Saturday, April 24, 2010

The Latest from Boing Boing

Boing Boing

The Latest from Boing Boing

Link to Boing Boing

Video: Rule, fairy tale cartoon created in Sleep Is Death

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 06:22 PM PDT

Clip from an illegally made movie about Iran's underground rock scene

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 05:36 PM PDT

No One Knows About Persian Cats was filmed secretly, in just 17 days, in and around Tehran—where rocking out without government permission can earn you three months in prison.

"After the 1979 revolution, almost all public places were closed down, so you had a lot of these kids who are unemployed, sitting at home, and they start spending all their time on the internet with these very slow connections visiting unfiltered websites," [director Bahman] Ghobad told Wired.com in a phone interview. "In order to not fall behind the rest of the world, they tried to familiarize themselves with the music of the West, and accomplished a lot in this way."

How to infuriate/impress your waitress

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 05:30 PM PDT

sugarthumb.jpg

This is actually the work of artist Kevin Van Aelst, who assembles images from the detritus of everyday life. It's part of a series of fingerprints made with everything from macaroni to pie crust.

(Via My Food Looks Funny)

Humans and neanderthals: Getting it on, after all?

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 04:40 PM PDT

neanderthalthinksabtyourmom.jpg

New genetic data suggests that, at at least two points in history, Homo sapiens were interbreeding with other species, most likely Homo neanderthalensis or heidelbergensis.

This is pretty damn interesting, because it's a reversal on previous research. A couple of years ago, I got a chance to see Svante Pääbo, an evolutionary anthropologist with the Max Planck Institute, and kind of a big deal in the world of ancient hominid genetics, talk about this very topic. He and his team studied bits and pieces of the neanderthal genome and came to the conclusion that hanky panky hadn't happened between that species and ours. And, because it was Svante Pääbo (again, kind of a big deal) everybody trusted his results. So much so, in fact, the the University of New Mexico researchers who did this new study were surprised that their data said differently.

This is a really fun moment in science, when accepted information gets legitimately challenged. And now the ball is back in Pääbo's court. Remember, his previous neanderthal analysis was based on bits and pieces of the genome. Recently, he wrapped up a rough draft sequence of the entire genome, and, as Nature points out, what he finds there will probably be the first test of this new theory. Of course, it's also possible that both groups are right, and it's really H. heidelbergensis who was knocking boots with ancient sapiens. We'll just have to wait and find out.

Nature News: Neanderthals may have interbred with humans

Image courtesy Flickr user erix, via CC

Competition! Design the Haggis beast that roams Scotland

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 04:47 PM PDT

haggis_.jpg Photo: Roland Tanglao. According to a survey in the UK, one in five Britons believes that haggis, a traditional Scottish meal made from all the sheep bits the English didn't steal, is in fact "an animal that roams the highlands." From Reuters:
Another 15 percent said it is a Scottish musical instrument while 4 percent admitted to thinking it was a character from Harry Potter.
The only appropriate response to this discovery is to host a competition whereby you illustrate the Haggis beast and win a Droid Eris or another gadget of similar value. Three winners will be selected--post links to your entries in the comments below! I contend that the Haggis is surely a mammal, but am prepared to be corrected. Also, of what order? Ovis Haggisis? The Tasmanian Devil-like Sarcophilus Haggisii?

Shag print and book set from Baby Tattoo unveiled at Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 11:24 PM PDT

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My friend Bob Self, publisher of Baby Tattoo Books, just let me know about a cool new Shag print and book set. I have the book, and it features the stupendous work from Shag's latest show, Autumn's Come Undone (I wrote about Shag's show here.)
Baby Tattoo Books is pleased to offer a limited Shag print and book set. A new 12 x 9 inch, 3 color screen print was created by Shag as a signed and numbered edition of 99. The sets consist of the exclusive print placed into an unsigned copy of Shag's new book Autumn's Come Undone. They are available at for $200. They will also be available this weekend at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at the Baby Tattoo booth #200.

You can buy Autumn's Come Undone (without the limited edition print) from Amazon for $26.40.

