Friday, May 14, 2010

The Latest from Boing Boing

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The Latest from Boing Boing

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Phantastron all-vacuum tube synthesizer kit in Boing Boing Bazaar

Posted: 10 May 2010 11:51 AM PDT


The maker of the Phantastron All Vacuum Tube Synthesizer spared no expense in producing his demonstration video of this versatile musical instrument. The kit is $195 in the Makers Market / Boing Boing Bazaar.

Adapted from a WWII radar circuit bearing the same name, the Phantastron is an all vacuum tube synthesizer. It can be used as a full featured oscillator, an effect for guitar synth and other instruments, or as a standalone instrument.

The Phantastron includes:

Control Voltage (CV) input

Audio Input

Line level output

Volume, Octave, Pitch and Waveform controls

The kit is built in vintage style upon a turret board, rather than a PCB. It is enclosed in a handsome fire-branded unfinished wooden case with aircraft aluminum panels.

More information and a sample of the manual can be found here.

Phantastron Kit

The real reason Cable TV was started? To demonstrate and sell TVs

Posted: 14 May 2010 07:55 AM PDT

Since I've been talking a lot about Cable TV on BoingBoing over the last two weeks, the topic of why Cable TV was started in the first place has come up a lot. If you're wondering, here's an excerpt from About.com's history of cable:
Community antenna television (now called cable television) was started by John Walson and Margaret Walson in the spring of 1948. The Service Electric Company was formed by the Walsons in the mid 1940s to sell, install, and repair General Electric appliances in the Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania area. In 1947, the Walson also began selling television sets. However, Mahanoy City residents had problems receiving the three nearby Philadelphia network stations with local antennas because of the region's surrounding mountains. John Walson erected an antenna on a utility pole on a local mountain top that enabled him to demonstrate the televisions with good broadcasts coming from the three Philadelphia stations. Walson connected the mountain antennae to his appliance store via a cable and modified signal boosters. In June of 1948, John Walson connected the mountain antennae to both his store and several of his customers' homes that were located along the cable path, starting the nation's first CATV system.


Movie-plot terrorist threat semifinalists

Posted: 14 May 2010 05:39 AM PDT

Bruce Schneier has posted the semi-finalists in his fifth annual Movie-Plot Threat Contest. A movie-plot threat is any improbable, showy security risk that is used to justify a "security" measure: "What if terrorists decided to put acid in McDonald's Shamrock Shakes? We have to cancel St Patrick's Day!"

Here's my favorite entry this year, "The Boy who Didn't Cry Wolf," by yt:

There was a boy tending the sheep who saw a strange shadow at the edge of the woods. The boy thought it might be a wolf, but he was unsure of what he'd seen and didn't want to cause unnecessary alarm, so he said nothing. The next day the shadow came closer. It really was a wolf, but the boy had kept quiet so there was no one to come to his aid. The whole flock and the boy were eaten by the wolf.

If you see something, say something.

Fifth Annual Movie-Plot Threat Contest Semi-Finalists

(Image: Do you see something?, a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike (2.0) image from tonyb2007's photostream)

Previously:


Coming to Seattle tonight!

Posted: 14 May 2010 04:25 AM PDT

Hey, Seattle! Reminder: I'll be at the Sunset Tavern tonight at 7PM as part of my For the Win tour. Tomorrow (Saturday), it's Portland, at the Powell's in Beaverton at 2PM. Then it's off to SFO, AUS, RDU, NYC and YYZ! (Full tour schedule) Hope to see you!

Barbie-themed hotel rooms for three year olds that cost €1,600/night

Posted: 14 May 2010 04:12 AM PDT


The Hotel Plaza Athénée Paris has remade two of its rooms to look like life-size Barbie dream-houses. Targetted at the children of guests, suitable for ages three and up. They also supply a "special girlie gift" ("designed by Barbie!") to each guest. Costs a mere €1,600 per night (connecting parents' room is an additional €2,500/night).

