The cover story on the Boston Phoenix this week is a wicked, long feature on steampunk!

The 19th century ushered in the era of the amateur: a wild-eyed tinkerer in a lab had the capacity to stumble upon a discovery that just might alter society, a common theme paralleled in Victorian and Gothic fiction and, now, in Steampunk. “I find the optimism of Steampunk rather refreshing,” says Rich Nagy, a/k/a Datamancer, a popular Steampunk artisan originally based in New Jersey but now living in California who was represented at the Maker Contraptor’s Lounge. “Steampunk has a way of making technology, which is becoming more transparent and taken for granted every day, seem novel and fun again,” adds Nagy. That much is clear in his finely wrought pieces, like the “Computational Engine” computer casemod and his sophisticated “Steampunk Victorian Laptop,” a Hewlett-Packard ZT1000 laptop with a clockwork-under-glass display that, when it’s closed, looks like an ornate antique music box. It turns on with a clock-winding key. In effect, Steampunk is poised to bring the proletariat craftsman his 21st-century renaissance.

Though Steampunk’s artisanal outputs have stolen much of the mainstream limelight so far, there is a whole other creative side to the scene that has received little attention in comparison. Countless bands have formed, filing their music under the Steampunk genre or citing Victorian fantasy as a muse. One of them, Vernian Process, is the solo project of San Francisco–based Joshua Pfieffer. A true testament to the notion of the ambitious dabbler, Pfieffer has no musical training, and writes songs with the aid of basic audio-production software. “The atmosphere is actually more important to me than writing good hooks, or melodic structure,” he says of his music, which he makes free to download. “I feel that what I do represents the genre as I would like it to sound.”

Link (Thanks, Jake!)

John sez, "This is from Spokane County's official transportation blog. The county employee who runs the blog was taking pictures of a weigh station that is going to be moved. Ten minutes later he was contacted by the state patrol on his phone."

I was out taking pictures this morning of sites of transportation projects to be completed over the next twenty years. One of those projects is to move of the weigh station near Stateline further east along I-90. I stopped at the pretty much deserted weigh station and took a couple pictures, then drove off. About 10 minutes later I received a call on my cell phone from Washington State Patrol asking why I had been taking pictures of the weigh station!

Link (Thanks, John!)

See also:
BB reader: "Two FBI agents just showed up at my door for taking photos in the Port of Los Angeles"
Taking pictures on LA's Red Line violates the "9/11 Law"

Universal Music Group loves the idea of suing music fans for the full freight when it comes to copyright infringement, celebrating their ability to extract $150,000 per act of infringement with punitive damages on top -- but now that Universal's been slapped with one of these copyright suits (for sampling Hendrix without permission, something I think they should be able to do, FWIW), they've decided that these damages are "unconstitutionally excessive."

The case in question involves now-deceased rapper The Notorious B.I.G., whose album Ready to Die incorporated an unlicensed sample of "Singing in the Morning" from the Ohio Players after a Hendrix sample was denied clearance. The sample made its way onto the final album and even onto reissued albums. Bridgeport Music and Westbound Records, which control the rights to the song, sued. A district court ruled in their favor; Bridgeport took the $150,000 maximum in statutory damages, while Westbound sought compensatory and punitive damages. Westbound scored big, earning $366,939 from the jury along with punitive damages of a whopping $3.5 million.

In appealing the ruling, Universal argued that the punitive damages award was "grossly excessive and should be vacated or at least reduced." The reason? It's excessive. The brief quotes a Supreme Court ruling that said, "In practice, few awards exceeding a single-digit ratio between punitive and compensatory damages, to a significant degree, will satisfy due process." Universal pointed out that the award in question was "approximately 10 to 1, far above the line of unconstitutional impropriety."

Link

Scott Beale says: "Spirit Magazine, the inflight magazine for Southwest Airlines, recently published an article on Nickelodeon which includes a wonderful illustration of some popular cartoon and comics characters as senior citizens." Link

Here's a great dance mix version of the Bill O'Reilly freak-out video that made the rounds this week. Language is salty. (via For Your Entertainment)

Here's Lo-Fi Saint Louis' profile of BLAB! publisher Monte Beauchamp.

If you don’t know Blab, you should. It’s a collection of artists published lovingly in a magazine only once a year and each issue is kicked off with a gallery opening of work from the book. This past issue was launched at the Philip Slein Gallery right here in our own little city of St. Louis. Beauchamp has published several other books as well. You can get them all from Fantagraphic Books.

Link

Hal says:

I thought this would be in the vein of a lot of the "photography is terrorism" posts that have been on Boing Boing lately.

