"The lives of the rock stars are really not as strange as the lives of the fans."

And here's Bowie's performance from the show that aired on December 5, 1974:

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/13/watch-david-bowie-on-the-dick.html

The puzzle game Chocolate Fix has been a family favorite around our house for years.

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/13/chocolate-fix-a-favorite-puzz.html

We must come together to defeat the most dangerous president in modern history. I'm joining @JoeBiden's livestream with a special announcement. https://t.co/AC3zh3ChX3

 Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 13, 2020

"We must come together to defeat the most dangerous president in modern history," Bernie Sanders just wrote on Twitter. "I'm joining @JoeBiden's livestream with a special announcement." And from the livestream: "We need you in the White House." Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/13/bernie-sanders-endorses-biden.html

Whether a world economy is scorching hot or facing the challenges of recent weeks, one inalienable fact remains the same — job seekers need to go where the jobs are.

With literally millions of Americans trying to navigate layoffs and cutbacks, it’s probably time for many to start considering a whole new industry. Preferably, it’s also an industry that pays its finest a handsome wage.

A certified Amazon Web Services (AWS) Solutions Architect is averaging $141,000 a year. As the web’s unquestioned leader in cloud services, AWS certified experts are in high demand — and the training in the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam Prep Course can put that AWS-trained personnel in line for lucrative jobs designing and growing AWS based systems.

This 17-hour course featuring over 130 lectures is fashioned for intermediate-level AWS users, ready to advance their cloud skills to the next level. After some introductory training, the sessions here delve into everything a new architect needs to know to design, build and factor in room for growth for any sized company on the AWS platform.

From security to ID management to data storage and communication needs, this training helps an architect understand all the tools available in the AWS environment and assemble those tools together to meet each individual company’s specific cloud needs.

The training covers crucial topics for an AWS architect like using Amazon’s popular, yet wide-ranging S3 data storage services, its EC2 virtual server options and its extensive array of security protocols.

Once you’re through this 17-hour course, you’ll be armed with all the knowledge necessary to take on the all-important AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam and pass it with flying colors, earning your ultimate mark of expertise and instantly making you hireable with any number of tech-hungry companies, both large and small. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/12/get-over-15-hours-of-amazon-we.html

For years, pillows were just pillows. They propped up your head and offered comfort during rest, then doubled as decorative items during the day. And that’s really about as much thought as most people gave pillows for literally thousands of years.

But when science began understanding the true importance of sleep in everything from our physical performance and health to its role in regulating our mental condition, the role of our no. 1 sleep buddy, the pillow, was also opened to reevaluation.

Memory foam was created 50 years ago — and we haven’t looked back on sleep technology since, innovating a whole new wave of pillow developments that no one would have dreamed of before. Those advances in the pillow arts bring us to the Ceramo Queen Pillow, which brings together a pair of scientific methods for ensuring a sound sleep as well as a sound mind and body.

The pillow itself contains that plush, luxurious air memory foam that stays cooler, better supports your head and shoulders and generally works wonders for sleepers, whether they slumber on their back, stomach or side.

However, the Ceramo is also infused with a bio-ceramic gel that’s been found to have some pretty restorative effects on the body as well. In addition to diffusing heat and offering a cooler sleep, the gel returns that heat in the form of infrared energy.

Soaking in that radiant body heat while you sleep, the infrared has been found to improve circulation, boost oxygen levels to increase muscle and tissue strength, promote relaxation, reduce stress and even help soothe aching or inflamed joints. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/12/combining-memory-foam-with-inf.html

My friends at Reboot, the Jewish arts and culture nonprofit, are hosting a free Passover concert stream today at 2pm PDT / 5pm EDT with a killer lineup! The show, "Reboot Ideas: Liberation Through Music," features Nicki Bluhm (The Gramblers), Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All-Stars), Jeremiah Lockwood, and Zach Rogue (Rogue Wave). Dayenu! Tune in here on Zoom.

And check out the calendar of upcoming Reboot Ideas sessions here!

L'Chaim! Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/12/today-free-passover-concert-s.html

Along with medical professionals and grocery store employees, home WiFi networks are also being pushed to their limits during the recent troubles. With almost everyone home at all times and the web as one of the few links to everything outside your four walls, it’s a good bet that you’re seeing screen times rising significantly in your household.

While it’s never been more important to have a reliable, secure home network for work and communication, it’s probably also never been more imperative for parents to make sure their kids aren’t accessing questionable material with all this extra time on their hands.

The Gryphon Guardian WiFi Network Protection system checks both boxes, offering a compact all-in-one mesh Wi-Fi security router and parental control system that services and safeguards an entire home seamlessly.

Right now, the Guardian is the most affordable advanced security and parental control system available. The low-profile, 4-inch node either works on its own or can be integrated with other Gryphon routers to blanket your entire network with protection. You can also purchase additional nodes to extend your mesh system signal strength throughout your home.