What Would Carrie Say? The Plaza Athenee Is Getting Barbiefied (via Neatorama)

Previously:


Recycle cigarette butts into anti-rust solution?

Posted: 14 May 2010 04:06 AM PDT

An article in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research proposes to solve the problem of disposing of the 4.5 trillion (highly toxic) cigarette butts that find their way into the environment every year by recycling them into a rust-prevention treatment for oil industry applications:
The scientists showed that extracts of cigarette butts in water, applied to a type of steel (N80) widely used in the oil industry, protected the steel from rusting even under the harsh conditions, preventing costly damage and interruptions in oil production. They identified nine chemicals in the extracts, including nicotine, which appear to be responsible for this anti-corrosion effect.
Recycling 'Tiny Trash' -- Cigarette Butts

(Image: 09-feb-24, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from sashafatcat's photostream)

Previously:


Art and doodles left by prisoners at Wisconsin jail

Posted: 14 May 2010 04:00 AM PDT

The Jail Finds Flickr set consists of scanned items left behind by prisoners at Wisconsin jail. The materials range from the banal and profane to the moving to the hilarious (these horses made me smile). Jumbledpile, a volunteer at the jail who maintains the group, notes, "A little context: these come from a county jail, not a state prison - a very important distinction. Most inmates (approx. 75%) are short-term 'holds.' They're there awaiting trial (meaning they couldn't afford bail); on probation violations; or are federal prisoners being shuffled around the system. About 1/4 are women and 1/3 are minorities. The vast majority stay less than 30 days."

You can support the prisoners by buying items from the prison library's Amazon Wish List.

Jail finds (via Kottke)

Previously:


Call me juvenile, but I laughed. Hard.

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:49 AM PDT

Butcher's cuts anatomical tee

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:42 AM PDT


Penfold sez, "A useful t-shirt depicting the cuts of meat one might use to butcher a human. Ever wondered where your tenderloin is? This shirt is a great ice-breaker when meeting cannibals. It would also be handy for coping with a desert island/mountainous plane crash survival (Your friends' survival, obviously, not yours. Now that's altruism) situation."

My physiotherapist has a funny habit of pointing to bits of my back and going, "Right, I'd like you to think about flexing this part right here under your left sirloin." Funnily enough, this turns out to be a pretty good way to align my conscious will with my prioperception.

(Love this. Penfold, can you drop me an email please? I'd love to talk further with you about the possibilities for the design, but you didn't put your email in the submission.)

They're made out of meat!

Previously:


Walking On Eggshells: Borrowing Culture in the Remix Age student documentary

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:36 AM PDT

Elizabeth Stark sez,

Several students in my Intellectual Property in the Digital Age at Yale recently made this kickass Creative Commons-licensed film on remix culture and appropriation. The film features interviews from DJ Earworm, Jonathan Lethem, DJ Ripley, Eclectic Method, Joy Garnett, Michael Cunningham, and others.

"Walking on Eggshells" is a 24-minute documentary about appropriation, creative influence, re-use and intellectual property in the remix age. It is a conversation among various musicians, visual artists, writers and lawyers, all sharing their views on why and how we use and create culture, and how intellectual property law, originally designed to provide people with incentives to create, sometimes hinders creative production far more than it enhances it.

Walking On Eggshells: Borrowing Culture in the Remix Age (Thanks, Elizabeth)

Previously:


Homebrew bioplastics/lasercutter wallet

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:32 AM PDT


Peter sez, "Jay Cousins, a tinkerer at Open Design City, has been experimenting with open source materials, producing his own bioplastic just from water, vinegar, glycerine and starch. Add some laser cutting and stitching and out comes this gorgeous wallet, produced completely from stuff you find in your kitchen."

