Well, here's something you don't see every day — an opera-singing doggo! Meet Charlie, a Golden Doodle, who goes by "Super Famous Charlie" on social media (where he's described as "Your Fav Singing Goldendoodle"), who sings opera alongside his human mom, who is a bona fide opera singer herself. — Read the rest

The post Watch as this opera-singing doggo tackles famous arias appeared first on Boing Boing.

This June, Oni Press is releasing Mind MGMT: New & Improved #1, a fresh, stand-alone gateway into Matt Kindt's paranoid psychic-espionage universe.

Former Mind MGMT agents (the ones who survived the extra-governmental agency) are living quiet, fabricated lives underground. — Read the rest

The post Matt Kindt's paranoid psychic-espionage comic book series "Mind MGMT" returns this June appeared first on Boing Boing.

I came across the stunning sea urchin photography of Anders Hallan. The way all the urchins are lined up in a grid makes them look like delicately painted confections. Hallan also has incredible close-up photos on his page, showing delicate details of sea urchins you wouldn't normally see this clearly. — Read the rest

The post Photographer shows sea urchins as ocean gemstones appeared first on Boing Boing.

This video shows a baby giraffe with a serious case of the zoomies. Nothing's cuter than a wobbly baby giraffe running around at full speed. If you need a palette cleanser after reading grim news, this video is pure silliness and joy. — Read the rest

The post Watch an adorable baby giraffe who has a case of the zoomies appeared first on Boing Boing.

Painter Jan Van Kessel didn't slack off when it came to his signature. His name becomes the entire subject of this painting, shared by the PDR. The painting features his name spelled out by beautifully rendered worms, bugs, and snakes that twist and contort into each letter. — Read the rest

The post Painter Jan Van Kessel signed his name in bugs appeared first on Boing Boing.

I am both vain and prurient. A combination which makes me fun at parties and a delight to know.

Sometimes when I raise an issue on GitHub, or write a comment, other users leave me Emoji reactions. Perhaps a

How can i enqueue search results

MPs and councillors have been warned to stop "selling false promises" of new sea defences to coastal villages already losing homes to the sea, as the focus shifts towards compensation for those affected.

Daniel Candon, Conservative cabinet member for economic growth at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said politicians had attempted to win votes by pledging new coastal protection for Hemsby, despite expert advice that such defences are unlikely to materialise.

Speaking at a council meeting on Thursday, he said villagers were now being forced to confront "hard truths". Not only are new defences improbable, experts have also warned that they would be ineffective and could worsen erosion elsewhere along the coast. Councillors unanimously backed efforts to secure some form of compensation, potentially through a national insurance-style scheme, for people living in around 9,000 properties considered at risk.

Erosion at Hemsby has accelerated dramatically. In one night alone along a stretch of the cliffs, around 10 metres of land was lost, and 26 homes have since been demolished. The councillors claimed the rapid loss was not driven by recent storms but by natural tidal processes.

Carl Smith, Conservative leader of the council, described the situation as "absolutely devastating" for residents. He also expressed anger that, despite the pace of erosion over the past year, officials from the Environment Agency had not visited the village. The council is now calling for a national strategy for coastal communities, rather than a series of pilot schemes that have failed to deliver long-term support.

"This is not just about Hemsby," Mr Smith said. "People affected by coastal change often don't know who to turn to for help. Without structural change, residents will suffer immeasurably from the stress and emotional and financial burden."

James Bensly, councillor for Hemsby and cabinet member for coastal management, said he could not accept a system that allowed people to "lose everything through no fault of their own". Trevor Wainwright, leader of the Labour group, also criticised the Environment Agency for failing to move quickly enough to meet the scale of the challenge.

Mr Smith is now writing to the prime minister to urge greater support for communities affected by erosion.

Coastal erosion in north Norfolk is not only threatening homes. 15 miles along the coast in Happisburgh, families are facing the distressing prospect that the remains of loved ones will need to be exhumed to prevent them falling into the sea.

Hundreds of people will be affected as erosion advances towards the churchyard at St Mary the Virgin, located around 80 metres from the cliffs. Two further burial sites in Trimingham and Mundesley are also at risk.

