Boing Boing, October 15, 2024
All our articles from the last 24 hours in one long post
Conker champ accused of cheating after steel conker found in pocket
Rob Beschizza / 11:51 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
AB-7272 / Shutterstock
Controversy prevails in the world of conkers, wherein horse chestnuts on strings are whacked against one another until one or the other is destroyed. A steel conker was found in the possession of a champion, leading to accusations of cheating. David Jenkins, 82, was subsequently provisionally cleared after a review of video evidence suggested he could not have used it in any matches
David Jakins won the annual title in Southwick, Northamptonshire, on Sunday for the first time after competing since 1977. But the 82-year-old was found to have a metal replica in his pocket when he was searched by organisers after his victory.
The retired engineer has denied using the metal variety in the tournament.
Jakins was responsible for drilling and inserting strings into other competitors' chestnuts as the competition's top judge, known as the "King Conker".
The attire, the grandiosity, the officious officiation, the smirking spectacle of it all: kayfabe is not just for rasslin! Hey, at least it wasn't anal beads.
Previously:
• Chinese Chess master accused of cheating using remote-controlled vibrating anal beads
• Ass code: chess star accused of cheating with vibrating sex toy in anus
Conspiracy-minded cartophiles spot massive hidden doorway in Antarctica
Allan Rose Hill / 11:37 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
image: Google Maps
Conspiracy theorists combing Google Maps discovered a massive doorway in remote Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. It's located not far from Showa Station—a Japanese research facility on East Ongul Island.
No-fun-nicks would have you believe it's a rock formation surrounded by snow, or a trick of sunlight, but we know it's clearly an entry to a top secret middle-earth base where governmental leaders, mole people, and extraterrestrials come in from the cold.
Not visible is the sign asking visitors to please remove their snowshoes before entering.
(via IFL Science)
Previously:
• Pouring a literal ice-cold can of Coke in -70°F Antarctica
• Green space now covers nearly 5 square miles of Antarctica
Award-winning photojournalist murdered by his 19-year-old son on Los Angeles hiking trail, say police
Carla Sinclair / 11:23 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Image: trail in San Gabriel Mountains; photojohn830 / shutterstock.com
An award-winning photojournalist was stabbed to death — allegedly by his own 19-year-old son — while hiking near Los Angeles over the weekend.
Police found 61-year-old Paul Lowe stabbed in the neck and "suffering from trauma to his upper torso" on Mount Baldy Road in the San Gabriel Mountains (about 50 minutes east of downtown LA), according to the police report. The British journalist was pronounced "dead at the scene."
Officers later arrested Lowe's teenage son, who had fled the area by car but didn't get too far, crashing just a few miles away. It's not clear what led to deadly attack.
From The Independent:
The victim, later identified by friends as 61-year old Paul Lowe, an award-winning British photojournalist, who covered major world events including the siege of Sarajevo, was declared dead at the scene, KTLA reported.
Another man, who was seen speeding away from the scene crashed his car a few miles down the road, was identified as Lowe's son, Emir Lowe, according to the LASD.
Emir was arrested on suspicion of murder for the killing of his father whose cause of death was ruled a stab wound to the neck, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
His work has been featured in The Independent, Time, Newsweek, The Sunday Times Magazine and The Observer.
Below is a tribute to Lowe, along with video that shows him in a 2019 interview, posted by Forbes editor and CNN anchor Ika Ferrer Gotić. She describes Lowe as "a kind soul, a man who cared deeply for the people and the stories he photographed."
Previously: Robert Durst, who confessed to murder on a hot mic, sentenced to life imprisonment
How to get a unicorn hunting license in Michigan
Thom Dunn / 11:01 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Image: Annabell Gsoedl/shutterstock.com
In 1971, Lake Superior State University, a public college in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, began issuing the first of its Unicorn Questing Licenses to students. As the school's Department of Natural Unicorns explains:
Travel back in time to 1971 to thank the DNU creators: Bill Rabe, director of public relations, and English professors Peter Thomas, John McCabe, and John Stevens. Among many other efforts from the 1970s to garner more publicity for LSSU: hosting a Snowman Burning on the first day of spring to bid goodbye to winter (1971) and compiling at the end of the year a tongue-in-cheek Banished Words List as a safeguard against misuse, overuse, and uselessness of the English language (1976)—annual traditions still practiced today—and publishing a campus literary quarterly, The Woods-Runner.
Though Rabe retired from his position in 1987, the university still offers unicorn questing licenses — changed from unicorn hunting licenses over concerns about magical animal cruelty — free-of-charge to the general public. Which means that, yes, anyone can apply. And you should, because you wouldn't want to be caught in the wilds of Michigan whilst engaging in unlicensed unicorn questing.
