The Latest from Boing Boing

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• Open Design Now: Overview of open design projects
• 1970s Ghana Afrobeat from Rob
• Song about drug user prison
• Judge to copyright troll: your lawsuits are shams, give it up
• Dalai Lama fails to understand Dalai Lama joke, but is a good sport about it
• With a Little Help at McNally-Jackson, NYC
• Möbius Ship
• From Domo, with Love (photo from Boing Boing Flickr Pool)
• Pendants made from old decorative china
• Two entertainingly awful TV commercials
• Norah Jones plays Johnny Cash at the Webbys
• Squid, sardines, and A-Ha
• HOWTO bake a Portal cupcake
• In Africa, a 50-cent vaccine saves thousands
• Mossy Walls, Norway (Photo from Boing Boing Flickr Pool)
• The Pill for guys? Don't hold your breath
• Prototype hoverbike is delightful, horribly unsafe
• Budget crisis in Minnesota could impact national public health
• California girl is 6th person to survive rabies without vaccination
• Who is LulzSec? A phone call with the hacker pranksters. (Xeni on The Madeleine Brand Radio Show)
• Surveillance camera cufflinks
• Transparent Pontiac for sale
• Remix of The View's "Sextape" episode
• "Go the Fuck to Sleep" audiobooks: Samuel L. Jackson and Werner Herzog editions
• Sally Applin's AnthroPunk presentation at Maker Faire
• Animatronic elephant dangling from a helicopter
• Pulp Fiction edited down to just the cussing
• The achievements of the Jellymongers of England
• Last minute Father's Day gift ideas
• House made of bookcases

Open Design Now: Overview of open design projects Posted: 15 Jun 2011 05:10 AM PDT Mason sez, "Open Design Now is a book that was born out of discussions following the DMY (Berlin) 2010 MakerLab. It is an exploration of many different projects developed under Creative Commons or other like-minded efforts. The book itself is published under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, and the entire content is available online. It is yet another very cool thing to come from the Waag Society and associated FabLab in Amsterdam." Open Design Now (Thanks, Mason!)

1970s Ghana Afrobeat from Rob Posted: 14 Jun 2011 11:03 PM PDT This deeply, deeply funky track is legendary 1970s Ghana psych-groover Rob's "Make It Fast, Make It Slow." It's included on "Ghana Soundz," the first of many exquisite compilations from the excellent reissue label Soundway. For more from Rob, there's also his newly-reissued 1977 album titled "Funky Rob Way" on the Analog Africa label.

Song about drug user prison Posted: 14 Jun 2011 06:28 PM PDT [Video Link] James Olsen sent me this great video called "Prisontown," which he says is "a song that is based on my experiences working as a prison reporter in upstate New York."

Judge to copyright troll: your lawsuits are shams, give it up Posted: 14 Jun 2011 07:27 PM PDT Hugh from the Electronic Frontier Foundation sez ,"In a decision with likely wide-ranging impact, a judge in Las Vegas today dismissed as a sham an infringement case filed by copyright troll Righthaven LLC. The judge ruled that Righthaven did not have the legal authorization to bring a copyright lawsuit against the political forum Democratic Underground, because it had never owned the copyright in the first place. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Fenwick & West LLP, and Las Vegas attorney Chad Bowers are defending Democratic Underground." "In dismissing Righthaven's claim in its entirety, Chief Judge Hunt's ruling decisively rejected the Righthaven business model of conveying rights to sue, alone, as a means to enforce copyrights," said Laurence Pulgram, head of copyright litigation at Fenwick & West in San Francisco. "The ruling speaks for itself. The court rejected Righthaven's claim that it owned sufficient rights in the copyright, stating that claim was 'flagrantly false--to the point that the claim is disingenuous if not outright deceitful.'" Judge Hunt also noted that "Righthaven has made multiple inaccurate and likely dishonest statements to the Court" and rejected Righthaven's efforts to fix things after the fact with a May 9, 2011, amendment to the original assignment agreement. The judge expressed "doubt that these seemingly cosmetic adjustments change the nature and practical effect" of the invalid assignment. As part of his ruling today, the judge ordered Righthaven to show why it should not be sanctioned for misrepresentations to the court. The Court permitted Democratic Underground's counterclaim to continue against Stephens Media -- the publisher of the Review Journal -- allowing Democratic Underground to show that it did nothing wrong in allowing a user to post a five-sentence excerpt of a 50-sentence article. Righthaven is the copyright bounty-hunter spun out of a Las Vegas newspaper whose business-model was to threaten bloggers and online publishers who made brief quotations with copyright lawsuits and collect settlement fees from people who were scared of spending a lot of money in court. Righthaven Copyright Troll Lawsuit Dismissed as Sham   Righthaven copyright troll loses domain - Boing Boing Righthaven copyright trolls never had the right to sue, have their ... EFF wants Righthaven to pay for its own ass-kicking - Boing Boing Righthaven litigates get rich quick copyright claims - Boing Boing Righthaven Copyright Lawsuits Attack Excerpting Online - Boing Boing

