By Cory Doctorow at 8:53 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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Drivl's list of "What code DOESN'T do in real life (that it does in the movies)" should be turned into a stencil and spraypainted on alternating sidewalk squares leading up to the main gates of every movie studio in LA:
1. Code does not move
In films and television code is always sailing across the screen at incredible speeds; it's presented as an indecipherable stream of letters and numbers that make perfect sense to the programmer but dumbfound everyone else. I understand that to the non-savvy person the abilities of a programmer might seem amazingly complex, but do they honestly think we can read shit that isn't sitting still? It'd be like trying to read six newspapers flying around in a tornado. Sure, I can watch a kernel compile, tail a log file, or simply monitor the scrolling output of a program - but the most value I get out of those activities is when execution stops and I can actually scroll back to read what the hell happened (unless the output was going slow enough I could read it as it happened)...
4. Code is not three dimensional
Remember in "hackers" when the gibson is depicted as a three dimensional city that the hackers must navigate through? Bullshit! We may use a dash of color in our shell to make things a bit clearer, but last I checked my terminal app doesn't require OpenGL. I'm working here, bitches - I'm not playing quake.
Link
(
via Global Nerdy)
By David Pescovitz at 6:00 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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American troops in Iraq apparently use Silly String to reveal hidden trip wires that trigger bombs. From the Associated Press:
Before entering a building, troops squirt the plastic goo, which can shoot strands about 10 to 12 feet, across the room. If it falls to the ground, no trip wires. If it hangs in the air, they know they have a problem. The wires are otherwise nearly invisible.
In other cases of battlefield improvisation in Iraq, U.S. soldiers have bolted scrap metal to Humvees in what has come to be known as "Hillybilly Armor." Medics use tampons to plug bullet holes in the wounded until they can be patched up.
Also, soldiers put condoms and rubber bands around their rifle muzzles to keep out sand. And troops have welded old bulletproof windshields to the tops of Humvees to give gunners extra protection. They have dubbed it "Pope's glass" – a reference to the barriers that protect the pontiff.
Link (Thanks, Gabe Adiv, who is growing a mustache for charity!)
By Cory Doctorow at 5:51 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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Isaac sez, "I'm sure they're hell to shuffle, but you'll be the talk of the poker tournament! Get them in a sheet to mount as artwork, or punch them out and ante up." At £200 a deck, they might be a little pricey, but I suppose they'd make cheap and stylish novelty shuriken if sharpened the edges.
Link
(
Thanks, Isaac!)
By Mark Frauenfelder at 4:56 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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The author of
Hollywood Escapes, Harry Medved, will lead a tour through Malibu Creek State Park on January 28 at 2 pm) to PLANET OF THE APES, M*A*S*H, LOGAN’S RUN, BUTCH CASSIDY and PLEASANTVILLE locations.
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 4:52 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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When Bruce Sterling was in Macedonia, he snapped a photo of these scary-looking sandals.
By Mark Frauenfelder at 4:46 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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Kaden says:
Ever hear about Rolamites? The only "basic mechanism"
invented in the
20th century, they came out of Sandia Labs in the mid '60's.
I've prototyped a few variations, and they're *damned*
fascinating... almost like alien technology, or something that fell through
that rip in the space-time continuum that leads to the parallel universe.
A guy
named Don Wilkes developed them, and they're pretty
freakin' cool. A
couple of rollers tracked into a spring metal band, and Bob's yer
uncle:
stored energy
with (no shit) frictionless constrained movement,
I remember reading about them in PopSci when they were first
developed, then promptly forgot about them, what with being 9 years
old and all. They popped back into my mind last night
while pondering
the Zen of primary mechanisms.
They currently seem to be *somewhat* popular in force sensor
mechanisms, and there's ongoing research into using 'em in
prosthetic
joints, but for all intents and purposes, they've fallen
through the
cracks, Makerwise.
Link
Reader comment:
Brandon says: here's a rolamite letter scale. I'd have to say it's probably the most beautiful scale i've ever seen.
By Mark Frauenfelder at 4:43 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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The 17th volume of the wonderful art and comics magazine, Blab!, is available from Fantagraphics.
