Blob

• Blob

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Free software Binary blobs and other proprietary software

1 The proclaimed aim of the campaign against blobs is to collect hardware

documentation that allows developers to write free software

drivers for that hardware, ultimately enabling all free operating systems

to become or remain blob-free.


Free software Binary blobs and other proprietary software

1 The issue of binary blobs in the Linux kernel and other device drivers motivated some developers in Ireland to launch gNewSense, a Linux based distribution with all the binary blobs removed.

The project received support from the Free Software Foundation and stimulated the creation, headed by the Free Software

Foundation Latin America, of the Linux-libre kernel. As of October 2012, Trisquel is the most popular FSF endorsed GNU/Linux distribution

ranked by Distrowatch (over 12 months).


Binary blob

1 In the context of open source software, a binary blob is a closed source binary-only driver

without publicly available source code. The term usually refers to closed-source kernel module

loaded into the kernel of an open source operating system, and is usually not applied to code running outside the kernel, such as BIOS code, firmware images, or userland programs.

The term blob was first used in database management system to describe a collection of

binary data stored as a single entity.


Binary blob

1 When computer hardware vendors provide complete technical documentation for their

products, operating system developers are able to write hardware device drivers to be included in the operating system kernels. However, some

vendors, such as NVIDIA, do not provide complete documentation for some of their

products and instead provide binary-only drivers (binary blobs); this practice is most common for

accelerated graphics drivers, networking devices and RAID controllers.


Binary blob Acceptance

1 Some projects try to create a free operating system, and will not accept

binary blobs if they cannot get documentation for hardware or

source code for device drivers. Such projects include NetBSD, FreeBSD,

DragonFly BSD, and some GNU/Linux distributions.



1 The OpenBSD project has a notable policy of not accepting any binary

blobs into its source tree, citing not only the potential for undetectable or

irreparable security flaws, but also the encroachment onto the openness

and freedom of its software.



1 The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is actively campaigning against binary blobs. It also considers OpenBSD's policy flawed, as 'blobs' in the BSD

community refer to what it considers non-free drivers, and not non-free

firmware.



1 The Debian project included both free and non-free binary firmware

blobs from the Linux kernel, clearly marking and separating the non-free

packages according to the Debian Social Contract. As of Debian 6.0

those blobs were removed.



1 For OpenBSD, project leader Theo de Raadt defends the policy of only asking for distribution rights for

microcode firmware blobs



1 In the Linux kernel development community, Linus Torvalds has made

strong statements on the issue of binary-only modules, asserting: "I refuse to even consider tying my

hands over some binary-only module", and continuing: "I want

people to know that when they use binary-only modules, it's THEIR

problem"https://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html

Binary blob Legality

1 Prominent Linux kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman has stated that

it is illegal to redistribute closed source modules for the GPL-licensed

Linux kernel.


Binary blob Problems

1 There are a number of reasons why binary blobs can cause

problems.



1 Firstly, their precise operation is not known and bugs cannot be detected by auditing

source code, but are frequently only diagnosed by painstaking detective work

when a system begins to behave unexpectedly. Such undetected bugs may also silently expose users and systems to

security hazards. The fitness for purpose of the driver thus cannot be checked, and

even if a bug is found there is no way to fix it.



1 Secondly because the source code is not available the driver cannot be improved by its users, nor ported

from one architecture to another not originally supported, nor adapted to

operate slight variants of the hardware.



1 Finally, users are forced to trust vendors or malicious third parties not

to put backdoors and spyware into the blob. Again on the theme of trust, the hardware vendor can decide not to support some operating systems, or to abandon driver maintenance at

any time, or simply go out of business leaving the driver in limbo.


Binary blob Use via wrappers

1 A wrapper is software which allows one operating system to use a binary blob driver written for another operating system. Examples of wrappers are

NdisWrapper for Linux, and Project Evil for FreeBSD and NetBSD. These wrappers

allow these operating systems to use network drivers written for Microsoft

Windows by implementing Microsoft's NDIS API.


Binary blob Device firmware

1 Firmware, the software required by the onboard microcontrollers that

accompany some hardware, is generally not considered to be a

binary blob


Binary blob BIOS

1 The BIOS, which functions as a bootloader and supports legacy real mode

applications, is a crucial component of many IBM-compatible computers. The BIOS

is always 16-bit, often has networking functions, and can be a security backdoor (sometimes deliberate, and the operating system has no control over this backdoor). The FSF promotes coreboot in its campaign

for free BIOS firmware.


Linux kernel - Firmware binary blobs

1 In the year 2002 Richard Stallman stated why, in his point of view, such blobs make Linux partially non-free software, and that distributing Linux

may even be violating the GPL (which requires "complete

corresponding source code" to be available)


Blob detection

1 In the field of computer vision, 'blob detection' refers to mathematical methods

that are aimed at detecting regions in a digital image that differ in properties, such as brightness or color, compared to areas surrounding those regions. Informally, a

'blob' is a region of a digital image in which some properties are constant or vary within

a prescribed range of values; all the points in a blob can be considered in some sense to

be similar to each other.


Blob detection

1 Given some property of interest expressed as a function of position on the digital image, there are two main classes of blob detectors: (i)

Differential calculus|differential methods, which are based on

derivatives of the function with respect to position, and (ii) methods based on local Maxima and minima|extrema, which are based on finding the local maxima and minima of the

function


Blob detection

1 In more recent work, blob descriptors have found increasingly popular use as interest point detection|interest

points for wide baseline image registration|stereo matching and to signal the presence of informative

image features for appearance-based object recognition based on local

image statistics


Blob detection - The Laplacian of Gaussian

1 One of the first and also most common blob detectors is based on the Laplacian of the Gaussian (LoG).

Given an input image f(x, y), this image is Convolution|convolved by a

Gaussian kernel



1 Matas et al. (2002) were interested in defining image descriptors that are robust under 3D

projection#Perspective projection|perspective transformations. They studied level sets in the intensity landscape and measured how stable

these were along the intensity dimension. Based on this idea, they defined a notion of

maximally stable extremum regions and showed how these image descriptors can be used as image features for Computer stereo

vision|stereo matching.



