And when all is said and done, daddy still doesn't give him the attention he needs.

Tangental, but has anyone uncovered the deal with Zappos ratings? Yeah, it's sneakers and shoes, but there are SOOO many glowing reviews of ANY piece of footwear it's highly dubious how those reviews got placed.

Welcome. I'm Lando Calrissian. I'm the administrator of this cutlery. And who might you be?

I'm not coming home drunk to that.

I'm getting one of these for Wile E. Coyote after he gets out of the hospital. Does ACME sell them?

So is "HARVEYBOING" a sock-puppet of a Boing Boing staffer? Because said commenter has only posted 3 comments. All of them here.

@ #196 POSTED BY ROB
You expect the hookers to be invincible? People can be killed in game. Hookers are people. Therefore, hookers can be killed. No large leaps of logic there.
Okay, then how can you explain why comedians in the comedy club can't be shot at or killed? You want satire, how about being the ultimate heckler. Or have a comedian suddenly pull out an Uzi and fight back.

Or as #195 (ANTINOUS) points out, why can't the women in GTA have the same weaponry as men in the game?

That's all there is to it in the sandbox. Nothing more, nothing less. Anything else is what you are reading into it on your own. Sandbox games, by definition, can't be on rails. You can do things outside the story, that's part of the point of these games. Anything you do of your own free will, not driven by the story is your own, not part of what is woven by Rockstar.

"Sandbox" games are still on rails, you just don't see them as clearly. Are you able to—for example—able to operate outside the overriding premise of the game? No. I mean, why not give people an option to rent a studio apartment and sleep all day and then get a job as a barista. Or what about giving people an option to sell stuff on "Craplist" to score points. Seriously. Or what about giving hookers an STD or street safety pamphlet?

Now you might say "What kind of BS is that?" but here's the thing. You really AREN'T given much of any choice to do anything beyond defined boundaries in GTA. So this idea that it's a sandbox is canard at best. The reality is you can avoid doing things, but to progress in the game you ultimately need to find those proverbial rails and ride them.

@ #187 POSTED BY GLUGENWOG
Can you explain what they're doing to market this to kids?
Read what you said immediately after that.

(Other than making a product that inherently and unfortunately seems to attract kids like flies to honey.)
The "unfortunate" you're claiming is your spin on this. The reality is they are in full control of what they create and how it looks/acts/behave. If they wanted to create a game where there were male hookers as well as female hookers, they could have created it. If they wanted to allow comedians in their comedy club to be shot, they could.

Maybe instead of studying deep marketing, you should step back and not look at outward ad efforts, but more the look/shape/feel of what they create.

If I setup a bakesale stand and decide to sell cupcakes that are pink, that act in itself is making my product be targeted towards girls. And if I made it blue, it would be inherently marketed towards boys. But I don't have to put up a sign or sticker or even say anything to do that.

THAT is at the most basic level how marketing works.

Homer Simpson learned this when shooting shotguns outside of the Bowlarama.

@ #85 POSTED BY JOHN BROWNLEE
You guys who want BBG to have the same tone as BB are going to be perpetually disappointed, so you may as well make your exit now, because things are only going to get more different. ... Aping the same tone, being the same kind of site as Boing Boing was not what we were hired to do, nor is BBG meant to reach out to the exact same readers. It is a different site entirely, and you can either accept that, or move on. You've chosen to move on. Sorry to see you go, but we're not losing any sleep over it.

Whatever the tone is, the hostility—void of real criticism—of the original post combined with the defensiveness of your criticism doesn't sit well at all.

I don't think people come to BBG to get another version of BB, but we also don't come here to read nonsensical rants against something as hack a subject as Apple Store "Geniuses". Jokes, slams and comments against them appeared years ago when they first appeared. And when you distill it to it's core it's simply the same old "Those people at the repairshop know nothing..." premise. You can say the same thing about contractors, garage mechanics and others. Customer service rants (pro or con) are not new and it's tiresome.

Please, rise above the tech blog crowd. Don't sink below.

@ #182 POSTED BY JCCALHOUN , MAY 1, 2008 5:03 PM
The average age of videogame players is 35. http://www.theesa.com/facts/index.asp (that is a study put out by the videogame rating board so it might be biased)
You said it.

Roy Lichtenstein made paintings with "broad black lined illustrations with bright solid colors which make it look like a comic book or cartoon" so were those for children?
His work was inspired by and based on taking comics and transforming them into a different medium. Not a fair comparison.

Finally, the whole advertising thing is an example of how videogames are held to a different standard than other forms. One season, the Sopranos was advertised with arms sticking out of the trunks of taxis and with shoes in cement in shoe store windows. In Scotland they went so far as to put stickers in taxis that looked like blood splatters and bullet holes for the Sopranos. No one complained about those, so why complain about videogame advertising that is much less graphic?
Because The Sopranos is a show made for—and targeted to—adults. And a handful of stunts is wildly different than a whole ad campaign.

Does HBO place The Sopranos stickers outside of skater shops? No. But Rockstar does. Ditto with sponsorship of concerts, events and festivals targeted towards teens and young adults.

They know exactly what they are doing and have done a great job. Too bad what they are selling has some heavy moral issues that make people question their tactics.

@ #180 POSTED BY GLUGENWOG
Kids should not be playing this game. I'm just not understanding the arguments that it's Rockstar's fault that it finds its way into their hands.

You're defense of Rockstar's marketing tactics and denial of the game being marketed towards kids reminds me of people who were in denial that Joe Camel was used to market cigarettes to kids. I think you should do some research into the ways marketing works and how things that shouldn't be directly marketed towards kids are being virally/stealth marketed towards.

just because they appeal to kids as well, doesn't mean they're being marketed AT kids

If it appeals to kids, and a company makes it and pushes those buttons, it's being marketed to kids. Rockstar is not some scrappy company that is just putting out stuff because it is cool. They are very conscious of how to market and push buttons and the GTA series is made to appeal to kids. Specifically boys 12-16; right in the middle of puberty. Which is why the game itself is sickening.

@ #179 POSTED BY ROB
You've played GTA and don't see the satire?
I never said I did not see the satire. I do see it, but the "satire" is not the purpose of the game. It's window dressing on a first-person-shooting game and not much else. Remove the gameplay from the equation and simply have the story as-is and people would call the satire for what it is: Hacky, lazy and lame.

While you're at it, read some satires like Huck Finn, Modest Proposal, Candide, 1984.
I've read a few of those, and those have staying power beyond GTA4. If the "satire" of GTA still lasts into 2009 Rockstar should consider themselves lucky.

@ #178 POSTED BY MEENEECAT
I don't understand why some people are being so defensive and wetting their pants over some valid criticism.
I think you can blame the whole initial tone of the post decrying others who criticise GTA4. Between this post and the one on BB Gadgets decrying Apple "Geniuses" for no valid reason, I'm pretty disappointed with the base level blog-baiting going on here. I come to this place to read something better than what other blogs have to say; not read knee-jerk posts that are better suited to others.

But kudos again to Rockstar's marketing team for doing such a great job creating passionate consumers of their product.

@ #170 POSTED BY GLUGENWOG
Also, it is possible that I'm blind here, but can you explain how this is being targeted specifically toward kids? And by that, I mean how is it being directed toward kids using means that aren't also appealing toward those that are 17+.

First and foremost, as a video game it's inherently something tracked to appeal to kids. Second, just the artwork used for the promotion of the game itself: broad black lined illustrations with bright solid colors which make it look like a comic book or cartoon. Yes, we all know adults read comics as well, but comics and animation are mainly a medium of youth; you won't find graphic novels in senior centers.

Beyond that, one needs to only look towards Rockstar's "street team" efforts. Stickers and murals in NYC are being placed in areas where people under 20 will be seeing it. They aren't placing posters outside of museums or nightclubs. But in lower Manhattan and the Village where teens hang out.

GTA action figures are also out there.

Now any critic can dissect this and say it's over analysis, but look at the marketing for the movie Iron Man: Similar in many respects and it's a film targeted towards kids. But nobody is taking them to task for it because it's accepted that it's for kids.

But most of the so-called "satire" in the game is really on the level of a teen or pre-teens understanding. Does any adult actually think renaming "Craigslist" to "Craplist" is a witty satire designed to stimulate an adult mind?

And beyond that if you can't see how the "forbidden fruit" aspect of this game is being pushed to the limits in getting kids enticed to get the game, I can't explain it anymore.

@ #162 POSTED BY GLUGENWOG , MAY 1, 2008 3:17 PM
I don't think most people are trying to silence the critics here, they're just getting frustrated at the "critics" who haven't played the game. Seriously, you do have to play it to judge it - what do you think they mean by the term "sand-box genre."

