The Latest from Boing Boing

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• This is Not a Pipe: Magic the Gathering edition
• RIP: Remix Manifesto plays London this Sunday!
• How the TSA will inspect your monkey
• Gmail hijack detection tool
• Rare 78's Heaven Part 1: Black Mirror Music
• Domain vulture eBaying Alexander McQueen-related domain for half a mil
• Tiny Art Director: a funny book
• Pong and BSOD belt buckles
• GoDaddy.com says it will stop registering domains in China
• Update: The Impossible Project
• London Sperm Bank logo
• Pooh vs Alien: Webcomics realize their full potential at last
• New Massive Attack videos for "Heligoland" film project
• Ridley Scott discussing Harrison Ford as Deckard in Blade Runner
• Less Talk, More Rock: a manifesto by indie game dev Superbrothers
• George W. Bush mistakes Bill Clinton's shirt for toilet paper
• Where bling and cable management meet: bedazzled pink CAT5
• A new species of extinct human relatives?
• Army tech brass visit Apple HQ "to discuss hand-held solutions for Warfighters"
• TSA may install devices at airports to detect and track personal gadgets
• Russian playing cards inspired by ancient Mayan art
• Consumerist solicits your "Worst Company in America" votes
• The ACTA agreement has been leaked
• Periodic Table of Periodic Tables
• Check out 3yo Ruby Ellenby's photo exhibit
• Future of God debate
• Wired article about young criminal mastermind
• Video of Japanese vinyl toy factory
• eBoy's new shop
• London demonstration TONIGHT against Digital Economy Bill!

This is Not a Pipe: Magic the Gathering edition Posted: 25 Mar 2010 12:17 AM PDT Pedro Fernandes's "This is not a pipe" Magic: The Gathering card is all kinds of clever. Fun fact: Hasbro claims a patent on "tapping" cards in gameplay (that is, turning a card sideways in the course of play). This is Not a Pipe (via Super Punch)

RIP: Remix Manifesto plays London this Sunday! Posted: 25 Mar 2010 12:12 AM PDT Londoners take note: RIP! A Remix Manifesto (the infamous and brilliant documentary on copyright, remix culture and the global war to control information) is on at the HMV Curzon on 28 March -- this Sunday -- along AV/DJ mashup artists The Light Surgeons. hmvcurzon brings you DocDays, a showcase of thought-provoking and entertaining documentaries with this month featuring "RIP - A Remix Manifesto" with introduction by East London Multi Media Artists Collective 'The Light Surgeons'. Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century. Featuring 'Girl Talk', a sample-based musician chart-topper, Lawrence Lessig, Gilberto Gil and Cory Doctorow. With thanks to Mercury Media. MEMBERS 2 FOR 1 OFFER All Curzon members can buy one ticket and get another ticket free for Rip: A Remix Manifesto. Only available in person at the hmvcurzon Wimbledon box office DocDays: Rip: A Remix Manifesto/Intro With The Light Surgeons (Thanks, Brett!) Previously: RiP: Remix Manifesto -- documentary about copyright and the ... Video's Remix of "RiP: A Remix Manifesto" RIP: A Remix Manifesto is now a pay-what-you-like download - Boing ... Video's Remix of "RiP: A Remix Manifesto" Get your face into the NYC premiere of RIP: A REMIX MANIFESTO ...

How the TSA will inspect your monkey Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:41 PM PDT Flying with a service monkey? Have no fear, the TSA has a set of easy-to-follow rules governing the passage of monkey helpers through airport checkpoints: # When the handler and service monkey go through the walk through metal detector and the detector alarms, both the handler and the monkey must undergo additional screening. # Since service monkeys may likely draw attention, the handler will be escorted to the physical inspection area where a table is available for the monkey to sit on. Only the handler will touch or interact with the service monkey. # Security Officers have been trained to not touch the service monkey during the screening process. # Security Officers will conduct a visual inspection on the service monkey and will coach the handler on how to hold the monkey during the visual inspection. Monkey Helpers (Thanks, Aaron!) Previously: Praying monkey in India Little monkeys ride tiny motorcycles

