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Boing Boing

Boing Boing is a popular online blog that covers a wide range of topics, including technology, science, culture, literature and more. It was founded in 1988 by Mark Frauenfelder. Today, the site acts as a meeting-point for a diverse community that includes artists, activists, engineers, physicians, scholars and scientists. The blog is known for its eclectic collection of articles and stories that celebrates unusual ideas, new technology, do-it-yourself ingenuity, politics, culture, arts and a lot more. It is considered to be one of the first and most influential blogs globally.
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Aug 19, 2024

Thread Of Notes

This $45 Deal Days bundle gets you Visual Studio Pro 2026 plus free coding courses

TL;DR: Get Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 plus 15 lifetime coding courses for $44.97 (reg. $1,999.99) through Deal Days — our answer to Prime Day. Professional developers pay $499.99 for Visual Studio Pro alone. Right now, during Deal Days, you can grab Microsoft's newest IDE plus a full coding education bundle for $44.97 until June 28 at 11:59 PM.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/17/this-45-deal-days-bundle-gets-you-visual-studio-pro-2026-plus-free-coding-courses.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Cat crashes Romeo and Juliet ballet in Turkey, bites Romeo mid-death scene, steals entire show

A ballet performance of Romeo and Juliet in Izmir, Turkey, was nearing its tragic conclusion when an uninvited cast member wandered onstage and quietly took over the production. This mischievous cat appeared during the final scene and began acting like it had been rehearsing with the company for weeks.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/17/cat-crashes-romeo-and-juliet-ballet-in-turkey-bites-romeo-mid-death-scene-steals-entire-show.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Report on AI use in business rife with AI hallucinations

The massive consulting firm KPMG had to pull a lengthy report on the use of Agentic AI after it was found to be riddled with AI-generated fabrications and mangled citations. AI detection company GPTZero analyzed the report, Total Experience: Redefining Excellence in the Age of Agentic AI, which was released in October, 2025.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/17/report-on-ai-use-in-business-rife-with-ai-hallucinations.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

One of my favorite games is finally getting DLC, which means I can recommend it again guilt-free

I really, really loved Dragon's Dogma 2. Yes, even after its meme-filled moment in the sun was over. Yes, even in spite of the wholly unnecessary microtransactions that marred its reputation at release. (Incidentally, literally every Capcom game has those.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/17/one-of-my-favorite-games-is-finally-getting-dlc-which-means-i-can-recommend-it-again-guilt-free.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

"Mistakes are made": Grandpa Pudding Brains shrugs at school strike that killed over 100

Asked whether anyone would be held accountable for a strike on an elementary school that killed more than 100 children, Grandpa Pudding Brains said no, called it "a strange question," and shrugged: "Mistakes are made." The children were killed in the active voice.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/17/mistakes-are-made-grandpa-pudding-brains-shrugs-at-school-strike-that-killed-over-100.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Watching a middle-aged English woman enrage romance scammers is my new favorite pastime

It should come as no surprise by now that I enjoy a good scambait. Scambaiting, or the art of deliberately wasting scammers' time, has become a bit of a flourishing practice of late. All the better for people who love both being entertained and watching criminal activity get foiled.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/17/watching-a-middle-aged-english-woman-enrage-romance-scammers-is-my-new-favorite-pastime.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Shrek 5 sure looks like another Shrek movie

Back when Shrek 5 was officially confirmed as a project that was, indeed, happening, I thought it was overdue. Now that an actual trailer has dropped, though, I think I'm officially upgrading that to "too late." Maybe my expectations were too high after spinoff Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which was a genuine masterpiece of a family movie.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/17/shrek-5-sure-looks-like-another-shrek-movie.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Stop relying on Google Translate — Rosseta Stone can help you learn for real