Dalai Lama fails to understand Dalai Lama joke, but is a good sport about it Posted: 14 Jun 2011 04:52 PM PDT An Australian newsreader found himself interviewing the Dalai Lama, so, naturally, he told him the joke about the Dalai Lama who asks the pizzeria to make him one with everything. The Dalai Lama really, really didn't get it. In a funny way. The Dalai Lama walks into a pizza shop... (via Neatorama)

With a Little Help at McNally-Jackson, NYC Posted: 14 Jun 2011 04:34 PM PDT I've teamed up with McNally-Jackson, a most excellent indie bookstore in Soho, NYC, to print and sell my DIY short story collection With a Little Help right in the store, using an Espresso book-machine. You can order them here, or buy them in-store. It's similar to the deal I've struck with The University of Melbourne's Custom Book Centre for sales and distribution in Australia in New Zealand. I'm really excited to see how this works out, as there are plenty of amazing stores in the USA with Espresso machines with whom I'd be delighted to make similar arrangements.

Möbius Ship Posted: 14 Jun 2011 04:25 PM PDT Tim Hawkinson's Möbius Ship sculptures are nautical, single-surfaced and have fractional dimensionality. Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! Echoing the working methods of ship-in-a-bottle hobbyists, Hawkinson created a painstakingly detailed model ship that twists in upon itself, presenting the viewer with a thought-provoking visual conundrum. The title is a witty play on Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick, which famously relates the tale of a ship captain's all-consuming obsession with an elusive white whale. The ambitious and imaginative structure of Hawkinson's sculpture offers an uncanny visual metaphor for Melville's epic tale, which is often considered the ultimate American novel. Möbius Ship (via Kottke)

From Domo, with Love (photo from Boing Boing Flickr Pool) Posted: 14 Jun 2011 02:27 PM PDT Photographer and Boing Boing reader Paul Elkerton of Taranaki, New Zealand took this photo and contributed it to the Boing Boing Flickr Pool. You can buy prints of it here.

Pendants made from old decorative china Posted: 14 Jun 2011 04:22 PM PDT A reader writes, "This Nevada artist is repurposing vintage dinner plates into silhouette shaped wall plaques and pendants! Birds, butterflies, women and deer are the most common silhouettes. What a unique use for chipped and scratched china!" Prettyville: Bringing New Life to Old Plates!

Two entertainingly awful TV commercials Posted: 14 Jun 2011 03:42 PM PDT It's funny because they have pompadour toupees! (Via Daily Dot)

Norah Jones plays Johnny Cash at the Webbys Posted: 14 Jun 2011 03:00 PM PDT [video link] From last night's Webby Awards in New York City, Norah Jones plays a smokey, dirty version of Johnny Cash's "Ain't No Grave." Damn.

Squid, sardines, and A-Ha Posted: 14 Jun 2011 02:48 PM PDT I'm not sure what it is that I find most mesmerizing about this video. Maybe it's when the squid bop the camera with their tentacles. Maybe it's the implicit "Squid and sardines ... living together!" joke. Maybe it's the relentlessly upbeat music juxtaposed with the existentially depressing reality of life in a bait tank. Either way, enjoy. Video Link

HOWTO bake a Portal cupcake Posted: 14 Jun 2011 02:35 PM PDT Starshipminivan sez, "Finally, the promise of Portal has been fulfilled. These cupcakes are not a lie and you don't even have to listen to GlaDOS, just bake, decorate, and consume these mini flavor marvels. Perhaps the cake is a lie but the cupcake is at least a half-truth. These rich, moist cupcakes, topped with frosting and chocolate, are delicious mini replicas of the black forest cake seen in Portal. You'll be in heaven but 'still alive' after eating one." The Cupcake is Not a Lie: Portal Cupcakes (Thanks, starshipminivan!)

In Africa, a 50-cent vaccine saves thousands Posted: 14 Jun 2011 03:04 PM PDT You want "Wonderful Things," I gives ya Wonderful Things. MenAfriVac is a new vaccine for meningitis A—a disease that kills thousands of people in Africa every year. It's far, far cheaper than previous vaccines ... and it works better, too. MenAfriVac is much cheaper than existing meningitis A vaccines, at 50¢ compared with $120 per dose. It is also more potent. Unlike conventional vaccines, which are based on sugars resembling those on the surface of Neisseria meningitides, a bacterium that causes meningitis, the new vaccine splices the sugars to a carrier protein that is better at stirring up the body's immune system. "It makes the immune response much more vigorous," says Marc LaForce, director of the global Meningitis Vaccine Project, which developed MenAfriVac. Antibodies against the bacterium continue to be produced long after vaccination, providing hope that a single jab may be enough to give lifelong protection. So far, no recipient of the vaccine has been infected, and the few cases that have occurred in treated areas were unvaccinated visitors from neighbouring areas. MenAfriVac is currently being rolled out in the 25 countries, from Senegal to Sudan, that make up Africa's "meningitis belt."

