Jim says: I read boingboing daily and really enjoy your guys work. The image you linked for the black light posters (The Hippie Mickey Mouse) caught my attention. In my second grade group picture I have a shirt with that EXACT Hippie Mickey Mouse. Why my mom bought me a Hippie Mickey Mouse while I was in SECOND grade makes the picture just that more humorous. Link

Siva Vaidhyanathan says, "MySpace is slowly installing technological restrictions that will undermine its value as a social networking site. Well bowled, Rupert! My brilliant doctoral student Alice Marwick, who studies social networking and identity online, wrote this..."

So: stuff like Slide.com, RockYou.com, and YouTube’s Flash video wrappers will no longer be able to link back to the sites if the user is using Flash 9. Generally adoption for Flash isn’t that quick — but since all users with Flash 8 currently have broken MySpace video/audio players, you can expect that to have somewhat of an effect on the adoption rate (i.e.: skyrocket).

MySpace can say all they want about wanting to protect users, but really this is about them protecting their advertising dollars. The barnacle-like secondary market sites will have to find increasingly creative techniques to launch Flash-based content within the site if they want it to spread virally.

This is actually quite wily on the part of MySpace. And it’s going to be interesting to see how much influence they have on the adoption rates of Flash 9… I wonder if they have a formal partnership with Macromedia/Adobe.

Expect a LOT MORE moves like this from MySpace. I’m aware of a few I can’t talk about that I know will have huge impacts on secondary market sites. If you work for a startup whose entire business plan depends on mooching off MySpace’s user base, you guys might want to consider diversifying your revenue streams.

Link

Reader comment: Kevin Khandjian says,

The article you linked to fails to mention that a myspace XSS worm that spread like crazy using flash. The allowNetworking attribute talked about in the article will not block flash from pages like youtube, but it will be able to stop external flash from. without this attribute, flash is always allowed to change the containing window's location, and able to force users onto any page.

The allowNetworking attribute being set to internal will block this from happening, but as it appears, html links inside of flash will still be legal. This means that while some people will have to make some changes in order to keep the exact functionality, no functionality should be lost.

There is a description of what the tag itself does here, and a description of the recent XSS hack and how it worked here.

Christopher says,

You might want to mention the plight of Linux users who are now left in an even worse position; having only had a Flash 7 player available for Linux they now have to wait until at least 2007 until a Flash 9 player is released for them, which leaves myself and probably many others unable to watch many Flash 8 based videos, and currently a lack of sound on YouTube videos. At best, there's always synch issues between audio/video.

Link to Flash Player's product manager's blog on their promised Flash 9 for Linux plans (though they also promised a Flash 8 player which never turned up) and this link for some blogged comments by a guy who knows more about it than I do. .

Update: YouTube's response is here (scroll down to the end of the post).

Earlier today on BoingBoing, I pointed to discussions around the blogosphere about YouTube's newly updated Terms & Conditions. As Eliot Van Buskirk wrote on the Wired News music blog "Listening Post," the new policy appears to give YouTube more rights over user-uploaded content than before. Link to post, with some insightful comments, both pro and con, from readers. I asked Jason Schultz of the EFF what he thought of the news, and he tells BB:

Your commenters are pretty much correct. YouTube wants to CYA itself in case it flows into new formats with old videos, e.g., cell phone downloads. They don't want to have to go back and relicense all the content in new mediums. And its also true that simply yanking the video will cut off all their rights, which is a powerful weapon to keep them in check.

When the Billy Bragg folks complained about MySpace, it was basically over the same issue, so now that MySpace has responded with some clarity, it might behoove YouTube to do the same.

One thing they could say is that any reproductions, distributions, derivatives, etc. that they make of your work would not be sold separately as a distinct product. This would keep them from burning CDs or DVDs and the like.

Reader comments...

Dr. Rusty Shackleford says,

The blog ban is NOT over. What happened was that the Indian government clarified the ban to Indian ISPs which had blanket banned the top-level domains (eg, blogspot.com). My blog is #2 on the list, and still banned. Here is the Indian Department of Telecom's official press release of today which clarifies: Link. Excerpt:

The Department of Telecom (DoT) has instructed all the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country to block only the specified website/webpages on the parent website . The DoT, in its letter issued to all the ISPs has mentioned that it had come to notice that in some cases the parent website had been blocked in contravention to what was stated in its earlier order dated 13th July 2006 whereby it ordered the ISPs to block certain websites/webpages .

