Ancient Sloth-Dinosaur Discovered, Still More Competent Than Current Administration: Boing Boing Digest
Plus, MAGA Mike Decides Courts Are Optional Now, Constitution Just a Suggestion
Hope you're ready for another fun-filled Tuesday, where MAGA Mike Johnson thinks he can just eliminate federal courts that don't kiss Trump's ring hard enough! Meanwhile, our very stable genius National Security Advisor Mike "Best He Can Do" Waltz is still employed after accidentally inviting journalists to his super-secret war planning group chat. But don't worry, there's good news too — scientists found a new dinosaur that looks like a sloth, which is honestly more qualified for government work than half of Trump's cabinet. Pour yourself a cup of whatever tickles your fancy and let's dive into today's constitutional crisis!
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MAGA Mike escalates the GOPs war on the Judiciary
By Jason Weisberger / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Speaker of the House "MAGA" Mike Johnson has threatened to eliminate Federal courts that disagree with the current administration. I guess appeals take too long.
While unwilling to execute Congress's job of oversight when it comes to DOGE gutting its funded programs, Speaker Johnson seems willing to get involved when it comes to defending the Trump administration's illegal programs.
Trump proves in 4 words that Mike Waltz is unfit to be National Security Advisor (video)
By Carla Sinclair / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Donald Trump proved that Mike Waltz is unfit for the job of U.S. National Security Advisor, telling reporters today, "I think he's doing his best."
He's doing his best? Accidentally inviting Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg into a military group chat to discuss classified war plans was the best he could do?
Huge claw belongs to newly-discovered species of sloth-like dinosaur
By Allan Rose Hill / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
"They call them the sloths of the Cretaceous period," said University of Calgary paleontologist Darla Zelenitsky. "Totally bizarre looking things."
In the interview with the Canadian Press, Zelenitsky was referring to Duonychus tsogtbaatari, a bizarre new species of dinosaur excavated in the Gobi desert.
This $15 PC app helps you manage projects like a Fortune 500 CEO
By Boing Boing's Shop / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
TL;DR: Microsoft Project Professional for Windows is just $14.97 — level up your work life
Asana and Trello are great… until you're juggling five timelines, three budgets, and a growing team. If your work is outgrowing basic task management tools, Microsoft Project Professional 2021 might be the power-up your productivity needs, and right now, it's just $14.97.
United flight from L.A. to China had to turn back because of the pilot's absent-mindedness
By Allan Rose Hill / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
On Saturday afternoon, United Flight 198 took off from the Los Angeles International Airport on its way to Shanghai, China. Two hours later, the 237 passengers were settled in for the long haul when the pilot came on with an alarming announcement.
Watch a bold woman stop a man from disrupting a peaceful protest (video)
By Jason Weisberger / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
The video of Berkeley's Susan Kegeles intercepting a known disruptive person at a Tesla protest is wonderful.
E-bicycle repairperson Rick Fuze had previously disrupted peaceful protests at the Berkeley Tesla dealership. When several of the peaceful protestors confronted them, Fuze apparently threatened them with a taser.
German Bold Italic: Kylie Minogue sang a song about being a typeface
By Rob Beschizza / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Kylie Minogue is an Australian star initially famed for her role on the long-running soap opera Neighbors, then as a slickly-produced UK pop star in the 1980s, and more lastingly as a more stylish coolbrow icon. I did not know, however, that she once sang a song about being a typeface.
The digital afterlife would probably suck, actually
By Grant St. Clair / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Have you noticed that more billionaires seem nervous about death lately? Whether it's Elon Musk using his young son as body armor, Bryan Johnson using his as a blood bag, or every tech bro under the sun scrambling for a digital afterlife San Junipero style, the problems of this world seem to be put on hold in favor of dealing with the next.
Lawrence Block's advice on surviving as a writer
By Séamus Bellamy / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Writers: After close to 30 years of writing full-time, and part-time, as a freelancer, staff writer, senior editor and author, I have come to a conclusion about our trade.
It will not make most of us rich.
In fact, very few of us will be able to make a living with our words at all.
West Ada School District washes away welcome messages
By Jason Weisberger / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Families in the West Ada School District held a "chalk the walk" event to protest the school's ban on welcoming posters. The school responded by hosing off the welcoming chalk messages.
You gotta hand it to the jerks at the West Ada School District; they will die on the hill they have chosen.
Freaky mermaid corpse found on UK beach (video)
By Allan Rose Hill / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Paula Regan and her husband Dave were strolling along a beach in Kent, UK when she spotted something very strange on the sand.
"At first, I thought it was a bit of driftwood or maybe a dead seal because I could see these funny tail fin things," she said.
Kayaker in Florida finds himself stuck — on the back of an alligator (video)
By Carla Sinclair / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Usually, when a person accidentally comes within inches of an alligator, panic ensues. But a Florida kayaker — who not only saw an alligator, but whose kayak actually got stuck on one — had a different take, calmly whipping out his camera to document the unusual predicament.
Meet the hummingbird healer in a heartfelt documentary
By Bob Knetzger / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
If you need a little emotional relief from current political angst, try this delightful 2024 documentary, "Every Little Thing." Meet Terry Masear, the hummingbird whisperer who rehabilitates wounded and abandoned baby hummingbirds.
The up-close slow motion videography of the flying hummingbirds is just wonderful…as are the up-close stories of recovering 'birds Cactus, Sugar Baby, and Jimmy.
This Star Wars: Andor trailer has all the right feels (video)
By Jason Weisberger / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Disney keeps rolling out new trailers for Andor, and this one hits hard.
