Displaying comments 1 to 50 of 146
MeFi post:
eh?
Or could it be that all Newfies talk that way because they have had strokes? Huh? Huh?
Geez...it takes 14 comments for someone to finally figure out what I'm alluding to. Are you all Newfies or somethin'? (*ducks for cover*)
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 10:00 PM on July 3, 2008
MeFi post:
Stealth bomber crash
Modern (i.e. since the 1970s) ejection seats are zero/zero certified. I.e. you are supposed to survive an ejection at zero airspeed and zero altitude, assuming you're not completely upside-down. Fact is that peacetime crashes happen almost always during takeoff and landing, and are a close-second during wartime.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 5:49 PM on June 6, 2008
MeFi post:
I'd rather take the train
Flying gliders (aka sailplanes) makes this stuff look like a walk in the park. Especially when hunting for ridge lift, doing figure-o-eights while skimming trees on a montainside. Or landing in a crosswind, with only one chance to get it right.
In a power plane, your landing is a bit off? Power up, wheels up, go around. Big deal.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 8:21 PM on April 23, 2008
MeFi post:
We shot an Arrow into the air
I'm Canadian, but my reaction to this has always been "meh".
That these conspiracy theories are so widely circulated amongst mainstream Canadians (not usually the type to believe that the American moon-landing was faked) indicates to me what a huge chip we have on our national shoulder.
Come on, if Canadian aerospace was so great, would axing ONE project really have such a monumental impact, as claimed by these paranoid hyper-patriots?... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 10:58 AM on March 25, 2008
MeFi post:
Just Like Rudy if He Had Been a Bike Wheel
phearlez...absolutely it is a biker thing, but probably the same as in any other sport. if you were a passionate fan, you'd be ecstatic it if you could contribute to the success or survival of an athlete in an event.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 12:09 PM on February 28, 2008
supercres, you sound incredulous.
it's not hard to believe he finished the race on a cheap wheel. most equipment on the market is actually pretty good, even the cheaper stuff. it would be hard to win though with sloppy incompatible shifting, the extra weight and poor aerodynamics.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 12:12 PM on February 28, 2008
I'm more taking a bit of amusement at the fact that the skill, and not the tools, make the athlete.
Supercres, it's both. Keep in mind that finishing is not the same as winning.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 3:00 PM on February 28, 2008
a copy of the original forum post is now on bobbyjulich.com
rest assured that the wheel donor will be well compensated
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 9:30 PM on March 2, 2008
MeFi post:
Physics 101 stumper
If you replace the conveyor belt with a moving aircraft carrier, then you have a real world application.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 10:34 PM on September 29, 2007
MeFi post:
It's a gift to be simple... provided you have the means
I work in a bike shop doing inventory. I used to work in actuarial consulting. The chief mechanic is a former chartered accountant, and one of the floor sales staff is a former union lawyer. This shit happens everywhere, we don't need a BS movie about Starfucks to find inspiration.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 6:53 PM on September 27, 2007
MeFi post:
The V-22 Osprey - A Flying Shame
Because of the problems with early models of the M16 in Vietnam, the reputation of the gun was tarnished, and it took decades for people to realize that it wasn't a complete piece of junk.
The current M4/M16 isn't a complete piece of junk?
That'll be news to the folks at NPR who recently did a hit piece on the rifle, quoting all sorts of masculine types who were let down at rather inconvenient times.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 4:36 PM on September 27, 2007
MeFi post:
More of the Same.
When a phone becoming cheaper generates this much angst, you know that Apple is ruling the world. As they say, there's no such thing as bad publicity.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 12:18 AM on September 7, 2007
MeFi post:
SPLed beans
For all of AT&T's flaws (poor cust svc, no 3G, etc.) you gotta admit though that the plans are quite a deal given that they include unlimited data. So unless you're pining for an iPhone from outside of the US, I don't really see the need to unlock the iPhone.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 8:00 PM on August 23, 2007
MeFi post:
Shit's getting all crazy
What really impresses me is if you look at the slow-mo of the fall, he immediately knows he's screwed and manoeuvres mid-air into a "safe" position to take the fall. His feet take the first impact, then his butt, then his torso and his head last. It's not panicked flailing, but rather highly developed reflexes similar to how cats right themselves in a fall so that they land on their feet.
Yes, it's amazing that he walked away, but given the way he landed I... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 10:34 PM on August 3, 2007
Moreover, wood skating surfaces will yield slightly when you hit them. Big difference between wood and concrete. Think about how many times you've dropped a class on a hardwood floor and it just bounces, but not so on tile.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 10:41 PM on August 3, 2007
er...glass, not class
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 10:42 PM on August 3, 2007
MeFi post:
Not with bang?
Regardless of the justifications -- moral or otherwise, sufficient or otherwise -- this is not a war. This is an occupation. Benign or otherwise, it is an occupation. All occupations end, whether sooner or later. Success must be defined and achieved independently of the ending of the occupation.
It is very important that we change the vocabulary with which we refer to this conflict, because without the right vocabulary there is no clarity about means or ends.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 3:38 AM on July 8, 2007
MeFi post:
Enter the Velodrome
I really hate how lifestyle pieces like this one portray brakeless fixed-gear bikes as "insane." Braking is a secondary function of a direct drive bicycle drive train. With a moderate level of skill and experience, mechanical hand brakes on fixed gear bikes are simply not necessary.
Spoken like someone who doesn't know the difference between the front brake and the rear brake (i.e. twice as much braking power).