Beyond the general application, unicorn questers must uphold a strict code of ethos and membership requirements:
• Pay no dues;
• Attend no meetings;
• Be nice to people and unicorns alike; and
• Follow these questing regulations:
One thing worth noting is that even licensed unicorn questers must still adhere to the university's regulations. Most importantly, questing is strictly prohibited on three occasions:
• whenever the Tooth Fairy is around
• any time Santa Claus is near
• Valentine's Day
The reason for these stipulation is quite simple: "there's only so much magic available at one time."
I think that's a reasonable request.
Unicorn Hunting Regulations [Lake Superior State University]
"The Substance"— an incredible, indelible, and viscerally inedible film I loved and will never watch again
Natalie Dressed / 10:52 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
The Substance
Director Coralie Fargeat possesses a hellish gift: the ability to make a long shot of a needle suturing Demi Moore's mangled back just as nauseating as a close-up of Dennis Quaid eating shrimp. The Substance is a sinful flick, dredged from the funniest depths of hell, and I adored it.
The film opens on a whimsically centered, clinically lit egg – a perfect encapsulation of the film's tone. A syringe injects the egg with something green and viscous, causing the yolk to shudder and multiply. I shuddered too, instantly adding the film to my personal "egg horror" canon (a microgenre I've avoided since Cool Hand Luke and my subsequent aversion to hard-boiled eggs).
From the back of the theater, a few of us groaned and laughed from the opening scene. We tried to contain ourselves, but by the end, the entire audience was a chorus of instinctive reactions. A symphony of "AWW NOOO's" accompanied a flurry of flailing arms covering eyes, ears, and even noses.
Whether it was head-on shrimp, poreless youthful skin, sizzling food, or arterial spray worthy of a GWAR concert, everything was rendered utterly disgusting. The Substance elicited gasps, cackles, and retches in such rapid succession that breathing, let alone eating my popcorn, became a challenge. From the seemingly innocuous to the overtly gory, this timely satire embraces extremes. Fargeat skewers the follies of pride and gluttony, taking pointed jabs at Hollywood beauty standards. It's fantastic, it's repulsive, Dennis Quaid steals the show, and its release coincides perfectly with Ozempic's rise to popularity. I hope they offer a 2-for-1 deal.
Previously:
• Great 1950s horror sci-fi novel, The Mind Thing, now on Kindle
• Jordan Peele's shares his guide to horror movies
Haunted folk music just in time for Halloween
Natalie Dressed / 10:36 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Boing Boing/Flux
One of my favorite working musicians, Charmie Chandler, recently featured at Couches as an opener for Tank (of the Bangas), released a single earlier this week that encapsulates perfectly his baroque operatic folk sensibility. If those descriptors sound oxymoronic in writing, I'd agree with you. But then I'd have to sit you down and light a candelabra or four and argue my point by playing "Uncle Origami" on the Victrola.
It's a track on the optimistic side of this spooky, muggy October. Chandler makes music that would compliment the scores of a Wong Kar-wai film or The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari equally. Reader, if you know of or are making a film that falls between those two, consider the compositions of Charmie Chandler.
Chandler's repetitive and breathy chorus is flattered by elegant production and sweetly cascading piano. The result is now in permanent rotation in my Octoberween playlist that I put on specially for haunting the hallways in a vintage nightgown. But don't be mistaken, every day is Halloween, and every season deserves a little gothic operatic folk.
Previously:
• Bring back the Halloween tradition of throwing cabbage at people
• We're getting a Spirit Halloween movie, whether we like it or not
Jailbird MAGA sheriff sobs as he's caged for 15 years — luxury car collection seized
Ellsworth Toohey / 10:31 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Former Clark County Sheriff Jamey Noel
Boo-hoo! Disgraced former Clark County Sheriff and MAGA darling Jamey Noel blubbered like a baby yesterday as he was sentenced to a whopping 15 years behind bars. His crime? A laundry list of 27 felony charges, including theft, money laundering, corrupt business influence, official misconduct, obstruction of justice, and tax evasion.
But is anyone really surprised? This Trump-loving lawman took page straight out of his criminal president's playbook. Is it any wonder he thought he could get away with it? Grifting is the MAGA way!
This sniveling sheriff, who champions Trump as America's savior, treated taxpayer money like his personal piggy bank. A Raw Story report reveals the extent of Noel's depravity:
Raided funds meant for firefighters and paramedics to bankroll his lavish lifestyle. Fancy cars, luxury vacations, designer clothes – even his child support.
Squandered millions in public funds while essential services were left to rot.
Used public money to grease the palms of Republican politicians.
Prioritized lucrative non-emergency transfers over life-saving 911 calls. Who needs a paramedic when there's money to be made?
Deprived emergency responders of vital equipment while his own "limousines" were chauffeured around.
Stole from his own dead brother's children.
Sheriff Noel had deep connections to the Republican elite. He ran Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb's campaigns and even scored a VIP invite to Trump's inauguration, courtesy of pal Mike Pence.
