Kevin Kelly: Harry Plotters and the Prophesies of the Hive Mind

some people are such potterheads

Kevin Kelly: Harry Plotters and the Prophesies of the Hive Mind: "Xeni Jardin:
Kevin Kelly has a must-read essay online today which relates to the current Harry Potter leakmania (see Cory's previous posts, below). Snip:

Might the hive mind of fanfiction predict the plot of the seventh Harry Potter?

We'll know in 2 days. At least four books (see below) aggregate the predictions for the final episode in the Potter series. Anticipating the course of beloved stories has a long tradtion. Novels were the new media of the eighteenth century. Readers loved the innovation they offered: complex characters depicted so vividly that they seemed to live beyond the story's pages. These full-bodied characters could be carried along serial episodes, or even lifted into other dramas and other media. This persistent life made reading novels hugely popular but it also tempted readers to transport these characters into their own stories. As soon as novels appeared, fans began writing their own alternative endings. Sequels to two of the first novels ever published, Robinson Crusoe, and Don Quixote, were issued by their authors primarily to preempt fan-written versions. Today we call that fan fiction. The universe of this derived work is very large; more than 10 million fanfic stories have been penned so far. Any popular fiction series you can name, from Jane Austen to Star Wars, will have thousands of extended stories written by avid fans.

Every new medium since the novel has engendered further fan fiction, and nothing has done more to boost the involvement of the audience with fictional characters than the internet. In two days the largest book phenomenon of the year, perhaps of the decade, culminates as millions of people dive into the seventh and final Harry Potter book. Preceding them is a small army of intense Harry Potter enthusiasts on the internet who have already laid out in great detail their predictions of exactly what will happen in book seven. For years they have been scrutinizing the dark corners and subtexts of the first six books with a diligence that any professor of literature would be proud of, and have rendered their analysis as speculative story plots.

Link

Previously on BoingBoing:

Harry Potter photo-leaker might be busted through metadata

Last Harry Potter leaks online

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Thomas H. Huxley

Thomas H. Huxley: "'Make up your mind to act decidedly and take the consequences. No good is ever done in this world by hesitation.'"

(Via Motivational Quotes of the Day.)

Close Encounter with Mars ... Again?

i ghety this email from family members

Close Encounter with Mars ... Again?: "A 'new' email flier claims that the orbits of Mars and Earth will bring the two planets closer together than at any other time in the past 50,000 years on..."

(Via Urban Legends and Folklore.)

The PB&J Campaign / The environmental impact of lunch

pb rules

The PB&J Campaign / The environmental impact of lunch: "

by Morgen Jahnke

When I was younger and didn’t have a lot of money to spend on lunches outside the office, I often brought a bag lunch to work which usually (although not always) featured a peanut butter sandwich. My coworkers teased me about this habit, chalking it up to frugal necessity, but it really was a matter of preference. I really liked, maybe even loved, peanut butter sandwiches, and as a vegetarian at the time, it was also an easy way to get some protein into my diet.

According to a new online initiative called the PB&J Campaign (referring to peanut butter and jelly, for those uninitiated into this North American tradition), it turns out I was not only saving money and my health, but the environment as well. Through their Web site at www.pbjcampaign.org, the organizers behind the campaign lay out the facts about how incorporating this humble treat into your lunch plans can be a simple way to help the planet.

Butter Me Up

The PB&J Campaign gives four main reasons why choosing a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich over other types of lunch food can have a positive impact on the environment. These reasons are all based on how much of the earth’s resources are needed to produce a meal that contains no animal protein, such as a PB&J sandwich, versus a meal that contains animal protein, such as meat, eggs, or cheese.

By chowing down on a PB&J more often, an individual can make a difference in four areas, according to the campaign: global warming, water conservation, land conservation, and animal welfare. Because of the greater resources needed to raise livestock, the group argues that by eating a PB&J sandwich rather than a hamburger for lunch, a diner could save almost 3.5 pounds (1.6kg) of carbon dioxide emissions, and about 280 gallons of water. That meatless lunch could also preserve 12 to 50 square feet (about 4 to 15 square meters) of land from deforestation or other harmful practices. Lastly, a meal without animal protein would definitely have an effect on the animals concerned; the group estimates that eating 16 PB&J sandwiches is equal to saving the life of a chicken.

Hard Nut to Crack

Whatever your beliefs are about eating meat, I think this campaign is a simple and positive way to make a difference on environmental issues. I am no longer a vegetarian, but I can see the value of giving greater thought to the resources involved in putting food on my plate. Practical suggestions like the PB&J Campaign make it easier for those of us concerned about the environment to integrate enviro-friendly changes into our lives. I also like the fact that instead of being told what not to do, this group is advocating something we should do.

