We received the Charmin Forever Roll with Stand [Amazon] as a joke gift but it has improved the quality of our lives immeasurably due to the sheer enormity of the roll, its portability, and the general improvement in bathroom logistics thereby facilitated. It is the best toilet roll holder.

Essentially, it's a nice metal stand designed to hold the commercial-size toilet rolls that usually go in the boxes mounted in public lavatory stalls. The up-front cost of the stand pays for itself over time because you can buy commercial rolls by the dozen, and in the meantime you won't have to worry about running out of toilet paper, yelling for replacing rolls, shuffling around looking for toilet paper with your pants around your ankles, etc.

Charmin's own Forever Rolls do fit it best, as they have a small-sized tube. But larger-tubed commercial rolls work just fine; they're just not quite as well-balanced or elegant on the tug.

It can also hold normal rolls, of course, or anything else you might want to drape over it, such as newspapers. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/CkMtG6C5neE/charmins-forever-roll-is-the.html

Knives Out is currently sporting a well-deserved 97% fresh score at Rotten Tomatoes, and now there's a solid reason to see it again in the theater--Rian Johnson created a director's commentary track:

I’m thrilled to announce the #KnivesOut in-theater commentary! Yes, now you can enjoy another round of whodunnit goodness with me squawking in your ear. Did this on Bloom & Looper, happy to try it again. Audio file and instructions here.

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/88iQu75SiYY/rian-johnson-posted-a-director.html

You don't have to hunt Youtube for bootleg copies of the teaser for Christopher Nolan's new thriller Tenet anymore. The official trailer has been posted:

It may or may not be a story about the incredible power of palindromes. The expected release date is July 17, 2020. Here's the poster:

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/k6k_L6qnFaE/tenet-movie-new-nolans-chris.html

The Jank'o keyboard, named for inventor Paul von Jank'o, compresses the standard 88-key piano layout into a thinner, four-row field of 264 keys. If this sounds like a solution to a different problem than the one addressed, you wouldn't be alone, but...

The Jank'o Keyboard caused a stir at the time of its invention, in large part due to its unique look and the intelligent design behind the keyboard. American piano manufacturer Decker Brothers put the keyboard into production around 1891, and the Paul de Janko Conservatory of Music was established in New York around the same time. There was even a manual written by W. Bradley Keeler called How to Play the New Keyboard.

Despite all this, the Jank'o keyboard never achieved wide popularity. Music educators were not convinced that the benefits of the new keyboard were enough to challenge the traditional keyboard. Few performers were prepared to relearn their repertoire on a new keyboard with entirely different fingering. Both reasons left keyboard instrument manufacturers afraid to invest in a redesigned keyboard which promised to have only marginal commercial success.

In the video embedded above, Paul Vandervoort demonstrates the Jank'o. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/8bxEDcDWHNg/the-janko-keyboard-in-action.html

Writing for EGM, Alexis Ong looks at Neurocracy, SCP Foundation, and other gameful hypertexts. It reminded me of SCP-3308, which describes a disturbing Ikea.

The location seems to be a typical Ikea, but once you enter, you're transported to an infinite space that looks like, but is not quite an Ikea:

SCP-3008-1 is inhabited by an unknown number of civilians trapped within prior to containment. Gathered data suggests they have formed a rudimentary civilisation within SCP-3008-1, including the construction of settlements and fortifications for the purpose of defending against SCP-3008-2.

SCP-3008-2 are humanoid entities that exist within SCP-3008-1. While superficially resembling humans they possess exaggerated and inconsistent bodily proportions, often described as being too short or too tall. They possess no facial features and in all observed cases wear a yellow shirt and blue trousers consistent with the IKEA employee uniform.

