The Latest from Boing Boing

France bans "follow us on Twitter" from newscasts
Three frogs atop each others' shoulders seek White Star Coffee
1968 Anacin ad defines housework as "a mild form of torture"
The lost art of mapping games
Welcome to Bordertown group signing in NYC, Jun 9
Florida justice: rich man will do no time for killing two tourists in exchange for cash restitution to their families

France bans "follow us on Twitter" from newscasts

Posted: 05 Jun 2011 02:03 AM PDT

A 1992 French law that prohibits shilling for commercial firms during newscasts has been officially interpreted to mean that newsreaders can no longer mention Facebook or Twitter, unless the story is about Facebook or Twitter -- that is, "Follow us on Twitter" is off-limits.

This means French news organizations are not allowed to urge their audience to "follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/emilprotalinski or "check out my Facebook page at facebook.com/emil.protalinski." Instead, they will have to say "find us on social networking websites" or tell viewers to "check out our webpage at this URL to find links to our pages on social networks."
The French TV regulatory agency Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (CSA) insists the French government is simply upholding its laws. "Why give preference to Facebook, which is worth billions of dollars, when there are many other social networks that are struggling for recognition?" a CSA spokesperson said in a statement. "This would be a distortion of competition. If we allow Facebook and Twitter to be cited on air, it's opening a Pandora's Box -- other social networks will complain to us saying, 'why not us?'"

France bans Facebook and Twitter from radio and TV (via /.)

Three frogs atop each others' shoulders seek White Star Coffee

Posted: 05 Jun 2011 01:59 AM PDT

This old White Star Coffee ad seems to have come from a contrafactual Jazz Age in which Chairman Mao's graphic designer moved to America to work for a commercial illustration firm.

Contest Entry: White Star Coffee

1968 Anacin ad defines housework as "a mild form of torture"

Posted: 04 Jun 2011 12:11 PM PDT

Michael sez, "From a 1968 ad in Life: 'Making beds, getting meals, acting as family chauffeur -- having to do the same dull, tiresome work day after day -- is a mild form of torture. These boring yet necessary tasks can bring on nervous tension, fatigue and what is now known as "housewife headache."'

"Housewife Headache" (Thanks, Michael!)

The lost art of mapping games

Posted: 04 Jun 2011 10:09 AM PDT

Leigh Alexander recalls the lost art of mapping games, such as Colossal Cave, by hand:

The terse text lent itself to that kind of dreaming. The game was littered with treasure objects: a Ming vase, a pearl, an emerald, clearly meant to be carried, but for what purpose? Points? Why were we in a cave, for what were we searching, to what end? Why was there a pirate? We never asked. We never even thought about it. It was about the exploration, and we cared only about how to get to the next room, and how to put it all in order. We never finished the game, of course

Gaming Made Me: Colossal Cave Adventure [Rock Paper Shotgun]

Welcome to Bordertown group signing in NYC, Jun 9

Posted: 04 Jun 2011 03:56 AM PDT

While I'm in New York for Personal Democracy Forum, I'll be participating in a group signing/launch for Welcome to Bordertown, the shared-world fantasy anthology of stories about Bordertown, where faerie and the human world meet and magic and technology are equally unreliable. In attendance will be Holly Black, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Annette Curtis Klause, Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman. If you can't make it, you can pre-order a signed copy for delivery or pickup.

Where: Books of Wonder, 18 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011, (212) 989-3270
When: June 9, 6-8PM

WELCOME TO BORDERTOWN: . Thursday June 09TH, 2011 6-8PM

Florida justice: rich man will do no time for killing two tourists in exchange for cash restitution to their families

Posted: 04 Jun 2011 03:50 AM PDT

A "millionaire playboy" who killed two British tourists in Florida when his $150,000 Porsche jumped the curb will not go to jail, despite the fact that he fled the scene and lied to police officers about who was behind the wheel during the accident. Instead, he will pay cash restitution to the victims' family, settling a civil suit on the condition that he not go to prison. Ryan LeVin, who did not offer an apology to the victims during sentencing, is on parole in Illinois, where he has a record of over 50 traffic violations, including striking a police officer with his car and left the scene. His lawyer has asked to have his Porsche returned.

Rather than agree to a deal with Florida prosecutors, who wanted him to serve 10 years in prison, LeVin took an open plea that placed his fate in the judge's hands. His lawyer argued that the need for LeVin to pay restitution to the men's widows and children outweighed the need for LeVin to serve prison time.
The payout settles a civil suit filed by the men's families shortly after their deaths.
"The wives and children of the deceased were significantly and permanently impacted by this incident, and they have indicated ... that there exists a great necessity for restitution which the defendant can, and will, make, if permitted a sentence devoid of incarceration," LeVin's defense attorney David Bogenschutz wrote in court documents.