The last thing I did before the coronavirus lockdown really take off was a single one of my scheduled St. Patrick's Day music gigs. My rock band just released the first single off our upcoming album, and we know that we won't be able to play any shows to promote it for at least another year. Meanwhile, my wife has spent the last twenty years working exclusively in live theatre.

Performing arts are a central part of our lives, but we both know that they won't be coming back for a while — at least, not in the way we're used to.

So I do commend the UK for at least trying to come up with safety guidelines for indoor performances. But, like with restaurants re-opening here in the US, I, personally, do not plan on indulging in these activities for a long time. This is both for my personal safety, and because I am ethically incapable of sitting there passively while heavily-armored hazmat suits serve me.

Still, I watched with morbid fascination as Frank Turner, one of my favorite songwriters, prepped for one the UK's pilot programs at the Clapham Grand musical hall in London in order to test out the country's socially distanced concert guidelines. Asking Turner to participate in this test drive was a particular curious choice — his charismatic performances are built on communal experience, on crowd participation and singalongs and forcing you to interact with strangers (with courtesy and consent). But all of that had to be stripped away in order to adhere to the coronavirus rules. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/30/the-uks-pilot-program-fo.html

While we all like to think that we’re honest people, the truth is that little white lies spring up all the time. You don’t intend to lie. But through surprise or embarrassment or just a desire not to start a situation, falsehoods start tumbling out of your mouth.

Like the last time your dentist asked if you flossed. You probably said yes. That was probably a lie because we know only about 30 percent of us actually do floss every day. But at least we’re mostly honest about our lying because almost half of us admit we’ve exaggerating our flossing regimen to our dentist.

It’s usually not because you hate flossing. It’s just so easy to forget. However, that might no longer be the case with the help of something like the ToothShower Water Flosser Suite 2.0.

The ToothShower takes a stealthy approach to your flossing, working to encourage you to handle all of your oral hygiene tasks as part of your daily shower routine.

Unlike the mess of a countertop water flosser that inevitably sprays everywhere, the ToothShower hooks easily to your showerhead so you can handle the whole procedure right there in the shower with zero mess.

And this isn’t just an irrigating water spray in your mouth either since the ToothShower is actually a three-piece system. First, you can use the dual-headed toothbrush to scrub the fronts and backs of your teeth at the same time. Then, fire up the irrigating gum messenger, which both exercises your gums to increase blood flow while loosening plaque that can form at the gumline. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/the-toothshower-lets-you-brush.html

“The justice is resting comfortably and expects to be released from the hospital by the end of the week.”

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-ho.html

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/rubber-chicken-one-man-band-el.html

She does not look well.

In Richmond, Virginia, a white woman let loose the Karen at a George Floyd memorial protest, abusing people with racist slurs.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/white-woman-uses-racist-slurs.html

This video is very disturbing to watch, and includes racist language.

A white woman at a Silicon Valley area USPS facility is verbally abusing a postal worker with racist slurs.

Here's hoping she is held accountable. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/white-woman-verbally-abuses-po.html

Wally the wombat and Buggy the kangaroo each lost their mothers when each of them were just little babies.

Now they live at Lindoway Farm in Australia, where their caretaker says the inter-species friendship happened the moment they saw one another. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/wombat-and-kangaroo-are-friend.html

Danny Greenwald (@glassineasleep) is a Baltimore-based producer, sound designer, and composer. His work has been featured in such publications as The Washington Post, Pitchfork, and Vice. He makes music under the name Glassine. In this interview with The Wire creator David Simon, he asked Simon about how The Wire relates to the pandemic, The Plot Against America's critique on the current political moment, and his mother's matzo ball soup, among other things.

Glassine · Pandemic: An Interview with David Simon

Danny: Good Morning, Mr. Simon. How are you?

David: Hi, how are you?

Danny: First I want to tell you that back when this interview was going to take place in person my mom was dead set on making you matzo ball soup.

David: [laughs] Okay, well that is very kind of her. Thank you. Although it cannot compete with my mom's matzo ball soup. It's empirical.

Danny: So there are a few things I want to talk to you about. Obviously, there is COVID-19, there's your latest project, The Plot Against America, which I loved -- but I'd like to first start with a question that has to do with The Wire.

David: Sure.

Danny: When I first started hearing the word "pandemic" every day, I would invariably think of The Wire because of the brand name of heroin in the show. What led you to choose the name Pandemic?

David: Uhh, I don’t remember [laughs]. We called it a lot of different things, we kept changing it, and so I think we probably called it 10 or 20 different things. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/pandemic-an-interview-with-th.html

Good luck, Maine. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/new-lincoln-project-ad-calls-s.html

The mineral origin of Stonehenge is an ancient mystery now solved, thanks to the solving of more contemporary one: who absconded with core samples from a crumbling standing stone, drilled out in 1959 so it could be reinforced with rebar? One of the three cores was recently returned by an 89-year-old worker from the diamond company that performed the work six decades ago, and tests show that it came from a quarry only 15 miles north of the monument.

Researchers first carried out x-ray fluorescence testing of all the remaining sarsens at Stonehenge which revealed most shared a similar chemistry and came from the same area.

They then analysed sarsen outcrops from Norfolk to Devon and compared their chemical composition with the chemistry of a piece of the returned core.

English Heritage said the opportunity to do a destructive test on the core proved "decisive", as it showed its composition matched the chemistry of sarsens at West Woods, just south of Marlborough.

