In Artificial Condition, Martha Well's soap opera loving rogue security AI remains cantankerous and awesome.

Murderbot is an AI security robot with a busted autonomy regulator. So long as they can keep the regulator a secret, they can remain fully aware and independent. Mostly they want to watch soap operas. Soap operas and to be left the hell alone.

I absolutely adore Murderbot. Murderbot wants quality time on their own.

In the second installment Murderbot sets out to learn about the event from which they named themselves, wherein many humans died and their AI regulator was broken. Murderbot has no direct recollection of what went on and believes this knowledge will change everything.

Murderbot teams up with an AI research ship named ART and heads off to the mining colony where it all went down.

Artificial Condition: The Murderbot Diaries Book 2 via Amazon Read the rest

I had thought of repainting my 1987 VW Vanagon like BA's van, but the spoiler... Read the rest

Disneyland can be a hotbed of infectious disease. A single infected-with-the-measles fun seeker can launch a multi-county disease watch, endangering folks unable to be vaccinated.

CNN

:

A Los Angeles County resident visited Disneyland last week while infectious with measles, health officials said late Tuesday, potentially exposing hundreds of other people to the highly contagious disease.

The individual went to Starbucks at 3006 S. Spulveda Boulevard in West Los Angeles early on the morning on October 16 before going to Disneyland from 9.15 a.m. onwards, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a statement.

"Anyone who may have been at these locations on these dates during these timeframes may be at risk of developing measles for up to 21 days after being exposed," the statement said.

Previously on Boing Boing: Disneyland: the most infectious place on Earth Read the rest

I am a huge fan of using this brush to spread Otter wax all over my favorite raincoats.

As temperatures drop its time to get ready for the wet. It has certainly already arrived elsewhere. One of my two waxed-cotton coats was leaking last winter. The sleeve started to absorb water instead of beading.

Heating up the wax and lightly brushing it on is cathartic. The results look better than spraying on Nikwax and last a lot longer. I also think the thicker wax helps protect the fabric, the Nikwax goes on near invisibly and the wax is a barrier.

Round Paint and Wax Brush for Furniture Handcrafted by Stay Fine via Amazon

Previously on Boing Boing: Otter Wax, for reproofing your waxed cotton Read the rest

A cool vest, an SLR and a kidnapped lion cub help identify this Barbie as Photojournalist Barbie.

I have not seen Barbie in a long time, but I guess the pink convertible doesn't scare off the wildlife.

I have been told Boing Boing readers love Barbie... right Ryan? Nice to see she reads.

Barbie Photojournalist Doll via Amazon Read the rest

Facebook user Brandon Ftacek shares this fantastic demonstration of just one of the many potential pitfalls you may encounter when using gasoline and rapid combustion to control your local gopher population.

He certainly showed them.

(Thanks, Randy C.!) Read the rest

Two great things that get even better together: Sublime and Hong Kong Phooey.

Penrod Pooch studied the 'Hong Kong Book of Kung-Fu' to no great effect, and Sublime was the only reason I'd go to Long Beach in the late 80s. The cartoon may be dated but the band remains in my rotation.

Thanks, Boing Boing BBS reader GulliverFoyle! Read the rest

Barry's Gold Blend is my favorite everyday black tea.

A few weeks ago I was drinking PG Tips 'Extra Strong' as my beloved Barry's is not available at any local markets. Today I was organizing my VW Vanagon's kitchen storage and came across a box of Barry's I had forgotten in July.

Halleluyah!

It is like how much more black could Barry's Gold Blend be? The answer is none. None more black.

Barry's Gold Blend gets better the longer you leave the tea bag in. Eventually, the liquid becomes a sludge-like slurry of existential dread and water. You can drink it, however, it is not pure evil.

This tea leaves lines and stains in every mug I drink it from, unless the mug is already black or at the very least a dark blue. You may want to buy some baking soda to scrub your mugs out as well.

I was fine drinking the PG Tips, but I am just happy as can be to have Barry's back. I will return to keeping a spare box on hand.

Barry's Tea Gold Blend 80 Count 2-Pack via Amazon

More about Barry's Tea on Boing Boing. Read the rest

Digital thermometers are a great tool when slow cooking meat.

