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Boing Boing Blog
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| 1. |
Pepsi and Guinness Can Stove. Via Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools e-zine:
This little stove is amazing; it's made from pepsi and guinness cans, using things that can be found around most households. It takes about an afternoon to make (plus some time waiting for the epoxy to set), weighs only a few grams, and is sufficient for most backpacking trips. I made my first one a few years ago, and I've been handing them out as gifts ever since. The stove is powerful enough to boil a quart of water in a reasonable amount of time, it's MUCH quieter than other camping stoves, if you lose it you're not out $80.00, and you can get the fuel for it (denatured alcohol) at most hardware or paint stores. Mine fits nicely inside of the mug I use for cooking and eating, with room to spare. I usually stuff a spare pair of socks in with it to keep it from rattling around. The site provides detailed instructions and photographs, as well as a message board with feedback and suggestions from other stove builders.
Link to Scott Henderson's Pepsi-G Stove
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| 2. |
Holy crap: South Park's "Casa Bonita" is for reals. 
Intrepid fact-checker and friend of BoingBoing Mara Schwartz says, "I was doing some research on Comedy Central programming for work, and found this. There was a recent South Park episode where the kids go for Kyle's birthday to a huge, amped-up Mexican restaurant in Denver called Casa Bonita, that features cliff divers, caves, waterfalls, etc. Turns out it's a real restaurant. Here's a link to their site."
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| 3. |
Apollo 14 Astronaut Edgar Mitchell's Message Board. BoingBoing reader Avi Solomon says:
Edgar Mitchell,former Apollo 14 Astronaut maintains a message board where he answers questions put to him by the public. He is one of the few Apollo astronauts who is in public contact and the message board is a rare chance to put your own question to a man who walked on the moon. The thread I link to is one in which Dr. Mitchell discusses the impact of seeing earth from space. Many other threads on the message board relate to interesting details of the Apollo missions.
Link |
| 4. |
Andy Warhol and the Commodore Amiga 1000. 
Artnode.org has uncovered and posted a fascinating mid-'80s interview from Amigaworld magazine in which Andy Warhol discusses his relationship with his Commodore Amiga 1000, his experiments using it in portrait pieces of Debbie Harry and Dolly Parton, and his predictions about the future of computer art.
BoingBoing reader Jose Luis of Barcelona-based blog elastico.net, says "It's always fun finding this sort of stuff from the past, and wondering what would have happened if he hadn't died a year later."
Link to elastico.net post, Link to 2 MB PDF of the original magazine article.
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| 5. |
Crazy art from guys in Finland: Mieskuoro Huutaja. BoingBoing buddy Gareth says:
Take a group of men from the northern Finnish town of Oulu... dress them in dark suits with black ties made from the inner tubes of car tyres.
Next, send them out on to the ice floes of the frozen Baltic and get them to shout - in choral unison - at a stranded 10,000-ton ice breaking vessel, and you have got something called Mieskuoro Huutaja (Men's Choir Shouters)... a new art form, and it is taking parts of the world by arctic storm.
Link to BBC news story, Link to truly bizarre audio and video clips of these Finnish guys, well, flowing with the ice floes. |
| 6. |
Is photoblogging good for photography?. BoingBoing reader mat says, " This essay from Emese Gaal asks the question, 'While [photo]blogging helps build traffic and creates a sense of a welcoming and creative community, does blogging actually make you a better a photographer?' Well written and interesting article on the relative merits of the rise in photoblogging, from the point of view of a professional photographer. A selection of excellent comments really makes this worth a read." Link |
| 7. |
Should Robots Have Human Faces?. BoingBoing reader Roland Piquepaille says:
A robotics designer named David Hanson, who lives in Dallas, Texas, says yes, according to this story from the Associated Press. But can you imagine that this guy gave his latest robot, designed to resemble his girlfriend, a name like Hertz? Does he think his girlfriend is for rent? Quite amazing! Besides choosing such a name, why is this such a controversial idea to make robots looking very much like human beings? Because the theory goes like this: "humans have a positive psychological reaction to robots that look somewhat like humans. But if a robot is made to look very realistic but somehow isn't quite right (it has an odd smile, or it doesn't blink, for example) it seems grotesque instead of comforting." You'll find more details and an astonishing picture in this overview.
Link |
| 8. |
New paper on data privacy and Social Networking Services. Roger Clarke says:
I expressed concerns a couple of days ago about Plaxo. I've now flung together a draft privacy analysis of address-book and social networking services (SNS) generally, with particular reference to Plaxo. As always, I'd appreciate constructively negative criticism, particularly if I'm being unfair to anyone.
Abstract:
Technology and human ingenuity continue to pose new privacy challenges. During 2003, a new dot.com fashion arose from an odd amalgam of Rolodex address-books, e-communities and dating. Users of these services store personal data on a central server, which can be accessed by other people, and, potentially at least, exploited by the service-operator. There are privacy concerns, of a kind that has been analysed many times before. The new dimension that these services bring is that they entice users to disclose personal data about their friends, business contacts or acquaintances. That is a disturbing feature, and it requires careful analysis.
Link to Very Black Little Black Books (via politech)
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| 9. |
Web Zen: Animation Zen. 
(1) muffin films
(2) robot love
(3) door steps
(4) weapon of stick figure
(5) catfish hotel
(6) acme catalog
(7) ray patin studios
(8) animwatch
web zen home, web zen store, (Thanks, Frank).