1 There are close relations between this notion and the above mentioned

notion of grey-level blob tree. The maximally stable extremum regions

can be seen as making a specific subset of the grey-level blob tree

explicit for further processing.


Feature detection (computer vision) - Blobs / regions of interest or interest points

1 Blobs provide a complementary description of image structures in terms of regions, as

opposed to corners that are more point-like. Nevertheless, blob descriptors often contain

a preferred point (a local maximum of an operator response or a center of gravity)

which means that many blob detectors may also be regarded as interest point operators. Blob detectors can detect areas in an image which are too smooth to be detected by a

corner detector.


Feature detection (computer vision) - Blobs / regions of interest or interest points

1 Nevertheless, due to their response properties to different types of image structures at different scales, the LoG

and DoH blob detection|blob detectors are also mentioned in the

article on corner detection.


Linux (kernel) - Firmware binary blobs

1 In the year 2002 Richard Stallman stated why, in his point of view, such blobs make Linux partially non-free software, and that distributing Linux

may even be violating the GPL (which requires complete

corresponding source code to be available)


Linux (kernel) - Firmware binary blobs

1 On December 15, 2010 the Debian|Debian Project announced that the next Debian stable version would come with a kernel stripped of all non-free firmware bits. This policy

was continued with the sequel release of Debian 7 Wheezy.


BLOB

1 A 'blob' (alternately known as a 'binary large object', 'basic large

object', 'BLOB', or 'BLOb') is a collection of binary data stored as a

single entity in a database management system. Blobs are typically images, sound|audio or other multimedia objects, though

sometimes binary executable code is stored as a blob. Database support

for blobs is not universal.https://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html

BLOB

1 Blobs were originally just amorphous chunks of data invented by Jim Starkey at Digital

Equipment Corporation|DEC, who describes them as the thing that ate Cincinnati,

Cleveland, or whatever from the 1958 The Blob|Steve McQueen movie. Later, Terry McKiever, a marketing person for Apollo

Computer|Apollo, felt that it needed to be an acronym and invented the backronym Basic

Large Object. Then Informix invented an alternative backronym, Binary Large Object.


BLOB

1 This came about by the image of somebody grabbing fistfuls of

material from one container and putting it in another without regard to what was in the blob they were

grasping.


BLOB

1 The data type and definition was introduced to describe data not originally defined in traditional computer database systems, particularly because it was too large to store practically at the time the field of database systems was first being defined in the 1970s and 1980s. The data type became practical when disk space became cheap. This definition gained popularity with IBM's IBM DB2|DB2.


Newfoundland Blob

1 Analysis of samples in 2002 showed that the Newfoundland Blob was a portion of the carcass of a sperm

whale.Carr, S.M., H.D


Chilean Blob

1 The Chilean Blob made headlines around the world because biologists were unable to identify it, and were speculating that it was the remains of some species of giant octopus previously unknown to science.

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3039102.stm Giant blob baffles

marine scientists]


Chilean Blob

1 [http://www.biolbull.org/cgi/content/full/206/3/125 Microscopic, Biochemical, and Molecular

Characteristics of the Chilean Blob and a Comparison With the Remains of Other Sea Monsters: Nothing but Whales.] Biological Bulletin '206':

125–133.Puig, R


Chilean Blob

1 The Chilean Blob and the subsequent investigation into its origins inspired the titular story in Theodore Carter’s book of short stories The Life Story of a Chilean Sea Blob and Other Matters

of Importance.www.theodorecarter.com


Nantucket Blob

1 [http://www.biolbull.org/cgi/content/full/206/3/125 Microscopic, Biochemical, and Molecular

Characteristics of the Chilean Blob and a Comparison With the Remains of Other Sea Monsters: Nothing but Whales.] Biological Bulletin '206':

125-133.


Bermuda Blob

1 'Bermuda Blob' is the name given to two globsters that washed

ashore on Bermuda in 1988 and 1997. Originally thought to be the

remains of a cryptid, analysis suggests that the blobs were the remains of known sea creatures.


Bermuda Blob

1 [http://forteanzoology.blogspot.com/2011/03/michael-newton-blob-that-never-was.html A Blob That Never

Was]


Bermuda Blob - 1988

1 [http://www.biolbull.org/cgi/content/full/206/3/125 Microscopic, biochemical, and molecular

characteristics of the Chilean Blob and a comparison with the remains of other sea monsters: nothing but whales.] Biological Bulletin '206':

125–133.


Bermuda Blob - 1997

1 Bermuda Blob 2 was found in January 1997. Analysis of samples in 2004

suggests that Bermuda Blob 2 was a large mass of adipose tissue from a

whale.


Hebrides blob

1 The 'Hebrides blob' was an unidentified, long carcass that

washed ashore on Benbecula beach in the Hebrides, Scotland, in 1990


Blob (comics)

1 A Mutant (Marvel Comics)|mutant originally depicted as an obese circus

freak, the Blob claims to be immovable


Blob (comics)

1 He is one of the most prominent, long-running mutants to be depowered as a result of the

Decimation (comics)|Decimation storyline.


Blob (comics)

1 The Blob appears in the 2009 superhero film X-Men Origins:

Wolverine, where he is played by actor Kevin Durand.


Blob (comics) - Publication history

1 Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first

appeared in Uncanny X-Men|X-Men #3 (January 1964).


