Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things

Sunday, February 19, 2006

J Edgar Hoover loved Lucy

Cross-dressing FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover apparently wrote a drooling fan letter to Lucille Ball in 1955 to tell her how much he enjoyed the previous Monday's episode of "I Love Lucy," noting "In all the years I have travelled on trains, I have often wondered why someone did not pull the emergency brake, but I have never been aboard a train where it was done. The humor in you program last Monday, I think, exceeded any of your previous programs and they have been really good in themselves." Link (Thanks, gruverja!)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:04:24 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Round things made square photoshopping contest

On the Worth1000 photoshopping contest today: round things made square. This square pregancy bump is really well done (love the square navel!); but there's lots more great work there, real technical virtuosity and wit. Link

posted by Cory Doctorow at 04:51:16 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Bad Samaritan family won't return found expensive camera

A woman lost her camera on holidays; the family who found it decided not to return it because their child liked it so much. Now, that's parenting.

"Well," she said, "we have a bit of a situation. You see, my nine year old son found your camera, and we wanted to show him to do the right thing, so we called, but now he's been using it for a week and he really loves it and we can't bear to take it from him."
I listened, not sure where she was going with this.
"And he was recently diagnosed with diabetes, and he's now convinced he has bad luck, and finding the camera was good luck, and so we can't tell him that he has to give it up. Also we had to spend a lot of money to get a charger and a memory card..."
I was incredulous. "This is an expensive camera, you know."
"Oh, we know, we looked it up."

I agree with the commenter on this post: she should post this family's name and hold them up for shame and ridicule. This is theft. Link (via Anil)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 06:03:11 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Converting an NES to an alarm-clock

This inspired NES to alarm clock conversion was inspired by a trip to a thrift store; the maker notes, "The finished product's time, alarm time and other parameters have to be set by manually shorting Player 1 controller input contacts with wire jumpers. Not what I intended, but one day I will get around to rewiring that paddle." Link (via Digg)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:55:20 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Miller hunts down people who use throwaway emails on their contests

Regina sez, "I filled out a web form for a contest from Miller using a throwaway junk email address and then, months after I dumped the throwaway account, I got this to my main account! Not sure I like the idea of companies tracking me down like this."

Thank you for being a loyal consumer of Miller Brewing Company. As one of our VIP consumers, you have likely received email communications from us in the past. Recently, however, we have not been able to deliver email messages to the address you originally supplied. We have performed an electronic change of address to update our records so that we can continue to send you special offers, promotions, and announcements via email.

Link

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:25:53 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Students learn more from teachers who hand-wave

Math teachers who wave their hands while talking in a way that illustrates a point differently from their words impart more information to their students. The UChicago researchers determined that students whose teachers hand-wave learn more, and that when the hand-gestures illustrated a point to one side of the main point, they did even better.

As part of the experiment students had to complete the equation “7+6+5=?+5”. Teachers told the youngsters that they had to make one side of the equation match the other side.
The gestures simply duplicating these directions involved the instructors pointing to the left-hand and then the right-hand sides of the equation. When using complementary gestures, however, the teachers pointed to each of the numbers on the left and then signalled the subtraction of the five on the right side by scooping their hand away from the number.

Link

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:11:49 AM permalink | blogs' comments

HOWTO resist warrantless searches at Best Buy

A Best Buy customer relates the stirring 1999 tale of his refusal to let security guards at the store engage in their indiscriminate warrantless searches of his bags after he's paid for his purchases. He simply walks out, and whenever anyone tries to stop him, he just says, "Am I being detained for shoplifting?" and keeps walking. They even sent out people with pickup trucks to block him into his parking-spot!

Merchants basically have two rights covering people entering and exiting their stores. They can refuse to let you enter the premises and/or to sell you anything, and they can place you under citizens arrest for attempting to leave the premises with any property that you haven't paid for. But the second you hand over the appropriate amount of cash, they lose all rights to the items. They can't legally impair you from leaving the store with your property.
Apparently the employees of my local Best Buy aren't very familiar with annoying pedantic individuals who will choose principals over convenience when walking out with a shopping cart full of expensive home entertainment gear. I manage to get about 5 steps out the door before the door guard catches up to me and grabs my cart, with the "sir" in his "I need to see your receipt, sir" somehow not very complimentary. This is apparently a stalling tactic, as shortly a few more blue-shirted employees make a move to block me from making any more progress toward my car.
I ask, still calm, if I am being detained for shoplifting. This suggestion apparently shocks my captor into regaining some of his senses, and he lets go of my cart. I explain that unless he wishes to do so, he has no right to stop me.

Link (via Digg)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:04:54 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Friday, February 17, 2006

Tiki fireplace

This gorgeous, homemade tiki fireplace complete with smoking nostrils is lavishly documented in this build log. Link (via Neatorama)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 10:24:49 PM permalink | blogs' comments

RIAA using kids' private info to attack their mother

The recording industry has escalated its attacks on a soccer mom whose PC may have been used to share music files by attacking her children. Westchester County's Patti Santangelo bought a PC for her kids that the RIAA claims was used to share copyrighted music, but Patti never used her PC for this, and there's no evidence that the files ever resided on her computer. Since she's innocent, Patti's refused to pay the labels' shakedown demand of $3500, making her the first RIAA victim to stand up for her rights.

Now the RIAA have begun to introduce private information about Patti's minor children into the case, apparently obtained by illicit means:

"As just one example, it was deeply unsettling for us to learn just how much personal, non-public information the RIAA had collected on Patti's children.
"All parents should be concerned and I think people have to know the implications.
"It's one thing to sue children directly. They get a lawyer, rules are established, the court might offer certain protections, etc, but when it's done through a back door - suing a parent to get information about a child - the child has no protections, especially when the plaintiff doesn't even have the decency to not publish personal information about the child.
"This, then, is going to become the new feeding ground for those who seek to exploit children, whether through improper contact or identity theft.
"This new class of child - scared and facing the federal legal system, with few protections and their personal contact and identification information, as well as their posted feelings, fears, desires and thoughts - is now exposed to the world for all to see.
"And exploit."

Link (via Digg)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 10:21:05 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Internet Freedom Conference open for discount reg

David sez, "F2C:Freedom to Connect, the Internet Freedom Conference, is coming back to AFI Silver, in Silver Spring (close-in suburb of Washington DC) on April 3 and 4, 2006.

"This year I'm doing it with Jeff Pulver, Inc., with partnership of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, Tropos Networks, O'Reilly Media, Voxeo, Free Press, Public Knowledge and many other companies and organizations concerned about Internet Freedom.

