"... Jesus Christ, does nobody believe in decency any more?"
posted by schroedinger at 8:58 AM on July 27 [+] [!]

I'm no rabbi, but maybe this is just JC or God or $INSERT_DEITY helping him to "guard against pride and despair." Because, otherwise, that prayer is periously close in spirit to one that has been prayed there before.
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 6:10 AM on July 27, 2008

"... If the prayer is genuine, it is heartening that Obama recognizes that the greatest danger to himself is the pride that comes with great power."
posted by eustacescrubb at 10:27 AM on July 27

"If the prayer is genuine," indeed. I guess it's good, then, that he wrote it on King David Hotel stationary, and placed it discreetly, while posing for photos in front of the world press, while on a tour to enhance his... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 9:58 AM on July 27, 2008

"Wow paulsc, you're really shitty at this whole being a christian thing."
posted by afu at 2:04 PM on July 27

Well, to be, um, clear then, I guess it was the right week to take up Scientology.
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 11:13 AM on July 27, 2008

"No, see, jock@law, you don't understand: we don't take religious people seriously here at MetaFilter, so in order to take Obama seriously (which we have to do because he's our only hope against the Evil Empire), we have to believe that he's not religious. ...""
posted by languagehat at 3:14 PM on July 27

Or, you know, we could just take seriously the idea that a guy who arranges a photo op, specifically involving his... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 3:02 PM on July 27, 2008

"Unlike George W. Bush who ran as the Jesus Guy in 2000 and he upgraded to Guy Who Talks To God in 2004? Unlike him, you mean? Or are you talking about the shameful way McCain backed his truck up on the "agents of intolerance" thing and then sent his sad butler Joe Lieberman to kiss the insane antisemite John Hagee's ass (one wonders if they made poor Joe eat a post-event ham sandwich just for shits and giggles) in order to get some evangelical votes? is that the kind... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 4:31 PM on July 27, 2008

"... If I can give that asshole the benefit of the doubt, would it be too hard for you to think, just for a second, that Barack Obama loves his family and his country, and wants what's best for both?"
posted by Optimus Chyme at 6:57 PM on July 27

I'll grant that Barack Obama loves his family, and I never questioned that. What I do question is his, and his wife's judgment in granting media access to their... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 5:19 PM on July 27, 2008

"... if anyone can fill in a few details I've missed, please do add your two cents."
posted by the quidnunc kid at 8:03 PM on July 27

Florida. Again.
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 5:23 PM on July 27, 2008

"I have a rule that if someone says something along the lines "Obama threw x under the bus", I can safely ignore anything else they have to say, since they've demonstrated that they can't do anything but regurgitate talking points."
posted by empath at 7:52 PM on July 27

'll grant that Barack Obama loves his family, and I never questioned that. ..."
posted by paulsc at 8:19 PM on... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 6:09 PM on July 27, 2008

"... Your links don't support your claim. ..."
posted by kirkaracha at 8:58 PM on July 27

Sure they do. From the first WaPo July 3 story:"FARGO, N.D., July 3 -- Sen. Barack Obama raised the possibility of slowing a promised gradual, 16-month withdrawal from Iraq if he is elected president, saying that Thursday he will consult with military commanders on an upcoming trip to the region and "continue to refine" his... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 6:24 PM on July 27, 2008

"... What is wrong with that?
posted by Pope Guilty at 9:12 PM on July 27

Tootin' his own horn is fine. Havin' a public fist-bump with his wife is great, whenever they want. Putting their minor kids on the stump is sorta Paper Moon, don't you think?

I can almost hear Ryan O'Neal saying "What is wrong with that?" now... And we know what a fine father/daughter relationship... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 6:36 PM on July 27, 2008

"Hey, paulsc, I'll bet you $1000 that if you build a 1200-foot-long conveyor belt, Obama's campaign plane can take off from it."
posted by nicwolff at 10:56 PM on July 27

My original offer to bet:

"Put up, or shut up time: $1,000 total, out of my own pocket, for any person or group from this thread, that shows me, in person, an actual factory standard Cessna 172 taking off from a conveyor... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 7:57 AM on July 28, 2008

"It's quite ironic that this particular thread has generated discussion of Obama putting his kids in the spotlight. ..."
posted by VulcanMike at 11:09 AM on July 28

It's not "ironic" at all, VulcanMike. Obama put his kids in a TV interview. Obama put a plea for his kids protection by some $INSERT_DEITY in a note in a crack in the Western Wall, under circumstances that were... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 9:07 AM on July 28, 2008

From its ubiquitous home page, Google has linked Last Lecture. "In Memoriam: Randy Pausch (1960-2008)"
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 7:29 AM on July 27, 2008

Frankly, I'm wondering what a New Zealand "citizen's arrest" would look like. To many of us, I think it might be indistinguishable from a hug.

