The Latest from Boing Boing

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• SPECIAL FEATURE: Being Dead in Pittsburgh
• Coffee of the month from my favorite London roasters, Square Mile
• Forgotten, aborted Soviet moon-lander
• Kim Stanley Robinson, Terry Bisson and Gary Phillips: LA, Oct 13 -- revolution and science fiction
• HOWTO Make cool-looking broccoli muffins
• Aluminum-tape spaceship: the Aluminum Falcon
• Finalists in the "Vintage ads from fictional futures" contest
• Just look at these awesome banana-sticker design contest winners.
• HOWTO make a Storm Trooper helmet out of a milk jug
• Mail-order animal catalog from 1972
• Nigerian Sesame Street will feature HIV-positive muppet
• Coffee shop that looks like a sideways library
• Researchers find possible cause(s) of Great Bee Death
• All-Man magazine from the 1960s
• Making the web work on Kindle
• Ethan Persoff's heavily embellished mixtape: Live at Harry's Loft
• Hackerspace video series
• Secret hollowed-out book tutorial
• Epic robot tattoo
• Ken Goldberg on robots and Heidegger
• Bit.ly threatened by Libyan domain shenanigans
• Solar system scale models in various communities
• Mr. Blobby and other animals from the decade Census Of Marine Life
• Richard Pryor's alphabet on Sesame Street
• Al Jaffee Biography and Art Exhibition
• Spanish science culture blog Fogonazos celebrates 7th birthday
• Flat locked for 70 years contains €2.1 million painting
• NAE Grand Challenges Summit live webcast
• PageKeeper
• Die Antwoord: Evil Boy

SPECIAL FEATURE: Being Dead in Pittsburgh Posted: 06 Oct 2010 07:28 AM PDT Pittsburgh's weird geography means that you never know quiet what lies underfoot. Old maps and folk history reveal the forgotten graveyards hidden beneath asphalt and office blocks -- or reclaimed by nature. Read the rest

Coffee of the month from my favorite London roasters, Square Mile Posted: 07 Oct 2010 03:53 AM PDT The wonderful coffee roasters at London's Square Mile do a coffee-of-the-month subscription, through which they'll send you about a pound of their favorite blends (including pre-release blends) through the post, every month. Most of the really good coffee in London is roasted at Square Mile, and they're exceedingly nice people, too. I've just signed up for a whole year (and, full disclosure, I've been recycling some of their old burlap coffee sacks as packing materials, and they're not charging me for them). What coffees will we send? It will be the coffee that we are most excited about at that time and will be roasted for filter brewing, as opposed to espresso. It might be the latest Cup of Excellence, a new micro lot or just something we're excited to share! Monthly subscriptions will ship on the first Thursday of every month. Twelve Month Subscription (UK) Espresso Splash Collar Funny espresso rant Aeropress: fast, portable, cheap, easy, delicious espresso - Boing ... Search for the ultimate espresso: a video with Kyle of ... Espresso crema shots Reg Barber custom espresso tamper Homebrew espresso machine How to brew a good cup of coffee A Morning at Intelligentsia Coffee Part 2 TV Coffee inhaler The anthropology of coffee Designer of NYC "Greek coffee cup" has died My quest for the ultimate travel coffee setup

Forgotten, aborted Soviet moon-lander Posted: 07 Oct 2010 03:43 AM PDT Jalopnik has a wonderful set of photos of the abortive Soviet moon lander, the LK Lander, abandoned in 1971. It currently rots gently in a private lab at the Moscow Aviation Institute. The photos come from the Russos Livejournal. Getting to the Moon requires launching a command module and a lander. Both are heavy objects and require massive amounts of thrust to get into orbit. The Soviet's planned to use their N-1 rocket, but two failed launches in 1971 and 1972 destroyed dummy landing and control modules, as well as the rockets themselves, and led to the program being shelved for lack of a proper launch vehicle. The LK was sent into space for numerous test missions. The first two unmanned flights were successful tests of the vehicle through a simulated orbit. The third flight ended when the N-1 rocket crashed. The fourth test in 1971 was a success, but years later the decaying test module started to return to Earth with a trajectory that would put it over the skies of Australia. Inside The Soviet's Secret Failed Moon Program (via Sciencepunk) 23 great space missions, all on one t-shirt The Planet of Storms - 1962 Russian science fiction movie - Boing ... Why didn't Alexi Leonov take that one small step? Found: Soviet moon rover Soviet space pioneer Sergey Korolyov's 100th birthday Space Oddities China spacecraft launched, space station and manned lunar missions ...