"I'd like offer a special deal to friends of past F2Cs that does not appear on the official F2C website. It is about 50% off the standard early bird pricing, $295 vs. regular early bird at $595. Please use code FODC when you register before February 28." Link (Thanks, David!)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 10:14:34 PM permalink | blogs' comments

New episode of The IT Crowd, awesome sysadmin sitcom

Episode 5 of Graham "Father Ted" Linehan's convulsively funny nerd comedy series "The IT Crowd" is available for download from the Channel Four site. C4 has wised up and taken the DRM off its downloadable preview of the episode, but it's still weird, streaming stuff that won't play on my machine -- there's a direct download too, thanks to John. This episode is every bit as funny as the previous four -- it's the nerd-love episode. Geeks and dating, as funny as it gets. Link, Direct Download Link, Coral CDN mirror (Thanks, John!)

Update: Here's the video on YouTube -- thanks, Sergio!

Update 2 Here's the torrent -- thanks, Mike!

posted by Cory Doctorow at 10:06:31 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Apple censors OSX-on-Intel message boards with DMCA

Apple has invoked the DMCA, which allows anyone to censor web-pages by claiming they infringe on copyright, to shut down message boards on a hobbyist site where Mac OS X owners were discussing how they could install their software on non-Apple hardware.

"We're sorry to report that despite our best efforts, the OSx86 Project has been served with a DMCA violation notice. The forum will be unavailable while we evaluate its contents to remove any violations present. We thank you for your patience in this matter," the posting read.
Win2osx.net, another Web site that hosts discussions related to getting Mac OS X onto chips with the x86 instruction set, was also down Friday. Earlier this week, Win2osx.net's discussion forums contained a posting from a hacker known as "Maxxuss," who made a patch available on his own Web site that would allow programming-savvy PC users to put a recent version of the Mac operating system on their x86 systems.

Link (Thanks, CZ!)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 09:56:47 PM permalink | blogs' comments

web zen: photo zen

Web Zen Home, Store (Thanks Frank!)

posted by Xeni Jardin at 06:53:45 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Two pro-community-wireless bills introduced in US Senate

US Senators have taken up the community wireless rallying cry. Sascha Meinrath, who was very active in tech community efforts to re-connect New Orleans post-Katrina, tells Boing Boing,

Major reform is afoot! Two bills were introduced on Friday that would radically improve unlicensed wireless access. Both bills would greatly improve the general public’s access to the public airwaves. The first bill, “The Wireless Innovation Act of 2006,” is a major bi-partisan effort to line up Senators to support Community Wireless.
The second, “The American Broadband for Communities Act,” is lead by Republican Senator Stevens and does much the same. While many will argue that the two bills don’t go far enough, they are a giant leap (not a baby step) forward towards reforming spectrum policies to make more efficient use of computer technology. I don’t know if the drafts are public yet, but will post the texts once I get confirmation.
Both bills would open up TV broadcast bands (as proposed by FCC proceedings 04-186) within the next 180 days. These bills are particularly important because of FCC proceedings 05-312 (read the wireless communities' concerns about the 05-312 proceedings here). The 04-186 proceedings are something that I and many other people have been actively working towards for quite some time. You can read our official comments on the 04-186 proceedings here. Obviously, it is fantastic news to see US Senators taking up the same position as we've been forwarding and I'm hopeful that we'll finally see some reforms to make more efficient use of the public airwaves.

Link

posted by Xeni Jardin at 06:48:48 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Fascinating Ask Metafilter question: How to deal with adult bus bullies

On February 7, "cior" asked the hive mind at Ask MetaFilter to help her with a problem she faced everyday on her bus ride to work. Abridged excerpt:

Each morning at 6:54am I catch an hour-long bus from my house to my office. On this bus are two women (40-50's) who seemingly work all night in some sort of nursing capacity.
One of them, the one who sits across the aisle from me likes to open her window. Mind you, this morning it was 25F outside. From where she sits, she gets a light dusting of fresh air. From where I sit, it's an artic blast that a) farks up the newspaper I'm reading, b) throws my hair into my face and c) freezes my nose off.
Last week, as they did the little dinger thing that signals for a stop I got up and went across the aisle to close the window after they were out of their seats and towards the front of the bus. This act was met with a very loud and demeaning call-out peppered with phrases like:
* Who does she think she is?
* Look at Little Miss Thing
* Uhn-uh, she's closing the window again.
It's truly endless, and so far I haven't acknowledged any of it.

Tons of people have given her suggestions so far, and there are a lot of fascinating answers. I think a lot of us (people who read MetaFilter and Boing Boing and the like) had their share of bullying as kids and so now it's payback time. It's interesting how many answers involve wearing an iPod to drown out their voices. My two favorites: "Superglue the window shut after they've gotten off the bus," and "The next time they say anything while you are closing the window, simply smile sincerely, wave, and (if they can hear you) say 'See you tomorrow! Have a good one!' sincerely"
Link

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 05:06:50 PM permalink | blogs' comments

County Homeland Security Officers Try To Police Porn, Fail

Mo "Here's a story in today's Washington Post about two Montgomery County Homeland Security officers who try to police porn at a public library. After one patron is targeted and asked to step outside, the librarian resists. The police are called and the only ones ushered outside are the failed porn cops. I hope the librarian gets the librarian-of-the-month award for standing up for free speech and privacy."

Two uniformed men strolled into the main room of the Little Falls library in Bethesda one day last week and demanded the attention of all patrons using the computers. Then they made their announcement: The viewing of Internet pornography was forbidden.
The men looked stern and wore baseball caps emblazoned with the words "Homeland Security." The bizarre scene unfolded Feb. 9, leaving some residents confused and forcing county officials to explain how employees assigned to protect county buildings against terrorists came to see it as their job to police the viewing of pornography.

It's sad to see what happens when you give some people a tin badge and a cap. Link

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 11:16:53 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Video report on ballistics test suggests Cheney cover-up

Infowars.com's Alex Jones has a 10-minute video report including a birdshot ballistics test that he says points to a cover-up in the Cheney shooting incident.

Harry Whittington was shot at close range, between 15 and 18 feet, not the 90 claimed by Dick Cheney and the Secret Service. It is now clear why they refused to let Sherriff's Deputies interview Cheney for over 13 hours and why they claimed that Whittington's injuries were superficial when in truth they were grevious.
The mainstream media is ignoring this literal smoking gun evidence. Anytime they wish, the local police can conduct their own ballistics tests and they will have the exact same findings. The media can conduct their own tests. The ballistics of shotguns and birdshot is well known to tens of millions of Americans who hunt fowl.
We have now scientifically proven with an engineer and a police officer on-site conducting the test that the American people are being lied to and a cover-up is in progress.

Link (Thanks, JR!)

Reader comment:RC reminded me that this video is the from the source that had the report claiming "RFID Tags in New US Notes Explode When You Try to Microwave Them." That makes the ballistics report less credible, in my opinion.