Gorgeous bioplastics wallet made at Open Design City by @jaycousins (Thanks, Peter)

Previously:


Words that are excluded from "secret questions"

Posted: 14 May 2010 03:26 AM PDT

The Sacramento Credit Union's online banking service appears to have learned some hard lessons abou SQL code-injection attacks as they apply to "secret questions":
The answers to your Security Questions are case sensitive and cannot contain special characters like an apostrophe, or the words "insert," "delete," "drop," "update," "null," or "select."
My friend Danny O'Brien (or, as many services have it, Danny O\'\'\'\'\'\'\'Brien) has pointed out that millions of Irish people have a built-in PHP attack right there in their names. When I was a kid, I used to fantasize about changing my middle name to "+++ATH."

Good times.

Sacramento Credit Union (via Making Light)

Previously:


Illustration of early hominids fighting a pack of hyenas

Posted: 13 May 2010 11:06 PM PDT

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I loved this illustration when I was a kid. I still do. It brought me closer to imagining life as a cave man than anything else I read or saw. It still does. The gazelle/ibex's tongue dragging across the dirt is a nice touch. I can't remember where this illustration first appeared but I know one of you do. Maybe one of those Time Life books? Who is the illustrator?

Bootsy Collins launches world's first online "University of Funk"

Posted: 13 May 2010 08:04 PM PDT

bootsy.jpg

Legendary funk music pioneer Bootsy Collins (best known for performing with James Brown in the '60s, and Parliament/Funkadelic in the '70s), has announced that he will soon open "the world's first Funk University for bass players of planet Earth." Classes start on July 1, 2010, and will be geared towards intermediate to advanced level bass guitar players. Snip:

Because a groove is a terrible thing to waste, this sonic learning institution will be unlike anything before, as Professor Collins and the finest bassists in music will unleash an intense curriculum, on the web, for intermediate to advanced funk disciples within the program.
The Funk University is here, and you can follow Sir Bootsy on Twitter. Consider him verified. I love the photos he tweets every day, like this one. Trivia: Like Boing Boing's own David Pescovitz, he's from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Patriotic and environmental box

Posted: 13 May 2010 06:02 PM PDT


As seen at the completely amazing Harold Washington Library Center in Chicago, home of the stupendous YOUmedia center.

Maker Faire is next weekend! (May 22 & 23, 2010)

Posted: 13 May 2010 03:51 PM PDT


Maker Faire is coming, and I'm really excited! It's May 22 & 23, 2010 in San Mateo, California.

Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset. It's for creative, resourceful people of all ages and backgrounds who like to tinker and love to make things.
Maker Faire is next weekend!

Seattle: group exhibition of pop surrealist tiger art

Posted: 13 May 2010 03:18 PM PDT

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Tomorrow (Friday, 5/14) night, a fantastic group art show, Tiger Tiger Burning Bright, opens at Seattle's Roq La Rue Gallery. Running until May 30, the exhibition features work by Audrey Kawasaki, Robert Hardgrave, Travis Louie, Lisa Petrucci, Isabel Samaras, Robert Burden, Jason D'Aquino, Nouar, Jim Blanchard, Angelique Houtcamp, Bob Dob, Anthony Ausgang, Ann-Marie Manker, Yumiko Kayukawa, Jaw Cooper, and more. Above (left to right), Bob Dob's "The Last Ride" and Audrey Kawsaki's "Negaigoto." The show was inspired by William Blake's poem, The Tiger. All of the work is also viewable online. "Tiger Tiger Burning Bright" preview

Andrew O'Malley's animated light boxes

Posted: 13 May 2010 03:06 PM PDT

System Product Images 4522 Original Elec Win 304 Green 02 System Product Images 3627 Original Tunnel Vision Three

As a kid, I remember hitting Spencer Gifts in the mall to check out the black light posters, trippy lights, and, of course, the (tame) "adult" novelty gifts. I was reminded of those formative Spencer experience when I saw the work of Canadian artist Andrew O'Malley in the Boing Boing Bazaar. He creates "dynamic, illuminated fixtures combining captivating lighting technology, finely crafted and re-purposed enclosures, and hand-built electronic circuits, custom programmed for intriguing behavior through a playful balance between rules and randomness." I'm digging the stately and effective Tunnel Vision LED light boxes and Space Invader Electric Window.