This volume of BLAB! features a cover by Jonathan Rosen, and: the BLAB! debut of popular artist Shag!; a full-color tribute to Bazooka Joe; Sue Coe and Judith Brody’s “… And Not a Drop To Drink,” an exploration of the destruction of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast by angry gods of wind and water against a backdrop of war; Greg Clarke’s “The Pungent Gaul,” a surprisingly harrowing story of a frenchman who smuggles illegal cheeses from his homeland into the United States and sells them on the black market; Drew Friedman’s 4-pager “Old Jewish Comedians” selected from his new Blab! Storybook; Peter Kuper’s story of the various ways he’s almost died; more “Fetal Elvis” from Mark Landman; “Max Vesta, Matchbook Artist,” the true story of the art and life of the unsung and little known (except to a few collectors and connosieurs) master of the matchbook cover; Lou Brooks invites us into his “Garden of Tongue-listing Twimericks” — your mouth will never be the same; Peter and Maria Hoey’s “Out of Nowhere,” the story of Coleman Hawkins and Django Reinhart’s years in pre-WWII Paris; plus stories by Tim Biskup, Gary Baseman, Fred Stonehouse, Marc Rosenthal, Spain, Mats!, and Sergio Ruzzier.
Link
By David Pescovitz at 4:41 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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This unusual rifle camera is a vintage Leica Gun with 400mm Telyt lens. Apparently, these are quite rare. Seems to be just the thing for a photo safari. The Leica Gun will be up for auction next month as part of the Tamarkin Photographica Rare Camera Auction.
Link
UPDATE: BB reader Stephen Kupiec writes, "While Leica rifle cameras are rather rare, KMZ Russia produces the PhotoSniper series of Zenit SLRs with Tair 300mm Telephoto lenses mounted on rifle stocks."
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 4:25 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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The amazing artist Bill Barminski directed this awesome animated film based on the journal of an 11-year-old kid.
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 4:12 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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You have four more days to enter NPR's "First Ever Holiday Craft Contest. Design either a handmade menorah or kinara (the candle holder for the Kwanzaa holiday) or a Christmas tree ornament. We are looking for designs that reflect the news of 2006. We also welcome quirky, funny and/or offbeat designs."
Carla Sinclair (Craft) and Phil Torrone (Make) are among the judges.
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 4:08 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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Original cyberpunk novelist John Shirley is on
The
RU Sirius Show this week talking about a new novel that's a
response to the
Left Behind
Christianist end-times books.
And on NeoFiles, regular
Wired Contributing Editor Patrick Di Justo displays a great sense of
humor as the conversation ranges from skyscrapers to string theory.
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 4:04 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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Book Soup is hosting an event tonight for the awesome new Feral House book
American Hair Metal.
Pomp and spandex will once again rule the Sunset Strip, if only for an evening, as American Hair Metal author Steven Blush comes to Los Angeles to tell tales and engage in an orgy of book signing madness. Author Steven Blush’s best-selling American Hardcore: A Tribal History (Feral House, 2001) is now a documentary feature film. Blush will also be signing copies of American Hardcore.
With a slide show and a special appearance by Jan Kuehnemund of VIXEN and other surprise guests!!
Free alcohol, snacks and homemade cookies!
American Hair Metal at Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., Thursday, December 7th, 7-9 pm.
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 3:58 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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Phil Kline's 15th annual boombox Christmas parade through NYC streets takes place Dec. 16
On Saturday, December 16 at 7:00 pm, starting at the arch in Washington Square Park, composer Phil Kline will lead a massive chorus of boomboxes through the streets of Greenwich Village in the 15th annual holiday presentation of UNSILENT NIGHT.
Kline places the different parts of his composition on cassettes, and distributes them to those who show up at Washington Square. At the given signal, participants simultaneously press PLAY. When the cassettes start rolling, "they blossom into a marvelously crafted symphony" (Time Out New York) and the crowd begins to snake eastward, following a pre-determined route until the piece ends in Tompkins Square Park less than an hour and a mile later.
The public is strongly encouraged to bring their own boomboxes, for which Kline will provide tapes.
UNSILENT NIGHT 2006 around the world:
December 2: Milledgeville, GA (jwindish@mac.com)
December 8: Baltimore, MD (brian@briansacawa.com)
December 9: Middlesbrough UK (Judith_Croft@middlesbrough.gov.uk)
December 12: Banff (Alberta, Canada) (waltman@mta.ca)
December 16, 7pm: New York, NY (boombox@mindspring.com)
December 16: San Diego, CA (sounds@accretions.com)
December 16: Asheville, NC (jjulien@cenergy.com)
December 16: Sydney, Australia (filmcement@gmail.com)
December 17: Los Angeles, CA (unsilentnightla@gmail.com)
December 18: Philadelphia, PA (www.relache.org)
December 20, Midnight: The Yukon (christine@tarius.ca)
December 21: Santa Barbara, CA (info@iridianarts.com)
December 21: Charleston, SC (nathan@newmusiccollective.org)
December 23: San Francisco, CA (colinb@sonic.net)
December 23: Vancouver, BC (colin@crypticmusic.ca)
Date TBA: Rochester, NY (RadnofskyL@aol.com)
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 3:50 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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If you are in LA this Saturday, drop by the Felt Club craft extravaganza at the Ukranian Cultural Center (4315 Melrose). Carla and I will be there to make stockings with anyone who wants to join us.