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 11:11:17 AM permalink | blogs' comments

New word: quailtard

Jim says: "I don't know if you've been following The Daily Show this week, but one of the funniest terms to come out of the Cheney shooting incident has been the term, 'quailtard,' which was used on Monday's program.

"The term described the farm-raised quail released for the hunters to fire at.

"Somebody on the WELL expressed sadness that Wikipedia didn't show an entry for 'quailtard,' so I created an entry. And of course, the nannies immediately showed up to list it for deletion, on grounds that it's not significant enough.

This is one of the best coined words of all time! And it's got significant historic significance in this story. I think that more than qualifies it. After all, Colbert's 'truthiness' qualifies!"

Quailtard is a word combining "Quail," a mid-sized game bird of the pheasant family, and "tard," a contraction of the noun "retard," an often offensive word used to describe the mentally challenged, or retarded. First used on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]. The word was used in humorous reference to the farm-raised quail released for hunting by Vice President, Dick Cheney, and others on Katharine Armstrong's south Texas ranch. On February 11, 2006, while hunting these quail, Cheney accidentally shot hunting companion, Harry M. Whittington, a lawyer from Austin, TX, with his 28 gauge shotgun from a reported distance of thirty yards.

Link

Reader comment: Robert says: "Alas, the short happy life of 'quailtard' has already ended. Wikipedia has placed a redirect on the page to 'Dick Cheney hunting incident.'

"Of course, if everyone were to start blogging about quailtards and it enters the modern parlance, then Wikipedia would *have to* allow it, wouldn't they? . . .

a la 'santorum' . . . [insert evil laughter] "

Reader comment: Robert says: "I was wrong - it's back. A user just redirected it and it was promptly un-redirected. The quailtard is dead. Long live the quailtard!"

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 11:02:36 AM permalink | blogs' comments

DNA evidence at odds with Mormon scripture

Yesterday the LA Times ran a fascinating story about DNA and Mormon scripture. For decades, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been very successful in converting Native Americans and Pacific Islanders to Mormonism because these people have been told by Mormon missionaries that they are decedents of a blessed lost tribe of Israel.

But in recent years, DNA tests have shown that Pacific Islanders and Native Americans are of Asian descent, not Middle Eastern descent, as claimed in the "infallible" Book of Mormon transcribed 175 years ago.

In this excerpt from the Times, it sounds like the Book of Mormon was written by a racist Harry Potter fan:

According to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an angel named Moroni led Joseph Smith in 1827 to a divine set of golden plates buried in a hillside near his New York home.
God provided the 22-year-old Smith with a pair of glasses and seer stones that allowed him to translate the "Reformed Egyptian" writings on the golden plates into the "Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ."
Mormons believe these scriptures restored the church to God's original vision and left the rest of Christianity in a state of apostasy.
The book's narrative focuses on a tribe of Jews who sailed from Jerusalem to the New World in 600 BC and split into two main warring factions.
The God-fearing Nephites were "pure" (the word was officially changed from "white" in 1981) and "delightsome." The idol-worshiping Lamanites received the "curse of blackness," turning their skin dark.
According to the Book of Mormon, by 385 AD the dark-skinned Lamanites had wiped out other Hebrews. The Mormon church called the victors "the principal ancestors of the American Indians." If the Lamanites returned to the church, their skin could once again become white.

The apologists for the Mormon scripture have the following explanation for the DNA evidence:

The latest scholarship, they argue, shows that the text should be interpreted differently. They say the events described in the Book of Mormon were confined to a small section of Central America, and that the Hebrew tribe was small enough that its DNA was swallowed up by the existing Native Americans.
"It would be a virtual certainly that their DNA would be swamped," said Daniel Peterson, a professor of Near Eastern studies at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, part of the worldwide Mormon educational system, and editor of a magazine devoted to Mormon apologetics. "And if that is the case, you couldn't tell who was a Lamanite descendant."

(Isn't "delightsome" a great word?) Link

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 10:59:07 AM permalink | blogs' comments

US tech firms and China: 2 more "Gang of Four" parody logos

Erik Derr says,

I emailed you in the past to let you know about the Cafe Press shop I set up for "Goolag" parody products, with all proceeds going to Human Rights in China. I've now added products with parody logos for Yahoo!, MSN, and Cisco -- all companies grilled by Congress over their collusion with the Chinese government in suppressing freedom of speech.

Previously on Boing Boing:
# Harsh words for US tech firms from House at China 'net hearings
# Yahoo logo parodied over China: what's good for the Goolag...
# NPR "Xeni Tech": Yahoo may have aided in jailing of 2nd China writer
# cDc's China/Internet hearings post-mortem: The Gang of Four
# Exiled Tibetans in Dharamsala protest Google censorship in China

posted by Xeni Jardin at 10:33:44 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Dean Kamen's latest

Business 2.0 looks at Segway inventor Dean Kamen's new effort to bring electricity and clean water to rural villages in developing nations. The technology includes shit-fueled Stirling engines and a new water-purifying machine called the Slingshot. His business model is based on the "Grameen phone ladies" who receive microloans to buy cell phones and service and charge their neighbors to make calls. Based on the innovative business model, Grameen Phone has become the biggest cell phone company in Bangladesh. Now, the company's founder, Iqbal Quadir, is teaming up with Kamen. From Business 2.0:

"Eighty percent of all the diseases you could name would be wiped out if you just gave people clean water," says Kamen. "The water purifier makes 1,000 liters of clean water a day, and we don't care what goes into it. And the power generator makes a kilowatt off of anything that burns..."

Last year, Quadir took prototypes of Kamen's power machines to two villages in his home country for a six-month field trial. That trial, which ended last September, sold Quadir on the technology.

So much so in fact that Quadir's startup, Cambridge, Mass.-based Emergence Energy, is negotiating with Kamen's Deka Research and Development to license the technology. Quadir then hopes to raise $30 million in venture capital to start producing the power machines.

Link

posted by David Pescovitz at 10:08:27 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Man coughs up nail after 35 years

Guy "Bud" Hart, 84, of Placerville, California, coughed up an inch-long nail earlier this month. It had been in his body since 1970. He had been mowing grass when the nail pierced his body. Doctors found it inside his ribcage, gave Hart penicillin, and decided to leave the nail where it lay. From News10:

Three weeks ago, an internal camera captured an image of the nail during a routine doctor's office visit. But it wasn't in Hart's ribcage area as he'd always thought -- the object was actually in Hart's lung. As Hart and his doctors made plans to remove the nail once and for all, natural physiology took over.

Hart was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth last week when the 35-year partnership finally came to an end.

"I'd been having this tickle in my throat," Hart said. "Pretty soon, I started coughing. And it plopped right out...."

Hart keeps the nail in a small plastic bag but doesn't have any long-term plans about what to do with the strange artifact.

