Dan Bull hopes his Facebook Epic Rap will become the first hit single to be made available from day 1 as a torrent: "I want to smash the glass ceiling." You can buy it for $0.69.
Aestetix sez, "For the past month, the Hackers On Planet Earth conference by 2600 Magazine has been raising money for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The internet would be a scary place without them around, so HOPE is donating 10% of the entire ticket sales for the month of April to the EFF. It's been a fantastic month, and yet it's almost over, so if you want to be part of this awesome effort, buy your ticket before Monday."
— Cory
Gweek is Boing Boing's podcast about comic books, science fiction and fantasy, video games, board games, tools, gadgets, apps, and other neat stuff. My co-hosts for episode 49 are Michael Pusateri, a lifelong tinkerer and former television tech executive for Disney who blogs at cruftbox.com, and Kevin Mack, an artist and visual effects supervisor.
Kevin discusses the origin of the phrase “Squa Tront! Spa Fon!" "I believe it is from the story 'The Aliens' in Weird Fantasy #17 January 1953. I have the original issue."
The Port Authority Police and/or the TSA (they blame each other) at Newark Airport evacuated Terminal C on Friday because a tiny, little, itty-bitty baby didn't get screened (Mom passed the kid to Dad, got screened, and then they swapped). When the TSA's ever-vigilant anti-hugging squad figured out what had happened, the terminal was evacuated. But the mom, dad, and baby were never found. They had already taken to the air, and they may be there still. This is a stark reminder of the grave, existential risk that the TSA protects us from every day. When I think of the unscreened baby somewhere airside, circulating through America's aviation system, well, it gives me chills. I don't think I'll ever feel safe again.
Make's Meg Allan Cole recorded her first attempt at assembling a papercraft mechanical automaton, choosing a handsome Mario Bros number. The short video gives you a flavor for what's involved. Here's the files if you want to try it yourself.
A Portland City attorney argued in court that a Portland police officer was justified in brutally tasing a non-violent man with no criminal record because it was later discovered that the man owned a classic kung fu film collection. The jury didn't agree, and the taxpayers now get to pay a $250,000 settlement. Naturally, Officer Benjamin J. Davidson remains on the force.
€279 for a "Sheep Invader" sweater is more than I'd pay, but the design brought a smile to my phizz.
The Sheep Invader Sweater from Monsieur Lacenaire is an incredibly comfortable garment. The sweater is regular fitted and features a classic crew neck, “Sheep invader” pattern through front, neck and ribbed trims. The sweater comes in a Navy color and can be washed by machine.
Generique is a redditor with a BSc in forensic science, no job, and an unlimited US air-travel pass for the summer (he has a family member who works for an airline). He's volunteered to go anywhere and do anything, based on Reddit upvotes, to have an "epic summer adventure."
Want me to hand deliver a letter to someone across the country or overseas? Attempt to help you with homework? Volunteer at your organization for a day? Need an extra pair of hands to do that landscaping project you've been putting off for months? Know a sweet hiking spot but have no one to go with?
I will attempt to complete the highest voted tasks to the best of my abilities (IE they take place in destinations I can reach- most major cities worldwide except and almost any US destination, and I don't get an unlucky string of fully booked flights). Be sure to say the city your request takes place in. Feel free to assign me random adventures where ever you live.
Sarah Goodyear relates the events that gave rise to the concept of "jaywalking," and describes what American life was like before the assumption that roads were primarily for cars became the norm, and when the streets were "vibrant places with a multitude of users and uses."
It wasn’t always like this. Browse through New York Times accounts of pedestrians dying after being struck by automobiles prior to 1930, and you’ll see that in nearly every case, the driver is charged with something like “technical manslaughter.” And it wasn’t just New York. Across the country, drivers were held criminally responsible when they killed or injured people with their vehicles...
“If you ask people today what a street is for, they will say cars,” says Norton. “That’s practically the opposite of what they would have said 100 years ago.”
Streets back then were vibrant places with a multitude of users and uses. When the automobile first showed up, Norton says, it was seen as an intruder and a menace. Editorial cartoons regularly depicted the Grim Reaper behind the wheel. That image persisted well into the 1920s...
The industry lobbied to change the law, promoting the adoption of traffic statutes to supplant common law. The statutes were designed to restrict pedestrian use of the street and give primacy to cars. The idea of "jaywalking” – a concept that had not really existed prior to 1920 – was enshrined in law.
The current configuration of the American street, and the rules that govern it, are not the result of some inevitable organic process. "It’s more like a brawl," says Norton. "Where the strongest brawler wins."
Zak sez, "Here's some artistic renditions of many of the wonderful, creepy and sometimes rubbery creatures of the Outer Limits, along with the cards' backs! The page links to another site about 1950s/60s monster cards (including MARS ATTACKS) in all their deeply unsettling glory."
These have been online since 2006. They're stupendous.
The DIY AT-AT is constructed in likeness of the Star Wars AT-AT, It's a geeks solution to keeping cables and wires organized at home or in the office. It's made from high grade plywood and it comes flat-packed. Nuts and screws are all included. It can also be painted to the color of your choice!
Two gorgeous photographs shot by C.S. Muncy of the retired NASA space shuttle Enterprise landing at New York City's John F. Kennedy airport earlier today.
The original test shuttle piggybacked on a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The duo flew from Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC., and landed at 11:22 AM Eastern after flying over famous sights of NYC including the Statue of Liberty, and the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, which is the shuttle's new home. Robert Pearlman has more at Space.com/MSNBC.
Electropop artist Grimes (aka Claire Boucher) has teamed up with Montreal-based jeweller and sculptor Morgan Black to sell these rings. Clear polymer clay? Maybe!
Christians attend a prayer meeting being held as they pray to stop the concert of Lady Gaga, at a church in Seoul April 22, 2012. The Christians blame Lady Gaga for promoting indecency and "homosexual love." Gaga performed live in Seoul today, despite the incantations. Below, her performance during the MTV Video Music Aid Japan event in Chiba, near Tokyo, last year.
Here's an amazing feel-good video with which to end your week, via the National Science Foundation. The really awesome footage starts around a minute and a half in.
"James C. (Cole) Galloway, associate professor of physical therapy, and Sunil Agrawal, professor of mechanical engineering -- have outfitted kid-size robots to provide mobility to children who are unable to fully explore the world on their own."
The robotic assistance devices are designed to help infants whose mobility and independence is limited by conditions such as autism, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, Down syndrome, and cerebral palsy.
I understand that these will be among the many exhibits on display at the USA Science Fest at the Washington, DC Convention Center on Sat., April 28th. Babies probably not included.
Mark's Wired profile of Kevin Mack, written in 1999.
Kevin Mack's mother posing as Tinkerbell.
Kevin Mack's art site.
Michael's book pick: Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection
Mark's book pick: Gonzo: A Graphic Biography of Hunter S. Thompson
Michael's comic pick: The Manhattan Projects
Michael's comic pick: Resident Alien
Kevin discusses the origin of the phrase “Squa Tront! Spa Fon!" "I believe it is from the story 'The Aliens' in Weird Fantasy #17 January 1953. I have the original issue."
Mark's music pick: Do Be Do - 10 Songs About Being and Doing, by The Sinatra Test.
Michael's video pick: My Name is Lizzie Bennet, a transmedia version of Pride and Prejudice done by videoblog.
Kevin: "Smithsonian Museum of American Art has an exhibit on the art of video games. I saw it when I was in DC last week."
Mark's app picks: Hotel Tonight and Got Cow?
Kevins' website picks: The Blu, now that's what I call bullshit, Weebly.
On Kevin's wish list: A transcranial direct current stimulation machine, brain wave entrainment.
A Portland City attorney argued in court that a Portland police officer was justified in brutally tasing a non-violent man with no criminal record because it was later discovered that the man owned a classic kung fu film collection. The jury didn't agree, and the taxpayers now get to pay a $250,000 settlement. Naturally, 
€279 for a "Sheep Invader" sweater is more than I'd pay, but the design brought a smile to my phizz.
It wasn’t always like this. Browse through New York Times accounts of pedestrians dying after being struck by automobiles prior to 1930, and you’ll see that in nearly every case, the driver is charged with something like “technical manslaughter.” And it wasn’t just New York. Across the country, drivers were held criminally responsible when they killed or injured people with their vehicles...
Zak sez, "Here's some artistic renditions of many of the wonderful, creepy and sometimes rubbery creatures of the Outer Limits, along with the cards' backs! The page links to another site about 1950s/60s monster cards (including MARS ATTACKS) 
