Mother's day always felt like a scam to me i'm afraid. As kids we might make breakfast for mum but thats about it. I speak to my mother occasionally now - but I rather resent the suggestion that I should do it today just because marketers tell me to.

I thought this was rather amusing actually:
"The modern holiday of Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in America. She then began a campaign to make... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 3:10 AM on May 13, 2012

This is just another mixtape of a bunch on unaccredited other-peoples-music - so I think saying they are back with a new lullaby is a bit misleading.

There isn't even a tracklisting - which I think is rather rude and exploitative.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 1:53 AM on May 9, 2012

Its an instrument - but its a pretty crap one. you should heart the stuff people do with these things called Trumpets. now those bad boys can really sing.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 1:25 AM on May 1, 2012

I"m not disagreeing that its an instrument. I just disagree that is a very flexible or really emotive one. I listen to that Youtube clip and its a pretty awful song.

If someone was playing the exact same track as a band - it would be a pretty crap 'song'.

So if I ignore that it was 'played' on a turntable - if I"m not wowwed that pitching is possible on that ínstrument' then I just think its a rather by-the-numbers melody that he has... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 2:33 PM on May 1, 2012

Sounds a bit nuts really. Is there really nothing better to do with your time and money? Its just so absurd.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 1:00 PM on April 27, 2012

The problem with this is that in a sense it furthers the notion that normal laws and rules do not apply to people in the Armed Forces. That it is OK for some old chap to engage in illegal activity on quite a large scale - as long as its for the benefit of the troops.

What if instead of the latest blockbusters he was sending bootleg copies of hardcore porn DVDs, I"m sure they are also in high demand by the troops abroad. Would he still be a hero?... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 11:50 PM on April 27, 2012

I thought they were all rather poor arguments. And most did not even present an argument to continue eating meat.

That last one was terrible full of false premises.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 5:40 AM on April 26, 2012

I find that the vegetarian argument is often approached from a very uneven starting point of view.

The meat-eater is asked to provide an excuse for the worst excesses of the Meat Industry. to Argue why its OK to eat meat if that even indirectly supports an industry that promotes the kind of insanity that exists in Industrialized meat farming.

Yet the Vegetarian is never held responsible for similar excesses of the vegetable farming. The... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 5:47 AM on April 26, 2012

I too thought it was rather absurd the 'outrage' over possibly damaging / killing the one tree by building this WOODEN structure upon it. What do these people think? that wood just grows ON trees? - Wood IS Trees!
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 4:47 AM on April 26, 2012

I find it amazing how these kind of things are surprising to people these days. Have we become so very separated from the actual source of our food that we do not know how they grow?

The problem is its actually quite difficult to grow enough to make the exercise particularly worthwhile and economical. And you need a lot of space, good soil, sunlight, good weather and its quite a bit of work and the yields can be poor.

I can see the celery in... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 2:40 AM on April 26, 2012

Really? are you sure the fans actually want new material? Thats definately not the vibe I got when I saw him live in about 2006 in Sydney and the crowd seemed mostly disinterested in anything after Lets Dance..

Just play the hits ok..
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 1:17 PM on April 25, 2012

thats a nice rant little you have there. but... I was actually attempting to snidely point out that there are a variety of "fans" and actually most of the fans at concerts don't really seem to want new material from Bowie.

I actually really like this blog about Bowie's Songs: Pushing Ahead of the Dame: David Bowie, song by song. And I do like a lot of the hits and early stuff but he's really just not that relevant now. And after that concert in 2006 I vowed... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 1:52 PM on April 25, 2012

I don't get why its so amazing either. I'm not a drummer though. but I have spent many hours programming drum machines.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 5:29 AM on April 24, 2012

um I thought those Neil Peart isolation drum tracks sounded pretty bad actually. I mean sure he can do a fast tom fill but the groove is like a lead weight. stodgy frumpy horrible.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 6:25 AM on April 24, 2012

500 ton is really quite small. the USA alone mines almost that in Gold in just the last year. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_mining_in_the_United_States

Given the costs involved I don't see how that could be profitable at all. And as to crashing that into earth. I'd think that most of it would burn up on entry. wouldn't it?

What is the typical size of an asteroid entering earths atmosphere?
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 1:47 PM on April 20, 2012

I don't think this is making light of Female Genital Mutilation at all. I thought it was quite an inspired and thought provoking artwork.

