Photographer Penny De Los Santos has a beautiful photo essay on children living with their incarcerated mothers and fathers inside the walls of Nuevo Laredo penitentiary in Mexico.

From the website:

“Incarceration, like law, is a bit different in Mexico. Conjugal visits are permitted; small children younger than six can be locked up with their moms; and men and women peddle goods and themselves within the walls in order to survive. Mexican prisons often do not provide grub. I’ve stood in line with family members who toted a week’s supply of food on visiting day, seen women reel out of cells in disarray after their weekly intercourse sessions with their men. Drugs are commonplace inside the walls, as are gangs. Money can buy anything. For years the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has complained about the posh quarters given to major drug players and how they continue to do business without interference while theoretically being under lock and key.

The women may come in clean, but they don’t stay that way. In Nuevo Laredo, they’re high by 10 a.m., then they spruce up and go off to the men’s area to make some money. By afternoon they return, their necks laced with hickeys. Convicts run the prison, and the guards do as they are told by the dominant inmates. People get killed. And all this goes on with toddlers underfoot.”

Link

Slimfit Caffeine Tights by Palmers are constructed with caffeine “micro capsules” which the package claims are activated by body heat to improve skin elasticity, burn fat and tighten leg tissue.

Do they work? No idea. But if you find out, please let me know.

The tights run $51, or £26.90, per pack of 3 at TightsPlease.co.uk, but shipping may be a killer. Although if you’re willing to cough up a Grant for the tights, a Jackson for shipping shouldn’t be a problem.

Link

I’ve seen coffee makers, before, but a USB powered turtable? This may be one of the oddest Plug & Play devices yet. But I bet it’ll make a certain bunch of IDM fans so excited that they’ll pee their pants.
From Firebox.com:

“Digital music is great but isn’t it a pity you can’t transfer your old records on to your computer? Well guess what? You can! That’s right vinyl lovers, thanks to the ingenious USB Turntable you can put all your LPs, 12″s and singles straight into your digital library.”

At only $225 ( or £119.95), it’s a… er… bargain?

Link

Jenny L. Chowdhury’s “Cell Atlantic CellBooth” is a wearable, portable cellular phone booth that a cellphone user could carry with her while on the go. The idea is that creating an intentional, purposeful space for cellular phone calls makes the conversations themselves more meaningful. The use of the object becomes a kind of performance art.

The artist explains on her website:

“As I grappled with these issues of privacy, personal space and nostalgia for a ’simpler time’, the idea for portable phone booth was born. The portable phone booth, which I call the ‘Cell Atantic CellBooth’, is a wearble object you can carry around with you and set up when you need a moment to talk. The deliberate nature of setting up the booth and standing in place while one talks enforces the idea that the call is important -not something to do while picking up the kids, working out, or driving. Ultimately, I desired to recreate the illusion of privacy and stillness afforded by oldschool, 4-walled phone booths, but also to update the booth as a portable object that would fit into a modern life.”

Link

Two years ago, then 8-year-old Jerry Trujillo was issued an orange jumpsuit and locked in a New Mexico jail cell after misbehaving at school. This year, Trujillo and his family won a $221,000 settlement from the city and its insurer after filing a federal civil rights lawsuit for the offense.

Hopefully that kind of dough will help make the nightmares go away.

In August of 2004, third-grader Trujillo was sent the school counselor’s office after he hit another child with a basketball, his mother told the Associated Press. When the tot refused to go back to class, the school summoned the police, who handcuffed the boy and booked him into the city of Espanola’s adult jail.

The lawsuit alleged that Trujillo was taunted by adult inmates in a nearby cell for a half an hour until he was released to his parents by authorities.

The family will receive $85,000 initially, and the remainder will be paid out over several years for Jerry’s education expenses and college fund. He’s now attending a private school in New Mexico.

Pictured: Not a real jumpsuit, not a real kid, and definitely not the real Trujillo.

Link (via Sign on San Diego)

If it burns when you pee (and you happen to be a monkey), the American Urological Association has some good news for you!

A potent synthetic version of a chemical found in THC, the principal active ingredient of marijuana, has been found to suppresses pain in hypersensitive bladder disorders, according to results presented today at the association’s annual meeting.

The chemical has only been tested in animal models so far, so if you happen to be a human, the discovery won’t alleviate your burning sensations for quite some time.

Hopefully they’ll put a rush order on this one so you can throw out those little pink pills from the drugstore that you keep tucked in the back of the bathroom cabinet. You know, the ones that turn your urine redish orange?

Link (via Medical News Today)

From the same multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation that brought you bovine growth hormone, it’s patented pork!

Monsanto, the world’s leading producer of genetically engineered seed, applied for a patent through the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in Geneva on a method of breeding pigs—and on the actual pigs used for breeding and their resulting offspring, according to a report by Greenpeace.