Kim Stanley Robinson, Terry Bisson and Gary Phillips: LA, Oct 13 -- revolution and science fiction Posted: 06 Oct 2010 11:18 PM PDT Kim Stanley Robinson, Terry Bisson and Gary Phillips will appear together in on Oct 13 at the Counterpulse space in LA to talk about revolution, politics and science fiction -- sounds like a fantastic event! (Thanks, Shael, via Submitterator!)

HOWTO Make cool-looking broccoli muffins Posted: 06 Oct 2010 11:12 PM PDT These striking savory broccoli muffins are danged cute, and delicious-looking besides: "While savoury broccoli cake might seem bizarre to some, I know that if anyone is going to appreciate this recipe's quirky character, it's Etsians. Surprisingly delicious, these mini cakes contain spices, cheese and an individual broccoli floret nestled in each one. Far richer than a muffin, they make great party food, and are also good served as part of a lavish afternoon tea." Guest Curator: On Creativity and Savoury Broccoli Cakes (via Neatorama) Cupcake Cutthroats: muffin-shaped electric art cars gone wild ... Turing Machine muffins Guinness cupcakes

Aluminum-tape spaceship: the Aluminum Falcon Posted: 06 Oct 2010 11:08 PM PDT From the artist who brought you the duct-tape AT-AT model, the "Alumnum Falcon," a Millennium Falcon model made from cardboard, styrofoam and aluminum tape. Aluminum Falcon Sculpture Star Wars Fan Art 2' x 3' 3-D (Thanks, Fred!) Duct-tape and Sharpie AT-AT Homemade AT-AT loft bed Star Wars Loteria tribute Star Wars photoshopping contest Star Wars/fine art photoshopping contest Star Wars/fine art photoshopping contest redux Baby announcement in Star Wars mashup form Baroque Star Wars Danny Choo visits Afro Samurai Creator's Japanese Star Wars Art ...

Finalists in the "Vintage ads from fictional futures" contest Posted: 06 Oct 2010 11:04 PM PDT Wonderful entries have poured in for Mark Rayner's "Vintage Ads from Fictional Futures" photoshopping contes. The five finalists are brilliant. Shown here: Webmonkees's "Yes We Can" poster. Vintage ads from fictional futures (Thanks, Mark!) Vintage ads from fictional futures photoshopping contest

Just look at these awesome banana-sticker design contest winners. Posted: 06 Oct 2010 11:01 PM PDT Just look at them. Chiquita Banana Sticker Design Contest (Thanks, Doggo, via Submitterator!) Previously: Just look at this awesome banana shoe. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana boat. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana skateboard. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana Viking helmet. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome slow-moving performance artist whose face has been covered with exploding bananas. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome EU banana curvature regulation. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome anti-banana-ripening bag. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome Korean banana-ripening facility. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana peeler. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana peeling simulator. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana slicer. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana saver clip. Boing Boing Just look at this awesome banana bunker. Boing Boing

HOWTO make a Storm Trooper helmet out of a milk jug Posted: 06 Oct 2010 10:21 PM PDT The delightfully named Filth Wizardry blog ("Sharing messy art and craft fun for preschoolers, with the help of my own filth wizards") has a great HOWTO for turning a gallon-sized milk-jug into a dashing Storm Trooper helmet: " Milk Jug Storm Trooper Helmet (Thanks to everyone who suggested this!) Funny homemade Star Wars costumes ComicCon's best Star Wars costumes When Cosplay Gets Remixed: Shogun Vader Life-sized walking Tauntaun costume Homemade AT-AT loft bed

Mail-order animal catalog from 1972 Posted: 06 Oct 2010 10:19 PM PDT Flickr user BryantSpokane scanned and posted "choice pages" from a 1972 Stromberg's Chicks & Pets Unlimited catalog. Stromberg's apparently used to mail-order live chickens, chinchillas, ferrets, armadillos, skunks, badgers, beavers, possums, prairie dogs, and other critters. It's an historical document that manages to be exciting and queasy at the same time -- you can imagine the trembling excitement of a kid in 1972 contemplating this mail-order menagerie, and then imagine the plight of some poor armadillos and badgers and such stuffed into cardboard boxes and sent through the post. Yikes! Stromberg's Chicks & Pets Unlimited 1972 (via Neatorama) Cardboard Animal Trophies, for the big game hunter who prefers to ... Man's account of ordering a live monkey from comic book ad - Boing ... Video of shell-less egg one of my chickens laid Chickens stop rabbits from fighting Order a live burro by mail

