A British corporate law firm has created a new unit that will help easily offended corporate giants track down and sue anonymous Internet forum posters. They will also target whistle-blowers. They specialize in figuring out how to get ISPs to turn over their subscribers' personal information.
A spokeswoman for Wragge said: "Courts can compel Internet Service Providers or telephone service providers to make information available regarding registered names, email addresses and other key account holder information.

One growth area is identifying individuals involved in leaking confidential information, such as client or financial details, to competitor companies. With the help of employment law specialists, the team can assist both in finding the source of such leaks and advising on any subsequent employment aspects."

Birmingham Wragge team to focus on online comment defamation (via Futurismic)

Cats with fraudulent diplomas

Skeptics who believe that a university is actually a diploma mill often prove their point by enrolling their cats in the university's program and seeing whether the cat can get a degree. Some enterprising Wikipedians have assembled a list of several such cats.
Colby Nolan is a housecat who was awarded an MBA degree in 2004 by Trinity Southern University, a Dallas, Texas-based diploma mill, sparking a fraud lawsuit by the Pennsylvania attorney general's office.[1]...

Ben Goldacre, a UK-based science journalist, obtained a diploma in nutrition from the American Association of Nutritional Consultants for his dead cat, Henrietta, while investigating allegations about fake qualifications.[5]

List of cats with fraudulent diplomas (Thanks, Fipi Lele!)

(Image: Count the cats!, a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike photo from Eva 101's Flickr stream)

If you're a self-identified vampire, "otherkin" or "energy worker," there's a Meetup for you in the Bay Area.
The Vampirism, Energy-work and Otherkin Society (VEOS) is a loosely-organized San Francisco based group. This group is open those identifying as vampire (sang or psy), donor, otherkin, and to those who wish to learn more about such topics. Other energy-workers are also welcome, so long as you have no problem with the vampiric side of energy work.

This group is NOT open to role-players, recruiters of any type, or those seeking to promote any form of religion (discussion about religion is OK, preaching is not).

You know, I bet it's actually a pretty nice night out. As one member says, "we are all nice people and we have a good time when we get together."

Welcome to Bay VEOS (via JWZ)

DMCA takedown shirt

We'll never know what was originally intended for this Techdirt tee, but we can see the aftermath of the takedown notice it attracted!

DMCA Takedown T-shirt (Thanks, Dennis!)

Teen sex belongs in teen lit

My latest Locus column, "Teen Sex," explains why I think young adult literature should have sex -- and other "mature" topics -- in it.
There's really only one question: "Why have your characters done something that is likely to upset their parents, and why don't you punish them for doing this?"

Now, the answer.

First, because teenagers have sex and drink beer, and most of the time the worst thing that results from this is a few days of social awkwardness and a hangover, respectively. When I was a teenager, I drank sometimes. I had sex sometimes. I disobeyed authority figures sometimes.

Mostly, it was OK. Sometimes it was bad. Sometimes it was wonderful. Once or twice, it was terrible. And it was thus for everyone I knew. Teenagers take risks, even stupid risks, at times. But the chance on any given night that sneaking a beer will destroy your life is damned slim. Art isn't exactly like life, and science fiction asks the reader to accept the impossible, but unless your book is about a universe in which disapproving parents have cooked the physics so that every act of disobedience leads swiftly to destruction, it won't be very credible. The pathos that parents would like to see here become bathos: mawkish and trivial, heavy-handed, and preachy.

Cory Doctorow: Teen Sex
 Artwork Darth-Vader-Sm

BB pal Tim Biskup has a show of paintings and sculptures opening at the Barracuda Shop in Los Angeles next Friday evening, November 13. The show, titled "I Hate Everyone But You," will also feature prints by designer Matt Goldman and runs until December 3. Dig Biskup's psychedelic Vader above? Check out his take on Astroboy after the jump.

Cheeseburger parts coaster set

Burgercoastttt This "collectible" and curious coaster set from Wendy's is up for auction on eBay. The starting bid is $9.99. According the listing, "All pieces are in EXCELLENT condition except the corner of the cheese has a small chip but still very usable."
"Collectible Wendy’s Restaurant Hamburger Coaster Set" (Thanks, Michael-Anne Rauback!)

Big Ben strikes Twitter: BONG!. [Thanks, Brian!]

