Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The Latest from Boing Boing

The Latest from Boing Boing

Is this email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser.
Boing Boing
Watchismo

[Sponsor] Tendence watches now have fully mechanical automatic movements!  Watchismo has the exclusive for the new Tendence Skeleton Watches, each with fully exposed 'skeletonized' mechanics seen both from the top of the dial and the see-through crystal of the caseback where the rotor can be seen revolving & generating power the old fashioned way -- with cogs, gears and hairsprings! A blend of form and function, the Tendence collection is a highly evolved concept, with extreme dimensions and three-dimensional numbers carved to stand high above the concave dial, itself cut from stainless steel, polycarbonate or titanium.s.

Kickstarter for pop record producer Joe Meek
Justin Beiber duct tape
How to make a "cancer medal" for a patient in your life
Contest to improve research of rare diseases
A crowdfunded doc on Rick Griffin, pop surrealist comics and psychedelic art legend
NASA finds Cookie Monster on surface of Mercury
Deaf, parapalegic, dying Twitter star isn't
Star Wars, Medieval manuscript-style
The smartest person alive got Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to host the Golden Globes
Brain Rot: Hip Hop Family Tree, Bambaataa's Jazzy Sensation, and Rick Rubin plays CBGB's
Advertisers launch campaign to bury "unfavorable media attention" over tracking
Cory in Philly tonight
How Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light transformed into the CIA's Argo covert op
Gary McKinnon will not be extradited to the US for hacking the Pentagon
#InsurancePoll: Amanda Palmer wants to know about your experience with health insurance
Winners of the Pirate Flix Video Remix contest
Cool handheld 3D scanner
What Canada stands to lose in the war on science
Doctor Dreadful Alien Autopsy Lab
Mothership Hackermoms seeks funders for for woman-centric hackerspace
Timothy Leary's prison correspondence with Carl Sagan
Pearson's takedown notice over a quote from a 1974 textbook shuts down 1.45 million edublogs
The zombie ferret car sticker you've been seeking is finally available!
Awesome NYCC panel: Comics Pros and Film Buffs - When Fanboys Collide
Little Nemo, the Google Doodle edition
Nicholson Baker on the joy of writing on rubber with a ballpoint pen
Lies writers tell themselves
Analog Ultra-Violence
The adolescence of Reddit
Write a story about this illustration of a swinging party in the suburbs

 

Kickstarter for pop record producer Joe Meek

By Mark Frauenfelder on Oct 16, 2012 12:46 pm

I'm happy this documentary about the incredible recording pioneer Joe Meek is going to get funded. It's a project nine years in the making. Who is Joe Meek? Born in 1929 and raised in rural Newent, England, Joe Meek spent his youth working on his family's farm while dreaming of recording sound, creating music and ...
Read in browser

Justin Beiber duct tape

By Cory Doctorow on Oct 16, 2012 12:44 pm

Sign of the end-times part MMMLXVII: Justin Beiber duct-tape is a thing. "Containing four black and white images of the teen idol and incorporating hints of his favorite color -- purple -- the tape is sure to be a number one hit with 'Beliebers' everywhere." Duck Tape® and Bravado Catch "Bieber Fever" (via Accordion Guy)
Read in browser

How to make a "cancer medal" for a patient in your life

By Xeni Jardin on Oct 16, 2012 12:31 pm

I recently wrote about a meaningful gift I received from my friend Michael Pusateri, at the end of my primary treatment for breast cancer: this wonderful medal. So, today, Michael explains how to order one yourself. Give one to a cancer patient in your life! It's a really cool way to recognize what can be ...
Read in browser

Contest to improve research of rare diseases

By Mark Frauenfelder on Oct 16, 2012 12:19 pm

I met Jimmy Lin last year at TED. He's a research instructor at Washington University in St. Louis and founder of the Rare Genomics Institute, a "non-profit that makes cutting edge research technologies and experts accessible to rare disease patients." Today, Jimmy announced a rare disease competition for the best research proposal. He says: Today, ...
Read in browser

A crowdfunded doc on Rick Griffin, pop surrealist comics and psychedelic art legend

By Xeni Jardin on Oct 16, 2012 12:10 pm

Digging this film Kickstarter, and by the looks of the amount they've raised so far, others do too: "Griffin," a feature-length documentary exploring "the art, life and eccentric spark of one of the world's least known and most influential 20th Century surrealists," Rick Griffin. "Over the time-warped span of the 1960's, [the] one-time teen cartoonist ...
Read in browser

NASA finds Cookie Monster on surface of Mercury

By Xeni Jardin on Oct 16, 2012 12:01 pm

Image: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab/Carnegie Institution of WA "The superposition of younger craters on older craters (in this case two smaller craters upon the rim of an older crater) can result in landforms that appear to resemble more familiar shapes to human eyes." Definitely Cookie Monster. More: NASA.(thanks, Miles O'Brien)
Read in browser