And if there is one thing I've learned by hanging around MeFi, it's that "everybody needs a hug."
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 1:56 AM on July 27, 2008

"Nah mate, more like this."
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 5:05 AM on July 27

Well, in that picture, i_am_joe's_spleen, one guy is upside down, which I think is pretty normal, as Kiwi hugs might go. Isn't it?

What?
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 2:10 AM on July 27, 2008

The Death Valley footage would have been more effective as an HD demo with better depth of field control. Not much point in displaying large parts of scenes out of focus in HD.
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 1:46 AM on July 27, 2008

It's not just the short range, below lethal velocity issues that limit the utility of such weapons as DeathWind purports to make, it's the fact that such rounds are relatively easily perturbed in early flight, by factors as common as high wind (particularly carrying dust loads), or foliage, making reliable long range accuracy, even as a rifle round, problematic under field conditions. Generally, a military weapon is not judged by its potential, but by its worst case performance under poor... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 6:15 PM on July 26, 2008

"isn't there a way to load the bullet so that it's further back in the barrel? ..."
posted by not sure this is a good idea at 1:07 PM on July 26

Bullpup designs attempt that, but are not without their own limitations. A key problem for most automatic weapons is extraction and ejection of the spent brass case, overlapping with feeding of the next fresh round. H & K and a few other makers have experimented with caseless ammo... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 11:42 AM on July 26, 2008

"... i have no idea how you'd power it but somehow the internal barrel moves back after loading the next round and before firing)."
posted by not sure this is a good idea at 3:59 PM on July 26

Most, but not all, automatic weapons are gas operated, meaning that they use some pressure from the burning propellant in the cartridge to cycle the weapon, performing the spent cartridge ejection and the loading of the next fresh round.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 2:14 PM on July 26, 2008

The "de-criminalization" vs "legalization" of pot debate is an old one. The scope of this article, focusing on the production and distribution network for medical marijuana in California, really illustrates that you can hardly pull any thread in the larger fabric of drug policy, without getting immediately into insurmountably larger questions. That's what makes relaxing drug laws so tough.

It's an asymmetry in law and administration that is poorly... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 1:37 PM on July 26, 2008

Given that the average tenure of a CEO in Fortune 100 companies has been declining, and has recently been around 5.24 years, the revelation from the first FPP link that less than 50% of corporations have a CEO succession plan in place is more than surprising. Or, an indication that corporate boards are nearly always looking, these days. Perhaps that idea (being always on the lookout for the next temporary honcho) is maybe the best way of approaching corporate governance; the responsibility to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 12:57 PM on July 26, 2008

"... Again, to re-cap, I brought this to MeTa to 1) identify transgression being touted by the transgressor as mere abject insensitivity, and 2) clarify language which is patently unacceptable/demeaning. ..."
posted by humannaire at 2:53 PM on July 26

Like helping a bar fight be "fair," this is fairly loutish behavior, in its own way.
posted to MetaTalk by paulsc at 12:21 PM on July 26, 2008

I'm with Mutant, but a simpler way of thinking about the Powerpoint/No Powerpoint dichotomy is that, when you give a Powerpoint presentation, you are generally talking to an "audience." When you eschew Powerpoint, you are, to a great extent, leading or facilitating a discussion with a group.

In other words, without Powerpoint, you can focus on engaging the group through Socratic and conversational techniques. Ask leading questions, and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 12:07 PM on July 26, 2008

SP3 is a roll up of the more than 100 security patches since SP2, with some minor new functionality additions that are mainly of interest to users on larger Windows domains. The full list of rollup and new functionality is summarized in this .pdf file.

I've had it on since June, with no problems. I just downloaded and installed it on my machines as an individual user through the normal Windows Update site.

