Hurray! Cory's new picture book, Poesy the Monster Slayer, is out today. Illustrated by Matt Rockefeller, it's an "epic tale of toy-hacking, bedtime-avoidance, and monster-slaying."

Cory has sample pages on his blog, Pluralistic.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/cory-doctorows-first-picture.html

The bar has been raised on home video production. So just in case you haven’t been on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok or other video-heavy platforms lately, the days of the boring, white-walled, locked-down selfie video that looks like it could have been filmed by hostage-takers doesn’t really cut it anymore.

Thankfully, your filming options have also advanced beyond propping your smartphone up against a wall and pushing record. In fact, the Apai Genie Gimbal is an easy-to-use, smartphone gimbal that practically mimics having an actual photographer on hand to direct your photo or video shoots.

Just clamp your phone into the Apai Genie’s loving embrace, and you’re ready to go. Powered by artificial intelligence, you’ll find this gimbal not only does a monster job steadying and smoothing out all your videos, but its machine-driving smarts allow the unit to automatically lock on to your face and track you, even when you move out of frame. That’s why this gimbal has full 360-degree rotation capabilities...so you can even do circles around the Apai Genie and like a good photog, it’ll keep the lens trained on the action.

It even has a pairs mode, so two people can both stay in the frame together without any unfortunate cropping incidents.

In its intelligent shooting mode, the Apai Genie can be set to detect your face and immediately start shooting. You’ll never have to ask for help shooting a selfie again.

Meanwhile, your robot cameraman can flash some serious skills, switching easily between horizontal and vertical recording modes, offering multiple perspectives to record and a full range to adapt to different scenes.  Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/this-smart-gimbal-packed-with.html

I just interrupted a press conference in Miami-Dade to let governor @RonDeSantisFL and @MayorGimenez know they are an embarrassment to FL and that their incompetence and lack of planning has resulted in the current public health crisis.

4,381 people have died so far in FL pic.twitter.com/q6SozHfT8o

 Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) July 13, 2020

Ron DeSantis, a Trump loyalty cultist who also serves as governor of Florida, held a press conference in Miami on Monday to blame anti-racism protestors for causing a massive surge in coronavirus cases and deaths in the state he oversees.

In attendance was Thomas Kennedy, an activist with an immigrant youth-led organization called United We Dream. While DeSantis was playing the blame game, Kennedy interrupted him by shouting, "People are dying, and you are doing nothing! You are falsifying information, and you are misleading the public. More than 4,000 people have died, and you are blaming the protesters, and you are doing nothing! Shame on you!"

DeSantis pretended not to hear Kennedy and continued to talk.  A goon escorted Kennedy from the press conference.

So far today Florida has reported 144 deaths, an all-time record. From the Washington Post:

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/people-are-dying-and-you-ar.html

A bunch of comedians teamed up to try and flip the US Senate. Full of disgusting and terrible traitors to democracy, the US Senate needs some change.

STAND UP 4 AMERICA TO USE ORIGINAL MUSIC AND COMEDY VIDEO CONTENT TO RAISE FUNDS AND TURN THE SENATE BLUE IN NOVEMBER

Jack Black, Moby, Keb’ Mo’ and Others to Provide Content to Raise

Funds for “Get Mitch or Die Trying”

Los Angeles, California (July 14, 2020) – Stand Up 4 America, an LA-based group of scrappy entertainment industry pros, will take aim at the GOP’s Senate majority in support of the “Get Mitch or Die Trying” campaign, raising funds to turn the Senate blue in the November election. The group will unleash a batch of original content from talent such as comic actor and Tenacious D singer/songwriter Jack Black, techno visionary Moby, five-time Grammy-winning blues great Keb’ Mo’, television actor/writer Michael Boatman, actor Terry O’Quinn, performance artist/actress Ann Magnuson, singer/songwriter Jill Sobule and others.

Starting July 14th, visitors to https://www.su4a.org/ can access all this content for free. They’ll be invited to make an optional donation of any amount they can afford to www.su4a.org/getmitch. The funds will support Democratic candidates for Senate in several crucial swing states via the “Get Mitch or Die Trying” fund from Crooked Media, a political media company founded by former President Obama staffers known for its podcast Pod Save America and others.

Stand Up 4 America (SU4A) is a media company that grew out of a local Los Angeles chapter of national activism juggernaut Swing Left.

