Glenn Fleishman from Wireless Networking News sez, "My colleague Adam Engst and I are releasing our book The Wireless Networking Starter Kit as a free download. We wrote this edition in 2004, and sales weren't strong enough to promote further editions in print. However, we felt that it was still timely enough to give away. The book covers planning a Wi-Fi network, setting it up, security considerations, and adding antennas or more base stations to increase coverage and range. (What's not included? Much about WPA security and anything about 802.11n.) We haven't put it into Creative Commons because we share licensing with our publisher, but it's free for distribution." Link (Thanks, Glenn!)

Today on the Worth1000 photoshopping contest: fine art mixed and mashed. Link

"Scientists" at the University at Buffalo have reinvented phrenology in the form of a set of biometrics that produce a numerical score indicating the probability that you are about to commit a terrorist act.

Computer and behavioral scientists at the University at Buffalo are developing automated systems that track faces, voices, bodies and other biometrics against scientifically tested behavioral indicators to provide a numerical score of the likelihood that an individual may be about to commit a terrorist act.

"The goal is to identify the perpetrator in a security setting before he or she has the chance to carry out the attack," said Venu Govindaraju, Ph.D., professor of computer science and engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Govindaraju is co-principal investigator on the project with Mark G. Frank, Ph.D., associate professor of communication in the UB College of Arts and Sciences.

Link (via Futurismic)

(Photo credit: Phrenology1.jpg, a public domain image from Wikimedia Commons)

A Boing Boing reader says: "Immunologists from Duke University believe they've found the function of the supposedly useless and often dangerous appendix: It's a reserve store of good germs to 'reboot' your digestive system in case another bug wipes out the germs necessary for human survival."

The function of the appendix seems related to the massive amount of bacteria populating the human digestive system, according to the study in the Journal of Theoretical Biology. There are more bacteria than human cells in the typical body. Most are good and help digest food.

But sometimes the flora of bacteria in the intestines die or are purged. Diseases such as cholera or amoebic dysentery would clear the gut of useful bacteria. The appendix's job is to reboot the digestive system in that case.

Link

Japan Probe has a news video about a Chinese restaurant called MFC that borrows the look and feel of McDonald's and KFC, mashing them together. The video is in Japanese, but it's fun to watch even for non-Japanese speakers.

Main Points:

• A fast food restaurant called MFC combines the Chinese characters for McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken, crudely combining the menus of both chains.

• Our brave reporter tries a chicken burger and determines it is less tasty than what he could eat at McDonald’s.

• MFC’s homepage states it was started in America during the 1960s. However, when their reporter calls the company they are told it was founded in China 7 years ago.

• There is something that looks like a Beijing Olympics logo on their menu. However, their phone interview finds that MFC is not an official sponsor of the Olympic games.

• The best part of the report? MFC’s spokeswoman responds to their questioning with something along the lines of, “We don’t have any stores in Japan, so what’s your problem?”

Link

Tim O'Reilly has released the results of a fascinating study of Facebook as an application platform. He's got good news and bad news.

The good news has already been widely disseminated: there are nearly 5000 Facebook applications, and the top applications have tens of millions of installs and millions of active users. The bad news, alas, is in our report: 87% of the usage goes to only 84 applications! Only 45 applications have more than 100,000 active users. This is a long tail marketplace with a vengeance -- but unfortunately, the economic models (for developers at least, though not for Facebook itself) all rely on getting into the very short head. Here's the distribution of active users among the top 200 developers. (Some developers have multiple popular applications.) As you can see, the drop-off is extremely steep.

Link

John Kricfalusi, creator of Ren and Stimpy, has uploaded a new episode of Mighty Mouse to his blog.

Insanity is a common theme in my cartoons, as I said in my last post. Here's a whole lineup dedicated to the insane, with the main feature another Mighty Mouse brought to you by Ralph Bakshi.