In short, they’re attempting to patent actual pigs.

The Greenpeace story credits the discovery to Christoph Then, a Greenpeace researcher who moniters patents. The article quotes Then with the following:

“If these patents are granted, Monsanto can legally prevent breeders and farmers from breeding pigs whose characteristics are described in the patent claims, or force them to pay royalties,” says Then. “It’s a first step toward the same kind of corporate control of an animal line that Monsanto is aggressively pursuing with various grain and vegetable lines.”

Will it go through? We’ll see! Updates to come as they happen.

Link (via Greenpeace)

Japan will institute new safety guidelines for next-generation robots designed to provide nursing, security and cleaning services to humans.

The guidelines will require manufacturers to install sensors into new robots to minimize the risk of robots running into people and use only soft, lightweight materials so they will not cause harm if they do so.

The regulations also stipulate that manufacturers must install emergency shut-off buttons on all robots. (That’s in case good robots go bad, of course.)

Although safety guidelines already existed for factory production line robots, a different set of guidelines were needed for next-generation models, which are expected to become more prevalent in coming years.

Japan’s sharp population decline has created an increased need for next-generation robots to deal with the looming labor shortage. The new safety guidelines are a response to public concern that next-generation robots will be produced and distributed in mass quantities in the near future.

Pictured: A nursing robot, RI-MAN, equipped with pressure sensors lifts a human dummy during a demonstration.

Link (via Japan Times Online)

Caffeine therapy helps protect the lungs of premature infants from damage, according to a new study conducted by a group of international researchers.

The lungs of prematurely born infants are often underdeveloped and the central nervous system, which normally directs the body to breathe, is often immature and not yet functioning properly.

The caffeine is believed to be beneficial to the respiratory system because of its properties as a stimulant, but scientists say they don’t fully understand the mechanics of why.

The study, which will look at caffeine’s effects on 2,000 preemies over the two-year period, is just beginning, but researchers released some early findings when it became clear the treatment could reduce the rate of a common type of lung damage called bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BDP).

“That’s great news for us!” a Starbucks spokesman said. “Start ‘em young!”

Only joking about the Starbucks spokesman. He didn’t say that outloud.

Link (via Forbes)

The June 2006 issue of Playboy magazine will feature a “Women of MySpace” pictorial starring nine twentysomethings chosen from more than 600 that submitted their nudie photos for consideration.

Five of the nine women featured hail from the great state of California, and three are from right here in Orange County, Calif. Are West Coast women hotter, more likely to use MySpace, or just more willing to get naked for cash?

The spread features Jessica Difeo, Carrie Vaughn and Jeska Vardinski of Orange County, Chantal Alexandria of Los Angeles and Betty Lipstick of San Francisco. It also features non-Californians, Ana Georgean of Chicago; Heather Lutz of Reading, Penn.; Brittany Fuchs of Annandale, Va.; and Heather Lynn of Davenport, Iowa. (All links go to models’ MySpace pages.)

For once, it’s nice to see a shopping cart on the street! This fantastic street art from Toronto was created by Specter of Kops Crew and posted by Marc of the Wooster Collective.

How’d he do it? I don’t know, but it certainly is wonderful.

If you’re interested in Kops Crew and the work that they do, you can also check out this article from Hour.ca about the group, or you can check out the website for the Kops Crew’s studio space in Montreal, Massive Riot Gallery, although the website is a little light on visual content for a gallery site.

From the Hour.ca article:

“The Kops Crew collective came to be in the late ’90s, when, says Ill_relevance, ‘it started as a graffiti crew, definitely. It was really about street bombing for a couple years, and our natural desire to get attention and be creative just kept growing and growing and growing, so we started to involve musicians and DJs, trying to create a foundation for us to work off of, use the natural resources that were there for us to work with. And so it became about multimedia events at that point, in the form of one-off parties where we’d do full installations and live music, and live painting, site-specific artwork…’”

And from the Massive Riot Gallery website:

“The Massive Riot Gallery project’s prime objective was to showcase the wealth of talent that has emerged from Montreal’s graffiti and street art scene. Hosting five exhibitions and several special events, the gallery was credited by critic Isa Tousignant as releasing ‘the city’s art scene from a state of arrested development.’”

Link (via Wooster Collective)

Researchers are working to develop dipsticks to measure the caffeine content of coffee and soda—using antibodies extracted from llamas and camels.

New research shows that when camelids, such as llamas and camels, were injected with proteins linked to caffeine, the animals produced antibodies as an immune response. Reseachers found they could then use those antibodies to accurately measure the amount of caffeine in beverages.

The researchers haven’t yet modified their method so it could be used outside of the lab, but they plan to, in the form of portable caffeine dipsticks.

