We filmed the bottle episode in chronological order so this was the first line that we shot and I remember sitting at the monitors at 7am on the first day thinking, "If they call action and no one runs in here screaming 'stop the TV-equivalent of presses,' then I will have written a line that will appear on a television show. I'll be a television writer." And the director did call action–as they do–and so I was. Just like that. ...

This isn't the end of me and Greendale. Community was my world for four seasons and my job for three, and has hold of my whole heart like a bad-news high school boyfriend. I'll never really get away. The chemistry is too perfect and the writing room couches aren't really that uncomfortable to sleep on and I just can't stop writing for Britta. Plus I still have to do my editing pass on the finale. I think I left a box in my office, too. Bobrow probably misses me. Better stop by on my way home.

Ganz's voice on Community will definitely be missed, but I prefer to see her gainfully employed rather than suddenly silenced or underutilized. I will probably also really, truly have to start watching Modern Family now.

(via Splitsider)

Photo of Megan Ganz and Annie's Boobs via Community Wiki

Besides that, Klippel-Feil syndrome is pretty diverse. It's associated with a wide variety of birth defects that not everyone with the syndrome has. So it's hard to say what an absolute outcome for Klippel-Feil would be. But, for one man who lived 4,000 years ago in what is now northern Vietnam, Klippel-Feil syndrome likely meant complete paralysis of the lower half of his body. There's a good chance his arms were at least partly paralyzed, as well. His head would have been torqued to the right. It was probably hard for him to chew. Basically, he couldn't have easily kept himself alive with no help

And yet, this man — known as Burial 9 — lived into adulthood. Discovered in 2009, he is only one of a collection of prehistoric burials demonstrating that, even while living under harsh conditions, our ancestors went out of their way to care for people who couldn't care for themselves and make space in the community for people who had to live differently than the norm. In the New York Times, James Gorman writes about this archaeology of compassion:

Among archaeological finds, she said, she knows “about 30 cases in which the disease or pathology was so severe, they must have had care in order to survive.” And she said there are certainly more such cases to be described. “I am totally confident that there are almost any number of case studies where direct support or accommodation was necessary.”

Such cases include at least one Neanderthal, Shanidar 1, from a site in Iraq, dating to 45,000 years ago, who died around age 50 with one arm amputated, loss of vision in one eye and other injuries. Another is Windover boy from about 7,500 years ago, found in Florida, who had a severe congenital spinal malformation known as spina bifida, and lived to around age 15. D. N. Dickel and G. H. Doran, from Florida State University wrote the original paper on the case in 1989, and they concluded that contrary to popular stereotypes of prehistoric people, “under some conditions life 7,500 years ago included an ability and willingness to help and sustain the chronically ill and handicapped.”

In another well-known case, the skeleton of a teenage boy, Romito 2, found at a site in Italy in the 1980s, and dating to 10,000 years ago, showed a form of severe dwarfism that left the boy with very short arms. His people were nomadic and they lived by hunting and gathering. He didn’t need nursing care, but the group would have had to accept that he couldn’t run at the same pace or participate in hunting in the same way others did.

Read the rest

We believe there are many benefits to having a world of open wireless. Two of the big ones for us have to do with privacy and innovation.

Open wireless protects privacy. By using multiple IP addresses as one shifts from wireless network to wireless network, you can make it more difficult for advertisers and marketing companies to track you without cookies. Activists can better protect their anonymous communication by using open wireless (though Tor is still recommended).

Innovations would also thrive: Smarter tablets, watches, clothing, cars—the possibilities are endless. In a future with ubiquitous open Internet, smartphones can take advantage of persistent, higher quality connections to run apps more efficiently without reporting your whereabouts or communications. Inventors and creators would not have to ask permission of cell phone companies to utilize their networks, both freeing up radio spectrum and reducing unnecessary barriers to entry.

This movement is just beginning, but in a sense it has always been around. People, businesses, and communities have already been opening up their wireless networks, sharing with their neighbors, and providing an important public good. We want this movement to grow without unnecessary legal fears or technical restraints.

Why We Have An Open Wireless Movement ]]> http://boingboing.net/2012/10/31/effs-open-wireless-campaign.html/feed 8 http://boingboing.net/2012/10/29/another-rainy-day-fun.html http://boingboing.net/2012/10/29/another-rainy-day-fun.html#comments Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:19:45 +0000 Maggie Koerth-Baker http://boingboing.net/?p=190497 the official Google Doc, or the IRC channel. (Via Shasha Costanza-Chock)]]> http://boingboing.net/2012/10/29/another-rainy-day-fun.html/feed 1 http://boingboing.net/2012/10/26/the-infrastructure-of-longevit.html http://boingboing.net/2012/10/26/the-infrastructure-of-longevit.html#comments Fri, 26 Oct 2012 22:15:01 +0000 Maggie Koerth-Baker http://boingboing.net/?p=190284 I really enjoyed reading a recent story in The New York Times Magazine about attempts to understand extreme longevity — the weird tendency for certain populations to have larger-than-average numbers of people who live well into their 90s, if not 100s.

