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This is how you do a video PSA about childhood cancer. New Cassini eye candy: the changing seasons of Saturn Please admire this hitch mounted stripper pole Breaking Bad Dance Remix music video (warning: S.1+2 spoilers) Hello, Aleister Crowley, Clockwork Orange, and Ganesha Kitty Beast-Jesus Restoration Society Cow rescued How white and male are new web publishing platforms? Make your own megademos Miners to be charged with murder after police kill 34 U.S. Public Libraries Weather the Storm Sponsor Shout-Out: Watchismo Subscribe to receive boxes of items that I've curated Modded Power Wheels racing Animals Spread Disease Constantly Bergen on new books about Obama vs. Osama Bruce Lee remix To the delight of everyone, Sam Raimi says he'd like to write another horror movie T-shirt: Dunkin' Donuts vs Dungeons & Dragons Barack Obama is answering questions on Reddit from 4:30-5PM ET Are We Alone? charticle Help DC comics writer Karl Kesel pay for his baby's medical treatment The internet uncovers the horrible Ninja Turtles bullet we all dodged Caloric restriction for long life? The results are mixed. Amazing images from Google Street View Amanda Visell's wood Star Wars figures "We die." The facade of NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art has never been fully finished Steve Jurvetson, on the recurring nightmare Neil Armstrong had for two years leading up to Apollo 11 Why are some doctors so emotionally distant? Maybe it's the economy. This is how you do a video PSA about childhood cancer.
By Xeni Jardin on Aug 30, 2012 12:59 pm This video from City of Hope, a large cancer research and treatment center in Los Angeles, documents the story of Gavin Wolfrank, a boy first diagnosed with leukemia at 7 months old. His treatment of high-dose chemotherapy continued until he was 4, when a matching donor for a bone marrow transplant was finally found... on ...
Read in browser New Cassini eye candy: the changing seasons of Saturn
By Xeni Jardin on Aug 30, 2012 12:41 pm Carolyn Porco, Cassini Imaging Team Leader and director of CICLOPS in Boulder, CO, writes: For no other reason than that they are gorgeous, the Cassini imaging team is releasing today a set of fabulous images of Saturn and Titan...in living color...for your day-dreaming enjoyment. Note that our presence at Saturn for the last 8 years ...
Read in browser Please admire this hitch mounted stripper pole
By Jason Weisberger on Aug 30, 2012 12:26 pm Sometimes I think the parties my friends and I throw are not very good. The Platinum Stage Hitch Pole Related Post: The Bumper Dumper
Read in browser Breaking Bad Dance Remix music video (warning: S.1+2 spoilers)
By Xeni Jardin on Aug 30, 2012 12:17 pm [Video Link] Do not watch if you have not yet watched seasons one and two of the television show Breaking Bad. Tight, tight, tight, yeah! Created by the very talented video remixer Chris Lohr. Damn, but Mr. White has fallen a long, long way since S1, que no? (Thanks, Joe Sabia.)
Read in browser Hello, Aleister Crowley, Clockwork Orange, and Ganesha Kitty
By Xeni Jardin on Aug 30, 2012 12:12 pm Spotted on Dangerous Minds: Etsy seller TheAllSeeingCat's Hello Kitty mods. From L-R: Hello Ganesha Kitty, Hello A Clockwork Orange Alex Kitty, and Hello Aleister Crowley Kitty. $227USD apiece.
Read in browser Beast-Jesus Restoration Society
By David Pescovitz on Aug 30, 2012 12:08 pm Remember the elderly woman's startlingly strange ("bad") DIY restoration of the century-old Jesus fresco at the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza? If you, like me, just couldn't look away, perhaps you'll enjoy the Beast-Jesus Restoration Society. (via Jess Hemerly's IM)
Read in browser Cow rescued
By Rob Beschizza on Aug 30, 2012 10:06 am Firefighters in England rescued a cow after it got stuck in a tree. The cow was described as "reasonably happy" following its ordeal.
Read in browser How white and male are new web publishing platforms?
By Rob Beschizza on Aug 30, 2012 09:57 am They are very white and male indeed. [Buzzfeed]
Read in browser Make your own megademos
By Rob Beschizza on Aug 30, 2012 09:52 am CODEF is a set of javascript libraries that make it easy to create Amiga-style cracktros—minimalist graphical and audio vids traditionally stuffed onto whatever space remained on a game disk after the copy protection was cracked. You can even.use .mod music files rather than mp3s! Enjoy the examples. [via Waxy]
Read in browser Miners to be charged with murder after police kill 34
By Rob Beschizza on Aug 30, 2012 09:39 am Two weeks ago, police in South Africa shot dead 34 striking miners at a protest. Now, some of those who remain will be charged with their colleagues' murder. [BBC] National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman Frank Lesenyego said they would all face murder charges - including those who were unarmed or were at the back of ...
