From the 2010 Rush documentary "Beyond the Lighted Stage," Neil Peart, who died last week, talks about the power of Tom Sawyer. What you say about his company is what you say about society.

(via Dust to Digital)

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After a late-December Washington Post story revealed a nationwide epidemic of colleges quietly installing pervasive wireless location-tracking systems on campus, which gathered data on students without meaningful consent, inside and outside of class, broken down by protected categories such as race and gender, as well as on potentially invasive lines such as whether a student is from abroad, security researcher Lace R Vick (previously) tweeted an offer to students to explain how they could "dismantle such a system."

In a followup Gizmodo article, Vick delves into the deficiencies with the notifications, consent and privacy policies associated with these services -- which are a typical mess of overbroad grabs that are subject to change without notice, couched in deceptive language.

Vick also puts campus location-tracking in the context of campus information security, which is historically very poor, with low-quality passwords, a lack of access auditing, and interconnection of services and networks that allow both outside attackers and insider threats (such as a professor who wants to stalk a student) to operate with wide latitude and a low likelihood of being caught. Adding location-tracking to such a system vastly increases the risks of the kinds of cyberattacks that are already endemic to campuses.

For his finale, Vick explains what he would have done had he been an undergrad on a campus with such a system, including setting up fake beacons that record every student as being present in every class; using their own tracking beacons to create public league tables of which profs preside over classes that students are likely to skip; disrupting Bluetooth radio frequency bands to block all the tracking beacons; decompiling the app to analyze how the services share data and to see if there are strong protections to stop users from getting location-data on other people. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/L-qooDsc0wA/degree-analytics.html

An explosive fight erupted at a UK Turkish cafe called Ken's Kebabs, with kicks and objects being thrown around. But that didn't stop this 52-year-old man from eating his meal while calmly taking in the scenery. Must be some damn good kebabs. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/jkHB_-QGRuc/watch-this-guy-calmly-eat-his.html

If you love wine — and we mean, really love wine — it's a personal thing. You know what foods your favorite wine likes to mingle with and the ones they don't. You have a favorite time to drink. You've read a thing or two about its history, maybe visited where it was made. It's not just a drink — it's a ritual.

This personal connection, more than anything, is why more wine lovers don't join those wine clubs that seem to popping up with increasing frequency. It's not that they don't love to explore and try new things. Far from it. It's just that the whole experience of having wine picked out by someone else who knows little to nothing about you feels, well, impersonal.

But it doesn't have to be. WineAccess is the first wine club we know of where you get more than just wine. You get stories, context and above all, a reason why you should care about your bottle before you even pop the cork.

None of this should be surprising. The people behind WineAccess have decades of experience making wine, writing about it and just plain loving it. (And of course, they're based in the vineyard mecca, California's Napa Valley.)

With each shipment of wine you get, you can tell an expert carefully curated the selections. The wines are shipped under strict climate control, but you get more than just the lovingly packed bottles. You get tasting notes, plus access to a story and video that tells you about the winery, circumstances and struggles that resulted in the creation of your picks. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/54vZAR-j6u4/this-wine-club-for-vino-enthus.html

TV-talking lawyer of Stormy Daniels vs. Donald Trump fame is now in federal custody

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/1H9Xesrno34/michael-avenatti-is-in-federal.html

Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn is moving to withdraw his guilty plea, in a reversal that seems in line with a likely request for a pardon from President Donald Trump.

WAPO:

The retired three-star Army general turned against prosecutors after initially cooperating in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe and pleading guilty to lying to investigators about his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the United States. A federal judge last month rejected Flynn’s claims that prosecutors withheld evidence and duped him into pleading guilty. A judge must approve any change in the plea.

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http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/YMIRpyxUWPY/michael-flynn-to-withdraw-guil.html

Nathaniel Stern writes, "The World After Us: Imaging techno-aesthetic futures (Flickr set) is an art exhibition that asks, 'What will — and what can — happen to our gadgets over geological time?' For the last few years, I have been working scientists to artificially age phones and computers in different ways, growing plants and fungi in watches, phones, laptops, and more, and turning phones into ink (via blenders and oils), iMacs into tools (melting down the aluminum, and shaping it into a wrench, hammer, and screwdriver), and otherwise spiking electronic waste onto 12 foot towers and/or 'growing' them (intermingled with botanicals) across 1000 square feet of wall space. Here I want people to think and act differently in and with their media devices, their electronic waste, and the damage it does to create both in the first place."