So, while Sheriff Noel sits in his cell, slobbering into his prison jumpsuit, we're left to wonder: will his hero, Donald Trump, ride to the rescue with a presidential pardon? Only if Noel managed to hide some of those millions he stole.
Previously:
• MAGA Sheriff who targeted Harris supporters now accused of using prison labor for his campaign
• Judge receives death threats for jailing criminal MAGA fanatic
Adobe's new generative AI service has "ethical standards"
Thom Dunn / 10:21 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Image: YouTube
On Monday, October 14, 2024, Adobe launched a public beta for Firefly, the company's new generative AI service, which can be used to generate text-to-video prompts, enhance and expand backgrounds in Photoshop, and more. So far, so standard fare for generative AI software.
What makes Firefly stand out is that Adobe has shared some actual ethical standards for how the AI service is being trained and used.
The current Firefly generative AI models were trained on a dataset of licensed content, such as Adobe Stock, and public domain content where copyright has expired. To ensure that creators can benefit from generative AI, we've developed a compensation model for Adobe Stock contributors whose content is used in the dataset to retrain Firefly models.
[…]
We train our Firefly models solely on data we have the rights to use. Our first models were trained on unique datasets comprised of Adobe Stock images, openly licensed content and content in the public domain for which the copyright has expired.
We also provide our customers with the ability to train their own Custom Models so they can easily generate content with their own styles, subjects and/or brand language.
Adobe website
To its credit, the company has also published some actual details on the Adobe Stock contributor compensation system, too. The product's FAQ also makes it clear that any content generated with Firefly will not itself then be automatically submitted to the machine learning database—which is to say, that any AI-generated images or software will not be automatically opted-in for use as unlicensed AI training.
Any content generated with Firefly will also be embedded with Adobe's new Content Credentials metadata—which is to say that, it will be (or at least, is supposed to be) automatically tagged as AI-generated content. Here's how the company explains it:
Content Credentials function as a digital "nutrition label" that can show important information about how and when content was created and modified, including whether and how AI was used. Adobe automatically attaches Content Credentials to images created in Firefly to show that they were AI generated. This level of transparency gives creators a way to authenticate their content and helps consumers make informed decisions about content they see online.
On the surface, this might be the least-worst way I've seen so far of a company proceeding with generative AI tools. Of course, this is also coming from a software company that has shifted its entire business model to require uses to rent but never own their products, forcing you to pay a monthly fee in perpetuity even if you had previously purchased an outright ownership license. So we'll see how it goes, I guess.
Previously:
• U.S. sues Adobe over shady subscription plans and hidden fees
Overloaded powerstrip brings bomb squad to illegal grow house
Jason Weisberger / 10:16 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
image: Cook Shoots Food/Shutterstock
An illegal grow house burst into flame, displacing neighbors and resulting in an appearance by the bomb squad.
Firefighters attribute the fire to an overloaded power strip in a home packed with marijuana plants. The trove of pesticides and fertilizers was concerning enough to need to call in a bomb squad, and at least one person was taken for medical observation after inhaling too much of something.
One resident was taken to an area hospital for observation. That resident and seven others from two families were displaced from their homes.
Crews at the scene found hundreds of cannabis plants, pesticides, fertilizers, and other illicit drugs, officials said. Out of caution, bomb squad and hazmat teams were called in to assess the situation.
In a statement, officials said, "The investigation by Webster fire personnel, Webster police, and state police fire investigators assigned to the state fire marshal's office determined that the fire started in a second-floor grow room with abundant cannabis plants."
Investigators said they determined that the most likely cause of the fire was an overloaded power strip that powered lights, fans, and other electrical devices.
Previously:
• With Starbucks gift cards, marijuana grow house bribed neighbors not to snitch
Anti-trans speech goes haywire when 6,000 crickets take over the venue (video)
Carla Sinclair / 9:45 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Image: Vinicius R. Souza / shutterstock.com
An anti-trans speech by a former Washington University youth gender case worker turned to chaos on Friday when the UK venue was overtaken by 6,000 crickets — released by a group of young activists with Trans Kids Deserve Better.
Video below (posted by journalist Michael Baggs) shows rows of purple chairs teeming with the shiny brown insects as creeped out spectators stand in the aisles.
"Squash them, squash them, squash," someone says over a mic. But by the looks of the scuttling crowd, it looks like squashing bugs takes a back seat to hitting the exit doors.
From LGBTQ Nation:
On Friday, a group of youth activists released over 6,000 crickets at an anti-trans hate group's conference in the United Kingdom.
The bugs were released during an event of the LGB Alliance, interrupting a speech by anti-trans advocate Jamie Reed regarding transgender healthcare. The group Trans Kids Deserve Better claims credit for the action.
Police were called to the event but made no arrests. The protestors were, however, escorted off the premises.
