The Latest from Boing Boing

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• Dead cell-phones: suspense movie cop-outs
• Musician's open letter, sung to Lily Allen
• 1.7 sextillion dollar suit filed against B of A
• National Organization of Women backs Net Neutrality
• Steampunk MAME cabinet
• Monsters Cereal Blog
• Zabihah.com and Halal Dining
• Jackson Pollock's name hidden in his painting Mural?
• 500 Pound Planet: the final chapter
• Inside Antiques Roadshow
• You and the Pirates
• Stuck Tic Tac gallery

Dead cell-phones: suspense movie cop-outs Posted: 26 Sep 2009 01:54 AM PDT This clever video pieces together scenes depicting the already-hoary suspense-film cliche in which a cellular phone's signal (or battery) gives out at just the wrong (right) time so that the characters will have something to be in suspense about. One thing I will always and forever love Iain Banks for is his 2003 novel Dead Air, a gripping, taut suspense novel in which everyone has a cellphone that always works. I was struck when I read it, believing that Banks had just created an entirely new genre: suspense novels in which none of the tension comes from characters not knowing key facts. No Signal (and other cellular drama)

Musician's open letter, sung to Lily Allen Posted: 26 Sep 2009 01:18 AM PDT Sam sez, "An open letter to Lily Allen, explaining the facts around filesharing, sung to the beat of one of her tunes." I love this -- it's a great mix of compassion, artist's manifesto, and humor. I don't know much about this Dan Bull character, but I like the cut of his jib. Dan Bull - Dear Lily (Thanks, Sam!) Previously: Lily Allen's copyright problem - Boing Boing

1.7 sextillion dollar suit filed against B of A Posted: 25 Sep 2009 06:33 PM PDT A lawsuit against Bank of America on uncertain grounds is seeking nearly two sextillion dollars in damages: A billion trillion, also known as a "sextillion," could be written as a 1 followed by 21 zeros. I know the dollar has weakened lately, but a sextillion dollars would still be a lot of money. The gross domestic product of the entire world in 2008 was only $60 trillion, so even if Chiscolm won it might be a little hard to collect. "These are the kind of numbers you deal with only on a cosmic scale," said Sylvain Cappell, who is New York University's Silver Professor at the Courant Institute for Mathematical Sciences, and so presumably can count really high. "If [Chiscolm] thinks Bank of America has branches on every planet in the cosmos, then it might start to make some sense." Bank of America Sued for 1.784 Sextillion Dollars

National Organization of Women backs Net Neutrality Posted: 25 Sep 2009 06:31 PM PDT A reader writes, "The National Organization of Women is calling to action everyone in the U.S. to push for net neutrality. They're specifically supporting the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2009 (H.R. 3458), and have a page up for contacting representatives in congress to push for it as well." The Internet has allowed NOW to connect like never before with members and allies, potential supporters, students and educators, government leaders and countless others who can help advance equality for all. The Internet offers a platform for dialogue amongst feminists who might not otherwise have a chance to strategize together. It empowers women by providing them with information about their status, threats to their rights and opportunities for advancement. It presents a tool for democratic participation by allowing women's rights advocates to easily petition their elected officials and keep tabs on their records. Without a doubt, the women's rights movement benefits immensely from the unprecedented power of an open and accessible Internet. But, can we rely on the big companies that bring us the Internet to preserve its open nature? The simple truth is: No, we can't. Add Your Voice to NOW's Call for Open Internet

Steampunk MAME cabinet Posted: 25 Sep 2009 06:30 PM PDT Jake von Slatt sez, "An absolutely exquisite monster MAME cabinet - check out the CNC carved lithopanes!" Steampunk MAME!

Monsters Cereal Blog Posted: 25 Sep 2009 01:22 PM PDT Bassam Tariq is a Boing Boing guestblogger who is the co-author of 30 Mosques. A blog that celebrated the New York City mosques during the Islamic month of Ramadan. He lives in Harlem, New York.   They gave me the creeps when I was a kid, but damn did their cereals taste good. Not sure if anyone has noticed, but there has been a sudden reemergence of all things Monster Cereal and this site is documenting every step of it. Who would've thought there was such a large cult following for Count Chocula and company? Who's your favorite of the bunch? Count Chocula may have swag, but Boo Berry's sedated brows kill. See all the collectibles showcased: http://monstercereal.blogspot.com

