Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Latest from Boing Boing

The Latest from Boing Boing

Link to Boing Boing

Weimar Rail-Zeppelin: streamlined white-elephant

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 12:33 AM PDT


A Wired/Jalopnik post details the sad history of the Schienenzeppelin, a Weimar-era German "rail zeppelin" that used a giant prop to pull itself down the railroad tracks:
Conceived and built in 1930 by the German rail company Deutsche Reichsbahn, the Schienenzeppelin was a design alternative to the streamlined steam locomotives of its day. It was a slick and relatively lightweight at 20 tons, running on but two axles and powered by a 46-liter BMW V-12.

The same engine was later used to power the light bombers of the Luftwaffe. The engine sent 600 horsepower to a massive ash propeller, tilted seven degrees to produce downforce. It was one of those designs that would shock and delight even in these times, when aluminum is used not for Bauhaus trains but for high-revving V-8s and computers from the near future.

Originally good for 120 mph -- on par with the fastest streamlined steam locomotives -- the Schienenzeppelin topped out at a magnificent 140 mph in the summer of 1931. It was a record that stood for 23 years and was never surpassed by a gasoline-powered locomotive.

Prop-Driven 'Rail Zeppelin' Is Many Kinds of Awesome
 


Chinese censorware nukes any voicecall that contains the word "protest"

Posted: 23 Mar 2011 12:29 AM PDT

Censors at the Chinese politburo have ramped up their electronic surveillance and censorship efforts; some piece of spyware is now monitoring all voice communications, and will terminate any phone call in which someone speaks the word "protest" in Mandarin or English (and presumably in other languages):
A Beijing entrepreneur, discussing restaurant choices with his fiancée over their cellphones last week, quoted Queen Gertrude's response to Hamlet: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." The second time he said the word "protest," her phone cut off.

He spoke English, but another caller, repeating the same phrase on Monday in Chinese over a different phone, was also cut off in midsentence.

The Chinese firewalls are also blocking VPN connections, degrading Gmail connections, and randomly blocking access to sites from LinkedIn to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. One analyst quoted in the NYT claims that the politburo is being deliberately ham-fisted in this crackdown in order to convey the message that they are in total control.

China Tightens Censorship of Electronic Communications (via Beyond the Beyond)

(Image: What's That? (65), a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from jurvetson's photostream)

 


Daphne Oram's audiovisual music synthesizer, 1957

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 05:49 PM PDT


Daphne Oram (1925-2003) was the co-founder and first director of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, a sound effects and music studio established in the 1950s that had a vast influence on electronic music and synthesizer technology. At the BBC and after, Oram developed an incredible new kind of sound synthesis technology, called Oramics. The video above offers a glimpse of her Oramics synthesizer, purchased from a collector in 2009 and now under restoration at the Science Museum in London. From DaphneOram.org:

Wp-Content Gallery Oram Atbbc Not only is this one of the earliest forms of electronic sound synthesis, it is noteworthy for being audiovisual in nature - i.e. the composer draws onto a synchronised set of ten 35mm film strips which overlay a series of photo-electric cells, generating electrical charges to control amplitude, timbre, frequency, and duration. This system was a key part of early BBC Radiophonic Workshop practice. However, after Daphne left the BBC (in 1959), her research, including Oramics, continued in relative secrecy.

"Oram was the first (and only?) woman to design and build an entirely new sound recording medium." (Hutton, J. 2003. Daphne Oram: Innovator, Writer and Composer. Organised Sound 8(1): 49-56. Camb: CUP).

"Daphne Oram's Oramics Post BBC Synthesizer" (MATRIXSYNTH via @chris_carter_)

Daphne Oram: An Electronic Music Pioneer

 


Wonder Woman, Amazon Baby Sitter!

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 05:10 PM PDT

Wonder-Woman-with-a-dinosaur.jpg

1957 was the highwater mark for entertainment about superheroes who raised young dinosaurs like their own children.

Read the complete story at Grantbridge Street

Kraken: a new book about squid

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 04:59 PM PDT

Here's an exclusive excerpt from the nature book, Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid, by Wendy Williams.
Kraken.jpg

One of the biggest problems cephalopods face is how to live safely in a 3-D world. When you imagine swimming in the deep ocean, you have to rethink human-oriented concepts of "up" and "down." As rather large surface animals who live on the continental crust, we usually need only be aware of animals living on the same plane that we do: Will we be attacked by a lion? Trampled by an elephant? Usually, "up" and "down" are not words that hold terror for us. We don't fear giant birds swooping down from above to scoop us up and carry us away, and we don't fear giant worms bursting out of the earth's crust to grab us and drag us underground. We only need to be aware of enemies that, like us, are firmly rooted to life atop the soil.

But surviving in the ocean is more complex. An animal living in the sea needs to have the responses and defenses of a fighter pilot. The enemy can come from anywhere, from the left or from the right, but also from above or from below. It's a three-dimensional world down there. Skeleton-free cephalopods are particularly at risk, since predators don't need to worry about the bones. "The creatures are really just rump steaks swimming around," Australian scientist, Mark Norman once explained. They need special protection.