That's ridiculous. I've played other GTA games on friend's setups, and never completed them. Why? Because I'm just not into a game that is that hateful and vengeful and cynical towards the world. It's in no way a satire and anyone claiming it as such is just a tad brainwashed.

The issue with this argument of having to had to "fully play the game" is it's not analogous to books, film or even theater. The amount of time one would need to devote to playing GTA to the end is not worth most people's time. Thus you have these naturally polarized points of view. On the one hand you have GTA zealots who want to justify the hours spent on the game, so they won't dare say anything remotely critical. On the other you have non-GTA folks who just don't want to spend time playing a game like that for any reason.

And the general sense is even if one magically is able to get a critic of GTA to play the game to the end, and then after that the critic holds their ground and says "You know, it's misogynistic, cynical and very negative..." they would still be shot down for other reasons.

The reality is this. Either you want to spend hours of your life immersed in such a cynical game/world or you don't. I actually don't want to deny anyone the right to play this game, but let's not place a game on a pedestal as a way of self-justifying the highly negative content in the game. And the fact it's being targeted to kids (seriously if you don't accept that you're blind to how marketing works) makes it all even worse.

@ #121 POSTED BY SCHMEIS:
Now that's funny. Films are created outside of the scope of marketing??? Really?? Any time a large amount of money is spent on something that will be sold to the public Marketing is involved. Yes, this includes theater.

There are—indeed—films, books & theater created solely based on marketing needs. But there is a greater variety of works created by individual voices with messages beyond marketing in films, books & theater than there are in video games. Nobody is sitting around the table at Rockstar saying, "You know, I think crime is a problem in society, and I think we should create a game about it so we can address this societal ill."

Any humor/satire/depth in games are secondary to gameplay and marketability. Not the same with films, books & theater.

@ #134 POSTED BY ROB , MAY 1, 2008 10:34 AM
@Jack: "It's far easier for kids to get their hands on games than it is to see movies and we all know it. Granted nowadays it's a tad easier to see R-rated films if you are a kid thanks to file-sharing but still."

Better tell the FTC. Games and theaters have the same level of age enforcement. DVDs however, have very pathetic enforcement. So cut with the "everybody knows it" crap, especially when it's wrong.

This is pretty amazing. When I was a kid, it was hard to get into R-rated movies and buying even model glue required my dad coming along.

Flash forward to now and you have two things that make age level enforcement a joke at best: Internet stores and sales-person indifference.

In the case of age enforcement with video games, just order it online or have someone else do it. Very easy. Or better yet, go to a big box retailer and just buy it. Most of the staff is underpaid and doesn't care. Better yet, go to the small mom & pop video game store and buy it. They are desperate for sales and will simply sell it. In the case of sneaking into movie theaters, sneaking into movies is easier nowadays more than ever. Heck in the past 7 years I'm amazed at how many times I haven't had my ticket checked. This is part of the reason folks go to automated ticketing machines, buy a "senior" priced ticket and then just walk in. The staff doesn't really care. And heck, even if they did care, just buy a ticket to a PG or G movie and then just walk into the R rated film.

What's amazing about the comments here are how blind and zealous the fans are. To the point of stifling any criticism. If you want video games to be treated on the same level as other forms of media, you need to let people speak their mind. Nobody is getting up in arms about criticism about Madonna's new album. But dare say there is *GASP* sexism in GTA games and suddenly you're piled on by blind fans. THAT is why the genre will never get any level of serious criticism; oversensitivity.

@ #94 POSTED BY GRIMMWAY:
Based on your comments there is one overarching rule for any GTA game: Don't ever dare have an opinion that dares to criticize anything about the GTA franchise.

Not everyone who saw "Birth of a Nation" went out and lynched a black person either, that doesn't mean we're not allowed to talk about how fucked up it's portrayal of people of color is and what that says about society at the time it was made.

Now you're making no sense at all since all you are doing is trouncing people here who dare to say anything against GTA or Rockstar games at all. FWIW, "Birth of a Nation" didn't make people instantly jump out and commit racist acts, but it did enforce and legitimize wretched behavior and validated it to the masses.

It's not a reflection of society nor is it a deep polemic on the aches/pains of society. And in a decade or less nobody will care about or write about the game, because it's shelf life would have expired and the hype would be dead.

Video games like GTA are not created outside of the scope of marketing; that's why it will never approach the level of criticism that films, theater and literature get. Nobody at Rockstar is saying "Hey this is a great commentary on society's ills, lets make it!" That—more than anything—is the reason video games will never get any respect in the world of critical thought. Anyone lamenting games as seriously medium of creative expression really needs to take that into account.

Enjoy the game, but please... Don't put it on a pedestal it doesn't deserve.

Nobody is buying GTA for the story or poignancy or the humor or the satire. But kuds to their R&D and marketing team for making people believe their is depth there that simply doesn't exist.

@ #89 POSTED BY GRIMMWAY
Jack, if you think R rated movies are harder to get hold of then games you are living in a fantasy realm. The last time I saw a Blockbuster employee card a movie renter they were still renting VHS.

Perhaps you missed the full sentence where I said:
"Not a fair comparison. It's far easier for kids to get their hands on games than it is to see movies and we all know it. Granted nowadays it's a tad easier to see R-rated films if you are a kid thanks to file-sharing but still."

@ #89 POSTED BY GRIMMWAY
It's not a 'psychotic nightmare' and if you'd bother to learn anything more than what some reactionaries feed you you'd know that.

I've fed myself by playing various incarnations of GTA and the premise is always the same: There are no rules to the world, everyone is out to get you, and the only way to win to to go against them. That's pretty much a psychotic/cynical nightmare.

@ #72 POSTED BY MATT SANDERSON:
"Movies like Pulp Fiction and The Departed are clearly not intended for children, and neither is this game."

Not a fair comparison. It's far easier for kids to get their hands on games than it is to see movies and we all know it. Granted nowadays it's a tad easier to see R-rated films if you are a kid thanks to file-sharing but still.

This game is not marketed as an adult game only to adults. It's very much marketed to kids with the ESRB rating being window dressing and not much else.

"...but I'll certainly defend their right to make it and sell it."

They have a right to make and sell it, and consumers have a right to voice their concerns. The ability to form yourself as a corporation doesn't shield one from public scrutiny. Rockstar Games is not some scrappy nerdowell company; why people defend them as if they are their personal pals is hilarious IMHO.

Actually I just discovered something interesting about the game via some comedy pals. There is a comedy club in GTA4, and there are digital versions of comedians there. But guess what you can't do to them? Shoot or kill them. Hypocrisy anyone?

So you know, that is what really gets me. For all the talk about the game being "open" and exportable, it's actually just a bigger predefined maze game where certain people—women and hookers—can be treated like crap, but others—such as comedians—can't have the same things done to them.

Ultimately the game presents the pretense and highly marketed pretense of "choice" and "exploration" with the reality being that you are being guided down a very specific path.

I actually grew up playing video games and going to arcades to place electro-mechanical shoot-em-up games. Shooting plastic ducks and random targets is one thing. This is something much more destructive and negative. Halo, Quake, Unreal and others are violent but morally neutral; this game is anything but. And that's what really sickens a lot of people.

You know why games like Katamari Damacy, Guitar Hero and Wii games are so popular and considered "revolutionary"? They drop the violence as the main motivating factor in gameplay and truly create worlds you can be a part of. For Guitar Hero's world is limited in the game, but the social interaction expands the world it exists in.

GTA4 is just a cynical psychotic nightmare of a game that pushes buttons but actually doesn't give much back in return.

Onion head would be: “Slaves Unware They Were Making Freedom Flags, Are Slaves”

I already aired my dismay that Boing Boing is helping to promote this overhyped game, but geez louise, so nobody can say ANYTHING critical about hyper-violent and overly sexual games like GTA that are clearly marketed to teens?

Sorry but you know there is something amiss when people can't call crud for crud. And what is AMAZING about the current GTA release is how much they are couching what they do as being "satirical". How many new blurbs and reports repeat that "This is a satire..." mantra?

This isn't satire. This is a mass-marketed misogynist game that is specifically targeted towards teens no matter what Rockstar's company line is. They know their market. They know how to push the right buttons. And it's amazing how many people are drinking the proverbial Kool Aid.

Anyone remember when video games weren't all based on sociopathic murder fantasies?

Okay, with the overhype surrounding this game—and more people not caring than Rockstar flacks would actually admit—why is a quality blog like Boing Boing actually adding to the Rockstar promotion machine?

