Hydraulic typewriter mixes cocktails out of the letters you type TRSF: MIT Technology Review's science fiction anthology Barely Feral: a porn site for cats by cats Mexico: 35 bodies in Veracruz, in presumed drug cartel mass killing US: Georgia denies clemency for Troy Davis, execution imminent in hotly debated death row case OnStar vows to track your movements forever, even if you cancel the service Retro-electro watches use dip-switches and turn-switches for operation Indie filmmaker and mensch seeks Toronto locations Biggie Smalls the Tank Engine (Note: delectable language) BillGuard: We are Smarter than Me Another illegal kitchen garden Loog guitar kits – cool 3-string instruments Wikileaks cable: Al Jazeera head killed content at US gov's request Gay teen bullying victim who recorded an "It Gets Better" video commits suicide Wisconsin legislators attempt to ban all fetal cell research Methuselah trusts and the magic of compound interest Bunnies and science, minus the ethical debates Playing games to fight HIV Report from 1978′s "Second West Coast Computer Faire" Gallery of past and future logos Italian MPs propose Internet disconnection law: one copyright accusation from anyone and you lose your Internet connection Rock poster pioneer Wes Wilson on Bill Graham 1960s animated tire commercial Escher's "Relativity" in Minecraft UK patent office seeks public's help with prior art that invalidates patent applications Whistle-blowers allege corruption and cartel ties with US politicians and law officers On fourth day of #OccupyWallStreet, protesters arrested Anonymous, the book Video: FBI trainer says forget "irrelevant" al-Qaeda, target Islam itself (bonus: Star Wars reference) BART emails on the Anonymous protests 
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Hydraulic typewriter mixes cocktails out of the letters you type
By Cory Doctorow on Sep 21, 2011 12:54 pm Morskoiboy created an hydraulic typewriter that mixes cocktails -- the typewriter keys inject different liquids into a big LCD-like display, which then decants them into a waiting beaker. So, if you're interested, let me explain this contraption and the mechanism …
Continue reading → Read in browser TRSF: MIT Technology Review's science fiction anthology
By Cory Doctorow on Sep 21, 2011 10:49 am TRSF is a new science fiction anthology of original stories commissioned by Technology Review, the tech magazine published by MIT. They commissioned a story from me, "The Brave Little Toaster," and the brief asked me to look at near future …
Continue reading → Read in browser Barely Feral: a porn site for cats by cats
By Xeni Jardin on Sep 21, 2011 05:22 am "Barely Feral answers the question: what if there was a porn site designed by cats for cats?" Tumblr, Twitter. (via @choire / @annetaylor; photo in this post by Flickr user Dawn Frasca)
Read in browser Mexico: 35 bodies in Veracruz, in presumed drug cartel mass killing
By Xeni Jardin on Sep 21, 2011 05:16 am Police and members of a forensic team stand around bodies on a motorway in Boca del Rio, on the outskirts of Veracruz September 20, 2011. The bodies of 35 people with suspected links to organized crime were found in two …
Continue reading → Read in browser US: Georgia denies clemency for Troy Davis, execution imminent in hotly debated death row case
By Xeni Jardin on Sep 21, 2011 02:38 am From the Guardian, via RichardDawkins.net: One of the most hotly contested death row cases in recent years looks set to go ahead with the execution of Troy Davis in Georgia on Wednesday. He lost a final plea for clemency despite …
Continue reading → Read in browser OnStar vows to track your movements forever, even if you cancel the service
By Cory Doctorow on Sep 21, 2011 01:53 am OnStar -- the company that uses satellite tracking and cellular data to offer roadside assistance, disable stolen vehicles, etc -- has a new privacy policy, which states that they'll continue to track all your movements even if you cancel their …
Continue reading → Read in browser Retro-electro watches use dip-switches and turn-switches for operation
By Cory Doctorow on Sep 21, 2011 01:41 am Watchismo's acquired distribution rights for Click Watches, mouth-wateringly dorky watches that you set with dip-switches and mechanical dial-selectors. These new watches are reaching back into the glory days of electronics for their inaugural Dip Switch and Turn Switch timepiece collections. …
Continue reading → Read in browser Indie filmmaker and mensch seeks Toronto locations
By Cory Doctorow on Sep 21, 2011 01:32 am My dear old friend Kate Melville, a brilliant Canadian playwright and TV writer, has just gotten her first feature film, and she's looking for cheap locations in Toronto: "We are a small, courteous, professional crew trying to make the best …
Continue reading → Read in browser Biggie Smalls the Tank Engine (Note: delectable language)
By Rob Beschizza on Sep 21, 2011 12:28 am Video Link (NSFW Audio). Previously: Thomas the Tank Engine's ultraviolence.
