American companies have to accept some responsibility for these recalls. Mattel recently recalled a couple million toys because they used lead based paint. This seems like the sort of thing that they should never have allowed in the first place. They also recently recalled a far larger number of toys because children were swallowing strong magnets. Mattel went so far as apologize to a Chinese official as this flaw was a design issue. My uneducated guess is that this is a similar incident. These... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 11:16 AM on November 8, 2007

Share-alike isn't a provision of all CC licenses and authors with CC-by-sa licenses are still allowed to negotiate specific arrangements at their discretion which may or may not be licensed Creative Commons style. Similarly, the non-commerical restriction is only applicable for certain CC licenses and can be loosened on a case by case basis.

What it comes down to is whether or not Schmap is really using CC-nc photos "provisionally", that is without the prior... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 12:14 PM on April 2, 2006

Chinese-American Couple Mixes Chinese Food with Mississippi Delta Delicacies

But my favorite Chinese food fusion is definitely Gung Haggis Fat Choy.
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 12:48 AM on September 23, 2005

stupidsexyFlanders point (that people won't necessarily be eager to volunteer their time for these projects) is important. localpaper.net is a similar project. The "44122" section has one short entry that I wrote months and months ago just to test the thing out. Still, I think the idea has potential and I'd like to see something come of it. I guess I'm not the sort of person who takes initiative in these sorts of things but I'd partipate in such a site if it gathered some momentum.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 2:46 PM on December 13, 2004

According to the "True Poutine" link, the authentic gravy is produced from a powder. Cryptical linked a curd supplier, so it should be easy to find someone to ship a powder mix. Where can you find a product that will faithfully communicates the essence of poutine?

This site sells St. Hubert poutine sauce and mix.
This site has St. Hubert poutine sauce and Club House mix.

Can I get the complete poutine experience from a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 11:17 PM on December 9, 2004

Teeny, tiny minor MeTa comment. Sorry for the nitpick.
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 10:02 PM on October 22, 2004

Bush 278/49%
Kerry 260/47%
Nader 0/1%
Other 0/1%
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 10:43 PM on October 19, 2004

A long time ago, I read a comment here in the blue. I'm sure it was a valid point, but I disagreed with it and remembered a Calvin and Hobbes strip that was perfectly apt. It would have proved to be a withering rebuttal.

I searched through the hundreds of strips that I had manually downloaded from ucomics. I returned to the site and started reading the entire series from the beginning. I went up to the attic and dug out the handful of compilations that I had and scanned... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 9:48 PM on March 2, 2004

The last I checked it included the New York Times' excellent Year In Ideas, but neglected to include the even more excellent New York Times' The Lives They Lived. I think a review of some of the year's notable departures is a very worthwhile excercise.

Last year, or perhaps the previous year, there was a post to a similar feature in a smaller publication. It was designed to include people whose lives were noteworthy but who were... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 7:42 PM on December 31, 2003

I've had hiccups for more than a week on two seperate occassions. I'm also of the opinion that they go away in their own good time. A teaspoon of sugar worked once for me. The person who suggested it was actually surprised. After these two episodes and other less severe episodes I've discovered two things that work for me: induced vomiting, and several quick gulps of water followed by a quick breath.

Vomiting is a solution endorsed by the medical establishment. Other... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 9:10 PM on November 13, 2003

Richard Dawkins essay on the subject. Here's an interesting end note:

3. The physics here is more complicated than can be spelled out in a general article. Two influences could theoretically be involved, direct gravitational attraction and tidal effects. In terms of direct gravitational attractions (which obey Newton's Inverse Square Law), an average doctor would be outweighed by all but the most distant members of the solar system. Tidal effects are another... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 12:31 PM on October 9, 2003

It's a cute site but I have one complaint. Why is the gribenes always optional? Our grandparents didn't think gribenes was optional. And we shouldn't tolerate this neglect of gribenes either.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 1:50 PM on October 2, 2003

I have nothing to add regarding Hitler's specific style of mustache but I did remember this bit about facial hair and significant figures of the interwar period. This translation of an essay by Italo Calvino is taken from the New Yorker of Jan 6, 2003:
... no one had ever heard of a prime minister who was only forty. Nor had anyone ever seen in Italy a statesmen without a beard or a mustache. It was common practice to shave, but the most significant politicians still wore... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 11:52 AM on June 30, 2003

I've looked up "fo shizzle my nizzle" at urbandictionary before but it didn't answer my basic question. fsmn is an example of a more general formula wherein some people work extra z's into words. I want to know where it all started. I'd heard or read that it started as a simple code like pig latin or similar.