In response, the animals have evolved an impressive tool kit of tricks. Bathyscaphoid squid, named in honor of a self-powered sea exploration vehicle that was developed after the 1930s bathysphere of naturalist William Beebe, is a family of squid that spends its early life, when it is most vulnerable and most likely to turn into someone else's dinner, at the ocean's surface, where there are plenty of small tidbits for a tiny animal to eat. As the Bathyscaphoid squid develop, they descend deeper and deeper into the water. These squids have evolved a body that's translucent and nearly completely invisible. At the top level of the ocean, the water's rich with nutrients. It's easy for them, as predators, to find food. Unfortunately, it also easy in the sunlight to become pretty to other predators. But with a body that's almost transparent, these young squids are ghostlike, nearly invisible. Being nearly invisible when tiny is quite convenient. The young squid at the sea surface can easily sneak up on its even tinier prey without being noticed. A prey animal might perceive what seems to be a twinkle of sunlight at the sea surface, only to find itself enveloped in a mass of squid arms and tentacles.

Locating your enemy in the ocean is a 24/7 task. Color and luminosity are both armor and weaponry. Many animals developed the ability to change shape and color to blend in with their surroundings. Some fish can do this, as can some frogs and, of course, chameleons. But no group of animals is as sophisticated in this strategy as are the cephalopods, nature's best now-you-see-them, now-you-don't masters of quick change. When we watch these animals zip through a myriad of psychedelic displays in only seconds, we stare, transfixed. But the basic organization of this magic show is simpler than you might think: It's done with three layers of three different types of cells near the skin surface -- a layer of chromatophores, a layer of iridophores and a layer of leucophores.

The top layer of cells, the chromatophores, contains the colors yellow, red, black, or brown. The colors present are species-dependent. The color in a chromatophore cell sits near the cell's center in a tight little ball with a highly elastic cover. When the muscles controlling the chromatophore are at rest, this ball of color is covered over and can't be seen. When a chromatophore is showing, what you're seeing is this little ball, stretched out into a disk roughly seven times the diameter of the at-rest ball.

To operate properly, one chromatophore cell has a number of support cells, including muscle cells and nerve cells. The arrangement is cunningly elaborate. Anywhere from four to twenty-four muscle cells might attach to only one chromatophore. When these muscles contract, pulling on the chromatophore cell, the elastic sac is stretched out, revealing the color inside. When the muscles relax, the ball returns to normal size and the color disappears.
There's a simple way to envision this: Imagine a small, circular sheet of red paper. Crumple it into a tiny, tight ball. The color red is now only a pinpoint. Using your hands -- and the hands of up to eleven other people if they're around to simulate the twenty-four muscle cells -- stretch the paper out so that it's flattened to its full size. Then crinkle the paper into a tiny ball again. Do that umpteen times a second, to simulate flashing. On an infinitely smaller scale, that's how a cephalopod operates one individual chromatophore.

This is enormously elaborate engineering, requiring a considerable amount of coordination and support. The muscles surrounding the color-containing cells are controlled by nerves that interact with other nerves. Some scientists think that this complicated system may be one explanation for cephalopod intelligence, since the system requires the interactions of so many neural cells.

Just below the layer of chromatophores is another layer of cells, the iridophores. This layer of cells shows a different array of colors -- metallic blues, greens, or golds. The iridophores do not open and close. Instead, they reflect light. They are sometimes used to camouflage an animal's organs, like eyes, by shimmering and drawing attention away from the organ. Some scientists have studied this strategy as a way to improve camouflage for soldiers on the battlefield.

Underneath this layer is the final layer, a layer of leucophores, flattened cells that passively reflect the color of background light, increasing the animal's camouflage.
When I first watched cephalopods showing off their artistic genius, some of their techniques seemed familiar. I knew I had seen this use of color and light somewhere else. Then I remembered Claude Monet's many paintings of water lilies, of haystacks, and of a cathedral at Rouen. Monet could paint the same scene many times, but each painting is different because the master could so expertly show the differences created by only slight shifts of light.


Cephalopods are the original Impressionists. I often wonder if the French painters didn't quietly study the cephalopods' techniques. Both the Impressionists' and the cephalopods' light shows provide the illusion of great depth by using luminosity -- the reflection of light. Both skillfully use thousands of points of light and color to trick the observer.

But not all cephalopods enjoy equal artistic talent. Cuttlefish, which live nearer the ocean's surface where light still penetrates, are outstanding in their Impressionistic skills. Humboldt squids, on the other hand, are quite limited. With their highly honed predatory abilities and their large size, they don't need to devote so much energy to disguising themselves. Moreover, since so much of their lives is spent in dark ocean depths, all the Humboldt needs is red chromatophores, which allow it to disappear quickly.

Roger Hanlon, a cephalopod researcher at Woods Hole's Marine Biological Laboratory, is studying cephalopod camouflage abilities that may have military applications, along with the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio. Recently, the Department of Defense awarded the MBL scientist $1.2 million for a study of "Proteinaceous Light Diffusers and Dynamic 3-D Skin Texture in Cephalopods." The Ohio lab is studying some of the proteins involved in cephalopod camouflage, to see if some of those proteins might somehow be used to help soldiers become less visible on the battlefield.

Copyright 2011, Wendy Williams. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Abrams Image.

Buy Kraken on Amazon

Are We There Yet?: new art installation at SF Contemporary Jewish Museum

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 03:54 PM PDT


There's an old Jewish joke in which a man asks a rabbi, ""Why do Jews always answer a question with a question?" The rabbi answers: "Do we?" Following that thread, new media artist/UC Berkeley professor Ken Goldberg and designer Gil Gershoni created a new online and physical installation for San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum titled "Are We There Yet? 5000 Years of Answering Questions with Questions." The installation combines computer vision, machine learning, and a high-end surround sound system to provoke visitors with questions drawing from historical Jewish texts, literature, pop culture, and online submissions from the Are We There Yet? site. From the project description:

Images Gallery Albums Exhibition Multiplicity Arewethereyet Lg As they enter, visitors encounter a voice asking a question such as: "Can we talk?" After a pause, other questions emerge: "Do you love me?" or "Is that all there is?" As visitors move farther into the space, the questions become increasingly contemplative. "How big is the step between believing and knowing?" or "If not now, when?" The questions begin to take on new contexts and meanings. Visitors realize that they create their own experiences as they move through space.