Blob (comics) - Early years

1 Xavier is able to wipe everyone's minds after the carnival is stopped by a wall of ice, and the Blob goes

back to the circus.Uncanny X-Men|X-Men Vol


Blob (comics) - Joining the Brotherhood

1 He is reverted to infancy by Alpha the Ultimate Mutant.Defenders #15-

16 The Blob is later returned to adulthood, and fights the Champions

(comics)|Champions of Los Angeles.Champions #17



1 He later winds up in prison, but is freed by Mystique (comics)|Mystique

in order to recruit him into her incarnation of the

Brotherhood.Uncanny X-Men #140 He becomes part of the plot to

assassinate Robert Kelly (comics)|Senator Kelly, the event which leads to the apocalyptic alternate future of Days of Future Past.Uncanny X-Men

#141-142 He also battles the Avengers (comics)|Avengers as a

member of the Brotherhood.Avengers Annual #10

With Unus, he battles the Hulk (comics)|Hulk.Marvel Fanfare #7

With the Brotherhood, he battles the X-Men once more.Uncanny X-Men

#177-178 He witnesses the apparent death of Unus, then goes berserk and attacks Spider-Man and the Black Cat

(comics)|Black Cat.Spectacular Spider-Man #91



1 On the team's first mission, they help capture Magneto.Uncanny X-Men

#199 They then battle the X-Men in San Francisco.Uncanny X-Men #206

Blob also participates in Freedom Force's capture of the Avengers for the federal government.Avengers

Annual #15 With Freedom Force, he attempts to capture Rusty Collins, then battles X-Factor (comics)|X-

Factor.X-Factor #8-10 With Freedom Force, he battles the X-Men in San

Francisco,Uncanny X-Men #223 and later assists in the attempt to arrest the X-Men in Dallas,Uncanny X-Men #225 battling the New Mutants in

Dallas as well.New Mutants #64 He battles X-Factor again,X-Factor #30-31 and under Spiral (comics)|Spiral's

orders, he and Pyro (comics)|Pyro battle Daredevil (Marvel Comics)|

Daredevil in an attempt to capture a young mutant.Daredevil #269 He

again attempts to arrest Rusty Collins, fighting the New Mutants

again.New Mutants #78-80 He joins Avalanche (comics)|Avalanche and

Pyro in attacking Avengers headquarters.Avengers #312 With Freedom Force, he finally captures

Rusty Collins and fellow New Mutant Skids (comics)|Skids



1 After Freedom Force's dissolution, the Blob participates in other versions of the Brotherhood, including one led by Toad (comics)|Toad and another led by Professor X; the Blob takes over as leader of the latter when Xavier

leaves.



1 During this time, the Blob fights the various members of X-Force and is

soundly defeated in each encounter



1 When Exodus (comics)|Exodus recreates the Brotherhood of Mutants, Blob offers to join but is quickly dismissed by Exodus, who considers

him useless. This is a major blow to Dukes' already weak self-esteem, for which he seeks

the counsel of therapist Sean Garrison (comics)|Sean Garrison. After a session, Blob

attacks the Xavier Institute, though he is defeated by the combined efforts of the New Mutants and the Hellions (comics)|Hellions.

He is then arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D.


Blob (comics) - Post M-Day

1 Due to the Scarlet Witch's depowering of 90% of Earth's

mutants, the Blob is one of the Decimation (comics)|thousands to

lose their power, though his epidermis does not shrink to

compensate for his loss of mass, leaving him with huge folds of loose

skin. The depressed Blob attempts to commit suicide, but his skin folds

prevent him from cutting through to any major blood vessels on his throat

or wrists.



1 Someone that resembles the Blob is seen apprehended by the

Thunderbolts (comics)|Thunderbolts and is seen in the Folding Castle's Detention Quadrant.Thunderbolts (comics)|Thunderbolts vol. 1 #103



1 When both of them ran afoul of Marrow (comics)|Marrow, Blob was thrown from the

car.



1 Through unknown means, Dukes loses the excess skin and his

fortunes turn in his favor. Now known as 'Freddie Dukes', he has become a weight-loss guru in Japan, and is to star in an upcoming movie filmed in

San Francisco made by Kingo Sunen. He is also seen with Magneto

(comics)|Magneto and the High Evolutionary.Uncanny X-Men #500



1 In the miniseries Magneto: Not a Hero, Joseph (comics)|Joseph is

resurrected under unknown circumstances and forms a new

Brotherhood of Mutants with Astra (comics)|Astra and mutated deformed versions of Blob,

Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde)|Mastermind , Quicksilver (comics)|Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Toad (comics)|Toad. It is soon revealed

that these actually are clones created by Joseph.Magneto: Not a

Hero #1-4



1 In Uncanny X-Men #16, Fred Dukes is working with Mystique in Genosha and is once again shown as heavily

obese and appears to have his powers restored.Uncanny X-Men #16

(2014) Mystique has supplied him with Mutant Growth Hormones (MGH)

extracted from Dazzler.


Blob (comics) - Powers and abilities

1 For instance, Blob once sat on the X-Men, but was forced to jump off in pain when Wolverine managed to extend his sheathed claws into his

rear



1 Despite his appearance, the Blob's speed and agility are those of a fairly

athletic male of normal stature, a fact which frequently catches his

opponents by surprise.



1 The Blob's superhuman strength greatly increased over the years, in a manner similar to that of the Thing

(comics)|Thing. This improvement is said to be a result of his ongoing

mutation.



1 The Hulk (comics)|Hulk once took the opposite approach, harming the Blob by grabbing and stretching his

flab



1 Dukes can be incapacitated by drinking alcohol, although due to his immense mass, a large amount of

alcohol is required.


Blob (comics) - Age of Apocalypse

1 Blob appears briefly in the Age of Apocalypse as a test subject that

Dark Beast|Henry McCoy was toying with in the Breeding Pens in a direct

violation of the Kelly Pact that Apocalypse (comics)|Apocalypse

signed in order to keep the Human High Council occupied and at bay while he rallied his forces.X-Men:

Alphahttps://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html


1 McCoy considered Blob's mutation useless which enraged Blob. Dukes

freed himself, and attacked his experimenter. Havok (comics)|Havok came to McCoy's rescue, but Dukes proved to be even too much for the

Prelate to handle. His pseudo freedom was fleeting for moments later the head of the pens, Havok's

older brother Cyclops (comics)|Cyclops, showed up to deliver a

searing optic blast that would put him back in his place.Factor X #1



1 Following the Sinister Six's defeat, Blob managed to escape.X-Men: Age of Apocalypse

#6



1 Later he's seen as a member of the Black Legion, a group of psychotic

altered mutants under the supervision of a now insane

Wolverine (character)|Weapon X.Uncanny X-Force #12 It is also revealed that he left the Age of Apocalypse timeline and joined

Warren Worthington III|Archangel's quest to become the new heir of Apocalypse (comics)|Apocalypse.

