Homespun Magixx, a site with some lovely papercraft models, has two tremendous puzzle-blocks papercraft projects. Print them, assemble them, then solve them. Link 1, Link 2 (via Paper Forest)

I've been podcasting my short story "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth" -- about the sysadmins surviving in data-centers after the apocalypse -- since Oct 27 and I've wrapped up the story today. You can download all six parts as MP3s or Oggs on my podcast page -- or just wait for the story to come out in the second issue of Baen's Astounding Stories Universe, a DRM-free, pay-to-download science fiction mag. Link

Update: John Joseph sez "Baen has changed the name of the mag to Jim Baen's UNIVERSE. Rumor has it they were contacted by the rightholders to the name ASTOUNDING (Dell Magazines, one would assume), and rather than fight it out, they just dumped the name in favor of a new one."

Wow -- Sony is not only offering to replace its rootkit CDs with non-rootkit CDs; they're also offering to provide MP3s of all the music on the CDs to the people who bought them. I wonder if the MP3s carry watermarks? Also -- note that they're offering to replace the discs with non-rootkit DRM discs, but not promising that some other DRM won't be present. We already know that Sony uses lots of different techniques to cripple its CDs.

You can exchange your SONY BMG compact discs (CDs) containing XCP content protection software for replacement versions of the same CD(s) without the XCP software. Please confirm that your CD(s) is among the titles and versions listed below and then select from the list the titles of the CD(s) you wish to exchange. Then click “continue.”

In the page that follows, you will be asked to provide the shipping information in the United States to which you would like to have the replacement CD sent. In addition, you will have the option of selecting whether you would like to receive MP3 files of the title(s) in addition to your replacement CD(s).

Link, Sony Rootkit Roundup Part I, Sony Rootkit Roundup Part II (Thanks, A.V.!)

British backpackers in India are taking call-centre jobs for wages that are very low by UK standards, but which can bankroll an extension to a trekking holiday by a month or two.

Among the first to land in the subcontinent was Kenny Rooney, a 28-year-old from Livingston in Scotland. He had worked in a call centre at home, but after nine months in India says he does not want to return. "This is an incredible country," he said, speaking from Bombay. "I have had a brilliant time and met people from all over the world..."

Young Britons of Indian origin are also finding the jobs offer them a chance to rediscover their roots. Among them is Hasmita Patel, who is also working in Pune. "This has been the best thing I've ever done," said Ms Patel, from Leicester. "It has really allowed me to see the country and get to know people. I've learned so much about myself."

Link

Yesterday, several of the speakers at the Roboxotica conference took a tour of Vienna's Naturhistorisches Museum, an imperial wedding-cake of a natural history museum, whose ancient taxidermied animals spill from their glass cases in great profusion, all stitches and tufted fur. Along on the trip was Jake Appelbaum, a great photographer whose work has appeared here on Boing Boing many times before. Jake was ecstatic that there was no one around to enforce the museum's no-photos rule, and he went crazy with his cameras. He's uploaded the photos to Flickr and tagged them for convenient retrieval. These are amazing shots and they really capture the musty, Indiana Jones feeling of the museum. Link (Thanks, Jake!)

Here's the night's dispatches on the Sony rootkit fiasco:

Pre-order your I HEART ROOTKIT shirts today Link
Get a (partial?) list of Suncomm Mediamax-infected CDs from the "CD in Question" drop-down menu on this page. Link (Thanks, Claire!)

Ed Felten and Alex Halderman report that they're working with Suncomm to fix the Mediamax uninstaller, which currently leaves your computer is worse state than it started. Link

Sony Rootkit Roundup Part I, Sony Rootkit Roundup Part II

In this week’s RU Sirius Show, the crew considers SF’s gun ban and contemplate abusing Bill O’Reilly. Also, they interview “Free Will Astrology” columnist Rob Breszny about “Pronoia.”

Meanwhile, on NeoFiles, RU talks with George Gleason about where we’re headed in surveillance and encryption.

And let’s not forget Lisa Rein’s “Songs from the Commons” which delves into more of “The Grokster Chronicles." Link

An Apple Store tried to refuse warranty service on the headphone jack of an iPod that a customer had gotten engraved. The customer wrote a great letter to the store and got his device fixed. If you're worried that a laser etch job might void your warranty, check out the letter:

I asked that he show me the iPod warranty and the language in it that supports his determination. He showed me a copy of the iPod AppleCare plan with sections 2.e.(iii) and 2.e.(v) highlighted. After reading it, I came to the conclusion that having non-Apple engraving does not necessarily void the warranty. I explained my reasoning, but couldn't convince him that his claims weren't supported by the warranty. (Before leaving the store, I probably let my frustration show a bit too much, and for that I apologize to both sales people.)

I have since spoken to Apple Customer Service on the phone, and though they can't of course comment on my issue without seeing the Shuffle first, they were able to tell me that there is no blanket policy stating that non-Apple laser engraving voids the warranty, and that any such determination is up to the technician examining the unit, guided by the terms and conditions of the warranty. They recommended I take this issue up with the store manager.

Link

Eric sez, "I just did a story on a local guy who set a new Guinness record in balloon blowing. The weird thing is he works in a strip club six days a week, but calls Sunday his 'church day.'"

"While I was blowing up balloons another guy sat down at one of their tables and ate 200 crackers. He kept yelling out, 'You're inspiring me, man,'" said Lortie.

Monday morning, Lortie couldn't tie his own shoes.

"My fingers were swollen from tying balloons," he said.

Unfortunately, Lortie never got the chance to see what 520 balloons look like all piled up.

"We were letting the kids take them as I blew them up. The pile never seemed to get any bigger," he said.

Link (Thanks, Eric!)