Generated on: 2024-09-02 19:18:32 UTC
This hidden warning inside Teenage Engineering's hugely popular product has no teeth
Lux Sparks-Pescovitz / 11:37 am PT Mon Sep 2, 2024
image: Richard “Shred” Körber
The Teenage Engineering OP-1 is a cult synthesizer used by countless electronic musicians across genres. Launched in 2011, it was out of stock from 2018-2019, restocked with a 35% price increase in February of that year, and officially replaced in 2022 by the OP-1 Field. But given its design, massive popularity, and decade-plus on the market, the OP-1 still has legions of dedicated fans keeping them alive.
Actually, enforcing these anti-repair "void" stickers and labels is illegal in the United States while other countries have very strong warranty protections, including Sweden, where Teenage Engineering is based.
"In the EU,all member stateshave codified guarantees for a minimum oftwo years," explains iFixIt. "And while two years is theminimumthreshold, longer terms can be implemented;Sweden, for example, offers a three-year window."
However, manufacturers are still free to fool customers who don't know better.
Don't forget the Maker's Bill of Rights: "If you can't open it, you don't own it." Defend your right to repair!
Previously:
•Teenage Engineering's TP–7 field recorder has a motorized 'tape reel'
•OP-1 Portable Synthesizer by Teenage Engineering
•Oregon governor signs right-to-repair law
Musk boosts 4chan claim that women are incapable of critical thinking
Ellsworth Toohey / 11:02 am PT Mon Sep 2, 2024
Elon Musk (Boing Boing/Midjourney)
On Sunday, Elon Musk recently reposted a 4chan argument claiming that only "high T alpha males" and "aneurotypical people" are capable of critical thinking:
People who can't defend themselves physically (women and low T men) parse information through a consensus filter as a safety mechanism. They literally do not ask "is this true", they ask "will others be OK with me thinking this is true". This makes them very malleable to brute force manufactured consensus; if every screen they look at says the same thing they will adopt that position because their brain interprets it as everyone in the tribe believing it. Only high T alpha males and aneurotypical people (hey autists!) are actually free to parse new information with an objective "is this true?" filter. This is why a Republic of high status males is best for decision making. Democratic, but a democracy only for those who are free to think.
Instead of asking, "is this true?" Musk parsed the information through a consensus filter of alt-right manobabysphere groupthink, saying instead, "Interesting observation."
On Threads, one commenter remarked, "I love how he's so stupid that he believes saying 'interesting observation' gives him some sort of plausible deniability." Another pointed out the hypocrisy in the original argument, sarcastically noting, "Amazing how all of these 'free-thinking alpha males' reach the same conclusions on everything."
My favorite comment: "This is either Argumentum Ad Anus Extractum or Argumentum Ad Feces Fabricatum. (Those are the logical fallacy of pulling things out of one's ass and the logical fallacy of just making sh*t up.)"
AI Sir David Attenborough: Cybertruck's lamprey-like dependency on flatbed trailers
Mark Frauenfelder / 10:17 am PT Mon Sep 2, 2024
Cybertruck in search of a flatbed trailer host (mikeledray / Shutterstock.com)
Best use of AI voice cloning yet: Sir David Attenborough reveals the Cybertruck's parasitic nature and its lamprey-like attachment to flatbed trailers.
From the transcript:
Here we see the Cybertruck has formed a peculiar symbiotic relationship with the larger flatbed trailer species. Evolutionarily disadvantaged, the Cybertruck has come up with a clever way to transport itself long distances.
By attaching itself to the flatbed trailer, the Cybertruck can reliably move about without risking injury to its fragile exoskeleton or internal organs. What the flatbed trailer gets in return for this kindness, science has yet to discover.
Previously:
• A first-hand account of how bad the Cybertruck is
• Man shows us the scary Cybertruck gas pedal that is causing a Tesla recall (video)
• WhistlinDiesel: 'Cybertruck frames are snapping in half'
• YouTuber notices 'one slight issue' with Cybertruck
• Anaheim PD needs a CyberTruck to help with community outreach
• After dangerous gas pedal fiasco, Cybertruck gets 2 more recalls (thanks, Elon!)
• Cybertruck now almost $100k after scrapping base model and raising prices
• Cybertruck owner complains tailgate warped when payload shifted on it
Nutty lawsuit: Man stung by scorpion sues Venetian Resort in Las Vegas for ruining his sex life
Carla Sinclair / 9:54 am PT Mon Sep 2, 2024
Image by Ernie Cooper / shutterstock.com
A California man visiting Las Vegas says the trip was ruined after a poisonous scorpion stung him under his shorts — and he is now suing the Venetian Resort for ruining his sex life.
"It felt like a sharp glass or a knife" and "like somebody stabbing me in my private area," 62-year-old Michael Farchi said about the nutty sting last spring, via The Independent. "I went to the restroom, and I saw a scorpion hanging on my underwear."
According to his lawsuit, the hotel knew about "an infestation of deadly, poisonous scorpions" on the premises due to construction at the time — not that this detail mattered much. "When you have a scorpion in a guest room, in a guest's bed, it really doesn't matter so much how it got there," he said on 8 News Now, via The Independent. "The fact is that it was there."
Although the painful sting took place during a Christmas holiday last year, and he had already filed an earlier lawsuit against the hotel for the sting, his new lawsuit claims he is still suffering from PTSD and claims he has since been diagnosed with erectile dysfunction. He also claims that when it comes to romance, the sting's consequences have affected not only him but his wife, Batia, as well.
In fact, Batia is also suing the hotel, according to The Daily Beast. "She is alleging that their sexual relationship has suffered significantly since the sting."
From The Independent:
The suit, filed on August 27, claims the poisonous sting to his testicl*s has caused him to suffer PTSD and emotional trauma for which he continues to seek treatment.
The incident has had ramifications on Farchi's sex life, the lawsuit stated, and he was diagnosed with erectile dysfunction. …
"It mainly affects my family, my work, everything," Farchi said in an interview with 8 News Now, adding that hotel staff had not taken his claim seriously at the time.
"They were holding their groin area and laughing. It was really embarrassing," he told the outlet.
The complaint also makes a claim for loss of consortium for Farchi's wife. "Consortium" means that Farchi's wife is making legal claims that their sex life has not been the same since the sting.
Previously: Scorpion stings man during flight on United Airlines
Britain suspends "some" arms exports to Israel
Rob Beschizza / 9:38 am PT Mon Sep 2, 2024
Gaza protests
The United Kingdom today announced that it was suspending "some" arms exports to Israel, stating that it understood the weapons may be used to break international law. Reuters reports that 30 of 350 outstanding contracts are being blocked. The UK is the world's second-largest arms dealer (no prizes for guessing #1), but was already no longer a significant exporter to Israel—it's all parts and maintenance stuff amounting to no more than 1% of Israel's arms budget.
"It is with regret that I inform the House (of Commons, lower house of parliament) today the assessment I have received leaves me unable to conclude anything other than that for certain UK arms exports to Israel, there does exist a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law," [foreign minister David] Lammy said.
British exports amount to less than 1% of the total arms Israel receives, and Lammy told parliament the suspension would not have a material impact on Israel's security.
We have reduced our participation in the Illegal Goings On by 10%. For now baby steps and the symbolism of accusing Israel of using the weapons "illegally" will have to do.
Meanwhile, Israelis are marching against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to strike a deal with Hamas to return hostages, after the terror group reportedly killed several of them last week.
After a recent change in government, Britain also dropped its plans to challenge the international warrant against Netanyahu on war crimes charges, signaling that he could be arrested if he goes there.
Trump forgets he tried to have Mike Pence killed
Jason Weisberger / 9:21 am PT Mon Sep 2, 2024
Image: BoingBoing/MidJourney
In an interview this weekend, insurrectionist Donald Trump forgot he sent a mob to the Capitol to "hang Mike Pence."
In what seems like another attempt to dodge debating Kamala Harris, the Orange Menace claims she was mean to Pence during the Vice-Presidential debates. Harris wasn't mean; she wanted her time to speak, and Pence interrupted. Normal humans understand what went on, but somehow, Trump feels this is worse than "Off with his head."
Donald Trumplaunched a brazen new attack on Vice PresidentKamala Harrison Sunday as he claimed she treatedMike Pencepoorly.
"She's a nasty person," the former president said onFox News. "The way she treated Mike Pence was horrible."
Trump referred to the 2020 vice presidential debate, arelatively tame affairbest remembered fora fly landing on Pence's head. But one line that stood out came when Pence interrupted Harris and she pushed back.
"Mr. Vice President, I'm speaking,"she said. "I'm speaking."
Trump gains "Earth-shattering" trucking wisdom in 5 minutes (video)
Ellsworth Toohey / 9:20 am PT Mon Sep 2, 2024
Boing Boing/Flux
It's a pity the very unfair government forced Donald to shut down his great Trump University, which many have said is the greatest University of the 21st century, maybe of all time. If it were still running, students and Princeton and MIT would be joining the very long, perhaps the longest ever, waiting list to transfer there.