He's seen in Akkaba Metropolis under the North Pole and he was the one to

prevent the escape of Psylocke.Uncanny X-Force #15



1 In the Final Execution Saga story line in Uncanny X-Force, Fredrick is part of a new Brotherhood of

Mutants|Brotherhood of Evil Mutants lead by Daken with the aim of taking down X-Force and turning Evan Sabahnur into a new Apocalypse

(comics)|Apocalypse.Uncanny X-Force #30 During the saga the X-Force team is captured and

tortured after Alternative versions of Nightcrawler|Nightcrawler from the Age of

Apocalypse universe betrays the team,Uncanny X-Force #32 to get his revenge on Fredrick due to

him eating his wife Linda


Blob (comics) - Cable Deadpool

1 Cable Deadpool|Deadpool's search for Cable across alternate timelines forces an encounter with the Blob of

an age of Apocalypse (not to be confused with the Age of Apocalypse|X-Men story arc of the same name).

In this reality, Blob has taken the mantle of Famine, one of the

Horsemen of Apocalypse#Other versions|Horsemen of

Apocalypse.Cable Deadpool #15https://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html

Blob (comics) - House of M

1 He then joined Magneto's mutant group.Civil War: House of M #2 Blob

is seen as a member of the Genoshan Black Ops version of the

Marauders (comics)|Marauders


Blob (comics) - Marvel Noir

1 Eric Magnus is Chief of Detectives and Fred appears as a member of his

Brotherhood, a cabal of bent policemen. He is initially partnered with rookie Detective Peter Magnus, and later with Detective Mortimer

Toynbee.X-Men Noir #1


Blob (comics) - Marvel Zombies

1 Blob appears twice in the Marvel Zombies universe. He is alive when

first encountered, but being pursued by several zombie versions of Marvel characters, including Pyro, Black Cat,

Iron Fist, Toad and Rhino.Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness #2-3 (2007) He is later seen as a zombie fighting the X-Men.Marvel

Zombies #5 (May 2006)https://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html

Blob (comics) - Ultimate Marvel

1 One such incident sees the Blob pretend to be a female

model/physicist named Naomi, who Cybersex|cyber-seduces the Ultimate X-Men|X-Man Alternative versions of

Beast#Ultimate Beast|Beast—leading to the discovery of Ultimate

Magneto|Magneto's survival and, eventually, to the Ultimate War saga.



1 Unlike his Earth-616 counterpart, the Ultimate version of Blob may very well have additional superhuman-

eating powers as part of his mutation, as not only has he threatened to actually eat his

enemies alive, but it was expressly stated that he had personally consumed all of the Weapon X

computers in a matter of moments when the Brotherhood invaded the

Weapon X compound to rescue the X-Men.Ultimate X-Men Volume 2:

Return to Weapon X Also, his real name is 'Franklin Dukes'.Ultimatum:

X-Men Requiem #1



1 In Ultimatum (Ultimate Marvel)|Ultimatum, the Blob is seen eating

Red Wasp (Ultimate Marvel)|Ultimate Wasp, proving the cannibalistic claims are true.Ultimatum #2

However, Janet's ex-husband, Henry Pym|Hank Pym, grows to a gigantic size and bites the Blob's head off in

return.Ultimatum #3



1 It has been revealed that Blob was the estranged genetic father of Liz Allan after she discovered Firestar|

her mutant abilities; he impregnated her mother while working for a circus sideshow.Ultimate Spider-Man #120

It has also been shown that Blob fathered a son by an unknown

woman


Blob (comics) - Television

1 * The Blob appears as a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants in

the 1989 animated pilot X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men, voiced by Alan

Oppenheimer.



1 * He is in several episodes of the 1990s X-Men (TV series)|X-Men

animated series, voiced by Robert Calt. Blob, Pyro, and Avalanche serve as henchmen for Mystique (comics)|

Mystique.



1 In the end of the series, in Professor Xavier's prophetic vision of the

future, Blob along with the rest of the Brotherhood joins S.H.I.E.L.D.'s

Freedom Force.



1 * Blob appears in Wolverine and the X-Men (TV series)|Wolverine and the X-Men, voiced by Stephen Stanton.

He is seen as a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants


Blob (comics) - Films

1 * The Blob was originally supposed to appear in the first X-Men (film)|X-Men

movie, but did not make it off the concept page. A hidden Easter egg

(media)|easter egg on the first X-Men DVD release (not X-Men 1.5) shows concept art of the Blob and Beast.


Blob (comics) - Films

1 Wraith warns Logan not to make fun of his weight, but Logan taunts

Dukes, and when he calls him Bub, Dukes mishears it as blob and starts

fighting him


Blob (comics) - Video games

1 * The Blob is the Stage 2 Boss in the 1992 X-Men (arcade game)|X-Men

arcade game, loosely based on Pryde of the X-Men (see Blob

(comics)#Television|above). He returns in stage 7 as the first of five sub-bosses inside Asteroid M. It is here that he utters the memorable

quote Nothing moves the Blob!, which has been made into an List of Internet phenomena|internet meme

by websites such as YTMND and Something Awful.



1 * The Blob appears in the PlayStation game X-Men: Mutant Academy 2,

where he makes a cameo appearance in the background of the poolside stage, bobbing from left to right in the swimming pool outside

the academy.



1 * The Blob is an unlockable playable character in the 2002 game X-Men: Next

Dimension.



