The Latest from Boing Boing |  |
- HOWTO make mushroom shelves
- Europeans! Last chance to save Net Neutrality in the EU, call your MEP!
- Google Book Search and privacy for students
- Vintage ads from a contrafactual history
- Radio Free Africa
- Are Muslim Women Oppressed? Ask One
- Signing off.
| Posted: 28 Sep 2009 03:21 AM PDT  Here's a tutorial on making wonderful faerie shelves out of shelf mushrooms, those woody fungi that you see when you walk through the woods. Mushroom Shelf Tutorial! (via Make) |
| Europeans! Last chance to save Net Neutrality in the EU, call your MEP! Posted: 28 Sep 2009 03:22 AM PDT Jérémie Zimmermann sez, "The first conciliation meeting on the Telecoms Package will take place tonight at 9:30PM. In this meeting, 27 Members of the European Parliament will decide on the future of Internet in Europe. They will choose whether to fix or maintain the dreadful anti-Net neutrality dispositions voted in second reading by the Parliament, under the influence of AT&T. Rapporteurs and representatives of the Swedish Presidency opposed this idea so far. European citizens only have a few hours to urge MEPs to preserve Europe's innovation, competition, and citizen's fundamental rights." Act now to save Net neutrality! (Thanks, Jérémie!) |
| Google Book Search and privacy for students Posted: 28 Sep 2009 03:15 AM PDT Parker sez, "Although the Google Books Settlement is being modified, the questions it raises are important for students to think about. Students for Free Culture, in the interest of better informing students about the settlement, has solicited the thoughts of a variety of experts who are providing guest posts reflecting on how the settlement will likely impact students. This is the second installment in the series, from EFF's Rebecca Jeshke, and it talks about the privacy issues involved. All of last week and this week, we'll be posting other responses from people like Google's Derek Slater, and NYLS' James Grimmelman, about different facets of the settlement." In the physical world, bookstores and libraries have fought for strong privacy protections, requiring the police to get a warrant before getting access to your reading records. These strong positions were developed precisely to respect our private, personal relationship with reading and learning, and to block any "chilling effect" violating that privacy might have on Americans' right to explore the world of ideas. That's why Google Book Search needs a robust, enforceable privacy policy that gives readers as much privacy in online books as we already have today.GBS and Students: EFF's Rebecca Jeschke on Privacy Implications (Thanks, Parker!) Previously:
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| Vintage ads from a contrafactual history Posted: 28 Sep 2009 03:23 AM PDT  Jeff VanderMeer sez, "Our friend South Florida fashion photographer Steven Paul Hlavac has photographed everyone from Warren Zevon to Daisy Fuentes. Now he's got a new exhibit up in which he's repurposed some of his travel photos (from China and elsewhere) in the context of old-timey ads for various products. It's a lot of fun, and for those still addicted to the meat world, you can also find them on display in the Tavares City Hall (north of Orlando) until the end of October." Seaplanes and Citrus: Vintage Art From An Imaginary Past Photo-illustrations by Steven Paul Hlavac: (Thanks, Jeff!) |
| Posted: 27 Sep 2009 05:34 PM PDT  "Freedom of expression and of thought was not invented by the West. It has existed in traditional societies -- even primitive ones -- for centuries. Human progress would not have been possible without it. I'm saying this as a black African from Ghana because today around the world, we have 'educated' barbarians who want to suppress this freedom by arresting and jailing dissidents, writers, journalists and those they disagree with." -- George Ayittey on the BBC, September 20, 2009. Ayittey, whose famed "cheetahs vs. hippos" TED speech I've blogged before, is co-founder of an inspired new project called Radio Free Africa. (thanks, Emeka Okafor) |
| Are Muslim Women Oppressed? Ask One Posted: 27 Sep 2009 05:10 PM PDT Aman Ali, a BoingBoing guest blogger, is the co-author of 30 Mosques, a Ramadan adventure taking him to a different mosque in New York City every day for a month. My last post generated an interesting discussion (268 comments and counting) on Muslim women covering their hair. But it seemed kind of silly to talk about the subject, without hearing viewpoints from Muslim women. My friend Mariam Sobh has graciously agreed to chime in. She is editor in chief of Hijabtrendz, the original fashion beauty and entertainment blog for Muslim women. Here's what she had to say: It's the age old debate that quite frankly I'm sick and tired of. Muslim women and their "oppression". Oppression is such a loaded word and it conjures up all sorts of negative images, but what people don't seem to want to understand is that Muslim women are just like any other woman. We come in all shapes and sizes, and all sorts of beliefs. You can't paint us all with the same brush. I'm as American as anyone else, I watch movies, I read celebrity gossip, I shop at Victoria's Secret, I work outside the home, I'm pursuing my dreams, the only difference is that little piece of fabric I wrap around my head. Big whoop. I'm not harming anyone by wearing a piece of material on my head so what's the big deal? I myself wear the headscarf and I do so because it's something I believe is mandated in my religion. No one is forcing me and it has no political significance (I have no idea why people keep thinking it does). Believe me if I didn't think it was required I WOULD NOT be wearing it. I hate being bullied all the time by the press or some ignoramus about my scarf. It takes a toll on you emotionally and eventually you have to develop a thick skin. But words will always hurt no matter what. I believe God asked us to cover our bodies and that includes our hair. Look at other religion where people try to practice their beliefs and it's very similar; think of the Amish, Mormons, even Hasidic Jewish women. They all cover up in some way to preserve their modesty. Now, I'm not here to judge anyone. If you want to walk around outside naked, go for it. But I'm not going to reprimand you or try to psychoanalyze you, or even tell you that what you're doing is wrong. That's for you as an individual to figure out. So why is it, that whenever it comes to people who prefer to live more conservatively everyone is up in arms? OH MY GOSH SHE'S COVERING HER CLEAVAGE! So what? Why do I have to share my goods with you? I choose who gets to see me and who doesn't. Is that what is so bothersome, that I actually have a choice? I'm seriously trying to figure this out. Some Muslim women wear the headscarf and some women don't. Some Muslim women choose to wear their headscarf in a way that conforms somewhat to today's fashion and some prefer to go old school. It all comes down to personal interpretation and understanding and that's perfectly fine. We're all adults, we're all responsible for our own actions. I'm not holier than thou. My headscarf does not make me some religious expert, it's just a small part of my life. It's a testament to myself that I want to be a better person and that I'm struggling to do good in this world by following what I personally believe God wants me to do. For those who talk about women being forced into submission, that occurs everyday all over the world regardless of religion and it's very sad indeed. If people try to use Islam as a way to manipulate women then those individuals are sick and twisted. At the end of the day I'm thankful that I have the life I do, where I can practice what I believe and not worry about anyone forcing me to do something against my will. |
| Posted: 27 Sep 2009 06:52 AM PDT Jesse Brown, a BoingBoing guest blogger, is the host of TVO's Search Engine podcast.  Today marks the end of my guest blogging stint here at BoingBoing. It's been awesome (for me anyway). Thanks to BB readers for letting me share my projects, interests and ideas with you. And thanks for engaging- the comments often taught me more about a subject than I had to impart in the first place. Thanks also to Cory and Rob and the rest of the BB crew for having me! Please keep in touch! I'm particularly interested in story ideas and freelance pitches for my podcast. Email: jesse at jessebrown.ca Twitter (link) Podcast/Blog (link) |
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