First novel survey results

Posted: 13 May 2010 02:21 PM PDT

Steven sez, "Author Jim C. Hines did a survey of the factors that may (or may not have) impacted first novel sales, getting responses from 246 professionally published authors. It's pretty fascinating reading. Since Jim's a friend of mine, I asked if I could take my own whack at his data. Mine's a lot more stats-geeky than his... but his is a lot more fun to read."

So how long does it take to sell that book? Of our 246 authors, the average age at the time they sold their first professional novel was 36.2 years old. The median was also 36, and the mode was 37. Basically, the mid-to-late 30's is a good age to sell a book.

But that doesn't tell us how long these authors were working at their craft. So the very next question in the survey asked, "How many years had you been writing before you made your first professional novel sale?"

The responses ranged from a single respondent who said 0 years, all the way to 41 years, with an average of 11.6 years. Both the median and the mode came in at an even ten years.

You could argue that the single response from someone who had been writing for 0 years proves that overnight success can happen, and you're right. It can happen. So can getting struck by lightning.

First Novel Survey Results (Thanks, Steven!)
Previously:


Interview with Daniel Clowes in Mother Jones

Posted: 13 May 2010 02:26 PM PDT

Following up on Mark's post about Daniel Clowes's first graphic novel Wilson, I'd like to call your attention to this great interview with Dan over at Mother Jones. I think Dan is the smartest, funniest, and most pioneering comic artist of the last twenty years. In this interview, he talks about the state of "underground" comics, open-heart heart surgery, and, er, a big dick joke he and his cartoonist pals hid on the cover of The New Yorker. From Mother Jones:
Images I 51Ea6Xueeml. Sl500 MJ: What is it about comics that breeds obsessiveness?

DC: It's a world that you can exert control over. I started drawing at a very young age. Writing a story wasn't satisfying, but to actually draw our own world—it's like controlling your own dreams. MJ: That was the message of Pussey, which is about an impotent guy who dreams about superheroes all the time. As well as being a satire of fanboys and the comics industry.

DC: That was so specific to 1989. Nobody had done anything like that before, making fun of comics fans. Now, that's such a commonplace thing; everyone's so familiar with that world. There's Comic-Con every year, which gets 100,000 people. Back then, it was like 1,500 people and that was it; that was all the comic geeks in the world. It seemed like this sad little world—which it still does, but it's a sad big world. When I was in high school, if you said you liked superheroes or Lord of the Rings, you were just like a hopeless reject, and now those are the biggest things in the world. Even Avatar is a total nerd thing, and yet our popular culture has somehow made all that stuff acceptable.

MJ: So what are the outsider nerds into now?

DC: I don't think there are any outsiders anymore. It's good for the outsiders; I don't know if it's good for our culture. I think it was good to have this mass culture that we all reacted to in some way. I was thinking the other day that there will never be another form of music that everybody has to respond to—like disco.
"Clowes Encounter: An Interview With Daniel Clowes" (Mother Jones)

"Wilson" by Daniel Clowes (Amazon)

Previously:


Erica captures a giant Uromastyx lizard in Saudi Arabia

Posted: 13 May 2010 02:22 PM PDT


See the two follow-up videos here and here.

Seth Roberts on Orwell's "preventive stupidity"

Posted: 13 May 2010 02:44 PM PDT

Seth Roberts, a professor emeritus of psychology from UC Berkeley and a self-experimenter, discusses three popular sayings about data.
"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." Øyhus explains why this is wrong. That such an Orwellian saying is popular in discussions of data suggests there are many ways we push away inconvenient data.

"Correlation does not equal causation." In practice, this is used to mean that correlation is not evidence for causation. At UC Berkeley, a job candidate for a faculty position in psychology said this to me. I said, "Isn't zero correlation evidence against causation?" She looked puzzled.