How would you feel if you woke up one day and your broken couch was suddenly "magically" repaired?

I'd be so freaked out I'd move as well!

Well, would it be Kosher? Or would toy companies now have to come up with pig plastic and non-pig plastic toys?

I like the fact he’s wearing a suit and tie. A far cry from the sweats and polo shirts techs wear today.

But you know what is also funny? The TV backpacks (tape machines) that some TV crew members wear in the film Dog Day Afternoon. It would be nice to see a survey of backpack tech items from ye olden days.

Tangental, but as someone who often buys watches that work, but have straps that crap out for various reasons, maybe a Boing Boing post on cool and sturdy watch straps is in order.

Top 10 or top 20, that's cool. But top 50? That's a bit insane!

I'm going back to watching sleepy dogs and talking cats on YouTube.

They are amazing! But fair warning to people who will first experience them on CD: It's cliche, but it doesn't come close to seeing them live.

If you can go see them live, you should.

Here's a solution for the anti-graffiti folks: Use stencils but use chalk. Or use something water soluble.

“A Veteran MAD Man Remains in the Fold”? Bleagh!

The NY Times screwed up by not calling the piece: “Al Jaffee Snappy Answers to Stupid Reporter’s Questions”.

Also, I bought most all of my copies of MAD used, but sometimes wanted to get a fold-in I would fold myself, so I’d spring for the extra few dimes and get a fresh new one... That is if people at the newsstand didn’t fold it in before I grabbed it!

Cool stuff! But the Amazon link above goes to an out-of-print edition that resellers on Amazon sell for $70 and upwards. Here's the in print edition for $26-$19 depending on who you get it from:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3865213936/

So what happens if you don’t turn the key?

This is awesome!

While I eat better and am a member of a local food co-op, every vitamin loon I have ever met is simply a new age hypochondriac. Much in the same way many (not all) people who go on extreme vegan diets are simply new age anorexics.

Yes, some vitamins help. And if you know what your deficiencies are, even better. But simply eating better and limiting junk will do more and make you feel better than piles of vitamins that most get passed through the body and do nothing.

I've never felt better in my life since cutting down on the vitamins some OCD friends recommended and simply adopted a better diet.

Heck, taking too many vitamins can damage your body and damage your liver worse than drugs or alcohol.

#7 POSTED BY PYROS , MARCH 25, 2008 5:14 PM
Within our lifetimes the cataracts will be lifted, and the the horrific extent of our former enslavement will finally become apparent.

Of for the love of over-dramatism, please lets end with the "enslavement" nonsense.

I agree with a lot of what Clay is saying, but I cannot stand it when people describe current politics of whatever era they are in as enslavement.

As a child of immigrants I have always had conflicts with other people in the U.S. who are not immigrants based on one simple fact. Most 2nd generation and above American's are just lazy and heck. When you come from a poor place and want something better you'll look at the opportunities in front of you and grab them. That is the foundation of my family’s—and many other immigrant families—experience; we don't have too much shame in doing work others scoff at to get ahead.

Fast forward just one generation and what do you have? People who do have more opportunities but rarely take them or even understand why they should.

So the problem I see here is technology does give people more freedom... Only if they choose to use it. Remember despite all the great ways to communicate and collaborate nowadays we have a president in office who by all rights should be impeached, but he isn't. We're mired in a war that more people are ambivalent about than truly angry about. And unlike the energy crisis of the 1970s, people are still driving gas guzzling SUVs and assert their "rights" as citizens to drive what they want despite a crisis being at hand.

Honestly none of these new ways of collaborating will mean anything if you still have lazy blobs of meat sitting behind the keyboards. And sadly while see the dream of greater participation, I also see the sloth of people who are technologically lazy at best.

You want to inspire a participatory democracy? Well we've always had one. Just participate!

What impresses me most about this is that someone in America can have such an esoteric vocation and yet retain a physical "brick and mortar" storefront. That's admirable and great!

Crumb, miserable? NO WAY!

Seriously, there are a few different types of collectors. And I see them as being divided into two camps. One, adults who try to recapture part of the past (their past) with objects. And two, people who do just accumulate to accumulate.

What Crumb doesn’t actually acknowledge is that there are some collectors that are well adjusted and are happy to share their objects. To me, those are the most well adjusted. Yes, the ultimately hoard, but they still share. And that is a sign of it being healthy.

Also as an armchair litmus test, if you cannot share your collection/passion as part of your public life—at least in your home—you have problems. People who have "secret stashes" are a tad creepy. At least people who integrate their objects into their lives acknowledge their own needs.

Outwardly—and without insider knowledge—it’s a very negative statement to cover up someone else’s work with black cloth.

It simply seems lazy and reactionary rather than insightful and critical.

Fascinating photos! But I live a short ride away from where they are located and it's amazing anyone would complain about their smell. Look on a map, they are RIGHT near where the BQE and Prospect Expressway merges. TONS of traffic with TONS of exhaust. Also, they are quite close to the Gowanus Canal which smells better nowadays but is STILL an industrial mess of a waterway. The only significant stuff nearby is a Home Depot and that's about it.

They aren't in a residential neighborhood. Their smell is undoubtedly better than the rest of the neighboring smells and they are being punished? Yeow.

Not for nothing, but I took this gallery of pics of Gordon Bennett’s robots nearly 3 years ago and even sent a tip to BoingBoing about it as well:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackszwergold/sets/72157603927174958/

Does this woman get upset when she puts hot dogs in buns?

Guys, if you think that is bad, you should look at the dollar versus practically any other foreign currency.

I’m no expert on things, but I do like buying some vintage Japanese toys off of Yahoo! Japan auctions. And holy crap! Just in the past week the Yen exchange rate from the dollar went from 103 Yen to $1 on (3/10) to 97 Yen to the $1 today (3/17).

Something really, really scary and really big is happening out there folks.

Part of me is excited something this neat sold for a reasonable price. But then think about it. On a normal house your biggest worry is making sure the roof doesn't cave in. In this one, the bottom can fall out and then what?

Seems like a money pit at best. Unless someone opens a roadside attraction.

Whoops! Incorrect link to the “Microman plus other Japanese toys” above. This one is correct.

As long as we’re all “me too”ing, here’s my stuff on FLICKR: Small scale car photos & Microman plus other Japanese toys.

#33 POSTED BY JIM.COWLING , MARCH 13, 2008 12:22 PM:

I'm not a heavy duty collector of things, but I do have a few hobbies that include diving into the collectors market. And guess what? You're making a mountain out of a molehill.

Or rather, if this story were different and Edgar Church were dealing directly with Chuck Rozanski then I would agree with you that Edgar Church was screwed.

But that isn’t the case.

The reality is you have a family who could care less about this ’s comics and even HIS OWN ART and simply treated it like trash... And this was HIS OWN FAMILY.

Also the concept of fair market value in collectibles is odder when you factor in all the time and energy spent hunting stuff down. As #21 (Marble River) said “So much leg-work and very little pay-off, except for the thrill of the hunt.” Even if you sell a collectible for thousands of dollars, it just doesn’t factor in the personal time/energy people put into things. We all gasp and are delighted when we hear that something we paid $1 for sells for hundreds. But calculate the amount of money you make an hour versus the time and energy you spent and that $1 ends up being worth tons more.

The point is simple as #35 (BookyLoo) mentions. The reason these things are valuable is there is high demand and little stock. You pay a lot because tons of people took this stuff for granted at one point, few items of that type exist and many collectors want them. Nobody was screwed here in any way. What was the alternative? Have all of these comics tossed in the dump thus increasing the value of an already small pool of comics to begin with?

Also, here’s another idea. You can truly bring the market to fair levels if comic publishers just did one thing: Provide true/quality reprints of old-school/high-demand comics. Most people don’t want an original. Most just want to see the comic and read it. And many pay inflated prices because the companies that print these pieces of paper refuse to reprint these pieces of paper. It’s that simple.

The debate over the fairness of pricing is ridiculous. I’ve bought tons of things from flea markets and thrift stores that then sold for tons more. The assumption that the collectors market value rules over all misses the point.

The reality is that Edgar Church’s family could care less about the comics. They were obsessed with flipping the property and getting AS MUCH VALUE AS THEY COULD of that property. Is anyone jumping on Chuck Rozanski] actually thinking about other ephemeral values such as property values and their real motivation to get this stuff chucked in the trash so the house would be clean for a quick sale?

Also comic guide values need to be seriously questioned in todays Internet age. The “Comics Buyers Guide” is a fairly worthless entity nowadays since ALL the prices are inflated and based on a very narrow scope of who is willing to pay how much for what. Say what you will but eBay is ultimately the best benchmark of value nowadays. CBG is just a tool that collectors use to bully and negotiate a higher value than there is for an item.

