Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Latest from Boing Boing

The Latest from Boing Boing

Link to Boing Boing

Canada's top Internet regulator calls Canadians "Internet hogs," pretends not to know about studies showing Canada's poor global net-performance

Posted: 27 Oct 2009 05:28 AM PDT

On today's episode of the Search Engine podcast, Jesse Brown talks to Konrad von Finckenstein, Canada's chief telecoms regulator -- the man who brought down the recent ruling allowing Canadian ISPs to throttle their users. In the interview, Commissioner von Finckenstein arrogantly dismisses Canadians who are threatened by this ruling as "Internet hogs" and pretends that he hasn't heard any of the research that shows Canada is badly lagging the rest of the developed world in Internet access, paying far more to get far less than others, despite the enormous public subsidy Canada's ISPs have received in the form of exclusive rights-of-way and access to taxpayer-built infrastructure. He also purports to know nothing of the existing abusive policies used by Canada's big ISPs. If this is the man running Canada's Internet policy, it's no wonder that Canada's net is in such sorry shape.

The Neutral Throttle? An interview with CRTC Chairman Konrad von Finckenstein

MP3 link


Advisor: My husband has a virtual girlfriend

Posted: 27 Oct 2009 04:39 AM PDT

Rinko.pngMeet Koh and Yurie. They're a happily married young Japanese couple who moved from Tokyo to San Francisco a year ago due to a job transfer. In early September, while on a business trip back home, Koh bought a new game cartridge for his Nintendo DS. It was mostly out of curiosity — the Japanese Twitterati were all abuzz over a new dating sim called Love Plus, and he just wanted to see what the hype was about. "I've tried the other dating sims before just for kicks, but I never got hooked," he says. "I didn't expect this to be any different." He was wrong. During that one week in Tokyo, Koh found himself fully committed to his virtual relationship with Rinko, a pouty, hard-ass high school girl who hung out at the library. The relationship was formal at first, consisting of awkward whispered conversations in which she sent mixed signals and called him by his last name. As things got more heated, though, she started calling him Kohichi (calling someone by the first name still carries a degree of intimacy in Japan) and became more demanding of his attention. "I felt like I might get sucked into this world," Koh, who is an engineer at a major game manufacturer by day, tells me. "It's not like any dating sim with young girls in it becomes a hit, but this one is really well-made." An article posted on a Japanese tech site in September told the story of several women who had complained on an online bulletin about how their family lives were disrupted by husbands addicted to Konami's hit game. Last weekend, I invited Koh and Yurie over to my house to talk about Koh's virtual relationship with Rinko, and how — if at all — it had impacted their real world husband-and-wife dynamic. Q: Koh, what do you and Rinko do together? Koh: OK, this is pretty embarrassing. The DS has a mic and a touchscreen, so... one time, she asked me to say "I love you" a hundred times into the mic. I was on the airplane when she asked me that, so I was like, no way. There was also this part where you have to hold her hand on the touchscreen. If you touch her hand with the stylus, you get to hold her hand. And then there's the part where you have to kiss her. Q: Did you do it? Koh: No, no! The girl's face shows up on the screen, and you have to touch her lips to give her a kiss. That's pretty weird.... this is embarrassing. I'm sweating right now just talking about it. Yurie: Ew. Do people really do that? Koh: I guess some people do. Q: What do you think, Yurie? Yurie: Until now, I wasn't aware of the specifics of the game. Hearing it now, I'm like, barf. That's just gross. Koh: I know. It's pretty gross. I really wouldn't want my wife to see me playing this, me desperately trying to hold hands with a touchscreen. Yurie: It sounds like you can really experience the realness of dating. Koh: Yeah.. the girl also talks a lot. You hear her voice at every part of the game. A lot of dating sims are mostly text, but this one has a real humanistic side to it. I think this comes down to the fact that men are simple. This is obviously a computer program, but this makes us really feel like there's a girl inside the DS. It feels dangerous, like I might get sucked into this world. Some guys on the Internet are saying that their Love Plus relationships feel more real. They feel like they're with their girlfriend every day. I kinda get it. Q: But Koh, you have a real woman in your life. Koh: That's why I was able to come back. Thank god! I was only stuck in that world for about a week. Also, I got hooked when I was in Japan on a business trip, so when I came back to San Francisco, I didn't play it that much. Maybe just for a day. In the bathtub. Yurie: I didn't really see him playing it. Koh: It's pretty damn embarrassing. I think if I wasn't able to come back from that world, I would have run out of things to talk about with my real wife. I can understand why some couples would get in a fight over that. Q: Yurie, does this bother you at all? Yurie: Not at all. If he's just enjoying it as a game, that's fine with me. I don't care that he has a girlfriend inside of the game at all. I'm just like, oh okay. So that's what you're into right now. If we were to get into a fight over this, it would be less about the content of the game and more about how much time he spends playing it. It doesn't matter what he's doing, but if he spends too much time on the computer, then that's not good. Koh: Yeah, if I was playing too many games and that was compromising the time I spent in my real life, that would be a problem. It's the same with Second Life or World of Warcraft. If I got too into something and couldn't come back, that would be a problem. At the same time, though, the danger I felt when I almost got sucked into Love Plus was very human. If I was single and had gotten too into this... I don't know, I recognized that there was a me in there that could have a real attachment to this artificial character on the other side of the DS screen. It made me think that humans could probably pretty easily develop feelings for AI robots. It's the same with animals, right? Animals don't speak words but you can really love them. But I do think it has something to do with the simplicity of men. I'd be really curious to see how women would react to a boy version of Love Plus. Yurie: If there was a boy version, I think most women would be able to clearly distinguish between real life and in-game life. I have celebrities I like, too, but then I also have a husband. And they're totally separate. Q: So what is your Love Plus girlfriend doing now? Koh: I'm too scared to find out. I'm probably going to get in big trouble if I open it after leaving her alone for several weeks. Maybe she's dead now. That would be scary. Yurie: Does that happen? Koh: I don't think so . But remember Tamagochi? They used to die if you didn't feed them. Yurie: Oh yeah. That would be kind of bittersweet. Advisor is a column about how to juggle technology, relationships, and common sense. Got a story to tell? Email me at lisa [at] boingboing [dot] net.

