While many people are taking this strange "time off" to unplug, decompress, and practice mindfulness, some instead are making the most of their extra hours to tackle goals ranging from odd jobs, like finally fixing that leaky shower head, to lifelong dreams—like actually writing that book they've always wanted to. If you fancy yourself a literary social distancing superstar, then this Digital Creative Fiction Writing Certification Bundle is perfect for you.

Now is a particularly good time to rekindle your love of writing, because having a creative outlet during a crisis can help your overall wellness and decrease anxiety by giving your wildly-running imagination something to better focus on. As Deepak Chopra said, “The best use of imagination is creativity. The worst use of imagination is anxiety.” Even when you're not in the midst of a pandemic, creativity can improve your health.

With this bundle of 4 online courses, you'll get reacquainted with the basics of what makes good fiction writing good, get your creative juices flowing in the right direction, and learn the steps involved in getting your book published. In total, there are 128 hours of training content from Write Academy that over 200k students have gone through. The Academy features an elite team of bestselling authors, editors, and publishers that have designed courses to help you get on the path to your own professional fiction writing career.

To start, you'll cover the key facets of fiction writing: character, plot, setting, dialogue, narrative voice, and genre via 14 interactive online modules that encourage you to start work on your novel from day one. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/become-the-author-you-always-d.html

From BB contributor Gareth Branwyn's excellent Tips, Tools, and Shop Tales e-newsletter:

In this video a fan rescued from the old MythBusters site on Discovery, Jamie goes through his essential toolkit, the tools he doesn’t let anyone else touch... He recommends several somewhat unusual tools, several that bear pointing out, a unibit, a telescoping inspection mirror, and Knipex cutters. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/mythbusterss-jamie-hyneman-e.html

A few months ago, my son bought a cute mini-zine from the Zine Machine vending machine at The Bindery in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury. What we noticed right away is that the 8-page zine was ingeniously folded from just a single sheet of paper. In the above video, Austin Kleon, author of the wonderful Steal Like An Artist, explains how it's done. And Umami Design posted a layout template here.

In the video clip, Austin recommends this book by Esther Watson and Mark Todd that looks like fun: Whatcha Mean, What's A Zine? The Art of Making Zines and Mini-Comics. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/how-to-make-a-zine-from-a-sing.html

I would have completely lost it.

On a road in the Far East of Russia, a driver is reported to have spotted one of the world’s most endangered big cats, an Amur tiger, and captured this amazing video.

Here's that video via the Siberian Times of Russia.

A road in the Far East of Russia, a driver who kept good distance and one of the world’s most endangered big cats, an Amur tiger pic.twitter.com/Me6SHn0IlP

 The Siberian Times (@siberian_times) April 15, 2020

In Russia's Far East, a driver bumped into an Amur Tiger, and managed to get some decent footage. Due to a big conservation effort, there are now around 550 of the endangered cats in the wild, mostly in Russia's Primorye region. Up from about 350 in 2005. pic.twitter.com/7K5saHrXG8

 Bryan MacDonald (@27khv) April 15, 2020

Nature is the calming force we all need right now. Enjoy this little moment with an Amur tiger from the Russian Far East! pic.twitter.com/XEAnRi1L2r

 wwf_tigers (@WWF_tigers) March 28, 2020

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/video-russian-driver-sees-an.html

In the late 1960s, the US Department of Agriculture released this LP titled "How To Buy Meat." The voice is that of Sandra Brookover, Consumer Meat Specialist. The record, a collection of public service announcements, was meant for radio stations and never saw a commercial release. Due its scarcity, I expect the imminent release of a 180 gram, gatefold reissue of the record. Limited edition, 'natch.

Have a listen: "How can you tell a blade chuck roast from an arm chuck roast?" (MP3)

(Weird Universe)

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/how-to-buy-meat-the-record-al.html

By ‘grace of God,’ no one was injured in a massive explosion at the Androscoggin Mill in Jay, Maine, earlier today, reports the Bangor News.

A bystander's video can be viewed in its original form here on Facebook.

Excerpt:

A large explosion severely damaged the Androscoggin Mill in Jay on Wednesday morning, causing wood pulp to rain down on the surrounding area.

Amazingly, no bystanders were harmed in the incident, which sent a large plume of smoke and debris into the sky that was visible for miles around.

“It’s nothing short of a miracle,” Androscoggin Mill spokeswoman Roxie Lassetter said Wednesday at a press briefing.

