Ever since the days of the Apple II and the Macintosh, if you used Apple products, you knew the score. Apple has their own way of doing things — and as a user, you either get on board with their proprietary exclusivity...or you go find a new device.

Even today, handling simple operations like backing up files, moving media, or just saving text messages usually have to go through other Apple apps like iTunes, an unnecessary extra step in our click-and-drag world.

Assuming you’re not looking to jailbreak your iPhone or iPad and void your warranty, the iMazing iOS Device Manager is a smart workaround to streamline all the data management you need to be done without getting tripped up in unwanted process steps.

With a 4.5 out of 5-star rating from Macworld, who call iMazing “the device manager we’ve been waiting for,” this is the all-purpose tool for handling your files your way, transferring files between any Mac or PC and any iOS device wirelessly or via USB.

Managing music, photos, video, ebooks or other files is click-and-drag simple — and you won’t get bogged down funneling through iCloud, iTunes or another Apple content management system. iMazing will also save, export, and print your iPhone messages with ease.

iMazing is also on the backup case as well. You can set up automatic or manually archived backups, all meticulously maintained, stored, then discarded when no longer needed. 

If you get a new iPhone, iMazing lets you choose whether you want to copy everything over from your old device or cherry-pick only the best to make the move.  Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/imazing-handles-all-the-file-m.html

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/house-passes-3-trillion-relie.html

Anson Mount as Captain Pike, as portrayed in Star Trek: Discovery might have been my favourite breakout performance from our new generation of Star Trek shows. I was not alone in this opinion, and it turns out the trio of Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, and Rebecca Romijn as Pike, Spock, and "Number One" respectively are slated to get their own series on the Enterprise as Discovery moves on from the time of the first Enterprise.

From the Press Release:

"Fans fell in love with Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck's portrayals of these iconic characters when they were first introduced on STAR TREK: DISCOVERY last season," said Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, CBS All Access. "This new series will be a perfect complement to the franchise, bringing a whole new perspective and series of adventures to 'Star Trek.'" "When we said we heard the fans' outpouring of love for Pike, Number One and Spock when they boarded STAR TREK: DISCOVERY last season, we meant it," said Alex Kurtzman. "These iconic characters have a deep history in 'Star Trek' canon, yet so much of their stories have yet to be told. With Akiva and Henry at the helm, the Enterprise, its crew and its fans are in for an extraordinary journey to new frontiers in the 'Star Trek' universe."

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has been ordered straight-to-series, presumably for the 2020-2021 season.

"Hit it." Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/cbs-all-access-places-series-o.html

Yesterday, we learned that Michelin-starred restaurant The Inn in Washington, DC had seated elegantly-dressed mannequins at their tables to fill the void left by half-capacity restrictions. Turns out, the Open Hearth restaurant in Taylors, South Carolina hit on the same idea but their approach matches the eatery's more casual atmosphere. From UPI:

[Proprietor Paula Starr] Melehes said she ordered "the G-rated kind" of inflatable dolls from Amazon, dressed them up like customers and seated them at tables that would be off-limits to diners.

"My grandson told me they look kind of creepy," Melehes said. "But, I think, when people walk in, they're going to laugh."

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/southern-restaurant-fills-empt.html

Monday, May 18, is the 40th anniversary Joy Division singer Ian Curtis's death by suicide. Former Joy Division (and current New Order) members Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris will pay tribute on that day with "Moving Through the Silence," a livestream of performances and conversations organized by Headstock, the UK musical festival organization that raises awareness about mental health issues. From the event description:

The Killers frontman, Brandon Flowers, will be talking about the influence of Joy Division on the band. Other interviewees include Ian Curtis's friend Mark Reeder, and there will be a special appearance from Maxine Peake. Headstock’s broader mission to ‘use music to change the conversation on mental health’ will be further supported with performances from Elbow, LoneLady, and the Lottery Winners, as well as acclaimed Irish rock band Kodaline. Also performing; Jennifer Hardy, poet Oliver Lomax, and the Royal Northern College of Music’s Northern Session Choir.