JC Hutchins's sf novel 7TH SON -- first 10 chapters PDF

Posted: 27 Oct 2009 12:11 AM PDT

As part of our serialization of JC Hutchins' thriller 7th Son Descent, we're delighted to bring you this ten-chapter special-edition PDF!

7th Son Descent Special Edition PDF



Walt Disney on the Tank Riot podcast

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 11:23 PM PDT

Viktor from the Tank Riot podcast (one of my favorite podcasts!) sez, "Tank Riot just released a new podcast about the the life, works, controversies and urban legends of the animator everyone thinks they know. From Mickey Mouse in Plane Crazy to Donald Duck and Pluto, we discuss the animators like Ubbe Iwerks and the voice actors like Clarence 'Ducky' Nash and Pinto Colvig that made all of the myths possible."

Haven't listened to this yet, but I'm really looking forward to it!

Walt Disney



Animal mummies from the Cairo museum

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 11:21 PM PDT

Marilyn sez, "Why did the ancient Egyptians go to such trouble to mummify animals? A 17-foot, knobby-backed crocodile, buried with baby croc mummies in its mouth, for example, or tiny scarab beetles and the dung balls they ate. An antelope, a kitten, a baboon. Some were pets, some were sacred animals, and some were just"gourmet jerky for the hereafter." But which were which? Here's a story about zooarchaeology: the study of ancient animal remains. I like the last photo in this gallery, showing a mummified baboon from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. An x-ray revealed missing canines, which may indicate the animal was a pet, with teeth removed to 'prevent nipping royal fingers'".

Animal Mummies (Thanks, Marilyn!)



Awesome gamer-geek lesbian wedding

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 11:16 PM PDT

Offbeat Bride celebrates the wedding of Anli and Laura, two Australian gamer-geek women who had a genuinely awesome wedding! I would have blogged this yesterday, but I was off celebrating my own anniversary (we were married in Toronto's weird white-elephant castle, Casa Loma, in steampunk drag, by a magician in Templar robes who recited Jabberwocky and made the rings appear in gouts of flame).

We wanted a ceremony that reflected our geeky, romantic, pink aesthetic, while at the same time being profound and meaningful. Our ceremony was themed around the video game Portal and the anime series Revolutionary Girl Utena.

We incorporated lots of geeky details, from the table names (Revolution, Sierra, Katara and GLaDOS) to the choice of music. We also kept several traditional elements such as bouquets, dresses and bridesmaids. However, we both walked down the aisle unaccompanied and skipped the garter/bouquet toss.