Gmail hijack detection tool Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:29 PM PDT Google has launched a new Gmail tool that uses some clever auto-sleuthing to predict when your account has been hijacked and warn you about it before some illiterate crook can send all your friends emails saying that you've been arrested in Jamaica and need! cash! fast! Keep in mind that these notifications are meant to alert you of suspicious activity but are not a replacement for account security best practices. If you'd like more information on account security, read these tips on keeping your information secure or visit the Google Online Security Blog. Finally, we know that security is also a top priority for businesses and schools, and we look forward to offering this feature to Google Apps customers once we have gathered and incorporated their feedback. Detecting suspicious account activity (Thanks, Marilyn!)

Rare 78's Heaven Part 1: Black Mirror Music Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:16 PM PDT I first heard this heart-stopping song from 1919 by Greek singer Marika Papagika on Ian Nagoski's Black Mirror: Reflections in Global Music (a compilation released on the Dust-to-Digital label a few years ago). I have since tried to track down everything else the woman ever sang. Thankfully, Ian is already on the trail for us all, and will be releasing a new compilation of her music on his Canary Records label, an imprint of Portland Oregon's phenomenal Mississippi Records. You'll be able to get it here sometime in May. Here are a few more tastes from Black Mirror, courtesy of Ian: Nam Nhi-Tu, by M. Nguyen Van Minh-Con (Vietnam) Aayega Aanewaala, by Lata Mangeshkar (India) Tjimploengan, by Nji R. Hadji Djoeaehn (Sunda-Java) Listen to more outstanding recordings on his new blog and on-line radio show, fonotopia.

Domain vulture eBaying Alexander McQueen-related domain for half a mil Posted: 24 Mar 2010 05:27 PM PDT A domain reseller is trying to pawn off alexandermcqueenfashions.com on ebay for a starting bid of $500,000. Why would anyone pay half a mil for that unwieldy 14-character albatross of a domain? "[F]or business, or for memories of one of the greatest fashion designer's of his generation!! An easy to remember domain name, with huge profit potential!!" To you, eBay Seller Name fashionista-queen(434), I have only this to say: goodluckwiththatdude.com. (thanks, Susannah)

Tiny Art Director: a funny book Posted: 24 Mar 2010 03:36 PM PDT People who don't have children sometimes complain that kids are narcissistic, sociopathic little terrors. But any parent will tell you that is an unfair assessment. They are also messy, noisy, whining, and germy. That's why, as a parent, I loved Tiny Art Director, a new book by artist Bill Zeman. Based on Zeman's funny blog of the same name, Tiny Art Director contains images that Zeman's (now five-year-old) daughter Rosie asked him to paint. Rosie's briefs are hilarious: "A sick crocodile." "A bone dinosaur eating a baby." "A cat killing a rat." "A dragon sneaking up on a girl. She's picking flowers." Each image includes commentary from Rosie (aka, the tiny art director) that reveals her to be as fussy, capricious, self-contradictory, and bossy as many grown up art directors I know. (Click on the example above for a closer look at Rosie's style of criticism.) My wife, my two daughters, and I read the book last night and we laughed on almost every page. Jane, my six-year-old especially likes the book because she thinks Rosie (left) looks like her (right). In fact, my wife and 12-year-old daughter thought I had somehow put Jane's photo in the book and was pulling a trick on them. What I loved about this book is learning about the extraordinary relationship between Rosie and Zeman. Rosie is a harsh critic, but it's clear that she and her dad are having a terrific time together. I hope they put out a sequel soon! Tiny Art Director

Pong and BSOD belt buckles Posted: 24 Mar 2010 02:49 PM PDT Now in the Boing Boing Bazaar, belt buckles featuring a Pong screen shot or the Windows blue screen of death. They're just $15/each and include the belt. The Bare Tree at Makers Market

GoDaddy.com says it will stop registering domains in China Posted: 24 Mar 2010 02:27 PM PDT Domain registrar GoDaddy says it will stop registering Web sites in China in response to new regulations requiring domain registration applicants to disclose extensive personal data, including photographs of themselves. Whatever your thoughts about GoDaddy as human rights champions and defenders of all that is good in the world, the move could be symbolically significant: they're the world's largest domain registration company.

