The Latest from Boing Boing

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• The People's Manifesto: Mark Thomas and friends' suggestions for UK political reform
• Spider accomplishes what 1000 penis-enlargement products could not
• Why not go back to the moon?
• Blood Cell Bakery: Using cookies to explain science
• Cars can be hacked
• Mick Jagger talks downloading and piracy on 40th anniversary of "Exile on Main Street"
• Report: "Hurt Locker" producers will soon blast tens of thousands of BitTorrenters with lawsuit
• Art collection of CNET co-founder Halsey Minor goes on the block
• Facebook and "radical transparency": a rant by danah boyd
• Proposed Apple response to Adobe's "We [heart] Apple" ad
• Paramount issues DMCA claim on video bystanders shot of "Transformers 3" shoot outside their office
• Space shuttle, ISS, Venus, and the mon invite you to a party in the sky this weekend
• Super depressing photos of Gulf oil spill disaster
• Hate Facebook? Introducing Gink*
• Google: We inadvertently collected personal data sent over open WiFi networks
• Meara O'Reilly's Chladni Singing
• Bootsy Collins talks about acid tripping with James Brown and dosing his brother
• Sony 'needs more evidence' before making tablet
• 'Pay what you want' for Jason Rohrer's Sleep is Death
• Guestblogger Craig to BoingBoing readers: So long, and thanks! It's been awesome.
• Sword & Sworcery EP dev Superbrothers eulogizes Frank Frazetta
• Epic Beard Man's tragic tale
• Video: "Worst Wedding DJ EVER!"
• Awesome anti-cable ad from the 1970s compares Pay TV to monsters
• Memory Palace podcast about serial imposter Stanley Clifford Weyman
• JK Keller's manipulated photos of people's profiles
• Victorian doctor who weighed the human soul
• Map of prescribed psychiatric drugs in America
• Infographic shows how high Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo will actually go
• Embroidered Wonder Bread

The People's Manifesto: Mark Thomas and friends' suggestions for UK political reform Posted: 14 May 2010 03:06 PM PDT UK political comedian Mark Thomas's new book is The People's Manifesto, and it contains a list of hilarious (and useful) wish-items for political reform in the UK, generated by Thomas's audiences during a UK standup tour. At each tour stop, Thomas asked his audience to write out political reforms they'd like to see, and then he'd read them aloud from the stage, riffing on them and letting the audience vote (by cheering) for their favourites. The People's Manifesto compiles the best of these, with hilarious and trenchant commentary from Thomas. Here are some examples I quite liked: People who allow their dogs to shit on the pavement without cleaning it up should be forced to wear it as a mustache MPs should not paid wages but loans, like students, because they get highly paid jobs after they graduate from Westminster as a result of attending Parliament. They should therefore pay back the loan they got while in office. There should be a maximum wage ("anyone who says they will leave [as a result of this policy] and then doesn't can be sued for breach of contract") If MPs want a second job in order to gain a greater understanding of life outside government, then their constituents should choose which job would best expand their MPs' horizons [note: in the UK, MPs routinely hold one or more high-paying, demanding job in addition to drawing a salary as an MP, some of these MPs miss up to 92 percent of votes in Parliament] Politicians should have to wear tabards displaying the names and logos of the companies with whom they have a financial relationship, like a racing driver ("They should be forced to sing the company's jingle when they stand up in the Chamber") Those in favor of ID cards should be banned from having curtains There's a lot to these -- they're not just funny, many of them are eminently sensible. Like the dog-shit one. The People's Manifesto Previously: Peace prankster Mark Thomas helps nail 'net arms dealers Londoners: rally today at Scotland Yard 11AM to preserve the right ... UK to introduce "photograph a cop, 10 years in jail" law

Spider accomplishes what 1000 penis-enlargement products could not Posted: 14 May 2010 08:18 PM PDT Ants in your pants? Fine. Just be thankful it's not a katipo spider. A tourist in New Zealand apparently startled one of these venomous beasties by pulling back on the shorts he'd left on the sand for a nude beach swim. The result: A bite that led to horrific swelling on a certain, sensitive part of his anatomy and 16 days in the hospital with an inflamed heart. (Via Angel Wardriver)

Why not go back to the moon? Posted: 14 May 2010 08:08 PM PDT Why do you hate the moon, John P. Holdren, Presidential science adviser and director of the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy? At least, I'm pretty sure that's what the questioner at this session from the AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy was trying to ask. Holdren, for his part, has a pretty good answer—namely, that re-prioritizing how we spend money on space, and killing specific programs that aren't turning out a good (science) return on (money/time) investment, isn't the same thing as spray-painting "The Moon Sucks!" on the White House locker-room door. And, yes, Neil Armstrong thinks we need to go back asap. But Buzz Aldrin disagrees. And, as we all know, it does not pay to argue with Buzz Aldrin. For more detail on the Obama space plan, and why it could be a very good thing for NASA and space-lovers in general, check out this analysis by Phil Plait. Via Ginger Pinholster

Blood Cell Bakery: Using cookies to explain science Posted: 14 May 2010 07:48 PM PDT I absolutely love the frequently geeky baking blog Not So Humble Pie (home of gel electrophoresis cookies!), so imagine my thrill when I found out that Isa Humble had teamed up with University of Illinois-Urbana histology lecturer Joanne Manaster for a video blog combining science and baked goods into one delicious package. This introductory video launches the series, but there's others covering all the different cells that make up your blood stream—from erythrocytes to eosinophils. And, yes, there's a cookie to represent all of them. I'm particularly fond of the erythrocytes, with their perfect, little dented centers. I haven't seen any how-to posts up on Not So Humble Pie, but I'd love to know how these were made.

Cars can be hacked Posted: 14 May 2010 07:23 PM PDT The same networking systems that allow modern cars to communicate with services like OnStar also allow the cars to be hacked. Researchers from the University of Washington and the University of California, San Diego were able to take control of cars' computer systems—remotely forcing the vehicles to brake, shutting down the engines, and even disabling the brakes altogether. The team analyzed the security risks inherent in modern automobiles and published a paper explaining their findings. You can read it online. (Via Erin Biba)

Mick Jagger talks downloading and piracy on 40th anniversary of "Exile on Main Street" Posted: 14 May 2010 05:48 PM PDT This BBC News interview with [Sir] Mick Jagger on the 40th anniversary of the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street contains a few really choice grafs about the myth that the internet has robbed artists of their livelihoods. He seems pretty chill about the perceived threats of downloading, and explains that for a long time, the record labels did a fine job of robbing artists: BBC: What's your feeling on technology and music? Jagger: Technology and music have been together since the beginning of recording. [The internet is] just one facet of the technology of music. Music has been aligned with technology for a long time. The model of records and record selling is a very complex subject and quite boring, to be honest. BBC: But your view is valid because you have a huge catalogue, which is worth a lot of money, and you've been in the business a long time, so you have perspective. Jagger: Well, it's all changed in the last couple of years. We've gone through a period where everyone downloaded everything for nothing and we've gone into a grey period it's much easier to pay for things - assuming you've got any money. BBC: Are you quite relaxed about it? Jagger: I am quite relaxed about it. But, you know, it is a massive change and it does alter the fact that people don't make as much money out of records. But I have a take on that - people only made money out of records for a very, very small time. When The Rolling Stones started out, we didn't make any money out of records because record companies wouldn't pay you! They didn't pay anyone! Then, there was a small period from 1970 to 1997, where people did get paid, and they got paid very handsomely and everyone made money. But now that period has gone. So if you look at the history of recorded music from 1900 to now, there was a 25 year period where artists did very well, but the rest of the time they didn't. Here's the entire interview. And here's an Amazon link to the reissued and remastered Exile on Main Street. (via Bob Lefsetz)

Report: "Hurt Locker" producers will soon blast tens of thousands of BitTorrenters with lawsuit Posted: 14 May 2010 09:03 PM PDT The Hollywood Reporter recently broke news that Voltage Pictures, which produced the Academy Award-winning film The Hurt Locker, has teamed up with a law firm going by the alias "The Copyright Group" to sue tens of thousands of suspected BitTorrent downloaders. An earlier and related story from THR is here. Other Voltage Pictures releases will be included, including Personal Effects, starring Twitter darling Ashton Kutcher. After filing the lawsuits, the plaintiffs must subpoena ISP records in an effort to match IP addresses with illicit behavior on BitTorrent. According to lawyers at Dunlap's firm, 75 percent of ISPs have cooperated fully. Those that have resisted are mostly doing so, they say, because of the amount of work involved in handing over thousands of names. But the clock may be ticking. For example, in the lawsuit over "Far Cry," Comcast has until next Wednesday to file motions to quash subpoenas. (Here's the stipulation by the parties.) By the end of next week, thousands of Comcast subscribers could be turned over. Of the some 50,000 individuals who have been sued thus far, only three have tried to quash the subpoena. In one instance, a Georgia man tried to invoke the state's shield law protecting journalists from having to disclose their sources. The judge denied the motion. In another instance, a woman successfully got a court to throw out the subpoena because her IP address wasn't listed in the original complaint. Unfortunately for her, the complaint was then amended. After unmasking individuals who have illegally downloaded films, the U.S. Copyright Group then sends a settlement offer. I guess ticket sales and Netflix rentals have been underwhelming, and the producers feel like suing fans is their best hope of turning a profit. No, I don't condone piracy, but this sort of massive attack on a potential audience base seems counterproductive. The lawsuit is expected to be filed in the coming days. If the ISPs involved cooperate, accused downloaders will receive a "settlement letter" within the next few weeks. An aside: I was a guest on a taping of "This Week in Law" earlier today, and my fellow panelist Martin Schwimmer pointed out that legal filings from The Copyright Group show the name is sort of a branding front for a D.C. based "name, name, and name" law firm (Update: Ars Technica reports the firm's name is Dunlap, Grubb, & Weaver). The Copyright Group's url? http://www.savecinema.org. [Eye-roll.] Also, the website is truly clip-art-tastic. Torrentfreak has an item here.

Art collection of CNET co-founder Halsey Minor goes on the block Posted: 14 May 2010 04:43 PM PDT Portrait of a Financial Downfall: an auction of CNET co-founder Halsey Minor's extensive fine art collection took place in New York City last night. 73 works were up for auction, including works by Andy Warhol, Richard Prince, Takashi Murakami, Ed Ruscha, and Marc Newson. The total take ended up at around $38 million.

Facebook and "radical transparency": a rant by danah boyd Posted: 14 May 2010 04:33 PM PDT danah boyd has published a thoughtful and extensive rant about Facebook's slow-mo implosion of user trust, data privacy, and UI transparency: A while back, I was talking with a teenage girl about her privacy settings and noticed that she had made lots of content available to friends-of-friends. I asked her if she made her content available to her mother. She responded with, "of course not!" I had noticed that she had listed her aunt as a friend of hers and so I surfed with her to her aunt's page and pointed out that her mother was a friend of her aunt, thus a friend-of-a-friend. She was horrified. It had never dawned on her that her mother might be included in that grouping. Over and over again, I find that people's mental model of who can see what doesn't match up with reality. People think "everyone" includes everyone who searches for them on Facebook. They never imagine that "everyone" includes every third party sucking up data for goddess only knows what purpose. They think that if they lock down everything in the settings that they see, that they're completely locked down. They don't get that their friends lists, interests, likes, primary photo, affiliations, and other content is publicly accessible. If Facebook wanted radical transparency, they could communicate to users every single person and entity who can see their content. They could notify then when the content is accessed by a partner. They could show them who all is included in "friends-of-friends" (or at least a number of people). They hide behind lists because people's abstractions allow them to share more. When people think "friends-of-friends" they don't think about all of the types of people that their friends might link to; they think of the people that their friends would bring to a dinner party if they were to host it. When they think of everyone, they think of individual people who might have an interest in them, not 3rd party services who want to monetize or redistribute their data. Users have no sense of how their data is being used and Facebook is not radically transparent about what that data is used for. Quite the opposite. Convolution works. It keeps the press out.

Proposed Apple response to Adobe's "We [heart] Apple" ad Posted: 14 May 2010 05:44 PM PDT Adobe has launched a "We ♥ Choice," "We ♥ Apple" messaging campaign directed at Apple's lockout of Flash on the iPad. Here's a proposed response from Apple. (Image by @isaaco, and *this is a joke* not a real Apple statement)

Paramount issues DMCA claim on video bystanders shot of "Transformers 3" shoot outside their office Posted: 14 May 2010 04:17 PM PDT Boing Boing reader Dennis Yang says, "Ben Brown and Micki Krimmel excitedly took videos of the Transformers 3 filming that was happening outside their window. They posted it to YouTube, and Ben's video was slapped with a DMCA. Way to go, Paramount, you're doing it wrong."

Space shuttle, ISS, Venus, and the mon invite you to a party in the sky this weekend Posted: 14 May 2010 03:41 PM PDT Venus, the Moon, and the International Space Station are having a party in the sky this weekend, and you are invited. If Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on time, it'll really be a throwdown. The sunset conjunction will be visible this Saturday and Sunday, May 15th and 16th. Viewing details here.

Super depressing photos of Gulf oil spill disaster Posted: 14 May 2010 04:11 PM PDT This Boston Globe photo gallery with images of the Gulf oil spill devastation will make you cry. Man, look at #6, with those bottlenose dolphins swimming under water blanketed with droplets of crude. What the hell, world? Related, in the NYT: The federal government gave BP and dozens of other oil companies the OK to drill in the Gulf of Mexico "without first getting required permits from another US agency that assesses threats to endangered species -- and despite strong warnings from that agency about the impact the drilling was likely to have on the gulf."

Hate Facebook? Introducing Gink* Posted: 14 May 2010 03:15 PM PDT Donald Glover and his pals in Derrick Comedy have a timely funnyvideo out today on a new social networking service called Gink. I think it needs an asterisk at the end. (thanks, Jesse Thorn)

Google: We inadvertently collected personal data sent over open WiFi networks Posted: 14 May 2010 08:32 PM PDT Google today admitted that for more than 3 years, it inadvertently collected bits of private data people sent over unencrypted wireless networks. The confession comes a month after European regulators began asking Google what data Google collects as its camera-laden Street View cars cruise city and neighborhood streets, and what the search giant does with that data. Two weeks ago, Google tried to address the questions and criticism in a blog post. It admitted to collecting certain kinds of data around the world that identify Wi-Fi networks in order to help improve its mapping products. But the company explicitly said it did not collect or store so-called "payload data" - the actual information being transmitted by users over unprotected networks. But Google is now saying, in a late-night-Friday European-time confession that is sure to infuriate regulators and privacy advocates, that its previous claims were wrong. Google Says It Inadvertently Collected Personal Data (NYT) WiFi data collection: An update (Official Google Blog)

Meara O'Reilly's Chladni Singing Posted: 14 May 2010 02:23 PM PDT Composer, maker, and former Boing Boing guestblogger Meara O'Reilly continues her explorations of experimental music and sound design in this lovely video, "Chladni Singing." Meara writes: Chladni patterns were discovered by Robert Hook and Ernst Chladni in the 18th and 19th centuries. They found that when they bowed a piece of glass covered in flour, (using an ordinary violin bow), the powder arranged itself in resonant patterns according to places of stillness and vibration. Today, Chladni plates are often electronically driven by tone generators and used in scientific demonstrations, but with carefully sung notes (and a transducer driving the plate), I'm able to explore the same resonances. I'm currently writing songs based on sequences of patterns. Chladni Singing Previously: Guest blogger: Meara O'Reilly! Austrian Alpine Aquaculture Musiques Traditionelles du Burundi Cackle Sisters Hollerin'! Música da Lagoa