Zabihah.com and Halal Dining Posted: 25 Sep 2009 09:06 AM PDT Bassam Tariq is a Boing Boing guestblogger who is the co-author of 30 Mosques. A blog that celebrated the New York City mosques during the Islamic month of Ramadan. He lives in Harlem, New York. If you live in New York City or any other major city, you may have seen a store sign scream "Halal Meat" or "Halal Certified." These signs are nothing but comfort for many Muslims who want meat that's prepared in accordance to the Islamic guidelines. The whole halal-making process is very similar to the kosher-making one. In fact, many Muslims, including myself, limit their meat consumption to only kosher and halal meat since they both fall under a similar rigorous certification. So when I get tired of tuna sandwiches and want to get my halal grub on, where do I go? Zabihah.com - it's really the authoritative guide to halal dining. It's a wiki-site created by the brilliant Shahed Amanullah back in 1999. Shahed meticulously typed in 200 restaurants himself, and now the site bolsters around 6,000 halal restaurants worldwide. Anyone can add their own restaurant and leave a review or two. Anyone like to recommend their favorite halal eatery? Please do share! Visit the site: www.zabihah.com

Jackson Pollock's name hidden in his painting Mural? Posted: 25 Sep 2009 11:25 AM PDT A new article in Smithsonian posits that Jackson Pollock hid his full name in the abstractions of his famed piece Mural. The article's author, art historian Henry Adams, says that his wife, also an art scholar, was the first to notice the letters. From Smithsonian: I was researching a book about Pollock's lifelong relationship with his mentor, Thomas Hart Benton, the famed regionalist and muralist, when I sat puzzling over a reproduction of Mural after breakfast one morning with Marianne, herself an art historian. She suddenly said she could make out the letters S-O-N in blackish paint in the upper right area of the mural. Then she realized JACKSON ran across the entire top. And finally she saw POLLOCK below that. The characters are unorthodox, even ambiguous, and largely hidden. But, she pointed out, it could hardly be random coincidence to find just those letters in that sequence... Pollock's possibly writing his name in Mural testifies to an overlooked feature of his works: they have a structure, contrary to the popular notion that they could be done by any 5-year-old with a knack for splatters. In my view, Pollock organized the painting around his name according to a compositional system—vertical markings that serve as the loci of rhythmic spirals—borrowed directly from his mentor, Benton. "Decoding Jackson Pollock" Previously: Jackson Pollock-a-sketch - Boing Boing

500 Pound Planet: the final chapter Posted: 25 Sep 2009 09:24 PM PDT Jesse Brown, a BoingBoing guest blogger, is the host of TVO's Search Engine podcast. Here's the conclusion to 500 Pound Planet, the cartoon I made with Josh Dolgin. I really hope you've enjoyed it, and would love to hear some reviews/criticism/impressions. Previously: 500 Pound Planet: Prelude 500 Pound Planet: Chapter One 500 Pound Planet: Chapter Two 500 Pound Planet: Chapter Three

Inside Antiques Roadshow Posted: 25 Sep 2009 06:26 AM PDT Ben Marks and the crew at The Collectors Weekly, immersed themselves in an Antiques Roadshow taping last month in San Jose, California, and documented their experience. Ben brought a Pogo animation cel for appraisal and his colleague Jessica Lewis had a Elks Club fob from the early part of last century. From Collectors Weekly: Inside the set, the energy is exhilarating. The appraisers are laughing, fiercely examining items, calling out to one another: "Hey, you gotta take a look at this!" The excitement is contagious and we quickly become wrapped up in the psychology of television, people with dreams, and family secrets being revealed. (KQED volunteer Lyn) Johnson leads us to Jewelry to see what we can learn about the Elks piece. As we wait, an appraiser named Barry Weber is talking to a colleague about a guest's item. The conversation is mostly about what the guest may already know about the item, and whether they should pitch it to go on camera. At the Jewelry table, Adam Patrick of A La Vielle Russie, Inc. examines an Elks fob from the early 20th century. The piece is made of 14k yellow gold, includes a diamond and a sapphire, and holds an elk's tooth. It was appraised at $750 to $800. As Bemko told us the day before, the show's dual goals include informing a guest about his or her item, as well as documenting the guest during what she called a "vulnerable" moment. If the guest knows too much, it doesn't make for great TV. Weber knows this, and they want to be sure not to waste anyone's time with a pitch that might get shot down. "An Inside Look at Antiques Roadshow: A Collectors Weekly Special Report"

You and the Pirates Posted: 25 Sep 2009 06:41 AM PDT Jesse Brown, a BoingBoing guest blogger, is the host of TVO's Search Engine podcast. Canadian literature (or CanLit, as some insist) has gradually become a genre of its own- one of books that are bleak, desperate, *meaningful*, and above all, dull. New DIY publisher The Workhorsery aims to do something about that by releasing You and The Pirates, Jocelyne Allens' superfun debut novel. The book dares to star you (a snarky prairie-girl expat) in its second-person wackjob tale of terrorists, cats and pirates in modern-day Tokyo. Check it out! Free chapter (PDF) Amazon page (link)

Stuck Tic Tac gallery Posted: 25 Sep 2009 06:28 AM PDT There's something pleasing about finding your last Tic Tacs wedged inside the dispenser and freeing them. The creator of this "Collecting Stuck Tic Tacs" gallery seems to agree. (Thanks, Dean Putney!)

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