Awesome. :)

However, this kind of thing is one of the main things .torrent is for. I'm sure I'm not the only one looking at it and considering a wget of the lot.
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 5:39 PM on July 24, 2008

It's not me that can't spell your name right, kid. It's your parents. Get over it.
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 2:16 PM on July 24, 2008

He is right. He has to be right. It's where the evidence and the logic both lead. Anything that is capable of reproduction and subject to environmental pressure, evolves. For any given organism, its environment consists of all other organisms both like and unlike itself, as well as the inanimate matter in/on which the organisms live: hence, evolution must operate at a group level. Environmental pressure operates at the sub-individual (eg, immune system,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 2:06 PM on July 23, 2008

perhaps reaching for a last human connection.
Alienation is a very common motive of suicides. Depressive suicide almost requires, by its very nature, a belief that one does not matter. Much like externally-directed violence, involving someone else in one's suicide is a way of ensuring that one is important to someone, however briefly and however unpleasant the importance.

Henrik had no right to do it, but rights are a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 12:05 AM on July 21, 2008

He paused for a heartbeat, looked at his watch and said, "So, how long before we get on the move again?"

Christ.

Don't be too harsh on that guy, sveskemus. Denial is normal, wanting to get on with one's own life is normal too, and the driver, even though he was directly involved in the suicide, is still perceived as the authority figure, the person in charge of the train. Maybe the guy realized a bit later that that... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 12:13 AM on July 21, 2008

tkolar Really, an English newspaper is going to criticize people for plundering Africa?
Would you prefer they not criticize the Chinese for plundering Africa?
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 11:53 PM on July 19, 2008

HAHAHA
I'm a bit puzzled by this response. I must admit I can't really see the joke in some poor dumb kid getting sucked in by worthless scammers, and eventually getting killed. But maybe I'm just a sicko that way.
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 6:31 AM on July 18, 2008

Oh. Tee hee hee. But I suppose it's appropriate that she gets as much dignity in death as in in life.
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 6:37 AM on July 18, 2008

Markov chains are useful for analysis of a text where you have discrete letters, or sequences of letters. If you analyze the two- and three-character frequencies of a given sequence of text, and then sort by frequency, you can compare it to the frequency distributions of known languages, and have a chance of identifying the language in which it is written, identifying which (if any) characters refer to vowels and consonants, and a few other tidbits of information. The shorter the text sample... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 5:31 PM on July 16, 2008

"Everybody or nobody" is trivial to apply to equipment-based sport. You get the same bike as everyone else. Maybe one capable of some minor adjustments for your height, but otherwise, you get what you're given, the officially issued device. Ditto swimsuits, racquets, pogo sticks, beer hats, and paddles.

To ensure that advances continue, and that cyclists aren't forced to continue to ride penny-farthings, hold equipment trials. Have a board of non-competing... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 4:47 PM on July 16, 2008

Kosher_jenny, those exist. Powerizers.
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 4:50 PM on July 16, 2008

Cool. I'm sure everyone thought of this 20 years ago, but it's great that it's finally available. :)
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 4:45 PM on July 15, 2008

I'm with the customer on this one. By all means make suggestions as to what I might like, Mr Barista, but if you can make the thing I want (and note the difference in meaning between the word "can" and "want to"), damn well make it. Figure out some way to overcharge me if you must be a dick about it.

If I drink coffee, I like my coffee very simple: instant, arabica, one teaspoon coffee, two teaspoons sugar, 2/3 cup hot water, 1/3... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 3:36 PM on July 14, 2008

Also, for future reference, chinese_fashion: try a frappuccino. :) Blended ice, milk, coffee and sugar.
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 3:40 PM on July 14, 2008

AND THEN GO GET MY MOTHERFUCKING CUP OF COFFEE THE WAY I ORDERED IT AND SHUT YOUR FUCKING STUPID FACE WHILE YOU DO IT.

Exactly. Of all the coffee drunk by people each day, how many cups are drunk because the drinker wants to, and how many because their stupid fucking boss for some fucking reason thinks it's a good idea for them to start their stupid fucking job at fucking fuck-o'clock a.m. and they stayed up late last night because... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 6:01 AM on July 15, 2008

Good article.

