Tech Boys

“Oh no! For the first time since 1981 there will be no Woody Allen this year,” lulzed Joe Berkowitz , speaking for me also, and everyone who's grossed out by Woody Allen. “NOW how will we get our required annual dosage of shrewish women complicating a nervous man's life?” (more…) from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2NzjdWT via IFTTT

“I view it as an illegal investigation,” President Donald Trump said today, referring to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe. (more…) from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2BYLaWK via IFTTT

I have posted a couple times about my DIY Peloton indoor exercise bike. I recently added weights for the arm and chest exercises. I like them. (more…) from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2NximpC via IFTTT

“America is at stage two Islamic Cancer,” says the founder of ACT for America. Why exactly is Thomas Homan, former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), speaking at their upcoming event in Washington, D.C.? And he only retired in June. (more…) from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2C2WfGt via IFTTT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkKjkCBCGFs Jason Boek swerved his truck in front of an Uber driver at 2 a.m., forced him to pull over, then approached his vehicle while claiming to have a pistol and threatening to shoot. Boek was stalking a woman and under the mistaken impression she was a passenger in the vehicle. The Uber driver, Robert Westlake, pulled his own gun and shot Boek once, killing him . Given the violent threat and the dangerous circumstances, no-one's in trouble: Westlake even performed CPR and called 911, to no avail. But here's the local sheriff to put the unique stamp of Florida on it all: Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Mr Boek was a "goofball". "Here's a message for the hotheads of the community: don't do that stuff," the sheriff said. "Good people carry guns and they will shoot you. A lot. Graveyard dead." from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2N9b8LO via IFTTT

Hey, a lot can happen in 8 weeks. Donald Trump, President of the United States, said today he's keeping Attorney General Jeff Sessions around until after the midterm elections in November. (more…) from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2MG8Mo7 via IFTTT

Did you know that Canadian music icon Neil Young and American mermaid-patch-eyed-movie-psychopath icon Daryl Hannah have been dating since 2014? If not, you'll raise an eyebrow over the fact that all points lead to the fact that the pair recently tied the knot. From The Guardian : The couple reportedly wed on Saturday in Atascadero, after a ceremony on Young’s yacht near the San Juan islands. The guitarist Mark Miller appeared to confirm the news on Facebook when he congratulated the couple. He later clarified that he had not attended the ceremony. “I only knew about it because one of my friends attended the ceremony in Atascadero and announced it on his page,” Miller said. The administrator of Young’s blog also congratulated the pair, and referred to comments from attendees, who described the event as “a shindig”. Hannah posted a cryptic image to her Instagram account the following day. She captioned the picture of an owl: “Someone’s watching over us … love and only love.” No on...

Justin Trudeau, Canada's Prime Minister, has released a wide-ranging mandate letter asking Canada's Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, Bill Blair, to "[L]ead an examination of a full ban on handguns and assault weapons in Canada, while not impeding the lawful use of firearms by Canadians." This work would be in support of Canada's upcoming Firearms bill, Bill C-71 , and is supported by the city councils of two of Canada's largest cities: Toronto and Montreal, who have recently both passed resolutions asking for an outright ban on handguns. As Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, your goals are to ensure that our borders remain secure and to lead cross-government efforts to reduce organized crime. You will work to ensure Canada’s borders are managed to promote legitimate travel and trade while keeping Canadians safe and treating everyone fairly, in accordance with our laws. You will also play a leading role in o...

People make mistakes. They commit crimes. Sometimes they pull their erect dick out and start masturbating in front of female colleagues. Louis C.K. recently performed for the first time since confirming he did exactly that to a number of women over a period of years. Was his return to the stage, as they say in comedy, “too soon?” Outside of legal recourse, how do we deal with perpetrators of sexual misdeeds, abuse, harassment, and assault in the long haul? As the news of his return broke, I could almost hear women across the country face-palming themselves over the fact that he appeared unannounced and unexpectedly in front of an unsuspecting audience who had not given their consent. Social media became a biopsy of the strange cultural crossroads the #MeToo stories have brought us to. But this time there was more of a split across gender lines. The backlash about Louis’ comeback were mostly female voices. The support for him, feeling he’d already paid a fair price, were mostly male v...

The northwestern Mexican state of Guerrero’s ocean side vistas, Mayan and Zapotec heritage and mountainous terrain would make it a postcard-pretty place to be—if it weren’t for all the murder and financial destitution. Because of the extreme poverty in the region, the state has one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the nation. According to the Guardian, close to 70% of the people who call Guerrero home, live in poverty. This misery experienced on a daily basis by those living in Guerrero is compounded by an ongoing turf war between cartels and the Mexican military resulting in one of the highest murder rates per capita, in the world. The violence is so extreme that most professionals who can afford to pick up and relocate, have done so. The loss of lawyers? Meh. However, having no Doctors or other medical staff to care for a population trapped in an already untenable situation is nightmare. Thankfully, with little fanfare, Médecins Sans Frontières is on the scene, trying to make...

