By Xeni Jardin at 9:49 pm Tuesday, Dec 7
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Last month, Cory posted an item about
Glenn Fleishman's analysis of the impact of RSS aggregators on his blogs' bandwidth use. (
Link to previous BoingBoing post). Now, Glenn updates us with this news:
I've run the latest statistics on RSS usage after adding a simple throttling program that uses a database to track the last access by an RSS aggregator (or anyone trying to retrieve a syndication file). One retrieval per file update is now the limit. I've seen my bandwidth use on RSS drop almost in half with no commensurate drop in actual users, and only a single note describing a problem in retrieving my feed (from a very old aggregator).
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 3:39 pm Tuesday, Dec 7
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O'Reilly has just released its latest book in the Hacks series: Mind Hacks: Tips & Tools for Using your Brain in the World. I haven't see it yet, but there are several cool sample hacks at the OR website, including: Hack 11: Why People Don't Work Like Elevator Buttons, Map Your Blind Spot, Glimpse the Gaps in Your Vision, Create Illusionary Depth with Sunglasses, Neural Noise Isn't a Bug; It's a Feature, Improve Visual Attention Through Video Games, Why Can't You Tickle Yourself?, and Make the Caffeine Habit Taste Good. Link
UPDATE: Anne Galloway sez: "Saw your post on Mind Hacks and thought I'd point to the accompanying weblog - in case you hadn't seen it." Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 1:41 pm Tuesday, Dec 7
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phillip torrone sez: "The
How-To I wrote for this week on
Engadget shows how to use the
BlogDigger RSS media feed,
iPodder and WindowsMedia to deliver weird, random and cool videos from around the web to you Portable Video player. Here's a
Video (WinMedia) of what you can expect. Is this the future of IP-TV? One thing is for sure, the videos I get are completely bizarre."
By Mark Frauenfelder at 12:56 pm Tuesday, Dec 7
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Kevin Kelleher shares some fun he had with the Parents Television Council's
complaint form:
"I went to the above URL and emailed the following complaint, signing it as Bill O'Reilly of Fox News. Lo and behold, it was instantly sent to all five FCC commissioners. Maybe other BB readers can enjoy it too. Oh, and don't forget to stop by the PTC gift shop!"
Here's what he submitted:
"I woke up this morning and it suddenly dawned on me that, gee willikers, my show stinks! I have no idea what I'm talking about and I am a menace to the broadcast industry. Shut me up before I open my big yap again!
"By the way, I am writing this from the Parents Television Council's web site. They make it so easy for people like me to send an email complaining to the FCC about anything we want.
"According to Mediaweek, 99.8 percent of the complaints going to the FCC about indecency are coming from this very web site. Only who knows how many of them are legitimate and representative of the will of the great American public? -- Bill O'Reilly, Fox News"
By Mark Frauenfelder at 12:47 pm Tuesday, Dec 7
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Kaya is a super realistic digital girl created in 2002 using the 3D modeling program MAYA. Her video clip "screen test" is spooky. She is at the nadir of the
uncanny valley.
Link (Via
growabrain)
By Xeni Jardin at 12:22 pm Tuesday, Dec 7
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(
Updated). Yesterday's
Baby Jesus Interactive Head was a spoof. The
Kentucky Creationist Museum was admittedly staid. For BoingBoing readers who want a little more action in their evangelical internet kitsch, this next round should suffice.
Christian Kaiju! Bibleman attempts to convert young souls by way of hot God-on-sinner conflict. A meatspace world tour is under way, video e-mails are available on demand, and the sin-smiting superhero stars in a buttload of DVDs. The vibe? GWAR meets Xena the Warrior Princess meets Vacation Bible Wrestling. Snip: "Bibleman’s spectacular battles against the flamboyant villains of Darkness are an exciting way to introduce your children to the Bible and the power of God’s Word." Flamboyant villains, huh? Get a load of Bibleman's own shiny man-cleavage. With all that spandex going on, he looks a little light in the loafers himself, if you know what I'm saying. Link
Update: Bonus Round. City of Revelation is sort of like Disneyland, only low-budget and born again. (thanks, Hyperspaz)
BoingBoing reader Yams says, "You might find it interesting to note that the man who wrote, directed and starred in Bible Man was frequent Scott Baio co-star, Willie Aames, who starred opposite Chachi in both "Zapped!" and "Charles in Charge". Link to Willie Aames IMDB listing.
And reader Ryan says,
Another bonus round: Holy Land is a bigger budget theme park here in Orlando, Florida. While not on par with Universal, Sea World or Disney World, it's got it's own kitsch. Make sure to check out the menu from the "Oasis Palm's Cafe", complete with "Goliath" burger. Another note, my deeply religious Catholic grandmother was bored out of her mind at Holy Land.