Firstly, the drive to acquire wealth so much greater than that of one's fellow human beings is in itself a psychological problem, or a sign of problems. Secondly, acquired wealth so much greater than one's fellows, even if one were sane and happy to start with, will have an alienating effect.

There are many quandries facing a therapist, with what fees to charge the rich. No psychotherapist (I expect) deliberately sets... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 3:04 PM on July 9, 2008

Danila I like to tell myself that I don't experience much class envy.
Your story isn't class envy, it is anecdotal evidence describing a very common experience, that indicates that, as you say later, the system is broken.

It's not a bad thing that the super-rich can get psychiatric treatment soon and easily. That ought to be what everyone gets. Even in countries with a workable national health system, there is still the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 6:52 PM on July 9, 2008

availablelight (This was in response to my incredibly mature--yet sincere--question of whether or not anyone hits a stage of enlightenment, after years of working towards it...and decides enlightenment is a real letdown or even a grave mistake.)
I don't know if you meant to write "immature", but this seems to me to be a really good question, either way. My guess at that is, "enlightenment" can't be a mistake, it's the correct answer to the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 8:00 PM on July 9, 2008

Joey Tresidder - having them do volunteer work (or pay for others' treatment, or some other method of making them value the appointment) isn't something I'd necessarily suggest for all super-rich patients straight out. I suggested it as a possible alternative where the patient is having trouble making appointments (for whatever reason) and the normal social engineering torque applied, charging them anyway, won't work.

On your second point, I agree with OmieWise. Most of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 8:29 AM on July 12, 2008

I just read this whole thread, and there are very good arguments on many sides of this issue. Firstly, to back up Pastabagel, "just fire her" and "just quit" are alternate versions of the same facile piece of advice derived from wilful ignorance of (or comfortable self-satisfaction with) the role of employment in people's lives in society. Except in the case of a very, very few fortunate people, employment is the direct source of a person's livelihood, the means by which they... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 1:33 AM on July 12, 2008

Recently I’ve been doing a lot of lost wax casting. Someday I’d love to get an MRI of my head, use the data to build a 3D model of my skull then use that to make a wax model on a rapid prototyping machine. Then I could cast it in silver or bronze and have my skull in metal on my desk.

Roland MDX-40. :)
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 6:42 PM on July 10, 2008

Anyone happen to know the potential implications for the hearing-impaired and the deaf?
Deafness, from an engineering point of view, is a signal amplification problem, or in extreme cases, a signal detector malfunction problem, but the signal in question is sound waves, not radio. It'll probably allow radios, including radio-function hearing aids, to be made smaller. It'll probably allow the hearing aid unit to be made smaller and a separate processor unit... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 8:39 PM on July 9, 2008

Would he be legally able to rent it out, under conditions that the tenant undertakes to repair and restore the property, and any such expenses are offset against the rent? Assuming a tenant could be found to do that, that seems a reasonable way to balance the interests of the poor historical preservationist (if he has somewhere else to live) and the wealthy rock star. Become landlords again, but live in a little house and rent out the big one, in reverse of the old arrangement.
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 6:59 PM on July 8, 2008

A biological basis for the Imp of the Perverse, as discussed recently.
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 10:37 PM on July 7, 2008

What is "fair" about making me pay for other people's kids?
"Other people's." Cross that bit out and the answer becomes clear.

Kids are not personal stuff, like your underpants, or your TV set, or your Cheetos. Kids are people, separate from yourself, capable of independent action within society. As they are naive, and small, we protect them. Any group that didn't give at least some... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 3:31 PM on July 5, 2008

If I got a $1 raise, the government would take more than half of that $1. That's what I mean by "most."
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. If you got a $100 pre-tax rise ... that's just what they put on your payslip. So if what you get in your hand is $40, would you turn down a $40 pay rise if you got to keep the whole $40?
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 12:15 AM on July 7, 2008

Meh. There's a place and time for informed discussion, and drunken talk-shows probably aren't it. I'm inclined to believe them when they say they thought it was a comedy show, and that they say they were drunk.