TL;DR: A 1-year Rosetta Stone subscription is $127.20 (reg. $159) through June 28 as part of Deal Days — new users only. Google Translate will get you through a crisis. Rosetta Stone will get you through a dinner party, a day trip, and the kind of off-menu conversation that actually makes a trip memorable.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/17/stop-relying-on-google-translate-rosseta-stone-can-help-you-learn-for-real.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Tom the Dancing Bug: The Dementia Donnie Center for TV Watching

Tom the Dancing Bug: The Dementia Donnie TV Room -> Please join the team that makes it possible for your friendly neighborhood comic strip Tom the Dancing Bug to exist in this hostile Trumpverse! JOIN US IN THE INNER HIVE, and be the first kid on your block to get each week's Tom the Dancing Bug comic – before it's published anywhere.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/17/tom-the-dancing-bug-the-dementia-donnie-center-for-tv-watching.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

The obscure iPhone setting that eliminates car sickness

Apple added a feature called Vehicle Motion Cues in 2024 that places small dots around the edge of your screen. The dots move in sync with your car — sweeping left when you turn right, sliding forward when you brake. Your inner ear detects motion while your eyes see a static screen, and the mismatch causes nausea.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/17/the-obscure-iphone-setting-that-eliminates-car-sickness.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Cold-water espresso cuts energy use 75% and tastes identical

The UNSW team that used ultrasound to speed up cold brew to three minutes has pushed the technique further — producing espresso-strength shots with room-temperature water. A transducer pressed against a coffee filter basket generates sound waves that create acoustic cavitation, collapsing microscopic bubbles that fracture the grounds and pull out flavor compounds far faster than cold water alone.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/17/cold-water-espresso-cuts-energy-use-75-and-tastes-identical.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Grandpa Pudding Brains pours peroxide into the Lincoln Memorial Algae Farm

Grandpa Pudding Brains wanted the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool painted "American flag blue," and nature responded with algae bloom green. The newly refurbished Reflecting Pool was supposed to transform Washington's look. Success: the giant painted blue basin turned green, and crews are now reportedly fighting the bloom with hydrogen peroxide, vacuums, skimmers, and ozone nanobubbles.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/16/grandpa-pudding-brains-pours-peroxide-into-the-lincoln-memorial-algae-farm.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Yesterday

Screw this light bulb in and it serves banned books

Connect to an open WiFi network, and a captive portal opens a shelf of banned ebooks. The access point is a smart light bulb. Rick Osgood reflashed the ESP32 chip inside with custom firmware, rewrote the partition table to carve out 2MB of the 4MB flash for storage, and built a web server that runs entirely off the bulb's power.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/16/screw-this-light-bulb-in-and-it-serves-banned-books.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 16

The poster child for psychedelic mushrooms is named after a country that doesn't use it

In 1906, a U.S. plant pathologist named Franklin Sumner Earle collected a small brown mushroom in Cuba and shipped it to the New York Botanical Garden. He called it Stropharia cubensis — later reclassified as Psilocybe cubensis — and never mentioned it again in any of his letters.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/16/the-poster-child-for-psychedelic-mushrooms-is-named-after-a-country-that-doesnt-use-it.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 16

It took Reddit four years to identify the sixth face on a set of curtains

In January 2020, a Finnish Reddit user posted a photo of curtains printed with eight celebrity faces and asked for help identifying them. Seven were quickly matched — Josh Holloway, Jessica Alba, Orlando Bloom, and others prominent in the mid-2000s. The sixth face, dubbed Celebrity Number Six, resisted identification for four years.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/16/it-took-reddit-four-years-to-identify-the-sixth-face-on-a-set-of-curtains.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 16

In 1980, 300 children collapsed at a marching band competition and no one knows why

On Sunday, July 13, 1980, around 500 children from 11 marching bands gathered at the Hollinwell Showground near Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, for a Junior Brass and Marching Band competition. At about 10:30 am, band members began to collapse. Children began "[falling] down like nine pins," according to one witness.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/16/in-1980-300-children-collapsed-at-a-marching-band-competition-and-no-one-knows-why.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 16

In 1810, a prankster sent 4,000 letters to flood one London address with chimney sweeps, coffins, and the Lord Mayor

Theodore Hook is a historical figure whose eccentricity defined his period. He became known for the Berners Street Hoax of 1810—an undertaking considered arguably the greatest practical joke in history. Hook arranged for dozens of tradesmen, including the Lord Mayor and the Duke of Gloucester, to converge on a single London address for a wager.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/16/in-1810-a-prankster-sent-4000-letters-to-flood-one-london-address-with-chimney-sweeps-coffins-and-the-lord-mayor.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 16

Video shows a rain curtain splitting a street into two worlds

A video of this weird-looking phenomenon shows a person standing at the razor-thin boundary between clear skies and a rain shower. A distinct curtain of rain advances across the street while the ground around her remains completely dry. As it moves closer and closer, it looks like two worlds colliding.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/16/video-shows-a-rain-curtain-splitting-a-street-into-two-worlds.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 16

Ghislaine Maxwell reportedly finds her mean-girls table in prison

Raw Story, citing the Daily Mail, says Maxwell has formed a "highly secretive" group at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas, where she allegedly whispers with three women she considers among the "finest and best educated" prisoners. The reported crew has a certain country-club-crime theme: a doctor convicted in a bogus billing case, a former CFO accused of raiding company funds, and a bookkeeper who wrote herself very generous checks.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/16/ghislaine-maxwell-reportedly-finds-her-mean-girls-table-in-prison.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 16

This $79.99 refurbished Chromebook is tougher than the laptop on your desk

TL;DR: Snag a refurbished 11.6-inch Lenovo 300e 2-in-1 Chromebook for $79.99 (reg. $284.99) Nobody's asking the family Chromebook to render 4K video or run Call of Duty. You want something that boots fast, juggles a dozen browser tabs without sweating, and doesn't spark a panic attack when it gets knocked off the kitchen counter.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/16/this-79-99-refurbished-chromebook-is-tougher-than-the-laptop-on-your-desk.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 16

British police officer accused of using AI to fabricate evidence

A Derbyshire Constabulary officer is under criminal investigation over claims they used artificial intelligence to fabricate evidence. The BBC's Samantha Noble reports that it's thought to be the first case of its kind in Britain. The officer is alleged to have perverted the course of justice, but no arrests have been made, police added. — Read the rest
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/16/british-police-officer-accused-of-using-ai-to-fabricate-evidence.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 16

Trump Arch in D.C. to be tremendously large and golden

When President Trump first showed reporters a model of the proposed United States Triumphal Arch, CBS News's Ed O'Keefe asked who it was for. "Me," said Trump. "It's going to be beautiful." The arch, formally in honor of the United States' 250th anniversary, would rise 250 feet—one foot per year of independence—on Memorial Circle on Columbia Island, between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/16/trump-arch-in-d-c-to-be-tremendously-large-and-golden.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 16

Woman cheers Knicks win, LAPD bursts in and kills her dog

A Black woman yelled, "Oh my god," because the Knicks won, someone called the LAPD, and police reportedly responded by bursting into her apartment and killing her golden doodle. According to Chanda Prescod-Weinstein's Threads post, the dog was wearing a Knicks jersey and ran over when police entered the apartment.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/15/woman-cheers-knicks-win-lapd-bursts-in-and-kills-her-dog.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 15

Man who hates paying taxes loves government handouts

Elon Musk hates taxes, government, regulation, and the public sector right up until the check clears. CNN's Chris Isidore lays out the part of the Musk myth that gets buried under all the rocket smoke and Cybertruck cosplay: SpaceX needed early NASA grants and a crucial $1.6 billion contract, while Tesla leaned on a $465 million federal loan, EV tax credits, and billions from emissions-credit rules that forced other automakers to buy their way into compliance.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/15/man-who-hates-paying-taxes-loves-government-handouts.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 15

Violet Jessop survived the Titanic, the Britannic, and a collision on the Olympic

Violet Jessop was born in Argentina in 1887, the eldest of nine children. She survived tuberculosis as a child, contrary to doctors' predictions. At 21, she became a stewardess for Royal Mail Line. Then she boarded three White Star ships, and all three met with disaster.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/15/violet-jessop-survived-the-titanic-the-britannic-and-a-collision-on-the-olympic.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 15

Watch an inebriated Bob Dylan troll a bored John Lennon about stealing "Norwegian Wood"

In a great interview on Frank Santopadre's podcast, "Fun for All Ages" promoting his book Where the Music Had to Go: How Bob Dylan and the Beatles Changed Each Other — And the World, author Jim Windolf describes how in 1966, Bob Dylan stole/parodied the Beatles song "Norwegian Wood," and then filmed himself provoking John Lennon about it (while very high on something).
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/15/watch-an-inebriated-bob-dylan-troll-a-bored-john-lennon-about-stealing-norwegian-wood.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 15

Grandpa Pudding Brains algae-filled improvements

After weeks of regaling us with his knowledge of great pool guys and shades of blue, The Orange Menace's taxpayer-funded vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is complete. By complete, we mean completely filled with algae. The most likely thing to have actually happened here is that some friend or donor got paid off by this personal pool guy of the United States zero-bid contractor receiving the job.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/15/grandpa-pudding-brains-algae-filled-improvements.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 15

Kristi Noem begs Yakko Warner to explain South America

Kristi Noem was asked on Newsmax who America's best friend is in South America and answered with El Salvador and Costa Rica, which is a problem because maps exist. Noem did not merely miss a trivia question at a bar. She is a former Homeland Security secretary and Trump's special envoy for "Shield of the Americas," a title that sounds like it should come with at least one laminated map.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/15/kristi-noem-begs-yakko-warner-to-explain-south-america.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 15

The thought experiment that says you can't die (from your own perspective)

Quantum suicide is a thought experiment that takes Schrödinger's cat and puts you inside the box. The setup: a device kills you based on a quantum measurement with a 50/50 chance. Under the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, every possible outcome actually happens — so there's always a branch where you survive.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/15/the-thought-experiment-that-says-you-cant-die-from-your-own-perspective.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 15

Robert Wadlow stood 8 feet 11 inches tall and refused to be a sideshow act

Robert Wadlow of Alton, Illinois, was born on February 22, 1918, at a typical 8 pounds 5 ounces. By age eight, he was taller than his father. By his 1936 high school graduation, he was 8 feet 4 inches. When doctors measured him on June 27, 1940 — eighteen days before his death — he had reached 8 feet 11.1 inches and 439 pounds, making him the tallest person in recorded history.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/15/robert-wadlow-stood-8-feet-11-inches-tall-and-refused-to-be-a-sideshow-act.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 15

In 532 AD, a chariot racing riot nearly toppled the Byzantine Empire

On January 13, 532 AD, fans of Constantinople's chariot racing factions — the Blues and the Greens — stopped fighting each other and turned on Emperor Justinian I. The Nika riots started when two convicted murderers, one from each faction, survived their executions after "the scaffolding and wood broke on them."
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/15/in-532-ad-a-chariot-racing-riot-nearly-toppled-the-byzantine-empire.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 15

Buy Office and Windows once, then stop thinking about them for $35

TL;DR: The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 + Windows 11 Pro Bundle includes lifetime licenses for both products and is on sale for $34.97 (reg. $418.99) through June 28 during Deal Days. We live in an age where your movies, music, groceries, and even your spreadsheets require a subscription.
https://boingboing.net/2026/06/15/buy-office-and-windows-once-then-stop-thinking-about-them-for-35.html boingboing.net
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RSS Hunter RSS Hunter • Jun 15

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