Anli & Laura's Lesbian Gamer Geek Wedding

Italian politician sues 4000+ YouTube commenters

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 11:12 PM PDT

Davide sez, "Guess how Italian politicians take care of comments on YouTube against them? On 22 October, Cuffaro laid charges with regard to the first 4609 comments on a video clip on You Tube, entitled 'Costanzo Show: Totò Cuffaro aggredisce Giovanni Falcone' (video clip posted on You Tube on 14 January 2007). Antonio Di Pietro decided to pay defence for all."

We will defend you all from Cuffaro (Thanks, Davide!)

Zombie/Scooby Doo mashup illo

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 11:10 PM PDT

Lavishly terrible writing, illustrated lavishly

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 11:07 PM PDT

Joel Stickley's "How To Write Badly Well" blog lavishly illustrates some of the rules for good/bad writing. I usually give my writing students a copy of the excellent Turkey City Lexicon, but this makes a nice (and hilarious) adjunct:
Joe Stockley paced the floor of his office and cursed under his breath. Dammit, he thought, why am I such a brilliant writer that no-one ever understands the depth and complexity of my work? It's almost as if I'm the only real person in the world and all the other people are just automatons! No, that can't be (he thought). Can it...?

Just then, he was interrupted by the ringing of his top of the range iPhone 3GS (32GB).

'Hello?' he said, his voice booming with a timbre which was capable of simultaneously charming his many admirers and intimidating any who dared oppose him.

'Hello Joe,' a mellifluous voice came floating back. 'It's your loving wife here.'

'Hello, my beautiful-beyond-compare, talented and intelligent wife,' said Joe, his laughter reverberating around the expensive fixtures and fittings of his luxurious house.

How To Write Badly Well

Halloweens of yore, remembered through costumes.

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 05:39 PM PDT

addams.jpg

Gareth Branwyn says, "Paul Overton of DudeCraft has been running a series of well-known bloggers writing about their Halloween memories. Here's mine."

Snip from Gar's wonderful contribution:

The above picture is from one of the years (1984?) where we were living in a group house and the whole group went as The Addams Family. That's the "real" Patch Adams as Gomez. We were a house of all impressively eccentric people, so going as the Addams Family wasn't much of a stretch. I'm Cousin It, on the left. My whole-hair body is made from a crapload of fake fur material. It was hot as hell in there and I couldn't see very well out of the eye-holes, which brings us full circle to those arrested memories of my childhood. I may still find myself in sweaty, restrictive costumes, but I can assure you that the view from my ill-cut eye-holes is far more exciting than anything that little suburban unfortunate ever could have imagined.
Halloween Stories - Gareth Branwyn - Mr. Wonderful et al [Dudecraft]

Alice Cooper on the Soupy Sales show, 1979.

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 05:33 PM PDT

The great American comedian and entertainer Soupy Sales passed away last week. Bob Merlis, who is the publicist for '70s rock icon Alice Cooper, tells Boing Boing,

cooper.jpg We were sad to hear of Soupy Sales' death and were reminded that Alice had been a guest of his about 30 (very) odd years ago. We found the clip and are happy to share it with millions of Soupy fans that are out there. Alice recalled Soupy:

"Being from Detroit, I came home everday and watched Soupy at lunch. One of the greatest moments of my life was getting piefaced by Soupy. He was one of my all time heros."

Alice Cooper on The Soupy Sales Show 1979.

Norman Rockwell, "King of Photoshop"

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 05:29 PM PDT

rockwell.jpg

Over at Gizmodo, Wilson Rothman has a great post up about a new book on the photography and the creative process of Norman Rockwell. Ron Schick edited and compiled the collection.

Gizmodo's Wilson calls Rockwell "the original king of Photoshop," despite the obvious fact that Rockwell reigned on those corny Saturday Evening Post covers long before Adobe (or image editing software of any kind) emerged. Snip:

The book is not about painting. Rockwell's oil-on-canvas work feels like an afterthought for Schick, who mostly documents Rockwell's photography and art direction. Throughout the book, you see a painting, then you see the photographs he took to make that painting. In most cases, many shots comprise the different elements, and are joined together only in paint. It's almost sad: Vivid interactions between people, remembered jointly in the country's collective consciousness, may never have taken place. Even people facing each other at point blank range were photographed separately, and might never have even met.
The Gizmodo post has more amazing side-by-side photos.

