The Latest from Boing Boing

How Google's book-scanner cleverly corrects for the curvature of an open book Posted: 03 May 2009 04:48 AM PDT One of the hard problems of bulk book-scanning is the distortion in the scanned images arising from the bowed center of the book as it lies open. Google's clever solution to this is to paint the book with infrared light, and then use two infrared cameras to generate a 3D model of the book, which can be used to correct the scans. Turns out, Google created some seriously nifty infrared camera technology that detects the three-dimensional shape and angle of book pages when the book is placed in the scanner. This information is transmitted to the OCR software, which adjusts for the distortions and allows the OCR software to read text more accurately. No more broken bindings, no more inefficient glass plates. Google has finally figured out a way to digitize books en masse. For all those who've pondered "How'd They Do That?" you finally have an answer. The Secret Of Google's Book Scanning Machine Revealed (via Memex 1.1)

Iridescent satin retro tennis-shoes Posted: 03 May 2009 04:39 AM PDT My wife brought home a pair of these Ash satin tennis-shoes this week -- iridescent green, laced with a length of ribbon. They're just great -- makes me wish they had a men's version. Ash Viper Satin Lace Up, Green Satin Can't see the video? Click here

Merck and Elsevier publish fake peer-reviewed journal Posted: 03 May 2009 12:45 AM PDT Pharmaceutical giant Merck paid science publishing juggernaut Elsevier to publish a fake peer-reviewed scientific journal, Australasian Journal of Bone and Joint Medicine. What's wrong with this is so obvious it doesn't have to be argued for. What's sad is that I'm sure many a primary care physician was given literature from Merck that said, "As published in Australasian Journal of Bone and Joint Medicine, Fosamax outperforms all other medications...." Said doctor, or even the average researcher wouldn't know that the journal is bogus. In fact, knowing that the journal is published by Elsevier gives it credibility! These kinds of endeavors are not possible without help. One of The Scientist's most notable finds is a Australian rheumatologist named Peter Brooks who served on the "honorary advisory board" of this "journal". His take: "I don't think it's fair to say it was totally a marketing journal", apparently on the grounds that it had excerpts from peer-reviewed papers. However, in his entire time on the board he never received a single paper for peer-review, but because he apparently knew the journal did not receive original submissions of research. This didn't seem to bother him one bit. Such "throwaways" of non-peer reviewed publications and semi-marketing materials are commonplace in medicine. But wouldn't that seem odd for an academic journal? Apparently not. Moreover, Peter Brooks had a pretty lax sense of academic ethics any way: he admitted to having his name put on a "advertorial" for pharma within the last ten years, says The Scientist. An "advertorial"? Again, language unfamiliar to us in the academic publishing world, but apparently quite familiar to the pharmaceutical publishing scene. Merck Makes Phony Peer-Review Journal (via /.)

Apple's censors remove NiN app and Anda's Game from iPhone store, citing "objectionable content" Posted: 03 May 2009 12:42 AM PDT Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails iPhone app, "NIN iPhone," has been removed from the iPhone store. Apple says that they censored it for "objectionable content." I just heard that they've also removed the comic version of my story Anda's Game for the same reason. The publisher says that they believe this beheaded orc is the objectionable content in question. So much for Apple as a benevolent dictator, well-suited to acting as guardian of what sorts of things you should and should not be allowed to run on your devices (remember, the company has also gone to the Copyright Office's DMCA hearing to protest the legalization of jailbreaking, hoping to make it illegal for you to install apps from outside of the App Store on your phone). Apple Rejects Nine Inch Nails iPhone App

Viacom uses copyright to censor racism protest Posted: 03 May 2009 12:33 AM PDT Madeline sez, "To protest the casting of white actors in Asian and Inuit roles for the live-action production of 'The Last Airbender,' (based on the animated series 'Avatar: The Last Airbender,' which features primarily Asian iconography, calligraphy, and fight choreography), fan Glockgal began making t-shirts that read 'This is not a tan' and "Aang can stay Asian and still save the world.' Viacom, one of the companies which owns a license for the series, has ordered Zazzle.com to take down her storefront. Glockgal has since re-released the designs with the words 'CENSORED BY VIACOM' in large, friendly letters across them." AVATAR: ZAZZLE/VIACOM FAIL (Thanks, Madeline!)

Cosplayers, manga fans and cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Posted: 03 May 2009 12:30 AM PDT Ian sez, "The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is hosting a two-day celebration of the 'rite of spring,' with a celebration of all Japanese culture -- ancient and modern. It's remarkable to see all the cherry blossoms in a park in the middle of the city. It's even more remarkable to see hundreds of cosplayers enjoying the gardens and displaying their talents for thousands of fans and mundanes." Sakura Matsuri--Japan comes to Brooklyn (Thanks, Ian!)