Update: The Impossible Project Posted: 24 Mar 2010 01:51 PM PDT A year ago, when Joel Johnson blogged about The Impossible Project at Boing Boing Gadgets, it seemed, yes, an impossibility, or maybe one of those conceptual art projects that never actually come to life: The re-introduction of instant-picture film made on Polaroid's original factory equipment. This week it's real, and while it may not have been impossible, it sure can't have been easy. A group described by the AP as "enthusiasts" had to lease the old Polaroid plant in The Netherlands, navigate a thicket of technical issues, and actually bring the product to market. The result, at last: The first new black-and-white film packs go on sale this week, with color to follow this summer. Is the idea practical? Not very. As Johnson pointed out a year ago, you can get a very close approximation of Polaroid film by digital means for a fraction of the cost. (The first new films will sell for almost $3 a shot). But is it weird, cool, even inspiring as a tale of perseverance against technical obsolescence, against time itself? Absolutely.

London Sperm Bank logo Posted: 24 Mar 2010 01:44 PM PDT Why go with subtlety when you've got humour? Hell, throw in free cheques and a toaster and I'll switch banks tomorrow -- can't be any worse thank the greedy bastards at Barclay's. London Sperm Bank (Thanks, Fipi Lele!) Previously: London 2012 Olympic logo, a la goatse - curiously appropriate ... Suicide food logo -- Pekingeend Duck Bruce Schneier's TSA logo redesign contest Graphic graphic: UK Office of Govt Commerce's new logo France's anti-piracy goon squad pirates the font in its logo Boing ... Avid's new logo Logo trends of 2007 Dodge Viper logo is an upside-down Daffy Duck.

Pooh vs Alien: Webcomics realize their full potential at last Posted: 24 Mar 2010 01:40 PM PDT Giant Hamburger's Alien Vs Pooh: as dark and twisted and funny as you'd hope. Be sure to read to at least "Strangely terrible dreams." And then keep reading. Alien Vs Pooh (via Warren Ellis) Previously: Pig Flu: Et Tu, Pooh? Disney's coprophilic cookbook PooH & Ice Half-man / half-Pooh Bear takes a break next to decapitated ... Soviet Winnie the Pooh cartoon Apocalpyse Pooh mashup movie from 1987 Milne heirs don't own Pooh Disney: We [will|won't] sue if you put Pooh on a ...

New Massive Attack videos for "Heligoland" film project Posted: 24 Mar 2010 03:25 PM PDT Above, a video for the Massive Attack track "Splitting the Atom," directed by Edouard Salier. This was one of several new videos screened at the FLUX event in LA last night, for Massive Attack's recently-released fifth album Heligoland. Dazed and Confused has more videos and more on the making of, including work directed by Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin. Each of the videos form part of a film project for Heligoland. The band commissioned seven low-budget videos - most of which are still in the making - by both established names and those with little experience of directing. "We are always keen not to be in the videos, and not to compromise the idea by having to make an appearance," says Del Naja. "But on the whole it has been a case of carte blanche with the directors, to the extent where we said: 'We will give you the stems of the tracks and you can use whichever components you want, loop some parts, take the vocals out...' We have always been totally unprecious." Not all of the videos are work-safe. Directed by Toby Dye, the video for "Paradise Circus" is here on the band's blog, and contains explicit content. (via FLUX, thanks, Syd Garon!)

