Man with Down Syndrome beaten, pepper-sprayed by San Diego sheriff's deputies Crazed gunman killed 5 in PA while NRA press conference was happening in DC Go opt out of Instagram's bullshit arbitration clause, right now Lonesome George: musical homage to last Galapagos turtle, from "2012:Mashed" END OF THE WORLD SCHEDULE, for Spanish and English speakers A most interestingly named corporation (NSFW language) The best weird and wonderful Christmas videos you ever did see! NRA says gun control advocates "exploited tragedy", blames media, calls for armed guards in schools Acquire a transhuman Compass Sense with a kit-built anklet 2013 Mayan Calendar What is this bizarre Indian "health gadget" from 1950s Bombay? Getting Started with MakerBot - a new Make book Female child pornography suspect apprehended CDZA sends season's greetings to Boing Boing Ad from 1890, when parents wanted fat kids Mitch Horowitz: Once More Awaiting "The End" Text-adventure interview with Zork co-creator Flaming unicorns! Basement was once used to print newspapers, now is a fiber-optic interchange Instagram walks back its controversial TOS update; reverts to old TOS Delphine - dark fairy tale about the search for a girl who disappeared, by Richard Sala How do we enable young makers, without hiding the details of how things really work? Ruffus The Dog's Christmas Carol: CC-licensed Christmas kids' video Book digitization: 1971-present EFF creates the "Mark Cuban Chair to Eliminate Stupid Patents" Social media turns into boring old media Boston Terrier pup flips over into food bowl Bodies of "In Cold Blood" killers exhumed in Kansas Did the Church of Scientology poison an investigative reporter's dog? Eco-friendly stuffies and Postmodernist socks from American Apparel Man with Down Syndrome beaten, pepper-sprayed by San Diego sheriff's deputies
By Xeni Jardin on Dec 21, 2012 12:59 pm A developmentally disabled 21-year-old man was hit, forced to the ground, and doused in pepper spray by California sheriff's deputies this week. Antonio Martinez was taken to a hospital, then detained for possible "obstruction of justice." He weighs 158 pounds, is 4'11," and "didn't respond to commands." Officers mistakenly thought he was involved in a ...
Read in browser Crazed gunman killed 5 in PA while NRA press conference was happening in DC
By Xeni Jardin on Dec 21, 2012 12:46 pm In Pennsylvania this morning three people were shot dead, including two state troopers, in a mass shooting event that occurred during the same time as an NRA press conference was taking place at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC. (HT: Jeff Simmermon)
Read in browser Go opt out of Instagram's bullshit arbitration clause, right now
By Cory Doctorow on Dec 21, 2012 12:42 pm Instagram may be heading for a partial do-over on its 100% Cask Strength Terms of Service Shitshow, but it's still cramming an arbitration clause down its users' throats, which means that you can't sue them no matter how they screw you over. Unless, that is, you opt out of the arbitration clause. Which you should ...
Read in browser Lonesome George: musical homage to last Galapagos turtle, from "2012:Mashed"
By Xeni Jardin on Dec 21, 2012 12:34 pm "
Lonesome George," is about the last Galapagos tortoise to die, "done retro video game stylee."
Read in browser END OF THE WORLD SCHEDULE, for Spanish and English speakers
By Xeni Jardin on Dec 21, 2012 12:18 pm Via Miles O'Brien, a funny ZOMGWTFWEREALLGONNADIE "Mayan apocalypse" spoof email forward from astronomy expert and Venezuelan native Ricardo Salamé Páez. HORARIO DEL FIN DEL MUNDO para los Habla Hispana 06:30 - Apertura del Fin 07:00 - Lluvia de meteoritos 08:30 - Llegada del primer tsunami 10:00 - Bienvenida de los ovnis 10:30 - flashmob baile ...
Read in browser A most interestingly named corporation (NSFW language)
By Xeni Jardin on Dec 21, 2012 12:12 pm The best corporation in all of America: Murderfuck Industries Inc. Murderfuck is the premier service for directed talent and assistance for market-facing service offerings. We offer strategic solutions and value-added, tactical team-players for firms and companies dealing in both emerging technologies and user-oriented product bases. We have been consistently ranked as a resource, and our ...
Read in browser The best weird and wonderful Christmas videos you ever did see!
