Back in June, the GOP released a working draft of their 2020 election platform that was literally the same as their 2016 agenda. This included passages like (emphasis added): The survival of the internet as we know it is at risk. Its gravest peril originates in the White House, the current occupant of which has [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/24/the-gops-official-2020-platf.html

It's set in the not-so-distant future but takes its design cues from the past, specifically the familiar stylings of old Popular Science magazines. Popular Pandemics is the parody publication of Bob Rucker who shared with Boing Boing: When I first saw videos of people in China collapsing on the sidewalks at the beginning of the [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/24/popular-pandemics-magazine.html

Prog-emo band Coheed and Cambria have always had a penchant for the dramatic, having built their career on a multi-generational 4th-wall-busting sci-fi rock opera spanning multiple albums. So it's only natural that the next stage in their musical growth would be … a sonic sequel to "Jessie's Girl" where Jessie gets the girl but she [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/24/rick-springfield-stars-in-a-mu.html

My pal Brody Q just dropped off some unusual, but delicious, treats to my doorstep, a box of her homemade gourmet "s'mores." Unlike traditional s'mores these are made without a campfire, a sort of culinary response to the climate crisis. She writes: Lapsang souchong (smoky tea) marshmallows dipped in dark chocolate and gluten-free graham crackers. [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/24/smokeless-smores-for-a-wild.html

If you still haven't climbed aboard the robot vacuum cleaner bandwagon, there's probably one question about unleashing a tiny carpet sucker in your home that nags at you above all others  do they actually do a good job? No less an authority on tech as PCMag has the definitive statement, saying "robot vacuums have [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/24/this-smart-powerful-robot-vac.html

The newly-released Microsoft Flight Simulator has been made fun of for some peculiar generative results of its world-spanning simulation of planet Earth, but it is a stunningly realistic experience all the same. This video compares the in-game graphics to footage shot from drones, and it's a very effective advertisement. And no, it does not let [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/24/microsoft-flight-sim-2020-vs-d.html

The DC FanDome got a preview of next year's The Batman, and it is definitely in keeping with the dark and brooding aesthetic of recent iterations. Via IGN: Director Matt Reeves gave Batman fans the first trailer for his franchise reboot starring Robert Pattinson at DC FanDome. Reeves' detective film also stars Zoe Kravitz as [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/24/the-batman-trailer-reveals.html

"I was trying to read outside on a lovely Summer day," wrote Robert Wilson, "but my two pet ducks, Quacker and Jack, wanted my attention."

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/24/ducks-converse.html

This BBC report examines the "molka" phenomenon in South Korea (previously at BB): the proliferation of hidden wireless cameras in toilets and hotel rooms, and the culture of blackmail and revenge porn around it. "How many spycams can Stacey Dooley find in a love motel bedroom?" Pornography is illegal in South Korea, and molka has [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/24/hidden-cameras-everywhere.html

From The Nation: From May to September 2017, the DOE's Office of Civil Rights partnered with National Coalition for Men Carolinas (NCFMC), Families Advocating for Campus Equality (FACE), and Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE) to develop regulations on campus sexual assault. E-mails make clear that staffers from these organizations participated in conference calls, offered [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/24/betsy-devos-teamed-with-mens.html

Top Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway announced tonight that she's leaving the White House at the end of the month. Minutes earlier, her husband George Conway tweeted that he's departing from anti-Trump political action committee The Lincoln Project. From Conway's statement: I will be transitioning from the White House at the end of this month. George [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/23/kellyanne-conyway-quitting-the.html

 For years, you've heard the steady drumbeat. You need to have a VPN to protect yourself online. It's been drilled into all of us for more than a decade. But in the wake of VPN, KeepSolid, one of the world's most respected VPN providers, has jumped into the market with a new service called SmartDNS. [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/23/should-you-get-a-vpn-or-smartd.html

That dog is a very good dog, and looking extremely cute in those snow goggles. [source]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/23/snow-dog-looks-cool-in-gog.html

Where do you get your news? Actually, the better question is — who do you trust to bring you your news? And maybe the best question of all&should you trust them? In the age of "fake news" claims, flagrant political biases, and a proliferation of sources that make staying on top of news coverage all [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/23/this-app-aggregates-reports-fr.html

The Somali sengi, a type of elephant shrew with an elongated nose, had not been observed since the 1960s. It was recently rediscovered by scientists who lured them out from their rocky habitats with peanut butter, oatmeal, and yeast. The Somali cutie was originally rediscovered in neighboring Ethiopia, per Duke University's Steven Heritage: Here we [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/23/after-50-years-scientists-con.html

Yet another fantastic take on current events by the folks at Juice Media. I have been voting for mail by years and in California it is easy to confirm your ballot was sent and received.

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/23/honest-ad-for-the-usps.html

The Waco Tribune reports that a 30-year-old woman was arrested earlier this week for "driving while intoxicated and aggravated assault charges after she chased at least two cars and intentionally crashed into one, later telling police she thought she was chasing a pedophile who had kidnapped a girl." The police reported that, "Ms. Fulbright pursued [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/23/a-qanon-supporter-used-her-car.html

Activist art collective INDECLINE have dropped the trailer for their upcoming documentary (Fall 2020), The Art of Protest. "INDECLINE was founded on the idea that no matter how bad things get, there are concrete actions that can be taken as a form of resistance. They might not always be legal or polite, but that doesn't [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/23/trailer-for-indeclines-the.html

Earlier this month, Death Valley, California recorded a temperature of 130 degrees. It was the highest temperature recorded on planet Earth anywhere since 1931 and was likely one of the hottest days ever measured.  That's not only inhuman, it's also supremely unhealthy. During extreme heat, the air becomes stagnant, locking in pollutants that lead to [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/23/these-air-conditioners-humidi.html

You can't have a website or app that works great, but looks like it was assembled with construction paper and paste. You also can't have a gorgeous web experience crippled by slow loads, bad links, and wonky navigation. Those are examples of what happens when the worlds of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) [&]

https://boingboing.net/2020/08/22/get-100-hours-of-expert-led-ui.html