Written by Dan Buettner, the piece focuses on the Greek island of Ikaria, and, in many ways, it's a lot like a lot of the other stories I've read on this subject. From a scientific perspective, we don't really understand why some people live longer than others. And we definitely don't understand why some populations have more people who live longer. There are lots of theories. Conveniently, they tend to coincide with our own biases about what we currently think is most wrong with our own society. So articles about extremely long-lived populations tend to offer a lot of inspiring stories, some funny quotes from really old people, and not a lot in the way of answers.

Buettner's story has all those elements, but it also proposes some ideas that were, for me, really thought provoking. After spending much of the article discussing the Ikarian's diet (it's low in meat and sugar, high in antioxidants, and includes lots of locally produced food and wine) and their laid-back, low-stress way of life, Buettner doesn't suggest that we'll all live to be 100 if we just, individually, try to live exactly like the Ikarians do. In fact, he points out that other communities of long-lived individuals actually live differently — Californian Seventh-Day Adventists, for instance, eat no meat at all and don't drink, and they live with the normal stresses of everyday American life.

What these groups do have in common, though, is a strong social infrastructure that ties people to each other emotionally and connects individual choices to a bigger community lifestyle.

It's hard to follow any diet when you're trying to do it on your own, in a culture that doesn't necessarily encourage you. It's hard to sleep in until 11:00 am every day (as the Ikarians do) when the social infrastructure of your community would actively punish such behavior. What's more, a common thread running through all these communities is an emphasis on the life-long pursuit of things that give your life meaning. There's not a cutoff point when you're expected to sit back, relax, and do nothing until you die.

The importance of systems, and how they shape individual behavior, is something I spent a lot of time thinking about while writing my book on energy. For example, it's somewhat futile to tell people to make an individual choice to drive less if the infrastructure of their city is set up in such a way that living without a car means being trapped in your house. But it's not something I'd thought about in terms of longevity.

Buettner's piece seems to suggest that it's not really your specific diet that matters. By which, I mean that eating healthy is definitely important, but there might not be a single, strict, specific diet that makes some things taboo and other things mandatory and must be followed at all times.

Instead, the important thing might really be your community as a system. If your community eats well (and makes eating well easy), so will you. If your community makes physical fitness part of daily life, you're more likely to be physically fit. If your community helps you create meaning in your life, it will be easier to find it. It's not really a solid answer for "HOW TO LIVE LONGER NOW", but it is intriguing. More importantly, from my perspective, it makes living a healthy life sound, you know, pleasant ... rather than like an obnoxious, individual dogma that creates smug insiders and resentful outsiders.

Of course, all of this fits nicely with my own personal biases, so who the hell knows. ;)

We do know from reliable data that people on Ikaria are outliving those on surrounding islands (a control group, of sorts). Samos, for instance, is just eight miles away. People there with the same genetic background eat yogurt, drink wine, breathe the same air, fish from the same sea as their neighbors on Ikaria. But people on Samos tend to live no longer than average Greeks. This is what makes the Ikarian formula so tantalizing.

If you pay careful attention to the way Ikarians have lived their lives, it appears that a dozen subtly powerful, mutually enhancing and pervasive factors are at work. It’s easy to get enough rest if no one else wakes up early and the village goes dead during afternoon naptime. It helps that the cheapest, most accessible foods are also the most healthful — and that your ancestors have spent centuries developing ways to make them taste good. It’s hard to get through the day in Ikaria without walking up 20 hills. You’re not likely to ever feel the existential pain of not belonging or even the simple stress of arriving late. Your community makes sure you’ll always have something to eat, but peer pressure will get you to contribute something too. You’re going to grow a garden, because that’s what your parents did, and that’s what your neighbors are doing. You’re less likely to be a victim of crime because everyone at once is a busybody and feels as if he’s being watched. At day’s end, you’ll share a cup of the seasonal herbal tea with your neighbor because that’s what he’s serving. Several glasses of wine may follow the tea, but you’ll drink them in the company of good friends. On Sunday, you’ll attend church, and you’ll fast before Orthodox feast days. Even if you’re antisocial, you’ll never be entirely alone. Your neighbors will cajole you out of your house for the village festival to eat your portion of goat meat.

Via Tom Rafferty

Read the full story at The New York Times Magazine

NBC released a statement saying that their current lineup of new shows is benefiting from their attention, so they've chosen to shelf the premieres of both Community and Whitney, which were originally going to premiere next Friday.

