The Latest from Boing Boing |  |
- Intel commissions futuristic stories for internal planning, gives away ebooks and podcasts
- Traveller re-enters USA without passing through a pornoscanner or having his genitals touched
- Enormous dice collection full of irregular and improbable polyhedra
- Chopper hearse for a "badass biker"
- Imagineering graveyard shift remakes Winnie the Pooh queue
- Canadians: sign petition against mandatory per-byte billing for ISPs!
- What John Pistole means when he talks about "enhanced" TSA checkpoints
- Federast: t-shirt for the age of TSA pornoscanners and grope-a-thons
- Brass Stirling Engine kinetic sculpture
- Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock explained in 32 seconds
- This Age of Power and Wonder: predictive cigarette cards, 1935-9
- Ghosts of Amsterdam: combining WWII photos with contemporary images
- Don't TSA me, bro: Boing Boing open thread, and new rules for those who refuse patdown
- Baby is a secret robot
- Seeing inside the cell
- Pigeons of Bushwick, NYC (Boing Boing Flickr Pool)
- The Universe ... and you
- Never Say No to Panda animated GIF
- Slayer Christmas Lights: this holiday house decoration totally shreds
- Sophie Madeleine performs "The Rhythm You Started"
- A Linch Pin Droid: New Alamo Drafthouse/Mondo Star Wars print by Kevin Tong
- Collin's Lab: High Power LEDs & the Digital Color Organ
- Nightingale pie is filled with Crimean war statistics
- Congress members exempted themselves from airport security screening
- Scientist: X-ray scanners deliver “20 times the average dose that is typically quoted by TSA.”
- Simple freckle prevention device isn't
- Periodic Table of Elements, Revised (Boing Boing Flickr Pool)
- German dog poo game for kids
- Layered urban landscapes, through the eyes of rodent exterminators
- Wi-Fi Causes Forest Fires
| Intel commissions futuristic stories for internal planning, gives away ebooks and podcasts Posted: 23 Nov 2010 02:34 AM PST Intel's Chief Futurist, Brian David Johnson, is a big advocate of using science fiction narratives as a jumping off point for a discussion between management and engineering about the future of Intel's business. Intel Germany's Morrow Project ("Uber Morgen") has commissioned four writers -- Douglas Rushkoff, Ray Hammond, Scarlett Thomas and Markus Heitz -- to produce science fictional pieces on the future that the company can use in its own planning. Intel has also released free ebooks and podcasts of the works in German and English. The Morrow Project (Thanks, Brian!) (Disclosure: I am a paid consultant for some of Brian David Johnson's related work for Intel; primarily my work consists of discussing the implications for liberty and justice in the face of technological change)   |
| Traveller re-enters USA without passing through a pornoscanner or having his genitals touched Posted: 23 Nov 2010 01:58 AM PST Matt returned from Paris to Cincinnati, where he was given the choice of a pornoscanner or a bit of the old nutsack-fondling from the TSA. Instead, Matt insisted that it was his right as an American with a passport who was n ot suspected of any wrongdoing to enter his country. The TSA told him the airport cops would arrest him if he didn't comply. The airport cops told him it was up to the TSA and clearly didn't appreciate being made to do someone else's dirty work. In the end, he was escorted out of the airport without having to submit to either procedure. He recorded much of the encounter on with his iPhone's audio recorder, too. He offers as an alternative, "What if we were to escort you out with us? It would involve a pat-down, but it would be us doing it instead."You Don't Need to See His Identification (via Reddit)   |
| Enormous dice collection full of irregular and improbable polyhedra Posted: 23 Nov 2010 02:19 AM PST  Dice collector Justin Michell has painstakingly cataloged his impressive collection of polyhedral probabilistic oddities, from a two-sided improbability to a nigh-spherical 120-sided number. Some of the best specimens are more traditional shapes, D10s and such, but made from fantastic materials and with wild decorative touches. Justin Michell's Dice Collection (via Make)   |
| Chopper hearse for a "badass biker" Posted: 23 Nov 2010 01:54 AM PST  Redditor McTroma's Uncle Bob, a "badass biker," was brought to his final resting place in this wicked chopper hearse. What a way to go.   |
| Imagineering graveyard shift remakes Winnie the Pooh queue Posted: 23 Nov 2010 12:58 AM PST Here's a quick video showing the overnight Imagineering crew doing the rehab on the Walt Disney World Pooh ride queue area, an all-nighter that accomplishes quite a lot of magic. Behind the Scenes: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at Magic Kingdom Park   |
| Canadians: sign petition against mandatory per-byte billing for ISPs! Posted: 22 Nov 2010 11:50 PM PST  Steve from Openmedia.ca sez, "As result of a recent decision by Canada's telcom regulator, the CRTC, Bell Canada and other big telecom companies can now freely force Internet usage-based billing on YOU and indie ISPs. This means we're looking at a future where Internet providers will charge per byte, the way they do with smart phones. If we allow this to happen Canadians will have no choice but to pay more for less Internet. This will crush innovative services, Canada's digital competitiveness, and your wallet. Canadians should sign the Stop The Meter petition!" Stop The Meter On Your Internet Use (Thanks, Steve!)