Bootsy Collins talks about acid tripping with James Brown and dosing his brother Posted: 14 May 2010 03:24 PM PDT In this YouTube clip spotted by an eagle-eyed Boing Boing reader in an earlier post about Bootsy Collins' soon-to-be-launched Funk University, the legendary bass god talks about his first time taking LSD—which happened to be while he was hanging out and having deep chats with James Brown. Bootsy also admits to having dosed his brother "Catfish," as a prank, while they were all touring with J.B.: "Catfish," the story goes, was always mooching food off of others on the tour bus, so Bootsy and his friends (on one occasion or more) stuck LSD in it before offering it to him. Somehow, a tale that would otherwise seem cruel is funny and charming when delivered by Bootsy, whom I adore. The clip is from a great NBC TV show from the late '80s and early '90s called Night Music, hosted by musician David Sanborn. What I love most in this clip, apart from Bootsy's trippin' tales, is the breathtaking piano solo by Carla Bley. Is it me, or is that really lovely? Man, it made my eyes well up. From right around 3:54 to 5:44. Healing Power (YouTube) A few other awesome Bootsy clips on YouTube: "Stretchin' Out," from that same show, and an INSANE female a capella/vocal/rap duo Bootsy produced called "Pretty Fat," just phenomenal. Also: "Ah, the Name is Bootsy," from a live performance in 1976, and "I'd Rather Be With You," from that same live gig. Previously: Bootsy Collins launches world's first online "University of Funk ...

Sony 'needs more evidence' before making tablet Posted: 14 May 2010 02:22 PM PDT From Bloomberg: Sony Corp. is considering developing a tablet-style computer that would compete with Apple Inc.'s iPad, though it wants more evidence consumers will buy them... So, the company whose most innovative and interesting products are niche ultramobile computers, whose most hyped product of the year is a $200 alarm clock, claims it isn't making an iPad competitor because the market might not exist.

'Pay what you want' for Jason Rohrer's Sleep is Death Posted: 14 May 2010 11:47 AM PDT Jason Rohrer -- no doubt inspired by the continued and jaw-dropping success of the Humble Indie Bundle (currently up to $1.24 million raised) -- has just revealed a pay-anything deal for his free-form multiplayer storytelling game Sleep is Death. For a donation of any amount over $1.75, you'll get two copies of the game (one each for the storyteller and the storytell-ee). If you've been on the fence with this one, the time is now (see my original feature on the game for the specifics on how it works and why it's important/valuable) and don't forget to check out previously noted third-party helper sites like SIDTube to download art packs and mediate online play. Sleep is Death [Jason Rohrer] Previously: Caught Sleeping: Brandon Boyer on Jason Rohrer's Sleep is Death ... SIDTube: Watch Sleep Is Death stories, play online Jason Rohrer's art/game essentials headed to Nintendo DS Video: Rule, fairy tale cartoon created in Sleep Is Death - Boing ... Humble Indie Bundle hits $1m, goes open-source, gets 4 day ...

Guestblogger Craig to BoingBoing readers: So long, and thanks! It's been awesome. Posted: 14 May 2010 12:21 PM PDT I'm wrapping up my two-week stint here as a guestblogger and just wanted to extend my thanks to all the readers of BoingBoing who checked out my posts and weighed in with their opinions. I had a great time and it was a great discussion. I learned a lot and hopefully I gave you some insight into how the business works, even if it's just to help you figure out how to change the system. Thanks also to Cory, Xeni, Rob and the rest of the BB crew for having me. If you have more questions or comments, feel free to come chat with me on Twitter. I'm there every day at @syfy. Craig

Sword & Sworcery EP dev Superbrothers eulogizes Frank Frazetta Posted: 14 May 2010 11:24 AM PDT With the moons in alignment and the latest "teletex bulletin" released, Superbrothers -- 1/3 of the holy trinity behind upcoming iPhone adventure Sword & Sworcery EP and creator of Boing Boing feature Less Talk, More Rock -- has written a lovely eulogy for recently departed artist Frank Frazetta: Frazetta is many things - a 20th century old master, a pop surrealist pioneer, one of the finest book illustrators who ever lived - but those descriptors can't communicate the enormity of his legacy. If a painting is awesome, if it kicks you in the teeth & grins, if the darks are dark, the skies afire, the men hard and heavy with muscle & sinew, the women voluptuous and/or diabolical, the figures masterfully sculpted, the creatures immaculately constructed, the action over-the-top, the colors vivid, the compositions bold & striking & bloody & fierce ... if an eerie moon rises above a craggy mountaintop castle, then it's likely that Frazetta lurks within... and he's probably watching the Mets. Read the full version here, and sign up here for future Superbrothers teletex transmissions. ART LEGEND ASCENDS TO VALHALLA [Superbrothers] Previously: Frank Frazetta, RIP One to watch: new details on Superbrothers' iPhone adventure Sword ... Less Talk, More Rock: a manifesto by indie game dev Superbrothers ... Superbrothers' Sword & Sworcery EP goes full HD