Trump University was the only place where students could learn to master any subject in just five minutes. How, you ask? Well, Donald himself perfected this technique. Just watch this illuminating exchange between The Chosen One and one of his devoted disciples:
Trump worshiper: The American people, I think, a lot of them want to know, how do you come by your decisions, and how do you manage in the Oval Office?
Donald: Well, I think that I learned, like I talked about the truckers, I learned about trucks and by talking to them, in five minutes I knew as much as I'm going to have to know to make decisions that are going to be earth-shattering for transportation, for moving cargo and moving a lot of other things.
Remember when the Earth shattered after Trump made some decisions about trucking? Me neither, but I never went to Trump University, so I guess I'm not smart enough to understand.
If only we could all learn subjects in five minutes like Donald —what a world it would be. But we must settle for our fake educational systems, with their "years of study" and "expertise." When Donald resumes the throne, he's going to make some Earth-shattering decisions about education in America, believe me.
Hasbro killed its own awesome auto-extending Star Wars light saber toy, but you can get it off-brand
Rob Beschizza / 9:04 am PT Mon Sep 2, 2024
Screenshot: The Verge / Instagram
The Goliath Power Saber is what every Star Wars fan has wanted for nearly 40 years—a lit-up, automatically extending and retracting light saber toy. Amazingly, Hasbro licensed the inventor's design and spent years developing it as an official Star Wars product only to abandon it, and the off-brand result exists only because the inventor was canny enough to have a reversion clause in their contract.
Yair Shilo tells The Verge it took five years just to figure out the right formula for a safely collapsing automatic blade, starting with prototypes made of paper and tin foil. He says he sold newspapers, trimmed lawns, and cleaned swimming pools while he worked on his Star Wars childhood dream,eventually rallying a cousin and an investment group behind a provisional patent in 2019.
I bet Hasbro's own lawyers ruined everything with a fluffed risk analysis.
Check out this publicity photo, which definitely doesn't have anything to do with Disney intellectual property.
Newly immune Trump tells Fox he had "every right" to interfere in election (video)
Carla Sinclair / 8:26 am PT Mon Sep 2, 2024
Boing Boing / Midjourney
King Trump, emboldened by his newfound presidential immunity granted by the Trump-picked Supreme Court, seems to admit he interfered with the 2020 election. And, as he told Fox host Mark Levin, he had "every right" to do it.
"It's so crazy that my poll numbers go up. Whoever heard — you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election, where you have every right to do it — you get indicted and your poll numbers go up," he bragged.
But of course, in MAGAland, only the convicted ex-president has the right to interfere with U.S. elections. If anyone else — say Mark Zuckerburg, for instance — tries such a stunt, he'll "spend the rest of his life in prison," according to Trump's upcoming new book. "As will others who cheat in the 2024 Presidential Election."
(See video here, posted by Acyn.)
Previously: Revenge candidate Donald Trump vows to round up Democrats — and Liz Cheney "for her crimes"
The Economist: Hard Right election win in Germany takes it into "uncharted territory"
Rob Beschizza / 7:59 am PT Mon Sep 2, 2024
The Economist (screenshot)
Contrary to The Economist's volitional disinterest in its history, Germany's hard right territory is in fact charted. Why, here's an actual chart:
Previously:
• 'Who Goes Nazi?' This 1941 spot-the-fascist game could come in handy soon
• Wolfenstein: 30+ years of killing Nazis
• EAT THE REICH is a new RPG where vampires get to suck Nazi blood
Silicon dies, Navajo art
Rob Beschizza / 7:27 am PT Mon Sep 2, 2024
Ken Shirriff reminds us of Marilou Schultz' textile "Replica of a Chip," woven with traditional techniques and materials in 1994. Comparisons between native art and silicon dies go way back.
I talked with Marilou Schultz, a Navajo/Diné weaver and math teacher, to learn more about the artwork. Schultz learned weaving as a child—part of four generations of weavers—carding the wool, spinning it into yarn, and then weaving it. For the Intel project, she worked from a photograph of the die, marking it into 64 sections along each side so the die pattern could be accurately transferred to the weaving. Schultz used the "raised outline" technique, which gives a three-dimensional effect along borders. One of the interesting characteristics of the Pentium from the weaving perspective is its lack of symmetry, unlike traditional rugs. The Pentium weaving was colored with traditional plant dyes; the cream regions are the natural color of the wool from the long-horned Navajo-Churro sheep.2 The yarn in the weaving is a bit finer than the yarn typically used for knitting. Weaving was a slow process, with a day's work extending the rug by 1" to 1.5".
The Pentium had three million transistors. An M2 Ultra has 134 billion, if anyone fancies the challenge.
