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Below are 20 journal entries, after skipping by the 40 most recent ones recorded in Boing Boing's InsaneJournal:

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    Thursday, August 24th, 2017
    6:13 pm
    A fantastic chair

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/24/a-fantastic-chair.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=543097

    Perhaps this is the chair Socrates was talking about.

    6:28 pm
    Fifty years ago today Yippie activist Abbie Hoffman made it rain at the NY stock exchange

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/24/fifty-years-ago-today-yippie-a.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=543102

    On August 24, 1967, guerilla theater activist Abbie Hoffman and his pals dropped a slew of dollar bills off the balcony of the New York Stock Exchange onto the trading floor below. As Hoffman later said, "If you dont like the news, why not go out and make your own? From Smithsonian:

    Participant Bruce Dancis recalled, At first people on the floor were stunned. They didnt know what was happening. They looked up and when they saw money was being thrown they started to cheer, and there was a big scramble for the dollars.

    The protesters exited the Stock Exchange and were immediately beset by reporters, who wanted to know who they were and what theyd done. Hoffman supplied nonsense answers, calling himself Cardinal Spellman and claiming his group didnt exist. He then burned a five-dollar bill, solidifying the point of the message. As Bruce Eric France writes, Abbie believed it was more important to burn money [than] draft cards& To burn a draft card meant one refused to participate in the war. To burn money meant one refused to participate in society.

    For Hoffman himself, the success of the stunt was obvious. Guerrilla theater is probably the oldest form of political commentary, he wrote in his autobiography. Showering money on the Wall Street brokers was the TV-age version of driving the money changers from the temple& Was it a real threat to the Empire? Two weeks after our band of mind-terrorists raided the stock exchange, 20,000 dollars was spent to enclose the gallery with bullet-proof glass.

    "How the New York Stock Exchange Gave Abbie Hoffman His Start in Guerrilla Theater" (Smithsonian)

    6:46 pm
    Steven Mnuchin and Louise Linton may have used a government plane to watch the eclipse

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/24/steven-mnuchin-and-louise-lint.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=543085

    The Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW) filed a Freedom of Information Act requesting "the justification for [Treasury] Secretary Mnuchin's use of a government plane, rather than a commercial flight, for a trip that seems to have been planned around the solar eclipse and to enable the secretary [and his white savior memoirist spouse Louise Linton] to secure a viewpoint in the path of the eclipse's totality."

    (more…)

    6:58 pm
    Best deal yet on the AmazonBasics travel case: $7.10

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/24/best-deal-yet-on-the-amazonbas.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=543122

    I bought this small travel case in 2011 for $14 and use it whenever I travel. Here's an article I wrote for Cool Tools a few years ago about the stuff I carry in it. It's still in great condition. Amazon has it at an all-time low price of $7.10.

    12:30 pm
    AccuWeather app caught "red-handed" tracking location of users against their wishes

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/24/accuweather-app-caught-red-h.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=543023

    AccuWeather's been exposed sending user location data to a third party, even when the app is told not to access it. If you have the app installed, your exact location was shared with a company promising to turn that data into "mobile revenue."
    Popular weather app AccuWeather has been caught sending geolocation data to a third-party data monetization firm, even when the user has switched off location sharing. AccuWeather is one of the most popular weather apps in Apple's app store, with a near perfect four-star rating and millions of downloads to its name. But what the app doesn't say is that it sends sensitive data to a firm designed to monetize user locations without users' explicit permission. Security researcher Will Strafach intercepted the traffic from an iPhone running the latest version of AccuWeather and its servers and found that even when the app didn't have permission to access the device's precise location, the app would send the Wi-Fi router name and its unique MAC address to the servers of data monetization firm Reveal Mobile every few hours. That data can be correlated with public data to reveal an approximate location of a user's device.
    Worse, the company issued a bad press release described by John Gruber as "a veritable mountain of horseshit." If the infraction was inadvertent as they claim, they made themselves look guilty as all hell by denying things they weren't accused of and pretending the information they sold was meaningless.
    Despite stories to the contrary from sources not connected to the actual information, if a user opts out of location tracking on AccuWeather, no GPS coordinates are collected or passed without further opt-in permission from the user.

    The accusation has nothing to do with GPS coordinates. The accusation is that their iOS app is collecting Wi-Fi router names and MAC addresses and sending them to servers that belong to Reveal Mobile, which in turn can easily be used to locate the user. Claiming this is about GPS coordinates is like if they were caught stealing debit cards and they issued a denial that they never stole anyones cash.

    That's the show, but the creepy lawyerspeak about "quickly evolving" privacy standards and becoming "fully compliant with appropriate requirements" is the tell. It's clear from this what the app is for: to get as much information about you as possible and sell it.

