The Latest from Boing Boing |
| Bob Dylan's least comprehensible interviews - videos Posted: 08 Oct 2007 09:37 PM CDT  New York Magazine has compiled a set of links to the ten most incomprehensible Bob Dylan interviews of all time. Man, when Dylan rambles, he really rambles. It must be that all his articulateness neurons have been given over to writing some of the greatest poetry in living memory, leaving none left over for pointless little TV interviews. Link (Thanks, Danny!) |
| Amazon's MP3 store rips off your fair use rights Posted: 08 Oct 2007 09:34 PM CDT Fred sez, "Brier Dudley from the Seattle Times has read the fine print on those DRM-free downloads from Amazon. Looks like the 'user agreement' strips you of your fair use rights and lets the record labels sue you for breach of contract if you cross the line." Amazon's contract says you "may copy, store, transfer and burn the Digital Content" for personal use. But then it goes further and specifies restrictions, saying you "agree that you will not redistribute, transmit, assign, sell, broadcast, rent, share, lend, modify, adapt, edit, sub-license or otherwise transfer or use the Digital Content."Oh, ffs. All we want to do is buy MP3s, like we used to buy CDs and records and tapes. Stuff we could make some claim to owning. You'd think that a group of people as property-obsessed as the recording industry would understand the desire to own one's music collection and have all the rights to it that copyright normally confers on those who buy copyrighted works -- like the right to sell, edit. adapt, loan, modify, etc. All the stuff the law give law-abiding customers who buy stuff. Oh well. I had such hope for this one, too. Link (Thanks, Link) See also: Amazon creates gigantic DRM-free music store! |
| No Child LEFT BEHIND: notional novel about Bush's apocalyptic educational policy Posted: 08 Oct 2007 09:18 PM CDT  Ryland whipped up this cover for a notional -- and badly needed -- book: "No Child LEFT BEHIND, a novel of education's last days," in multilayered critical parody of the Bush administration's educational policies and the freaky Left Behind loony rapture novels. Link |
| Making Things Talk -- new book from MAKE Posted: 08 Oct 2007 07:28 PM CDT  Tom Igoe, has written a book for MAKE called Making Things Talk: Practical Methods for Connecting Physical Objects. It's a lot of fun, and doesn't require much in the way of prior knowledge of electronics and microcontrollers. Building electronic projects that interact with the physical world is good fun. But when devices that you've built start to talk to each other, things really start to get interesting. Through a series of simple projects, you'll learn how to get your creations to communicate with one another by forming networks of smart devices that carry on conversations with you and your environment. Whether you need to plug some sensors in your home to the Internet or create a device that can interact wirelessly with other creations, Making Things Talk explains exactly what you need.(Disclosure: I'm editor-in-chief of MAKE) |
| Scan of 1961 kids' book: Gordon's Jet Flight Posted: 08 Oct 2007 05:50 PM CDT Mr. Bali Hai linked to this scan of a 1961 Little Golden Book called Gordon's Jet Flight. Link |
| Video of very small German man laughing at a camel Posted: 08 Oct 2007 05:46 PM CDT  Enjoy this video of a diminutive German gentleman amused by a camel. It's from Werner Herzog's 1970 film Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen (Even Dwarfs Started Small), starring Helmut Döring. A group of dwarfs confined in an institution on a remote island rebel against the guards and director (all dwarfs as well) in a display of mayhem. The dwarfs gleefully break windows and dishes, abandon a running truck to drive itself in circles, engineer food fights and cock fights, set fire to pots of flowers, kill a large pig, torment some blind dwarfs, and crucify a monkey.Link (Via PCL Linkdump) |
| Tracking down a plagiarized bio... Posted: 08 Oct 2007 03:49 PM CDT UPDATE: Looks like photographer Craig Cowling may not have knowingly plagiarized Breslin's work. He says he's innocent, and shares copies of emails that indicate he was duped by a person who identified himself as Tim Clark, a Barcelona-based freelance writer-- who swiped Breslin's work, received payment for it, and claimed it as his own. One of the MS Word files Cowling shared, which he says was authored by this Tim Clark, includes a reference to "Hotshoe" in the document properties. A quick google reveals that one Tim Clark is (or has been) a contributor to the photography magazine Hotshoe International. Whoever Tim Clark is, he has some 'splainin' to do. Screengrabs of that correspondence after the jump. At any rate, the plagiarized work has been taken offline now. - - - - - - - - - BB pal Susannah Breslin spotted her work plagiarized for the vanity site bio of a former Nerve.com contributor -- word for word: Yesterday, my photographer friend Clayton Cubitt, aka Nerve blogger Siege, sent me an email. The subject header read: "Any of this sound familiar?" There was a link to the website of Craig Cowling, aka former Nerve blogger Naughty James. The "sound familiar" was directed at Cowling's bio. I began reading it and thought, this does sound familiar. Because it was plagiarized from an introduction I wrote for an interview I did with Cubitt for the photography magazine Eyemazing in 2005 and attributed to one "Tim Clark." Siege emailed James and requested he remove it. For now, it's still online.Compare the texts, side by side, and decide for yourself: Link.