The issue was highlighted following an investigation by Coastwise, a scheme run by North Norfolk District Council, which concluded that new sea defences would not be "technically, environmentally or economically feasible".

Frank Mason, 69, whose parents are buried at the site, said he was living in "limbo". He wants a clear plan in place while he is still alive. David Wright, 66, regularly visits the grave of his son, who died from bone cancer aged 17, and fears the emotional toll of exhumation on his family.

Both men said the lack of clear timescales was compounding their distress. Updated Environment Agency projections suggest the cemetery could be at serious risk within 25 years, though officials warn major storms could accelerate this significantly.

Rob Goodliffe, the council's coastal transition manager, said a range of options were being considered, but any decision would require agreement with the church and local residents. The cost of exhuming thousands of remains could run into millions of pounds, and complex legal issues risk delaying action.

Despite the known risks, vulnerable coastal land continues to be sold - legally, but controversially.

Phil Merry and his partner Amy Parkinson, from Nottingham, paid £30,000 for a plot of land near Trimingham, hoping to live in a caravan and run a small campsite. Only later did they realise the land sits on one of Europe's fastest eroding coastlines and is unlikely ever to receive planning permission.

The plot lies around 50 metres from the cliff edge. Local councillor Angie Fitch-Tillet told Mr Merry the land was "only good for grazing goats". While she later admitted she had been "a little blunt", she said she wanted to be realistic.

"There is no requirement for estate agents to warn buyers that land is in a coastal erosion risk zone," she said. "Unless people find out beforehand, they are stuck."

Mr Merry has since put the land back on the market, doubting he will recover his costs. While he does not blame the estate agent, he has accused council officials of showing little sympathy.

The issue has been raised with ministers, with council officials warning that buyers cannot make informed decisions when erosion risk is not clearly disclosed. While estate agents argue buyers must do their own due diligence, even they acknowledge the ethical grey area.

What is unfolding along the Norfolk coast - and elsewhere in East Anglia - is no longer a collection of one-off misfortunes but a failure of policy. Homes are having to be demolished before collapsing, graves are at risk and vulnerable land continues to be sold within the law, but against its spirit. With responsibility split between councils, agencies and central government, individuals are left to carry the cost. Until there is a national framework for compensation, disclosure and managed retreat, the advancing sea will continue to upend lives while decisions are delayed.

With a thematic issue on a vital topic - the rise child poverty, ending on a hopeful note. You will find sharp analyses on the effect of poverty on children's lives, with a spotlight on the communities that are on the front line of deprivation, with personal stories and shared solutions. Click on the image to gain access to it, or find us on Substack.

Journalism by the people, for the people.

The post Coastal erosion has forced vulnerable villages to confront 'hard truths' first appeared on East Anglia Bylines.

When I try to add a track to my imported playlists I can't? No idea why, and if I switch to the Blackplayer Custom Library my music doesn't even play and all the art vanishes

Turns out your yawn is doing way more than signaling boredom or fatigue - it's actually reorganizing the flow of fluids in your brain in ways scientists never expected.

Researchers at Neuroscience Research Australia recently placed 22 volunteers in MRI scanners and had them yawn, breathe deeply, and suppress yawns to examine what was actually happening inside their heads. — Read the rest

The post Yawning has an unexpected influence on the fluid inside your brain appeared first on Boing Boing.

There's an obscure federal law that might nullify the TSA's new $45 fee for flying without REAL ID. The Paperwork Reduction Act requires federal agencies to get Office of Management and Budget approval before collecting information from the public. The TSA's fee form? — Read the rest

The post There's an obscure federal law that might nullify the TSA's $45 no-ID fee appeared first on Boing Boing.

This week marks the 50th anniversary of Bill Gates' infamous "Open Letter to Hobbyists," in which the 20-year-old accused early computer enthusiasts of theft for copying his BASIC interpreter. "Most of you steal your software," Gates wrote in 1976. — Read the rest

The post 50 years ago, a 20-year-old Bill Gates called hobbyists "thieves" for sharing software appeared first on Boing Boing.