This is the first time I ever got to do a cartoon about an insane character. When Ralph read the script he rejected it. (He rejected 2 out of every 3 stories we wrote, I think just to keep us on our toes. I said let me record the voices first. After he heard the cassette of Patrick Pinney playing a chemically deranged Petey Pate, Ralph said "I get it now. Make the Goddamn cahtoon. You're f*****in' crazy Johnny. You'll get us all fired. I love ya,"

Link

Robert Ullman just published Vol. 5 of Atom Bomb Bikini, a wonderful anthology of his illustrations for The Stranger, Spin, The Washington City Paper, and other magazines and newspapers. He's also making a line of stickers, as shown here.

It's 56 pages (eight of them color!) of sketches, spots and girlie art goodness, sandwiched between hand-silkscreened covers. It'll cost you just ten bucks.

Link

Folk artist Martin Sanchez transformed almost an entire city block in Riverside, California into an art installation/house/chapel built from, and filled with, found materials, curiosities, and oddities. Seen here is the exterior of the chapel, with beer soda bottle "stained" glass, and the interior of the sanctuary. Marlow Harris has plenty of exterior and interior photos at Unusual Life, a terrific blog of "unusual homes, amazing architecture, and strange places." Link (Thanks, Kirsten Anderson!)

The Australian gents behind Of The World TV, creators of the 3D logo animation seen in Boing Boing TV, have launched a new beta service to showcase videos that have a bent toward alternative thought, progressive political activism, eco-conscious ideas, and humanitarian efforts. It's a smorgasboard of indy video that might inspire, outrage, or provoke you. And that's the point. Good luck, Of The World! From the site description:

OTW aims to provide a portal through which people live their daily lives by informed and ethical decision-making. The essence of which is achievable through self-education, self-empowerment, mechanisms of incentive and reward, and the provision of a “society” of concerned (and often disconnected) individuals. The future of OTW is to provide high quality channels with quality content, and to build into the framework personalization and participatory systems that will enhance social facilitation and movement.

OTW’s future direction is to facilitate a collective of socially, politically, ethically and environmentally aware individuals who are informed, networked, empowered, inspired, rewarded and responsible for the direction of their virtual and physical worlds.

Link

Soon, when you fly on a Virgin America plane, you'll be able to watch Boing Boing tv episodes on the in-flight entertainment system if you are not too busy chatting up that hottie in row 11a, or ordering a martini by touchscreen.

Link, and related items: Valleywag, Information Week, NewTeeVee. (Thanks, Charles Ogilvie!)

Last week, skate/design boutique Supreme issued a series of skateboard decks designed by Japanese superflat art pioneer Takashi Murakami and his otaku-inspired assistant Mr. Murakami's designs are seen here at left and Mr.'s at right. Each deck is $68, but the Supreme online shop is temporarily closed so contact the stores directly for availability. Link (Thanks, Ryan Babnezien!)

Jim says:"Photographed this magazine in Helsinki. WtF stands for 'Welcome to Finland.'

"Not only is a magazine named "WtF" pretty funny, but cool fashion designer Minna Parikka is striking exactly the perfect corresponding pose on the cover." Link

Our friends at Telstar Logistics took a special tour deep in the bowels of an immense Airbus A380 Superjumbo airliner, the largest passenger plane in the world. This bird has two levels, four engines, and holds 853 people when configured for maximum capacity. According to Todd Lappin, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telstar Logistics, "This is MSN 009 -- the ninth A380 airframe to roll off the assembly line in Toulouse, France -- and it was configured for test flights, not passenger service. In other words, it lacked amenities like carpets and wall-coverings. The plane was hollow, but for a few seats, plenty of electronic equipment, and several dozen water jugs installed to simulate the weight of a passenger load. So, while the aircraft looked different than it will when we first fly aboard an A380 -- Singapore Airlines will take delivery of its first A380 later this month -- few of us will ever again have the opportunity to see an A380 buck-naked." Link

Previously on BB an BBG:
• Photos of Airbus A380 superjumbo plane Link
• Airbus A380 Cockpit Pictures Link

A campaign to raise funds for cash-strapped Canadian cities has been contemptuously sabotaged by the federal government, who are demanding thousands of dollars in royalties for use of the "copyrighted" image of a Canadian penny and the phrase "one cent."