The ability of the installation to generate a unique auditory experience for each visitor is an exciting first, using new robotic algorithms and software that allow cameras to instantly adapt and spatialize audio to the movements of each visitor. Goldberg and Gershoni are working with a high-tech team that includes Perrin Meyer of Meyer Sound, the renowned Emeryville-based company that designed the sound for the Beijing Olympics and Cirque du Soleil...

Each visit is a unique mix of playfulness, poetry, and spiritual journey.

Are We There Yet?

Are We There Yet? at the Contemporary Jewish Museum

Are We There Yet? iOS app

Are We There Yet? on Twitter: @doyouloveme

Remembering Mo Nabbous, "The Face Of Libyan Citizen Journalism"

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 03:02 PM PDT

On NPR's All Things Considered, Andy Carvin remembers "Mo" Nabbous, a webcaster based in Libya who was killed this weekend while reporting what Moammar Gadhafi's forces were doing to the people of Libya.

Cool World Control Panel for budding evil geniuses

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 02:25 PM PDT


[Video Link] My favorite broad-spectrum enthusiast Steve Lodefink built a "World Control Panel" with his kid. It looks great!

World Control Panel photos

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 1st edition sells for $29,875

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 02:11 PM PDT

harry-potter.jpgI'm not surprised that Action Comics #7 (1938) sold at Heritage Auctions for $143,400, because it's the second time Superman appeared on a comic book cover. I am surprised that the first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone sold for $29,875, because it came out in 1997. Is it really that rare?

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 1st edition sells for $29,875

SF e-anthology to benefit Christchurch earthquake

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 01:45 PM PDT

Discorobot sez, "Tales for Canterbury - a collection of short fiction published to raise money to help those affected by the recent Canterbury Earthquake - is now available for preorder. Edited by NZ writers Cassie Hart and Anna Caro, the anthology is centred round the themes of survival, hope and future. It includes fiction by overseas and local writers, including Jeff Vandermeer, Tina Makereti, Neil Gaiman, Cat Connor and Sean Williams. Available in both ebook and print versions in April."

Photos of tube TVs being shut off

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 05:15 PM PDT

Files Gimgs 19 2010632A1
Berlin-based photographer Stephan Tillmans photographed a number of CRT televisions right as they are switched off. I remember the faux wood-paneled console TV in our living room growing up that I used to turn on and off repeatedly to see the groovy patterns before the image became a tiny dot that felt like it too ages to vanish completely. These lovely photographs, titled "Luminant Point Arrays," give me that same strange, anticipation-fueled feeling of being caught in an oddly-extended interstitial moment of media immersion. Although I wouldn't have put it quite that way when I was 7. From the artist statement:
Files Gimgs 19 2010661E1 The television picture breaks down and creates a structure of light. The pictures refuse external reference and broach the issue of the difference between abstraction and concretion in photography. The breakdown of the television picture discribes the breakdown of the reference. The product is self-referential photography.
"Luminant Point Arrays" (Thanks, Mathias Crawford!)

Flurb 11 is out, with extra Mex-spec-fic-cool

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 10:38 PM PDT

The new issue of Flurb, Rudy Rucker's magnificent online sf zine, is up. This issue is guest-edited by Eileen Gunn, who has pulled in three excellent Mexican sf writers (their stories are published in both English and Spanish) as well as stories by Leslie What, Chris Nakashima Brown, Charlie Jane Anders, Michael Swanwick and others.
It's been a joy having Eileen Gunn guest-edit this issue of Flurb. Eileen is consistently pleasant and intelligent--with an edge. I'm excited about the wonderful stories she came up with for #11. Heartfelt thanks to our excellent authors.

Looking ahead, Flurb #12 is scheduled for September, 2011. The issue will once again be edited by Rudy Rucker.

If you want to submit a piece for Flurb #12, send it to Rudy as an .rtf or .doc file attached to an email to his address and please send it only during the time period August 1 - 31, 2011. As always, we're looking for literary short stories of length one to six thousand words, although occasionally a longer story can be accepted. We want a strong SF or fantasy element, with realistic characters, and a clear story arc. Quirkiness is often a plus.

A Webzine of Astonishing Tales Issue #11, Spring-Summer, 2011

Why Rasputin isn't in the Haunted Mansion

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 01:29 PM PDT

Walt Disney vetoed the inclusion of a creepy portrait of Rasputin in early designs for the Haunted Mansion, because he worried that Rasputin's descendants might sue.

Mark interviewed on Evernote podcast

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 11:58 AM PDT

Andrew Sinkov at Evernote interviewed me about the ways I use their terrific store-and-retrieve-anything-from-anywhere service.
evernote-logo.jpgIn this episode, we talk about the recent updates to iPhone and Android, and our experiments with video Q&As using Vyou.com. Also, we have a very special interview with Mark Frauenfelder of BoingBoing and Make Magazine.