Anyone hating Chuck Rozanski is just a hater. You wish you came across boxes of the same stuff for free to nothing tossed on the street.

Doesn't anybody ever f**king knock anymore?!?

It's amazing to me that on regular broadcast news here in NYC the biggest news item is Governor Spitzer being involved with a prostitute, but stuff like this—which I consider to be more important—I'm only learning about via online media.

Weird priorities mainstream media have. Not a big revelation but an annoying one.

This is really sad on so many levels.

The reality is this: Someone who initiates and starts a project often knows—and has done the work—to understand the scope/limits/dangers of the project.

The problem with the Internet is someone posts an idea/concept like this and then you suddenly have a bunch of people who are too dumb to know they know too little and they simply mimic the initiator, but has no true depth or understanding and will—more often than not—get in a situation that is way above their heads.

All the bemoaning of security guards and paranoid ignores this point. Far too many people who follow Internet trends are out of their league and have no idea what they are getting into.

I recommend anyone engaging in a long-term project they want to share to simply do great documentation while the project is happening but NOT to share any information until the project is over or close to being over.

For the record, there was a small local computer chain store in NYC called The Computer Center that sold a knock-off of Centipede that an employee wrote. The game was called “Megalegs” and the graphics and game play were great. So great in fact I bought it on cassette and practiced playing it so much that when they held a promotional contest for the new release of “Centipede” for the Atari computer in Macy’s I was way ahead of the curve and won second place. Could have won first but I was genuinely so nervous and terrified of competing against these rich Manhattanite kids (I’m from Brooklyn) that I choked.

But thank you Mike Dubno—author of “Megalegs”—for helping to make my 14-year-old dreams come true!

Oh wow! Oh wow! I need this.

Leave it to the Nazis to create a friendly tank that doesn’t inherently scare the shit out of you.

Are there laws against socks filled with pennies?

As a child of World War II Holocaust survivors, looking at this posts comments is largely sickening.

How about this for an idea: Without a true groundswell of people in the U.S. urging elected officials to do anything, you really have no right blaming this politician or that politician or any politician.

The reason why this stuff never gets stopped when it happens is people in America are such a bunch of coddled babies nowadays that real news about real issues terrifies them. People killing each other? Too disturbing! Let me know what celebrity is drunk right now!

When public opinion changes, politicians change. When you sit back and say/do nothing then expect nothing.

If I were Daffy Duck I’d call the ACME company headquarters and say, “See! That’s how you do it!”

@ #10 POSTED BY NEPHILIM , FEBRUARY 27, 2008 8:32 PM:
Yes, I know this. I was around back then, and buying Chucks. This hardly has any relevance to the article, or my posting.

It’s highly relevant since if you truly enjoy Hunter S. Thompson, maybe actually mimicking the spirit of what he did makes more sense than paying an inflated price for a sneaker that is stamped with a logo.

@ #4 POSTED BY NEPHILIM:
The main reason people bought Chucks back in the day was because they were cheap and relatively easy to maintain.

What if this actually promotes sales of his books, and encourages people to find out more about him? Is it a bad thing then?

More people own Che t-shirts than have actually ever read Che's bio.

I don’t know if “sellout” is a correct term, but it’s ghoulish for the dead to be re-appropriated to push sneakers.

What’s next? Lester Bangs special edition cough syrup? “100% pure and free of psychotic reactions and carburetor dung. Some restrictions may apply.”

The problem is larger. Aren't virtually all electronic product reviews nowadays nothing but fluff pieces and press releases regurgitated? Quite possibly the only place one can ever get a truly honest view of electronics is by going on Amazon and reading reviews.

If you can't have genuine consumer product reviews, then you can't hope for better video game reviews.

Might be more ambitious, but what about Scrabbled eggs where you pour raw egg material into a metal molding grid that allows you to cook little scrabble pieces?

Or You Bet Your Knife! where if someone utters a secret word, they get to use YOUR knife.

Yes, both of those would cause loss of appetite and desire to eat with others.

My impression is the military PX and food system has been supplanted by large-scale outside fast food providers for years. Like those stories we’ve all heard about Taco Bell and McDonalds setting up mobile units to feed the troops in Iraq.

It’s a bit crazy that not only are local small businesses dying, but also traditional “mom & pop” stuff in the military seems to be disappearing as well.

Yeah, the grammar on the last sentence is a bit off, but corporate infiltration of this world on all levels is a bit disturbing.

There goes my combo Valentines Day/Chinese New Year gift dear Farah Wong.

Wow, I have the exact same Bogen-Manfrotto portable tripod and while it is silly that this happened, it always reminded me of a machine-gun tripod more than anything.

How will this affect construction at the WTC site in downtown Manhattan. Oh wait, you mean it's 2008, the biggest construction boom in NYC and the site is basically still a dirt-hole despite it being one of the best known locations of an attack/rebuilding thanks to the attacks of 9-11? Never mind.

Finally! A way to minimize all upper body movement while snacking.

Hey, it's ED209's grandpa!

As much as I have issues with George W., can we overanalyze anything that anyone owns, consumes or views, PLZ?

This is petty at best.

@ #94 WICKEDASHTRAY

Instead of complaining incessantly about victimization how about you do what I have asked you before repeatedly: Talk about the "facts" you are so passionate about?

The reality is from your first comment on this thread all you do is whine about how there are supposedly large and small conspiracies that prevent "real" discussion.

So why don't you engage in real discussion?

Or is victimization of yourself as a supposed "oppressed" entity really the only leg your straw man can stand on?

@ #8 JAMESMASON
Of course, having a camera crew trailing you won't affect the way people treat you at all, will it?

Exactly. I'd admire this guy more if he simply did it and then—after a set amount of time—had friends/others brief media outlets on what he's doing.

Right now he's actually straight in the hands of those who "accumulate wealth" by having mass media aware of what he's doing and using his trek as some kind of semi-freak show.

But it is true that monks and hobos and others do this all the time. Perhaps the concept would be better served by seeking out people who have truly lived "freeconomy" lives as a necessity, bot because of a philosophical construct created by a university educated guy.

@ #5 POSTED BY DCULBERSON , FEBRUARY 1, 2008 12:14 PM
Exactly. Basically the premise is based on a polarized "Rich vs. Poor" society with barely any acknowledgement of the middle levels of society that is neither poor or rich but knows how to survive and live.

@ #91 POSTED BY TAKUAN , FEBRUARY 1, 2008 11:55 AM
TAKUAN, you pattern of commenting and questioning is very loaded and filled with false premises and flame-baits. I have no idea why you are creating the false construct of me somehow NOT standing by something I said previously.

It's a ludicrous question that barely deserves this acknowledgement: If I didn't agree with what I wrote I would not have written it.

This is noble, but what will happen when he meets someone whose skills are more valuable than his and he's rendered "meal-less" by the act?

Also, a dramatic act like this done by one person creates a false construct. Of course he'll get people who will feed him for free as an odd duck. It will be a novelty to some. But taken to a larger scale, I don't think something like this could ever work.

@ #89 POSTED BY BBSSH , FEBRUARY 1, 2008 11:22 AM
I'm sorry I went back to my Hiroshima and Nagasaki comments and reaffirmed what I said here again. I'm going to repost this comment again because I don't want to hear you—or anyone—twisting my words into fodder in a straw man debate. Also because I accidentally didn't italicize the full quote so it might read oddly. Here it is again and it comes from here.

Something as destructive and powerful as the atomic bomb was needed to just end things once and for all. What was the alternative people wring their hands over? A prolonged ground assault? A protracted war that drains us more?

Heck, I think the fire bombing of Tokyo was immoral because when it was done there was no good reason and the war wasn't going that bad at that point. Ditto with the internment of Japanese Americans; incredibly stupid.

Maybe you need to actually read and understand what people write and say. I derive no joy from war, but sometimes acts of war are necessary.

And please reread what I wrote above; here's the "Cliff Notes" version to make it easier:
1) All war is horrible.
2) But Japan attacking the U.S. and the U.S. fighting back against a nation that has declared war is justified.
3) Nazi Germany declaring a preemptive strike on Poland—the largest Jewish nation at the time—by falsely claiming Poland would attack Germany was an act of murder and genocide since it laid the foundation for an extermination of people based on race/ethnicity. Nothing more, nothing less.

You know what else is genocide? "Ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia. Mass murders under Stalin in the Soviet Union. Rwandan genocide. The murders in the Darfur region of the Sudan.

An act of war during a war is... war.

Completely different.