There were some 8 additional post SP3... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 5:28 AM on July 26, 2008

"... So let's all be ashamed of him. ..."
posted by wendell to etiquette/policy at 5:36 AM

Sorry, but it's Saturday, and I'm going to listen to Car Talk, and then trim some overgrown bushes along the fence in the back yard. After that, I'm gonna change the oil in the truck, put a new front sight on a pistol, take the dog for a walk, and stop on the way back for a beer or two.

But good luck recruiting for... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by paulsc at 3:25 AM on July 26, 2008

Where I live, for better or worse, "Free Bird" is kind of sacrosanct. Believe it or not, Lynyrd Skynyrd still protects the song, vociferously, not just for the money it still brings in, but because it still brings tears to the eyes of their die hard fans. And we've got bars and music halls that enshrine "Free Bird" in their names; around here, it's not a cliche, or the takeoff point of a rant, it's a bit of local color, and bands often swing into at least the intro, when... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 1:41 AM on July 26, 2008

48.6% of this thread is possible because of coal.
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 5:44 PM on July 25, 2008

"... But I have no idea when and where and how to begin such a conversation, given that it will never come up naturally."
posted by decathecting at 7:24 PM on July 25

I can tell you how not to start it. Do not start it, as I once did, when you come home to find that a $500 bottle of commemorative single malt Scotch you were given as a bonus for successfully completing a 2 year long... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 4:40 PM on July 25, 2008

They're Coming To Take Me Away
Brandi, You're a Fine Girl
I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am
Billy Jean
I Am Woman
Ode to Billy Joe
At Seventeen
In The Ghetto
Barbara Ann
Come Monday

Only You. OK, I used to have a blue tick hound, that would start up bawling whenever this came on the radio. My wife thought it was funny, and encouraged him, even making a looped cassette.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 11:18 AM on July 25, 2008

For those who are just gluttons for punishment:

Standing Knee Deep in a River Dying of Thirst
Big Socks
Don't Cry Out Loud
Love Hurts
Luka
Sam Stone
He Thinks He'll Keep Her
Goodbye Earl
Murder on Music Row
Almost... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 4:11 PM on July 25, 2008

.
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 9:01 AM on July 25, 2008

Dr. Ian Malcolm: "If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, expands to new territory, and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously."
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 8:37 AM on July 25, 2008

First of all, that's a 64 bit, PCI-X (not PCI Express) card. You can physically stick it in a 32 bit PCI slot, but it won't initialize properly, and may bork the PCI bus, at least while it is installed, which would account for your Adaptec controller going away.

Unless you need PCI-X bandwidth (SCSI 320 and eSCSI require more than normal 32 bit PCI bus bandwidth can offer), and have a PCI-X slot available, use a simple Adaptec single channel card (like a 29160N), and let... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 2:47 AM on July 25, 2008

In over half the states in the U.S., and particularly in the Southwest, mice are primary carriers of hantavirus. No point in getting freaked about it, but you definitely want to get rid of the mouse/rodent, find out where it came in, and stop that entry point, as well as thoroughly clean your stove and kitchen, taking recommended precautions while doing it. Letting the building management know about it, can help your building management get other problems in a multi-unit apartment building... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 2:12 AM on July 25, 2008

I'd contact the friendly folks at SCORE. If they can't help you directly, they can definitely connect you with someone who can.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 1:05 AM on July 25, 2008

You should also recognize that there is a significant amount of "anti-Ivy" bias in the work world. I've personally seen this in action, at Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies, as well as in numerous other business situations.

The bias can be as subtle as senior managers demurring to attend recruiting sessions at Ivy League or prestige schools due to "schedule conflicts." Or, it can be as pointed as sorting resumes by school, and preferring to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 5:29 PM on July 24, 2008

I worked with a guy named Joe Dyrt. He did not wear a mullet, or think much of David Spade. But he didn't have a chip on his shoulder about his name - he said it was common as ...
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 3:59 PM on July 24, 2008

You're gonna hate that backpack, if you put much in it, before you get to Nashville. On a long trip, a tank bag is 10x as useful and comfortable (there are much nicer ones if you can spend more money). Depending on what you pack, one really nice thing you can do with a tank bag is lay forward on it, taking all the pressure off your hands, butt and back. Also, a tank bag gets weight forward, which is important when you're packing a light bike like a GS500 with saddlebags, and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 10:37 AM on July 24, 2008