The Oligarch Giveth, and The Oligarch Taketh Away

The Guardian: 'It's an absolute bloodbath': Washington Post lays off hundreds of workers—Former Post executive editor blasts owner Jeff Bezos's 'sickening efforts to curry favor' with Trump

That it's bad

Reason says Trump's wanting to nationalize elections (when he and the GOP are in full power) is not only unconstitutional and wrong on other grounds, but similar to something the Democrats wanted to do five years ago. Looks different to me, but I kinda get their point.

Photographer Patricia Niven and Novelist Sarah Winman made this series of portraits and interviews at the Surma Centre at Toynbee Hall.

"After the Second World War, Britain required labour to assist in post-war reconstruction. Commonwealth countries were targeted and, in what was then East Pakistan (it became Bangladesh after the 1971 Liberation War), vouchers appeared on Post Office counters, urging people to come and work in the United Kingdom, no visa required. The majority of men who came in the fifties and sixties came from a rural background where education was scarce and illiteracy was common. But this generation were hard workers, used to working with their hands, men who could commit to long hours, who had an eagerness to work and a young man's inquisitiveness to see the world: the perfect workforce to help rebuild this nation. And they did rebuild it, and were soon found working in factories and ship yards, building roads and houses, crossing seas in the merchant navy. These pioneers were the men we met at the Surma Centre." - Sarah Winman

Shah Mohammed Ali

I came to this country in November 1961 because my uncle was already living here and inspired me to come. In East Pakistan, I had been working in a shop. I felt life was good. My earliest memory of London was Buckingham Palace. I missed my friends and family but I really missed the weather back home. I became a factory worker, and worked all over the country: a cotton factory in Oldham, a foundry in Sheffield, an aluminium factory in London and Ford motor factory in Dagenham. Ford gave me a good, comfortable life. We had friends all over the country and they would tell us if there was more money being offered at a different factory and then we'd move. I thought I would stay in Britain for four years and then go back home. My heart is in Bangladesh. The roses smell sweeter.

Eyor Miah

I came to this country in September 1965. I had been a student in East Pakistan. Life was hard, my father was a sailor. I read in a Bengali newspaper stories of people travelling and earning money, and I thought that I, too, would like to do that. I wrote to somebody I knew here to help me. It was a slow process, all done by mail, because of course, there was no internet. It took me two years to gain my papers. I didn't mind because I was very determined to achieve.

When I first arrived, I became a machinist in the tailoring industry and I earned £1 and ten shillings a week. My weekly outlay was £1 and the rest I saved. Brick Lane was very rundown then. The Jewish population were very welcoming, probably because they were eager for workers! We would queue up outside the mosque and they would come and pick the ones they wanted. In 1969 I bought a house for £55. Of course, I missed my mother who stayed in Bangladesh, and before 1971 I actually thought I would return to live. After that date though, I felt Britain was my home and life was better here.

After tailoring, I worked in restaurants and then began my own business as a travel agent, set up my own restaurants and grocery shop. I have four children. Life has been good to me.

Rokib Ullah

I came to this country in 1959, because workers were being recruited from the Commonwealth to rebuild after the Second World War. Life in East Pakistan then was good. I was very young and working as a farmer. My fellow countrymen told me about the work in the UK and I came here by air. When I arrived, the airport was so small, not like it is today. And the weather was awful, so bad, not like home, I found that difficult, together with missing my neighbours and friends. I worked in a tyre factory, and then in garment and leather factories. I planned to stay here and earn enough money, and then return to Bangladesh. I am a pensioner now and frequently go back to Bangladesh. It is in my heart. One day I plan to go there forever.

Syed Abdul Kadir

I first came to this country in 1953. I was in the navy in Karachi and I was selected by the Pakistan Government to be in the Guard of Honour in London at the Queen's Coronation. I remember this day very clearly. It was June and the weather was cold. When Queen Elizabeth was crowned the noise was tremendous. There were shouts of "God Save the Queen!" and gun salutes were fired. We marched to Buckingham Palace where more crowds were waiting. The Queen and her family came out on the balcony and the RAF flew past the Mall, and the skies above Victoria Embankment were lit up by fireworks. I feel very lucky to have been part of this, and I still have my Coronation ceremony medal.

