Nearly 200 Americans who were evacuated from the coronavirus outbreak zone in China might be released soon from quarantine at a U.S. Air Force base in California.

All Americans returning from Hubei province, where Wuhan city is located, were required to undergo a mandatory 14 day quarantine, and when that's up, they can go if determined to be healthy, a leading U.S. health official said.

The fast-spreading outbreak has killed over 1,000 in China, where nearly 43,000 cases are reported. Another 319 confirmed cases have been confirmed in 24 other countries, 13 of which are in the United States.

From Reuters:

The first group of U.S. citizens to be evacuated from the coronavirus-stricken Chinese city of Wuhan are mostly U.S. State Department employees and their families. They were flown by government-chartered cargo jet to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County about 60 miles (97 km) east of Los Angeles.

“They are being assessed to make sure they remain symptom-free and we hope they’ll be released to travel home today,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington.

Read more at Reuters: Nearly 200 Americans evacuated from China set to be freed from quarantine [February 11, 2020]

FILE PHOTO: The ultrastructural morphology exhibited by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China, is seen in an illustration released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/11/coronavirus-200-americans-eva.html

Lest we forget, the Dancing Baby of 1996 was one of the first viral videos online and became an iconic meme of the early Web. Now, creative programmer Jack Armstrong has brought the Dancing Baby (aka the Oogachaka Baby) back to life in high definition and ported it to Garry's Mod (GMod) sandbox game. Armstrong posted a fascinating Twitter thread detailing his quest for the original 3D model of the character and how he re-rendered it into an HD form fit for today's uncanny valley.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/11/the-dancing-baby-re-rendered.html

Researchers from Texas A&M say they have found a quick, cheap, and accurate way for law enforcement agents to differentiate pot and hemp – using lasers.

In a study released last month, Texas AgriLife researchers Dmitry Kurouski and Lee Sanchez claim their new laser testing method is a better way for law enforcement to figure out whether a substance they've seized is cannabis or non-psychoactive hemp.

Lasers, how do they work?

From Austin NPR affiliate KUTR:

Put simply, a laser from a spectrometer hits a substance and then maps it out on graph. A substance without THC maps differently than one that contains it, providing a near-instant readout of whether a substance violates the state ban on substances with more than 0.3%-concentration of THC or whether it's legal hemp.

Kurouski says the device, which is about the size of a lunchbox, could be used by law enforcement with astounding accuracy during traffic stops or at crime scenes.

"The accuracy is 100%," he said. "[Meaning] we can differentiate between hemp and cannabis, and that's really remarkable."

Kurouski says the scanner could also identify different strains of cannabis.

The device could help hemp-growers who may be hassled by law enforcement, he said, citing an Amarillo case in which a man was arrested for hauling marijuana then was let go when his cargo proved to be hemp in lab tests.

Even in the best case scenario, his experimental laser scanner is at least a few years away from field use, Kurouski says. Sounds cool, for non-police uses even. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/11/scientists-claim-100-accurate.html

BREAKING NEWS: High level Department of Justice officials are intervening to try to shorten Roger Stone’s still-unannounced prison sentence, multiple news agencies report on Tuesday.

The Department of Justice is backing away from its sentencing recommendation of between seven to nine years in prison for Trump confidant Roger Stone, a department official told the AP.

Impeached president Donald John Trump called that proposed prison sentence for his dirty-tricks-doer pal “unfair.”

As Mark wrote about earlier today on Boing Boing, Trump tweeted just this morning that the case against Stone was a “miscarriage of justice.”

Here we are, America.

Say farewell to the rule of law.

From AP:

The Justice Department will take the extraordinary step of lowering the recommended prison time for Roger Stone, an ally of President Donald Trump, a federal official said Tuesday, just hours after the president condemned the recommended sentence as “very horrible and unfair.”

The official said there was no contact with the White House before the decision was made to lower the sentence recommendation. He spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the decision. The person would not say what the new recommendation would be.

On Monday night, prosecutors had recommended Stone serve seven to nine years behind bars after being convicted of charges including lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to tip the 2016 election.

READ MORE: Feds back away from Stone sentencing proposal [Reporting by MICHAEL BALSAMO, ASSOCIATED PRESS]

Previous Boing Boing posts on Roger Stone's wild ride. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/11/trump-doj-steps-in-to-shorten.html

NPR has a bizarrely fascinating new piece about Drew Miller, the owner and founder of Fortitude Ranch, which is essentially a timeshare opportunity for Doomsday Preppers. Unlike the Survival Condos that start at $1.5 million, Fortitude Ranch "seeks to capture a solidly middle-class market." The annual membership fee is $1,000, which gives you access to 10 days at any of their locations.

