The holidays can be a boozy time of year for many people. Even though I'm on four different medications with labels stating that I shouldn't drink alcohol while taking them, I still like the occasional nip—I mean, If I don't wash the pills down, I'm technically not drinking while taking the meds, right? Going in for a bit of spiked eggnog, homemade Irish cream in your coffee or a bit of dark rum in a mug of hot chocolate are obvious choices for blustery, cold, northern hemisphere revels. However, I don't think that anyone can argue that such traditional concoctions can be a little boring (not that you'd care after three or four rounds.) If you're looking for some fabulous new drinks to liquor you, your loved ones and friends up for the holidays, Texas Monthly has some outstanding suggestions to take for a spin.

From Texas Monthly:

Whether you’re toasting friends and family in celebration or calming your nerves at the very same social obligations, the holidays inevitably present many opportunities for alcohol consumption. This year, instead of drinking to excess, consider adding some mocktails to your repertoire—or at least have them ready for any teetotaler guests. We asked four of the state’s best bartenders to share their current favorite creations with us for the yuletide season. And with a “nice” mocktail for every “naughty” cocktail, you can be sure there’s something delicious for everyone to sip.

There's a number of absolutely delicious drinks on this list that could make your holidays a helluva lot more jolly. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/RVml8Elt_Ow/these-festive-cocktails-will-k.html

Willie Nelson's Martin N-20 guitar, affectionately known as Trigger, has seen some shit. Happily, the majority of the shit it's seen has been in the name of making countless music lovers, the world over, happy. Over the years, Willie's finger-pickin' playing style has worn second soundhole into the guitar (not to mention the other carnage that this poor instrument has somehow survived.)

To keep Trigger alive and playable, Texas-based luthier, Mark Erlewine, gives the iconic instrument a whole lot of TLC during the guitar's annual checkup. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/P0vYuRZz0KY/this-luthier-keeps-willie-nels.html

What a terrific perk, after five years of working at Fantasy Flight Games, employees gets their likenesses added to a game. Below are four examples from the Shadow of the Beanstalk Android sourcebook:

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As some may know, after five years of working at FFG our employees are put into one of our games as a thank you for their amazing work. Today, we would like to share a couple of the fantastic employee-art pieces that appear in Shadow of the Beanstalk, the Android sourcebook for Genesys! #Android #Genesys #RoleplayingGames #TabletopGames #LifeAtFFG

A post shared by Fantasy Flight Games (@fantasyflightgames) on Dec 3, 2019 at 1:14pm PST

Five more examples are collected at Board Game Atlas. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/Ld3htZiRVsk/longtime-fantasy-flight-employ.html

When it comes to smoking methods, dabbing is still a fringe exercise. Which is puzzling, because inhaling from a wax concentrate is pretty potent.

It might have something to do with the gear involved, which - up til now - has meant you can't really take the show on the road. The Very Happy Dab Kit aims to change all that.

This all-in-one pack contains all the items you need for a clean, easy hit, plus a few gadgets even experienced dabbers might not have at home. They include the essential butane torch and vapor glass (with a titanium tip and mouthpiece), but also a nectar collector, dab pad and containers for your concentrate of choice.

It's all bundled together neatly and securely in a hardshell container. All the gear is tightly packed and protected against most impacts, but it's also smell-proof from the outside - a definite plus.

The Very Happy Dab Kit is currently on sale for 14% off the MSRP, but you can take an extra 15% off that final price by using the discount code HAPPYHOLIDAYS. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/Tv9T079gZ4w/get-your-dab-on-anywhere-with.html

Ahh, Kef Bir and Exogol, sure to become cherished locations in Star Wars lore, are now the featured destinations in Star Tours. Disney says Star Tours now offers more than 100 storytelling combinations, but "for the next few months we’ll exclusively feature the destinations inspired by Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."

If you'd like only a glimpse of the new destinations, enjoy this promotional video:

And if you'd like the full experience, find someone to shake your chair, and enjoy:

Speaking of Star Tours, here's a lengthy editorial arguing that Star Tours is a better attraction than Galaxy's Edge's Millennium Falcon:

The themes of Star Tours include things like “the bad guys just hijacked my vacation,” being a tourist in the galaxy, and how one person can make a difference in the grand scheme of things (even if they didn’t realize it). Comparatively, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run’s themes are much more shallow, including “I flew the Millennium Falcon,” smuggling to enrich yourself, and targeting guests for ridicule.

(Via Polygon.) Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/DzHm_Hb54mQ/enjoy-a-full-ride-through-of-t.html

Former MTV Veejay Martha Quinn is now a deejay and blogger for iHeart80s. On Friday, she posted a bunch of holiday videos from her MTV days, including this gem that reunites the Monkees for a weird medley from Christmas Eve 1986. She writes:

This Monkees video is historic for Monkees fans as it reunited Monkee Mike Nesmith with Monkees Peter Tork, Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz!

In the world of MTV this video gives a peek into a new era. We’re welcoming VJs Carolyn Heldman and Downtown Julie Brown, but by this time we’d said good-bye to original VJs JJ Jackson and Nina Blackwood which was part of the transformation to MTV phase 2, that would include Head Banger’s Ball host Adam Curry, VJ Kevin Seal, and Yo! MTV Raps hosts Ed Lover and Doctor Dr'e. This was our last Christmas video.

But guess what…out of the blue along would come something called “The Internet” and “YouTube.” Thanks to them we can enjoy these videos all over again!!

Eighties fans will enjoy following Martha on Twitter. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/gU9vMH9p5p8/in-1986-mtv-reunited-the-monk.html

From the University of Saskatchewan:

Wild pigs typically weigh between 120 and 250 pounds. They have around six piglets per litter, per year.

They are adapted to very cold temperatures, and can breed in any season, living in pigloos burrowed into the snow.  Sexually mature within four-to-eight months, they feed on all common types of farmers’ crops, including corn, wheat and canola. They also eat insects, birds, reptiles and small mammals.

“The growing wild pig population is not an ecological disaster waiting to happen—it is already happening,” said USask’s Ryan Brook, lead researcher for the Canadian Wild Pig Project, a Canada-wide research program, and Aschim’s supervisor.

Even the New York Times is getting in on the pigloo action (although it has yet to be noted on the Times First Said Twitter bot):

Many experts thought the pigs couldn’t thrive in cold climates. But they burrow into the snow in winter, creating so-called pigloos — a tunnel or cave with a foot or two of snow on top for insulation. Many have developed thick coats of fur.

Now they are poised to invade states along the border, threatening to establish a new beachhead in this country.

“It’s concerning that Canada isn’t doing anything about it,” said Maggie Nutter, one of 80 concerned ranchers and farmers who met recently near Sweet Grass, Mont., to discuss the potential swine invasion. “What do you do to get them to control their wild hog population?”

It seems that not even an AR-15 nor a Jason Isbell song can stop these feral hogs from burrowing. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/ppP4P3vrMeo/30-50-feral-hogs-are-now-build.html

Who are these people that have time for a job, social life, and actual healthy meals? With a nutrition segment on seemingly every talk show and entire networks devoted to food, it can sometimes seem like we've never left our mother's house and her constant admonitions to "eat your vegetables!"

And okay, she was right. But things were a lot easier when she was feeding them to us. Being an adult requires buying these things, planning your meals for the week so they don't go bad, and (worst of all) actually cooking them.

Which is why we turn to takeout, let's face it. But Daily Harvest might just be the thing that slowly replaces it - or at least relegates it to the occasional guilty pleasure it should be.

We've all heard of those meal deliveries that show up at your front door, ready to cook. And while some of them may indeed be healthy, Daily Harvest does them better by actually being easy to make. Everything is perfectly portioned and takes one step to prep. Like, five minutes or less kind of easy.

Setting up a plan with Daily Harvest takes about as much time as prepping one of their meals. You can pick from Sweet Potato + Wild Rice Hash harvest bowl, Cold Brew + Cacao Smoothies, Pumpkin + Chai Oat Bowls and over 65 more items, built on organic fruits and vegetables frozen at their peak to lock in peak season freshness.

Once they arrive, stick them in the freezer and heat them up or blend them as required. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/gB0g_NdSGUU/daily-harvest-is-healthy-eatin.html

TMI: It's not just applicable to the stuff your best friend posts online about their kidney stones. There's too much information in general, online and everywhere. Too many opinions, facts, strategies and stories - but that doesn't mean some of it isn't worth knowing.

That's likely why BookNotes is getting solid reviews on the App Store. Its mission is to take all those books you say you'll get around to reading and give you the gist in 15 minutes or less.

BookNotes' library of book summaries includes titles from Eckhart Tolle, John Gray, Tim Ferris and other heavy hitters in the business and self-help world. It's also got fiction classics like 1984 and The Great Gatsby. There's even a few original mini-books, plus summaries of top Netflix documentaries like Inside Bill's Brain: Decoding Bill Gates.

They're all distilled into tightly-organized snippets that give you the key ideas, plot summaries, and takeaways. And since they're also available on audio, you can soak up a great book on every daily commute.

You can access the app from any device, and a lifetime subscription is now a full 90% off the retail price. Get your own BookNotes account and start getting the information you need, when you need it. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/uznrDDdAZtM/get-insights-from-the-worlds.html

Yesterday was the first night of Hanukkah. From the International Space Station, astronaut Jessica Meir tweeted the image above and the following: "Happy Hanukkah to all those who celebrate it on Earth! #HappyHanukkah"

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/Xdi-n9w6LWw/happy-hanukkah-from-space.html

David Rush now holds the Guinness World Record for the most juggling catches in 60 seconds. Rush had the record before, with 556 catches, until Michael Ferreri snatched it with 558. Now, 586 catches later, the record is Rush's once again. From UPI:

Rush also decided to take on his own record for speed juggling using the slower cascade pattern of juggling and managed 502 catches in one minute, beating his own 2016 record of 428 catches.

The Idaho man, who has broken more than 100 Guinness records to promote STEM education, said the speed juggling records were the most difficult that he has attempted.

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/BNkw728wKiA/watch-the-worlds-fastest-jug.html

A classic robotics video from Boston Dynamics in 2015.

Think of how much more developed the robots are now!

Yikes.

[YouTube] Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/Oojat7p9Ba8/happy-holiday-robot-reindeer.html

GROOT. GINGERBREAD.

Says IMGURian @cdeniseeriksson, 'I made a gingerbread Groot!'

This years christmas gingerbread project! It took me 5 weeks, 1 for planning and 4 to build. It has a wire mesh structure underneath to fill out the shape, since it’s 1:1 scale.

Truly spectacular.

I don't wanna eat him. But I would.

Scroll down in her gallery for the excellent video!

I made a gingerbread Groot!

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/c0zPvOLPaX4/gingerbread-groot.html

The US Navy has issued a policy banning the social media app TikTok from government-issued mobile devices, saying the China-owned video messaging service is a “cybersecurity threat.”

Authorities will block devices with the app from the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.

From Reuters:

A bulletin issued by the Navy on Tuesday showed up on a Facebook page serving military members, saying users of government issued mobile devices who had TikTok and did not remove the app would be blocked from the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.

The Navy would not describe in detail what dangers the app presents, but Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Uriah Orland said in a statement the order was part of an effort to “address existing and emerging threats”.

TikTok did not return a request for comment.

The Navy would not describe in detail what dangers the app presents, but Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Uriah Orland said in a statement the order was part of an effort to “address existing and emerging threats”. https://t.co/wR0UHoqCi6

 Alex Ptachick (@alexptachick) December 23, 2019

I don't think any dystopian sci-fi I've read predicted this kind of future scenario.

US government needs to ban an application with ties to a foreign state (China) because otherwise their own Navy personnel would willingly install it on their own phones.https://t.co/Ounql9rgqU

 Zeh Fernando (@zeh) December 21, 2019

Following five consecutive Russian military selfie bans, this is the largest military digital media ban (not regulation) that we know of. Russian bans didn’t work, so the real question is: how will this be monitored and prosecuted at scale.

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/p5RHXNkoUcU/us-navy-bans-tiktok-from-gover.html

New York billionaire and 2020 US presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg is working with former Facebook and FourSquare executives on technology systems for Bloomberg's campaign.

Hawkfish’s executives from Silicon Valley include longtime Facebook Chief Marketing Officer Gary Briggs, who recently posted on his social media page that he is now a digital director at “Mike Bloomberg 2020,” and Jeff Glueck, former CEO of location-tracking firm Foursquare.

CNBC reports that right after he founded a technology company named Hawkfish that was incorporated just this past spring, the firm began working on races in Virginia and Kentucky, where Democrats scored key victories in November:

Hawkfish will be the “primary digital agency and technology services provider for the campaign,” Julie Wood, a Bloomberg campaign spokeswoman, told CNBC. She added that the firm “is now providing digital ad services, including content creation, ad placement and analytics” for their campaign. It will also help Democratic races across the country in future election cycles, she said.

The company’s existence has not been previously reported. Bloomberg’s campaign disclosed details about the company after CNBC pressed the campaign about its recent hiring spree.

Bloomberg, a billionaire former three-term mayor of New York, started building the company early in 2019, before he decided to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, the campaign aide said. While the campaign declined to say how much Bloomberg has invested in the company, Bloomberg has said he will spend over $100 million on anti-Trump digital ads. His campaign has already spent at least $13 million on Facebook and Google spots.