@ #84 POSTED BY BBSSH , FEBRUARY 1, 2008 10:55 AM
Who do you think we should put in charge of determining the 'truth'?
Who do you think the gatekeepers should be that get to decide our 'history'?
Who gets to decide what can only be talked about in pubs but not written about in books?

The attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki AND the Holocaust are two of the most documented and account acts of war in history. As unpleasant as an atomic attack is/was, at the time it happened Hiroshima and Nagasaki made sense and ENDED WORLD WAR II in the Pacific. In the case of the Holocaust, the mass slaughter of Jews, gays, gypsies and other "undesirables" is one of the most proven acts of murder on a mass scale ever to occur in history. The facts as proven over the years by thousands of people and thousands of pieces of evidence refute claims against it. The reason why people snap back against claims against the Holocaust is it's patently ridiculous to deny the facts of what happened, who did it and how many people suffered. It's simply crazy to do so and it is highly anti-Semitic to make claims against it.

Show me one Holocaust denier who has real evidence against it AND is not a complete wingnut, and I will be shocked. Might as well claim the Earth is flat and the sun revolves around the Earth... And that there are dragons at the edge of the Earth....

So again, it's nice to see that supposedly "raises the awareness" of the Holocaust has spurred discussion of Holocaust deniers. Like I said before, true art raises real issues. Hack art raises eyebrows but shocks and not much else. Case proven.

@ #81 POSTED BY BBSSH , FEBRUARY 1, 2008 8:02 AM
Some of Jack's comments in a previous thread on the atrocities in Hiroshima:

Utterly ridiculous and it shows you barely understand the difference between a calculated act of genocide such as the Holocaust, and a military strike on a nation obsessed with world domination.

Here's the difference. When Nazi Germany invaded Poland under the threat of Poland (supposedly because of Jewish influence), that WAS A COMPLETE LIE! It was a false/non-existent threat created as an excuse to kill thousands based on nothing but racism and hate.

When the U.S. bombed Japan, Japan had not only attacked U.S. soil (Hawaii) but also showed no signs of giving up and was engaging in a war of conquest in the Pacific that seemingly would not end. Japan at that point WAS an active antagonist of the U.S. and others and was a nation explicitly at war. Attacking a nation that is at war with you is not the same as the calculated genocide of people.

If the U.S. was truly racist and wanted the elimination of Japan and the Japanese people, then please explain the recovery of Japan AFTER World War II and the U.S.'s role in helping Japan rebuild itself and grow?

If you actually read the comments on that post you have made you'd realize that I did not see the bombings as much as a good thing but as a necessary evil, but I guess that's what happens when a Troll expunges most of my comments AGAINST the bomb and just focuses on what holds up their straw man. Specifically I also said this:
Something as destructive and powerful as the atomic bomb was needed to just end things once and for all. What was the alternative people wring their hands over? A prolonged ground assault? A protracted war that drains us more?

Heck, I think the fire bombing of Tokyo was immoral because when it was done there was no good reason and the war wasn't going that bad at that point. Ditto with the internment of Japanese Americans; incredibly stupid.

The Holocaust and genocides in other countries are cowardly acts of bullying of others based on race and ethnicity; preemptive strikes made by delusional idiots who see the persons religion or skin color as the "ultimate source" of all problems. As horrific the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were, they were an act of war done on a nation that had attacked the U.S. and was clear in their desires to dominate the U.S. and the world.

Also, WICKEDASHTRAY people are calling you an anti-Semite because all you have done—and posted—are screeds about how you supposedly can't talk about the Holocaust "rationally" when the reality is NOBODY has stopped you yet you provide no facts and just ramble on and on and on about these mysterious forces that somehow "keep you down". If you have facts and true ideas to share share them, but don't claim oppression and then say "Well, I can't say what I want to say because of some non-tangible conspiracy..." Maybe ultimately you have not much to say other than complain about nothing?

@ #69 POSTED BY SEARCONFLEX , JANUARY 31, 2008 11:53 PM
That's correct... thirteen is more like it.

More flame-bait. Where exactly did I tell anyone anywhere in these comments to change their opinions? I admit that I have been vocal about the issue of mocking an event like the Holocaust via a parade float and I have even said if you want to defend the float, that's fine. But at no point did I tell others how/what to think or how to feel about this.

@ #68 POSTED BY TAKUAN , JANUARY 31, 2008 11:48 PM
A rising sun flag in China? I think it would evoke an even more violent response than a swastika in Tel Aviv.

Please read my comment on the "Hammer and Sickle" flag in #66.

Seeing a JPEG is nothing compared seeing a physical print. I regret not knowing about this sooner because I would have snatched one up right away.

TAKUAN, in the great scheme of things you have spent much more time in these comments telling people what to think, how to act and what I should think.

In contrast I have not done that to you once.

In the larger picture, you might want to step back and realize your comments show a far stronger desire to control and repress ideas than most anyone else here. And while you can claim that you are nobly defending a right to expression, you are actually expressing a desire to control more than anything.

Also your Guardian link about "Die Suche (The Search)" is a superficial comparison. There have been tons of books, movies and comics that are used to teach children the horrors of the Holocaust; this is nothing new. And it's not shocking.

But if you can't differentiate between a book created to educate and a float in a Carnival parade designed to shock, that's another thing. Yes, no dancers are supposed to be near that float. Just before, and after and surround the float from revelers on the street.

It's the difference between watching a film on lynchings and then having a float in a parade filled with drunks that is "dedicated" to lynching.

@ #62 POSTED BY CEFEIDA , JANUARY 31, 2008 11:26 PM
I can buy red socks with a hammer and sickle embroidered on them, and everyone thinks it's wicked cool and cute. A swastika wouldn't go over so well.

Not exactly a parallel. The "Hammer and Sickle" is a symbol of the Communist Party, a political entity that did much more than just massacre and dominate others. Under Lenin and others in the pre-Stalin world, it was simply a unifying symbol for their ideology. The fact that Stalin was a murdering lunatic is independent of the political ideology.

The Swastika is a whole different thing. The National Socialist party was not as socially known, and the Nazis used the Swastika as a symbol for their specific reign and their control. There's practically no way to disconnect the Swastika from Hitler and the Nazis; they are all companion products.

I see wearing a Soviet flag no better/worse than wearing a U.S. flag. But Swastika? Unless you're an Asian culture that has used that for centuries before it was perverted for nefarious uses by the Nazis, you should not use or even joke about that lightly unless you know what you are doing.

@ #59 POSTED BY TAKUAN , JANUARY 31, 2008 11:07 PM
I am asking you to carefully examine some of your thinking and reevaluate it in light of my ideas and those of others -as well as the available evidence; see added link.

Nope. Why? Have you actually read what I wrote? Did you actually read what I said when I said:
Is it so crazy to think that someone creating such a touchy piece of art for public consumption might want to "test the waters" by actually reaching out to others directly connected with the atrocities depicted?

A false art school conceit that forms horrid attitudes is that an artist answers to no one and can simply create and answers to nobody. True artists who achieve a level of respect from others learn that while they ultimately call the shots—and are indeed incharge—reaching out to their audience and gauging what/how they should approach something will lead to better work in the long run.

So please, can you accept that more people feel this piece was horrid and believe it was justifiably removed? Or is the reality of public opinion too much to accept?

@ #56 POSTED BY TAKUAN , JANUARY 31, 2008 10:50 PM
I invite any who might be reading at this point to read the link added at the top of this item

I have. And it hasn't changed much of anything in my mind. If anything it begs of me to ask, if Paulo Barros was so intent on making the float a "respectful" reminder, why didn't he—and his group Viradouro—work with local Jewish organizations to create something that would work for all? While some are hung up on the concept of "intent" as being the excuse for this being created, what about "reckless disregard"?

Is it so crazy to think that someone creating such a touchy piece of art for public consumption might want to "test the waters" by actually reaching out to others directly connected with the atrocities depicted?

@ #54 POSTED BY TAKUAN , JANUARY 31, 2008 10:32 PM
I submit your cultural experience does not include what is daily reality for a typical Brazilian.

I truly do not understand what your point is beyond, "If you were Brazilian you would understand this..." Not really at all. While there are cultural differences in the world, the idea that somehow one must be Brazilian to understand the concept of a parade with floats is ludicrous at best. I don't see what magically "daily experience" in another culture can explain this at all.

Again I will say it speaks more to your feelings about this float that you demand others psychically apologize for others. If you don't like my opinion that's fine; I'm cool with that. What is it in your being that demands that I must alter my views to suit your comfort?

If any of this was valid in anyway, issues of comfort would not even be on the radar. The reality is some simply don't want to face the inanity of this float existing and the negativity and pain in brings to others to see someone use a horrific event to win a prize in a Carnival parade.