The British group LGB Alliance was founded in 2019 to oppose the trans advocacy organization Stonewall. Reed is a former Washington University case worker who has since entered the public eye as a "whistleblower" for gender-affirming care. Many of her claims, however, have been disputed by patients she served.
The conference was not about gay rights but rather about opposing transgender rights and healthcare.
Previously: Things got creepy in a New York courtroom when someone released hundreds of cockroaches
Talented doggo can play Rachmaninoff (and Taylor Swift)
Jennifer Sandlin / 9:37 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Meet Ruby, a Red Labrador who plays Rachmaninoff! In this video, you can witness the impressive doggo joining her human at the piano, and coming in exactly at the right moment to play her part of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C Sharp Minor. (The cat, on the other hand, is pretty useless!)
As much as Ruby loves Russian classical music, she doesn't limit herself to that genre. She's also up on current music, and sometimes graces the world with her renditions of Taylor Swift songs—here she is playing "Blank Space." Great job, Ruby!
If you have a doggo that you'd like to teach to play piano, Ruby's human has kindly shared this how-to video. Good luck! I think I'll have to pass because I'm pretty sure my doggos, Henry Rollins and Jax, aren't tall enough to reach the piano, sadly.
To see more of the talented doggo, follow Ruby on Instagram or YouTube.
Previously:
• Doggo's hilarious struggle to escape his blanket (video)
NC's Mark "Black Nazi" Robinson sues CNN
Jason Weisberger / 9:31 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Mark Robinson. Photo: Jwaugh3 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson sued CNN for publishing a news story about him.
The lawsuit, filed in Wake county superior court, comes less than four weeks after a television report that led many fellow GOP elected officials and candidates, including Donald Trump, to distance themselves from Robinson's gubernatorial campaign. Robinson announced the lawsuit at a news conference in Raleigh.
CNN "chose to publish despite knowing or recklessly disregarding that Robinson's data – including his name, date of birth, passwords, and the email address supposedly associated with the NudeAfrica account – were previously compromised by multiple data breaches", the lawsuit states.
I think "Dark MAGA" and "Black Nazi" need to team up.
7 tips to outsmart cops when you get pulled over
Ellsworth Toohey / 9:08 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Supamotionstock.com/shutterstock.com
You're cruising down the highway when suddenly, red and blue lights flash in your rearview mirror. Your adrenaline skyrockets and your critical thinking skills shut down. The cop who pulled you over is going to take advantage of your addled state. They have plenty of tricks up their sleeve to make you unwittingly say something that can lead to a ticket or an arrest. That's why it is important to know how to respond to the cop's questions to avoid incriminating yourself.
In his video, "Protect Yourself with the RIGHT Answers to Police Questions," Virginia attorney Andrew Pelushi offers advice on handling police interactions during traffic stops. He emphasizes the importance of being prepared for routine questions during traffic stops, and advises against admitting to any wrongdoing, even for minor infractions.
Here are his 7 tips for foiling cops' interrogative tactics:
Don't Admit to Wrongdoing
When asked, "Do you know why I pulled you over this evening?" Pelushi advises responding with a simple "No, sir." As he explains, "You've just admitted a speeding, which is against the law. You've admitted to breaking the law."Invoke Your Right to Remain Silent
When questioned about alcohol consumption, politely state, "I have my right to remain silent." Pelushi notes, "If he suspects you of DUI, you're refusing to give him any additional evidence by which he can make a decision to arrest you."Refuse Consent for Searches
If an officer asks to search your vehicle, don't give permission. Instead, Pelushi suggests asking, "Am I free to leave?" He explains, "Only if he develops additional reasonable suspicion or probable cause can he then extend the stop and keep you on the side of the road for longer."Don't Fall for the "I'll Find It Anyway" Tactic
When an officer claims they smell contraband, stand firm. Pelushi advises saying, "I don't consent to any searches." He warns, "If you fess up, if you admit to where the contraband is, you've just admitted the possession."Decline Roadside Tests
You're not required to perform roadside sobriety tests. Pelushi notes, "Those tests are not easy to do well on and you may be setting yourself up for failure."Be Polite but Firm
Pelushi emphasizes, "You can exercise your rights and remain silent and not consent to tests without being a jerk." Maintain respect while asserting your rights.Never Lie
Pelushi strongly advises against lying to officers. "It's much better to simply remain silent than trying to give the police some kind of line that you think is going to get you out of trouble," he says.
Previously:
• Black man mauled by Circleville police dog was pulled over because his truck 'was missing a left rear mud flap'
• iPhone shortcut to record encounters with the police
• Tampa's police chief flashed her badge when she was pulled over in a golf cart. Now she's resigned
• Arizona deputy Eli Max, who pulled over a black driver for an air freshener, placed on administrative leave
• White Florida cops appear to racially profile driver, then learn she's state attorney Aramis Ayala
• Drunk driving suspect switched seats with dog when pulled over
Running scared: Trump cancels another interview
Jason Weisberger / 9:02 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Trump drugs
Adjudicated rapist, convicted felon Donald Trump cancels another interview, this time with CNBC.
