Earlier this year, Boing Boing favorite artist Darren Cullen (previously) and Gavin Grindon created a Museum of Neoliberalism in Brighton, England -- now, he's fundraising to open it up again in London for six months.
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NZ Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick was giving a speech in favour of stricter carbon emissions standards when the 50-year-old National Party Climate Critic Todd Muller heckled her; without missing a beat, she fired back "OK Boomer" and moved on to making a rather good and eloquent point about need for intense action on climate.
Read the rest A Museum of Neoliberalism is opening in London next week
"OK Boomer" comes to the NZ Parliament and makes all the right people angry
Koko the gorilla (RIP) amazed the world when she learned to communicate with humans, but now there's a dog whose learned to "talk." Not with sign language, but with a soundboard. According to her speech-language pathologist person, Christina Hunger, Stella the dog has already learned 29 words and several phrases. By pressing her paw on the pre-programmed buttons, she has learned to say what's on her mind.
One day, the [18-month-old] pup was whining at the front door and started pacing back and forth. Hunger assumed that she needed to go outside. Instead, Stella walked to her device and tapped out, “Want,” “Jake” “Come” then stood in front of the door until Hunger’s fiancé, Jake, came home a few minutes later and then Stella immediately pressed “Happy” and rolled over for a belly rub.
Here are a few videos of Stella doing her thing:
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A man was arrested off a flight by police Tuesday after allegedly grabbing another passenger's crotch and causing the captain to divert to the nearest airport after the incident. James Clayton Cholewinski-Boy was charged with abusive sexual contact.
The alleged victim, identified as "E.J." in the complaint, was seated between Cholewinski-Boy and her daughter. Shortly after takeoff, he began touching the woman's arm and she repeatedly pushed his hands away, according to the complaint. Cholewinski-Boy then "forcibly grabbed her by the crotch," the complaint said. The woman again pushed his hand away and demanded that he stop.
Photo: Tulsa P.D. Read the rest
If you want to be an app developer for Android, there's never been a better time. Languages like Kotlin are tailor-made for functionality, and the Jetpack suite of tools makes the whole process easier.
The only hurdle is learning your way around these tools, and that's where the Android Jetpack & App Development Certification Bundle can pave your way to a career on the creative side of the tech economy.
These linked courses not only teach you every aspect of these platforms but get you certified in their use. Check out what you get:
Android Jetpack Masterclass in Java - A complete walkthrough on Jetpack's functionalities, including (most importantly) the latest on its vast array of libraries. State-of-the-Art Android App Development in Kotlin - Kotlin is the language behind a range of tools that you'll need for any kind of development, both server and client-side. This course gets you familiar with its core concepts and how it works with JSON, Dagger 2 and other key programs. Build a Twitter-like App for Android - There's no education like experience. This hands-on walkthrough will let you use your newfound Kotlin and Firebase knowledge to create a working social media platform. Android Jetpack Masterclass in Kotlin - The perfect course to show you how well Jetpack works with the primary Android coding language. By the end of the lectures, you'll have first-hand understanding of concepts like data binding and the AndroidX libraries. Build a Tinder Clone for Android from Scratch - Ready to put your skills to work? Read the rest
It's not official, by any pronouncement or claim, but this is reportedly the provisional design for Mike Bloomberg's presidential campaign logo. (UPDATE: denied by the campaign; it's apparently the work of a Mike Bloomberg fansite)
̧̝͛̇ͦ̓Z̹̞̗͍̐ͪ͛̈̊͋Á̻͖̼̙̺̔ͧ͂ͫͅL̼̦̯͇͈̕G̫͔̦̰̬͇̅ͩ̐̈ͭ̉Õ̬̓͂̈̾ͭͮ!̞ͥ
"Who bought this? Who wanted this?"
Seattle-based novelty company Archie McPhee is bringing out the weird with a new web series that is reminiscent of the low-budget cable shows of yore, and I mean that in the best way possible. The Archie McPhee Archives with Mr. Q premiere starts with a guy in a leopard-print fez and a black sweatshirt emblazoned with a big white question mark ("Mr. Q") digging through cryptically-marked banker boxes in the company's warehouse. We're then shown each of the bizarro items he chose, one by one. Of course, he saves the best for last. Two words: Mutant. Farm.
As someone who has toured that very warehouse and has dreamt about rifling around in each one of those boxes, I really appreciate this new show. Can't wait to see what they showcase next.
The series was inspired by the items they share in their "too weird" for their "main [Instagram] account," Cult of Bibo. Here's a taste:
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View this post on InstagramUsually everything is better with googly eyes. Usually. #thrifthorror
Long live, Archie McPhee! Read the rest
This week, 99% Invisible and Rose Eveleth focus on chili peppers. Picking chili peppers is back-breaking work, and increasingly farm owners can't find anyone willing to do it:
Farms across the United States are reporting shortages of labor. Since 2002, the number of immigrants coming into the United States to work in agriculture has dropped by 75 percent. In California, one survey found that 56 percent of farmers were unable to hire enough workers.
Green chili peppers are particularly difficult to pick:
Green chilis are just unripe red chilis which means that the seeds inside of them aren’t ready to germinate yet, so the plant doesn’t want to give the fruit up, and it holds onto it more tightly.
As a result, farmers are planting fewer chili peppers:
In 1997, New Mexico farmers planted over 30,000 acres of chilis. Last year, there were only 8,400.