#53 POSTED BY ANTINOUS , JANUARY 31, 2008 10:31 PM
Disagreeing with you does not equal flame bait. Your comments have been consistently hostile in tone. You're accusing one of the most kind, compassionate people in the BB commentverse of anti-semitism and racist hate. Turn off the computer and go to bed.

Patently ridiculous and more hostile than anything I posted. Especially this bit:
You're accusing one of the most kind, compassionate people in the BB commentverse of anti-semitism and racist hate.

While I post comments on Boing Boing I don't keep track of all commenters and make notes of who is naughty or nice. In fact if you see me commenting positively with a point I happen to agree with on another thread, don't be shocked. Personal politics plays no roles in the comments I've made here.

Based on the comments and excuses I am reading here, I feel confident in calling someone out for what I believe they are. And if that makes you feel uncomfortable, I'm sorry. But in the end the biggest controllers, censors and dictators of behavior here are people who are telling people who are outraged that they are wrong in their feelings and they must change.

True freedom of speech is not just airing a contrary opinion, but allowing opposition to speak. I've never told you to stop thinking or posting your feelings and thoughts. Why then do you feel the need to truly bait others by explicitly telling them what to do?

To bring this full circle, shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater is not freedom of speech. And the removal of this float from Carnival is 100% appropriate.

@ #49 POSTED BY TAKUAN , JANUARY 31, 2008 9:45 PM
How about the benefit of the doubt?

As a child of Holocaust victims and someone involved in underground publication scenes and who is an art fan, I can tell you that "keeping an open mind" towards art that claims to "stimulate" discussion of horrific events but are really just hackneyed attempts to shock others is not worth my—or your—effort.

If the art was profound enough to raise valid questions, none of this would be an issue of contention.

And the other problem I have with your logic is the assumption that things are only bad if malice is connected to them. That's patently ridiculous. Please, again reread what I wrote in comment #9. Specifically this:
The problem with the "satire" or "irony" defense for stuff like this is it's an excuse for the behavior rather than a true analysis. I see it as the art/entertainment version of saying "But he's a good guy..." about an abusive boyfriend/father. It's basically a societal excuse to attempt to make bad behavior seem a bit more palapable.

On a most basic level, even the law of most any country doesn't hinge on the concept of intent. It's part of the reason judges and juries are faced with people constantly saying "I didn't mean to do that..." Technically speaking, the whole globe would then "...never meant to do that..." But that's not the issue.

For example, a kid reads a Nazi comic book, sees a Swastika, think it looks cool and draws it on school tables. No evil intent, but that kid will be chastised and learn that that symbol is connected with great hate and therefore he inadvertently hurt others.

In this case I'll nibble a bit on your flame bait. The intent of the float—like any group endeavor—was to create something that makes an impact on others and perhaps wins a prize or accolades from others. While some are portraying this "Samba school" and the Carnival float as being some unique cultural thing most would never comprehend, it's painfully simple. It's a parade with groups that compete against each other and they make floats that touch social topics and supposedly "raise awareness". Let me spell it out simpler (and repeat myself) the intent is simply to shock and hit viewers with a blunt object.

So the question I have is this: If you believe the intent of this float is so innocuous and should not be taken seriously at all, why are you so intent on getting others to basically "apologized" for the float by denying our outrage? Why does it matter so much to you that others accept this horrid thing as a creation of a neutral entity? If you truly believe that this float is something people are making "much adoo about nothing" about, then why the desire to get others to change their views?

I've actually never told anyone to change their views on this. If you like it, fine. I think you might have some Anti-semitism and racist hate in you. And if you think that's a hard-line stance, maybe it is. But I actually do not deny you that thought.

You—on the other hand—seem hellbent on having me change my views and feelings to suit your needs and weaknesses. Sorry, not going there.

I'm comfortable with who I am and what my beliefs are. What about you?

@ #47 POSTED BY ANTINOUS , JANUARY 31, 2008 9:16 PM
Both Takuan and I have asked you direct, non-hostile, relevant questions and you've kind of screamed at both of us. We're not attacking you.

And the straw man in this case is the claim I did not "answer" your question by providing you with a debate based on a false premise. I have not yelled at you or anyone and I have answered the questions posed.

If your preference in answer is that I follow your straw men down the road to a flame war, I'm not following that path. That's true choice, and true freedom. So please look at yourselves before accusing anyone of anything.

@ #43 POSTED BY TAKUAN , JANUARY 31, 2008 8:53 PM
Jack: what do you think was the intent of the float builders?
The intent of another is a question I cannot answer, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions, so I leave that self-justification to your logic.

I do know many "hack" artists who use shock instead of talent to get a message across—please reread my post #9 above—and in my opinion artists who touch on heavy topics with no grace or talent deserve the backlash they get.

@ #38 POSTED BY BBSSH , JANUARY 31, 2008 7:04 PM
Jack .. The word 'anti-semite' is used by racists like you as a weapon. You throw it around to silence people, to stop discussions, to scare people off.

I'm a racist when I call someone else an anti-Semite? I don't even know the races of anyone posting here or ethnicity or anything.

But I'm glad I was able to stop your ability to talk and express yourself! I hope your keyboard recovers and you are able to express opinions afterwards... Wait... You DID!

Look, you when you bitch/moan about the Holocaust being held to some unnatural degree and then make unfounded claims of others speaking ill about other atrocities, you've dug your own straw man grave. The reality is that other genocides are talked about all the time and respected. I've never met one person who spoke lightly about Stalin's "labor camps" or the Gulag's. Provide some proof and your claim of me being a "racist" might hold some water.

But I'm not going to deny my right to call an anti-Semite an anti-Semite. Instead of complaining about how others "keep you down" and philosophical canards, how about you discuss real issues with real facts.

@#33 POSTED BY WICKEDASHTRAY , JANUARY 31, 2008 4:38 PM
We've gotten to the point where unless the event is discussed in only the most guarded and nearly religious fervor its almost a given that one will be labeled as disrespectful all the way up to "racist" along with the terms applied to it such as "hate speech".

What exaggerated hyperbolic place are you talking about? I cannot think of anyone talking lightly about deaths in the former Soviet Union, the killing fields in Cambodia, the slaughter in Bosnia or even the bloodshed in Rwanda who will not get shot down. Heck, try to talk lightly about slavery in the U.S. and you'll get smacked down. This exaggerated claim the Holocaust of the Jews during W.W. II is put on a pedestal above all others is a pretty anti-Semitic.

Also, the main reason deaths under Stalin in the former Soviet Union have not been talked about openly until recently is because they were a closed country. And only now with the slight sliver of openness do people feel somewhat comfortable to speak their minds. Before that, you couldn't say anything out of fear of reprisals.

Now if you want to talk about genocides that are ignored and seemingly swept under the rugs, you might do well to research the way the Imperial Japanese forces treated the Chinese and other Asians during World War II. Actually the only time I have ever been "shushed" in a discussion was when I mentioned the way the Japanese behaved in World War II to a Japanophilic friend of mine.

@ #29 POSTED BY ALPER ÇUGUN , JANUARY 31, 2008 3:39 PM
I thought it was pretty cool and I find it shocking that so many BoingBoing readers -who I'd have thought would be somewhat more enlightened- are in favor of government censorship. The sensibilities expressed above are culturally biased to the extreme.
No they aren't. And your premise of "censorship" is canard at best. Had this float been preemptively censored by the government without public awareness, THAT is government censorship. Don't think folks; we'll do it for you.

In this case, the group was allowed to make their float, groups opposed to the float spoke out, and the government stepped in much in the same way the U.S. government would have stepped in to quell a hate crime.

The holocaust is not felt quite as close or as horrible in most of the world. For most people the event is distant in space and a long time ago. And it hasn't served as a real lesson judging by the amount of genocide that has taken place all over the world since then.
Or what about prior to then? As a Jew whose family was directly affected by the Holocaust, I can say your blanket statement that "For most people the event is distant in space and a long time ago." is a ridiculous conceit. I mention the holocaust perpetrated by the Nazi's in World War II to people half my age, they all get it. Nobody reacts lightly to someone wearing a Swastika. The conceit you place on this being forgotten is laughable.

The fact that people still engage in mass killings based on race and ethnicity doesn't mean the message was lost, but the message was not received to begin with.

What is sad is that governments like the U.S. DON'T step in to stop genocide when it happens nowadays. Look at Rwanda. Look at the Sudan. What exactly would you like? If an outside entity stepped in to help stop the bloodshed would you then jump on the bandwagon of it being U.S. imperialism and not much else?