The OpenOffice Mouse

oomousep3.jpg It supports Windows, Linux, and Macintosh operating systems, will retail for $74.99, and is not a joke. [OpenOfficeMouse]

What's courage? When the Fort Hood gunman turned and shot at her, she ran toward him. She ran toward the bullets, firing. NYT profiles firearms expert Kimberly Munley.

makers_bb.jpg

Stealthy anti-whaling powerboat

Seashepepep
That is not Batman's boat but rather Earthrace, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's ultraslick bio-diesel-powered anti-whaling speedboat. It's 80-feet long and very stealthy. Next month, it will head out to the seas around Japan to, er, protest the country's whaling industry. Life magazine has photos of Earthrace currently docked in Auckland, New Zealand. (Click image to see full photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images.) "Superbad Anti-Whaling Stealth Boat"

The dead don't just get up and walk off. No. They need felonious help for that. Mental_floss has a fun piece on five great grave robberies (some more successful than others)--with guest corpses ranging from Charlie Chaplin to Abe Lincoln.

John McCain does not love baby sea turtles. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow does. I'm gonna side with the @maddows on this one.

MacHeist is giving away a set of Mac apps free of charge, including Writeroom and Twitteriffic.

Alleged shooter in yesterday's Fort Hood massacre bought his "cop killer" pistol legally at Guns Galore, in Texas. The ammo can pierce bulletproof vests. (via Danger Room)

Octopus pretending to be seaweed

BocasResearchStation sez, "This video shows an octopus cleverly trying to camouflage itself amongst seaweed in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Hiding is the primary defense mechanism for these creatures, and this little guy is making use of branches of algae to try to get by unseen."

An Octopus Pretending to be Seaweed (Thanks, BocasResearchStation!)

Thessaly sez, "For those who wish Halloween wasn't over: Caitlin Roper holds the record for making the world's largest collection of jack-o-lantern grapes. She cut the lids of six grapes and hollowed them out before hand-carving faces into each one. They may also possibly be the world's SMALLEST jack-o-lanterns, but this is not verified."

Largest Collection Of Jack-O-Lantern Grapes (Thanks, Thessaly!)

Documentary about paper folding



The trailer above is for Between The Folds, a new feature documentary film presented by PBS's Independent Lens. You can view the whole film on PBS on December 8 or at one of Independent Television Service's free Community Cinema screenings upcoming around the country. From MAKE:
The film documents "a determined group of theoretical scientists and fine artists who have abandoned their careers and scoffed at their graduate degrees to forge new lives as modern-day paper folders."

Featured in the film are MIT's youngest-ever tenured professor Dr. Erik Demaine; mathematician, sculptor, puzzle maker, and self-taught computer scientist Marty Demaine; master free-style folder Vincent Floderer; pioneering Israeli educator Miri Golan; mathematics professor Dr. Tom Hull; trained artist and instructor Paul Jackson; one of the most technically accomplished folders in the world, Eric Joisel; one of only a few handmade origami papermakers in the world, Michael LaFosse; origami "hyper-realist" and physicist Dr. Robert J. Lang (who was profiled in CRAFT Volume 05); material artist with a masterful understanding of patterns and geometry, Chris K. Palmer; and the father of modern origami, Akira Yoshizawa.
More clips from the film after the jump!

let_it_bleed_ziggy_stardust_0.jpg

Next year, the UK's Royal Mail will sell 1st class stamps that feature images of 10 famous British album covers. The postal service collaborated with music mag editors and design writers to come up with the list — interestingly, no Beatles albums were chosen, but artists represented include Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, David Bowie, and The Rolling Stones.

I wish the USPS would do something like this instead of boring us with stamps decorated with bells and reindeers.

Studio Dempsey via Creative Review

Face painting art

James Kuhn is a Michigan-based artist who likes to paint his own face in the most intricate, creative ways. I love the one where he puckers up to represent a dog's butt. I've always wondered what my mouth would look like as an anus. James Kuhn's Flickr via Web Urbanist... more

Woman escapes handcuffs multiple times

When Shannon McCarthy of Blue Ash, Ohio, was arrested last night -- after police saw her drunk and walking into oncoming traffic -- she escaped from her handcuffs. Not once. Not twice. But three times. So police tased her. (Thanks, Charles Pescovitz!)... more

Tattooed Under Fire: the tattoos and lives of soldiers at Fort Hood

Marisa Kakoulas at the excellent tattoo blog Needles and Sins writes about Tattooed Under Fire, a documentary by Nancy Schiesari on the tattoos -- and lives -- of soldiers at Fort Hood. The film was created long before yesterday's mass shooting, and will air on public television stations aroun... more

Car thief steals car to drive to court

Samuel George Botchvaroff of Oakland, California didn't have a car to get to court for his auto theft case, so he stole one. (Thanks, Jess Hemerly!)... more

