tech@vedella

computers inspired by computers (thanks, Ivan Reyes)...

We're starting off today's Tweet Week giveaways with a bang: I'm going to pick one of you to win some panties from Dirty Dolls, a just-launched lingerie company that "specializes in catering to the needs of voluptuous women." (Bless them.) Founder Courtney Leigh Newman is giving us two items, the Organic Cha Cha Cheeky Short [pictured] and the Organic Thrilling Thong. (Which, despite first glance, is a technically SFW image. Subtle!) On deck for later today: Five Didj handheld gaming systems for kids from LeapFrog, plus three games for each. (Unintentional awesome: We give away videocameras, then lingerie, then kids' toys. Narrative is a powerful form.) We've also got a couple of Bluetooth headsets from iVoice, the Diamond-X and GX7. How do you get a chance to win this stuff? I've explained the details already, but in short: if you follow the Boing Boing editors on Twitter this week, you have a chance to win fabolas prizes. Here are our accounts again; Each follow is an entry: • @joeljohnson; @xenijardin; @beschizza; @brandonnn; @doctorow; @johnbattelle; @frauenfelder...

Tyler sez, "A story about police in NYC citing non-existent rules to arrest subway photographers. Not only are they harassing innocent photographers, but they're costing taxpayers thousands from the inevitable lawsuit settlements that follow." ...People taking pictures in the subways are regularly stopped by the police and asked to let the officers see their images or to delete them. “They don’t have to do that, and it’s completely unlawful to ask them to delete them,” said Chris Dunn, a lawyer with the New York Civil Liberties Union. “But it comes with the explicit or implicit threat of arrest. It’s a constant problem.” Mr. Taylor — a college student and an employee of a transportation agency that he did not want to identify — said he had been stopped before when taking pictures, but without problems. Not this time. “I said, ‘According to the rules of conduct, we are allowed to take pictures,’ ” Mr. Taylor said. “I showed him the rules — they’re bookmarked on my BlackBerry...” “He tells me that their rules and the transit rules are different,” Mr. Taylor said. “I tell him, ‘If you feel I’m wrong, give me a summons and I’ll see everyone in court.’ The sergeant told them to arrest me.” In handcuffs, Mr. Taylor was delivered to the Transit District 12 police station, and a warrant check was run. “They were citing 9/11,” said Mr. Taylor, whose encounter was described on a blog by the photographer Carlos Miller. “Of course, 9/11 is serious. I said: ‘Let’s be real. We’re in the Bronx on the 2 train. Let’s be for real here. Come on.’ ” No Photo Ban in Subways, Yet an Arrest (Thanks, Tyler!)...

Del, the enbearded wooden cranked contraption maker (possibly the coolest goddamned maker we've ever featured here on Boing Boing!) returns with this marvellous machine. From Dug North, "This is a nice example of a mechanism that converts reciprocating motion into circular motion via a ratchet mechanism. The really cool thing about his particular design is that it does not matter which direction you turn the crank -- the ratchet will always rotate in the same direction. Very clever." Del's wooden escapement drive machine Previously:Wooden geared contraption and its proud maker -- best gadget video ......

Nat sez, Day 3 of the protest against a braindead copyright law sees the release of an illustrative animation, Kangaroo Court, and the planning of protests in Wellington and Auckland. A Parliamentary Question was asked by Labour, namely "what will you do given the public opposition to the bill?" and the response from the National party Minister was essentially, "we'll help the ISPs and the music industry come up with a code of conduct"--i.e., keep the law. So it appears the (now out of power) party that created the law isn't as fond of it as once they were, and the current ruling party is trying to figure out whether it wants to continue to burn political capital by supporting a law created by the former Government. As one commentator observes, "It is interesting the breadth of opposition to this law. Many ACT supporters are aghast at the cost to business, the addition of another badly defined regulation. While many Greens and Labour supporters on the left are aghast at the threat to freedom of speech, and innocence until proven guilty." #Blackout Kangaroo Court (Thanks, Gnat!)...

