Food, urine, and feces as radiation shield for Mars mission Supercute's "Love Love Leave Love" music video Wikipedia and libraries: a match made in heaven Brain Rot: Hip Hop Family Tree, Beastie Boys Weekly Wipe: Charlie Brooker shreds TV The International Bank of Bob - exclusive excerpt from Bob Harris' new book about his microloan adventures Homeland interviews Science fiction and women's history month White House weighs in on right to unlock your phone Copyright trolls facing legal sanctions for in-court fraud file defamation suits against identity theft victim and online critics Dinotopia artist James Gurney on exhibit at New Hampshire Institute of Art Kickstarter for a cocktail-dispensing robot YouTube's Harlem Shake easter egg Armory Arts Week Edition Featured Artist: Amy Crehore Pixel Monster Generator Makerspace at SXSW CopyrightX: a massively open online course on copyright from Harvard's Terry Fisher Same couple pose as 9 different fashion-followers Comic books' real-life supervillain: psychiatrist Fredric Wertham Top Gear for gadgets TED2013: Amanda Palmer on "The art of asking" Vintage boombox with vertical turntable Calculus-performing mechanical calculator Fraternity scavenger hunt Stunning snake portraits Documentary on preserving transient and "new media" installation art Star Trek-themed online art sale Alone together in Antarctica Food, urine, and feces as radiation shield for Mars mission
By David Pescovitz on Mar 05, 2013 12:54 pm The Inspiration Mars team planning to send a couple on a fly-by mission to Marks in 2018 have an idea of how to protect the astronauts from cosmic rays on the long journey: pack the walls of the spaceship with food, shit, and piss. "Dehydrate (the human waste) as much as possible, because we need ...
Read in browser Supercute's "Love Love Leave Love" music video
By Mark Frauenfelder on Mar 05, 2013 12:07 pm Supercute! is my favorite band since The Flying Lizards. Here's their new song, "Love Love Leave Love." Previously: Supercute! plays Misty Mountain Hop on ukulele Supercute! "Dumb Dumbs" Supercute! video "Not To Write About Boys"
Read in browser Wikipedia and libraries: a match made in heaven
By Cory Doctorow on Mar 05, 2013 11:43 am John Mark Ockerbloom's "From Wikipedia to our libraries" is a fabulous proposal for creating research synergies between libraries and Wikipedia, by adding templates to Wikipedia articles that direct readers to unique, offline-only (or onsite-only) library resources at their favorite local libraries. Ockerbloom's approach acknowledges and respects the fact that patrons start their searches online, and ...
Read in browser Brain Rot: Hip Hop Family Tree, Beastie Boys
By Ed Piskor on Mar 05, 2013 10:00 am Read the rest of the Hip Hop Family Tree comics!
Read in browser Weekly Wipe: Charlie Brooker shreds TV
By Cory Doctorow on Mar 05, 2013 09:12 am I somehow missed the fact that Charlie "
Black Mirror" Brooker's brilliant, sweary, hilarious show Weekly Wipe had returned for a third season.
Read in browser The International Bank of Bob - exclusive excerpt from Bob Harris' new book about his microloan adventures
By Mark Frauenfelder on Mar 05, 2013 09:00 am Bob Harris has written a number of excellent travel pieces for Boing Boing. He's also a Jeopardy champion (his book about his experience, Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy! is fantastic). I met Bob a couple of years ago at the International Trivia Championship in Las Vegas and found him to be warm, funny, ...
Read in browser Homeland interviews
By Cory Doctorow on Mar 05, 2013 01:19 am A pair of nice interviews about my new novel Homeland hit the Web today: this fun chat with Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda on the Washington Post, and this one with David Klein at Las Vegas City Life: It's about conveying your enthusiasm. My readers like that enthusiastic voice. The dirty secret about geeking out is that ...
Read in browser Science fiction and women's history month
By Cory Doctorow on Mar 05, 2013 01:15 am This video features celebrated science fiction authors speaking about the role of women in their writing.