As such the DoT has now directed all the ISPs to strictly comply with the order dated 13th July 2006 and provide unhindered access to Internet except for the websites/webpages which have been specifically mentioned in its orders issued from time to time.

The DoT has further sought explanation from the erring ISPs as to why action be not taken against them for blocking unintended websites/webpages.

Since my website is at the center of the controversy, and specifically targetted by the Indian government, I hope you can stand with me in solidarity.

ArsTechnica has a great article on the past and present of DRM cracks -- where they came from and where they're headed:

Like a creeping fog, DRM smothers more and more media in its clammy embrace, but the sun still shines down on isolated patches of the landscape. This isn't always due to the decisions of corporate executives; often it's the work of hackers who devote considerable skill to cracking the digital locks that guard everything from DVDs to e-books. Their reasons are complicated and range from the philosophical to the criminal, but their goals are the same: no more DRM.

Link (via /.)

The Telegraph profiles Oxana Malaya, a 23-year-old woman in Ukraine who, between the ages of 3 and 8, was raised by a pack of dogs. She currently lives in a home for the mentally disabled and has been featured in documentaries on the Discovery Channel and Channel Four. Apparently, she can still show eerily canine-like behaviors, including running on all fours, panting, and barking. From The Telegraph:

"I expected someone much less human," says (psychologist Lyn Fry, an expert on feral children and) the first non-Ukrainian expert to meet Oxana. "I'd heard stories that she could fly off the handle, that she was very unco-operative, that she was socially inept, but she did everything I asked of her.

"Her language is odd. She speaks flatly as though it's an order. There is no cadence or rhythm or music to her speech, no inflection or tone. But she has a sense of humour. She likes to be the centre of attention, to make people laugh. Showing off is quite a surprising skill when you consider her background. In the film, Miss Malaya looks unco-ordinated and tomboyish. When she walks, you notice her strange stomping gait and swinging shoulders, the intermittent squint and misshapen teeth. Like a dog with a bone, her first instinct is to hide anything she is given. She is only 1.52 metres tall but when she fools about with her friends, pushing and shoving, there is a palpable air of menace and brute strength. The oddest thing is how little attention she pays to her pet mongrel. "Sometimes, she pushed it away," says Ms Fry. "She was much more orientated to people."

Link (Thanks, Dave Lyons!)

This young man enlisted the help of his friend to break his leg with a dumbell to avoid military duty in Afghanistan. Judging by the swollen lump on his shin, earlier attempts to shatter his tibia were unsuccessful. Link

Michael Wilk, of Salem, Wisonsin, has a 4-foot-long alligator displaying scale patterns that seems to spell out "G-O-D." An alligator biologist says that the markings appear to be legit. From the Chicago Tribune (click image for full photo by David Trotman-Wilkins):

Rev. Philip Wilde, a pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in nearby Bristol, said he views the markings as a coincidence of nature.

"Obviously it's there because God wanted it to be that way," said Wilde, who has not seen the gator. "But I don't see any special message in that."

Link

"TO BUY (quickly): water / coffee / batteries / chocolate / ink / candles (a big stock) / canned food / bread / picon cheese / toilet paper / radio powered by batteries / matches / black felt pens / rolling paper / milk (still consumable." From comic artist/musician/blogger Mazen Kerbaj, who has decided not to evacuate, and is holed up in Beirut with family and loved ones. Link to this one, and there are many more incredible drawings in his flickr stream -- like Evacuation Blues, and this one. Previous BB post on his work here.

The Human Society of the United States is threatening Amazon.com with a lawsuit for selling The Gamecock and The Feathered Warrior, two magazines about cockfighting. The Gamecock is currently ranked #172 in Amazon's magazine sales ranking while Feathered Warrior is at #2,207. From the Associated Press:

The Washington D.C.-based (Humane Society) argues that Internet sales of the magazines violate the federal Animal Welfare Act, which bars use of mail or other means of interstate commerce to promote animal fighting, unless it's performed outside the United States.