Read in browser BillGuard: We are Smarter than Me
By Mark Frauenfelder on Sep 21, 2011 12:15 am Over at Credit.com, I took a look at a new web service called BillGuard that scans your credit card statements for bogus transactions. What do you do when you notice an unusual transaction on your credit card? If you're like …
Continue reading → Read in browser Another illegal kitchen garden
By Mark Frauenfelder on Sep 20, 2011 11:53 pm Roger Doiron says: This month's KGI newsletter focuses on Adam Guerrero, a gardener from Memphis, TN who is facing possible legal action for his code-violating, "nuisance" front yard garden. Adam happens to be a high school teacher who is using …
Continue reading → Read in browser Loog guitar kits – cool 3-string instruments
By Mark Frauenfelder on Sep 20, 2011 11:11 pm Last year I wrote about Rafael Atijas' Kickstarter campaign to start a 3-string guitar kit company called Loog Guitars. Rafael was seeking $15,000, but ended up getting over $65,000. I'm happy to report that he launched the company and is …
Continue reading → Read in browser Wikileaks cable: Al Jazeera head killed content at US gov's request
By Xeni Jardin on Sep 20, 2011 10:56 pm Al Jazeera director Wadah Khanfar, whose resigned today, removed content from the news network's website after receiving complaints from the U.S. government according to a 2005 State Dept. cable published by WikiLeaks. More at Foreign Policy magazine.
Read in browser Gay teen bullying victim who recorded an "It Gets Better" video commits suicide
By Xeni Jardin on Sep 20, 2011 10:24 pm [Video Link] Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year old from Buffalo, NY, is the latest victim of homophobic bullying on- and offline. Four months after recording the "It Gets Better" video above, Jamey committed suicide this week. More at Dangerous Minds. What …
Continue reading → Read in browser Wisconsin legislators attempt to ban all fetal cell research
By Maggie Koerth-Baker on Sep 20, 2011 09:38 pm Lawmakers in Wisconsin have proposed an overzealous method to banning stem cells—banning, instead, the use of any cells derived from human fetal tissue ever in history—even if that tissue was donated to medical science by women who had legal abortions …
Continue reading → Read in browser Methuselah trusts and the magic of compound interest
By David Pescovitz on Sep 20, 2011 08:43 pm "Methuselah trusts" are (very) longterm trusts that accumulate so much compound interest over hundreds of years that by the time they mature, they could potentially pose a real threat to the economy. That's why they're illegal. From Lapham's Quarterly: Hartwick …
Continue reading → Read in browser Bunnies and science, minus the ethical debates
By Maggie Koerth-Baker on Sep 20, 2011 08:41 pm Speaking of smart games, Spongelab's Natural Selection is almost more of an interactive demonstration than an actual game, but it's still way cool. The goal: Learn about how evolution works by causing mutations in populations of cute, fluffy bunnies. Image: …
Continue reading → Read in browser Playing games to fight HIV
By Maggie Koerth-Baker on Sep 20, 2011 08:07 pm A couple of years ago, I told you about Foldit, a computer game that harnesses the power of human putzing to help scientists unravel the mysteries of protein structure. There's a new research paper out that uses results from Foldit …
Continue reading → Read in browser Report from 1978′s "Second West Coast Computer Faire"
By Cory Doctorow on Sep 20, 2011 08:01 pm This report from the Second West Coast Computer Faire -- in 1978 -- from Byte magazine is a perfect time-capsule of the heroic age of personal computing: I enjoyed the many special features of the show, particularly the excellent computer …
Continue reading → Read in browser Gallery of past and future logos
By Mark Frauenfelder on Sep 20, 2011 07:34 pm Funny. There are quite a few more at stocklogos.com.