I find it funny when the Star Wars haters point out Andor as the only good Star Wars because it is dark and edgy. They missed a lot of Star Wars or panned it because it was animated.
New portrait of Trump removed after he complains
By Rob Beschizza / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
A new portrait of Donald Trump by Sarah Boardman, placed in the rotunda of the Colorado statehouse, was taken down after he complained that it was a "purposefully distorted" portrayal.
"Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State Capitol put up by the Governor, along with all other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before," Trump wrote in a post Sunday on Truth Social.
1963 Twilight Zone episode warned how fascism spreads
By Ellsworth Toohey / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
If you feel like you're living in an episode of The Twilight Zone right now, you would not be wrong.
Fascism comes to America in this 1963 episode of The Twilight Zone, titled "He's Alive," written by Rod Serling.
Watch as Tulsi Gabbard paints herself into a corner (video)
By Jason Weisberger / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Trump's Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard trapped herself, and Senator Warner ground her nose in it.
After the massive demonstration that the Trump Administration is unfit to protect the United States, DNI Tulsi Gabbard attempted to dodge Senator Mark Warner's (D-VA) questions.
Record Store Day is coming up on April 5th
By Bob Knetzger / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
It's spring and that means it's time for Record Store Day 2025! The annual event is put on by independent record stores across the country, where record labels create and release rare, re-issued, and exclusive recordings by a huge variety of artists, mostly on vinyl.
Pilot yanks constipated United passenger out of bathroom, exposing him with pants down, says lawsuit
By Carla Sinclair / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
A United Airlines passenger says he was experiencing tummy troubles in the bathroom for about 20 minutes when an impatient pilot broke in and yanked him out with his pants still down. To add to his humiliation, the New Jersey man says the pilot then disparaged his Jewish Orthodox faith.
New Bosch dishwasher requires internet connection just to rinse dishes
By Mark Frauenfelder / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Jeff Geerling bought a Bosch dishwasher to replace his old GE dishwasher, which was starting to rust and had a display that stopped working. The Bosch came highly recommended both on Consumer Reports and on Reddit.
He was pleased by how easy it was to install (with one minor hiccup (which he solved by buying a hex wrench).
Get the world's smallest 100W charger for 53% off
By Boing Boing's Shop / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
TL;DR: This tiny but mighty 100W Omega USB-C GaN Charger can save you in a pinch, and now it's just $54.97 (reg. $119) through March 30.
It's important to be prepared — for natural disasters, car troubles, power outages, and, perhaps the most common of all, a low battery notification.
Segregated facilities no longer explicitly banned in federal contracts
By Rob Beschizza / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Since the 1960s, contracts with the federal government have explicitly banned racially-segregated restaurants, waiting rooms and other facilities. This provision has been removed from such contracts, reports NPR. It remains illegal under federal and state law to provide racially-segregated public accomodations; the Trump administration is making its priorities clear.
Elon Musk's latest venture: breaking Social Security to own it
By Jason Weisberger / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Current and former Social Security officials fear Elon Musk is focused on breaking Social Security so he can take it over and "fix it" like Twitter.
"They're creating a fire to require them to come and put it out," said one former high-ranking SSA official who took an early retirement offer earlier this year.
Taiwan marathon official regrets prizes depicting gold Chinese guns
By Rob Beschizza / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Hsu Chi-chieh, a legislator in Taiwan, apologized this week after winners of a marathon held there were given prizes that despicted the Chinese QBZ-05 machine gun. He said it "was an unintentional mistake" but the Associated Press hardly elaborates on what happened.
Beige beast: high-powered Ayaneo Retro Mini PC looks like a tiny Macintosh
By Rob Beschizza / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Ayaneo's Retro Mini PC AM01S has a tiny flip-up display and looks for all the world like something that came out of Cupertino 30 years ago. I honestly have no idea what I'd do with it, but by gum I want one.
A week of pour overs with Dunkin's whole bean "Original Blend"
By Jason Weisberger / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Coffee from the formerly known Dunkin' Donuts is insanely popular in other parts of the country. I saw the beans and decided to give it a whirl, or a brew.
The bag had dates that appeared the beans were roasted, or packaged about a month before I picked it up.
TSLA up as Tesla sales slip abroad
By Rob Beschizza / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
Tesla stock rebounded Monday and in overnight trading to recover the sharp losses of last week, reportedly driven by retail investors—everday enthusiasts buying stocks for themselves—impressed by sales pitches from the commerce secretary and even the president himself. As the stock soars, though, international sales of the vehicles aren't so high-flying: deliveries are down 43% in Europe, according to figures there.
River otters break out their zoo to play in the snow
By Gail Sherman / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
A pair of North American river otters at the New Zoo Adventure Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin, decided to take an unauthorized field trip during a snowstorm. The otters, named Louie and Ophelia, enlarged an opening in their enclosure and escaped.
Microsoft's 'Xbox-exclusive' Indiana Jones game is coming to PS5
By Grant St. Clair / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
I don't much care about the raging console wars, but it is quite lucky that Xbox seems to be making it as convenient as possible to not buy an Xbox. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, developed by Wolfenstein's MachineGames – who have a long track record of simulated Nazi-punching – was one of the console's few major exclusives, but today that changes.
Watch: demolished water tower narrowly misses house
By Popkin / Tue, 25 Mar 2025
This water tower came crashing down on someone's property during a demolition gone wrong. In this scary video, we hear someone near the tower say "there ain't no stopping it now" as the tower begins to wobble. Suddenly, we hear "oh no!,