John Wilcock (1927 – 2018) was an underground publishing legend who co-founded The Village Voice in 1955 and was at the center of the counterculture movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Over the years, Boing Boing has been proud to run John Wilcock: New York Years, a biographical comic strip series by Ethan Persoff and Scott Marshall. Now you can get a beautiful print edition by helping fund the project on Kickstarter. I kicked in for the complete two-book set as soon as I learned about it.

From Kickstarter:

This is the story of John Wilcock, a person unfamiliar to most people today, but significant enough in his time, contributing to the Cultural American Revolution of the 1960s/1970s, to earn kind obituaries from both The New York Times and The Guardian.

John died in 2018, and this comic book project on his life was the last project he worked on; he was a five year interview subject, helping to assemble and compile as much of a timeline of his amazing (and quietly effective) life. We had access to many amazing documents and then spent even more time connecting the dots on other events. The end result is a lavishly drawn memoir, including mountains of anecdotes and stories. It's unlike any other biography comic you've ever read.

Even if you don't recognize John's name, you know him by his accomplishments: 

1) He co-founded The Village Voice in 1955, helping establish a template for countless cities across the world to make their own community newspapers. 

2) He also co-founded Inter/View with Andy Warhol, and was the "resident reporter" of the Andy Warhol Factory itself, later writing the first major assessment of Andy Warhol's career, the playfully titled "Autobiography and Sex Life of Andy Warhol". 

After buying a dip pen on Ed Piskor's recommendation, I also bought this jar of Deleter Manga Ink 4. When it arrived I was surprised by how small the jar is. This stuff is pricey! But it's worth it. The ink is super black and doesn't bleed through the sketchbook I use. Other inks I tried bled through. I can also erase pencil lines and the ink stays put. Plus, look at how cool that label is!

Nissin sells packets of powder that turn ramen and cup noodle broth into an inedible solid. It looks like the same water-absorbing powder in disposable diapers. Huh?

According to SoraNews24 you aren't supposed to drink all the broth in a bowl of ramen or cup noodle because it's "packed with calories and sodium." I don't know if that's true or not. I always drink all my ramen broth, even if I'm bloated to the bursting point. It tastes too good to pass up.

Regardless this powder is meant for people who eat cup noodle outside and want to neatly dispose of the leftover broth without dumping it on the ground or filling a trash can with liquid.

Is April Fools day a thing in Japan? If so, I've been tricked.

Of all the silly ways to mine bitcoin, this is my favorite. [stacksmashing] used an old Game Boy connected to a Raspberry Pi Zero. In the video, he gives a good high-level overview of how bitcoin mining works.

From Hackaday:

[stacksmashing] does a great job of explaining the project, covering everything from the Game Boy's link port protocol to the finer points of the Bitcoin algorithm in explicit detail. For the technically experienced, everything you need to know to recreate the project is there. While the Game Boy manages just 0.8 hashes per second, trillions of times slower than cutting edge hardware, the project nonetheless is amusing and educational, so take that into consideration before firing off hot takes in the comments below. If you're really interested in the underlying maths, you can try crunching Bitcoin hashes with pen and paper.

The world would be a better place if bitcoin mining was legally prohibited on anything other than an original Game Boy.

Alabama State Rep. Jeremy Gray introduced a bill that would allow yoga to be practiced voluntarily at public schools. But the state legislature upheld the ban against yoga, which has been strictly prohibited since 1993. If you are wondering why, the answer is "Alabama." It is, of course, the only state in the country that bans yoga.

From Insider:

The text of the ban says "school personnel shall be prohibited from using any techniques that involve the induction of hypnotic states, guided imagery, meditation or yoga" and additionally banned the use of the word "namaste."

At issue is whether the practice of yoga promotes Hinduism — a claim several conservative Christian groups say is a problem.

Because yoga is rooted in Hinduism, Eric Johnston, a legal adviser for the Alabama Citizens Action Program, told The New York Times, "it does not need to be taught to small children in public schools."

"If this bill passes, then instructors will be able to come into classrooms as young as kindergarten and bring these children through guided imagery, which is a spiritual exercise, and it's outside their parents' view. And we just believe that this is not appropriate," Betsy Garrison of the Eagle Forum of Alabama, argued in session. 

For some reason, Alabamans who like to complain about the government taking away muhfreedoms are curiously silent on this example of egregious government control.

At least 138 police officers were injured during the January 6 domestic terrorist attack at the U.S. Capitol. Two of those officers are now suing Trump for inciting his supporters to "fight like hell" at a nearby rally moments before rioters broke into the Capitol.

Capitol police officers James Blassingame and Sidney Hemby filed a complaint against Trump in the Federal District Court in the District of Columbia. They're seeking damages in excess of $75,000, plus punitive damages.

From The New York Times:

During the attack, Officer Hemby, an 11-year veteran of the Capitol Police, was outside the building, crushed against the side and sprayed with chemicals that burned his eyes, skin and throat, the complaint said. One member of the mob screamed that he was "disrespecting the badge."