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CNET News.com - Front Door
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| 10. |
RealNetworks, MLB talks dissolve. RealNetworks ends negotiations to extend its exclusive deal to power Major League Baseball's Web business. |
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New York Times: Technology
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| 11. |
Let's All Gather Round the Screen. If the VCR and then the DVD player changed where and how movies were watched, home theaters are changing the experience even more. By Katie Hafner. |
| 12. |
Yours Not So Truly, J. Goodspam. To catch your eye (and avoid your filter), e-mail marketers cloak themselves in some improbable pseudonyms. By Lisa Napoli. |
| 13. |
Oracle Raises Its Bid for PeopleSoft Again. The surprise increase in the offer price signals a new stage in the hostile takeover fight for PeopleSoft. By Laurie Flynn and Andrew Ross Sorkin. |
| 14. |
Geeks Put the Unsavvy on Alert: Learn or Log Off. As the MyDoom virus continues its travels, the computer-savvy are becoming hostile toward those who still open unknown e-mail attachments. By Amy Harmon. |
| 15. |
Protecting the Cellphone User's Right to Hide. Cellphone carriers are planning to roll out features that allow companies or other cellphone users to know a user's location. By Jeffrey Selingo. |
| 16. |
Dot-Com Survivor Hits on Right Plan. Intranets.com has survived by retooling, reinventing and repackaging itself. By Elizabeth Olson. |
| 17. |
As Pixar's Chief Vents, Disney Answers in Kind. Disney and Pixar, which called off talks last week on extending their 13-year partnership, traded barbs in public on Wednesday. By Laura M. Holson. |
| 18. |
Technology Briefing. SOFTWARE. By (reuters). |
| 19. |
A Joystick That Challenges You to Sweat. A Maryland start-up company has put together a new game pad that builds up more than a player's thumbs. By Noah Shachtman. |
| 20. |
E-Mailing a Cellphone by the Numbers. With a Service Called Teleflip, all you need to send e-mail to a cellphone is its phone number. By Patrick Di Justo. |
| 21. |
Shrinking Batteries Speed the March Toward Lilliput. Batteries do more than run portable electronic devices; they influence the form of the devices they power, because designers must make room for them in digital cameras, music players and other products. By Michel Marriott. |
| 22. |
Recording the VCR's Swan Song. DVD recorders for less than $300 are now available from Gateway and other makers. But what do you get for that price? By David Pogue. |
| 23. |
Step on the Gas With a Speedier DVD Recorder. Just as CD burners got faster at recording discs as the technology improved, DVD recorders are beginning to pick up speed. The Memorex True 8X Dual Format DVD Recorder can record DVD+R and DVD-R discs at a sizzling (for DVD) 8x pace. With the ability to store 4.7 gigabytes of data on a disc, DVD has become a common option for data backup as well as recording homemade video. By J.d. Biersdorfer. |
| 24. |
When a Search Engine Isn't Enough, Call a Librarian. With the public expectation that answers can be found almost instantly with an Internet search engine, librarians are trying new approaches to retain their relevance. By Jeffrey Selingo. |
| 25. |
Gear for the Stay-at-Home Movie Enthusiast. SO you think you want a home theater. Where do you go from there?. By Katie Hafner. |
| 26. |
A Filter for Your In-Box Sets Passwords for Friends. Spam-fighting experts have long advised having multiple e-mail accounts: one for personal correspondence and at least one for activities like online shopping that can be abandoned when junk e-mail starts piling up. But this is likely to become unnecessary with ZoEmail, a new Web-based e-mail service that incorporates patented technology from AT&T Labs to block unsolicited mail from your in-box. By J. D. Biersdorfer. |
| 27. |
Bright Yet Efficient, a Bulb Conserves Flashlight Juice. Most people would say that $40 is a lot of money for a flashlight, let alone a replacement bulb. But Larry Lopata, the president of. By Ian Austen. |
| 28. |
The IPod as Boombox With a Magical Bass. Apple iPod owners who want to share their sound, or simply take their headphones off, can plug their player into Altec Lansing's inMotion ultraportable audio system. Unfold the system, which is the size of a paperback, and you have a dock for the iPod flanked by a a pair of small speakers. By Ivan Berger. |
| 29. |
Which High-End Television? |
| 30. |
Keep Contacts in Sync on Your Mac and Palm. Q. How can I load my Mac OS X address book onto my Palm-based organizer? By J.d. Biersdorfer. |
| 31. |
A Choice of Bad or Worse, in an Impassive World. In a pair of sequels, Deus Ex offers moral ambiguity and Max Payne reviews a noir netherworld. By Charles Herold. |
| 32. |
For Better HDTV Displays, It's All About the Chip. Reasonably priced rear-production sets have improved the picture for high-definition television. By Eric A. Taub. |
| 33. |
Letters to the Editor. On the Campaign Trail. |
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SecurityFocus Vulnerabilities
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| 34. |
BugTraq: Re: getting rid of outbreaks and spam (junk). Sender: James Riden [j dot riden at massey dot ac dot nz] |
| 35. |
BugTraq: Re: sqwebmail web login. Sender: Tim Nelson [sysadmin at sunet dot com dot au] |
Thursday, February 05, 2004
More ramblings throughout the blogosphere on Orkut and 
Former US President Jimmy Carter has a blog:
