Remember Ben Hart who sued the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (and won) after he was denied a vanity license plate that said "IM GOD?" Hart had the plate for more than a decade while living in Ohio (image above) and wanted to keep the message when he moved to Kenton County a few years ago. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet denied his application citing rules against personalized plates that are “vulgar or obscene.” Last year, American Civil Liberties Union and Freedom From Religion Foundation argued that the state had violated the First Amendment and won Hart the right to get the plate. Last week, a United States District Judge ordered the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to pay Hart $151,206 in attorneys’ fees and litigation costs. From Fox19:

Hart, who identifies as an atheist, says his personalized plate is his way of spreading a political and philosophical message that faith is susceptible to individualized interpretation.

“I can prove I’m God. You can’t prove I’m not. Now, how can I prove I’m God? Well, there are six definitions for God in the American Heritage Dictionary, and number five is a very handsome man, and my wife says I’m a very handsome man, and nobody argues with my wife,” Hart told FOX19 NOW.

Image: aclu-ky.org Read the rest

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Watch this fellow make a grand entrance – and then look surprised at his own strength. In the end, he does the gentlemanly thing and keeps on a walkin'.

Via Digg Read the rest

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That's not actually Paul Stanley; it's Bobby Jensen playing the part of the Starchild in the Minneapolis-based classic rock tribute band Hairball in concert. But either way, it's still pretty badass (at least until you remember the tragic Great White fire of 2003, and start to wonder why the hell there weren't more contingencies in place to prevent this kind of accident).

After the incident, Jensen, who also performs in an Alice Cooper tribute act, spoke to Ultimate Classic Rock and said, "I live an Evil Knievel kind of life, so if I'm on fire a little bit, I don't care, that's just part of the fun. I knew I was on fire right away, and that wasn't a wig, that's my hair. It was really nice and foofy before the show, now I have a much better Alice Cooper cut."

(This insanely metal moment actually happened over Valentine's Day weekend in 2019, but the band returned to Sioux City again this year, making the video spread like fire all over again.) Read the rest

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In Hong Kong, knife-wielding robbers stole 600 rolls of toilet paper from a delivery worker outside Wellcome Supermarket. Police reportedly nabbed two suspects and recovered some of the toilet paper, a hot commodity as people stock up in fear of the coronavirus. From the BBC News:

Other household products have also seen panic-buying including rice, pasta and cleaning items.

Face masks and hand sanitisers are almost impossible to get as people try to protect themselves from the coronavirus, which has already claimed more than 1,700 lives...

Authorities blame false online rumours for the panic buying and say supplies of food and household goods remain stable.

Read the rest

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Do you believe America would be better off if more Christians served in elected office?#Retweet #Poll #Election2020 #America #SuperTuesday #Vote

 National Association of Christian Lawmakers (@ChristLawmakers) February 16, 2020

The National Association of Christian Lawmakers (@ChristLawmakers) asked its 254 Twitter followers to vote on this polling question: "Do you believe America would be better off if more Christians served in elected office?"

So far 35,013 people have voted. 6.7% voted yes and 93.2 voted no.

It's all the fault of "Satanists and Atheists," they say.

View the comments on this thread to see what religious persecution and anti-Christian bigotry looks like in America. Satanists and Atheists piled on this poll and have begun leaving vile messages as well. @NBCNews @ABC @seanhannity @FoxNews @CBSNews @LifeSite @CBNNews https://t.co/fQ3sYFMqzD

 National Association of Christian Lawmakers (@ChristLawmakers) February 17, 2020

  Read the rest

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Fstoppers reports that Photographer Bruce Getty posted a composite photo of the Golden Gate Bridge and a blood moon, but Bridge District officials are insisting that he take the photo down because they say the angle of the bridge makes it clear Getty trespassed to get the shot. The also want Getty to turn over any profits he made from the photo.

From the article:

By his own admission, Getty has been cited for trespassing back in 2014, as well as stopped last December by a police officer who insisted he delete the images, which he declined. The District has threatened prosecution should Getty be found in the same area again.

Image: Totally unrelated photo of a natural rock bridge by kyler trautner on Unsplash Read the rest

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In this video, The History Guy looks at our 5,000-year-plus love affair with chocolate. Some really interesting things that I was not aware of. Like the fact that for most of chocolate's history, it has been a bitter, often fermented drink. The Spanish word, chocolate, is a translation of an Aztec word which may have meant "bitter drink."

The sweet and milk chocolate candies that we know today are a surprisingly modern invention, coming into their own in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as industrial machinery allowed for the refining, mixing, and processing of chocolate with other ingredients.