Since my first visit, I developed a fondness for the British culture, its people and the Royal Family. I have always believed this country looks after its poor.

I owe the Pakistan Navy for much of my experiences in life and was lucky to travel and to see the world. I actively participated in the 1965 India-Pakistan war and the 1971 Pakistan war and have medals for both.

My family are settled here and my life revolves around grandchildren. I have been coming to Surma since 2004. When someone sees me, they call me "Captain!" We are like a family here.

Shunu Miah

I came to this country in November 1961. Back home, I helped my father farm. It was a good life, still East Pakistan, the population was low, not much poverty, food for everyone: it was a land of plenty. It wasn't a bad life, I was young and was just looking for more. My uncle had been in the UK since 1931, my father since 1946, both encouraged me to come.

Cinema here was my greatest memory. Back home, cinema was rare. Every Saturday and Sunday there was a cinema above Cafe Naz on Brick Lane, or I'd go to the cinema in Commercial Rd, or up to the West End. It was so exciting, the buildings, the underground, the lights! People were friendly and welcoming then. I saw Indian films, but also Samson and Delilah and the Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston.

I have worked at the Savoy Hotel as a kitchen porter and also in cotton factories in Bradford. What did I miss? Family and friends, of course, but also the weather. The smell of flowers, too, they are much stronger back home. I thought I would stay here and work for three or four years, go home and buy land, build a house and live happily ever after. I have helped to build homes for my family in Bangladesh. I have never been able to own a home here.

Abul Azad, Co-ordinator at the Surma Centre.

"These men are very loyal to a country that has given them a home," said Abul Azad, the charismatic project co-ordinator at Surma Centre in Whitechapel. "When they first arrived, living conditions were bad, sometimes up to ten people lived in a room. Facilities were unhealthy, toilets outside, and nothing to protect them from an unfamiliar cold that many still talk about. Most intended to earn money to send back to families, and then return after a few years - a dream realised by few, especially after the settlement of families. Instead they were open to exploitation, often working over sixty hours a week, the consequence of which is clearly visible today in low state pensions, due to companies not paying the correct National Insurance contributions. And most Bangladeshi people don't have private pensions. Culturally, pensions are not of this generation. Their families are their pension - always imagined they would be looked after. But times are changing for everyone."

Surma runs a regular coffee morning, providing support for elderly Bangladeshi people. The language barrier is still the greatest hindrance to this older generation and Surma provides a specialist team ready to assist their needs - both financially and socially - and to provide free legal advice. It is also quite simply a haven for people to get out of the house and to be amongst their peers, to read newspapers, to have discussions, to talk about what is happening here and in Bangladesh.

There is something profound that holds this group together, a deep unspoken, clothed in dignity. Maybe it is the history of a shared journey, where the desire for a better life meant hours of physical hardship and unceasing toil and lonely years of not being able to communicate. Maybe it is quite simply the longing for home, remaining just that: an unrealised dream. Whatever it is - "This is a very beautiful group." said Abul Azad.

Photographs copyright © Patricia Niven

You may also like to take look at these other portraits by Patricia Niven and Sarah Winman

Golden Oldies from the Golden Lane Estate

softrobotcritics:

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TL;DR: Give your belongings some permanence with this pack of three KeySmart SmartCards, now just  $89.99 (reg. $119.97). 

With the KeySmart SmartCard with Wireless Charging (3-Pack), losing your wallet will become a thing of the past. It's an ultra-thin tracker that connects directly with Apple's Find My app. — Read the rest

The post Save 25% with these rechargeable smart card trackers  appeared first on Boing Boing.

Eight women have publicly made allegations of sexual assault, misconduct, abuse, and coercion against Neil Gaiman, according to the LA Times. Now, Gaiman has broken his year-long silence on the accusations, calling them "completely and simply untrue" in a lengthy statement posted Monday. — Read the rest

The post Neil Gaiman breaks year-long silence, calls sexual misconduct accusations "completely untrue" appeared first on Boing Boing.