Mossy Walls, Norway (Photo from Boing Boing Flickr Pool) Posted: 14 Jun 2011 02:22 PM PDT Nicholas Longtin took this photo in Norway, contributed it to the Boing Boing Flickr Pool, and explains: The fjord town of Flom has beautiful farm lands. Many of the farmers have their land defined by these very old stone walls. Because of the incredible moisture, moss and other plants grow on everything.

The Pill for guys? Don't hold your breath Posted: 14 Jun 2011 02:20 PM PDT Male contraception is like the nuclear fusion of safer sex—perpetually about 10 years away from commercialization. Sure, there's condoms and vasectomies. But if you want something a little less intrusive or a little less permanent, you're out of luck. Scientific American examines the possibilities that exist in the research pipeline, and why no male contraceptive has yet shown up in your local pharmacy.

Prototype hoverbike is delightful, horribly unsafe Posted: 14 Jun 2011 02:12 PM PDT Sigh. It's the way of the world, isn't it? Invent something that has this much potential for fun and, chances are, it'll also be capable of chopping your hand off in 2 seconds flat. It consists almost solely of a pair of massive propellers powered by an 1,170-cc engine good for 107 horsepower. The fuel tank contains enough juice to give it a range of 92 miles at a cruising speed of 92 mph. The pilot's right hand controls the thrust of the rotors, while the left adjusts the angle of the control vanes, pitching the nose down or up to move forward or backward. Turning the handlebars turns the machine. There isn't much in the way of safety features with the prototype, but Malloy plans to add a pair of explosive parachutes, or require riders to wear a 'chute, and cover the props with a mesh to prevent limbs from being lopped off. Malloy also hopes to implement gyroscopic controls with on-board overrides to stop the craft from tipping over. Via Brian Mossop

Budget crisis in Minnesota could impact national public health Posted: 14 Jun 2011 02:00 PM PDT The looming government shutdown in Minnesota would, among other things, close down one of America's most effective foodborne illness detection teams. The University of Minnesota's "Team D" has tracked the sources of national outbreaks of E. coli, Salmonella, and Anthrax. But they'll be among the 36,000 state employees laid off if the budget crisis isn't worked out. Just in time for the summer foodborne illness season.

California girl is 6th person to survive rabies without vaccination Posted: 14 Jun 2011 01:53 PM PDT Rabies is a strange and scary thing. Until 2004, this virus was 100% lethal in humans—without a dose of life-saving vaccine, preferably before symptoms even presented themselves, everybody died. That changed with the introduction of the Milwaukee Protocol, an experimental treatment that calls for patients to be put into medically induced comas and given antiviral drugs. The idea is that, usually, people die not from rabies itself, but from related dysfunction of their nervous system. If you shut down the brain, maybe the dysfunction won't matter as much and you can keep the person alive long enough for their immune system to kill the rabies. The video above tells the story of the first person to survive rabies thanks to the Milwaukee Protocol and how the Protocol works. The treatment has not worked on everybody. In general, it's worked best on older children and teenagers. This week, 8-year-old Precious Reynolds became the 3rd American—and 6th person ever—saved by the Protocol. Tests in early May revealed she had the disease after Precious's grandmother took her to the doctor because of flu-like symptoms that grew so serious her grandmother said they began to resemble polio. "She went to the bathroom and her legs went out from under her," said Shirlee Roby, Precious' grandmother. "I told my husband this is no flu. There is something wrong, we're going back to the emergency room." Nurses at the hospital thought her chances were slim when she arrived at the pediatric intensive care unit. "None of us thought she would leave the PICU," Krystle Realyvasquez, a nurse who cared for Precious, said in the statement. "When she did it was unbelievable." Via Frank Swain The mysteries of rabies Coma cure: Doctor saves girl from rabies by "stopping" brain Using rabies to deliver drugs directly to the brain

