There is a teen book out, called The Hanging Woods, in which a kid tries to beat the 18 month record. The book itself is disturbing, but definitely a thought-provoking read.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 5:56 PM on August 7, 2008

Here is the problem as I see it: Hasbro owns Scrabble, but has clearly copied many of the ways in which the folks at Scrabulous turned the game into one that was easily playable online. The interface from Scrabulous included two different dictionaries; so does Scrabble on Facebook. Scrabulous includes a move list; so does Scrabble on Facebook. Most importantly, I think, Scrabulous includes a two-letter word list; so does Scrabble on Facebook.

It seems... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 8:59 AM on July 29, 2008

Regardless of whether it was a good joke he was making, the loss of the indefinite article made Coren's last sentence completely meaningless and pretty stupid.

Now, if I had ever verbally (or textually) abused a copyeditor in the way he has, I'd have been fired immediately. You can complain, but ... Jesus. Complaining and going on a rampage are two different things.

Then again, maybe he was making another joke, while pointing out the error. I... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 6:46 AM on July 24, 2008

Weird -- a girl I knew in high school either was or is a part of the group. Haven't ever gone to see them, though the film/show looks cool.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 4:59 PM on July 15, 2008

Shouldn't that website have, like, a petition or something? Get a million signatures, send them to Lindsay Lohan. Otherwise, it's all meaningless. Lindsay doesn't web-surf. She will never find out that tights are not pants unless we TELL her. Same goes for the other folks who have stopped wearing pants.

And let's face it: all of this was inspired by Go Fug Yourself. The first folks to come out with a strong stance on the tights as pants issue.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 11:33 AM on May 31, 2008

I don't care what celebrities wear. Celebrities are not people.

This may be true. But alas, some people tend to take their cues from celebrities, particularly their fashion cues.

Celebs are always talking about being "role models," though I really don't think anyone in his or her right mind modifies his/her general behavior to mimic that of celebrities. It's just in the fashion department that people listen to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 12:37 PM on May 31, 2008

Am I the only person here who likes Murakami, and also likes the gift-shop-as-exhibit thing? Or is it all just, "He's a pervert" and "Let's mock him"?
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 5:00 PM on May 16, 2008

Hmm. This blog would be improved by illustrations. Seriously. A description of each of Claudia's outfits, followed by an illustration of the blogger's own, would totally spice things up.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 5:54 AM on March 31, 2008

Dude. Am I the only person who looked at that site and thought, "I SO need to get my toes read. I wonder where I can find a toe reader!"???

'Cos now I want a thorough toe-reading, like a good palm reading wherein the fortune teller draws lines on your hand and little marks to show you the formula she has plugged in to get the material for her great story.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 2:15 PM on March 18, 2008

Y'know, I think I'd enjoy this. Even if I have plenty of theological and ideological disagreements with clergymen and women of various religions, I've always liked sitting down and chatting with them. I did a lot of religion reporting for awhile, and it's cool to be able to kick back and talk about stuff with a priest or a rabbi or anyone else who isn't pummeling you over the head with talk about how you're destined for hell unless you do x, y and z.

Seriously. If these... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 1:45 PM on February 19, 2008

Okay, now I have to see this. But how could it beat His Girl Friday, Broadcast News, AND The Paper? Okay, maybe Broadcast News isn't among the top films about journalists, but it's got a special place in my heart anyway.

Oh, and more recently, there was Good Night, and Good Luck.

Anyway, how can anything beat His Girl Friday?

PS. Isn't it amazing how much Michael Douglas looks like... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 7:39 AM on December 16, 2007

WaterSprite, I am also the survivor of an extremely violent crime. And for several years I felt the way you do, that I wanted JUSTICE, which I eventually understood to be synonymous with revenge.

"I just want to ask, is any mentally sane person a murderer, or a thief, or a rapist?"

Probably not.

But the solution is not to seek revenge against people who are very, very sick indeed, but to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 9:51 PM on December 10, 2007

Imminent domain should step in here and be applied for community interest

That spelling of eminent domain is telling. In New Rochelle, NY the city threatened to tear down an entire neighborhood to build an IKEA. There were lots of eyesores, yes, but there was a beautiful old church and there were a lot of people who had been living there -- in perfectly nice houses with a lot of history -- all their lives.

A few years later, in... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 6:35 AM on October 15, 2007

Once in awhile, you just see something that's totally amazing.