Here's an Amazon link for the book: Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera.

"Chap-Hop History" by Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer, played on a banjolele

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 01:37 PM PDT


Banjoleles are the coolest kind of ukulele, as evidenced in this magnificent video by Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer.

"Other rappers can't stand me, but give me respect. They do give respect really. I mean they do act tough, but generally speaking, they're awfully nice chaps."

(Thanks, Casey!)

Futuristic workspace looks like a dinosaur egg

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 12:57 PM PDT

dzn_rewrite-01.jpg Do you like to block the world out completely when you're working at your desk? Copenhagen-based design team GamFratesi has created a prototype for a sleek, dinosaur egg-like work environment that they call Rewrite. It reminds me of those cubicles they had at my grad school library, except they're a lot nicer-looking. dzn_rewrite-02.jpg via Dezeen

Another Hardcore Moment from Nature

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 12:00 PM PDT

This is a kea. Isn't he cute? Happy, little green parrot...tra la la.

hardcore.jpg

This little parrot will mess your s**t up. If you are a sheep. Image courtesy Flickr user PhillipC, via CC.

Happy, little green parrot who calmly burrows through the still-living flesh of sheep and dines upon their kidney fat while they lay bleating in terror. No, really. You can see a video here. Watch Clip 4, starting about two minutes in.

And now, the context....

Kea are incredibly intelligent mountain parrots, native to New Zealand. Most of the time, they eat the sort of things you'd expect parrots to eat: Berries, nectar, insects. But that food is in short supply during the winter months, and kea--while they do migrate from mountain tops down into the warmer valleys--don't fly away to summer climes. Plus, the encroachment of ranches, farms and cities drove off a lot of their traditional food sources over the last few centuries. So, in winter, the birds are sometimes forced to get creative about their meals. And that's where the sheep come in.

Unsurprisingly, ranchers are not pleased. There've been legends of sheep-killing parrots since the early days of European colonization in New Zealand. Kea were killed off in droves and even had a bounty on their heads for a while. Ironically, though, a lot of people claimed the legends were just that, right up until kea were caught on film, dining on sheep in 1993---seven years after conservationists won a hard-fought battle to protect the birds against the threat of hunting and extermination. Today, they're still a protected species, but their numbers are also still on the decline---thanks to habitat loss, falling prey to other animals, and sometimes deadly human attempts to keep the inquisitive (and frequently destructive birds) away from cars and bicycles.

The keas' story is a complicated tale of what happens when humans tamper with nature...and nature tampers back. Great stuff. Thanks to Nathan Torkington for the video link!



German arm wrestler Matthias Schlitte has a gigantic right arm

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 11:15 AM PDT

Pro-Arm-Wrestler Superpunch has several photos and videos of champion arm wrestler Matthias Schlitte. If you look closely, his right arm appears to be larger than his left arm.

Music made from YouTube baby videos

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 11:03 AM PDT


Eclecticmethod turns YouTube baby videos into fun music.

Hello Kitty "Anatomy" series

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 12:59 PM PDT

 Images Dr-Romanelli-Hello-Kitty-Toys-Front
MediCom has issued a Hello Kitty "Anatomy" series of toys, designed by Dr. Romanelli. I like the antiqued version at right. Anatomically Correct Hello Kitty... Not What You're Thinking" (via Tokyo Mango)

Father kidnaps daughter's killer

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 10:47 AM PDT

Emerson says:"In a French court, a German doctor is found guilty in absentia of manslaughter, for the death of a 14 year old girl. Germany refuses to extradite. Twenty seven years later the girl's father drops off the gagged, tied, and beaten doctor on the steps of the French courthouse."
The girl's father, André Bamberski, had long campaigned for [Cardiologist Dieter] Krombach's extradition, claiming the physician injected his daughter with a toxic substance in an attempt to rape her. Krombach was later convicted of sexually assaulting another female patient and barred from practicing medicine. Bamberski has been released on bail while authorities investigate the kidnapping, while Krombach remains in French custody and is likely to face a new trial.
Father kidnaps daughter's killer | More

BMW drives on top of other cars in parking lot (video)

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 10:56 AM PDT


Police are still trying to find the driver of a BMW station wagon who drove on top of two other cars in a North Toronto gym parking lot, then left the scene.