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/stand-up-4-america-aims-to-tur.html

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/ivanka-tells-18-million-out-of.html

In 2017 Apple acknowledged it had been throttling iPhones with degraded batteries. This resulted in a class-action lawsuit and a $500 million settlement. Lifehacker has a guide on how you can collect a cash payment of $25 per eligible iOS device.

You’ll qualify for this settlement if you own(ed) one of the following iPhones before December 21, 2017:

An iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus or SE that ran iOS 10.2.1 or later

An iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus that ran iOS 11.2 or later

I just checked and found that all four members of my family have eligible iPhones, and I submitted claims for all of them. Thanks for the $100, Lifehacker!

Image: Jumpstory / CC0 Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/if-you-own-an-iphone-you-migh.html

People hate gifts when the giver tells them it will save them money, according to a study in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research. On the other hand, being told a gift will save them time, makes the like it.

In the experiment, researchers gave $5 Starbucks gift cards to 200 college students. Half of the gift cards included the message, "I know you've been stressed for money lately. I hope you'll enjoy this gift card in hopes that it will save you some money." The other half said, "I know you've been stressed for time lately. I hope you'll enjoy this gift card in hopes that it will save you some time."

From Ohio State News:

Those who received gift cards intended to save them money had more negative emotions than those who received the cards intended to save them time. In addition, those who received the money-saving cards said they thought the gift-givers believed they were higher-status than themselves.

If there was any bright spot for the people who sent the money-saving gift card, it was that their friends were just as likely to redeem the card as those who received it as a time-saver, Donnelly said.

Photo by Rebecca Aldama on Unsplash Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/money-saving-gifts-make-recipi.html

By the same progressive PAC that brought us Creepy Trump last week, in which Kellyanne Conway's words against Biden were turned against Trump, MeidasTouch now presents us with "Bye Don Jr: Love Me Daddy." This time it's Junior's words against Biden that narrate this clever attack ad, and Daddy is not going to be pleased. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/don-jr-attacks-his-own-daddy-i.html

Daniel Lewis Lee was put to death this morning in the first federal execution in 17 years.

Lee was pronounced dead by the coroner at 8:07 a.m. ET in Terre Haute, Indiana. His last words were "I didn't do it. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life but I'm not a murderer. You're killing an innocent man," according to a pool report. The Supreme Court cleared the way for the resumption of the federal death penalty in an unsigned order released after 2 a.m. ET Tuesday. The court wiped away a lower court order temporarily blocking the execution of Lee in a 5-4 vote. Lee, a one-time white supremacist who killed a family of three, was scheduled to be executed Monday. A federal judge blocked the planned execution of Lee, and three others, citing ongoing challenges to the federal government's lethal injection protocol.

Screengrab: ABC News Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/first-federal-execution-in-17.html

While in quarantine, residents at a North London elderly care facility, and their caregivers, have been posing like Adele, Madonna, David Bowie, and other musical artists for an album cover recreation project. The photographer, Sydmar Lodge's Activities Coordinator Robert Speker, writes that it's his "job and privilege to keep them entertained during the COVID crisis with no outside entertainers or family." He has set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the home:

As this situation is on-going it could be months before the situation changes for them and the need to keep them happy entertained and full of spirit has never been more crucial.

The photography project - recreating Classic Album covers, with the Residents and Carers has raised awareness globally but with no funds for the home which was my original intention.

Elderly people will remain in lockdown for a long time, and I want to make their time as happy and full of enjoyment and interest as possible.

Sydmar Lodge Care Home residents and carers have been recreating classic album covers. The home has now been in lockdown for 4 months. pic.twitter.com/XS5YQ4f1Sw

 Robert Speker (@robertspeker) July 10, 2020

pic.twitter.com/hweEgdHSIt

 Robert Speker (@robertspeker) July 10, 2020

image via The Show Must Go On/GoFundMe

(Independent) Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/nursing-home-residents-pose-fo.html

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/grant-imahara-dead-at-49.html

With all the website builders on the market, it can feel overwhelming to choose the best one for your needs. The most important things to look for are usability, flexibility and a professional look and feel. That’s why over 180 million people use Wix to create the website of their dreams.

Here are the top 3 reasons to build your website with Wix.

Wix caters to everyone, from beginners to professionals

Whether you’re creating your very first or your 100th website, Wix has a solution for you. If you’re a beginner, one option is to let Wix do the work for you with its advanced design intelligence (ADI) tool. Simply answer a few questions about the type of website you want to create and ADI will create it for you. The other option is to use Wix’s editor that lets you choose from hundreds of templates that you can customize yourself. If you have lots of experience creating websites, Corvid by Wix gives you the freedom to code and build your own advanced web applications.

