The Latest from Boing Boing |  |
- Weirdly sexual abstract "fetish objects"
- Sideways rolling omnidirectional wheels made out of little feet
- How undercover cops get suspects' DNA
- Little girl can type 119wpm
- Online publishing of women's abortion records challenged in Oklahoma
- Browser Pong
- Mario made with genetically engineered bacteria
- Black Tattoo Art: Modern Expressions of the Tribal
- Jasmina Tešanović: Violence in Milan
- Photos from "The Year Before the Flood"
- In defense of Twittering during a personal crisis
- Boing Boing travels to Antarctica
- Copenhagen: Thom Yorke's thoughts
- Sophie Madeleine plays "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" on ukuele
- Arbeit Macht Frei sign stolen from Auschwitz
- Know Your Meme: Om Nom Nom
- Hannukah Ham
- Prison artist who sketched Bernie Madoff says the con man is unremorseful
- Video is the Paint: a guest art-dispatch from Kristen Philipkoski
- 4-year-old goes on Christmas stealing spree
- Checkerboard optical illusion
- Taste Test: Watermelon daikon
- What "Kills 99.9% of germs" really means
- James Gurney's primate portraits
- Which airlines offer WiFi, on what flights, and for how much?
- HOWTO make rim-perching adorable tiny gingerbread houses for your cocoa
- Korean ESL students learn English by re-enacting scenes from "Gladiator"
- Vertebrae necklace
| Weirdly sexual abstract "fetish objects" Posted: 19 Dec 2009 12:02 AM PST  Artist Marc Woods made this collection of oddly erotic "fetish objects" for the London Wapping Project. Charlie Stross once wrote one of these into a novella we were working on together -- this is exactly how I pictured it. |
| Sideways rolling omnidirectional wheels made out of little feet Posted: 18 Dec 2009 11:54 PM PST  Airtrax's omnidirectional wheels for industrial vehicles can roll forward, back, sideways, diagonally... Like something out of a Neal Stephenson novel. I want an electric car with these things (though who know how they wear on road conditions?). Airtrax (via Red Ferret) |
| How undercover cops get suspects' DNA Posted: 18 Dec 2009 11:50 PM PST Aaron sez, "This piece from the LA Times includes a stunning description of how an undercover cop lifted a DNA sample from Stephanie Lazarus, a police woman was under investigation for murdering her romantic rival." And this is one of the main reasons that biometric identifiers are so very risky... You can protect the PIN for your debit card by shielding the keypad when you enter it, but how do you keep counterfeiters from getting your DNA for authenticating the debit-card of the future? We throw off fingerprints, DNA, hand-geometry impressions, gaits and other biometrics at a titanic rate, and there's no way to stop, short of spending all your time in a hazmat suit. Bail is set at $10 million for LAPD detective accused of murder (Thanks, Aaron!) (Image: DNA Molecule display, Oxford University, a Creative Commons Attribution photo from net_efekt's photostream) Previously:
|
| Posted: 18 Dec 2009 07:07 PM PST This little girl can type 119 wpm. It's not just a skill, it's a hobby. She started playing on the computer at age 4 and spends her weekends typing. Her goal right now? "I'd like to get to at least 200(wpm)." While this may sound strange, I can understand the allure of the type test — when I was in middle school, I used to procrastinate from studying by taking type tests on my super old Apple machine. It's really not that different from any other addictive game — most of us now associate it with work, but back then I was constantly trying to beat myself in speed and accuracy. By the way, if you're curious to know how fast you're typing, you can take a one-minute typing test here. [via Mashable] |
| Online publishing of women's abortion records challenged in Oklahoma Posted: 18 Dec 2009 05:04 PM PST A judge in Oklahoma has temporarily blocked on a new law that would post details online about every woman who gets an abortion in the state. |
| Posted: 18 Dec 2009 04:59 PM PST |
| Mario made with genetically engineered bacteria Posted: 18 Dec 2009 04:38 PM PST  A team of nanobiology students from the University of Osaka made this beautiful fluorescent image of Mario using genetically engineered bacteria. It's one among a whole series of cool microbial art they created in a petri dish by manipulating proteins and pigments. Team Osaka [via New Scientist] |
| Black Tattoo Art: Modern Expressions of the Tribal Posted: 18 Dec 2009 05:16 PM PST  The 536-page hardcover includes work by tattoo artists from Borneo, Argentina, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Europe and North America. The book weighs nearly ten pounds, and the binding is stitched with silver embossing. It's fat, heavy, and gorgeous. "There has never before been a book on this style of tattooing in English," Marisa told Boing Boing over email. "The style is called 'blackwork,' where the artists are limited to one color and so they have to stretch their imagination in terms of design elements to create original works, rather than having a palette of colors and shading techniques to chose from as in other styles of tattooing." Some of the photos we selected to share on Boing Boing also include the use of a single additional color. Black Tattoo Art examines how indigenous tattooing has evolved over the years, beginning with a history section, then each of the styles that originate in tribal arts. Lots more photos from the book after the jump. NSFW-ish warning: one of them is a human hiney.