While Donald Trump continues embarrassing himself at rallies, he's also avoiding situations where his handlers aren't in control. Trump is canceling another interview after his latest abrupt shift into becoming a bar mitzvah DJ. Conservatives and media outlets poured energy into criticizing Vice President Harris' choice to focus on rallies earlier in her campaign, but the confused old man gets a pass. Now that Harris regularly gives the mainstream media the attention it desires, they seem not to mind Trump dodging them.
"The interview had not previously been announced by either side," the publication writes. "Sources told the Daily Beast that the network had invited Trump to an in-studio sit-down on Squawk Box to take place later this week and that his campaign had initially accepted."
Trump also abruptly backed out of a planned interview with CBS News' "60 Minutes" and he has been generally sticking to interviews with MAGA-friendly commentators such as Fox Business's Maria Bartiromo and assorted right-wing podcasters.
In addition to this, Trump has been ramping up his attacks on Fox News for not being completely obsequious in its coverage of him, going so far as to chide the network for inviting on Democratic operatives.
MAGAs love hearing his befuddled shark windmill battery stuff. Why doesn't someone sit him down and ask him about it in detail?
Supreme Court revives lawsuit of Texas journalist jailed for asking police a question
Ellsworth Toohey / 8:35 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Denis Kvarda/shutterstock.com
Priscilla Villarreal, known as "Lagordiloca" ("the fat, crazy lady"), is described by The New York Times, as "arguably the most influential journalist in Laredo." She livestreams her reporting on Facebook, covering local crime and news for her 200,000 followers.
In 2017, she was arrested after breaking two stories using information from a confidential police source. An article in FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) says that authorities used "a decades-old statute local officials had never used before to criminalize Priscilla's journalism," which amounted to being arrested for asking a question.
After her release, Villarreal sued the police and prosecutors for violating her constitutional rights. Her case went through several courts with mixed results.
On October 15, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court made a significant decision in her favor. FIRE reports that the Court "granted her petition for review, vacated the Fifth Circuit's 9-7 decision against her, and sent the case back to the Fifth Circuit, ordering it to reconsider Priscilla's claims" in light of a recent Supreme Court decision affirming the right to sue government officials for First Amendment retaliation.
Villarreal told FIRE, "I'm grateful for the Supreme Court's decision. It has been a challenging seven years since Laredo officials attempted to silence me, and this marks a significant step toward rectifying the wrongs I have faced."
Previously:
• Texas lawmakers considering a ban on 850 books. Here's the full list.
• Texas Teachers suspended after knocking out kids with medicated 'sleeping stickers' (video)
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre gas station now a tourist destination
• Texas struck by meteor the size of a thousand-pound corgi
• Texas sues to unmask women who get abortions out of state
Patent troll crushed by Cloudflare
Gail Sherman / 8:20 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Illustration: Theodor Kittelsen, 1857 (public domain)
Patent trolls are the worst. These companies buy up patents, never intending to use them for anything constructive. The patent portfolio are used only to sue companies for patent infringement. The claims are often spurious, but many companies settle rather than spend the money and time to fight them. Cloudflare is not one of those companies.
In 2016, Cloudflare fought back against Blackbird, using a crowd-sourced bounty program named Jengo to find prior art to invalidate the patents in question. Cloudflare won in court, and paid out cash to the Jengo participants who helped out. Project Jengo was retired after the victory, but was revived in 2021 to fight another patent troll, Sable. In February, a jury found that Cloudflare was not liable for infringement, and the settlement resulted in complete and utter defeat for Sable.
In the end, Sable agreed to pay Cloudflare $225,000, grant Cloudflare a royalty-free license to its entire patent portfolio, and to dedicate its patents to the public, ensuring that Sable can never again assert them against another company.
Let's repeat that first part, just to make sure everyone understands:
Sable, the patent troll that sued Cloudflare back in March 2021 asserting around 100 claims across four patents, in the end wound up paying Cloudflare. While this $225,000 can't fully compensate us for the time, energy and frustration of having to deal with this litigation for nearly three years, it does help to even the score a bit. And we hope that it sends an important message to patent trolls everywhere to beware before taking on Cloudflare.
Cloudflare has already paid out $70,000 to participants in Jengo, and has $30,000 more to distribute to the final winners.