Link
By Xeni Jardin at 12:12 pm Tuesday, Dec 7
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On the NPR program "Day to Day" this week, I hit the blogosphere with host Alex Chadwick to test-drive Microsoft's new blogging service, MSN Spaces. We kick the tech tires, and explore some of the territory also covered in these two previous BoingBoing posts: (
MSN Spaces: Seven Dirty Blogs, and
MSN Spaces = soylent green).
Link to archived audio for this program, Link to NPR Day to Day home.
In related news, BoingBoing reader Joshua Wattles -- who also happens to be an entertainment law attorney in Los Angeles -- offers a different opinion on the ToS for MSN Spaces:
I noticed your concern about the Microsoft copyright language. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. The operative, and curative, clause in the legal dribble is this “each in connection with the MSN Web Sites” as part of the whole in line recitation of “For materials you post or otherwise provide to Microsoft related to the MSN Web Sites (a "Submission"), you grant Microsoft permission to (1) use, copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, modify, translate and reformat your Submission, each in connection with the MSN Web Sites, and (2) sublicense these rights, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law. Microsoft will not pay you for your Submission."
It means, all those rights relate only to the uses Microsoft (or a sublicensee) makes in connection with its MSN Web Sites application and service - - and that’s just logical since the material is being deposited on MSN web sites and it needs to know it can have it reside there. Amongst us lawyers and our affiliated judges, this language would not fairly be interpreted to mean in context to permit Microsoft to appropriate the material for a use of its own such as putting together a SLATE made up of MSN blog mash-ups, for example.
And BoingBoing reader L. Mosier points to a website that put the new blogging service through a "racial epithet test."
The website Illegal Voices, which names the MSN Spaces post on BoingBoing as inspiration, tested MSN Spaces for whether racial epithets were allowed. MSN has a reputation for booting hate sites and chats from its domains, but, as the author notes, "I was surpsried to find how easy it was to create a blog with a slur in its title." The author concedes that, though free speech is a major issue online, most major sites are united in banning hate speech and take strong steps against it. Interesting survery; MSN seems to prohibit the "n-word" but allows other derogatory terms.
Link
By Xeni Jardin at 12:10 pm Tuesday, Dec 7
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Following up on
this previous BoingBoing post: a federal judge has ruled that a Florida chain restaurant featuring scantily-clad, buxom waitresses -- and hot wings -- did not infringe on the trade dress of the Hooters restaurant chain. Snip from
IP Law Bulletin article (
paid sub required)
"I have been falsely accused of cheating by an aging restaurant chain that is slipping," said Crawford Ker, WingHouse founder and owner. "Yesterday the judge has cleared me of any wrong doing. It has been proven that Hooters does not have a monopoly on wings and attractive women."
Link to Bloomberg's report. (
Thanks Jason!)
By Xeni Jardin at 12:10 pm Tuesday, Dec 7
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This AP photograph of some soldiers in front of a sign in Kabul, Afghanistan looks normal enough, until you notice that the sign they're standing in front of (presumably aimed at the local poplation) is written in English.
Link to more background, and link to original images (
one,
two)
Update: BoingBoing reader Sepoy says,
"It is a widespread practice all across South Asia for businesses to take out public ads (full page in newspapers) and put up posters congratulating the elected or despotic leaders -- all the way from National Assembly to PM. [Ed note: Hmmm, sounds suspiciously like those movie studio "for your consideration" ads come Oscars time. Who knew Hollywood and Kabul were sister fiefdoms!] The ad in question is by Afghan Wireless -- their logo is visible -- which is an international company selling, well, telecommunications. Nothing sinister. And not designed for consumption in CNN or FOX."
Reader Pinski says, "Saw your post on the Kabul sign and it reminded me of this one in Florida." Link
By Xeni Jardin at 11:55 am Tuesday, Dec 7
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This year's edition of Wired Magazine's annual "tools" special is out. The special includes 129 of the world's coolest gizmos, from video to audio to games to screens -- even "30 under $30." I wrote the "cars" section -- bitchin' gadgets to geek out your ride, and a feature on the energy-conserving "Tango" two-seater (shown here).
Link to Wired Tools 2004, and
Link to Xeni's section on Auto tech.
By Xeni Jardin at 10:48 am Tuesday, Dec 7
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Grab your yarn and needles, folks -- time to knit your very own "Cute, Cuddly Uterus Doll." Snip from website:
It's not completely anatomically accurate. I've taken a few liberties with the general shape and scale, as well as leaving out the ligaments connected to the ovaries.