Who is LulzSec? A phone call with the hacker pranksters. (Xeni on The Madeleine Brand Radio Show) Posted: 14 Jun 2011 05:20 PM PDT (Image: Lulzsec by DeviantArt user BiOzZ) Download MP3 Audio I joined The Madeleine Brand Show today for a radio discussion about the latest LulzSec hijinks, and related hacking news. Listen here. Here's an overview published by the rogue security prankster group of their attacks so far. One day, it's PBS and porno sites and the FBI. The next, it's the US Senate, and Bethesda Software. Earlier today, Eve Online, Escapist Magazine and Minecraft. The targets seem so diverse, so random—following their Twitter account is like watching a rabid elephant on PCP wearing a top hat rampage through a crowded market with explosive banana diarrhea. Yesterday, they opened an apparently-untraceable phone switchboard, and invited incoming calls. Jacob Margolis of The Madeleine Brand Show got through, and you'll hear what transpired in the radio segment above. Here's their current outgoing phone message (MP3 Audio), if you call 614-LULZ-SEC and can't get through. So who are these guys? I don't know. None of the security experts I've spoken to know either. But a few theories are floating around. I reached out to Joe Menn, FT writer and author of the cybercrime book "Fatal System Error." He wonders if LulzSec might a sort of "elite escape pod" that broke off from Anonymous. There is some evidence that various factions of Anonymous became unhappy with the trend toward politics and righteous actions (going after Iran one day, Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve bank the next). Other factions of Anonymous were drifting toward more conventional cybercrime, exploring ways to make money from attacks. But the people who became LulzSec, the theory goes, really were just "in it for the lulz." They wanted to improve the state of security and have fun by pulling everyone's pants down, and go back to the spirit and fun of earlier 4chan days. "They certainly do not appear to be in it for the dollars," said Joe. And no, the Bitcoins they've solicited over Twitter for beer don't count. [Video Link] Menn and others I spoke to emphasized that nobody appears to have done deep enough reporting to say definitively who LulzSec is, or where their origins lie. Presumably, a number of FBI agents are tasked with figuring that out, at this very moment. LulzSec's behavior patterns suggest they're smaller than Anonymous, and therefore less vulnerable to the chaos and internal politics endemic to larger, widely-distributed, more-or-less leaderless groups. Security consultant and writer Rich Mogull (Twitter) agreed the brazenness of their actions suggests they're a close-knit group that is careful about how they operate. A tight core of technically skilled hackers (and these guys clearly have skills) can hide effectively. They may be people involved with, or on the edges of, the security industry. "If they don't recruit and stick to being careful, they can probably have a good run," Rich told us over email. Another interesting phenomenon to watch, and one which may eventually lead to some uncloaking: Anonymous, LulzSec, and various other entities keep trying to "dox" each other. "Doxing," as Joe Menn explains, means pulling together documents saying this is so-and-so's real IP address, here's their social security number... here's the school where Sony exec Howard Stringer's kids go. Right now, there are security groups trying to dox LulzSec, and LulzSec is trying to dox them back. This is how the HB Gary scandal was unspooled, and conceivably, something like this could also do LulzSec in. As noted before on Boing Boing, some security professionals are quietly cheering LulzSec on. Patrick Grey of the Risky Business Podcast wrote a widely-circulated piece: "Why we secretly love @LulzSec." Bottom line: Apart from bringing back Tupac and Biggie and the eating of childrenz, and spawning weird internet art, LulzSec is causing governments and large companies to take I.T. security seriously. Well, at least for as long as the excitement around LulzSec lasts. But still, this is something that more sober security consultants, using less lulzy tactics, have failed to do despite much earnest, hard work. And a lot of what LulzSec does is funny enough stuff. They demand that TV reporters put a shoe on their head, /b/-style, in exchange for interview access. The @lulzSec Twitter account is a thing of beauty, with unexpected surrealist interludes popping up between the breach brags: # You are a peon and our Freemason lizard rebellion will propel us towards binary stars of yore, you sweaty caterpillar farm. # You can't silence the Illuminati lizards that inject into the human psyche via the funfunfun override exploit to gain root access to humans. # Our quest for world domination through the reality bot(man)net only manifests itself further through carefully-immersed subliminal tweets. # Mankind should tremble as the SSH key to your neuron load balancers are used as a pathway to the chemical exhilaration of entertainment. It's poetry in the grand tradition of prankster hacking. But the stakes are high. When you go after the FBI, as they did last week, and then senate.gov, and who knows what's next—you're gonna draw heat. Among their growing fanbase are gamers angry at Sony for being so sloppy with security, and people who just enjoy watching little-guy pranksters take on big, powerful entities that don't understand the internet well enough (or care enough about their users' privacy) to be more secure. Watching the spectacle unfold, tweet after breach after ASCII art upload, feels like cheering on the Barefoot Bandit, Bonnie and Clyde, or Jesse James. Everyone loves an outlaw. But eventually, outlaws tend to get caught. # # # [Video Link]   Lulzsec hacks U.S. Senate PBS Hack and LulzSec: Xeni on The Madeleine Brand Radio Show ... PBS hacked in retribution for Frontline Wikileaks episode Sony hacked again: 1m compromised, claims LulzSec Why we secretly love @LulzSec LulzSec claims FBI affiliate hacked, users and botnet use exposed ...

Surveillance camera cufflinks Posted: 14 Jun 2011 12:33 PM PDT Designed by A. Square, these surveillance camera cufflinks are $33.30 from Shapeways. A perfect gift for the paranoiacs and voyeurs in your life. CCTV surveillance camera cufflinks (Thanks, Nick Philip!)

