Twice in my life I tried seeking help when I was feeling suicidal: once from an in-person counselor, and once from a phone based hotline. Both services failed to provide the support I needed, and I left the experience feeling just as bad, if not worse. Thanks to mobile technology and one great idea, we now have another option — Crisis Text Line — and they need volunteers who can text, particularly late at night, since peak crisis hours are between 8pm and 4am.

"We come out here, and sure enough we can hear a little voice coming from the machine. So we are thinking this is a joke. It's got to be a joke," (police officer Richard) Olden said.

It turns out it was true, and the employee said afterward he got stuck changing out an electronic lock. Later the contractor supervisor arrived, and police had to kick down a door to get the gentlemen out of the ATM room.

]]>

"We come out here, and sure enough we can hear a little voice coming from the machine. So we are thinking this is a joke. It's got to be a joke," (police officer Richard) Olden said.

It turns out it was true, and the employee said afterward he got stuck changing out an electronic lock. Later the contractor supervisor arrived, and police had to kick down a door to get the gentlemen out of the ATM room.

]]> http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/man-stuck-behind-atm-slips-h.html/feed 13 535222 http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/hotel-room-in-a-helicopter.html http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/hotel-room-in-a-helicopter.html#comments Thu, 13 Jul 2017 20:27:39 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=535197

This converted Sea King helicopter on a camp site in Stirling, Scotland is available for overnight stays at the rate of ~$200/night. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the helicopter doesn't fly. From Helicopter Glamping:

We snapped up the decommissioned Sea King in an online MOD auction for £7,000 in March 2016. The giant helicopter was then transported 320 miles by road before being craned into position on our picturesque Thornhill campsite a month later.

Over the summer months, we have lovingly restored her exterior to its former glory. We sourced some original rotor blades and replaced her tail rotors with some we discovered on Ebay, as we wanted her to still look like a helicopter from the outside. Her once peeling paintwork is a thing of the past after several days spent sanding her down and completely repainting her, whilst making sure we kept all her original signage. We thought we might have trouble finding the right shade of grey, but it turns out farm oxide paint – normally used for farm buildings or fencing – is a perfect match for her military colour.

We’ve kept and restored all of her original lighting, so when you see her lit up a night she looks as if she is ready to take off. Meanwhile, we’ve transformed her spacious interior into a remarkable holiday home that sleeps a family of five (2 adults and 3 children) with a double and a triple bed as well as single bed in the tail.

(via Uncrate)

]]>

This converted Sea King helicopter on a camp site in Stirling, Scotland is available for overnight stays at the rate of ~$200/night. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the helicopter doesn't fly. From Helicopter Glamping:

We snapped up the decommissioned Sea King in an online MOD auction for £7,000 in March 2016. The giant helicopter was then transported 320 miles by road before being craned into position on our picturesque Thornhill campsite a month later.

Over the summer months, we have lovingly restored her exterior to its former glory. We sourced some original rotor blades and replaced her tail rotors with some we discovered on Ebay, as we wanted her to still look like a helicopter from the outside. Her once peeling paintwork is a thing of the past after several days spent sanding her down and completely repainting her, whilst making sure we kept all her original signage. We thought we might have trouble finding the right shade of grey, but it turns out farm oxide paint – normally used for farm buildings or fencing – is a perfect match for her military colour.

We’ve kept and restored all of her original lighting, so when you see her lit up a night she looks as if she is ready to take off. Meanwhile, we’ve transformed her spacious interior into a remarkable holiday home that sleeps a family of five (2 adults and 3 children) with a double and a triple bed as well as single bed in the tail.

(via Uncrate)

]]> http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/hotel-room-in-a-helicopter.html/feed 8 535197 http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/its-the-same-fight.html http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/its-the-same-fight.html#comments Thu, 13 Jul 2017 18:28:04 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=535152

Yesterday's smashing Net Neutrality campaign showed that people have finally woken up to the risks of the highly concentrated telcoms sector using its commercial muscle to decide what kinds of services can flourish in the online world -- but Big Internet doesn't confine its efforts to control the future to playing around with packets. (more…)

The word on the Hill is that Trump will nominate Cheryl Stanton to head the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, a step up from her current job as head of the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, where her tenure has been marked by high-profile resignations over her plans to trump up claims against employees she disliked and wanted to fire, and (you can't make this stuff up) a lawsuit by the agency that cleans her house because she refused to pay them. (more…)

Yesterday's Net Neutrality day marked unprecedented public participation in the formerly fatally dull realm of telcoms policy, as 1.6 million Americans sent the FCC comments supporting Net Neutrality. (more…)

