes his charming sketches, pin-up art, and editorial illustrations. He's going to be selling it at the San Diego Comic Con, but you can also order copies from his web site. Atom-Bomb Bikini: The Lurid Art of Robert Ullman
Previously: |
| China: electroshock therapy halted as treatment for Internet "addiction" Posted: 15 Jul 2009 09:39 AM PDT The Chinese Ministry of Health has allegedly put an end to the use of electroshock treatments as a treatment for teenage "Internet addiction." Apparently, a clinic in Linyi, Shandong has been conducting the "treatment." According to a China Daily article, "Internet addiction is a growing problem in China... Many adolescents... spend several hours each day playing computer games." That's it? From China Daily: The China Daily reported last month that more than 3,000 young people were tricked or forced into in to the four-month long course. To enroll their children, parents or guardians had to sign a contract acknowledging that they would be given electric shocks of up to 200 milliamperes. The treatment cost 6,000 yuan ($878) per month. Patients were considered "cured" or "reborn" once they admitted to their addiction."Ministry halts controversial electrotherapy program for Internet addicts" (via Fortean Times) |
| MyDishBiz runs photo and false testimonial of murdered newlyweds Posted: 15 Jul 2009 09:35 AM PDT  Ben and Catherine Mullany were murdered while honeymooning in Antigua last July. MyDishBiz, an Ohio satellite dish company, used one of their pre-wedding photos in an advertising campaign, running a false testimonial below their photo. The photo was downloaded from an internet tribute to the couple murdered two weeks after their wedding a year ago then used alongside the bogus testimonial.A spokesperson for MyDishBiz said: "We are trying to track down who sent the testimonial and picture for inclusion on our website." I'll bet they're trying really hard. MyDishBiz runs photo of murdered couple giving happy testimonial |
| Condition: Critical: Children of the Democratic Republic of Congo Speak Posted: 15 Jul 2009 09:28 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. Condition: Critical is an amazing website that focuses on those affected by the ongoing war in eastern Congo. The site was created by Médecins Sans Frontières, otherwise known as Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization that works in 60 countries around the world to combat the tragic consequences of war, violence, and famine. Condition: Critical turns the spotlight on war-torn North and South Kivu with videos, photos, and first-person testimonies from the men, women, children, and medical relief workers who are experiencing what is happening there firsthand. Life isn't just hard in eastern Congo: this region is in critical condition. And things aren't getting any better. The destiny of everyone in this region is shaped by war and violence. The story of their struggle to survive needs to be told. (Jeffrey Gettleman has been doing a remarkable job of chronicling the war for The New York Times. He reported on the use of rape as a war tactic in the DRC here and here.) A new video series on Condition: Critical brings to life the tragedies being inflicted upon the region's children. In "Survive," "Express," and "Fight," we hear from children who are struggling to survive the conflict around them. If you'd like to donate to MSF, you can do so here. The MSF YouTube channel is here. |
| Posted: 15 Jul 2009 08:59 AM PDT  Chemistry Comes Alive! has about a dozen 1980s era videos of fun-to-watch chemical reactions, such as an ice bomb, a mercury "beating heart," a nitrogen triiodide explosion, and a thermite reaction. |
| Astroturfing face-lift dirtbags get fined, stay in business Posted: 15 Jul 2009 08:58 AM PDT A company has been fined for using astroturfers to promote its products online, a US first. The company, Lifestyle Lift, also had a history of using trademark and copyright to threaten and silence its critics. The company settled with AG Andrew Cuomo's office for a mere $300K. I favor the corporate death-penalty here -- this company spent years defrauding the public and used the law to bully whistle-blowers. They don't deserve to be in business for one more second. The company has aggressively guarded its online reputation. In 2007, it sued an Arizona man who maintained a consumer-oriented Web site that included criticisms of Lifestyle Lift, saying the site's use of the procedure's name infringed on the company's trademark and amounted to false advertising. A federal judge in Michigan dismissed the case last year, saying the site was commentary protected by the First Amendment.NY AG: Facelift firm placed bogus online reviews (via /.) |