"Without having to launch these comedies on Friday at this time, we can keep our promotion focused on earlier in the week; plus, we will have both comedies in our back pocket if we need to make any schedule changes on those nights. When we have a better idea of viewing patterns in the next few weeks, we will announce new season premieres of Whitney and Community."

So, it's very nice of NBC to spare Community from being overshadowed by all the marketing they'll be doing for their new shows. It's also amazingly ironic, considering how they have had Community on their channel for three years and barely promoted it at all, then wondered why the ratings were so bad, and then banished it to Friday nights next to one of its most reviled new shows. So, now they're going to take the time to promote it? I suppose that if it has to be on Friday nights, it's a good thing they're finally going to give it the attention it deserves. But isn't that like having an aunt who says you never, ever visit her, then when she ends up in the hospital and you realize she might die, you go see her once -- for your own peace of mind?

NBC -- your best fair-weather nephew. Check this space for the new premiere dates.

Photo credit: Trae Patton for NBC

NBC Delays 'Community,' 'Whitney' Returns [The Hollywood Reporter]

Many WELL users have pledged money for a user buyout, and a group of them negotiated with Salon to make the purchase.

I have been a WELL user since the early 1990s, and have enormous affection and respect for the community there. Though I don't often use it actively any longer, my experiences there were formative to my understanding of the online world. Congratulations to the Well Group folks for navigating these waters. Below the jump I've included the press-release.

The WELL

Salon Media Group Sells The WELL to The Well Group: First Time Online Business Taken Private by Users of the Business Itself

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 20, 2012 -- Salon Media Group (SLNM.PK) and The Well Group, Inc. today jointly announced that The WELL is now under the ownership of The Well Group, Inc., a private investment group composed of long-time WELL members.

The Well Group, Inc. consists entirely of long-time WELL users with an average tenure exceeding 20 years. The purchase marks the first major online business taken private by users of the business itself.

The WELL represents one of the earliest platforms for online dialogue, supporting lively debates and conversations since its founding in 1985. The Well Group, Inc. is excited to take over the management of The WELL, and continue offering the valuable products and services that subscribers have come to expect over the years.

"The WELL welcomes the opportunity to support its existing base and extends an invitation to like-minded individuals looking for a social network that puts the free exchange of ideas at the forefront," explained Earl Crabb, CEO of The Well Group, Inc. "We are extremely grateful to Salon Media Group for working with us to make this transition a success."

"In a world where online platforms come and go, this is a testament to the dedication of a truly remarkable community," explained Cindy Jeffers, CEO of Salon Media Group. "As a true pioneer of the digital age, and a forerunner of today's ubiquitous social networks, The WELL has played a central role in

the origin of countless creative endeavors and cultural movements. We wish The WELL countless more under their new management."

About The WELL

Launched in 1985 by "Whole Earth Catalog" founder Stewart Brand and entrepreneur/philanthropist Larry Brilliant, The WELL attracted an active membership, many well known in the worlds of technology, music, and publishing.

Among notable characteristics of the vibrant online community is the concept of YOYOW (You Own Your Own Words), a phrase introduced by Stewart Brand to reflect the fact that members are not allowed to be anonymous and must take responsibility for messages posted and, reciprocally, no one may use those words without specific permission.

The WELL maintains profitability entirely through member subscriptions with no advertising. Conversations on The WELL take place in both public and private conferences, with topics ranging from the political to the very personal. Today, The WELL thrives as a raucous workshop for democracy and discussion, with a transparency and emphasis on individual responsibility consistently creating an environment that rewards original thought and eventual mutual respect.

Additional background information can be found at: http://www.well.com/media.html

1. Do I actually have anything to say? Meaning, does what you post in the comments boil down to anything other than “yes, this,” or “WRONG AGAIN,” or even worse, “who cares”? A comment is not meant to be an upvote, downvote or a “like.” It’s meant to be an addition to, and complementary to (but not necessarily complimentary of) the original post. If your comment is not adding value, you need to ask whether you need to write it, and, alternately, why anyone should be bothered to read it. On a personal note, I find these sort of contentless comments especially irritating when the poster is expressing indifference; the sort of twit who goes out of his way to say “::yawn::” in a comment is the sort I want first up against the wall when the revolution comes.

2. Is what I have to say actually on topic? What is the subject of the original post? That’s also the subject of the comment thread, as is, to some extent, the manner in which the writer approached the subject. If you’re dropping in a comment that’s not about these things, then you’re likely working to make the comment thread suck. Likewise, if as a commenter you’re responding to a comment from someone else that’s not on topic to the original post, you’re also helping to make the comment thread suck. On a busy blog or site, there will be many opportunities to talk about many different subjects. You don’t have to talk about them in the wrong place.