"That's their claim, and we don't agree with their claim, so we're going to continue to make these titles available," Amazon.com spokeswoman Patty Smith said Tuesday afternoon. "It's up to the customer to determine what they feel is appropriate for them to purchase."

Link

James Mell, 31, of Farmington Hills, Michigan put his six-foot boa constrictor in his mailbox to freak out his mail carrier. According to the Associated Press, Mell now faces six months in federal custody. Link (via Fark)

Greg sez, "In January, EFF filed a lawsuit against AT&T for collaborating with the NSA in its massive and illegal spying program. Today, a federal court denied the government's and AT&T's motions to dismiss the case, allowing EFF's suit to proceed. This is a huge step toward stopping illegal surveillance and holding AT&T accountable for these privacy violations. With your help, we can finish the job and secure your rights. Please donate to EFF today and forward the news along to your friends and family!" Link (Thanks, Greg!)

According to reports out of India today, the Indian government has finally lifted its ban on blogs after overwhelming pressure from Indian blogger groups and press worldwide. Link (Thanks, J L Borghead)Not quite, update here.

Previously:
Update on India bans blogs: bloggers want answers
Update on India censoring blogs
Indian gov blocks Blogspot, Typepad, Geocities blogs

Chris sez, "Ian C Rogers has an editorial on the Yahoo Music Blog endorsing DRM-free downloads:

The only people [DRM] adds value to are the technology companies who are interested in locking consumers to a particular technology platform.

Link (Thanks, Chris!)

Energy Fiend has a handy calculator to determine how much coffee you'd need to drink to kill yourself. According to it, I will die if I 112.61 cups of espresso in a single sitting. Luckily, I stopped at 111 this morning. Link (Thanks, Tracy!)

Someone on eBay is auctioning off an old print plate of a Seven-Up ad showing a baby being fed a bottle of Seven-Up. The copy reads: "So pure...So good... So wholesome for everyone... including the tiniest tots!"

I reversed the plate image so you can read the text. Link (Thanks, Seth!)

Reader comments:

Sass says:

More 7-up creepiness. I saw your link to the 7-UP ad endorsing feeding it to babies, and it reminded me of something I came across the other day. The Gallery Of Regrettable Food has a link to an old promo "cookbook" of recipes using 7-UP. This cookbook is rife with that same theme of 7-UP being "pure" and "wholesome" and meant for the whole family -- the description makes it sound like you're drinking holy water, not carbonated sugar!

Paulio says:

Not sure if this is the appropriate place to comment, but in the original soda-fountain-as-drug-delivery days, 7-up originally had lithium in it and had a tag line of

"takes the Ouch out of Grouch" which kinda always left me thinking 'and what? leaves you with Grrrrrrrrrrrr'
(Image from vintage 7-Up Flickr Pool. (Thanks, Paula!)

Harper's has posted messages from the Rapture Ready/End Times chat bulletin board. These folks are as happy as can be that Israel and Hezbollah are fighting because that means they're one step closer to the Rapture.

Got that dancing feeling on the inside of me.

* * *

This is the busiest I've ever seen this website in a few years! I have been having rapture dreams and I can't believe that this is really it! We are on the edge of eternity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* * *

Whoa! I can sure feel the glory bumps after reading this thread!

* * *

I too am soooo excited!! I get goose bumps, literally, when I watch what's going on in the M.E.!! And Watcherboy, you were so right when saying it was quite a day yesterday, in the world news, and I add in local news here in the Boston area!! Tunnel ceiling collapsed on a car and killed a woman of faith, and we had the most terrifying storms I have ever seen here!! But, yes, oh happy day, like in your screen name , it is most indeed a time to be happy and excited, right there with ya!!

Link (Thanks, Kirsten!)

A UK company is selling "anti-terror" cutlery that will help you cherish the illusion that air travel is made safer by confiscating arbitrary lumps of metal (while allowing business travelers to lug around several pounds of highly volatile lithium in their laptops), because, you know, terrorists hate silverware.

