A spokeswoman for Wragge said: "Courts can compel Internet Service Providers or telephone service providers to make information available regarding registered names, email addresses and other key account holder information.Birmingham Wragge team to focus on online comment defamation (via Futurismic)One growth area is identifying individuals involved in leaking confidential information, such as client or financial details, to competitor companies. With the help of employment law specialists, the team can assist both in finding the source of such leaks and advising on any subsequent employment aspects."
List of cats with fraudulent diplomas (Thanks, Fipi Lele!)Colby Nolan is a housecat who was awarded an MBA degree in 2004 by Trinity Southern University, a Dallas, Texas-based diploma mill, sparking a fraud lawsuit by the Pennsylvania attorney general's office.[1]...
Ben Goldacre, a UK-based science journalist, obtained a diploma in nutrition from the American Association of Nutritional Consultants for his dead cat, Henrietta, while investigating allegations about fake qualifications.[5]
(Image: Count the cats!, a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike photo from Eva 101's Flickr stream)
The Vampirism, Energy-work and Otherkin Society (VEOS) is a loosely-organized San Francisco based group. This group is open those identifying as vampire (sang or psy), donor, otherkin, and to those who wish to learn more about such topics. Other energy-workers are also welcome, so long as you have no problem with the vampiric side of energy work.You know, I bet it's actually a pretty nice night out. As one member says, "we are all nice people and we have a good time when we get together."This group is NOT open to role-players, recruiters of any type, or those seeking to promote any form of religion (discussion about religion is OK, preaching is not).
Welcome to Bay VEOS (via JWZ)
We'll never know what was originally intended for this Techdirt tee, but we can see the aftermath of the takedown notice it attracted!
DMCA Takedown T-shirt
(Thanks, Dennis!)
There's really only one question: "Why have your characters done something that is likely to upset their parents, and why don't you punish them for doing this?"Cory Doctorow: Teen SexNow, the answer.
First, because teenagers have sex and drink beer, and most of the time the worst thing that results from this is a few days of social awkwardness and a hangover, respectively. When I was a teenager, I drank sometimes. I had sex sometimes. I disobeyed authority figures sometimes.
Mostly, it was OK. Sometimes it was bad. Sometimes it was wonderful. Once or twice, it was terrible. And it was thus for everyone I knew. Teenagers take risks, even stupid risks, at times. But the chance on any given night that sneaking a beer will destroy your life is damned slim. Art isn't exactly like life, and science fiction asks the reader to accept the impossible, but unless your book is about a universe in which disapproving parents have cooked the physics so that every act of disobedience leads swiftly to destruction, it won't be very credible. The pathos that parents would like to see here become bathos: mawkish and trivial, heavy-handed, and preachy.
- 17:04 @allthingsshiny A .410 is a rediculous shotgun to begin with. Probably had #4 shoit in it and no more than about 8 pellets. #
- 17:06 Well that was a little fast. The new Emergency clinic not only wants me but wants me to start 6 HOURS from now. Better go to bed soon. #
BB pal Tim Biskup has a show of paintings and sculptures opening at the Barracuda Shop in Los Angeles next Friday evening, November 13. The show, titled "I Hate Everyone But You," will also feature prints by designer Matt Goldman and runs until December 3. Dig Biskup's psychedelic Vader above? Check out his take on Astroboy after the jump.
This "collectible" and curious coaster set from Wendy's is up for auction on eBay. The starting bid is $9.99. According the listing, "All pieces are in EXCELLENT condition except the corner of the cheese has a small chip but still very usable.""Collectible Wendy’s Restaurant Hamburger Coaster Set" (Thanks, Michael-Anne Rauback!)
- 21:43 Dan Vado will be at the Vegas Valley Comics Festival on Saturday November 7th. Stop by the SLG table and get a free... bit.ly/4mX67j #
- 18:05 We are opening a new show tonight at the SLG Gallery. bit.ly/1cFurn #
Extincshun ….imminent
can i play ur part in teh moovie?
Picture by: Pysselpetra Caption by: chech1965 via Advanced Lol Builder
Every Friday, we’ll be bringing you some of the most awesome lolz from around the network that you definitely should not miss. Your kittehs might be a bit jealous that you’re looking at non-kitteh lolz, but shh… we won’t tell them if you won’t tell on us. Enjoy the lolz!
From FAIL Blog: Holiday Lighting Win
From ROFLrazzi:
From Totally Looks Like: Snowy Grill Totally Looks Like Designer Karl Lagerfeld
From GraphJam:
Maybe we would remember more of the YMCA song if it was in lolspeak. Cheez Frend cweenmj translated the YMCA song in lolspeak, so now our kittehs can join in the fun! 
Thx cweenmj!
Lolcat, der’z no need tu feel down.
I sed, Lolcat, pik ursef off deh grownd.
I sed, Lolcat, ‘cuz ur gnu in town
Dere’z no need tu b unhappy.
Lolcat, dere’z a plais u kin go
I sed, Lolcat, wen ur short on ur doe.
U can stay dere, and Iz shur u will find
Menny wayz tu haz a gud tiyme.
Itz fun tu stay at deh Y-M-C-A.
Itz fun tu stay at deh Y-M-C-A.
Dey haz ebbrefing dat u needz tu enjoy,
U kin play wif awl deh cat toyz. . . .
Itz fun tu stay at deh Y-M-C-A.
Itz fun tu stay at deh Y-M-C-A.
Charging Fourth by ~SmudgeDragon on deviantART
Also, I've rescanned and uploaded Zeke and Mawkeya & Hops and they are also available as prints now.
- Mood:
artistic
Here are nine wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!
by mightyb
by James Callan
by Ninja M.
by cyrusrassool
by D.P. Rubino
by SA_Steve
by legotech
Our Flickr Pool is the place where Consumerist readers go and upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click "Join Group?" up on the top right, and start hitting "send to group" on your individual photos you want to add to the pool.
Note that if you want them to have a shot at ending up on the Consumerist Friday post, you'll need to open up your sharing settings on your Flickr account so we can grab the HTML from the "Share This" tab. Sorry, but that's the only way to get Flickr and Consumerist to play with each other.
Add your shots to The Consumerist Flickr Pool, and perhaps they'll get featured in a future story, or even highlighted in a Friday Consumerist Flickr Pool Finds post. See previous winners of the Friday Consumerist Flickr Pool finds here.
Earlier this week, I posted about a college student who couldn't get Capital One's Emergency Payment Protection Plan activated on his account because of missed deadlines. Andon wrote back today to say that after he sent an EECB to the credit card company's executives, they apologized and activated the service.
To recap, Capital One told Andon to wait 30 days before calling in to request activation. When he followed their instructions and called back 30 days later, he was told that he had to have called 5 days earlier to activate it for that month. Then he was charged a late fee.
Andon sent the company an Email Executive Carpet Bomb, or EECB, explaining what happened. This was the result:
I would just like to let you know that I sent an EECB, and was contacted today by Greg at Capital One who worked out the problem for me. He said I was absolutely right about the problem with the first month of the Emergency Payment Protection (the whole waiting for thirty days since unemployment, but having to have called five days before the payment's due date,) and that there is actually a special exception program in order to address this, but that it just wasn't followed properly in this case. They were very understanding, and apologized for the inconvenience - all is well, now.
Congratulations, Andon! Remember, if the front line of customer service at a company refuses to see logic or reason, try to escalate it to higher levels. Frequently it's either a case of the CSR being powerless to help you, or a breakdown in training or communication.
RELATED
"Capital One Tricks Customer Into Not Activating Emergency Payment Protection Plan"
It supports Windows, Linux, and Macintosh operating systems, will retail for $74.99, and is not a joke. [OpenOfficeMouse]
witness protection not working so well
Picture by: dunno source Caption by: Clarksvegas via Our LOL Builder
That is not Batman's boat but rather Earthrace, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's ultraslick bio-diesel-powered anti-whaling speedboat. It's 80-feet long and very stealthy. Next month, it will head out to the seas around Japan to, er, protest the country's whaling industry. Life magazine has photos of Earthrace currently docked in Auckland, New Zealand. (Click image to see full photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images.) "Superbad Anti-Whaling Stealth Boat"
The dead don't just get up and walk off. No. They need felonious help for that. Mental_floss has a fun piece on five great grave robberies (some more successful than others)--with guest corpses ranging from Charlie Chaplin to Abe Lincoln.