On Wednesday, heavily armed and armored Berlin police carried out a series of raids, arresting four suspects in the theft of a $3.9m, 220lb manhole-cover-sized gold coin from Berlin's Bode Museum in March. (more…)

Saranap is an unincorporated, loosely governed town in Contra Costa County in Northern California; it is home to a 66,000 square foot temple built by a religion called Sufism Reoriented, which has little to do with traditional Sufiism, being dedicated to the idea that an Indian man called Meher Baba was the reincarnation of Buddha and Christ and God on earth and that he will return in 700 years. (more…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZViIysnxo6Y

Ricky from Inside the Magic writes, "The updated redhead/'wench' auction scene in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride has debuted (along with a killer new Captain Barbossa animatronic). The infamous redhead character now has a gun and is no longer being lusted after, instead helping to run an auction for treasure. The controversial changes have appeared first at Disneyland Paris, with the US versions to follow next year." ]]>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZViIysnxo6Y

Ricky from Inside the Magic writes, "The updated redhead/'wench' auction scene in Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride has debuted (along with a killer new Captain Barbossa animatronic). The infamous redhead character now has a gun and is no longer being lusted after, instead helping to run an auction for treasure. The controversial changes have appeared first at Disneyland Paris, with the US versions to follow next year." ]]> http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/we-wants-the-redhead.html/feed 48 535134 http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/radical-technologies.html http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/radical-technologies.html#respond Thu, 13 Jul 2017 17:18:04 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=535131

Adam Greenfield's new book Radical Technologies: The Design of Everyday Life (previously) has scored an outstanding review from The Guardian's Steven Poole, who calls it "a landmark primer and spur to more informed and effective opposition" to "the pitiless libertarianism towards which all [Smart Cities] developments seem to lean." (more…)

W Aaron Waychoff, creator of the Falsom Upside-Down ⊥ "Resist" campaign, was inspired by this 2016 post; he writes, "I've made a proof-of-concept encrypting digital camera based on the open source, widely adoped GnuPG. This project uses public key encryption to encrypt every photo the camera takes before writing the encrypted version to memory. Of particular note, there are absolutely no UI changes over what an ordinary point-and-shoot camera provides. No extra keyboards or touch screens are needed as no passwords need be entered." (more…)

Assemblage artist Bernard Pras creates incredible 3D installation portraits from trash. (via @saatchi_gallery Instagram)

]]>

Assemblage artist Bernard Pras creates incredible 3D installation portraits from trash. (via @saatchi_gallery Instagram)

]]> http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/incredible-bowie-dali-and-ti.html/feed 3 535122 http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/watch-this-guy-make-a-cool-pot.html http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/watch-this-guy-make-a-cool-pot.html#comments Thu, 13 Jul 2017 13:57:27 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=535070

Australian woodworker Brendan Stemp found an old fence post with decades of weather damage. After some prep work, he filled the wood gaps with resin and turned a beautiful pot on his lathe. (more…)

As a man, the idea of buying a decent broom filled me with a billowing resentment, a lockjawed defiance at the very notion of replacing pointless labor with quality tools. I liked forcing results from a feeble polyester-fringed stick that would fold like a garden hose if pushed too hard.

When the last one broke, though, I was in a dreadful hurry and ended up grabbing the first one I saw under the false impression it was like $5.97. But it wasn't! It was $19.99. Twenty fucking dollars!

Even as I stormed from the checkout to the car, though, the weight of it in my hands began whispering to me. Seducing me. Talking to me about the dust it would move, the way it might put even the heaviest clods of muck in their place.

Within minutes of deployment on its first job (lawnmower clipping overflow) I was smitten. Something that once took minutes (shoveling my grass dust onto someone else's property) now took a fraction of the time. I immediately rushed to the back of the house to see if it could move the soggy little dunes of mud accreting on the edges of my crappy brick pathway. It did.

Lifting it to glint in the sunlight, I envisaged a science-fictional future wherein, firearms prohibited by the vast and sprawling mechanisms of a progressive world government, the last real men develop elaborate martial arts that turn everyday brooms, like this one, into brutally subversive instruments of self-defense and political self-determination.

Anyhoo, the Quickie Super-Duty Upright Jobsite Broom is pretty good, and you can pick it up from Home Depot for a few bucks cheaper than it is at Amazon. ]]>

As a man, the idea of buying a decent broom filled me with a billowing resentment, a lockjawed defiance at the very notion of replacing pointless labor with quality tools. I liked forcing results from a feeble polyester-fringed stick that would fold like a garden hose if pushed too hard.