Link (via Fark)

posted by David Pescovitz at 09:22:42 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Sony BMG demotes CEO for deploying DRM

Sony BMG music has demoted its CEO, Andrew Lack. One of the reasons he got the sack was that he oversaw the release of eight million music CDs that were deliberately infected with malicious software that covertly installed itself on music lovers' PCs, spied on them, and destabilized their systems, and left them vulnerable to opportunistic infections from other malicious programs.

The swap, announced Friday and effective immediately, follows months of criticism of Lack's tenure as CEO, including investor discontent over spiraling fees paid to artists and a scandal over copy protection software in Sony CDs.

Link (via EFF Minilinks)

Previous installments of the Sony DRM Debacle Roundup: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI

(Sony taproot graphic courtesy of Sevensheaven)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 09:19:23 AM permalink | blogs' comments

$1 million bill scam

Eight Japanese investors pooled their money to buy incredibly rare US$1 million notes from 1928 that they believed could be resold for ten times what they paid. Over several years, the men paid out more than 150 million yen (US$1.27 million) to the president of a construction materials company who was brokering the deal. Last March though, just a month before they were told they'd receive the $1 million notes, the president of the company disappeared. Worse, it turns out that the largest US bill ever printed was a $100,000 note. From the Associated Press:

The investors were told that the U.S. government printed the bills in 1928 when Chiang Kai-shek was still in power in China to allow Americans to bring their assets back home, Asahi said.

The president showed them a thousand of the $1 million notes featuring a portrait of George Washington at a Tokyo hotel, according to Asahi. The investors were told the notes could be exchanged for smaller denominations in Hong Kong, but no exchange ever took place, it reported.

"We continued to fork over money because we were promised, 'You'll get several hundreds of millions of yen in three days,' or 'You'll get that amount in a week,'" one investor was quoted as saying.

Link

posted by David Pescovitz at 09:11:44 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Sistine Chapel recreated through 10-year cross-stitch project

Spirit Fingers sez, "Joanna Lopianowski-Roberts in Texas recreated the Sistine Chapel by cross-stitch. It includes 628,296 stitches in 1,809 different color combinations and took 10 years to complete (she started it around 1995). Her book, which teaches readers how to stitch individual scenes, is also available on lulu.com." 1MB JPEG Link (Thanks, Spirit Fingers!)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 08:11:42 AM permalink | blogs' comments

NBC nastygrams YouTube over "Lazy Sunday"

Crazy, yes; delicious, no.

A source at YouTube informs BoingBoing that NBC recently sent the user-submitted video hosting site a nastygram over the Saturday Night Live "Lazy Sunday: Chronicles of Narnia" video.

That's right -- NBC's lawyers are beating YouTube with a DMCA stick because the viral content distributor helped facilitate NBC's biggest viral hit, ever.

YouTube's blog states, "We know how popular that video is but YouTube respects the rights of copyright holders. You can still watch SNL's Lazy Sunday video for free on NBC's website."

But only Windows users can access the video on NBC.com -- the site in general is kinda buggy for non-Windows users. And the iTunes download costs $2 (see reader comments). Also, it took NBC a while to get the video there in the first place, and when the internet loves your work, it doesn't wait. That's why NBC should be sending flowers and chocolates to YouTube, not love notes from lawyers.

This isn't like another television network broadcasting the skit without permission. YouTube is a service through which individual fans can share stuff they're nuts about with others. NBC issuing a C&D to YouTube makes about as much sense as NBC sending attorneys to the homes of every blogger or Livejournaler user who posted a link to a torrent somewhere -- not to mention the fan-made AIM icons and web banners. Viral means the stuff has a life of its own, guys, and that's what made it a hit.

NBC, you can't have your cupcake and eat it, too.

Link to YouTube blog statement.

Previous "Lazy Sunday"-related posts on Boing Boing: Link

Reader comment: Cody "codeman38" Boisclair sez,

Actually, the thing that bugs me even more about this whole situation is that NBC's actually *cutting off* access to the video for a good 5 to 10 percent of viewers by referring them to NBC.com to view the Lazy Sunday skit rather than letting it stay on YouTube.
Why do I say this? I've been wanting to view NBC's Saturday Night Live skits on their site for a while, but it seems that they just don't want the patronage of Mac or Linux users. NBC seems to be under the delusion that Windows is the only operating system in existence (perhaps not surprising, considering their Microsoft partnership), so their video player site requires a browser with ActiveX support.
At least they've redesigned their site so that the actual URL of the Windows Media stream can be found in the source code, with a bit of concatenation, but even that doesn't help. Even then, trying to access the video stream specified in the ASX file to which the page refers gives me... zilch. They must be expecting some weird header from Windows WMP that my PowerBook just isn't sending.
And the skit's no longer a free download on iTunes, so that option's also out of the question unless you're willing to pony up the $2-- and even when it was free, it required either a US credit card or gift card thanks to the iTunes store's region-locking.
Maybe if this actually gets posted on BoingBoing, NBC will realize their mistake and actually make their video streams accessible on more than one OS, if they're going to force people to use them... that, or they'll tell me to load up Virtual PC, I'm not sure which. Probably the latter. ::sigh::

Reader comment: Bill Kinney says,

While NBC is now charging 1.99 for the video at iTunes, it was free a few months ago. Interesting...

Reader comment: Anonymous Coward says,

Wheres the nastygram for GOOGLE>?!>> HUH HUH ?!??!!

Link to the SNL vid on Google Video.

Reader comment: Chris Thompson says,

Xeni, I sent a letter to NBC and suggest others do the same. You can see what I wrote here.

Reader comment: Toca Loca Nation says,

I managed to find one feedback/comments link at NBC.com, though it was buried and i almost missed it: Link.

posted by Xeni Jardin at 07:57:03 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Tech companies defend profiteering to Holocaust survivor Congressman

Rep. Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor in Congress, put the screws to Microsoft, Yahoo, Google and Cisco for their active role in profiteering from human rights abuses in totalitarian regimes around the world. The transcript on CNet is amazing and shameful; like many geeks, I identify to some extent with the people who make up these companies. For better or for worse, they're part of my tribe. It's embarrassing to read their dismal defenses of raw greed at any cost:

Lantos, to Yahoo: Are you ashamed?
Yahoo: We are very distressed about the consequences of having to comply with Chinese law...We are certainly troubled by that and we look forward to working with our peers.
Lantos: Do you think that individuals or families have been negatively impacted by some of the activities we have been told, like being in prison for 10 years? Have any of the companies reached out to these families and asked if you could be of any help to them?
Yahoo: We have expressed our condemnation of the prosecution of this person, expressed our views to the Chinese government...We have approached the Chinese government on these issues.
Lantos: Have you reached out to the family? I can ask it 10 more times if you refuse to answer it. You are under oath.