Transparent Pontiac for sale Posted: 14 Jun 2011 04:22 AM PDT This beautiful, skeletal Pontiac was built for the GM pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair. It's up for auction in Plymouth, Michigan, with an estimated sale price of $275,000 - $475,000. As of yet, RM doesn't have any detailed information about the Pontiac, but from an article in Special Interest Autos #34, we see that GM built two - possibly three - transparent cars for the New York World's Fair of 1939-1940, one of which was a Deluxe seven-window touring sedan (B-body), the other of which was a Torpedo five-window touring sedan (C-body)... Visitors to General Motors' "Highways and Horizons" pavilion at the 1939-40 New York World's Fair came away awed by a vision of the future. The work of renowned designer Norman Bel Geddes, GM's "Futurama" exhibit foretold the communities and transportation systems of 1960, many of which came to pass. Other peeks at the future included "Previews of Progress," inventions that seemed like magic: "Yarns made of Milk! Glass that bends! The Frig-O-Therm that cooks and freezes at the same time! The Talking Flashlight transmitting speech over a light beam!" exclaimed the exhibit's guidebook. Sharing top billing with the Futurama and Previews of Progress, however, was the "'Glass' Car - The first full-sized transparent car ever made in America." The Tin Indian that wasn't: RM to offer see-through Pontiac (Thanks, Fipi Lele!)

Remix of The View's "Sextape" episode Posted: 14 Jun 2011 10:03 AM PDT [Video Link] Nick Denboer did a good job of increasing the informational content of The View's "Sextape" episode. (NSFW)

"Go the Fuck to Sleep" audiobooks: Samuel L. Jackson and Werner Herzog editions Posted: 14 Jun 2011 09:58 AM PDT "All the kids from daycare are in dreamland. The froggie has made his last leap. Hell no you can't go to the bathroom, you know where you can go? The fuck to sleep." —Samuel L. Jackson voices this audiobook version of "Go The Fuck to Sleep," the previously-Boinged book which was officially published today (after crazy pre-release piracy). The Samuel L. Jackson audiobook is free for the time being. Listen to a sample here. You can also buy a hard copy or a Kindle version of the book now, just out today. Word is that Werner Herzog will do an audiobook version, to be released soon: Published today, the picture book begs sleepless children to "go the fuck to sleep" in a series of quaint, expletive-ridden verses. It soared to the top of book charts last month after a pirated PDF went viral, and calls this week from a New Zealand lobby group to ban it are only likely to add to its appeal. "The flowers doze low in the meadows / And high on the mountains so steep. / My life is a failure, I'm a shitty-ass parent. / Stop fucking with me, please, and sleep," writes author and award-winning novelist Adam Mansbach, who was moved to pen the book when his own daughter was suffering sleepless nights. "The cubs and the lions are snoring, / Wrapped in a big snuggly heap. / How come you can do all this other great shit / But you can't lie the fuck down and sleep?" Mansbach said that "the best possible person in the world" was narrating the audiobook: Herzog. The film director's recording will be unveiled at an event to launch the book, illustrated by Ricardo Cortes for small American publisher Akashic Books, at the New York Public Library. Unofficial videos of Werner Herzog impersonators reading aloud various other children's books follow. Oh my god I can't even wrap my head around how awesome the real thing would be. [Werner Herzog reads Madeline] [Werner Herzog Reads Curious George] [Werner Herzog Reads Winnie The Pooh]   Go the Fuck to Sleep: a storybook for exhausted parents Piracy sends "Go the Fuck to Sleep" to #1 on Amazon

Sally Applin's AnthroPunk presentation at Maker Faire Posted: 14 Jun 2011 05:51 PM PDT Sally Applin is a Ph.D. student in social anthropology and computing at the University of Kent. She studies how we make technology and how it makes us. She works with Dr. Michael Fischer on AnthroPunk, the idea that "individual people collectively make the world around them, not only from the materials and ideas available to them, but from new materials and ideas that they construct."  One of their messages is that while we may DIY, we work with materials and ideas that come from collaborative sources. In short, making is social and people can make more than things, we make ideas and we are continually making and remaking the culture that we reside within. She gave a terrific talk at Maker Faire about the making of things, knowledge, culture, and ideas. AnthroPunk: Meta Making, Culture Making, and the "Making" of Making

Animatronic elephant dangling from a helicopter Posted: 14 Jun 2011 04:20 AM PDT Here's some delightfully surreal footage of one of the Disneyland Jungle Boat Cruise animatronic elephants being airlifted to the maintenance area for routine service. The process makes for some great visuals, as the robotic pachyderm dangles its way past the turrets of the castle against a clear blue sky. This is some pretty clever social media stuff -- servicing the Disney trufans by turning your routine maintenance tasks into great, short videos. Dumbo Isn't the Only Flying Elephant at Disneyland Park (Thanks, Aaronwe!)