Do boobies lead to earthquakes? Theory will be tested Monday

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 03:22 PM PDT

Boobies!.jpg

"Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupting their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes."

Those are the words of Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi, an Iranian cleric. Figuring this was one religious claim that could be easily tested and proven true or false, a Purdue student named Jennifer McCreight launched a Facebook campaign called, appropriately, Boobquake. The goal: Get women to don immodest clothing in public and then see if earthquakes follow.

The event is officially scheduled for Monday, April 26, worldwide—although the BBC will be filming in Washington DC.

I suppose there are plenty of reasons to find fault with the stunt, but the one that stands out to me is that Boobquake isn't accurately testing Sedighi's theory. It's not immodest dress alone that leads to earthquakes, he says, but the adultery that spreads through society because of immodest dress. So, there's really two claims that have to be tested here: First, does immodest dress really lead to adultery? And, second, does adultery lead to earthquakes? Somehow, I'm guessing that Everybody Cheat on Your Significant Other Monday wouldn't go over quite as well as Boobquake.

Plus, as Vaughan Bell points out, we really need a control planet to make this legit.

Booby shot courtesy Flickr user ex_magician, via CC

Looksley's Line Up: DSi Motion Tracking Game Coming to U.S.

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 02:37 PM PDT

Nintendo today confirmed that it will indeed be bringing the downloadable face-tracking DSi game above -- which drummed up quite a bit of buzz when I first featured it here in February -- to the US on May 17th as Looksley's Line Up. I'll write up my long-overdue impressions of the game closer to the release date, but suffice it to say for now that it is a bit magical, provided you can operate the game under its own persnickety ideal conditions. Proper lighting, proper distance from the DS and slow, smooth movements are key to sustaining the effect, but when you get it right, it's not that far off from your own private Winscape -- like the first, rough iteration of an amazing far-future technology.
Previously:


Young Mad Scientist Alphabet Blocks in Boing Boing Bazaar

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 02:28 PM PDT

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Cory wrote about the Young Mad Scientist Alphabet Blocks from Xylocopa in 2008. Now, these wooden cubes, laser-etched with mad science concepts, are available in the Boing Boing Bazaar.

Here are the illustrations on the blocks:

A – Appendages

B – Bioengineering

C – Caffeine

D – Dirigible

E – Experiment

F – Freeze ray

G – Goggles

H – Henchmen

I – Invention

J – Jargon

K – Potassium

L – Laser

M – Maniacal

N – Nanotechnology

O – Organs

P – Peasants (with Pitchforks)

Q – Quantum physics

R – Robot

S – Self-experimentation

T – Tentacles

U – Underground Lair

V – Virus

W – Wrench

X – X-Ray

Y – You, the Mad Scientist of Tomorrow

Z – Zombies

Young Mad Scientist Alphabet Blocks $38.95

Previously:


Why Goldman Sachs is going down

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 01:44 PM PDT

Barry Ritholtz sez,
I have been watching the press coverage of the SEC litigation vs Goldman Sachs with a mixture of awe and dismay some of the really bad analysis, sloppy reporting, and just unsupported commentary about the GS case. I put together this list based on what I know as a lawyer, a market observer, a quant and someone with contacts within the SEC. Out of the 10, here are 2 examples:

2. Robert Khuzami is a bad ass, no-nonsense, thorough, award winning Prosecutor: This guy is the real deal -- he busted terrorist rings, broke up the mob, took down security frauds. He is now the director of SEC enforcement. He is fearless, and was awarded the Attorney General's Exceptional Service Award (1996), for 'extraordinary courage and voluntary risk of life in performing an act resulting in direct benefits to the Department of Justice or the nation.'

When you prosecute mass murderers who use guns and bombs and threaten your life, and you kick their asses anyway, you ain't afraid of a group of billionaire bankers and their spreadsheets. He is the shit. My advice to anyone on Wall Street in his crosshairs: If you are indicted in a case by Khuzami, do yourself a big favor: Settle.