1 When Havok starts objecting to

Magneto's latest plan, Blob subdues

him.https://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html


1 * Blob only makes a brief appearance as a non-player character|NPC in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, voiced by Peter Lurie. He helps the team on Genosha by keeping the

water from going in through the hole in the wall caused by a bomb while

the player disarms the other bombs. Afterwards, he helps the X-Men

defeat some Energy Demons and Scavengers. When they are defeated,

the player has Blink (comics)|Blink teleport Blob to the Sanctuary.



1 * Blob is featured as a boss in the Facebook game Marvel:

Avengers Alliance.



1 * Blob appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Stephen Stanton. In a bonus mission at Fogwell's Gym, Blob is planning on joining it where Wolverine and Jean Grey have their objections to it. Wolverine and Jean

Grey forged different foods from Lego pieces which tires out Blob.


Blob (comics) - Books

1 * In the X-Men/Star Trek crossover novel Planet X (Star Trek)|Planet X,

Wolverine (character)|Wolverine programs the holodeck of the USS

Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)|Enterprise-E to simulate the Blob (along with Sabretooth (comics)|Sabretooth,

Unus the Untouchable, and Juggernaut (comics)|Juggernaut) for

him and Worf to fight.https://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html

Blob (comics) - Toys

1 * Blob is a build-a-figure in the Marvel Legends Series of 6inch action figures.



1 * The X-Men: Evolution version of Blob was released as an action

figure, with an accessory of truck grilles attached to chains- a

reference to his introduction story in the series, where he was working as

an attraction in a Monster Truck show.



1 * The 90s X-Men toy line contained a Blob figure which came with a

chicken leg and a ham as accessories.



1 * Blob was included in a Deluxe Twin Pack along with Sabertooth (comics)|

Sabertooth as part of the X-Men Origins: Wolverine line of 3.75inch

figures.


Marvel Legends - Wave 2 - Blob Series (2007)

1 The Blob (comics)|Blob series marked a return

to X-Men villains.


List of Star Wars creatures - Umgullian blob

1 The 'Umgullian blob' is a pink, blobby creature, found on List of Star Wars planets (R-S)#Shili|Shili and List of Star Wars planets (M-N)#Mimban|

Mimban. They are most well known to be employed in the blob races on

List of Star Wars planets (T-V)#Umgul|Umgul.


Software libre - Binary blobs and other proprietary software

1 The proclaimed aim of the campaign against blobs is to collect hardware

documentation that allows developers to write free software

drivers for that hardware, ultimately enabling all free operating systems

to become or remain blob-free.


The Blob

1 'The Blob' is an independent film|independently made 1958 American

horror/science-fiction film that depicts a growing Extraterrestrial life|

alien amoeba that crashes from outer space in a meteorite and eats and dissolves citizens at the small

community of Downingtown, Pennsylvania. In the style of

American International Pictures, Paramount Pictures released the film as a double feature with I Married a

Monster from Outer Space.


The Blob

1 The film was Steve McQueen's debut leading role, and also starred Aneta Corsaut. The

film's tongue-in-cheek title song was written by Burt Bacharach and Mack David and

became a nationwide hit in the U.S. It was recorded by studio group the Five Blobs– actually singer Bernie Knee overdubbing

himself.TCM Meteor Night – The Blob. Retrieved from

[http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article/?cid=253063] .


The Blob - Plot

1 When he pokes the meteorite with a stick, it breaks open, and the small

jelly-like blob inside attaches itself to his hand


The Blob - Plot

1 Doctor Hallen is about to leave for a medical conference, but anesthetizes

the man and sends Steve and Jane back to the impact site to gather

information. Hallen decides he must amputate the man's arm since it is

being consumed by the growing Blob. Before he can, however, the Blob completely consumes the old

man, then Hallen's nurse, and finally the doctor himself, all the while

increasing in size.


The Blob - Plot

1 Steve and Jane return to the office in time for Steve to witness the doctor's death. They go to the police station

and return to the house with Lieutenant Dave (Earl Rowe (actor)|Earl Rowe) and Sergeant Bert (John Benson (stuntsman)|John Benson).

However, there is no sign of the creature or its victims, and Bert

dismisses Steve's story as a teenage prank. Steve and Jane are taken

home by their parents, but they later sneak out.


The Blob - Plot

1 Meanwhile, the Blob enters the Colonial Theater and engulfs the

projectionist before oozing into the auditorium consuming an unknown

number of people


The Blob - Plot

1 Jane's young brother, Danny (Keith Almoney), fires at the Blob with his

cap gun before running into the nearby diner. Jane, Danny, and Steve become trapped in that diner, along

with the manager,and a waitress. The Blob–now an enormous red mass from the people it consumed–engulfs

the diner. Dave has a connection made from his police radio to the diner's phone, telling those in the diner to get into the cellar before they try to bring a live power line

down onto the Blob.


The Blob - Plot

1 Returning, the brigade of extinguisher-armed students and

police first drive the Blob away from the diner, then freeze it, saving

Steve, Jane and the others.


The Blob - Plot

1 Dave requests an United States Air Force|Air Force heavy-lift cargo plane

to transport the Blob to the Arctic, where it is parachuted to the ice as the film ends with a question mark.


The Blob - Cast

1 *Aneta Corsaut as Jane Martin


The Blob - Cast

1 *John Benson (stuntsman)|John Benson

as Sgt. Jim Bert


The Blob - Production

1 [http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/1989/01/01/retrospective-the-blob-

1958/ Retrospective: The Blob] Cinefantastique (January 1989)



1 The Blob was directed by Irvin Yeaworth, who had directed more than 400 films for motivational,

educational, and religious purposes. Though the budget was set at $120,000 it ended up costing

$110,000.



1 The Blob was filmed in and around Valley Forge,

Pennsylvania



1 For the diner scene a photograph of the building was put on a

gyroscopically operated table with cameras mounted. The table was

shaken and the Blob rolled off. When the film was run in reverse it

appeared to be oozing over the building.



1 McQueen received only $3,000 for this film; he had turned down an

offer for a smaller up-front sum with 10 percent of the profits because he did not think the movie would make

any money and he needed the money immediately to pay for food and rent; it ended up grossing $4

million.



