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mefi
The Chinese character meaning 'to have a stuffy nose'.
A remark by a Chinese language student on the complexity of the aforementioned symbol turns into an interesting discussion, trawling through a very thick etymology, that almost makes me want to learn Chinese! Fascinating if you're into languages, Chinese or not.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 9:26 PM on September 4, 2004
(23 comments)
The 24 Hour Dot Com.
Two Swedish students at the 'Wizards of OS' conference in Berlin decided to start a dot com, build it up, and cash in within twenty four hours. Their IRC logs make great reading to see how they bought the PR and 'product' together. The dot com has now 'IPOed' and is
available to buy on eBay.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 5:25 PM on June 14, 2004
(8 comments)
The Optigan: OPTIcal orGAN.
Long before synthesizers, ProTools, and Cubase, Mattel released a bizarre contraption called the 'Optigan' which operated by assigning each key to a track on an optical disc on which were recorded sounds of real instruments playing every individual note. This site is one guy's obsession with the instrument that may well be dead and forgotten if not for him. Check out
his mp3s of his own, reasonably successful, band based around the instrument, to see how it sounds.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 8:58 AM on June 30, 2003
(18 comments)
"Hello, my name is Scott."
He's Scott, he's 22, and he's worn a nametag for the past 833 days. Why? So that people will feel more inclined to talk to him. To break down social barriers. Surprisingly, it
has worked. I'm sure many of us try to be friendly to strangers, but in some cultures these days you're almost sure to be rebuffed or ignored. That's how it is here in the UK. Are people open and friendly in your part of the world without needing gimmicks like a nametag?
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 4:06 PM on February 12, 2003
(39 comments)
Plein Sud - 'A unique vision of the Americas on the Web.'
If you enjoy travel documentaries, this is for you. Two French Canadians take on the Americas in this epic site cram packed with videos (for 56k and broadband), interviews, and travelogues. Originally produced for TV, you can now watch the full episodes from the site.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 4:10 PM on December 29, 2002
(22 comments)
This guy takes a picture of himself every day.
A guy takes a picture of himself every day and puts it online in a large montage. A moustache, braces, and mullet all creep in during the proceeds, only for him to now look much like he did when he started.
(Found on design portal, NewsToday)
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 10:26 PM on December 17, 2002
(25 comments)
David wins Fame Academy!
Mix Big Brother with Pop/American Idol and you get the
Fame Academy, where 12
gorgeous under-30s are thrown into a
glorified stage school for a few months, and only one emerges an idol. The prize? Supposedly the 'biggest TV prize ever.' A £1 million recording contract, a fancy apartment in London, a personal shopper, chauffeur, and more. All is not lost for the 'losers' though, as they've all gained professional management and
Mercury Records is considering them all for solo careers.
In contrast to the 'Idol' shows, being couped up for weeks on end has caused even the
wackiest contestants to grow in their singing and songwriting abilities. So will this show reach the US? Probably, given
these other crossover shows.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 6:16 PM on December 13, 2002
(8 comments)
Drive Me Insane!
Want to send a man to the asylum? Paul Mathis's site allows you to control his lights, lava lamp, remote control car, and allows you to follow him around his Texan home camera by camera and microphone. I turned his lights on and off about ten times, so I've already had my fun. ;-)
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 6:03 PM on September 22, 2002
(8 comments)
Amazon does a Google! APIs for everyone!
Cool. Now you can access Amazon's wealth of information via SOAP. This is great news for affiliates who could, potentially, create their own seamless Amazon.com. Amazon
even gives some ideas for what cool stuff you could do with the info, including linking keywords from weblogs to their products.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 11:59 PM on July 16, 2002
(16 comments)
Canine candidate challenges Harris in FL elections
Harris the dog is running as a write-in candidate in the Republican primary. Percy is described as "a compassionate conservative who takes a hard-line with social parasites, particularly fleas and worms. His past is free of sex scandals, due to 'timely neutering.'" A great reminder of why this country is so great.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 8:10 PM on July 3, 2002
(25 comments)
The Falkland Islands are ours and we'll get them back, says Argentina.
Argentina celebrates the twenty-year anniversary of their invasion of the Falkland Islands. Britain won the Falkland War in 1982, but Argentina now boasts that they'll definitely conquer the islands in the future. Since the majority of islanders are of British descent, does Argentina stand a chance? And shouldn't Argentina be focusing on rebuilding its own economy instead of whining about some insignificant islands in the Atlantic ocean?
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 3:44 PM on April 2, 2002
(38 comments)
You've got Blogs! AOL buys into homegrown media.
April Fools Day starts with a bang in the UK. Determined to get linked by many a weblog, they put out a story about AOL purchasing popular weblogs.
In related news, MetaFilter was said to be signing a merger agreement with Kuro5hin to pool content between the two sites.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 7:13 PM on March 31, 2002
(14 comments)
Living with a Redneck Neighbor.
What happens when a Vietnamese redneck moves in next door? You log all of his quirks and disasters (including setting the entire garden on fire) and put it all up on your Web site, of course! Complete with pictures.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 3:25 PM on March 23, 2002
(39 comments)
Australians! Give Ramon a bed for the night..
