Kudos to Nashville Public Library for making a video that explains their new curbside service in 1990 style! "Curb Side Baby" parodies Vanilla Ice's megahit AND relays important info about checking out books with rapping mice puppets ("Vanilla Mice"?). What more could you ask for?

This video was produced in-house by fantastically talented staff: Greg from Main Library Children's Division and Morgan from The Puppet Truck. Rap performed by Justin from The Puppet Truck, and Wicked Ida Puppetry provided the non-marionette puppets.

screengrab via Nashville Public Library

(Nag on the Lake) Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/17/library-explains-new-curbside.html

"Roosevelt's Big Adventure," a thoughtful, low-low-budget re-creation of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, is a hoot — such dedication from the entire family!

A retelling if the classic 1985 movie by one of PeeWee's biggest & smallest fans - this was all his idea! Created during quarantine with what we had.

(Pee-wee Herman)

screengrab via doubleeweareein/YouTube Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/17/a-kid-and-his-family-re-create.html

App games are created to be addictive. Stumble over something like Candy Crush or Tetris or Minecraft and, before you know it, you’re sunk hours of your day staring into your phone, intent on passing levels, and even greater fictional glories.

Games are great time-killers, but since none of us really have all that much time to waste, it could be a better use of a time to play a game that might actually teach us a skill we’ve always wanted to learn. Maybe something like reading music…

That’s the basis behind ChordIQ Pro, the mobile game so cool it might just turn you into a musician. Right now, you can check out ChordIQ for yourself with a lifetime subscription offer at half off the regular price.

ChordIQ is a music-based mobile game focused on helping users learn singing notes as well as guitar and piano chords in a fun and interactive way. 

If you’re a singer, play an instrument like the guitar, piano or saxophone, or just to finally be able to read music, ChordIQ is a fast-paced collection of eight different games, each helping you see, understand or even play just a little bit better.

Various games will help you identify notes, note values, key signatures, and intervals. You’ll also be run through your paces learning scales and chords, even when they’re played in different keys.

The games even help train your ear to find certain notes so you’ll have an easier time when it comes to performing. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/learn-to-read-music-by-playing.html

BBC Earth's "Spy in the Wild" series (also on PBS) uses animatronic animals outfitted with miniature cameras to capture wildlife close up. In this gripping scene, Komodo dragons meet the Robot Spy Pig. Guess who wins.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/watch-komodo-dragons-vs-robo.html

In Vienna, a gentleman was fined for farting "with full intent" at police officers. According to the police report, the man was ticketed for "offending public decency." From ABC News:

City police wrote on Twitter that “of course no one is reported for accidentally ‘letting one go.'” They added that the man had behaved “provocatively and uncooperatively” during an encounter with officers that preceded the incident.

He got up from a park bench, looked at officers and “let go a massive intestinal wind apparently with full intent,” they said. “And our colleagues don't like to be farted at so much.”

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/gentleman-fined-for-farting-at.html

Things on Earth are a mess, but it's fun watching these NASA Astronauts at work on a 24/7 live feed from the International Space Station.

You can see Earth from the International Space Station in these videos, and it looks so calm from up there.

On the Space channel at YouTube, they stream live; and at other times, it's pre-recorded and re-streaming.

As the Space Station passes into a period of night every 45 mins video is unavailable - during this time, and other breaks in transmission, recorded footage is shown. When back in daylight the live stream of earth will recommence.

Currently, live views from the ISS, an external camera mounted on the ISS module called Node 2. Node 2 is located on the forward part of the ISS. The camera is looking forward at an angle so that the International Docking Adapter 2 (IDA2) is visible. If the Node 2 camera is not available due to operational considerations for a longer period of time, a continuous loop of recorded HDEV imagery will be displayed. The loop will have “Previously Recorded” on the image to distinguish it from the live stream from the Node 2 camera. After HDEV stopped sending any data on July 18, 2019, it was declared, on August 22, 2019, to have reached its end of life. Thank You to all who shared in experiencing and using the HDEV views of Earth from the ISS to make HDEV so much more than a Technology Demonstration Payload!

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/enjoy-watching-the-nasa-astron.html

Hey there. Former chemotherapy patient for breast cancer here. When I was receiving chemo every week at the oncology clinic, one of the drugs they gave me so my body wouldn't freak out from the anticancer poisons was Dexamethasone. It's a really important drug for many cancer patients.

Some people are going to misinterpret news of a clinical trial making the rounds today today as meaning that they should get a hold of some dexamethasone right away and start taking it as a prophylaxis, or preventative, against COVID-19. Don't do this.