Danny Choo is a guestblogger on Boing Boing. Danny resides in Tokyo, and blogs about life in Japan and Japanese subculture - he also works part time for the empire. Today I'd like to talk about 'haters'. I've encountered quite a few in my time and you may have too. Haters are folks who hate your very existence for no apparent reason. There you are just minding your own business when a hater appears and starts to do or say things that get on your nut. I used to get depressed by these folks for a while until I realized that they all were a piece of the jigsaw puzzle that was needed to get me to where I am now. We actually need haters. I'm going to talk about two particular haters and how they indirectly helped me. One was a half Korean/Japanese classmate at university who was native-ish Japanese but didn't learn Korean as a child. During class I spoke to him as a friend but learned from others how he would suddenly bring up the subject of "Hey you know that Danny? He's such an idiot. Why does he need to learn Korean?" I was surprised to learn how much he hated me! One day in class, while I was struggling reading some Korean text, he suddenly stood up in class and shouted (in Japanese) "Look! Why don't you just study more! You are keeping the whole class behind!" The experience left me embarrassed and shaking with anger. It's an experience that I don't purposely choose to remember but can recall it like it was yesterday. I read somewhere that emotional experiences can be easily recalled because when one is emotional, some sort of hormone is released which makes it easier to remember experiences and fixes that time and space in memory - this is the reason why most of your emotional memories (sorrow, happiness, anger) can be replayed clearly. Me not an expert on the subject or terminology though. Was depressed about the experience but the sadness and anger wasn't doing me any good. I decided to use that energy instead to focus on improving my Korean just as the guy suggested. Spent every ounce of my time learning new grammar patterns and absorbing myself in the language just like I did when learning Japanese. A few weeks after the experience, my effort was beginning to pay off. (More after the jump)...

In this week's episode of CBC's Search Engine, the revelation that Canada's ISPs are experience dramatic (up to 45 percent!) reductions in traffic-growth. The ISPs were forced to release the stats as part of a regulatory hearing. Why does this matter? Because the ISPs -- some of the least Neutral, most-connection-fiddling in the world -- argue that their out-of-control growth means that they have to secretly screw up your downloads and demand bribes from companies in exchange for "premium" access to you and your computer. Podcast #21 is up! MP3 link Previously:Canadian Net Neutrality rally tomorrow on Parliament Hill - Boing ... Net Neutrality bill in Canada - Boing Boing Fiery and funny rhetoric in Canadian Parliament over the Canadian ... Canadian ISP Rogers: We're a dumb pipe, except when we want to ......

Last week's episode of Quirks and Quarks, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's national science radio program, had a fascinating segment on the role of vasopressin in monogamous commitment. Males in some species of pair-bonding mammals have their lifelong attachment triggered by vasopressin release, and studies of men in monogamous relationships find a correlation between low vasopressin levels and high levels of marital strife. The whole program is really fascinating, covering the science of pheromones, the role that estrogen plays in female fidelity, and many other romantic elements of science. Your Brain on Love MP3 link...

Danny Choo is a guestblogger on Boing Boing. Danny resides in Tokyo, and blogs about life in Japan and Japanese subculture - he also works part time for the empire. The word Itasha describes a car that has been plastered with stickers of anime (Japanese cartoons) or eroge (Japanese dating sims) characters. "Itasha" literally means "painful car" and comes from the feeling that one would usually be painfully embarrassed to drive around in one. "Itasha" also means Italian Car. You can see a whole bunch of these Itasha that I snapped a while ago. But, not only are some Japanese folks most creative when it comes to decorating their car, they be also creative when it comes to car accessories too - as you can see from the photo below... Would you drive around in an Itasha?...