Nigerian Sesame Street will feature HIV-positive muppet Posted: 06 Oct 2010 10:22 PM PDT Sesame Square, the Nigerian version of Sesame Street, will feature Kami, a girl-muppet who is HIV-positive. The show was produced with a $3.3 million grant from U.S., Agency for International Development and Obama's Emergency Plan for AIDS relief. Apparently, the South African version of the show already has a HIV+ character, as Mark reported in 2002. "If we're writing scripts for programs in Nigeria, the writers will be Nigerian scriptwriters," explains Farouky. "We'll often look for people who already have some experience in writing, but because we're aware [of] the format that we use and the methodology that we use, we'll provide training on how to write." According to Farouky, collaboration is at the heart of the production process. "We work with our local teams to find ways in which we take the content that's important to them, to infuse the project with the cultural values, making sure we know which the taboo issues are and which are not," she told CNN... "Our program is hosted by two muppets, a boy and a girl," she told CNN. "And because there is an entire region in Nigeria up in the North which is very Muslim, we had to be very sensitive. Even our publicity pictures could not have the muppets hugging, which we would normally have," she explained. Although the first adaptation to reach West Africa, "Sesame Square" will be the latest in a long line of region-specific shows around the world, which include "Sisimpur" in Bangladesh, "Ulitsa Sezam" in Russia, and "Takalani Sesame" in South Africa. HIV-positive muppet to star in Nigeria's 'Sesame Street' (via Super Punch) Sesame Street does Feist's iPod Nano song Sesame Street meets Pakistani "Sufiyan English" film theme - Boing ... Video: Philip Glass's Sesame Street pieces Rube Goldberg Machine animation from Sesame Street Sesame Street international CD and DVD Richard Pryor's alphabet on Sesame Street Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street Sweet, inadvertent Sesame Street PSA for gay marriage

Coffee shop that looks like a sideways library Posted: 06 Oct 2010 09:51 PM PDT The D'Espresso coffee shop, located one block from the New York Public Library, was designed to look like a library that's been flipped on its side. Design firm Nemaworkshop covered the walls, floor and ceiling with custom tiles screened with sepia-toned photos of full bookshelves (evidently it's a repeating pattern: photos taken of the shelves at a nearby travel bookstore). The globe lights are hung sideways from a wall. Upside-down Cafe Looks Like a Library, Flipped On Its Side (via Super Punch) Most beautiful bookstore - Buenos Aires's Librería El Ateneo Grand ... Church converted into magnificent bookstore Joe Hill -- Stephen King's son -- promotes indie bookstores ...

Researchers find possible cause(s) of Great Bee Death Posted: 06 Oct 2010 07:53 PM PDT Researchers have pinpointed a possible cause of colony collapse disorder or CCD—aka, that thing that's killing off all the honey bees. Neither cell phone towers, nor GM crops, nor Doctor Who aliens, the disorder seems to be the work of a virus and a fungus working together to first get the bees lost, and then slowly kill them far from their hives. Nobody knows yet which attacks first, or how, exactly, the virus and fungus build on one another to create colony collapse. But the combination was found in autopsies (yes, bee autopsies) done on victims of CCD, and not found in living or dead bees that weren't affected by the disorder. Disclaimer: This could still turn out to be an incorrect theory, and we're far from knowing how to stop or prevent the one-two punch.

All-Man magazine from the 1960s Posted: 06 Oct 2010 07:56 PM PDT What happened to the sophisticated magazines of yesteryear? (Via Retrogasm)

Making the web work on Kindle Posted: 06 Oct 2010 06:51 PM PDT Metafilter's edman, intrigued by the Kindle's free 3G internet and webkit-based web browser, is creating games designed to work perfectly on its monochrome display. Yep, it's time for some portable text adventures that don't make your eyes bleed. I do have an ulterior motive in bringing this up: BB doesn't work that great on the (paid) Kindle subscription system because Amazon insists we send a full RSS feed, including stuff that isn't right for the platform. Would anyone be interested in a (free) Kindle browser edition of BB, using GD/Imagemagick to re-render the site in glorious, Kindle-friendly stippled monochrome? Tell me that's just silly.