No no no. No.

Please do not do this.

That's not how this works.

Do not take Dexamethasone to prevent COVID-19.

Ask a medical professional for advice, first.

The news involved some hopeful news from a clinical trial.

Don't take drugs based on Facebook headlines or do anything like this without a doctor's guidance.

The researchers shared initial insights about the #dexamethasone results of the trial with WHO, and we are looking forward to the full data analysis in the coming days.https://t.co/CmNea2G3m7

 World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 16, 2020

Please, please, don’t start taking dexamethasone as an attempt at COVID prophylaxis; the entire medical profession implores you.

 Ed Hutchison (@EdHutchison) June 16, 2020

OH DEAR GOD this hadn't even occurred to me

FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, DON'T TAKE DEXAMETHASONE UNLESS IT IS PRESCRIBED BY A QUALIFIED CLINICIAN!!!!!!!!! https://t.co/1BMDFniTaB

 NYSuri (@nysuri) June 16, 2020

Lots of hype about Dexamethasone, no doubt to be followed by demands for prescriptions.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/doctors-say-do-not-take-dexame.html

It's creepy and it's kooky. Also kind of spooky.

What a faithful, phenomenal, and painstakingly detailed re-creation this is of the Addams Family Mansion, by artist and IMGURian Nick Dillinger.

All of the photos are Nick's. Go scroll through the entire amazing incredible gallery of images!

Very Smol Addams Family Mansion

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/this-addams-family-mansion.html

I bought this low price first aid kit a couple of years ago when it was on sale, and it's on sale again. It's got bandages, alcohol wipes, aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, hydrocortisone, neomycin, an instant cold pack, scissors, tweezers, and a few other items. For the price it's a good deal. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/good-deal-on-a-first-aid-kit.html

U.S. files breach-of-contract suit vs. former National Security Adviser John Bolton

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/trump-controlled-justice-depar.html

We've been following along with Jalopnik's Jason Torchinsky's adventure in buying the world's cheapest electric car from China (the sticker price was $1,000, but after shipping and various fees it ended up costing about three times that).

In this video, he takes his brand new Changli for its first drive, during a rainstorm, no less. It immediately got stuck in mud but after that, he got it on the road and had a fun spin. The major issue is that it is very slow. "Like all of my experiences with the Changli so far," he says, "I’m genuinely surprised at how much better it is than I was expecting. It drives! It drives in a perfectly usable manner, not quickly at all, no, God no, but for a neighborhood vehicle, it absolutely works." Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/heres-what-the-worlds-chea.html

Vox made a good video about the history of the Cooper Black typeface, created in 1919 and still in common use today.

There’s a typeface that has made a resurgence in the last couple of years. It’s appeared on hip hop album covers, food packaging, and advertising. Perhaps you know it from the Garfield comics, Tootsie Roll logo, or the Pet Sounds album cover by the Beach Boys. It's called Cooper Black, and its popularity and ubiquity has never waned in the hundred years since it was first designed.

In the video above, Steven Heller and Bethany Heck tell the story of Cooper Black and deconstruct all the reasons it's been pop culture's favorite font for so long.

Image: By Evan-Amos - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Modified, Link Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/why-the-cooper-black-typeface.html

Not gonna lie, totally into Lady Spock pic.twitter.com/2L2OEdq9WD

 Art Of Coop (@ARTofCOOP) June 16, 2020

I hope the artist who made these lives long and prospers. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/kirk-spock-and-mccoy-as-wome.html

After a sharp uptick during the 2000s, American homeowners and renters have seen their utility bills stay relatively steady during the past decade, with most households receiving power bills of around $1,350 annually.

Of course, we all know every month on the electrical calendar was not created equal. In fact, the summer months always have everyone tense and cringing, opening an envelope to find a bill that’s 60, 75, even 100 percent higher because of that expensive air conditioner.

While most of us settle between resigned acceptance or paying more and solemn vows never to turn the AC on no matter how hot it gets, the Nordic Hygge AirChill Personal Evaporative Cooler can offer many households a much happier medium.

A unique portable air conditioner crafted with a cool, minimalistic Scandinavian design, the AirChill uses an evaporative cooling system to efficiently lower the temperature of the air in your home. A fan draws in dry air, runs it through an internal evaporative pad using recycled water, then disperses it back into the room at a much lower temperature.