Podcast #26 topics
The HUGE Evernote for iPhone redesign [blog post]
Evernote for Android update [blog post]
Phil and Andrew try Vyou.com
Interview with Mark Frauenfelder
Speak like Yoda we try
Twitter questions

Mark interviewed on Evernote podcast

Coffee ad: we're as good as Army mess-hall joe!

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 12:31 AM PDT


This 1919 ad for G. Washington's Coffee advertises that it is every bit as good as the stuff they served to "our boys in the trenches." Appeals to patriotism aside, "as good as they drank on the battlefront" sounds pretty dubious to me.

G Washington's Coffee,1919

What is up with Tennessee Ernie Ford's expression on this album cover?

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PDT

tew1.jpg Yesterday, I knew nothing of Tennessee Ernie Ford. But after spotting this old LP in a thrift store, I now know that he is the master of a certain facial expression, hard to describe in words, but encompassing emotions such as "WTF," "Huh?" and "Christ, not this shit again!" Religious awe is a possible explanation, but I soon figured out the true context: Ernie has clearly just seen his reflection in the mirror after trying out a new artificial tanning lotion. It may be said that these explanations are not necessarily incompatible with one another. This complex and multi-layered expression is now rarely seen in the wild, as it is the intellectual property of Dreamworks and may only be used in animated feature films. Ernie has several other noteworthy facial expressions.

ernie2.jpg

ernie3.jpg

ernie4.jpg

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ernie6.jpg

ZENITH: crowdfunded, BitTorrent science fiction thriller

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 11:05 AM PDT

VODO -- a creator friendly, copyfighting distribution startup -- has just released part one of ZENITH, a serialized science fiction thriller.Production is already complete, but each segment of ZENITH is released once fans stump up $10,000 -- getting themselves credits in the process. All funds go towards the production of a mini-feature in the Zenith world, released exclusively through VODO. Flavorwire called the film "A visually stunning art-house Blade Runner." It's distributed for free over BitTorrent (and also sold via video on demand services).

It's been very popular to date: the first episode was downloaded 250,000 times in the first week, during which time, they raised $3,500. Here's the synopsis:

A father and son, separated by decades and a cataclysm that has upturned the world, track a grand and elusive conspiracy in this sci-fi, cyberpunk thriller.

In the hellish future of 2044, human beings have become stupefied by the state of permanent happiness they've been genetically altered to experience. 'Dumb' Jack (Peter Scanavino) offers relief via drugs that bring his customers the welcome phenomenon of pain. But when Jack receives a mysterious videotape of his dead father, he sets out to unmask the dangerous conspiracy that has created this dystopian world.

The quest of Jack and his father to solve the same grand conspiracy leads them to question their own humanity. In the end, they are both confronted with the same Faustian bargain - but each one chooses a very different path. In his search, Jack encounters Lisa, a seductive and melancholy prostitute who has also been able to preserve her extensive understanding of the world past and longs and desires for the same solace as Jack. It is through a strange series of events in his quest that she brings him closer to the truth. In the end, what he discovers may cost him all he has known, all he has loved and all he has worked for until now.

Zenith (Thanks, Jamie!)

HOWTO play the opening chord from 'A Hard Day's Night'

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 10:10 AM PDT

Beatles Bible has an intense discussion of how George Harrison (backed by Paul McCartney and John Lennon) played the iconic opening chord from 'A Hard Day's Knight':
The fingering, as played by Harrison on his 12-string Rickenbacker 360/12 guitar, was as follows:

E ----3----
B ----1----
G ----2----
D ----3----
A ----x----
E ----x----

The 12-string guitar was crucial to the power of the chord, giving it a richness which would otherwise have been absent. The notes were also used for the arpeggio at the end of the song.

As Harrison pointed out, his 12-string wasn't the only instrument to be heard during the chord. John Lennon also performed an Fadd9, although on a Gibson J-160 6-string acoustic guitar. Close listening reveals a cymbal and snare drum buried in the mix, and notes performed on the bass and piano.

Paul McCartney added a D note, played on the 12th fret of the D string on his Hofner violin bass. This note was the equivalent of an open D string on a six-string guitar, which had a crucial effect on the overall sound of the chord. The bass note also resonated in the body of Lennon's acoustic guitar, further changing the sound.

The 'A Hard Day's Night' opening chord (via Making Light)
 


Learn how stir-fry works with this awesome cutaway wok image

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 10:08 AM PDT

wok cutaway_1500 pixels.jpg

As a little kid, I loved picture books where buildings and machines were shown in cutaway and everything, from apples to hats, was labeled—think Richard Scary or, more advanced, The Way Things Work. That's why this photo of a wok, taken from the book Modernist Cuisine, immediately caught my eye. The book teaches cooking technique and science with the help of tons of images, just like this. Most taken by Seattle photographer Ryan Matthew Smith. The best part: According to an interview on Serious Eats, this photo was made by simply cutting a wok in half and cooking stuff in it.

Serious Eats has a link to enlarge the photo, which will allow you to read the text. There's all sorts of cool information in there about how stir-frying works.

An X Prize for healthcare

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 12:20 PM PDT

What if a computer algorithm could predict, based on patient profiles and low-level symptoms, who would need hospital care within the next year? The Heritage Health Prize thinks that just such an algorithm would save both lives and money, and they're starting up a contest aimed at developing it. There's a $3 million prize on the line, as well as $230,000 in progress prizes.