Officer Hemby remains in physical therapy for neck and back injuries that he sustained on Jan. 6 and "has struggled to manage the emotional fallout from being relentlessly attacked," according to the complaint.

Officer Blassingame, a 17-year veteran of the force, suffered head and back injuries during the riot, the complaint said, and experienced back pain, depression and insomnia afterward.

"He is haunted by the memory of being attacked, and of the sensory impacts — the sights, sounds, smells and even tastes of the attack remain close to the surface," the complaint said. "He experiences guilt of being unable to help his colleagues who were simultaneously being attacked; and of surviving where other colleagues did not."

The complaint cites Trump's answer to moderator Chris Wallace's question during the first presidential debate on whether Trump would tell his supporters to "stay calm" while the election result was being determined. Trump said"

"I am urging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully because that is what needs to happen, I am urging them to do it," Trump said. "I hope it's going to be a fair election, and if it's a fair election, I am 100 percent on board, but if I see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can't go along with that."

It turns out people really did want Volkswagen to change its name to Voltswagen, as it announced in a fake press release to get a jump on April Fool's day. The joke backfired, though, and the share price dropped when the truth came out. Lesson 1: don't do April Fool's day pranks when it isn't April Fool's Day. Lesson 2: stop doing April's Fools pranks, because they are no fun.

One enormous bright side in the pandemic was the cancellation of April Fool's Day 2020. Can we please do this again in 2021? Please?

— Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) March 30, 2021

Here are a few funny promo spots Japan for Cartoon Network, created by a Japanese studio in the 1990s. In one of them, Droopy Dog is trying to cross a busy street but is frustrated by a broken walk signal button. So he presses a secret hidden button that sends a signal to a network of satellites that drop giant anvils on all the cars, killing the occupants instantly.

In another video, George Jetson is in a traditional ramen shop when he starts watching the wall-mounted television set. A Reddit commenter a r/ObscureMedia describes what happens next, "I like George Jetson seeing anime on the TV and being like 'oh man, fuck this. Gimme some Flintstones.'"

What is the point of this aluminum coin purse called The Dango Coin Capsule? Rain Noe of Core77 is as perplexed as I am. The advertising copy attempts to answer the question this way: "Designed to be taken with you on your daily adventures. Small enough to not get in the way and large enough to keep your coins organized and ready to deploy." But as Rain says, is this "peculiar" item so much better than a pocket that it justifies its weight, bulk, and cost? One possible benefit — after you remove some of the coins to buy something, the Dango will rattle, making it a percussive instrument of sorts.

When you get a Covid vaccination, the person who administered it will give you a card that has information about the manufacturer and date, as well as their signature. It's important not to lose or damage the card, and one reason is that is might be needed to travel to certain destinations. Some people are laminating their cards to protect them, and Staples, Office Depot, and Office Max will laminate your vaccine cards at no cost. But it might not be a great idea to laminate it, according to this article in The Points Guy:

Many travelers TPG spoke to said they'd either laminated their cards or considered doing so. The CDC didn't directly answer a TPG reporter's question about whether people should laminate their COVID-19 vaccine cards, so there's no guidance from the federal government right now. 

It's still unclear, however, whether people will need booster shots in the future, so some travelers are wary of laminating their cards.

"I'm not laminating [my card] in case they need to add a booster dose to it," Michele LaFevre said in TPG's Facebook group. 

Instead, you might want to consider using a clear badge if you're worried about your card getting damaged, as one TPG reader suggested.

"[My card is] in a plastic badge holder, and stored in our safe with our passports and other important documents," said Faith Dowgin. "We also scanned them and took [pictures]."

Many of the suspected terrorists who broke into the Capitol seem to have lost the gleeful enthusiasm they had on January 6 when they were attacking police with weapons and tear gas and hunting for the Vice President so they could execute him on the gallows they'd constructed. In fact, they are now downright apologetic about the mistakes that were made. Why the sudden change of heart? Could it be they suddenly stopping being sociopathic manbabies? Or could it be the loss of employment, shame on their families, internal infamy in history books, and the prospect of 60-year prison sentences they now face?

From an AP article titled "Some Capitol riot suspects apologize as consequences sink in":

A lawyer for Dominic Pezzola, who authorities say is a member of the extremist group Proud Boys and broke a Capitol window with a police shield, said in a filing that his client's incarceration has placed his wife and two children in desperate financial straits.

Several workers at a floor installation business Pezzola manages are also out of work because Pezzola is jailed, attorney Jonathan Zucker wrote in a February filing seeking Pezzola's release pending trial.

Pezzola, the attorney wrote, was sorry for his actions, which included posting a video giving a triumphant speech inside the Capitol while smoking a "victory" cigar.

"Since his arrest, having time to reflect and see how things have revealed themselves, he now realizes he was duped into these mistaken beliefs " that the election was stolen from President Donald Trump, Zucker wrote.