What exactly would you say is an appropriate way to tackle such and issue in art then?
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 1:29 PM on April 20, 2012

The big point of this really just seems to be the complete hypocrisy of USA Foreign Trade Policy. Its shocking that in this day and age there is still in the USA no protection of DOC / AOC labeling of foodstuffs that really have a right to protect their name and heritage.

Further cause to boycott USA products.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 1:51 AM on April 18, 2012

Gravlax is not really fermented any more though. Its just salted and cured.

I ate some Harkarl in Iceland. it wasn't that bad actually reminded me of a strong Stilton - I think its more interesting in a way as the original un-fermented fish is in fact poisonous and its only by the long fermentation and drying that it becomes safe to eat.

I think most of these "discoveries" were made when salting foods at times of Salt shortages. You... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 11:49 PM on April 17, 2012

I thought the article read a little like product placement. I like to cook and regularly will cook stews and beans and other time consuming things for 2 + hours. But I have always been suspicious of the Pressure Cooker.

Generally I think of it as more of Microwave novelty device that is not really needed in a real kitchen.

Also having just read McGee's On Food and Cooking I"m doubtful that you will get great results with a cooking... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 2:52 AM on April 9, 2012

So about 8L (8 Quart) seems to be the recommended size. - but that seems just huge to me. Amazon.co.uk has a lot in the 6L size actually.

I will investigate, as it might be useful for cooking more beans and pulses. (which I might be doing more of soon due to unemployment).
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 5:52 AM on April 13, 2012

I don't see how this is better or faster than a straight old Espresso Machine. And I disagree on Pour Over Coffee Filters they just can't make a strong enough coffee.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 10:43 AM on April 8, 2012

Charlie Don't..

I am currently into a small french press actually - but I use a lot of coffee grounds (and I don't mind a little grit). I don't like paper filters at all as they seem to steal the aroma and depth from the coffee which make sense scientifically as they tend to filter out the oil and most aroma molecules are soluble in oil rather than water.

My partner uses a Moka Pot style machine and I used to in University but I find they are a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 5:45 AM on April 13, 2012

there's thousands of these sorts of things ranging from shit to rather good implementations. I thought this was a cute implementation of a limited looping thing - but ultimately rather pointless as they all are.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 7:08 AM on April 12, 2012

That was very odd. Football matches (Soccer) only last for an hour and a half and I'd argue that a LOT happens during the game - (just not much scoring). I"ve tried to watch American Football and found it so very very tedious with half the match spent with them setting up or getting into position for a play and then bam the play is over. set up again.

If you want to cite a boring game on the basis of nothing much happening - how about Test Match Cricket. which goes... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 2:34 AM on April 6, 2012

He doesn't even look like a hipster. And whats with assuming that Hipster-ism is some kind of USA culture thing. - I just don't believe that.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 1:20 AM on March 31, 2012

Thats just complete rubbish iamkimian. explaining what a hipster is has nothing to do with America. And I think the Pabst thing is a total red herring. Hipsters outside the USA don't drink Pabst.

East London I would argue is even more hipster central than Brooklyn.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 2:19 AM on March 31, 2012

Human Flesh the cultural chasm that exists between art students and the people who wear North Face jackets seems wider and more sparsely populated in the US when compared to England.

Ha yes! this is it. I've never really understood my disdain of North Face jackets quite so eloquently. That High-Performance-Sports-Wear as Everday-Wear it is almost the polar opposite of the "hipster-aesthetic".... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 2:37 AM on April 5, 2012

Its arguable that the First Past the Post voting system is to blame for the two party control of politics in the UK and US. AV and 2-round systems provide environments where it is less risky for people to vote for a 3rd party as their 1st choice and hence promote the continued existence of additional parties.

I also think 1 May is possibly a bad choice if they were looking to incite a 'global' response given it is already a public/bank holiday in much of Europe and so... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 1:14 AM on April 4, 2012

Imagine the people campaigning for concrete things like an eight-hour-day hearing that. Outside the system, indeed; just where the system wants you, rest assured.
posted by smoke at 3:26 AM on April 4.