Read in browser Italian MPs propose Internet disconnection law: one copyright accusation from anyone and you lose your Internet connection
By Cory Doctorow on Sep 20, 2011 07:14 pm Italian MPs from Berlusconi's party have proposed legislation that will require ISPs to disconnect any customer on receipt of a single unsubstantiated copyright complaint, from anyone -- even someone who's not connected with the alleged rightsholder in any way. 1) …
Continue reading → Read in browser Rock poster pioneer Wes Wilson on Bill Graham
By David Pescovitz on Sep 20, 2011 07:11 pm At least according to Wes Wilson, a psychedelic poster pioneer who helped define the rock poster aesthetic of the 1960s, iconic rock promoter Bill Graham wasn't as cool a guy as you might think. Of course, Bill isn't around to …
Continue reading → Read in browser 1960s animated tire commercial
By David Pescovitz on Sep 20, 2011 07:00 pm [video link] My IFTF colleague Kim Lawrence pointed me to this rather excellent c.1960s animated commercial for Uniroyal Tiger Paw tires.
Read in browser Escher's "Relativity" in Minecraft
By Cory Doctorow on Sep 20, 2011 06:56 pm Bergenco recreated MC Escher's 1951 House of Stairs Relativity using Minecraft, saying it took: "5 or 6 hours over 2 days. The sandstone room took the longest." Relativity- by M. C. Escher (Thanks, Fipi Lele!)
Read in browser UK patent office seeks public's help with prior art that invalidates patent applications
By Cory Doctorow on Sep 20, 2011 06:55 pm Glyn from Open Rights Group sez, "The UK government is asking for you feedback on patent filings. Some applications have under 10 days remaining on the website and need your comments. So if you know of any prior art on …
Continue reading → Read in browser Whistle-blowers allege corruption and cartel ties with US politicians and law officers
By Xeni Jardin on Sep 20, 2011 06:54 pm El Paso Times: "Two former law enforcement officers allege that they cannot get anyone to investigate allegations that the Mexican drug cartels have corrupted U.S. law officers and politicians in the El Paso border region."
Read in browser On fourth day of #OccupyWallStreet, protesters arrested
By Xeni Jardin on Sep 20, 2011 06:52 pm The Occupy Wall Street protests are in their fourth day today, and NYPD is arresting people more aggressively now.
Read in browser Anonymous, the book
By Xeni Jardin on Sep 20, 2011 06:51 pm New York Observer reports that a book about Anonymous is in the works. "The working title is Tales From Inside The Accidental Cyberwar. The not-so-anonymous Gregg Housh and Barrett Brown will be writing it."
Read in browser Video: FBI trainer says forget "irrelevant" al-Qaeda, target Islam itself (bonus: Star Wars reference)
By Xeni Jardin on Sep 20, 2011 06:41 pm Spencer Ackerman at Wired.com's Danger Room has a major followup today on their recent scoop about an FBI training workshop that characterized Muslims as inherently more prone to violence and terrorism than people of other faiths. Danger Room's original post …
Continue reading → Read in browser BART emails on the Anonymous protests
By Xeni Jardin on Sep 20, 2011 06:24 pm Christopher Soghoian and Jake Appelbaum FOIA'd emails from BART related to the recent/ongoing Anonymous protests.
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