The event will be streamed via https://unitedwestream.co.uk/ - and can also be accessed via https://www.facebook.com/UnitedWeStreamGM/

The event is free to view, but donations are strongly requested, with 70% of the donations going to the mental health charity Manchester Mind. The remainder will be divided between Nordoff Robins and the Mayor Of Greater Manchester’s Charity. More about our chosen charity, Manchester Mind: https://www.manchestermind.org/.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/monday-stream-new-orders-be.html

Electric word, life. The Prince estate is streaming this killer Prince & The Revolution set recorded in Syracuse, NY during the legendary 1985 Purple Rain tour. While this footage has been available other ways, it's a killer show and wonderful to see it again in high quality. Only available on Prince's official YouTube channel until Sunday night, it's a fundraiser for the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, the audio recording of the show, circulating as a bootleg for ages, has also been officially released for legit streaming. (Pitchfork)

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/watch-this-smoking-prince-th.html

Retro cool doesn’t get much cooler than the Polaroid. Even in the age of smartphone cameras with digital images that can be texted to friends almost the second after they’re taken, there’s still something old-school awesome about a camera that spits out a real, tangible photo you can hold in your hand.

When Polaroid dropped the original OneStep way back in 1977, it was an instant smash and the true start of the point-and-shoot photography age we still live in today. Now, Polaroid is back with the Polaroid OneStep 2 to carry on the legacy of instant cameras and spread the wonder of photos that develop in front of your eyes.

This revived OneStep 2 has a few technological advantages over its 1970s cousin, but for the most part, it’s still the same camera America loved a half-century ago. The endearingly boxy design with a simple one-button operation keeps the camera firmly planted in its analog roots. However, the OneStep 2 has a rechargeable USB-powered battery, a built-in flash, and — in its biggest nod to modern photography — a selfie timer.

Best of all, the OneStep 2 uses Polaroid’s new battery-free i-Type film, which loads easily and produces those cool, soft, desaturated images that look just like they popped out of a 1977 model. In addition to the i-Type film that only works with newer model Polaroids, the OneStep 2 also takes 600 film, which is compatible with Polaroids from the classic era.

While the Polaroid doesn’t have the bells and whistles of a DSLR, its breezy retro charm and joy-inducing images make it a revival gadget that actually feels like a fun trip to the past. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/the-polaroid-onestep-revival-i.html

Astro Teller is the head of X, the "Moonshot Factory" that first launched as an R&D division of Google. iHeart Radio invited Astro to be part of a fantastic podcast series of virtual commencement speeches for 2020 graduates (and the rest of us) that they collected from the likes of John Legend, Bill & Melinda Gates, Hillary Clinton, George Lopez, Mary J Blige, and several dozen more. I've recently been working with the folks at X, and their celebration of weirdness, radical creativity, and urgent optimism is very real. And it's infectious. Listen to Astro's speech above. From his blog post:

On the one hand, this is an incredibly daunting time. On the other, we have a once-in-a-century opportunity to hit the reset button, let go of conventional ways of thinking, and rebuild the world in radically better ways. This shift in perspective might feel difficult, even premature. However, the alternative — to try to claw society back towards an old normal that wasn’t working that well in many ways — is far worse. And counterintuitively, those of us who are newer and fresher in our fields, like the Class of 2020, may have some of the strongest tailwinds as we search for new approaches to the world’s most pressing problems. We’ve seen many times over the years at X that strategic naivete is actually a superpower.

One of my messages for graduates is to not worry that they don’t know the answers. The mental freedom and flexibility they have, and their willingness to learn and experiment, is going to be a secret to success in a world where there are no ready answers and no playbook.

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/listen-inspiring-commencement.html

Look at you with your mouth watering; look at you with your mind spinning over the new DEVO Energy Dome face shields.

Join the Devolution with these DEVO dome face shields. We're sure the Energy Domes have special powers to combat COVID-19. People are saying. Get a memo to the President, stat!

