Oregon State Police said Monday that an officer who flashed the "OK" hand symbol at a far-right protestor did nothing wrong. The cop was filmed making the gesture as he approached the man, who slapped him chummily on the shoulder in response, during a protest in Salem, Oregon.

An interaction between a cop and a Proud Boy in Salem, Oregon today.

Defunding the police is defunding white supremacy.

pic.twitter.com/5zO8NUHMzX

 Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) July 5, 2020

The OK gesture was appropriated by far-right figures and white supremacists as a plausibly-deniable way to signal shared sympathies, but isn't quite as subtle as they think. Even the NYPD placed one officer under internal review for using the gesture on duty.

The Oregon State Police officer was cleared of fault without much ado.

The Oregon State Police said the trooper used his hands because he was wearing a face covering and working in a noisy environment.

“Best available evidence indicates the trooper was simply checking on the man's status and used the universal signal to signify this inquiry, which the man gestured he was — then patted this trooper and a second trooper on their shoulders in an apparent signal of appreciation,” police said.

Fingers spread to form a conspicuous "W" (over the "P" formed by the forefinger and thumb) can specify its use as a white power symbol, according to the Southern Policy Law Center. Media commentators have claimed it is a harmless form of trolling or ironic racism intended to mock anti-racism campaigners. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/06/oregon-cop-cleared-after-f.html

Photography isn’t just about lighting and composition anymore, especially when you’re shooting with your smartphone. While a wealth of expertise can absolutely help you grab better images, sometimes it’s just about having a great light or an amazing smoothing gimbal to instantly elevate your Instagram pics and other social videos from meh to standout.

To help, we’ve assembled 10 great deals happening right now on photo accessories that’ll have you creating better images, more professional videos and streams that wouldn’t send viewers running. 

On top of the already great deals, you can also save more on your purchases, including a 15 percent discount on all purchases of $50 or more with the code JULYFOURTH15; or a 20 percent added savings on all purchases of $75 or more when you use the code JULYFOURTH20.

11-in-1 Smartphone Photography Accessory Bundle - $24.99; originally $129.95

Here’s everything to trick out your smartphone gear in one complete collection. From a lens kit and selfie light to a tripod, selfie stick and remote control, you can elevate your creative vision with all the tools to help you pull off all kinds of excellent shots.

Sinji Smartphone Telephoto Kit - $24.95; originally $55.44

We all know smartphone zoom lenses...aren’t great. But this lens kit will have you shooting images at up to 12x magnification -- and it comes with its own handy tripod. With this highly portable kit, you can set up in seconds and zoom in tight with no motion to assure the best possible image. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/06/these-10-accessories-can-insta.html

Today's serving of the Streisand Effect comes courtesy of American Girl, which hopes that no-one will see Adam the Creator's "Karen" parody of its dolls.

"We were informed of this post a few days ago and are working with the appropriate teams at American Girl to ensure this copyright violation is handled appropriately," the company posted on Twitter.

The mock advertisement depicts an American Girl doll as "an independent thinker who refuses to wear a mask in public", waving a handgun at other shoppers and sporting the blonde wedged bob de riguer of the stereotype.

In another comment, American Girl said it was "disgusted" by Adam's parody.

Unfortunately for American Girl, parody is a classic example of fair use under copyright, meaning that it is unlikely that it would prevail against the "Karen" parodist were it ever to come to legal action.

That said, copyright claims often form the heart of nuisance legal actions whose only purpose is to become costly and tiresome for the target, forcing them to take it down anyway. Social media companies are servile to corporate requests to remove postings for similar reasons; DMCA takedown requests are typically honored mechanically.

In this case, the difference between parody and satire might come into play too, as it has in several high-profile copyright cases over the years.

American Girl could also claim a trademark violation, but the bar there is even higher, requiring owners to prove that a reasonable person would be confused by the parody or that it would dilute the value of the trademark itself: "courts have [lately] been far more sympathetic to third parties creating parodies of famous trademarks and service marks." Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/06/i-found-out-about-this-amusing.html

Mikey from Ants Canada woke up one day to his worst nightmare: his fire ants had escaped from their enclosure. Watch how he corrals all the escapees and manages to return most of them alive.

His investigation showed that they had escaped from a module he made himself. Oops! Turns out you can safely pick up ants with two paintbrushes, but for a bunch of escaped ants, a small hand-held vacuum can come in handy.

