Nothing in that gallery even touches on the next-level lameness of this tattoo.

Ick.

Who needs vintage when you can have a crisp, new tax stamp for your stash?

According to the NORML website:

In twenty US states, those who possess cannabis or other illegal drugs are legally required to purchase and affix state-issued stamps onto his or her contraband. The total cost of the tax is generally determined by the quantity of contraband possessed.

... the legislative intent of drug tax laws is to impose an additional penalty – tax evasion – upon drug offenders after they are arrested and criminally charged with a drug violation.

I find most of Takuan's iterations to be "snarky and unilluminating" but, alas, overposting does not seem to fall under the scope of the new policy. Please consider the issue in future versions.

I can only join the growing chorus of readers who find the moderation style at Boing Boing to be ... let's call it "poor", if that's not too impolite.

Like Sparkzilla, I haven't commented in some time either and do so now only to point out that the Boing Boing "brand" has been somewhat cheapened for me. The mod's haranguing style in response to any comment seemingly critical of Boing Boing's recent direction is only compounded by the eerie, total silence on the subject by the editors themselves.

Again and again we're told, "This is our site to do with what we will. Love it or leave it." Also, "This is not a democracy". But, why shouldn't it be a democracy? Why shouldn't readers feel a sense of ownership? Otherwise, why publish?

And frankly, you know it's a sad state of affairs when a site as popular and beloved as Boing Boing has to be translated by a third-party site from English to ... English.

Wht gnnly pthtc trck, Trs - t cnsr cmmnt, nd thn prphrs t n slf-srvng fshn.

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hp y t lst xtnd t Mrk, Xn, Dvd, nd Cry th pprtnty t rd ths thrd n ts ntrty.

ftr hvng sffrd dsmvwllmnt fr rsns tht cldn't b lss clr, nd ftr bng nsltd bsds, th nly thng lft t sy s LLZ! Cn hs nw mdrtr?

Yr clrly tszd g mks y pr chc fr mdrtng ny st, bt ths n n prtclr. Y rlly ght t plgz fr yr ptlnc, r stp dwn.

Ths s shmfl mmnt fr Bng Bng.

thnk tht snc nbdy knws hw mch th dtrs f Bng Bng mk frm th st, th rvn thy mk spcfclly frm Hnd s rrlvnt. Wht's rlvnt s tht thy'r pprntly wllng t cmprms th ln tht hs ntl nw sprtd crprt dvrtsng frm cntnt, nd Hnd s mrly symbl f tht.

Th rgmnt tht lngtm Bng Bng rdrs ght t strt sng dblck Pls rthr msss th pnt, s bnnr ds r nt th ss. ( thnk srly w'v ll md pc wth bnnr ds by nw nywy.) t's th rl f n dtr t blck dvrtsng frm crpng nt cntnt, nt brwsr xtnsn.

nd th d tht nly rdrs wh lv n yrts hv ny rght t cmpln s, srry Jl, lttl fcl. Bng Bng hs vry rght t pt th ntrsts f ts dvrtsrs hd f th ntrsts f ts rdrs f t chss t, bt tht dsn't, n ny cs, mn tht wll-ntntnd rdrs cn't cry fl. Snc whn s ltmt prsnl rlztn cndtn fr sttng n pnn?

My favorite semi-regular feature.

The Wrap-N-Straps look so unwieldy compared with the elegant, task-oriented Cinch Its. Even the name Wrap-N-Straps sounds clunky and, if I may be frank, completely unreliable.

Plus, I dare you to not see little hospital bracelets when you look at them.

I recently rediscovered Gotham by Gaslight among my childhood comics. Easily one of the best ever Batman one-offs.

And these beautifully realized figures are the first articles of steampunk that I've unreservedly loved. Absolutely perfect indeed. I tip my hat to the artist.

Lumps of coal! And you probably can't even burn them without violating the EULA.

The constant tension between needing a car and the hassle of actually owning one was one of the reasons I finally left DC. (Well, specifically, it was the ticketing, the booting, and the towing of my car to questionable parts of Maryland not accessible by the Metro.)