When the last one broke, though, I was in a dreadful hurry and ended up grabbing the first one I saw under the false impression it was like $5.97. But it wasn't! It was $19.99. Twenty fucking dollars!

Even as I stormed from the checkout to the car, though, the weight of it in my hands began whispering to me. Seducing me. Talking to me about the dust it would move, the way it might put even the heaviest clods of muck in their place.

Within minutes of deployment on its first job (lawnmower clipping overflow) I was smitten. Something that once took minutes (shoveling my grass dust onto someone else's property) now took a fraction of the time. I immediately rushed to the back of the house to see if it could move the soggy little dunes of mud accreting on the edges of my crappy brick pathway. It did.

Lifting it to glint in the sunlight, I envisaged a science-fictional future wherein, firearms prohibited by the vast and sprawling mechanisms of a progressive world government, the last real men develop elaborate martial arts that turn everyday brooms, like this one, into brutally subversive instruments of self-defense and political self-determination.

Anyhoo, the Quickie Super-Duty Upright Jobsite Broom is pretty good, and you can pick it up from Home Depot for a few bucks cheaper than it is at Amazon. ]]> http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/review-quickie-jobsite-broom.html/feed 24 535022 http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/line-of-beauty-stunning-biogr.html http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/line-of-beauty-stunning-biogr.html#comments Thu, 13 Jul 2017 13:00:30 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=535006

Wendy Pini is most famous for Elfquest (above), but her artistic career spans fifty years of pop culture history, from weird lowbrow surrealism to yaoi pastiche. Line of Beauty isn't just a stunning art book covering decades in and beyond epic fantasy, but a powerful yet curiously tentative biography, drawing together threads from a childhood in the Californian sticks to the poisoned promises of Hollywood.

That it's so mysterious and unjudgmental (of her, at least) is most remarkable for the fact it was written by her husband, Richard Pini. His book is a crafty invitation to the worlds implied by her work, a mythos that seems misty and intangible even as its details take shape.

Born 1951, Wendy was a talent from early childhood, and we learn of the tensions and inspirations that flowed through her to emerge as a personal Elfame: adoptive parents whose emotional abuses hover on the margins of trauma; childhood obsessions and contrasts; and encounters with what were then rare oddities in rural America—manga, weird cartoons, the deeper magics of European and Japanese folklore—which she consumed voraciously.

Richard's access to private artwork and private fact far exceeds what a researcher might get to, but flags his story right off as both authorized and intimate. But while uncritical, the narrative stops short of hagiography: there's much evidence of unexpected turns and some evidence of friction in its creation. The focus is on Wendy's deep fascination with Hogarthian serpentine structures and sequential art (hence the title), and her artistic motivation and development. We are invited rather than imposed upon, and the result is a book that feels like the first chapter of something larger upon which others must elaborate.

This is, nonetheless, far and away the most complete look at Wendy Pini, her career and artistic journey, yet in print. And it's not just for fans of elf comics, or of fantasy's liminal worlds in general. To anyone interested in the independent comics movement she (among others) galvanized, and the 1970s SFF fandom culture that led to it, Line of Beauty is essential reading.

She was one of the first cosplay goddesses--and the Pinis learned only recently that this fact has quietly informed for decades a certain scoffing disrespect for her professional achievements, offspring of the misogyny and gatekeeping that persist in fandom like a stubborn rot.

From hundreds in the book, these are just a few examples of her work, each marking phases of a life in art.

Biographers usually want to be the last word. Line of Beauty is instead a loving word. I like the questions it left me with: Is Wendy a kinetic cartoonist or a static animator? What is left deliberately unsaid, and what is merely unspoken? Wendy is as associated with Elfquest as Herge is with Tintin or Tove Jansson with Moomin; the magnum opus tends to obscure not only her other work but the artist herself. The evidence - that there is so much more - is here. It’s time to talk about it.

Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini [Flesk Publications]

(Disclosure: I interviewed Wendy in 2014 and provided the Pinis with the transcripts, which Richard cites occasionally in this book.)]]>

Wendy Pini is most famous for Elfquest (above), but her artistic career spans fifty years of pop culture history, from weird lowbrow surrealism to yaoi pastiche. Line of Beauty isn't just a stunning art book covering decades in and beyond epic fantasy, but a powerful yet curiously tentative biography, drawing together threads from a childhood in the Californian sticks to the poisoned promises of Hollywood.

That it's so mysterious and unjudgmental (of her, at least) is most remarkable for the fact it was written by her husband, Richard Pini. His book is a crafty invitation to the worlds implied by her work, a mythos that seems misty and intangible even as its details take shape.