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| What John Pistole means when he talks about "enhanced" TSA checkpoints Posted: 22 Nov 2010 11:46 PM PST In this video, YouTube user SpinRemover adds subtitles to TSA boss John Pistole's now-infamous Anderson Cooper interview, translating bureaucratese into plain English. John Pistole gets honest about Porno Scanners and pat downs.. (Thanks, Jumbie, via Submitterator!)   |
| Federast: t-shirt for the age of TSA pornoscanners and grope-a-thons Posted: 22 Nov 2010 11:41 PM PST  At $34.99, this "Federast" t-shirt may be one of the more expensive means of getting singled out for punitive treatment at an airport checkpoint.   |
| Brass Stirling Engine kinetic sculpture Posted: 22 Nov 2010 11:37 PM PST Art Donovan sez, "Created entirely of raw brass, the Dutch artist Jos DeVink creates masterpieces of kinetic sculptures in his Stirling Engines. Turn on the sound, too!" I disagree about the sound, to be frank, but I couldn't agree more about the sculpture. Holy awesome. (Thanks, Art, via Submitterator!)   |
| Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock explained in 32 seconds Posted: 22 Nov 2010 11:32 PM PST Always wanted to play Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock but couldn't keep the rules straight? No fear: young Dylan will hep you to the jive. Dylan explains Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock   |
| This Age of Power and Wonder: predictive cigarette cards, 1935-9 Posted: 22 Nov 2010 11:27 PM PST  "This Age of Power and Wonder" was a 1930s series of cigarette cards issued by Max Cigarettes, depicting the wonders of the years to come (including, of course, a cure for cancer): "...a series by Max Cigarettes called This Age of Power and Wonder. This series from 1935-38 includes predictions of robot servants, spaceships, live television from exotic locations, and ubiquitous airports atop city high rises." This Age of Power and Wonder (1930s)   |
| Ghosts of Amsterdam: combining WWII photos with contemporary images Posted: 22 Nov 2010 11:23 PM PST  Jo Teeuwisse combined found WWII-era photos of Amsterdam with contemporary shots of the same places to create a series called "The Ghosts of Amsterdam": "In the picture above, you can see a group of young factory workers posing probably outside the factory during the war. I cheated a little bit by removing some pots of flowers which are on the steps today!" The Ghosts of Amsterdam (via Making Light)   |
| Don't TSA me, bro: Boing Boing open thread, and new rules for those who refuse patdown Posted: 22 Nov 2010 09:01 PM PST  (PHOTO: REUTERS/Jason Reed. A TSA agent dons rubber gloves at Washington Reagan National Airport. Post title HT: Brandon Combs)The new US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport screening procedures have been on our minds and on our blog in recent days, and the comment threads are overflowing with your thoughts, too. Now comes word that on Tuesday November 23, the TSA is expected to announce a clarified policy for those who refuse a "pat down," just in time for National Opt Out Day and the high-volume Thanksgiving travel period. From the Flying With Fish travel blog: The new clarified policy for those who refuse pat downs by a TSA Transportation Security Officer (TSO), any pat down, is that the person who is refusing the pat down will be advised that they will be denied entry into the airport, and be escorted from the security screening area by TSA TSOs or police officers. If the person refuses the pat down again, they will be approached by a Supervisor TSO (STSO), who will again explain that a refusal of the pat down will result in the immediate removal from the security area by police officers. Following an escort out of the security area to the pre-security area the person will be informed that that they are being denied entry and that they may not attempt to reenter security. More on the "clarified policy" here. If you refuse a patdown, give up on your flight, and depart the airport with no confrontational behavior, there will be no US$11,000 fine for your actions. Your thoughts welcomed in the comments. Are you traveling in the US by air this week? Are you planning to opt out of the new imaging devices and request a patdown? If you're a guy, will you be wearing a kilt? Regardless of gender, are you brainstorming any... interesting responses? |
| Posted: 22 Nov 2010 09:32 PM PST Video Link [thanks, Tara McGinley] |
| Posted: 22 Nov 2010 08:42 PM PST  A human hair is somewhere between 60,000 and 120,000 nanometers wide. The new microscope that took this image of a mouse cell can capture 3-D images at a resolution of 30 nanometers. Other microscopes have achieved higher resolutions, but not without a lot of work. It can take up to two weeks to get this kind of image via electron microscopy, as you take sliver after sliver of the cell and piece the images back together. This system, called X-ray nanotomography, can capture the entire cell in one step.