Previously: Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1: an encrypted, privacy-protecting DNS service
New iPad Mini, at last
Rob Beschizza / 8:20 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Image: Apple
Apple today announced a new iPad Mini, the most adorable iPad but for its aging specs. The new model has an A17 Pro CPU, comes in four muted colors (silver, yellow, green and pink) and is compatible with Apple Pencil Pro. From the press release:
Apple today introduced the new iPad mini, supercharged by the A17 Pro chip and Apple Intelligence, the easy-to-use personal intelligence system that understands personal context to deliver intelligence that is helpful and relevant while protecting user privacy. With a beloved ultraportable design, the new iPad mini is available in four gorgeous finishes, including a new blue and purple, and features the brilliant 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display. A17 Pro delivers a huge performance boost for even the most demanding tasks, with a faster CPU and GPU, a 2x faster Neural Engine than the previous-generation iPad mini,1 and support for Apple Intelligence. The versatility and advanced capabilities of the new iPad mini are taken to a whole new level with support for Apple Pencil Pro, opening up entirely new ways to be even more productive and creative. The 12MP wide back camera supports Smart HDR 4 for natural-looking photos with increased dynamic range, and uses machine learning to detect and scan documents right in the Camera app.
The larger iPads invite me to use them for real work but remain averse to pro workflows, versioning, etc., while the mini is just a perfect l'il sketchpad, writering device and media consumption trough: large enough to get light work done but small enough for a cargo pocket. That last-gen phone processor is not particularly enticing, though, nor the heavy AI branding. It'll be out Oct. 23 for $499, or $649 with cellular.
Ted Cruz begs MAGA to give him money: "I'm getting pounded!" (video)
Carla Sinclair / 8:19 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Image: Ted Cruz / Fox News
A desperate Ted Cruz shook in his beach sandals as he begged for money on Fox News.
"I'm getting pounded!" the Texas Senator told Sean Hannity, comically blaming his poor polling numbers on "wild-eyed liberals" and Sen. Chuck Schumer rather than the simple fact that nobody likes him. Actually, more than nobody, as his net favorability rating in a survey conducted two weeks ago was far south of 0 (-8 to be exact).
"We're getting viciously outspent," he cried, referring to his campaign's struggle to fundraise while opponent Rep. Colin Allred — who Cruz debates tonight — has been raking it in. Cruz then asked his MAGA voters to give him "25 bucks, 50, 100, maybe somebody giving $500 or even $1,000…. I need your help and support!" Looks like someone needs a trip to Cancun. (See video below, posted by Mike Sington.)
Previously: Watch The Daily Show's 9-minute documentary on Ted Cruz: "a nightmare of a human being"
Dancing Donald Trump uses rally to share 39-minute playlist
Jason Weisberger / 7:47 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Boing Boing/Flux
Soon, befuddled Republican candidate for President Donald Trump will tell us how he beat "American Bandstand" in the ratings.
Losing his train of thought, Donald Trump turned his rally into an opportunity to share a favorite playlist and show some smooth Teletubbies-like dance moves. For 39 minutes, people watched a large man in an oversized suit be genuinely moved by the music. Wiggling, bopping, smiling oddly, and occasionally stopping to mutter things, Donald Trump is truly off the rails, but I am sure his MAGAs find this breath-taking.
"Those two people that went down are patriots, and we love them, and because of them we ended upwith some good music, right?" he asked. "So play 'YMCA!' Go ahead. Let's go nice and loud!"
"Here we go, everybody," Noem interjected.
The crowd cheered and danced to the Village People song from the 1970s, which celebrates gay cruising culture. Noem put her hands up in the shape of a "Y." As the song was ending, Trump mouthed the words, "Nobody's leaving."
"Nobody's leaving. What's going on? There's nobody leaving. Keep going," he said, as Rufus Wainwright's version of "Hallelujah" played next. "All right, turn that music up! Turn that up. Great song!"
Rather than fade away in humiliation, Trump will likely see this as a cue to turn future events into his wild version of the Blue Man Troop.
Previously:
• Blue Man Group discovers My Chemical Romance
Google begins "purge" of effective ad-blockers from Chrome
Rob Beschizza / 7:44 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Jay Fog / Shutterstock.com
Manifest V3 is the new extensions framework for Google's Chrome browser, and one notable outcome is that ad blockers can't block so many ads. After years of delay, Google is reportedly "purging" such extensions and accelerating the framework's rollout.
According to recent user reports, uBlock Origin is quickly disappearing from the Chrome Web Store. The official page for the ad-blocking extension now states that it is unavailable because it doesn't comply with Chrome's "best practices" for add-ons. However, we can confirm that the page is still accessible from our EU Windows client.
For those who already have uBlock Origin installed, Chrome now displays a warning that the extension is becoming obsolete. Google introduced Manifest V3 in 2018, claiming it would replace Manifest V2 in the Chromium project due to its supposedly enhanced security features.
A compatible version of uBlock Origin, uBlock Origin Lite, is available, but the creator recommends Firefox. In any case, if you want to block ads or otherwise protect your privacy, you should be using a browser other than Chrome. The EFF:
As both security experts and the developers of extensions that will be greatly harmed by Manifest V3, we're here to tell you: Google's statement just isn't true. Manifest V3 is a blunt instrument that will do little to improve security while severely limiting future innovation.
