English actress Diana Rigg, famed for roles from The Avengers to Game of Thrones, is dead at 82. The BBC reports that she died in her sleep. Her daughter, actress Rachael Stirling, said: "My Beloved Ma died peacefully in her sleep early this morning, at home, surrounded by family. "She died of cancer diagnosed in [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/10/diana-rigg-1938-2020.html

Italian police fined a French tourist €1,000 ($1,200) for attempting to smuggle four pounds of Sardinia's beloved white sand out of the country. Authorities at Cagliari Elmas Airport discovered the sand in a bottle stowed in his luggage. Apparently, this is not unusual. From CNN: A spokesman for the island's Forest Rangers told CNN: "The bottle [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/10/tourist-fined-1200-for-swipi.html

“So far, the origin of the tiger is unclear”

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/10/sheriffs-are-hunting-a-tiger-o.html

TikTok admitted today that it has banned certain phrases from being used by users in regions that include Russia, Bosnia and Jordan, with "gay", "I am gay" and "transgender" named as examples by the BBC. The firm says it will continue to restrict the terms and related hashtags to "comply with local laws" and to [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/10/tiktok-admits-secretly-banning.html

We all understand the healing powers of music. Putting on your favorite songs, zoning out, and letting the immersive sensation wash over you and carry you away is part of music's universal appeal. And the link between music and feeling good isn't just anecdotal. In four separate research trials, music therapy was found to reduce [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/the-wave-method-is-music-and-v.html

When I'm not writing things here on BoingBoing and elsewhere, I also sing and play guitar for an indie rock called the Roland High Life. And today, we have a new album out called "Songs About Comic Books & Mid-30s Malaise!" The subject matter is precisely as you would expect it to be. You can [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/listen-to-songs-about-comic.html

The great thing about online education is that no matter where you feel you need to shore up your skill sets, there's a package of coursework that can help get you there. You just have to know where to look.  Skillingo assembles those training packages, grouping up series of classes all directed toward some area [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/take-your-career-to-the-next-l.html

PMS 130, taken on 9/9/20 by Adam Dexter Woke up this morning here in Alameda (San Francisco Bay Area) and it was still dark, with a strong orange coming through the blinds. I can best describe it as a "hellscape." It's caused, of course, by the wildfires. But, oddly enough, it doesn't smell like smoke [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/this-is-fine-ominous-oran.html

I've had a cheap Brother wireless laser printer for 10 years. It's so much faster and cheaper than an inkjet printer, and doesn't cause problems like an inkjet printer.  It also prints on both sides of a sheet of paper. That feature comes in handy when my daughters and I want to make a small [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/a-cheap-wireless-laser-printer.html

From breaching humpback whales to European tulip fields to frozen lakes in Antarctica, enjoy a drone's eye view of the world in this relaxing montage of scenic drone footage. [Video link, source: Storyful]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/enjoy-this-incredibly-scenic-d.html

A former senior official at the Department of Homeland Security has filed a whistleblower complaint, in which he claims he was told to stop providing intelligence analysis reports about ongoing Russian interference attacks on America because it "made the President look bad." The official, Brian Murphy, said he believed the instruction he received from acting [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/dhs-official-says-he-was-told.html

Walmart said Wednesday it will soon start a pilot project for drone delivery of grocery and household products. The retailer is partnering for the test launch with end-to-end delivery firm Flytrex. Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, and says the test starts Wednesday in Fayetteville, North Carolina, with drones controlled remotely through the internet picking [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/walmart-to-test-drone-delivery.html

What's on the nightstand by your bed? Probably a lamp, maybe a clock, your phone, a tablet, a pair of glasses, some books you haven't read yet, some tissues, a remote control, and likely at least a few other personal items.  Before you realize it, you've stacked up a lot of stuff on that tiny [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/innovative-pockets-make-these.html

Visual Capitalist's graph of the world's 25 richest families includes only those that inherited their wealth (not "self-made" centi-billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, or Bill Gates). I was surprised that the Mars family is second on the list (behind the Walmart family, which is worth $215 billion). The supercilious Koch family comes in third, [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/this-graph-of-the-worlds-25.html

In 2001 Portugal decriminalized the consumption of all drugs. Meanwhile, the Philippines deals with drug users by shooting them in the street or throwing them in prison. Neither approach eliminates the harm that drug abuse (and its secondary and tertiary effects) causes to individuals and society, but only one them reduces the harm while the [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/comparing-portugals-and-the.html

Microsoft says the Xbox Series X will cost $500, a stripped-down $300 Series S will also be available, and both will launch on November 10, as the holiday shopping season kicks off. AP: There haven't been new generations of video game consoles for several years. The most recent Xbox, Xbox One, was released in 2013, [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/new-500-and-300-xbox-console.html

• Shocking new excerpt from Bob Woodward's book 'Rage' show Trump downplayed COVID-19 threat but knew how deadly and contagious it is • Trump: "I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don't want to create a panic." An excerpt from RAGE, Bob Woodward's new book, reveals that [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/trump-said-to-bob-woodward-he.html

The United States and Mexico are each others greatest trading partners and share a 3,000 kilometer border. The number of U.S. residents with Mexican ancestry is about 37 million. And yet, the border is heavily restricted and U.S. law makes it very difficult for most people from Mexico to legally immigrate to the United States. [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/want-to-cross-the-mexico-us-bo.html

Stevie gives an amazing performance here. Where can I get his pants suit?

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/a-young-stevie-wonder-sings.html

Looking forward to this one. You surely know what Dune is all about, but if not, well, few are the fools who would attempt to explain it in a paragraph. The only way to catch up is to buy the entire six-book series (even after all this time, there are only six Dune books!) and [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/09/trailer-of-dune.html