3. Goldman lost $90 million dollars, hence, they are innocent: This is a civil, not a criminal case. Hence, any mens rea -- guilty mind -- does not matter. Did they or did they not violate the letter of the law? That is all that matters, regardless of what they were thinking -- or their P&L.

What the Media Misniformed You About the SEC vs Goldman Sachs Case (Thanks, Barry!)
Previously:


Microsoft wins its $100M tax-break and amnesty from broke-ass Washington State

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 01:43 PM PDT

Jeff sez, "As the Washington State Legislature wound down its special session to close a $2.8 billion fiscal deficit, Microsoft's General Counsel Brad Smith successfully used a carefully timed press conference making veiled threats about tax rates as a concern regarding future job expansion in Washington State. Led by Finance Chair Rep. Ross Hunter, a 17 year former Microsoft manager, the Legislature gave Microsoft two huge gifts: a $100 million annual tax cut and an estimated $1.25 billion in amnesty on its 13 year Nevada tax dodge. To make ends meet, the Legislature cut $120 million from K-12 education and $73 million from university budgets. It also raised the general tax rate on businesses from 1.5% to 1.8% and created new '7-11' taxes on the Average Joe on beer, soda and candy. The benefits of 4,700 at-risk unemployed people with disabilities will expire in the coming year. No word on how cash-strapped Washington plans to address Smith's concerns about its educational system and transportation infrastructure. On Wednesday, Gates' father, Bill Sr. announced a citizen initiative to replace the business tax with an income tax on high earners (>$200,000/yr). Asked if his son was on board with the tax initiative, Gates Sr. said, improbably, they hadn't discussed it. 'I don't know what my son is going to do.' Governor Gregoire said this isn't over: once the budget is signed into law, 'there will be real cuts, there will be real people losing jobs.' Yesterday, Microsoft reported record quarterly revenue. It now has $39.6 billion in cash and short term investments."

Microsoft Wins Nevada Royalty Tax Cut and Tax Amnesty; Reports Record Revenue (Thanks, Jeff!)

Previously:


Chris Ware's rejected Fortune cover

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 01:37 PM PDT

201004231330
Click image for big version so you can see the jokes.

It's not surprising that the editors of Fortune rejected cartoonist Chris Ware's fantastic cover for the May 2010 issue. It contains too much truth for comfort. Also, it hearkens back to the golden age of Fortune as an exemplar of beautifully designed and illustrated magazines, and so would have invited unkind comments about the magazine's typical current level of design aesthetics.

From Indie Pulp, reporting on the C2E2 panel that Ware participated in:

[Ware] showed a cover he did for Fortune magazine which was supposed to be on the Fortune 500 issue.  He accepted the job because it would be like doing the 1929 issue of the magazine, and he filled the image with tons of satirical imagery, like the U.S. Treasuring being raided by Wall Street, China dumping money into the ocean, homes being flooded, homes being foreclosed, and CEOs dancing a jig while society devolves into chaos. The cover, needless to say, was rejected.

This is Spinal Tape: adhesive tape with vertebrae

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 01:37 PM PDT


Not only does This is Spinal Tape (a roll of adhesive tape printed with vertebrae) open up some intriguing decorative and logistical possibilities; it also wins the prize for Best Product Name Evar.

This is Spinal Tape

Enraged ostrich attacks child on a pony

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 01:39 PM PDT


The stuff of nightmares. (Via Cynical-C)

Ideal toy commercials from 1963

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 01:09 PM PDT


People are often nostalgic for toys of their childhood, but after watching these commercials for toys from 1963, it's clear that the toys were awful. With the exception of Mousetrap, I would have lost interest in all of them after a day or two. Clancy the Skating Monkey would have amused me for about three minutes. After that Clancy would have gathered dust in my closet or under my bed.