Previously:
• Google killing uBlock Origin, Chrome's most popular ad blocker
• Google's API changes mean only paid enterprise users of Chrome will be able to access full adblock
Wayback Machine back online in read-only mode
Rob Beschizza / 7:21 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Nuntakarn / Shutterstock
The Internet Archive was shuttered by a hack days ago, but the Wayback Machine is back online, at least for reading. "Please be gentle," writes Brewster Kahle.
The @internetarchive's Wayback Machine resumed in a provisional, read-only manner. Sorry, no Save Page Now yet. Safe to resume but might need further maintenance, in which case it will be suspended again.
Tim Warren reports on the hack:
A pop-up from a purported hacker claimed the archive had suffered a "catastrophic security breach" last week, before Have I Been Pwned confirmed data was stolen. The theft included email addresses, screen names, hashed passwords, and other internal data for 31 million unique email accounts.
The Internet Archive outage came just weeks after Google started adding links to archived websites in the Wayback Machine. Google removed its own cached pages links earlier this year, so having the Wayback Machine linked in Google search results is a useful way to access older versions of websites or archived pages.
Previously:
• An obscure copyright law is letting the Internet Archive distribute books published 1923-1941
• Internet Archive beleaguered by DDoS attacks, also hacked
• Internet Archive ending free e-books program over publisher lawsuit, National Emergency Library to close for 2 weeks
• Internet Archive to ignore robots.txt directives
What will Robot Finger find in your cavities?
Rob Beschizza / 6:37 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Image: USTC/Hongbo Wang
A "robot finger" could soon be performing routine physical patient examinations, reports New Atlas, and yes, in addition to surface work, it's going inside "dark, warm places" for diagnostic purposes.
Their BSF, short for bioinspired soft finger, consists of a bending actuation body and integrated multimodal sensing. It has a finger-like, semicircular shape with a PneuNet (pneumatic networks) structure, a class of soft actuator made up of a series of channels and chambers inside an elastomer. The BSF bends inward when it's pressurized as these air chambers expand. Its total length is 129 mm (5.08 inches). … Given the complexities of the human hand, even the most advanced robotic hands are still well behind in matching its capabilities. So, for the USTC team to achieve comparable-to-human tactile sensing for palpation – which is feeling about for abnormalities – and proprioception – the ability to sense the movement and location of our body parts – in a soft robotic finger is a pretty big deal.
From Toward human-like touch sense via a bioinspired soft finger with self-decoupled bending and force sensing, published in Cell Reports Physical Science.
"We demonstrated that the BSF can press and 'feel' the stiffness of an object and perform safe and accurate robotic palpation similar to that performed by a doctor," said the researchers. "Moreover, the BSD mounted on a [six-degrees-of-freedom] robotic arm can locate the artery at a participant's wrist and take [pulses] for real-time analysis. These findings highlight the potential of a 'robodoctor' to perform physical examinations in the future."
Certain law enforcement types looking at this and smiling as they remember exactly how qualified immunity works.
Mysterious box of dynamite triggers evacuation in Knoxville
Rob Beschizza / 6:11 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Photo: Knoxville Police Department
A box of dynamite received by a recycling center in Knoxville, Tennesee, prompted an evacuation of local residents and a lockdown as authorities tackled the find. It was 36 hours before the "high-grade commercial explosives" were declared safe by the bomb squad, and investigators remain on site.
"I could not be prouder of the law enforcement community in Tennessee," KPD Chief Paul Noel said during a 10 p.m. briefing near the area that had been evacuated.
"They removed a large amount of dynamite by hand all day, today, in the hot sun, I cannot stress how dangerous that was," Noel said. "They are absolute heroes."
The investigation began after a 911 call around 2:15 p.m. Oct. 10 that alerted police to an unmarked, locked, approximately 5-foot-by-5-foot steel box filled with suspected explosive materials at CMC Recycling.
The best part: the recycling center at 2706 Mynderse Ave didn't know what was in the mystery metal container and opened it with a torch before realizing what it was in it. The photos are from a police drone.
Knoxville police report that the only lead is a charred yellow business card printed with the slogan "HAVE BRAIN WILL TRAVEL," but any name or other identifying information is burned off.
New NRA chief convicted in 1980 torture and killing of house cat
Rob Beschizza / 5:08 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Doug Hamlin in a publicity image
Douglas Hamlin is the National Rifle Association's new leader, appointed this summer to pull it out of its endless corruption scandals. The Guardian reports that Hamlin, with four others, pleaded no contest to the torture and killing of a house cat, BK, in 1980. It apparently took time to figure out his involvement because "the charges were ultimately expunged from the men's records after they completed 200 hours each of animal-related community service."
The details of the case, described in local media reports at the time, are gruesome. The house cat was captured, its paws were cut off, and was then strung up and set on fire. The killing, which occurred in December 1979, was allegedly prompted by anger that the cat was not using its litterbox.
