A pig's brain was revived an hour after it died
Allan Rose Hill / 11:41 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
Neurobiologists at China's Sun Yat-sen University have revived pigs' brains an hour after the animals died. Sometimes, they were able to keep the brains functioning for hours. The trick was to use the animal's liver as a kind of life support system for the brain. Eventually, the research could lead to new possibilities for resuscitating humans whose blood circulation was stopped by cardiac arrest.
From Science Alert:
The basic life support system involved an artificial heart and lungs to help pump fluid through the brain. For one group, a pig's liver was integrated into the system, known as liver-assisted brain normothermic machine perfusion[…]
These results, the researchers say, suggest the liver plays an important role in the development of brain injury following cardiac arrest. The findings suggest new avenues for research into brain injury, and may, hopefully, improve survival rates and recovery outcomes for human patients in the future.
More about the experiments in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.
Previously:
• Massachusetts man is first human to get genetically modified pig kidney transplant
• Scientists revive dead pigs' brain cells and other organs
• Man lives six weeks with pig's heart
Incredible video of water tank falling on woman and miraculously covering her without injury
Allan Rose Hill / 11:24 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
A woman in Surat, India had just visited a temple where she left donation when she crossed the street and a water tank fell from above. Her donation apparently paid off! The water tank fell perfectly around her, leaving the woman completely uninjured. Video below.
"In light of the woman having just departed the temple, some have suggested that her escaping the incident unscathed was an act of divine intervention," reports Coast to Coast.
Reminds me of the old story of the boxer who crosses himself before going into the ring. Someone asks his manager if that helps the slugger win and the manager replies, "Yep! That and a brutal left hook."
Previously:
• Book about the 'bad luck' incurred taking souvenir rocks from National Parks
• Danish sailors make insane harbor entry in high seas
• Flight cancelled, man detained after throwing coins into plane engine for 'good luck'
Blue tide quietly rising as Trump tries his most desperate ploy yet
Jason Weisberger / 10:39 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
While the media ignores voters marching to the polls, Juggalos and Swifties are uniting in their desire for inclusion and acceptance, Eminem is introducing Obama, and cats and dogs are not being eaten by anyone — Hitler adoring Donald Trump sees the blue wave coming for him and is throwing out all the stops.
While the media reports record early voting numbers, they profess confusion over who may be showing up. Forgotten are the years spent discouraging Republicans from early voting. However, these parades of younger voters indicate bad news for the Trump campaign. I only see them on social media, however. Where is the New York Times forecasting they are all voting Red?
The convicted felon, however, sees what is coming and, like a used car salesman, is telling to tell people exactly what they want to hear. Trump is now out of crazy ass shit to promise that anyone might buy. He's down with lynching and the purge; women's rights are gone, and immigrants will be mass deported. Better than "no new taxes," the adjudicated rapist promises "No taxes." This is now part of his tariff-based economic plan forecast to reduce GDP by almost 10%. He is promising economic disaster, and the New York Times is there to tell you about his promise.
Previously:
• Fox News host sees the brightside of Trump's Nazism
"Bad girl!" Tucker Carlson impersonates Daddy Trump spanking daughter at the sickest MAGA rally yet (video)
Carla Sinclair / 9:46 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
Tucker Carlson may have become a pariah at Fox News, but he's still got self-sabotaging Trumpers by the tanned balls. And last night, opening for Donald Trump at a rally in Georgia, the toxic sidekick channeled the GOP's vision of law and order with a sick impersonation of Daddy Trump.
After giving examples of "people getting away with things," such as "your hormone addled 15-year-old daughter" slamming doors and giving you the finger, the unhinged MAGA darling erupted. "No! There has to be a point at which Dad comes home."
"Yeah! That's right! Dad comes home. And he's PISSED. Dad is pissed!" the married incel [it happens] continued. "When Dad gets home, you know what he says? 'You've been a bad girl. You've been a bad little girl and you're getting a vigorous spanking right now.'"
And then, in Carlson's signature sadistic style, he added, "And no, it's not going to hurt me more than it hurts you. No, it's not. I'm not going to lie. This is going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me." And this, my friends, is what the Trump party is fantasizing about 12 days before the election.
(See video below, posted by Mike Sington.)