Compare these toys to the Wii, the computer, the iPhone, and the Nintendo DS, which keep my own kids interested for hours on end, day after day. In fact, they will play with them to the exclusion of almost everything else, so my wife and I have to set time limits. (Via Cool-Mo-Dee)

Google highlights fair use defense to YouTube takedowns

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 01:46 PM PDT

Google has improved highlighted its ContentID copyright enforcement system for YouTube, a "fair use" button for people who've had their videos taken offline (like all those people who created Hitler/Downfall parodies). The way the new system works: after your video is taken down by a copyright complaint, you have the option to contest the complaint, either because you dispute the copyright claim itself, or because you believe you have a fair use defense. Click the button, and your video goes straight back up (and the people who sent the original takedown have to go to court to get it taken offline again).

Content ID and Fair Use (via Waxy)

Previously:


Toronto subway etiquette posters

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 05:19 PM PDT

Digital Literacy's New Moves: The View from a Youth Newsroom

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 02:47 PM PDT

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Inspired by Boing Boing's strategy of "disemvoweling" hateful comments, we at Youth Radio (where I work) once considered a tactic called "in-consonance." The idea was to remove every consonant from abusive comments, as a way to call out their authors' apparent lack of control over their own waste. In the end, we decided against it. But we still don't always know what to do when the young people we've worked with for days, weeks, months on stories--some of them deeply personal, some exhaustively reported--get slammed in extreme ways, on some of our nation's biggest media outlets (e.g., NPR).

For young people whose personal identities, professional trajectories, and brains are still forming, the "digital afterlife" of their media productions can be especially intense and high-stakes. It used to be that public media's ultimate success was the so-called driveway moment--when a listener can't get out of the car before the story ends, even though he or she is already home. But now that engagement is the holy grail, for youth media producers, a whole new phase of activity starts when our work used to end--at the moment of broadcast or publication.



Based on what happens inside Youth Radio's newsroom (which just won an RFK journalism award for an investigative series on abuse in the U.S. Navy) and other youth media sites around the country, here are three things I see young people needing to establish, again and again, when they throw themselves and their stories into the digital mix.


1. Tellability: This is an idea drawn from anthropologist Amy Shuman's work, highlighting the need to establish your entitlement to your story, and your way of telling it. Like when Youth Radio's Denise Tejada produced a video about buying a house at age 20, and soon viewers were interrogating her about her legal status and weight. She had to find ways to bring the focus back to the story she wanted to tell, long after she thought that piece was done.

2. Credibility: A process of proving believability and truthfulness, not just to specialized niche communities, but in the service of a public good. Like when Rachel Krantz and Youth Radio's Investigative Unit backed up their reporting on a culture of abuse inside a U.S. Navy unit in the Persian Gulf by posting Freedom Of Information Act documents, which a reader then said looked fake. While literacy researchers worry about how young people will ever learn to judge other people's credibility (e.g., on sources like Wikipedia), I'm frankly more interested in what it takes for young people to establish their own credibility as reporters, researchers, witnesses, and storytellers themselves.

3. Embeddability: A process of linking one story to larger debates, issues, and movements for change. Like when passenger Karina Vargas had the wherewithal and guts to record a shooting at an Oakland, California subway station last year, and Youth Radio could then embed her on-the-fly video into a series of stories on racial profiling, police brutality, and public safety. It's about turning the technical act of cutting-and-pasting embed code into a social practice, a habit of always creating meaningful connections that amplify your point.

You might say media producers of any age have always had to prove themselves in these three ways. What's different, for me, is: it's never been easier for young people to make media with impact, it's never been harder for them to get their most challenging accounts to rise above floods of user-generated content, and it's never been more important for them to have access to the tools, networks, and experiences they need to formulate and spread something worthwhile to say.

For more on literacy's new media frontier, check out Drop That Knowledge: Youth Radio Stories.

Lynne Naylor's new art show "Godyssey"

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 02:14 PM PDT

Files Files Paintings 2010 Godyssey Topaz
The incredible Lynne Naylor has a show of new paintings opening on Saturday at M Modern Gallery in Palm Springs, California. As regular BB readers know, Lynne's background is in the animation world, having co-created the Ren & Stimpy Show and led character design for Batman: The Animated Series, Powerpuff Girls, and Clone Wars: The Micro-Series. This new collection, titled Godyssey, is absolutely spectacular and, to my eye, demonstrates Lynne's absolute mastery of color and her own dreamlike vision of the female form. The show runs through May 30 and all of the paintings are also viewable online. Lynne Naylor's Godyssey

Previously:


A self-destructive two-headed lizard

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 10:19 AM PDT

The BBC has a great photo of a two-headed bobtail lizard in Perth, Australia. The animal eats from both heads, but the larger head has tried to attack the smaller one.