Inexplicably expensive iPhone accessory (video stabilizer)

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 10:42 AM PDT

200910261037
Nathan Bobinchak says:
This is a $300 "professional" video grip for the iPhone 3Gs. However, I can't imagine any "professional" choosing to shoot video with their iPhone, much less have a KIT to do it.

"Zacuto has the first serious solution for shooting video with the iPhone 3Gs."

The advantage, as far as I thought, with cellular video, was that you could whip the phone out of your pocket and capture whatever is going on, without the hassle of carrying equipment around with you. This, of course, completely negates that.

And for heaven's sake, it costs $100 more than the 8GB model! I'd love to interview anyone who actually buys this item.

Inexplicably expensive iPhone accessory (video stabilizer)

Reversing the brain impairments caused by sleeplessness

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 10:21 AM PDT

Researchers have identified the pathway in the brain that causes cognitive impairment when we haven't gotten enough sleep. In a new study, Penn State biologists and neuroscientists found that when mice were deprived of sleep, a particular enzyme built up in the brain's hippocampus. The hippocampus is the region of the brain linked to learning and the formation of memories. Giving the mice a drug to reduce the enzyme counteracted some of the negative effects of sleeplessness. Principal investigator Ted Abel and his colleagues published their results in the scientific journal Nature. From the University of Pennsylvania:
"Millions of people regularly obtain insufficient sleep," Abel said. "Our work has identified a treatment in mice that can reverse the cognitive impact of sleep deprivation. Further, our work identifies specific molecular changes in neurons caused by sleep deprivation, and future work on this target protein promises to reveal novel therapeutic approaches to treat the cognitive deficits that accompany sleep disturbances seen in sleep apnea, Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia."
"Fighting Sleep, Penn Researchers Reverse the Cognitive Impairment Caused By Sleep Deprivation"

Ultraminiature model train

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 10:32 AM PDT

New Jersey model train maker David Smith built this 1-35,200 scale train set. It's 1/8" x 1/4". It's part of a bigger delightfully recursive creation. From The Telegraph:
Modeltrainnnn"I am creating a fictitious village called James River Branch and this model train is going to be placed inside the model shop I am building as part of the re-creation.

"It is going to be a model train village inside a model, so it is very postmodern"

Powered by a standard two-inch-long rotating motor head and carved out of mouldable plastic, the model train cost Mr Smith just over £6 to make.
"World's smallest working model train set unveiled"

UPDATE: More details over at the homepage for The White River and Northern Model Railroad (Thanks, Jewels Vern!) And also video of the train over at Neatorama!

What physicists want to know

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 09:59 AM PDT

Last week, Canada's esteemed Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics hosted its big vision conference Quantum to Cosmos. One panel revolved around the question, "What keeps you awake at night?" New Scientist synthesized the seven big questions that emerged from the discussion. Here are two biggies:
How does complexity happen? From the unpredictable behaviour of financial markets to the rise of life from inert matter, Leo Kadananoff, physicist and applied mathematician at the University of Chicago, finds the most engaging questions deal with the rise of complex systems. Kadanoff worries that particle physicists and cosmologists are missing an important trick if they only focus on the very small and the very large. "We still don't know how ordinary window glass works and keeps it shape," says Kadanoff. "The investigation of familiar things is just as important in the search for understanding." Life itself, he says, will only be truly understood by decoding how simple constituents with simple interactions can lead to complex phenomena.

What is reality really? The material world may, at some level, lie beyond comprehension, but Anton Zeilinger, professor of physics at the University of Vienna, is profoundly hopeful that physicists have merely scratched the surface of something much bigger. Zeilinger specialises in quantum experiments that demonstrate the apparent influence of observers in the shaping of reality. "Maybe the real breakthrough will come when we start to realise the connections between reality, knowledge and our actions," he says. The concept is mind-bending, but it is well established in practice. Zeilinger and others have shown that particles that are widely separated can somehow have quantum states that are linked, so that observing one affects the outcome of the other. No one has yet fathomed how the universe seems to know when it is being watched.
Seven questions that keep physicists up at night