OneCentNow is a campaign by the City of Toronto to get the federal government to return one cent of the national Goods and Services Tax to Toronto, which is struggling in the wake of decades of federal cuts in their budget-transfers.

Now the federal corporation that mints Canada's currency has sent the City of Toronto a bill for more than $47,000 for the use of the words "one cent" and the picture of a penny in the campaign's logo in a citywide public education effort.

The Royal Canadian Mint, a corporation of the federal government, has now demanded that the City of Toronto pay $47,680 for the public education campaign. Included in this amount is a request for $10,000 for the use of the words "one cent" in the campaign website address (www.onecentnow.ca) and the campaign email address (onecentnow@toronto.ca), and an additional $10,000 for the use of the words "one cent" in the campaign phone number (416-ONECENT). The remaining $27,680 has been assessed against the City for the use of the image of the Canadian penny in printed materials such as pins and posters. (The Mint has come to this amount by taking the total number of materials printed divided by the approximate population of Toronto, and then using a percentage of that number to arrive at a dollar figure.)

Link (Thanks, Dave!)

Zack Exley, one of the smartest progressive online activists I know, has been maintaining a blog called "Revolution in Jesusland," about the evangelical resurgence, with an emphasis on bridging the gap between progressive activists and evangelicals. This is a laudable effort, and Zack's tackling it with wit, humility and a great deal of intelligence.

First, progressives will never achieve their goals as long as they are hostile toward and ignorant about the faith of 100 million of their own people who are born again Christians.

Second (and we know how difficult this is to believe) there is an incredibly large and beautiful social movement exploding among evangelicals right now that stands for nearly all of the same causes and goals that secular progressives do. Those goals include: eliminating poverty, saving the environment, promoting justice and equality along racial, gender and class lines and for immigrants--and even separation of church and state.

By learning to work together with "progressive" evangelicals, secular progressives will stand a better chance of achieving their goals and also learn an enormous amount from these remarkable people and their organizations that will help secular progressives strengthen their own movement.

Link (Thanks, Zack!)

Erica sez, "StopBadware's 2007 report on badware online, written in user-friendly non-geek-speak. Explains dangers most internet users still aren't aware of, especially hacking of otherwise legitimate websites with drive-by downloads."

Drive-by downloads and website hacking add a scary new element to the badware problem. It's no longer possible for a conscientious user to protect herself simply by staying away from the internet's more questionable areas like software piracy, pornography, drugs, and gambling. Any website, no matter how trusted, can be vulnerable to attack. Knitting sites, outdoor equipment retailers, and even Santa Claus's website can be compromised and made to infect users who simply visit a web page. This means the security-conscious user must find new ways to stay protected from badware. The first step to protecting yourself from badware is learning more about it, from common ways badware is distributed to new threats on the horizon. As new ways of distributing badware emerge, your best defense is keeping yourself up to date - from frequently updating the protective software you use on your computer, to keeping informed about new dangers so you will know how best to avoid them.

Link (Thanks, Erica!)

In this youtube, Larry Lessig appears on Danish TV to explain his new cause, devoting the next ten years to ending government corruption. Lessig is downright inspirational on the subject, calling on us to set aside our cynical instinct that tells us that money will always control government and use technology to expose corruption and rally citizens to end it. Link (Thanks, Henrik!)

See also:
Lessig switches from copyright to corruption
Wikify the problem of ending corruption

Albino Octopus says: "This artist is based out of Austin, TX and has very unique photography. He gets people to jump underneath sheets and fabrics and catches them in mid-air and completely hidden behind the fabric. The results are hilariously cool!" Link

What's nerdier than a calculator watch? This Stanley calculator watch with a built-in, telescoping tape-measure. Link (via Gizmodo)

Update: Pesco reminds me I blogged this one last year -- thought it looked familiar. You know what, though? I like this so much I don't care!