Pulp Fiction edited down to just the cussing Posted: 14 Jun 2011 04:11 AM PDT TheCussingChannel is a YouTube account that edits movies down to just the swear-words and racial epithets. Here's their 429-word, 3:20 mixdown of Pulp Fiction. Just The Cussing - Pulp Fiction Supercut (via IZ Reloaded)

The achievements of the Jellymongers of England Posted: 14 Jun 2011 08:14 AM PDT Turnstyle News interviewed Sam Bompas and Harry Parr, two English artists who work in the medium of Jell-O. They are single-handedly changing the way we think of Jell-O. In the U.K., they call it "jelly," so the name of the business started by these gourmet foodies, as fitting as it sounds, is The Jellymongers. And, they're doing just that, mongering around the UK throwing parties with their creations. The public can't seem to get enough. From Buckingham Palace to continental United States, there isn't a shape that doesn't look better when chilled with Jell-O. Slideshow: English Blokes Make Royalty Out of Jell-O [Turnstyle]

Last minute Father's Day gift ideas Posted: 14 Jun 2011 09:35 AM PDT Here are some recommendations for Father's Day gifts. Since you've left it this late, you may as well just buy what we tell you to and stop worrying about it. Cory's recommendations Logitech Anywhere Mouse This is a thoughtfully designed, genuinely useful addition to my computing setup. The fit and finish really shine, from the business with the battery to the surgical and deeply satisfying click that is the mouse equivalent of the chunk of a Mercedes door. I'm actually finding myself pining for the mouse when I'm away from my desk on my laptop, and am thinking of getting another for home. Dan Yaccarino: Every Friday A treat for dads and kids: a sweet, short, beautifully illustrated book about a regular father-son breakfast date at the corner diner A fuckload of Tiger Balm Greasy Tiger Balm For dads who ache and need their ointment in job lots. By the time you've used this stuff up, you'll be so acclimated to the stuff you'll be using it as contact-lens solution. Hario Hand Grinder The perfect Aeropress accessory, great in travel kits for kick-ass hotel-room coffee independence Toddy Cold Brew System Yama Northwest Glass 32-Ounce Cold Brew Drip Coffee and Tea Maker, Black Cold brew coffee isn't iced coffee; it's coffee made by infusing cold water into coarse-ground beans with excruciating slowness. Several hours later, you've got a liquor that's ready to go into the fridge; it's 60% less acidic than coffee and tastes like you'd expect Guinness to taste. There is probably nothing better first thing in the morning on a hot, sticky day. The Toddy is revolutionarily cheap at $35; the Yama gives a taste of the full-bore, lab-glass, chem-lab mad scientist glory that lives at the extremes of the cold brew world; at $212, it's pretty pricey, but it's nothing compared to the $2k-$3k versions you find in really ass-kicking coffee shops. Ingersoll Skeleton Mechanical Watch *LIMITED EDITION* If you've won the lotto this year and want to treat Dad, the Ingersoll Skeleton watch is the way to go; a 44mm case watch with a domed glass top that reveals the chased-metal workings whirling hypnotically; and a clear underside that shows off the bright anodized aluminum screws and the backside of the movement. This is one the most beautiful contemporary watches I've ever seen. Stop Making Sense (extra tracks re-issue) All that music you loved in the movie that didn't make it onto the original LP, along with all the tracks you love -- one of the greatest live concert albums of all time The Definitive Hoosier Hotshots Collection Hard to be more "dad music" than the Hoosier Hotshots, one of the all-time great novelty comedy C&W acts that ever swung a swing. Has such awesome funnytunes as "I Like Bananas (Because They Have No Bones)" and "Since We Put a Radio Out in the Henhouse" Cydwoq Commander Another high-ticket item, but Cydwoqs are worth it. They're made to order, last forever (with regular re-soling), feel great, and they look like nothing else on the planet. Cydwoqs aren't everyone's cup of tea, but for those of us who are drawn to them, they're unbeatable. The Essential Bob Wills: 1935-1947 For ten bucks you get enough authentic country swing to send you larking back to the prairies. Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys stomp and swing it and make it all sound so effortless, as they put the jazz into country. Allan Sherman: My Son, the Box I can tell you why I loved these: they were subversive, they had wonky, comic rhymes, they were sung in a broad, nasal borscht-belt comedy voice, and they reminded me of the MAD Magazine parody songs that were my favorite part of every issue. I sang those songs everywhere I went. Jewface An album of classic "Jewish minstrel songs" from the golden age when klezmer and vaudeville mixed it up together. Mastered from cylinder recordings and billed as "one of the most offensive albums ever," this gave me plenty to bond over with my bubbies and their friends. His Royal Hipness Poetry in jazz from Lord Buckley, a man who understood that the New Testament, Edgar Allan Poe, Sigmund Freud, and other subjects were all fitting to be adapted for jazz poetry. The kind of thing dads and kids can learn to recite together to embarrass and infuriate uptight relatives. Lenny Bruce: Carnegie Hall Concert [Live] Toilet humor of yesteryear for dads to listen to after the kids have gone to bed; a classic in free speech and dope history. David's recommendations Crosley CR249 BK Keepsake USB Turntable a USB turntable in an old-fashioned style for digitizing vinyl collections to computer. Smith & Wesson Military and Police Tactical Pen A "personal protection weapon" that actually writes. This Kubaton pen is machined from aircraft aluminum, and "excels in the boardroom" as well "in the field." Never go "unprotected" again. Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food What's Going On: 40th Anniversary Timex Men's T18581 Camper Watch Xeni's recommendations iPad/Tablet Gear Moleskine cover for iPad, with paper notebook I bought one of these for my father, who is still easing in to the digital world, and enjoys writing out lists, thoughts, and sketching things on paper, old-school style. He loves it. It's a little thicker than the cheap, crappy looking rubber cases everyone gets at first--you are fitting a paper pad in here, after all. But if you want both paper *and* a stylish cover for the iPad, this is great. BoxWave Stylus Of the styluses (oh, alright, styli) available for the iPad and other touch-sensitive tablets, the BoxWave is my favorite, so far. A stylus isn't for everyone, but if you're going to be doing sketching, or prefer handwriting to typing for capturing fleeting thoughts, you will need one. Dodocase for iPad and iPad 2 If you don't want an iPad case that also includes paper, this is my favorite. Tell them Boing Boing sent you. Tasteful girlie books Here are a few of my favorite large-format books of beautiful women, from Taschen. They also publish more explicit stuff, but these three are more in the dad-gift-appropriate spectrum (though tastes may vary). 