3. Does what I write actually stay on topic? As a corollary to point two, if you make a perfunctory wave at the subject and then immediately use it as a jumping-off point for your own particular set of hobby horses, then you’re also making the thread suck. This is a prime derailing maneuver, which I like to dub “The Libertarian Dismount,” given the frequency with which members of that political tribe employ it — e.g., “It’s a shame that so many people are opposed to same-sex marriage, but this is just why government has no place legislating relationships between people, and why in a perfect society government steps away and blah blah blahdee blah blah.” If you can’t write a comment that isn’t ultimately a segue into topics you feel are important, ask yourself why everything has to be about you.

How to Be a Good Commenter (via Beth Pratt) ]]> http://boingboing.net/2012/09/19/howto-be-a-good-commenter.html/feed 64 http://boingboing.net/2012/08/29/reddit-community-video-game.html http://boingboing.net/2012/08/29/reddit-community-video-game.html#comments Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:09:01 +0000 Jamie Frevele http://boingboing.net/?p=178574 Dan Harmon recently conducted an AMA on Reddit, in which he revealed that in the emotionally charged season finale of Community, "Digital Estate Planning," Chevy Chase didn't show up to film a scene that was partially told via an original 8-bit video game.]]>

Dan Harmon recently conducted an AMA on Reddit, in which he revealed that in the emotionally charged season finale of Community, "Digital Estate Planning," Chevy Chase didn't show up to film a scene that was partially told via an original 8-bit video game. Since it was the last day of shooting, it was their last chance to do the scene, and they lost it. So one Reddit user, Derferman, of /r/hawkthorne, created the scene and made it downloadable for everyone to play out the scene for themselves. Community writer Megan Ganz was positively verklempt and showed it to the cast this morning.

It is a full-on Community-Harmontown lovefest, kids.

Harmon, who proved himself to be an extremely human human being in this AMA, didn't hold back when asked about the Chevy Chase question. Probably not because he no longer runs his show, but because he is Dan Harmon. And while there were no secrets that Harmon and Chase had, ahem, issues towards the end of the third season, the former didn't shy away from providing details about Chase walking off the set and his own disappointment. According to Harmon in the AMA, Chase expressed issues with the quality of the script, that he had problems with the name "Cornelius" (the name of his character's father), and all sorts of things that reminded everyone that Chevy Chase has never been easy to work with. (To his credit, Harmon has never once claimed to be a saint.) A shiny new revelation that did come out of the AMA, however, was that there was a lost scene that would have been great, and the fact that it was lost is a huge bummer. But now, it lives in the form of a fan-made video game.

The game, Journey to the Center of Hawkthorne, has been an ongoing project since the episode aired, but this scene is new, now that a new part of the story has been introduced. And it is making people feel serious feelings. The scene involves Chase's character, Pierce, playing catch with the floating head of his late father, and hearing "That's my boy!" while scoring a thousand points every time he throws the ball. All of this happens while the Britta-bot music from last season's stop-motion Christmas episode plays, a song that causes even more emotional crying events in Community fans. Upon scoring 4,000 points, sad Pierce finally smiles.

Ganz had promised to show the cast and crew the game, and reported back this morning that they loved it. Though she did avoid showing it to Chase ("Didn't want to stir that pot"). Probably for the best.

It might not be a winner in ye olde fashioned ratings. As Harmon put it, "network TV doesn't know the internet exists yet." But Community's internet fan base is alive and well, even with the changing of the guards.

The missing Digital Estate Planning "tag" -- Pierce and his Dad [Reddit]

Thanks, Christian!

A resource gets cheap enough to waste when it is cheap enough that you can leave it out of the strategic cost calculations for most products and services that it is a part of.

This is a relative definition of cheap. Global shipping is an example of a wasteable resource today, for value-added manufactured goods. Relative to manufacturing and other costs, the costs of shipping something from China to the US (say) are so trivial that as a first approximation, you can ignore them. You can think about business models and strategic positioning issues without thinking about transport (your accountants still have to include it in their book-keeping of course). The design space for your business model shrinks in useful ways.

Not all resources are wasteable in all industries. Electricity is something you can waste in many contexts in the developed world, but not in the data center business, where it is a big enough cost component that it pays to locate data centers near cheap power.

This suggests a good measure for development actually. A nation or region is as developed as the resources its economy views as wasteable (in the good+strategic sense).