By Jamie Frevele on Dec 21, 2012 11:19 am A collection of weird, vintage holiday gems!
Read in browser NRA says gun control advocates "exploited tragedy", blames media, calls for armed guards in schools
By Rob Beschizza on Dec 21, 2012 11:16 am C-Span/Screengrab by Andrew Kaczynski At a press conference where he would not take questions from reporters, the National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre said that gun control advocates have "exploited the tragedy for political gain", that every school should have armed security guards, and that the media is "complicit" in making it impossible to prevent school ...
Read in browser Acquire a transhuman Compass Sense with a kit-built anklet
By Cory Doctorow on Dec 21, 2012 11:00 am The North Paw is a kit for an anklet that subtly vibrates your on the side of your ankle that faces north, so that you attain a kind of subliminal "Compass Sense" like those possessed by certain birds. What makes it way more awesome than a regular compass? Persistence. With a regular compass the owner ...
Read in browser 2013 Mayan Calendar
By Rob Beschizza on Dec 21, 2012 10:25 am There's even an app!
Read in browser What is this bizarre Indian "health gadget" from 1950s Bombay?
By Xeni Jardin on Dec 21, 2012 10:07 am Crate-digging for old records on eBay, my brother found this bizarre health gadget identified as having been produced in Bombay in the 1950s. The seller writes: Very rare and old Twin Transilluminator in Box from India 1950 in good condition. Its medical Instrument for sinuses and Eye therapy. Its made of steel and backlit. its ...
Read in browser Getting Started with MakerBot - a new Make book
By Mark Frauenfelder on Dec 21, 2012 10:00 am My kids and I are getting a 3D printer for Christmas, and even though its not a MakerBot, this new book by MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis is very useful for anyone getting started with 3D printing. (Disclosure: I'm editor-in-chief of MAKE which published this book) Ready to join the personal fabrication movement? This hands-on book ...
Read in browser Female child pornography suspect apprehended
By Xeni Jardin on Dec 21, 2012 09:27 am The woman referred to in US government advisories as "Jane Doe," pictured in a screengrab from a child pornography video at right, has been apprehended. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division arrested Corine Danielle Motley, 25, of Okaloosa County, FL., on federal charges for child pornography production. The HSI complaint ...
Read in browser CDZA sends season's greetings to Boing Boing
By Xeni Jardin on Dec 21, 2012 09:12 am A holiday music message to Xeni and Boing Boing, from the YouTube music experiment project CDZA.
Read in browser Ad from 1890, when parents wanted fat kids
By Cory Doctorow on Dec 21, 2012 09:00 am As rhapsodyangel points out on the Vintage Ads LJ, this fattening syrup outsold Coca-Cola in 1890, by promising that you and your loved ones could be "fat as pigs." In 1890, this sold more bottles than Coca Cola.
Read in browser Mitch Horowitz: Once More Awaiting "The End"
By Mitch Horowitz on Dec 21, 2012 03:01 am The real anxieties behind our fascination with apocalysm.
Read in browser Text-adventure interview with Zork co-creator
By Cory Doctorow on Dec 20, 2012 10:37 pm Zork co-creators Marc Blank and Dave Lebling are to be awarded the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Pioneer Award, a prestigious prize, and a well-deserved one. It's amazing to think of Zork's creators as just a couple of guys who're still kicking around, doing stuff -- like learning that the authors of Gilgamesh are ...
Read in browser Flaming unicorns!
By Jason Weisberger on Dec 20, 2012 09:57 pm Who doesn't love a flaming unicorn? Unizilla is one of my favorite shirts. It seems The Samba forum member Sir Sam knows how to order from Van Cafe, a well known VW bus parts shop. As an additional shipping instruction he wrote: Please draw a unicorn on the side of the shipping box, thanks! (Unicorns ...
Read in browser Basement was once used to print newspapers, now is a fiber-optic interchange
By Cory Doctorow on Dec 20, 2012 09:32 pm Cabel visited an old, crumbling basement in Portland, OR, which was once the building in which The Orgeonian was printing and is now a major fiber-optic exchange. The basement is a beautiful mix of peeling pinups, faded WWII campaign maps, forgotten graffiti, and super-modern pipes filled with pulsing fiber, neatly pushed right through those old ...