Pesco speaking in Cincinnati next week

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 02:17 PM PDT

Wikipedia Commons 0 03 Downtown Cincinnati 2010 Kdh

CC-licensed image by Kevin D. Hartnell

Next Thursday, I'll be in my old stomping grounds of Cincinnati, Ohio speaking as part of Bold Fusion 2010, an event presented by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce. I'll talk about DIY, the future of innovation, and what companies can learn from maker culture. I'm delighted that several local makers from start-ups, big orgs, and hacker spaces will present their projects too!



BOLD FUSION 2010


Press Pause and Re-align:
Using trends and innovation to tinker and tweak your way to a better future


Join 400 creative minds at this annual young professional summit and...


• Learn how trends have shaped the world today


• Get a glimpse of the future and how it will impact your life and your career


• Gain real-world insight from local "makers" who are creating and collaborating in order to survive and thrive


Images Blogimages Banners Banner Boldfusion 570X215


Cincinnati-native David Pescovitz will keynote this year's Bold Fusion and provide a look into the future, introducing the audience to the "maker" culture that is leading corporate America, perhaps a bit reluctantly, into the future.


The "maker" culture represents a sea of change in which society returns to crafting its own fashions, arts and technological tools. Pescovitz advocates there is much to be learned from the maker mindset of collaboration, creativity and open access. 


Pescovitz challenges those who attend to see what innovators and "makers" are doing to improve their lives and the organizations they represent and push themselves to rethink their own lifestyles and work styles.


The half-day summit will kickoff with a "backcast" from vice president and group creative director for LPK Trends, Valerie Jacobs, who will review the trends that have shaped our lives personally, professionally and culturally over the past 15 years.


Following Jacobs, attendees will get an up-close-and-personal account from some of Cincinnati's innovators - ranging from entrepreneurs and marketing passionistas to individuals working within some of the top corporate companies in the country. 


These local solution seekers include: Chris Ostoich of Blackbook, Secret Cincinnati and Ignite Cincinnati; Chris Graves, Enquirer Media and Locals on Living and Amy Storer-Scalia of Cincy Chic; Erika Brown, P&G Beauty & Grooming Brand Manager of Digital Strategy & Innovation; Founder of beinggirl.com and Co-founder of Tremor; Meredith Holthaus and Pete Healy, Museum of Advertising; Elizabeth Edwards, Metro Innovation; and Steve Burns of AMP Electrical Vehicles.


Bold Fusion 2010

South Park's Matt & Trey receive death threats, RevolutionMuslim quotes Boing Boing

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 04:59 PM PDT

When Matt Stone and Trey Parker spoke to me for a Boing Boing Video interview last week about plans for their 200th episode, which would feature a cartoon version of the prophet Mohammed, I did not anticipate what would follow.

Comedy Central, as the duo predicted, bleeped out all references to the religious figure's name (while leaving in Jesus, Buddha, and the rest of their holy ilk), and censored a closing speech which did not reference the figure at all. But they apparently did so in response to death threats against Matt, Trey, and Comedy Central posted on a site called RevolutionMuslim.com. That site appears to be based in New York City, and is said to be run by a Jewish guy who converted to an extremist form of Islamic fundamentalism. A post on the site said Matt and Trey would likely "end up like" Theo van Gogh, the filmmaker who was murdered for making a film about the abuse of Muslim women.

The site embedded my interview with Matt and Trey in that post, and referenced portions of the interview in making the argument that the two should face death for this episode of South Park. Screengrab here (JPEG). Snip from that Revolutionmuslim.com post:

Here are the authors boasting of their insults and celebrating their complete disregard for what anyone considers sacred: Are you afraid that you would be bombed, she asks? Perhaps they are not, perhaps they should be, only time will tell.

