Buzzfeed has a gallery of photos of popular tourist attractions, trains, and other usually crowded places in Italy, showing how most people are staying home.

Here's an alarming thread about what's happening in Italy right now.

Photo by Lopez Robin on Unsplash Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/10/photos-of-empty-public-spaces.html

Interested in learning how to set up a pheromone bucket trap to capture some western bean cutworms? This video produced by the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program should help!

Image: Yankech gary/Flickr, CC-BY 2.0 Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/10/772311.html

William Gibson, a 17-year-old dev from the U.K., created an online generator that produces the NHS's guide to washing your hands properly, but with song lyrics. Some of the more amusing mashups have gone viral on social media: one form of virus helping to fight another.

The one above, though, is a hand-made cut from the Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Forget singing in Happy Birthday twice: THIS is what you recite to tell you how long to wash your hands. H/t @ninjalampie pic.twitter.com/TjXMZCQbt2

 Reduced Shakespeare Company (@reduced) March 3, 2020

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/10/wash-your-hands-poster-generat.html

Look, I know that it's frigging hard to find hand sanitizer and toilet paper right now, but maybe ease back on the stick before you do anything extreme in the name of avoiding the Coronavirus. It should go without saying that doing a few rails and chugging bleach aren't going to cure much of anything, except, in the right quantities, a severe case of stupid.

According to CBS News, claims that garlic, masturbation (I'd be willing to give that one a go), bleach and cocaine have been showing up in bullshit Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts. It's disinformation that's making a growing international catastrophe that much harder for folks to understand. Worse still, it's in large quantities. Recently, the U.S. State Department discovered that over a three week period, around two million tweets jam-packed full of conspiracy theories and misinformation about the coronavirus were clogging up the internet—that's 7% of all of the content puked out onto the platform during that three week period. Twitter claims they're taking steps to sort out this idiocy, but we all know how effective that is. Facebook and YouTube? Same deal.

So yeah, if you're going to listen to anyone on social media blather on about what works and what doesn't when it comes to what'll stem the spread of COVID-19, let it be the World Health Organization's TikTok account.

Image via Pixabay Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/10/bleach-and-cocaine-do-not-a-co.html

What happens to the lightly-used blocks of hand soap, lotion and shampoo left in hotel rooms? They used to go in the trash, but in recent years a recycling program has taken off and sends sterilized, recycled bars and bottles to homeless shelters and foreign aid programs. Clean the World partners with Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, Disney and other resort chains and has made 50 million bars of soap in 11 years. In this video, Tech Insider takes a tour of the program. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/10/how-hotels-recycle-soap.html

Taking care of yourself is certainly trendy, but that doesn't mean everyone is doing it. Or at least, that doesn't mean everyone is doing it in ways that will really, truly care for their mental and physical health. That's where sleep comes in. Quality, quantity, and consistency in your sleep patterns will improve your life in almost every way.

Between work, blue light, relationship anxiety, and everyday adulting, our brains are frazzled. Relaxation and restful sleep can be hard to come by, but this feature-packed highly-rated meditation app will help anyone seriously chill out.

Relax Melodies is a doctor- and neuropsychologist-recommended sleep and meditation app that combines soothing sounds, bedtime stories, breathing techniques, body-mind exercises, and more to help you overcome insomnia, tinnitus, night-time anxiety, and daily stress. And if you somehow can't find the right audio for your needs, you can create your own, thanks to the very-cool DIY soundscape feature.

As recently as 2018 it was the most positively reviewed app in the history of the App Store, currently holding a strong 4.8 stars with over 180k ratings, not to mention the nearly 280k reviews and 4.6 stars in the Google Play store. That's a whole lot of people experiencing the most relaxed nights of their lives.

Get half off a lifetime subscription to the beloved Relax Melodies Meditation App for $124.99 and bring some calmness to your day anywhere, anytime from your iOS, watchOS, or Android device. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/10/this-top-rated-meditation-app.html

After a severe fever in 1776, Rhode Island farmer's daughter Jemima Wilkinson was reborn as a genderless celestial being who had been sent to warn of the coming Apocalypse. But the general public was too scandalized by the messenger to pay heed to the message. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the Public Universal Friend and the prejudiced reaction of a newly formed nation.

We'll also bid on an immortal piano and puzzle over some Icelandic conceptions.

Show notes

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https://boingboing.net/2020/03/10/a-genderless-evangelist-rode-t.html

I'm considering buying the Oxygen Solis [Amazon], a tactical EDC ceiling fan, and chanced across the YouTube channel Vintage Fans and More looking for opinions. It's a large collection of surprisingly informative reviews of ceiling fans, visits to fan manufacturers and ceiling fan trade shows, etc., and the creator is up-front about his connections to the trade.

He even has the perfect hairstyle for illustrating turbulent air vortices.