In addition to the crafty gifts galore, there will be food, music, raffle prizes and an interactive craft room where you can decorate holiday stockings with CRAFT Ed-in-Chief Carla Sinclair and MAKE Ed-in-Chief Mark Frauenfelder.
Link
(After Felt Club stop by Machine Project for an evening of music with Bob Bellerue and Liam Mooney at Machine Project)
By Mark Frauenfelder at 3:47 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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Jon Beinart describes the beinArt Surreal Art Collective as an "online art gallery catering for the strange."
(Shown here: "Inside Sue," By Mark Ryden. Oil on panel 15x11 inches, 1997) Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 3:33 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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BLVD Gallery in Seattle has a show with The Art Army Guerilla Crew, including new sculpted figurines by Mike Leavitt, and new paintings By Kristian Olson, Colin Johnson, and Chris Huth. It opens December 8, 2006 and runs until January 6 , 2007.
Link
By Cory Doctorow at 12:36 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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djBC sez, "A kick-ass group of mixers and mashers from the US, England, France, The Netherlands and Sweden has contributed to the second Santastic collection of 23 bizarre and wicked cool X-mashups and remixes. We've even got 2.5 Chanukah bootlegs this year for the all nice little Jewish kids, plus "liner notes" and sample lists from the producers. If you dig it, we hope folks will make a contribution to help kids in the GIFTS portion of the site. Thanks!"
djBC produced the (sadly, censored) Beastles mashups (Beastie Boys v Beatles) -- I'll listen to anything he's got his hand in.
1. Jingle Jane - Divide and Kreate
2. Carpenter's Christmas (Karen Meets Roots Radics Uptown)
- Go Home Productions
3. Lonely Siberian Winter - DJ John
4. Donde Esta Santa Claus? - Lenlow
5. The Darlene Love Sub-Zero Ecosystem - ATOM
6. X-Mash - Divide and Kreate
7. Let Me Clear My Throat At Christmas - Cheekyboy
8. Pere Noel Blues - ComaR
9. The Rockin' Manger Twist - Voicedude
10. Dreidl-Bells - DJ Flack
11. Chanukah Song (GoyiMix) - dj BC
12. Give Da Jew Girl Toys (Clean) - A plus D
13. Rudolph The Paranoid Reindeer - ToToM
14. I Want A New Limb For Christmas - Pilchard
15. Rudolph Berry Molecular Pattern 4 - ATOM
16. Red Nosed 5 - Solcofn
17. Wonderful Christmastime (Rhythm Scholar Kringle Kut Remix)
- Paul McCartney vs Rhythm Scholar
18. Last Christmas The Winter Took The Street - Martinn
19. Stop I've Had Enough Christmas Music - King Of Pants
20. White Christmas (Electro Remix) - Miss Frenchie
21. Imagine Santa - dj BC
22. Frosty John - Secret Santa
BONUS (Mature Themes):
Horny Christmas - Loo and Placido
Give Da Jew Girl Toys (Dirty) - A plus D
Link
By David Pescovitz at 12:34 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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In 2004, Alek Komarnitsky hoaxed the online public into thinking they were controlling thousands of Christmas lights on his house. Then last year, he actually rigged up a real tele-operated system of Christmas lights. (Previous BB post
here.) Alek just emailed me to say that they're up again. Or so he claims. Again. From his email:
Three live webcams allow you to view the 15,000 lights and
giant inflatable Elmo, Frosty, Santa, and Homer Simpson plus
X10 power technology allows you to turn 'em on and off - D'OH!
Over $14,000 raised so far for Celiac Disease.
Merry Christmas and HO HO HO,
alek
P.S. Few more bells & whistles this year - one example is Google Mapp'ing the 100+ countries that have come by.
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 12:02 pm Thursday, Dec 7
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The San Francisco Chronicle has a time-based map that shows the stages of the Kim family's ordeal in the Oregon mountains.