Like everyone, I'm starting to freak out a little about the state of the economy. Many of my good friends are out of work -- and some of them have been out of work for a longer period than I would have thought possible. It seems like every day, I pass another closed store or cafe on my way to the office. And of course, the suggestion file here at Boing Boing is full of stories of the collapsing property bubble in Dubai, the implosion of the South Chinese manufacturing cities, and a million indicators, large and small, of a crisis that is global, deep and worsening. How do you keep your spirits up? I wrote before Christmas that this is the best time in history to have a worst time -- the time at which our capacity to do things in a way that's outside of traditional economics is at its highest. It's never been easier to come together to have fun, to make stuff, to change things. I keep reminding myself of that, but it's not easy. My little family is probably OK -- we have a diverse set of income sources, from a variety of countries and industries -- but nothing's certain. In the past two recessions, I was a young kid with bottomless energy and no responsibility. Now I'm 37 and responsible for a child, and my boundless energy has been replaced by discipline and systems that let me get more done with less effort. I lived through the dotcom boom and bust in San Francisco, arriving in 1999 and departing in 2003, and the two things that stand out for me were 1) how fast it fell and how deep the bottom turned out to be and 2) how quickly the unthinkable became normal and people started to have fun and do cool stuff even without the stupid amounts of money sloshing around the city, like Whos having Christmas without all the be-Grinched trees and trinkets. For me, I think it's the suspense that's the killer. What institutions will survive? Which ones are already doomed? Which of the items in my calendar are likely never to come to pass? Will my bank last? My favorite cafe (the one near the kid's day-care shut suddenly one day with a "Closed for Refurnshment" (sic) sign in the window, and now the window is plastered with signs for the second-rate cafe across the street, which gets points for cheekiness, if not coffee; if you're reading this, Coffee At Goswell Road baristas, I miss you!)? The burrito stand in Exmouth Market? Will the publisher of that half-finished series of books I love last long enough to finish it? And then there's the environmental question: how bad? How fast? Will the Thames estuary flood? Will the Gulf Stream stall? Is it insane to contemplate buying any house at sea level, at any price? What are you telling yourself? How are you all sleeping at night? Are you hedging your bets with canned goods and shotguns, or plans for urban communal farming? Are you starting a business? Restructuring through bankruptcy? Moving back in with your parents? My favorite Spider Robinson aphorism is "Shared joy is increased, shared pain is lessened." Jump into the comments and tell us about your plans, dreams, denial and successes. (Image: Pay us what you think our food is worth sign, cafe, Farringdon Road, Clerkenwell, London, UK from my Flickr stream)...

Marilyn sez, "Sarah Horton of TotallySevere created this piece of embroidery for the current 'Forget-Me-Not' show at Gallery Hanahou in New York City. The show features 'embroidered love from the new craft movement.' I like the tiny name tag on the sweater of the happy contestant." Dr. Phil bakes the best cookies (Thanks, Marilyn!)...

Brickchair is a chair-sculpture made from children's wooden blocks in bright primary colors, part of a series of objects made from these bricks by Dutch artist Pepe Heykoop. Brickchair (via Cribcandy)...

Martin Bu's "Remembrance of the Future" vase is just lovely -- a rocket-ship for your flowers. Slovak porcelain and product designer Martin Bu (via Cribcandy)...

Becky Stern sez, "I'm taking an introductory metalworking class, and for our first sample project I made this copper band-aid. I formed the strip on a hydraulic press (read: car jack in a steel frame) sandwiched between layers of acrylic (bottom) and flexible urethane (top). The pad is textured by running it through a roller against some window screen, then I applied a water-based white patina. The overall texture of the strip is hammered and buffed. It's about seven inches long. I'm excited to learn more about metalworking." Copper Band-Aid (Thanks, Becky!)...

Anne Loucks has designed an ingenious apparatus that allows her cat to click "I agree" on the obnoxious EULAs that get thrown up on her computer screen. She reasons that since her cat can't form a legal contract, there's no agreement to be made there. I did the same thing when Poesy was born, getting her to flail her tiny fist into the Wiimote so as to agree to all the terms of service that you have to click through to use your Wii. Of course, I have created a wonderful solution to this problem. My cat, Simba, agrees instead of me. As he is not a legal entity, I don't really know how kitty's agreements would stand up in court, but I like to think he would be responsible for any breaches of contract, assuming the agreement is even enforceable. After all, he is not even of legal age, at least in human years. First, we must create a way for Simba to push the button. I created a cardboard platform with a long thin protrusion for pressing the spacebar, which is sufficient to activate most onscreen buttons. Next, I carefully place it over the keyboard of my computer. Finally, I lure Simba over the cardboard platform with the promise of petting. N Success!! He presses the button of his own free will. Admittedly, he was coerced and rewarded, but really, nobody forced my cat to step on the button and become party to a software license agreement. At the very least, we know he was not under duress. The Agreeable Cat...