Ridley Scott discussing Harrison Ford as Deckard in Blade Runner Posted: 24 Mar 2010 02:42 PM PDT The American Film Institute has posted a short interview with Blade Runner director Ridley Scott, reflecting on the casting of Harrison Ford in the role of Deckard in the 1982 sci-fi classic. As regular readers of Boing Boing may know, I am totally obsessed with this film, now and forever, and find even the tiniest glimpses into its creation and history fascinating. Scott goofs at one point and refers to Ford's role in Star Wars incorrectly, as dozens of YouTube commenters have pointed out in the comments. But it's a great clip.

Less Talk, More Rock: a manifesto by indie game dev Superbrothers Posted: 24 Mar 2010 12:51 PM PDT The "Indie Gamer Rant" session of this year's Game Developers Conference was a rapid-fire burst of ideas and ideals regarding the shape of the videogame industry -- where it was headed, where it's veered off-course, and what we can do to change it. But no rant was more pointedly persuasive, perhaps, than one: that of designer and illustrator Craig Adams, better known by his collective-of-one moniker Superbrothers. Over the past few weeks, Adams has been on the receiving end of a growing amount of attention for his debut adventure game Sword & Sworcery EP -- a Mobile Indie Games Festival-winning collaboration with Critter Crunch devs Capy and musician Jim Guthrie -- due out on the iPhone in a few short months, and his indie rant encapsulated much of the thinking that's gone into the game. It's a treatise on and exploration of the language of videogames themselves, and a call to developers to adopt that language as it was meant to be, not to rely on the written words of more traditional media. And it's a message that, even prior to the rant, long-time followers here might innately understand: a quick perusal of our Games To Get page highlights a number of games like Eliss, Glum Buster and Spider that speak that unique language fluently. And so, in an effort to spread the message more widely, we present as a Boing Boing Special Feature: Less Talk, More Rock, Superbrothers' manifesto in its full unedited form, gorgeously illustrated in his inimitable "rustic pixel" style, and including a list of more games that speak that language of Rock for your further exploration. Special Feature: Less Talk, More Rock, by Superbrothers

George W. Bush mistakes Bill Clinton's shirt for toilet paper Posted: 24 Mar 2010 12:31 PM PDT George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were touring slums in Haiti, shaking hands with the poor on an aid junket. Bush apparently found something gross on his hand after one flesh-press, so he wiped off his palms on Bill Clinton's shirt.

Where bling and cable management meet: bedazzled pink CAT5 Posted: 24 Mar 2010 12:12 PM PDT As a female user of computers, I can assure you that this is relevant to my interests, because it is pink and contains sparkles. KaBLiNG: It's where cables and bling come together (The Daily What, via Susannah Breslin)

A new species of extinct human relatives? Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:59 AM PDT DNA taken from a finger bone found in a Siberian cave suggests that the finger's owner—who lived between 48-and-30 thousand years ago—was neither a modern human, nor a Neanderthal, but some previously unknown species of hominin. Researchers say this individual's genetic line probably branched away from the ancestors of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens sapiens around a million years ago.

Army tech brass visit Apple HQ "to discuss hand-held solutions for Warfighters" Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:05 AM PDT On the Public Affairs page of the US Army website today, an announcement touting a recent visit by leaders of the Army's technology command to Apple headquarters in Cupertino. "to discuss the use of Apple products in Army business and battlefield operations."

