The Best American Comics 2019 is also $1.99 and 400 pages. (This one I already own and enjoyed.)
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Lego set for the Glasgow Wonka experience
Below, a bunch more Glasgow Wonka-related nonsense, including versions added to The Sims, World of Warcraft, and Animal Crossing, and a performance art creature much creepier than The Unknown:
Ukrainian woman discovers someone is selling goods on Chinese social media using an AI-generated version of her that pretends to be Russian
VOA:
In some videos, the avatars talk about how much they value Russia and China's close ties. In other videos, they praise Chinese history and culture or talk about how much Russian women want to marry Chinese.
"If you marry Russian women, we will wash clothes, cook, and wash dishes for you every day," an avatar said. "We will also give you foreign babies, as many as you want."
...
HeyGen is an AI company headquartered in Los Angeles that was launched in China in 2020. It specializes in realistic digital avatars, voice generation and video translating.
The technology developed by HeyGen was used in AI videos of Donald Trump and Taylor Swift speaking perfect Mandarin that went viral on Chinese social media in October 2023. According to Forbes, the company is now valued at $75 million.
New Humble Bundle featuring the Dune tabletop RPG
Starting at $1 for various items including "Wormsign" and "Agents of Dune"
The iOS game Galaxy Mix - Planet Watermelon is a fabulously addictive, 99 cent match 3 game with physics
The score mode is already disturbingly addictive, and the zen mode let's you play forever.
Speaking of iOS games, FWIW:
[Apple Arcade] is now laser-focused on family-friendly games with big IP attached, supplemented by one or two new ‘App Store Greats’ per month, which are repurposed free to play games with ads and IAPs removed....Existing App Store titles that are re-released as part of the ‘App Store Greats’ range of games are not paid for upfront, said one developer, and are only subject to bonus pool payments. This naturally benefits games with longer-term retention, but makes shorter narrative games and premium-style indie titles unlikely to earn a decent payback. This is why there’s been a slow purge of these types of games from the service over the last few years.
Cookware with a Sandevistan
Finally, cookware that will fucking kick my ass pic.twitter.com/i2hRZgS0mB
— Oppenheimer style (@misachowder) February 16, 2024
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Fan art of the Glasgow Oompa Loompas and evil chocolatier The Unknown
The depressed Oompa Loompa and the Unknown are the perfect Halloween couples costumes π«Άπ½π thank you glasgow willy wonka experience pic.twitter.com/n6IPwPUiz6
— jackie (@drawckie) February 28, 2024
Oompa Loompa doopity dend,
— Brian Bear (@BeaPeaBear) February 28, 2024
holy crap she’s got a work friend https://t.co/qDU0EztPI2 pic.twitter.com/SofLReCISJ
oompa loompa doopity doo
— π½ Audrameda Galaxy πΈ (@itsaaudraw) February 29, 2024
we’ll make candy and meth for you pic.twitter.com/crln4KOOCQ
Here's a bunch more photos of the Oompa Loompa and other nonsense from the event:
Striking doctors in South Kora have been threatened with arrest if they don't return to work
"doctors are struggling to convince the public that more doctors would be a bad thing and have garnered little sympathy"
$100,000 reward offered for stolen beehives
LAT:
“Quite likely it’s another beekeeper, and that’s what really stings about it: beekeepers stealing from other beekeepers.”
And it wasn’t the first time his hives had gone missing. In the 25 years he’s been raising bees, [the owner] estimates he’s had close to 1,000 hives stolen. It was time, he thought, to take a stand.
So [the owner] is advertising a $100,000 reward for information on the bee thief — about three times more than the 96 hives are worth. He’s hoping that sizable sum is enough to get someone close to the culprit — a wife, sister, brother — to turn him in.
Fun Lord of the Rings illustrations from 1961
picked up this beautiful book of LotR illustrations by dutch painter Cor Blok, from the early 60s
— nicoπ³️π (@nicodelort) February 22, 2024
i love illustrations of very popular stories made before a certain version reified visuals in our collective imagination, in this case John Howe and Alan Lee's, and later the movies pic.twitter.com/VWUoxWpbtH
More in the thread, and the books is available at Amazon.
