The Latest from Boing Boing

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• Academic Advantage fires law firm that threatened Boing Boing
• Wikileaks volunteer detained and searched yet again at airport
• Wikileaks-inspired phone scam
• Cat Flag
• The imaginary Chinese vocabulary of Rush Limbaugh
• Tom the Dancing Bug: When Tragedy Strikes, Nate the Pundit Leaps Into Action!
• Snail mail push alerts to your mobile phone
• Zero-gravity space kittehs: then and now
• Shooting a super-soaker at -45F
• On-duty cop rapes woman, pleads sentence down to one year
• Inventor of the cowboy shirt
• John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe: Exclusive on-set snapshots from The Raven
• Pawz Dog Boots
• Billy Pollard plays "Jesus Loves Me" on the saw
• John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe, coming fall 2011
• Tricks of hotel marketing photos
• Man posted nude photos from women's hacked email
• Bloggers thrash Apple analysts at predicting stuff
• Poe grave visitor a no-show again
• HTML 5 logo
• Girl gives birth to a frog!
• Phone manual includes instructions for faking a call
• Videogames with paramecia players
• Doctor Who construction toy figures
• Cheeming Boey's styrofoam cup illustrations
• Century-old French home/cabinet of curiosity opens as museum
• Cars sliding down icy road in Pittsburgh
• Farting gentleman stabs partygoers, kills one
• Reviewing the winners of the Design Julian Assange's Next Hairstyle competition.
• Blacklights help spot preserved dinosaur feathers

Academic Advantage fires law firm that threatened Boing Boing Posted: 20 Jan 2011 01:51 AM PST According to this article in California Watch, the tutoring company Academic Advantage has fired the law firm of Lazar, Akiva & Yagoubzadeh over its ridiculous legal threats against Boing Boing. For those of you who missed it, Lazar, Akiva & Yagoubzadeh sent us a letter alleging that we had caused "possibly irrevocable damage" to the reputation of its client, Academic Advantage, by publishing a blog post that contained the phrase "academic advantage" and, later, in one of the comments, the word "scam." Neither the original post nor the comment were related to the Academic Advantage tutoring service, and besides, US law clearly places responsibility for message-board posts on the poster, not the people who put up the message board. Lazar, Akiva & Yagoubzadeh's threat was one of the sloppiest, most careless piece of lawyering I've ever seen, a breathtaking example of depraved indifference and bullying. David Silver, spokeman for Academic Advantage, said the comments published by pop culture site Boing Boing were not libelous and that the LA firm representing the company was wrong to say they were... Academic Advantage has severed it relationship with the law firm of Lazar, Akiva & Yagoubzadeh. The letter that the law firm sent to BoingBoing claiming that libel was committed on BoingBoing's website was a mistake. I'm glad to see that Academic Advantage is getting shut of its hopeless lawyers. Perhaps they, or LAY, would consider making a good-faith donation to the Chilling Effects project, a clearing house that works to document and prevent the use of threats to censor the Internet? K-12 company fires law firm over blog spat (Thanks, Hagrid!)   Stupid legal threat of the young century - Boing Boing