The company, Arthur Price, said it was the first to design such a set, intended for use by business-class customers, replacing plastic cutlery. The knives, forks and spoons have been created to specifications based on new British Department for Transport guidelines that have their origin in security concerns.

The knives have a rounded rather than a sharp end and measure no longer than 2.36 inches, or 6 centimeters, while the forks have prongs no longer than half that.

Link (via Megnut)

Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi will be signing at the San Diego ComicCon this week. Here's his schedule. Link

Yesterday I posted a link to a chart that showed caffeine in common beverages. The numbers looked off to me. But here's a chart from National Geographic, January 2005 and the numbers are pretty close to the numbers I posted yesterday:

Hershey's milk chocolate almond bar, 6 oz 25 mg
Espresso, 1-oz shot 40 mg
Brewed tea, 8-oz cup 50 mg
Coca-Cola, 20-oz bottle 57 mg
Red Bull energy drink, 8.3-oz can 80 mg
Excedrin pain reliever, 2 tablets 130 mg
Brewed coffee, 12-oz cup 200 mg
Mountain Dew, 64-oz Double Big Gulp 294 mg

Link to PDF of NatGeo article about caffeine

Psuedonymous blogger and CIA software contractor "Econo-Girl" wrote a post criticizing interrogation techniques she said amounted to torture -- and she says she was soon fired for it. The blog was not publicly accessible, but posted in an intranet of sorts which is only available to intelligence community members with a high level of security clearance, according to Econo-Girl. Here's the problem post:

Waterboarding is Torture, and Torture is Wrong

Not to mention ineffective. Econo-Girl has serious doubts as to whether European lives were saved. Econo-Girl's purpose in writing this blog is to start a dialog on the Geneva Convention, since it now applies to the Department of Defense again. Guess it's not quaint anymore, eh?

Over the next few weeks, Econo-Girl would like to post articles about the Geneva Convention, like its origin and major provisions. Legal analysis is not the magic some would have you believe. If the grunts and paper pushers are knowledgeable, the anti-torture infrastructure will be strengthened.

Here's what waterboarding is: Wikipedia Link. And here's what the pseudonymous blogger writes after losing her job:

The above post is a recreation of a post that got me fired from the CIA. It is not exact, but covers the main points as best I remember them. I had a blog called Covert Communications on a kind of classified Internet. I wrote a version of the above post and classified it so that only Americans with clearances could read it. You couldn't even get to the blog if you had less than a Top Secret and above clearance anyway.

Another purpose of the blog post was to start a dialog on interogation techniques with the people who are asked to do the interogating. It was to be a public education campaign, of sorts. I was going to do the research on my own time and type in the results when I got to work. I never spent more than 15 minutes writing any of my posts.

More here. Image (via Wikipedia): "The Water Torture"—Facsimile of a woodcut in J. Damhoudère's Praxis Rerum Criminalium in 4to, Antwerp, 1556. (thanks, anonymous)

When government resources did not come to their aid soon enough, some stranded US citizens in Lebanon managed to get out on their own at considerable risk:

Shayna Silverstein and her friends jumped into expensive taxis and sped from Beirut to Damascus, preferring to dodge bombs and bribe border officials rather than wait for the U.S. government to evacuate them. (...)

Mandy Terc, 28, couldn't wait. Last week, the Chicago native kept checking the Web site of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut for information about evacuations. But there were no updates, she said. So, she decided Saturday to join Silverstein and six other Americans fleeing Lebanon.

The trip from Beirut to Damascus normally cost $10. They each paid $200 and piled into a gray Mercedes taxi that sped to the border. "We had to put our faith in our taxi driver," Terc said. "We were very nervous."

They passed an area that had been bombed only an hour earlier. "You could smell it in the air," Silverstein said. They took back roads, avoiding any possible military targets, until finally reaching the Syrian border, where hundreds of other people were trying to flee Lebanon.

Link (Thanks, Cyrus!)

Reader comment: anonymous says,

A grandfather describes how his 16-year-old granddaughter finessed her way (and her little sister's) onto a Greek war ship and out of war-torn Lebanon. Link (Scroll down to the post titled 'Hope Springs Internal...' then scroll back up to the second half of 'Little Doug Wins a Town... And an Update on the Girls' for the happy conclusion.)