@Beatrice M, @license farm: maybe interesting [cough] that iTunes will happily tell you the URL of the mp3 you're streaming...;)

This is the most disturbing part of the article:

She wrote: "We have had to help a disturbingly high number of girls through the aftermath of having unprotected sex that evening, most of whom have told us they were too drunk to be in control of themselves. The risks are real. Assume the worst."

First, to express sympathy only for the scummy females involved in this escapade and not the scummy males implies that the females were victimized-- that's pretty horrible. When women tell girls that they are weak and being controlled, everybody loses.

Second, drunk people are not victims either-- if you choose to drink and then you do something dumb, well, you chose to do something dumb. Blaming alcohol is an excuse for people who shouldn't be drinking-- they don't understand that people are always responsible for themselves.

Third, props to the kids-- hope everybody got off and nobody got any cooties.

Creepy? Yes. Interesting? Nope.

They don't deserve the blog coverage they've been getting. Form-wise, they're the Mario and Homer we see all over-- it's just a texturing gag, and an ugly one at that.

What, no Hg (in glass)?! That would be teh best...

I prefer to think that these absurd scanners condition kids to reject, spoof, and break the stupid, dangerous machines that weaken our rights as citizens.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Fool-a-Fingerprint-Security-System-As-Easy-/

mod diggum up!!!

Good thing the Stasi never invented this...
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/07/03/stasi-smell-museum.html

Still, it's a shame the Feds will be tracking us by smell soon too...
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/05/whistleblower-says-f.html

Would love to see James Randi offer Steven a wager...:)

Well, a good designer should read *everything*, especially things like CRAFT in which present designs they've whipped up out of pure passion. As for whether or not it's a ripoff... I say "so what"? Attribution is a tricky thing in design-- a commercial rip-off should be taken as unequivocal validation of an awesome idea. The intertubes make it easy for savvy buyers to research their favorite designers' influences-- CRAFT should expect more hits from Paris, Milan, etc.

Page 27 of the thesis presents the lamp as a generator with a 1:160 gearing mechanism and "harmonics" [COUGH!] somehow producing the energy.

I'm disappointed that Mark's original post didn't come with a heavy dose of skepticism-- instead, it was presented as "this is neat!" The link leads to "Pure Energy Systems"-- they don't seem to distinguish between real and fictional gadgets.

This is an industrial design presentation and should not be interpreted as plausible. This is "concept: Gravia," emphasis on "concept"-- check out page 27 of the master's thesis-- it's about presentation. Engineering-wise, it's a >1 efficiency proposition no matter how you slice it. File under "perpetual motion."

Seems like an effective solution would be to have a set of standard, public licenses (like Creative Commons licenses) with a set of options and potential addenda. Standard licenses would (1) allow manufacturers to print licenses on packaging materials, and (2) allow consumers to have a clue about what licenses really mean.

I can't imagine current mult-screen "scroll down and click OK" EULA's are enforceable-- any attorneys care to comment?

This demonstrates a huge problem with science reporting-- the tendency of reporters to give credence to every statement everybody tells them, even cranks.

Here's a particularly shiny bit of feces: "There's no talk of perpetual motion. No whisper of broken scientific laws or free energy. Zahn would never go there -– at least not yet." Talk about dividing by zero...

Growing up, Dad always talked me into getting records instead of tapes, going so far as to tape them for me, and re-taping them if they got fried or damaged. I am grateful that he planted the seed of having a "master," esp. since it's sweet having early 80's classics on vinyl. I've spent less than $20 on DRM media, and even then I considered the files disposeable-- I paid for the instant access. It's the same as buying a tape instead of a record or CD-- it's fragile and likely to stop working at some point.

Hunty: locking down your stuff internally is a good idea regardless and kind of a separate issue; I don't think people are suggesting you don't use any security-- server connections at home should be protected and secure, but in a way that's transparent to you-- deadbolts are one thing, think Star Trek automated doors who know who's who. My Mac, TiVo, PC's and printers won't talk to anybody from the outside, but they're sure talking to each other-- the only thing open to a guest is a WiFi pipe to the intertubes; the rest of my LAN is opaque.

CopyDeskCat: seems useful to figure out how to throttle your guests' access; too bad wireless router software can be so [expletives deleted]...

Also: setting up my sister's wireless network a few years ago-- my lawyer sister with huge confidential cases-- she insisted that I keep her network open. She gave me a lawyerly reasons that surprised me:
* It's her IT department's job to make sure people don't steal data; she has to use networks for work and it's fine. She knows what https means.
* There's no way she can be held responsible for stuff she can't reasonably monitor.

Glad so many of us are of the same mind-- dig that "reading a map by my porch light" analogy, and I'm changing my SSID when I get home to include my email and welcome guests.

But then I'm the sort of person to puts potted plants outside my door on the street, not worrying about somebody stealing or dogs peeing on them.

Service providers of all stripes must be scratching their heads bald worrying about what'll happens when WiMax hits...

@the usual suspect: actually, @skip got it right first, though it's called a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupt)-- a wonderful thing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residual-current_device

A blog needs a badly written fictional back story as much as it needs cut scenes and Happy Meal tie-ins. Interesting links though.

If a TSA agent is getting upset because they don't know what your gadget is, calling it an agrometer is not helpful when you know they won't know what that is-- call it a thermometer! When I hear people complain about TSA confrontations, their descriptions of their own behavior make me think "no wonder."

It's easy to get through TSA checkpoints without hassles if you show respect for how much TSA people must hate their jobs-- many people treat then badly because SOME TSA employees are complete assholes. It's no reason to treat them all like that. Give them a smile, say hello. If there's a lull and you're just standing there waiting next to a stressed, darty-eyed TSA person, make a short, friendly, non-confrontational remark.

Fishing for a polite response is effective for figuring out if you're dealing with a complete jerk of a TSA agent, and you should take a jerk's cues and change your behavior and show a little more respect. Courtesy can disarm hostility in formal settings, especially when you're surrounded by other passengers and TSA agents.

But this is just about the security checkpoints-- TSA needs to get popped HARD for stealing stuff from checked bags.

Gillagriene: looks like the snake ate Tweety-- bulge in the middle.

Lots of misguided criticism going around here. Art has ALWAYS portrayed the female form in idealized and exaggerated ways which changes over time. We worship fertility-- get over it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_Willendorf

Coop's and Robert Williams' paintings are art history studies in and of themselves, packed to burst with vulgar Americana-- there's a clear "underground" appeal.

As for the women and what the artists are really saying, I don't know, but I don't see them as objectifying or demeaning to women. Coop's women evoke power-- they are elevated and venerated. Williams' women are... well, just the object of a twisted mind-- the twisted mind is the subject most of the time!

I think "paste of vinegar and baking soda" should have been "paste of vinegar and salt"-- a traditional (and effective and.. non-foaming!) way to remove tarnish. Maybe an error in transcribing the list, mixing up the "remove tarnish" with "make volcano" preparations?