The AirChill doesn’t waste time, effort, and money cooling a room when you aren’t around. Just tote this portable unit with you and perch it on a table, countertop, nightstand or room desk, fire it up and the powerful nine-blade fan promises quick cooling for the entire room. Even though the cube-like device only measures about seven inches, Nordic Hygge promises the AirChill is actually putting out twice the room-cooling power of its closest competitors.  Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/the-nordic-hygge-airchill-is-c.html

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/unbelievably-talent-5-year-old.html

Boing Boing welcomes Real Tested CBD as a sponsor!

If you’re looking into an online purchase, nine out of ten times you go to Amazon, right? For many of us, Amazon has almost become part of daily life. It’s undeniably convenient; you can get anything from the latest in technology to toilet paper delivered, to a pre-manufactured house in a shipping container. Just about whatever you want to buy, Amazon has you covered. But have you ever tried searching for CBD on Amazon? The results might not be what you expected.

There are hundreds of items that come up when you search for CBD on Amazon, but the labels and descriptions can be fairly confusing. You might see a lot of “hemp oil” or “hemp oil extract” instead of flat out “CBD oil.” So where do we go from here? Do these products really contain CBD and offer any relief to people looking to manage pain or anxiety? Can you be sure of the CBD product you are purchasing on Amazon?

The short answer is no. The long answer is: yes, but let us help you read between the lines and ensure you are getting the real deal with your online purchase. Basing your purchases on lab-based test results is the best way to shop smart for CBD online. Customer reviews and product descriptions can be misleading, so stick to the facts from experts who test independently for your safety and security. The moral of the story is that you can’t trust everything you read online, even if others have already made the mistake of trusting it! Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/cbd-on-amazon-not-such-a-grea.html

UPDATE: Google is now saying NBC News got it wrong, here's Google's update below. Business Insider has a new story covering the update here.

The Federalist was never demonetized.

 Google Communications (@Google_Comms) June 16, 2020

We worked with them to address issues on their site related to the comments section.

 Google Communications (@Google_Comms) June 16, 2020

Our policies do not allow ads to run against dangerous or derogatory content, which includes comments on sites, and we offer guidance and best practices to publishers on how to comply. https://t.co/zPO669Yd0p

 Google Communications (@Google_Comms) June 16, 2020

NBC News reports that Google has threatened to ban two extreme-right websites from the Google advertising platform because they publish race-related disinformation. The two sites, ZeroHedge and The Federalist, would no longer be able to generate revenue from any ads served by Google Ads if their accounts end up being suspended by Google.

From NBC News:

A Google spokesperson said in an email that it took action after determining the websites violated its policies on content related to race.

“We have strict publisher policies that govern the content ads can run on and explicitly prohibit derogatory content that promotes hatred, intolerance, violence or discrimination based on race from monetizing," the spokesperson wrote. "When a page or site violates our policies, we take action. In this case, we’ve removed both sites’ ability to monetize with Google.”

Google's ban of the websites comes after the company was notified of research conducted by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a British nonprofit that combats online hate and misinformation.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/google-bans-the-federalist-and.html

“Prepared by a CIA task force, the report was introduced as evidence in the trial of Joshua Schulte, a former employee of an agency hacking unit”

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/theft-of-cias-vault-7-ha.html

The House of Representatives Intelligence Committee says executives from Facebook, Alphabet/Google, and Twitter have been summoned to appear Thursday at a virtual hearing on foreign influence and election security.

The hearing will be held virtually, due to the pandemic, and is titled ‘Emerging Trends in Online Foreign Influence Operations: Social Media, COVID-19, and Election Security.’

It will be livestreamed here.

From the House Intel YouTube page:

On Thursday, June 18, 2020 at 12:00 pm ET, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) will convene a virtual hearing on Emerging Trends in Online Foreign Influence Operations: Social Media, COVID-19, and Election Security. This is the second virtual hearing that the Committee will hold, and key senior officials from Facebook, Google and Twitter will testify remotely.

Witnesses: • Nathanial Gleicher, Head of Security Policy at Facebook • Nick Pickles, Director of Global Public Policy Strategy and Development at Twitter • Richard Salgado, Director for Law Enforcement and Information Security at Google

Member and witness participation through Cisco Webex Virtual platform. Public access via the Committee's website.

Reuters has more.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/facebook-google-twitter-exec.html

“The California utility agreed to pay a nearly $2 billion fine for causing the blaze, which killed dozens and destroyed the town of Paradise.”

https://boingboing.net/2020/06/16/pge-pleads-guilty-to-84-count.html