Read in browser U.S. Public Libraries Weather the Storm
By LibraryLab on Aug 30, 2012 09:16 am Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and the woman seated next to you on the plane could smoke her Virginia Slims all the way from Chicago to L.A., libraries were fully-funded and considered an essential for every community. Then came the financial crash, and the slash-and-burn began for library budgets. The American Library Association's handy ...
Read in browser Sponsor Shout-Out: Watchismo
By Rob Beschizza on Aug 30, 2012 08:59 am Many thanks to Watchismo for sponsoring Boing Boing Blast, our once-daily delivery of headlines by email. Save up to 20 percent on most watches at Watchismo's Too Cool For School Sale. The deal's simple: the more you buy, the more you save. Watchismo's offering three progressive discounts for 10%, 15% or 20% off your purchases: ...
Read in browser Subscribe to receive boxes of items that I've curated
By Mark Frauenfelder on Aug 29, 2012 10:05 pm Quarterly is a company that sells subscriptions to boxes filled with items selected by guest curators (including our friends Veronica Belmont, Joshua Foer, and Alexis Madrigal). They've also invited me to be a curator. My first package of objects is called "Fantastic Plastic," and I'm excited about it! Here is my statement about my package: ...
Read in browser Modded Power Wheels racing
By Mark Frauenfelder on Aug 29, 2012 09:32 pm MAKE senior editor Goli Mohammadi interviewed Jim Burke, organizer of the Power Racing Series, an event where adults soup-up battery-operated Power Wheels cars and race them on a track, often wearing costumes. If you are coming to Maker Faire New York later this month, you can see these wacky races first-hand. Power Racing Series Coming ...
Read in browser Animals Spread Disease Constantly
By Rob Beschizza on Aug 29, 2012 06:54 pm "Bitter at the ascendency of man, these scheming apes brewed this deadly virus in their jungle lairs." — David Attenborough†. † The Onion.
Read in browser Bergen on new books about Obama vs. Osama
By David Pescovitz on Aug 29, 2012 06:49 pm Peter Bergen, CNN's man on terror and author of Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad, reviews pseudonymous SEAL Mark Owen's No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden and Richard Miniter's "Leading from Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him." ...
Read in browser Bruce Lee remix
By David Pescovitz on Aug 29, 2012 05:49 pm The one and only Bruce Lee, remixed by melodysheep. Empty your mind Be formless, shapeless Like Water "Be Water My Friend! Bruce Lee Remix"
Read in browser To the delight of everyone, Sam Raimi says he'd like to write another horror movie
By Jamie Frevele on Aug 29, 2012 05:31 pm Sam Raimi is involved in a lot of projects these days as a producer and director, but the last time he actually wrote us something was 2009's Drag Me to Hell. He'd like that to change, and in an interview with Shock Till You Drop, he revealed that he and his brother Ivan (his co-writer ...
Read in browser T-shirt: Dunkin' Donuts vs Dungeons & Dragons
By David Pescovitz on Aug 29, 2012 04:52 pm Excellent t-shirt design by Joe Grady, also available as prints, stickers, etc. from RedBubble. They should make coffee mugs too! (via Laughing Squid)
Read in browser Barack Obama is answering questions on Reddit from 4:30-5PM ET
By Dean Putney on Aug 29, 2012 04:37 pm Unfortunately the thread is crashing frequently and is in read-only mode due to heavy traffic, but I'm looking forward to seeing his answers to people's questions. Here's a cached copy of the page, but it's likely to be out of date.
Read in browser Are We Alone? charticle
By David Pescovitz on Aug 29, 2012 02:29 pm From David McCandless's Information Is Beautiful Studio comes a magnificent charticle about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Above is just the top portion. See the whole thing at BBC Future, "Are We Alone?" (via Wired)
Read in browser Help DC comics writer Karl Kesel pay for his baby's medical treatment
By Maggie Koerth-Baker on Aug 29, 2012 02:26 pm Comics writer Karl Kesel and his wife recently adopted a baby whose parents were addicted to heroin. This is the sort of backstory that would normally land a kid in the foster-care system, which does not, statistically speaking, offer much hope at a full and happy life. The Kesels have seriously done some good here, ...
Read in browser The internet uncovers the horrible Ninja Turtles bullet we all dodged
By Jamie Frevele on Aug 29, 2012 02:18 pm Apparently, it was just as bad as we feared. Not long ago, it was reported that production on the Michael Bay-produced "Ninja Turtles" movie was pushed to 2014. Because 2014 is the 30th anniversary of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? No! That was a convenient excuse. Besides, "Ninja Turtles" is basically a cheap imitator of ...