Deaf, parapalegic, dying Twitter star isn't

By Xeni Jardin on Oct 16, 2012 11:56 am

"David Rose," a deaf paraplegic blogger who inspired thousands with inspirational inspiring quips on Twitter, was a hoax. HuffPo has it all. Notably, some of the sleuthing was done by theCHIVE, a site, uh, not known for investigative reporting.
Read in browser

Star Wars, Medieval manuscript-style

By Cory Doctorow on Oct 16, 2012 11:42 am

Chawakarn Kongprasert from Bangkok, Thailand, created these illuminated manuscript-style Star Wars illustrations. These are just perfect, the kind of thing that makes me happy to be alive in the 21st century. Star Wars in Manuscript (via Making Light)
Read in browser

The smartest person alive got Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to host the Golden Globes

By Jamie Frevele on Oct 16, 2012 11:16 am

It was announced last night that the most brilliant decision in show business was made: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be the hosts of the 70th Golden Globes telecast on January 13! They'll take over for Ricky "I Triple Dog Dare You to Ask Me to Host Again and Be Nice to the Famous ...
Read in browser

Brain Rot: Hip Hop Family Tree, Bambaataa's Jazzy Sensation, and Rick Rubin plays CBGB's

By Ed Piskor on Oct 16, 2012 11:00 am

Read the rest of the Hip Hop Family Tree comics!
Read in browser

Advertisers launch campaign to bury "unfavorable media attention" over tracking

By Rob Beschizza on Oct 16, 2012 10:09 am

The Direct Marketing Association has launched a $1m campaign to convince the public that being tracked online creates "value for consumers". The Data-Driven Marketing Institute will redouble DMA's efforts to explain the benefits of the consumer data industry to the public and policymakers, with the goal of preventing needless regulation or enforcement that could severely ...
Read in browser

Cory in Philly tonight

By Cory Doctorow on Oct 16, 2012 09:00 am

I'm heading to Philly today for an event at Indy Hall, co-sponsored by the awesome Geekadelphia and the Hive76 hackerspace. From there I go to Bethesda, Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, Toronto, then, finally, Boston! Here's the schedule, looking forward to seeing you!
Read in browser

How Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light transformed into the CIA's Argo covert op

By DJ Pangburn on Oct 16, 2012 08:00 am

To facilitate the return of six US diplomats trapped in Iran, during the 1979 hostage crisis, CIA technician Tony Mendez concocts an incredible cover story: they're part of a film crew, scouting out locations in the Islamic republic for an epic science fiction movie. But one core prop is hard to find at short-notice: a convincing, ready-to-shoot screenplay.
Read in browser

Gary McKinnon will not be extradited to the US for hacking the Pentagon

By Cory Doctorow on Oct 16, 2012 08:00 am

Gary McKinnon, is a British man with Asperger's Syndrome who has been fighting extradition to the US after he hacked a US military server "looking for evidence of UFOs." He faced a 60-year sentence if convicted in the US. After a decade-long fight, the UK Home Secretary Theresa May has blocked his extradition, citing "public ...
Read in browser

#InsurancePoll: Amanda Palmer wants to know about your experience with health insurance

By Cory Doctorow on Oct 15, 2012 10:53 pm

Amanda Palmer was musing about the messed up state of US health insuranceso she took to Twitter, writing about it under the #InsurancePoll tag ("quick twitter poll. 1) COUNTRY?! 2) profession? 3) insured? 4) if not, why not, if so, at what cost per month (or covered by job)?"). The tag's blown up, trending across ...
Read in browser

Winners of the Pirate Flix Video Remix contest

By Cory Doctorow on Oct 15, 2012 10:13 pm

Thanks to everyone who submitted to the Pirate Flix Video Remix contest and especially to those who braved the rain to come out to Brooklyn's WORD books tonight. Herein presented are the winners of the contest, starting with Diran Lyons's first-place-winning 99 Problems (Explicit Political Remix). Second place went to Stebbokun's thrilling FURY Trailer. And ...
Read in browser

Cool handheld 3D scanner

By Mark Frauenfelder on Oct 15, 2012 08:58 pm

How soon before we hear rumblings in Congress that cool handheld 3-D scanners like this need to be tightly regulated, lest they get into the hands of manufacturers of knockoff goods? See also: Myhrvold patents 3D printing DRM
Read in browser

What Canada stands to lose in the war on science

By Cory Doctorow on Oct 15, 2012 08:50 pm

The reign of the current Canadian Conservative government has been relentlessly hostile to science. Government scientists are not allowed to publish or speak to the press without permission from political officers who censor even the most innocuous statements. Basic science research has been slashed. Given that the Tories' real power base is the tar sands ...
Read in browser

Doctor Dreadful Alien Autopsy Lab

By Mark Frauenfelder on Oct 15, 2012 08:26 pm

Here is the latest Doctor Dreadful toy, the Alien Autopsy Lab, created by my friend and MAKE magazine columnist Bob Knetzger. When those hoaxers created the fake alien autopsy video, did they ever think that it would be the inspiration for a kids toy?See more Boing Boing posts about Bob Knetzger
Read in browser