Stonehenge's smaller bluestones were already proven to be from a quarry in Wales. Their 142-mile journey probably involved a leg by boat, a logistical feat that would have been much more challenging for the larger cuts. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/stonehenge-core-sample-shows-m.html

For years, Python has remained one of the most popular and most effective programming languages around just because it’s so darn easy to use. From its simple programming syntax to its code readability and a command structure that’s almost like basic English, young coders intuitively start getting the Python process after a basic introduction.

Of course, an entire programming discipline doesn’t just effortlessly tumble into your brain. It does take some time and work to progress from first-time user to experienced coder to Python master. That’s a trajectory you’ll be more than equipped to follow with the training in The Python 3 Complete Masterclass Certification Bundle.

This package brings together seven different courses featuring more than 30 hours of training, leading beginning Python students through the fundamentals of building sites, apps and more with Python through to more advanced operations like database automation, statistical analysis, web scraping network programming and more.

The training begins with the centerpiece of this bundle, the four-part Python 3 Masterclass course, aimed directly at anyone short on exposure, but big on desire to start learning Python from scratch.

In Python 3 Complete Masterclass: Part 1, students dive into the Python pool, using relevant real-world examples and hands-on exercises to start working with Python strings and string methods, as well as how to handle syntax errors and exceptions when they happen. 

With Python 3 Complete Masterclass: Part 2, the scope widens into what Python can do with other real-life apps, including automation processes allowing Python to have Excel sheets populating themselves, create database tables, commit and roll back transactions, configure multiple devices at once and more. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/this-masterclass-in-python-tra.html

I bought this wall-mounted magnetic strip in 2015 to have easy access to tools I need for simple household tasks: opening packages, hanging pictures, assembling furniture, tightening loose nuts, installing door locks, measuring things, simple plumbing repairs, etc. It's much better than keeping the tools in a kitchen drawer because I can instantly find the tool(s) I need. The magnet is very strong, so I don't have to worry about a tool falling off. The strips come in various lengths. The one I bought is 24 inches long. The shortest I've seen on Amazon is seven inches. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/five-years-later-and-i-am-sti.html

Minnesota continues to be in the news for all the wrong reasons, this time thanks to a meme posted by the Wabasha County Republican Party comparing wearing a face mask to Jews forced to wear Stars of David under Hitler. Said official is no longer officially with the organization.

Jewish Community Action led the local response, pointing out they support mask wearing:

Given that Minnesota rabbis recently spoke out in favor of a mask mandate, comparing that mandate to the Holocaust feels especially disgusting. We ask the @MNGOP to tell Wabasha Republicans to stop using imagery like this. It betrays a total lack of both empathy and education. pic.twitter.com/xGMT3cUvvo

 Jewish Community Action (@JCA_MN) July 27, 2020

Earlier this month, a couple of Walmart patrons made the same analogy, which went over about as well.

Image: City Pages Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/republican-officials-spicy-h.html

Last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) gave a stirring response to now-disgraced Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) calling her a "fucking bitch."

Yesterday AOC posted "behind-the-scenes details" of how she decided how to respond. She included a page from her dot grid notebook with a rough outline of her speech. (What kind of notebook is it?)

I want to thank everyone for your immense outpouring of personal stories and support for one another after last week’s speech on the violence of misogyny and abuse of power in the workplace. I figured I’d share some behind-the-scenes details of what went into that moment.

Many have asked me if my speech was pre-written. The answer is no. But in some ways, yes. Yes because this speech was a recounting of thoughts that so many women and femme people have carried since the time we were children. It flowed because every single one of us has lived this silent script: stay silent (why?), keep your head down (for whom?), suck it up (to whose benefit?). But my chosen words were largely extemporaneous. I got to the House floor about ten minutes before my speech and scribbled down some quick notes after reflecting on what had transpired over the last few days. Pictured here are all the notes I had, and from there I improvised my composition and spoke live.

The evening before my speech, I did not know what I was going to say. I wrestled with this question: what is there to say to a man who isn’t listening?

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/take-a-look-at-aocs-notes-fo.html

Earlier this month the US Government built a fence in Portland, which is blocking a bike lane. Last week, the Portland Bureau of Transportation sent a cease-and-desist notice to the Fed Gov, demanding it removes the fence. So far, the Fed Gov has not responded, and now the City of Portland is fining Fed Gov $500 for every 15 minutes the fence remains. The fine is approaching $300,000.

This website has a counter that shows how much the feds currently owe Portland.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/portland-is-fining-the-us-gove.html

TEKOI was a Cold War era United States government installation in Utah that tested the solid-fuel rocket engines that powered Minutemen nuclear warheads. The site has long since been abandoned, and in this video, CGP Grey presents the history of TEKOI, which used footage from the video above. Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/a-visit-to-the-eerie-abandoned.html

"Is the government watching you through your computer camera? Does Google read all your Gmail? Does a strong password protect you from hackers? Will encryption keep my data safe?" Wired asked these questions to Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

 

  Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/the-effs-director-of-cyberse.html

Even mild cases of Coronavirus can result in lasting cardiovascular damage, according to a study published this week in JAMA Cardiology.

From The Week:

But a recent study of 100 recovered coronavirus patients reveals 78 of them now have lasting cardiovascular damage even though a vast majority of them had mild cases of COVID-19 in the first place.

The study published Monday in JAMA Cardiology details the results of cardiac MRI exams of 100 recovered coronavirus patients. Twenty-eight of them required oxygen supplementation while fighting the virus, while just two were on ventilators.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/78-of-100-recovered-coronaviru.html

Kinetic artist Joseph Herscher, maker of impractical and wonderful Rube Goldberg machines, created this delightful series of machine puzzles. I only got two correct! Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/can-you-solve-these-rube-goldb.html

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/29/scary-big-cat-spotted-in-uk-pu.html