I've seen a lot of black tats on friends' bodies in my time, but the 'Art Brut' chapter was new to me. "Popularized in France and Belgium, this style takes street art and harmonizes those aesthetics with the body -- a key element in tribal tattooing," explained Marisa. "It's a completely new tattoo style that has never been curated into any volume before until now." Interviews in the book include Leo Zulueta, the "godfather of tribal tattooing," who popularized the NeoTribal tattoo movement. Another interesting profile in this book: Peter Schachner, who was imprisoned in Thailand in the early 1990s. There, he learned the hand-craft of Thai tattooing from fellow inmates during four years spent at Lard Yao prison. The book also devotes an entire chapter to the use of stippling techniques, which resemble pointillism. If you have tats like this, or know and love someone who does, I can think of no finer holiday gift. Except maybe more tats.
Amazon Link / Publisher's Link. Photographers include Sean Toussaint, Lars Krutak and Craig Burton.
|
| Jasmina Tešanović: Violence in Milan Posted: 18 Dec 2009 10:43 AM PST (Guest-essay by Jasmina Tešanović, video here.) Berlusconi's face was bleeding, his teeth were broken, and his lips torn when he stood up from his car to wave with a desperate face at his confused audience. He was immediately taken to the hospital. The day after, his first question was: why do they hate me so much? The scandal-prone prime minister has been the center of sexual, political, and mafia-linked scandals over the past year. Only a week ago, a big worldwide demonstration was held to demand that he resign from power, and set Italy free from his dubious ways of ruling, which involve corruption, underage girls, prostitutes, and attacks on freedom of press and the civil rights of both citizens and immigrants.
One hour after Berlusconi was hit in the face, a Facebook protest page was opened and 1,000 signatures appeared. In a couple of hours that number grew to 50,000 people who were pleased to see the head of state assaulted. Some were asking for the attacker to be declared a saint. Other websites representing opposite opinions but just as impassioned, appeared very quickly. The authorities are considering closing some violent websites.
Jasmina Tešanović is an author, filmmaker, and wandering thinker who shares her thoughts with BoingBoing from time to time. Email: politicalidiot at yahoo dot com. Her blog is here. Previous essays by Jasmina Tešanović on BoingBoing:
• Report from anti-Berlusconi demonstration in Rome • On Marina Abramovic, a "grandmother of performance art" |
| Photos from "The Year Before the Flood" Posted: 18 Dec 2009 01:11 PM PST 
I beg your pardon for missing my post yesterday. I was struggling to get the first Postmamboism T-shirt manufactured, celebrating the publication of "Principles of Postmamboism." Looks like I'll have 'em sometime between Monday and Wednesday. The graphic that accompanied that article -- "Abre kuta güiri mambo" (open up your ears and listen to the important matter") -- is going to be the T-shirt image, only printed in red on black instead of black on white. Damn, I haven't made a T-shirt since the last Muñequitos tour. Today's post is pictures, specifically from New Orleans, and more specifically from my book The Year Before The Flood. To my delight and astonishment, my publisher (Lawrence Hill Books) gave me a 16-page color glossy insert for my photos, along with the black-and-whites sprinkled through the text. Most of them were taken during the almost-year we lived in New Orleans, which is the slice of time the book is about: from August 2004 to May 2005. Here are a few of the pix, though I do think they look better bigger, on paper: Above, Aldo "Michael" Andrews, of the Bayou Steppers Social Aid and Pleasure Club, in front of the entrance to the Mother-in-Law Lounge in Tremé as their anniversary parade drew to a close on January 16, 2005. Moments after this picture was taken, the police turned on their sirens and ordered the area cleared.