Wikileaks volunteer detained and searched yet again at airport Posted: 19 Jan 2011 11:28 PM PST Jacob Appelbaum, a security researcher, Tor developer, and volunteer with Wikileaks, reported today on his Twitter feed that he was detained, searched, and questioned by US Customs and Border Patrol agents during preclearance on January 19, returning to the US from Toronto, Canada. If this post sounds familiar to you as a regular reader of Boing Boing, that is because it is the third such incident Appelbaum has been subjected to at the hands of federal agents: first, in mid-2010 at Newark airport, then the same thing yet again just this month in Seattle. On both January 2011 trips, he did not carry any electronics with him in anticipation of repeated detention, search, and interrogation. Appelbaum is not accused of any crime. This is what being on a secret government watchlist looks like. An archive of his tweeted account from today follows, beginning with this post. • I made it home to Seattle and was detained yet again. This time on the Canada side and it was quite strange. • This CBP encounter was different as nearly everyone involved was quite friendly all of the time. No good cop or bad cop games • I was detained for around twenty minutes in total this time and very lightly searched. They didn't want to image my USB disk this time. • They put me in an interrogation room with a large window. Ironically, it had a view of a computer screen with my file on it. • This time there was no forensics person waiting - the people questioning me claimed this was just a secondary search for prohibited items. • I think it's quite amusing that while they claimed it was merely for fruits and vegetables, they were making calls, searching the net, etc. • CBP edits and reads your file while simultaneously using Internet Explorer to search the web while you're detained. That seems cybersecure! • The Toronto, Canada pre-customs clearance CBP detainment was nicer than Seattle. Everything is still an improvement on my Newark experience. • I was happy to see that because of pre-clearance, Canada is treated as a domestic flight and so I had no ICE handler at my arrival gate. • When I requested to see my file, the CBP agent denied my request. He said something like: "People would know someone is looking for them..." • I pointed out my obvious detention in a CBP interrogation room. He agreed that his reasoning did not apply as they already had me. • This is political harassment without question. • The main reason that these detentions are getting shorter is because I have learned how to streamline their searches at great personal cost. • I'm looking forward to a time when I'm not on a secret watch, search, harass, detain, interrogate, delay, annoy and stress list.

Wikileaks-inspired phone scam Posted: 19 Jan 2011 10:01 PM PST "A caller reported she received an automated phone call telling her that her computer and IP address had been noted as having visited the Wikileaks site, and that there were grave consequences for this, including a $250,000 or $25,000 fine, perhaps imprisonment. It left an option for leaving a message as to how she was going to handle this and the fine payment."—A Better Business Bureau advisory on a new telephone scam making the rounds.

Cat Flag Posted: 19 Jan 2011 09:51 PM PST Created by Art Yucko, requested by A Bloody Mess. (Via BB reader Jack, via Submitterator. Thanks, Tara McGinley)

The imaginary Chinese vocabulary of Rush Limbaugh Posted: 19 Jan 2011 07:47 PM PST RUSH: "Ah, never mind, we're not going to gyp Fox. I wanted to gyp it because, well, the, Hu Jintao, he was speaking and they weren't translating. They normally, some translator, every couple of words, but Hu Jintao was just going CHING CHONG, CHING CHOW CHONG CHA, CHONG CHANG, CHING CHONG CHIBABABA, OH CHONGHING CHI CHIGARAI, CHENG CHI CHI. CHING ZHA BABA CHENGA CHENG CHI CHI CHI. CHANGI. OOOOOO. CHING CHOLABA BABA. GE CHOW CHOW BA. Nobody was translating." Limbaugh Mocks Chinese President's Untranslated Speech [Media Matters]

Tom the Dancing Bug: When Tragedy Strikes, Nate the Pundit Leaps Into Action! Posted: 19 Jan 2011 06:09 PM PST

Snail mail push alerts to your mobile phone Posted: 19 Jan 2011 05:45 PM PST Gareth Branwyn (editor-in-chief of Make: Online) writes: This month, we welcomed Matt Richardson onto the Make: Online team. He'll be doing project videos for us and authoring on the site. Welcome, Matt! You can see the first project video he did for us here. In it, he shows you how to get electronic alerts for your physical mail. Sweet! Matt came to us through our open call for video makers (which is still open)! Snail Mail Push Alerts

Zero-gravity space kittehs: then and now Posted: 19 Jan 2011 06:37 PM PST Xeni wisely didn't bring a cat into zero gravity during her trip. Other videos indicate cats don't appreciate it. Apparently, feline veterans of the early days of subjecting cats to zero gravity had it easier than zero-gravity NASAcat in the 80's, who gets tossed and spun like, well... like a cat in a vomit comet. NASA video link. Excerpt link. Full Air Force video link. (airboyd.tv) UPDATE: I forgot the NOW kitteh! (Video link).

Shooting a super-soaker at -45F Posted: 19 Jan 2011 04:28 PM PST Being in cold climates has its charms, as evidenced in this video of a Super-Soaker shot in temperatures no humans should have to endure. Combine this with a FireHero, and you would have a formidable winter weapon. Video link.

On-duty cop rapes woman, pleads sentence down to one year Posted: 19 Jan 2011 04:23 PM PST I usually don't post these because of their regularity, but this one really stands out. San Antonio police officer Craig Nash raped a woman while on duty. He faced a life sentence for the felony charges, but he was able to plead that down to a misdemeanor and will serve just one year. Why? I'm sure it's not because the woman he raped was a transgender sex worker. Reminds me of the Memphis cop who pleaded down to two years after beating the crap out of Duanna Johnson using his handcuffs as brass knuckles. Texas is the worst place in America to be transgender, as evidenced by two widows whose marriages were legally challenged after their husbands' deaths. Christie Lee Littleton's marriage was declared illegal after she brought a suit against her dead husband's doctor. That set the legal precedent for the whole state, which means Nikki Araguz faces an uphill battle after her firefighter husband died on duty last year. Her in-laws are challenging the death benefits she's entitled to receive. Official oppression earns ex-cop a year behind bars

Inventor of the cowboy shirt Posted: 19 Jan 2011 03:05 PM PST I came across this 2008 article about Jack Weil, the inventor of the cowboy shirt. Mr. Weil ran Rockmount Ranch Wear, a manufacturer of western shirts, Stetson hats, and bolo ties. He continued to work at the company until he died at the age of 107, likely making him the world's oldest chief executive officer. This entertaining profile was written by Adam Harrison Levy for the New Design Observer. A few years ago, I found myself lost inside a shopping mall with the man who, in 1946, invented the snap-buttoned cowboy shirt. Jack A. Weil, better known as Jack A, was one hundred and one years old and he was not happy. He was, in fact, highly annoyed. We had wandered into the shirt section of Foley's Department store in Denver. He was holding up a red-and-blue-striped Tommy Hilfiger. He couldn't get over the fact that clothes were made anywhere else but in the good 'ol USA. "Call me an isolationist, call me small-minded but why do people buy shirts made in..." -- Jack A looked at the label -- "Sri Lanka!" Jack A, along with his son, Jack B, who was then in his seventies, ran Rockmount Ranch Wear, a manufacturer of classic western shirts, Stetsons and bolo ties. (Rockmont shirts have been worn by Clark Gable in The Misfits, by Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain and by countless other cowboys, both real and imagined in between.) The three of us were trying to find a place to eat. But because Jack B refused to park in the parking garage and spend an extra five dollars, Jack A couldn't find his way to his usual lunch spot, Spinnakers Restaurant. Jack A liked routine. He still opened the Rockmount shop every morning at 8:00am just as he did back in the 1940s, when he was an eager ex-hat salesman newly arrived in Colorado from Indiana. Realizing just how lost we were, Jack A took command of the situation. He returned the Hilfiger to its place on the rack. "Its Spinnakers or bust," he said firmly. "I'm not eating anywhere else." He adjusted his Stetson and set off across the crowded shop floor. Jack B and I followed along like ducklings. Jack A had a walnut face: wizened and tough, with deep folds of skin around his mouth. Even at his age he was agile and directed. Inventor of the cowboy shirt RIP Papa Jack Weil, 1901-2008

John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe: Exclusive on-set snapshots from The Raven Posted: 19 Jan 2011 03:09 PM PST As noted earlier here on Boing Boing, guestblogger and pal John Cusack is starring as Edgar Allan Poe in the James McTeigue-directed film The Raven, due out in Fall, 2011. Here's a photo gallery of on-set snapshots just shared with us by Cusack, who looks impossibly bad-ass as Poe in these shots. I am so psyched to see this film. Happy birthday, Edgar Allan Poe.

Pawz Dog Boots Posted: 19 Jan 2011 03:04 PM PST I have 6-year-old basset hound who loves to be outside. Unfortunately, in a Minnesota winter, his paws can't take the freezing temps very long. This means no walks in the winter, and on extremely cold days he can barely manage to go to the bathroom before his paws freeze. My wife and I have tried a couple different types of dog boots from REI, and Amazon.com without any luck. These boots were made with fleece insulation inside of thick canvas fabric with rubber soles. My dog absolutely refused to move one step with them on. We had given up hope on dog boots until I saw Pawz brand dog boots at a local pet store. Pawz dog boots are essentially large rubber balloons. There isn't any padding or fabric insulation, just bare rubber. We tried them out and after a very short period of awkward walking our dog forgot he was wearing them. The difference between these boots and other boots is that the dogs can still feel the ground underneath their paws. We were worried that with the lack of insulation, they wouldn't allow him to be outside much longer than without the rubber boots. It is obvious that the insulation of the more expensive boots isn't really an issue. Our dog managed to stay outside with these boots on for hours on a recent trip to U.P. Michigan, with temps well below zero. Unlike other boots that tend to fall off rather easily when the dog runs in the snow, we have yet to have one of these boots fall off. It also helps keep the very sharp salt on the sidewalks from cutting his paws or drying the pads out on walks in the city. Pawz dog boots are 100% biodegradable, and come in packs of 12. Even though they are considered disposable, we have yet to wear out our first set of four. They are extremely cheap considering the alternative, and are very easy to use --Tyler Coper Pawz Dog Boots $4 Comment on this at Cool Tools. Or, submit a tool!

Billy Pollard plays "Jesus Loves Me" on the saw Posted: 19 Jan 2011 02:15 PM PST [Video Link] "Kids, get real close to the computer now so you can watch me play." (via)

John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe, coming fall 2011 Posted: 19 Jan 2011 03:12 PM PST [ UPDATE: Exclusive snapshots from on-set here! ] Edgar Allen Poe's birthday seems like a good day to point out that Boing Boing pal John Cusack will star in the movie The Raven, due out this fall and directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta). More snapshots, and more guest posts from Cusack, are on the way when our blog-pal returns from Argentina. Above, a photo he snapped on the set (I believe in Serbia.) Below, Cusack in full-on Poe (via HuffPo). Amazing, right? Man, I can't wait to see this.

Tricks of hotel marketing photos Posted: 19 Jan 2011 02:32 PM PST The Oyster travel review site has a fun section of "Oyster Photo Fakeouts," in which you can compare hotel marketing photos (above left) with real snapshots (above right). Cropping, careful choice in angles, styling and perhaps even shoop result in large pools, serene settings, close landmarks, and mouthwatering buffets that just don't jibe with reality. Photo Fakeouts (Oyster.com) "'The sexy lady' and other hotel photo tricks" (CNN)

Man posted nude photos from women's hacked email Posted: 19 Jan 2011 12:57 PM PST George Bronk, 23, pled guilty for hacking his way into thousands of women's email accounts, grabbing any nude photos he found, and posting them to their Facebook profile pages. "In one case he persuaded a victim to send him even more explicit photographs by threatening to post the ones he'd stolen if she didn't," according to IDG. He's facing up to six years in prison for felony hacking, child pornography and identity theft. "Man Stole Nude Photos From Women's E-mail Accounts" (Thanks, Jason Weisberger!)

Bloggers thrash Apple analysts at predicting stuff Posted: 19 Jan 2011 01:05 PM PST Quoting analysts is a common way to make tech news look less driven by opinion or corporate PR: the analyst gets identified as an expert and the reporter gets a second source. But the deal is a rotten one, because analysts often seem no more aware of industry goings-on than the reporters who quote them. Now, if that were true, you'd expect some objective survey of professional analysts' predictions to come out no better than that of bloggers. Perhaps a couple of brilliant ones would kick ass and justify the herd's status as dispensers of wisdom for media and investors. Turns out that the pros are, according to Fortune, almost all worse than amateurs. The difference is so stark it can hardly be accounted for by chance: either Fortune's methodology was contrived to make them look bad, or professional analysts have a systematic bias toward saying things that turn out to be inaccurate. [Fortune via Daring Fireball]

Poe grave visitor a no-show again Posted: 20 Jan 2011 01:50 AM PST For 60 years, a mysterious man (or perhaps his sons) visited Edgar Allan Poe's grave on the writer's January 19 birthday and left him a bouquet of roses and a bottle of cognac. Last year, he didn't show up. And although several impostors visited last night, none gave the secret signal known only to Poe House and Museum curator Jeff Jerome. From The Globe and Mail: In 1993, the visitor began leaving notes, starting with one that read: "The torch will be passed." A note in 1998 indicated the originator of the tradition had died and passed it on to his two sons. The sons didn't seem to take the duty as seriously as the father. One left a note in 2001 referencing the Super Bowl and another in 2004 implying criticism of France over its objections to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, upsetting many of the traditionalists. When the Poe toaster didn't show last year, Mr. Jerome theorized that the 200th anniversary of Poe's birth in 2009 might have been considered the appropriate stopping point. Or, it was thought at the time, perhaps the toaster just had a flat tire on the way to the cemetery. But that's the sort of happenstance unlikely to happen two years in a row. Mr. Jerome says he'll return one more year. If the visitor fails to show in 2012, he'll considered the tradition over and done. "It's sort of like a marriage that ends," Mr. Jerome said. "Part of you still wants the warmth that was part of it, and you go looking for the same woman. No, it's over with. And if it's over with, it's over with. If people want to continue the tradition, it's going to be without me." "Mysterious Poe grave visitor a no-show, sparking fears that 60-year tradition is over"

HTML 5 logo Posted: 19 Jan 2011 11:49 AM PST Does HTML5 refer to the fifth version of hypertext markup language and the closely associated technologies described in its specification? Hell no! It's a new Web 2.0-style marketing term and refers to all that is awesome. There's even a logo, which goes nicely with techno remixes of the Soviet national anthem. Some are not happy at the branding land grab. [Adactio]

Girl gives birth to a frog! Posted: 19 Jan 2011 11:04 AM PST "Doctors blame LSD." (via Dangerous Minds)

Phone manual includes instructions for faking a call Posted: 19 Jan 2011 10:59 AM PST Reddit user Pineapplecharm found these candid instructions for simulating a fake, meeting-escaping call in the docs for an unspecified Samsung phone. Found this in the manual for my colleague's new Samsung phone

Videogames with paramecia players Posted: 19 Jan 2011 10:57 AM PST Stanford University bioengineer Ingmar Riedel-Kruse and colleagues are developing "biotic games" where players control paramecia and other living microorganisms traveling across virtual playing fields. The researchers report on their progress in the scientific journal Lab On A Chip. From the abstract (L.A. Cicero photo): Here we propose the concept of 'biotic games', i.e., games that operate on biological processes. Utilizing a variety of biological processes we designed and tested a collection of games: 'Enlightenment', 'Ciliaball', 'PAC-mecium', 'Microbash', 'Biotic Pinball', 'POND PONG', 'PolymerRace', and 'The Prisoner's Smellemma'. We found that biotic games exhibit unique features compared to existing game modalities, such as utilizing biological noise, providing a real-life experience rather than virtual reality, and integrating the chemical senses into play. Analogous to video games, biotic games could have significant conceptual and cost-reducing effects on biotechnology and eventually healthcare; enable volunteers to participate in crowd-sourcing to support medical research; and educate society at large to support personal medical decisions and the public discourse on bio-related issues. "Design, engineering and utility of biotic games" (Lab On A Chip) "Paramecia PacMan" (Stanford Univ. School of Medicine) "Stanford researcher uses living cells to create 'biotic' video games" (Stanford News)