| TSA officer caught stealing laptops at JFK Posted: 15 Jul 2009 08:54 AM PDT A joint TSA/Delta airlines sting caught a TSA officer and a JFK baggage handler ripping off a laptop and phone from a decoy suitcase and then switching the suitcase tags, deliberately misrouting it to delay any investigation. Wanna bet they're not the only ones, and that this wasn't the first time they did it? Gee, thanks for taking away our suitcase locks, TSA. We're so much safer now that you're free to rob us. Brian Burton, 27, and Antwon Simmons, 26, stole a laptop and cell phone from the decoy luggage as it moved through Kennedy Airport, Port Authority officials said.Sting nabs sticky-fingered JFK airport workers going through luggage (via Consumerist) |
| RIP, Phyllis Gotleib, the mother of Canadian science fiction Posted: 15 Jul 2009 08:39 AM PDT  Phyllis Gotlieb, the legendary Canadian science fiction writer, died yesterday. Phyllis was very old but very sharp -- I last saw her at an Ad Astra convention in Toronto a few years ago, and I followed her on a mailing list for Canadian sf writers, where she was a smart and funny poster. Phyllis wrote well into her old age, continuing her very long career in the field. I first met Phyllis at Ad Astra, the Toronto area science fiction convention. She and I were co-panelists on the very first panel I ever sat on. I was 17 and I'd just sold my first story. Phyllis was well into her senior years. She was delightful. I don't remember what the subject of the panel was, but I remember the warmth and wit with which Phyllis engaged with little pipsqueak me, the welcome she made me feel as a freshman writer. I have never, ever forgotten that -- the author of O Master Caliban! deigning to notice me, much less treat me as a colleague. Phyllis and her husband Kelly were palpably, achingly in love (Kelly once had my father in his university physics class, a class he never forgot). We had dinner together in 2007 at Ad Astra, and the two of them were the epitome of sweet old married coupledom, finishing each others' sentences, helping each other in a million tiny and affectionate ways. By my reckoning, Phyllis was 82 when she died (I don't know the details of the death). I can only hope that when I'm 80, I'll be as sharp, productive and good-spirited as Phyllis was when I last saw her. Science fiction has lost one of its greats today, and Canada, too. My sincerest condolences to her family. You are missed, Phyllis. (Thanks, Lorna) (Image: Sunburst Awards) |
| Paperclips dance to electromagnets on train Posted: 15 Jul 2009 08:34 AM PDT Paperclips respond to electromagnetism coming through floor of train in Japan. (Via Pink Tentacle) |
| Recently on Offworld: space invaders evolved, Excel raves, Left 4 (Shaun of the) Dead Posted: 15 Jul 2009 08:34 AM PDT  Recently on Offworld we saw things living in places we didn't expect, like Taito's fantastic looking formerly Japanese-only vector-sharp retro-futurist mobile phone game Space Invaders Infinity Gene making a surprise visit to the iPhone, demoscene group Braadworsten Brigade bringing a mini-rave to your copy of Microsoft Excel 2003, and Subatomic's iPhone tower defense hit Fieldrunners coming as a PSP downloadable. We also saw our first inside-the-gallery shots of French guerrilla artist Space Invader's NYC art exhibit, including his Rubik's Cube recreations of Daft Punk and Velvet Underground album covers, found no less than 100 brilliant 5-second art/glitch videos based on 'old video games' (above), and followed the latest in the copyfight between iPhone dev Mobigame, IGDA board member Tim Langdell, and anyone who has ever thought about stringing together the letters E-D-G- and E. Finally, our 'one shot's for the day: Florian Hufsky's pixel pirates, and, best of all, the world of Shaun of the Dead meeting the world of Left 4 Dead. |
Google has taken the strategy to the next level. Rather than using chillers part-time, the company has eliminated them entirely in its data center near Saint-Ghislain, Belgium, which began operating in late 2008 and also features an on-site water purification facility that allows it to use water from a nearby industrial canal rather than a municipal water utility. 
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