In 1945, pioneering designers Charles and Ray Eames created a playful molded plywood elephant. The legendary elephants never went into production but now, in honor of Charles Eames's 100th birthday, the elephants are available in a limited edition. As part of the celebration, Charles's grandson, Eames Demetrios, made a delightful stop-motion animation of the elephants. It's titled "A Gathering of Elephants."

Link to "A Gathering of Elephants" video, Link to video documenting the making of The Elephants, Link to Eames Gallery (Thanks, Ming-Li Chai!)

Over on Boing Boing Gadgets, our Joel has found a battery-powered, WiFi-detecting t-shirt from ThinkGeek that lights up when you're near a live network. Like Joel, I want a t-shirt that can distinguish between closed and open nets. Link, Discuss this on Boing Boing Gadgets

Monkeyday News says: "Sibu the orangutan won't mate with the other orangutans, but get excited by blonde women, especially those with tattoos. Apparently, one of his early handlers was a tattooed blond female."

Sibu fancies his female keepers, especially blondes. That, the spokeswoman said, was common for orang-utans but Sibu has a fetish for tattoos, harking back to a heavily tattooed keeper who reared him.

Link

Copyright scholar Tim Wu has a great little piece on Slate about the legality of iPhone unlocking. Bottom line: it's legal and it's fun!

Did I do anything wrong? When you buy an iPhone, Apple might argue that you've made an implicit promise to become an AT&T customer. But I did no such thing. I told the employees at the Apple Store that I wanted to unlock it, and at no stage of the purchasing process did I explicitly agree to be an AT&T customer. There was no sneakiness; I just did something they didn't like.

Meanwhile, lest we forget, I did just throw down more than $400 for this little toy. I'm no property-rights freak, but that iPhone is now my personal property, and that ought to stand for something. General Motors advises its customers to use "genuine parts," but it can't force you to buy gas from Exxon. Honda probably hates it when you put some crazy spoiler on your Civic, but no one says it's illegal or wrong.

The worst thing that you can say about me is that I've messed with Apple's right to run its business exactly the way it wants. But to my mind, that's not a right you get in the free market or in our legal system. Instead, Apple is facing trade-offs rightly beyond its control. When people unlock phones, Apple loses revenue it was hoping for, but also gains customers who would have never bought an iPhone in the first place. That's life.

Link

Today on the Something Awful Photoshop Phriday remix contest: "Modernized Art II." Some very subtle work here (but I like this obvious mix). Link

I don't know how much this 25-lb bucket of lard costs at Wal-Mart, but I'll bet you'd be hard-pressed to find a lower price-per-calorie product than this. Plus, it's hydrogenated!

A little Googling taught me that the bucket Ray is holding contains 105,000 calories and 11,200 grams of saturated fat. Not only that, but as the bucket proudly proclaims, it is preserved with BHA and propyl gallate, everyone’s favorite carcinogenic preservatives! It’s like an old bucket of paint toting it’s extraordinarily high lead content. Brilliant, ConAgra Foods!

Link

Daily Kos readers are commenting on the GOP's new "wide-stance" logo. I think this one nails it: "It look[s] like an elephant that just got ran over by a truck and is now splattered and dazed on the ground, covered in skid marks." Link

Brandon says: "New York artist Michael Dory plants little noise makers inside of pieces of trash, as a way of making audio graffiti, forcing passers buy to take a real look around."

NPR has an audio story abut Dory and his cheery chirpers.

New Yorkers are hearing things these days — and it is coming from the bushes.

It is the sound of concrete crickets, little devices created by artist Michael Dory that play bits of music and make cricket-like sounds. Dory hides small sound devices in containers around the city, similar to the way graffiti artists spray paint their art on walls without asking anyone's consent.