How people really behave during disasters

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 09:41 AM PDT

If you expect a massive earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis to lead to panic in the streets and every-man-for-himself struggles, then you've probably been surprised by the Japanese response to their country's woes. But, before you start waxing philosophical about how different the Japanese are from your home country, consider what's known about how people—people all over the world—actually behave in disasters. Hint: A lot of the stories you've heard about crime and mayhem are either myths, or overblown accounts that don't represent the vast majority. The London Independent's Johann Hari writes for the Huffington Post:

In her gorgeous book A Paradise Built In Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise In Disaster, Rebecca Solnit shows how this is how almost everybody responds to disaster, across continents and across contexts. When power grids are destroyed and city grids demolished, social grids light up.

This is so cross-cultural -- from Haiti to New Zealand -- that it is probably part of an evolved instinct inherent to our species, and it's not hard to see why. We now know that 60,000 years ago, the entire human race was reduced to a single tribe of 2000 human beings wandering the savannahs of Africa. That was it. That was us. If they -- our ancestors -- didn't have a strong impulse to look out for each other in a crisis, you wouldn't be reading this now.

Yet there are a few examples stubbornly fixed in the popular imagination of people reacting to a natural disaster by becoming primal and vicious. Remember the gangs "marauding" through New Orleans, raping and even cannibalizing people in the Super-Dome after Hurricane Katrina? It turns out they didn't exist. Years of journalistic investigations showed them to be racist fantasies. They didn't happen. Yes, there was some "looting" -- which consisted of starving people breaking into closed and abandoned shops for food. Of course human beings can behave atrociously - but the aftermath of a disaster seems to be the time when it is least likely.

This information is essential for knowing how to respond to disasters. There is a fear that the Japanese government is with-holding information about the dangers of the nuclear meltdown because they don't trust the people to react sensibly and calmly. There is no way of knowing, yet, whether this is true. But understanding this crucial history should guide the government to tell the truth and trust the people. As Solnit puts it: "If you imagine that the public is a danger, you endanger the public."

That analysis also fits with Amanda Ripley's 2008 book The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes. So far, I've only read parts of this book—enough to make me completely rethink a short story I was planning out for my writing club—but it's very high on my list of books I must read in their entirety asap.

This seems to be one of those places where "common sense" simply isn't. On the whole, humans respond to disasters more like the Japanese people responded to this one, and less like what we imagine from movies and nightmares.

Bug-eyed monster steampunk mask

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 12:34 AM PDT

Cool diagram of a nuclear reactor cooling system

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 09:18 AM PDT

reactor-640-normal.preview.jpg

If you're still trying to get your head wrapped around how nuclear reactors like the ones in Fukushima operate, and what went wrong after the Tohoku earthquake, Mother Jones editorial fellow Joe Kloc might be able to help. He's put together a nifty diagram of the cooling system from a GE Mark 1 nuclear reactor—the kind found in 5 of the 6 reactors at Fukushima Daiichi. By coloring in the pipelines he demonstrates how coolant is supposed to flow through the reactor normally, and how it's supposed to flow during various emergency shutdown situations.

This version of the diagram shows normal operation.

Mark I Reactor Running Normally: Recirculation loops (RED) keep pressurized water circulating through the uranium core of the reactor. When water is heated by the uranium core it turns to steam. It passes through the steam separator and dryer assemblies positioned above the core (ORANGE) and then moves through the steam pipe. The steam is used to turn a turbine connected (PURPLE) to an electrical generator. It is then turned back into liquid by a condenser and cooled by a pipe (GREY) of circulating cold water. The water is then pumped back into the reactor, where the process begins again.

I have attempted to create a diagram of the reactors based on the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Boiling Water Reactor Systems Manual, which contains maps of the various Mark I emergency systems. In places where the manual was unclear, I used Japanese news broadcasts. The drawing is not to scale and the layout of the pipes entirely my own (though their location in relation to the various containment walls is based on the USNRC manual). To my knowledge, the diagram is accurate to the extent that a New York City subway map is accurate. It shows the various components, connections, and relationships between the emergency water systems.

Boing Boing Live: Japan Quake, 10 days later, with Matt Alt in Tokyo

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 09:21 AM PDT


[Video Link: Boing Boing Live] Tokyo-based author and translator Matt Alt (Twitter: @matt_ALT) joined Boing Boing's Dean Putney and I early morning Japan time for a live-streamed video conversation about the Japan earthquake aftermath, 10 days after the massive quake, tsunami, and ensuing nuclear crisis began. Some of what we discussed in the hour-long chat: • How is life in Tokyo right now? Blackouts, rationing of various forms, how are things different? • Focus on the nuclear crisis vs. rescue efforts for quake/tsunami missing • Food supply issues in various places, plus concerns over food/water safety + radiation that came up over the weekend • Media: perceptions in Japan re: foreign coverage, and how has coverage by Japan news networks changed over the past couple weeks. A partial archive of the chat transcript of viewers who joined us as this was recorded follows. It was nice that the chat room was populated with a number of people who were watching this in Japan, before they went to work for the day. If you have more questions for Matt (some really good, specific ones came in just as we ended), add them in the comments, and we'll see if he can't answer them here. (Tech note apologia: Audio at the first 10 seconds or so of the stream is missing, we re-start with audio at about 10 seconds in. We did this as a three-way video chat on the new version of Skype, fed into Livestream using a screen/audio capture app. This was our second experiment with that setup and we had some hiccups; it kicked one user off at the 15 minute mark, and the audio levels on Xeni are pretty blown out. Sorry!)


