Displaying comments 1 to 50 of 7941
MeFi post:
Songs we wish were ours
Dylan's is the first American recording of the song. So I think it's probably fair to say that he "made it famous" if anybody did.
That doesn't follow at all. Not even a little bit.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 5:12 PM on July 24, 2008
I guess it depends what you mean by famous. Yeah, sure, if Dylan recorded a song it became known more widely than among a tiny little circle of folk-song enthusiasts, but I don't call that famous, and I think to call "Peggy-O" "just plain famous" is ridiculous. Here's the track listing of Bob Dylan:
1. You're No Good
2. Talkin' New York
3. In My Time of Dyin'
4. Man Of Constant Sorrow... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 5:35 PM on July 24, 2008
MeFi post:
Boing Boing Finds 21st Century Trotsky?
Less than 150 comments until we reach the 21st century.
Will we find Trotsky there?
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 5:27 PM on July 11, 2008
Thanks for the CJR piece, batgrl—I hadn't seen it either.
Moving forward, Boing Boing’s editors promise to involve readers in the archiving practices of the site.
Uh... right. Anybody taking bets on the likelihood of this?
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 12:31 PM on July 12, 2008
Is there still no word from Mr. Doctorow?
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 11:36 AM on July 14, 2008
Interesting that you "never heard of her, but she sucks" people pay no attention to those of us who have known her for years and have a high opinion of her. I guess the chance for snark outweighs actual knowledge.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 12:59 PM on July 14, 2008
I guess I should clarify that I'd never heard of her until June 30th, 2008
Yes, I assumed that was what you meant.
But it remains interesting that all you highly opinionated, "known her for years" people would disregard those of us who have a bad opinion of her.
Well, that's childish. Do you take seriously the opinion of somebody who is judging, say, an author you like... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 2:16 PM on July 14, 2008
I feel the same way about people who slag off the mods here when one of them does something that momentarily displeases them.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 2:17 PM on July 14, 2008
Um, ok, but all I did was type what you said backwards.
Kattullus is right on the money.
I have to point out that defending the undefensable has been tried here before and has met with predictable results.
Where did I "defend the undefensable"? I've said all along that her actions were dumb and unhelpful and she's not doing a good job of moderating. All I've tried to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 5:39 PM on July 14, 2008
On non-preview: where's my muffin?
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 5:40 PM on July 14, 2008
Thanks for the update, homunculus and mwhybark. I just skimmed the thread, enough to see that #2 posted by mhains , July 18, 2008 9:04 AM
I still don't understand why you have to explain yourself. It's your site. It's your call.
To whom are you beholden? The Internet cranks?was followed by lots of sycophantic "#2 got it right!" comments and complacent "Thank you. Means a lot." comments from the moderators. All over now, move along folks, nothing to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 1:23 PM on July 18, 2008
I think of Teresa's moderation style as strong, very effective medicine that keeps these discussions from becoming as crazy as YouTube's. Yes, there are side-effects but the overall result is overwhelmingly positive.
Wow. That speaks volumes.
Joel Johnson: I used to be a fan of Boing Boing. The reason I stopped going there has a lot to do with comments and moderation. Try not to make convenient assumptions.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 2:16 PM on July 18, 2008
All I've said is that in my opinion that many or most of the people who are vocally upset about about this seem to have had a middling-to-antagonistic opinion about Boing Boing in the first place. I mean, look at this thread; from the start it was fairly aggro
For christ's sake, it was "aggro" because BoingBoing fucked up! How can you not understand that? A friend of mine once kicked my wife in the ass. I was pretty aggro with him; do... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 6:05 AM on July 19, 2008
Agree about the VB video; thanks for posting it, Seth.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 11:24 AM on July 20, 2008
And from the BB thread:
#468 posted by takeshi , July 19, 2008 11:19 PM
@ PeaceLove:
...I shouldn't even have to tell you this, but blogs aren't traditional media. ...
No one has the right to demand that bloggers behave like journalists. Suggesting that they should is a much slippier slope, and tantamount to wrongfully making a citizen's arrest based on some warped interpretation of the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 11:28 AM on July 20, 2008
I'm posting this comment so I won't have to look at that huge one every time I go to Recent Activity.
The fact that it's comment #2100 is entirely irrelevant. I hadn't even noticed it. In fact, I don't know what I'm talking about.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 11:55 AM on July 20, 2008
Takuan seems to have some sort of official status.