“We believe our test would be the first consumer test for caffeine and would be beneficial for anyone wishing to avoid caffeine for health or personal reasons,” lead researcher Jack Ladenson of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis told a LiveScience.com.

Of course, it’d also be beneficial for anyone wishing to maximize their caffeine intake for term papers or studying reasons!

The research will be detailed in the forethcoming June 1 issue of the American Chemical Society’s journal Analytical Chemistry.

Link (via LiveScience)

In a commencement address at Oklahoma State University, President George W. Bush warned graduates against becoming slaves to technology, according to a report by Sploid.

The story attributes this wise little tid-bit to Mr. Bush:

“My advice is, ensure that science serves the cause of humanity, and not the other way around,”

More from the Sploid story:

“He also pointed out that logging long hours on the Internet can interfere with a person’s social life.

‘With the Internet, you can communicate instantly with someone halfway across the world and isolate yourself from your family and neighbors,’ he told an adoring crowd of 20,000 in the Boone Pickens Stadium.

. . .

He also pointed out that the dictionary is a big book with lots of words in it.”

Link (via Sploid)

The Speech Production and Articulation kNowledge Group is a group of engineers, programmers and linguists who work together using MRI technology to document and study vocal tract shaping during speech sound production.They’ve recently launched an amazing website that contains minature videos of the human vocal tract making a variety of sounds in English, and more videos are on the way.

From the website:

“The SPAN Group bridges multiple interdisciplinary departments, labs and projects at USC. It brings together faculty and students from the Viterbi School of Electrical Engineering, the College’s Department of Linguistics, and the Department of Computer Science . . . The SPAN Group is interested in using cutting-edge imaging and signal processing technologies to understand language production from its cognitive conception to its biomechanical execution to its signal properties. Our group uses articulator movement tracking, real-time imaging of the vocal tract, and state-of-art movement, image, and acoustic analysis techniques, including those found in automatic speech recognition paradigms.”

Link

Polanoid.net is a growing community of people who love Polaroids… and their Polaroids. You know I had to post this.

“We are presenting a rapidly growing group of amazing Polaroid enthusiasts that are polanoid enough to believe in the unique power of vivid instant photography. We are searching for instant addicts all over the world, ready to support this project, ready to register and upload. For free and just for Instant Fun.”

Link

A series of wheatpastes of kids playing hide-and-seek were spotted in alleys and on buildings in Istanbul, Turkey.

I love the Wooster Collective. So much. Thank you, guys, for doing what you do.

“The Wooster Collective was founded in 2001. This site is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating ephemeral art placed on streets in cities around the world.”

Link (via Wooster Collective)

Sick of shelling out a Lincoln for your favorite magazine only to find it packed full of more ads that content? Well, now you can fight back, with this simple and fun DIY jam!

Are You Generic has designed a snarky little insert for you to print out and stick into all your ad-heavy magazines. The printable inserts read:

“The confessions of a generic magazine: ‘We loaded this issue with more advertising than content. The content we did publish was edited, censored and manipulated to please our advertisers or as lame filler between the product pushing ads. We got paid quite handsomely to produce this issue and are glad you will pay to read what we already got paid to print.’ Are You Generic?”

Yeah, I know, you’re subtly advertising the anti-advertising group by using their inserts, but if you’re going to be that picky, you can design your own!

Link (via Are Your Generic?)

Paul Notzold projects private text messages on walls in public space. Why? It’s art.

Notzold’s project, Txtual healing, uses a cell phone, a computer and a projector to create a mobile public performance by putting text messages into speech bubbles and up onto buildings.

His website, www.txtualhealing.com (which was linked to on the Wooser Collective blog), was down at the time of this post, but if anyone has any info on this artist or project, drop me a line! I’d love to know more.

UPDATE: Notzold’s website is back up! (Thanks for the head’s up, Mr. Notzold.) Also, he’ll be showing at Peer Gallery in NYC, 526 West 26th St., Suite 208, from May 23-June 2, 2006, if you’re in the area. The opening reception happens Tuesday, May 23 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. (May 16, 2:14 p.m.)

Link (via Wooster Collective)

There are giant cups of coffee on the streets of New York! Or, at least, it looks like there are, thanks to design agency Saatchi & Saatchi New York. The ad campaign for Folgers Coffee utilizes steaming manhole covers and turns them into what appear to be steaming cups of coffee! How great is that?

Mmmm, coffee. In related news, coffee makes you smarter.

Link (via Coloribus)

Advertising agence DDB Canada designed a very clever ad campaign for Toronto Plastic Surgery that depicts beautiful noses on cups. The effect, of course, only works when the drinker holds the cup the right way to drink, but it’s a unique concept nonetheless.

Link (via Advertising/Design Goodness)