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Custom lamp of the glowing blue worm creature from Elden Ring
A company called Safer Human Medicine has announced plans to build a large facility in Georgia to breed monkeys for scientific experimentation
Science:
The breeding facility would dwarf others in the United States and could ease a serious shortage of monkeys for research...China, which supplied more than half of the 70,000 research monkeys used annually in the U.S., stopped exporting them in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. China hasn’t resumed exports; instead it is breeding monkeys for its own researchers and competing with the U.S. to buy monkeys from other countries, according to the report.Since then, “The price of monkeys has gone through the roof”
Funny anecdote about a 5'1" soldier meeting who he thought was an "old-ass sergeant major"
Robbie is something of a legend in the unit. I met him in 2004 on a mountain on the Pakistan border, if it's the same Robbie. Hippy dude with all these hemp necklaces. Cool cat. pic.twitter.com/YHsnB6Gc3R
— Jack Murphy (@JackMurphyRGR) February 22, 2024
From "The Unit: My Life Fighting Terrorists as One of America's Most Secret Military Operatives" available at Amazon:
Inside our military is a team of operators whose work is so secretive that the name of the unit itself is classified. Highly-trained in warfare, self-defense, infiltration, and deep surveillance, "the Unit," as the Department of Defense has asked us to refer to it, has been responsible for preventing dozens of terrorist attacks in the Western world. Never before has a member of this unit shared their story — until now.From Adam Gamal, one of the only Muslim Arab Americans to serve inside “the Unit," comes an incisive firsthand account of our nation’s most secretive military group. When Adam arrived in the United States at the age of twenty, he spoke no English, and at 5’1” and 112 pounds, he was far from what you might expect of a soldier. But compelled into service by a debt he felt he owed to his new country, he rose through the ranks of the military to become one of its most elite and skilled operators.With humor and humility, Adam shares stories of life-threatening injuries, of the camaraderie and capabilities of his team, and of the incredible missions―but also of the growth he experienced as he learned to understand his own moderate faith.Enthralling and eye-opening, The Unit is at once a gripping account of the fight against terror, an urgent examination of the need for diversity, and an inside look at how America fights its battles abroad in the modern age of terrorism.This edition includes a 16 page color photo insert.
The LA Time asked an expert for specific recommendations on fixing nightmarish parking lots
Yes, various lots around the city featuring Trader Joe's and In-N-Out. The article features detailed animated clips highlighting and solving problems.
Some good quotes by James Clavell discussing the level of historical accuracy in Shogun
Today, the book has an almost airport bestseller image, with all the pulpy connotations of that label. At the time, though, it appealed to a wide range of readers, as the Washington Post noted in 1979. https://t.co/xG3DSU6TFz pic.twitter.com/TDUxzcFwdl
— Mulboyne (@Mulboyne) February 27, 2024
The New York Times made a similar point in a later report, following the success of the TV adaptation. https://t.co/3VpLgTHg0u pic.twitter.com/7tS5R5faII
— Mulboyne (@Mulboyne) February 27, 2024
Dwight Chuman, editor at the time of the Rafu Shimpo, reckoned Clavell tailored his answers on authenticity for different audiences. pic.twitter.com/BqZRNDGIBR
— Mulboyne (@Mulboyne) February 27, 2024
From the NY Times review of the FX series:
It is sumptuously produced, mostly well acted and not excessively sentimental or sensational. If its story seems to stop and start a bit, there are reasons for that, which become clear in a satisfying and moving ending; if there are major characters who don’t stand up to scrutiny, there are others who come alive and hold your interest. It may not live up to its hype, and it may leave you wondering why so much time (more than a decade) and money needed to be spent reanimating Clavell’s tale. But it delivers.
(Assuming my memory of the book is right, I loved the advice that if you simply can't win, delay until you can.) (And the second way ninjas are used.)
Oh, one more thing:
Mark Zuckerberg is in Japan right now making Katanas with Japanese Sword Master, Akihira Kokaji. pic.twitter.com/aZhzWpcwIl
— AI KATANA (@ai_katana) February 25, 2024
Monday, February 26, 2024
Denise Crosby running from an Armus cosplayer on the Star Trek cruise
Seriously, this Skin won’t stop! #StarTrekCruise @ECPCruises #STCVII pic.twitter.com/83cy4lSllt
— Denise Crosby (@TheDeniseCrosby) February 26, 2024
Stop-motion video showing off Joytoy's new bargain figures
Nineteen MLB teams are "currently projected to open the 2024 season with reduced payrolls"
As spring training games have now begun, a key quartet of star players still have not signed with any team for the 2024 season: reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, World Series hero Jordan Montgomery (above), four-time Gold Glove winner Matt Chapman, and slugger J.D. Martinez. All are represented by prominent agent Scott Boras
Great cover for the IAEA's report "An Electron Accelerator Accident in Hanoi, Viet Nam"
higher res pic.twitter.com/xOECO6o88D
— Abruzzaboo (@WombatLiberalsm) February 22, 2024
Available for download.
Maybe one day we'll have a virtual version of Galaxy's Edge with all the planned bells and whistles
9 years ago facing the 5 freeway adjacent to the ABC building in Glendale for all to see, how big would the beast (as we called it) be and how high would the guests be? New problem, how much more of the land would have to be finished out from their point of view? pic.twitter.com/MxvJYt9rLL
— Frank Mezzatesta (@FrankMezzatesta) February 19, 2024
Speaking of virtual theme park reconstructions:
Spent all afternoon building the Blue Bayou in the Sims4 so my Sims could enjoy a little bit of Disneyland pic.twitter.com/OxgiSiQtHc
— Jess Siswick (@tinymallet) February 18, 2024
The Sims Blue Bayou now has fireflies, atmospheric fog and monte Cristos on the menu. pic.twitter.com/uK98XkMdZr
— Jess Siswick (@tinymallet) February 19, 2024
And:
We have quite a few more things to reveal in time, but if you want an early preview of what we've done so far, check out our recreation of the defunct Magic Kingdom ride, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea here:https://t.co/fQwtKAS87L
— DefunctVR (@DefunctVR) February 15, 2024
Also, here's Starcruiser viewport footage:
At 40 seconds, he shows how to put on a duvet
Apparently ‘Bed making competition’ is a thing. The way he put that Duvet together was a thing of beauty. pic.twitter.com/P6iV4ISLKF
— ⚜️ (@RobbBeaux) February 17, 2024
If you preorder Robin Sloan's upcoming new novel, you'll receive a bonus zine
From his latest newsletter (which features lots of great book recommendations etc):
I want to really launch this book of mine.