Trump repeating conspiracy theories does not make them true, Fox NEWS has to repeat them 30 more times. Via Ars Technica : The Federal Bureau of Investigations issued a terse statement today regarding President Donald J. Trump's allegation via Twitter that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private mail server had been compromised by the Chinese government. The official statement, issued by an FBI spokesperson in response to an inquiry by NBC News, simply read, "The FBI has not found any evidence the servers were compromised"—referring to the three email servers used by Clinton during and after her tenure at the US State Department. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2wrkeKf via IFTTT

New York City was vandalized in OpenStreetMap , and as a result renamed as "Jewtropolis" in Snapchat and other applications that ultimately depend on the service for mapping. The company called it an act of "vandalism" and said it was working with its partner Mapbox to "get this fixed immediately". In a statement, Snap said the defacement was "deeply offensive". Screenshots on social media appeared to show other apps had also been affected. The problem with outsourcing content to third parties is that it pins your reputation to their reliability and trustworthiness. And here there appears to be a chain: Snapchat (etc) pulling data from Mapbox pulling data from OpenStreetMap pulling data from antisemitic users. I'd been waiting for a major wikipedia page to "fall" to an organized clique on the far right without being successfully reverted to the prior editorial consensus. This incident tastes like an apéritif . from Boing Boing h...

Yeah... maybe hold on to your suitcase when you're riding an escalator. Or, better yet, take an elevator if you can. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2PQC1Cv via IFTTT

Last week, New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon boasted of making “one of the largest seizures in the state” after hauling 12 pounds of "fentanyl" from a drug bust. Sadly for McMahon, the state crime lab says it is sugar . “The job of the District Attorney is not to convict at all costs, but to be ministers of justice. That commitment requires us to move swiftly to dismiss or modify charges when we become aware of new evidence that calls into question a defendant’s guilt,” Ben David, the district attorney for New Hanover County, said in a statement. The people busted aren't off the hook, as other "drugs" were found. Fortunately for them, "contributing to the epic self-own of a law enforcement officer" is not on the books in North Carolina. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2wnztUr via IFTTT

Here's something unusual: a hummingbird feeder that clips onto the brim of a baseball cap. Jeff Driscoll of Dubuque, Iowa makes and sells all kinds of other strange hummingbird feeders, including this one for $13.95. You can see them all over at his Etsy shop, Coppervine Feeders . He writes: This little feeder is made to attach to the beak of a hat or visor to give you a close up view of your hummingbirds. The end is shaped like a paperclip allowing you to easily slide it on the hat. It can also be used as a hand held feeder with the end providing an adequate handle. Three red berries were added to the feeder to help attract the birds and a perch for landing is on the end. The vial easily slides in and out of the copper coil for cleaning and filling. Please do not assume you will get hummingbirds to eat that closely if you don't have/feed hummingbirds. Those who feed hummingbirds and are outside when they eat know how close they can get and whether or not a feeder like this...

Yesterday, "Weird Al" Yankovic (finally!) got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. During his acceptance speech at the ceremony, he had one small, completely reasonable request : Please, please don't pickaxe my star. I know it's all the rage these days, but that's not cool. Unless at some point in the future, I do something unfathomably monstrous and evil in which case, sure, fine, okay, go ahead If you'd like to visit, but not pickaxe, the star, it's located at 6914 Hollywood Blvd. , directly across the street from the world-famous Chinese Theatre (and a mere 200 feet, as he points out, from a Hooters). Congrats, Al! from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2wuDYMV via IFTTT

Drones capture stunning aerial photos, but not all of us have the piloting expertise to fly one without creating an impromptu shower of plastic confetti. Engineered with adjustable gyro sensitivity and a 6-axis flight control system, the  SKEYE Nano 2 Camera Drone lets even novice pilots take beautiful aerial shots, and it's on sale for $19. https://www.youtube.com/embed/ovIcsqK4xSk The world's smallest camera drone, the SKEYE Nano 2 is great for snapping photos from even the tightest spaces. Deploy your drone in seconds with Ready to Fly technology and keep it steady with simple hover controls. The built-in HD camera lets you capture sharp photos and videos while you fly, and the automatic landing function makes for easier retrieval once you're done documenting your adventures. Whether you're hiking through Yosemite or exploring Los Angeles, the SKEYE Nano 2 Camera Drone offers a fun and unique way to immortalize your travels, and it's on sale today. Get it in th...

Come November 2, you will have the opportunity to see Orson Welles' final film on Netflix and in select theatres, a work titled The Other Side of the Wind . Netflix purchased the footage in March 2017, nearly 50 years after this " notoriously unfinished " feature began production. In 1970, legendary director Orson Welles (CITIZEN KANE) began filming what would ultimately be his final cinematic opus with a cast of Hollywood luminaries including John Huston, Peter Bogdanovich, Susan Strasberg and Welles’s partner during his later years, Oja Kodar. Beset by financial issues, the production ultimately stretched years and gained notoriety, never to be completed or released. More than a thousand reels of film negatives languished in a Paris vault until March of 2017, when producers Frank Marshall (who served as Welles’s production manager during his initial shooting) and Filip Jan Rymsza spearheaded efforts to have the film completed after over 40 years. Featuring a new scor...