Powered by ESET technology, the Guardian is constantly on patrol, using active scanning and intrusion detection measures to block everything you don’t want, from hackers and cyber snoops, to unwanted ads and malware attacks.

Any device connected to your home WiFi is automatically protected by the Guardian shield. In addition to those safeguards, the Guardian also allows you to keep a close eye on your kid’s online activities with a full suite of features created to block inappropriate content. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/12/the-gryphon-guardian-protects.html

There has probably never been a better time to cajole your family members and far-flung friends into playing D&D. It's a great escape from the strange world we now find ourselves in and a perfect organized activity that involves planning, social interaction, cooperative story-telling, logic and math, creativity, and the imagination.

To make your shut-in days (weeks and months) a little bit more entertaining and fun, WotC has set up a "Stay at Home, Play at Home" section of their Dungeons & Dragons website. There you can find tons of free online tools to assist you in your games: how to play materials, free basic rules, campaigns, encounters, and even activities and coloring books for younger kids. They also have a resource section for ways to play D&D remotely.

(And yes, that's a dragon wearing an N95 mask on the logo. As I said, strange times.)

Image: Program logo Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/12/wizards-of-the-coasts-stay.html

A film by Lernert & Sander; happy Easter! Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/12/iron-slowly-melts-chocolate-bu.html

Not long ago, the term weighted blanket elicited more blank stares than nods of recognition. But a funny thing happened over the course of the past few years. People who had trouble nodding off to sleep each night or who found themselves waking up multiple times throughout the overnight hours realized they didn’t just have to live with it — and the answer was simply a matter of adding a new bedding accessory.

Of course, there is no magic solution to everyone’s sleep problems. And studies are only beginning to look into the true benefits of sleeping under a weighted blanket each night. But what’s undeniable is that many report a more restful, soothing sleep when they started using a blanket with up to 30 lbs of glass beads or other materials inside. This pressure therapy gives the body the sensation of being hugged or held, encouraging the brain to release neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine that encourage more restful sleep and even combat symptoms of autism, anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

No matter what’s keeping you from eight hours of uninterrupted rest each night, the Hush Blanket 2-in-1 Summer and Winter Bundle may help offer a tangible answer proven to work in thousands.

Filled with 20 to 30 lbs. of non-toxic glass sand evenly distributed throughout this 60 by 80-inch microfiber blanket, the Hush Blanket helps alleviate stress and anxiety while promoting sleep health.

Experts suggest choosing a blanket that equals about 10 percent of your body weight, so you can choose from 20, 25, or 30 lb. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/11/this-weighted-blanket-collecti.html

Some sports are slower. More about the strategy. pic.twitter.com/JMBaGJ1tSd

 Andrew Cotter (@MrAndrewCotter) April 9, 2020

Oliver and Mabel are what the world needs now.

Previously: Dogs' breakfast commentated

Image: Twitter Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/11/competing-labradors-are-back.html

Who knew that THIS was the sound of one hand clapping?

And as if that wasn't enough delight for the day:

Image: YouTube Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/11/buddhist-monk-reminding-us.html

American political memories can be so short.

Remember that time way back in 2005, during the avian flu A(H5N1) crisis, when a junior senator named Barack Obama wrote an op-ed in the New York Times warning that America urgently needed to prepare for a pandemic, and that we could model our readiness on the lessons learned from the 1918 flu?

As Dan Diamond pointed out online today, way back in 2005, before Obama ran for president, “there was growing political consensus to fund those planning efforts.”

“A junior senator named BARACK OBAMA even argued in the New York Times that it was time for 'decisive action to prevent a pandemic.'”

Here's an excerpt from that op-ed, “Grounding a Pandemic,” by Barack Obama and Richard Lugar, June 6, 2005:

International health experts believe that Southeast Asia will be an epicenter of influenza for decades. We recommend that this administration work with Congress, public health officials, the pharmaceutical industry, foreign governments and international organizations to create a permanent framework for curtailing the spread of future infectious diseases.

Among the parts of that framework could be these:

Increasing international disease surveillance, response capacity and public education and coordination, especially in Southeast Asia.

Stockpiling enough antiviral doses to cover high-risk populations and essential workers.

Ensuring that, here at home, Health and Human Services and state governments put in place plans that address issues of surveillance, medical care, drug and vaccine distribution, communication, protection of the work force and maintenance of core public functions in case of a pandemic.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/11/obama-2005-pandemic-prediction.html

The United States on Saturday reached a grim milestone.

Our country has now surpassed Italy in having the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the world.

Health experts call this toll 'an underestimation,’ because of the severe problems with access to coronavirus testing throughout America.

Also today, Anthony S. Fauci, the country's leading infectious disease expert, says he hopes for “a real degree of normality” by November.

Election month.

Hold on to your butts.