To subscribe to my e-mail list, send an e-mail with "subscribe" in the subject heading to ned dot sublette at gmail dot com.
Previously:
|
| In defense of Twittering during a personal crisis Posted: 18 Dec 2009 12:40 PM PST Matt Haughey, who recently live-tweeted a personal emergency of his own, writes in defense of a mother who tweeted the drowning death of her son, as it was happening. |
| Boing Boing travels to Antarctica Posted: 18 Dec 2009 12:22 PM PST  On his trip to Antarctica, Alek O. Komarnitsky took these wide-angle shots of Adelie Penguins walking by a Boing Boing logo he set down in the snow. Wide-angle shots of Adelie Penguins walking by BoingBoing sign in Antarctica Previously: |
| Copenhagen: Thom Yorke's thoughts Posted: 18 Dec 2009 11:58 AM PST Thom Yorke showed up at the Copenhagen climate talks, and Grist TV recorded a video Q&A with the musician and activist best known as the frontman of Radiohead. Among the issues that concern him: all the NGOs were kicked out of the center where the gathering is being held. Oh, also: here's Eugene Mirman. |
| Sophie Madeleine plays "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" on ukuele Posted: 18 Dec 2009 11:14 AM PST Here's Sophie Madeleine playing "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" on the uke. She's got a new 4-track album out and will be playing in New York for the first time in January 2010. Previously:
|
| Arbeit Macht Frei sign stolen from Auschwitz Posted: 18 Dec 2009 10:55 AM PST The "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign at the entrance to the Auschwitz Nazi death camp in Poland has been stolen. Says a Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum rep, the thief "must have been a person who had a knowledge of our security system because all the area is closed at night and patrolled and there is a system of cameras." |
| Posted: 18 Dec 2009 10:44 AM PST Important educational video that documents the rise of Om Nom Nom and its meaning in culture. Includes early footage of Cookie Monster in a training video for IBM. I watched it with my cat, Red, and he seemed enthralled. Of course, he also chases his own tail. Rocketboom Institute for Internet Studies: More "Know Your Meme" videos Previously:
|
| Posted: 18 Dec 2009 10:14 AM PST  Mike sends us, "Photo of supermarket shelf tag advertising boneless ham as 'Delicious for Chanukah.'" Yes, yes, I know. Some wag at the supermarket moved the "Delicious for Chanukah" sign over by the ham. But imagine what a breakthrough it would be if, through some GM miracle, a Kosher ham could be made, and then served at Channukah, perhaps with latkes (you could use the applesauce for both!). Imagine. Unusual Chanukah suggestion (Thanks, Mike!) Previously:
|
| Prison artist who sketched Bernie Madoff says the con man is unremorseful Posted: 18 Dec 2009 10:19 AM PST Bernie Madoff, 71, seems to be doing well in North Carolina's Butner Federal Correctional Complex. He plays games like chess and bocce ball, and works in the kitchen as a pot and pan scrubber. The most interesting bit in this Wall Street Journal article is about K.C. White, a talented artist who was recently released on a bank robbery charge, but was in prison when Madoff started serving time. He drew Madoff's portrait in prison. Mr. Madoff struck up a conversation [with White], saying: "You're the guy who does all the pictures around here," Mr. White recalls.In this highly entertaining video interview with White on Philly.com, White said Madoff is unremorseful for his crimes:
Bernie Madoff, the $19 Billion Con, Makes New Friends Behind Bars |
| Video is the Paint: a guest art-dispatch from Kristen Philipkoski Posted: 18 Dec 2009 12:32 PM PST I know writer and editor Kristen Philipkoski as a former colleague from Wired, and was delighted when she pinged from the recent Art | Basel fair in Miami with an offer to send Boing Boing short dispatches about what she saw there. I'll be posting a few of them over the coming days. Here is her first: Video is the PaintAfter the jump, a photo of Kristen trying it out herself.