Link
By David Pescovitz at 11:59 am Thursday, Dec 7
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The Birdman, whose exquisite taste in music I previously admired, sent me this video of a wedding party dancing to the unique musical stylings of German pornogrind band Cock And Ball Torture. I recommend watching it several times, paying close attention to the celebrants' various dance steps.
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 10:35 am Thursday, Dec 7
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Oscar de la Renta made a lot of money from these four matronly socialites (including Laura Bush), each of whom wore an identical $8500 red gown.
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 10:24 am Thursday, Dec 7
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Rudy Rucker is back from his trip to New Zealand and has been blogging about it.
I saw a lot of Charles F. Goldie’s paintings in Auckland and another Goldie painting in Wellington and another in Christchurch; Goldie (1870-1947) painted Maoris with full facial tattoos, these tattoos are called moko or ta moko... Note that the moko are relatively recent, only really took off after the Europeans showed up in the 1830s, as then the Maori had metal chisels so they could carve the moko in better. This picture is called “All ‘e Same t’e Pakeha” which means, I think, “All Europeans look the same,” or maybe it means "Don't I look European?" -- pakeha being the Maori word for European.
Link
By David Pescovitz at 10:24 am Thursday, Dec 7
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Fifty years after the death of psychic Helen Duncan, the last person in the UK imprisoned under the Witchcraft Act, her family is calling for her to be pardoned. She was imprisoned after she channeled the spirit of a sailor from a specific sunken warship, several months before the loss of the ship was made public. From the BBC News:
She was arrested in 1944 and sentenced to nine months in prison at the Old Bailey for crimes under the Witchcraft Act of 1735.
While in prison she was visited by Winston Churchill.
When he was re-elected in 1951 the Witchcraft Act was repealed and three years later spiritualism was officially recognised as a religion.
Link to BBC News article,
Link to the Official Helen Duncan Pardon Site
By Mark Frauenfelder at 10:20 am Thursday, Dec 7
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A photo gallery of decrepit playground equipment in bitterly cold Russian playgrounds. Even though this one-off stuff is nightmarishly creepy I prefer it to the bland factory-produced equipment found in US playgrounds.
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 10:05 am Thursday, Dec 7
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Fun cartoon from 1910 with Bill Plympton style morphing. The delightful music that accompanies it sounds like it's from 1928 or so. (Who is it?)
Link
By David Pescovitz at 9:58 am Thursday, Dec 7
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At Flickr, Magnolia Thunderpussy has posted quite an interesting set of fruit and vegetable crate labels.
Link
(Thanks to Jason Tester, Apologies to Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson)
By Mark Frauenfelder at 9:54 am Thursday, Dec 7
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Video of a Japanese gentleman with a collection of 40 life size anime-style dolls. He takes his favorite doll, Tina, out in the world and photographs her. "When I take pictures of her in a beautiful field she looks very happy. But I also photograph her in abandoned buildings. Then she looks very lonely... When we don't take pictures we just hang together."
Link
By Mark Frauenfelder at 9:23 am Thursday, Dec 7
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Boston Globe's Brainiac columnist Josh Glenn says:
Thought Boing Boing readers might be interested in a post of
mine to Brainiac about this cool lobby mural -- of a woman farting [by artist Chiho Aoshima] -- at
Boston's much-ballyhooed new Institute of Contemporary Arts museum
building. First new art museum in Boston in almost 100 years and visitors
will step into the lobby and be confronted by an enormous fart cloud. I
think it's hilarious. I provide a link to a 360-degree photo of the lobby &
mural.
Link
By Cory Doctorow at 2:34 am Thursday, Dec 7
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The latest awesome, impractical Japanese watch from TokyoFlash is the "Biohazard":
The Biohazard watch uses an advanced color LCD display to simulate the effect you might see on Mr Spocks tri-corder or in many Science Fiction films. The readout, in fact, tells the time by counting the colored segments.
Link
By Cory Doctorow at 2:27 am Thursday, Dec 7
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"Jack's Gift" is a quirky, delightful seasonal short story just posted on Futurismic, about the rise of the artificial, institutionalized Santa:
“Still, lots of people signed up for the UDS Santa. More than UDS expected. They had to hurry and convert a lot more trucks into sleighs, and find a lot more drivers. They didn’t have time to train them all. And their shipment of fat suits came in late, so a lot of the Santas were, uh, a little thin.”
Sandra frowned. “Santa is fat!”
“I know, I know,” David said. “But the big problem was all the drunk Santas, running over the hedges in their eight-ton trucks, scraping the side of Dad’s Mercedes as they parked in the driveway, making passes at Mom once they were in the house–”
Link
(
Thanks, Jeremy!)