Ethan Persoff's heavily embellished mixtape: Live at Harry's Loft Posted: 06 Oct 2010 04:02 PM PDT Ethan Persoff alerted me to his wonderful collection of audio enchantment, called Live at Harry's Loft. Many people who visit our library of weird printed items are surprised to find just as many pieces of odd and unheard music. Rare records on unimaginable subjects: An entire PSA album from Barbra Streisand about putting clothes on "little retarded children", anti-abortion music, craft tapes for inmates. Other great sideshows. Good jokes, too. Anyway, we make heavily embellished mixtapes with this material, and after five years have finished our eighth album, Live at Harry's Loft. Music made from: Rare political hollering, unheard privately pressed messages, exploitation tracks, PSA's against sex & drugs, and worse! and better! Including celebrity appearances from: Sammy Davis Jr, Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers, a constantly looping Loretta Lynn, and Lorne Greene. Live at Harry's Loft by Ethan Persoff Full album containing eight jukebox singles.

Hackerspace video series Posted: 06 Oct 2010 03:48 PM PDT Vimby is producing a very well made series of videos about hacker spaces called "Take On The Machine," hosted by my friend and and MAKE contributor Mitch Altman (inventor of the TV-B-Gone, a universal TV power remote control keychain). Steve of Vimby says: Presented by Scion, "Take On The Machine" is a competition reality series hosted by the "dean of hackerspaces" Mitch Altman. Scion gave 5 hackerspaces across the US a $3,000 grant and a challenge to create a unique project.  We just posted the project NYC Resistor created, using a slot machine they bought on Craig's List.  We split the action into two parts: Take On The Machine/NYC Resistor Part I | Take On The Machine/NYC Resistor Part II Above, the intro episode where Mitch takes us into the hackerspace world and describes the overall competition.

Secret hollowed-out book tutorial Posted: 06 Oct 2010 03:25 PM PDT My friend John Park wrote a tutorial on how to quickly make a hollowed-out book with an oscillating cutter. Make a secret hollowed-out book

Epic robot tattoo Posted: 06 Oct 2010 03:14 PM PDT At Institute for the Future, we are researching the future of robotics. During the course of my colleague Jake Dunagan's rigorous scan of the literature, he came across this, apparently titled "Robot from Gamma IX!" For more, please see "20 Awesome Robot Tattoos" on Botropolis.

Ken Goldberg on robots and Heidegger Posted: 06 Oct 2010 02:21 PM PDT photo by the illustrious Bart Nagel IEEE Spectrum interviewed BB pal Ken Goldberg, UC Berkeley engineering professor, artist, and telerobotics pioneer. Ken spoke about telepresence, automatons, and Heidegger. Yes, Heidegger. From the IEEE Spectrum interview, conducted by Erico Guizzo: EG: And why do we want to physically extend ourselves to distant places (using telerobots) anyway? Telephone and Skype aren't enough? KG: The idea of remote control, that you can click a button here and something happens over there, is a very powerful and satisfying experience. We love our TV and garage remotes. Robots have a very intertwined history with this idea of remote operation. It might go back to Tesla's famous experiments with a radio-controlled boat, which he demonstrated in New York in 1898. After World War II, the first robots were master-slave telerobots used to handle radioactive substances. Today telerobots are used for exploration, in space and underwater, and more recently for bomb disposal. Now, telepresence is different because you're not manipulating an object or performing a repair; you're interacting with people. So there are humans on both ends. The goal is to give the remote operator a sense that he or she is closer to the people on the other end. And hopefully vice versa. Naturally, the telephone and things like Skype are more or less trying to do the same thing. But the key question is, What's missing? How can you make the experience of "being there" more fulfilling? One of the benefits of the robots is that they enhance the sense of agency, of being an agent, in the remote environment. You are not just a passive conversationalist; you can actually move around and explore. And that really matters. The ability to control where you are is empowering and gives you a different set of possibilities. There's more spontaneity and discovery. Q&A: Ken Goldberg Discusses Telerobots, Androids, and Heidegger Laurie Anderson interviewed by Ken Goldberg Yelp: a short film by Tiffany Shlain and Ken Goldberg Donation Dashboard: collaborative filter-enhanced charity - Boing ...