It is pretty easy to under or overcook meat on the grill. Monitoring the internal temperature of your food, as you cook it, is a really good way to be sure that food is as done as you want it and no more. This affordable ThermoPen set-up does the trick for me.

I like to use one probe at the grate and one inside the item I am cooking. That way I know what is going on!

ThermoPro TP-08S Wireless Remote Digital Cooking Meat Thermometer Dual Probe for Grilling Smoker BBQ Food Thermometer - Monitors Food from 300 Feet Away via Amazon Read the rest

My nephew will have nothing to do with a cowboy marionette that can not shoot fire out its rear like a Pokemon. Clarabel is literally the stuff nightmares were made of back then!

I did not know the first Clarabel was Bob Keeshan. Keeshan gave up the stellar role of Clarabel to become Captain Kangaroo. This show was far more a feel-good acid trip for the children. Tho I doubt The Captain'd be a hit here-and-now either. Read the rest

The RAW cone loader loads weed into a cone very fast.

I had been using the paper shovel that comes inside a 20-pack of RAW '98 Special' sized cones. It works but the amounts of weed that go in and spillage are not optimal. It was suggested I try the plastic loader.

The plastic loader fills the cone up fast and I spill less.

This is great for sitting down and stuffing weed into 2 or 3 cones at a time. If you are going for larger production batches there is a stand-up tube filler that I have yet to graduate to.

RAW King Size and 98 Special Size Cone Loader with Clear ES Scoop Card via Amazon Read the rest

Apparently a 6-year-old got ahold of someone's prescription medication and decided to experiment with her friends.

Arizona's ABC15 reports:

According to Phoenix Fire Department, four elementary school students took "what appears to be heart medication pills" on the school bus Thursday morning.

Phoenix police say a 6-year-old girl took the prescription pills from an adult family member and gave them to four other 6- and 7-year-olds while they were on the way to school.

A staff member at the school became aware of what happened, brought the kids to the nurse's office, and called 911.

A great American has passed away. US Representative for Maryland's 7th congressional district, Elijah Eugene Cummings has passed away at age 68.

Elijah Cummings has been an inspiration for as long as I can remember. We have lost one of the last true statesmen in this broken US political system.

Baltimore Sun:

The U.S. congressman from Maryland, who died early Thursday morning at 68, was a long-time warrior for justice, truly a great man. He spoke truth to power even as a member of the power class. And the Democrat was not above pleading, with rival Republicans or constituents, for what he knew was right.

He chose politics and public life because he wanted a better country, a better city. Immersed in the complex problems of both, he kept his eyes on the prize all through his career. As a member of Congress, with oversight of government operations at a range of levels, Cummings was in the role of examiner, and what he examined was usually bad — from incompetence by bureaucrats to price gouging by corporations to the abuses of power of the executive branch. And so his words were often aspirational, uttered while mired in mud, yet pointing us toward a mountaintop.

Isn't 13 one less than 14?

People reports:

Felicity Huffman‘s release from prison for her role in the college admissions scandal has already been set.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator, Huffman, 56, will finish her sentencing on Oct. 27 — exactly 13 days after she reported to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, Calif. on Oct. 15.

The FCI in Dublin is a low security correctional institution for female offenders which currently holds 1,227 total inmates. It’s located just under 5 and a half hours from the Los Angeles area, where Huffman lives with her family.

In May, Huffman pleaded guilty to paying disgraced admissions consultant Rick Singer $15,000 to have a proctor change her 19-year-old daughter Sophia’s SAT answers after she took the test. On Sept. 13, the Emmy-winning actress was sentenced to 14 days in federal prison, plus a $30,000 fine, 250 hours of community service and a year of supervised release.

Huffman reported to FCI Dublin on Tuesday morning to begin serving her sentence.

Go figure! Read the rest

Evidently Port Townsend, Washington has a real sense of humor. Read the rest

After a day of making people look at a black hole, Epic Games has released the next iteration in the amazingly popular battle royale shooter Fortnite.

A new map, boats and bandage bazookas are just some of the 'new' things. Players can now carry an injured buddy to safety, or go fishing -- maybe both at the same time!

Hope we don't run into one another! Read the rest

The legendary Mavis Staples. Read the rest