Mothership Hackermoms seeks funders for for woman-centric hackerspace

By Cory Doctorow on Oct 15, 2012 08:19 pm

Laura sez, "The Mothership Hackermoms is the first ever women-centric hackerspace. We give mothers the time and space to explore DIY craft and design, hacker/maker culture, entrepreneurship, and all manner of creative expression - with childcare! We're designers, scientists, artists, programmers, educators, photographers, writers, entrepreneurs, makers, welders, cooks, illustrators and professionals as well as moms. ...
Read in browser

Timothy Leary's prison correspondence with Carl Sagan

By Cory Doctorow on Oct 15, 2012 07:13 pm

Lisa Rein from the Timothy Leary estate writes, Dr. Timothy Leary Futique Trust has released two letters from its archives from Carl Sagan, written to Tim Leary in the Spring of 1974. Turns out that Sagan visited Leary in prison at least once. There are more than a few remarkable similarities when the lives of ...
Read in browser

Pearson's takedown notice over a quote from a 1974 textbook shuts down 1.45 million edublogs

By Cory Doctorow on Oct 15, 2012 06:16 pm

EduBlogs, a service that hosts 1.45 million educational blogs, had all 1.45 million of them taken offline for 12 hours because their $70K/year hosting company, ServerBeach, pitched a wobbly after receiving a takedown notice from Pearson Publishing. Pearson was upset over a five-year-old blog post where a teacher had quoted 279 words out of an ...
Read in browser

The zombie ferret car sticker you've been seeking is finally available!

By Jamie Frevele on Oct 15, 2012 05:28 pm

Let me guess: You are a member of a family with a pet ferret. You are also a fan of zombies. But whenever you look for a set of "family" stickers for the back window of your motor vehicle that not only turns your familial avatars into zombies, but also includes a pet ferret, you ...
Read in browser

Awesome NYCC panel: Comics Pros and Film Buffs - When Fanboys Collide

By Jamie Frevele on Oct 15, 2012 05:09 pm

(Video link) One of the really fun panels I attended at New York Comic Con discussed a subject with which I'm very familiar: comic book movies, and being a comics fan versus a movies fan. While I dig and respect comic books, I'm definitely in the latter camp. At the panel Comics Pros and Film ...
Read in browser

Little Nemo, the Google Doodle edition

By Cory Doctorow on Oct 15, 2012 05:00 pm

Normally, I'm pretty blase about Google Doodles, but today's Doodle pays homage to Winsor McCay's Little Nemo, with a beautiful, pitch-perfect animated series of "Adventures in Google-Land" that you really must see (even the large graphic excerpt here doesn't do it justice, you have to get the animations to get the full effect). The gigantic ...
Read in browser

Nicholson Baker on the joy of writing on rubber with a ballpoint pen

By Mark Frauenfelder on Oct 15, 2012 04:34 pm

I read Nicholson Baker's book of essays, The Size of Thoughts, when it came out in 1997. If you are familiar with Baker, you know that he has a knack for making the familiar seem wondrous, even bizarre. Dan Shepelavy posted this page from Baker's book, and now I want to find it and reread ...
Read in browser

Lies writers tell themselves

By Rob Beschizza on Oct 15, 2012 04:06 pm

#2. All you need to be a writer is talent. [The Awl]
Read in browser

Analog Ultra-Violence

By Rob Beschizza on Oct 15, 2012 04:02 pm

J. Christopher Arrison on how the Moog came to represent a new sound of evil for the movies: "This ingenious re-purposing of classical themes through multi-layered analog synthesizers remains as powerful today as it did over four decades years ago. But like Kubrick's brutal and graphic imagery, [Wendy] Carlos' contribution to electronic music was not without controversy." [Cultureramp via Tettix]
Read in browser

The adolescence of Reddit

By Rob Beschizza on Oct 15, 2012 03:48 pm

Joel Johnson on what went wrong at Reddit, where moderators closed ranks around a particularly nasty member in the face of outside scrutiny: "outcast cultures ... must survive an awkward adolescence before integrating fully back into the culture from which they are spawned. And like most teenagers, there is a lot of whining, misfired blame, ...
Read in browser

Write a story about this illustration of a swinging party in the suburbs

By Mark Frauenfelder on Oct 15, 2012 03:33 pm

Norm Saunders was a prolific and talented mid-century illustrator. I don't know the really story behind this illo he did for a men's adventure magazine, but it's more fun to make up something anyway. Share your story in the comments! Norman Saunders (1907–1989) - commercial artist who produced paintings for pulp magazines, paperbacks, men's adventure ...
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

More to read:

Sent by 2012 Boing Boing, CC.
You are subscribed to email updates from Boing Boing. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe immediately.
Our mailing address is:
Boing Boing
905 Wettach St
Pittsburgh, Pa 15122

Add us to your address book

No comments:

Post a Comment

CrunchyTech

Blog Archive