All that being said, I worry that this effort, and others like it, may be too simplistic, and may only make me feel better about things I’m already doing (although unfortunately I’ve had to give up peanut butter because it no longer agrees with me). In addition, this is not a one-size-fits-all campaign; those with peanut allergies or sensitivities, or even those concerned about the fat or sugar content of a PB&J, cannot jump on the bandwagon. And this campaign disregards the preferences of those of us who do not like jelly with our peanut butter, but would rather have a PB&H (honey) or PB&B (banana), or other less-mainstream combinations.

Sticking To It

I’m playing devil’s advocate of course, because the PB&J Campaign itself addresses many of these potential pitfalls on its Web site. They even provide alternatives to PB&J, like black bean chili, vegetarian burritos, and falafel. It’s clear that the call to greater PB&J consumption is not meant to be taken literally, but rather as a means to a worthwhile end.

However, I do think touting this mostly unsung culinary creation is a great strategy; there is something very familiar, at least to North Americans, and therefore iconic about the melding of bread, peanut butter, and gelatinized fruit. Now if only I can find some information about how eating chocolate croissants for breakfast every morning can stop global warming, I’d be very happy indeed. —Morgen Jahnke

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Permalink'•'Email this Article'•'Categories: Food & Drink, Science & Nature

'Good karma: priceless. For everything else, there’s PayPal donations!'[?]

More Information about The PB&J Campaign...

Thanks to reader Bernard Brown for suggesting today’s topic!

The main Web site for the campaign is www.pbjcampaign.org. They also have a blog about their continuing activities.

If you’re looking for inspiration about how to get more creative with peanut butter, you might like The Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbooks: Recipes from the World’s Nuttiest Sandwich Shop.

I grew up listening to the great Canadian children’s music trio of Sharon, Lois & Bram. The song ‘Peanut Butter (and Jelly)’ from their album Smorgasbord is a classic.

Related Articles from Interesting Thing of the Day

• Public Enrichment Project


• Pastrami


• Interesting Burger Joints

℗ & © 2007, alt concepts. All rights reserved.

"

(Via Interesting Thing of the Day.)

Harry Potter is thinly-veiled homosexual propaganda

potterheads be warned

Harry Potter is thinly-veiled homosexual propaganda: "The story is about a boy who lives in a cupboard (i.e. 'in the closet'). His Aunt and Uncle are ashamed of him because his parents were quite eccentric (i.e. 'flaming') and they are deeply concerned and afraid that he will turn out just like them. On his 11th birthday (i.e. roughly at the onset of puberty), the boy discovers that he is actually a 'wizard', different in both style and substance from normal people, or 'muggles' (i.e. 'breeders'). The boy is groomed into his new existence by a large, hairy bear of a man who shows Harry a hidden underground community of 'wizards' living right under the noses of the general population (i.e. the gay subculture). Harry's first trip to this subculture involves traveling through 'Diagon Alley', a play on the word diagonally (i.e. not straight)."

(Via Kuro5hin.org.)

Senator Vitter’s "suppressed statement"

Senator Vitter’s "suppressed statement": "Mark Frauenfelder:
R.U. Sirius says: '10 Zen Monkeys received the following document from a friend who works as an aide to Republican Louisiana Senator David Vitter. It is the handwritten draft of the statement Senator Vitter planned to give before the press conference about his involvement in the 'D.C. Madam' scandal.'

The point is -— I'm a pretty good looking guy and I've got money and power. I don't have to pay for it. But the nice thing about hookers: you don't have to please 'em. You know what I mean? I mean, it's nice to make a lady cum, but as you get older, you really just want to be serviced by a pro. And Deborah Palfrey had her a full stable of fine mares, if you know what I mean.

I got into politics because a friend of mine who is a big time corporate attorney thought I'd be good at it. He said I should be a Republican. He explained to me all about crony capitalism and told me I'd make great connections and scads of money. And all I had to do was represent the interests of my friends and donors. They'd tell me what to do.

It was a totally sweet deal. But he didn't tell me about the moralism part —- about how you've got to be all about family values, and you've got to be for teen abstinence and against the queers and porn and abortion and Janet Jackson's nipples. And that's because the common Christian folks down in Louisiana don't care that much about whether my financial supporters make butt-loads of money or not. They care about pretending to hate sex -— like it tells you to do in The Bible.

Note: It's a parody.

Link

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Uncle Sam Fear tee

Uncle Sam Fear tee: "Cory Doctorow:


Urban Medium -- the folks who made the striking Che Trooper image -- have just shipped this swell, limited edition tee that shows Uncle Sam dispensing fear.

Link

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Xkcd fans bring chess-sets on roller-coasters

Xkcd fans bring chess-sets on roller-coasters: "Cory Doctorow:



Fans of the xkcd webcomic have taken up the challenge laid out in one of the strips and are riding roller-coasters with glued-together chess-sets.

One of my all-time fave strips from xkcd is Chess Photo. The gag is that a prankster is gluing down his chess-pieces so that he can get on a roller-coaster, sit in the front seat, and be photographed deep in concentration over a gnarly chess-problem while behind him the rest of the coaster's riders go berserk.

Now xkcd fans are submitting photos of themselves doing just this (pictured here, 'Jared Meadows and Renea Campbell at King's Dominion') -- including one incredible shot of an Army Marine captain in full camou on a military helicopter.

This may, in fact, be the purpose of the Internet.

Link

(Thanks, Wellington!)

See also:

Where LOLCats come from

Ironic Internet malapropism grid

Geeky comic about chess and roller-coasters

Nerd humor about Katamari Damacy

Sarcastic comic about computational linguistics (and emo kids)

Funny map of online communities in the style of a D&D map

Geeky comic strip uses Cory as the punchline

Bloggin' 'bout my generation

Update: Your Obedient Serpent sez, 'LOLcats + Chesscoaster = Lollercoaster!'

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Sinbad Has Left The Building

Sinbad Has Left The Building: "

I know I’m not alone among Morlocks when I express my melancholy, a mood occasioned by the death of the charming actor Kerwin Mathews, who passed on earlier this month (though the news seemed to have been delayed by a week or so.)' I doubt that anyone who read his obituary would have felt anything other than unhappiness upon realizing that this stalwart hero of our childhood - where all the best heroes are forged - has indeed passed into legend.

"

(Via MORLOCKS.)

Web Zen: making art zen

Web Zen: making art zen: "Xeni Jardin:

- synthetic bubblegum cards


- mr. picassohead


- flash sketchbook


- sketch swap


- paint by numbers


- pop art portraits


- cheap screen printing


- learning to love you more

Web Zen Home and Archives, Store (Thanks Frank!)

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Apple to launch cheaper, "nano-like" iPhone in Q4 07?

I'd buy that for a dollah

Apple to launch cheaper, "nano-like" iPhone in Q4 07?: "Xeni Jardin:
Snip from Reuters:

Apple Inc. plans to launch a cheaper version of the iPhone in
the fourth quarter that could be based on the ultra-slim iPod Nano music
player, according to a JP Morgan report.

Kevin Chang, a JP Morgan analyst based in Taiwan, cited people in the
supply channel he did not name and an application with the U.S Patent and
Trademark office for his report dated July 8.

Apple filed a patent application document dated July 5 that refers to a
multifunctional handheld device with a circular touch pad control, similar
to the Nano's scroll wheel.

Link

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Shirky explains why Keen is a Luddite

well said

Shirky explains why Keen is a Luddite: "Cory Doctorow:
Clay Shirky's latest essay on Andrew Keen, 'Andrew Keen: Rescuing 'Luddite' from the Luddites,' is a magnificent answer to Keen's badly researched book, Cult of the Amateur.

These days, you can't hardly click without running into a clip of Andrew Keen, a failed dotcom entrepreneur who has set out to make a fortune by telling people that the Internet sucks.

Keen's message is essentially that the old media did a great job, without any bias, of picking the 'best' work (whatever that is) and making it popular. He says that Internet-driven systems for picking and popularizing work are bad for society, since letting just anyone get a say means that 'non-authoritative' people will assume gatekeeper roles, and might choose inferior material. For example, these unwashed clickers might choose DJ Danger Mouse's Grey Album over 'N'Sync's blockbuster LP Pubic Beardz.

Keen says that he loves technology, but doesn't want to see it used to tear down our old, fair, balanced, inclusive institutions. The new institutions -- blogs, Wikipedia, Digg, etc -- will be harder to navigate for 'the masses,' which means that only the techno-literate will get 'good stuff,' while everyone else will be stuck with kitten videos on YouTube.

Keen doesn't offer any evidence for the worthiness of the old system, nor does he give us any good reason to mistrust the new system (if it's so hard to find good stuff online, why are so many people switching off their TVs and switching on the Internet?).

More importantly, Keen's idea that he's 'pro-technology' and 'pro-authority' is nonsense. Pick one -- new technology overturns old authority. You can't have it both ways.

What the internet does is move data from point A to B, but what it is for is empowerment. Using the internet without putting new capabilities into the hands of its users (who are, by definition, amateurs in most things they can now do) would be like using a mechanical loom and not lowering the cost of buying a coat — possible, but utterly beside the point.

The internet’s output is data, but its product is freedom, lots and lots of freedom. Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association, the freedom of an unprecedented number of people to say absolutely anything they like at any time, with the reasonable expectation that those utterances will be globally available, broadly discoverable at no cost, and preserved for far longer than most utterances are, and possibly forever.

Keen is right in understanding that this massive supply-side shock to freedom will destabilize and in some cases destroy a number of older social institutions. He is wrong in believing that there is some third way — lets deploy the internet, but not use it to increase the freedom of amateurs to do as they like.

Link

See also:

Clay Shirky defends the Internet

The internet is impurifying our precious bodily fluids, Mandrake

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Magic Wheel makes the Razor Scooter look even dorkier

Magic Wheel makes the Razor Scooter look even dorkier: "

Is there a mode of transportation more emasculating than the Razor Scooter? I'm pretty sure there isn't, save a little girl's tricycle with pink streamers. But when it comes to vehicles made for adults, nothing tops the Razor Scooter on the dork-o-meter. That's why it's nice to see a cool alternative hitting the market.

--->snip

(Via SCI FI Tech Blog.)

Where have all the good waves gone? Nixon's Lowdown watch will tell you

this is for you, SurferJoeJoe

Where have all the good waves gone? Nixon's Lowdown watch will tell you: "

Next time you have a hankerin' to catch some surf, Nixon's Lowdown watch can tell you exactly where to go. Tide information for 200 beaches all over the world is onboard, predicting the best times to tackle those waves. The data's supposedly good for 15 years, so if you don't lose it, you could be using the lowdown to target your surfing in 2022.

Water-resistant to about 300 feet, the Lowdown doesn't need to come off when it's time to get wet. And you can pick your favorite color from black, silver, and off white with blue trim. Even if the data doesn't work so well a few years out, it'll still make a cool conversation piece to help meet beach bunnies/bums, and hey, it's a watch, too. The Farmer's Almanac for the surfing set costs $90.

— Peter Pachal

Nixon, via Gizmodo

"

(Via SCI FI Tech Blog.)

Images: The sci-fi effect on high tech

Images: The sci-fi effect on high tech: "Science fiction has long been a favorite read of techies, and it shows in their work. Here's our take on the 10 most influential books."

(Via CNET News.com.)

Possible "octosquid" discovered

but does it come in peace or pieces

Possible "octosquid" discovered: "David Pescovitz:

This creature, apparently a half-squid, half-octopus, was found off Hawaii's Big Island. Possibly a newly-discovered species, it was accidentally sucked up into a deep-sea water pipeline from a depth of 3,000 feet. Researchers at the Natural Energy Laboratoriy, where the pipeline leads, found the animal trapped in a filter. From the Honolulu Star Bulletin:

(NELHA operations manager Jan) War, who termed the specimen 'octosquid' for the way it looked, said it was about a foot long, with white suction cups, eight tentacles and an octopus head with a squidlike mantle...


Christopher Kelley, program biologist for the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory, went to the natural energy lab Tuesday to pick up the preserved octosquid, rattail fish and jellyfish (also found in the filter), which had been stored in a freezer, and brought them back to UH-Manoa's oceanography department.



'It's a beautiful squid. It's a gorgeous ruby red color,' Kelley said. 'We really enjoy these little mysteries that come up.'

Link (via Laughing Squid)

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Web zen: illusion zen

Web zen: illusion zen: "Xeni Jardin:

- akiyoshi's illusion page


- exploratorium


- optical illusions + visual phenomena


- depth perception


- masters of deception


- best visual illusion


- natural hallucinogen

Web Zen Home and Archives, Store (Thanks Frank!)

Image: Akiyoshi Kitaoka’s 'Out of Focus,' Link to explanation of the optical magic this induces.

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Retro-looking painting for son's album

Retro-looking painting for son's album: "Mark Frauenfelder:


My friend Robyn painted this terrific album cover for his son's band's second album: an E.P. called Cosmic Beats in Outer Space.

It's reminiscent of EC comics and Mad editor Al Feldstein's 1959 painting Moon Arch, one of my favorite spaceman paintings.


Link

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

NBC news producer gets angry at mascot on iDay

hoho

NBC news producer gets angry at mascot on iDay: "Mark Frauenfelder:

An orange, giant-headed, one-eyed mascot for a hunger-awareness organization was handing out buttons to people waiting in line for iPhones in NYC. The Fox NBC news crew considered him an eyesore. They asked him to leave, and when he didn't, they called the cops. Here's the video.

Link (Thanks, Ken!)

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Gadget-loving Nepali "living goddess" fired for traveling to US

bummer

Gadget-loving Nepali "living goddess" fired for traveling to US: "Xeni Jardin:

Andy Carvin says,

Shocking news out of Nepal today - Sajani Shakya, the Kumari of Bhaktapur, has actually been fired for visiting the United States.

As you may recall, I blogged about Sajani's visit a couple of weeks ago when she was in Silver Spring, Maryland for the Silverdocs festival. Kumaris are young Buddhist girls from Nepal who are selected at a young age to serve as 'living goddesses' until they reach puberty. They participate in Hindu rituals - there's a lot of overlap between the two religions in Nepal - and are revered by the local population. Some Kumaris live very cloistered lives, but Sajani was allowed to live with her parents and go to school. So when she had the chance to visit the United States, she took it. And now she's actually lost her job because of it.

'We have already begun looking for a new girl to replace the current Kumari,' said Jaya Prasad Regmi, head of the committee that selects the Bhaktapur Kumari. 'Our tradition does not allow the living goddess to travel to other countries.... Her father has said that it was a mistake as they did not get permission from concerned authorities to take her abroad.'

Link.

Previously:

Nepali 'Living Goddess' is rather into gadgets

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Bush: "Who else wants to see Ratatouille tonight?"

Bush: "Who else wants to see Ratatouille tonight?": "
Money quote: 'I heard it's better than Toy Story. Hard to believe. But I'd still like to see it. Who's in? Condi? What's that? Putin who? Oh, goddammit. You're right. I forgot.' See here."

(Via The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs.)

Al Gore: "iPhone is as profound as polio vaccine, maybe more."

oh yeah - sure

Al Gore: "iPhone is as profound as polio vaccine, maybe more.": "
Money quote: 'By combining three devices into a single device, iPhone will let us conserve energy and could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 30%.' See here."

(Via The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs.)

Sorry I'm all out of clever iPhone headlines: short links roundup

heh heh

Sorry I'm all out of clever iPhone headlines: short links roundup: "Xeni Jardin:

The inevitable iPhone cake: Link. (Thanks, Bonnie!)

Michael Robertson (MP3.com, Linspire, sipphone founder) has posted an essay with more thoughts on the carrier lockdown issues Cory blogged earlier on BoingBoing: Link to 'Battle of the Buttons.'

The Pope is stoked about Jesusphone, says Gelf Magazine: Link.

Love will tear it apart: Link.

Live webcast of the NYC launch: Link (thanks, Michael).

Meredith Viera blows an iPhone stunt on live TV: Link.

Snapshots of boxes of iPhones delivered to an Apple store by UPS guys, who are -- shockingly -- not wearing full body armor, or packing handguns and stun lasers: Link (thanks Matt).

iPhone versus Paris Hilton: Link (thanks I'm a PC).

In yesterday's short iPhone links roundup, I got some details wrong on that internal Apple employee giveaway announcement by Steve Jobs. I've since spoken to an Apple source who confirmed correct specifics, so the post is now updated: Link.

E!'s 'The Soup' will air this parody ad on tonight's episode: Link.

Friends of BoingBoing in Los Angeles: I'll be soaking up the insanity over at the iPhone launch at the Grove this afternoon/evening. If you're around, come say hi.

Previously on BoingBoing:

Working Assets calls for iPhone boycott

The Passion of the Jesusphone: iPhone short links roundup

Reader comment: Nathan says,

This is a photo of me and Steve Wozniak. He arrived at the Valley Fair mall apple store on a Segway at around 5am, he has been sitting in front of the store ever since. I am in line blogging about my experiences.

UPDATE 3PM PT: A secret NYC operative tells BoingBoing at 3:05PM PT, 'Spike Lee is suddenly the first person in line at the midtown Apple store. I don't know if he bought the place in line or what, but he wasn't there before, and he is now. He's being mobbed by papparazzi, bigtime. The line is like 2 blocks long. It's like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, everyone is waiting to open their box and find a golden ticket...'

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

Levittown in space: 1953 pulp mag cover

its where I grew up, really

Levittown in space: 1953 pulp mag cover: "Cory Doctorow:



Nostalgia for the future doesn't get any better than this 1953 pulp sf magazine cover depicting a couple buying a bubble-house floating in the void of space -- the house, the salesman, and the couple all manage to conjure up the Levittown sensibility of post-war boom housing.

Link

(via Paleo-Futurism)

"

(Via Boing Boing.)