Right now, there's only one Fortitude Ranch in West Virginia. But the company is already building another one in Colorado, and ultimately plans for a nationwide network of 12 locations, which will each have different recreational offerings, and be conveniently placed so there's always one location within a day's drive.

It's not luxurious; spartan may be a more accurate term. Yet, the properties are in secluded, wild and scenic places that Miller hopes will make the fee worth it for the right customers.

[…]

If the structures of society crumble, Miller envisions each Fortitude Ranch location as a protected community of about 50 people, up to a maximum of 500. Initially, there will be supplies and food on-site to last a full year. However, once members fall into a routine of gardening, hunting and fishing in the adjacent national forest, Miller said, it should be sustainable in the long term.

I'm not exactly sure how large each of these properties is going to be, but 50 to 500 is a very wide range of people, which would require very different accommodations in an apocalyptic scenario.  Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/11/doomsday-preppers-are-now-sell.html

The Federal Trade Commission today ordered five big tech companies to provide detailed information about their previous acquisitions of small companies, expanding the agency's investigation into possible antitrust concerns in digital markets.

Looks like Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft are in the regulatory hot seat this year.

Maybe there's antitrust action in the works, who knows.

Wow, the FTC is asking Alphabet / Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft for a whole lot of historical, non-public information that may be helpful for antitrust enforcement. https://t.co/H4QD2XeXcg

 David Ingram (@David_Ingram) February 11, 2020

Many giant companies are convinced that their dominance is due to their genius and innovation. But the truth is that so many can get big by swallowing up or shutting down potential threats. They don't need to invent killer apps if they can stay on top through killer acquisitions.

 Rohit Chopra (@chopraftc) February 11, 2020

Google didn't invent YouTube. Facebook didn't invent Instagram. And the list goes on and on.

That’s why I voted to order @Google, @Facebook, @Amazon, @Apple, & @Microsoft to hand over a decade of records about their buying binge. https://t.co/JjlJzsRUdo

 Rohit Chopra (@chopraftc) February 11, 2020

These deals are about big data. Companies across the economy are in an arms race to soak up every source of data and monetize it.

Many of these mergers fly below the radar. The @FTC orders will provide clarity on why boardrooms are shelling out billions for our personal data.

 Rohit Chopra (@chopraftc) February 11, 2020

Acquisitions offer an important window into the surveillance-based advertising model used by the likes of @Google & @Facebook.

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/11/ftc-orders-alphabet-google.html

A Tesla driver in California died in a March 2018 crash while using the Autopilot driver-assistance system.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) disclosed in documents made public Tuesday that Walter Huang, the 38-year-old Apple software engineer killed by his Tesla, previously reported that on prior trips his car steered away from the highway by itself.

Huang was driving his Tesla Model X in Mountain View using autopilot feature at about 70 mph when the car crashed into a safety barrier.

From Reuters today:

The NTSB said Huang had reported issues on prior trips with Autopilot steering the wheel toward an area between a highway ramp and the lane. It is a moving violation to cross into that section of the road, known as the “gore area.”

Data from the vehicle showed that in prior trips Huang had taken corrective action after Autopilot had steered toward the area. The NTSB said in the fatal crash Huang’s hands were not detected on the steering wheel in the final six seconds before the crash. There was no evidence of braking or evasive action.

The NTSB, which also found evidence that the driver was using a smartphone during the trip, plans a Feb. 25 hearing to determine the probable cause of the crash. Tesla did not immediately comment.

Read more: Tesla driver in fatal crash had reported problems before with 'Autopilot' feature [Reporting by David Shepardson, February 11, 2020 / 9:12 AM] Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/11/tesla-driver-in-fatal-2018-cra.html

• UPDATE from WHO: China has reported 42,708 confirmed cases of "COVID-19" (coronavirus disease 2019), and 1,017 deaths

• Fewer than 400 cases reported in 24 other countries, one death

• World leaders must “wake up and consider this enemy virus as public enemy number one,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today

The global outbreak of Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV represents a “very grave threat for the rest of the world,” and should be seen as a global “Public Enemy Number 1”, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to increase measures to detect and contain the outbreak, especially in 30+ countries with weaker health systems, where the virus could “create havoc,” report Stephanie Nebehay and Emma Farge at Reuters:

The virus has been named COVID-19, for coronavirus disease 2019, with no geographical association, he said.

Tedros, referring to some governments’ counter-terrorism measures, said: “To be honest, a virus is more powerful in creating political, economic and social upheaval than any terrorist attack.

“A virus can have more powerful consequences than any terrorist action. If the world doesn’t want to wake up and consider this enemy virus as Public Enemy number 1, I don’t think we will learn from our lessons,” he said.

China has reported 42,708 confirmed confirmed cases, including 1,017 deaths, Tedros said, noting that there were fewer than 400 cases in 24 other countries with one death.