I'm not sure which is worse, the fact itself or their being so coy about it. But if TNH's behavior was unfortunate and she needs to rethink her moderating style, this guy is just an asshole plain and simple, and their tolerating him at all, let alone giving him official status (if in fact they have), gives the lie to their pretense of insisting on high-minded discourse.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 1:21 PM on July 21, 2008
To be fair, his internet tough-guy shtick is sort of amusing.
To you, maybe, and obviously to him, but I think you may be in the minority.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 7:59 AM on July 22, 2008
Longer TNH:
I'm taking myself off this thread for a while. I can cope with [adjective] [plural noun] like Church, and Josh is [comparative] than [adjective]; but I have temporarily run out of patience with [gerund] [plural noun] who [verb] [pronoun] [prepositional phrase], and [verb] [compound adjective] [preposition] moderation.
Man, she thinks she's a hell of a lot cleverer than she is. Good thing she's taking herself off.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 5:17 PM on July 22, 2008
Try to cut Teresa as much slack as you possibly can; she's caught in the middle of the Great Kerfuffle.
I do. I like her a lot, and she's been helpful to me in the past. But it's very hard for me to understand how she can continue to be so abusive and belligerent after weeks have gone by and you'd think the heat of the moment was long over. If all this has taught her anything, it seems to have been the wrong lesson. She's great at running her... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 5:34 PM on July 23, 2008
Bing was never ironic.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 4:45 PM on July 24, 2008
MeFi post:
What's nu?
I also got my first Yiddish from Mad (back in the '50s, when it was still funny).
Speaking of, the first time I realized how big a part of the NYC Metro language Yiddishisms are (and how invisible they are in "real America") was when I was up in Buffalo and went to see Spaceballs. Nothing will make you more self-conscious than being the only occupant of a crowded theater to laugh out loud when someone's admonished to "Go to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 10:11 AM on July 24, 2008
MeFi post:
The Apparition of Enoch Soames
Great post! And it's good to be reminded what a delightful writer Beerbohm was:"I can always read Milton in the reading-room."
"The reading-room?"
"Of the British Museum. I go there every day."
"You do? I've only been there once. I'm afraid I found it rather a
depressing place. It--it seemed to sap one's vitality."
"It does. That's why... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 12:57 PM on July 22, 2008
MeFi post:
Justice postponed?
Dee Xtrovert...all the best to you friend.
Fervently seconded. Thanks for sharing your story, and for your undaunted spirit.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 8:04 AM on July 22, 2008
MeFi post:
Russian poetry and drama
Yeah, that's a great site.
Never heard of this Kutik guy, but "Из Катулла/From Catullus" is a cute little poem. It's not, of course, literally "from Catullus," but is an allusion to Catullus's famous lament for a sparrow. And what looks like a quote/epigraph—"... но коту ли знать о Катулле?"—seems to be original; it's better in Russian, because коту ли 'to a cat' sounds exactly like Катулле 'Catullus.' But that... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 12:22 PM on July 19, 2008
MeFi post:
Kay Ryan is the new Poet Laureate
being even remotely good at poetry today, is not about playing it safe.
Yeah, because poetry is all about today and edgy and Sticking It to the Man.
Nice post, and I'm glad to have been introduced to Kay Ryan. Thanks.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 3:18 PM on July 18, 2008
And "Boondocks" quoted her, ferchrissake. That's not enough street cred for you?
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 3:18 PM on July 18, 2008
ZachsMind: If Maya Angelou is your idea of a good poet, we clearly have nothing to say to each other on the subject.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 6:25 AM on July 19, 2008
MeFi post:
Encyclopedia of Greece, from ancient times to the modern day, focusing on science and technology
I've used this site to get Greek versions of names, but I didn't realize it was so extensive. (One thing pissed me off: when I clicked on your "modern" link the first thing I saw was an entry for the great singer Rita Abatzi, and I got all excited when I scrolled down and saw a YouTube link until I read the caption: "A modern version of a song first interpreted by Abatzi." WTF, Hellenica? You couldn't find anything with Rita herself singing?)... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 1:37 PM on July 18, 2008
MeFi post:
The Tertullian Project
Excellent site, Latin texts and everything. And inspirational: I'm going to feed you all to the lions.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 6:16 PM on July 16, 2008
MeFi post:
A Divorce Portrait
They emerged from the marriage with warmth and affection for each other – not anger and recrimination.
That's pretty damn impressive. It's disappointing the marriage didn't work, but it's not a huge surprise. Thanks for the post.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 2:04 PM on July 15, 2008
MeFi post:
Saved and Depoliticised at One Stroke
An excellent summary—thank goodness for the LRB's willingness to publish long articles like this, and thanks for the post.