Here's something that might make H. P. Lovecraft proud (or just really, really confused): a watermelon carved to look like Cthulhu. In this very dramatic timelapse video from 2014, Italian sculptor Valeriano Fatica offers a tutorial on how to carve the monstrous entity into an ordinary summertime favorite. It's called a tutorial, but good luck trying to match this guy's mad skills. He writes on his site , "Watermelon is the most difficult material I’ve tried so far. I studied for years the right method to carve it best." ( Geeks are Sexy ) from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2C1ig8t via IFTTT

“What do you do with an old Texas rodeo cowboy when he marries a Jersey girl, he’s up in Jersey, and he has no place to keep a horse in Cranford? You make a mechanical horse!” Steve Bacque, aka the Crazy Cranford Cowboy, is that Texan and he did indeed make himself an electric horse. Four golf cart batteries power his not-street-legal e-horse, which he calls "Charger." According to NJ.com , Charger can do up to 40 miles per hour (though he has a governor to rein him in to about 15 miles per hour) and can handle up to 600 pounds. Charger even has a wheelie bar in the back, which is “not just for show,” Bacque warns. Yes, this motorized horse can pop a (small) wheelie. Charger turns left and right with the reins and even brakes when you pull back on them. A key turns him on, and a gas pedal sets him in motion. Bacque first caught attention in town when he rode up on Charger to his bank's drive-thru window: When Mindy Weiss Affronti pulled up to the bank drive-thru two...

Every fall in Japan, McDonald's releases a Moon Viewing Burger ( Tsukimi Burger). Basically, it's a burger with a perfectly round fried egg in the middle somewhere. This year added to the regular lineup is a new Golden Tsukimi Burger. Not only do you get a golden bun (that smells like butter!), but also a thick slice of golden-colored cheese. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2LEohYm via IFTTT

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Netflix has a new magic six-part series called Magic For Humans . The show's star, magician Justin Willman , worked with an audience to help him pull off the trick in this clip. Working together, they make two guys believe they've become invisible, and they really , really do believe they can't be seen. (I was a little worried about the second guy. I think "being invisible" broke his brain.) “When I was a kid I put a tooth under my pillow, went to sleep, and in the morning there was money there. That tangible evidence was more than enough proof to make me believe in the tooth fairy. To find out how far I could take that premise, I set up a large flash-mob style social experiment all to convince one guy he had turned invisible.” - Justin Willman. ( Likecool ) from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2MZ8Wq0 via IFTTT

Good morning! This is the tech news you need to know this Friday. 1. The 9to5Mac blog published photos purportedly showing some of this year's iPhones, called the iPhone XS . The blog claims it has got hold of a marketing image for two phones. 2. Apple has officially sent out the press invitations to its iPhone event on September 12 . The firm is expected to reveal three new iPhone models to follow up on last year's iPhone X and iPhone 8. 3. Google dismantled a recent attack from Donald Trump, in which he claimed the company had not shown his State of the Union address The firm said it had in fact promoted his 2018 speech. 4. A board member has resigned from MoviePass' parent company, Helios and Matheson Analytics . In his resignation letter, Carl Schramm raised concerns about the corporate governance of Helios and accused management of withholding material information from the board for months. 5. Snapchat and other popular apps with maps were vandalized to label...

Elon Musk is welcoming the criticism of Steve Bannon, who called the Tesla CEO "an immature man child" in an interview with CNN. "Can Steve Bannon please insult me some more? Best PR I've had in a while," Musk quipped on Thursday night. Bannon, a one-time strategist for President Donald Trump who was ousted from the White House last summer, has been rebuking Silicon Valley giants like Google and Facebook, echoing Trump's unsubstantiated claims that the companies are biased against political conservatives. Bannon accused Musk of lying during a weeks-long tarry over a proposal to take Tesla private and called the company "out of control." Elon Musk would like Steve Bannon to criticize him some more. Responding to a CNN interview in which the one-time strategist to President Donald Trump rebuked the Tesla CEO and other Silicon Valley giants and called them "man childs," Musk quipped , "Can Steve Bannon insult me some more?...

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here . Not that long ago, many home-appliance and consumer-electronics makers were gearing up for what they thought would soon be a rapidly growing market for smart home devices. The instant popularity of the Nest thermostat, introduced in 2011, seemed to  confirm  their hopes . But those expectations were dashed in the coming years as the market for connected home devices later stagnated.  Even with these challenges, many of the biggest consumer technology companies are now moving into the smart home market. For example, Apple, which recently released its self-installed smart home ecosystem, called the Apple Home, traditionally doesn't move into a market until it's very mature and only when it can release a perfected product. Further, Google this fall launched the Google Home and its companion...