Link (via /.)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:41:25 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Chocolate roulette: box of chocolates, one has a hot chili inside

Chocolate Russian Roulette: elevent chocolates contain creamy sweet centers; the remaining one has a very hot chili:

Seated in individual compartments, twelve chocolate bullets lay waiting to be bitten into. Although eleven of the sweet little slugs contain delicious praline centres, one conceals a seriously red hot chilli that's guaranteed to blow your head off - metaphorically, at least.

Link (Thanks, Candy Addict!)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:15:48 AM permalink | blogs' comments

We Love Katamari Damacy minigame

This Flash-based minigame based on the stellar game We Love Katamari Damacy (a worthy sequel to Katamari Damacy) manages to really captures some of the spirit of fun in the KD gameplay. Link (Thanks, Stx!)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:06:59 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Django Reinhardt video

WFMU's Beware of the Blog wrote about a neat film clip of guitarist Django Reinhardt doing his magic.

Here's a great short film of the great Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt and his Quintet of the Hot Club of France performing J'Attenndrai ("I Will Wait" - download video, 12 meg, Quicktime file) A newsreel-style announcer introduces the band as they lounge around a room, smoking and playing cards while a young Django and Stephane Grappelli lightly jam. This is the first time I've ever seen Django play, after loving his music for 30 years. You can get a good view of Django's fret hand, which was missing two fingers from a fire he suffered when he was eighteen.

LinkReader comment: Mark Davidson says: "Django wasn’t missing fingers. Two of them (ring and pinky) had tendons that were permanently shrunk by the fire. They were still present and he could use them in a limited fashion for chording." See this photo.

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 07:54:48 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Brilliant video mashup of Oprah Frey-fest and Tom Cruise

Kevin says: "Over at Youtube, someone posted a mashup of Oprah's sofa-busting interview with Tom Cruise with her famous betrayed-lover interrogation of James Frey.

"What it lacks in elegant editing, it more than makes up in turning yesterday's breakup rumor into jolting good fun. (By sending this to BoingBoing, I'm secretly hoping that it will inspire other Oprah mashups - with her confronting, say, a not-so-contrite Dick Cheney over the shotgun affair.)" Link

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 07:50:27 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Moment of haute couture zen.

Oh dear. Link. Model is wearing a design from the Fall, 2006 Gareth Pugh ready-to-wear collection. Photo by Marcio Madeira, via Style.com.

Reader comment: sputnik says,

As you might know, that black latex outfit from the Gareth Pugh collection is a direct steal from the work of japanese latex fetish wear designers Karin & Wanco. (Relatively SFW) Link, and Link.

posted by Xeni Jardin at 07:09:08 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Cory's new podcast: I, Robot

I've just started a new story on my podcast, I, Robot, which was originally published in The Infinite Matrix, is slated for reprint in several of the Year's Best anthologies, and is a finalist for the British Science Fiction Award and the Locus Award for Best Novelette. It's a riff on Asimov's robots stories, in which only one kind of robot is allowed -- I tried to use this to show how such a world would be one of universal, totalitarian Broadcast Flags, technology mandates that restrict innovation and liberty.

Arturo Icaza de Arana-Goldberg, Police Detective Third Grade, United North American Trading Sphere, Third District, Fourth Prefecture, Second Division (Parkdale) had had many adventures in his distinguished career, running crooks to ground with an unbeatable combination of instinct and unstinting devotion to duty.
He'd been decorated on three separate occasions by his commander and by the Regional Manager for Social Harmony, and his mother kept a small shrine dedicated to his press clippings and commendations that occupied most of the cramped sitting-room of her flat off Steeles Avenue.
No amount of policeman's devotion and skill availed him when it came to making his twelve-year-old get ready for school, though.
"Haul ass, young lady - out of bed, on your feet, shit-shower-shave, or I swear to God, I will beat you purple and shove you out the door jaybird naked. Capeesh?"
The mound beneath the covers groaned and hissed. "You are a terrible father," it said. "And I never loved you." The voice was indistinct and muffled by the pillow.
"Boo hoo," Arturo said, examining his nails. "You'll regret that when I'm dead of cancer."
The mound - whose name was Ada Trouble Icaza de Arana-Goldberg - threw her covers off and sat bolt upright. "You're dying of cancer? is it testicle cancer?" Ada clapped her hands and squealed. "Can I have your stuff?"

Link

posted by Cory Doctorow at 06:57:55 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Siva on The Daily Show

My pal Siva Vaidhyanathan, a copyfightin' media studies prof, had the good fortune to appear on The Daily Show on a segment about trendspotting and social networks! Link (Thanks, Siva!)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:49:59 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Whimsical buildings

Here's a roundup of several curious buildings -- shaped like robots, or melting into puddles, or built to appear to have been uprooted and inverted. Link (via Geisha Asobi)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:37:43 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Funny mugshot collection on Flickr

Many unusual and amusing mugshots available on Flickr.
Link (via Tinselman)

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 04:56:07 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Neva Chonin and Jack Boulware on RU Sirius show

On the RU Sirius Show this week, RU talks to writer Neva Chonin about aging hipsters, and they also feature a hilarious reading from a short story by Jack Boulware.

Jack Boulware: "This wall over here? All UFO footage, car accidents, trepenation, dick torture, JFK, Bosnia, Gulf Wars One and Two. I'm still organizing it…"

Also, RU hosts a very cool NeoFiles show, with Jennifer S. Granick, Executive Director of the Center for Internet and Society (Lessig's group) talking about privacy, fair use, and why hackers should take over the world. BB pal Jake Applebaum was also there hanging out and contributed a few comments to the show. Link

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 04:30:31 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Proposed law targets tech-China cooperation

Over at CNET, Declan McCullagh reports:

Nearly every U.S. company with a Web site located in China will have to move it elsewhere or its executives would face prison terms of up to a year, according to proposed legislation expected to be introduced this week in the U.S. Congress.
A draft version of the bill reviewed by CNET News.com represents the first serious attempt to rewrite the ground rules controlling how U.S. Internet companies may interact with foreign governments. If enacted, it would dramatically change the business practices of corporations with operations in China, Iran, Vietnam and other nations deemed to be overly "Internet-restricting."
The highly anticipated proposal, created by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.) in response to recent reports about censorship in China by Google, Yahoo and others, also makes it unlawful to filter search results or turn over information about users to certain governments unless the U.S. Justice Department approves. It would also impose new export restrictions to those nations.
"For the sake of market share and profits, leading U.S. companies like Google, Yahoo, Cisco and Microsoft have compromised both the integrity of their product and their duties as responsible corporate citizens," Smith said at a related hearing in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Smith, chairman of a human rights subcommittee, likened that cooperation to companies that aided the Nazis in World War II.

