The Latest from Boing Boing

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• Astronaut catches a satellite
• He's all over the shop!
• Che: the graphic biography
• Just look at this awesome anti-banana-ripening bag.
• Google CEO says privacy doesn't matter. Google blacklists CNet for violating CEO's privacy.
• Help draft the "Internet Bill of Rights"
• Spanish cops called in over allegation that band was playing "contemporary" music at jazz festival, medical necessity cited
• Felt crafts: coasters, placemats, necklaces
• Best archaeological finds of 2009
• Woman who'd been secretly living in NYC apartment captured on hidden camera
• Help fund a new multicultural SFF publisher for kids
• Calf with a cross on its head
• Computer music from 140 characters
• Schneier vs. Schmidt on "privacy is for those who have something to hide."
• Wasp sculpture from junk mechanical parts
• Robot dance competition
• Flynt vs. Flynt: Larry sues nephews for producing "inferior" porn with too much "boob element"
• Science-themed cookies for all your holiday baking needs
• Disney English
• Just do it
• Ice Queen ... plus 30 or so on the hue slider
• Christmas tree made out of bacon
• Detainee 063: serialized interrogation and torture log of Mohamed al-Kahtani
• Ancient art for Eros from Rome and Greece now on display in Athens
• Woman spray-paints own house with Hitler graffiti
• Swell Season's Low Rising
• How the Afghanistan Air War Got Stuck in the Sky
• Ad campaign for pro-assisted suicide group
• Ray Bradbury's ode to the library that raised him, which just closed
• Uganda's proposed anti-gay death squads: could Rick Warren stop them?

Astronaut catches a satellite Posted: 10 Dec 2009 03:41 AM PST On November 14th, 1984, astronaut Dale Gardner used a Manned Maneuvering Unit to travel, untethered, from the Space Shuttle to the Westar 6 satellite. And caught it. And serviced it. And came home, safe and sound. Astronaut Dale Gardner using MMU to travel to Westar VI satellite (via Digg) Previously: Hello space, my old friend - Boing Boing Boomerangs in space - Boing Boing Tracking orbital trash - Boing Boing Yuri's Night: spacemen branded me with Yuri Gagarin's head ... Astronaut-guided video tour of the International Space Station ... Hi-rez lunar astronaut portrait scans - Boing Boing Astronaut describes what space smells like - Boing Boing Boing Boing: Astronaut's tools Fake astronaut scams all of India - Boing Boing

He's all over the shop! Posted: 10 Dec 2009 03:11 AM PST Ryan Begglen via JWZ.

Che: the graphic biography Posted: 10 Dec 2009 03:09 AM PST Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon (the pair who produced the bestselling graphic adaptation of the 9-11 Commission Report) have a new book out: Che: A Graphic Biography. In addition to narrating the remarkable story of Guevara's life, Che is a very good backgrounder on the geopolitics that gave rise to Guevara's pan-Americanism, the Cuban revolution, and his tragic and brutal execution (the press that published Che, Hill & Wang, were last mentioned here for their graphic biography of Leon Trotsky). The graphic format is especially well-suited to these geopolitical sequences, in which multi-page spreads are used to connect the dots between historical events and nations to give a compact but extremely informative tour through the complex story of Latin American colonization and independence as well as the Cold War. This background also sets the stage for the complex story of Che, the man; and Che, the symbol. Both are fraught -- Che, the man, was fierce, brilliant, flawed, vicious, and compassionate. As a symbol, Che has become a revolutionary icon devoid of any substance, for sale on mugs and t-shirts (a warped mirror of Guevara's veneration in Cuba itself, where his larger-than-life image has likewise become an ideological icon). As with every biography, the biographers have had to take sides, and, by and large, they side with Che. They don't whitewash his actions in war, or the disastrous blunders in Africa; but they also give just appreciation to Guevara's bravery, his commitment to justice, and his integrity. The contemporary popular narrative of Che has two grossly oversimplified sides: sneering neocons who dismiss him as a butcher or a fool and denigrate those who sport Che badges as naive kids; and the worshipful reification of Che as a kind of revolutionary saint who could do no wrong. The reality is subtler and more important than either position has it. The colonial story is one of immense greed and profit-taking by rich countries at the expense of the poor; it's the story of corruption and brutal repression, and it's the story of revolutions attempted, betrayed, and destroyed by internal and external forces. Guevara's life is a lens for understanding what colonialism does to its participants -- as Guevara says, "imperialism bestialises men." Che: A Graphic Biography Previously: Comic book adaptation of 9/11 Commission Report - Boing Boing 08: A Graphic Diary of the Campaign Trail: beautifully designed ... Trotsky: the graphic biography Found-art-du-jour: Cher Guevara. Discuss - Boing Boing Boing Boing: Che/Star Wars Stormtrooper shirt Che Trooper bust - Boing Boing Che-Bacca, Chewy meets Che - Boing Boing Boing Boing: Che'ney: Dick Cheney meets Che Che/Star Wars Stormtrooper shirt - Boing Boing Boing Boing: Mario/Che t-shirt Have a nice Che! - Boing Boing Che Stormtrooper sticker/Imperial March scratch video - Boing Boing