|
| Untwirling photo of a suspected pedophile Posted: 08 Oct 2007 03:26 PM CDT D Brown says: "NY Times blog piece about Interpol's 'untwirling' of a photoshop-twirled photo, in the pursuit of a pedophile. Didn't know you could untwirl! Apparently the criminals didn't either, and Interpol's not telling how." Link UPDATE: The Interpol's fantabulous untwirling secret is a built-in Photoshop feature, according to BB commenter DHL: "The technique is very simple. In Photoshop, make a round marquee centered on the centerpoint of the twirled image, then full negative setting on the twirl filter. I was able to download a larger image from the Interpol site and it worked perfectly." |
| Boy arrested for Anarchist Cookbook Posted: 08 Oct 2007 03:23 PM CDT Brian says: A 17-year-old in the UK was arrested for "collection or possession of information useful in the preparation of an act of terrorism" due to his possession of the Anarchist Cookbook. Strange that a book freely available on amazon.co.uk can get you arrested. Amazon.com's page for The Anarchist Cookbook contains a note from the author, William Powell, who says "The book, in many respects, was a misguided product of my adolescent anger at the prospect of being drafted and sent to Vietnam to fight in a war that I did not believe in." Link |
| Posted: 08 Oct 2007 02:58 PM CDT Bucky says: "Check out this actual Halloween costume inspired by Anorexia. Although we first saw it on HalloweenStreet.com, they've taken it down. But we did find it on this other Halloween costume selling site." Link |
| Posted: 08 Oct 2007 02:51 PM CDT  I feel like I need a unicorn chaser after watching this scary video about an evil lad who runs the Unicorn Kingdom Club. Link |
| Video of untethered ladybug balloon Posted: 08 Oct 2007 02:47 PM CDT  Peliz says: "I found this interesting video on youtube. It reminds me of a scene from American Beauty move where that kid films a nylon bag on the loose. Anyway, I know it's not a video of menstrual girl vomiting on live TV but hey, maybe you like it." Link Previously on Boing Boing: |
| Posted: 08 Oct 2007 02:30 PM CDT The current issue of Scientific America Mind looks at how neuroscientists are using brain scans to study the biology of spiritual experiences. The fMRI images seen here are from a study by University of Montreal researcher Mario Beauregard and his colleagues. The scientists scanned the brains of nuns as they recalled religious epiphanies to see which areas of the brain lit up. From Scientific American Mind: Link (Thanks, Jason Tester!) Previously on BB: • Scanning nun brains for god spots Link • Business of brain scans Link |
| Lowrider Magazine #1 from 1977 -- complete scan Posted: 08 Oct 2007 02:24 PM CDT  Iowahawk says: "Digging through my magazine stash yesterday, I found a pop-cultural artifact that might be of interest - the very first issue of Lowrider Magazine from January 1977." I've written before about my admiration for lowriders and lowrider culture; but when it comes to chronicling the ranfla lifestyle, the real horse's mouth is Lowrider Magazine. After a humble birth in 1977 San Jose as a one-color mag distributed at area car shows, Lowrider has grown into an publishing institution with over 1.5 million readers worldwide, and spinoff publications like Lowrider Bike, Lowrider Truck, Lowrider Arte and Lowrider Euro.Link |
| Cops bust water-balloon pranksters Posted: 08 Oct 2007 02:20 PM CDT Three men were arrested in downtown Cincinnati for dropping water balloons from atop an eight-story building. They allegedly targeted rubes who stopped to pick up a dollar bill that the pranksters had glued to the sidewalk. The police used a helicopter to nab the suspects who were documenting their prank on video. On Friday, one of the men, Rodney Smith, 22, pleaded no contest "to inducing panic and disorderly conduct." He faces up to 180 days in jail and likely will have to repay the money spent to bust him. His co-conspirators, Dan Schmidt, 23, and Brandon Meyer, 22, pleaded not-guilty. From the Cincinnati Enquirer: David Mast, an associate professor of physics at the University of Cincinnati, said a balloon thrown from eight floors up would be traveling 60 mph when it hit the ground.Link (Thanks, Charles Pescovitz!) |
| Posted: 08 Oct 2007 02:01 PM CDT  Last year, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was checking out undersea piping 900 meters down in the Gulf of Mexico when a sperm whale swam up to check out the robot. Appin Scientific obtained the amazing video clip and posted it to a Marine Mammal Research and Conservation list. Link to YouTube video, Link to Appin Scientific (Thanks, Kirsten Anderson!) |
| Posted: 08 Oct 2007 01:18 PM CDT  It's hard to see in this photo, but the broguing on the toes of these Barker Black wing tips is in the pattern of a skull and crossbones. Hand-finished, they're available in black or cognac through Vivre for $750. A great fit for punk bankers. Link (Thanks, Kelly Sparks!) |