If you're planning on spending the next 6-8 weeks pouring cash into Mammon's gaping maw—and really, who isn't? it's how we love each other—then here are the shipping deadlines for over 100 online retailers, courtesy of CouponSherpa. In today's UPS/FedEx world you can frequently wait right up until Christmas week, but you might want to double-check the list if there's a retailer you absolutely have to shop from.
"Holiday Shipping Deadlines for Christmas 2009" [CouponSherpa] (Thanks to Jeff!)
(Photo: dierken)
Walmart can try to spin itself as being on the side of good all it wants, but if it ever suspects you of shoplifting, you may find that you're powerless to fight back. In the case of a couple accused of shoplifting some Bic lighters in Niles, Michigan this past August, Walmart detained them, the police came and cuffed one of them, their two kids were taken to a security room, and—after a review of security footage proved the couple's innocence—they were banned for life from all Walmarts. To top it off, Walmart's legal team has sent the couple a letter asking to be reimbursed for 10 times the value of the lighters, even though the police determined no shoplifting had taken place.
(It's unclear whether the couple ever actually paid for the Bic lighters in question—the article only specifies that the footage shows they scanned the package of lighters but that the scanner didn't register it.)
The couple in question is gay and their sons are adopted, which may have introduced a whole new level of emotional reactions on both sides of the dispute. The men say their children told them that while they were being held in the security room, the security staff threatened the kids and "had made disparaging remarks about Paolucci and Hitchcock's lifestyle." It's not a stretch to imagine that such an attitude, if it existed, carried over into any face-to-face interactions. Meanwhile, the police who showed up and cuffed Paolucci, then forced the two men into the backs of different squad cars, claim that the men were causing a disturbance when they arrived at the scene.
Still, no amount of pro-gay or anti-gay outrage makes it okay for a retailer to place paying customers in such an abusive situation, especially when the retailer's own security footage—which was immediately available for review—shows that if there was any inventory issue it was due to a malfunction of the scanner. But Walmart can get away with it because it can afford to:
Asked if they intend to sue Wal-Mart, Paolucci said he and Hitchcock probably won't because other attorneys have advised them Wal-Mart historically "plays hardball" and isn't prone to settle cases out of court.
"We could spend a couple million dollars to sue them," Paolucci said.
But that doesn't mean there won't be court action. Paolucci and Hitchcock e-mailed The Tribune a copy of a letter from a law firm representing Wal-Mart seeking 10 times the retail price of the items the store still claims were shoplifted by Paolucci. The letter states the matter will be dropped if Paolucci submits the $158.40 payment.
Fortunately, the men seem to have enough money that they can afford to never shop at the discount retailer again, even if they weren't banned for life. If you're not part of a wealthy two-income family, though... well hopefully Walmart will look down favorably upon you when your post-checkout time comes, so long as you act contrite and respectful of their security team's authority.
(Oh yeah, now I remember why I don't want a Walmart anywhere near where I live.)
*Note: I originally reported the Walmart as being located in Niles, Illinois. However, the South Bend Tribune generally covers areas in Michigan and Indiana, and the couple lives in Buchanan, Michigan, which also has a Niles located nearby. I've updated the post to report the Walmart as being located in Niles, Michigan. -Chris
"Niles couple banned from Wal-Mart after dispute over BIC lighters" [South Bend Tribune] (Thanks to Shanon!)
RELATED
"Loomis Rent-A-Cops Have Shopper Cuffed, Hauled Away Over ATM Photo"
(Photo: Brave New Films)
Droid vs. iPhone: A 10-Round Bout CR Electronics tests both phones and finds that each side has its advantages and flaws. The biggest advantage of the Droid: It's not on AT&T. [Consumer Reports Electronics]
Family members of a developmentally disabled 49-year-old man told 6 News in Indianapolis that two men from Bally Total Fitness showed up at the man's apartment, drove him to a Bally location at Pike Plaza, and signed him up to a monthly membership. When the man's family asked Bally to invalidate the agreement, the gym refused.
The brothers told [6News reporter Rafael] Sanchez that they went to the gym Monday hoping to resolve the issue, but that their requests were rejected by the management at the facility.
[...]
"I'm wondering how more people are they going to do it to? After meeting two young gentlemen yesterday, they don't feel they've done anything wrong," said [brother] Pat Hannon. "They feel it's their right to get America fit."
So there you have it. Bally's wants the developmentally disabled to be physically fit. I don't see how that's a bad thing—we should all take care of our health—but it seems weird to target men and women who, you know, can't drive themselves to the gym they're joining. Maybe the two salesmen who showed up at the apartment—where "no soliciting" signs are posted—should agree to shuttle their new client back and forth whenever he feels like it.
</p>
Update: Bally's PR firm just contacted us with the following statement on behalf of the gym:
We regret that this incident occurred and have accordingly addressed the issue with the employees involved. It is common practice that we market our clubs with free trial passes to the local community but it is against our corporate policy to transport anyone to or from our facility. When our management found out about Mr. Hannon's disability, we immediately cancelled his membership and refunded all of his fees.
"Family: Gym Took Advantage Of Man With Disability" [WRTV Indianapolis] (Thanks to Becky!)
(Photo: geocam20000)
I also found it amusing that every time Mister's name came up (Mister was grandma's dog) every guy in the room winced. But I found that he did go to a good and loving home. Hopefully one that will train him better too.
It was good to see the extended family again. But yet again, I was a wall flower. It's hard to be part of the conversation when you come from another world. Literally.
Talked a lot on the road with Baron about "The Future!". Current plan right now, besides finishing up all the over due commissions that I have, is putting together a gallery portfolio of original, sell-able work, and putting a submission of a comic story to shop around.
Got my test print form DA while I was gone. Dang, it looks good! Will be re-scanning Mawkeya & Hops, and Zeke to offer them up as DA prints.
And now... to work! ^.^
- Mood: blank
With the end-of-season BEST OF lists already cropping up, NBM’s announcement that a third volume of Lewis Trondheim’s diary comic LITTLE NOTHINGS would be dropping in January reminded me that I never did get around to posting that “best of 2008″ list I’d meant to. I did a short review of the second volume in March of this year–losing myself in Trondheim’s world for a little while was a glorious respite from hectic TCAF planning–and mentioned how fortunate I felt we were to get books like these released with some regularity. A third volume less than a year after the second is a treat.
To prime the pump for the release of the new book, NBM has started running excerpts on their blog at http://nbmpub.com/blog/. It’s fitting, as I believe these short strips originally ran on Trondheim’s blog en Français much to the consternation of myself and all of Trondheim’s anglophone readers. Actually, checking his blog right now, the current diary strips appear to be from time spent in Quebec! Maybe I’ll try and puzzle through them with my highschool French after all. :)
- Chris
BocasResearchStation sez, "This video shows an octopus cleverly trying to camouflage itself amongst seaweed in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Hiding is the primary defense mechanism for these creatures, and this little guy is making use of branches of algae to try to get by unseen."
An Octopus Pretending to be Seaweed (Thanks, BocasResearchStation!)
Thessaly sez, "For those who wish Halloween wasn't over: Caitlin Roper holds the record for making the world's largest collection of jack-o-lantern grapes. She cut the lids of six grapes and hollowed them out before hand-carving faces into each one. They may also possibly be the world's SMALLEST jack-o-lanterns, but this is not verified."
Largest Collection Of Jack-O-Lantern Grapes
(Thanks, Thessaly!)
The trailer above is for Between The Folds, a new feature documentary film presented by PBS's Independent Lens. You can view the whole film on PBS on December 8 or at one of Independent Television Service's free Community Cinema screenings upcoming around the country. From MAKE:
The film documents "a determined group of theoretical scientists and fine artists who have abandoned their careers and scoffed at their graduate degrees to forge new lives as modern-day paper folders."More clips from the film after the jump!
Featured in the film are MIT's youngest-ever tenured professor Dr. Erik Demaine; mathematician, sculptor, puzzle maker, and self-taught computer scientist Marty Demaine; master free-style folder Vincent Floderer; pioneering Israeli educator Miri Golan; mathematics professor Dr. Tom Hull; trained artist and instructor Paul Jackson; one of the most technically accomplished folders in the world, Eric Joisel; one of only a few handmade origami papermakers in the world, Michael LaFosse; origami "hyper-realist" and physicist Dr. Robert J. Lang (who was profiled in CRAFT Volume 05); material artist with a masterful understanding of patterns and geometry, Chris K. Palmer; and the father of modern origami, Akira Yoshizawa.
Between The Folds (Thanks, Chi Do!)
