Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco is $1.99
at Amazon. (Just picked it up, haven't seen the movie in ages but absolutely loved it.)
Shadow Weaver and Zeus/Tommy Lister figures up for preorder
Zeus includes a build-a-figure part for Mr. Perfect. Shadow Weaver is just cool. (The BBTS also still has Super 7's version in stock if you want to compare and contrast the two companies' approach.)
Skinamarink inspired keychain
I made a skinamarink inspired keychain π«£☎️ pic.twitter.com/cbTvoWw5o2
— Jinja ⎊ Sh0p UPDATE (@RadJinja) February 28, 2023
Preorder.
Good short story about a professional organizer meeting an unusual hoarder
"This Belongs to You" by Aimee LaBrie. An apt description:
so-called "flash fiction" doesn't get much better than this. "prose poetry" might be more accurate.
— Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) February 22, 2023
https://t.co/vnGKf9jo5s
Monday, February 27, 2023
Lee Pace/Thranduil stylized vinyl figure up for preorder (plus a very funny video about filming some of his scenes)
New toy options at the BBTS include Star Wars Hot Wheels cases (including the Mandalorian's Naboo starfighter), new defective item loot boxes, 48% off the pretty cool-looking Lightyear Alpha figures, and Weta's latest "Mini Epics" figure, Thranduil:
This clip about the multiple absurdities of filming one of Thranduil's confrontations with the dwarves is a delight:
This clip about the multiple absurdities of filming one of Thranduil's confrontations with the dwarves is a delight:
Today's funny posts
i need to know everything about mark pic.twitter.com/ljMGUce5bt
— molly taft (@mollytaft) January 22, 2023
Today's cyberpunk loadout is an adversarial hoodie for defeating night vision security cameras, 3d-printed firearms for resisting the military coup, and a voice replica for seizing bank accounts
"The Camera-Shy Hoodie is a DIY adversarial garment designed to give the user the option to anonymize themselves within the recording of a night vision security camera." https://t.co/V6htOLDOGR pic.twitter.com/JOCfGj4IEN
— Jake Hanrahan (@Jake_Hanrahan) February 25, 2023
Adorable chimera
Pepper, the Chimaera.
— Larissa Ovidio (@lara_inthesky) February 23, 2023
Modeling and rendering study#dtiys Concep by @FromHappyRock pic.twitter.com/gWVDtawvTt
The illustration:
Sunday, February 26, 2023
Super Mario Bros. movie toys, including a "fire" breathing Bowser up for preorder
Amazon currently has some at retail prices, but some listings either sold out or converted to scalper level immediately. Entertainment Earth has the delightful Bowser and others. Here's video of the fire breathing:
ha ha ha yes pic.twitter.com/uMVStKt5he
— David M Willis! (parody) (@damnyouwillis) February 26, 2023
Columbo operating the Voight-Kampff test
"One more thing..."
— Ron R G (@SixPixeldesign) February 25, 2023
A little sketch up of an Idea. Peter Falk's Columbo as Deckard in Blade Runner.#Columbo #bladerunner #digitalart #peterfalk pic.twitter.com/9E97xnsfpe
*Previously: Weyland-Yutani's version of the Voight-Kampff test?
Today's funny posts
Things aren’t always what they seem. πΊπ @TheLastofUsHBO @dicampbell25 pic.twitter.com/tMT0GdTktr
— Christine Mayall πΊπ¦ (@ChristineMayall) February 23, 2023
Ann Leckie's terrific novel "Provenance" is $2.99 today
at Amazon. (Takes place in the same universe as her Radch series of novels, but almost entirely unrelated to those other books (aside from a few jokes).)
Neat video about designing and 3d-printing Wilson's "airless" basketball concept
It gets dyed black in the "DyeMansion" where it experiences "VaporFuse Surfacing and DeepDye Coloring":
Sweater depicting the formation of iron meteorites
(I'm pretty sure she hasn't posted the pattern yet.)
*Previously: Homemade version of Guillermo's bat sweater
Saturday, February 25, 2023
New Humble Bundle features the RPG based on "Fallout", including 3d-printable figures
$1 for various starter files, including some scenery to download. $18 for the big bundle, including some ambitious vehicles to print out.
Sara Gran's "The Book of the Most Precious Substance” is $2.99 today
at Amazon. (I love her Claire DeWitte modern noir detective series.) The LA Times picked this as one of its speculative fiction books of the year, and interviewed her when it came out (complete with glamour photo of her broken leg).
Some of Ricky Jay's collection just went up for auction; PBS has a conversation between Ricky Jay and Art Spiegelman about Jay's collection from 2015
The conversation is here. Spiegelman tells a funny, self-denigrating story at the end about when he first started showing pages of Maus. The auction is here, including a downloadable pdf of the guide. And here's a thread by his former assistant, highlighting some items.
And since I wanted a big jpeg for myself:
And since I wanted a big jpeg for myself:
Today's funny posts
Scouting mom-and-pop fast food joints in Compton today, and holy crap this is the most epic drive-thru menu I have ever seen.