Regular viewers know that this colony has been plotting this escape for years:

Better luck next time, ants!

Image: YouTube / Ants Canada Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/06/watch-this-antkeeper-deal-with.html

At this point, Pizza Hut had just begun franchising out from their original Wichita, Kansas location. But this commercial was created for that OG red roofed joint. Put put! Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/06/watch-the-very-first-pizza-hut.html

Samara Ginsberg performs Sylvester Levay's Airwolf theme tune  originally intended for orchestral presentation but now a synth classic  on eight cellos. Stringfellow would be so proud!

Bonus: Ginsberg's done Bernard Hoffer's Thundercats theme too:

Previously: Knight Rider theme performed on eight cellos Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/06/airwolf-theme-performed-on-eig.html

As the summer surges forward, grilling and evenings in the backyard may be the only serious outdoor excursions many of us take this season. Yet even with all of our current problems, there’s one group who doesn’t care a bit about COVID-19 and will still look to make any trip you make outside into an uncomfortable disaster.  

Mosquitoes. You hate ‘em. I hate ‘em. We all hate ‘em. The Centers for Disease Control calls them the world’s deadliest animal. And even though there may be some unknown environmental impacts, scientists say a mosquito genocide might not be a horrible thing for the planet.

You can help get that mass extermination started right in your yard with the Kinkoo Moskiller Mosquito Killer Lamp.

Rather than slathering yourself in mosquito repellant, the Moskiller takes an innovative approach to eliminating pesky, disease-carrying mosquitoes without the use of chemicals and other harmful substances.

Rather than depend on just one trick, the Moskiller actually employs four different technologies to thin out your backyard mosquito horde. The unit emits 360-degree wrap-around UV light waves and bionic temperatures that attract mosquitos from a wide range of over 200 square feet. 

Once they get close, a seven-leaf fan creates a strong peripheral vortex airflow that essentially sucks its prey right into the Moskiller’s anti-escape storage box. There, a physical air-drying method puts the final zap on mosquitoes, dehydrating them and killing ‘em dead. 

Meanwhile, the Moskiller handles its responsibilities in virtual silence, so you can also keep it running while you work or sleep. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/05/the-moskiller-can-eradicate-mo.html

In "Seduction Of The Innocent," the inimitable Sid Davis tells the harrowing tale of Jeanette, who falls in with the bad crowd and through peer pressure gets into marijuana, pills, and ultimately sells her body for heroin.

Sid's most famous film is "Boys Beware," the anti-gay scare film made the same year, also with the help of the Santa Monica Police and the same deadpan narrator.

Voa A/V Geeks Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/05/watch-jeanette-go-from-pills-t.html

Oakland Symphony was forced to cancel its season but they've continued to rehearse through Zoom. In lieu of its regular in-person concert, they performed their version of "This Land is Your Land" and posted it on YouTube. Its conductor, Michael Morgan, says of the song choice, "It's often misinterpreted as just another patriotic ditty. The reputation of its composer, Woody Guthrie, is smoothed over and sanitized. But the fact is, it was written in 1940 when many patriotic songs seemed to either exclude or present a very narrow vision of what it was to be American. 'This Land is Your Land' comes out of the bedrock of the social justice movement. It was an anthem of inclusion when inclusion was not mainstream. This song is radical. Woody Guthrie was a socialist, if not a communist, and his song is for everybody..."

Yes, he's talking about the same Woody Guthrie who had a sticker on his guitar that read, "THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS":

screengrab via Oakland Symphony/YouTube; image via United States Library of Congress/Wikipedia Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/04/oakland-symphony-performs-radi.html

With all due respect to our vegetarian friends, there might be nothing more intrinsically linked to the 4th of July holiday than a big ole cookout. Sure, fireworks and celebrating the birth of a constitutional republic are great too, but showing off your cooking prowess with a brilliantly seared, mouth-watering slab of grade-A American beef is the true measure of a peak summer holiday.

Of course, cooking perfection doesn’t happen without the right tools — and right now, a July 4th sale is shaving hundreds off the price of one of the hottest steak grills on the market today, the Otto Lite 1,500°F Professional Steak Grill.

Otto’s Steak Grill won the prestigious German Design Award in 2018 for its outstanding product design by doing one thing exceptionally well: delivering prime cooking conditions for steak quickly and easily.

The real secret to the stainless steel Otto Lite isn’t really a secret at all: it’s this unit’s extreme heat. Unlike most barbeques that aren’t capable of hitting the extreme temperatures needed, the Otto Lite fires up to an insanely hot 1,500°F in just three minutes.