1 Though legend has it that the opening novelty song was composed

by a young and unknown Burt Bacharach (along with Hal David,

Burt's famous songwriting partner), Bacharach had already achieved some measure of success by the

time the film was released, and the lyrics to the song were composed by

David's brother Mack David|Mack.https://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html


1 However, because the latter encourages audiences to view The

Blob as campy fun, it has contributed to the film's enduring popularity


The Blob - Reception

1 In a discussion with biologist Richard Dawkins, astrophysicist Neil

deGrasse Tyson stated that among all Hollywood aliens, which were

usually disappointing from a scientific perspective, The Blob was

his favourite. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=bhE7sgvwipo Richard Dawkins and Neil deGrasse Tyson on Aliens]


The Blob - The Blob: The Musical

1 Written and produced by Dan Kehde and Mark

Scarpelli Featuring Songs


The Blob - The Blob: The Musical

1 “Too Young To Ever Fall In Love”


The Blob - Sequel

1 A sequel, Beware! The Blob, was made in 1972, directed by Larry

Hagman. Home video releases used the tagline The Movie That J.R. Shot, in reference to his character's near-

demise in the television series Dallas (1978 TV series)|Dallas.


The Blob - Remake

1 In 1988, a The Blob (1988 film)|remake of the same name was made, and directed by

Chuck Russell. In August 2009, it was revealed that musician turned director Rob

Zombie was working another remake,Fleming, Michael.

[http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118007857.html?categoryid=13cs=1nid=2562 Rob

Zombie to remake 'The Blob'] Variety (magazine)|Variety (Aug 27, 2009) but is no

longer working on this project.https://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html

The Blob - Home media

1 The film has been released as part of the Criterion Collection on three

formats. First in 1988 on Laserdisc, then in 2000 on DVD and in 2013 on

Blu-ray.


The Blob - Home media

1 The Blob together with Son of Blob was released on DVD in Australia by

Umbrella Entertainment in September 2011. The DVD is

compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as audio commentaries with Jack H. Harris, Bruce Eder, Irvin Yeaworth

and Robert Fields.


The Blob - Legacy

1 Since 2000, the town of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania– one of the filming

locations– has held an annual Blobfest. Activities include a re-enactment of the scene in which

moviegoers run screaming from the town's Colonial Theatre, which has

recently been restored. Chef's Diner in Downingtown is also restored, and is open for business or photographs

of the basement on weekday mornings only.


The Blob - Legacy

1 The Blob itself was made from silicone, with increasing amounts of

red vegetable dye added as it absorbed people. In 1965, it was bought by movie collector Wes

Shank, who has written a book about the making of The Blob.


The Blob - Legacy

1 According to Jeff Sharlet in his book The Family, The Blob was about the creeping horrors of communism only defeated by freezing it– the Cold War

writ small and literal.Sharlet, Jeff


Paul Blobel

1 After the war, Blobel studied architecture and practiced this

profession from 1924 until 1931, when upon losing his job, he joined the Nazi Party, the Sturmabteilung|SA and the SS (he had joined all of

these by 1 December 1931).


Paul Blobel

1 In August 1941 Blobel decided to create a ghetto in Zhytomyr to

enclose 3,000 Jews who would be murdered a month later.Ralf

Ogorreck Les Einsatzgruppen ed


Paul Blobel

1 In November 1941 Blobel received and activated the first gas vans at Poltava.Saul

Friedländer


Paul Blobel

1 Blobel was relieved of his command on 13 January 1942, officially for

health reasons, but mostly due to his alcoholism.


Paul Blobel

1 In June 1942 he was put in charge of Sonderaktion 1005|Aktion 1005, with the task of destroying the evidence

of all Nazi atrocities in Eastern Europe. This entailed exhumation of mass graves, then incinerating the bodies. Blobel developed efficient

disposal techniques such as alternating layers of bodies with firewood on a frame of iron rails.


Paul Blobel

1 In October 1944 he headed an anti-

partisan group in Yugoslavia.


Paul Blobel

1 Gitta Sereny relates a conversation about Blobel she once had with one-time Chief of the Church Information

Branch at the Reich Security Office, :de:Albert Hartl|Albert Hartl.


Paul Blobel

1 [http://books.google.co.id/books?id=Bxl-

NoWVYp0Cpg=PA370dq=landsberg+prison+executions+1951hl=ensa=Xei=pfvjUJOeF8irrAfg2IDQCQredir_esc=y#v=snippetq=%22Paul%20Blobel

%22f=false p


Paul Blobel - In fiction

1 * Paul Blobel is described in Jonathan Littell's docudrama Les Bienveillantes.



1 * Blobel was portrayed by T.P. McKenna in the miniseries docudrama Holocaust (TV

miniseries)|Holocaust starring Meryl Streep.



1 * Blobel makes a brief appearance on the site of the Katyn Wood massacre when the Germans dug up the bodies in 1943, in Philip Kerr's novel A Man

Without Breath.


Günter Blobel

1 'Günter Blobel' (born May 21, 1936) is a Germans|German biologist and

1999 Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology for the discovery that

proteins have intrinsic signals that govern their transport and

localization in the cell.