Hands up who wants to be held responsible for all of their drunken jests, as though they were said seriously and with forethought. Yeah, didn't think so.

People have the right to make jokes about rape, just as we have the right to make... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 5:39 PM on July 6, 2008

Many people, myself included, have attempted over and over to explain to DNAB why copyright infringement is not theft (although it certainly does harm the interests of many people), and furthermore, that his desire to apply legal penalties for an act when he insists that his position is not based on the legal definition of the act, is inherently irrational. He chooses to think otherwise. He doesn't "disagree" with you, although... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 6:24 PM on July 3, 2008

I DO NOT AGREE WITH IT, I NEVER WILL, THERE IS NO ARGUMENT THAT WILL CONVINCE ME
That's my point exactly. If that is your attitude about copyright infringement, you do not belong in a MetaFilter discussion about copyright infringement. This is the place for people to come to talk about things like intelligent adult human beings. To share opinions (not polemic) that they have honestly thought about, to others whom they consider... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 7:54 AM on July 4, 2008

Theft is both a legal term and a dictionary term. I am using the latter sense, as I have made it clear,
Why would you specifically use a non-legal definition when the whole issue is one of legality? Really, why?

Hmm.. I wonder why that could be, I really do.
Compare bonaldi's commentary to your own. Compare distracting vehemence, compare depth of thought shown in outgoing commentary, compare depth of thought... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 8:46 AM on July 4, 2008

Because the legal term obfuscates the issue. We're laymen, we discuss things in lay terms.
Sure. What's the lay term, or the equivalent to a lay term in context, for "prosecution"? (Or do you actually not want more, or more stringent, prosecution of copyright violators? Do you want less prosecution that currently occurs?)

Stop being condescending. You say my vehemence is a bad thing.. the sickening... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 11:10 AM on July 4, 2008

So.. hold on. You should get a free pass on your condescension
Occasionally people call me a "fucking asshole" and suchlike.

my opinions are actually carefully thought-out
We have little or no evidence to support that contention, and plenty against it, viz: you don't share much of these "careful thoughts", you mostly just yell at people. Although I thought we were getting somewhere, a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 12:35 PM on July 4, 2008

"Nice" largely means "conflict-avoidant" and nothing much more on any moral plane. Don't be nice, be good. Sex is irrelevant to that, except as another context in which good, or evil, behavior may be chosen. Being good will tend to lead to courteous behavior (ie, caring about others' thoughts and feelings), which will tend to lead to polite behavior, which will tend to lead to the good parts of being "nice" while avoiding the overwhelming downside... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 9:47 AM on July 4, 2008

I so need one of these things. Not (necessarily) to etch my own or other people's skin, but because they are so incredibly useful for so many, many things! Just one example: get little metal discs, and etch them: presto, boardgame coins. Sheet of plastic or cardboard: boardgame pieces. Odd-shaped badges. Jewellery and art objects. The possibilities are vast.

And it's only $10,000 or thereabouts ... that's doable.
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 5:36 PM on July 3, 2008

Couldn'ta happened to a better guy.

Oh yes it could. There's a list as long as your arm of people who thoroughly deserve to be waterboarded to death.

People need to stop being so nice about this. All of those people, and their fellow travellers, are at best eagerly contributing to the creation of an environment where the human soul, your soul (and I do not refer to any... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 10:10 AM on July 2, 2008

So you can find situations to justify torture. So could they. You really aren't different at all.
I'm not a fan of retributive justice, but there is a difference. The argument goes: it is not wrong to kill a killer, to torture a torturer, pluck out the eye of an eye-plucker, there is a difference between the bandit and the guard, because the bad guy took the action first, and did it to an innocent party. They started... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 6:23 AM on July 3, 2008

Felicia Day is awesome. :)
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 3:46 PM on June 29, 2008

The length of time it can take to fight battles inside them is part of what makes WoW's dungeons seem much larger than they geographically are. For instance, the mighty undead-infested ruins of Stratholme are really no larger than a shopping center. Back in the day when it was basically the second-highest-level zone in the game (the highest being the Molten Core), I remember it taking about two or three hours to clear through to Baron Rivendare, ignoring the Scarlet Crusade ("live... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 6:42 AM on June 29, 2008

it makes the jury wonder why the defendant is so sure about this one particular day and time, and not about other particular days and times.
Just a thought ... but maybe, because that's the day and time that he's being tried for his actions on? That would tend to concentrate the mind.