Freedom of expression is not freedom from responsibility. And ultimately that's the difference some folks don't get.

@ #10 POSTED BY ANTINOUS , JANUARY 31, 2008 1:00 PM:
What do you think about terrorist Mohammed cartoons?
The wording of your question is weird and hard to understand or take seriously. But taking the high road, my opinion is in the case of a cartoon or comic or something that is explicitly a parody/satire it's fine. A float in a parade with no real context? That's wrong.

@ #19 POSTED BY LOLANOSE , JANUARY 31, 2008 2:23 PM
What I find more disturbing is that a private group can complain to the government and get the government to ban the actions of other private citizens. This could not happen our country.
Are you serious? I—as a private person—can complain about hate speech/art and have a U.S. police officer and possibly the F.B.I. investigate the issue.

Having a private entity complain about something and then have the government step in is the way the basic concept of the social contract works.

The problem with the "satire" or "irony" defense for stuff like this is it's an excuse for the behavior rather than a true analysis. I see it as the art/entertainment version of saying "But he's a good guy..." about an abusive boyfriend/father. It's basically a societal excuse to attempt to make bad behavior seem a bit more palapable.

The reality is that good art/entertainment can touch on horrific topics, but approach it at an angle that truly criticizes the issue while still highlighting it. What good art/entertainment does is get at the core of issues and they "dress itself" in other superficialities connected with those issues to criticize things.

Bad entertainment/art never gets past the superficialities and just uses "shock" as an excuse to "stimulate discussion".

Long way of saying this is unbelievable and makes me wonder what is it about South America's culture that helps hide war criminals and somehow "inspires" so-called artists to create crap like this.

2007 will be known as the year real estate speculation uprooted oddball culture. For another example, look at the cross house in Chicago. Torn down for... CONDOS!!!

Does ANYBODY just live in a house anymore?

Whoops, I meant "felt right for him to stop." I guess it works both ways when you think of it.

Whatever the reason is, it's inane. I still have my 60 gig iPod with video (Gen 5 for those who keep track) and I have no valid reason to get rid of it. I'm not going to go through the hassle to get a new one just because a movie studio decides to treat ALL of their customers as thieves and forces Apple to deal with this DRM nonsense.

This is a great book and I don't think many readers are ready for the end of the book where Steve Martin explains the reason why he got out of comedy....

***SPOILER***

From what I gather it was a two part thing 1) he outgrew what he became and couldn't take it any further and mor importantly 2) he had issues with his dad his whole life and as he grew more famous he was back in contact with his family and slowly those issues were resolved.

I think that is the most profound thing I got from the book. That creators can stop creating not because they are burned out or just "hack" but because whatever minor—or major—issue they had that drove them down that road just passed and they moved on. That's an aspect of art and creativity that's rarely touched on and is almost "verbnoten" among artists/creators so it's great to see one of my childhood heroes explain how is career grew and why he simply felt it was right for him to start.

Is Bono on welfare yet? I feel sorry for him if he is.

Hey, how about a Neti pot with warm salt water? Works great for my allergies.

@ #4 POSTED BY BRICOLOG:
It really is shameless how the Chinese are determined to copy everyone else. It's a rip-off culture, on every level.
Japanese culture has copied tons of things from the Chinese and others. For example: Kanji.

On-topic, this is amazing and looks like a first-person shooter level come to life. Less the shooter, plus the cool imagery.

I like keeping on top of technology, but my big issue is how disposable electronics are nowadays. And how when they come out with some new thing, there's no clear use for the old equipment in any way. THAT pisses me off.

As little as 6 years ago, most thrift stores accepted any electronics. Nowadays practically all thrift stores have strict rules on what they accept since most of it will never sell to anyone, anywhere at any price.

Even on eBay and Craigslist and other e-markets, stuff just doesn't sell. So what to do? I try to sell or find good homes for all of my stuff, but I have started sending boxes of old gear to the Alameda County Computer Resource Center (http://www.accrc.org/).

It's really a weird world of electronics when perfectly good CDT monitors are rendered worthless by cheap LCD screens. And usable hard drives that are 10 Gigs are considered "worthless" by some.

I don't blame gadget blogs. Let alone this one since it's much less "gadgety" than others, but there's no easy solution to any of this.

Let's face some facts. Penn & Teller are hilarious. I used to follow Penn & Teller closely in the 1980s. Not anymore. Penn on his own is pedantic and annoying as hell unless he's scripted.

So J.J. Abrams is basically pushing the limits of the McGuffin past any normal level to some kind of McGuffin OCD level?

Wonder what The Maltese Falcon would be if he got his hands on it.

This is why other countries hate us.

A Magic 8-Ball is more useful.

@ #35 [KYLE]
I think what you're more upset about is the death of the American middle-class. Which I think also falls in line with the modern world of retail.

It's hard to imagine nowadays that someone could establish a humble neighborhood business—like a grocery store—as little as 30 years ago and forge a life on it. Nowadays it's harder to do the same. And then suddenly Whole Foods moves in and kills off your customer base and what's left? Being in charge of an aisle of produce as a worker instead of being an owner/proprietor?

@ #33 [MONOPOLE]
I don't disagree with your points, but you're mixing up issues.

I think the larger issue is a consolidated global market where it is practically impossible for "mom and pop" (I hate that term but there is no better one) businesses to survive. Thus if you are an electronics expert you no longer have the choice of opening your own business. Thus you are left with no options but to either (1) work for a place like Circuit City which will barely fulfill your needs or (2) abandon your skills to get a job to pay the bills.

My honest opinion is if a new small business market can evolve in the modern world that would counter the overcompensation to the top CEOs of these consolidated messes of companies.

Why would someone work for $9 an hour at CC when instead they could truly run and own their own business?

@ #2 [DANEGELD]
"This is the one failing on the capitalist system; it's OK to do that, and there is no upper bound on individual Greed or short-termism from the people at the top."

How exactly is it a failing of the system? The company did indeed chop heads to save money. And for a very short amount of time this worked. But in a short amount of time after that, the company finds itself royally screwed. If anything capitalism is working to kill off this kind of business practice. Underpaid workers steal from the company causing "internal bleeding" and customers who are sick of the lack of service and utter bone-headedness of the staff leave and "vote with their wallet" by buying elsewhere.

As much as I get a bit overwhelmed at the Apple store when I walk in one, I find the place is perfect for non-tech consumers for many levels. Even if the geniuses are far from being genius they are far more helpful and knowledgeable than most any other retail chain. Between classes and one-on-one sessions they try do what "old school" stores used to do as a matter of course: treat customers as people and help them.

I think other retailers really need to take heed beyond this. Is there any electronics store out there that doesn't treat customers as sacks of meat who need to buy and consume or be eyed as potential thieves?

Here's the problem I have with the Stage 6 embed which requires DivX more than anything. I simply don't want to install DivX support for QuickTime on my Mac. It has mixed results and has never worked consistently well.

But more importantly, I really find it very bizarre I need to explain the benefit of choice in computing to Boing Boing which lauds choice and not being forced into a corner on technology.

So if I paid $24.99 for a retail box version of Netscape, I made a bad move?

Admins, I have actually avoiding clicking on the Gadgets section of BoingBoing because of this DivX video thing.

Where is the Asian guy? Or the guy wearing Converse hi-tops? Or the black guy? Or anyone wearing glasses.

For those who just read the blurb but not the whole article, please read this from the boy's mother:
[The offenders] probably just didn't realise how much trouble they'd really caused. This is the northern beaches, for God's sake. Nobody is that poor.

I think that is the key difference here. We're not talking about a poor child who stole to survive, but a spoiled brat who believes everything he sees is his.

In my own experience growing up poor in New York in the 1970s/1980s, the kids who routinely stole from others were either the truly poor or the suburbanish (no real suburbs in NYC so there's my word for it) brats who thought they were "tough" by doing it.

Also, while I understand the idea of getting to the root of a problem to solve it, the vast majority of people out there DON'T commit crimes or hurt others randomly. Even here in NYC that's the case. So I really don't feel it's my job to feel sorry for petty thieves in any way. Most people are actually decent, and it's only the few cowards who ruin in for the rest.

And FWIW, I'm quite confident the trap slapping the kids finger wasn't the worst/painful part. Walking around with that green paint knowing he was tagged caused more stress and was what did him in.

If an adult hits another kid, that's child abuse because it's an abuse of power and trust and it's simply wrong. Adults have other methods of dealing with the world and hitting kids or putting them in harms way says an adult is clueless to how to actually behave as an adult.

If an 11-year-old kid sets a trap for another 11-year-old kid, that's completely different.