Just look at this awesome anti-banana-ripening bag. Posted: 09 Dec 2009 01:45 AM PST Just look at it. Banana Bag Previously: Just look at this awesome Korean banana-ripening facility. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana peeler. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana peeling simulator. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana slicer. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana saver clip. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana bunker. Boing Boing HOWTO disassemble a banana - Boing Boing Robber uses banana as "gun" - Boing Boing Hemant "The Friendly Atheist" Mehta Interviews Ray "The Banana Man ... Peeling bananas from the other end is easier - Boing Boing Forlorn bananas of London - Boing Boing 11 students suspended for banana prank - Boing Boing

Google CEO says privacy doesn't matter. Google blacklists CNet for violating CEO's privacy. Posted: 09 Dec 2009 11:49 PM PST Google CEO Eric Schmidt says privacy isn't important, and if you want to keep something private, "maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place" (in other words, "innocent people have nothing to hide.") Bruce Schneier calls bullshit with eloquence: "For if we are observed in all matters, we are constantly under threat of correction, judgment, criticism, even plagiarism of our own uniqueness. We become children, fettered under watchful eyes, constantly fearful that -- either now or in the uncertain future -- patterns we leave behind will be brought back to implicate us, by whatever authority has now become focused upon our once-private and innocent acts. We lose our individuality, because everything we do is observable and recordable." But JWZ has the kicker, when he reminds us that Eric Schmidt's Google blackballed CNet's reporters after CNet published personal information about Schmidt's private life: ""Google representatives have instituted a policy of not talking with CNET News reporters until July 2006 in response to privacy issues raised by a previous story..." "To underscore its point about how much personal information is available, the CNET report published some personal information about Google's CEO Eric Schmidt -- his salary; his neighborhood, some of his hobbies and political donations -- all obtained through Google searches...." Hey, Eric: if you don't want us to know how much money you make, where you live, and what you do with your spare time, maybe you shouldn't have a house, earn a salary, or have any hobbies, right?

Help draft the "Internet Bill of Rights" Posted: 09 Dec 2009 10:38 PM PST Pirate Party MEP Christian Engström is drafting an Internet Bill of Rights for introduction into the European Parliament, and he's seeking your advice on the language: I will give a first draft of an answer to the first question: What sections should be in the Internet Bill of Rights? 1. Fundamental rights. The European Convention on Human Rights should be respected on the net as well, including Article 8 (the right to privacy) and Article 10 (information freedom). 2. Net neutrality. Internet operators should provide neutral connections without any restrictions on content, sites, platforms, or the kinds of equipment that may be attached. 3. Mere conduit. I return for providing net neutrality, Internet operators and other suppliers of information infrastructure should not be held responsible for the information exchanged by their clients. These are my first suggestions. Are there any other areas that ought to be covered by an Internet Bill of Rights? The floor is open, and all suggestions and comments are welcome. Let's write an Internet Bill of Rights (via The Command Line) Previously: Spanish activists issue manifesto on the rights of Internet users ... EU set to vote to remove neutrality from the net, give ISPs and ... Statebook: how UK gov't spooks see the Internet - Boing Boing Brits: sign petition to kill three-strikes law - Boing Boing Where Euro Parliament candidates stand on digital rights - Boing Boing Europeans: vote for free software in upcoming election - Boing Boing

Spanish cops called in over allegation that band was playing "contemporary" music at jazz festival, medical necessity cited Posted: 09 Dec 2009 10:32 PM PST Spanish Civil Guardsmen were dispatched to the Sigüenza Jazz Festival to gather evidence as to whether the Larry Ochs Sax and Drumming Core band were actually performing jazz or "contemporary music." Their attendance followed a complaint from a festivalgoer whose doctor "had warned it was 'psychologically inadvisable' for him to listen to anything that could be mistaken for mere contemporary music." His complaint against the organisers, who refused to return his money, was duly registered and will be passed on to a judge. "The gentleman said this was not jazz and that he wanted his money back," said the festival director, Ricardo Checa. "He didn't get his money. After all, he knew exactly what group he was going to see, as their names were on the festival programme. He added: "The question of what constitutes jazz and what does not is obviously a subjective one, but not everything is New Orleans funeral music. "Larry Ochs plays contemporary, creative jazz. He is a fine musician and very well-renowned." Spanish fan calls police over saxophone band who were just not jazzy enough Previously: Chano Domínguez at the Jazz Standard in New York (photo-essay ... Girl Talk mashupper hijacks his own Montreal Jazz Fest set - Boing ...