Bit.ly threatened by Libyan domain shenanigans Posted: 06 Oct 2010 02:52 PM PDT We all know the dangers, but we're addicted: URL shorteners make links dependent on third parties whose business security, reliability and trustworthiness are ever in doubt. And it just so happens that the most popular URL-shortening suffix, .ly, is under the family control of Libya's mercurial dictator.

Solar system scale models in various communities Posted: 06 Oct 2010 01:41 PM PDT I've see solar system scale models at several museums and I'm always struck by how far apart some of the planets are, and what an outlier Pluto is (on the models that still include Pluto, of course). Air & Space Magazine posted an interactive map showing more than a dozen solar system models around the country. For example Cumberland, Indiana just installed a three mile, 1:1 billion scale model that's part of a pedestrian/bike path downtown. And ccording to an article in Air & Space, many more communities are planning solar system models as part of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education's Voyage National Program to help us understand Earth's place in space. From Air & Space: The original model spans 6.5 football fields between the Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall in Washington, D.C... One of Voyage's unique features is that its scale can even accommodate the nearest star; if Proxima Centauri were added to the D.C. model, it would be the size of a cherry and would be located on the California coast. The larger Cumberland model wouldn't be able to fit the star on Earth. It remains to be seen whether recently demoted Pluto will make the cut in Cumberland. Models built before Pluto got kicked out of the planetary club now face the task of addressing the rock's new status. For now, patrons wishing to pay their respects to the former planet can hop on their bikes and ride out past Neptune. On the National Mall, signs and cards have showed up at Pluto's node—where the poor little guy is represented by a speck far smaller than the head of a pin—reading, "Pluto, you rock!" and "Pluto will always be a planet in my heart." "A Walk Through the Solar System"

Mr. Blobby and other animals from the decade Census Of Marine Life Posted: 06 Oct 2010 01:15 PM PDT This is Mr. Blobby, a fathead sculpin fish discovered in New Zealand in 2003. Mr. Blobby is now preserved in alcohol and, according to the Australian Museum, he no longer retains his 'cute' look." Mr. Blobby was found during the ten-year Census of Marine Life, which ended this week. National Geographic picked "13 Stunning Photos From the 10-Year Sea Census." The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss Strange new fish: H. psychedelica Gummi X-Ray Fish Fish with transparent head

Richard Pryor's alphabet on Sesame Street Posted: 06 Oct 2010 01:01 PM PDT Richard Pryor teaches the alphabet on Sesame Street, March 2, 1976, episode 0862. SFW! Seriously! (Thanks, Gabe Adiv!)

Al Jaffee Biography and Art Exhibition Posted: 06 Oct 2010 10:36 AM PDT The new biography, Al Jaffee's Mad Life by Mary Lou Weisman has just been released by HarperCollins. The book is embedded with new art by Jaffee himself, turning the whole thing into something like a pictorial, annotated graphic novel. Above, a Boing Boing exclusive preview of a page of art from the book. Jaffee, 89, is best known for his fold-ins for Mad Magazine and his ongoing series of "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions." The book chronicles one of the most compellingly bizarre and burdensome childhood's imaginable in a shtetl in Lithuania - which probably explains the brilliance of his escapism as well as the sense of alienation embedded in his cultural satire. (Whatever doesn't kill us makes us more delightfully mutant. Also opening this month, Is This the Al Jaffee Art Exhibit? October 5th, 2010 - January 30th, 2011at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. Or catch him live at New York Comiccon on Saturday October 9 at 4:15.

Spanish science culture blog Fogonazos celebrates 7th birthday Posted: 06 Oct 2010 12:35 PM PDT To celebrate the 7th year of Fogonazos (a terrific Spanish technology culture and curiosities blog) Antonio Martínez Ron put together a compilation of wonderful video clips. Siguiendo con la tradición de celebrar el aniversario cada año en una fecha, aprovecho para recordaros que este blog acaba de cumplir siete añitos y que seguimos hechos unos mozos. Siete años dan para mucha diversión, muchos descubrimientos y muchos buenos momentos. Por eso, con ayuda de mi querido Adriano Morán, tan generoso como talentoso, me apetecía pasar este año de las cifras y resúmenes habituales y ofreceros un recorrido visual por algunos de los momentos que hemos compartido. Hay premio para el que sepa identificar cada escena. Fogonazos, siete años de asombros (2003-2010)