Link

Previously on Boing Boing:
Harsh words for US tech firms from House at China 'net hearings

Reader comment: Tian says,

that is a BIG mistake. If this law ever gets passed, that means China will have even less exposure to Western ideaology. Less American staff in China, less "grey information".
"Grey information" is a term I use to describe how a foreigner would influence the Chinese. When my father was in college (early 1960's), he was first exposed to the Beatles not from radio stations but his English lecturer by the last name "Fish" from Great Britian.
if there are more American firms station in China, democracy does not have be taught to the Chinese via political studies, but just listen to mix-tapes (or mix Cds, podcasts).

posted by Xeni Jardin at 03:20:19 PM permalink | blogs' comments

What came first: chicken, egg, or truffles growing in its flesh?

Marc "guiding light of the geek cuisine movement" Powell IMmed me the other day:

(14:31:50) Marc: In the Pyrenees sometimes they bury a raw chicken in the ground after stuffing it with truffles -- the truffles keep growing and releasing their flavor throughout the chicken meat
(14:33:41) Xeni: omfg weird!!!
(14:33:21) Marc: it's aged in the ground then they poach or roast it afterwards
(14:34:04) Xeni: ewww!!! but doesn't raw chicken rot when it sits around in a grave for weeks?
(14:33:55) Marc: yah that's aging beef rots too when they dry age it

Link to more about this strange culinary practice in a forum on egullet.

Previously on Boing Boing:
"Xeni Tech" on NPR: Food Hackers make high-tech geek eats

posted by Xeni Jardin at 02:53:25 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Photos: teeny-tiny people on top of food

Macro photos of tiny human figurines atop edible items transformed into landscapes. My favorite, cropped above, is a hazmat team on the scene of a crème brûlée spill.

BoingBoing reader Yana, who submitted the link, says -- "Most are Russians doing what they (we) do best: working. From sweeping up a sugary dish, to surveying a crevice in an eclair, to mowing the furry lawn of a kiwi skin." Link

Correction: while the photos may have been re-posted on a Russian-language blog, BB reader Marc Huneault explains:

Those wonderful images of tiny people on food are not Russian at all, but are the work of culinary photographers Akiko Ida And Pierre Javelle: Link

posted by Xeni Jardin at 02:04:08 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Clowes joins Gondry on Rucker's "Master of Space and Time"

Auren at SuicideGirls says,

SG's very own Daniel Robert Epstein spoke this morning with acclaimed filmmaker Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and got a juicy tidbit about his upcoming film, Master of Space and Time, based on the novel by [former BoingBoing guestblogger!] Rudy Rucker and set to star Jack Black. According to Gondry, Daniel Clowes, the master behind such screenplays and graphic novels as Ghost World and Eightball, will pen the script. Clowes' involvement with the project had not been previously announced.

Link. Auren says SG will publish the full interview with Gondry sometime soon.

Reader comment: Stefan Kuligowski says:

I'm not sure if Rudy Rucker intended this in naming his novel but the title is remarkably similar to that of Mike Jittlov's 1989 bit of brilliance The Wizard Of Speed and Time. WoSaT is a criminally underrated gem whose whimsical, reality-bending style oddly enough reminds me of Gondry's work. It's a crying shame that the film is not only out of print but actually unfinished according to Jittlov, and all because of the machinations of their evil producer (who coincidentally plays the evil producer in the movie). Maybe in some way this movie getting made will bring some much-deserved attention to WoSaT so it can get the finishing funds and DVD release it so rightly deserves and help the world realize what tremndous talent and imagination Mike Jittlov has to offer!
Here are some pertinent links: Mike Jittlov's website: Link. The most detailed making-of/general information site I've found about WoSaT: Link.

Reader comment:Peter Hollo says,

I may not be the first to point this out, but where Stefan Kuligowski says:
I'm not sure if Rudy Rucker intended this in naming his novel but the title is remarkably similar to that of Mike Jittlov's 1989 bit of brilliance The Wizard Of Speed and Time.
he may not be aware that Rucker's novel first came out in 1985, so it's rather unlikely the causality was in that direction! Is quite possible on the other hand that Jitlov was inspired by Rucker(?)

posted by Xeni Jardin at 12:32:12 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Bust your next employer, win $50K from the BSA

BoingBoing reader polymorf says, "Job-search website Dice.com appears to be in cahoots with the Business Software Alliance (BSA). They're offering potential employees a big reward if they narq out their next potential employer for software piracy." Link

posted by Xeni Jardin at 12:17:25 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Cuppycake Gumdrops Snookums

The sonic equivalent of a unicorn chaser. Link.

Cuppycake.com (a site that predates ytmnd's remix, as does e-thug) has more on the history of the recording and the child who performed it: Link. What's that? You want to know the lyrics? Got some Cuppycake Comments you're dying to get off your chest? It's also available as a wingtone for your tewephone. (Thanks, Bridget and Mike D, and Mike Atlas !)

Reader comment: Cody "codeman38" Boisclair says,

Wikipedia, as usual, has the scoop on the origins of the cat-loaf-- or 'Nekopan', as it's known in the original Japanese: Link. It's a character created by illustrator Hirose Takuro, whose home page can be found here. Sadly, there's not a whole lot on either the character or the illustrator on the English-language web; I could no doubt find a lot more relevant info if I knew more than just a few words of Japanese...

Update: Here's another animation take on Cuppycake: Link (Thanks AC)

posted by Xeni Jardin at 12:09:14 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Artzybasheff's Shell Oil illustrations

Demian says: "I was getting my haircut today and I saw a number of [Artzybasheff's] ads for Shell Oil in a 50's ad book... they were fascinating drawings, giving his embodiment of the 'acid' that destroys your engine, and saying that Shell Oil would destroy those demons."
(This page has lots of Artzybasheff art on it in addition to the Shell Oil ads) Link

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 11:10:48 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Why people tag

My friend Jason Tester, the research and design manager at the Institute for the Future, sent me this email:

On the bus this morning I saw a San Francisco gov't ad that said something like "Is tagging ruining your neighborhood? Stop the tags!"

I totally forgot the graffiti connection to the idea of tagging until I saw the ad. Did some Google-ing. Check out this page, Vandal Watch: Stopping Vandalism in Your Neighborhood.

Scroll down to the Tagging FAQ and read the sentences as if they're talking about del.icio.us or Flickr. Pretty funny.

From the Tagging FAQ:

Why Do Taggers Tag?
Recognition
Low self-esteem
Peer recognition
For recognition; a distorted view of "fame"
See it in the community and want to try it too

posted by David Pescovitz at 10:41:00 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Salon.com releases still more Abu Ghraib torture photos

Earlier this week, the Australian public broadcast network SBS aired more than 60 previously unpublished photographs of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib in Iraq, in 2003. Today, Salon.com has republished these -- and released still more photos not aired on SBS Dateline.