1000 Pin-up Girls The Best of American Girlie Magazines Gil Elvgren: All His Glamorous American Pin-Ups Vibram Fivefingers If the dad in your life is planning to spend any time at the beach (or near any body of water) this summer, or if he's looking for an alternative to more common athletic footwear, these odd "foot gloves" might be fun. Yes, yes, they look a little weird, but no more so than the Crocs or Birkenstocks he probably has in his closet. And they really are comfortable. The dad I bought them for says the shift from "regular" running shoes to these is not unlike the shift from a sitting desk to a standing desk. Panasonic Lumix GF3 The newest in Panasonic's line of compact cameras that pack all of the punch of more fancy SLRs, the GF3 offers a simplified design for beginner photographers, or dads who are used to more simple point-and-shoots or built-in cellphone cameras for taking family snapshots. Downside for more "serious" shooters: features such as hotshoe are missing. Comes in four colors, resolution at 12.1 megapixels, captures 1080i AVCHD video, 3" touchscreen display, ISOs from 160 to 6400. Engadget has a nice review here. Bikehugger's iPhone kickstand Ridiculously simple design, and only $4.99. Holds iPhone (with or without bumper) on your desk while your dad work, listens to music, or watch videos of the grandkids. Buy a few, perhaps, for home and office--and for the inevitability of leaving one behind at a restaurant table. Chrome bike messenger bags I've purchased these, in "Citizen" size (the medium of three sizes available), for two guys in my life who happen to be dads. They loved 'em, and I do too. I use one myself (the larger "Metropolis"), for packing gadgets and gear and a change of clothes while traveling light around the world, or for cycling around town back at home. They're waterproof, durable as hell, and they look bad ass. I dig the black/red colorway with the black metal, but there are less goth looks to choose from, too. The style bottom line: these look like grownup bags. They're surprisingly comfortable on one's back, even when filled with heavier loads. Random spec: you can fit a six-pack of beer in the "Citizen," easy. Sony PlayStation Vita and Nintendo's Wii U The bigger buzz items out of E3, these aren't available yet but are worth bearing in mind for later this year. The Vita will sell for $250, priced to compete with Nintendo's 3DS. Plays nice with PlayStation 3. Available in WiFi or WiFi+3G. To be released December 31, you can pre-order already. The Wii U comes out at an undetermined date next year, at a still-undetermined price. Our friends at Kotaku reported from E3 on both the Vita and the Wii U. About the Wii U, Brian Crecente writes: "The Wii U will include MotionPlus Wii remote support, the ability to deliver high definition graphics and apparently a more robust processor. But the key difference is the device's tablet-like master controller." Maggie's recommendations Whiskey Stones Chill a drink without watering it down Penzey's 4- or 8-jar Indian Curry Mix Box If there's one thing my Daddy taught me, it's that there can never be enough curry powder around the house. Record album frame Chuck Taylors Battlestar Galactica, the complete series on DVD Vosges caramel marshmallows + Sam Smith Imperial Stout Free State Brewery "Because Without Beer, Things Do Not Seem To Go As Well" T-Shirt You're Dad may not be from Kansas. But he'll still appreciate this classic T-shirt from the Sunflower State's first craft brewery. Alligator Records 40th Anniversary CD collection Break Your Own Geodes kit Rob's recommendations Boogie Board Described as a paperless LCD writing tablet, the Boogie Board incredibly cheap, thin and light. Unfortunately, living in the future does not come with a 'save' feature. Promissory note for the forthcoming MacBook Air If your dad needs a laptop and likes things Apple flavored, you have absolutely no businesses getting him anything before the forthcoming MacBook refresh expected this month. Buying him an "old" one will only further disappoint a parent who has already long-endured your presumptuous and ill-considered gifts. He can wait. Lenovo x120e or the Lenovo X220 If he likes PCs, however, Lenovo's X120e and X220 are easy recommendations. The former is a cheap but decent 11.6" netbook, the latter has more grunt and girth at a stiffer price tag. If you really hate money, get the best of both worlds with the too-expensive Lenovo X1 ultraportable, which has has USB 3.0, a 13.3" display and an i5 CPU. Universal Gadget Sock A cute "universal" gadget sock, at a fraction of the ludicrous price you'd pay in-store. (It's also fun to gift these to people who would have no idea what they are for, completely stripped of packaging or other contextual cues, and let their imagination do the work: "I know you really wanted one of these, and though I felt a bit weird buying it I hope you'll enjoy it.") Canon T3i or the Nikon D3000 If he wants a decent camera, get him a decent camera. These two are just a little above entry-level in their respective manufacturer's DSLR lineup, making them great for both still and moving pictures. Kindle, New Nook, or Sony Reader Pocket The Kindle has the best store but no touchscreen, the Nook is perfectly tiny, and the Sony is pretty and made of metal. They're otherwise the same thing and they are all about $150. Avoid color models; they're just not as nice to read on. Nor does your father need 3G. He is far more patient than you and will enjoy the ritual of synching over USB. Jason's recommendations Photo: United States Navy The Grumman G-21 Goose Every father embodies adventure, daring and courage to their kids. To really deliver on that promise your Dad needs a Grumman G-21 Goose. This storied amphibious plane is just the thing a Dad needs to travel from island to atoll and back. If my daughter were to give me one gift for this holiday, this'd be it. Luckily there are 4 for sale at the link provided. Now I just need an A2 jacket and a monkey side-kick. Surefire E2-D LED Flashlight A flashlight and brass knuckles all in one! This intensely bright flashlight kicks ass -- and its got a serrated bezel to cut up assailants too. Shedding light on any situation and providing for personal protection with its dual modes (super bright "blind the bad guy" and mellowly "light-up a path") -- give the gift of love. Sage 5wt Fly Fishing Set Incredibly versatile at 5wt, this set from Sage -- makers of some of the finest fly fishing gear around -- is sure to allow your dad to take a relaxing day on the river or feed your family after a total collapse of civilization. Fly fishing is one of the most reliable ways I know to put a meal on the table, or campfire (after the supermarket) -- but in the next few years we'll probably have rendered all the fish inedible or so terrifyingly vicious you'll need a cattle prod to get them off the line . Either way, its the thought that counts! K-Bar Full Size Black Straight Edge Knife Now thats a knife! This is really a gift for you AND your Dad -- look at what happened to Bruce Wayne when his dad went wandering around unarmed! Save yourself tons of therapy and danger, get your dad a K-Bar! Full Foot Pajama's with Drop Seat Your Dad should be warm and comfortable.