Epic Beard Man's tragic tale Posted: 14 May 2010 11:21 AM PDT In February, Epic Beard Man (aka Thomas Bruso) became an Internet celebrity after video of an altercation he was involved in on an Oakland bus went viral. (Background here.) A slew of spin-off memes, mash-ups, and even a video documentary quickly emerged. (My favorites focused on "Amber Lamps," the headphone-wearing young woman in the background of the video who seemed completely oblivious to the violence taking place just a few feet away from her.) What happened to Bruso since the fight though? The current issue of the SF Weekly tells the tale of this eccentric and unlikely Internet sensation. It's not a happy story. From the SF Weekly (image below by Frank Gaglione) : The phone rang, and Bruso asked me to answer it. In the month since he became Epic Beard Man, he has become wary, and not just because of the kids who call to ask him how much he'll charge to shine their shoes. You can't have a gloves-off racial clash of the kind rarely seen by polite society and expect to avoid the fallout. Dozens of black men posted videos on YouTube taking Bruso's side, arguing that he was defending himself against a fool who read racism where there was none. Yet white supremacists commenting on message boards saw an all-powerful white man triumphing over a scraggly thug. The far-right Occidental Quarterly referred to Bruso as a "folk hero to hundreds of thousands of White Americans who are tired of being perpetual victims of violent hate crimes in their own land." Bay Area National Anarchists, which preaches white separatism, attempted to organize a rally to support him. There's no doubt Bruso uses wildly politically incorrect terms, but people who know him insist he's no racist at heart. His best friend, Junior, who is black, will tell you so, and Bruso attends a Baptist church with mostly black parishioners. Even the bus driver, who is also black, told police that she didn't believe Bruso was making the racial remarks "in a mean way." According to the police report, she said he "didn't know his comments were insulting and ... appeared to have a mental disorder." When the cops arrived after the bus fight and arrested Bruso, he was committed for 72 hours to a psychiatric ward at the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland. He was charged with battery resulting in injury of a transit passenger, but Lovette told police he wasn't interested in pressing charges. Yet as soon as Bruso was released from the hospital, white racists started calling to congratulate him, their salutations turning to threats upon finding out he didn't share their views. Black people called with promises of violence. Bruso started to worry. In his big-talking moments, he'll say things like, "You're welcome to come to the funeral, girl. I've been threatened 17 times already. It's just a matter of time before they sneak up on me and blow me away." But behind the exaggeration, he got tired of the attention. Soon after the fight, he shaved off his epic beard. But then a video of him without his beard was posted online, too. I picked up the phone. It was one of Bruso's sisters, calling from Wisconsin. She demanded that I leave immediately: "It's all a bunch of lies!" she shouted. "The rise and fall of an Internet sensation" Previously: Epic Beard Man, the documentary

Video: "Worst Wedding DJ EVER!" Posted: 14 May 2010 10:32 AM PDT Posted without comment. NSFW? (Thanks, Gabe Adiv!)

Awesome anti-cable ad from the 1970s compares Pay TV to monsters Posted: 14 May 2010 10:18 AM PDT "Let your lawmakers know how you feel in the fight against Pay TV and Cable TV!" (Thanks Scott!)