Link to Salon.com report, link to an explanation of why they're publishing the photos, link to the photo gallery (NSFW, extremely disturbing images with violence, nudity, and sexual acts.)

Image: "An unknown detainee with women's underwear on his head, strapped to a bed frame. Photo taken at approximately 1:53 a.m. on Oct. 20, 2003."

In related news:

A United Nations report today called on the United States to immediately close the detention center for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and to either release its inmates or bring them before an impartial tribunal.
The report, by a team of five inspectors for the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, blasted the American government for a litany of abuses, and said that certain practices at the prison camp "must be assessed as amounting to torture."

Link to NYT report by John O'Neill (via IHT).

Previously on Boing Boing:
New Abu Ghraib torture photos from Aus. TV report: torrents

posted by Xeni Jardin at 10:03:00 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Keitai 'til you die: phonecams at funerals in Japan

The odd sociology of cameraphone use at funerals in Japan:

Japan's obsession with camera-equipped mobile phones has taken a bizarre twist, with mourners at funerals now using the devices to capture a final picture of the deceased. "Some can't grasp 'reality' unless they take a photo and share it with others ... It comes from a desire to keep a strong bond with the deceased," social commentator Toru Takeda told the paper.

Link to Reuters story (Thanks, Jeff)

Reader comment: ScottG In NYC says,

The piece on Japanese funeral phonecam photography hit an interesting note w/me on several personal levels. This sort of thing's been going on for years Down South, and the tradition's still still quite alive - folks did it at the funerals of both my grandmas in North Carolina last year and almost nobody batted an eye...save for my Queens-born fiancee! :) The same concepts and taste complaints the Japanese funeral directors stated in the piece have been echoed here in the US, as evidenced by these two informative articles: Link, and Link. And remember, in the days before photography, people made death masks of the deceased, so the concept of wanting to keep a last remembrance of a loved one's face has been around literally for centuries - this Japanese version is simply another update. Next thing ya know, it'll be 3D holograms and/or animations until we get that whole Kurweilian body-replacement-via-Singularity thing figured out.

Reader comment: Patrick Kubley says,

A few minutes after my father passed away last year, a couple of nurses came into the hospital room, slathered ink on his left hand and made an imprint of it onto five pillows that were to be given to immediate family members. Something my mom wanted to do for the grandkids who are too young to really remember my dad. It seemed weird and creepy to me, but I said nothing.
My pillow is packed away and I don't plan on bringing it out anytime soon. My sister, on the other hand, has hers displayed on a shelf in her living room, so whenever I'm over at her house I make it a point to keep my back to that pillow as much as possible. Don't know if it's because the pillow creeps me out a little, or if it's because seeing my dad's hand emblazoned is emotionally difficult to handle.
I realize this is probably mild compared with photographs and death masks, but from what I hear hand impressions of deceased persons is a common practice at hospitals.

posted by Xeni Jardin at 10:00:21 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Remix George Clinton and Chuck D!

Wendy sez, "Great news for all you producers, DJs, and remixers: the Copyright Criminals Remix Contest over at ccMixter has been extended by two weeks, ending on March 14. Additionally, new vocal samples from influential rapper Chuck D (of Public Enemy) and pioneering funk musician George Clinton (of Parliament-Funkadelic) have been made available for use in the competition." Link (Thanks, Wendy!)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 08:48:57 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Slime robotics

The robot at the bottom of this image is controlled in part by a slime mould called Physarum polycephalum that avoids light. Developed by researchers at the University of Southampton and Kobe University, the robot leverages the mold's love of dark, humid, moist environments. From New Scientist:

They grew slime in a six-pointed star shape on top of a circuit and connected it remotely, via a computer, to the hexapod bot. Any light shone on sensors mounted on top of the robot were used to control light shone onto one of the six points of the circuit-mounted mould – each corresponding to a leg of the bot.

As the slime tried to get away from the light its movement was sensed by the circuit and used to control one of the robot's six legs. The robot then scrabbled away from bright lights as a mechanical embodiment of the mould. Eventually, this type of control could be incorporated into the bot itself rather than used remotely.

(University of Southampton researcher Klaus-Peter) Zauner believes engineers will need to look towards this type of simple control mechanism, especially as components are scaled down. "On the nanoscale, we have to learn how to work with autonomous components," he says. "We have to let molecules do what they naturally do."

Link (Thanks, Dave Gill!)

posted by David Pescovitz at 05:46:11 AM permalink | blogs' comments

HOWTO hack "Know Your Name Elmo" toys

This HOWTO explores methods for changing the behaviors of "Know Your Name Elmo," a computerized Sesame Street toys. I love projects that tweak or subvert the behaviors of computerized toys. There's so much power and flexibility in the average toy, but it's wildly underutilized in most instances.

There are two directories, "names" contains samples of about 15,000 names. "sounds" contains elmo spoken phrases in audio files. The audio extension is "rbf". I have not been able to determine this file format. I have tried to import it as a raw format using a-Law, u-Law, etc. but no luck. There are strings of zeros in the audio files, so I suspect that if compression is actually used, its some sort of ADPCM variant. Without being able to convert these files from a usable format, we cannot create new files just yet -- but keep practicing those Elmo voices, i'm sure its format discovery is just around the corner.
Another file of interest is temp.inf. This contains a sort of scripting file that defines what audio files are played in what order. It also has variables, various groupings to handle games and songs, and a memory map at the bottom of the file.

Link (via Make Blog)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:41:01 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Disneyland reopens Walt's private railroad car

Disneyland has restored Walt Disney's private car on his favorite of the steam trains at the Park, and while it's not open to casual visitors, guests can apply for special passes to tour it. Link, Link to explanatory text (via The Disney Blog)

Update: Zan sez, "The Lilly Belle was never actually Walt Disney's private car, as it wasn't built until 1974, 8 years after his death. "

posted by Cory Doctorow at 05:08:14 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Teen counterfeiters

A 16-year-old was behind a counterfeit money ring in Cincinnati, Ohio that police say may have landed them $5,000 in a couple weeks. He and his cohorts, a 16-year-old and a 21-year-old, were allegedly cranking out the bills to finance a planned drug operation. From the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Officers stumbled onto the operation when they responded to a break-in at vacant house on Sundale Avenue on Feb. 8, (police chief Paul) Toth said. The adult and one teen were cutting counterfeit bills from sheets of paper.

Toth said officers obtained a search warrant for the house next door - the residence of the 16-year-old alleged ringleader - and found the computer and paper being used to produce the fake money.

The boy's parents apparently were unaware of the counterfeiting, Toth said.

The computer was used to produce images of older bills, so they wouldn't have to deal with water marks on the newer bills, said Toth. They were then run in a washing machine or dishwasher to give them a used look.