Previously: Tucker Carlson says fathers should attack school staff
Watch this loud contraption shake coins to create unhackable crypto wallets
Ellsworth Toohey / 8:32 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
Sometimes we need a little uncertainty in life to get what we want. Whether you're running a clinical trial, generating a cryptocurrency key, or deciding who goes first in a game of chess, randomness can be essential. In this entertaining 8-minute YouTube demonstration, inventor Andrew Sheppard introduces his solution to this challenge: the Satoshi 9000.
Resembling a hardware store paint shaker, the machine features two clear plastic cups designed to hold coins or dice, which are attached to a mechanical shaking mechanism. Integrated cameras capture and store images of these physical randomizers in the device's memory. In operation, it's loud, making it less than ideal for people who live in apartments with thin walls.
The device's beauty lies in its simplicity and transparency. As Sheppard explains in the video, it's designed to be "easily seen and understood by anyone from five years old to 95 years old, technical or non-technical." The machine has a control panel with LED indicators and a thermal printer for output.
The Satoshi 9000 comes pre-programmed with an impressive array of applications:
• Bitcoin key generation
• Coin bias testing
• Clinical trial data generation
• Router-specific key generation
• Dice bias testing
• Ethereum key generation
• Dogecoin key generation
• Conway's Game of Life
• Random 1024-bit data generation
• Rock-paper-scissors
• Roulette wheel simulation
• Card deck shuffling
• Scandinavian chess
• USD coin key generation
• Monero key generation
Security is paramount in the device's design. Sheppard emphasizes that it's "air-gapped in the sense it has no connectivity to the outside world. No Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth, no network connectivity whatsoever." The machine's "walk-away randomness" feature allows users to remove both SD cards — one containing the firmware and another with user programs — making it impossible for adversaries to determine "how, why, and when the machine was last used."
After each use, the device automatically "erases its internal state and powers itself off," ensuring complete security between sessions.
Previously:
• From lava lamps to quantum dice: how random numbers rule your life
• FreeBSD won't use Intel & Via's hardware random number generators, believes NSA has compromised them
• USB Hourglass random number generator
• In his spare time, an engineer found flaws in the classic book 'A Million Random Digits'
• Lottery security director accused of hacking random-number generator to rig prizes
• Wizard Dice: odd polygon random number generators for spellcasters
• Juniper blinks: firewall will nuke the NSA's favorite random number generator
"Bloody jerk!" Putin lashes out after Zelensky mocks him with a new T-shirt
Carla Sinclair / 8:04 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky taunted Russian dictator Vladimir Putin last night, giving a video address to his nation while wearing a "Make Russia small again" T-shirt. And it didn't go unnoticed.
Putin, known for his eggshell ego, instantly cracked, siccing his Foreign Ministry spokesperson on the Ukrainian leader. "Bloody jerk!" Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
"Small as what? The USSR? The Russian Empire?" she huffed. "Oh, I got it! As the Kievan Rus. For that we need Kiev. You said it yourself, bloody jerk!"
This isn't the first time a world leader got under Putin's thin (and bare) skin. In 2022, Putin called Boris Johnson and Justin Trudeau "disgusting" after the two presidents mocked the fragile tyrant at a three-day G7 summit over an unearthed photo that showed Putin riding horseback without a shirt.
Via The Independent and Business Insider
What is your body fat spirit animal?
Rob Beschizza / 7:44 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
I enjoyed Animal Body Fat Match so much that only after learning that my spirit animal is a slop hornet did I realize there is no privacy policy or even an identifiable creator.
Note: data may not be fully accurate, source list found through this youtube video
Nature's high score, at least in that list, is the army cutworm moth, at 72%. At the other end, crabs have less than 1% body fat. Among mammals, kangaroos are at 2%—an unrealistic fitness goal if ever there was one.
Norway to impose minimum age of 15 for social media
Rob Beschizza / 7:28 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
Accusing social media companies of exploiting and manipulating young people, the government of Norway announced it is to prohibit the use of their platforms by children under 15 years old. The minimum age is currently set at 13 years old.
Despite this, more than half of nine-year-olds, 58% of 10-year-olds and 72% of 11-year-olds are on social media, according to research by the Norwegian media authority.
The government has pledged to introduce more safeguards to prevent children from getting around the age restrictions – including amending the Personal Data Act so that social media users must be 15 years old to agree that the platform can handle their personal data, and developing an age verification barrier for social media.
"It sends quite a strong signal," the prime minister told the newspaper VG on Wednesday. "Children must be protected from harmful content on social media. These are big tech giants pitted against small children's brains. We know that this is an uphill battle, because there are strong forces here, but it is also where politics is needed."
You can't hold back the kids. You can run down the companies.
Previously:
• Susie Bright: Raising the Minimum Age for Porn
• British Columbia government forces Vancouver dad to end his kids' free-range city bus rides to school
• Tennessee GOP pushes bill to eliminate age requirement for marriage
• Vermont bill would ban child marriage, making it just the seventh US state to do so
DRM company Denuvo admits it can hurt game performance
Rob Beschizza / 7:12 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
Denuvo claims to be the most effective DRM system bundled with games (though it has been cracked over the years) and it works better than others because it integrates closely with the game's code and the hardware it's running on. Once on a computer, the computer becomes an internet-of-things device under the control of an elaborate software framework that can see everything you do while hiding what it does from you. One benefit to gamers is the top-of-class anti-cheat system. But the cons are considerable, not least a performance hit which someone from the company testily admitted to as part of a PR effort aimed at rehabilitating its image.
PS: Do you deny that Denuvo negatively affects performance in all cases?
Andreas Ullmann: No, and I think that's also something that we've stated in our FAQ on Discord. There are valid cases, especially when we are talking about the one that comes up on a regular basis: Tekken 7. That was also confirmed by by the technical producer back in the day on Twitter.
Thing is, I think it's important to understand how our solution works.
This is funny, too:
Andreas Ullmann: There was a recent study about the financial impact of our protection. That study said our solution saves our customers around 20% of – or an additional 20% of revenue – if they're using our solution.
RPS: The study you mention showed that having Denuvo software improves revenues at launch, but also showed that a certain point after release – I think it was around three months – it evens out. Do you think publishers should have a policy of eventually removing Denuvo and making that clear to players in their marketing?
Andreas Ullmann: That's the only point of the study where I'm not totally agreeing.
So it front-loads sales numbers with gamers in the venn diagram of "will pay", "but would rather pirate" and "day 1 acquisition"—but it evens out in three months. The financial benefit evaporates by the end of the quarter. It sounds like it's all about optimizing curves and "box office" marketing cycles at the largest publishers. If you don't have that type of meeting in your office, there seems to be no point.
Previously:
• The video game industry's best-of-class DRM is routinely cracked in less than 24 hours
• New, 'unbreakable' Denuvo DRM cracked two days before its first commercial deployment
• Capcom adds DRM to old games, causing new problems for customers
Kentucky state senator dies after plunging into empty swimming pool on lawnmower
Carla Sinclair / 6:49 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
Kentucky State Sen. Johnnie Turner has died after accidentally driving his lawnmower into the deep end of his empty swimming pool.
The 76-year-old Republican had been in "critical but stable condition" last month, when the accident occurred, but last night he succumbed to his injuries.
Turner was running unopposed for another term and will appear on November's election ballot.
Turner died Tuesday evening after his "hard-fought battle" with injuries sustained in the accident, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers said in a statement Wednesday. …
Turner, an attorney, won election to the state Senate in 2020, ousting a Democratic incumbent with the same last name. Turner defeated two challengers in the Republican spring primary this year.With his death coming so close to the election, Turner's name will appear on the general election ballot, the secretary of state's office said. His lone November challenger, an independent candidate, recently withdrew from the race. Write-in candidates have until Friday to file for the seat, but otherwise a special election will be needed to fill the seat, the secretary of state's office said.
Kentucky's GOP-dominated legislature will begin its 2025 session in January. Until then, lawmakers are meeting in interim committees to study a range of issues in preparation for next year's 30-day session.
Previously: Woman dies at Chicago O'Hare airport "pinned in machinery" of baggage carousel
Russian linux kernel maintainers removed due to sanctions
Rob Beschizza / 6:30 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
Linus Torvalds, the creator and lead developer of Linux, confirmed that twelve Russian nationals were removed from the group of software engineers maintaining the operating system's kernel. They were cut loose to comply with sanctions against the county, he wrote.
Ok, lots of Russian trolls out and about.
It's entirely clear why the change was done, it's not getting reverted, and using multiple random anonymous accounts to try to "grass root" it by Russian troll factories isn't going to change anything.
And FYI for the actual innocent bystanders who aren't troll farm accounts – the "various compliance requirements" are not just a US thing.
If you haven't heard of Russian sanctions yet, you should try to read the news some day. And by "news", I don't mean Russian state-sponsored spam.
As to sending me a revert patch – please use whatever mush you call brains. I'm Finnish. Did you think I'd be *supporting* Russian aggression? Apparently it's not just lack of real news, it's lack of history knowledge too.
Another key Linux developer, Greg Kroah-Hartman, had presented the departure in vague terms ("various compliance requirements"), which invited those described as "out and about" in Torvalds' remarks to Streisand the situation.
In Russia, of course, system operates you.
Apple may stop making Vision Pro already
Rob Beschizza / 6:15 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
The Information's Wayne Ma and Qianer Liu report that Apple has scaled back production of Vision Pro and may end production by the end of the year.
Apple has sharply scaled back production of its Vision Pro mixed reality headset since the early summer and could stop making the existing version of the device entirely by year end, according to multiple people directly involved in building components for the device.
The move suggests that Apple has enough inventory built up to meet demand for the foreseeable future. It follows Apple's decision earlier this year to focus on building a model that's cheaper than the current version—which retails for $3,500—for possible release by the end of 2025, as The Information has previously reported.
Apple is said to have recently told Luxshare, a Chinese company that serves as the Vision Pro's assembler, that it may need to wind down production in November. Luxshare is currently making around 1,000 Vision Pro headsets per day, which is half that being produced at its peak. Apple will still be able to resume Vision Pro production if sales pick up since the production lines are not yet due to be dismantled.
It's $3,500 plus tax, there's not enough stuff on it, and if you wanted one you already got one. "Vision Air" is a great name ("visionaire"), maybe they'll use it.
Go Fund Me for indie rocker Matthew Sweet raises $300k in two days
Jennifer Sandlin / 4:43 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
As a huge, lifelong fan of indie rocker Matthew Sweet, I was heartbroken to hear the news today that he recently suffered what his manager, Catherine Lyons, has described as a "debilitating stroke."
According to AV Club:
Matthew Sweet suffered a debilitating stroke in Toronto while on tour last week. Revealed in a GoFundMe fundraiser, Sweet was two weeks into a tour with Hanson when he was "unexpectedly and tragically forced off the road and onto a long, uncertain path to recovery."
The stroke occurred on October 13, just before Sweet was expected to perform in Toronto, where he has been receiving treatment. However, "health care is not free for Americans in Canada." Sweet now must fly back to the U.S. on an ambulance transport to a specialized rehabilitation center, "where he will receive around-the-clock care and therapy for six weeks." The GoFundMe continues, "He will then require months of treatment and rehabilitation that we hope will lead to a full recovery." The fundraiser is hoping to raise $250,000 toward his treatment.
Catherine Lyons updated the Go Fund Me today with the news that Sweet is now in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, where he will be undergoing rehabilitation and recovery for an "undetermined number of months in 2025." Lyons wrote:
We and Mattthew are overwhelmed with gratitude for the many generous donations and well-wishes from donors around the world in the last 48 hours. With your direct help, Matthew was able to check out of the hospital in Toronto and successfully return to Omaha on board a medical flight attended by two nurses with medical equipment to keep him stable. He was admitted into the rehabilitation hospital immediately where he is already being evaluated and tested so medical staff can prepare a more comprehensive rehabilitation plan this week. With each bill and test completed, we're getting a clearer picture of the total cost of Matthew's long, tough road to recovery. The funds raised to date will cover all of his medical expenses in Canada, the flight to Omaha and the first 28 days in rehab. We are raising our goal to $400,000 at this time with the hope that we can continue to cover Matthew's medical and essential monthly expenses while he remains in day to day rehabilitation and recovery for an undetermined number of months in 2025. Needless to say, Matthew will not be able to return to performing concerts anytime soon. Your contributions are profoundly helpful to Matthew – he is fully aware of your generosity and has asked that I convey his deep appreciation to all of you who have helped him.
If you're not familiar with Sweet's music, you must remedy that immediately. AV Club provides this brief bio:
Sweet was a primary figure in the power pop revival of the 90s, with albums like 1991's Girlfriend (which Paste included on their "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s" list) and 1995's 100% Fun. It's no wonder he's still on the road at 60. "Collecting art has been a very valuable thing for me in terms of thinking about what I do," he told The A.V. Club in a 2000 interview. "The more I can make things that make me happy, the more I'll be an artist with an identity."
You can find his Go Fund Me here, which, as of 8 pm Arizona time on October 23, has already raised $295,745.
It's disheartening, to say the very least, that a musician as stellar and influential as Matthew Sweet is having to raise money for medical bills, but the outpouring of love and support—monetary and emotional, from everyday fans as well as giants of the music and entertainment industries—has been heartwarming. I've been listening to Matthew Sweet regularly since I first heard his album Girlfriend—which is truly one of the best albums of all time—in the early 1990s, and I'm lucky enough to have seen him many times in the 90s. Since hearing about his stroke, I've been playing his albums nonstop, and have been feeling sad but also grateful to have his music in my life. Go show him some love (and money), folks.
Check out this incredible headless couple costume at the Green Man Festival
Popkin / 4:40 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
The Green Man Festival celebrates art, science, and culture every year in Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. Atlas Obscura posted this epic video from the festival showing a couple walking around in costumes that make them look extraordinarily tall and headless.
Although they don't have heads, this couple was impeccably dressed, looking more fashionable than anyone else around them. I love how they look like they were transported from the olden days in their long coats, dress shoes, and dapper accessories. I hope this dynamic duo enters many costume contests dressed this way- It's hard to imagine someone topping this. If you need some Halloween inspiration this year, maybe this video will spark some headless costume ideas.
From Atlas Obscura on Instagram:
"If you're not a Wales native, you may be unfamiliar with the Green Man Festival held every August. Touted as "the friendliest festival on earth", Green Man is a contemporary, annual gathering of arts, music, science, literature, and folklore nestled in Brecon Beacons National Park.
Inspired by the mythical figure of the "Green Man" (a symbol of rebirth and the cycle of new growth), festival attendees are encouraged to explore the immaterial, connect deeply with nature, and foster vibrant communities. Some take it up a notch by dressing up and donning whimsical costumes. 2024 attendees @edith__morris and @cadilane have done just that in this video shared with us. While they may have "lost their heads" at Green Man, their creative ensembles have completely stolen our heart.
Have you ever been to the Green Man Festival? Share your stories with us below! Bonus points in you tag us in costumed photos of your own"
Here's more video of the festival:
Man plays piano from afar with strings attached to his fingers
Popkin / 4:33 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
Watch Lord aka vinheteiro play the piano from afar using strings. Each string is attached to a key he needs for the song on one end, and then to his finger on the other end.
His piano playing skills are still good, even when he's performing this difficult looking trick. From the look on his face, it seems that this takes a deep level of concentration.
This video has left me pondering if a piano played with strings should be considered a string instrument. Perhaps it's now an instrument in a category of its own.
Have you ever tried cleaning kitchen grease with Coca Cola?
Popkin / 4:30 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
Many people began to experiment with Coca-Cola for cleaning rust and stains due to its acidic properties. While the classic drink has been around since the late 19th century, its reputation as a cleaning agent is relatively recent.
The exact time when Coca-Cola was first used as a cleaning agent isn't well-documented, but its use for cleaning purposes gained popularity in the 1990s and early 2000s. This is likely because of the rise of internet forums where people offered their DIY cleaning tips. Its use in cleaning is considered to be anecdotal evidence rather than a formal endorsement, but this video makes me want to give it a try.
Coca-Cola contains phosphoric acid and carbonation, which is why it's considered great for breaking down rust and grime. Coke can help to wash away mildew, kitchen grease, glass, buildup on pots and pans, and more. This video shows how you can mix the Coke with various household cleaners and dish soap to give these cleaning agents some extra power.
Although I'm excited to try cleaning with coke, knowing this information makes me feel concerned about ever drinking Coca Cola again. If you need a reason to stop drinking soda, this seems like a pretty good one.
You can thank James Bond for Mexico City's Nov. 2 Day of the Dead parade
Ruben Bolling / 4:24 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
Mexico City has announced the date of this year's annual Day of the Dead parade, November 2. You might think that this massively popular Día de Muertos parade through the city streets is an ancient tradition, but in fact it was started in 2016, after a fictitious Day of the Dead parade appeared in the opening sequence of the 2015 James Bond movie "Spectre."
From an article in LA Times by JP Brammer:
On a beautiful street in Mexico City celebratory music plays, people line the sidewalks and giant, ornately adorned paper mache skeletons march toward the historic Zócalo. The crowd wears flowers in their hair and masks on their faces while children peruse the vendors' sweets and toys.
This is Día de Muertos, a colorful, hallowed tradition where the ancestors are honored and welcomed back home. This specific parade, however, is a Hollywood invention. It's the opening scene from "Spectre," the 2015 James Bond movie, a scene so compelling it prompted Mexico City to actually start doing an annual Día de Muertos parade.
The filmmakers concocted the non-existent parade from existing Día de Muertos traditions for its opening sequence because it fit the movie's theme. Director Sam Mendes said, "One of the things that's said about the Day of the Dead celebrations is that 'los muertos vivos están' – 'The dead are alive.' That has a direct bearing on our story."
This may be an example of what has been called "the pizza effect," in which a cultural phenomenon is exported to other cultures, and then re-introduced into the original culture in a modified form.
Homeowners lose bid to privatize road near Walden Pond, public since before U.S. founding
Thom Dunn / 4:09 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a pair of new homeowners in Concord, Massachusetts installed a new locked gate across a dirt road on what they perceived to be their property. They had only bought the house a few weeks before the lockdown hit, and were reportedly getting frustrated with all the hikers going out for a breath of fresh air and trespassing on their new property.
The only problem was: it wasn't their property. In fact, non-exclusive use of the road dated back to before the founding of the United States, and it was even a beloved spot for that famed Concord-roaming naturalist, Henry David Thoreau, and the daughter of his buddy Ralphie Dubs.
The decision on the status of the northern end of Estabrook Road relies on history dating to at least 1763, when a body that no longer even exists – the Middlesex County Court of General Sessions of the Peace – first established the road. That history then continues through the 1800s, when Thoreau, naturally, helped survey the road, after which he and Ralph Waldo Emerson's daughter both put to writing descriptions of trips along the classic New England country lane.
To be fair, the property lines are certainly confusing. And there was an interesting albeit complex 1932 legal decision made by a governing body that no longer exists which further muddied the waters. But the new homeowners of the property adjacent to the dirt road demonstrated an impressive level of hubris in their commitment to blocking public access. A local land judge had originally told the new homeowners to remove the barricades just in July of 2020. But the homeowners have continued to appeal, costing the town nearly two million dollars over the last four years, according to the local Concord Bridge.
Of course, the homeowners very likely paid more than that to own the home in the first place. And when you have that kind of money, well, of course you think you're entitled to things.
Earlier this week, an appeals court once again affirmed that the land is public—though a lawyer for the homeowners insists that he will still seek yet-another appeal.
Concord homeowners lose bid to keep people off a path that has been a public way since before the Revolution [UniversalHub]
Previously:
• 7 years later, Sun Microsystems cofounder Vinod Khosla loses bid to privatize public beach
• Billionaire Beach Villain Vinod Khosla has a thought concerning Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
• Billionaire tech VC Vinod Khosla owns the very tides, sea, sands (or so he claims)
• Vinod Khosla, Beach Villain
Watch the first trailer for the new TV adaptation of "Interior Chinatown"
Thom Dunn / 4:03 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
I was a huge fan of Charles Yu's brilliantly metafictional novel Interior Chinatown, about a stereotypically Chinese background character who's perpetually trapped in the screenplay of a police procedural TV show. Just read this delightful blurb:
Willis Wu doesn't perceive himself as the protagonist in his own life: he's merely Generic Asian Man. Sometimes he gets to be Background Oriental Making a Weird Face or even Disgraced Son, but always he is relegated to a prop. Yet every day, he leaves his tiny room in a Chinatown SRO and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He's a bit player here, too, but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy—the most respected role that anyone who looks like him can attain. Or is it?
After stumbling into the spotlight, Willis finds himself launched into a wider world than he's ever known, discovering not only the secret history of Chinatown, but the buried legacy of his own family. Infinitely inventive and deeply personal, exploring the themes of pop culture, assimilation, and immigration—Interior Chinatown is Charles Yu's most moving, daring, and masterful novel yet.
Yu—who's also worked on TV shows such as Westworld—has now teamed up with Taika Waititi to turn his book into a television series, which premieres on Hulu on November 19. The show features Jimmy O. Yang, Ronny Chieng, Chloe Bennet, and more. While it's difficult for a TV show to fully capture the metatextual playfulness of the novel, which deftly mixes screenplay formatting with prose, the trailer definitely teases some fourth-wall-smashing action, and I'm excited to see how Yu translates his own work onto the screen.
Tim Pool backs off podcasting to focus on non-existent family
Thom Dunn / 4:00 am PT Thu Oct 24, 2024
Six weeks after professional beanie wearer Tim Pool was revealed to have been a very useful idiot for a Russian influence campaign, the unfortunately-popular right-winger announced plans to step down from his streaming empire to focus on his family.
The problem is that Tim Pool doesn't have a family—a detail that he himself admits in the announcement below:
We're at a point where I don't want to put my family at risk, and there's limited things I'm willing to say because of the psychopaths who threaten us every single day…This is the weirdest way to announce that I'm pursuing my family life to the best of my abilities. … For the past couple of years, there are people [in the comments] saying, '"Haha Tim, you don't have any children. Why aren't you married?" And the reality is, because I'm sacrificing to try and make this work and produce something I think is valuable to people. I's come to a point where I said, why should I? when I should just do what any good man would do and try to have my family?
According to Newsweek, Pool has been in a long-term relationship with Alison Neubauer, who also serves as producer for his sprawling network of YouTube channels. It's unclear if that's the potential family he's referring to, and if so, what will happen to his sprawling skateboard mansion compound that doubles as his home and business headquarters.
Watch the 1968 Bell Labs documentary that inspired HAL 9000's famous death scene
Ellsworth Toohey / 5:54 pm PT Wed Oct 23, 2024
"The Incredible Machine" a fascinating 15-minute 1968 documentary from Bell Laboratories, showcases cutting-edge developments in computer graphics and digital technology that would lay the foundation for today's digital world.
At the heart of the documentary is the "Graphic 1" computer system, which represented a revolutionary approach to design and engineering. As the narrator explains, "It's a new way of working out abstract problems in the age-old medium of drawings and designs, which explains why the technique is called computer graphics."
In one demo, engineers using an electronic light pen to design telephone circuits directly on a cathode ray tube. "The operator talks to the computer with an electronic light pen, which does a precise and easy job of assembling the symbolic parts of the design," the film explains.
The film also showcases early experiments in computer animation and digital art. A particularly intriguing sequence features a collaboration between a graphic artist and a Bell scientist, with the artist noting, "I want to reach out to this technology. I want to incorporate this technology into my art and have the two mixed together."
My favorite part is at the 10-minute mark, where the computer sings "Daisy Bell." According to Hackaday, it "inspired Stanley Kubrick to play a glitchy version of the track as Dave is pulling Hal 9000's brains out, symbolically regressing backwards through a history of computer voice synthesis which at that point in time was the present."
The film concludes with a prophetic observation: "The art of computer graphics is only in its infancy. Yet it is already stimulating creative thought in far-out areas where research is likely to get complex and unwieldy. It offers not only the means to quicken the pace of discovery, but an ideal way of communicating what we may discover."
Previously:
• Sci-Fi Sundays: Worlds of IF, March 1968
• Friday Freak-Out: The Moody Blues' 'Ride My See Saw' (1968)
• A short documentary from 1968 shows first computer animation of people
• Prepare to cringe: Liberace's far-out 'Feelin' Groovy' from 1968
• A 1968 book predicts life in the year 2018
• Watch: Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 audition for Motown in 1968
MAGA influencers launch preemptive deepfake defense as rumors of damaging Trump video surface
Ellsworth Toohey / 4:39 pm PT Wed Oct 23, 2024
The creeps of the MAGA empire are using the tired deepfake defense to try to mitigate the damage from rumored video of Trump that could hurt his reputation.
"You are about to see insanely desperate stuff from Democrats. Expect fake Al generated crap about Trump coming soon. Stay focused AND VOTE!," xitted the freakish Charlie Kirk.
"They will deepfake Trump saying something he didn't," xitted Pizzagate slimebag Jack Posobiec.
"BREAKING: I have been told that Trump groped a minor at one of his donor dinners — and that there's video," xitted Democratic strategist Keith Edwards.
They are all wasting their time. Nothing Trump does or says will change his worshippers' minds. As others have pointed out, if Jesus himself came to Earth to denounce Trump as a fraud, MAGA Christians would crucify him.
Previously:
• Roger Stone challenged Mediaite to post 'fake' audio where he said a Democrat 'has to die' — so they posted it
Beware! Someone is booby-trapping Oregon forest trails with wire and hidden spike boards
Carla Sinclair / 4:16 pm PT Wed Oct 23, 2024
Someone is planting booby-traps across forest roads and trails in Oregon, and the U.S. Forest Service is looking for the culprit.
Forest officials describe the malicious traps as either wires spread across roads or hidden boards with nails or spikes sticking out of them. "Reports have stated that the boards that hold the spikes have been covered with leaves, so it may be difficult to see them," the Forest Service warned in a Facebook post.
The traps were first noticed in the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest by hunters and miners, who reported them to authorities. But so far, nobody knows who is behind it.