There was no one near the site of the explosion, Lassetter said. Some people on site were experiencing respiratory issues following the explosion, but were treated and released, according to Joel Davis from the fire marshal’s office. The explosion occurred inside of the mill’s digester, which is where wood is broken down using water and a chemical to create pulp. Lassetter said it is not immediately clear what caused the malfunction that led to the explosion.

And from the Associated Press:

A rising cloud of smoke that was recorded by a bystander was followed by raining debris that made bullet-like noise as it struck cars in the area. Video recorded after the explosion showed extensive damage to the mill, which employs about 500 people and is a key piece of rural Maine’s economy.

Emergency responders rushed to the mill, and the state fire marshal planned an investigation.

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/insane-video-of-a-paper-mill-e.html

Check out these GLORIOUS images of a wonderful 1980s robot-space-tech themed watch with little pop-out mechanical arms.

There's a cool Reddit discussion about exactly what brand it is, and the consensus seems to be that it's a bad knockoff of the Kronoform watch.

From the comments:

A Kronoform would have had Takara’s name and Kronoform on the face of the watch. Kronoform was the outside Japan release of their brand Microchange which was a line of realistic items that changed into robots. One of the original toy lines Hasbro used to create the Transformers brand in 84. It included toys that would become the characters of Soundwave, Megatron, Blaster, and Perceptor.

More at the OP: Vintage '80s watch - I had It when i was a kid [r/interestingasfuck/]

Vintage 80s watch

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/this-80s-robot-watch-is-nift.html

Wow, man. Some of us take on more extreme projects during the Great Coronavirus Quarantine than others.

This ambitious fellow shows you how to build a Nintendo Switch, with a beautiful and wholesome purpose: “to Starve Online Price Gougers” who are jacking up the prices because demand is high for Nintendo Switch, and availability is nil.

Here's their introduction to the HOWTO gallery, which is amazing and stupendous.

After playing New Horizons and hyping it up to my friends, they decided they wanted a Switch. They called around to different retailers every day for a week with no luck finding anyone who had one in stock. No one knew when the next shipment would be. This led to an online search like Craigslist, OfferUp, and Ebay.

Unfortunately everyone knows the rest. Upwards of $450 to $600 in the Seattle area for a used Switch. Some with and without all the accessories. This enraged me to the point of telling them I could build one cheaper out of spare parts. So they hired me to do just that. If anyone is interested in doing the same here is my step by step buying guide along with assembly instructions and a pricing guide.

1. Game Cartridge Card Slot Socket Board w/Headphones Port - $15 2. NS Console Micro SD TF Memory Card Slot Port Socket Reader - $5 3. Nintendo Switch HAC-001 CPU Cooling Heatsink - $7 4. Game Cartridge Card Plastic Cover - $1 5. Console Speaker Replacement Parts For Nintendo Switch Built in speaker - $8 6.

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/how-to-build-a-nintendo-swit.html

• In a first, by teleconference • Court will provide live audio feed of arguments to news media

Today the United States Supreme Court announced that on May 12, it will hear a dispute over whether Trump's tax and financial records should be publicly disclosed.

NEW: Supreme Court releases argument schedule for special May telephone session. Trump financial-records cases to be heard May 12. pic.twitter.com/kfovzkPCyU

 Greg Stohr (@GregStohr) April 15, 2020

This is also its first ever round of oral arguments by teleconference.

From reporting at Reuters by Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung:

The court, forced to adapt to the coronavirus outbreak, is hearing 10 cases over a two week period starting on May 4.

Other cases of note include two on the complex U.S. presidential election system and whether Electoral College electors are free to break their pledges to back the candidate who wins their state’s popular vote, which will be heard on May 13.

The nine justices will hear a Trump administration bid to let employers obtain religious exemptions from having any health insurance offered to employees to help pay for women’s birth control on May 6 and a religious rights dispute involving Catholic schools in California on May 11.

The justices and lawyers for the litigants will all participate remotely.

read more: U.S. Supreme Court to hear Trump financial records cases on May 12

NEW: Supreme Court will hear Trump financial records cases by teleconference on May 12 and the "faithless electors" cases the following day pic.twitter.com/lGTbP8WDHJ

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/scotus-to-hear-trump-tax-and-f.html

The U.S. House of Representatives is now looking “very closely” at the possibility of congresscritters going to their home districts, and voting remotely from outside the Capitol as the coronavirus-forced recess continues.