Memory Palace podcast about serial imposter Stanley Clifford Weyman Posted: 14 May 2010 10:13 AM PDT The latest episode of Nate DiMeo's terrific Memory Palace podcast is the story of Stanley Clifford Weyman (1890-1960) who impersonated a US consul representative to Morocco, a military attaché from Serbia and a US Navy lieutenant, the consul general for Romania, a lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, a doctor in Lima, Peru, a State Department Naval Liaison Officer, a Secretary of State, the personal physician of Rudolph Valentino's widow, and other characters. "One man's life is a boring thing," Weyman said. "I lived many lives. I'm never bored." Memory Palace: née Weinberg Previously: Podcast about the Mad Gasser and mass hysteria Great Moon Hoax of 1835 Ben Franklin's DEATH RAY

JK Keller's manipulated photos of people's profiles Posted: 14 May 2010 09:47 AM PDT Isn't the effect of this photo illustration, titled "Reverse Keetra," rather striking? Its creator, JK Keller, also did a series of animated gifs in a similarly strange vein called "You trying to be Me trying to be You." (via FFFFOUND!)

Victorian doctor who weighed the human soul Posted: 14 May 2010 09:25 AM PDT In 1901, Massachusetts surgeon Dr. Duncan MacDougall attempted to prove the existence of the soul by weighing a person before, and right after, death. He hacked an industrial beam scale so that it could be attached to a hospital bed. Then, he began to seek out a subject in the terminally ill patients at the hospital. First up was a man dying of tuberculosis. According to MacDougall, "The instant life ceased, the opposite scale pan fell with a suddenness that was astonishing – as if something had been lifted from the body." Apparently, 21 grams was missing from his body. MacDougall reproduced the experiment several more times. The physician's work has become a classic tale that, of course, is still widely cited by philosophers, skeptics, and "believers." And yes, it's MacDougall's experiments that inspired the film 21 Grams too. Fortean Times weighs the truths, half-truths, and unknowns of "the strange deathbed experiment of Dr. MacDougall." From FT: Deducing exactly what went on in MacDougall's laboratory after more than a century has passed is no easy task, but a possible insight comes from some written correspondence between MacDougall and Richard Hodgson. These letters (which were later published by the American Society of Psychical Research) start in November 1901, after MacDougall's first experiment, and continue until May 1902, when the entire project was halted. They contain a full description of MacDougall's methods, results and the circumstances of all six patients which, when compared with his American Medicine paper, offer some clues to the solution of this mystery. MacDougall's letters make it plain that, with the exception of the first patient, all the experiments were beset with problems that may be broadly divided into one of two categories. The first problem was in ascert­aining the exact time of death, an issue that appears to affect patients two, three and six. MacDougall acknowledged this with the second patient, where the period of uncertainty lasted for 15 minutes, but with patient three it is only in his letters that we learn of "a jarring of the scales" made while trying to determine "whether or not the heart had ceased to beat". Patient six was excluded for other reasons (see below), but in his letters MacDougall remarks that "I am inclined to believe that he passed away while I was adjusting the beam", which again suggests uncertainty as to the exact moment of death. The second issue was a problem relating to the measuring equipment itself, which MacDougall himself cited as a reason for voiding the results of patients four and six. However, with the fifth patient the measured drop in weight at death was later followed by an evident malfunction, as the scales could not afterwards be made to re-balance themselves correctly. In any object­ive experiment this uncertainty would have voided the result, but at no point does MacDougall question the reliability of his set-up. Thus, of the six patients, just one (the first) appears to have been measured without mishap, but repeated troubles with the equipment and with determining the moment of death perhaps casts doubt on even these results. Thus, rather than trying to find a physical cause for the loss of weight at death, it is conceivable that there was no loss of weight at all, or that it might not have coincided with the moment of death. Only a complete retrial with human patients will answer these questions, and that has so far not been forthcoming. "Soul Catcher"

Map of prescribed psychiatric drugs in America Posted: 14 May 2010 09:31 AM PDT Good has this map showing the most prescribed psychiatric drugs in America.

Infographic shows how high Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo will actually go Posted: 14 May 2010 09:47 AM PDT How high will SpaceShipTwo go compared to a weather balloon? Mt. Everest? The Space Shuttle? An ICBM? This high: There is a slightly bigger version here: Infographic: How high will Virgin Galactic really go?

Embroidered Wonder Bread Posted: 14 May 2010 09:15 AM PDT Stuff you can't have via NotCot

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