Read more: Coronavirus emergency is 'Public Enemy Number 1': WHO [reuters.com, Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/11/coronavirus-public-enemy.html

This video contains excellent albeit unspoken advice regarding door chains: Don't use them.

Peepholes, people, peepholes.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/11/how-to-unlock-a-door-chain-fro.html

The bummers of adulthood are too many to count, but one of our least favorites is the inability to sit down and enjoy a nice bowl of cereal. When you've got a long commute ahead, let's face it: That extra time it takes to pour the milk and chow down is too precious to spare.

That's why we're recommending the CrunchCup™ Portable Cereal Cup to you today.

The simple genius behind this thing is pretty impressive. It consists of two cups—one nested inside the other. You pour your milk into the bigger one, then your cereal of choice into the smaller one. Screw on the top, then take it on the road.

The cover on the lid gives you enough space for a hearty bite with every sip, and it combines the two on the way to your mouth. It might even be a better solution than the traditional bowl if you're the type of eater who likes to keep their cereal crispy.

The CrunchCup™ Portable Cereal Cup is on sale now for 33% off the original price. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/10/the-crunchcup-allows-you-to-ta.html

Imaging walking into the Toby Jug Pub in Tolworth, England on February 10, 1972 expecting to see a folkier, more mellow David Bowie and encountering Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars instead. The world didn't know it yet, but it shifted on its cultural axis that night.

This video is from later in the year, stitched together from various bits of footage and synced with the audio from Bowie's Oct 20th Santa Monica show.

Image: YouTube Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/10/on-this-day-in-1972-ziggy-st.html

Impeached American president Donald John Trump wants a 25% reduction in the military fund designed to deter Russian aggression against the U.S., no reason, why are you asking, no really, why, you seem kind of obsessed.

According to Defense Department budget documents unveiled Monday, Trump plans to cut a military fund designed to offset Russian aggression in Eastern Europe by 25%.

From U.S. News:

Budget proposals for fiscal 2021 released Monday afternoon call for $4.5 billion for the European Deterrence Initiative, a fund started by the Obama administration in the aftermath of Russia's 2014 invasion of parts of eastern Ukraine and annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, which sparked a conflict that continues to inflict casualties on both sides. The latest proposal represents a precipitous drop from the $6 billion enacted for the current fiscal year and $6.5 billion the year before. Congress approved funding in line with administration requests for those years.

Trump has repeatedly expressed criticism of U.S. programs like the EDI that provide training, resources and money for foreign governments throughout Europe, calling on other U.S. partners to do more. The president has previously raided this fund as a workaround to pay for a wall along the southern U.S. border after Congress refused to allocate those funds. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is expected to make an announcement later this week on how the military will pay for additional border wall construction, CNN reports, after Defense budget officials on Monday said that decision was not yet final.

Read more: Trump Proposes 25 Percent Drop in Fund Designed to Deter Russia [usnews.com, Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/10/putins-biznatch.html

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/10/xu-zhangrun.html

The death toll from the Wuhan virus has officially passed 1,000, according to China's health commission.

Here is a snapshot on the global reach of Novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV, including today's update from the Chinese government:

• 42,729 confirmed cases worldwide • 23,589 suspected cases worldwide • 1,013 people have died • 7,463 are in serious or critical condition • 3,752 people who became sick recovered • Most 2019-nCoV cases are in China • 25 countries have reported cases

An additional 2,097 cases of coronavirus and 103 deaths were reported in central China’s Hubei Province. The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Hubei, where the virus origin city of Wuhan is located, has now reached 31,728.

#China health commission announces 103 new recorded #coronavirus deaths on Monday in Hubei province.

 Steve Herman (@W7VOA) February 10, 2020

China's Hubei province confirmed an additional 2,097 coronavirus cases and 103 deaths on Feb. 10, the health commission said.

The current death toll is at least 1,011 pic.twitter.com/wXwcHDN7NV

 QuickTake by Bloomberg (@QuickTake) February 10, 2020

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/10/coronavirus-1000-people-have.html

“I mean, just see the flash of him rolling over me and in a straight line, and he was gone,” the deer-trampled gentleman told WSOC-TV.

‘It was absolutely nuts,’ said Ken Worthy, a retired detective in North Carolina who was randomly plowed over by a startled deer in a McDonald’s parking lot the other day.

From WSOCTV.com in North Carolina:

“It was just a bit of brown, and then I saw his face, I was down on the ground -- that quick,” he said.

Worthy is a retired detective and has seen some things, but the encounter caught him off guard.

“I mean, just see the flash of him rolling over me and in a straight line, and he was gone,” Worley said.

He was with his wife at McDonald’s for lunch.

“We were walking out with our Cokes,” he said.