SCP-3008-1 has a rudimentary day-night cycle, determined by the overhead lighting within the space activating and deactivating at times consistent with the opening and closing times of the original retail store. During the "night" instances of SCP-3008-2 will become violent towards all other lifeforms within SCP-3008-1. During these bouts of violence they have been heard to vocalise phrases in English that are typically variations of "The store is now closed, please exit the building". Once "day" begins SCP-3008-2 instances immediately become passive and begin moving throughout SCP-3008-1 seemingly at random. They are unresponsive to questioning or other verbal cues in this state, though will react violently if attacked.

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/hFmxYA07iKU/the-ikea-that-exists-outside-o.html

One fantastic and wonderful origin theory of Santa Claus involves psychedelic mushrooms and shamanic rituals of the indigenous S'ami people who live in northern Finland. Paul Devereux wrote about this incredible hidden history in his fascinating 2008 book The Long Trip: A Prehistory of Psychedelia. Then, Brooklyn filmmaker Matthew Salton blew mainstream minds with this fantastic New York Times "Op-Doc" short video on the topic.

For more on psychedelic Santa, check out the following pieces by Greg Taylor at the Daily Grail:

• "Santa is a Psychedelic Mushroom: Were Modern Christmas Traditions Influenced by Shamanic Folklore?"

• Santa's Long Trip Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/Vc7WxwgfaRs/santa-claus-is-a-psychedelic-m.html

Watch Dual Axis and see if it you can make it move clockwise, counter-clockwise, and up and down in your head. Trippy, huh?

This mind-boggling optical illusion was recently awarded "Best Illusion of the Year" by the Neural Correlate Society, a nonprofit that "promotes research into the neural bases of perception and cognition."

Frank Force, a game developer in Austin, Texas is behind the visual trick which took him one day of coding in Javascript to complete. He told Motherboard, “I've worked on DOOM, Red Faction: Guerrilla, Psi-Ops, and Starhawk... Recently I have been doing a deep dive into tiny coding with JavaScript. It's a type of art where you write small programs that do interesting stuff... Think of it as a programming haiku."

Force has uploaded the code to Github and created an interactive demo to play with. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/9P1bs3HV5ZE/bewildering-optical-illusion-a.html

I've heard it said that criminals get caught becasue the majority of them are far from being masterminds. Welp:

From USA Today:

Indiana state troopers almost called a tow truck for Joshua Anthony Lewis-Brown, 20, before identifying him as a suspected car thief Friday.

By checking the Toyota Corolla's vehicle identification number, the troopers determined the car's owner had reported it stolen from State College, Pennsylvania, about 400 miles away. The owner had left the car running to keep it warm while he shopped at a  grocery store, the Indiana troopers said in a statement. The car was missing when he returned Thursday.

If he'd just used card stock and a Sharpie, he might have gotten away from it. Always spend the money on the right materials for the job. Obviously once the troopers saw that the Brown's license plate was nothing more than a low-rent arts and crafts project (although, admittedly, he was able to drive 400 miles with his fake plates without anyone noticing) they arrested him on a felony charge of possessing stolen property.

I come from one of the colder parts of the world. A lot of folks leave their vehicles running in the winter time, unattended, in an effort to keep them warm—that the oil and gas industry supporters leave their rides idling here, year-round is a whole different load of bullshit for us to talk about. But given how easily a running care can be jacked and hidden with fifty cents worth of art supplies, it might be worth turning off your engine and putting up with a bit of a chill. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/0wlx-Pc9is0/fake-license-plates-drawn-with.html

Here's a terrifying new game that's one of the most popular apps in the United States, Photo Roulette. Up to fifty players allow the app to access their photos. Each round, a random photo from one of the player's galleries pops up on everyone else's phone. Players then race to guess whose photo it is.

Julie Jargon rounded up some horror storiesfor the Wall Street Journal. Here's one:

“I was kind of freaked out by it so I went to my camera roll to make sure there wasn’t anything embarrassing and I didn’t see anything too bad,” she said.

But when she joined the game, the app displayed a photo of her Social Security number.

And another:

Emma Romney, a 20-year-old college student from Spokane, Wash., was playing Photo Roulette with her cousins, uncle and father during a road trip recently when a selfie she had taken a few years ago came up in the game.