Waste, Creativity and Godwin’s Corollary for Technology

(Image: E-waste collection, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from mosmancouncil's photostream) ]]> http://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/waste-abundance-and-ideology.html/feed 13 http://boingboing.net/2012/07/27/dan-harmon-fox-deal.html http://boingboing.net/2012/07/27/dan-harmon-fox-deal.html#comments Fri, 27 Jul 2012 14:18:51 +0000 Jamie Frevele http://boingboing.net/?p=173203 Coming on the tails of NBC's news that they'd be pursuing "broader" projects for their comedy lineup, Fox has announced that they're moving forward on a possible new sitcom being written by the former showrunner of Community, Dan Harmon.]]> Coming on the tails of NBC's news that they'd be pursuing "broader" projects for their comedy lineup, Fox has announced that they're moving forward on a possible new sitcom being written by the former showrunner of Community, Dan Harmon. There aren't any details about the show yet, just that they've signed him on to write such a series, but is there a chance that Harmon will find himself more at home here than at NBC? Fox is, after all, the channel that brought us Arrested Development. Then again, they also canceled Arrested Development after just three seasons. But considering the shows they currently have on the air -- like Emmy-nominated quirkfests The New Girl and Raising Hope -- maybe Fox has seen the error of their ways?

And could Community pull a Buffy and find more success at a different network?

While Harmon's new show is signed-and-sealed official news, the latter question about a possible network move by Community is merely a thought I've had lately. And while others may have thought of it, it probably doesn't even qualify as conjecture. But could it be worth a thought? After all, Fox has now brought on that show's creator to write a pilot for a multi-camera comedy show. That's all we know about it, no premises, no casting speculation, nothing concrete yet (if we're going by TV Guide, anyway). This won't even be Harmon's first show for Fox -- maybe you remember Heat Vision and Jack, about the talking motorcycle played by Owen Wilson that belonged to Jack Black. Harmon co-wrote that show, and after it left the air in 1999 (the same year it began), it became a cult favorite. In fact, it only went as far as the pilot, so that's a pretty culty cult following.

But fast forward just a couple of years and Fox airs another cult favorite, Arrested Development. It becomes an instant favorite with fans, but never really hits its stride in the ratings. While it is praised by critics, the cancellation question is constantly hanging over it. In 2006, that finally happens, and a specific portion of the TV audience mourns while everyone else discovers it a year too late. (But it's doing fine now, gearing up for its huge Netflix comeback, and Ron Howard has proof for us in the form of a script.)

Something to keep in mind, however, is that when Arrested Development was not winning the ratings, reality shows and American Idol were. And that's simply not the case anymore. Now, while American Idol meanders into oblivion (despite the addition of the fabulous Mariah Carey as a judge), Fox has become the home of silly, quirky scripted television -- Glee, its animation block featuring the Seth McFarlane brand of comedy, Fringe, its live-action sitcoms. This is not the Fox of 2006. This is the channel that NBC is too timid to become. And that could be the perfect place for Dan Harmon (besides Adult Swim, where he also developing a show) -- and maybe even Community. It's just a thought.

Fox eyes comedy from Community's Dan Harmon [The Hollywood Reporter]

"A couple of months ago, we were a lot like you: just huge fans of the show who thought it was one of the most special things on television," Guarascio said at the panel discussion. "Suddenly we're here, helping to keep it going. The only thing we care about is keeping it this weird, wonderful gem that it's always been. That's not gonna change."

Joel McHale went on to say that while it was going to be different moving forward with different people in charge of what he called "the greatest show in the history of television," he has confidence in them and vouches for their work.

"They're terrific guys and really good and a lot of the writers are back. So it's definitely like this strange transition time, but I'm still insanely excited to do the show. He [Harmon] will be missed and it's gonna be interesting to see how it all goes, but just talking to the writers -- they're breaking stories and they sound great."

But still -- no pressure. It's only the greatest show in the history of television.

'Community' Comic-Con Panel: New showrunners and cast make commitment to stay weird [HuffPo]

A thread called "Would you kick in $1,000 for The Well?" (subscriber account required), has already garnered over 120 members pledging $1000 (some less, many more, with at least one pledge of $10,000), for an estimated total of over $120,000. That's a lot of money, especially coming from so few people, but it may not be enough. Many have pointed out that the Well.com domain name is probably quite attractive to organizations willing to pay a lot to own it. (For example, an HMO who wants turn well.com into a wellness resource.) So at the moment, it's still unclear what this user-driven campaign will do, though I hope the WELL can survive in some form.

In any case, as someone who's been a member of the WELL since the mid-90s (I joined with the Gen X contingent), then went on to write a lot about other virtual communities, chief among them Second Life, it's hard to miss the ironies at play:

For one, Salon was in great part inspired by the WELL, since a lot of its first writers and editors were members of the service. For another, it's an example of how virtual communities can fall into jeopardy, no matter how influential they once were. Read the 1997 Wired magazine article by Katie Hafner (which subsequently became a book), with the sub-head, "The World's Most Influential Online Community (And It's Not AOL)". It's an accurate title. Writers like Bruce Sterling, Cory Doctorow, Howard Rheingold, and Neal Stephenson are (or were) members, as were a lot of writers for Time Magazine, the Washington Post, and other leading media outlets. As I noted, an 80s popstar became a big fan, but where it was Duran Duran joining Second Life, in 2006, in the mid-90s and the WELL, it was Billy Idol. (As you might have guessed by now, I owe a lot of my writing career to the WELL too.)