Then what exactly can one do when the system itself is totally compromised?
ie say, the absurdity that Unions cannot 'legally' call a General Strike. Its a STRIKE for goddsake, a strike - how can you make it illegal to strike?... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 3:45 AM on April 4, 2012

Is the Geometric Mean actually a better indicator of the average in measuring these sorts of things?
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 3:26 AM on April 4, 2012

Wait a minute - so being Anti-GM is considered as being anti-science?
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 5:23 AM on April 3, 2012

I was hoping for comprehensive statistical or survey data on what USA voters do "actually" value. I was disappointed it was a bunch of empty catch-phrase terms with pretty pictures.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 3:37 AM on April 3, 2012

I think you will find that the only countries that have viable third party options in elections are countries that do NOT use the First-Past-The-Post voting system.

FPTP is just bullshit and clearly (IMHO) provides direct support for maintaining the status quo. Germany uses a Proportional Representation and I beleive this is why other parties are able to gain an foothold in politics. its Just not possible with a FPTP system without damaging the chances of your... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 3:23 AM on March 28, 2012

I thought it was a noble effort to try and push the impending warmongering talk back toward the individual - to add a "human face / element". It was as bit too saccharine for me but its difficult to know what one can do to make a difference in this day and age.

He is at least putting himself out there a little and trying something.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 12:44 PM on March 23, 2012

I just recently watched Metropolitan for the first time and found it ok.. but a bit tedious. The preview for this new one did not look promising though.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 12:16 PM on March 23, 2012

The video is annoying me because he keep saying that 17 is the minimum for the Sudoko to be SOLVABLE when he means "have a unique solution". Even and empty grid is "solvable".
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 7:35 AM on March 14, 2012

hey Malor Just because a solution is non-unique does not mean its not a solution.

I stand by my original statement. An empty grid is "solvable".
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 3:13 PM on March 14, 2012

Jesus that 999 video is complete rubbish. And makes outrageous and unspooprted claims that somehow just introducing this tax change will create prosperity.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 10:00 AM on March 12, 2012

The problem with many of these charity notions is more the failure of those donating to realise that perhaps it is infact their own lifestyle that is doing more harm than it is possible to correct by these charitable donations.

If you look at somewhere like Haiti where it is arguable that the poverty is a direct result of the trade practices adopted there under the duress of the IMF that destroyed their local economies. Whereas the USA continues to spend billions each... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 3:39 AM on March 7, 2012

I thought this was a rather good critique of many issues with Aid: http://matadornetwork.com/change/7-worst-international-aid-ideas/
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 3:47 AM on March 7, 2012

So on the one hand, we get a pretty sweet deal on exploitation of Ugandan Oil and Gas feilds - all that cheap petrol, "the west" relies on has to come from somewhere - and meanwhile the other hand gives back a little bit to try and stop some of these atrocities.

I can't help but think maybe these two things are related?
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 2:53 AM on March 7, 2012

That sample looks awful.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 6:07 AM on March 6, 2012

much more interesting that that Avengers Trailer.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 12:36 AM on March 1, 2012

what exactly about that preview was good? - looks like a typical action super hero film.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 12:13 AM on March 1, 2012

So why exactly is the USA at all involved in this given its a treaty signed by countries in the Asia Pacific region?

When is the USA just going to fuck off and stop interfering in other countries activities that they have no right or even business getting involved in.

I wish Australia would just toughen-up some time and tell the USA to piss off and stop meddling in our affairs.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 1:45 AM on February 29, 2012

There seems to be loads of these Boomwacker videos out there of varying quality / difficulty. this one was particularly poor due to the over-reliance on the guitar and drum backing track.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 3:11 AM on February 27, 2012

I thought it was a bit shit and cliched.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 1:05 PM on February 21, 2012

So, tomorrow morning, what you have us do, Noam?

They never seem to answer that question. Actually, I think not answering that question is Noam's business model.


I read this article last week. It is a study, or a statement of his perception of the status quo. It is a statement of 'fact' (or interpretation of facts) Not advice or a prescription. So why the hell does it even need to answer your questions of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 5:56 AM on February 20, 2012

Someone mentioned Occupy Wall Street. There's a classic example of what happens when the diagnosis guy leads the charge -- a lot of sound and fury that signified nothing, because the movement had no prescriptive, workable, shovel-ready policy ideas beyond, "Rich people suck and something should be done."

Well, what? Tell us exactly, and to how many decimal places.

What are you talking about? The Occupy protest... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 12:53 PM on February 20, 2012

Sorry but I couldn't get past the first paragraph. Its just so terribly written.

Really though how many people die of these sorts of issues? c.f. post on NYC drivers killing pedestrians and cyclists.
posted to MetaFilter by mary8nne at 5:54 AM on February 16, 2012