On my last day, I met one of the unkindly creatures who'd been papering my car those many months and asked her if she ever felt parasitic doing what she did. She said she didn't have an opinion on the matter, but pointed out that I'd parked in a residential zone for which I didn't have a decal and would need to move four blocks. Zing!

It's like one of those beer can hats by way of Sharper Image - by way of HELL!

Tcky, t bst.

A Harriet Carter classic.

Chorskewe - if the allusion is good enough for you, it's good enough for you, and I do think that's reasonable. Honestly, I don't give a sht about Dumbledore's sexuality either way.

What interests me is that Rowling consciously withheld this character trait as a writer, and now gets standing ovations for cynically using it as a provocateur.

"I had to give you something to talk about for the next 10 years ... Just imagine the fan fiction now," she says.

There's so much wrong with this sentiment that my blood boils. That it was a detail too apparently dirty and untidy to include in the definitive text, that she says this out of the corner of her mouth - suggesting an inevitable turn towards prurience in the fan fiction ...

She reminds me of those women who treat their gay friends like little neutered pets, relishing in their self-styled daring while managing to still vote conservative.

And Virgil, I appreciate your response, but dismissing my comment as "paranoid" doesn't exactly wash. I'm going to tread lightly here and just assume that we experience different political realities, "real human rights" notwithstanding.

However, I think we can agree that homosexuality makes many people uncomfortable, and that many people would rather GLBT people remain culturally invisible and politically impotent. It's a fact that underlies this entire conversation. Hell, it's a fact significant enough to have contributed to George W's re-election. No small feat!

So it's interesting to me that you ascribe every possible motive for Rowling's omission of Dumbledore's orientation except homophobia. I grant you - any one of those motives could be correct. But here's something else Rowling said:

"If I'd known it would make you so happy, I would have announced it years ago!"

Ergo, she assumed it would make her readers unhappy, or at least uncomfortable. And decided to not announce / broadcast it where it counts. In the work. That's homophobia, in spirit and in practice.

And as for the article about Rowling scribbling Dumbledore's sexuality in the margins (literally!) ...

The fact remains that that particular romantic reference wasn't righted. It was omitted.

First, HJO3 (and anybody else who believes the BB headline) - Dumbledore was / is not gay. Rowling's assertion to the contrary is nothing more than idle speculation. As they say in the theater: If it's not on the page, it's not on the stage.

And never mind your arrogance at concluding a major character's orientation is "not an integral detail" - do you honestly think that making Dumbledore's explicit would have reduced the cultural significance of this mega-selling series? If yes, that doesn't say much for Rowling's prowess as an author.

Actually, I think it would have lent a little credibility to all the bllsht I and a lot of non-fans politely swallow about that supposed significance. The mere fact that this series sold so well seems to be the primary basis for the claim anyway.

Making art is about (or should be about) taking chances. If making an old fckng wizard in a make-believe universe gay is too great an artistic chance to take ... well, I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry. Or possibly puke.

@ Virgil:

The notion that sexual orientation is "unnecessary to broadcast" is almost quaint in this, the 21st century, and yet still mightily insulting.

Heterosexuals broadcast their sexuality in every conceivable and conspicuous fashion. It's only when homosexuals do the same that the term "broadcasting" is trotted out, and (well-intentioned) liberals claim orientation-blindness.

This is the cowardice and intellectual dishonesty that Rowling obviously suffered from during the course of her writing, or ... perhaps her editing?

Distinguishing between 160 Kbps and FLAC is the 7th sense.

Thurber lived in Columbus, and, fortunately for him, the leprechauns never travel north of Dayton.

Stellar: New intro, Xeni and Mark's coiffures, the Boing Boing dental plan apparently.

Put it in the cellar: createsimplicity.com.

God, this is awful. I bet my dad already has one.

The future of commerce, for good or ill, lies in renting, licensing, or borrowing products and experiences. The idea of "ownership" will be obsolete in another generation.

At least that's what Jeremy Rifkin argues in his wonderful 2001 book The Age of Access. For anyone interested in issues relating to intellectual property rights, public space, or creeping commercialism it's highly recommended.

If not a full-on beard, Jackhammer Jill at least has a 5 o'clock shadow.

Cory = capsaicin stoner.