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http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/QI2i_b8pVbo/foreverday.html

A Boing Boing reader and superfan who wishes to remain anonymous is auctioning of an amazing collection of Disneyana with Potter & Potter: "Lots of original silk-screened park posters, Castmember costumes, original park signs, WDI art, blueprints, plus lots of souvenirs."

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http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/GT4OrMqsEy0/disneyana-auction.html

For decades, the "bystander effect" (previously) has been a bedrock of received psychological wisdom: "individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present; the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that one of them will help."

Some experiments seem to have borne this out, though these experiments were, of necessity, contrived: "it is ethically and practically difficult to simulate violent emergencies."

Now, an international team of psych researchers have created an empirical account of the bystander effect that punctures the received wisdom, finding that in 9 out of 10 times, bystanders do step up to help; and the more bystanders there are, the greater the likelihood is that you will receive help.

The researchers used police CCTV video footage of "conflict between at least two individuals" and analyzed whether bystanders intervened to help. The footage came from central districts Cape Town, Amsterdam, and Lancaster, providing data on cities with very different public perceptions of the likelihood and severity of violent crime.

The researchers concluded that not only did one or more people intervene in 90% of conflicts, but also that the likelihood of intervention went up with the number of bystanders present.

The researchers say that earlier work on the bystander effect focused on "responsibility diffusion" (the feeling that someone else was likely to step in so you didn't have to), but not enough of "mechanical helping potential" (the pervasive tendency to want to help). They caution that they were only able to survey conflicts in cities' central business districts, and that these conclusions don't necessarily carry over to "conflicts at music and sporting events, or sexual aggression on campuses." Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/322I7O2QcqU/people-are-good.html

L.A. City Fire says 2 classes were outside when liquid jet fuel rained down on them from the sky shortly before noon Pacific time. BREAKING NEWS: Delta Airlines flight 89 from Los Angeles to Shanghai was nearing LAX in an emergency landing sequence when it dumped fuel on a school playground, and the kids and teachers who were outside.

• Authorities say 17 children and 9 adults were treated for minor injuries.

• The FAA has declared an emergency.

• Delta says the jet experienced an engine issue requiring return to LAX.

• Plane landed safely after the emergency fuel release to reduce landing weight.

As of 130PM Pacific time, LA County Fire Department said,

“Patient count updated to 17 children, 9 adults. All minor injuries with no transports to local hospital from school. There are no evacuation orders for the immediate area. Substance was confirmed JET FUEL.”

Parents are asked to refer to the school for plans to pick up their child.

UPDATE*** Patient count updated to 17 children, 9 adults. All minor injuries w/ no transports to local hospital from school. There are no evacuation orders for the immediate area. Substance was confirmed JET FUEL.

Refer to school regarding plans for child pick-up. #LACoFD

 L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) January 14, 2020

Video below from eyewitness @SujeyHernandez.

Caught this in Bell Gardens over my house NEWS SAID IT DROPPED FUEL OVER AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN CUDAHY @KTLA @FOXLA @cnnbrk @UniNoticias @NBCLA @ABC7 @ABC @NBCNews @TelemundoNews pic.twitter.com/VG3HBpyYtn

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Amazon has reinstated FedEx as a ground delivery carrier for Prime members' shipments. The online retailer said today the shipper consistently met its delivery requirements, after suspending it last month.

On Tuesday, Amazon officially told third-party sellers they may now go back to using FedEx's ground-delivery shipping services for orders.

Annie Palmer at CNBC reports that FedEx is confirming Amazon has lifted the ban.

Excerpt:

“This is good news for our mutual customers who have come to rely on the FedEx Ground offering,” the spokesperson said. “We look forward to working with Seller Fulfilled Prime merchants and providing outstanding service.”

Sellers have been unable to use FedEx’s ground delivery services to ship Prime packages for almost one month. In December, the company suspended third-party sellers’ access to FedEx’s ground and home delivery services for Prime orders. Amazon blamed the decision on FedEx’s poor delivery performance, noting it would resume access once the service improved.

The decision caught some third-party merchants off guard during the busiest shopping period of the year. Some sellers were forced to find a new carrier and potentially face higher upfront costs as a result. Other sellers said they had grown frustrated with FedEx’s service delays.

Read more:

Amazon lifts FedEx ground-delivery ban for sellers, FedEx shares rise [cnbc.com via techmeme] Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/KZtekGmpae4/amazon-reinstates-fedex-ground.html

If you're working with databases, you're working with SQL. Even in the changing world of the web, there are some classics that endure, and SQL (along with its database management system MySQL) is one of them. Millions of websites and databases have been built using SQL code as their foundation, and they're still being built today.

Needless to say, it's a must for any serious coder. And there's no better way to get your feet wet than with this MySQL & SQL for Beginners course.

The lessons in the course let you get hands-on with SQL, letting you create your own database from the ground up. You'll then learn how to update it with new info and retrieve old data from it, then set up communications between your database and others.

Along the way, you'll move quickly from your first queries to the complex operations and transactions that power the networks of leading companies. By the final lesson, you'll also have learned how to keep that data safe while still accessible by those who need it on the fly.

Right now, lifetime access to the full course is on sale for 93% off the original cost. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/OVcxqXjpL6o/this-13-courses-gives-you-mas.html

Dan Doctoroff and Stephen Diamond could hardly suppress their affection for each other at their January 13 joint luncheon address hosted by the Toronto Region Board of Trade.

No wonder: the two are firmly united in gunning for Sidewalk Labs -- a sister company of the Google/Alphabet behemoth -- to rapidly spin its all-encompassing, government-usurping, high-tech web first on the 12-acre Quayside site on Toronto’s eastern waterfront and then across the rest of the city, all of Canada and the rest of the planet.

I’ve previously written about how Sidewalk Labs is poised to gain control of a vastly larger area than Quayside alone, thanks largely to eager enabling by our municipal, provincial and federal governments and by Waterfront Toronto, which is a creation of these three levels of government.

The company hasn’t been secretive about its goal to use Quayside as a launching pad for much bigger ambitions. But now it appears they’re confident enough – due to the successful co-opting of our governments and business communities, together with much of the mainstream media and the public – to broadcast more of the scope of their plans.

The sold-out Jan. 13 event was billed as an opportunity for Doctoroff and Diamond – Sidewalk Labs CEO and Waterfront Toronto board chair, respectively – to “share experiences on the successful negotiations between the two organizations” and to “share insights on how this new partnership will impact the development of Toronto’s waterfront, and the opportunity it brings to the broader region.”

The pair delivered. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/owEeYtwVBKo/surveillance-lovefest.html

Comments filed with the FCC by AT&T, Frontier, Windstream and Ustelcom (an industry group representing telcoms companies) have asked the FCC to change the rules for its next, $20.4 billion/10 year rural broadband subsidy fund to allow them to offer slower service than the (already low) speeds the FCC has proposed.

The FCC wants the carriers to build out two new tiers of service: an "above-baseline" service of 100Mbps down/20Mbps up; and a "gigabit performance" tier of 1Gbps down/500Mbps up. Under the industry's proposals, they will receive billions to offer only 10Mbps up in the above-baseline tier. The carriers have also proposed that they be subsidized to offer a 50Mbps down/5Mbps up service.

As Jon Brodkin notes at Ars Technica, smaller ISPs already serving rural communities have taken a different approach, advocating for rural users' right to fast broadband with high upload speeds.

The providers and USTelecom claimed that 20Mbps upload speeds wouldn't benefit rural consumers much:

[W]hen considering network build-out using fixed wireless technologies, an upload target of 20Mbps likely drives significant additional deployment costs—up to two to three times as high—compared to a 10Mbps upload target. At the same time, a 20Mbps upload target provides little to no additional benefits to the end user customer as all key upload use cases, including HD streaming, video conferencing, and gaming can similarly be accomplished with 10Mbps. By adjusting the upload deployment target from 20Mbps to 10Mbps, the Commission can promote competition at the 100Mbps tier, incentivize additional broadband deployment, and make limited Rural Digital Opportunity Fund dollars reach further.

AT&T et al. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/CKmLGrJ9bXg/beltway-broadband-bandits.html

In November, we posted that mysterious rolls of cash were showing up on sidewalks in the small English village of Blackhall Colliery, on the North Sea coast of County Durham. In the last 5 years, around US$30,000 had been found in twelve rolls. Now, the mystery has been solved. Two anonymous individuals have been placing the bundles on the sidewalk as random acts of kindness. From CNN:

The generous pair voluntarily came forward to the police after residents were left puzzled by the regular appearance of cash bundles, which have been found 12 times in Blackhall Colliery since 2014.

The couple, who have asked to remain anonymous, received unexpected windfalls and wanted to leave the money to help people, Durham Constabulary said in a statement.

They chose Blackhall Colliery as they had an "emotional connection" to the village after being helped by a resident, police added.