Will The WELL Survive? Members Pledge $100K+ to Buy Influential Virtual Community from Corporate Owners ]]> http://boingboing.net/2012/07/03/well-users-pledge-more-than-1.html/feed 17 http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/how-facebook-decides-which-ima.html http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/how-facebook-decides-which-ima.html#comments Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:51:17 +0000 Cory Doctorow http://boingboing.net/?p=145041 Wondering why your Facebook breastfeeding image was blocked, but not the image of a deep wound your friend posted? Wonder no more. A leaked document reveals the weird, arcane, and extremely detailed guidelines used to determine which images are Facebook-safe.

Facebook bans images of breastfeeding if nipples are exposed – but allows "graphic images" of animals if shown "in the context of food processing or hunting as it occurs in nature". Equally, pictures of bodily fluids – except semen – are allowed as long as no human is included in the picture; but "deep flesh wounds" and "crushed heads, limbs" are OK ("as long as no insides are showing"), as are images of people using marijuana but not those of "drunk or unconscious" people.

Facebook's nudity and violence guidelines are laid bare (via Naked Capitalism) ]]> http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/how-facebook-decides-which-ima.html/feed 32 http://boingboing.net/2011/12/21/6-myths-of-microfinancing.html http://boingboing.net/2011/12/21/6-myths-of-microfinancing.html#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:21:34 +0000 Maggie Koerth-Baker http://boingboing.net/?p=135432 Over the years, I've been really impressed with the stuff I've heard about microfinancng charities like KIVA. The idea of helping people in developing countries launch and support small businesses, changing their lives and the lives of their children, makes a lot of sense. And the personal stories that go with microfinancing are pretty appealing.

I'm starting to re-think my opinions on microfinancing, however, after reading some of the research done by GiveWell.org, an organization that casts an evidence-based eye on what different charities do and whether they actually get the results they claim.

It's not that microfinancing is bad, per se, GiveWell says. It's just that the system doesn't measure up to the hype. And if you've got a limited amount of money to spend on helping other people, there might be more effective ways to do it that produce more bang for your buck.

GiveWell has written a ton on this, but I'd recommend starting with a blog post of theirs from a couple of years ago called 6 Myths About Microfinance Charities that Donors Can Live Without. This piece provides a succinct breakdown of what questions you should be asking about microfinance charities, and provides lots and lots of links for deeper digging. The myth that surprised me the most:

Myth #6: microfinance works because of (a) the innovative “group lending” method; (b) targeting of women, who use loans more productively than men; (c) targeting of the poorest of the poor, who benefit most from loans.

Reality: all three of these claims are often repeated but (as far as we can tell) never backed up. The strongest available evidence is limited, but undermines all three claims.

• We now have a few simple categories for submissions. You don't have to use them, but this helps editors, as well as you, organize and find good submissions.
• Certain links that are embeddable (YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, etc.) will be automatically embedded for you. Just drop your link in the suggested link field.
• I've removed the voting system for now, as the original wasn't very effective. I'm working on some new alternatives.

You'll need a Boing Boing user account to submit to Submitterator. The private submission form is still available if you'd rather use that.

You're welcome to tell us about things you make and things you sell: once. Apart from this, there is zero tolerance for spam and inappropriate submissions. I'll be actively improving Submitterator, so look forward to changes as it grows!