And, of course, the human uterus is not normally bubblegum pink.
May I also add that most of them do not play piano.
Link (
thanks, major bloodnok)
By Xeni Jardin at 10:48 am Tuesday, Dec 7
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By some estimates, "black box" data recoring devices are in as many as 30 million of the 200 million cars and trucks on America's roads. Is your ride one of them? Car makers aren't required to notify you, unless you buy the car in California. This PDF document contains a
partial list of vehicles with built-in black boxes.
Link (
Ed. note: it's pretty US-centric -- anyone have similar data for other countries?) The devices typically record for a few seconds after an airbag deployment, collecting speed, braking and other operating data. Some privacy advocates are concerned that the data could be used against you in court unfairly.
(
Thanks, David Radulski
-- data via St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Update: Jim Harris of Harris Technical Services, the "Traffic Accident Reconstructionists" who produced the black box list, says:
The list on the Harris Technical Services website, listing the vehicles with "black boxes", is complete and current as far as being able to retrieve crash data from them with commercially available equipment. Other manufacturers, Toyota in particular, have stated they have a data recorder of some type on board but have not released the required software or hardware required to extract the data. They have not published exactly what data is recorded. Pretty much the same for Volvo. Daimler-Chrysler has not commented at all. (...) There is one legal case, still pending final resolution, where the judge would not admit [black box data] evidence as the police did not obtain a search warrant before downloading the data. This case is in Tennessee.
By Xeni Jardin at 10:46 am Tuesday, Dec 7
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A new edition of geek-themed porn from the smutmongers at HaXXXor. Fleshbot says, "We especially like Binary Babe's tutorial on decimal, hexadecimal, and binary counting systems: we'll never forget that two nipples (er, nibbles) or eight bits makes a byte again!" My favorite clip title: "Defcon Jacuzzi."
Link
By Xeni Jardin at 10:40 am Tuesday, Dec 7
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Following up on
this earlier BoingBoing post, reader
Francis Hwang says,
On Tuesday, November 30, I offered the "Unauthorized iPod U2 vs. Negativland Special Edition" for sale on eBay. On Monday, December 6, only one day before the auction was scheduled to close, I was notified by eBay that my auction listing was being shut down at Apple's request. Apple had told eBay that my work was in violation of their intellectual property rights. I have emailed Apple asking for an explanation, and am waiting for a response.
Link
By Xeni Jardin at 10:00 am Tuesday, Dec 7
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POGs: Parents of geeks.
Mark Hurst says,
Here's a free tech-buying guide I wrote not for Boing Boing readers, but for their *parents*. Hand this PDF (look how nice it prints out) to any of your non-geek friends, and they'll know exactly what technology to buy - for themselves, or for gifts this holiday season. P.S. There's also an Almanac section where I put all the rants I've stored up over the past year. I make absolutely no money on this guide and do it only to help spread some basic tech knowledge.
Link to PDF
By Xeni Jardin at 10:00 am Tuesday, Dec 7
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Rok Sako To Rok Lo, an Indian "campus caper" movie, will become the first full-length feature film to premiere on a wireless cellular network. On December 9, subscribers to India's Airtel service can sneak-preview a streaming version on their Edge-enabled phones. Theatrical release begins the following day.
Link (
via Gizmodo)
By David Pescovitz at 7:08 am Tuesday, Dec 7
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Japanese artist Aya Kato's illustrations are amazing. As
Bibi says, the style is a dark fusion of Manga and Art Nouveau. Really stunning.
Link
By David Pescovitz at 6:51 am Tuesday, Dec 7
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The Dittrick Medical History Center at Case Western University in Cleveland has a new
History of Contraception Museum. The Center recently received 650 artifacts in the Percy Skuy Collection, the most comprehensive of its kind in the world. Skuy is the past president of Ortho Pharmaceutical in Canada. On display at the new museum are such vintage intrauterine devices as the Russian Cross, Supercoil, and 10 Armed Device.
Link
By David Pescovitz at 2:20 am Tuesday, Dec 7
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Scientists are reverse engineering a lamprey's nervous system as part of an effort to design a neuroprosthetic implant that could help patients with spinal cord injuries walk. The researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland hope that understanding the eel's spinal cord could reveal ways in which they might tap into the injured spinal cords of humans.
A properly designed implant, they believe, could act in place of the brain and direct these dormant control centers to send the same kind of locomotion signals they did before the spinal cord was injured. "We want to take advantage of circuits that already exist in the body," Etienne-Cummings said. "Instead of stimulating the leg muscles directly, we want to go to the spinal cord and stimulate the nerves that control the muscles in the legs."
Link