The pair would often stay to make sure the cash had been picked up, police said.

It is not clear whether the pair will continue to leave cash, but police said that any money handed in will be returned to the finder.

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http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/7hrC9qfN2c0/solved-mystery-of-random-cash.html

A Kansas gentleman has asked a court in Iowa for a legal sword fight – or trial by combat – with his ex-wife. According to the Des Moines Register, 40-year-old David Ostrom claims that she has legally destroyed him, and after hearing that duals have never actually been banned in the United States, thought it would be a good way to settle things once and for all.

"To this day, trial by combat has never been explicitly banned or restricted as a right in these United States," he told the court. But he made it clear he would need 12 weeks "lead time" to get the Japanese katanas he has in mind. He also kindly invited his wife's attorney Matthew Hudson to the dual, who could either be a spectator or stand in for the lady.

According the Des Moines Register, "Hudson argued that because a duel could end in death, such ramifications likely outweigh those of property tax and custody issues."

Image: CC0 – pxfuel Read the rest

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From old-school bOING bOING editor Gareth Branwyn's must-read e-newsletter "Gareth's Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales":

I love The History Guy on YouTube. In this episode, he examines the history of the screwdriver and how world events shaped the development of the Phillips head and Robertson head drivers and screws. Even if you know something about the history of this ancient technology, you will likely learn some cool things from this video.

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http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/RP6URB6V1o4/secret-history-of-the-screwdri.html

The largest political party in America is the None of the Above Party, which garners more support than either the Democrats or the Republicans: that means that motivating eligible voters to go to the polls matters more than anything else when it comes to determining the outcome of federal elections.

By far the largest group of eligible voters in the None of the Above Party is young people, and Bernie Sanders polls higher among young eligible voters than any other candidate, by a huge margin. In 2016, Sanders commanded more support from young voters than Clinton and Trump combined.

Since then, Sanders has only increased his support among young potential voters -- even as younger voters have, in turn, increased their turnout. In the 2018 midterms, turnout from young people flipped many seats, and the organizations that represent young people are predicting even bigger turnouts in 2020.

One of these organizations, the Dream Defenders Fight PAC, sums up the power of Sanders: "Bernie is not our political savior. It is the movement behind him that will change this country. We are not electing a savior; we are electing a political opponent who we will hold accountable to meet our demands."

This represents an important contrast with Obama in 2008: Obama was a once-in-a-generation orator whose soaring rhetoric inspired a movement that changed the voter turnout numbers and took him into office. But Obama was deeply mistrustful of political movements and literally switched off the servers that ran his grassroots organizer network when he took office. Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/rELZOA5_Q98/none-of-the-above-party.html

A new Gallup poll reveals a decline in the percentage of Americans who think childhood vaccinations are important.

Widespread public support for childhood vaccines creates a wall preventing contagious diseases like measles and polio from spreading in the U.S., but a breach in that wall appeared in 2015 and it has not been repaired. A recent Gallup survey finds 84% of Americans saying it is extremely or very important that parents vaccinate their children. That matches Gallup's prior reading in 2015 but is down from 94% in 2001.

Thanks, Facebook!

Image: Buzzfeed Read the rest

http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/iOTurtePfds/antivax-propaganda-is-eroding.html

Our cities' sewers are some of the most incredible structures in the built environment. In a new book, "An Underground Guide to Sewers: or: Down, Through and Out in Paris, London, New York, &c." historian Stephen Halliday explores the systems (and people) that deal with our shit so we don't have to. From the book description:

Halliday begins with sanitation in the ancient cities of Mesopotamia, Greece, and Imperial Rome, and continues with medieval waterways (also known as “sewage in the street”); the civil engineers and urban planners of the industrial age, as seen in Liverpool, Boston, Paris, London, and Hamburg; and, finally, the biochemical transformations of the modern city. The narrative is illustrated generously with photographs, both old and new, and by archival plans, blueprints, and color maps tracing the development of complex sewage systems in twenty cities. The photographs document construction feats, various heroics and disasters, and ingenious innovations; new photography from an urban exploration collective offers edgy takes on subterranean networks in cities including Montreal, Paris, London, Berlin, and Prague.

"An Underground Guide to Sewers: or: Down, Through and Out in Paris, London, New York, &c." (Amazon)

More images at Smithsonian: "These Photos Capture the World’s Sewer Systems When They Were Brand New"

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http://feeds.boingboing.net/~r/boingboing/iBag/~3/vBV-lxN36bA/the-beauty-of-sewers-before-th.html