Pair your Dome and shield with a matching DEVO face mask. Only US$70 for the lot. Sure that's money you don't have because you're out of a job and spending 3x the usual on Lysol and Wonder Bread, but who can put a price on devolving in style? The end times have never looked so fabulous.

Image: Product photography Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/the-shield-you-want-devo-se.html

Courtesy of the Funk Turkey, who explains his methodology:

Using lyrics.rip to scrape the Genius Lyrics Database, I made a Markov Chain write AC/DC lyrics. This is the end result- "Great Balls".

The Bot did not write the sick riffs, however. But it definitely works for an AC/DC tune. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/someone-trained-a-bot-to-write.html

From Global News:

A Colombian advertising company is pitching a novel if morbid solution to shortages of hospital beds and coffins during the coronavirus pandemic: combine them.

ABC Displays has created a cardboard bed with metal railings that designers say can double as a casket if a patient dies.

[…]

The beds can hold a weight of 330 pounds (150 kilograms) and will cost about $85 each, G'omez said. He said he worked with a private clinic on the design, which he hopes will be put to use in emergency clinics that might become short on beds.

At least one doctor was skeptical of how sturdy a cardboard bed might be. He also warned that any corpses should first be placed in a sealed bag before being put in a cardboard coffin to avoid potentially spreading the disease.

What stage of Dystopian Hell is this?

Colombian company creates hospital beds that can double as coffins [C'esar Garc'ia / Global News] Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/someone-invented-convertible-h.html

This interview presents a conversation with Eisner Award-winning comic book creator Michael Allred (Madman, iZombie, Red Rocket 7, X-Ray Robot, Silver Surfer, X-Statix, Bug! The Adventures of Forager) about BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams.

Jeffery Klaehn: Please tell me about BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams.

Michael Allred: It's a visual biography about how David Bowie exploded into superstardom with the invention of his Ziggy Stardust persona.  His whole life is represented, but the bulk of it focuses on the amp up to "Ziggy-Mania" with the goal to make it as visually interesting as possible, using the music and visual iconography as inspiration.

JK: How would you say music has influenced your art and sensibilities over the course of your career to date?

Michael Allred: It's massive.  Music injects imagery into my head.  It keeps me loose, lights me up, and fuels me.

JK: What's Bowie and his music meant for you?

Michael Allred: Bowie was the first musical entity I discovered on my own.  Looking for comics at the local drugstore, a rock mag with Bowie on the cover jumped out at me.  It was so compelling I bought the just-released "Rebel Rebel" single, and I was hooked.  A crash course and lifetime addiction to all things Bowie followed.

JK: What are your favorite Bowie songs and albums?

Michael Allred: After buying that first single I started with the Diamond Dogs album and bought everything leading up to that with my paper route money all in a very short period of time.  Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/talking-bowie-stardust-raygu.html

El truco fue realizado por el usuario de TikTok fckjoshy, cuya cuenta est'a llena de contenido similar para entretener a sus 3,3 millones de seguidores. https://t.co/wOlBEdve6B pic.twitter.com/nloSSeMsE8

 Vivian Ruiz Barrera (@RuizVivianArlet) May 15, 2020

TikToker Josh Popkin (3.3 million followers) thought it would be great fun to "accidentally" dump a large plastic bin milk and cereal on the floor of a New York subway car in the middle of a pandemic, reports Insider. Watch the video and decide for yourself if the spill was intentional or not.

From Insider:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority retweeted the video and called the prankster's actions "despicable."

"A new low: Pulling a prank on essential workers in the middle of a global pandemic," the MTA said. "And making essential workers clean up your mess. Despicable."