Vintage Fans & More is a unique place where past and present meet, and where the future is awaited with great anticipation. What began on YouTube as a preservation of yesteryear’s electric fans has grown to encompass not only fans from every era, but also other areas of lighting design and home decor. Expect an unexpected variety; this is a new expansion for VF&M in the greater world of design, spanning decades and bringing them together in one place.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/10/exhaustive-reviews-of-ceiling.html

For its 35th birthday, the quirky cult classic Pee-wee's Big Adventure is traveling the U.S. on a multi-city tour with its creator, Paul Reubens.

As I write this, the Pee-wee's Big Adventure 35th Anniversary Tour with Paul Reubens is about halfway through its now (nearly) sold-out tour and, let me tell you, the fans are bringing it. From handmade costumes, signs, and crafts to decking out their dogs (or kids) and decorating their nails, the amount of creativity folks have been bringing has been incredible to see.

I saw the show in San Francisco a little over a week ago and it. was. FANTASTIC. I was buzzing for two days afterward.

The great:

-- Electric vibe. Our phones were locked in a pouch for the event (not a biggie), which made us all really present. You could practically see the crowd's anticipation in the air; -- I won't spoil the surprise but the special pre- and post- movie footage made my eighties-lovin' heart burst with joy; -- The film absolutely stands the test of time — no question. In some ways, it felt like I was seeing it for the first time, spotting things I had never noticed before; -- It was a real happening. Folks were yelling out lines, singing, and hissing (at antagonist Francis Buxton, of course). much like a screening of Rocky Horror; -- Some fans wore costumes inspired by characters in the Pee-wee universe, everything from Big Adventure to the Playhouse (more on that below); -- Fun selection of merch, including some adorable Big Adventure candy hearts; -- and last, but by no means least, the stories Paul told about the making of the film were terrific and inspiring! Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/10/pee-wee-herman-fans-are-going.html

What with all the turmoil in markets, I thought it would be useful to repost this reassuring message from President George W. Bush, as broadcast early in the 2008 financial crisis. Read the rest

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https://boingboing.net/2020/03/10/a-brilliant-visual-illustratio.html

A female Komodo dragon named Charlie who lives at the Chattanooga Zoo had three hatchlings without ever having mated. Charlie's hatchlings were born last year but the zoo only recently determined via DNA testing that a male named Kadal who shared her habitat wasn't the father. Indeed, there was no father. Komodo dragons are capable of parthenogenesis, asexual reproduction that's very rare in vertebrates. From CNN:

Komodo dragons have evolved to reproduce both sexually and parthenogenetically because they mainly live isolated in the wild and become violent when approached, according to the zoo.

Parthenogenesis happens when another egg, rather than sperm, fertilizes an egg, according to Scientific American. The biological process of making an egg cell, called oogenesis, typically produces a polar body, which contains a duplicate copy of egg DNA.

"Normally, this polar body shrivels up and disappears. In the case of the Komodos, though, polar bodies evidently acted as sperm and turned ova into embryos," Scientific American said in 2006 when the first cases of parthenogenesis in Komodo dragons were reported.

image: Chattanooga Zoo press release Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/10/virgin-komodo-dragon-had-three.html

"Reckless Ben" (no relation to Wreckless Eric, as far as I know) and his pal made a 10-part documentary about how they infiltrated the Church of Scientology, started a religion called "Scientology Sucks," and launched a GoFundMe account to project the word "Sucks" on the Scientology building. While they projected the word on the building for a couple of hours on a recent evening, several people who may or may not have been Scientologists approached them on the sidewalk to have discussions with them. The Scientologists tried to block the projector with balloons, and also shine a bright light on the world to wash it out. Then the police came and politely told them they should probably stop, which they eventually did. But then they found out it was legal so they returned and did it again to other Scientology buildings. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/09/these-guys-projected-sucks.html

For professional or personal purposes, your writing should make you look good. Easier said than done for many—yes, even those of us getting paid to write. "Everyone needs an editor," as they say. Why not ensure you always have one, including in your pocket on your smartphone? Nail down your grammar, spelling, style, punctuation, and translation for all your authoring needs with WhiteSmoke's smart web-based writing reviewer.

Using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Statistical Machine Translation (SMT) technologies, WhiteSmoke not only corrects simple errors but also improves your writing style, tone, and clarity. Because it's web-based, the software can check your words for sentence structure, capitalization, and more from almost any device in almost any format.

Rely on it at work or at home to prevent typos in things like emails, reports, and applications as well as identify stylistic errors (including monotony and tenses) and suggest ways to correct them, helping you become a better writer over time. It can also find less-obvious or downright confusing punctuation errors, which may assist you in avoiding them in the future. A cool bonus feature is its ability to translate texts, websites, and more in over 50 languages, so whether you're looking to expand your marketing reach or understand a restaurant menu, you're covered.

Get a 5-year subscription to the well-rated WhiteSmoke Grammar Checker Web Plan for $39.99, a savings of 93%.

  Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/09/improve-your-writing-with-a-li.html

In this CNet piece, Gael Fashingbauer Cooper poses the question: should the "Live Long and Prosper" Vulcan greeting replace handshakes in the coronavirus era?

Hell, yes! Let's do this thing.

I've also seen the suggestion that we do the Hindu "Namaste" greeting. I like the Vulcan salute much better.

One of the things you may not know about the Vulcan greeting is that Leonard Nimoy himself came up with it, based on a secret benediction he had witnessed in Temple as a child. He was not supposed to look. He looked and saw the Rabbis giving the congregation this salute. He later found out that it represents the Hebrew letter, Shin, and that it is an invocation of the Shekhinah, the female aspect of God.

When it came time on the set of Star Trek to dream up some Vulcan greeting the first time Spock returns to his home planet, this V gesture was the first thing Nimoy thought of. Here he is telling the story of these origins.

It is amazing to realize that, all of these decades, we have been invoking the female aspect of God whenever we flash the Vulcan greeting. I don't know about you, but I think we could use more of such blessings right about now.

May you wash your hands (20 seconds, people!), not touch your face, and may you Live Long and Prosper. Image: YouTube Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/09/should-the-vulcan-greeting-rep.html

There is no treatment for the coronavirus, states the World Health Organization. That hasn't stopped televangelist and felon Jim Bakker from selling a purported cure to the pitiful people who watch his infomercials. Now the New York attorney general has warned Bakker than he can't claim that a concoction called Silver Solution he's peddling will cure coronavirus.

From ABC News:

During a Feb. 12 episode of the “The Jim Bakker Show,” guest Sherrill Sellman claimed that Silver Solution was able to eliminate some strains of the coronavirus.

Asked if the Silver Solution would be effective against the COVID-19 coronavirus, Sellman replied, "Let's say it hasn't been tested on this strain of the coronavirus, but it's been tested on other strains of the coronavirus and it has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours."

The attorney general sent Bakker a cease-and-desist order that stated:

"Your show’s segment may mislead consumers as to the effectiveness of the Silver Solution product in protecting against the current outbreak. Any representation on the Jim Bakker Show that its Silver Solution products are effective at combating and/or treating the 2019 novel coronavirus violates New York law.”

In 2017 Bakker warned that anyone who made fun of him will be punished by God, who will tell them "you sat there and you made fun of Jim Bakker all those years. I warned you." Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/09/ny-attorney-general-tells-conv.html

If you want to eat at Sichuan Impression, a small chain of restaurants in Los Angeles, don't show up with a fever (and please don't show up anywhere with a fever!). Since mid-January, the restaurant has stopped customers from entering until they have their temperature taken – with an infrared thermometer to avoid body contact.

According to the Los Angeles Times:

If someone is running a fever or exhibits other abnormal symptoms, employees help them contact medical services.

Those who refuse to have their temperature checked are declined service.

“We at Sichuan Impression respect and enjoy having our guests who come from all corners of the world,” the restaurant wrote in a Jan. 26 Instagram post. “Offering you a healthy and safe dining environment is also upheld as our top priority.”

For those not wanting to take any chances, Sichuan Impression, which is located in West LA, Alhambra, and Tustin, offers to-go food at a discount. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/09/a-los-angeles-restaurant-won.html

Black Mesa is a reimagining of the original Half-Life game, in development for years and published by Valve itself on Steam. For fans of the series, the trailer above offers plenty of chills; it's not simply a remake in Source engine form, but an licensed-but-unofficial reboot with all the best bits and new material besides. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/09/black-mesa-a-reimagining-of-t.html

I posted about Reuleaux Triangles in 2017, and here's another video about them. Like a circle, a Reuleaux Triangle is a shape with constant width. In other words, you can rotate a reuleaux triangle in a square with all four sides touching. In this video the Action Lab Man demonstrates Reuleaux Triangles and explains why they aren't good as wheels - they don't have a fixed center of rotation like a circle does. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/09/these-triangular-blobs-roll-li.html

Oogpister beetles are able to shoot formic acid into the eyes and mouth of would-be predators. In this BBC video you can see an oogpister teach a mongoose a painful lesson.

We also meet a defenseless lizard that has developed the same marking pattern on the oogpister beetle's shell in order to trick predators into thinking that it, too, can shoot acid from its rear end. So fearsome is the oogpister's reputation, that the lizard even imitates the way the oogpister runs.

The video also features a stick insect that "fires bitter tasting oils," and ants that "fire the sort of acid that gives nettles their sting."

It concludes with the biggest badass chemical weapon bug of them all: the fearsome bombardier beetle. "It can create a chemical reaction within its body so violent that boiling caustic liquid explodes out of its abdomen." It pulses the jet of acid 500 times a second to keep "its rear end just cool enough to prevent it from being cooked." Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/03/09/video-about-the-amazing-beetle.html