| Posted: 08 Oct 2007 11:35 AM CDT  Tanks-A-Lot of Northants, UK, rents military tanks for memorable occasions like proms, weddings, and "corporate fun" days. From the "Corporate Fun" page at their site, TankLimo.com: The resultant benefit to people who participate in our events include enhanced team loyalty, confidence and personal development - produced thorough activities that are fun, exciting and stimulating - and that won't be forgotten. Even the shyest, most cautious person leaves our events with a sense of real achievement and enjoyment. Often previously unnoticed personal qualities such as leadership and team participation soon become apparent discovered during our activities. Staff and management at all levels, from all sizes and types of companies have received a tangible benefit from their day with TANKS-A- LOT.Link (Thanks, Vann Hall!) |
| Inside Loren Coleman's Cryptozoology Museum Posted: 08 Oct 2007 11:23 AM CDT  Our pal Loren Coleman's Portland, Maine home-office doubles as the International Cryptozoology Museum, a literal cabinet of curiosities devoted to "hidden animals" and oddities related to his Fortean passions. The Lewiston Sun Journal's Kathryn Skelton paid a visit to the museum and documented the experience with a wonderful article, photos, and audio clips. From the article (photo by Amber Waterman): Sometime next spring, Loren Coleman's getting a 12-foot-long replica of Canada's Ogopogo lake monster. It'll probably have to stay on the porch, near his 8.5-foot-tall, oxen-haired Bigfoot.Link to Sun Journal article, Link to Cryptozoology Museum, Link to Loren's clarifications and artists' credits at Cryptomundo |
| Creative Commons site redesign/relaunch Posted: 08 Oct 2007 09:50 AM CDT  A reader writes, "Creative Commons has launched a site redesign to go with its fall fundraising campaign, featuring a new emphasis on the work being done by CC teams globally, backed by sweet open source code, including OpenLayers mapping and Semantic MediaWiki. For bloggers there are new map-themed "Support CC" buttons to help spread the word." Link |
| Opening chapters of Charlie Stross's "Halting State" Posted: 08 Oct 2007 05:56 AM CDT Charlie Stross has just posted the prologue and first three chapters of his kick-ass heist novel about a robbery in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, "Halting State": Link See also: Charlie Stross's Halting State: Heist novel about an MMORPG |
Gordon's Jet Flight, a children's book from 1961, took me back to a golden age of plane travel, when passengers in coach got to eat steak, kids were allowed to visit the pilots in their cockpit, and Homeland Security didn't give my teddy bear a cavity search. 
About 200 photos of the suspect with 12 different young boys were located on the Internet in December 2004, an Interpol official said. But in each image, his face was obscured, apparently by use of a standard Adobe Photoshop effect called twirl, which is used by digital artists to manipulate images. 
The teenager faces two charges under the Terrorism Act 2000. 
This year 3Wishes.com adds to the old standards of slutty nurse, slutty catwoman, and slutty police officer with slutty eating disorder by introducing the "Anna Rexia" costume. We doubt they grasp the irony of stuffing a busty model into a costume that invokes anorexia nervosa much less the idea that this costume whips up more female body issues than every season of Baywatch combined. But they are an equal opportunity offender. The get up is available in a plus size just in case big-boned chicks want to get in on the screw-with-the-mentally-afflicted Halloween action.
Such efforts to reveal the neural correlates of the divine—a new discipline with the warring titles "neurotheology" and "spiritual neuroscience"—not only might reconcile religion and science but also might help point to ways of eliciting pleasurable otherworldly feelings in people who do not have them or who cannot summon them at will. Because of the positive effect of such experiences on those who have them, some researchers speculate that the ability to induce them artificially could transform people's lives by making them happier, healthier and better able to concentrate. Ultimately, however, neuroscientists study this question because they want to better understand the neural basis of a phenomenon that plays a central role in the lives of so many. "These experiences have existed since the dawn of humanity. They have been reported across all cultures," Beauregard says. "It is as important to study the neural basis of [religious] experience as it is to investigate the neural basis of emotion, memory or language."
"I'd just come out of the post-IPO debrief meeting with Marcus and Barry, they're our CEO and CTO. We were in a three-way conference call with our VC's investment liaison team and our counsel down south when Linda called me out -- she's in derivatives and border controls -- because there was something flaky going down in one of the realms we manage for Kensu International. It's in the prestige level central bank for Avalon Four. There was a guild of Orcs -- in a no PvP area -- and a goddamn dragon, and they cleaned out the bank. So we figured we'd call you." | You are subscribed to email updates from Boing Boing To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email Delivery powered by FeedBurner |
Inbox too full?  Subscribe to the feed version of Boing Boing in a feed reader. | |
| If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: Boing Boing, c/o FeedBurner, 20 W Kinzie, 9th Floor, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment