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Provided by: boingboing.net912010-09-03 21:52:14blogs / boingboing.net /: "In order to study the way that experience can influence the brain, there has been a great deal of research done on the visual cortex of the kitten." Oh, this is going to end badly, isn't it? This short documentary from the 1970s explains, in depth, some research that I mentioned earlier this year in a BoingBoing article on fetal senses. Long story short: Kittens are born blind and do a lot of their sight-linked brain development in the first few weeks after birth. Because of this, they make a handy model for studying how the brains of human fetuses form neural connections and how our sense of sight develops in the womb. It's important research that has helped medical science better understand how to care for premature human babies, besides adding valuable details to our understanding of the brain, in general. Unfortunately, because kittens are adorable, said very important research looks almost comically evil when filmed. Seriously, this video is one "Thittens" joke away from working as a segment of Look Around You. So, thanks, blorgggg (Thorgggg?), for sending this video in via Submitterator. I'm sure the Moderators will be thanking you (and me) as well. I do ask that, as we get into the inevitable discussion on animal research, you remember that the scientists involved did not raise kittens in completely dark rooms for sociopathic shits and giggles, but because they thought the potential benefits of the research outweighed the (mostly temporary) damage done to the kittens' visual abilities. You may disagree with that calculation—and you're welcome to do so. In fact, I think that complex discussion about ends and means in specific studies is valuable. And interesting. Far more so (on both counts) than simply labeling anyone who uses animals for research as a for-kicks abuser of fluffy baby kitties....

Provided by: boingboing.net922010-09-03 21:29:53blogs / boingboing.net /: Daniel Raeburn has done the world a favor by creating free PDF versions of his outstanding self-published journal about comic books, The Imp. Though he published only four issues (I have them all in hard copy) Raeburn's journal is regarded as a masterpiece of comic book criticism. Each issue covered a single subject: Daniel Clowes in Vol 1, Jack Chick in Vol 2, Chris Ware in Vol 3, and Mexican "historietas perversas" in Vol 4. The Comics Journal called The Imp “One of the very best things to come out of comics.” Here's what This American Life creator Ira Glass said about The Imp: It was clearly the work of an obsessed person, in the very best way possible. A really smart obsessed person. There was a kind of Talmudic completeness to the whole thing, in a way that journalism rarely even aspires to. Not much journalism tries to be so emotional, and funny, and analytical, and thorough. There’s really very little like it out there. The closest you get is one of those big stories they used to do in the old New Yorker, where at the end you feel like there’s nothing else that needs to be said on the subject. I read it admiringly and jealously. In the years since I read the Chris Ware issue I’ve actually become friends with Chris Ware, real friends, we talk all the time, and probably a third of what I know about Chris still comes from that issue of The Imp. It was that complete and emotionally insightful. Download The Imp here...

Provided by: boingboing.net932010-09-03 21:02:17blogs / boingboing.net /: Cannabis Catering offers gourmet meals laced with pot. The delivery service isn't cheap, around $100/person, but damn those pot-atoes look tasty. And yes, you need a medical marijuana card to order. From Fast Company: The idea for Cannabis Catering came to (Chef Frederick) Nesbitt when he learned that his friend's diabetic mother had been diagnosed with cancer. "I would bring back edibles [from the dispensary], but they're so high in high-fructose corn syrup that she was high off sugar rather than being medicated," he says. So Nesbitt began experimenting with his own pot food--starting with mashed potatoes. "Meet the Personal Chef of Pot" (Thanks, Mathias Crawford!)...

Provided by: boingboing.net942010-09-03 20:46:54blogs / boingboing.net /: For all your puzzlement needs: the self-inking WTF stamp. WTF Stamp (Thanks, Alice!) WTF?!, a Flash-based World of Warcraft parody Raygun: WTF 2000 WTF: "Kids' lingerie" photos featuring Miley Cyrus' 9-year-old ... Web Zen: WTF? zen Wisconsin Tourism Federation loses to WTF, changes name WTF is "Dairy Drink?" Cellphones and Cancer: OMG FUD WTF WtF Magazine (Welcome to Finland)...

Provided by: boingboing.net952010-09-03 20:27:28blogs / boingboing.net /: UK designer Jeremy May makes jewelry by laminating and polishing pages from old books together to make striking pieces: "The beauty of the jewels extends within the piece: text and images pass all the way though the object, only exposed at the surfaces - giving a tantalising glimpse of the book within." LITTLEFLY (Thanks, Irene Delse via Submitterator!) Apartment made out of books Font made of stacked books Furniture made out of used books A House of Books Xmas tree made from books Chair made from discarded paperbacks Furniture made from books Blank books made from discarded vintage hardcovers...

Provided by: boingboing.net962010-09-03 19:52:10blogs / boingboing.net /: Continuing from: Nagoya COP10 Primer #1: with references to Star Wars Nagoya COP10 Primer #2: with a reference to Kevin Bacon Nagoya COP10 sidebar: UNFCCC YOU! Nagoya COP10 Primer #3: with a small reference to LOL cats So what should be done at Nagoya? This is the 20 million species plus question. And for all of the criticism that I've (and others) have proffered, we should appreciate that the task at hand is going to be quite the challenge. If nothing else, this is immediately clear from the often anthrocentric (humans rule the Earth and are just playing our role on the evolutionary front, so deal with it!) commentary left on biodiversity pieces throughout the internet. There is a somewhat official Strategic Plan document out there, one that (with a remarkable lack of brevity) highlights 2020 goals and attempts to identify the process and partners to be involved. It's worth a look, although probably best absorbed by taking in the tables shown on page 19 on. It involves a list of some 20 different target statements. Some of which are short, bouncy, although still vague like a twitter tweet: 1. By 2020, everyone is aware of the value of biodiversity and what steps they can take to protect it. Others are more to the point: 11. By 2020, At least 15% of land and sea areas, including the most critical terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats, have been protected through effectively managed protected areas and/or other means, and integrated into the wider land- and seascape. A few establish direct talking points for individual COP members: 16. By 2020, Each Party has an appropriate, up-to-date, effective and operational national biodiversity strategy, consistent with this Strategic Plan, based on adequate assessment of biodiversity, its value and threats, with responsibilities allocated among sectors, levels of government, and other stakeholders, and coordination mechanisms are in place to ensure implementation of the actions needed. And this one, almost works as a haiku: 3. By 2020 Subsidies harmful to biodiversity are eliminat......

Provided by: boingboing.net972010-09-03 19:45:03blogs / boingboing.net /: Information designer Jess Bachman has a new piece out which isn't so much an info-graphic as a graphic article. Jess explains: It deals with the nightmare that has become student loans. Default rates on student loans are worse than sub-prime mortgages, and the total debt is bigger than all our credit card debts combined. It's a huge issue than many people are keeping quiet about. College students are a hugely under-represented and unadvocated group in Washington, and what we and the government are doing to them is just wrong. Link to the full-sized graphic on CollegeScholarships.org. Poster: 389 Years Ago (updated). Infographic: The History of Search Glenn Beck's gold-investment scam/scheme: an explanatory ... One terabuck, visualized Death and Taxes, the 2010 edition Infographic: The history of Google's acquisitions...