This 11-year-old appealed to adults to do something with the power they had. They responded with nothing and he did the only thing he could do.

Poor little kid? He's a thief! Sorry if that sounds harsh, but in the world of childhood politics the kid got what he deserved.

If anyone has any complaints, please make them to the school officials who did nothing to help which is what set the foundation for this vigilante justice to take place.

First solve the domestic Godzilla problem, genius.

My favorite Fantastic Four issue is issue #12. When the Sub-Mariner devises a scheme to defeat the FF once and for all. He went to the bottom of the sea, gathered up riches and BOUGHT the Baxter Building so he could EVICT THE FANTASTIC FOUR!!!

Now that's devious!

I've been saying this for years. And as a tech, non-tech people thing I like things that are elaborate and complicated. Hell no. I don't want to think about many things. And for many things there's no reason to sweat the details.

I want to set up a mom and pop homemade novelty business. For real.

Has Quentin Tarantino said "Grindhouse" yet?

Odd, but cool. I think Steve Jobs knows that people know who Steve Jobs is; the guy is overexposed. Try to explain to average folks who Steve Wozniak is, and they don't get it. This is great because it at least places Wozniak in a public context buy does not automatically create a polarizing "Jobs vs. Wozniak" debate.

Folks, read the full WD page before typing:
Due to unverifiable media license authentication, the following file types cannot be shared by different users using WD Anywhere Access.

If these file types are on a share on the WD My Book World Edition system and another user accesses the share, these file will not be displayed for sharing. Any other file types can be shared using WD Anywhere Access.

You can still access locally and you can still use it as an external drive that hooks up to another system that then manages the sharing of files.

It's the "WD Anywhere Access" that is crippled, NOT the drive itself.

It's cute to watch commenters get upset about Costco doing this when Sears was doing it in ye olden days.

#55 Halloween Jack, exactly. The big problem is that in America, people who "like" things tend to be obsessive compulsive about things. Like sports? You need to be OCD about it. Like a band? You need to know and own all that band has produced? Ditto with brands and the rise of brands in recent decades. Completely tapping into OCD nature.

And with diets and health, this is crazy. Find what works for you and do that. But don't overdo or underdo something. And don't be so locked into things you can't adapt.

For me, eliminating high-fructose corn syrup and junk food has helped me tremendously. Ditto with no coffee; love the taste but wrecks my stomach. And more fresh veggies and fruit.

"I'd rather just put the $150 toward a new notebook. It'd give more equipment and functionality per dollar by a factor of 100's and I'd have an extra machine to leave running overnight."

I understand that, but with one of these I can do more secure erases for clients without typing up resources; mine or theirs. Personally I have refused doing that as a service in the past because it just ties up some machine somewhere. Now I can get one of these, simply wipe the data and then not think twice. Which means I can use it on more gigs, which means I get paid more, which means it will pay for itself.

I think people are missing the point here. Yes, you can hook up a drive to a machine and then let it run overnight. But that's a bad use of resources. I actually turn of my computer at night and dread the days I have to wipe 200GB drives I am getting rid of. Zeroing out a drive is the least one can do. 7 pass random is overkill with todays high density drives. I have found a happy medium on Unix systems where a simple:

cat /dev/random >> /Path/To/File/To/Make

Will create a file filled with random data that will fill up whatever device it'sesent to; effectively overwriting all free data. A tad longer than zeroing out a drive, but 6 times faster than a 7 time random pass.

If this little doodad can do that without being hooked up to a system, all the better. I can bring it anywhere and use it without having to tie up a main system. And if I am at a client's office, I can just set it up and leave and not worry.

My big question is does this activate the built in random write (secure erase?) function that is supposedly built into all ATA controllers and simply monitor it, or is it doing it's own random writing?

Old school MEGO commercials were great. The marketing director's son was in a few of the commercials and had a thick Brooklyn accent; which makes it even better!

Since someone mentioned Micronauts, I thought I'd share my FLICKR set devoted to Microman figures from Japan; they were the original Japanese Micronauts:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jackszwergold/sets/72157601541867323/

Also, be sure to check out Microman Forever, the web's best source of information on Microman and related toys:
http://www.microforever.com/

And check out this awesome Japanese Microman commercial; the soundtrack is mindblowing for a kids toy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSTeB35UVfk

@ #3-EDT:
All these history 'experts' here and yet no one mentions Gen. Curtis LeMay's responsibility in the firebombing of Germany and Japan in which many more people died than in the atomic blasts?

Actually EDT, I mentioned the firebombing of Tokyo in comment #13:
Heck, I think the fire bombing of Tokyo was immoral because when it was done there was no good reason and the war wasn't going that bad at that point.

And in comment #26, Sweep mentions Dresden as well:
Much as one of the objectives in destroying Dresden had been to show the advancing Russians the might of allied airpower.

@ #14, Allison, I recommend you read this full interview with Paul Tibbets done by Studs Terkel for the Guardian. It gives you a much better picture of what was happening and the logic behind it. He's definitely a wee bit "gung ho" about this, but this quote illuminates a lot:
On the way to the target I was thinking: I can't think of any mistakes I've made. Maybe I did make a mistake: maybe I was too damned assured. At 29 years of age I was so shot in the ass with confidence I didn't think there was anything I couldn't do. Of course, that applied to airplanes and people. So, no, I had no problem with it. I knew we did the right thing because when I knew we'd be doing that I thought, yes, we're going to kill a lot of people, but by God we're going to save a lot of lives. We won't have to invade [Japan].

It's not like the U.S. woke up one day and decided "Let's kill random people!" There was a logic to it.

And for anyone who doesn't know about it, I'd recommend reading up on the history of World War II. Specifically the state of the military prior to the war and afterwards. Before the war, the U.S. barely had a military in the scale of what it had after the war. After the war the U.S. basically had this whole military infrastructure with nothing better to do than go to Korea, Vietnam and other places.

The real horrific legacy of World War II is how we ultimately defeated some of the worst enemies this world has ever seen. But it opened a militaristic Pandora's box that doesn't seem to want to ever get closed.

I knew the comments here would focus on the horrors of civilian casualties in Japan. It was horrific and it is horrific and it's the main reason why nuclear proliferation is looked down upon in the post-World War II world.

Like it or not—as #11 said above—World War II truly was a war in which none of us can judge what was done to end it. If D-Day would have never happened, it's quite easy to see a Nazi controlled Europe. And if Hiroshima and Nagasaki never happened, it's pretty clear the Japanese would not have stopped fighting in any way.

Like it or not Hirohito was seen as an emperor and the structure of Japanese society did see him as an ruler above all others. Heck, he's known as Hirohito outside of Japan partially as a way of "humanizing" him since referring to an emperor by a personal name is seen as an insult in Japan. And at that time, even with the war looking bleak for Japan, it was very clear they were not going out without a fight.

Something as destructive and powerful as the atomic bomb was needed to just end things once and for all. What was the alternative people wring their hands over? A prolonged ground assault? A protracted war that drains us more?

Heck, I think the fire bombing of Tokyo was immoral because when it was done there was no good reason and the war wasn't going that bad at that point. Ditto with the internment of Japanese Americans; incredibly stupid.

And that said, as each year/decade goes on there are different stories as to what the real reason for Japan's surrender was. Was it the fire bombings? Was it the atomic attacks? Was it Russia declaring war on Japan? I'm sickened we live in such a militarized world nowadays the bombing of Hiroshima/Nagasaki is fodder for odd arguments. Not because there aren't arguments to be made, but too many of them are predictable and insipid.

Does this validate the existence of that Cavemen show? I hope not.

Or, the table is at an angle to the ground, but the video is shot at an angle as well. Note how the picture frame is placed in the background to almost visually say, "Hey, his is all straight!" when the picture itself is probably tilted.

There is some friction on the table, but the second the speaker goes on, it "shakes" the table and the objects near the top—like the glue, scissors, etc...—are jarred by the speaker noise they move down the table.

That said I also think the speaker noise is fake. For my take on this to work, there would have to be deep, thumping bass. Not a high pitched "twee" sound. Why the soundtrack? To mask the bad dubbing?

Also, perhaps there is a magnet beneath the table where items are placed. Just strong enough to keep items in place. But weak enough to allow them to slide when jarred by speaker noise.

Can I get a "no prize"? EXCELSIOR!

@113, ADVENTUREBUM:
And I never said I "dismissed" these other games in favor of WoW...you clearly did not read or comprehend my post.

ADVENTUREBUM in 111 said:
"As to having a critical eye toward comparing WoW to other "older" games...that's a bunch of bull."

@111, ADVENTUREBUM:
A