This is new. In recent weeks, as coronavirus outbreaks spread throughout America, both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi [D-CA] and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell [R-Moscow] have dismissed calls for remote voting in Congress.

From reporting by Susan Cornwell at Reuters:

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said none of the leaders of Congress want remote voting to be routine.

“But in an emergency situation ... we ought to have an alternative,” he told reporters on a conference call. “I want to assure you and the American people, it’s being worked on very hard.”

Leaders are looking at some of the technological ways remote voting could be done, Hoyer said.

But none of the approaches could be done immediately, because congressional rules would have to be modified and there would have to be agreement between Republicans and Democrats, Hoyer said. He noted lawmakers would also have to vote to bring about the rule changes necessary for remote voting. This would require more than 500 members to return to the Capitol, if both House and Senate took the step.

Congress has not met in regular session since last month. Lawmakers in late March passed a $2.3 trillion relief bill on a voice vote. Congressional leaders decided this week to extend on ongoing recess until at least May 4.

More at Reuters:

As pandemic lingers, U.S. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/u-s-house-of-representatives.html

Uh, sure. Seems legit.

An inquiry by the inspector general for the United States Department of Defense found did not find evidence that impeached president Donald Trump swayed the decision to award the $10 Billion 'JEDI' defense contract to Microsoft, rather than Amazon or other competitors. Defense Inspector general added “we believe” evidence showed “DoD personnel who evaluated contract proposals and awarded Microsoft the JEDI Cloud” were not pressured regarding their decision" by any DoD leaders more senior" who “may have communicated with the White House.”

The White House refused to turn over communications to the Pentagon inspector general that would show whether it influenced the decision not to award Amazon a $10B defense contract https://t.co/GZD8o4qZ1r

 Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) April 15, 2020

From Reuters:

Known as Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, the cloud computing contract is intended to give the military better access to data and technology from remote locations.

“We could not definitively determine the full extent or nature of interactions that administration officials had, or may have had, with senior DoD officials regarding the JEDI Cloud procurement because of the assertion of a ‘presidential communications privilege,’” the report said, referring to the Department of Defense by its acronym.

Amazon, originally considered to be the favorite to win the award, has blamed President Donald Trump for bias against the company and for improperly pressuring the Pentagon.

The report leaves open the question of whether Trump improperly influenced one of the most closely watched procurement contracts given its size and the high-profile nature of the bidders.

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/us-dod-inspector-general-finds.html

“I made this huge leather bound "spellbook" with traditional bookbinding techniques,” says Nerdforge7 of NERDFORGE, on IMGUR. What an amazing project.

Below, step-by-step 'Making of' shots.

Maybe the best step-by-step creative thread I've ever seen on IMGUR. Outstanding.

I made this huge leather bound "spellbook" with traditional bookbinding techniques

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/crafting-a-leather-bound-spe.html

Back in the day, sometime after the first assumed vaporizer invention but before modern e-cigarettes were a thing, people used to use lighters to smoke solids instead of batteries to smoke liquids. Wild, right? Well, if retro vibes are your kind of thing or if you simply prefer herbs, flowers, and resins to cartridges of concentrates, you're going to love the Hippie Pipe Analog Vape Pen.

The ideal little vaporizer for on-the-go smoking, this brown rosewood or ebony blackwood device offers a hands-on element that adds an extra level of satisfaction to the whole experience. As user, Justin L. tells it, "This right here is a great product. Took mine to the TOOL concert in San Diego — perfect for rockin' out and on the go!!"

With the Hippie, you'll get the clean smoke and convenience of a vape pen without the need for batteries, chargers, cartridges, atomizers, cartomizers, or clearomizers — no more worrying about losing parts. The new design is pretty to look at and nice to hold, with stunning carbon fiber, wood, and stainless steel build. Plus, it's highly efficient, manufactured with the highest grade of materials. It features a manual telescopic heating chamber that you push out to fill; once you slide the chamber back in place, simply heat it with a double jet flame torch lighter and let the magic happen. Once the ideal temperature is reached, the indicator slot changes color from black to chrome, and you'll know it's time to indulge.

Measuring just 1" x 5" x 2", each non-electronic Hippie Pipe includes a brush and packing tool. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/check-out-this-analog-vape-pen.html

"I feel so brain dead I can't even speak." Find out what happens when two editors from Popular Science quit their six-cup-a-day coffee habit for two weeks.