"They were good enough you would not have felt the difference," Toth said.

Link (Thanks, Charles Pescovitz!)

posted by David Pescovitz at 05:02:31 AM permalink | blogs' comments

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

HOWTO run Disneyland's Haunted Mansion

John sez, "Tinselman has a great set of scanned pages from the 1975 Haunted Mansion Standard Operating Procedure. Along with emergency and crowd control procedures, the SOP's offer useful tips for HM hosts and hostesses and a cool hand-drawn map." Link (Thanks, John!)

posted by Cory Doctorow at 09:20:32 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Daily Candy to be sold for $100 million

Jeff Jarvis says, "Some laughed when Bob Pittman bought controlling interest in Daily Candy for $3.5 million. Now, says the Journal, it will sell for $100 million." Link (Thanks John)

posted by Xeni Jardin at 08:17:04 PM permalink | blogs' comments

cDc's China/Internet hearings post-mortem: The Gang of Four

Snip from Cult of the Dead Cow's postmortem analysis of today's Capitol Hill hearings on the ethical responsibilities of US tech firms in China. Most notably, the cDc hackers coin a new term for Google, Microsoft, Cisco, and Yahoo: The Gang of Four.

China needs to learn that it is not a special case, and that it doesn't always get special treatment. Public hectoring isn't the way to go. Quiet, firm, consistent, and respectful criticism of Chinese political policies is what we expect of our leaders. The boundaries have to be set, which of course should be lots of fun because they've already been trampled on. But maybe, just maybe, some political leader, or leaders, will have the sack to take a stand. One can only hope.
In the meantime, we expect a lot of pious arm waving and finger pointing at the Gang of Four. It wouldn't be right otherwise. But at the very least, we expect the press to look into this issue more closely. Freedoms are eroding faster than the ozone layer. The press will be the first to melt if this heats up any further.

Link (Thanks J2)

posted by Xeni Jardin at 07:38:26 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Fighting bird flu with fermented cabbage air conditioners

Snip from news story:

LG Electronics, the world's leading air conditioner maker, said on Thursday that it will start selling air conditioners that prevent avian influenza with a special filter coated with a substance extracted from a fermented kimchi. The new air conditioners target Southeast Asian countries affected by bird flu and will be marketed this year. The new products, nicknamed ``Anti-A.I. Aircon,'' have a filter covered with an anti-bacterial substance extracted from kimchi, South Korea's spicy fermented cabbage dish, the company said in a press conference.

Link (Thanks, Michael)

Reader comment: Curt Hibbs says,

Isn't the bird flu a virus? If so, an anti-bacterial agent will have no effect whatsoever!

Reader comment: DongWon Song says,

LG is actually exploiting a popular belief that kimchi cures the bird flu. Snip from a wapo article: "given the work of Kang Sa-Ouk of Seoul National University, who took 13 chickens infected with avian flu virus and a couple of other diseases, fed them kimchi juice and found that 11 of the birds recovered." This report plus internets plus Korean nationalism/entreprenurial instincts plus widespread fear and superstition and you get kimchi-air. I grew up on the stuff and it's beyond me why anyone would want to breathe this stuff on a daily basis.

Reader comment: Down by the lake eating gruffalo cake says,

Anti-bacterial agents won't affect H5N1, but a study was recently published in which infected chickens were fed kimchi - 11 out of 13 of the chickens showed improvement. Link. Not that one study is overwhelmingly convincing.

Reader comment: Dan in Seoul says,

For living in an amazingly technologically advanced culture, (The UN refers to it as "The most wired nation in the world."), they will sometimes laugh at their own almost-unanimously-held beliefs that completely contradict science. For instance, Kim-Chi has not only been "proven" by Seoul National University, (epicenter of the recent cloning fabrication scandals), to be effective against bird-flu... But has also been touted to prevent: cancer, mad-cow disease, SARS, tooth-decay, the common cold, and all forms of the flu. Keep in mind, this is also the home of "fan-death": Link. Another "proven" theory that claims rooms with no open windows or doors can kill their occupants--if they fall asleep with a fan running.

posted by Xeni Jardin at 07:07:35 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Peppered pretty good by love

Just as roses remain lovely a day after Valentines' has passed, so too does this photoshoppery still strum our frayed heartstrings. Link (Thanks, Jen Collins!)

posted by Xeni Jardin at 06:42:44 PM permalink | blogs' comments

The impossible photos of Li Wei

Robyn Miller says: "I've just spent about 20 minutes smiling and staring wide-eyed at these photographs of performance artist Li Wei. You must take a look!"
Link

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 04:24:04 PM permalink | blogs' comments

RIAA: CD ripping isn't fair use

The RIAA has filed comments with a federal agency in which they claim that ripping a CD isn't fair use.

As part of the on-going DMCA rule-making proceedings, the RIAA and other copyright industry associations submitted a filing that included this gem as part of their argument that space-shifting and format-shifting do not count as noninfringing uses, even when you are talking about making copies of your own CDs:
"Nor does the fact that permission to make a copy in particular circumstances is often or even routinely granted, necessarily establish that the copying is a fair use when the copyright owner withholds that authorization. In this regard, the statement attributed to counsel for copyright owners in the MGM v. Grokster case is simply a statement about authorization, not about fair use."
For those who may not remember, here's what Don Verrilli said to the Supreme Court last year:
"The record companies, my clients, have said, for some time now, and it's been on their website for some time now, that it's perfectly lawful to take a CD that you've purchased, upload it onto your computer, put it onto your iPod."

Link

Update: AV points out that the RIAA website contradicts this: "If you choose to take your own CDs and make copies for yourself on your computer or portable music player, that's great. It's your music and we want you to enjoy it at home, at work, in the car and on the jogging trail."

posted by Cory Doctorow at 03:02:14 PM permalink | blogs' comments

Mister Jalopy wants to customize his car with printed sheets -- can you help?

Mister Jalopy is working on a car customization project and is looking for some information about large format printing and vehicle wrapping. If a Boing Boing reader can help, please email him!

Who didn't love the Harlequin Golf when they came out? It was like the Swatch watch of automobiles. Each Harlequin was a random assemblage of colors to create a goofball color combination that was unlike any of the few other super rare Harlequins. Under 500 made, this was a car developed by Volkswagen when they are at the absolute peak of their game.
I have been spending lots of time investigating vehicle wrapping as I am working on an article for a special Make magazine issue. Not surprisingly, it is a complicated endeavor to wrap flat sheets around compound curves with a heat gun.
Any Hooptyriders work/own a large format printing and vehicle wrap shop in Los Angeles? Want a co-writing credit for a super cool Make article? Email me pronto fast.

Link

posted by Mark Frauenfelder at 02:49:06 PM permalink | blogs' comments