TSA may install devices at airports to detect and track personal gadgets Posted: 24 Mar 2010 11:21 AM PDT The Transportation Security Administration is said to be considering installing bluetooth sensors at US airports to sniff out personal electronic equipment and track its movement—and by extension, the movement of the human carrying it. USA Today reports that "the aim is to track how long people are stuck in security lines," and that wait time data could then be posted on websites and inside airports. The TSA is in the early phases of exploring the technology, which Purdue University researchers tested for a month last year at Indianapolis International Airport. Thumbnail-size receivers near checkpoints detected serial numbers emitted by some electronic devices being carried by passengers. The receivers recorded the time when a passenger entered a security line and the time when the same passenger cleared the checkpoint, Purdue transportation engineer Darcy Bullock said. Only part of each serial number was recorded, and the numbers were quickly deleted, he said. Some electronic devices automatically broadcast, or "chirp," their serial number every 15-20 seconds when they are turned on. People can set their devices so they don't broadcast. Bullock found he could detect signals from 6% to 10% of Indianapolis passengers. "We sit there and listen, capturing the unique identifier," Bullock said. Marc Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy Information Center said Bullock's current system minimizes privacy risk by recording partial serial numbers. But he worries that could change. The TSA says a few European airports are already using systems like this, and that London's Heathrow Airport plans to start soon. Absolutely nothing about this could possibly go wrong! Airport device follows fliers' phones (USA Today) [Image: "Remember how it felt to feel safe?," a Creative Commons licensed photograph by Flickr user Ko:(char *)hook]

Russian playing cards inspired by ancient Mayan art Posted: 24 Mar 2010 12:16 PM PDT Apparently, one of the few playing card sets available in Soviet Russia was themed to ancient Mayan iconography. I love the designs, some of which, like this King of Hearts, I can recognize as taking inspiration from real, specific Mayan artworks. For instance, the "King" here, ironically, looks an awful lot like a detail from Yaxchilan Lintel 24, which actually depicts a woman—Lady Xoc, one of the most powerful female figures in Mayan history. And that rope she's holding in the card image? In the Lintel version you can see that: A) the rope is studded with little blades and B) that Lady Xoc is pulling it through a hole in her tongue. In fact, the entire Lintel depicts a religious ritual. Lady Xoc's royal blood is collected and burned as an offering. Her husband, King Shield Jaguar the Great, stands over her, holding a torch. Cool stuff. Pictures of Yaxchilan Lintel 24, now at the British Museum, after the cut. Lady Xoc detail of Yaxchilan Lintel 24. Photographed by Flickr user Bill Hails, used via CC The full view of Lintel 24, from the British Museum. For scale: Lintel 24 with Maggie. This is actually one of my favorite Mayan carvings. I got to see it in person in 2007. Woot!

Consumerist solicits your "Worst Company in America" votes Posted: 24 Mar 2010 10:55 AM PDT Consumerist is hosting its 5th annual March-Madness-style "Worst Company In America" contest. The first smackdown? Bank of America vs Citibank. Winner gets a "Golden Poop" award. In 2008, the winner was Countrywide, in 2009 it was AIG.

The ACTA agreement has been leaked Posted: 24 Mar 2010 10:57 AM PDT Big news today, if you've been following Cory's excellent ongoing coverage of the "secret copyright treaty"—The Pirate Bay is hosting a leaked copy of the entire ACTA agreement. Download it while you can.

Periodic Table of Periodic Tables Posted: 24 Mar 2010 10:34 AM PDT Bill Keaggy, creator of the Grocery List Collection, has given us the Periodic Table of Periodic Tables. Ah, the recursion of it all! The Periodic Table of Periodic Tables (Thanks, Mike Mechanic!) Previously: Photographic Periodic Table of Elements Cards, Puzzles ... The Periodic Table of Awesoments Periodic Table Printmaking Project Periodic Table of Videos: elements as short YouTube episodes ... All the periodic tables a kid could ever want Periodic table rendered in photos, and in wood Periodic Table sweater Periodic Table Table

Check out 3yo Ruby Ellenby's photo exhibit Posted: 24 Mar 2010 10:07 AM PDT The San Francisco Chronicle has a story today about Ruby Ellenby, a local photographer who is currently exhibiting her work in downtown SF. She is three years old.