Doctor Who construction toy figures Posted: 19 Jan 2011 10:59 AM PST New Playmobil-esque Doctor Who toys will hit stores in a few months from toy company Character Options. From the BB Press Office: This new brick based collection includes 3D micro-figures that are brought to life with sculpted facial features making the Doctor played by Matt Smith and Amy Pond played by Karen Gillan instantly recognisable. Matt Smith and Karen Gillan have already had first sight of their new miniature alter egos. Matt Smith said: "It was very surreal and funny coming face to face with a miniature version of myself as the Doctor but I'm glad that the Doctor's trusty Sonic Screwdriver is in his hand, ready to fend off attacks from monsters!" "Doctor Who builds on licensee portfolio"

Cheeming Boey's styrofoam cup illustrations Posted: 19 Jan 2011 10:35 AM PST Cheeming Boey uses styrofoam cups as his canvas for Sharpie illustrations. He sells his work on Etsy. From an interview with Boey at Don't Panic:   You draw on styrofoam cups. But we throw those away! That's crazy! Why do something so crazy? I didn't think it was crazy. People draw on napkins, receipts, wood. I was outside a coffee shop and had the urge to sketch while  people watched. I found a foam cup on top of a trash can, and it was all I had, so that was what I worked with. It turned out nice, and I kept it. Then I made it a point to collect more, so I drew on more cups. One day a co worker asked what I was going to do with all the cups I had around my workspace, and I said," they're nice, maybe I can sell them one day." To which he said, "no one is going to buy that crap." And here I am... When did you decide to start selling the cups in display cases, and do you think the cases change how people see your work? I think the cases made them feel more important, and complete. I am fine with the cups sitting out on their own on my shelf, but not everyone can look past the fact that they're 'disposable'. The cases for some reason helps with that. Now its more of an 'art' piece. It's all psychological. To me, just because something is labelled disposable, doesn't mean it has to be. It is what you make of it. "Permanently Disposable"

Century-old French home/cabinet of curiosity opens as museum Posted: 19 Jan 2011 10:23 AM PST Before Louis Mantin died in 1905, he willed his home/wunderkammer to the French town of Moulins with instructions that it must be opened 100 years later as a museum. After a $4.7 million restoration, the mansion is now open to the public. The BBC has a video tour and article about Le Maison Mantin: The (home) is a remarkable time-capsule, combining rich fin-de-siecle furnishings, archaeological curios, skulls and other Masonic paraphernalia, a collection of stuffed birds, as well as the latest domestic gadgets such as electricity and a flushing loo. "In the will, he says that he wants the people of Moulins in 100 years time to be able to see what was the life of a cultured gentleman of his day," said assistant curator Maud Leyoudec. "A bachelor with no children, he was obsessed with death and the passage of time. It was his way of becoming eternal." "The French house untouched for 100 years" (via Morbid Anatomy) La Maison Mantin - Site du Conseil général de l'Allier

Cars sliding down icy road in Pittsburgh Posted: 19 Jan 2011 10:22 AM PST [Video Link] "It's a lot of cars hitting each other," observes an astute man offscreen. (Thanks, Felipe Li)

Farting gentleman stabs partygoers, kills one Posted: 19 Jan 2011 10:36 AM PST At a party this weekend in Bristol, Connecticut, a 21-year-old gentleman stabbed four people, killing one. Why? Apparently they were making fun of his farting. From CBS Local: The Hartford Courant, quoting (court) documents, reported that Higgins told police he was angry at being derided and wanted to teach people that they shouldn't trifle with him. Higgins appeared in court Tuesday charged with murder, assault and carrying a dangerous weapon, and was ordered held in lieu of $2 million bond. "Cops: Flatulence Behind Fatal Stabbing In Bristol"