Tell us about what's wonderful by using the Submitterator!]]> http://boingboing.net/2011/12/01/all-new-submitterator.html/feed 5 http://boingboing.net/2011/07/24/bb-gets-wordpress-disqus-new-machines.html http://boingboing.net/2011/07/24/bb-gets-wordpress-disqus-new-machines.html#comments Sun, 24 Jul 2011 10:05:43 +0000 Rob Beschizza http://boingboing.net/?p=110410 Disqus, replete with modern features.]]> Disqus, replete with modern features. The site itself is otherwise unchanged; the grueling task of making everything look and work the same on a completely new platform fell to our lead developer Dean Putney and sysadmin Ken Snider. Both have worked tirelessly for weeks, and deserve many thanks. Thanks, guys! Your current comment login will work on the new system, but you'll need to reset your password. Fire any bug reports to bugs@boingboing.net and we will stamp on them ASAP. Also, the Submitterator will be in drydock for its own upgrades for a short while; in the meantime, submit via the private form.]]> http://boingboing.net/2011/07/24/bb-gets-wordpress-disqus-new-machines.html/feed 323 http://boingboing.net/2011/07/06/boring-magazine-cont.html http://boingboing.net/2011/07/06/boring-magazine-cont.html#comments Wed, 06 Jul 2011 02:25:48 +0000 Rob Beschizza design the cover to a supremely boring periodical. The response was overwhelming, with more than 100 thoroughly mind-numbing entries resting on the magazine rack in Hell.]]> We asked you to design the cover to a supremely boring periodical. The response was overwhelming, with more than 100 thoroughly mind-numbing entries resting on the magazine rack in Hell. Pictured here is winner Tired Magazine, a mirror-world version of Wired where hold music, baby photos and warm salads dominate the headlines. Designer Jack Daniel gets a heavy-duty $350 messenger bag from Saddleback Leather. Three more of the best are after the jump. Highway40's Notational Review applies a minimalist perspective on the reader's level of interest. Absenthero's Magazine Aficionado's recursive irony breaths new life into the verb "interminable." Zigzagatha's Fiber Quarterly will keep you regular--and regularly bored.]]> http://boingboing.net/2011/07/06/boring-magazine-cont.html/feed 30 http://boingboing.net/2011/07/01/giveaway-free-moo-ca.html http://boingboing.net/2011/07/01/giveaway-free-moo-ca.html#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 00:12:05 +0000 Rob Beschizza MOO cards with the promo code BOINGSTICK get a free pack of its new stickers, rectangular labels, or stickerbooks.]]> Hit MOO cards with the promo code BOINGSTICK get a free pack of its new stickers, rectangular labels, or stickerbooks. You'll need a pic to upload and a fast trigger-finger: only the first 250 people to use the code get 'em free of charge.]]> http://boingboing.net/2011/07/01/giveaway-free-moo-ca.html/feed 30 http://boingboing.net/2011/06/13/kickstarter-serpent.html http://boingboing.net/2011/06/13/kickstarter-serpent.html#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2011 08:21:20 +0000 Xeni Jardin video link] Early SRL (Survival Research Laboratories) member and metalworking master Jon Sarriugarte and creative partner Kyrsten Mate have been the subject of many, many Boing Boing posts, Boing Boing Video episodes, and fun experiences we've had offline.]]>

[video link]

Early SRL (Survival Research Laboratories) member and metalworking master Jon Sarriugarte and creative partner Kyrsten Mate have been the subject of many, many Boing Boing posts, Boing Boing Video episodes, and fun experiences we've had offline.

Now they have a new project in the works: "The Serpent Twins - mobile sculptures for Burning Man." They're raising funds for it on Kickstarter.

These twin sculptures are the embodiment of the Serpent mythology that exists in numerous cultures throughout the world. The first is Jormungand, a dark harbinger of doom that Thor fights to save the human race in Nordic myths. His body comprised of blackened steel, he shoots fire from his mouth to prove his dominance over mortals. His twin, the bright Julunggul, shines in the sun and lights the night from within its 50' body. She serves man by swallowing boys and spitting them out as men. They should both be fantastical in the old fashioned sense of the word!

What are we asking for? Specifically, here are where all the donations will be going. We received an honorarium from Burning Man, which is wondrous, but we now need to raise the balance of the funds needed to complete the project. In addition, we have expanded the scope of our original sculptures to include many fantastic features that require expensive technology. The most expensive of these are 6 times the amount of LEDs along with all the programming moduals to control them and batteries to power them. Wonderfully, Benny of Cool Neon (coolneon.com) is working with us, but the materials costs alone are staggering. Additionally, there were a number of items that were excluded from the original bid including generators, transportation costs, propane for the fire breathing Jormungand, etc. Truly, whatever money we raise will be put towards not only the completion, but the artistic expansion of the project.

More about the project, and benefits for those who kick in, at Kickstarter page and at the Serpent Twins website.

More images from the project below. Click to make 'em larger.

The temperature climbed over 100 on Tuesday, but the Twin Cities BoingBoing Meetup was still a lot of fun. (I refuse to give in to urge to make a "cool" pun.) We had probably close to 25 people who met up at one of Minneapolis' best parks—Minnehaha Falls. On a patio overlooking the waterfall, we drank good beer, had some great conversations, and shared some seriously nifty objects and ideas. In the photo above (taken by Michael Lee, who was kind enough to take some iPhone shots, as my camera is in France with my husband.) you can see Katrina Mundinger demonstrating a drop spindle—the technology that preceded the more-recognizable spinning wheel.

Some other cool items: Emily Lloyd brought some local very, very short memoirs that she's collecting as part of the 6 Words Twin Cities project; Scott brought some steampunk goggles he'd made using materials from Ax-Man (The most awesome stores in the Twin Cities. Seriously. The St. Paul location has an iron lung for sale.); musician Jeremy Messersmith brought an intentionally bad poem that he successfully submitted to a vanity music label; and Will brought a 3D film camera. Hopefully, he'll figure out a place to get it developed and we'll have some 3D photos of the Meetup, too!

Links to a couple more photos: These shots were taken by Scott, the gentleman who brought the goggles.

