The Latest from Boing Boing

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• HOWTO make a shooter's sandwich
• RIP, Mike Glicksohn, Hugo-winning science fiction fan
• Strangely hypnotic mashups of ambient and live police radio
• XKCD's radiation dose chart
• RDTN.org: crowdsourcing and mapping radiation levels
• Supermoon
• If Meat Loaf had a son who did Rebecca Black covers...
• Ten Sexy Ladies
• Libya: Mohammed "Mo" Al Nabbous, founder of Benghazi webcast "Libya Alhurra TV," killed in firefight
• Japan nuclear crisis: water vs. meltdown (photo)
• Japan finds radiation contamination of milk, spinach; water in Fukushima contaminated, Tokyo water shows trace
• WSJ: TEPCO initially resisted using seawater to cool reactors; harm to "valuable power assets" feared (UPDATED)
• The Silver Lake Badminton And Adventurers Club

HOWTO make a shooter's sandwich Posted: 20 Mar 2011 12:27 AM PDT From the Guardian, directions for making a shooter's sandwich -- a sandwich made by hollowing out a round loaf, filling it with two steaks and some cooked mushrooms, wrapping and tying it, and then compressing and slicing it. Yum! Don't bother resting the steaks. Work fast and tuck the first one, dripping and hot, straight into the bottom of the hollow loaf...Dollop in your hot mushroom mixture...Tuck your second steak over the mushrooms. At this stage I usually smear hot horseradish on the top steak and Dijon mustard on the inside of the lid... Wrap in greaseproof paper and tie with butcher's string like this. Then wrap in two layers of foil and smush flat under a heavy cutting board and as many weights as you can find Leave under the weights in a reasonably cool place (don't refrigerate) for at least six hours or preferably overnight. Remove the foil and cut through string, paper and sandwich How to make a shooter's sandwich (via Reddit) (Image: Tim Hayward/Guardian)

RIP, Mike Glicksohn, Hugo-winning science fiction fan Posted: 20 Mar 2011 12:08 AM PDT Mike Glicksohn, a lifelong prominent science fiction fan, has died from cancer. He was 64, and is survived by his wife, Susan Manchester. I can't count the number of times I've run into Mike at a con and had a conversation that was surprising, interesting, and delightful. He will be sorely missed. Back home in Toronto Mike made his living as a high school mathematics teacher. He and Susan Wood had married in 1970 after meeting at Boskone the year before. Together they published the leading fannish fanzine, Energumen, for several years, turning out 15 impeccably mimeographed issues filled with brilliant art and contributions from the most sought-after fanwriters. Their zine won a Hugo at Torcon II in 1973. However, by that time their marriage had broken up although they remained on terms that allowed them to accept Aussiecon's invitation to be joint Fan Guests of Honor at the 1975 Worldcon. The Hat Goes Home is Mike's report of that trip... If Mike had a fannish philosophy, I'd say it was something he'd inject into the dialogue when, now and then, things got a little heated: Unless you were having fun, there wasn't any point in staying in fandom. He was always ready to enjoy the good times and help create them. He'd play along with the joke - like when he let Elst Weinstein and I make him co-GoH of the 1978 Hogu Ranquet. He even refused to let us pay for his hamburger. Mike's memorial service is being held in Toronto this coming Wednesday. Mike Glicksohn (1946-2011) (Thanks, Jack, via Submitterator)

Strangely hypnotic mashups of ambient and live police radio Posted: 19 Mar 2011 09:29 PM PDT BB Submitterator idontlikewords mentioned the youarelistening.to websites last week, a soothing mix of police radio chatter and ambient music. Choose from Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, or my personal recommendation, Montréal. French police chat really blends into the music nicely. You may need to adjust the balance of each stream a bit to find the right mix. youarelistening.to Image: Mount Royal Montreal Lookout by Diliff via Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