|
| 4-year-old goes on Christmas stealing spree Posted: 18 Dec 2009 09:25 AM PST "Tennessee investigators say a 4-year-old boy was found roaming his neighborhood in the night, drinking beer and wearing a little girl's dress taken from under a neighbor's Christmas tree." |
| Posted: 18 Dec 2009 10:18 AM PST Small white dots placed on some of the squares of a checkerboard-like grid make it looked warped. (Via Fogonazos) |
| Posted: 18 Dec 2009 10:11 AM PST  Looking at a slice of the watermelon daikon, you'd almost think it should taste like a real juicy watermelon. Of course, it doesn't — it tastes like an ordinary radish, except a little bit sweeter and more peppery. Some believe it's an heirloom variety of daikon, the long white Asian radish. Daikon is high in fiber and low in fat, so it's great for weight loss; somewhat ironically, the term daikon ashi is used in Japan to refer to women who have thick legs. Daikon literally means big root. The origins of radish can be traced back to ancient Roman and Asian civilizations, though it's believed to have existed way back into the annals of undocumented history. Watermelon daikon tends to get rubbery after a week, so if you want to preserve the pretty pink veggie, try this simple pickle recipe. If you're not into pickles, you can eat the watermelon daikon by cutting it into thin slices and sprinkling salt on it. Or you can put it in a salad, which is what I did for dinner last night. Image via kthread's Flickr |
| What "Kills 99.9% of germs" really means Posted: 18 Dec 2009 09:00 AM PST  Shocker: Advertising health claims are often misleading. In this case, it looks like most of the products that tout near-perfect germ-killing abilities are getting those results in trials that aren't exactly designed to mimic real-world conditions. When a University of Ottawa microbiologist ran a more realistic demonstration for Canadian schoolchildren, he turned up VERY different results.
The ad writers also benefit from regulations that allow them to claim 99.9% effectiveness without actually killing 99.9% of all germs, all the time. Instead, representative samples can stand in, and there's room for do-overs in the lab, if the first test doesn't work. Wall Street Journal: Kills 99.9% of Germs—Sometimes Image courtesy Flickr user If you dream it..., via CC |
| James Gurney's primate portraits Posted: 18 Dec 2009 08:44 AM PST  Dinotopia creator James Gurney just posted his 1000th entry on his art blog, Gurney Journey, and to celebrate, he posted a list of his most popular blog entries. One of them is about his trip to the North Carolina Zoo in 2008, where he drew portraits of the great apes there. Excerpt: We got there early in the day when the gorillas were just waking up.James Gurney's Gorilla Portraits |
| Which airlines offer WiFi, on what flights, and for how much? Posted: 18 Dec 2009 08:34 AM PST Jaunted has compiled a very useful report and printable chart on which airlines offer in-flight WiFi, on what routes, and at what price. |
| HOWTO make rim-perching adorable tiny gingerbread houses for your cocoa Posted: 18 Dec 2009 08:20 AM PST  Megan from NotMartha.org has created these tiny adorable gingerbread houses designed to perch on the rim of your hot chocolate mug, and she thoughtfully provided a downloadable pattern for making your own. a tiny gingerbread house that perches on the rim of your mug (via A Whole Lotta Nothing) Previously:
|
| Korean ESL students learn English by re-enacting scenes from "Gladiator" Posted: 18 Dec 2009 08:26 AM PST According to a series of blog posts and YouTube videos making the rounds, a group of Korean ESL students are learning English by re-enacting scenes from the movie Gladiator (Thanks Jason!). |
| Posted: 18 Dec 2009 07:08 AM PST  This striking "Vertebrae" necklace was a Temple University student project by Molly Epstein, at the School of Art. Molly Epstein "Vertebrae" SLS 33% Glass-Filled Nylon (via Street Anatomy) Previously: |
An undercover officer surreptitiously trailed Lazarus, 49, as she ran errands, waiting until she discarded a plastic utensil or other object with her saliva on it. The DNA in her saliva was compared with evidence collected from the murder scene. The genetic code in the samples matched conclusively, police and prosecutors have said. 
Silvio Berlusconi, the controversial Prime Minister of Italy, suffered a severe physical attack in Milan this past week. The man who attacked him with the plaster model of the Duomo cathedral, at the site of the same Duomo cathedral, is said to have a history of mental illness. He was immediately arrested and found to have also possessed a vial of pepper-gas. 
Pickled watermelon daikon| You are subscribed to email updates from Boing Boing To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment