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This Day in Blogging History: Iain Banks doesn't write sf for the money; T-Minus: graphic history of the space race; Yummy lo-carb cicadas One year ago today Iain Banks doesn't write sf for the money: I think a lot of people have assumed that the SF was the trashy but high-selling stuff I had to churn out in order to keep a roof over my head while I wrote the important, serious, non-genre literary novels. Read the rest... DoD to cut funding for evil, weather-controlling destructor beam Or, alternately, DoD cuts funding for basic science research on the ionosphere. Whichever. Read the rest... C'mon, Los Angeles still thinks San Francisco is a rest stop Via LA Weekly: "Our deal with San Francisco and the greater Bay Area was never about feeling inferior. Far from it." Read the rest... David Lynch's Return of the Jedi George Lucas approached David Lynch about directing Return of the Jedi; here's one fan's take of what could have been. (via Dangerous Minds) Read the rest... Annoyance Theater's new space opens in Chicago Chicago's legendary Annoyance Theater is re-opening on May 24th with a new show titled Invisible World and directed by Mick Napier. Read the rest... Pesco speaking in Barcelona in June I'll be speaking at WebVisions in Barcelona, June 19-21, about "Science, Art, and Magic"; please come if you're in the area! Read the rest... HOWTO: Post-bureaucratic flotsam kayak Johntonta grew weary of the meaningless modern round of office slavery, so he created a kayak made from desk-lumber, a business-suit skin, computer-wire lashings. Read the rest... What do you think of the New Dungeons & Dragons logo? Check out that ampersand! (Thanks, Gary!) Read the rest... Unorthodox motorcycle helmet test shows cheap is bad In this test a Marushin Samara, approx $260USD, takes a hammer strike while a $40USD RZO does not. If your head is only worth $40 to you, go for it. Read the rest... No Parking (on the dance floor) -- Midnight Star, 1983 "Moving violations are easy to fix. Just tell the DJ to fix it in the mix." Times were simpler. Video Link Read the rest... Liar loses medical license One of America's top burn surgeons lied to lawmakers about the risks of furniture fires after accepting $240,000 from the manufacturers of (not actually effective and potentially health damaging) flame retardants. Read the rest... The strange history of the grand-daddy dinosaur This image explains how Megalosaurus, a large carnivorous dinosaur that probably looked similar to a T. Rex, almost ended up with the deeply embarrassing taxonomic name of Scrotum humanum. Read the rest... Everything you know about teenage brains is bullshit Kathryn Mills reports that discussion has become dominated by unconvincing 'experts' and scaremongering. The evidence is not in. Read the rest... Cool physics experiment for your Memorial Day weekend pleasure See the physics that make a ball bounce — slowed down so you can really watch it in real time — with the help of some holiday-friendly water balloons. Read the rest... Some animals half male, half female, split down the center Gynandromorphs — animals that are half female and half male in a way that's very different from being intersex as humans typically think about it — can teach us about sex determination and the variety of nature. Read the rest... New Colorado experimental drug law is misleading Colorado's new "Right to Try" bill probably won't get dying people more access to experimental drugs, writes pharmacologist and blogger David Kroll. Read the rest... MS Paint artist takes requests Dear Jim, Please paint a picture of David Attenborough sitting proudly atop a great white shark which has somehow evolved legs and is winning the men's 400 metre hurdles having eaten the other athletes. Read the rest... Openedjam: 3-day event in San Antonio for free/open education activists Joey writes, "OpenEdJam is a 3-day international event that brings together activists, developers, educators, engineers, librarians, and makers from all fields. Read the rest... Watercolorbot clock Evil Mad Scientists have demonstrated a great application for their Watercolorbot -- a plotter that paints with water colors. By drawing on a Buddha Board (a board whose coating goes transparent when wet, then reverts as it dries), they can produce /www.evilmadscientist.com/2014/watercolorbot-water-clock/"">a Watercolorbot Clock that very slowly counts away the hours. Read the rest... Infamous imaginary games from science fiction Austin Grossman, a novelist and game developer who worked on Ultima Online, Tomb Raider, Thief and Dishonored, is a fan of imaginary games. They're at the center of his latest novel, YOU, just out in paperback, which revolves around a decades-long quest by a group of friends to realize the ultimate game, bringing them fortune, fame, death, misery, love and adventure. Here he offers a tour of his favorite games from the parallel worlds of film and fiction. Read the rest... Cyberpocalypse: the cyberpunk Lego city In 2013, a group of Lego masters unveiled Cyberpocalypse, a spectacularly detailed, moody, neon-lit cyberpunk city. It's a triumph of EL wire and science fiction aesthetics, a kind of bricky Burning Man theme-camp in miniature. Read the rest... Substitute fine old rums for bourbon and save If you love bourbon but are dismayed by the skyrocketing prices for the good stuff, Matt Buchanan suggests that you try "old-ass" rum, which has a lot of the same flavors that bourbon lovers cherish at a fraction of the price (for now). Read the rest... House leaders gut NSA-curbing USA FREEDOM Act The Snowden revelations kickstarted a national dialog on surveillance and a Congressional promise to rein in mass spying through a bill called the USA FREEDOM Act. Read the rest... Author Neil Gaiman visits a Syrian refugee camp "We woke up every morning glad we were alive, and went to sleep every night knowing we might not wake in the morning. Read the rest... Unfurling fern (Boing Boing Flickr Pool) "Planta Macro," a photograph by Antonio Marin shared in our Boing Boing Flickr Pool. Read the rest... A fundraiser for Metafilter Hard times for MeFi. Founder Matt Haughey explains how the popular 15-year-old online community ended up in a difficult financial situation that now threatens its existence. Read the rest... A map of the worst countries in the world in which to be a worker The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), a trade group alliance that works to improve laborers' rights around the globe, released its Global Rights Index this week. Read the rest... US to airlines: disclose all fees hidden in ticket prices to customers The US Transportation Department today proposed air travelers be given detailed information on the fees they're being charged for each checked bag, advance seat assignments, and carry-on luggage. Read the rest... FBI to reverse no-recording policy for interrogations of suspects in custody Since its inception in 1908, the FBI has prohibited audio or visual recordings of statements made by criminal suspects, unless agents obtain special approval. Read the rest... Could this simple sea creature hold the key to treating Parkinson's? A scientist in Florida who studies simple sea animals known as comb jellies says he has discovered a path to a new form of brain development that may one day lead to treatments for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Read the rest... Follow us online:   forward to a friend   unsubscribe from this list

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