I'm a professional stock photographer, and just this morning, I was greeted by two FBI antiterrorism agents who wanted to question me regarding shooting in the Port of Los Angeles two weeks ago. When I was down there, a private security guard in a pickup truck chased me out of the area and onto the freeway. After he stopped following me, apparently he filed a report with the FBI.

The agents that showed up at my door were at first intimidating, but after they realized I wasn't a threat, we had an interesting conversation about the balance between me doing my job, and them being required to follow up on leads in their job.

I shot an email to Thomas Hawk earlier, he just made a blog post here.

Link

From Saul Hansell's Bits blog at the NYT:

Charter Communications, the fourth-largest cable system in the United States, has started telling its high-speed Internet customers that it is going to keep track of every site they visit on the Web.

...

I suggested to [senior vice president for product management and strategy] Ted Schremp that there are likely to be a fair number of customers who don’t consider having their Internet activities tracked to be an enhancement.

He responded several ways. He said that Charter convened focus groups of customers in two cities and found that most didn’t object when the program was explained to them. (A key aspect of the NebuAd system is that it claims not to record any personally identifiable information about users. Rather, it associates each user’s behavior with 1,000 categories of interest to advertisers.)

He offered his personal view that the system is harmless and well within the norms of the Internet these days. “The mainstream Internet user is hugely aware of the fact that the fundamental economic model on the Internet is advertising,” he said.

Link

Josh Levin of Slate writes about the world's strange obsession with computer solitaire.

The game's continued pre-eminence is a remarkable feat—it's something akin to living in a universe in which Pong were the most-popular title for PlayStation 3. One reason solitaire endures is its predictability. The gameplay and aesthetic have remained remarkably stable; a visitor from the year 1990 could play the latest Windows version without a glitch, at least if he could figure out how to use the Start menu. It also remains one of the very few computer programs, game or nongame, that old people can predictably navigate. Brad Fregger, the developer of Solitaire Royale, the first commercial solitaire game for the Macintosh and the PC, told me that his 89-year-old mother still calls regularly to brag about her high scores.

The game has also maintained a strong foothold in the modern-day cubicle. Despite the easy availability of other cheap amusements, five minutes of dragging cards around on the screen remains a speedy route to mental health and a mild form of workplace disobedience. (Just don't do it when Mayor Bloomberg is around.) Since solitaire doesn't take up the whole screen, it's easy to click over and play a hand or two when you get tired of data entry, then quickly toggle back over to your database program when your manager happens to walk by. This sort of multitasking, the ability to minimize and hide applications, is the most essential feature of the Windows OS. And solitaire taught us how to use it.

Link

Keith tried to take a picture on the Red Line in LA, and was told that he was breaking the "9/11 Law" by a metro worker who swore at him and threatened him with arrest when he asked what the "9/11 Law" was.

Him: Hey! It's against the 9-11 Law to take pictures down here man!

Me: You mean the Patriot Act?

Him: No pictures.

Me: Could you explain? What law do you mean?

Him: You are lawyer?

Me: No.

Him: No pictures. You could be a terrorist. Very strict!

Me: How about I take a picture of you?

Him: F**k you...(I couldn't believe it either)

He then proceeded to huddle in the corner and speak into his radio. Next thing I knew, a booming female voice very loudly announced over the loudspeaker "Attention to the gentleman in the plaid shirt: You are not allowed to take photographs in the Subway. You will be arrested if you continue to take photos and harrass the metro worker."

I was incensed/surprised/embarrassed/horrified/bewildered. People started staring.

Then the voice continued: "The gentleman in the plaid shirt: You must approach the callbox near the escalators and speak to the sheriff." I didn't budge. So she said it again, this time louder...

"Okay" I thought, I'll play along...I went up to the callbox and pushed the button. A new voice this time, this one male, boomed out and said, "Why are you taking photographs sir?"

Me: "What law am I breaking?"

Voice: "You can't take pictures sir, we don't know why you are taking pictures."

Link (Thanks, Keith!)

Do any Boing Boing readers from Nashville know if this sign is real or a Photoshop job? (via For Your Entertainment)

Here's another fantastic animation that comix master Chris Ware created for This American Life. This piece tells the story of a couple's encounter (or not) with Jackie Onassis. Link

Previously on BB:
• Chris Ware animation for This American Life TV show Link

Katherine Zoepf of the NY Times goes out driving one evening with group of teenage boys in Saudi Arabia hoping to get phone numbers of girls in cars.

A phone number written out on a piece of cardboard is “the classic approach,” Fahad said, but most of the time he and his friends use Bluetooth to try to send their phone numbers directly to the cell phones of girls in the vicinity. Usually this means chasing cars containing women, but sometimes Fahad and his friends drive past the entrances of shopping malls where women wait for their drivers. It’s not easy to tell which of the black-shrouded shapes might be young women, Fahad admitted, but there are a few tricks.