    Shocking. If you have AccuWeather installed on your phone, throw out that trash right now. It's all just aggregated from weather.gov/yourzipcodehere and the NOAA anyway!

    P.S. Carrot is the fun weather app.

    12:35 pm
    Fast food furniture

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/24/fast-food-furniture.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=542732

    Here are two great tastes that taste great together: Fast food and furniture.

    European design firm Studio Job teamed up with Italian home goods and furniture house Seletti to create furniture fashioned after fast food.

    Designboom writes:

    at maison et objet 2017 in paris, seletti and studio job are bringing fast food to the fair. a hot dog and hamburger  archetypal images of american pop-culture  are transformed into actual furnishings, giving rise to the UN_LIMITED EDITIONS collection. the debut of the series marks the italian brands introduction to the world of upholstered furniture, amalgamating studio jobs irreverent attitude and penchant for playfulness, with selettis accessible affordability.

    Yes, I would like fries (lamp? pillow? rug?) with that.

    images by Loek Blonk via designboom

    12:36 pm
    Elon Musk posts image of working SpaceX spacesuit, teases more

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/24/elon-musk-posts-image-of-worki.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=543001

    SpaceX has been hard at work designing a stylish and comfortable working spacesuit. Following testing of the suit prototypes, Elon Musk has unveiled a first look. (more…)

    12:36 pm
    YouTubers prevail in copyright lawsuit brought by "pickup artist"

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/24/youtubers-prevail-in-copyright.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=542996

    "Pickup artist" YouTube channel MattHossZone (previously) has lost his copyright case against a reaction video posted by YouTube channel h3h3Productions. The closely-watched case is a big victory for fair use commentary on video platforms. (more…)

    12:36 pm
    Artist Brandon Bird talks about his Jerry Orbach tribute car

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/24/artist-brandon-bird-talks-abou.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=542764

    Last year artist Brandon Bird crowdfunded the creation of the Jerry Orbach Memorial Art Car, bringing in over $23,000.

    In this Super Deluxe video, Bird shares why he was inspired to create this badass "rolling memorial" of the Law & Order actor.

    He says:

    "In a way I've been given this sort of gift of having an awesome Jerry Orbach car to drive around in but, in another way, it should be the world's gift. It's gotta go out there and do good, just as Jerry Orbach would."

    Rock on, Mr. Bird, rock on.

    12:45 pm
    How many basic knots do you know? A helpful guide to 7 of them

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/24/how-many-basic-knots-do-you-kn.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=543004

    Maybe it's been awhile since that merit badge, or maybe you haven't been out on a boat of late. In any case, here's Andy Tran's great refresher course on 7 essential knots. The knots covered in this video are:

    Square Knot (Reef Knot)
    Clove Hitch (Builder's Hitch, Tied in a bight, and at an end)
    Sheet Bend (And Double Sheet Bend)
    Bowline (Tied two ways)
    Figure 8 loop (Tied 3 ways)
    Round Turn + Two 1/2 Hitches
    Taut-Line Hitch

    If you are wondering, the difference between a square knot and a granny knot (or lubber's knot) is that in a square knot, both parts of the line go over or under their respective loop. Here's a comparison from the terrific site ShoeKnots.com

    " 7 Essential Knots You Need To Know (YouTube / InnerBark Outdoors)

    10:41 am
    Review: Oree wooden keyboard and trackpad

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/24/review-oree-wooden-keyboard-a.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=542980

    Wood signifies tradition, solidity and natural beauty, but these qualities are comically absent from computer peripherals made of it. Oree, a company out of France, set out to do better and have partially succeeded with their handsome keyboard and touchpad set.

    Up close, the Oree gear looks much nicer than cheapo Amazon wooden keyboards. It's precisely cut, with seamless joins, Bluetooth, and none of the instant tattiness that afflicts bamboo once it gets knocked around. (There's also a matching dial peripheral, but I haven't tried it.)

    The Oree keyboard comes in maple or walnut, with Windows and MacOS keycap options, and engravings for 22 different languages. Wireless pairing and battery life both met expectations; the keyboard charges via USB and the slab uses two AA batteries.

    The legends are lasered into the wood, so wont rub off with wear.

    How does it type? It's fine. It feels like standard rubber-dome switches under thick, distancing materials. For most people who type, it's probably better than the millimeter-travel chiclet keyboards in the newest MacBooks, but not quite as nice as say, a five-year-old MacBook Pro. It feels very similar to an old T- or P-series Lenovo keyboard. Soft and rubbery rather than hard and clicky. It's fine.