Future of God debate Posted: 24 Mar 2010 10:32 AM PDT This week, ABC News's Nightline hosted a debate titled "Does God Have a Future?" Deepak "How To Know God" Chopra, Jean "A Passion for the Possible" Houston, Sam "The End Of Faith" Harris, and Michael "Skeptic" Shermer faced off. You can watch some of the choice moments on the ABC News site. From what I've seen of it, I agree with Greg Taylor's review over at the Daily Grail: ...The show's potential certainly wasn't realised - in actual fact, it was quite a mess. Certainly, one of the most annoying aspects was the sloppy moderating which allowed Chopra to rudely interrupt Shermer and Harris continually, despite using up plenty of time himself when talking. But the real issue I think was that the question - 'Does God have a future?' - was ambiguous. Was it asking whether humans would need the concept of god to live happily in future? Or perhaps it was referring specifically to the Abrahamic God of Judaism/Christianity/Islam? Or did it mean to suggest that science and rational thought was possibly on the brink of disproving the idea of God itself, regardless of whether people need the concept to live happily. Shermer and Harris certainly latched on to the Abrahamic God idea, while Chopra stuck to quantum New Age psycho-babble - which all led to a very disjointed 'debate' in which everyone was simply throwing forward their own ideas, playing to their section of the crowd, and not actually answering each other (or even the original question). Nightline Face-Off: "Does God Have A Future?" (ABC News)

Wired article about young criminal mastermind Posted: 24 Mar 2010 09:44 AM PDT (From left: Blanchard at age 8; with his then-wife and father-in-law in Vienna, 1998; Blanchard's girlfriend enjoying his proceeds in 2006. Photos: Courtesy of Gerald Blanchard) Joshuah Bearman wrote a terrific article in the new issue of Wired called "Art of the Steal: On the Trail of World's Most Ingenious Thief." Here's how he described it to me: It's an epic tale about a cat burglar slash jewel thief slash all around criminal mastermind named Gerald Blanchard. By high school, the dude managed to become a local king-pin and escape from jail (twice!) and later went on to establish a wide-ranging criminal enterprise, fueled by a savant-like technological savvy that enabled him to, say, knock off banks in the night without leaving a trace. He once parachuted from a plane on to the roof of the castle and stole some beloved Habsburg jewels -- no joke! That's the kind of dude he is. And yet, Blanchard didn't quite look the part of a criminal mastermind, as you can tell by his pictures, some of which are in the piece, along with some extra photos on my blog. Looking more like the student volunteer at the school computer center, Blanchard seems an unlikely guy to be at the center of a fifteen-year career of badass heists. And badass they were. For years, Blanchard dodged authorities while escalating the sophistication and scope of his crimes. Eventually, though, he made a mistake. And that mistake was exploited by Mitch McCormick and Larry Levasseur, two small town cops from Winnipeg, who picked up a cold case on a local burglary and wound up unraveling Blanchard's whole network. It's a crazy story, and I figure you'd like it. There's excitement, intrigue, parachuting in, and swapping the jewels from a weighted alarm, Indiana Jones-style. But that's not all! Jet-plane getaways, money stuffed beneath burqas, police impersonations, and yachting with the prince of Monaco. Art of the Steal: On the Trail of World's Most Ingenious Thief

Video of Japanese vinyl toy factory Posted: 24 Mar 2010 12:45 PM PDT And I always thought those designer vinyl toys were made by legions of retired Ultramen proudly operating the nanoassemblers in a slick, efficient, clean room facility. Max Toys' Mark Nagata visits a Kaiju vinyl factory in Tokyo (Thanks, COOP!)

eBoy's new shop Posted: 24 Mar 2010 09:24 AM PDT Our friends at eBoy have opened a new online store for folks in North America. The stuff looks great! (eBoy's European shop has an even wider variety of goods.) eBoy's North American store

London demonstration TONIGHT against Digital Economy Bill! Posted: 24 Mar 2010 06:17 PM PDT Londoners! We're demonstrating against the Digital Economy Bill tonight at 1730h at Old Palace Yard (opposite Parliament, next to Westminster Abbey)! Get out there and tell Parliament that disconnecting whole families from the Internet because one person is accused of breaching copyright is wrong!

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