From the YouTube description:

Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive drug on the planet. Like all good things in this world, it should be consumed in moderation—but PopSci editors Jess Boddy and Claire Maldarelli were definitely not following that unwritten rule, guzzling between six and ten cups of coffee per day. That put them at risk for disrupted sleep, heart palpitations, unusual nervousness, and more. So they decided to detox. Will their torturous 14-day cut regulate their sleep patterns and teach them to respect caffeine for the powerful drug that it is? Find out on this week's episode of Test Dummy.

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/watch-these-two-popular-scienc.html

The person who posted this video to YouTube said, "I was waiting for my suitcase at Lynden Pindling International Airport in the Bahamas when one of the iceboxes opened when falling down with the suitcases. People blocked and caught the crabs."

Image: YouTube Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/a-bunch-of-live-crabs-broke-ou.html

Every musician has been trying their hand at livestreaming from quarantine. But of all the ones I've watched, none of them have filled me with as much joy as Swedish folk singer/songwriter Kristian Matsson AKA The Tallest Man On Earth celebrating the 10th anniversary of his album, The Wild Hunt.

There's so much to love here, from Matsson's confusion about buffering speeds, to his partner's helpful advice about commenters. Then of course there are the songs themselves, delivered with such adorable energy by Matsson. Ellen Johnson of Paste said that, "Matsson makes the acoustic guitar sound like an orchestra," and I think that accurately describes this video, and everything I love about The Wild Hunt as an album. As far as I can tell, Mattson is just performing straight into the camera, with no additional audio setup — yet it sounds exactly as it does on the record. This is impressive, but also impressive to Matsson's brilliant guitar work and charismatic voice. The record is raw, using clever open tunings to fill out the sound, and the same goes for the performance in the video.

If you're a fan of folk music and Dylan-esque crooning (but more on key), check it out.

The Wild Hunt Turns 10: How The Tallest Man On Earth Changed Indie-Folk For The Better [Ellen Johnson / Paste]

Image: Matt Perich / Flickr (CC 2.0) Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/this-livestream-of-the-tallest.html

I've been a great admirer of the design work of House Industries since the early 90s. They're famous for their logos and font designs (like the one they did for Jimmy Kimmel's show). I just got my copy of the brand new House Industries Lettering Manual and I'm looking forward to doing the exercises in the book.

The book itself is beautifully designed, and makes great use of hand-lettered type as a design element for the book. (I love self referentiality like that.)

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/a-good-way-to-spend-time-in-lo.html

Richard Kadrey is a novelist and screenwriter living in San Francisco. His books include Sandman Slim, The Everything Box, Butcher Bird, and the forthcoming, Ballistic Kiss. Cool Tools asked him to describe four things he keeps in his bag, which include a Roku streaming TV player, a portable hard drive, Ultimate Ears MEGABOOMs, QuietComfort 35 Bluetooth headphones, and Pocket Travelers notebook. Read about them here, or better yet, sign up for the weekly What's in my bag? newsletter. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/whats-in-author-richard-kadr.html

Reporting TV news from home can make for a much more colorful broadcast. Take this Welsh BBC weather forecaster, Owain Wyn Evans, who ends his segment by giving us an awesome drum performance. His motivation? As he says on YouTube, "When they said try working from home, I didn't realize they'd expect me to do the music too." Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/watch-this-bbc-weather-forecas.html

Someone keeps writing "Steve & Lacy were here" on rocks in Death Valley National Park. Park rangers suspect "Steve" is a gentleman from Grand Forks, British Columbia and that Lacey is his unwitting canine companion.

From National Parks Traveler:

Graffiti and other forms of damage to parks is illegal. The “Steve & Lacy” graffiti was found on rocks and historic structures in Echo Canyon, Butte Valley, Homestake Dry Camp, and Crankshaft Junction. Defacing any part of the national park degrades the experience of other visitors. Repair of vandalized sites is costly and time consuming, and often cannot restore the site to its former condition in some cases permanently defacing unique historic sites or natural features.

“It is heartbreaking to see treasures like Death Valley National Park get damaged by intentional acts such as these,” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds. “We ask park visitors to help us find those who should be held responsible, and thank hard working park rangers for efforts to prevent further damage.”

The National Park Service has a tip line: call or text: 888-653-0009; visit www.nps.gov/ISB and click “Submit a Tip,” or email nps_isb@nps.gov.

Images: National Park Service Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/04/15/death-valley-national-park-ran.html