With the Otto Lite’s blistering, radiant heat distribution technology, you can sear a steak quickly to give it a delicious, flavor-sealing crust while your meat remains tender on the inside. That means depending on the size of your cut, you can go from sparking the grill to finished, plated meals in less than 10 minutes.

The Otto Lite also brings some versatility with its game, featuring six slide-in slots allowing safe height adjustment of the grate; as well as two simultaneously controlled radiant infra-red burners so you can dial in the ideal temperature for your meat. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/04/celebrate-the-4th-with-an-otto.html

screenshot.rocks fits any image you upload into a web browser-style frame and gives you a new image of the composite. It's perfect for turning photoshopped web design ideas into mockups so people know what they might look like in real life. Or simply as a cute frame for your favorite images, for sharing on the internet. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/04/how-to-make-simple-browser-win.html

LEGO is jumping on the mosaic art craze with the LEGO Art poster series, out this fall. Sets will include Andy Warhol portraits of Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles, Iron Man, and a Star Wars series of Sith Lords.

The sets also come with collector's style booklets, and some include music options for listening while assembling.

Via Brothers Brick:

LEGO hopes that LEGO Art will be “a new canvas for creative expression” that allows adults to relax and give them a chance to create and display art based on their passions. The structure of each portrait is comprised of 9 new 16 x 16 stud mosaic plates which can be connected to each other with Technic pins to form the larger portrait. Each set comes with two new Technic wall-hanging elements as well as a new black separator specially crafted to assist in quickly reassembling mosaics into alternate versions.

The pieces will come pre-sorted by color, and the instructions will feature a “color by numbers” grid for assembling each mosaic plate. Each set comes with a unique printed 2x4 signature tile and additional black pieces to build a frame around the final portrait.

Image: YouTube / Lego Quick Review Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/04/lego-art-announces-new-posters.html

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/04/unmasked-shopper-asserts-const.html

In this sobering video made for the Movement For Black Lives, Hamilton actor Daveed Diggs asks that we look at what Independence Day really means for Black people right now. It was inspired by Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" and was written by Safia Elhillo, Danez Smith, Lauren Whitehead, W. Kamau Bell, Angel Nafis, Idris Goodwin, Pharoahe Monch, Camonghne Felix, and Nate Marshall.

What, to my people, is the Fourth of July? My people, who are failed every day by every country, sleepless in the long night, terrorized by fireworks, we who have cried salt baths for our kin.

Look at all we have borne for you: arms, armistice, the sweetest fruits, flesh of children hidden away from the ugly summer of their own blood — we are on the front lines. Help me, tell me, what do we tell the children of your Fourth of July? What is death to a daughter? What is river to a sea? Where is the country where my people are safe?

Ancestors set the table send dream mares in high supply. Too heavy, too spent, too hot to cook, no promise beyond the sparkly simple bombs. Keep your holiday, your hunger, the blood in your teeth. Police parade down streets, proud descendants of the slave patrol. Theater of denial, a propaganda pageant, and we are on the front lines all summer. My uncle can’t sleep and he was born free. And he ain’t never been.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/04/daveed-diggs-what-to-my-peo.html

Most of you being American, I hope you celebrate July 4 with all the radical joy you can muster. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/04/happy-independence-day.html

We’re at the midway point of 2020. So...how’s the year going for you so far? 

Yeah...we can guess. But while there’s a lot about 2020 we can’t directly control, maybe a little retail therapy can help make you feel better.

Sure, the 39 items we gathered together can absolutely bring a smile to your face. But more importantly these days, they’re all sporting some significant discounts of up to $300 off. 

On top of the already lower prices, you can also feel the July 4th love with some extra savings: another 15 percent off with the code JULYFOURTH15 on any purchases of $50 or more; and 20 percent off on purchases of $75 or more by using the code JULYFOURTH20. 

The Yard Solar Powered Firefly LED Light String - $17.95; originally $89.95

When you’re sitting on the patio and the sun goes down, the fireflies come out in the form of this mini-LED light string. It’s solar-powered, then sparks up at night to cast a sweet reflective glow over your yard during those twilight and evening hours, all without ever having to turn them on.

MOGICS Coconut Portable Waterproof Light (Multicolor) - $36.99; originally $49

You could also try the portable light source that can go virtually anywhere. This foldable, sturdy, waterproof light self-inflates in seconds, has four different brightness modes and offers a truly unique backyard centerpiece during those summer nights.