Read in browser White House weighs in on right to unlock your phone
By Cory Doctorow on Mar 05, 2013 12:13 am Eric sez, "The Library of Congress recently withdrew the cell phone unlocking exception to the DMCA. In response, a 'We the People' petition was created to ask the White House to weigh in and push to overturn the LoC's decision. Less than two weeks after the petition period closed, White House advisor R. David Edelman ...
Read in browser Copyright trolls facing legal sanctions for in-court fraud file defamation suits against identity theft victim and online critics
By Cory Doctorow on Mar 04, 2013 11:02 pm Prenda Law is the notorious, scandal-haunted copyright trolling lawfirm that represents various pornography producers, sending extortionate letters to people allegedly detected illegally downloading videos, demanding money to go away -- the alternative being to have your name linked with embarrassing pornography titles in a public record forever. Prenda made headlines lately for claiming that it ...
Read in browser Dinotopia artist James Gurney on exhibit at New Hampshire Institute of Art
By Mark Frauenfelder on Mar 04, 2013 10:49 pm James Gurney's paintings, drawings, and incredible hand-made models from his Dinotopia books series are on exhibit this month at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. From the soothing, restorative environment of Waterfall City to the hidden wonders of Chandara, acclaimed author and illustrator James Gurney’s magical Dinotopian world comes to life in this enchanting exhibition ...
Read in browser Kickstarter for a cocktail-dispensing robot
By Cory Doctorow on Mar 04, 2013 10:06 pm Robert Kaye sez, "Among the many standout cocktail-pouring robots on display this weekend at BarBot in San Francisco was Bartendro, the latest creation by Robert Kaye and Pierre Michael of Party Robotics. (They're also the creators of the Water to Wine watercooler gag featured recently on Make.) If you've ever wanted an open source robot ...
Read in browser YouTube's Harlem Shake easter egg
By Cory Doctorow on Mar 04, 2013 09:18 pm Harlem Shake is a bit February 2013 and all, but here's one more snippet: a great YouTube easter-egg. Wait for it. (Thanks, Fipi Lele!)
Read in browser Armory Arts Week Edition Featured Artist: Amy Crehore
By Mark Frauenfelder on Mar 04, 2013 08:16 pm Our friend Amy Crehore is ArtSlant's Armory Arts Week Edition Featured Artist! She says: Armory Week is important to me because it is the 100th Anniversary of the 1913 Armory Show in NYC. That particular show opened American eyes to a "Modern Art" movement that was happening in Europe at the time. Organized by the ...
Read in browser Pixel Monster Generator
By Mark Frauenfelder on Mar 04, 2013 08:12 pm Pixelated Cowboy says: "I’ve put together a simple random monster generator! Two actually. A single colour version here and a three colour mix version here. I thought it could be fun for people to try draw what they ended up with! If you do you should tag it with pixelatedcowboy so I can see :O" ...
Read in browser Makerspace at SXSW
By Cory Doctorow on Mar 04, 2013 08:03 pm Aaron sez, "SXSW Create is a free and open to the public event during SXSW Interactive that will showcase local and national hackers, makers, and creators. It is a hands-on, interactive, and exciting event intended to showcase creativity and innovation that will inspire and encourage others to create themselves. It is located at 101 Red ...
Read in browser CopyrightX: a massively open online course on copyright from Harvard's Terry Fisher
By Cory Doctorow on Mar 04, 2013 06:16 pm Update: Kendra from Harvard sez, The online course called CopyrightX is a version of the HLS Copyright course taught on edX by Prof. Fisher. It's facilitated by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society and the efforts of a number of HLS students. The materials are free and accessible at Prof. Fisher's website: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/tfisher/CopyrightX_Homepage_2013.htm The ...