— nick carr // scout stories (@scoutwithnick) February 1, 2023
Literally as I was taking pictures inside, I heard the woman ask a car, "Do you want apple sauce with your pork chops? And syrup with the pancakes?" WOW. pic.twitter.com/k7X7kfOZ06
Friday, February 24, 2023
Haas is trying to be at the cutting edge of reducing pit wall costs
The Haas pit wall that will already save it $250,000 a year is not finished yet…
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) February 24, 2023
The team is actually looking to completely reduce it to a wall that can go via sea freight and be replicated six times - saving another $250,000 compared to the air freight version #F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/2EgGURx4SH
(It seats three instead of the usual six, with the hope performance won't suffer if the rest are watching somewhere in the garage.)
*Previously: Bottas's ridiculous new helmet.
Reportedly, these videos show a three-vehicle heist crew boxing in their victim and stealing $500,000 in diamonds yesterday in Los Angeles
@blancaduarte1 Here inglewood ca. people are just evil omg they robed this guy they boxed him in and robed him thats crazy #inglewoodcalifornia #fyp ♬ original sound - Blanca Duarte
Robbery on La Brea in Inglewood caught on camera pic.twitter.com/YnDVfCQ12J
— Downtown LA Scanner (@DowntownLAScan) February 24, 2023
A Fox news write-up, basically describing the videos.
Today's funny posts
(Highlight reel, if you want to hear how it's pronounced.)Need to see the back of his jersey. Incredible last name. pic.twitter.com/FZmMAgT5E2
— Olney Fans (@TheGolaStandard) February 1, 2023
How to make a paddle out of PSVR2 controllers for immersive virtual reality kayaking
- we use tie wraps
— Better Than Life / Kayak VR (@btl_sandwich) February 23, 2023
- position the controllers close together and between your hands for optimal tracking
- turn on "controllers attached to stick" from general settings
- make sure you have an appropriate play space
- do this at your own risk ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/7mx5sohinF
Tamsyn Muir's "Nona the Ninth " is one of the deals of the day
$4.99 today at Amazon. (Hilarious and strange. I love this series, even though the lore is so deep at this point, visiting the Reddit forum serves to answer my questions and the questions I didn't even think to ask.)
Thursday, February 23, 2023
Mississippi State has an ambidextrous freshman pitcher that throws 90+ with each arm, and trained as a child by throwing a nail-studded ball
.@HailStateBB's switch-pitching freshman @_LooCijntje π€―
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 23, 2023
97 MPH from the right π₯
92 MPH from the left π₯ pic.twitter.com/g7XhndlsGJ
MLB:
Cijntje began throwing right-handed as a 6-year-old because he wanted to emulate his father, Mechangelo, who played professionally in the Netherlands, and liked wearing his dad’s glove. Mechangelo hammered nails into baseballs and had Jurrangelo throw at a tire to try to get the ball to stick, a drill designed to improve his accuracy
Floppy disc-shaped flash drive with built-in touchscreen display showing its contents
.@anne_engineer's floppy disk-styled thumb drive show you the files it contains: https://t.co/cWZGlwmhM2 pic.twitter.com/z00C2YVhUX
— Hackster.io (@Hacksterio) February 23, 2023
Another build:
The LA public library is currently offering a limited edition card featuring the mountain lion P-22
My local branch had them. (FYI, you can use an LA public library account to login to the NY Times for free.)
Today's funny posts
Oh my goodness.
— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) February 21, 2023
Manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo designed the Nippon-Ham Fighters alternate uniform for this season.
BIGBOSS has outdone himself this time. pic.twitter.com/HsIyU0d05k
Micro Galaxy Squadron Razor Crest is 42% off
at Amazon. (Includes Mandalorian, Greef Karga, and Grogu in bassinet minifigures.) Also, the 3.75" Vintage series Katee Sackhoff/Bo-Katan figure is down to $7.49.
RRR fan art
γ©γΌγγγγγγγγ¦γγ·γΌγ³γ«ζ γθ±ζγε€ζγγ¦γγζγγγγ¨ζγ£γ¦γγγΏ（nηͺη γ） pic.twitter.com/X5eb5f7XFL
— γγ (@aoi__0000) February 21, 2023
A few more:
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Artist looking for commissions
Anything traditional, on paper, pen and ink starts at 100$ and will go up based on details like amount of characters / full-body / backgrounds! Hit me up! pic.twitter.com/uNAhxt53DI
— D I O -commissions open- π΅π·π (@Danielirizarri) February 21, 2023
Generative spam is coming for writers, and is already here for musicians
unbelievable. in an earlier draft of my newsletter piece i actually suggested spotify itself would try to save money by clogging up users’ listening experience with generative radio DJ chatter but i took that part out because it sounded too stupid. https://t.co/uoZumgBcIR
— jaime brooks ☭ (@elite_gz) February 22, 2023
Gizmodo:
Spotify has unveiled a new feature to help curate your music that is fueled by artificial intelligence. The company’s new AI DJ, aptly named “DJ,” helps guide you through your listening experience by feeding you music it thinks you’ll love along with computer-generated commentary on what makes those songs great.DJ serves as a music curation tool from Spotify that feeds you songs you like and songs it thinks you’ll like, wrapped up in a realistic voice modelled after Xavier “X” Jernigan, Spotify’s Head of Cultural Partnerships. DJ generates charming and cheeky quips after every few songs that were generated via machine learning, and these comments describe your listening habits and fun facts about the album or song you’re listening to.