Born 1951, Wendy was a talent from early childhood, and we learn of the tensions and inspirations that flowed through her to emerge as a personal Elfame: adoptive parents whose emotional abuses hover on the margins of trauma; childhood obsessions and contrasts; and encounters with what were then rare oddities in rural America—manga, weird cartoons, the deeper magics of European and Japanese folklore—which she consumed voraciously.

Richard's access to private artwork and private fact far exceeds what a researcher might get to, but flags his story right off as both authorized and intimate. But while uncritical, the narrative stops short of hagiography: there's much evidence of unexpected turns and some evidence of friction in its creation. The focus is on Wendy's deep fascination with Hogarthian serpentine structures and sequential art (hence the title), and her artistic motivation and development. We are invited rather than imposed upon, and the result is a book that feels like the first chapter of something larger upon which others must elaborate.

This is, nonetheless, far and away the most complete look at Wendy Pini, her career and artistic journey, yet in print. And it's not just for fans of elf comics, or of fantasy's liminal worlds in general. To anyone interested in the independent comics movement she (among others) galvanized, and the 1970s SFF fandom culture that led to it, Line of Beauty is essential reading.

She was one of the first cosplay goddesses--and the Pinis learned only recently that this fact has quietly informed for decades a certain scoffing disrespect for her professional achievements, offspring of the misogyny and gatekeeping that persist in fandom like a stubborn rot.

From hundreds in the book, these are just a few examples of her work, each marking phases of a life in art.

Biographers usually want to be the last word. Line of Beauty is instead a loving word. I like the questions it left me with: Is Wendy a kinetic cartoonist or a static animator? What is left deliberately unsaid, and what is merely unspoken? Wendy is as associated with Elfquest as Herge is with Tintin or Tove Jansson with Moomin; the magnum opus tends to obscure not only her other work but the artist herself. The evidence - that there is so much more - is here. It’s time to talk about it.

Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini [Flesk Publications]

(Disclosure: I interviewed Wendy in 2014 and provided the Pinis with the transcripts, which Richard cites occasionally in this book.)]]> http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/line-of-beauty-stunning-biogr.html/feed 9 535006 http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/trailer-for-awaken-is-a-feast.html http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/trailer-for-awaken-is-a-feast.html#comments Thu, 13 Jul 2017 12:52:58 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=535025

The trailer for the film Awaken by timelapse expert Tom Lowe has so many beautiful shots that it was hard to choose a thumbnail. Below are just a few: (more…)

In 1971 high school student Juliane Koepcke fell two miles into the Peruvian rain forest when her airliner broke up in a thunderstorm. Miraculously, she survived the fall, but her ordeal was just beginning. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Juliane's arduous trek through the jungle in search of civilization and help.

We'll also consider whether goats are unlucky and puzzle over the shape of doorknobs.

Show notes

Please support us on Patreon!

Whenever I've gone to a vintage car show, I've often wondered how they get their engines so sparkling clean. Now I know!

This comprehensive how-to video from YouTuber ChrisFix shows exactly how to wash, and then detail, your vehicle's engine bay. It takes about two hours, from start to finish, to get your engine super-shiny clean.

I think his "before and after" engine bay photos are particularly satisfying.

Note to self: Keep this video handy for your post-Burning Man engine-cleaning needs.

(digg)]]>

Whenever I've gone to a vintage car show, I've often wondered how they get their engines so sparkling clean. Now I know!

This comprehensive how-to video from YouTuber ChrisFix shows exactly how to wash, and then detail, your vehicle's engine bay. It takes about two hours, from start to finish, to get your engine super-shiny clean.

I think his "before and after" engine bay photos are particularly satisfying.

Note to self: Keep this video handy for your post-Burning Man engine-cleaning needs.

(digg)]]> http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/how-to-super-clean-your-vehicl.html/feed 10 534942 http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/watch-this-ant-colony-vs-carn.html http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/watch-this-ant-colony-vs-carn.html#comments Thu, 13 Jul 2017 12:50:29 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=535040

AntsCanada (previously) has an overpopulation problem in his yellow crazy ant colony, so he added two kinds of carnivorous pitcher plants. The resulting relationship between ant versus plant turned out to be quite fascinating. (more…)

YouTuber TheCraftMaiden decided to make a Harry Potter Golden Egg, and it's a triumph of winging it when trying a craft project. It even has a turnable owl to open it. (more…)

Anna Christova snapped this fantastic street art project called "CTRL+X," which paints items tagged with graffiti to look as if they've been selected and deleted in Photoshop, revealing the default transparent layer. Below is the before photo: (more…)

This shark stroller almost makes me want to have another baby. Almost. Instead I'm going to get one to push my cat around (not really, Missy would never have that.)

However, if I were to have another baby or adopt a more cooperative cat, I would totally get the Shark Buggy by baby brand Maclaren. Designed by British neo-pop surrealist Philip Colbert , the stroller gives the illusion that junior is sitting in the mouth of a dangerous predator (which is probably a metaphor for life).

(Cool Mom)

Previously: Watch 'Jaws' with your feet dangling in the water]]>

This shark stroller almost makes me want to have another baby. Almost. Instead I'm going to get one to push my cat around (not really, Missy would never have that.)

However, if I were to have another baby or adopt a more cooperative cat, I would totally get the Shark Buggy by baby brand Maclaren. Designed by British neo-pop surrealist Philip Colbert , the stroller gives the illusion that junior is sitting in the mouth of a dangerous predator (which is probably a metaphor for life).

(Cool Mom)

Previously: Watch 'Jaws' with your feet dangling in the water]]> http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/for-parents-with-a-twisted-sen.html/feed 8 534965 http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/la-bakery-heat-seals-ice-cream.html http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/la-bakery-heat-seals-ice-cream.html#comments Thu, 13 Jul 2017 12:01:06 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=534870 My teeth hurt just looking at the Halo, the new ice cream-filled glazed doughnut by chef Barb Batiste of B Sweet Dessert Bar in Los Angeles. For $5, the bakery will put a scoop of ice cream --vanilla, mint chocolate chip, cookies and cream, rocky road, chocolate malted crunch, or ube-- inside a glazed donut and seal it together in a warm press.

The brain freeze-inducing treat is advertised as "Hot outside, cold inside, yummy all over!"

Batiste was inspired to combine ice cream and doughnuts by her father Angel, who passed away five years ago.

LAist explains:

He and Barb had a very special relationship; there's a chair marked for him in the restaurant, and Barb has fond memories of getting Thrifty's ice cream with him every other day as a child. His name was Angel, and after he died, Barb decided to honor him by combining his two favorite desserts: doughnuts and ice cream. The circle reminded Barb of a halo hanging above Angel's head after his passing; hence, the halo dessert was born.

If you're in L.A. and gotta have one, bring your sweet tooth and five bucks to 2005 Sawtelle Boulevard.

(Pee-wee Herman)]]> My teeth hurt just looking at the Halo, the new ice cream-filled glazed doughnut by chef Barb Batiste of B Sweet Dessert Bar in Los Angeles. For $5, the bakery will put a scoop of ice cream --vanilla, mint chocolate chip, cookies and cream, rocky road, chocolate malted crunch, or ube-- inside a glazed donut and seal it together in a warm press.

The brain freeze-inducing treat is advertised as "Hot outside, cold inside, yummy all over!"

Batiste was inspired to combine ice cream and doughnuts by her father Angel, who passed away five years ago.

LAist explains:

He and Barb had a very special relationship; there's a chair marked for him in the restaurant, and Barb has fond memories of getting Thrifty's ice cream with him every other day as a child. His name was Angel, and after he died, Barb decided to honor him by combining his two favorite desserts: doughnuts and ice cream. The circle reminded Barb of a halo hanging above Angel's head after his passing; hence, the halo dessert was born.

If you're in L.A. and gotta have one, bring your sweet tooth and five bucks to 2005 Sawtelle Boulevard.

(Pee-wee Herman)]]> http://boingboing.net/2017/07/13/la-bakery-heat-seals-ice-cream.html/feed 6 534870 http://boingboing.net/2017/07/12/ignorance-isnt-bliss.html http://boingboing.net/2017/07/12/ignorance-isnt-bliss.html#respond Wed, 12 Jul 2017 21:02:25 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=535003

Are you a security researcher planning to present at Black Hat, Defcon, B-Sides or any of this summer's security events? Are you worried a big corporation or the government might attack you for revealing true facts about the defects in the security systems we entrust with our safety, privacy and health? (more…)

In 2015, U.S. intelligence agencies monitoring the communications of Russian agents overheard them talking "about meetings held outside the U.S. involving Russian government officials and Trump business associates or advisers.”

That was before Donald J. Trump's presidential campaign began.

The Wall Street Journal reports that “In light of the release of emails Tuesday by Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, investigators are going back to” early reports of chatter between Russians in the U.S. and members of Trump's inner circle, to see if they can better understand the intercepted conversations.