“You look at the style of the abaya, the way she holds her bag,” Fahad explained. “See that one there, how thin she is, and how carefully she’s covered up her face?”

He pointed out a slight figure with a pastel handbag. Sure enough, a pair of girlish-looking sneakers were just visible beneath the hem of her abaya.

“I’d say that maybe 3 out of 10 nights of numbering,we have some success,” Fahad explained.

“You mean that 3 out of 10 nights you get a girl to talk to you?” I asked.

“No, no,” Fahad laughed. “Maybe 3 out of 10 nights we get one phone number. Getting a girl to actually talk to you on the phone is much rarer. But it happens, so we’re always hoping.”

Link

Over at BB Gadgets, Rob posts about this cleverly annoying alarm clock that requires you to put the three pieces in the correct holes to shut it off.
Link

Thinkspace Gallery in Los Angeles is holding a group show featuring the work of Caia Koopman, Kelly Vivanco, Lilly Piri, and Catherine Brooks. Seen above is Koopman's "Beguiled" (acrylic on canvas, 20" x 16"). I wasn't familiar with Koopman's work before but I find it quite striking. Koopman is also a skateboarder and snowboarder and has done graphics for boards by many major companies. The show, titled "Uncommon Gardens," runs until June 6 and all of the work is viewable online. Link

Flickr's Pixelsurgeon has remixed a bunch of BBC news-footage in which the anchors, having signed off, just look at one another with relief and sit silently waiting for the fade-out, calling the result, "The Day There Was No News." The effect is nothing short of wonderful.

Mr Jalopy adds, "Somehow, this silent newscast is more eerie than normal boombastic version of the days events." Link (Thanks, Mr Jalopy!)

Last week at BB Gadgets, John posted about a stunning "Wristlet Route Indicator" from 1927. That delightful invention is on display at the "Curious Contraptions" show currently running at The National Trust's Standen House in East Grinstead, UK. The contraptions show is part of the National Trust's Eureka! exhibition at its museums and galleries. New Scientist has compiled a slideshow of other fantastic antique gadgets from the exhibition. Seen here is a pocket spittoon, c. 1900, and a bottle lock, c. 1881. Link to New Scientist article, Link to Eureka! exhibit info

Previously on BB:
• Retro wristwatch map for motoring Gatsbies Link

One of my favorite blog posts of 2007 was the gallery of steampunk watches made by Haruo Suekichi, none of which were for sale. Now, Suekichi has teamed up with Chief magazine to sell two each of a Suekichi men's watch and Suekichi women's watch ($1200 and $800 respectively). Not cheap, but zomg, these are some beautiful timepieces. Link to men's watch, Link to women's watch See also: Artisanal steampunk watches of Japan

Darth Vader Feels Blue, a short video by youtuber Billyfaithfull, gets really funny (and funky!) around the 30 second mark. Who knew that Vader was such a master of the blues harp? Link (via Kottke)

Marilyn sez, "David Doubilet is the Annie Leibowitz of the marine gastropod world. He took all but two photos in this amazingly beautiful gallery of nudibranchs to accompany a feature story on the same subject in the June Nat Geo magazine, online now." Link to article, Link to gallery) (Thanks, Marilyn!)

Last Friday, around 30 bicycle riders (and a few inline skaters) took to the freeways during rush hour, racing past cars stuck in traffic. According to one of the organizers from Crimanimal Mass, the aim was "to raise questions about the transportation infrastructure. In a city ruled by cars, why is it that you can get places faster on bikes?” LAist has photos of the hijinks. Link (Thanks, Zach Behrens!)

Woody Allen interviews Billy Graham on a 1960s talk show, asking him questions like what his favorite commandment is ("Honor thy father and mother," says Billy, to which Woody replies, "That's my *least* favorite commandment"). Both men are in their prime here. If only TV were still this interesting and entertaining. (Part 2) (via Filled With Chocolate Pudding)

Vatican chief astronomer Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes spoke publicly about his acceptance that we might not be alone in the universe. According to an interview with him in Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, the existene of ET "doesn't contradict our faith." From the Associated Press:

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation..."

The Bible "is not a science book," Funes said, adding that he believes the Big Bang theory is the most "reasonable" explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.

But he said he continues to believe that "God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance."

Link (Thanks, Sean Ness!)