How to memorialize friends who have passed away on Facebook

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 09:58 AM PDT

facebook deceased.png Over on the Facebook blog, head of security Max Kelly has just explained what to do to memorialize the profile of someone who has passed away:
We understand how difficult it can be for people to be reminded of those who are no longer with them, which is why it's important when someone passes away that their friends or family contact Facebook to request that a profile be memorialized. ...When an account is memorialized, we also set privacy so that only confirmed friends can see the profile or locate it in search. We try to protect the deceased's privacy by removing sensitive information such as contact information and status updates. Memorializing an account also prevents anyone from logging into it in the future, while still enabling friends and family to leave posts on the profile Wall in remembrance. If you have a friend or a family member whose profile should be memorialized, please contact us, so their memory can properly live on among their friends on Facebook.
Memories of friends departed endure on Facebook via CNet

Office Karaoke Video Makes Cubicle Life Fun

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 09:59 AM PDT

There are times I envy those who have to get dressed and go work with other people. Like, for instance, when I watch this awesome karaoke video. I haven't worked in a real office since 2006, so I'm left to conclude that you all totally have this much fun every day. Right?

P.S., the best part of this video is the woman who refuses to join in. Clearly, a fun-hater who hates fun. At the same time, I feel really sorry for her and would love to hear how she described this event to friends and family at the end of the day.



The Last Supper recreated using 4,050 Rubik's Cubes

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 09:37 AM PDT

A team of artists in Toronto created this giant rendition of The Last Supper using over 4,000 Rubik's Cubes. Cube Works via Popped Cullture

Musicians call for release of torture soundtrack details

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 09:19 AM PDT

We've posted many times about the use of music in Psy Ops for torture and as a form of "acoustic bombardment" (annoyance) in siege situations like Waco and when Noriega holed up in Panama. Now, famous artists like Pearl Jam, REM, Rosanne Cash, and the Roots filed a Freedom of Information Act demanding that the US government list the names of the tunes that were used as soundtracks in interrogation situations. An article in the Washington Post mentions the theme to "Sesame Street," the Meow Mix TV commercial jingle, and The Boss's "Born in the USA" as examples. From the Washington Post:
"The fact that music I helped create was used in crimes against humanity sickens me," (former Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom) Morello said in a statement. "We need to end torture and close Guantanamo now...."

A White House spokesman said music is no longer used as an instrument of torture, part of a shift in policy on interrogations that Obama made on his second full day in office.

"Sound at a certain level creates sensory overload and breaks down subjectivity and can [bring about] a regression to infantile behavior," said Suzanne G. Cusick, a music professor at New York University who has studied, lectured about and written extensively on the use of music as torture in the current wars. "Its effectiveness depends on the constancy of the sound, not the qualities of the music." Played at a certain volume, she said, "it simply prevents people from thinking."
"Torture songs spur a protest most vocal"



AT&T Wireless data congestion problems: are they in part self-inflicted?

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 09:09 AM PDT

There have been a number of news stories of late about increasingly popular iPhones purportedly overloading the AT&T Wireless network. On his blog, Brough Turner asks if all the blame may be misdirected. Could the data-congestion woes of AT&T Wireless be caused in part by the network's own configuration errors? -- "Specifically, congestion collapse induced by misconfigured buffers in their mobile core network." Snip:
In early September, David Reed sent this interesting message to the IRTF's "end-to-end" email list. List members include some world experts on Internet protocols. During the next couple of days, there were over 40 messages in related threads. While some of these experts were over-thinking the problem, if you are patient enough to read through the many messages, what emerges is clear. At least in the case David measured (from a hotel room in Chicago, while he had 5 bars of signal strength, using an AT&T Mercury 3G data modem in his laptop), the terrible throughput and extreme delays he experienced appear to result from overly large buffers in the routers &/or switches in AT&T's core network. Note: if you don't want to read all the list messages the short summary is: >8 second pings times! What's more the effect was bymodal: either ping times under 200 ms, or over 5 seconds.
Has AT&T Wireless congestion been self-inflicted? [via Rusty]

Green Pink Caviar: Marilyn Minter

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 08:46 AM PDT

Susannah Breslin pointed me to Marilyn Minter 's latest video months ago, but I didn't get around to blogging 'til now. Green Pink Caviar is described as

A lush and sensual voyeuristic hallucination. Filmed with macro lenses, the video was inspired by a photo shoot where Minter directed her models to lick brightly colored candies while she shot photos from underneath a glass plate. The models' tongues mixed the colorful sugar with saliva, slurping and pushing color across the glass surface to simulate painting.
More: greenpinkcaviar.com, some viewer reactions, Los Angeles Times interview with the artist, NBC LA, and apparently there's some controversy over the billboard installation in Hollywood.

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