Sunday, December 20, 2009

The Latest from Boing Boing

The Latest from Boing Boing

Link to Boing Boing

Kids book about parasites: WHAT'S EATING YOU?

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 10:39 PM PST


The publishers of What's Eating You?: Parasites -- The Inside Story were kind enough to send me a copy of this science picture book for young readers. This is exactly the kind of book I loved as a kid, full of gross and interesting facts about the incredible subject of parasites and their life-cycle. The book has loads of great gross-out moments (rabbit fleas leaving behind poo for their babies to feed on when they hatch from eggs) but quickly moves into the bizarre and wonderful ways that parasites manipulate their hosts (heron tapeworms infect stickleback fish, then turn the fish an easy-to-spot orange and cause them to swim to the surface, where the herons can eat them), the best being the Sacculina sea-crab parasite, which "grows tentacles into every single part of the crab's body, even its brain, to control everything it does...It doesn't breed, but rears Sacculina's babies instead...even male crabs."


Wittily illustrated with simple art, and written in a humorous and engaging style, this is a great kids' science book, and would be a wonderful accompaniment to an afternoon spent with a magnifying glass in the park, or online with a search-engine.

What's Eating You?: Parasites -- The Inside Story

Previously:


Ransom America's public domain video treasures back from the National Archives!

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 10:05 PM PST

Rogue archivist Carl Malamud sez,
If you've already made your Christmas gifts to EFF and Creative Commons and have a couple of bucks left over? How about buying a gift for the public domain!!

Public.Resource.Org just ordered another 41 titles and spent $560 on some really great FedFlix from the vaults of the National Archive, there is still plenty of great material out there, so we put together an Amazon Wish List. If you see anything you'd like to buy the public domain we'll take your DVD and upload the video to YouTube, the Internet Archive, and to our own rsync/ftp public domain stock footage library.
Background: these videos were made at US taxpayer expense, and they are in the public domain. However, they aren't distributed for free by the National Archives; instead they're sold through Amazon as a money-maker for the government, which charges you to get access to the stuff you already own and paid for. The Archives get a minuscule amount of money by doing this: $3,273.66 over the past two years! In order to make a measly three grand, the National Archives have closed off the entire USA's access to its video treasures.

Public Domain Videos from the Vaults of the National Archives (Thanks, Carl)

Previously:


Pope passes special Vatican copyright giving him exclusive right to use his name, title, image

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 10:00 PM PST

The Pope has created a special (and weirdly incoherent) copyright in his name, image and symbols. This "copyright" appears to prohibit using these words and symbols to denote goods or services ("Pope Secondary School," "Pope Soap," "Pope Burgers"), all of which are covered already under trademark and fraud laws, and need no copyright to protect them.
The statement cited a "great increase of affection and esteem for the person of the Holy Father" in recent years as contributing to a desire to use the Pontiff's name for all manner of educational and cultural institutions, civic groups and foundations.

Due to this demand, the Vatican has felt it necessary to declare that "it alone has the right to ensure the respect due to the Successors of Peter, and therefore, to protect the figure and personal identity of the Pope from the unauthorized use of his name and/or the papal coat of arms for ends and activities which have little or nothing to do with the Catholic Church..."

"Consequently, the use of anything referring directly to the person or office of the Supreme Pontiff... and/or the use of the title 'Pontifical,' must receive previous and express authorization from the Holy See," concluded the message released to the press.

Holy See declares unique copyright on Papal figure (Thanks, Huw)
Previously:


Giant pink monster footprints in Shenzhen

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 09:55 PM PST

monstersfootprintchina.jpeg

A team of Chinese architects just unveiled an art installation in Shenzhen that consists of two giant monster footprints in the middle of a public park. They're made of pink rubber and function as a children's play area.

MAD [via Dezeen]

Norwegian public broadcaster torrents 7-hour, hi-def trainride

Posted: 19 Dec 2009 12:29 PM PST


Espen sez, "The Norwegian broadcaster NRK recently made a 7 hour program about the very scenic train journey from Bergen to Oslo. The program was hugely successful (the TV version offered interviews and various things along the ride). The raw film from the front camera is now being offered as a free Bittorrent download under a CC license and there is even a competition (in Norwegian) for best reuse.

Download Bergensbanen in HD (Thanks, Espen)

Previously:


Stuffed Bikes and Flowering Tractors: Guest art-dispatch from Kristen Philipkoski

Posted: 18 Dec 2009 07:49 PM PST

Cabrerath.jpg

A guest dispatch on cool things spotted at Art | Basel in Miami, from Kristen Philipkoski:

Mexican-born sculptor Margarita Cabrera lovingly recreates symbols of the plight of Mexican immigrants using ceramic or stuffed nylon and other fabrics. At the Aqua Art Miami hosted by in Miami, the Walter Maciel gallery exhibited Cabrera's felled, defunct, bicycle made out of stuffed, crinkled and stitched together nylon. The sculpture at first appears simple, but looking at it for more than a moment evokes sadness and affection for whoever may have abandoned this once-useful piece of machinery.

At their Los Angeles location, the gallery has also exhibited Cabrera's "Arbol de la Vida," a ceramic tractor covered with flowering vines. Similar works include a wheelbarrow, ladder, wheelbarrow and pick axe festooned with moths, butterflies and birds. Other nylon work includes the spilled contents of "immigrant backpacks," and household appliances like toaster, blenders and vacuum cleaners.

[Photo: Robyn Ross]

Previously:


Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Science Party Tricks

Posted: 18 Dec 2009 07:52 PM PST

Magician/Psychologist Richard Wiseman shows you how to perform 10 (count 'em) science-based stunts. You now have no excuse for awkward pauses in conversation this holiday season. Entertain your coworkers! Shark money off your uncles! Impress members of whatever sex you wish! All with the help of science.

Thumbnail image courtesy Flickr user srqpix, via CC
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