Read the whole article here, including a look at what information is shared with the app developers. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/OLk2BIrp6q0/the-photo-roulette-app-sends-a.html

A delightful moment of "Fr`ere Jacques" performed by composer Luke Thering and comedian Ricky Gervais. More of Luke and Ricky below:

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/rzQT1cxuLxA/perfection-frere-jacques.html

Lorena Ariana Marin, a 22-year-old Subway sandwich artist in Las Cruces, Mexico, and Angelo Rey Espinosa, 19, allegedly robbed the Subway where Marin works. Police caught them quickly and Marin apparently confessed, telling police "she wanted to teach one of the employees a lesson about what could happen late at night in that part of town." From Las Cruces Sun News:

Espinosa allegedly stood near the counter while Marin allegedly verbally and physically threatened the employees after hopping behind the counter. They ushered the employees to the back of the store but one employee ran to her car and got away. Both robbers then fled on foot, police said.

After police arrived, one of Marin's coworkers identified her by her voice. Marin and Espinosa were arrested within minutes of the robbery, police said.

image: Google Maps Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/ju2M_yLz5Tg/subway-restaurant-workers-robb.html

There's overwhelming support for clean energy, and the planet is giving us more reasons to invest in renewable power sources with every passing year. Even in the most inhospitable areas, wind and solar can provide a good chunk of our power, if not all of it. So why aren't we all taking advantage of it?

As with most things in our society, it takes a good business plan. And Arcadia Power might just have one.

Simply put, they do the legwork of finding renewable energy sources in your area. They then serve as a middleman between you and your existing power company, negotiating prices based on the sources they find and purchasing energy certificates by proxy.

Not only will this result in a better environment and more peace of mind on your part, but it can also actually save you money. In many cases, that clean power is cheaper, and Arcadia will pass the savings on to you, letting you know how much you've saved each month and how much of your power bill went to green, planet-wise sources.

The more members Arcadia gets, the more collective bargaining power they have. As if you needed a bigger hint, sign up is easy - in a matter of minutes you can have your own account, keep your existing power company and get a $20 Amazon gift card or four standard LED bulbs as a bonus. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/ipeijEwquk0/hook-up-to-clean-energy-with-t.html

Roomba: [AUGHHHHHHH!!!!]

Do unmute this one for maximum enjoyment.

The Roomba That Screams When it Bumps Into Stuff

[ Michael Reeves, May 2019, via] Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/ynKKWYy36_g/the-roomba-that-screams-when-i.html

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/iVmr1LTUWG4/lyft-said-their-real-names-are.html

Yep.

Sounds about right.

The leading evangelical Christian publication Christianity Today, which was founded by the media figure and former presidential advisor Billy Graham, endorses the impeachment of Donald J. Trump, calling him “a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused.”

Here's an excerpt from the Christianity Today editorial calling for the impeachment and removal of Trump:

The reason many are not shocked about this is that this president has dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration. He has hired and fired a number of people who are now convicted criminals. He himself has admitted to immoral actions in business and his relationship with women, about which he remains proud. His Twitter feed alone—with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders—is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused.

Trump’s evangelical supporters have pointed to his Supreme Court nominees, his defense of religious liberty, and his stewardship of the economy, among other things, as achievements that justify their support of the president. We believe the impeachment hearings have made it absolutely clear, in a way the Mueller investigation did not, that President Trump has abused his authority for personal gain and betrayed his constitutional oath. The impeachment hearings have illuminated the president’s moral deficiencies for all to see. This damages the institution of the presidency, damages the reputation of our country, and damages both the spirit and the future of our people. None of the president’s positives can balance the moral and political danger we face under a leader of such grossly immoral character.

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/nqattNaPeUo/christianity-today-trump-shou.html

Well, this is weird.

Yet another woman from China was arrested on Wednesday and charged with trespassing on the property of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the Palm Beach Police said.

This is the second time in 2019 a Chinese national been arrested for unauthorized entry on the premises of Trump's Florida resort and residence.

From CNN:

Lu Jing, 56, allegedly trespassed on the Palm Beach resort and was asked to leave by security, Palm Beach Police spokesman Michael Ogrodnick said in a statement. Lu returned to Mar-a-Lago and began to take photos when Palm Beach Police Department responded and arrested her, according to Ogrodnick. Lu made an initial court appearance Thursday morning and plead not guilty to all charges.

During their investigation, authorities figured out that Lu Jing was a Chinese national in the country on an expired visa.

Lu Jing is the second Chinese national arrested for trespassing at Mar-a-Lago this year. The other Chinese woman was arrested in March for trespassing, and no connection is apparent between the two women.

Again, from CNN:

Yujing Zhang, a 33-year-old businesswoman from Shanghai, was found guilty last month of unlawfully entering a restricted zone and making false statements to a federal officer.

At the time of her arrest, Zhang had in her possession four cellphones, a laptop, an external hard drive and a thumb drive, which a preliminary forensic exam showed contained malware, according to her criminal complaint. Prosecutors said they also discovered a trove of additional electronics -- including a signal detector to detect hidden cameras -- and thousands of dollars in cash in her hotel room.

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/ucuN65Wh848/yet-another-chinese-woman-arre.html

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/pisQTT1dYao/kentuckys-ex-governor-matt-b.html

He chonkin'.

Crumpet The Corgi sneaks up on a white strawberry, and it's pretty delightful.

Crumpet The Corgi sneaking up on a white strawberry

Definitely follow crumpetandbutter on IMGUR.

[via]

Keep calm and keep smiling

Goodnight

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/0JVgz1mvoQo/corgi-sneaks-up-on-a-strawberr.html

Many may only know her voice from hearing The Pogues' Fairytale of New York, but beyond that timeless tune, Kirsty MacColl's career as a singer and songwriter was as full and respected as you're bound to hear of. She was lost to us, at the age of 41, close to two decades ago, this week.

While on holiday in Mexico with her partner and children, MacColl was killed, and by some accounts murdered while on a diving excursion, off the coast of Cozumel. According to the Irish Post, a  boat entered the warded-off area where MacColl was surfacing from a scuba dive, at high speed, striking her light out of this world. She'd still be with us if she hadn't, as a final act, pushed her 15-year old son out of the path of the speeding boat. The vessel belonged to a Mexican multimillionaire. When's there's money had, a coverup may be bought: It's rumored that the boat's owner was the one driving it when MacColl was killed. However, one of his employees was paid to take the fall for him.

Fortunately, her music lives on. In this documentary, the BBC explores MacColl's career with insights from Shane MacGowan, Billy Bragg, Johnny Marr, Bono, French & Saunders and Steve Lillywhite. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/f4YUPUjll2I/singer-songwriter-kirsty-macco.html

The New York Times' logo looks like it might be set in a classic blackletter typeface, but it is in fact hand-made. Enter Chomsky, a typeface designed by Fredrick Brennan (yes, the Fredrick Brennan) and derived from the NYT's distinctive old-timey nameplate.

This font is not an exact copy of the New York Times masthead. Rather, it aims to be suitable for running text as well, so I used a larger stem size. The difference between some of the characters are shown below; the N.Y.T. logo is above, and Chomsky below... :

I was quite surprised, that to my knowledge, I am the first to have undertaken this project. Many other famous brands, for example that of CNN, Sega, and Coca Cola have fonts in homage to them; indeed, most of these fonts were made in the pre-Unicode era and are branded in terms of metadata with the name of the defunct, but once prominent, Macromedia Fontographer; the CNN copy cat font is itself going on twenty years old.

Perhaps it was the difficulty of creating the extra letters in a blackletter face that scared away would be font authors. Perhaps it was lack of knowledge about the law in this area. Either way, I do believe that I am the first.

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/uXD7eC6OoQY/chomsky-a-blackletter-typefac.html