Video of UAE torture prince assaulting 25 others -- who's censoring this news in the UAE? Posted: 03 May 2009 12:28 AM PDT Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan, the prince from the UAE who made a video of himself brutally torturing a businessman with whom he had a dispute, has been implicated in 25 further video-recordings of other assaults. In the leaked video, the prince sets fire to his victim's testicles, sticks a cattle-prod up his anus, beats him with a board with a nail through it, scourges him with a whip, rubs salt into his wounds, and then runs over him repeatedly with a Mecedes SUV (you can hear the bones break). The UAE's national firewall is blocking stories about this (see the screengrab above). I know that a number of US firms have supplied the UAE with firewall services -- I'd be interested in any detail any Boing Boing reader has about the blocking shown above: did it come from a company that also supplies moral guardianship to western kids in their schools? "I have more than two hours of video footage showing Sheikh Issa's involvement in the torture of more than 25 people," wrote Texas-based lawyer Anthony Buzbee in a letter obtained by the Observer. The news of more torture videos involving Issa is another huge blow to the international image of the UAE. The oil-rich state has been keen to develop relations with wealthy western politicians, universities and corporations and to promote an aura of moderation and tolerance. But the shocking video of Issa torturing Afghan grain merchant Mohammed Shah Poor, whom Issa said had cheated him in a business deal, has heavily dented the UAE's reputation. Particularly damaging was the apparent involvement of a policeman in the torture and the impunity with which Sheikh Issa could act, even after the tape emerged. He is a senior prince related to powerful members of the ruling family in Abu Dhabi. But now it appears the initial tape could just be the beginning of the problem. The new tapes apparently also involve police officers taking part in Issa's attacks, and some of his victims in the as-yet-unseen videos are believed to be Sudanese immigrants. Torture-tape Gulf prince accused of 25 other attacks (via Warren Ellis) Previously: UAE royal caught torturing man on video - Boing Boing Can't see the video? Click here

Microwaving a cellphone is surprisingly cool Posted: 03 May 2009 04:54 AM PDT Although I won't sacrifice my own microwave to replicate this experiment showing the surprising effects of nuking a mobile phone, I'm glad that one of the web's many amateur scientists did so and recorded the outcome. My Cell phone company is evil! (Thanks, Fipi Lele! Previously: Microwaved cell phone summons Nyarlathotep - Boing Boing Gadgets

Russian Roulette, balloon style Posted: 02 May 2009 02:40 PM PDT Here's a clever Russian Roulette toy from a Korean shop -- take turns pulling the trigger until one of you drops the hammer on the chamber that pops the balloon. Russian Roulette 2 - 자! 당신 차례입니다. (via OhGizmo)

"The Second Coming of the silos will be abstract mysterious" Posted: 02 May 2009 06:54 AM PDT Maggie Koerth-Baker is a guest blogger on Boing Boing. A freelance science and health journalist, Maggie lives in Minneapolis, brain dumps on Twitter, and writes quite often for mental_floss magazine. If you've never given much thought to all the cool things you could do with an abandoned silo, well...you didn't grow up in Kansas, did you? Personally, I had a great plan for a scuba-through aquarium (with whales!) that really could have gotten off the ground if someone had ponied up the seed money back when I was 5. With a recent architectural design contest to revamp a couple of former sewage treatment plan silos into cultural landmarks, the Amsterdam City Council seems to be going for something a bit more practical than my old grain silo dreams. The ArchiCentral blog has some great renderings of the entry by NL Architects, which includes a "Cultural Silo" (with theaters, gallery space, and a restaurant), and a "Climbing Silo" (with a 40-meter/131-foot-high artificial cave for rock-wall climbing enthusiasts...of which, apparently, Amsterdam has many). BTW: The headline here, a quote from the NL Architects spokesman, roughly translates from architect-speak into English as, "This project is going to be kick-ass!" What would you do with a retired silo? I still think the aquarium idea would be "abstract mysterious" as all hell.

Shoulda' Been in Pictures Posted: 02 May 2009 06:16 AM PDT Maggie Koerth-Baker is a guest blogger on Boing Boing. A freelance science and health journalist, Maggie lives in Minneapolis, brain dumps on Twitter, and writes quite often for mental_floss magazine. The CDC released the first photos of H1N1 this morning. FACT: If you tilt the computer screen at just the right angle and slightly cross your eyes, you will see a pig riding a sailboat. Seriously, though, these are some gorgeous shots. I may spend the next 10 minutes before the coffee kicks in just listening to that amino acid sequence MP3 and staring at these photos.

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