After dozens of training sessions on ‘political modelling’, members who imagined their parties to be right-of-centre were forced to concede they had left-of-centre programmes and vice versa, a staffer at a policy research unit in Pristina recalled a few weeks ago.
They should give some of those... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 1:19 PM on July 15, 2008
MeFi post:
Exiled
Highly recommend The Exile: Sex, Drugs and Libel in the New Russia.
Seconded. These guys are heroes, and if you find their style offputting, you're one of Putin's pals. Great quote from Ames:"Putin is an oppressor--except when he oppresses something that the American mainstream media doesn't approve of either. Americans have proven that it's not oppression or censorship they oppose--it's opposition to America that they oppose. We've angered... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 1:06 PM on July 15, 2008
MeFi post:
Мотылёк - Butterfly
Delightful!
It's well subtitled, except that the line (right after they enter the forest) "Интересно, где это мы?" should be "I wonder where we are?" instead of "Interesting... where are we?" Russians automatically start sentences like that with Интересно ['It's interesting'], a tic that should not be reproduced in English.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 12:02 PM on July 14, 2008
It's transliterated motylek or motylyok and sounds something like muh-till-YAWK. It's a diminutive of motyl' 'mosquito grub,' which is related to Old Russian motyla 'dung, manure' and Old Church Slavic mesti 'throw away' and presumably originally meant something like 'dung beetle.' No relation to Spanish mariposa, which is apparently (according to the Real Academia)... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 12:55 PM on July 14, 2008
Plus, "fawning" is kind of a shitty, insulting adjective for something that's not supposed to be a thread-crap.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 12:44 PM on July 15, 2008
MeFi post:
Les Parisiens sous l’Occupation
Great post, thanks.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 12:42 PM on July 12, 2008
Eekacat, Faze isn't saying the German occupation was hunky-dory and there was no reason to do anything about it, he's suggesting the good that was done may not have been worth the horrific, almost unimaginable, cost of the war: many tens of millions dead, economies wrecked, irreplaceable cultural treasures destroyed, the Soviet yoke imposed on Eastern Europe, Mao's equally awful yoke imposed on China, the list goes on and on. It's basically what Nicholson Baker is suggesting in his new book,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 3:41 PM on July 12, 2008
You're also guilty of putting words into my mouth by assuming my whole argument is "Nazi's were bad", which I never mentioned, nor did I make any such argument. What I did was put up the actual personal experience of my parents, who actually lived in a country that was occupied.
So you're not saying the Nazis were bad? Then why was the experience of occupation bad? I'm not "putting words into your mouth"... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 5:45 PM on July 12, 2008
Didja see my Errr... link? The one where Faze commented that the American Revolution probably could have waited a bit?
Yes, and I ignored it because it was completely irrelevant. Since you bring it up again, I guess I have to ask: what on earth do you imagine Faze's comment about the American Revolution might have to do with this? Unless your point is OH NO HE'S A FREETHINKER WHO DOESN'T ACCEPT THE ACCEPTED GROUPTHINK POSITION ON EVERYTHING BURN... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 12:02 PM on July 13, 2008
It seems to me that yath is asking for further clarification from Faze. And it seems that Faze's comments are not entirely on clear whether or not he is in fact "imply(ing) that the US entry into WWII did no good". Asking for clarification from someone hardly seems a symptom of needing to learn to think.
It seems to me that Faze is being perfectly clear; he's sarcastically questioning the unthinking acceptance of the horror that was WWII as... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 5:25 PM on July 13, 2008
MeFi post:
Whackity schmackity doo, kids!
He did, and I still proudly carry the scar just below my heart. Man, I thought it would be easy to take an old blind guy, especially after I blew smoke in his face. Motherfucker was fast.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 6:40 PM on July 12, 2008
MeFi post:
The Long Island Express
Great post! But, um, aside from the problems netbros and crapmatic point out, your "1869" link goes to a page that doesn't mention 1869. Maybe the post-editing function wouldn't be a bad idea after all.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 9:33 AM on July 12, 2008
MeFi post:
Caring for the Old
Having had my father die at 90 a couple of years ago, and now watching my mother-in-law decline in assisted living at 92, this post hits close to home, and I have to take the linked site a bit at a time. Excellent post.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 3:27 PM on July 11, 2008
MeFi post:
Ryhiner maps collection
Oops, you were just correcting your typo. Ah well, erudition wasted once again, like my never-finished dissertation.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat
at 2:54 PM on July 11, 2008