Previously on BB:
• God's Mechanics: Vatican Astronomer reconciles religion and science Link
• Vatican astronomer on ETs Link
• SETI@Vatican Link

Tomorrow, May 15, is Bike To Work Day in the San Francisco Bay Area. A persistent rumor claims that riding a bike is actually less efficient than driving a car if you account for the energy that goes into producing the food/drink that "fuels" a cyclist. The Sierra Club's "Mr. Green" calls bullshit on that. (Photo of BB pal Jess Hemerly from aGreatNotion's Flickr stream.) From the Sierra Club:

Even with pricier commodities like beef, the biker rides cheaper than the driver. A pound and a half of cheap, greasy hamburger, sans bun, could power the cruise in question, at a lower cost than gasoline.

The ethanol "alternative"? Well, not really. Instead of burning ethanol in engines, from a transportation standpoint we're far better off ingesting the stuff. Driving 48 miles takes more than two gallons of ethanol, whereas only eight ounces of liquor, a mere half-pint of vodka, can fuel a cyclist for the same distance. Happy trails!

Link (Thanks, Orli Cotel!)

Previously on BB:
• Sierra Club on Hummers vs. hybrids Link

Today on Boing Boing tv, Cory Doctorow invites you to create and share HOWTO videos based on an ongoing series of Instructables posts that draw from his latest book, Little Brother.

Here's how Andrew “bunnie” Huang, author of Hacking the Xbox, describes the book:

[A] scarily realistic adventure about how homeland security technology could be abused to wrongfully imprison innocent Americans. A teenage hacker-turned-hero pits himself against the government to fight for his basic freedoms. This book is action-packed with tales of courage, technology, and demonstrations of digital disobedience as the technophile’s civil protest.

Here's how to submit your Little Brother HOWTO video to Boing Boing tv:

(1) Shoot it!
(2) Upload it to YouTube or another video hosting site!
(3) Tell us where to find it! Submit the url here.
(4) Selected videos will be featured on BBtv!

Also in today's episode (which, by the way, is Cory's BBtv debut): Legendary dumpster-diver Darren Atkinson was the subject of Cory's first-ever WIRED magazine feature in 1994. Cory returns to the trash-heap for BBtv with the "modern industrialist philosopher of garbage," who also performs in multiple WHO cover bands.

In related news, here's a Little Brother library/school donation project update, and if you're in Chicago, come on out to one of the Little Brother events taking place in your area over the next two days!

Link to Boing Boing tv post with discussion and downloadable video.

I've been on my Little Brother book-tour for two days (doing school appearances around Chicago), and for the next two nights, I'll be doing public events at Chicago area bookstores:

Tonight (Wednesday, May 14):
Anderson’s Bookshops, Naperville, IL
123 West Jefferson Avenue
Naperville, IL 60540
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
7:00 pm

Tomorrow (Thursday, May 15):
Barnes & Noble, Chicago, IL
1441 W. Webster Street
Chicago, IL 60614
Thursday, May 15, 2008
7:30 pm

Hope to see you there!

(Image: Little Brother Sketch, a concept for the Little Brother paperback cover art posted by Tor's Assistant Mass-Market Art Director, Pablo Defendini)

Glyn sez, "I am loosing count of the number of different way that have been tried to bring software patents into Europe. I thought by now just about everyone knew they where a bad idea."

"European Commissioner McCreevy is pushing for a bilateral patent treaty with the United States. This Tuesday 13 May in Brussels, White House and European representatives will try to adopt a tight roadmap for the signature of a EU-US patent treaty by the end of the year. Parts of the proposed treaty will contain provision on software patents, and could legalise them on both sides of the Atlantic." Link (Thanks, Glyn!)

The Interstitial Arts Foundation (promoting "art made in the interstices between genres and categories...disciplines, mediums, and cultures") is celebrating the anniversary of the release of the Interfictions Anthology with a charity auction featuring jewelry made by Interfictioneers and inspired by the stories in Interfictions. This is a fascinating gang of science fiction/fantasy people who are really breaking new ground!

(Pictured: 'Willow Pattern' by Elise Matthesen, based on the story 'Willow Pattern' by Jon Singer.)

To celebrate the anniversary of Interfictions, we invited jewelers/beaders to create wearable art based on the 19 stories in our first original anthology. Come bid on some amazing pieces by many talented artists, including Elise Matthesen, JoSelle Vanderhooft — and Interfictions authors Leslie What, Rachel Pollack, and K. Tempest Bradford, who have created one-of-a-kind, collectible wearable interpretations of their own work!

New pieces go up every two days and auctions last for 4-7 days. Bid early and often–bids start as low as $10! All proceeds will go to supporting Interstitial Arts projects, including the second Interfictions volume, Interfictions 2, to be published in Fall 2009

Link (Thanks, Ellen!)

Budgens, a London supermarket chain, secretly records biometric facial photos of people who buy cigarettes and alcohol and compares it to a database of known underage buyers, and they'