Clearly McCain's got a thing for beauty queens.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 8:17 AM on August 29, 2008

I can't wait for the VP debates. "Governor Palin, Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?"
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 8:28 AM on August 29, 2008

Reminds me of the chutzpah & cynicism involved when GHW Bush appointed Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court to replace Thurgood Marshall.

Or like when Jack Ryan dropped out of the 2004 Senate race against Obama and the GOP replaced him with Alan Keyes.


You're going to hear a lot about Palin's toughness, demonstrated by her delivering a speech after her water broke when she was carrying her fifth child. Here's... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 12:24 PM on August 29, 2008

She may be pretty. She may be stupid. The two are NOT connected.

Which is why the whole "it's a scholarship program" angle is such a joke.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 4:21 PM on August 29, 2008

the reasoning for why Sarah Palin should be elected Vice President of the United States seems to boil down to "She didn't have an abortion".

C'mon, there's more to her than that. She didn't have five abortions.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 4:56 AM on August 30, 2008

Just don't tax anyone for any income under the average line. Levy a flat tax on all income after that.

Flat taxes are effectively regressive and harder on people with lower incomes. And why should I work harder to pull myself up above the average line if it suddenly means I'll be taxed and have a cut to my take home pay?
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 12:39 PM on August 30, 2008

The addition of a VP who may have pro-life OPINIONS, but no demonstrable RECORD (I could be entirely wrong about this, but I can't imagine how a city-council/mayor/governor has opportunity to flex any pro-life muscles) supporting these positions seems like a non-sequitor.

Record or not, any political figure has a chance to frame an issue and influence opinions. Palin didn't join Feminists for Life for nothing. And now we're talking about someone who... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 8:47 AM on August 31, 2008

Campaign money hurts Palin's outsider image As Palin campaigned unsuccessfully in 2002 to become lieutenant governor, she received contributions from executives at VECO Corp., a powerful Alaska oil field services company. Company founder Bill Allen has admitted the company steers its donations through a "special bonus program" in which executives received money and the company instructed them to donate it to favored politicians.

Allen pleaded... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 10:01 PM on September 2, 2008

Does anybody remember a commercial years back for an ISP where a young man watches a politician on the news, says, "I just know that guy's lying," does some internet research real fast, sends the dirt he finds to all his friends, and then the politician gets defeated? I used to think that commercial was ridiculous.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 10:06 PM on September 2, 2008

He wasn't planning budgets, etc when he was in the Senate.

I am saying that it is wrong for the Democrats to claim Palin is less qualified than he.

As a US senator, Obama votes on the the federal budget (as does McCain, of course). Add that to a whole slew of appropriations bills and whatnot, and I think it's safe to say Obama knows more about how the federal government works than Palin.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 9:32 PM on September 3, 2008

NPR has a nice story on the the charming Anne Kilkenny, who's been thrust suddenly into the spotlight as her letter about her former mayor spreads across the political blogs. (See empath's link above.) Shows you what an alert citizen with a dial-up connection can do.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 11:19 PM on September 5, 2008

Well, the police are doing their part: Massive police raids on suspected protestors in MinneapolisAs the [Democracy Now] producer explains, she was present at a meeting of a group called "I-Witness" -- which videotaped police behavior at the 2004 GOP Convention in New York and helped get charges dismissed against hundreds of protesters who were arrested. The police surrounded the St. Paul house where they were meeting even though they had no warrant, told them that anyone... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 10:14 AM on August 31, 2008

Disassembled car
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 8:18 PM on August 21, 2008

I'm amazed the owner's jeans are apparently not colorfast, and stained the seat leather.

And now I imagine that if I had such a car the obvious solution would be to drive only in the nude.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 4:57 PM on August 12, 2008

I wonder what that guy would charge me for a sponge bath.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 3:59 PM on August 13, 2008

He was the King

Not just figuratively. For his humanitarian work he was honored with the crown of the Ada district of Ghana.

Walk on By
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 2:47 PM on August 10, 2008

I've worked with cob. It was fun, in spite of our team leader, who derided me for wearing boots during the mixing process. Later he invited us to search the empty lot for rocks of spiritual significance to add to the clay in an excruciatingly long improvised ceremony. The next week there was glass in the clay and another volunteer sliced her foot open. Yes, it took two weekends for a team of five people to build a bench. It's either since fallen apart since or been demolished by local residents... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 9:03 PM on August 6, 2008

I'm not even sure what a "hipster" is, but I think I kinda like them, based solely on how bitter, fun-eschewing assholes tend to spew spittle-flecked hatred in their direction.

Amen, brother. To borrow a line from Absolute Beginners, complaining about hipsters is a sure sign of defeat.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 8:07 AM on August 1, 2008

fixedgear, hold tight. I'll let you know when I'm done putting my bike together. Me on a fixie will be the final nail in the coffin.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 11:06 AM on August 1, 2008

I saw Gil a few months back at Ravinia. He was indefatigable, on top of his game. Must be that macrobiotic diet.

I friend of mine worked for Partido dos Trabalhadores, Lula's party. He said having Gil around was like having Bob Marley on the cabinet. Once in a while he'd end a press conference by pulling out his guitar.

Thinking about how that would go down in the US makes me kind of glad we don't have a minister of culture.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 5:57 AM on July 31, 2008

Let me drink free beer!
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 6:01 AM on July 31, 2008

Here's my playlist:

Procissão
Roda
Geléia geral
Batmakumba
Marginália 2
Pega a voga, cabeludo
Cérebro eletrônico
Can't find my way home
Chiclete com banana
Expresso 2222
O sonho acabou
Abra o olho
Jurubeba
Refazenda
Baião... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 8:24 AM on July 31, 2008

At the end of the day I like to send steaming plates of poop down the conveyor belt. So far it hasn't hurt my reputation.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 7:52 AM on July 25, 2008

Most cities have tours for $100 or less for an afternoon

For $100 I can buy a bike.

A bike is faster, don't need to be charged, and is light enough to carry up stairs.

At the college where I work, there was a student who rode his Segway to class from the dorm. The dorm is two blocks away.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 8:16 PM on July 23, 2008

Also, concepts developed for and proven by the Segway could be useful in the future in creating better mobility devices for the disabled if they haven't already.

Actually, loiseau, they have already and you've got the timeline backwards. Kamen's iBOT wheelchair was an earlier application of the gyroscopic technology that went into the Segway. The gyroscopes in the iBOT add a whole bunch of new functions to a powered wheelchair, like climbing stairs... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 10:10 PM on July 23, 2008

stbalbach, I'm willing to concede that there may be institutional or commercial applications for the Segway, but I kinda think that had there been a massive PR campaign for regular electric scooters, my local law enforcement agency would have saved some money.

I wish I was a pro biker. Segways aren't allowed on the roads or the multi-use trail I take to work, and I'm not allowed on the sidewalk, so my disdain has nothing to do with competition for space. But all the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 11:22 PM on July 23, 2008

I bet I can guess what the deletion comment will be.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 1:09 PM on July 18, 2008

Six Pronouns in Search of an Antecedent.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 10:22 AM on July 18, 2008

But surely there have been animated, particularly CGI, music videos before.

See Kraftwerk, over 20 years ago.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 12:08 PM on July 14, 2008

I don't think the Kraftwerk video was made from data scanned at 30 fps while the subject was singing. Even if you don't like Radiohead, this is a novel technology to make a music video with.

Never said it wasn't, demiurge. I was just answering DU's implied question.

Here at work we have a Microscribe 3DX boxed away somewhere, slipping further and further into obsolescence. Oddly enough, just this morning I was thinking about... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 1:04 PM on July 14, 2008

I was just working on a post for this! It's part of Yauner's "Because We Can" series. I like The Fastest Clock in the World.

I also like the stick figure that gets tired of just standing there.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 12:19 PM on June 24, 2008

Artw, I didn't mean to imply that Landslide was more controversial than other pieces. I spent some time looking for more information on the art included in the exhibit, and that was just poor link placement on my part.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 10:35 PM on June 22, 2008

Urban Light is fantastic!

I guess it's 'irony' when you push the boundaries but it's a 'safety violation' when someone else does it.

When you surprise a classroom full of people by pointing what appears to be a loaded gun at your head, how is that not a safety violation?
...in the course of a performance for a class taught by visiting instructor Ron Athey, a graduate student entered a classroom at UCLA’s Warner... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 11:10 PM on June 8, 2008

Also: heh.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 11:11 PM on June 8, 2008

Terrible Names for Hair Salons.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 11:18 AM on June 6, 2008

This morning on Bike the Drive I spotted an old man cruising along on a tricycle with a filing cabinet attached to the back. It's bound to catch on.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 8:37 PM on May 25, 2008

The Modern Lovers: I'm Straight
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 10:09 AM on May 22, 2008

One little tidbit I picked up somewhere long ago is that a bicycle is the most energy-efficient way to move a human, in terms of calories spent over distance. More efficient than walking, driving, riding a horse, etc. Of course, I don't have a source for that.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 2:37 PM on May 14, 2008

Shit, you mean they're valuable to somebody, too?!?

You bet.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 8:52 PM on May 5, 2008

Theme de Yoyo...I wish there was a better video, but you should definitely listen.

Well there's this video from a drag show. (nsfw) They don't really live up to the power of the song, but I give 'em credit for trying.

George Lewis has a history of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians coming out soon. It's called
A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 9:50 PM on April 25, 2008

Related: Kent Rogowski's inside-out Bears.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 8:40 PM on April 24, 2008

If there was a Funky-chicken-dancing Elmo, I'd buy a dozen.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 10:11 PM on April 24, 2008

It's like Valie Export's "Tap and Touch Cinema," completely reversed.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 10:50 AM on April 23, 2008

I honestly believe that all of the composting, recycling, biking, food-miles-counting and tofu-eating in the world won't help us if global warming theory is correct; and if it's not, obviously, then it doesn't matter anyway.

One nice thing about making an effort to reduce global warming is that there are lots of other benefits that go along with it. Mainly less pollution, but also reduced dependence on foreign oil, more wildlife, tastier food, more... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 7:10 PM on April 18, 2008

But "more robust transportation options"? What does that mean?

Well funded, smartly integrated public transportation systems. Rapid rail transit. More bike lanes. Urban planning that allows you to walk to a store.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 7:37 PM on April 18, 2008

My first exposure to Kraftwerk was my dad's copy of Autobahn, which may be my first instance of "I get it" when exposed to (what was then) avant-garde. What was I, four years old? How could I not like a song about cars sung by robots?

It's amazing how they progressed from that to this, which my father wouldn't recognize. They were there in the background as I went through new wave in the eighties, and what a surprise (yet still kind of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 12:34 AM on April 5, 2008

Here's some nice dancing set to "Europe Endless," which pretty much obliterates my "didn't deserve its followers" idea. Sorry.

Think about this while you're breakdancing:
Band member Wolfgang Flur explains, "All of us in the group are children who were born straight after World War Two. So, we had no musical or pop culture of our own, there was nothing behind us there was the war, and before the war we had only the German... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 12:56 AM on April 5, 2008

except this undeniably cat-like shape which acts undeniably like a cat in the mirror

It doesn't smell or sound like another cat. Your cat may have learned that there's nothing more to that figure in the mirror.

nor can she smell the cat outside my house

She might be able to. Or it might display some aggression that your cat reacts to.

It would be a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 7:13 AM on March 31, 2008

If you ever wanted to play Light Cycles on your real-life bicycle, here's how.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 7:37 PM on March 30, 2008

Surprisingly, this baby eating a jalapeño seems pretty okay, but you probably don't want to watch this video.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 8:52 AM on March 28, 2008