Felt crafts: coasters, placemats, necklaces Posted: 09 Dec 2009 10:22 PM PST Crafter Tonky has produced a lovely xmas line of laser-cut and die-cut felt: sunny-side-up egg placemats, olive-and-pimento coaster, and alphabet wall hangings and necklaces. Tonky's Holiday FELT-stival (Thanks, Tonky!) Previously: Boing Boing: Giant wall stickers Felt Club this Sunday in LA - Boing Boing Pong felt necklace charm - Boing Boing Armchair made from rucked-up felt - Boing Boing Felt-customized Mario tee - Boing Boing Felt game-inspired xmas ornaments - Boing Boing Yummy felt yakisoba with squid - Boing Boing TED: Felt containers feature cool topology - Boing Boing

Best archaeological finds of 2009 Posted: 09 Dec 2009 10:08 PM PST National Geographic rounds up its favorite archaeological finds of 2009, from vampire corpses to pirate booty: 8. Blackbeard Pirate Relics, Gold Found A sword guard, tiny gold pieces, and a coin are among newfound artifacts from a shipwreck off North Carolina--shown in exclusive pictures. The discoveries, announced in March, add to evidence that the ship belonged to the pirate Blackbeard. 7. World War II "Samurai Subs" Found--Carried Aircraft Two advanced Japanese "samurai subs" were found off Pearl Harbor in February and announced in November--including a stealth aircraft-carrying submarine and a supersleek vessel engineered for utmost speed. Top Ten Archaeology Finds: Most Viewed of 2009 (Thanks, Marilyn!) Previously: Treehouse ruins: the archaeology of kids' ruins - Boing Boing Stonehenge: virtual 3D animation - Boing Boing The Great Grave Robberies Boing Boing

Woman who'd been secretly living in NYC apartment captured on hidden camera Posted: 09 Dec 2009 10:42 PM PST This gentleman couldn't figure out why food was going missing in his high-storey NYC apartment. His girlfriend denied taking it. So he set up a hidden camera to see what was happening, and shortly thereafter, he saw a strange woman creep out of a deep storage crawlspace over the kitchen, let herself down onto the kitchen table and help herself to his pantry. He phoned the police (he was in the apartment), and they told him after investigating that they believed the woman had been secretly living in his apartment for weeks. Creepy Creeper!

Help fund a new multicultural SFF publisher for kids Posted: 09 Dec 2009 09:50 PM PST SF author Mary Robinette Kowal sez, Once upon a time, someone starting a new publishing house would either have a personal fortune or would seek large private investors. Crowdsourced fundraising allows the masses to chip in for projects they believe in. Tu Publishing is worth getting behind. It is a small, independent multicultural SFF press for children and YA and they are raising money for startup costs right now. I've had the opportunity to correspond with Stacy Whitman, the force behind it, in my role as SFWA secretary and she's sharp, knows the industry and is passionate about YA and SF. The catch is that the fundraiser only has four more days to go and they only have 40% of their total. "Fantasy and science fiction, mystery and historical fiction--these genres draw in readers like no other. Yet it is in these genres that readers of color might feel most like an outsider, given that such a large percentage features white characters (when they feature human characters). It is the goal of Tu Publishing to publish genre books for children and young adults that fill this gap in the market--and more importantly, this gap in serving our readers. By focusing on multicultural settings and characters in fantastic stories, we also open up worlds to all readers." Tu Publishing: a small, independent multicultural SFF press for children and YA (Thanks, Mary!)

Calf with a cross on its head Posted: 09 Dec 2009 09:02 PM PST Praise be, this holy calf was born a week ago on a Sterling, Connecticut farm owned by Brad Davis. From WFSB: Davis said, "Well, I think it's maybe a message from up above. I'm not sure. We're still trying to figure that out." Megan Johnson of Sterling said, "Well I wasn't surprised. I wasn't surprised at all because the dairy industry has needed a miracle for a long time and this is it. I think it's divine intervention, personally. I'm in the breeding business and I know about reproduction and genetics and I don't think this could happen again in a million cows." "Cow Born With Divine Symbol" (via Fortean Times) Previously: Jesus on clothes iron Boing Boing Virgin Mary sandwich - Boing Boing Virgin Mary in a tree - Boing Boing

Computer music from 140 characters Posted: 09 Dec 2009 08:54 PM PST Avant garde music mag The Wire posted a fascinating compilation of computer music pieces, each programed with a Tweet-length piece of code. The 22 artists from around the world wrote their pieces in SuperCollider, an open source programming language for audio synthesis that many laptop musicians use to compose live during performances. The compilation is titled "Supercollider 140" and is released under a Creative Commons license. From The Wire: It started as a curious project, when live coding enthusiast and Toplap member Dan Stowell started tweeting tiny snippets of musical code using SuperCollider. Pleasantly surprised by the reaction, and "not wanting this stuff to vanish into the ether" he has recently collated the best pieces into a special download for The Wire's online readership... Many of these pieces are actually generative, so if you re-run the source code (the track titles) you get a new piece of music. SuperCollider 140 (SourceForge, via @chris_carter_) "Best of Twitter tunes album released" (New Scientist)

Schneier vs. Schmidt on "privacy is for those who have something to hide." Posted: 09 Dec 2009 05:52 PM PST "If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place. If you really need that kind of privacy, the reality is that search engines — including Google — do retain this information for some time... we are all subject in the United States to the Patriot Act..." —Google CEO Eric Schmidt, in 2009. Here's Bruce Schneier's response, from 2006.

Wasp sculpture from junk mechanical parts Posted: 09 Dec 2009 05:36 PM PST This gorgeous wasp sculpture, c.1980s by artist S. Allen, is for sale at Seattle's Great Stuff shop. It's 24" (h) x 34" (d) x 38" (w). The price is $4,500. "Centered around an industrial light bulb and hundreds of typewriter and printer parts, car door handles, sprockets and springs all assembled with fine-gauge wire; wings made from reclaimed 1/8" acrylic sheeting." Wasp Sculpture (Thanks, Michael-Anne Rauback!)

Robot dance competition Posted: 09 Dec 2009 05:04 PM PST Here's a competitor in the 6th Robo-One Gate dance competition, held in Tokyo in November 2009. I wonder if the rules require the robots to look like scary cyborg schoolgirls?

Flynt vs. Flynt: Larry sues nephews for producing "inferior" porn with too much "boob element" Posted: 09 Dec 2009 02:47 PM PST Porn mogul Larry Flynt took the stand Tuesday for the first day of his federal trademark infringement trial against nephews Jimmy Jr. and Dustin, who have launched their own "Flynt" adult film company. "Inferior products" and "knock-off goods" were among the phrases the elder Flynt used to describe their films. "Your clients are focusing on the boob element, so to speak," he said in court. "I just think that's sort of passé, and guys are moving past that. That's only my opinion."

Science-themed cookies for all your holiday baking needs Posted: 09 Dec 2009 05:07 PM PST I don't know about you, but I've got multiple cookie exchange parties lined up in the coming weeks. If you're on the same page and need a clever idea or two, the NotSoHumblePie cooking blog has several great science-themed cookies, sure to make geeks, dorks and nerds smile. Petri dish cookies are pictured above, but there's also: Chocolate Atoms Gel Electrophoresis Squares An Almost-Complete Periodic Table Lab Mice (which I think would be great with little cinnamon candies for eyes) Gingerbread Scientists Heavens, they're tasty! And educational! (Aha! Pharyngula is apparently the reason half my friend list was emailing me about these today.) Previously: HOWTO make fractal cookies - Boing Boing End of Overeating: the science of junk-food cravings - Boing Boing

Disney English Posted: 08 Dec 2009 04:13 PM PST Guestblogger Paul Spinrad is a freelance writer/editor, and is Projects Editor for MAKE magazine. He is the author of The VJ Book and The Re/Search Guide to Bodily Fluids, and was an early contributor to bOING bOING when it was an online zine. He lives in San Francisco.  Last year, cultural empire Disney launched its first "Disney English" school for kids in Shanghai, China. It would be a big win for Disney if they could own English language learning in the non-English speaking world. Any Disney English schools in areas where their presence might be controversial could be constructed like castles, with real moats! Chinese TV news clip here and Disney English website here.

Just do it Posted: 09 Dec 2009 03:28 PM PST This may be the best/most cynical Tiger Woods scandal t-shirt spotted so far (via Sean Bonner)

Ice Queen ... plus 30 or so on the hue slider Posted: 09 Dec 2009 03:32 PM PST Reminded by the incorrectly-colored dumpster, wrongdistance points out how a little tweaking makes for a big difference on the newsstand.