[washingtonpost.com] Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/11/u-s-now-has-greatest-number-o.html

The Neon Museum in Las Vegas turned the cameras on their Neon (sign) Boneyard for a live tour focusing on Tim Burton’s Lost Vegas exhibit. I wasn't able to get down to Vegas for the show, so this was a real treat!

More about the show here:

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/11/neon-museum-in-las-vegas-gives.html

I've never really understood the modern concept of "owning a town" — other than, ya know, terrible wannabe feudal lords.

But thanks a Reddit AMA this week, I've got a better idea of what exactly goes into owning and rebuilding up a deserted ghost town. Brent Underwood recently purchased the abandoned 22-building town of Cerro Gordo in California for $1.4 million dollars — not a bad price for a whole town, honestly, although it needs some work. Underwood was kind enough to answer some questions in the Reddit forum, and it's pretty enlightening to see how, exactly, he plans to make anything out of this desolate old mine-and-murder town. (It's also just interesting to see how he's meaning to survive his coronavirus quarantine in the snow without runing water.)

I read the whole thread, and my only disappointment was the lack of answers on how you make a ghost pay rent. But Jeff Goldblum did stop by one time, so I guess life, uhhh, finds a way.

View this post on Instagram

Overview of Cerro Gordo

A post shared by Cerro Gordo (@cerro.gordo.ca) on Jul 12, 2018 at 7:29am PDT

 

IamA guy who bought a 22-building 'ghost town' over a year ago with a friend. It was once California's largest silver producer and had a murder a week. I've been up here for past 3 weeks quarantining and currently snowed-in with no way out of the town. AMA! [Reddit]

They Bought a Ghost Town for $1.4 Million. Now They Want to Revive It. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/11/an-ama-with-a-guy-who-bought-a.html

Look, nothing about what's done in this video is easy or anything less than time consuming. But, if you're hellbent on being able to enjoy something as close to a Cadbury Creme Egg as possible, 365 days of the year, this recipe is your huckleberry. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/11/making-cadbury-creme-eggs-from.html

Apparently, Greater Manchester is the New Florida during spring break of the United Kingdom. Despite warnings, daily updates to the number of victims of COVID-19 and the threat of steep fines for breaking quarantine or engaging in large public gatherings, an absurd number of Mancunians refuse to do anything to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The local police? They're pissed off.

From The BBC:

There were 1,132 coronavirus-related breaches reported between 25 March and 7 April, the force said.

That included 494 house parties - some with DJs, fireworks and bouncy castles - and 166 street parties.

One woman in Bury became the first person in Greater Manchester to be charged under the Coronavirus Act 2020 after police had to repeatedly shut down one of the gatherings.

The force, which has released updated figures, also had to deal with 122 different groups gathering to play sports, 173 more gatherings in parks and 112 incidents of anti-social behaviour and public disorder.

All of this, of course, is absolutely insane. Not only does this sort of lunacy increase the possibility of infection for anyone in attendance of such bullshit get-togethers, it's also putting police officers in danger of contracting coronavirus, each and every time they have to show up to shut a party down. Also, where the hell do you get a bouncy castle in the middle of a pandemic?

Having been safely, if not happily housebound since the end of February, I can't imagine what selfish needs that folks throwing parties and generally ignoring medical advice in the name of maintaining their social lives are thinking. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/11/idiots-in-the-uk-risk-their-co.html

While you're sheltering in place, I hope it's with someone who loves you and makes you feel whole. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/11/shut-in-sounds-jason-isbell.html

With workforces scattered, timelines busted and a reign of general uncertainty gripping our world, experienced project managers have never been more valuable. Now that most companies and industries face unprecedented belt-tightening and resource allocations, having a skilled project manager capable of successfully leading major initiatives while staying on time and on budget is an incalculable asset.

There’s still room for motivated job seekers to get on board the project management track by mastering the most popular PM methodologies with training like The Project Manager’s Essential Certification Bundle ft. Scrum, Agile and PMP.

Across 10 courses featuring more than 26 hours of instruction, students will dive into a complete overview of the entire project management field, examining each of the most popular ways of tackling a project and assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each. Armed with that knowledge, you’ll be able to decide which method works best for each type of project.

Agile and its most popular offshoot approach Scrum are known for its fast, flexible structure keyed around incremental advances that are constantly open to change and adaptation. Courses like The Complete Jira Agile Project Management Course, The Complete Agile Scrum Product Owner Masterclass, and Product Management: Agile Requirements Using Product Backlog explore understanding Agile and Scrum terminologies and enacting those principles.

Meanwhile, students also dig into PMP methodologies based around the Waterfall approach that puts a much more structured and traditional spin on a well-defined seven project stage model. And there’s complete coverage of Kanban, which seeks to optimize project success by eliminating waste and banishing variations across the project timeline. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/11/get-10-comprehensive-project-m.html