I can't believe Ted Cruz survived this. How harrowing. pic.twitter.com/nzoXBD6xDe

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 30, 2021

Ted Cruz is aghast at the temerity of people on the south side of Trump's porous fence. "Just a few minutes ago there were multiple smugglers on the other side," said Cruz, dressed in only what can be described as a Disneyland Jungle Cruise guide uniform. Pointing his flashlight into the vegetation he continued, "who were shining flashlights at us, who were yelling at us, who were taunting us, who were taunting, who were taunting… I think they probably assumed we were Border Patrol, but they routinely taunt the Border Patrol."

The message here is clear: do not taunt the happy fun Border Patrol.

Marjorie Taylor Greene says that a vaccine passport is "Biden's Mark of the Beast" and that any company the requires one is engaging in "corporate communism." pic.twitter.com/XtTvqw83tU

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) March 30, 2021

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Q-GA) who was kicked off all congressional committees for espousing wacky and irresponsible lies (e.g. Jewish space lasers, QAnon) has posted a new video to whip up her easily frightened constituents. This time Greene has concocted a campaign against "vaccine passports," calling them "Biden's Mark of the Beast."

From UpRoxx:

Greene's of the far-right opinion that vaccine passports shouldn't exist for a few reasons. They're steamed about certain states' voter ID laws and are creating a false equivalency between those laws and a supposed double-standard with the mere idea of vaccine passports. Even more than that, Greene appears to be convinced that such a "passport" is actually "Biden's Mark of the Beast." As wacky as it sounds, Greene's sticking with this argument. "They are actually talking about people's ability to buy and sell linked to the vaccine passport," she tweeted. "They might as well call it Biden's Mark of the Beast." She's followed this up with several more tweets, including her insistence that "We WILL NOT COMPLY with Biden's vaccine 'passports'!"

In a recent New York Times opinion piece, Pure Invention author Matt Alt explains why QAnon didn't take off in Japan. In short, as a conspiracy theory, QAnon is like a 1980s American car: shoddily constructed, with low-quality components and no overall vision.

From The New York Times:

QAnon has found believers in more than 70 countries, from British mums against child trafficking to anti-lockdown marchers in Germany and even an Australian wellness guru.

But it flopped in Japan, a country that's no stranger to conspiracy theories. Even as Western media has portrayed otherwise, there are hardly any Q followers among the Japanese and it has failed the test for the nation's conspiracy connoisseurs. "It's too naïve for our readership," Takeharu Mikami, the editor of Mu since 2005, told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper last month.

Image: Marc Nozell, CC BY 2.0

Moog Sound Studio, announced today, is a modular analog synthesizer "exploration station" designed to give even newbies the thrill of using patch cables to create a wide variety of sounds.

To celebrate the launch of Sound Studio, Moog invited designer, director, and musician Julian House (INTRO, Ghost Box) electronic artist Dan Deacon to create the above video.

Here's more about the Moog Sound Studio:

Each user begins their unique Moog Sound Studio journey by selecting an instrument combination that speaks to their musical style or sonic preference: Mother-32 & DFAMor DFAM & Subharmonicon.

Moog's Mother-32 and DFAM synthesizers are a perfect pairing to anchor any electronic studio. Mother-32 is a versatile performance and production synthesizer with a powerful step sequencer and 64 slots of sequence memory. Its classic Moog voice delivers raw analog sound, deep Moog bass, and soaring synth leads, which complement DFAM's rich analog rhythms and percussive patterns.

For a more experimental journey with unexpected textures and sounds, choose the magical combination of Subharmonicon and DFAM. Subharmonicon is a rich sonic kaleidoscope of six-tone subharmonic chord shapes and polyrhythmic sequences, while DFAM presents an inspiring approach to drum synthesis and rhythmic pattern creation.

While each instrument is uniquely powerful alone, pairing two together creates an experience that will inspire you to create new sounds, unlock novel behaviors, synchronize patterns, and explore endless sonic possibilities.

Along with the chosen duo of semi-modular analog synthesizers, each Moog Sound Studio includes an audio mixer and power distribution hub, a two-tier rack mount kit, patch cables and a patch cable organizer, guided exercises and patch book, educational materials, games to encourage experimentation, custom artwork designed exclusively for Moog Sound Studio owners, and plenty of creative inspiration.

Mike Lindell declares that as a result of voter fraud lawsuit he'll soon be filing, "Donald Trump will be back in office in August." pic.twitter.com/5Ewtd9SZ1O

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) March 29, 2021

Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow and a loyal Trump supporter, went on Steve Bannon's podcast to declare in no uncertain terms that his god-emperor-in-exile will retake his rightful place in the oval office in August.

"Donald Trump will be back in office in August," Lindell said, gesticulating at a video camera.

"What I'm talking about, Steve, is what I have been doing since January 9. All of the evidence I have, everything that is going to go before the Supreme Court, and the election of 2020 is going bye-bye."

"It was an attack by another country – communism coming in. I don't know what they're going to do with it after they pull it down, but it's going down."

When August comes and goes, Lindell will undoubtedly choose another month for the return of his Glorious Imperfect Vessel. But I suppose it's good to have a pipe-dream to take your mind off a pesky $1.3 billion in a defamation lawsuit.