Christmas tree made out of bacon Posted: 09 Dec 2009 03:01 PM PST These cute Christmas postcards featuring a tree made out of raw bacon are for sale on Etsy. The creator, Mike Geno, specializes in drawing meat — it makes me kind of sad that this is just a drawing. Can you imagine frying this tree and eating it for breakfast? Yum/barf. [Etsy via Eat Me Daily]

Detainee 063: serialized interrogation and torture log of Mohamed al-Kahtani Posted: 09 Dec 2009 03:17 PM PST detainee063.com: "This is the interrogation log of Mohammed al-Qahtani. It is being published in real time: each entry will appear exactly seven years after it was first recorded. The interrogation took place at Guantanamo Bay." That is him in the photo above. He is still imprisoned in Guantanamo. The serialized logs are not for the faint of heart. By way of background, al-Qahtani was the first "war on terror detainee" the United States admitted to having tortured. Snip: Over the course of the fifty days, Al-Qahtani, Detainee 063, is questioned by teams of interrogators working in shifts, typically for twenty hours a day. While individual entries of the log are sometimes brutal and unpleasant to read, what is particularly disturbing about the treatment Al-Qahtani receives is its relentlessness. By publishing the log in real time, this site is intended as a kind of re-enactment - to show how mistreatment which might not appear immediately as terrible as, for example, waterboarding, can nonetheless come to amount to nothing short of torture, how by being prolonged and unceasing it can become unbearable. More about the project here. Apart from the brutality, it just gets really weird. Some of the entries go, "Played Christina Aguilera music," or, Control began "birthday party" and placed party hat on detainee. Detainee offered birthday cake - refused. Interrogators and guards sing "God bless America". Detainee became very angry. The entries are also available through an RSS feed and a Twitter account. To those of you in the US, remember that your tax dollars paid for every word of it. (thanks, Susannah Breslin)

Ancient art for Eros from Rome and Greece now on display in Athens Posted: 09 Dec 2009 01:37 PM PST "There's even a life-sized replica of a prostitute's kiosk!" exclaims the narrator in this Reuters video about a new exhibition of sexually explicit art from ancient Rome and Greece: Sex and the Citizens. (thanks, Cyrus)

Woman spray-paints own house with Hitler graffiti Posted: 09 Dec 2009 05:59 PM PST Frustrated by recent run-ins with her homeowners association over her inability to pay dues, 45-year old Sheila Jones of Indian Harbour Beach, Florida spray-painted this message on the side of her house: "Hitler would be a welcome neighbor here. Stop the harassment to my family."

Swell Season's Low Rising Posted: 09 Dec 2009 05:39 PM PST "Low Rising" is the lovely new single from The Swell Season, aka Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová from the film Once. The song comes from their latest album, Strict Joy. Interestingly, the video was directed by Sam Beam, who is better known for his musical recordings under the name Iron & Wine. I wonder if Beam was referencing Bad Luck Shleprock by having the rain falling just on their heads. Probably not, but it's still fun to think so. I had the opportunity to interview Glen and Mar before their recent Oakland, California concert. Stay tuned for more on that amazing experience, including a special performance for BB Video.

How the Afghanistan Air War Got Stuck in the Sky Posted: 09 Dec 2009 01:31 PM PST In Wired Magazine, Noah Shachtman explores the air war in Afghanistan. "It starts with a squad of marines in Helmand province, locked in a 36-hour siege and waiting for 500 pounds of high-explosive relief to fall from the sky," Noah says. "Over the next week or so, I'll dive into details of the U.S. Air Force's largely-hidden role in the struggle for Central Asia. Today, I look at the phrase that's screwing up the air war."

Ad campaign for pro-assisted suicide group Posted: 09 Dec 2009 01:54 PM PST An ad campaign for pro-assisted suicide group DignityInDeath.com features a series of park bench plaques telling stories of now-deceased people whose lives, it suggests, may not have been worth prolonging. One plaque is dedicated "to the glory of Kathleen (Kay) Mandell, who at age 32 was stricken by Lou Gehrig's disease that caused her muscles to waste away, one by one, until her throat paralysed and she choked to death while fully conscious." [via Ads of the World]

Ray Bradbury's ode to the library that raised him, which just closed Posted: 09 Dec 2009 01:43 PM PST "Libraries raised me. I don't believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries, because most students don't have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn't go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years." Ray Bradbury, on the library he loves the most, which has just closed -- like many other libraries around the US.

Uganda's proposed anti-gay death squads: could Rick Warren stop them? Posted: 09 Dec 2009 01:27 PM PST Could Rick Warren stop Uganda's anti-gay legislation? Ethan Zuckerman thinks so.

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