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The great David J, bassist for Bauhaus and Love and Rockets, is playing two intimate concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area, tonight (2/18) at Santa Rosa's Lost Church and 2/21 at San Francisco's Lost Church. Buy tickets here. I've seen David play solo several times and it's always a lovely, witty, and rousing evening of current and classic songs and stories. David is celebrating his latest record, "Missive To An Angel From The Halls Of Infamy And Allure," that he has said may very well be his last. Above, "I Only Hear Silence Now," the new video from that album.

Meanwhile, the reformed Bauhaus has also announced a handful of life dates for 2020.

image credit: Mila Reynaud (CC BY 3.0) Read the rest

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A cable of 80 meters is hanging from the top of two poles that are both 50 meters off the ground. What is the distance between the two poles (to one decimal point) if the center cable is (a) 20 meters off the ground and (b) 10 meters off the ground?

Presh Talwalker of Mind Your Decisions says the above riddle was used as an Amazon interview question. His video has the answer.

Image: YouTube Read the rest

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Yet again, Donald Murray, 38, was arrested following a police chase. Apparently he escaped the cops but they nabbed him later. I wonder how they managed to identify him. From Fox4:

According to the Terre Haute Police Department, Donald Murray was charged with resisting law enforcement, reckless driving, possession of methamphetamine, maintaining a common nuisance and auto theft after the short pursuit Monday morning.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/18/yet-again-police-arrest-gentl.html

Professional musician Dagmar Turner had brain surgery at King's College Hospital, London to remove a benign tumor.

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/18/watch-patient-plays-violin-du.html

“What does this guy worth $60 billion own, who wants to be president?”

Memelord and presidential hopeful Michael “throw them up against the wall” Bloomberg will not be required to publicly disclose his finances until late March, “well after voters in more than a dozen states take to the polls on Super Tuesday,” reports AP on Tuesday.

Under an extension granted to Bloomberg on Friday by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) — the second such extension Bloomberg has received — the billionaire gets to postpone release of his financial disclosures until March 20.

Excerpt from AP:

The timing is significant because Bloomberg has skipped campaigning in early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire and is instead staking his bid on a big showing in contests that come later, like Super Tuesday on March 3. By getting approval to delay the release of his finances until after those pivotal contests, he is denying voters information about how much he is worth — and how he invests his money.

“Mr. Bloomberg ... has made diligent efforts to prepare his report. Nevertheless, due to the complexity of his holdings and the need to obtain certain information from third parties, Mr. Bloomberg needs additional time to gather and review his financial information and complete and file his report,” his attorney Lawrence H. Norton wrote in a letter to the FEC.

Bloomberg spokeswoman Galia Slayen declined to comment. Bloomberg has pledged to release his tax returns — a decadeslong tradition for presidential candidates until Republican Donald Trump declined to do so during the 2016 campaign — but hasn’t said when.

Read the rest

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The biggest companies in the world rely on Python to power their technology and services, and more brands of all sizes are jumping on board. As the second best-paid programming language in the country, Python offers developers the chance to make an average of $120K a year. Take your career, and your salary, to the next level with this 12-course Complete 2020 Python Programming Certification Bundle.

If making bank like that sounds awesome, but you're not exactly a master coder, don't fret. With courses designed for students new to the language, you'll be just fine. Python is actually a great option for beginners because it's got simplicity and flexibility built into its makeup—it's easy to get started and jump right into building something, for that much-needed confidence bounce.

Throughout the 1,061 lessons, you'll understand how Python works and what it's good for while getting developing real-life applications. For example, you'll learn how to use Python for data science or data analytics, including NumPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib; clustering analysis and algorithms; implementing basic image processing and computer vision tasks using Jupyter Notebooks; how to solve 100 different Python assignments; and more.

This bundle includes a full 3-hour Keras (Google's powerful Deep Learning framework) Neural Network & Deep Learning Boot Camp. By gaining proficiency in Keras (and PyTorch and Tensorflow, which are also taught here) you can give your company a competitive edge (hello, positive performance review!). Ready for something more challenging? Learn to build advanced data visualization web apps using the Python Bokeh library, too. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/18/master-the-second-best-paid-pr.html

On his batshit Twitter account, impeached and manifestly bonkers U.S. President Donald Trump is calling for all cases that came out of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election to be "thrown out."

Trump implied that he could bring a lawsuit over the matter.

Here are his tweets.

Read the rest

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You’d be surprised anyone would have to say this, but...there are plenty of items that don’t belong in a suitcase. Like a bag of dead birds. No, really...people are actually packing bags of small dead birds into their luggage these days.

Look, we can’t tell you how to pack. That’s your business.  But we can recommend this — if you’re carrying animal remains on international flights, we suggest you get new luggage afterward. That’s pretty self-explanatory, right?

No matter what you’re lugging around, we pulled together 10 great luggage and luggage set options for those looking to add to or replace their current bags. Right now, throw in the code PRESIDENT15 during checkout and they’ll also take an extra 15 percent off your total.