XKCD's radiation dose chart Posted: 19 Mar 2011 06:43 PM PDT [click chart to embiggen] There has been much talk of radiation exposure levels in the news, and here on Boing Boing, this past week. But it can be hard to wrap your head around what those measurements mean, and how they compare to things you may have already experienced in life. Well, it was, until XKCD created this exceptionally helpful chart showing exactly how much radiation exposure you might encounter by doing something like flying from LA to NYC, getting a chest x-ray, hanging out at Chernobyl, living near the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, or sleeping next to another human being. This rules. Radiation dose and risk table Japan nuclear crisis: "Should I take potassium iodide pills?" Japan nuclear crisis: A real-world example of radiation risks Nuclear energy 101: Inside the "black box" of power plants

RDTN.org: crowdsourcing and mapping radiation levels Posted: 19 Mar 2011 06:09 PM PDT One issue that has emerged during the nuclear crisis in Japan is that there isn't always a reliable source for radiation levels from specific areas. RDTN.org has just launched, an experiment to help address that need. The site allows people to submit their own reads, and maps them out next to data from official sources and measurement dates. This way, anyone can quickly get an idea of what is happening on the ground, first-hand. The site is brand new but should be very useful going forward. Also worth noting and specific to what is going on in Japan right now, JapanStatus.org is "a dashboard of accurate, sourced information on the situation in Japan following the March 2011 disaster." As Japan nuclear fears spread, so does crowdsourced radiation tracking

Supermoon Posted: 19 Mar 2011 06:17 PM PDT Just snapped it out back. If you can see eastward tonight, go look!

If Meat Loaf had a son who did Rebecca Black covers... Posted: 19 Mar 2011 05:28 PM PDT ...It would be a lot like the Matt Mulholland version of the execrable "Friday." Whenever that song goes back in my head, Matt's version pulls me back from the brink of insanity. Thank you Matt, for proving turd-polishing is not a lost art. Video link. (PS: Sorry for breaking the BB press blackout on she who must not be named.)

Ten Sexy Ladies Posted: 19 Mar 2011 10:53 AM PDT You might know Joshua Allen from the Twitter, where he posts hilariously (and not often enough) under the handle Fireland. Allen is one of the three or four people who make it seem possible that Twitter can spawn something like art. (Others? Tim Siedell, Adam Lisagor and Christian A. Dumais, the guy behind Drunk Hulk. That's my list. I'm sure you have yours.) Now, just to rub it in, he has a new project: Ten Sexy Ladies, in which he rates "everything ever, on a scale from one to ten sexy ladies." And when Allen says "everything ever," you better believe that's exactly what he means. Here he is on "This Thing of ChapStick": Come closer, mon petit chou. I have generously applied deodorant that smells like a lumberjack fresh out of a clear mountain stream. I have swished mouthwash until it burned my gums like a sexual fire. I didn't floss because come on, really? But I did shave. Everywhere. And I got in there real good with a Q-tip. I am ready to receive your makeouts. (Rating: Two sexy ladies.) Allen, who in real life is a writer living in Denver, is so prolifically funny that he makes me feel a little ashamed. The only comfort I can take is that sometimes his ratings are, like, way off. I mean, a mere "One sexy ladies" for pennies, which are so fantastically useful as to stagger the mind, as Allen himself admits? Got chewed out by the boss? On your way out throw some pennies in the recycling bin. He'll be impressed with your lackadaisical approach to finance. This kid knows something I don't, he'll think later that night as he pays a woman to take a straight razor to his neck hair, slowly, so slowly, the only time he ever really feels anything. Yeah. That's a Six Sexy Ladies right there. Four, minimum. Certainly no fewer than three.

Libya: Mohammed "Mo" Al Nabbous, founder of Benghazi webcast "Libya Alhurra TV," killed in firefight Posted: 19 Mar 2011 09:00 AM PDT Watch live streaming video from libya17feb at livestream.com Via LibyaFeb17.com and via the Twitter updates from NPR's Andy Carvin, terrible news that the brave citizen journalist Mohammed Al-Nabbous, known to fans as "Mo," was killed last night. From currently available information, it appears Mo was killed in a firefight, while recording. Mo created and operated the widely-viewed live video channel Al Hurra TV on Livestream, broadcasting raw footage and commentary from Benghazi, Libya. Andy Carvin writes: Mohammad Nabbous was my primary contact in Libya, and the face of Libyan citizen journalism. And now he's dead, killed in a firefight. A few hours ago he went out to record some more audio and was caught in a firefight. [Link]. Audio stops 6:30 into it. For several hours we heard rumors that he had been shot but we didn't want to say anything until we knew for sure. And now I can't stop thinking, what if those French planes began to arrive 12 hours ago. Would Mo be alive now? I just don't know. Nabbous' wife, speaking on his Livestream channel earlier: I need everyone to do as much as they can for this cause. They are still shooting. More people will die. Don't let Mo's life go in vain. Here was one of Mo's early reports. Here was his last. Those last two links via Bilal at Al Jazeera, who writes: "Remember Mohammed Nabbous, known to all as Mo. His mission: to get the news about what's happening in #Libya out to the world." Bilal created a tribute to Mo here.

Japan nuclear crisis: water vs. meltdown (photo) Posted: 19 Mar 2011 07:20 AM PDT A fire truck sprays water at No. 3 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Tomioka, Fukushima prefecture in this still image taken from a video by the Self Defense Force Nuclear Biological Chemical Weapon Defense Unit on March 18, 2011. Engineers have successfully attached a power cable to the outside of the damaged nuclear plant in a first step to help cool reactors and stop the spread of radiation after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated northeast Japan. (REUTERS/Japan Self Defense Force Nuclear Biological Chemical Weapon Defense Unit)

Japan finds radiation contamination of milk, spinach; water in Fukushima contaminated, Tokyo water shows trace Posted: 19 Mar 2011 08:39 AM PDT PHOTO: An employee of Yamagata city office holds a Geiger counter to detect radiation when evacuees from the vicinity of Fukushima nuclear plant wish to be screened upon their arrival at an evacuation center set in a gymnasium in Yamagata, northern Japan March 19, 2011, eight days after Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao. Steve Herman at Voice of America reports that Japan's chief government spokesman said today "elevated levels of radiation have been found in milk and spinach near the crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima prefecture." While the levels are higher than government safety standards, the tested food does not immediately pose a health risk, according to officials. But this is the first time radiation has been detected in food since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami triggered the nuclear crisis. More at VOA, here. In that same press conference, government spokesperson Yukio Edano said conditions at the plant's No. 3 reactor unit, which were of greatest concern, have probably become more stable after "firefighters threw some 60 tons of water at a boiling spent fuel pool there shortly after midnight from outside the damaged building housing it." Separately, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said surface temperatures at the No. 1 to No. 4 reactors were found in the morning to be "100º C or lower by a Self-Defense Force helicopter," and that their state is more stable than expected. More at Kyodo News. Related, NHK reports: Gakushuin University Professor Yasuyuki Muramatsu says it was predicted that high levels of iodine and other radioactive substances would be detected in spinach and other leafy vegetables, as well as grass. He says washing vegetables thoroughly will help to remove the radioactivity to some extent. Muramatsu says consumers should not eat the spinach as the detected levels of radiation are well above the legal limit. Japanese officials today say radioactive iodine above the government-recommended threshold have been measured in the drinking water in Fukushima prefecture, where the plant is located. And on the official Twitter stream of the Prime Minister's office today, advice on how to avoid radioactive rain. Yes, that is what I just typed. It's possible that rain can contain a small amount of radioactive substances when it rains in Tohoku and Kanto regions. Even if you are exposed to rain, it doesn't impose any threat on health. If you are concerned, follow these instructions. 1) Try not to go out unless it is an emergency. 2) Make sure of covering up hair and skin as much as possible 3) In case your clothes or skin is exposed to rain, wash it carefully with running water. Small traces of new radioactivity have also been measured in tapwater in Tokyo and surrounding areas, but consensus at this time is that the levels do not pose an immediate public health threat. While the substance was found in Tochigi, Gunma, Niigata, Chiba and Saitama prefectures as well as Tokyo, traces of cesium have also been found in tap water in two of them -- Tochigi and Gunma, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said, adding their levels do not affect human health even if they are taken in. Among them, Tochigi, Gunma and Niigata border Fukushima Prefecture. In Maebashi, Gunma, 2.5 becquerels of iodine and 0.38 becquerel of cesium were detected Friday per kilogram of water, the prefectural government said, adding it is the first time the substances were found since it began testing tap water for radioactive materials in 1990. More at Kyodo News. Update: A New York Times piece on the news of contaminated produce and dairy products in Japan is now live.