Wix offers professional features for any kind of website

Wix has over 500 templates for a wide range of industries including eCommerce, health, beauty, fitness, hospitality, food, design, creative arts, and more. You can customize any template to fit the look and feel of your brand. In addition, Wix has an App Market with hundreds of Wix and third-party apps to meet your needs and enhance your business.

Wix helps you get site traffic

Building your website is only part of the process. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/top-3-reasons-to-build-a-websi.html

As part of NPR's Throughline podcast episode on the history of racialized policing in America, they created a brief overview with Harvard historian Khalil Gibran Muhammad.

Via hosts Ramtin Arablouei and Rund Abdelfatah:

Black Americans being victimized and killed by the police is an epidemic. A truth many Americans are acknowledging since the murder of George Floyd, as protests have occurred in all fifty states calling for justice on his behalf. But this tension between African American communities and the police has existed for centuries. This week, the origins of American policing and how those origins put violent control of Black Americans at the heart of the system.

Listen to the 1-hour episode wherever fine podcasts are streamed.

Image: YouTube / NPR Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/npr-examines-centuries-of-poli.html

There’s no research to back this up...but it’s entirely possible the ukulele is the least intimidating instrument in the world. 

Oh, make no mistake -- that’s not because the ukulele is just that simple to master. It’s a stringed instrument, so it takes some serious work to get good at it. But admit it...the island favorite, this baby guitar just looks too darn cute to be that big a headache.

Either way, Fret Zealot has come up with their new Ukulele Teaching Device, a new method for training you to pick up a uke and play like it’s been in your hand your whole life. 

The Fret Zealot first got its start with the guitar, but with this new version, it’s now able to help novice ukulele players start strumming and even playing music almost instantly.

The LED-enabled pad slides on to your ukulele just about the frets. When you’re synced with the Fre Zealot app, those LEDs light the way, blinking out to show you exactly where to put your fingers to play any of your favorite songs, island style.

The app is more than just a simple guide, offering a handful of features that make it easy for learners to pick up tips quickly and intuitively without getting bogged down in a book or training video. With the streamlined focus, students get to concentrate on proper technique and developing your own personal playing style from the beginning of your journey.

The Fret Zealot approach is catered to helping each student develop your own method of learning, so you can immediately jump in, pick the chords, notes, scales or songs you want to learn and Fret Zealot will help you get there. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/this-innovative-training-devic.html

Shortly after Trump was finally seen in public wearing a mask, the White House has begun provided a new document to media outlets listing all the times that Dr. Fauci has been wrong. From ABC News:

The document, obtained by ABC News from sources who confirmed the effort to discredit Fauci, says in part that "several White House officials are concerned about the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong on things."

The document goes on to list examples of what the White House views as Fauci contradicting himself.

One example in the short document is a comment made by Fauci on NBC's Today Show in late February that "at this moment, there is no need to change anything that you're doing on a day-by-day basis."

However, that was not the full statement Fauci made during the interview.

"Right now the risk is still low, but this could change," Fauci also told the Today Show at the time. "When you start to see community spread, this could change and force you to become much more attentive to doing things that would protect you from spread."

To be fair, Dr. Fauci is a human, and thus, prone to flaws; his reticence to commit to facemask recommendations was certainly not a good look in hindsight. But Fauci's bipartisan track record also paints a clear portrait of someone who learns and adapts their perspectives, based on new information, and is conscientious of how to convey information to the public — an important task, given his government position. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/the-white-house-is-launching-a.html

The UK government today ordered domestic companies to stop buying equipment from Chinese vendor Huawei and to stop using its kit entirely by 2027. Huawei is suspected to be an arm of the Chinese government, breaking into western markets (and maybe its networks) by selling impossibly cheap equipment. The UK only recently approved more Huawei orders for its growing 5G system, but the Covid pandemic and China's virtual annexation of Hong Kong has clarifed matters. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/14/uk-bans-huawei-purchases.html

As new coronavirus case numbers surge throughout California, the state today imposed a sweeping rollback of its reopening plans.

“We’re going back into modification mode of our original stay at home order,” governor Gavin Newsom said. “This continues to be a deadly disease.”

NEW: #COVID19 cases continue to spread at alarming rates.

CA is now closing indoor operations STATEWIDE for:

-Restaurants-Wineries-Movie theaters, family entertainment-Zoos, museums-Cardrooms

Bars must close ALL operations.

 Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 13, 2020

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced one of the most drastic rollback of any U.S. state’s reopening plans, and said he plans to close indoor operations statewide for restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, zoos and card rooms. Bars are going to have to close their operations, period.

Newsom says state officials repeatedly said California's reopening would be more like a “dimmer switch” than an on or off switch. From the New York Times:

And the governor said that in at least 30 of the hardest counties, business would be forced to close indoor operations for fitness centers, places of worship, non-critical offices, hair salons and barbershops and malls. Roughly 80 percent of the state’s population lives in the affected counties, Mr. Newsom said.

California was averaging more than 8,000 new cases a day as of Sunday, more than double what it was a month ago. The state has seen 331,626 cases, the second highest tally in the nation, and more than 7,000 deaths, according to a New York Times database.

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/13/oops-nevermind-california-ro.html

The fried chicken chain KFC is closing dining rooms at the restaurants it owns in Florida because of the state's accelerating outbreak of COVID-19.

Today, Florida is reporting 12,600 new coronavirus cases.

Reuters cites a letter sent from KFC to its Florida franchisees earlier today:

The letter, from KFC U.S. Chief Operating Officer Monica Rothgery to franchisees on Monday, said its own Florida restaurants would operate only drive-thru and suggested owner-operators consider doing the same in “hot spots” where new cases are surging, including Arizona, California, Florida and Texas.

KFC is a unit of Yum! Brands. The company did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Florida recorded more than 12,600 new coronavirus cases on Monday, its second-highest daily total since the outbreak began, coinciding with the state’s attempt to revive tourism and attract visitors to the recently reopened Disney World.

More at Reuters:Yum's KFC closes dining rooms at company-owned restaurants in Florida

[image: KFC] Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/13/kfc-closes-dining-rooms-at-its.html

If there’s any knock on most smartwatches, up to and including the industry-leading Apple Watch, it’s probably that the bands aren’t...well, they aren’t usually the greatest. 

While Apple is certainly making strides in the watchband game, most models are just as black, boring and nondescript as you’d expect from a tech company. 

And where many watch bands truly fall apart is when they’re pushed during daily use, as water, strain, sweat and more all work to literally make cheap bands start falling apart.

The Active Strap from Nomad is built to withstand the rigors of the modern world and look good while doing it.

Designed for everyday life, the Active Strap is not only engineered to fit most Apple Watch models, but it’s also crafted from some of the finest German leather anywhere. For over 120 years, Heinen leather comes from a special tanning process that makes it extremely water-resistant and durable, so athletes and outdoor enthusiasts never have to worry about their band giving out.

In fact, the Heinen leather is also infused with natural lipids for a thoroughly hydrophobic strap that easily wipes clean. 

It’s also engineered with ventilation channels, so no matter how hard you go or how much sweat, dirt, sand, or even saltwater the Active Strap battles, it’s always ready to look stylish and cool with a quick brush.

Including the stainless steel hardware, the Active Strap both works and plays hard, regardless of your Apple Watch model. Designed for all the Apple Watch varieties dating back to the Apple Watch Series 1 in 2016, you’d be hard-pressed to find an Apple Watch that this band didn’t work with beautifully. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/13/this-leather-and-stainless-ste.html

Twitch just un-banned Donald Trump. The impeached U.S. president's official Twitch channel [Link] had been suspended for two weeks for violating the streaming video platform's rules against hateful conduct.

“Like anyone else, politicians on Twitch must adhere to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines,” Twitch previously said. “We do not make exceptions for political or newsworthy content, and will take action on content reported to us that violates our rules.”

Excerpt from reporting by The Verge:

Trump’s account, which was used to broadcast new and past campaign rallies, was banned for racist comments made by the president on two occasions. Twitch pointed to remarks at his recent rally in Tulsa, where he referred to criminals as “hombre[s],” and remarks from a rebroadcast of the 2015 event announcing his candidacy, when he called Mexican immigrants criminals and “rapists.”

The ban came days after Twitch swore it would crack down on harassment, as streamers began sharing stories of harassment and assault within the industry. By banning Trump, Twitch seemed to indicate that no one is above the rules.

The question now is how much longer Trump can last on Twitch. Should his campaign continue to broadcast rally streams, it’s sadly probable the president will make additional disturbing racist comments — bannable offenses under Twitch’s guidelines, which prohibit any language that promotes harassment based on race, gender, and other personal characteristics.

Read more at The Verge:Twitch unbans Trump after two-week suspension for ‘hateful conduct’ Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/13/trump-un-banned-by-twitch.html