My father died a couple of years. Hence, I wasn't so surprised at the "Service Unavailable" error message I got by clicking the link.
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 4:42 AM on July 24, 2008

Like the world doesn't have enough simple messages on crappy stickers, "viral" mainly to tiny minds. Personally, I always liked:
J E S U S
S A V E S
S T R I N G
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 3:21 AM on July 24, 2008

One thing you "get" as a Westerner, or "gaijin," by being in Japan for some length of time, that you get no other way, is the tremendous power of the group. Belonging to groups is so important for the mental and physical health of a Japanese individual, that it is nearly impossible to suggest an equivalent experience to Westerners. Maybe this comes as one manifestation of ubiquitous conformity; this is, after all, a country where, for many years, there was no interest in... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 9:28 PM on July 23, 2008

Sign up for the course that you think is "way above (lap swimmers who want to improve techniques they already know.)" You may find that a few coaching improvements in your basic form so markedly improve your efficiency, that you can suddenly do a few laps. I've personally found that many people trying to swim a crawl stroke are wearing themselves out very shortly, with entirely useless flutter kick techniques, and poor breathing, and that just teaching them an effective kick and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 7:40 PM on July 23, 2008

You needn't seal your concrete basement floor, before laying carpet, but if you don't, it will continue to slowly generate concrete dust, underneath your carpet pad, indefinitely, in response to small movement of the carpet and pad as people walk on it. Sealing the floor, before you put down carpet, can reduce radon infiltration, and dampness too (but a simple sealing is not a good enough water barrier to damp proof a basement).... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 1:12 PM on July 23, 2008

1. Dixie Doodle. A gentleman from Tennessee is still, sometimes, a Volunteer (with a capital V), for similar reasons North Carolina men are still blessed-by-Lee "Tar Heel boys." Owing to the peculiarities of Mississippi state and county court administration, where almost all judges were and are elected rather than appointed, there were a blue ton of local justice-of-the-peace posts filled every election, such that "Judge" became something of a term of respect for senior men... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 5:35 AM on July 23, 2008 marked best answer

With vents of that large a diameter, you can imagine small animals or even small solid objects like twigs or perhaps pine cones becoming the base of a clog. You can rent 50 foot or longer power snakes from many Home Depot or Lowe's home centers.
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 6:01 AM on July 22, 2008

Take your time answering questions, and don't be reluctant to probe for additional information before answering. When you've asked for additional information, or clarification, let your question stand (if necessary), in silence, until it is answered or deferred; being comfortable with silence, until your interviewer either provides clarification, or defers, shows respect for their thinking process. Nervous people too often betray their nervousness with their need to fill silence, at any cost.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 5:37 AM on July 22, 2008 marked best answer

"... How do I deal with the anger and fear whilst living with them both until they move out? (this may take months) How do I avoid enabling destructive behaviour by her when I'd do anything for them and take them back in a second?"
posted by anonymous to human relations

IANAL, but I've been divorced in the U.S. when kids were involved, and I've seen many other men go through the process. The tone and the subject of your... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 4:47 AM on July 22, 2008

In the U.S., reweaving is a dying art, and therefore, a generally expensive process. It's labor intensive and calls for dexterity, great eyesight, and an uncommon knowledge of knitting, weaving and fiber. So, it's expensive, when you can find someone to do it. But if you're unwilling or unable to do it yourself, and have plenty of time to send it to her, you can try Alice Zotta, or Without a Trace.

You might also consider re-purposing the sweater, as part of a patterned... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 3:50 AM on July 22, 2008

"... If China doesn't care about that, I don't see how the weakness and indebtedness of African governments is going to be a major obstacle to them. ..."
posted by russilwvong at 7:54 PM on July 21

If it were possible for China to just log Africa and cheat the African workers it employed cutting the trees indefinitely, and leave them standing in rags among the stumps in their depreciated forests, as Part 1 of that Fast Company... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by paulsc at 7:03 PM on July 21, 2008

"I'll do anything for a dollar"
"-Travel: no minimal, I’d prefer not to leave my family"
"The only career I prefer not to get into is sales – I’m just not that kind of “salesy” person and don’t want that kind of stress."
"I don’t mind digging ditches but I also believe I have what it takes to be the president of a company (personality, work ethic,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 2:45 PM on July 21, 2008