tech@vedella

@newyorkist says, "@OccupyWallStNYC got their hands on a New York Police Department Disorder Control Unit document, allegedly picked out of a van by an arrestee." The pull quote: "A strong military appearance, with sharp and precise movements, is a force multiplier and a psychological advantage to us." Actually, many of the criticisms of the NYPD's [...]

An Occupy Cal demonstrator carries a cat in Sproul Plaza at the University of California, Berkeley November 15, 2011. OWS protesters converged on the University of California at Berkeley on this day, vowing to set up a tent camp in defiance of campus rules a day after police dismantled a long-standing encampment in nearby Oakland. [...]

This awesome rollercoasteroid staircase is underway in Germany: The walkable, large outdoor sculpture Tiger & Turtle – Magic Mountain is currently in construction on the Heinrich Hildebrand Höhe in Duisburg Wanheim (D). It overtops the plateau with the artificially heaped-up mountain by 21m | 23yd so the visitor can rise by more than 45m | [...]

Huarmey, Peru mayor Jose Benitez is reportedly concerned that high levels of strontium in his town's drinking water are turning men gay. From LGBT Asylum News (unrelated photo from Travel Blog): “Unfortunately Strontium reduces male hormones and suddenly we’ll be as Tabalosos, as other towns, where the percentages are increasing of homosexuality," (Benitez said.) Tabalosos [...]

An Atlas V rocket containing NASA's Mars Science Laboratory lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station this morning, carrying the new Curiosity rover to the red planet. Follow the updates at NASA's Mars Science Laboratory page.  NASA Mars Science Laboratory + Curiosity Rover: first look (photo ...

Georgia Judge Dennis Blackmon has rejected a petition from U.S. Bank to throw out a complaint from a homeowner whose mortgage the bank refused to modify, without explanation. The judge didn't mince words on his opinion of the bank's motion: The order lays the case out like this: Phillips is in danger of foreclosure. U.S. [...]

Here's a video of the interrogation of Byron Sonne (more on his case here) by Officer Tam Bui. Sonne is a Toronto hacker who was offended by the security theater associated with the Toronto G20, which involved $1.2 billion worth of "security" measures and thousands of illegal arrests and unprovoked beatings. Sonne is finally on [...]

Redditor Honestly_ snapped this pic of a tiny baby sleeping peacefully atop a giant, plush Totoro from the Studio Ghibli masterpiece My Neighbor Totoro. Dawwww. I hope he appreciates this when he's older... (i.imgur.com) (via Super Punch)

This L&M Cigarette ad from the July 1962 Popular Science is a particularly despicable example of the genre, whose subtext is, "If you love your family, celebrate it by contributing to your own early death." Popular Science - Google Books (Thanks, Jim!)

[video link] From the 1984 film Breakin', Turbo (Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers) does his broom dance to Kraftwerk's "Tour de France." All strings aside (heh), this was quite a memorable performance. Breakin's killer soundtrack has just been reissued. Sadly, "Tour de France" isn't included, but other great jams ike Ollie and Jerry's title track, Rufus [...]

A bicycle repairer strokes his dog inside a storage box on his tricycle as he waits for his customer in Beijing November 24, 2011. (REUTERS/Soo Hoo Zheyang)

Alex Pasternack of Motherboard.tv produced a documentary with Hugo Perez about the thorium movement. He says: The disaster at Fukushima drew attention once again to the perils of nuclear energy, and raised important questions about how its technology came to be. The Thorium Dream explores the passionate Internet-based movement in the United States behind an [...]

Amy Crehore (Boing Boing's monkey T-shirt artist) says: The newest print set by Cloudy Collection has just been released and I am in it. In this set, there are 12 different 6"x 6" 3-color screen prints by 12 unique artists. It is a very special edition with only 50 sets available. That's right, you get [...]

Steve Silberman says: As you know, Susan was the Apple designer who developed the original Mac icons, including the lasso, the bomb, the watch, and the Happy Mac. While writing the introduction to Susan's new book, I convinced her to show me a notebook she used to brainstorm icons in the days before a software [...]

YouTube link [Tech Australia via Daring Fireball]

[Video Link] Shira Lazar of What's Trending says, "We had Nathan Brown live on What's Trending- he's the assistant professor at UC Davis who wrote the letter that went viral asking for the chancellor to resign."

KGO-TV in San Francisco ran a piece about our pal Lloyd Kahn, book publisher and longboarder. Go Lloyd! 76-year-old skateboarder rolls through life Lloyd Kahn (age 76) on skateboarding DIY and Green Building Pioneer Lloyd Kahn Talks About Shelter, Concept of Home - Boing Boing 'Shelter': Amazing profile of Lloyd Kahn - Boing Boing

From the Boing Boing Shop: a T-shirt depicting an At-At Walker wearing a cone of humiliation.

"No property was harmed during this installation," DocPop tells us about this hilarious teeny-tiny Lego Occupy. "From what I understand the piece has already been removed though I don't know by whom."

[video link] Friday Freak-Out: The Cryin' Shames' 1966 French TV performance of "Please Stay" (and also "Gloria.") "Please Stay" was penned by Burt Bacharach and Bob Hillard and first made famous by The Drifters, but the Cryin' Shames' (much superior) cover was produced by the inimitable Joe Meek. (via Liverpool Beat)  Friday Freak-Out: Eric Burdon [...]