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 6:32 PM on April 30, 2007
MeFi post:
Lilly Allen - Smile
Yeah I suppose her chav-accent is a flavour of British if you say wiggers like Eminem have an American accent.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 12:18 PM on November 11, 2006
MeFi post:
"They all cheat."
Major League Baseball doesn't drug-test at all.
Seriously? How is that even possible?
In pro-sports, it comes down to what spectators care about. And it's quite obvious that hockey, baseball and football fans don't care. Perhaps the thinking is that doping helps you less in sports where skill and team strategy are greater factors for success than pure individual athleticism, therefore it's not worth pursuing a witchhunt.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 5:00 PM on October 26, 2006
MeFi post:
Fixed Gear Gallery
A fixed-gear is simultaneously the antithesis and analogue of an SUV.
The former (especially the sans-brake variety) is less than what is practically necessary, therefore you must be pretty macho to ride it.
The latter is much more than what is practically necessary (especially the brush-bar adorned variety), therefore you must be pretty macho to drive it.
Both are essentially fashion statements unsuited to the vast... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 2:51 PM on October 8, 2006
MeFi post:
"We've been hit."
It kind of amazes me that mid-air collisions happen at all. When you think of how small airplanes are compared to how big the sky is, it just seems like something that shouldn't occur.
There are tens of thousands of flights commercial every day over the United States alone, and many more semi-commercial or private flights. That mid-air collisions don't happen more is a testament to the effectiveness of modern air traffic control.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 12:09 AM on October 4, 2006
MeFi post:
Can't set up a snitch line? We're outta here.
I don't understand why they would jettison 85 stores instead of just changing their ways to fit the country. Must be something more to it.
Out of all the people you know, how many are able to change their ways? That is, if they even recognize the need to change? Now imagine this inertia multiplied across an organization consisting of thousands of people.
If you think managing cultural adaptation is easy, then you must be a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 8:10 PM on July 29, 2006
MeFi post:
If bikes are bad for the environment, what happens if we put a two stroke motor on them?
Even if we accept the individual claims linked in the FPP, put together they are contradictory.
First link claims that bikes force you to excercise, and excercise makes you live longer, and the longer we live, the worse our impact on the environment.
But then the second link is for a powered bike that you don't pedal. Which relieves us from excercise. So how would this bike be bad for the environment, since it wouldn't make us live longer?
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 12:54 AM on July 24, 2006
MeFi post:
TdF Joux-Plane Spoiler
Exciting stuff, certainly. But how is Landis going to perform tomorrow? I hope not, but he may have burned himself out today and set himself up for a flameout tomorrow or in the TT Saturday. The yellow jersey of the TdF is not won with big efforts on a single day, it is won by incrementally chipping away at the lead of your competitors. Remember, Lance Armstrong, back in his Motorola days, was once an incredible one day-racer too...he had to tone that down and ride strategically in order to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 5:12 PM on July 20, 2006
MeFi post:
The decline of manual transmission cars
Oh, and could someone describe one of these "emergencies" which you were only able to survive due to your giant throbbing stick shift?
Pretty much any situation where you have poor traction. Mud. Snow. Loose dirt. Especially if you're stuck and have to rock out.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 12:37 PM on June 15, 2006
MeFi post:
$30,000 candles
nomisxid, the point is that insurance fraud violates a civil contract, not common law. If you get caught, you could be denied insurance compensation (or get sued in extreme cases) but you'd never see the inside of a jail cell.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 12:55 PM on June 12, 2006
MeFi post:
Ever wanted to ask the guy next to you on the bus to shut up?
The problem is, this younger guy has the older guy's number. He knows the routine, so he knows just how to push this guy's buttons.
Totally agreed. The kid's body language, intonation, and languorous capitulation all read "fuck you" and that is exactly what is riling the old man.
The subtitling isn't that great -- it's too literal. E.g. the first couple of "apologies" offered by the kid are in fact not... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 1:57 PM on May 28, 2006
MeFi post:
A Chauncy for our times
I think the widespread assumption that a black, chubby man with a foreign accent in London must be a minicab driver is midly racist. That and Kewney's comments. We're not talking about white hoods and burning crosses, but it's still ethnic stereotyping nonetheless.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 12:44 AM on May 16, 2006
MeFi post:
Stop, collaborate and listen
oh come on -- it was well choreographed. I especially love how smoothly he transitions from one dance to the next, though less so in the last third. He lost some steam at the end.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 11:55 PM on May 15, 2006
MeFi post:
World's biggest windfarms
None of the experts are expecting wind energy to singlehandly solve our problems, but rather for it to alleviate them in concert with other technologies (including nuclear). As for the issue of varying wind, well-planned farms will likely be incorporated into existing grid energy storage schemes.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 11:58 AM on April 30, 2006
MeFi post:
Project Dribble
Go look it up... you'll see that workers exposed to long-term, low levels of radiation are healthier than those who aren't.
Malor, while I tend to believe you, nothing irks me more than people who make a statement and then tell others to "look it up". The onus is on you, not us, to provide references that support your claim.
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 9:51 PM on April 18, 2006
MeFi post:
Men must seek consent
My younger sister was raped last Wednesday morning -- April 5, 2006
In the short time between then and now, I have learned a few things.
She, like most other victims of rape, is facing a huge stigma about it.
She, like most other victims of rape, is highly reluctant to press a case against her rapist.
She, like most women, would never spuriously file a formal accusation of rape against someone,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by randomstriker
at 7:24 PM on April 11, 2006