Read in browser Caloric restriction for long life? The results are mixed.
By Maggie Koerth-Baker on Aug 29, 2012 02:11 pm A new, 25-year study of rhesus monkeys is muddying the waters around the theory that heavily limiting the number of calories you eat can prolong your life. You've probably heard about the studies with worms, and mice, and rats, showing that those animals live longer, healthier lives when they eat significantly less food than control ...
Read in browser Amazing images from Google Street View
By David Pescovitz on Aug 29, 2012 02:10 pm Jon Rafman has compiled a breathtaking collection of bizarre, moving, upsetting, and compelling photos culled from Google Street View. His site is called "9-eyes," for the number of cameras on the top of the Google Street View cars. Jon Rafman's "9-eyes" (via Smithsonian)
Read in browser Amanda Visell's wood Star Wars figures
By David Pescovitz on Aug 29, 2012 02:00 pm The hyper-talented Amanda Visell is creating a series of handmade, wood Star Wars figures! Here are Obi-Wan, IG-88, Darth Vader, and Boba Fett
Read in browser "We die."
By Jason Weisberger on Aug 29, 2012 01:53 pm The Last Starfighter always makes me smile... Man, Lord Kril handles this with class.
Read in browser The facade of NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art has never been fully finished
By Maggie Koerth-Baker on Aug 29, 2012 01:27 pm It sure seems like a completed structure at first glance. But look closer. Specifically, look at the piles of stone blocks stacked on top of the columns. Those blocks were hauled up there during construction—around the turn of the 20th century. They were supposed to be carved into sculptures representing "Music", "Architecture", "Painting" and, ironically, ...
Read in browser Steve Jurvetson, on the recurring nightmare Neil Armstrong had for two years leading up to Apollo 11
By Xeni Jardin on Aug 29, 2012 01:08 pm Venture capitalist, photographer, and master-level space fanatic Steve Jurvetson has been digging in to his archives for snapshots and relics related to the life and legacy of the late astronaut Neil Armstrong. For instance: above, a vintage 11"x 14" X-ray of Armstrong's lunar EVA spacesuit boots dated 7-7-69, only 9 days before the launch. You ...
Read in browser Why are some doctors so emotionally distant? Maybe it's the economy.
By Maggie Koerth-Baker on Aug 29, 2012 12:54 pm I've got a good doctor, and one of the reasons I like him as much as I do is his "bedside manner"—the shorthand we all use for describing whether or not medical professionals are able to connect with their patients emotionally. But pulling off a good bedside manner isn't just about being kind and empathetic, ...
Read in browser Meet SparkTruck, an “educational build-mobile” for the twenty-first century.
Dreamed up by a group of Stanford d.school students and funded through Kickstarter, SparkTruck is a mobile maker space currently traveling across the United States. At schools and summer camps and libraries around the country, the SparkTruck team offers workshops to help kids “find their inner maker” as they design and build projects like stamps, stop-motion animation clips, and “vibrobots.”
[video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmRKXqDwieY&feature=plcp]
This might seem all shiny and new. And it is—but only in part. What’s so striking (and exciting) about SparkTruck is the way it combines old and new. It does so in the tools it gets kids using, which range from pipe cleaners to laser cutters. It does so in its educational approach, which combines cutting-edge (get it?) STEM and design pedagogy with the fundamentals of an old-school shop class. And it does so in its method, which combines the iconic, century-old technology of the bookmobile with the hot new form of the maker space.
In doing so, SparkTruck joins a growing number of libraries which are combining time-tested principles (like equal access to information) with new technologies (like 3-D printers), putting in maker spaces and media production labs alongside bookshelves and meeting rooms. As I’ve argued over on bookmobility.org, these combinations make sense because reading and making actually have a lot in common. They’re both creative processes that take existing materials and combine them in new ways. Getting people engaged in those kinds of processes—through imaginative thinking, contemplation, hands-on problem-solving, and collaborative learning—is what both maker spaces and libraries are all about.
Taking that commitment on the road with scissors and hammers and 3-D printers and a great big bookmobile-like truck, SparkTruck serves as a laboratory for new approaches, as well as a reminder that trying new things doesn’t have to (and probably shouldn’t!) necessarily mean tossing old ones out.
After all, what would those vibrobots be without classically crafty pipe cleaners and tongue depressors? And what would a library be without the creative, participatory, straight-up awesome experience of reading?
SparkTruck schedule [sparktruck.org]
How to arrange a visit from SparkTruck [sparktruck.org]
SparkTruck YouTube channel [youtube.com]
Signature: --Derek Attig, bookmobility.org