Solo bags

Unless you’re a Kardashian, most of us can get by with just one roomy, sturdy bag for most short travel. But if you’re moving quickly through crowded air terminals or train stations, a solid spinner bag can be a lifesaver. Genius Pack has deals right now on a pair of great spinners.

The Genius Pack Aerial Hardside Carry On Spinner (135.15 after discount, originally $298) is sized exactly to fit most airlines’ carry on size, sports 360-degree durable wheels, and, at just over 6 pounds, is incredibly light for such a sturdy bag.

Meanwhile, if a carry-on isn’t enough, the Genius Pack 30" Spinner Upright Suitcase ($169.99 after discount, originally $398) will let you maximize your space with the same high-quality spinner wheels,  Laundry Compression Technology to keep dirty clothes compact and separate and even an extra 2 inches of expandable room for cramming that last bulky coat in at the last second. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/17/from-smart-bags-to-spinners-h.html

Presidents’ Day and VPNs may not be a natural fit at first glance. But think about it for a minute. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were both American presidents whose legacies are forever tied with liberty and freedom. And what is a VPN service if not absolute web liberty and freedom for all your digital travels?

Therefore, this rundown of 10 great VPN offers happening right now is a perfect President’s Day tie-in. And just to sweeten the pot, add the code PRESIDENT15 at checkout and you’ll get an extra 15 percent off your total. We’re sure George and Abe would approve.

Hola VPN Plus: Lifetime Subscription - $33.15 after discount; Originally $717

Hola VPN is one of the most popular VPN services in the world, with over 200 million users in over 190 countries worldwide. Right now, it’s at a rock-bottom $33.15 for complete web anonymity for life.

KeepSolid VPN Unlimited: Lifetime Subscription - $33.15 after discount; Originally $499.99

With no speed or bandwidth limits, KeepSolid is one of the top-rated VPN services anywhere. It’s trusted globally — and at $33.15, you’ll seldom find a better collision of pedigree and massive savings.

Ivacy Lifetime Subscription (10 Devices) - $50.99 after discount; Originally $2,338

Connect up to 10 devices at once with full bandwidth, complete malware protection, over 1,000 servers to choose from, and military-grade encryption. And at almost 98 percent off, it’s the biggest price cut target on this list.

NordVPN: 2-Yr Subscription - $81.59 after discount; Originally $286.80 Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/17/save-an-additional-15-on-thes.html

Now here's a miniatures hobby that I didn't even know existed until reading this article on Buzzfeed. Book nooks are spaces between the books on your shelves where you build (or buy) a diorama insert, usually depicting a scene or an environment from a book. There's a Reddit thread dedicated to them.

I made a booknook for a Christmas gift, my inspiration was Blade Runner. It's larger than ones we have see, it's 11" x 6". from booknooks

Harry Potter themed booknook from booknooks

Witch is watching you from booknooks

[OC] Dare you enter the Doors of Durin and face the long Dark of Moria? from DnD

[H/t Jade Garrett]

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In 2012 I bought this pull-up bar and hang it from the door frame in my home office. When I started, I wasn’t able to do a single pull-up. After a week I could do one pull-up. A couple of months later I was able to do over 10 pull-ups. I still can. Read the rest

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KFC teamed up with Crocs to make this colorful clog that has fake chicken nuggets attached to it, which are "made to resemble and smell like fried chicken," but are sadly "not for human consumption."

They'll be released in the spring.

Image: Crocs Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/17/kentucky-fried-chicken-and-cro.html

China's central bank is now sterilizing — and even destroying — cash as a way to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, or COVID-19.

According to a press release by the Chinese government, banks are deep-cleaning all the cash that comes in by using "ultraviolet disinfection or high temperatures," and "stored for more than 14 days" before being recirculated.

And if the money is coming from a highly infected area, they're destroying it.

From CNN:

And in the central bank's Guangzhou branch, these high-risk banknotes may be destroyed instead of merely disinfected, according to state-run tabloid Global Times.

To make up for the supply, the bank will issue large amounts of new, uninfected cash; in January, the bank allocated 4 billion yuan (about $573.5 million) in new banknotes to Wuhan, the Chinese city where the outbreak began, said the government press release.

But can you even catch a virus from cash? Probably not, but germs can last for hours on surfaces, so...maybe?

According to CNN:

The list of things found on US dollar bills includes DNA from our pets, traces of drugs, and bacteria and viruses, according to a 2017 study in New York.

That doesn't mean cash is actually dangerous for our health; disease transmission linked to money is rare, and no major disease outbreaks have started from our ATMs. But with new cases being reported every day in China, the country's officials are taking no chances.

Image: Japanexperterna.se / Flickr Read the rest

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