    Given the high price, though, I feel at liberty to complain about details.

    The keys' sharp (presumably laser-cut) edges mean that my fingers occasionally catch on them when brushing over the faces. It's not a big problem and will presumably go away as they're worn with use, but it's a slight discomfort I've not experienced on a keyboard before.

    Also, they used a serif typeface (Bodoni?) for the keycap legends. It reaches for class, but it's an inappropriate choice and looks like a mistake.

    Finally, the trackpad simply doesn't cut it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R9pwzph8dw&feature=youtu.be

    It's as good as a cheapo Windows laptop trackpad, and larger, but if you've ever used an Apple one it'll be plainly impossible to go back to. Mine was uneven, as you can see in the video embedded above, necessitating the addition of rubber feet. It works fine in numpad mode, though, and the engraved hairline legends are very attractive — why wasn't the same style used for the keyboard?

    Conclusion: Oree's desktop peripherals are the best wooden computer peripherals I've seen, but you're paying a substantial premium to get it and they're otherwise no better than the basics.

    1:55 am
    In swiftly-deleted posting, GOP links Legend of Zelda to progressive taxation

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/23/in-swiftly-deleted-posting-go.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=542972

    Sadly, the Republican Party has already deleted its article titled What Do The Legend of Zelda and the American Tax Code Have In Common? and any corresponding twetes. But it lives on at Google Cache, at least for now.

    Tragically, having equated the adventures of a mute yet heroic elf with the clawing economic deprivations of progressive taxation, the article barely touches upon why beyond simply noting a few coincidental dates. It's the very dumbest boilerplate. Sad! https://twitter.com/Beschizza/status/900516331522535429

    1:32 am
    Louise Linton's fashion tips for poors

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/23/louise-lintons-fashion-tips.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=542966

    Here's McSweeney's Ziyad Gower, cannily stealing the voice of Scottish actress Louise Linton, the wife of Trump treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and mocker of the poor.

    Greetings #peasants, its me, Louise Linton, in a beautiful #hermesscarf and #tomford sunnies. You may know my husband, Steve Mnuchin, Americas Secretary of Treasure. Or you may be familiar with my work as a film star, from my turn as Samantha in Crew 2 Crew to 2013s The Power of Few, where I played the role of Corys Mother #crew2crew #corysmom. I am also #rich, and probably paid more taxes on my #farragamo pants than you have in your entire worthless life.

    It's funny, but this scathing aristocratic exaggeration is only a short hop from the real Linton. Crazy times.

    Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017
    11:37 pm
    Top Trump aide emailed campaign officials about proposed contact with Putin

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/23/top-trump-aide-emailed-campaig.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=542939

    Congressional investigators looking into connections between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections have found an email from a senior Trump aide that references a previously unreported effort to arrange a meeting last year between Trump campaign officials and Russian President Vladimir Putin, CNN reports.

    (more…)

    11:51 pm
    Thursday, August 24th, 2017
    12:02 am
    Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017
    11:12 pm
    Yet another Russian ambassador turns up dead, this time in a swimming pool

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/23/yet-another-russian-ambassador.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=542935

    Mirgayas Shirinskiy (photo) is the fourth senior Russian diplomat to unexpectedly die this year under.

    (more…)

    11:26 pm
    My favorite internet animator, Joe Sparks, is back

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/23/my-favorite-internet-animator.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=542941

    Joe Sparks' Radiskull and Devil Doll remain my favorite characters of the Dotcom boom. After a long hiatus while working for a company that apparently wouldn't let Joe publish independent work, he is back.

    Check out his darling new video!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A9EBq0Thy4

    Representin' Hades!

    10:48 pm
    Trump obsessed with Russia probe, rage-dialing GOP over legislation to ban him from firing Mueller

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/23/not-just-mcconnell-trump-rage.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=542921

    Yesterday, we learned that President Donald Trump chewed out Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell over matters related to the open investigation into Russia, and Trump. Today, we learn from a Politico report that Trump also clashed with multiple GOP senators, not just McConnell, over Russia.

    (more…)

    10:59 pm
    See you at Burning Man!

    http://boingboing.net/2017/08/23/safety-third.html

    http://boingboing.net/?p=542930

    Tomorrow, I'm turning off my email and hitting the road for Burning Man, where I'll be giving three talks, and I hope to see you there: at 4PM on Weds, Aug 20, I'm speaking at Palenque Norte at Camp Soft Landing; at noon on Thursday, Aug 31, I'll be speaking at my home camp, Liminal Labs (6:15 and Rod's Road); at 4:30PM on Friday, September 1, I'm speaking at the Center Camp Cafe stage. See you there -- or back here after Labor Day!

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