I am saddened that these two artists have been so utterly abandoned by the network that distributes their work. I am saddened that the interview we published about that controversy was used by buliles to justify threats of violence. This is just nuts. Matt says:

In the 14 years we've been doing South Park we have never done a show that we couldn't stand behind.  We delivered our version of the show to Comedy Central and they made a determination to alter the episode.  It wasn't some meta-joke on our part.  Comedy Central added the bleeps.  In fact, Kyle's customary final speech was about intimidation and fear.  It didn't mention Muhammad at all but it got bleeped too.  We'll be back next week with a whole new show about something completely different and we'll see what happens to it.

spss.jpg

Previously:


Taste Test: Lemon balm

Posted: 22 Apr 2010 12:45 PM PDT

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Lemon balm vinaigrette
Mix the following ingredients in a small bowl: 1 tbsp minced shallots, 2 tbsp minced lemon balm, 1/2 tsp lemon zest, 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 4 tbsp white wine vinegar, and 1 tsp brown sugar. Slowly blend in up to 8 tbsp of vegetable oil — I used olive oil, and it was super tasty.

Recipe link (via Eatwell Farm)

I got a lovely surprise in my CSA box last week — lemon balm. It's a herb related to mint, and it smells a lot like lemon. Lemon balm is believed to have a stress-reducing effect, and if you rub the leaf and take a whiff of the scent, you'll immediately know why — it's such a peaceful, happy smell, a bit more cozy than lemongrass but not as pungent as lemon verbena. Lemon balm is native to Europe in the Middle Ages, and even back then it was thought to be a calming agent. The leaves can also act as a mosquito repellent and are antibacterial.

Lemon balm is great in tea or as a garnish to meat or a salad. I used most of mine minced in a salad dressing (see recipe on right), and dumped the rest in a cup of hot water for a refreshing tea.

Every installment of Taste Test will explore recipes, the science, and some history behind a specific food item.

Image via color line's Flickr

Previously:


Noby Noby team pay tribute to Iggy the iPad Cat

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 07:07 AM PDT

iggynobyipad.jpg As their way of saying thanks to their biggest feline fan, Keita Takahashi and the Noby Noby Boy team have put together an iPad wallpaper that makes Iggy a part of the game's universe. Also available, somewhat inexplicably, in "hiding from the rain" form. Noby Noby Boy [iPhone/iPad]
Previously:


Signing/reading in Boston, April 30

Posted: 14 Apr 2010 08:37 PM PDT

Hey, Bostonians! I'll be dropping by the Harvard Coop bookstore in Cambridge on April 30 from 1900h-2000h. I'll be signing books and reading a little from my next one, For the Win. Hope to see you then!

British Airways leaves stranded passengers all over world, jacks up prices on tickets home

Posted: 23 Apr 2010 06:09 AM PDT

After last week's volcanic eruption, British Airways passengers are stranded all over the world (I'm one of them). BA is rebooking people who hold paid for, cancelled ticket for return flights as late as May 10, but are selling tickets on flights leaving tomorrow for thousands of pounds to the wealthy who want to get home as quickly as possible. BA has had a year of terrible behavior and service, screwing its union by trying to unilaterally impose a contract on its workers without negotiation, but this takes the cake.
"We are trapped in Delhi with our children Iona (14 - missing GCSE exams), Sophia (13 - missing her part in the school play) and Dylan (seven - missing home).

BA have offered us a flight home on 10 May (we have been stranded since 16 April), but are still selling tickets on Delhi-London flights for thousands of pounds (which we cannot afford). The rich are allowed straight on to flights while the poor remain stranded. This is the real scandal of the volcano crisis.

We are among the lucky ones who BA have put up in a hotel but, with spirits low and tempers high, trouble is brewing - some people even had a "sit-down protest" in the hotel lobby on Wednesday. The Ramada in New Delhi is a very nice hotel, but our money has run out and we can't even afford the bottled water."

Iceland volcano: thousands still stranded but not forgotten

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