WSJ: TEPCO initially resisted using seawater to cool reactors; harm to "valuable power assets" feared (UPDATED) Posted: 19 Mar 2011 07:36 AM PDT [ UPDATE: Joi Ito has been blogging about lies, corruption, and safety breaches with TEPCO for nearly ten years. Links to a couple of his 2002-2003 TEPCO posts at the bottom of this Boing Boing item.--XJ ] In the Wall Street Journal, news that critical early efforts to stave off crisis at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant were delayed by the operator's concerns over damaging "valuable assets," and by "initial passivity" on the part of Japan's government. Snip from WSJ: Tepco was reluctant to use seawater because it worried about hurting its long-term investment in the complex, say people involved with the efforts. Seawater, which can render a nuclear reactor permanently inoperable, now is at the center of efforts to keep the plant under control. Tepco "hesitated because it tried to protect its assets," said Akira Omoto, a former Tepco executive and a member of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission, an official advisory body involved in the effort to tame the plant. Both Tepco and government officials had good reason not to use saltwater, Mr. Omoto added. Early on, nuclear fuel rods were still under cooling water and undamaged, he said, adding, "it's understandable because injecting seawater into the fuel vessel renders it unusable." "Bid to 'Protect Assets' Slowed Reactor Fight" (WSJ) As an aside, this PDF "TEPCO 2020 Corporate Vision Statement" is a little surreal in hindsight, and references an earlier quake-triggered crisis: [W]e confronted a crisis situation never before encountered in the history of our company. The devastating Niigata-Chuetsu-Oki Earthquake of July 16, 2007 caused all units at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station to be shut down, and left us with a mountain of challenges in maintaining stable supply of electricity, making ends meets, and addressing environmental impacts. We devoted our efforts to overcoming the crisis and creating a tougher business foundation by taking measures so that our nuclear power plants can withstand disasters, strengthening our relationship with local communities and residents to retain their confidence, and enforcing strict policies for business improvement. The TEPCO Group will pursue a new vision befitting the coming times, to ultimately create an affluent and comfortable future. Yeah, well, guess that didn't work out so great. Here's their corporate ethics and compliance statement, too. Boing Boing readers may or may not be aware that TEPCO was tapped by the US government to build a power plant in South Texas; that project is touted in the brochure. UPDATE: Blogger and tech entrepreneur Joi Ito posted about TEPCO's dirty dealings as far back as nearly 10 years ago. Start with these two posts, to get a sense of their long track record at being mendacious, profit-seeking, safety-compromising bastards. • "TEPCO lied over cracks at nuke plants (2002)" • "Contacted by whistleblower on TEPCO nuclear reactor cover-up (2003)."

The Silver Lake Badminton And Adventurers Club Posted: 19 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PDT Click to play [Video Link] - I've just stumbled across the pilot episode of The Silver Lake Badminton And Adventurers Club. I found it very amusing, and not just because I live in Silver Lake (a neighborhood in Los Angeles). From their brief history: Founded in San Francisco in 1947 by Remi Boncœur, Sal Paradise, and Dean Moriarty, the organization that would become the Silver Lake Badminton and Adventurers Club was originally intended to foster team building and leadership skills amongst intrepid young adventurers through the ancient sport of Badminton. Headquartered in the Mission, the club boasted amongst its members, Brick Bradford, known for his long toss, shorthand, and jetpack. From the Deep South came the tag team of brute strength and graceful agility, Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski. Finally, there was legendary Tom Joad, who it was reputed, could handle a shuttlecock with more finesse than any player in the greater United States. Badminton appealed to the sporting mentalities of these founding members, but the exclusivity of shuttlecocks did not quench their thirst for the true bones of America. The answer came in the form of a murder, a murder that the adventurers followed down the coast. The club is on twitter as well, where hopefully they'll announce more episodes soon! [Thanks Tara]

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