Lee Hurst, a British standup comedian, decided that a guy in the audience who was texting on his mobile phone was, in fact, recording his jokes so they could be "stolen" and "sold to TV." So he took the phone away and smashed it. During the trial, he railed against YouTube and other places where "stolen" jokes end up. The comedian claimed in court that there was a growing problem with writers recording rival comics' material so that they could pirate their jokes and sell them to television shows. He claimed that footage of his gigs ended up on websites such as YouTube. “TV programmes have writers writing for the performers and they go around to gigs and take the material and sell it to the BBC and ITV and that material is gone," said Hurst, who defended himself. “You are then accused of stealing your own material. It has happened to me with material shown on national TV that I had already done. TV comic Lee Hurst in court tirade against the joke pirates...

Architectural firm MAD coordinated this concept for a set of gewgaw skyscrapers to "grace" HuaXi, an industrial city in southwest China. If there was ever a set of designs made to be marvelled at as it sits in ruins... Huaxi city centre by MAD and others...

The creators of the Pirate Bay documentary "Steal This Film" have released footage from their next installment in honor of the trial of the Pirate Bay's founders (yesterday's hearings ended with a bang, when the prosecution dropped half the charges -- the more serious half -- after realizing they couldn't make the case stick). Today the Pirate Bay are on trial, and we are proud to support them with this trial edition of Steal This Film. STF 'Trial edition' contains unseen footage, including Brokep and Tiamo preparing for the trial, and re-enactments of their police interviews. STEAL THIS FILM: DOWNLOAD THE TRIAL EDITION (via Waxy) Previously:Steal This Film 2 footage: free, indexed and remixable - Boing Boing Steal This Film, Part II: the Internet makes us into copiers ... Steal This Film II London Premiere, Jan 18 - Boing Boing Steal This Movie: documentary on Swedish piracy movement - Boing Boing Swedish piracy doc wants your footage - Boing Boing Pirate Bay trial in Stockholm: Day 1 - Boing Boing...

This classified ad from a former marijuana smuggler looking for work was apparently placed in a Toronto paper (the Toronto Star? The Globe and Mail? The National Post?) around 2006 or 2007. It's got a lot of moxie -- certainly being a successful dope runner requires a fair bit of self-starting get-up-and-go and precision organizing. Still, I'm not convinced it's real -- anyone know more about it? "...participated in the executive level management of 120 people worldwide in a sucessful pot smuggling venture with revenues in excess of U$ 100 million annually(...) expert in all levels of security(...) well-traveled, speak English, French and Spanish(...) references available from friends, family, US District Attorney..." Best 'Looking for a Job Ad', Ever (via Neatorama)...

Garth Risk Hallberg diagrams Obama's sentences and detects the Obaman power-grammar trick: tucking away the controversial part between inspiring mottos: "My view is also that nobody's above the law, and, if there are clear instances of wrongdoing, that people should be prosecuted just like any ordinary citizen, but that, generally speaking, I'm more interested in looking forward than I am in looking backwards." The diagram, though, offers several insights. First, the elegant balance of the central construction (My view is that x, and that y, but also that z) shows that Obama has a good memory for where he's been, grammatically, and a strong sense of where he's going. His tripartite analysis of the problem is clearly reflected in the structure of the sentence, and thus in the three main branches of the diagram. (Turn it on its side and it could be a mobile.) The third "that" - thrown in 29 words into a 43-word sentence - creates three parallel predicate nouns. And then there's a little parallel flourish at the end: "I am more interested in looking forward than I am in looking back..." This may be the essential Obama gift: making complexity and caution sound bold and active, even masculine... or rather, it may be one facet of a larger gift: what Zadie Smith calls "having more than one voice in your ear." Notice the canny way that the sentence above turns on the fulcrum of what may be Obama's favorite word: "but." What appears to be a hard line - "My view is... that nobody is above the law" - turns out to have been a qualifier for a vaguer but more inspiring motto: "I am more interested in looking forward than I am in looking back." The most controversial part of the sentence - "people should be prosecuted" - gets tucked away, almost parenthetically, in the middle...if comedians ever overcome their Obama anxiety, this may be his Achilles heel: "The beef, assuming it's in a port wine reduction, sounds, uh, amazing, but on the other hand, given that the chicken is, ah, locally grown, I'd be eager to try it." Diagramming the Obama Sentence (via Kottke)...