latest items from blogs i like
Happy Pi Day!
A lovely pie for Pi Day (3/14), by Boing Boing reader Genise Schnitman. I wish I could taste a bite.
Stitchgasm! – Yolie Odom
Yolie Odom is a talented quilter and embroiderer who uses simple lines to make images that stay with you.
Be sure to see more from her at her blog.
Hello, I must be going
Chuck Berry, "Tulane" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)
Add your name to "Save the Net" FB page, help the LibDems do the right thing!
Update VICTORY! Motion passed with near unanimity!
I'm delighted to report that the UK Liberal Democrats' Spring Convention have accepted the emergency motion on internet freedom, and will be debating it tomorrow morning.
The LibDems were plunged into controversy last week when two of the LibDem Lords introduced a pro-web-censorship amendment to the Digital Economy Bill (this amendment was later shown to have been written by record industry lobby group BPI). Outraged party members (including dozens of prospective parliamentary candidates) rallied to fight this shift in party direction toward curtailment of freedom on behalf of corporate lobbyists.
The outcome of that outrage is the emergency motion on internet freedom, called the "Save the Net" memo. It calls for net neutrality, proportionality and due process in copyright enforcement, an absolute rejection of web-blocking and disconnection to solve copyright problems, and other good, principled stands that I'm proud to see my party get behind.
Organisers worked around the clock all week to get the emergency motion accepted for debate. Tomorrow morning, party delegates at the Spring Convention will debate the Save the Net motion from 0915 to 0945. If you are attending the Birmingham convention (or know someone who is!), please help support this motion and get it passed -- let's send a signal to corporate schemers that British law isn't for sale.
If you're not attending the convention, you can still help by joining the Facebook fan page for the motion. If thousands -- tens of thousands! -- of people from around the country and the world show their support for this motion, it will help conference delegates understand how important and far-reaching Internet freedom is.
Laws about copyright and the Internet don't just affect how we get and use cultural works: they affect everything we do with the Internet, whether it's earning a living or staying in touch with family or reporting the news or organising your neighbours around important political issues.
UK Lib Dems: Save the Net! Previously:
- LibDem rank-and-file make emergency motion for net freedom - Boing ...
- Brits: tell the LibDem Peers not to bring web-censorship to ...
- Guardian column on LibDem proposal to block web-lockers
- Brits: tell the LibDem Peers not to bring web-censorship to ...
- Speaking on privacy at Hackney LibDems event, London, Oct 19 ...
- LibDem Lords seek to ban web-lockers (YouSendIt, etc) in the UK ...
{NSFW} Excuse me? Are you finished with those Pringles?
Mmmmm… Pringles….
Um. Ya. I don’t think I’ll ever eat them again without thinking of this…
Empty the chips out of the can. You can use whatever brand and flavor you prefer, but we like the one shown here for the container’s ergonomic shape and durable, colorful plastic.
Empty the chips? Seriously, unless you’re going to enjoy them at the same time as you’re enjoying the container, eat the chips first. You’ll feel so much better.
To use your homemade flashlight toy, squirt some water-based, non-greasy lube into the condom and insert your penis. Cover the hole in the can with the tip of your finger to control the amount of “suction” you get. Closing the hole will increase the suction, so leave it open as you stroke in, and cover it on the out stroke.
Mmmm, enjoying your chips? Riveting, isn’t it?
Remove the foam roll and replace the condom after use (or rinse and reuse, if you’re really cheap). Use a textured condom turned inside out for more stimulation. Because the condom has a small opening on the end, the foam at the bottom of the can will periodically need to be replaced
Ew.
When stored with the lid on, the homemade flashlight can be conveniently camouflaged as an innocent can of potato chips (the can on the left has an advantage because its lid is opaque).. However, you need to release the edge of the condom from the lip of the can before you put the top on. If the condom is stretched around the top when you put the lid on, the lid will cut through the thin rubber of the condom. Leave the top of the condom loose, push the foam in, and cover with the lid. To use, just pop the top, pull the foam out a bit, and restretch the rubber.
You know when someone can provide THAT much detail, this thing wasn’t made on a whim. It’s been used OVER AND OVER to the point they’ve perfected it.
*shudder*
Remember, the can itself may be harmless, but when you’re asked for that container, a 1 ¼” O-ring, scissors, a condom and Sharpie markers you’d best be prepared. I, on the other hand am a little leery of the number click-throughs I’m going to see as you dirty perverts go check out how to make these.
{source}
Some more like this one:Craftster Pick of the Week – TheMistressT’s Nessie
Time for another look at some of the great work featured in the forums at Craftster. Note: Although they’re the pick of this week, they may have appeared before this week.
This week’s pick comes to us from our very own TheMistressT who made this gorgeous Nessie diptych.
Here’s Nessie from the front…
…and here’s the posterior. Nessie’s far too vast for one frame, so TheMistressT was kind enough to give the cryptid some room to breathe. She added some beautiful detail in her depiction of the water and the trees.
And just look at how she rocked the metallic thread! Such skill.
I’m thrilled to actually own this piece due to TheMistressT’s thoughtfulness and generosity – so if you want to see it up close, come on over! If you can’t make it, check out the original post for more pictures, or TheMistressT’s flickr photostream or website. Great things await!
Plutopia, a multifaceted extravaganza, in Austin Monday, March 15
Here's a good reason to stay in Austin on Monday night.
In 2001, Jon Lebkowsky and Cory threw the first annual Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) party during SXSW Interactive, hosted by EFF-Austin. This party became annual tradition, and morphed over the last four years into Plutopia, a multifaceted extravaganza of music, performances, art, and talks, this year based on "The Science of Music." The event is Monday night, March 15, at the Mexican American Cultural Center in Austin.
Plutopia 2010 is an amazing convergence of technology, DIY, music, art, and academics. In addition to standard party fare, performance and the arts will play a major role alongside exhibits and talks in presenting the ideas in a way that will make this yet another memorable, stimulating, and fun SXSW after event.
Way beyond the run-of-the-mill "booze and schmooze" after-party mixer, Plutopia is an ever-evolving multimedia experiment of Austin-tatious proportions dedicated to a playful, yet masterful cross-pollination across verticals to bring you an immersive interactive experience event.
This year's Plutopian theme explores the role of technology, sound and digital media in changing the landscape and narrative of music in the information age.
The science refers to everything from immersive listening and the expanding of audio boundaries and experimentation, to new forms of instrumentation, sampling and remixing and emerging creative processes; and from integrated multisensory systems and interfaces with intelligent networks, to the transformations of aesthetics and the changing rhythm of nature.
Monday, March 15, 2010
7pm - midnight
Mexican American Cultural Center
600 River St. Austin, TX
FREE to SXSW Interactive and Platinum Badge Holders; $15 General Public
FEATURED ARTISTS:
Bruce Sterling
Xiao He
DJ Spooky
Black Pig Liberation Front
White
Dr. Strangevibe
and also featuring the Edible Austin Foodie Fest and Tipsy Texan Cocktail Bar!
Unique to this and only this event, Edible Austin magazine is bringing the heart and soul of Austin's local foodie scene and cutting edge mixology to Plutopia and will be hosting out-of-town guests from Eat Well Guide. Full list of food and drink participants here.
BB cameo in SpongeBob Squarepants (not really)
Marc de Vinck says: "I was watching SpongeBob with the kids. During the snail races I noticed the announcer's mug. OK, so it most likely stands for Bikini Bottom (where SpongeBob lives), but maybe, just maybe, it stands for something else?!"
Epic Disneyland '56 home movie is now a DVD
Home movie hero Robbins Barstow writes, I am the 90-year-old producer of the 1956 family home movie, Disneyland Dream, which you first BoingBoinged nearly two years ago, on April 11, 2008.
I thought you might be interested in knowing that a 1956 "Disneyland Dream" DVD is now available for purchase for $15 plus shipping from Amazon.com, with an added Special Feature on "The Making of Disneyland Dream." It has taken me a long time to get this set up, but the attachment to this email is a flyer I have worked out to let people know about this new DVD availability. "Disneyland Dream" can still be downloaded anytime free from the internet at Archive.org, but from now on the 2009 "Making of D.D." will only be available as part of this for-sale DVD.
This is my first venture into commercial marketing (after 75 years of amateur film making), so I don't know how it will go. But I appreciate your earlier interest.
This is the most delightful historical Disneyland movie I've seen -- including the old TV shows where Walt tours the park. Young Master Barstow was a great film-maker (there's a reason that the Library of Congress added this to the National Film Registry), and the subject is wonderful, My mom and her family had a trip to Disneyland in '56, and my grandfather talked about it to his dying day -- the stuff of legend.
Disneyland Dream Previously:
- Robbins Barstow's spectacular amateur films
- Disneyland home movie from 1956 makes Library of Congress's ...
- Home movie of contest-winning family vacation to Disneyland in ...
- Home Movie Day PSA
Son House, "Death Letter" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)
New Keyboard Cat is pretty great
It's Caturday. Watch: Charlie Schmidt's Keyboard Cat REINCARNATED! (via Sean Bonner)
Patagonia M10 jacket weighs only 10 ounces
Leaked UK record industry memo sets out plans for breaking copyright
Mollet's memo, entitled "Digital Economy Bill weekly update 11 March 2010," appears to be a weekly status report on the DEB's progress. On the CC list are executives from major record labels, staff at IFPI (the international record industry lobby), PR agents from The Open Road, and others I don't recognise (if you can identify others on the CC list, please post to the comments).
In the memo, Mollet identifies Britain's top spies as being a stumbling block to the bill's passage -- worried, apparently, that creating a Great Firewall of Britain will make it harder for spies to spy on naughty sites (someone should tell MI5 about Ipredator, the excellent proxy service from the Pirate Bay; after all, that's the same proxy that everyone else in Britain is likely to use to get at the blocked sites if the BPI gets its way).
Mollet also implies that Britain's spy agencies might have paid for a Talk Talk survey in which 71% of 18-34 year olds said that they would simply evade the DEB and go on infringing.
Mollet claims that Britain's ISPs have already caved into their duties to spy on and censor network connections, claiming that there is a sense of "settled will" in the "ISP community."
On the other hand, he identifies Members of Parliament as being "resigned" to the fact that they will not be allowed to debate the bill or give it "detailed scrutiny" (heck of a job, MPs!). He cites an expert on legislation as saying that the bill will likely die if MPs insist on their right and responsibility to examine this legislation in detail before voting on it.
BPI Digital Economy Bill weekly minutes (PDF)
Mirror
Previously:
- Leaked documents: UK record industry wrote web-censorship ...
- Britain's new Internet law -- as bad as everyone's been saying ...
- UK Digital Economy Bill will wipe out indie WiFi hotspots in ...
- Britain's Digital Economy Bill will cost ISPs £500M, knock 40K ...
- Liberty's briefing on Britain's Digital Economy Bill
- Digital companies object strenuously to UK Digital Economy bill ...
- BREAKING: Leaked UK government plan to create "Pirate Finder ...
- HOWTO talk to your MP about the UK Digital Economy Bill ...
Most beautiful bookstore - Buenos Aires's Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid
Bueno Aires's Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid used to be a beautiful movie palace. Saved from the wrecker's ball, it is now one of the most majestic bookstores I've ever clapped eyes upon, a veritable temple to books.
Marilyn sez, "El Ateneo Grand Splendid in downtown Buenos Aires is a spectacular bookstore that retains all the glamour of its former life as a 1920s movie palace, with a original balconies, painted ceiling, ornate carvings and crimson stage curtains. Photo by Bob Krist for National Geographic Traveler. The Guardian named El Ateneo as one of the top ten bookshops in the world (along with Secret Headquarters):'Where else can you sit in a theater box and leisurely read a volume of Neruda, or sip a cortado where Carlos Gardel once performed?'"
Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid (Thanks, Marilyn!) Previously:
- Church converted into magnificent bookstore
- Best Bookstore Ever: Powell's Technical
- Young adult sections in bookstore -- a parallel universe of little ...
- Infinite bookstore video
- Pages Books in Toronto to close
- Joe Hill -- Stephen King's son -- promotes indie bookstores ...
- Photo of honor system at bookstore in Ojai, CA
Stitchgasm! – Plush Play
Meet Airavat from Plush Play.
He has 4 heads, 8 limbs, and is made from needle felted wool and awesome. See more great stuff at the Plush Play blog.
Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Alka-seltzer lava lamp
Intermolecular polarity is a fancy way of saying "oil and water don't mix". Here, Science Bob explains why, and shows off a fun trick you can do over and over with oil, water, food coloring and alka-seltzer.
Thumbnail courtesy Flickr user ncfc0721, via CC
Previously:- Saturday Morning Science Experiment: The Gummi Bear Gets It Boing ...
- Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Science Party Tricks
- Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Traffic lights
- Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Secretaries vs. Magnesium ...
- Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Practicing safe earthquake ...
- Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Floating on Sound
- Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Ice cold outside, "hot ice ...
- Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Microwave Lava
- Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Gravity Is For Suckers Boing ...
- Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Pachyderm Dental Care - Boing ...
- Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Visualizing Sound Waves (Now ...
It’s a Special Lady Time on Craftastrophe!
Personally, I prefer not to think about tampons more than I have to. Apparently I’m in the minority, because there is all kinds of lovely tampon art on Etsy.com.
Give kitty his own play-tampon, complete with felt blood! This may actually be genius, since cats are always dragging real tampons out of the trash and playing with them…
This next tampon is suggested as a gift for ladies who have passed menopause as kind of an honor, but I can think of PLENTY of other people who might need a “Golden Tampon Lifetime Achievement Award”. Let your imagination be your guide.
You may have heard the unfortunate term “Vajazzling” lately. I think this person may have got that idea a little twisted up in their head and put the jewels right on the tampon, bypassing the Vajayjay completely:
Do NOT attempt to use this lest you severely injure your Special Panty Parts.
{Source} Kitty Tampon Toy
{Source} Golden Tampon Award
{Source} Bedazzled Tampon Finger Puppet
Suebob denies writing this post under the influence of PMS.
Not the same, but still fun:Hanging Out with Kim Jong-il
Showtime! Stitch & Craft, Olympia, London
Stitch & Craft at Olympia is the second largest stitchy show in the UK, and runs from Thursday 18th March to Sunday 21st. It features papercraft and knitting as well as stitching, but there’s lots to see and plenty to do. Check out their website for the skinny on what’s happening.
I’m going down there on Friday 19th, and will be meeting up with various needlecraft ninjas, so if you’re going to be in the area, email me or tweet me and let me know!
latest items from blogs i like
- Happy Pi Day!
- Stitchgasm! – Yolie Odom
- Hello, I must be going
- Chuck Berry, "Tulane" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)
- Add your name to "Save the Net" FB page, help the LibDems do the right thing!
- {NSFW} Excuse me? Are you finished with those Pringles?
- Craftster Pick of the Week – TheMistressT’s Nessie
- Plutopia, a multifaceted extravaganza, in Austin Monday, March 15
- BB cameo in SpongeBob Squarepants (not really)
- Epic Disneyland '56 home movie is now a DVD
- Son House, "Death Letter" (Greatest Song of All Time of the Day)
- New Keyboard Cat is pretty great
- Patagonia M10 jacket weighs only 10 ounces
- Leaked UK record industry memo sets out plans for breaking copyright
- Most beautiful bookstore - Buenos Aires's Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid
- Stitchgasm! – Plush Play
- Saturday Morning Science Experiment: Alka-seltzer lava lamp
- It’s a Special Lady Time on Craftastrophe!
- Hanging Out with Kim Jong-il
- Showtime! Stitch & Craft, Olympia, London