The crickets are just loud enough for passersby to hear. And like their namesake, the crickets stop chirping when the curious draw too close — thanks to motion sensors Dory installed in them.

Dory says the idea for the crickets came to him as he watched his lower eastside neighborhood change, becoming too expensive for the artists who lived there.

The concrete crickets, he says, are his way of keeping his voice in the neighborhood.

I hope he doesn't try this in Boston. The authorities there don't take kindly to electronic street art. Link

Researchers at the Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands have found that certain types of plants form underground networks of runners that they use for communication with neighboring plants of the same species. From Science Daily:

Recently [Josef] Stuefer and his colleagues were the first to demonstrate that clover plants warn each other via the network links if enemies are nearby. If one of the plants is attacked by caterpillars, the other members of the network are warned via an internal signal. Once warned, the intact plants strengthen their chemical and mechanical resistance so that they are less attractive for advancing caterpillars.

Link (Via ComDig)

Backup, the German edition of my novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom has just been published by Heyne. Down and Out was the first novel released under a Creative Commons licensed, distributed for free on the same day the book was shipped to stores -- and I'm pleased to announce that Backup is the first German translated novel to be released under a CC license on publication day!

Random House is also working on a German translation of my second novel, Eastern Standard Tribe, working with Michael Iwoleit, the translator who worked on Down and Out.

Many thanks to Johannes and Evelyn at Monochrom for their help in translating the oddball concepts like "Whuffie" and "Bitchun Society." Link

Get Your War On's trenchant commentary on Blackwater makes a good point -- if you're gonna call your savage private army of war criminals "Blackwater," why not go whole hog and call it "Deathfang's Midnight Posse of Merciless Skull Warriors?" Link

When I was in China last month, one of the ways I got around the Great Firewall of China's censorship was by reading RSS feeds, which the Politburo wasn't really hip to. Someone wised them up.

Unfortunately, China appears to have finally gotten wise to RSS as of late--reports have been popping up from our readers and around the web of not being able to access FeedBurner RSS feeds as early as August of this year. More recent reports tell us that the PSB appears to have extended this block to all incoming URLs that begin with "feeds," "rss," and "blog," thus rendering the RSS feeds from many sites--including ones that aren't blocked in China, such as Ars Technica--useles

Link

Grumm the Screamer is a free downloadable papercraft robot from Matthijs Kamstra -- and you can get him decorated or blank. The download is Creative Commons licensed, and Kamstra wants photos of your own coloring jobs. Link (via Paper Forest)

In this edition of Boing Boing tv: first, an update on that Japanese pop tune about a "butt biting bug" (Oshiri Kajiri Mushi). Then, we explore advertisements that feature something that's never been unpopular - vajayjay. Video Link.

Mark Allen of Machine Project in Los Angeles is holding a workshop on making the classic crank ghost animatronic Halloween project.

Brought to life by the mad scientists at MAKE magazine, this Sunday, October 7th, 2007 we’re offering a build-your-own Animatronic Ghost workshop. Combining a slow motor, a simple system of pulleys, and a deathly amount of fun (and almost as much electricity), this ghoul will be the “life” of your Halloween party. Along the way, you’ll learn the basics of working with motors and mechanisms.

This project (originally by Doug Ferguson) is featured in an article by Edwin Wise in the special halloween edition of MAKE, which you’ll receive as part of the class materials.

Cost of $150 will get you in the door and all materials needed. Class enrollment limit is 7 people, so sign up today!

Machine Project - 1200 D North Alvarado Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 Link

COOP scanned an entire Matchbox Collector's Catalog from 1969. It's filled with terrific illustrations of the diecast toy cars. These people sure were having a grand old time playing with them. Link

Surrealist clothiers and thinktank The Imaginary Foundation have released their latest series of wonderful t-shirts. Seen here is Parallel Universe, which reads "Possible parallel universe one millimeter from here." Also available are limited-edition giclee art prints featuring other stunning designs.
Link