BOING BOING LIVE, MARCH 21, 2011: CHAT TRANSCRIPT


TweetJin: Talking about mess, you guys should seen my desk last Friday!
oheso: My wife's CD collection hit the floor.
oheso: My office: not so different.
TweetJin: First sign of trouble was loud bang. That was the blinds hitting against the window cos the building had literally tilted
TweetJin: Then, jolts and sways...man, that was scary!
John: another argument for iTunes
King Kernow: I have heard that Mount Fiji has been rumbling .. is there any possibility that it might erupt ?
oheso: King, I think someone has been pulling your leg.
King Kernow: ok.. phew
aokajiya: Fuji's pretty sound asleep.
Joli: I don't think so
King Kernow: thats good to know
oheso: But yes, it's officially not a dead volcano.
Joli: And I disagree about Matt & co talking out of thier butts
tedm1: who is kid at lower middle of screen?
Joli: I live here and I think Matt pretty much nails it in terms of lving in Tokyo
oheso: Dean, shout out again!
Joli: and staying here during all this crisis
peterkvt80: extreme close-up
TweetJin: Panic also struck China http://goo.gl/gU0TZ
John: there's like 113 "active" volcanoes in Japan. good argument for geothermal power plants
bosbesbarb: @ oheso: eriously? no digital back ups or anything?
oheso: No matter where you get your energy, if you use lots of it, you're going to have issues.
Joli: bingo
TweetJin: Matt...rice is now back in Seiyu...
oheso: @bos you mean the CDs? We're so 1990s in my fam.
gen: oops
bosbesbarb: no, got disconnected
wah: nyoooo
tedm1: crashed here
oheso: The thing is Japan is better than most 1st world countries in terms of power conservation.
King Kernow: heres a good link showing japan activity.. works best if you fast forward
King Kernow: http://www.japanquakemap.com/
aokajiya: Matt & co. were doing the valuable service of comparing coverage from indigenous sources to that from Western sources in a non-sensationalist way.
oheso: OK, bell rang. Time for me to get to work. Nice chatting with yall.
TweetJin: @oheso: u sure about that? I don't think so. Just take a walk around Shinjuku or Shibuya
tedm1: we hear you, just continue
oheso: @TweetJin per person, much less than other countries.
sep332: skype can't count that high
tedm1: ok, working, go
gen: back!
trufants: yup...I suspect Americans don't deal as well in some ways b/c we as a society feel so entitled and selfish, luckily our wealth sometimes makes up for it
oliver: it's the radiation!
Dean: Whew, sorry guys!
prunella: She's probably on a Mac‚Ă„¶ Skype sux on a Mac
oheso: I don't have the figures at hand, but tweet me at @djfoheso if you want me to look 'em up.
trans356: hi
TweetJin: Panic buying notwistanding, Japanese people have behaved really well during the crisis
oheso: K, I'm out.
Dean: Seems to be working now.
trufants: are roads and fuel available to get food up to the northern areas?
Joli: the Japanese have certainly been reisilient in the face of all this
TweetJin: They still lined up patiently
Joli: sorry--can't spell!
TweetJin: It's a glum today here in Tokyo. Rainy and thick clouds
Joli: roads up north on the eastern side are now finally accessible
Joli: fuel is more available, but there are still limits in many areas on how much you can buy
Joli: anywhere from Y2000 to Y5000 limit
tedm1: where is the "affected area" Matt?
peterkvt80: So if you eat more seaweed won't that block the radioactive iodine?
TweetJin: stores placed limits on bottled water, too. You can only buy 1 bottle of 2L per person
tedm1: great question
tedm1: frozen
wah: :(
tedm1: matt, consider ustream please
Dean: you may need to pause and restart if it froze
Dean: This is no good :(
Joli: there's anecdotal evidence that seaweed and other herbs, like holy basil can help block the body's absorption o radiationf
gen: "stabilized" is maybe too early to say...
TweetJin: ustream can do this? anyway, the stream looks seamless on my system
John: that shelf doesn't look secured to the wall like it should be in quake zone
Dean: Any questions?
TweetJin: Matt! Kichijoji represent!!
mallum: yep
jeremy: is everyone's video frozen or just mine?
karentaylor: Have their been any profiles of the Fukushima 100? Who are they?
TweetJin: just ures
King Kernow: are the skyscrapers designed to withstand a tsunami
Calton: Certain staples still short: haven't seen milk in Tokyo-area stores since last Tuesday.
gen: karentaylor: not that I have seen
TweetJin: Re Fukushima 100, there's actually about 280 or 300 of them but are rotated on duty at 50 at a time
Joli: milk is available first thing in the morning, but sells out quickly
TweetJin: Sliced breads are now available too and sometimes last long enough into the evening
Dean: any other questions?
King Kernow: is there an anti nuclear power feeling in japan now?
trufants: are consumers rushing to buy geiger counters etc?
TweetJin: What are your impressions of how the Japanese leadership handled the crisis as compared to say how Americans might have handled it?
karentaylor: thanks Matt
gen: King Kernow: there always was an anti-nuke group in Japan but they were marginalized
gen: now, clearly they are not on the margins
King Kernow: is it growing now
mallum: How frequent/scary are the aftershocks now ?
gen: aftershocks slowing
TweetJin: Yes, Geiger Counters are selling like hotcakes in Akihabra
gen: maybe 1 big one per day; M3 + a few times a day
barcelonaguy: There's any scientist in Tokio defending the 'chernobyl option' of burying them all in concrete etc.
mallum: gen: compared to many last week ?
gen: barcelonaguy: many voices in Tokyo saying many things
mallum: many per day
gen: fewer per day
aokajiya: We trust boingboing.
gen: as each day passes
mallum: gen
TweetJin: I really have to get ready for work
mallum: gen: thanks
TweetJin: I didn't feel an aftershock yesterday
Dean: Thanks for stopping by TweetJin
gen: Matt: agreed!
bosbesbarb: matt. so agree!
Joli: once again--Matt nails it!
TweetJin: Bye guys....
Dean: Bye!
erb: Question : What is your opinion on Fly-jin?