Apparently, while I wasn't paying attention, Minneapolis plunged into a heat wave. (I suspect this says something about the temperature-control powers of my 1920s stucco house. That, and my husband's practice of opening the house and turning on fans over night, and then closing all the windows in the morning. ) We hit a new record high—97 degrees F—yesterday afternoon, and more of the same is expected today.

But here's the really fun part: The heat caused serious highway damage in 21 different spots around the Twin Cities yesterday. We're not talking about gaping chasms opening up or anything. But heat and humidity do make concrete expand. If there's no place for it to expand to—as in the middle of a highway—it can buckle along the weakest point. The result: Sudden, big potholes where potholes did not used to be. Also: Traffic jams.

Bear that expected bad traffic in mind today, if you're joining me for the Twin Cities edition of the 1st Annual International BoingBoing Meetup Day. On the plus side, it's not likely to rain on us, right? Maybe we'll go for a purifying dip in the waters of Creek Minnehaha.

Over the weekend, I read several beautifully written, deeply moving essays about the deadly line of tornadoes that swept through Alabama last week. I wanted to share a few of those essays here, as well as let people know where you can donate to help the many, many people left homeless by this disaster.

First, my old Alabama buddy Kyle Whitmire wrote a piece for CNN called "When a Monster Came to Alabama".

There is no getting accustomed to natural disasters, but in Alabama tornado emergencies are seasonal part of life. I was in first grade the first time our teachers took us into the hall and taught us to line up against the walls and curl in the fetal position with our hands covering our necks. I can't remember how old I was when my mom made me climb into an empty bathtub, but I do remember her lugging a mattress into the bathroom to throw over me in case things got bad ...

You look for the "debris ball" that means a twister is on the ground. And when they get close, you hide in a windowless room, closet or hallway. If you're on the road, you're supposed to pull off and hide in a ditch, although I'm not sure many folks actually do. Then you wait. Maybe it kills you. Probably it doesn't. When it's over, you call your family to say you're safe and ask them if they're safe. And then you look around outside to see if it's all still there. The experience is terrifying, but it comes with the exhilaration Winston Churchill attributed to being shot at and missed. Of course, nature doesn't always miss.

The other essay comes from writer Brian Oliu. It's something he pieced together at the Tuscaloosa public library, not quite sure whether he'd have the Internet access to post it.

[Tuscaloosa] is where I have lived, worked, and wrote for the past six years, made art, made friends, made mistakes, always making. At some point, the town was called "Tuscalooska", but there was an executive decision at some point to drop the "K", perhaps it made the town sound too stammering, too unsure of itself. There are some old buildings in Alberta City that still had signs that had the "K" still in the name. Those buildings are gone now ...

Commonly, I hear "You live in Alabama? Why?" from folks up north. The effort that has been put forward during these past few days is why. Tuscaloosa has given me more than I can ever repay it for, and now that it needs my help, I am trying the best that I can. One of the jokes I heard a lot when I first moved to Alabama is "You're studying writing in Alabama? Do they even know how to write?" The short answer is yes: they do know how to write. They know how to do a lot of things. They know how to come together. They know how to love. They know how to rebuild.

But as they clean up and rebuild, the people of Alabama do need help. Thousands of people lost their homes. They need basic necessities. The organizations supporting them need money.

• If you'd like to donate supplies, check out this list of needed items. At the bottom of the list is an address to donate supplies by mail, and a list of places in Alabama where supplies can be dropped off.

• There's a long list of places you can donate money, ranging from the Red Cross and United Way, to the Alabama Governor's Relief Fund, religious charities, and Habitat for Humanity.

• If you're in the area and want to donate your time and labor, you can do that, too. Hands on Birmingham is a great organization that's coordinating volunteer efforts within that city. Serve Alabama is a government initiative that's registering volunteers for the whole state.

More than 100 individual tornadoes struck the Southeastern United States yesterday. More than 200 people were killed in Alabama alone.

I lived in Birmingham for two years, working for mental_floss magazine. I'm happy to report that all of my friends—including the mental_floss staff—are present and accounted for. But even for those who got by relatively unscathed, there's a lot of work to be done. The clean-up from this disaster is turning out to be remarkably disturbing. Many of my friends have reported finding strangers' belongings and pieces of demolished homes in their yards. In several cases, debris found in the Birmingham metro area appeared to have come from Tuscaloosa—some 60 miles away.

In the wake of that, someone's set up a new Facebook group where people are posting scans of photos and documents they've found post-tornado. Partly, it's meant to help reconnect keepsakes and belongings with their owners. And partly, it's a deeply moving memorial. There's little doubt that at least some of the people in these photos won't be able to come collect them.

My thoughts are with everyone down South tonight. I hope you, and the people you love, are safe.

(Thanks to Eileen Kiernan)