...
I have begun the design of a limited-edition launch zine intended as a reward for Moonbound preorders. This will only be printed once; it will only be available one way.
(The newsletter has the email address to forward your receipt.)
From Amazon's listing:
It is eleven thousand years from now . . . A lot has happened, and yet a lot is still very familiar. Ariel is a boy in a small town under a wizard’s rule. Like many adventurers before him, Ariel is called to explore a world full of unimaginable glories and challenges: unknown enemies, a mission to save the world, a girl. Here, as they say, be dragons. But none of this happens before Ariel comes across an artifact from an earlier civilization, a sentient, record-keeping artificial intelligence that carries with it the perspective of the whole of human history―and becomes both Ariel’s greatest ally and the narrator of our story.
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Some extremely cheap Super 7 Ultimates at Entertainment Earth right now
Baroness, Lady-J, Buzz, for around $15 each (my link should give 10% off), and Grimlock, Bludgeon, and some Power Rangers for around $25.
Long list of things that went wrong with Intuitive Machines' moon lander this week
NY Times (the article also describes a lot of frantic software updates that salvaged a survivable landing):
When Odysseus arrived at the moon on Wednesday, it was supposed to enter a circular orbit about 62 miles above the surface. But because of inaccuracies in its trajectory, the spacecraft ended up in an elliptical orbit
...
when controllers checked the data the next morning — just hours before the planned landing on Thursday — they discovered that one laser had not fired. It was then discovered that the safety switches on the two range finder lasers were still enabled when Odysseus went to space.
There was no way to flip the switches
...
Because the spacecraft fell over, its antennas are not pointed directly at Earth, limiting the amount of information that can go back and forth
...
a small camera system built by students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., that was supposed to eject when Odysseus was about 100 feet above the ground and capture pictures of the landing.
There was not enough time to include the deployment of the camera in the patched landing software, so it remains attached to Odysseus
Mark Twain cosplay on a Star Trek cruise
So much problem solving happening! #lowerdecks #StarTrekCruise pic.twitter.com/srjyN2ciQD
— Zman➡️πStar Trek: The Cruise VII (@RocketZman) February 25, 2024
Bonus:
Nice thing about today is there isn’t much I want to do besides this. It’s going to be hard to go back to what’s waiting for me at home π pic.twitter.com/RpLqCL85uF
— Zman➡️πStar Trek: The Cruise VII (@RocketZman) February 24, 2024
The dramedy "Blackberry" about the meteoric rise and collapse of the tech company is now on Hulu--everyone's a villain
Not as good as the startling high scores displayed at Rotten Tomatoes, but entertaining and reaches existential horror by the end. And the actor they chose to play the ballbuster hired to keep the workers in line is fun casting.
(Here's Wikipedia's summary of the CEO's attempts to buy a NHL team.)
Plush toys based on prehistoric creatures
NEW PLUSHIE!!! American Paddlefish!!! I'll try and keep them away from my sturgeons but... honestly a Sturddlefish might be a cool plush to make! pic.twitter.com/yo0ZhSKmBe
— Rebecca Groom ππͺ² (@palaeoplushies) February 21, 2024
Shop.
"Scientists found a Stone Age megastructure submerged in the Baltic Sea"
Ars:
Further investigation led to the conclusion that this was a manmade megastructure built some 11,000 years ago to channel reindeer herds as a hunting strategy. Dubbed the "Blinkerwall," it's quite possibly the oldest such megastructure yet discovered, according to a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences—although precisely dating these kinds of archaeological structures is notoriously challenging.
...
A similar submerged stone-walled drive lane, known as "Drop 45," is located in Lake Huron in the US; divers found various lithic artifacts around the drive lane, usually in circular spots that could have served as hunting blinds.
Saturday, February 24, 2024
A university is trying to remove smart vending machines from campus because of fears the machines are collecting facial-recognition data
Ars has a summary, the vending machine company says it's complying with rules and not storing data:
The scandal started when a student using the alias SquidKid47 posted an image on Reddit showing a campus vending machine error message, "Invenda.Vending.FacialRecognitionApp.exe," displayed after the machine failed to launch a facial recognition application that nobody expected to be part of the process of using a vending machine.
"Hey, so why do the stupid M&M machines have facial recognition?" SquidKid47 pondered.
Cheetah doing the Akira slide; Kaneda Deepfleece Cloak for sale
Tourist captures footage of a cheetah chasing his prey during a safari pic.twitter.com/XFz92cbd8y
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) February 22, 2024
Related:
Store link. (And my personal favorite tee in the shop.)
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