"The plural of anecdote is not data." How dare you try to learn from stories you are told or what you yourself observe!

Orwell was right. People use these sayings -- especially #1 and #3 -- to push away data that contradicts this or that approved view of the world. Without any data at all, the world would be simpler: We would simply believe what authorities tell us. Data complicates things. These sayings help those who say them ignore data, thus restoring comforting certainty.

Preventive Stupidity Exists

Make stylish plywood furniture from 1979 book

Posted: 13 May 2010 01:54 PM PDT

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Ouno Design blog posted photos and plans from a 1979 DIY plywood furniture book called More Furniture in 24 Hours, by Spiros Zakas. I just grabbed a used hardcover copy from Amazon for $2.00! (There are a few left at that price).

Zakas' book features many designs by his Parson's School furniture design students in the 1970s, and this particular student produced some of the book's most interesting designs. Where are you now, Daniel J. Cohen?
More Furniture in 24 Hours: The W Chair (Via Homegrown Evolution)

San Francisco: Dawn 2010 Jewish cultural arts festival

Posted: 13 May 2010 02:36 PM PDT

Dawn2010101010 On Saturday night (5/15), Dawn 2010, a late-night cultural arts festival celebrating the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, will take place at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. The event features theatrical performances, panels, music, open-space discussion forums, and other activities from 7:30pm until after midnight in the fantastic museum space. On the program are the likes of Sandra Bernhard, Gary Shiteyngart, and Jeremiah Lockwood. I'm moderating a panel called "A Conversation About the 10 Commandments of the Future" with Ken Goldberg, Adam Werbach, and Steven Raspa. Tickets are $20 and advance purchase only. If you can make it, please say hi! Dawn Festival 2010

Dan Clowe's brilliant new graphic novel: Wilson

Posted: 13 May 2010 02:23 PM PDT

Clowes-Wilson

Wilson is cartoonist Daniel Clowes' first graphic novel (that is, it's not an anthology of a serial comic book strip). It's about a lonely, unemployed, self-loathing, passive-aggressive sad-sack who goes through life making himself and the people around him miserable. In the beginning, the pages seem to be unconnected, but about a third-of-the way in I had been swept up in the plot, which involves the highly-opinionated Wilson coming to terms with various relatives that he has deeply flawed relationships with.

Like all of Clowes' work, Wilson is darkly funny and moving, and the art is outstanding. He's in top form here. Clowes uses many different cartooning styles to tell the story, which is masterfully presented in a series of 70 one-page vignettes. For the last 10 years or so, Clowes has been writing screenplays, which has sharpened his storytelling and character development skills. The Wilson character is repulsive, but at the same time he is sensitive, intelligent, and insightful about the human condition. I cared about what happened to him.

If you live in or near Los Angeles, Clowes will be at Skylight Books on Friday, May 14, 2010, at 7:30 pm.

After the jump is a video flip-through of the book. Buy Wilson on Amazon



Previously:


Portal, the corporate training success video

Posted: 13 May 2010 01:54 PM PDT

Aperture Scie-- err, Valve just put together this video highlighting the successes of their "Portal recruitment program", and yesterday's announcement that the game is free on both Windows and Mac through May 24th. The video's highlight: the tramp-stamp dig at Half-Life universe corporate rivals Black Mesa. Also noteworthy for people who haven't been following its progress closely: Aperture's assertion that the Free Portal initiative is crucial for helping find skilled partners for the upcoming sequel's co-op mode. Portal is FREE! [Valve]
Previously:


Explaining 12 things TV networks do that seem crazy

Posted: 13 May 2010 01:07 PM PDT

CrazyTV.jpg The network never gave your show a chance. It was scheduled on a night no one watches TV, or put against a ratings powerhouse. The episodes aired out of order, and the time slot got moved. It wasn't marketed properly...you never saw an ad for it, and no one you know saw an ad for it. Plus, the show didn't have enough time to catch on, the network never understood it and wanted it to fail, the DVR numbers were great and the Nielsens are useless anyway. Why do networks spend tens of millions of dollars on shows then treat them this way? I'll do my best to give you insight into why these things happen, or at least seem to happen. Be warned, you'll disagree with some and quite possibly all of it. Okay, so here's why networks... Schedule episodes of a show out of order There are two main reasons this happens: 1) More people sample a show when it's new, so networks try to run the best episodes first. Sometimes this happens and viewers never know it, and sometimes it's pretty obvious and might do more harm than good. 2) Some episodes originally slated to air earlier in a season might have a problem and need to go back to the shop for more work, so they get pulled, fixed and slotted later.

Move a show to different timeslots
There are a few different reasons this might happen:
1) If it's a new show and it's clearly not working in its timeslot, it gets moved somewhere where it might work better
2) If the show is doing badly but the network doesn't want to just take it off the air, it gets put somewhere out of the way so it doesn't hurt the shows around it. For instance, a low-rated show won't funnel many viewers to the show that immediately follows, thus hurting that show's ratings too.
3) If it's the start of a new season and the old timeslot from last season became problematic (like a ratings juggernaut aimed at the same viewers suddenly appears at the same time on a different network), or maybe a better one became available, the show gets moved.
4) If a show is doing well in a choice timeslot, it might get moved so a new show gets the choice slot in an effort to give the new show its best shot at succeeding. Generally speaking audiences will follow good shows wherever they go. Also, a good way to turn a bad slot into a good slot is to put a good show there.
5) If a show was doing well in its old slot but the network thinks it can do even better in the new slot, it might get moved to try and make it even more successful.

Don't leave a show on long enough to build viewers
History has proven that most series doing badly won't gain more viewers if they're kept running. In fact, they'll shed viewers. Every once in a LONG while a poorly performing show starts doing well. Those are the exceptions that prove the rule. (Viewers who are upset with Syfy because they feel we didn't leave a show on long enough often raise the example of Cheers to me. Citing one show in 28 years actually proves the point.)

Take a show off the air quickly
Leaving poorly performing shows on the air hurts the shows around them and hurts the overall ratings for the network. Also, the show was probably sold to advertisers by guaranteeing them a minimum number of viewers, so replacing that show with something else that performs better will help fulfill at least part of that commitment. If those aspects are factored against the very very very small chance the show might (possibly maybe) gain viewers, the obvious conclusion is reached.

Put a show on hiatus
There are a few ways hiatuses happen:
1) At Syfy we often take a hiatus between half seasons of our shows because airing all the episodes straight would mean a year-long break between seasons. Two half seasons every six months has proven a better way to keep viewer awareness up than one full season followed by a really long break.
2) A hiatus might happen around special events like holidays or the Olympics, so networks aren't airing new episodes of a show when no one's watching.
3) A hiatus might be a planned (or unplanned) break so a network can evaluate how a show is doing and make changes to improve it.
4.) A hiatus might be planned to help the production process...shows take a long time to make and sometimes the writers, producers, cast and crew need some vacation time.

Schedule similar shows opposite one another
Often a network might think a certain time and date might be good for a certain kind of show. Then someone else thinks that too, and neither is willing to give (it's a competitive business after all). Sometimes it's not ideal to leave a show where it is, but the network also can't rearrange its schedule to move the show. Sometimes shows that seem competitive really aren't.

Don't market a show well/at all
There is a finite amount of money and time available to market any given show, and within those restrictions shows are marketed the best they can be. (Same for the marketing of anything else by the way.) Often viewers won't think a show was marketed well because they either never saw an ad or don't think they saw an ad. Often they saw many ads and don't realize it. Or it might be the case that they weren't targeted with ads because the network knew they'd find out about the show other ways. As a rule, EVERYONE on the TV side wants to give show as much marketing as we can afford and we're always trying to figure out ways to get more marketing, or get more efficient marketing. Always.