Günter Blobel - Biography

1 After the war Günter Blobel grew up and attended gymnasium (school)|gymnasium in the Saxony|Saxon town of Freiberg, Saxony|Freiberg


Günter Blobel - Biography

1 Blobel was awarded the 1999 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of

signal peptides.[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/me

dicine/laureates/1999/press.html The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1999 / Günter Blobel] nobelprize.org Signal peptides form an integral part of protein targeting, a mechanism

for cells to direct newly synthesized protein molecules to their proper location by means of an address tag (i.e. a signal peptide) within the

molecule.https://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html

Günter Blobel - Philanthropy

1 Blobel is also well known for his direct and active support for the

rebuilding of Dresden in Germany, becoming, in 1994, the founder and president of the nonprofit Friends of

Dresden, Inc


Günter Blobel - Personal life

1 Furthermore, he is also Co-Founder and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board for Chromocell

Corporation.[http://www.chromocell.com/scientific_advisors.html Gunter

Blobel, M.D., Ph.D


Günter Blobel - Scientific awards

1 *1978: United States National Academy of Sciences|National

Academy of Sciences, Steel Foundation Award in Molecular

Biology



1 *1982: Gairdner Foundation International

Award



1 *1983: Richard Lounsbery Awardhttp://superstarsofscience.com/scientist

/gunter-blobel



1 *1986: V. D. Mattia Awardhttp://superstarsofscience.com/scientist

/gunter-blobel



1 *1987: Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University



1 *1989: Waterford Bio-Medical Science Awardhttp://superstarsofscience.com/scientist

/gunter-blobel



1 *1999: Massry Prize from the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California


Blobitecture

1 Though the term 'blob architecture' was in vogue already in the mid-1990s, the word blobitecture first

appeared in print in 2002, in William Safire's On Language column in the

New York Times Magazine in an article entitled Defenestration.Safire,

Wiliam


Blobitecture - Origins of the term blob architecture

1 Waters, Blobitecture: Waveform Architecture and Digital Design(Rockport, 2003).


Blobitecture - Precedents

1 Also to be considered, if one views blob architecture from the question of form rather than technology, are the organic designs of Antoni Gaudi

in Barcelona and of the Expressionism|Expressionists like

Bruno Taut and Hermann Finsterlin.


Blobitecture - Built examples

1 The first full blob building, however, was built in the Netherlands by Lars Spuybroek (NOX) and Kas Oosterhuis


Blobitecture - Built examples

1 By 2005, Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank|Norman Foster had involved

himself in blobitecture to some extent as well with his brain-shaped design for the Philological Library at the Free University of Berlin and the Sage Gateshead opened in 2004.French borned

architect [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephraim_Henry_Pavie| Ephraim Henry Pavie] build the free shaped [http://www.tuvie.com/biomorphic-house-by-pavie-architects/ Biomorphic House] (2012)in

Israel.https://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html

Nvidia Optimus - GPL blob buffer-sharing

1 An attempt by Nvidia to support Optimus through DMA_BUF, a Linux kernel-mechanism for sharing Data

buffer|buffers across hardware (potentially GPUs), was disapproved by kernel developers in January 2012

due to license incompatibility between the GNU General Public

License|GPL-licensed kernel-code and the proprietary-licensed Nvidia

Binary blob|blob.https://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html

Noel's House Party - Mr Blobby

1 In 1992 during series 2 of NHP, Mr Blobby started as a tool for Noel

Edmonds to play Gotcha practical jokes on celebrities, but soon became popular and made

appearances in many shows. His popularity soon resulted in him

having his own TV show.


Noel's House Party - Blobbygate

1 A Crinkly Bottom theme park opened in Morecambe in 1994 but closed just 13 weeks

after opening


Octorok - Buzz Blob

1 'Buzz Blobs' first appear in A Link to the Past, and have an appearance similar to a cactus. They electrify anyone who comes too close to them with a piece of steel, but wander around without a motive. Buzz Blobs only appear in the overworld. Sprinkling Magic

Powder onto a Buzz Blob transforms it into a creature called 'Cukeman'. The Cukeman

gives Link confusing advice about the game and various things in it. However, they are

still electrified.


Miike Snow - The Blob

1 Thus, in 2011, in anticipation for the Happy to You tour, Mike Snow collaborated with the Swedish

electronics lab Teenage Engineering and one of the engineers from

Elektronmusikstudion (EMS) to create The Blob (also known as Diana Ross), a 9 m × 9 m hexagonal synthesiser

The Blob has been introduced by vocalist Wyatt as Part synthesizer, part testosterone, all headache,

ladies and gentlemen, we happily bring you a costly device with

planned obsolescence written all over it


Miike Snow - The Blob

1 Operated by Karlsson and Winnberg and emblazoned with the band's jackalope logo, the Blob has been used on tours and is known to be

able to be taken apart, to facilitate travelling.


List of recurring characters in Futurama - Horrible Gelatinous Blob

1 According to the episode The Route of All Evil, the Horrible Gelatinous Blob has a son named 'Brett Blob', who regularly bullies Cubert and

Dwight


Treehouse of Horror XVII - Married to the Blob

1 Homer morphs into a giant green blob, rampaging through the streets

of Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield, eating all the overweight

people he can find


Mr Blobby (song)

1 'Mr Blobby' is a novelty song performed by character Mr Blobby,

famous for appearing in the TV programme Noel's House Party. The song originally peaked at No. 1 on

the UK Singles Chart on 11 December 1993 for one week. It

spent a total of three weeks at No. 1, after getting back to No. 1 on

Christmas Day 1993. The single was the UK Singles Chart Christmas

number one single in 1993.


Mr Blobby (song) - Song information

1 Mr Blobby made a surprise return to the No


Mr Blobby (song) - Legacy

1 Rupert Hawksley of The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph ranked the track as the worst Christmas number one in history, arguing that Blobby set the bar so low with this bizarre single, it's hard to imagine that it

could ever be usurped


Mr Blobby (song) - Track listing

1 #Mr Blobby (Instrumental Mix)


Mr Blobby (song) - Music video

1 A music video was created for the single and was filmed in the Kew Bridge Steam Museum. It spoofed

several music videos such as Addicted to Love (song)|Addicted to

Love by Robert Palmer (singer)|Robert Palmer, Stay (Shakespears Sister song)|Stay by Shakespears

Sister, Snap!'s Rhythm Is a Dancer, and ZZ Top's 3-man arm swing-and-

point, featured in many of their videos.


Mr Blobby (song) - Music video

1 The video featured Noel Edmonds, Carol Vorderman, Garth Crooks, and Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear as Mr Blobby's

limo driver.


Blobfish

1 The 'blobfish' (Psychrolutes marcidus) is a deep sea fish of the

family (biology)|family Psychrolutidae. It inhabits the deep waters off the coasts of mainland Australia and Tasmania, as well as

the waters of New Zealand.