Glottal Opera: vocal chords on video

This is the Glottal Opera, featuring the vocal chords of the band Kaya: Sally Stevens, Alexi Kaye, Emma Deans and Juleiaah Boehm. John Fink directed the video and Deborah Szapiro was producer. (Thanks, Dean Putney!) Previously:Mel Blanc's vocal cords - Boing Boing ... more

Doc Marten's with glow-in-the-dark skeletal feet

It's been a good 20 years since I had a real hankering to wear Doc Marten's around, but I have to say I'm tempted by these skeleton boots whose bones glow in the freaking dark! 1914 BONES 14 EYE BOOT BLACK LAMPER (via Street Anatomy) ... more

Leaked text of secret copyright treaty vs. bland bureaucratic press-release describing same

Michael Geist sez, "The latest round of Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (the secret copyright treaty) talks have now wrapped up with the usual bland press release confirming that the talks focused on Internet and criminal enforcement, indicating that the next meeting will be in Mexico in Janu... more

Freemasonry, Dan Brown, and the New New Age

Freemasonry and the New Age Guestblogger Arthur Goldwag is the author of "Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies: The Straight Scoop on Freemasons, The Illuminati, Skull and Bones, Black Helicopters, The New World Order, and many, many more" and other books. On September 15, 2009, THE... more

Nouveau Oldtime Jam: Blind Boy Paxton, Dom Flemons (of Carolina Chocolate Drops), and Frank Fairfield

(Watch video: YouTube, Dotsub, or download MP4.) A quick little goodie from Boing Boing Video. Last night, I sat in on a live recording session at Santa Monica's Village Studios with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, described as "African-American string band revivalists." They were amazing:... more

An Insider's View of the Fort Hood Tragedy

Yesterday, a shooter opened fire on America's largest Army base, killing 13 and injuring many more. As of this morning, 27 people were still in the hospital. The alleged shooter, Maj. Hasan Nidal Malik, was at first reported dead. Since then, it's been confirmed that he survived and is in custody.... more

Recent Comments

  • "Awful lot of Maddow's on BB these days huh? I admit I lean left, but MSNBC is no better then FOX news when it comes to opinion/crap reporting. Be fair...."
  • "And you could have it, Dave- there are more legally-held firearms per capita in Canada than in the US. It's not a huge problem because of the mind control devices they have up there, set on 'nice'...."
  • "@ PeterNBiddle; I guess you missed the part where there's been a century of armed conflict here in Northern Ireland and that that (armed, as all NI police officers are) constable was personally targeted and assassinated by the same group who'd killed two soldiers two days before? In Northern Ireland, we don't have "normal" gun crime (we don't even really have many "normal" crimes in general.) Please don't use us as a rhetorical weapon in gun control issues- we don't have a dog in that race. It got blown up..."
  • "What about paintball or hunting? You don't necessarily need an M16 to retain these skills. And your right to practice with these guns isn't more important than everybody's right to live in a safer society...."
  • "There are a lot of things that I like, including baby turtles. But I know the difference between "I like X" and "I want to take money from my neighbor's paycheck, under threat of imprisonment, to support X"..."
  • "#22 - Good point! Considering that the secret of the 31st degree was the introduction to our purple alien monkey masters, I thought the 32nd degree's 'love' was a bit of a let-down. Perhaps I should restate my preface as, 'imagine my disappointment.' Ahem. But really, with all of the secrecy and speculation surrounding the Craft, I'm not sure what I expected, but I think I anticipated something more controversial or earth-shattering. I was young and naive...."
  • "get off it. you just put those words into a gibberish generator, didn't you?..."
  • ""If a campus shooter was wearing a swastika, we probably wouldn't characterize the shooting as a Nazi attack." Your observation is correct for 2009, when only the likes of Mike Malloy's audience truly believe Naziism is alive and well. Had the attack taken place in 1943, when Goebbels' madrassas were preaching hate of "Rosenfeld's America", the view could easily have been different...."
  • "Here's why I purchase books that include teens having sex/doing drugs/etc for my library: it's better for kids to explore these issues between the covers of a book than to try it in real life. Even though kids're going to do what they're going to do, all of these things are risky behaviors (pregnancy, disease, social awkwardness, etc) and if they can think twice first and really explore the issue emotionally, they may make a better decision, or at least be safer about risky behavior. ..."
  • ""You wouldn't need a gun if less bad guys owned one." Possibly true. If I moved to a country with little crime, (Canada, maybe?) I don't think I'd be making the same safety argument. But pistol shooting is also a skill. It's an Olympic sport. And taxpayers spent a lot of money teaching me how to do it. (I'm an Army Officer) And it's a skill I'd like to retain. So even if I moved to Canada, I'd probably still want a firearm with which to practice...."