Remake anything
A bunch of reasons here. First, viewers love to watch remakes even though people say they're sick of them. Also, part of the job marketing the show is already done because people are familiar with it. Creatively, shows might have a really great core premise that makes them timeless as long as they're updated for a contemporary audience from time to time. Possibly some REALLY BIG NAME loved the show as a kid and has an idea for a new twist, and viewers want to see things from the REALLY BIG NAME. Sometimes rights to a property are split up so one company owns the movie rights and someone else owns the TV rights, and one of each gets made. Of course, sometimes it's just bad judgment to remake something.

Remake a recent remake
See above.

Listen to the Nielsen numbers/Not listen to the great DVR numbers
The industry standard right now is Nielsen ratings, which are the best measurement tool that's proven workable at the scale needed (i.e. not just theoretically possible but actually able to be implemented and to get everyone to agree to use them). Ratings are the currency of the TV business at the moment, and they're the only way to do business. If a TV network didn't want to use Nielsens it'd be like saying they want to start an ice cream shop but they'll only take gold bars as payment, not the standard cash or credit. DVR numbers are a mixed bag. On the one hand people are watching the show, on the other hand, if they're fast forwarding through commercials, the network isn't making the money it needs from them to support the show. Counting them is tricky.

Don't understand a show
That thing you see in the show that you really love...the great characters, the charming premise, the new twist...someone somewhere at a network saw that before the show was a show, then made the show because of it. Which is why you're now seeing it.

Want a show to fail
If the network wanted a show to fail, they wouldn't put it on the air.

After reading this you might still think what networks do is crazy, or you might think, oh, okay, now I understand. Both points of view are valid, and what works for one show might not work for another. Networks use these tactics because they have proven to work in the long run, and as soon as they can figure out something better, they will. That's not much solace to a fan of a particular show I know, but at least you know there is some method to the (seeming) madness.

As always I'll try to stick around and address your further questions and comments in the comments section.

Brandon named Independent Games Festival chairman

Posted: 13 May 2010 01:03 PM PDT

2010igfbooth.jpg I'm not the greatest at this whole self-promotion gig, but a quick update to note that it's just been announced that I'll be joining the 2011 Independent Games Festival as its new chairman, taking over for Simon Carless, who's done a fantastic job of making the festival the premiere place to showcase the home-grown talent that's changing the way we think about games, year after year. I've been doing my best over the past couple years (primarily thanks to Boing Boing and their help getting Offworld off the ground) to shine as strong a light as possible on the people struggling to make beautiful things every day, and needless to say I'm thrilled that I get to be a part of the organization that made World of Goo, Crayon Physics, Fez, Braid and -- via Student Showcase winner Narbacular Drop -- even Valve's Portal the notable names and successes they are today. All my usual writing work will continue, as will a few other upcoming tricks I've got up my sleeve for bringing amazing new games to light! Anyway, OK!
Previously:


Gold-dispensing ATM

Posted: 13 May 2010 10:06 AM PDT

Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace hotel has an ATM that dispenses gold. You feed in cash, it emits lumps of gold, using an exchange rate updated every 10 minutes.

According to Emirates Palace, the machine has a range of built-in security features, including anti-money-laundering software. We suspect it also comes with some sky-high fees or commissions. But we suppose that anyone who needs to convert cash to gold so quickly that they'll use this, probably isn't worried about that (though we suspect that they may be a little concerned about that anti-money-laundering software).

Gold-Dispensing ATM Converts Pesky Cash To 24K Bars
Previously:


Fruit stands look like sitting headless dogs

Posted: 13 May 2010 09:17 AM PDT

waiting-by-masakazu-hori-2.jpg

What a great way to store and display fruits in the kitchen! These were created for Milan design week by Japanese designer Masakazu Hori.

Designer's page via Spoon and Tamago
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