Flat locked for 70 years contains €2.1 million painting Posted: 06 Oct 2010 01:06 PM PDT A woman left her Paris apartment before World War II and never returned. After her recent death, appraisers opened the doors of the flat for the first time in more than 70 years. Among many other antiques, they found a 19th century portrait of her grandmother painted by Giovanni Boldini, valued at €2.1 million. From The Telegraph: "There was a smell of old dust," said Olivier Choppin-Janvry, who made the discovery. Walking under high wooden ceilings, past an old wood stove and stone sink in the kitchen, he spotted a stuffed ostrich and a Mickey Mouse toy dating from before the war, as well as an exquisite dressing table. But he said his heart missed a beat when he caught sight of a stunning tableau of a woman in a pink muslin evening dress. The painting was by Boldini and the subject a beautiful Frenchwoman who turned out to be the artist's former muse and whose granddaughter it was who had left the flat uninhabited for more than half a century. The muse was Marthe de Florian, an actress with a long list of ardent admirers, whose fervent love letters she kept wrapped neatly in ribbon and were still on the premises. Among the admirers was the 72nd prime minister of France, George Clemenceau, but also Boldini. "Parisian flat containing €2.1 million painting lay untouched for 70 years" (Thanks, Lisa Mumbach!)

NAE Grand Challenges Summit live webcast Posted: 06 Oct 2010 12:24 PM PDT The University of Southern California is holding the Second National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Summit from October 6-8, 2010 What's holding game-changing technology back? What's pushing it forward? Watch the webcast! The National Academy of Engineering has identified 14 high-potential areas where engineering could make big improvements in human health, security and happiness. Five blue-ribbon panels, all including scientists, businessmen, educators, technologists, and communicators, will meet at the University of Southern California Thursday and Friday under the eyes of NAE President Charles 'Chuck' Vest to talk about how much progress is being made, what's working, and what doesn't seem to be. Problems with education are one factor: not enough bright young people are going into science and engineering. Public policy is another question mark. New strategies and incentives are bright spots. The panels will delve into these and other issues - live, on the web. Listen! NAE Grand Challenges Summit | Live webcast starts Oct 7. | Twitter feed (hashtag #NAEGC10)

PageKeeper Posted: 06 Oct 2010 06:02 PM PDT I've used a PageKeeper bookmark for several years and love it. Once in place it stays put. You don't have to do anything until you've finished reading whatever book you've put it in. It keeps your place for you without you having to move it, or dog-ear the page. Best of all it won't fall out of your book, so no more flipping through trying to find where you were when stopped reading. I've never seen anything similar to PageKeeper, and being a life long bookworm I've seen and used A LOT of bookmarks. I actually have two that I use, as it's not uncommon for me to be reading multiple books at once. When I'm not using both, I keep one in my purse in case I pick up a book to read while I'm out. -- Laura C. PageKeeper $8 Available from and manufactured by Page Keeper

Die Antwoord: Evil Boy Posted: 06 Oct 2010 03:21 PM PDT (NSFW, but comically so.) The much-anticipated new video from Die Antwoord just went live: EVIL BOY. I heard the Diplo-produced track earlier this year, just after the band finished the final mixdown, and was blown away... but good heavens, the video's something else. Beautiful. District 9 prawn arms, phallic idols, abundant junk-slanging, a penis microphone, a ghost-eyed Yo-Landi in a rat jacket ready to rip out your heart. Oh, and a cameo by Diplo. I think it's likely some portions may be misunderstood, and a line in there will be misinterpreted as homophobic, but the story behind it (Ninja and Yo-Landi shared all the backstory with me earlier) is deep stuff, and anything but. Both the band and the young South African emcee who guest-stars in this one are open-minded about gender and sexuality, it's cool. Lots of in-jokes for folks who are from South Africa, and of the specific culture the guest emcee's from. So many layers of meaning jiggling around in this thing. A stew of English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa puns. Slang your junk and enjoy. Pitchfork has a 24-hour exclusive on this one. Sorry about their shitty 30-second pre-rolls. Update: I posted some comments to the discussion thread accompanying this post to explain what I understand of the video's backstory. Start here.

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