Efforts to design chili pepper-picking robots have largely failed:
Instead of picking the peppers off the plant, the machine would literally rip up the entire plant and try to stuff it in its mouth, like some kind of mechanical toddler choking on a toy. Another machine they tested had the opposite problem — it was so gentle that it left 40 percent of the fruit on the plant.
So, scientists have set out to design a chili pepper that's easily-picked by a machine (like the Moses 1000 seen above):
Read the restWalker’s special peppers will need to have a few key traits, like stronger, deeper roots, more fruits hanging on the outside of the plant, and of course… good flavor.
Inspired by an illustration of the Notorious B.I.G. by Adam Rosenlund:
Rafael Phillips created the Notorious MODOK:
He has since made it available in a gray version:
View this post on Instagram
And now he is working on Jay-Z as Galactus:
Jaylactus, starting this back up! 💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/1PlnMvwVcq
— big meh (@Jehutysan) November 6, 2019
Need a power solution for your devices that won't quit on you after it bends the wrong way? We've all been frustrated with cheap charging cables, but a more permanent solution actually isn't much more expensive. Here are 10 sale-priced charging cables that can actually stand up to daily use.
Nylon Braided iPhone Lightning Cable
The reliable 8-pin connector keeps things charging safely while the Kevlar fiber core keeps the wiring safe and flexible. It's the perfect 3.3-foot cable for any Apple device.
MSRP: $15.99
Voice Reactive LED Glowing Data Cables: 2-Pack
The sound-activated chip in these cables allows it to pulse with colorful lights in time to any ambient music. That's not just cool-looking, it's constant reassurance that they're working and keeping your gadgets charged.
MSRP: $29.99
These Apple MFi-Certified cords are braided with ballistic-grade nylon, but they're protected against more than just tearing and stripping. They've also got an extra dose of RF shielding that makes your data transfers that much faster.
MSRP: $24.95
JunoPower Kaebo Braided Anti-Tear Charging Cable: 3-Pack
Take these cables on the go and breathe easy. The nylon cloth covers hold up miles better than typical lightning cables, and the slim aluminum heads fit into most iPhone cases.
MSRP: $29.99
Just Mobile AluCable Duo for iOS & Android Devices
This 5' cable offers plenty of length, but that's the least of its conveniences. The adjustable cables work with both Micro-USB or Lightning ports, making it great for families who own both Apple and Android devices. Read the rest
Lisa Rein writes, "Today, Saturday November 9th is Aaron Swartz Day all over the world. We have events going on all over the world here - with a Zoom channel and Gitters set up for questions that will be monitored from San Francisco all day (The San Francisco event details are here for FOIAPALOOZA). Read the rest
When Blizzard Entertainment president J Allen Brack opened this month's Blizzcon with a carefully worded apology over the company's suspension of Blitzchung, the Hearthstone champ who was punished for his in-game support of the Hong Kong protesters, what he didn't say (the words "Hong Kong" or "China") was just as newsworthy as what he did. Read the rest
An Orlando county Sheriff's deputy was fired on the spot after video showed him grabbing a teen girl by her hair and yanking her head backwards.
The video shows the deputy, who the agency has not publicly identified, taking a girl into custody Thursday afternoon in the parking lot of the Summerset apartments off Oak Ridge Road in south Orange, about a block from the middle school. The girl screams as the deputy pulls her head backward.
Later in the video, which has been viewed more than 45,000 times on Facebook, the deputy brandishes his baton at a crowd that gathered. Near the end of the encounter, he yells at the crowd that they are all “stupid little children."
The Sheriff's office is, however, refusing to release the deputy's name.
Read the restAsked under what exemption to Florida’s Sunshine Law the deputy’s name was being withheld, the agency acknowledged the question but did not provide an exemption or further explanation Friday.
Starting Monday, you can enroll in a free massively open online course from Coursera on inequality: "Most countries are getting more and more unequal. But the core of democracy is political equality: that everyone should have an equal say in how their country is run. Can we really expect these things to go together? Can people have equal political power while economic inequality grows and grows? This course takes students through the issues. It covers the reality of economic inequality, and how corporations and wealthy individuals are able to convert economic into political power. Students learn about lobbying and campaign finance, tax avoidance and capital flight. The course discusses the value of democracy, and the possibility of alternatives to our current economic system. This is an interdisciplinary course combining politics, philosophy, economics, history and law. The course is for anyone looking for an accessible introduction to these topics: concerned citizens, or those in fields such as politics, media, education, government or law. Although the topics are unusual, the difficulty level is similar to the first-year of an undergraduate degree. No prior knowledge is assumed." (Image: mSeattle, CC BY) (via Crooked Timber) Read the rest
Does your company do data analytics? Chances are that at least part of that infrastructure is coded in R. There's simply no better programming environment for working with statistics, which makes it invaluable in an economy where data equals money.
Want to put your coding skills to the best use? The Complete R Programming Certification Bundle can help get you in the door as a valuable member of any data analytics team.
This 6-course training bundle tackles all the main functionalities of R, including several that can be essential to machine learning. You'll learn how to sort and classify massive chunks of data, then wrangle and visualize it with tools like Dpylr and Ggplot2.
You'll also learn the same techniques used by major tech companies to mine social media platforms for valuable data. And a comprehensive course on regression analysis will let you sift through that data for meaningful answers.
The full course package contains 35 hours of lectures and hands-on workshops. The entire bundle is now on sale for 97% off the MSRP. Read the rest
A worker at what appears to be an art studio scolded her co-workers for tricking her with an ersatz doorknob and a phony computer display.