I think I may have caught the tail end on a Fresh Air segment. Guest:"And that's the story of how 'nizzle came to be." Terry:"Fascinating.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 3:33 PM on May 23, 2003

The Car Talk brothers (who amuse me, even if they don't amuse everyone) have strong opinions on cell phones. Their opinions were rebutted in this Slate article. I read the article a long time ago but I vaguely remember that the article's reasoning was a little bit right and a little bit fishy. This author's other greatest hits include an economic analysis of peeling a banana.

I went to the Car Talk web site for the link above and was surprised to find so much information... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 11:44 PM on January 28, 2003

Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg More from Malcolm Gladwell on the subject. He points out, as mdn did, that some people are better connectors than others. Lois Weisberg, for instance. She introduced Arthur C. Clarke to Isaac Asimov and at one point or another knew everyone.

Gladwell discusses some interesting details of the Milgram study and also mentions a study of the movie database that ranks actors by their average proximity to other actors and lots of other interesting... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 12:40 PM on January 15, 2003

Shtetl comes from the German for town or state. The "l" ending is a common Yiddish suffix used to a suggest a smaller form. Similar to how in English a kitchenette is a small kitchen.
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 10:11 AM on January 13, 2003

I read as much of this article as I could stand. It's so obviously sensationalist and one sided that I gave up.

Lift your shirt. Gentle pat down. Admittedly it's unpleasant but it seems like a reasonable precaution. We don't have the same right to privacy in an airport that we have in our homes. Do you really think it's unreasonable to submit to screening in an airport on principle? Or should we only screen people with beards and swarthy complexions?... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 8:52 AM on December 22, 2002

Of course, the half of a woman's stomach between her bra and the top of her maternity pants isn't indecent exposure but troutfishing's point was correct. "A few judiciously placed privacy screens" would be exactly what I meant as far as handling the screenings with more tact.

Ah yes... First they came for the pregnant middle class women. Isn't a reference to Robert McNamara pretty close to a Nazi reference? I certainly feel that way. No one is coming for you or... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 10:17 AM on December 22, 2002

I haven't read this yet but it's relevant to our discussion. Penn Gillette receives a similar treatment at another airport. As I've been reviewing this discussion, I think I've come to see the other side. Of course, I hope I didn't change my mind because Penn is a celebrity or because the security guard touched something that I have.

I'm expecting that Penn's account will be much more evenhanded just as his response to the violation seems to have been.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 12:41 PM on January 4, 2003

An interesting article from a 1945 issue of The New Yorker put online as part of a great review of their past food articles. Other articles in the collection were discussed here.
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 9:14 PM on January 2, 2003

I have kept some ticket stubs but they're rarely associated with an interesting story. I think this very banality makes them interesting in a new way even without a story. I'd love to see JanetLand, quibx and vidiot's collection of ticket stubs but my fingers are aching at the thought of them having to type a little vignette for each of them.

On a related note, our day to day activities also generate a lot of electronic "ticket stubs." Member's of the AMC... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 12:57 PM on January 2, 2003

This reminds me of the eminent mathematician N. Bourbaki. Of course, Bourbaki strikes me as romantic - scholars doing serious work with a playful wink and no regard for personal recognition. As time passed the endeavor became a sly inside joke and a colorful part of the history of mathematics.

I'm more cynical about this other thing. It seems like he's being clever for the sake of being clever.

Incidentally, there's not nearly as much on the web... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 10:07 PM on December 19, 2002

The Crossfire in question is from Dec. 5.

This doesn't speak highly of the journalistic standards of TomPaine.com. Or Arianna Huffington's... Perhaps she had invested two much effort in the article by the time the mystery was resolved. It's a shame too, because it seems as though Congress and Lilly may actually have been trying to slip one by. There may have been legitimate cause for criticism... on Dec 4th. This just muddies the waters.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 7:05 PM on December 18, 2002

mfli spoke the truth, but I had to read it a couple times to sort it all out. I'm surprised that no one has pointed to formal definitions. Yet.

P = polynomial. Such a problem can be solved in polynomial time. That is, the time amount of work required to solve the problem is roughly proportional to the size of the input raised to some power.
NP = nondeterministic polynomial. An NP problem can be checked in polynomial time. That is, given a solution, checking... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 2:10 PM on December 10, 2002

Crash: It's too late. He's already been on Behind the Music That Sucks. Direct to flash. It was cute.
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 10:51 AM on September 30, 2002

Sorry, flash animation here.
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 10:54 AM on September 30, 2002

I've never had a martini of either variety so I can not attest to the accuracy of this article, but Unca Cecil has never steered me wrong before.

The article in question is written by a Straight Dope staffer and not the World's Smartest Man himself, but it lives up to the high standards that I've come to expect from the SD organization. Long story short, dejah seems to have the science on his side. You do shake a vodka martini.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stuart_s at 10:07 PM on August 31, 2002