Next year, the UK's Royal Mail will sell 1st class stamps that feature images of 10 famous British album covers. The postal service collaborated with music mag editors and design writers to come up with the list — interestingly, no Beatles albums were chosen, but artists represented include Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, David Bowie, and The Rolling Stones.
I wish the USPS would do something like this instead of boring us with stamps decorated with bells and reindeers.
Studio Dempsey via Creative Review
James Kuhn is a Michigan-based artist who likes to paint his own face in the most intricate, creative ways. I love the one where he puckers up to represent a dog's butt. I've always wondered what my mouth would look like as an anus.
James Kuhn's Flickr via Web Urbanist
Why do dogs find this so difficult?
Picture by: dunno source Caption by: coldest via Advanced Lol Builder
Marisa Kakoulas at the excellent tattoo blog Needles and Sins writes about Tattooed Under Fire, a documentary by Nancy Schiesari on the tattoos -- and lives -- of soldiers at Fort Hood. The film was created long before yesterday's mass shooting, and will air on public television stations around the country starting next week.
(Thanks, Susannah Breslin)Fort Hood -- the largest US military facility in the world -- is a major center for soldiers being deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and also houses the Army's Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program, which helps soldiers deal with post-traumatic stress when they return. In both cases, deployment and return home, soldiers work out heavy issues, and many seek tattooing as a way to express them or even see the process as therapy.
Tattooed Under Fire documents the young men and women at Fort Hood who seek solace at the tattoo studio, confessing fears, expressing anger, sharing secrets, and relaying personal war stories.
Related, on BB: An Insider's View of the Fort Hood Tragedy
Page Summary
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif)
boingboing_net : Corporate law firm targets whistle-blowers and anonymous commenters [+0] - boingboing_net : Cats with fraudulent diplomas [+0]
- boingboing_net : Vampire/otherkin/energy worker Meetup in San Francisco [+0]
- boingboing_net : DMCA takedown shirt [+0]
- boingboing_net : Teen sex belongs in teen lit [+0]
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
titanic : (no subject) [+2] - boingboing_net : Tim Biskup's Darth Vader and Astroboy [+0]
- boingboing_net : Cheeseburger parts coaster set [+0]
- snopes_dot_com : Free Meals for Veterans [+0]
- boingboing_net : Twitter o'clock [+0]
- slg_news : (no subject) [+0]
- icanhaschzbrgr : Extincshun…. [+0]
- icanhaschzbrgr : Your Weekly Treats [+0]
- smudge_dragon : New Prints available [+0]
- consumerist : Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds [Flickr] [+0]
- consumerist : Capital One Activates Payment Protection Plan Thanks To EECB [Follow Ups] [+0]
- boingboing_net : The OpenOffice Mouse [+0]
- icanhaschzbrgr : witness protection [+0]
- boingboing_net : Courage (and training) defined. [+0]
- boingboing_net : Stealthy anti-whaling powerboat [+0]
- boingboing_net : The Great Grave Robberies [+0]
- consumerist : Here Are Your Shipping Deadlines For Christmas 2009 [Online Shopping] [+0]
- consumerist : Walmart Goes Crazy On Couple Suspected Of Shoplifting [Walmart Is Your God Now] [+0]
- consumerist : Droid vs. iPhone: A 10-Round Bout CR Electronics ... [] [+0]
- consumerist : Bally Reps Drove Developmentally Disabled Man To Gym, Signed Him Up [Taking Advantage] [+0]
- boingboing_net : Hoax! [+0]
- boingboing_net : John McCain vs. Baby Sea Turtles vs. Rachel Maddow [+0]
- boingboing_net : MacHeist [+0]
- boingboing_net : Fort Hood Shooter bought "cop killer" at "Guns Galore" [+0]
- smudge_dragon : Random thoughts from last week [+4]
- cbutcher : More Little Nothings from Lewis Trondheim [+0]
- boingboing_net : Octopus pretending to be seaweed [+0]
- boingboing_net : World record for grape-o-lantern carving [+0]
- boingboing_net : Documentary about paper folding [+0]
- boingboing_net : UK stamps to feature famous album covers [+0]
- boingboing_net : Face painting art [+0]
- boingboing_net : Woman escapes handcuffs multiple times [+0]
- icanhaschzbrgr : Why do [+6]
- boingboing_net : Tattooed Under Fire: the tattoos and lives of soldiers at Fort Hood [+0]
- boingboing_net : Car thief steals car to drive to court [+0]