Reviewing the winners of the Design Julian Assange's Next Hairstyle competition. Posted: 19 Jan 2011 09:53 AM PST 99designs held a competition to design Julian Assange's next hairstyle. One's first reaction is a kind of exhausted disinterest. But the results' technical and artistic quality are quite astounding. The winner, by Dezinerly, reflects both the creator's ability and the baroque sensibilities of the shoop community at large. For starters, there is the intrinsic Joseph Ducreux-esque humor. But in Dezinerly's victory lies a subtle convergence of Mr. Assange's perceived self-opinion and the Washingtonian aspect that so perfectly expresses it. In this lies the moiety of the world, the greater crack in which Wikileaks' promise lurks. The runner-up is, in contrast, a crude "put his face on a woman" job, and it hardly even seems the best in that genre (see sixth-placed Britany's entry). The joke is instead in the contexual humor: creator Timbolino's other executions are technically superior, but lack the joie de vivre and absurdity of his winning entry. We are all complicated, are we not? Widow1's third placed result is quite remarkable in that it is precisely the haircut that Mr. Assange should adopt. A choppy and well-manicured version of his standard offering, the combination of extra length and fashionable dishevelment screams "rock star" and even "Cloud Strife" in a way that carries an automatic payload of snark. And yet there is a certain ineluctable power in the hairstyle: were it to occur and remain in place, it would both soften Mr. Assange's alienating appearance and sex up his dossier. Lest we forget, this is how they sold David Bowie to Reagan's America. With fourth-placed Sedrik's entry, we embark on a journey to a place where postmodern significance dances like a hampster atop fractal layers of culture, apathy and short-circuited Generation Y ingenuity. The technique is masterful and the humor so demented that it alights on levels anyone can enjoy. But the most resounding thought, the true immanentization of its ironies, is found in knowing that someone, someone is fapping to this picture right now. Results [99Designs via Janusnode at the submitterator]

Blacklights help spot preserved dinosaur feathers Posted: 19 Jan 2011 09:39 AM PST Helmut Tischlinger is the man shaping what your children will think dinosaurs looked like. Most of you probably know that the illustrations of dinosaurs we grew up with were created through a process that includes as much speculation as science. Fossils, obviously, couldn't tell us what color T. Rex was, or whether the skin of a velociraptor felt like a lizard's—as is popularly portrayed. Tischlinger is at the forefront of efforts to improve our understanding of what dinosaurs looked like on the outside—and inside—using UV light to pick out the ephemeral remains of soft tissues. His photos—created using hand-made lens filters—are regarded as some of the best work out there. This technique is a big part of why scientists now draw creatures like the microraptor with feathers, instead of leathery skin or scales. That's one of Tischlinger's photos of a microraptor fossil at the top of this page. The gray arrows point to feathers that show up under a blacklight. The Discovery Channel has a new, short video that really shows off the massive difference between what the human eye can see by looking at fossil under natural light, compared to what is visible when you turn on the UV. It's a little mind-blowing. There's lots being written about this technique, and Helmut Tischlinger, especially early in 2010, when he published a paper on that microraptor. A couple of things you might want to check out: • Helmut Tischlinger: The King of UV—on the blog Archosaur Musings, written by palaeontologist Dave Hone. • The 2010 peer-reviewed article in PLoS One, written by Hone and Tischlinger, that details the microraptor fossil. The photo came from this paper. You can read the whole thing for free. • Smithsonian story about that peer-reviewed paper, and why it's important. • A 2009 peer-reviewed paper (also free to read) on the UV analysis of soft tissue in a pterosaur species • Hell Bent for Feathers—Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs post that includes several more great links.

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