facebook Instagram launches 'Threads' messaging app just for friends Xeni Jardin

useful stuff Useful wall-mount thread checker Mark Frauenfelder

Gadgets Singer is the Cadillac of sewing machines and these six models are on sale for up to 60% off Boing Boing's Shop

copyright How the "monkey selfie" is affecting copyright law for art and writing produced by artificial intelligence Mark Frauenfelder

music Marvelous mix of chill-out, ambient, and experimental sounds from DF Tram David Pescovitz

apple watch An Apple watch without a crown sounds like a good idea to me Jason Weisberger

pens Great deal on the Parker Jotter, the best cheap yet superficially classy pen Rob Beschizza

boing boing 20 years of blogging at Boing Boing Rob Beschizza

art Audio history of Outsider Art David Pescovitz

makers My top ten maker tips for 2019 Gareth Branwyn

AI The mystical Kabbalah roots of natural language processing David Pescovitz

trump Attorney General William Barr wants to backdoor Facebook's WhatsApp Xeni Jardin

Disney Homemade Haunted Mansion gown with moving ghosts and doom buggies John Struan

Environment The largest source of plastic in our fresh water is laundry lint David Pescovitz

Gadgets USB half-golfball with one USB port Rob Beschizza

racism Catherynne Valente schools her racist neighbors about the asylum seekers in their midst Catherynne Valente

books "The Grand Dark": Kadrey's latest is a noir, dieselpunk masterpiece that's timely as hell Cory Doctorow

Science The Reality Bubble: how humanity's collective blindspots render us incapable of seeing danger until it's too late (and what to do about it) Cory Doctorow

petard Notorious forum for account-thieves hacked, login and messages stolen and dumped Cory Doctorow

dead technology 1960s innovation – punch cards for phone numbers Mark Frauenfelder