Dean: What's Fly-jin?
bosbesbarb: Love the name
Dean: Is that a serious question?
erb: The foreigner who flew Tokyo en-masse
Joli: that's what they're calling foreigners who have left
aokajiya: gaijin (foreigners) who 'fly' away
Dean: k
Calton: Now that's insulting.
Joli: yeah--it is
CT: I don't think that the journalists knew what a millisievert was before.
Calton: I know some people who left, and I can't blame them.
aokajiya: Q for Xeni/Matt > how can we get more crowdsourced information into the mainstream media. A boingboing segment on CNN, for example. How would that be curated?
erb: It is not a question of insult. Personnaly, I believe they had to deal with lots of pressure. But I want Matt to answer
Calton: Some of them did so, based on the ones I know, based on extreme outside pressure from family and friends back home.
Joli: for many foreigners it was half-term/spring break, so many families were planning to go away anyway
erb: exactly. Still would like Matt's opinion
Calton: "Fly-jin" is a godddamned insult.
Calton: The cowardice is inherent in the name.
Dean: Is this a question I should ask?
Joli: I agree with erb--I think it's a question worth asking
karentaylor: Isn't it more that 'fly' rhymes with 'gai'?
aokajiya: The fly-jin meme is definitely spreading, I'd like to know if it's actually being used on TV/in the media? (Some local want to comment?)
trufants: after Katrina, many people left their homes and went to stay w/ relatives far away..why not leave temporarily if you can? It would ease the demand for relief wouldn't it?
Calton: One of my best friends took advantage of the French government evacuation due in great part to pressure from parents in the US, relatives in France, and even her (Japanese) husband.
Joli: I don't disagree with you, Carlton, but unfortunately it's a product of the human condition to come up with stuff like that when there's a clear split in a group of people
barcelonaguy: Question: There are any scientist in Tokio defending the 'chernobyl option' of burying them all in concrete etc. ?
jeremy: THe rule of thumb is that after a quake of magnitude M, there are 10 afterhsocks of magnitude 1/10M, 100 of 1/100M, 1000 of 1/1000M, and so forth
Calton: Her husband didn't -- couldn't -- leave, but he urged her to go.
King Kernow: intrested if anyone here from west USA and is there any increase in shaking going on there at moment?
rhenley: No quick fix seen at Japan's nuclear planthttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/03/18/financial/f000658D09.DTLIn another setback, the plant's operator said Monday it had just discovere
rhenley: that some of the cooling system's key pumps at the complex's troubled Unit 2 are no longer functional _ meaning replacements have to be brought in.
mentis: Any indication that rebuilding efforts could generate sufficient jobs to boost Japan's economy?
aokajiya: I like "Edaru" -- v. to work overtime w/out sleeping, based on Edano, gov't spokesman
karentaylor: yes - Edano was looking pretty beat
Joli: I hadn't heard that one--I love it!
bosbesbarb: Nice!
Calton: I'm staying, but that doesn't make me in any way superior or smarter.
aokajiya: Êûù„Ă…†„Çã, is how they're writing it apparently.
Calton: It was just my choice and circumstances.
Joli: again--I agree with you, Carlton
bosbesbarb: eda from edamame, right?
Dean: Questions?
Dean: If you had one earlier, repeat it please.
King Kernow: is any plans to build tokyo sea defences
gen: gotta run; catch you all later, I'm @gen
Dean: Later gen
aokajiya: cya, gen
Joli: will rebuilding help boost the economy
mentis: Yes: Any indication that rebuilding efforts could generate sufficient jobs to boost Japan's economy?
Dean: Good one.
mentis: Thanks ^_^.
jeremy: Is there anything, short of the onset of unhealthy radiation in Tokyo, that would make you re-evaluate your decision to stay?
Fred McDonald: I'm wanting to return to see friends this year or next, what do you think the employment market is going to look like?
jeremy: Because at the point at which there is unhealthy radiation in Tokyo, it would be difficult to leave
Fred McDonald: Also looking forward to next Otakuverse Zero
Joli: and yes--the same kanji for edamame
bobk: OUr exchange student is scheduled to return to Sendai in two weeks...any advice?
Fred McDonald: Next year or two
mallum: due to visit Tokyo in 4 weeks..
bosbesbarb: I'll be going to Tokyo in three weeks, from Amsterdam. Empty suitcase to fill. Anything I can bring?
MayaCecile: Me too, Mallum.
aokajiya: wow re: exchange student. have they been in contact with any relatives?
mallum: MayaCecile: do you still plan on going ? or gonna wait and see ?
Joli: there was talk of a "donate a bag" program for travellers to pack a bag and donate it upon arrival
bobk: yes, family is able to stay in their house. Waitng inlines for food and eater. Conservinggas by biking. Sounds "safe" considering, but still....
MayaCecile: Still planning on it for now, but waiting it out as long as possible before we can't cancel our tickets...
Joli: from what I've been hearing, things like toothbrushes and extension cords are needed--sounds weird, I know
Joli: great job, guys!
mallum: MayaCecile: same here
caven: amen to that
trufants: good webcast, thanks
bosbesbarb: yep
King Kernow: thanks dean..nice end credits
Joli: thanks & bye! @joliinjapan
King Kernow: hahaha
karentaylor: thanks - see ya all later
mallum: MayaCecile: I hope we make it.
aokajiya: thanks, matt, xeni & techdude
peterkvt80: great stuff
RubenHaan: thanx . geat webcast
MayaCecile: mallum: Fingers crossed for us!
arc: I don't mean to make light of what happened, but I'm looking forward to what Japan's gonna do next with energy technology.
Calton: Good job. Thanks.
MayaCecile: Great webcast, guys. Thank you for putting this on!
King Kernow: great web cast tho... thanks for orchestrating it
Joli: if there's an url for the recorded webcast please let me know as I would like to tweet it
mallum: yeah very cool, thanks folks