Provided by: boingboing.net982010-09-03 19:45:44blogs / boingboing.net /: Last year, I posted about how W. Neil Berrett quit his job by presenting his boss with a resignation letter on a sheet cake. Here's the story behind Berrett's latest cake document, a frosted invoice delivered today to People.com: Today I sent an invoice on a cake to People.com. I'm demanding $500 from them after my Cake of Resignation photo was used without permission and without payment. Here's a timeline: On August 10 this year I received an e-mail from an employee of People Magazine requesting permission to use my cake resignation photo in an article. This is shortly after the Jet Blue Steward event, prompting many 'Weird ways people have quit their jobs' news stories. I replied to People and said they needed a license to use my photo - meaning they have to pay me to use it. I did not receive a reply. On August 11 my image was used without authorization and without payment on People.com, in an article titled "Take This Job and Shove It! 8 Memorable Quitters". I sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding my image be removed from their website. Six days later I receive an e-mail stating my image had been removed from their website. I received an offer at that time of $75 for the use of my image. That may have been reasonable if my photo's copyright had not been willfully infringed and used for six days. So, today I sent the photo director an invoice for a usage license of my cake resignation photo. This cake was delivered today, September 3rd. Invoice Cake to People.com (Thanks, Jess Hemerly!)...

Provided by: boingboing.net992010-09-03 19:50:09blogs / boingboing.net /: An unnamed artist transformed a worn antique tabriz wool rug into a wonderful, fanciful bear rug. I imagine the reported "repaired knots and moth damage" just enhance its charm. 87" x 59", $1800 from CS Post. Repurposed Antique Tabriz Wool Rug (via Make) Monster skin rug Relief map rug World's biggest handmade rug...

Provided by: boingboing.net1002010-09-03 19:53:45blogs / boingboing.net /: Tonio de Roover's East meets West sofa is meant to evoke flying carpets. I can't figure out how comfortable it'd be, but it looks great. East meets west (via Craft) Sofa turns into a punching bag Sofa/bookcase Coffin sofa Sofa modelled on brainwaves Accordioning sofa - mindblowing video Sofa that lets you float in the clouds Doc sofa bed converts into a bunk bed within seconds ......

Provided by: boingboing.net1012010-09-03 19:16:35blogs / boingboing.net /: Adafruit Industries has posted a pair of terrific videos in which Apple's "Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs talk about their short career building illegal telephone equipment, aka 'blue boxes.' Interesting how their two stories differ...the engineer and the marketer." Bonus: Cap'n Crunch!...

Provided by: boingboing.net1022010-09-03 19:33:11blogs / boingboing.net /: "They're into everything, from the Russian prostitute rings in resorts like Cannes and St Tropez to gassing tourists in their villa and stealing everything they've got. Bosses are now based here permanently, with foot soldiers working for them, often flying in for set periods before returning home with their profits in cash. The numbers really are unprecedented at the moment."—a French police officer, on the "military-like precision" with which Russian mafia are said to be taking over the French Riviera. (Telegraph UK)...

Provided by: boingboing.net1032010-09-03 18:58:15blogs / boingboing.net /: Axe is for wimps. Hai Karate: "Be careful how you use it." (Thanks, Mark!)...

Provided by: boingboing.net1042010-09-03 18:49:02blogs / boingboing.net /: I drove south last weekend to a predominantly Indian suburb of Los Angeles to catch Peepli Live at a movie theater that plays only films from India. Its was terrific, a poignant and LOL-filled commentary on the state of Indian news media, and the injustice and tragedy that rural communities face. Unsurprisingly, the soundtrack was full of great tunes. My favorite was the song embeded above, "Chola Maati Ke Ram," performed live here by Nageen Tanvir at a launch event for the film. The lyrics of this song speak to human mortality. Loosely and imperfectly: Time spares no one... death spares no one... our bodies are clay robes that will eventually disintegrate, so it is best to dedicate our lives to honoring Lord Ram, and all that is eternal. Incidentally: Kamla Bhatt will be interviewing "Indian Ocean," who performed several songs in the Peepli Live Soundtrack, at 12.30 pm PST on Stanford radio station KZSU. Listen online here....

Provided by: boingboing.net1052010-09-03 18:54:21blogs / boingboing.net /: Well, I know what I'm doing this weekend: here's a recipe for how to make sriracha hot sauce, the ubiquitous Asian restaurant condiment in that clear plastic bottle with the little white rooster on the side. (via Farhad)...

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