Read in browser Instagram walks back its controversial TOS update; reverts to old TOS
By Xeni Jardin on Dec 20, 2012 08:59 pm Well hey now. From the Instagram blog: Earlier this week, we introduced a set of updates to our privacy policy and terms of service to help our users better understand our service. In the days since, it became clear that we failed to fulfill what I consider one of our most important responsibilities – to ...
Read in browser Delphine - dark fairy tale about the search for a girl who disappeared, by Richard Sala
By Mark Frauenfelder on Dec 20, 2012 08:23 pm I've long admired the gothy work of cartoonist Richard Sala. He delicately balances the line between horror and humor as few can. His latest graphic novel, Delphine, is his darkest effort to date. It's a modern-day retelling of Snow White as experienced by the prince. In Sala's version, a pair of college students fall in ...
Read in browser How do we enable young makers, without hiding the details of how things really work?
By Mark Frauenfelder on Dec 20, 2012 07:49 pm Michael Rosenblatt is founder and CEO of Seamless Toy Company, maker of ATOMS, an electronics construction kit for kids (and adults). He wrote a piece for MAKE about the challenges of making an easy-to-use electronics kit that doesn't hide how electronics works. Over the last few months, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a ...
Read in browser Ruffus The Dog's Christmas Carol: CC-licensed Christmas kids' video
By Cory Doctorow on Dec 20, 2012 07:37 pm Last year we released our production "Ruffus The Dog's Christmas Carol" online under a Creative Commons license and Boing Boing was kind enough to post about it.
Read in browser Book digitization: 1971-present
By Cory Doctorow on Dec 20, 2012 07:26 pm The Library of Congress's Leslie Johnson takes a stroll down memory lane, recounting the history of book digitization: Text digitization in the cultural heritage sector started in earnest in 1971, when the first Project Gutenberg text — the United States Declaration of Independence — was keyed into a file on a mainframe at the University ...
Read in browser EFF creates the "Mark Cuban Chair to Eliminate Stupid Patents"
By Cory Doctorow on Dec 20, 2012 05:47 pm Broadcast.com founder Mark Cuban and Minecraft creator Markus Persson have donated $500,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation to endow the "Mark Cuban Chair to Eliminate Stupid Patents," which will be occupied by an attorney tasked with hunting down and destroying crappy patents that have been recklessly granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office to ...
Read in browser Social media turns into boring old media
By Cory Doctorow on Dec 20, 2012 05:24 pm Warren Ellis, always a shrewd observer of online media, supposes that we've reached peak social media, the point at which exciting new communications forms ossify into dull media titans: Twitter alters its terms of access to its information, thereby harming the services that built themselves on that information. Which was stupid, because Twitter gets fewer ...
Read in browser Boston Terrier pup flips over into food bowl
By Xeni Jardin on Dec 20, 2012 05:12 pm His little head is so large, it causes him to lose balance and flip right over into his food dish. Awwww.
Read in browser Bodies of "In Cold Blood" killers exhumed in Kansas
By Xeni Jardin on Dec 20, 2012 05:09 pm The bodies of Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, executed for the 1959 "In Cold Blood" murders made famous in Truman Capote's book, were exhumed at the request of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation this week. Investigators hope to find evidence that may help solve the killing of a Florida family that occurred weeks after the ...
Read in browser Did the Church of Scientology poison an investigative reporter's dog?
By Xeni Jardin on Dec 20, 2012 05:07 pm A fascinating long read in LA Magazine: "In the mid-1980s, journalist Joel Sappell and a colleague began a five-year examination of the Church of Scientology that would ultimately produce a 24-article series. It would also change Sappell's life in ways both mystifying and unnerving. Decades later the onetime investigative reporter investigates what happened to him." One ...
Read in browser Eco-friendly stuffies and Postmodernist socks from American Apparel
By Advertiser on Dec 20, 2012 05:00 pm ADVERTISEMENT This post is sponsored by American Apparel: Stuff those stockings with stuffies and stockings! From the American Apparel/Boing Boing Style Gift Guide: • Scrappies: Environmentally friendly stuffed animals featuring 100% recycled stuffing, and an exterior made from reclaimed neon fabrics that, ordinarily, would have been destined for landfills. • Calf-High Memphis Sock: Inspired by ...
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
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