[IMAGES: McDonalds surveillance video screengrabs, courtesy Ken Worthy]

[via Associated Press] Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/10/man-trampled-by-startled-deer.html

In Tennessee, a well-organized but not super smart burglary suspect was busted by the fuzz when he dropped his notebook with a list of homes he planned to burglarize.

Robert Shull Goddard, 49, is charged with breaking into a Nashville area home on January 29.

Cops say he smashed open a glass door, then stole “multiple items including a television and firearm,” according to court records filed in Davidson County court.

He left his crime journal behind at another house that was also burglarized that same day, authorities say. He's got some 'splaining to do in court.

From coverage in The Nashville Tennessean:

Prosecutors say in court records Goddard dropped a notebook during the burglary that listed multiple addresses in it. One of those addresses was for another home a few miles away that had been burglarized that same day. The notebook also contained clues to the burglar's identity — notes from his daughter and her address.

Goddard was also caught on video kicking in the back door of a third house the following day, court records state.

Goddard was arrested last Tuesday and is currently held in Davidson County jail on at $15,000 bond for felony burglary and the

Read more: Burglar dropped notebook that tied him to another break-in, police say [tennessean.com, Brett Kelman, Published 2:23 p.m. CT Feb. 8, 2020] Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/10/burglary-suspect-dropped-noteb.html

Prosecutors released one of the make-believe athletic resumes that Lori Loughlin, aka Aunt Becky, manufactured to get her daughters into USC. Although neither daughter ever rowed a boat for any team, both pretended to be on crew teams when applying to college. The resume (below) says that one of her daughters (whose name is blacked out) had won many a medals, two gold, dating back to 2014. And her impressive coxswain skill-set includes "awareness, organization, direction, and steering." Check out Loughlin's (and husband Mossimo Giannulli's) handiwork:

Source: Insider

Top image: pxhere Resume image: District of Massachusetts/DocumentCloud Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/10/take-a-look-at-the-bogus-athle.html

Know Yourself is a set of 60 cards to prompt you to examine your beliefs. Example card: “List five things that are important to you in your life. How much of your time do you give to each of these?” The back of each card offers advice to make sure you answer the questions in a useful way. You can use their cards on your own or with another person you feel close to. Be prepared to surprise yourself. These could be good prompts for people interested in keeping a journal or writing a memoir. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/10/this-deck-of-cards-will-help-y.html

We all know sleep is important. But once you dig into the facts, you might be surprised at just how important it is. People who get adequate sleep each night tend to weigh less, exhibit better concentration and productivity, show fewer signs of heart disease and stroke and even suffer fewer mental health issues like depression than those who toss and turn every night.

Meanwhile, how well you sleep could link back to one incredibly basic factor: your pillow.  In addition to comfort, your pillow is supposed to be offering your neck and upper back support during your sleeping hours. Without the right support, you may be more restless, sleep-deprived and prone to all that ugly stuff above.

We can’t have it. So check out these three options for replacing your current pillow with one ready to do the nocturnal work you need.

Aloe Ice Pillow Gel - $81.99 (Originally $109)

If you ever felt a memory foam pillow left you a little too warm to sleep comfortably, then welcome to gel foam. The Aloe Ice contours to your head and neck like memory foam, but the water expanded gel infused with soothing aloe vera essential oil offers 3,000 times more airflow than other foam pillows. The result of all those breathable and heat-dissipating materials is the coolest, most comfortable night’s sleep imaginable.

Refresh Memory Foam Pillow - $73.99 (Originally $99)

Adapting to the natural shape of your body, the soft to the touch, pressure relief Refresh pillow is the pillow of choice for stomach and back sleepers as well as those that prefer a lower loft. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/10/check-out-three-premium-pillow.html

'Marijuana Moment' publisher Tom Angell tweeted today about the impact of impeached president Donald Trump's new budget on marijuana law in America.

Tom points out that the new Trump budget would:

• End state medical cannabis protections

• Keep blocking DC from legalizing marijuana sales

• Gut White House drug czar’s office

• Fund FDA “regulation of cannabis and cannabis derivatives”

• Support hemp implementation.

Here's an excerpt from Kyle Jaeger's analysis for marijuanamoment.net:

President Trump proposed ending an existing policy that protects state medical marijuana programs from Justice Department interference as part of his fiscal year 2021 budget plan released on Monday.

The rider, which has been renewed in appropriations legislation every year since 2014, stipulates the the Justice Department can’t use its funds to prevent states or territories “from implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.”

This isn’t the first time that an administration has requested that the rider be stricken. Trump’s last two budgets omitted the medical cannabis protections language, and President Obama similarly asked for the policy to be removed. In all cases, Congress has ignored those requests and renewed the protections in spending bills.

Read more:Trump Budget Proposes Ending State Medical Marijuana Protections And Blocking DC From Legalizing [marijuanamoment.net] Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/02/10/new-trump-budget-proposes-dele.html