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/SmFtzmmG42o/mike-bloomberg-created-hawkf.html

Google and Apple remove app

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/roFFQYQB2C0/totok-is-a-uae-spying-tool-sa.html

On Thursday, the Oxbow Prairie Horizons School in Saskatchewan, Canada staged their annual student Christmas concert. The show, "Santa Goes Green," pissed off parents in the town where oil is one of the major industries. Here's a description from the Santa Goes Green sheet music:

Melting ice caps, global warming, surfing reindeer! The North Pole is going green this year and everyone is excited – everyone, that is, except Santa who likes things just the way they are. Solar panels, LED light bulbs, new power sources? It all sounds a bit inconvenient to him. Mrs. Claus, the elves, toys and reindeer have their hands full!

From CBC:

(Mike Gunderman, whose daughter was in the show,) said the concerns raised were not directed at the children. He said they did a great job singing and performing, but he felt it was "the wrong message to send at the wrong time of the season.

"Especially when our industry is suffering right now," he said. "It's a tough time for everybody."

Audrey Trombley, chair of the South East Cornerstone Public School Division where Oxbow Prairie is located, apologized to anyone who was offended by the concert, saying there was never any intention to make the show political.

"There was no political agenda," said Audrey Trombley, chair of the division's Board of Trustees. "The teacher chose the song because of the rhythm and the beat, and thought the kids would like it."

image: cover detail of Santa Goes Green sheet music book (Hal Leonard) Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/3dw6t8jOjr4/school-apologizes-after-parent.html

Ram Dass -- counterculture icon, psychedelic pioneer, and spiritual guide -- has died at age 88. After turning on with his Harvard psychology colleague Timothy Leary in the early 1960s, Ram Dass (formerly Richard Alpert) became an intrepid explorer of higher consciousness and dedicated his life to teaching what he learned to the world. From Tricycle:

In Be Here Now, Ram Dass‘s first book for the masses, which has sold over 2 million copies since publication in 1971, he offered seekers an engaging, unconventional, slightly zany roadmap for finding a spiritual path and a more enduring connection to higher consciousness than a tab of acid could bring. From then on, in close to a dozen books and countless teachings, retreats, and podcasts, Ram Dass continued to share the wisdom of a journey that had long gone beyond personal transformation to embrace a cosmic worldview and social agenda...

“My life has been a dance between power and love,” he observed after the massive cerebral hemorrhage in 1997 that left the charismatic, preternaturally articulate teacher groping for words. “First part, till Harvard: power, power, power, power. Up until drugs, I thought power was the end all and be all, because I was a little individual. Then drugs: love, love, love, love. My first mushroom trip was so profound that I saw radiance was inside, and I said, ‘I’m home, I’m home, I’m home.'”

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/TsVSOjNuM2o/counterculture-icon-and-psyche.html

"China flight systems jammed by pig farm’s African swine fever defences." That headline from the South China Morning Post sums up this strange story. Gangs in China reportedly send drones to drop material infected with Swine Flu on pig farms. Then, the gangs buy the meat on the cheap and sell it to unwitting customers. (Swine flu rarely passes to humans.) From the South China Morning Post:

The farm, in northeastern China, was ordered last month to turn in an unauthorised anti-drone device installed to prevent criminal gangs dropping items infected with the disease, according to online news portal Thepaper.cn.

The device came to light after a series of flights to and from Harbin airport complained about losing GPS signals while flying over Zhaozhou county in Heilongjiang in late October. In some cases, the ADS-B tracking technology – which determines an aircraft’s position via satellite navigation – failed.

(via Daily Grail)

image: "Main symptoms of swine flu in swine" (Public Domain) Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/HA5fspY-kiY/china-flight-systems-jammed.html

Matt Shea has served as a state representative for Washington since 2008. He's also a violent religious separatist and a member of the extreme right-wing Patriot Movement. Shea was an ardent supporter of Cliven Bundy, the Mormon extremist who lead a face-off with the government over cattle-grazing fees and an admitted act of arson, and later joined in on the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. He also has a history of violent road rage, and has been accused of physical abuse by multiple ex-wives. And then there was that whole thing with child training camps for an impending race war.

Somehow, none of that has disqualified him thus far from serving in the Washington State House of Representatives. But that might change, thanks to a new report from an independent investigation into his activities. From NPR:

Independent investigators commissioned by the Washington State House of Representatives found that Shea, as a leader of the Patriot Movement, "planned, engaged in, and promoted a total of three armed conflicts of political violence against the United States government" between 2014 and 2016.

The report also concluded that Shea was involved in training young people to fight a "holy war." He created a pamphlet called Biblical Basis for War and advocated replacing the government with a theocracy and "the killing of all males who do not agree."

Chat messages showed Shea, a lawyer who was first elected in 2008, condoned intimidation of opponents, political activists, government officials and Muslims.

Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/fifd6J3lpxo/this-washington-state-represen.html