A new low: Pulling a prank on essential workers in the middle of a global pandemic. And making essential workers clean up your mess. Despicable. https://t.co/hMu8g5cJY9

 MTA. Stay Home. Stop the Spread. (@MTA) May 13, 2020

The Daily News reports that police have opened an investigation, adding that, "the cereal incident is far from the first time Popkin has shown contempt for essential workers and subway crews during the pandemic. The day before he posted the cereal video, he posted another clip of him walking around a Duane Reade while wearing a ripped face mask that left his mouth exposed. He chided an employee for kicking him out of the store." Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/tiktoker-decided-it-would-be-f.html

To support the pro-democracy movement, a gelato shop in Hong Kong has introduced a new ice cream flavor of ice cream called "tear gas." And it's not easy to swallow (literally). One customer who had been tear gassed at a protest said the ice cream, made of black peppercorns, tastes a lot like the real thing.

From NBC:

"It feels difficult to breathe at first, and it’s really pungent and irritating," she told the Associated Press. “I think it’s a flashback that reminds me of how painful I felt in the movement, and that I shouldn’t forget.”

An ice cream shop in Hong Kong is selling a tear gas flavoured ice cream - the main ingredient is black pepper.

It's meant as a sign of support for the pro-democracy movement which has dissipated since the #COVID19 pandemic.

Latest world news: https://t.co/tRWF6dxtrt pic.twitter.com/KqpupBgfAi

 SkyNews (@SkyNews) May 15, 2020

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/new-tear-gas-ice-cream-fla.html

If a website called Do Not Draw a Penis senses that you are trying to sketch a penis it will erase it. Otherwise, it attempts to describe what you are drawing. It's pretty easy to sneak a penis in by having it after you draw something it identifies. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/web-based-sketching-app-uses-m.html

How to more cases than anybody in the world pic.twitter.com/VA9bPJiQ6i

 Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) May 15, 2020

It's really amazing how Sarah Cooper is able to reveal the extreme idiocy of Trump's utterances just by lip-syncing him. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/sarah-cooper-is-killing-it-wit.html

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/pass-the-time-with-dystopian-f.html

A recent Rasmussen survey reveals that "nearly one-in-four GOP voters would prefer someone else" other than Trump to be the Republican presidential candidate this year. The survey also found that "Democrats are quite happy with the ongoing media coverage of the coronavirus. But Republicans continue to put their faith in Trump and see the media coverage as just another tool to attack him."

Image: Jumpstory/CC0 Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/almost-a-quarter-of-republican.html

After falsely claiming on Monday that the Obama administration never left "any kind of game plan" for a possible pandemic, Mitch McConnell did what most of the GOP would consider unthinkable. He uttered the three words "I was wrong."

"They did leave behind a plan, so I clearly made a mistake in that regard," he continued on Fox last night.

From CNN:

The document, whose existence was publicly revealed by Politico in March, is called the Playbook for Early Response to High-Consequence Emerging Infectious Disease Threats and Biological Incidents.

The playbook contains step-by-step advice on questions to ask, decisions to make and which federal agencies are responsible for what. It includes sample documents that officials could use for inter-agency meetings. And it explicitly lists novel coronaviruses as one of the kinds of pathogens that could require a major response. Additionally, outgoing senior Obama officials also led an in-person pandemic response exercise for senior incoming Trump officials in January 2017 -- as required by a new law on improving presidential transitions that Obama signed in 2016.

Last week, Obama described the Trump administration's coronavirus response as "an absolute chaotic disaster" during a private call with people who worked for him in the White House.

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/mitch-mcconnell-admits-he-was.html

Cory Doctorow explained modern monetary theory to me last year while we were in my kitchen. It changed my attitude towards balanced budgets and national deficits. If you would like to read Cory's explanation of modern monetary theory, he wrote it on his website today.

If governments are the source of money, then they don't tax us in order to spend. They spend (which puts money into the economy) and then tax back.

If the government runs a "balanced budget" that means it's taxing as much money of out existence as it is spending into existence, leaving behind no money for the rest of us to save or spend. Balanced budgets starve the private sector of the money it needs to operate.

He also recommends this podcast interview with Stephanie Kelton, author of The Deficit Myth:

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/05/15/cory-doctorow-wrote-a-good-exp.html