Submitterated by peltier_cooler   |
| Pigeons of Bushwick, NYC (Boing Boing Flickr Pool) Posted: 22 Nov 2010 07:45 PM PST  A photograph contributed to the Boing Boing Flickr Pool by BB reader Chris Arnade of Brooklyn. |
| Posted: 22 Nov 2010 07:20 PM PST  If you haven't taken a moment to sit in rapturous awe of the Universe today, now's your chance. The Flash animation linked here is a little old—it seems to have been released back in January. But the result is so absolutely amazing that I felt the need to post it anyway. Designer Cary Huang has made an illustration of our place in the Universe that will give you vertigo and chills. In a good way. I don't often compare Flash animations to the lost, floating feeling you get when staring up at a light-pollution-free night sky that's so full of stars you can barely stand it ... but this gets close. Thanks to warpwiz for making my day by Submitterating this. Image: Some rights reserved by h.koppdelaney   |
| Never Say No to Panda animated GIF Posted: 22 Nov 2010 07:51 PM PST  Link to animated gif (504K). It's distilled from this. (via Submitterator, thanks frycook) |
| Slayer Christmas Lights: this holiday house decoration totally shreds Posted: 22 Nov 2010 06:25 PM PST Apparently, the guy who created this amazing display is the father of the YouTube account holder, hence the incongruous mix of Bieber and Slayer therein. From the metal dad's replies to viewer comments on the video: SLAYER!! I HAVE BEEN A FAN FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND THIS TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO DO.WATCHING IT IN PERSON WAS AWESOME. DEDICATED TO SLAYER AND ALL THE FANS!!!!! SLAYERBOBT SOUTHERN CA. P.S. THIS IS MY DAUGHTERS ACCOUNT SO DONT PAY ATTENTION TO THE GIRLY STUFF!!!! SLAYER RULESFuckin' Slayer Christmas lights, how do they work? I have no idea how to find out where this guy's display will be this year, but if anyone can figure it out, I totally want to road trip it. Let me know in the comments, or if you're watching, Slayer dad, please tell us here! SLAYER CHRISTMAS LIGHTS LIGHTORAMA 2009 (YouTube/lacycute20) \m/ |
| Sophie Madeleine performs "The Rhythm You Started" Posted: 22 Nov 2010 04:56 PM PST (Video link) Yay! Sophie Madeleine has a new album coming out. (Sample her first album, Love. Life. Ukulele. here.) The album will be released through Pledge Music exclusively to the pledgers on the 30th November (limited edition CDs sent out worldwide Dec 3rd). An official release (itunes etc.) will follow in the new year. But people can still "pledge" (pre-order) it here 'til the 30th.Sophie Madeleine's new album   |
| A Linch Pin Droid: New Alamo Drafthouse/Mondo Star Wars print by Kevin Tong Posted: 22 Nov 2010 03:56 PM PST  LARGER VIEW BELOW (600K). This week, Alamo Drafthouse's Mondo shop releases a sweet new Star Wars poster: an exploded view of R2-D2 from artist Kevin Tong, titled "A Linch Pin Droid". Kevin shares more on the inspiration and the creative process behind this piece on his blog with video and "making of" images. The poster goes on sale on Friday, 11/26. Follow @MondoNews for the exact time on Friday. Print is 24" X 36"; 5 colors, GID and Metallic, edition of 400. Kevin says, "For this print, I made certain that I stayed true to the original Trilogy and spent months watching and pausing it. Although this print is largely technical, I was hoping that by showing R2D2's individual tools and components all spread out, people can reflect on the moments in the Trilogy where he used those devices to save the day and the galaxy." Feast your eyes on the larger size, below...
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| Collin's Lab: High Power LEDs & the Digital Color Organ Posted: 22 Nov 2010 02:26 PM PST It's always a treat to watch one of Collin Cunningham's "Circuit Skills" videos from Make: Online. This time, he builds a digital color organ using ultra-bright high power LEDs. I've had color organs on the brain since the last installment of the Circuit Skills series, so I decided try my hand at a new incarnation of the basic 3-channel sound-to-light machine using high-power LEDs. This time, I took advantage of the fact that I play all of my music from a computer, and created a 'patch' in MaxMSP to calculate high, mid, & low values of the outgoing audio stream. Max then sends these values out to an Arduino via serial connection over USB. The Arduino uses these values to set the PWM output levels of 6 pins - each of which are wired to a couple of Tri-Driver boards powering my display. Alternatively, a much more affordable low-power display could be created by simply connecting each of those PWM outs to a 5mm LED and resistor wired in series.Collin's Lab: High Power LEDs & the Digital Color Organ   |
| Nightingale pie is filled with Crimean war statistics Posted: 22 Nov 2010 01:30 PM PST |
| Congress members exempted themselves from airport security screening Posted: 22 Nov 2010 01:09 PM PST When members of Congress have to fly commercial with the rabble, they get to skip security. No pats downs, no detectors. NYT: "As he left Washington on Friday, Mr. Boehner headed across the Potomac River to Reagan National Airport, which was bustling with afternoon travelers. But there was no waiting in line for Mr. Boehner, who was escorted around the metal detectors and body scanners, and taken directly to the gate."   |
| Scientist: X-ray scanners deliver “20 times the average dose that is typically quoted by TSA.” Posted: 22 Nov 2010 12:40 PM PST U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, a scientist and the Chairman of the House Select Intelligence Oversight Panel, says the "TSA's current obsession with fielding body imaging technology is misguided, counterproductive, and potentially dangerous." In March, the Congressional Biomedical Caucus (of which I am a co-chair) hosted a presentation on this technology by TSA, as well as a briefing by Dr. David Brenner of Columbia University on the potential health effects of "back scatter" x-ray devices. As Dr. Brenner noted in his presentation and in subsequent media interviews, the devices currently in use and proposed for wider deployment this year currently deliver to the scalp "20 times the average dose that is typically quoted by TSA and throughout the industry."U.S. Rep. Rush Holt Continues to Question Science, Effectiveness of TSA Full Body Scanners   |
| Simple freckle prevention device isn't Posted: 22 Nov 2010 12:31 PM PST  "The device is simplicity itself. A small steam engine supplies the power which keeps a perforated iron screen revolving so that the sun does not strike any particular spot long enough to cause a freckle." Or, you know, you could just use an umbrella. Reader bunaen ran across this old newspaper clipping in a box of family memorabilia dating to around 1917. He thinks it's from the Redondo Beach Daily Breeze. I love the way it pairs a ludicrous gadget concept with breathless reporting that wouldn't be remotely out of place in modern times. All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again, eh? I'm afraid my nose surpasses the freckle limit for cuteness. If only I had listened to the Smile's staff of scientists. Want a bit more blasting from the past? Bunaen has a whole Flickr set full of photos and clippings culled from the same boxes he found this in. It includes some shots from old Hollywood, where Bunaen's dad was a musician for the movie studios. Oh, the swell things that turn up in the BoingBoing Flickr Pool!   |
| Periodic Table of Elements, Revised (Boing Boing Flickr Pool) Posted: 22 Nov 2010 11:14 AM PST  Periodic Table of the Elements (Revised), from the website spellingmistakescostlives.com, contributed to the Boing Boing Flickr Pool by Darren Cullen. |
| Posted: 22 Nov 2010 11:09 AM PST Esworp sez, "Please draw your attention to the German game Kackel Dackel. Rolling the dice determines how far the 'food' advances down the dog's noisy digestive track. The goal is to collect neon-yellow 'poops'. be sure to check out the noises it makes, too! Fun fact: the company hosted a giveaway at a park, but you had to go pick up a doggy poo to claim a free prize! Woof!" TV-Spot Kackel Dackel (Thanks, Esworp, via Submitterator!) |
| Layered urban landscapes, through the eyes of rodent exterminators Posted: 22 Nov 2010 11:08 AM PST A fascinating post on BLDGblog about the book Rats, by Robert Sullivan, which explores New York City through the eyes of the pest-control industry. Warning: it's gross. (via Raul Gutierrez)   |
| Posted: 22 Nov 2010 09:32 AM PST The latest on the breaking story about Wi-Fi killing trees ups the ante! A reputable news source reports that Wi-Fi's effects are far worse than Dutch researchers originally stated: trees petrify within months of exposure. Wi-Fi also causes forest fires. (Thanks, Weekly World News!)   |
"The Morrow-Project" is a unique literary project which shows the important effects that contemporary research will have on our future and the relevance that this research has for each of us. Research currently being conducted by Intel in the fields of photonics, robotics, telematics, dynamic physical rendering and intelligent sensors served as the basis to inspire four bestselling authors. The results are four short stories which paint amusing, thought-provoking and hopeful pictures of our future. 
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