Smokeless Non-Stick Indoor/Outdoor Grill - $24.99; originally $49.95

If you want to grill outdoors — or even when you bring it inside — this smokeless, non-stick grill is perfect for intimate gathering when you don’t want to fire up the big grill. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/04/here-are-39-of-the-best-july-4.html

In another controversial decision, President Trump is celebrating the fourth of July with a fiery display atop South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore. The decision may seem troublesome to anyone worried about things such as the uncontained coronavirus or shooting explosives off the top of a forest. But it is most certainly troublesome for the native Lakota people, who’s sacred Black Hills were desecrated for the purpose of the monument.

On a cross country road trip, I recently drove through South Dakota and spent a day exploring the Black Hills. The drive from Mount Rushmore to the Lakota’s Crazy Horse memorial was a discouraging perpetuation of the white supremacy this country was built off of. During the 17-mile ride, I saw Trump 2020 lawn signs spread throughout the hills. At the base of the road that leads to the Crazy Horse memorial is a wild west themed tourist stop for food and souvenirs. On a street corner nearby, a man dedicated his makeshift booth to selling Trump 2020 t-shirts in every color.

From a non-native perspective, it struck me as an unsettling display of ignorance towards true American history. I can only imagine how upsetting it might be for an Oglala Lakota Native living in a place that does not seem to acknowledge you or your history.

The Oglala speakers I heard from at the memorial said nothing about the president and his impact. However, they did speak about the bloody history of the Black Hills and how it affects them to this day. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/03/why-native-americans-are-prote.html

When revved-up kids used to dribble a basketball through the kitchen or practice their footwork with a soccer ball in front of the television, exasperated parents would often just send ‘em outside to play. But these days, sending kids out might not be the best course of action.

Despite all the changes, many budding young athletes today are still just as anxious to get out there and hit the court or the pitch as all those previous generations. Unfortunately, with most summer activities canceled, it’s going to be a lot tougher for them to practice and get better without the competition of their peers.

Enter technology. Now, the advent of cutting edge items like the DribbleUp Smart Basketballs and Soccer Balls are offering parents and athletes of all ages an innovative way to improve skills and sharpen talents, all right from home.

DribbleUp was started by brothers Eric and Marc Forkosh around their parents’ Brooklyn dinner table four years ago. Now, they’ve developed an indoor-outdoor Smart Ball and interactive training system that’s basically a Peloton-style training regimen for youth sports.

When you buy either the Smart Basketball or hand-stitched Smart Soccer Ball, the computer vision tracking technology catches the ball movements related to targets on the DU Android or iOS app. It measures metrics like crossover speed, dribble hesitation, endurance levels, and live dribbling tracking with the interactive dribble speed meter. Everyone from kids to adult athletes can mine a wealth of training knowledge about their own skills, all from the DU ball readings. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/03/these-smart-soccer-and-basketb.html

When you sit down to play a new AAA video game like The Last of Us 2, you probably assume it was created by gaming experts with insane levels of artistic and technical talent. And...you’d be right. Top developers are craftsmen of the highest order, pouring literally thousands of man-hours into creating the greatest gaming experiences possible.

But even if you haven’t been coding and manipulating game engines since your middle school years, it’s still within your grasp to create a thrilling video game of your own all by yourself. In fact, the tools of game creation have become so democratized that anyone can teach themselves how to craft a really cool game without any formal coding knowledge. 

GameGuru was created specifically for those who aren’t programmers, designers, and artists and still want to put together a really awesome game. With the training and assets in The Complete GameGuru Bundle, that process gets a whole lot easier.

GameGuru has developed an entire system for allowing anyone to try their hand at video game design. Starting out with the GameGuru: Game Making for Everyone course, invested learners will get a complete starter’s guide to DIY video game development. Using the GameGuru tools, you’ll learn how to build your own game world and design male, female and other fun characters and creatures, each with their own unique looks and movements. 

You’ll learn just how simple it is to find any item you want in the GameGuru asset library — and just click and drag it into your game.  Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/03/no-programming-skills-no-desi.html

“This flight was a dream come true for me. For six years I’ve been chasing the out-and-back world record, and this year, all the pieces of the puzzle finally came together beautifully.” — Owen Morse, hang glider pilot

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/03/owen-morse-sets-hang-gliding-w.html