Read in browser Same couple pose as 9 different fashion-followers
By Mark Frauenfelder on Mar 04, 2013 05:05 pm Nacho Rojo is is photographer in Madrid, Spain. In this series, Rojo photographed the same two models posing as nine different fashion-following couples. (Via 22 words)
Read in browser Comic books' real-life supervillain: psychiatrist Fredric Wertham
By Carol L Tilley on Mar 04, 2013 04:54 pm In the New York Times article about my research on psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, novelist Michael Chabon referred to the doctor as Ahab, obsessed with the white whale of comics. Well, if Wertham was Ahab, call me Ishmael. (Images: Seduction of the Innocent website) For anyone studying comics, Wertham is a difficult figure to avoid. A ...
Read in browser Top Gear for gadgets
By Rob Beschizza on Mar 04, 2013 04:12 pm In two weeks, Gizmodo and Boing Boing Gadgets alumnus Joel Johnson is going to be on the telly with a new gadget show. But there's one area of media that gadgets haven't yet conquered from the inside out: mainstream television. And that's why I'm tickled to finally be able to share with you the culmination ...
Read in browser TED2013: Amanda Palmer on "The art of asking"
By Mark Frauenfelder on Mar 04, 2013 04:08 pm Amanda Palmer's talk about "the art of asking" was one of Carla's favorites at TED2013. The video is now up and has been watched 750,000 times since it was posted a couple of days ago. Amanda Palmer commands attention. The singer-songwriter-blogger-provocateur, known for pushing boundaries in both her art and her lifestyle, made international headlines ...
Read in browser Vintage boombox with vertical turntable
By David Pescovitz on Mar 04, 2013 03:36 pm Many of you were intrigued by the $50 Ion IT34 portable USB turntable/cassette deck that I posted about a couple weeks ago. If you don't care about USB and have $700 or so to spend on your mobile vinyl needs, might I suggest you seek out the legendary Sharp VZ-2000 boombox from 1982. It features ...
Read in browser Calculus-performing mechanical calculator
By Cory Doctorow on Mar 04, 2013 03:10 pm A clip from the Discovery Channel's
Dirty Jobs program on tanneries demonstrates the workings of a calculus-performing mechanical calculator.
Read in browser Fraternity scavenger hunt
By Mark Frauenfelder on Mar 04, 2013 02:23 pm Found next to a xerox machine: a cruel scavenger hunt score list. Includes "Stealing a homeless man's shoe: 10 pts," and "Video of pledges piggy-back racing on fat girls: 10 pts."
Read in browser Stunning snake portraits
By David Pescovitz on Mar 04, 2013 02:09 pm In 2011, photographer Mark Laita created Sea, a book of stunning portraits of strange ocean creatures. Now comes Serpentine, in which Laita points his lens at a stunning series of snakes. Above, Rowley's Palm Pit Viper (Bothriechis rowleyi). Serpentine by Mark Laita (Amazon) "Snakes in a Frame: Mark Laita's Stunning Photographs of Slithering Beasts" (Smithsonian)
Read in browser Documentary on preserving transient and "new media" installation art
By David Pescovitz on Mar 04, 2013 01:28 pm "Notion Motion" is Olafur Elisasson's gorgeous 2005 art installation based on the interaction of water, light, and the viewer of the work. It's an amazing work, but how do you install something like this in a new location? How can the work be preserved over the longterm? The documentary above, "Installation Art: Who Cares?" explores ...
Read in browser Star Trek-themed online art sale
By David Pescovitz on Mar 04, 2013 01:14 pm Q Pop is holding an online Star Trek art sale with more than 100 piece most of which are less than $100! Above, Doug Gauthier's "Mugato" plushie ($100) and Peter Paul's "Uhura" watercolor ($50). "Beam Me Up: Star Trek Art Show"
Read in browser Alone together in Antarctica
By David Pescovitz on Mar 04, 2013 01:03 pm Last week, "Inspiration Mars" announced its search for a male and female couple to do a Mars flyby mission, requiring the pair to spend 501 days alone together. Sailors/adventurers Deborah Shapiro and Rolf Bjelke have some experience doing just that, at least terrestrially. More than twenty years ago, Shapiro and Bielke had 9 months of ...
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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