The case caused such a furore locally that some students and animal rights activists wore buttons and armbands in memory of BK.
Here's Shelagh Abbs Winter, the student who turned him in then and now an animal rights activist: "Once a creep, always a creep."
Some people just don't get that these guys are bona fide sadists and there might soon be very little standing between them and what gets them off.
Register to vote in your state now and vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz on November 5.
Awesome 1940s Halloween costumes made from feed sacks
Popkin / 5:00 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
If you don't know what to be for Halloween this year, you can always take inspiration from these awesome 1940s feed sack costumes. The feed sacks are turned upside down, holes are cut for the eyes, and fun, charming characters are drawn on them.
The result makes the wearer look like a giant silly head with legs sticking out of it. After you're done wearing it, you can hang it up on your wall as a piece of art.
Besides being used as cool Halloween costumes, feed sacks have a history of being used in fashion. Women in farming communities began repurposing feed sacks into clothing from the 1920s through the 1950s. It was really popular during the Great Depression and World War II, when fabric shortages made it necessary to make the most of whatever was lying around.
See also: Silly doggos gang up on animated Halloween prop that invaded their living room (video)
Sexy Asian lady robots haunt science fiction
Rob Beschizza / 4:34 am PT Tue Oct 15, 2024
Blade Runner
Annalee Newitz writes that we need to fight back against the threat from sexy Asian lady robots. The threat is not literal, though it is certainly present: the slow-burning but now resurgent thread of orientalism in science fiction.
You may not know the term, but if you have watched the 1982 movie Blade Runner or the 2002 TV series Firefly, you have seen it in action. As critic Kelly Kanayama put it, techno-Orientalism is a collection of tropes that describe a "bad, Asian-influenced future with no Asians in it". In Blade Runner, an apocalyptically polluted Los Angeles is full of signs in Japanese, but features virtually no Japanese characters. In the dark future of the space opera Firefly, characters curse in Mandarin, but we never meet a Chinese person. These are just two of many sci-fi stories that exhibit techno-Orientalism, which condemns and erases Asian cultural power at the same time.
Countering lazy ethnic tropes and appropriations isn't accomplished in the arts alone. It flows downhill from politics.
We need the US and China to renew their decades-long Science and Technology Agreement, which fosters collaboration between them on scientific endeavours. As of me writing this, the agreement has lapsed, though Nature reports that the two nations are still in talks. The European Commission needs to invite more Asian partners into the Horizon grant programme, a €53.5 billion fund for research into climate, health and more. And we need to see Western governments creating a safer environment for Asian immigrant workers and students
The Glasgow Worldcon panel that led to Newitz' piece doesn't seem to be online, but I learned about Eliza Chan's novel Fathomfolk from discussion of it.
Welcome to Tiankawi – shining pearl of human civilization and a safe haven for those fleeing civil unrest. Or at least, that's how it first appears. But in the semi-flooded city, humans are, quite literally, on top: peering down from shining towers and aerial walkways on the fathomfolk – sirens, seawitches, kelpies and kappas – who live in the polluted waters below.
"Cannot be trusted" — Trump's pal Geraldo Rivera endorses Harris
Ellsworth Toohey / 5:09 pm PT Mon Oct 14, 2024
Geraldo Rivera (Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com)
Longtime Trump ally Geraldo Rivera has turned his back on President Overthrow J. Pussygrabber, throwing his support behind Kamala Harris for the 2024 election.
The ex-Fox News star dropped the bombshell on Twitter, branding Trump a "Sore Loser" who "cannot be trusted to honor the Constitution."
Rivera, who once competed on Trump's Celebrity Apprentice, accused Trump of making "a liar of you" if you're a Republican, referring to the former president's claims of a stolen 2020 election. He also said Trump "stabbed the Constitution in the back" during the January 6th Capitol riot.
In other words, Trump's commitment to doing the right thing is as hollow as Al Capone's safe.
Previously:
• Geraldo Rivera's awkward encounter with Larry David is 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'
• Geraldo scolds Orlando victims: 'For God's sakes, fight back!'
• Geraldo Rivera threatens to beat up Keith Olbermann
Glitchy Trump is happy about the many, um, "Azerasians"at his Arizona rally (video)
Allan Rose Hill / 4:17 pm PT Mon Oct 14, 2024
Image: a katz / shutterstock.com
Who needs Arizonans when you have "many Azerasians" at your rally!
Below is a terrific Trump teleprompter (?) fail yesterday in Scottsdale.
According to MeidasTouch's Aaron Rupar, perhaps Trump was referring to a group at the rally wearing "Assyrians for Trump" t-shirts.
(Thanks, UPSO!)
Previously:
• Trump's 22-second brain freeze: Is Fox News covering up a Glitch McConnell moment?
• Trump glitches again — this time slurring and stopping mid-sentence in Truth Social post