From the U.S. Forest Service:
We are saddened to report that someone has been "spiking" Forest Service roads in the Taylor Creek and Shan Creek areas. …
If you see anything on the Wild Rivers Ranger District related to this type of activity, please report it to the Grants Pass Interagency Office at 541.471.6500 or the Wild Rivers Ranger District at 541.592.4000.
Previously: Thinking of booby-trapping your property? Read this first
Passenger films "super rat" scuttling across plane mid-flight from Dallas to LA (video)
Carla Sinclair / 2:59 pm PT Wed Oct 23, 2024
Eek! A passenger on a flight from Dallas to Los Angeles last week noticed an un-fur-gettable stowaway when the silhouette of a huge rat appeared through the airplane cabin's overhead light fixture.
"What in the fu–" the passenger says, calling the rodent a "super rat" before the critter disappears into another part of the plane. (See video below, reposted by dallastexas_tv.)
Although the freaked out traveler didn't mention the airline, TMZ squeaked, claiming it was Spirit. And Spirit all but admitted to the rat trap, telling TMZ: "We are aware of the video and are taking steps to address this matter."
Passenger: Mischievous stowaway bat caused a flight to turn around for an emergency landing
New sliver of a skyscraper is the width of just one apartment
Allan Rose Hill / 2:37 pm PT Wed Oct 23, 2024
This sliver of a skyscraper will soon rise up from Dubai's skyline. The 73-story apartment building is 1,246 tall but, with only one apartment per floor, is just 73 feet wide. The posh flats in the new developmenrt—called Muraba Veil—start at around US$5 million.
"Awe-inspiring yet understated, Muraba Veil rises from the dunes above the UAE's most cosmopolitan and future-facing city, presenting a daring, stop-you-in-your tracks spectacle, even in Dubai's supercharged architectural vista," explain architecture firm RCR Arquitectes.
From Time Out Dubai:
The building is revealed behind a series of layers, the first being the "Veil" itself – a bespoke stainless steel mesh, porous and responsive, reflecting the different shades of the sky, and dematerialising the architecture's presence.
"The structure, whose unusually narrow profile and appearance could only be achieved by the very latest design and engineering, is inspired by a domestic architecture that is centuries old, traditionally seeking to meet basic human needs for refuge, security, privacy and a close connection to nature."
But not too close.
Previously:
• The oldest skyscrapers in the world
• Los Angeles lunatic tightrope walks between two skyscrapers
• This 2,000 foot skyscraper is completely abandoned
FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver predicts who will be president but says not to trust his prediction
Allan Rose Hill / 2:07 pm PT Wed Oct 23, 2024
Famed statistician Nate Silver—founder of polling analysis site FiveThirtyEight—writes that his gut is telling him the next US president will be convicted felon Donald Trump. To be clear, Silver also writes, "But I don't think you should put any value whatsoever on anyone's gut — including mine." (Of course, that means Silver can say he was right—no matter which way it goes.)
Instead, he urges us to look at statistical models, which are based on data rather than subjective intuition. Right now though, "in an election where the seven battleground states are all polling within a percentage point or two, 50-50 is the only responsible forecast," he says.
From the New York Times:
Polls are increasingly like mini-models, with pollsters facing many decision points about how to translate nonrepresentative raw data into an accurate representation of the electorate. If pollsters are terrified of missing low on Mr. Trump again, they may consciously or unconsciously make assumptions that favor him.
For instance, the new techniques that pollsters are applying could be overkill. One problem with using one of those — weighting on recalled vote, or trying to account for how voters report their pick in the last election — is that people often misremember or misstate whom they voted for and are more likely to say they voted for the winner (in 2020, Mr. Biden).
That could plausibly bias the polls against Ms. Harris because people who say they voted for Mr. Biden but actually voted for Mr. Trump will get flagged as new Trump voters when they aren't[…]Last, there is Democrats' persistently strong performance over the past two years — since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — in special elections, ballot referendums and the 2022 midterms. Democrats shouldn't hang their hopes on this one: High-quality surveys like the New York Times/Siena College polls can replicate these results by showing Democrats polling strongly among the most motivated voters who show up in these low-turnout elections — but Mr. Trump making up for it by winning most of the marginal voters. So Democrats may be rooting for lower turnout. If those marginal voters don't show up, Ms. Harris could overperform; if they do, Mr. Trump could.
Previously:
• Nate Silver admits he got played by the GOP but blames the Democrats for not using poor polling practices
• Nate Silver's The Signal and The Noise
"liver-assisted brain normothermic machine perfusion" Band name!