(more…)

Supermarket tabloids have given us aliens in the White House, Bat Boy, Elvis lives, and the first photos of heaven, but I never thought I’d read this stunning sentence . . .

“In May, a new ferry service began moving up to 200 passengers and 1,000 tons of cargo every month between North Korea and the Russian port of Vladivostok.”

What the hell is happening at the ‘National Enquirer?’ They’ve gone so deep into Donald Trump’s corner that its readers who crave titilating details of celebrity scandal are being fed a weekly diet of Trumped-up propaganda, which this week brings us a cover story and three pages on “Trump’s secret plan to defeat North Korea’s Doomsday machine.”

America is evidently under siege by North Korea’s escalating nuclear weapons program, and “Donald

Trump has taken bold and extraordinary steps to ensure America survives the siege and emerges with total victory!”

That sounds like something that Kim Jong-un’s propaganda machine might churn out, but it’s here in the ‘Enquirer,’ which laboriously details tanker movements between North Korea and Russia, reporting: “It could be oil  -  or something much more sinister.” Maybe they’re shipping old copies of the ‘Enquirer’ to North Korea  -  what could be more sinister that that?

At least it’s not all geopolitics in this week’s tabloids.

Kim Kardashian has been allegedly “caught on drug video” claims the ‘Enquirer,’ though since it was filmed in 2003, that’s neither new or shocking. Dubious reporting abounds in the ‘Enquirer,’ which claims that Natalie Wood “was raped before her death!” The mag explains that a rape kit may have been used during the actress’s autopsy, but no results were ever released. But since when is using a rape kit proof that anyone was actually raped? Hearsay and conjecture: the ingredients for any good tabloid story.

The ‘Enquirer’ fails again when exposing Michael Jackson’s “kiddie nude stash.” But it’s not Jacko's promised treasure trove of child porn. Rather it’s a copy of an old magazine with the titles of nudist DVDs circled  -  a magazine found among "documents of Michael’s management team.” So the 1999 mag could have belonged to one of many people, not just Jackson. And the videos, while showing nudist families, were not pornographic. But why let the facts get in the way of a good story?

The ‘Globe’ maintains these high journalistic standards with its cover story claiming that child beauty pageant veteran JonBenet Ramsey's murder has been "finally solved!” Ignoring past ‘Globe’ stories that have repeatedly “solved” JonBenet’s murder by naming convict John Mark Karr as her self-confessed killer, the magazine now claims that convicted sex attacker Keith Schwinaman is her real killer. The “new evidence”? Evidently Schwinaman’s plea deal ensured that he could not be forced to submit his DNA to see if he committed other crimes.

He’s clearly hiding something . . . therefore he’s JonBenet’s killer! It seems obvious, doesn’t it? When has the ‘Globe’ ever been wrong before? (Hint  -  ask John Mark Karr.)

“Queen names William King!” screams the ‘National Examiner’ cover headline, scooping all of Fleet Street and the world’s press with this “Royal Shocker!” The Queen has reportedly axed son Charles from succeeding to the throne over his “$250 million divorce.” Only two small problems with these stories: Charles and Camilla haven't filed for divorce, and Charles is still heir to the British throne. I know, picky, picky . . .

‘Dancing With the Stars’ nuptials dominate the glossies this week: Julianne Hough’s “dream wedding” occupies the cover and seven pages of

‘People’ magazine, while fellow cast-mate Maksim Chemerkovsky’s wedding to DWTS dancer Peta Murgatroyd takes the cover and six pages of ‘Us’ magazine. “The dresses! The dancing! The ring-bearer dogs!” raves ‘People.’ “The ring, the dress, the afterparty!” rejoices ‘Us.’ What, no ring-bearer dogs for Maks and Peta? Couldn’t they all have saved a fortune and had a double wedding?

Blac Chyna tells ‘Us’ mag “my side of the story” in her break-up with Rob Kardashian, the least interesting member of a self-aggrandizing family whose lives are fabricated for the cameras. She reveals next to nothing, proclaiming “I’m taking a classier route.” But where’s the fun in that? And she fails to answer the question on everyones’ lips: Why can’t she figure out how to spell Black China?

Fortunately we have the crack investigative team at ‘Us’ magazine to tell us that Vanessa Hudgens wore it best (and still looked terrible), that Fred Savage’s favorite place in the world is his backyard, Real Housewives of New York City newcomer Tinsley Mortimer carries hairspray, sunglasses and tanning cream in her L.L. Bean tote, and that the stars are just like us: they bicycle, eat fruit, and shop at drugstores. Shocking!