Loleatta Holloway, disco and soul vocalist, has died

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 08:46 AM PDT

[Video Link]

The great soul, disco, and house music vocalist Loleatta Holloway has died. She was 64 years old. Early reports of her passing, and notes about her long and prolific career: Spinning Soul, Prefix Mag.

She recorded many great songs, but the candid 1987 a capella spoken word recording embedded above, which she did not consent to, and which was released under shady conditions and re-used by others for profit without benefit for her— is one of my favorite Loleatta recordings. It captures her spirit, and the spirit of the time and place in which she reigned, so perfectly.

Listen to it now, and tell me she's not telling us the truth.

More about that recording here.

Printing nutritional info on an egg with an Eggbot

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 12:38 AM PDT


Thingiverse member Dnewman has produced some nutritional templates for Eggbot owners (Eggbots are devices designed to print on eggs, ping-pong balls, grapefruit, etc). Clever!
Dnewman's solution is beyond elegant. Why not just print the nutritional information right on the produce using an Eggbot?? I just LOVE this idea! I would absolutely buy eggs from any producer that did this. Not only is this idea so so so cool, but it opens the door to all kinds of other food labeling robots. I mean, who wouldn't want a Mangobot 2000? Oh, and if you're going to buy an apple, pear, or other fruit or vegetable where the exterior is consumed, why not just print with an edible ink? 12
Truth in Labeling
 


Flipback books: shirtpocket format designed for one-handed reading

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 08:13 AM PDT

The Dutch publishing industry's "flipback" format sounds clever: it's a sideways-bound book with a lie-flat binding, printed on onionskin, sized to fit in a shirt pocket and optimized for easy one-handed reading. More than a million have been sold in the Netherlands and now it's to be introduced in the UK, France and Spain. It sounds like a handy format, though "Could this new book kill the Kindle?" probably takes the prize for silliest Guardian headline of the year to date.
It is all the rage in Holland, where it was introduced in 2009, and has since sold 1m copies. A version has just been launched in Spain, France is next, and the flipback reaches UK shores in June, when Hodder & Stoughton will treat us to a selection of 12 books. They cost £9.99, and will include David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas and Stephen King's Misery.

I am keen to see what the hype is about so I take a pre-released copy on my travels: Chris Cleave's The Other Hand. Nearly 370 pages long in its original format, the flipback version has more than 550 - but still fits easily in my pocket. The book's not called The Other Hand for nothing. It's so small that I can perch it in one fist, and keep my other hand free for shopping. How? The paper is wafer-thin.

Could this new book kill the Kindle? (via MeFi)

(Image: Linda Nylind/Guardian)

CPR Pocket Mask

Posted: 22 Mar 2011 09:59 AM PDT

ADC ADSAFE Pocket Rescusitator.jpeg This CPR pocket mask is a great addition to any first aid kit. After becoming an EMT last year I learned the importance of maintaining A. the airway, and B. body substance isolation, and this collapsible mask goes a long way in achieving both. The soft plastic bubble that lines the mask creates a great airtight seal when fitted over the mouth of the patient ensuring effective oxygen delivery. In addition, the two way valve minimizes the rescuer's exposure to any bodily fluids or vomitus that could result from providing rescue breaths. The mask itself is standard equipment in trauma bags, and the oxygen port can be used to attach an Ambu bag or oxygen line. [UPDATE Note: Commenters over at Cool Tools pointed out that changes are being made in regards to rescue breaths and CPR and that it is important to stay up-to-date in your training. Despite the changes this mask remains useful in many other situations including CPR.-- OH] -- Oliver Hulland CPR Pocket Resuscitator $7 Don't forget to comment over at Cool Tools. And remember to submit a tool!

Scientist sports jerseys inspired by a Boing Boing comment thread

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 11:44 PM PDT


Syphax sez, "A while back, I mentioned my idea to put scientists' names on the back of sports jerseys (see the comments for this Boing Boing post). I was sitting on the idea until one of my sons asked for a Galileo shirt for his birthday! So, I printed some up for him and his brothers. I would have liked to use a more authentic jersey, but went with a basic T-shirt (in Azzurri blue) for starters. Does anyone else want one of these? For which scientist/inventor?"

Science Jerseys (Thanks, Syphax, via Submitterator!)

 


Epublishing Bingo card: the traditional media edition

Posted: 21 Mar 2011 11:39 PM PDT


Shmuel510 thought that John Scalzi's epublishing Bingo card was a little one-sided in briefing for the publishing side of the equation; he's produced the Bingo card you can use when you're arguing wiht people from the traditional publishing world.

The Traditional Publishing Bingo Card

 


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