And from Brooks's newsletter, after stumbling on a suspicious track:
The case of "Jaime Brooks" perfectly illustrates how these scams will manifest in the world of music. By generating audio that is harmonically similar to classical music, "Jaime" was able to trick Spotify into recommending it to classical listeners. By deploying familiar sounds in a randomized, nonsensical fashion, the resulting compositions were able to bypass copyright filters designed to block infringement of existing works. By targeting a style of music that often appears in sleep-oriented playlists, "Jaime" gained access to the least discerning users on the entire platform. Unconscious adults are very unlikely to notice they're not listening to Mozart anymore and get up to hit fast forward, especially if the interruptions are brief and unpredictable. Babies don’t even have the option! This is how generators are going to change the internet in the coming years: by infesting the darkest, most neglected corners of our collective online experience with the digital equivalent of roaches, bed bugs, fruit flies, and mold....The reality is that Spotify is unprofitable. It always has been. Their single biggest operating expense is the cost of licensing music from the major labels, which continues to be the platform's biggest draw. Spotify is the market leader in streaming with about one hundred and ninety-five million paying subscribers globally, and they lose money every time one of their users hits play on a Taylor Swift album. They can't make money giving you what you want, because what you want is too expensive. Serving up music to customers is a tedious, money-losing business that Spotify only ever bothered with in the hope that it would teach them how to get us all hooked on something cheaper. The trajectory of the platform's shift from user-created playlists to in-house editorial playlists to personalized, algorithmic "Discover" playlists makes this clear. The business model only works if Spotify's users can be persuaded to see listening as a passive, solitary activity rather than an active, social one.Podcasts were supposed to help them do this.
Speaking of music, Daft Punk's Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary) edition vinyl and CD for preorder at Amazon.
Bottas's ridiculous new helmet
Bahrain test helmet π¨πΌ@StiloOfficial helmet designed by @tiffanycromwell π#VB77 #F1 #Mullet pic.twitter.com/sJFh0YN0Ga
— Valtteri Bottas (@ValtteriBottas) February 22, 2023
VALTTERI’S NEW HELMET FOR TESTING π pic.twitter.com/guk4UixWsw
— WTF1 (@wtf1official) February 22, 2023
(The designer is his girlfriend.) Another recent design:
Wild animated parade float featuring St. George fighting the dragon; Star Wars parade float with head-bopping AT-ATs; Impressive floats from Carnevale di Viareggio 2023
SEM PALAVRAS. SEM PALAVRAS. SEM PALAVRAS.#GlobelezaVilaIsabel #Globeleza #GlΓ΄NoCarnaval pic.twitter.com/imVk9sbxtM
— TV Globo πΊ (@tvglobo) February 21, 2023
More views and process pics from the artist:
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
The Tony Gilroy-directed movie "Duplicity" is $4.99
at Amazon. Starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owens:
Two rival industrial spies have to be at the top of their game when one of their companies prepares to launch a major product. However, they distract each other in more ways than one.
(I stumbled upon it years ago during a bout of insomnia and was delightfully surprised, and have been waiting for it to go on sale since Andor to see if it's as good as I remember.)
Artist looking for commissions
For the rest of this week, £10 doodly sketch commissions come with a free sketch of where I think your character might live, such as a cosy cottage or a hollow tree pic.twitter.com/Ehx4eL3aR4
— Rossy Does Drawings-Commissions now open! (@RossySculpts) February 21, 2023
This is reportedly the selfie the U-2 pilot took of the Chinese balloon
THE U-2 AND BALLOONS – SOME HISTORY, AND SOME THOUGHTS https://t.co/47SV5BppaU
— Chris Pocock (@UKdragonChris) February 21, 2023
More here and here.
*Previously: Selfie with the telescope.
Micro Galaxy Squadron Inquisitor Transport Scythe also up for preorder
The Scythe is up for preorder at Amazon. Also, Star Wars action figures are the deal of the day at the BBTS, including 40% off the 3.75 Vintage Carl Weathers and 50% off the space bunny.
Today's funny posts
Hooded Jersey Thong Bodysuit and Jacquard-knit Treggingsjust letting everyone know h&m has a design perfect for anyone wanting to dress like a wall in star wars pic.twitter.com/EYZUogpIxm
— Lauryn (@JediLore) November 12, 2022
Charming illustrated journal about a vacation in Los Angeles
The first couple posts fro a long thread:
Los Angeles vacation journal, day two: Exploring Chinatown, a quick @gettymuseum visit, what happened to Hollywood Boulevard? pic.twitter.com/CLgEva9uY1
— Mark Simmons (@toysdream) February 16, 2023
Monday, February 20, 2023
Fan concept for a Gerard Way/Black Parade Super 7 Ultimates action figure
(The artist has lots of designs available for 3d printing.)
*Previously: Batman Black and White Statue designed by Gerard Way
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