Rescuing us from dreary details of Russian-Korean trade, the ‘Examiner’ tries to return tabloids to their former glory with news that “Dead Aliens Seen at Roswell Crash Site!” Better yet, the ‘Examiner’ reveals that “UFOs destroyed our nukes!”

Apparently ten ICBMs were mysteriously switched to “off-alert” and could not be launched, after UFOs floated above a U.S. military base in Minot, North Dakota, in 1966. It seems a long time for such a revelation to be revealed, but witnesses were reportedly “instructed to keep silent.”  Thank goodness someone was finally brave enough to reveal the truth.

Onwards and downwards . . .]]>

Supermarket tabloids have given us aliens in the White House, Bat Boy, Elvis lives, and the first photos of heaven, but I never thought I’d read this stunning sentence . . .

“In May, a new ferry service began moving up to 200 passengers and 1,000 tons of cargo every month between North Korea and the Russian port of Vladivostok.”

What the hell is happening at the ‘National Enquirer?’ They’ve gone so deep into Donald Trump’s corner that its readers who crave titilating details of celebrity scandal are being fed a weekly diet of Trumped-up propaganda, which this week brings us a cover story and three pages on “Trump’s secret plan to defeat North Korea’s Doomsday machine.”

America is evidently under siege by North Korea’s escalating nuclear weapons program, and “Donald

Trump has taken bold and extraordinary steps to ensure America survives the siege and emerges with total victory!”

That sounds like something that Kim Jong-un’s propaganda machine might churn out, but it’s here in the ‘Enquirer,’ which laboriously details tanker movements between North Korea and Russia, reporting: “It could be oil  -  or something much more sinister.” Maybe they’re shipping old copies of the ‘Enquirer’ to North Korea  -  what could be more sinister that that?

At least it’s not all geopolitics in this week’s tabloids.

Kim Kardashian has been allegedly “caught on drug video” claims the ‘Enquirer,’ though since it was filmed in 2003, that’s neither new or shocking. Dubious reporting abounds in the ‘Enquirer,’ which claims that Natalie Wood “was raped before her death!” The mag explains that a rape kit may have been used during the actress’s autopsy, but no results were ever released. But since when is using a rape kit proof that anyone was actually raped? Hearsay and conjecture: the ingredients for any good tabloid story.

The ‘Enquirer’ fails again when exposing Michael Jackson’s “kiddie nude stash.” But it’s not Jacko's promised treasure trove of child porn. Rather it’s a copy of an old magazine with the titles of nudist DVDs circled  -  a magazine found among "documents of Michael’s management team.” So the 1999 mag could have belonged to one of many people, not just Jackson. And the videos, while showing nudist families, were not pornographic. But why let the facts get in the way of a good story?

The ‘Globe’ maintains these high journalistic standards with its cover story claiming that child beauty pageant veteran JonBenet Ramsey's murder has been "finally solved!” Ignoring past ‘Globe’ stories that have repeatedly “solved” JonBenet’s murder by naming convict John Mark Karr as her self-confessed killer, the magazine now claims that convicted sex attacker Keith Schwinaman is her real killer. The “new evidence”? Evidently Schwinaman’s plea deal ensured that he could not be forced to submit his DNA to see if he committed other crimes.

He’s clearly hiding something . . . therefore he’s JonBenet’s killer! It seems obvious, doesn’t it? When has the ‘Globe’ ever been wrong before? (Hint  -  ask John Mark Karr.)

“Queen names William King!” screams the ‘National Examiner’ cover headline, scooping all of Fleet Street and the world’s press with this “Royal Shocker!” The Queen has reportedly axed son Charles from succeeding to the throne over his “$250 million divorce.” Only two small problems with these stories: Charles and Camilla haven't filed for divorce, and Charles is still heir to the British throne. I know, picky, picky . . .

‘Dancing With the Stars’ nuptials dominate the glossies this week: Julianne Hough’s “dream wedding” occupies the cover and seven pages of

‘People’ magazine, while fellow cast-mate Maksim Chemerkovsky’s wedding to DWTS dancer Peta Murgatroyd takes the cover and six pages of ‘Us’ magazine. “The dresses! The dancing! The ring-bearer dogs!” raves ‘People.’ “The ring, the dress, the afterparty!” rejoices ‘Us.’ What, no ring-bearer dogs for Maks and Peta? Couldn’t they all have saved a fortune and had a double wedding?

Blac Chyna tells ‘Us’ mag “my side of the story” in her break-up with Rob Kardashian, the least interesting member of a self-aggrandizing family whose lives are fabricated for the cameras. She reveals next to nothing, proclaiming “I’m taking a classier route.” But where’s the fun in that? And she fails to answer the question on everyones’ lips: Why can’t she figure out how to spell Black China?

Fortunately we have the crack investigative team at ‘Us’ magazine to tell us that Vanessa Hudgens wore it best (and still looked terrible), that Fred Savage’s favorite place in the world is his backyard, Real Housewives of New York City newcomer Tinsley Mortimer carries hairspray, sunglasses and tanning cream in her L.L. Bean tote, and that the stars are just like us: they bicycle, eat fruit, and shop at drugstores. Shocking!

Rescuing us from dreary details of Russian-Korean trade, the ‘Examiner’ tries to return tabloids to their former glory with news that “Dead Aliens Seen at Roswell Crash Site!” Better yet, the ‘Examiner’ reveals that “UFOs destroyed our nukes!”

Apparently ten ICBMs were mysteriously switched to “off-alert” and could not be launched, after UFOs floated above a U.S. military base in Minot, North Dakota, in 1966. It seems a long time for such a revelation to be revealed, but witnesses were reportedly “instructed to keep silent.”  Thank goodness someone was finally brave enough to reveal the truth.

Onwards and downwards . . .]]> http://boingboing.net/2017/07/12/aliens-destroy-u-s-nukes-tru.html/feed 2 534988 http://boingboing.net/2017/07/12/trump-hotel-guest-hack.html http://boingboing.net/2017/07/12/trump-hotel-guest-hack.html#comments Wed, 12 Jul 2017 20:14:04 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=534977

For the third time in the past three years, hotel guests at 14 Trump properties including Washington, New York and Vancouver, had their personal credit card info exposed to hackers.

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A 39 year old man in Key West Florida has been arrested after police found a large amount of cocaine hidden in a 'Cookie Monster' doll in his vehicle.

More like Coke-y Monster.

From the Monroe County Sheriff's office:

Just after midnight, Deputy Orey Swilley was parked at 14th Street and highway U.S. One in Marathon when he spotted a black Dodge passenger car drive past with the license plate obscured. The tint on the windows of the car was so dark the deputy could not see who was inside. He pulled the car over at 73rd Street, identifying the driver as Camus McNair.

When McNair rolled down his window, Deputy Swilley could smell the odor of marijuana coming from inside the car. A search of the vehicle turned up a backpack. Inside the backpack was a blue “Cookie Monster” doll. Deputy Swilley noticed the doll seemed to weigh more than it should have. He took a closer look and found a slit cut in the doll. Inside the doll were two packages containing what turned out to be a total of 314 grams of cocaine.

Paperwork found inside the backpack indicated the backpack did belong to McNair. Deputies Seth Hopp and Matthew Cory assisted on the traffic stop.

McNair was arrested and charged with trafficking in cocaine.

(via)]]>

A 39 year old man in Key West Florida has been arrested after police found a large amount of cocaine hidden in a 'Cookie Monster' doll in his vehicle.

More like Coke-y Monster.

From the Monroe County Sheriff's office:

Just after midnight, Deputy Orey Swilley was parked at 14th Street and highway U.S. One in Marathon when he spotted a black Dodge passenger car drive past with the license plate obscured. The tint on the windows of the car was so dark the deputy could not see who was inside. He pulled the car over at 73rd Street, identifying the driver as Camus McNair.

When McNair rolled down his window, Deputy Swilley could smell the odor of marijuana coming from inside the car. A search of the vehicle turned up a backpack. Inside the backpack was a blue “Cookie Monster” doll. Deputy Swilley noticed the doll seemed to weigh more than it should have. He took a closer look and found a slit cut in the doll. Inside the doll were two packages containing what turned out to be a total of 314 grams of cocaine.

Paperwork found inside the backpack indicated the backpack did belong to McNair. Deputies Seth Hopp and Matthew Cory assisted on the traffic stop.

McNair was arrested and charged with trafficking in cocaine.

(via)]]> http://boingboing.net/2017/07/12/cokey-monster.html/feed 30 534949 http://boingboing.net/2017/07/12/must-stream-tv.html http://boingboing.net/2017/07/12/must-stream-tv.html#comments Wed, 12 Jul 2017 18:37:17 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=534944

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1RkNDbneEg

Paul Bennun writes, "The incomparable Sarah Warren, (creator of feminist slapstick spy caper MLE) has launched a brand new tragicomedy web series called LAX on YouTube, keeping with the TLAs. (more…)

Brad Sherman (D-CA) today introduced articles of impeachment against U.S. President Donald Trump.

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