House made of bookcases Posted: 14 Jun 2011 06:47 AM PDT Kazuya Morita Architecture Studio designed this bookshelf-lined house in Osaka for a collector of books on Islamic history, designing a structure where books could line every surface. WANT. In order to satisfy this demand effectively, we designed a lattice structure made from 25mm thick laminated pine-board which serve as book-shelves. The dimensions of each shelf are as follows: 360mm height, 300mm width and 300mm depth. All of the architectural elements in this space (stairs, windows, desks, chairs, etc) have been designed on the basis of this shelf scale, with the aim of achieving geometrical harmony which is comparable to Islamic Architecture. This innovative structural system affords not only large amount of book storage, but the possibility of flexible floor level which can be delivered from every height of bookshelf. Each space for different activity rise up helically, giving the impression of exploring a wooden jungle gym. The original image of this structure is derived from the Japanese woodcraft of Kumiko. The structural integrity against an earthquake is provided by a panel of plywood board nailed on the shelf. Initially, the horizontal resistant force guaranteed by the panels was examined in a real-scale model. Further to this, an analysis of the whole structure was performed in order to determine the placement of the windows and panels. The inter-locking laminated pine-board was manufactured precisely in advance and assembled on-site. Similarly, the pyramid-shaped roof was assembled on-site, from 12 pieces of prefabricated wooden roof panel. The completed roof has a thickness of only 230mm and sensitively covers the whole space like the dome of a Mosque. shelf-pod (via Core77)

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