One of the things that irritates me, and I daresay any fair-minded person, most about adversarial law, is that it is conducted not just in utter ignorance of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 12:52 AM on June 26, 2008

You could easily make it look like an ordinary, if large, camera. (Just as you can make a gun look like an ordinary, if large, camera.)
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 6:21 PM on June 25, 2008

Caduceus Man, they're way too delicious to be smart. That's just not fair to anyone.

To be fair ... so are we. :)
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 1:09 AM on June 25, 2008

Notice to all inventors of water-powered cars and suchlike:

Dear sir/madam,

Your invention is marvellous and wonderful. It will lead to a tremendous reduction in pollution, poverty, starvation, crime, natural disasters, and TV advertising. There is a list of names of persons who have changed history through invention and innovation, a list containing names you already know, by definition. Your name belongs on that list. A thousand years after you... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 10:45 PM on June 24, 2008

I am one of those people, I have them.
I've seen you express carefully examined and well-thought-out opinions from time to time, but this is not one of them. I shall try again. Let's leave aside the matter of the US Supreme Court specifically making a declaration to the effect that copyright infringement is not theft, at least in American law (but what would the USSC know about American law?), and rely instead on elementary... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 9:25 PM on June 24, 2008

I don't believe theft can have copyright violation as a subset either. Theft, either under the law or as DNAB's claiming is common usage, doesn't really have any subsets that meaningfully include a crime where no deprivation occurs; that'd be, I guess, trespassing or something. He keeps saying it is theft, as if there were no meaningful distinction. If he wants to define some larger set of property crime that includes copyright infringement, and also theft, and say... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 9:44 PM on June 24, 2008

Again you completely fail to address any actual points. I will admit to being interested to see how far you'll keep this up before you start presenting only "nyah, nyah" and "your momma sucks" as arguments.

stealing work from someone else--deriving a benefit from someone else's work when they have not been compensated in the way that they choose and are legally entitled--is also wrong
Ugh. Your... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 10:02 PM on June 24, 2008

[a few comments removed - if you can't make your arguments without continually calling people fucking assholes, you should probably take a walk or go to metatalk or an ice cream parlor. ]

Where it's me he was calling that, I object much more to his argument being removed, than to whatever he wants to call me. I would argue that your censorship regimen as presented protects no sensitive souls, and discriminates unfairly against the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 10:08 PM on June 24, 2008

russilwvong I regard it as wrong to download a copy of a book or a movie that someone else has uploaded, because it wasn't theirs to share.
This is the case under the present copyright regime, but it is not natural law.

Consider the alternative view: everything and anything you give to a person, becomes theirs to disseminate if they see fit. An economy without scarcity. I need not bother going to any great lengths to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 10:17 PM on June 24, 2008

Where is the moral ambiguity?
More like picking up rubbish than theft; and as he said, if Aziz wanted it back, he'd have given it to him.

Johnson's a fuckwit, but his two main points are well-made, and stand: (1) none of the perpetrators of the actual war (as opposed to pickers up of rubbish / stealers of cigar cases) have faced any legal consequences; (2) it has taken the English police five years to decide to charge him... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 8:55 PM on June 24, 2008

Reminds me of the Codex Seraphinianus.
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 8:38 PM on June 24, 2008

The thing about wearing it as a cologne, or spraying it in the sales floor is, it affects the sprayers just as much, if not more. So not only do you feel an emotional connection to your car salesman, and a desire to trust and help him, he feels the same way about you. This should make it a lot harder for him to rip you off.
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 8:29 PM on June 24, 2008