That's true. Once I saw this guy make a very realistic replica of Daffy Duck from balloons.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 10:57 PM on October 1, 2007

I read the article and I liked it, but I'm annoyed that the whole sentence was a hyperlink. Whole-sentence hyperlinks are unattractive. And I still think that single links do not make for the best FPPs, even though this one is better than many multi-link FPPs.

Also, I read about five of the comments on this thread, then decided I didn't care what any of you had to say. I just came in here to talk a bunch of nonsense.

I have more to say, but it's... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 9:21 AM on September 5, 2007

the current system is broken

Pyramid termite, I think you and XQUZPHYR agree on that one. In fact, we all seem to agree on that point, and on the fact that the DNC rules committee made a ridiculous decision.

But a national primary would, as suggested above, unfairly empower the candidate who starts with the most money and influence. The frontrunner would always win, and there would be less time for us to suss out which... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 9:14 AM on August 26, 2007

Next we'll be getting barcode tattoos on our faces, a la Jennifer Government.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 6:18 AM on August 15, 2007

Coldchef: Obits are paid announcements. They will, in fact, print nearly anything you submit.

Teeny tiny nitpicky correction: Obituaries are a free service provided by newspapers, and the content is written and edited by newspaper staff, often with very strict guidelines about style and content.

Sadly, free obituaries are uncommon these days and generally reserved for people who were well known and influential in the community.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 7:04 AM on August 14, 2007

What interests me, and is probably not available now, are the reactions of Miller's neighbors. The ones who offered him charity and raised money to have him and his wife buried in the church graveyard.

I can imagine a lot of anger, confusion, and general "WTF?" amongst the church ladies who brought the family casseroles and pitied them so much.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 8:13 AM on August 11, 2007

No, really, I know where Nevada is. I know exactly where Nevada is. Stop screwing with me, man. Nevada goes ... right ... the ... GAH!!@#$%!%

It's like, how close do you need me to get it? And it can't touch the other states next to it, even when I'm trying to finagle it into its Nevada-hole?

Same goes for Wisconsin.

I do NOT live on another planet, I'm just not sure how you expect me to get the state in without touching... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 2:08 PM on August 7, 2007

From the about us page: "Newser does the reading for you."

I don't like this idea. So what, I should now limit my news reading to one paragraph per topic? I've always thought the great thing about the internet was the breadth and depth of information available to anyone willing to do a bit of homework.

But this is like reading USA Today circa 1990.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 6:59 PM on August 2, 2007

(Heard on CNN that the Twins game is not only going on but that they're trying to keep people there as long as possible because they want to keep the area clear.)
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 6:16 PM on August 1, 2007

TPS, you've just given me another reason to never venture outdoors. Ever.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 6:49 PM on July 23, 2007

The only good part was Mark Linn-Baker's cameo. So ... that's what the dude from Perfect Strangers looks like now.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 10:01 PM on July 19, 2007

three blind mice, I think your analysis is a bit over-the-top. Maybe this woman was unpleasant to work with, but that doesn't excuse the actions of the guy who used a newspaper page for his own idiotic purposes.

Copyeditors are anal by nature, and it is part of their job to defend at least the credibility of their publications if not to "defend the business."

Additionally, if she really wanted to mess with him she'd write about where... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 3:26 AM on June 24, 2007

You know, I don't really see how spoilers actually "ruin" the book for anyone. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" really was spoiled, with two or three actual pages scanned in on the days before the book was released.

I read the spoilers -- ah, stupid me, I stumbled upon them on message boards that had been spammed.

But I still went to get the book on release night, and I still enjoyed it, and I still *do* enjoy it. Even... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 6:11 PM on June 21, 2007

I totally thought that last Jesus was going all Star Trek at the end of that first link. Seriously. Maybe more Spaceballs. I thought he was standing on top of a vacuum cleaner or something and hurtling off into space.

Anyway, cool link.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 10:32 AM on June 9, 2007

"It's because we know you have a real core audience that will pay whatever it costs when you put something out — you know, true fans."

What's most offensive about this is not the concept of music as ART, which it undoubtedly is. What's offensive is the idea of taking fans for a ride just, you know, because we can.

I will pay good money for a vinyl copy, or a deluxe edition of an album I already own. And I'll gladly... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 10:12 PM on May 23, 2007

I am ashamed to admit that many years ago I tried a lobster roll at a McDonald's in Rhode Island.

It was pretty good. You know, for McDonald's. Or something. Digging a deeper grave for myself?