Blobfish

1 Instead, the flesh of the blobfish is primarily a gelatinous mass with a

density slightly less than water; this allows the fish to float above the sea floor without expending energy on

swimming


Blobfish

1 Blobfish are often caught as bycatch in bottom trawling nets. Scientists

now fear the blobfish could become an endangered species because of

deep-ocean trawling.


Blobfish - Popular culture

1 Due to its low density flesh, the blobfish's shape is very different

when it is out of water. Its unappealing looks have created

much discussion in media outlets.



1 The musician and author Michael Hearst featured a composition titled Blobfish, inspired by the animal, on his 2012 album Songs For Unusual

Creatures, and subsequently created a blobfish episode for his PBS Digital

series.



1 In September 2013 the blobfish was voted the World's Ugliest Animal,

based on photographs of decompressed specimens, and

adopted as the mascot of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, in an initiative dedicated to raising the profile of some of Mother Nature’s

more aesthetically challenged children.



1 A talking blobfish appears in the film Men in Black 3, sat on the

worksurface in the kitchen of the Chinese restaurant along with a

couple of other alien food animals, probably suggesting tongue-in-cheek

that the blobfish came from space due to their alien appearance.


Mr Blobby

1 'Mr Blobby' was a character on Noel Edmonds' Saturday night variety

television show Noel's House Party, portrayed by Barry Killerby and was

the brainchild of British comedy writer Charlie Adams, a writer for the show. A bulbous pink figure covered

with yellow spots he sported a permanent toothy grin and jiggling

eyes. Mr Blobby communicated only by saying the word blobby in an

electronically altered voice, expressing his moods through tone of

voice and repetition.


Mr Blobby

1 Although popular, the character was not well

received critically.


Mr Blobby - Origins

1 When the prank was finally revealed the Blobby costume would be

opened, revealing Noel Edmonds inside.


Mr Blobby - Origins

1 Once the first 'Gotcha' segments had aired, Mr Blobby was no longer usable as part of the 'Gotcha'

sequences. He continued to make appearances on Noel's House Party

with various members of the production team donning the

costume created by artist Joshua Snow.


Mr Blobby - Origins

1 Through Noel's House Party, Mr Blobby was seen in short comedy

sketches, 'guest-appearing' on other TV programmes. Examples include Lovejoy, where he unintentionally

broke antique furniture, and Keeping Up Appearances, where he was seen

making an impromptu visit on Hyacinth Bucket|Hyacinth and

Richard Bucket, disrupting their kitchen.


Mr Blobby - Other appearances

1 Because Mr Blobby could only say 'Blobby' Dave got all the questions wrong and was thrown in the gunge

pool.



1 He appeared again on the 29 May edition, this time in the Mr

Blobby costume.



1 John McLagan stood as Mr Blobby in the Littleborough and Saddleworth by-election, 1995|Littleborough and

Saddleworth by-election in 1995, having changed his name by deed

poll


Mr Blobby - Criticism

1 A trio of failed #Theme parks|Mr Blobby theme parks also resulted in

considerable negative press and scandal.



1 Blobby's 1993 Christmas single Mr Blobby (song)|Mr Blobby is widely regarded as one of List of music considered the worst#Songs|the

worst songs recorded, and his 1995 festive release Christmas in

Blobbyland was voted the worst festive song ever by British

Christmas shoppers in a 2011 poll. In 2013 it was named in the Metro (British newspaper)|Metro as the

second-worst Christmas song of all time.



1 In February 2009, Cole Moreton of The Independent ranked Blobby

number one in the 10 most irritating television characters, asking: Was there something in the water? Did the nation really once fall about

laughing at the clumsy antics of a bloke in a big pink rubber costume with yellow blobs all over it? When

Blobby appeared on Channel 4's The Big Fat Quiz of the Year#The Big Fat Quiz of the '90s|The Big Fat Quiz of the '90s in 2012, contestant Jack

Whitehall asked: How the fuck were you allowed near kids?


Mr Blobby - Music

1 The Mr Blobby spoof theme song Mr Blobby (song)|Mr Blobby was

released as a single, and hit #1 on the UK Singles Chart|UK top 40 charts. A follow-up single called

Christmas in Blobbyland was released on 16 December 1995. The song failed to match the success of

Blobby's first Christmas release, peaking at #36. Mr Blobby had a

wife, Mrs Blobby, who was introduced in Mr Blobby's Holiday, with a

personality similar to that of her 'husband'.


Mr Blobby - Toys and merchandising

1 Around Christmas 1993, retailers came out with many types of Mr

Blobby merchandise. In addition to the CD or cassette tape single, you

could purchase Mr Blobby dolls, slippers, egg cups, condiment

shakers, small cans of pink lemonade (no longer in production), towels and other items. Lledo even made a die-

cast Mr Blobby themed pink, bull nosed Morris Van.


Mr Blobby - Toys and merchandising

1 Theme parks in Somerset and Morecambe were created based on the Blobby character. Visitors could

travel through attractions such as Mr. Blobby's house. All of the parks have

since closed. Pleasurewood Hills theme park near Lowestoft also featured Mr Blobby and Crinkly

Bottom during the 1995 and 1996 seasons. Pleasurewood Hills is still

operating to this day.https://store.theartofservice.com/itil-2011-foundation-complete-certification-kit-fourth-edition-study-guide-ebook-and-online-course.html

Mr Blobby - Theme parks

1 An agreement with Unique, Noel Edmonds' merchandising company, to use the Crinkley Bottom theme at Happy Mount Park, Morecambe, led

to large losses, a local scandal toppling councillors and finally an

auditor's investigation, which reported in 2004 that the Council's decision to proceed with the Theme Park was, on the basis of information available to Members and officers in March 1994, imprudent and failed to give due regard to the interests of

local taxpayers


Mr Blobby - Theme parks

1 Similar parks in Lowestoft and Somerset also failed to outlive the

1990's with the Somerset site being Vandalism|vandalised and used for

raves following its closure.


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