I also remember a very strange McDonald's in Tennesee that I visited when I was probably ten years old. It was decorated like a nice Southern home, and they had comfort food on the menu in addition to the regular McDonald's fare.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 8:36 PM on May 20, 2007

The interesting thing about that Wikipedia thread of Japanese apologies is that there was a long period during which the effects of rape were described as "stains on the honor and dignity" of the women who had been abused. And it's about so much more than honor or dignity. There are physical wounds, emotional wounds, wounds so deep no one should ever have to live with them.

The 2001 apology referenced above ("As Prime Minister of Japan, I thus extend anew... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 12:50 PM on February 16, 2007

sweet jesus. i was really hoping mefi's better side would show here. pooh.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 6:45 PM on December 29, 2006

What was so scandalous about the Rabin vase?
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 8:06 AM on December 20, 2006

serazin: I really liked this post. Double or no, the links were very informative.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 2:48 PM on December 11, 2006

I have gotten five minutes into this clip and I'm already suicidal.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 11:29 AM on December 9, 2006

Does anyone know whether classifying Z.C. as a sex offender will affect her ability to receive state aid? I can imagine that if she has chosen to carry the pregnancy to term, she might need to apply for W.I.C. or other assistance. As a convicted sex offender (at the ripe old age of 12!), would she still be able to receive that assistance?
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 11:02 AM on December 9, 2006

Hmm. I'd like it more if it weren't one big ad for the vodka manufacturer in question.

xthlc: Let us not get into a discussion about gin versus vodka. It will end badly.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 10:37 AM on November 30, 2006

Wow. Now I don't even have to check my e-mail for annoying forwards. I can get them just by visiting MeFi. YAY!!!
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 12:27 PM on November 9, 2006

A few points to consider:

1. Schools and school districts use these results for a variety of purposes, one of which is grading the teachers and the level of instruction at particular elementary schools. If, for example, this year's fourth graders perform worse on the exams than last year's fourth graders, every parent in town starts to question whether the teachers have gone downhill. They start to talk about what needs to change, and all of this results in a snowball... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 3:04 PM on October 18, 2006

Good post, ernie. I've been waiting for someone to come up with something thoughtful and thorough on the DPRK situation.

And mullingitover: Do you really think that China annexing the DPRK would help matters? South Koreans would have a seriously tough time accepting that.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 3:10 PM on October 17, 2006

Has anyone reliable confirmed that the first one was even nuclear?

Hmm. Does John Negroponte (.pdf) count?
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 3:38 PM on October 17, 2006

I'm never going to sleep again, lest I wake up covered in a white shroud of caterpillar goo.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 11:14 AM on August 4, 2006

Has anyone confirmed it was a heart attack, other than his spokesperson? Do we know if he's had heart problems in the past?
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 7:26 AM on July 5, 2006

It really says something about a person's intelligence and character when they maintain a blatantly filthy and suicidal habit like that.

Yup. All smokers are obviously very stupid and bad people.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 8:50 PM on May 17, 2006

Careful all -- say much more and we'll all be on the FBI wiretapping list. That's what happens when you, you know, object to stuff that is blatantly unconstitutional and inhumane.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 2:28 PM on May 11, 2006

Many hours later: Sorry, I meant "NSA," not "FBI."
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 6:38 PM on May 11, 2006

Paul Ford would most definitely win a celebrity death match against Dave Barry. No offense, Dave.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 5:00 PM on January 1, 2006

The best Chanukkah music ever, of course, has been released just this year by The Leevees. My personal favorite is "How do you spell Channukkahh?"
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 4:47 PM on December 26, 2005

As much as StormFront disgusts me, I think it may be a mistake to place the bulk of the blame for this story on the reporter -- or Fox, or Meredith Corporation. (Remember, the higher-ups generally don't interfere with day-to-day activities, and are only alerted if something goes wrong).

The real power is in the hands of the producers who either (a) told Tami Birckner to do the story or (b) accepted her pitch -- depending on whether she's telling the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 11:05 PM on December 22, 2005

The one Katrina picture they used didn't seem to be the right one. There were so many powerful photographs that were overlooked in favor of one of many flooded living room photos.

I also thought it was odd that there was only that one Katrina photo; however, I recognized it immediately. If there was any one Katrina photo that stuck in my mind, it was that one. The other shots of pain and suffering all blend together — not because they are unimportant... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 8:57 AM on December 22, 2005

I thought it was a hoax at first. It really is sad.
posted to MetaFilter by brina at 4:13 PM on December 16, 2005