'After almost 8 months of travelling through 13 countries, I took a break back home again in January 2002. Now it's time to hit the road again. I have put my mind on Australia.' I really enjoyed meeting Ramon last year, and it seems he is ready to hit the road again.. so take a chance, and invite him over. Or if you would rather read the weblog of a guy who has just been
attacked by natives in Borneo, check out
Marlow Bidforth's backpack adventure.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 10:16 PM on February 12, 2002
(5 comments)
WalkingTom getting back on the road
Tom is a guy who started to walk across the US in 1997, and who started to log his journey on the Web in 98. In 2000, he took a year's break to get married, but in a few days he's finally getting back to finishing his journey. What travelogues have
you been addicted to? Are there any good current ones?
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 6:48 PM on September 25, 2001
(8 comments)
Moby tells his side of the story.
Moby lives in Lower Manhattan, and he has been keeping the world updated in his own online journal. He has some rather poignant things to say. Moby feels that paying taxes to security organizations who have failed to protect the US is stupid. I'm inclined to agree.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 8:13 AM on September 14, 2001
(25 comments)
Uh-oh! We're almost out of IP addresses!
The current IP (Internet Protocol) only allows approximately 4.3 billion addresses to be assigned, yet demand in 2006 may be for 7 billion addresses or more? Do we make a tough upgrade to IPv6 or force greedy Class-A users to hand over blocks?
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 2:40 PM on August 28, 2001
(27 comments)
Ramon's 'LetMeStayForADay' Project Going Well.
Wired presents a nice article covering
Ramon's progress so far. Currently in Norway, he is anxious to find places to 'stay for a day' in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Can you help?
And will
anyone sponsor him for a flight to the US? We shall see.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 7:52 PM on August 23, 2001
(3 comments)
HRH Elizabeth The Queen Mother is Dead
This reminds me of a documentary I saw a year ago about US news channels, and the fact that they have the logos and segments already prepared for the deaths of important old-timers. This was funnier though.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 9:49 PM on August 5, 2001
(8 comments)
Vinegar prank backfires on fish and chip shop owner
Listen up! Vinegar is harmful! "Eight-year-old Craig Hunt was splashed in the eye after Sam Kieu told him to sniff the vinegar then squirted it in his face." Have you ever pulled a 'small prank' which then went completely out of hand?
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 2:58 PM on July 18, 2001
(23 comments)
Obscene Interiors From Porn Pics
(
and more) "Amateur porn photography is one of the rare instances where everyday people expose their naked bodies to the public. Seeing your neighbors nude my be shocking, I, however, am more frequently disturbed by the gross display of amateur interior design found in these photos." (There's no naughty pics, so don't worry)
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 2:00 PM on July 4, 2001
(9 comments)
Jennifer Capriati Beats Serena Williams to Keep Her Grand Slam Dreams Alive
If ever there was a game that see-sawed back and forth, it was this one! Williams took the first set and Capriati looked weak. After being down 5 games to 3 (at love - 30!), Capriati miraculously leapt back and
took the second set. The third set was even more tense, as Williams took a bathroom break mid-game! Want to see how it went? Here's the
log of the match.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 7:49 AM on July 3, 2001
(35 comments)
Australian Man Patents The Wheel
This story reads as if it was meant to be in
The Onion instead.
Freelance patent lawyer John Keogh was issued with an Innovation Patent for a "circular transportation facilitation device" ... in May. But he has no immediate plans to patent fire, crop rotation or other fundamental advances in civilisation.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 10:06 AM on July 2, 2001
(9 comments)
Texan Teen Lands $550 Fine For Saying 'F*ck'
The US school system certainly seems to over-react to small issues (drawing guns on paper, etc). Will this keep American from turning into violent thugs, or not? Recently, in the UK, a man
got let off for saying 'f*ck off' to a policeman, since the judge said it was 'the language of his generation'.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 7:38 AM on June 8, 2001
(29 comments)
Labour Party WINS UK General Election
Tony Blair's Labour Party now officially wins the general election after getting the needed 330 constituencies. Not all the results are in yet, but it's not important. Labour are past the post. Well done Tony!
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 7:01 PM on June 7, 2001
(23 comments)
The Thoughts of Anonymous Pedophiles
While researching an unrelated topic, I found a site called
The Pedophilia Survey. This survey asks people who have sexual desires involving children to submit a paragraph or two on their feelings on the topic.
One of the respondents said: 'Pedophilia is a legitimate sexual orientation.' But, is it? Pedophilia seems so widespread that should, perhaps, we be researching the causes of pedophilia instead of just condemning it?
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 8:15 PM on June 5, 2001
(46 comments)
Jakob Nielsen on Bill Gates' Micropayment Strategy
(news section on right) Jakob Nielsen has acknowledged that Bill Gates might be smarter than him (no sh*t, Sherlock!). Gates would rather integrate micropayment systems into their server apps than IE to make Linux a non-issue for businesses wanting to use their micropayment system. Yet more monopoly nonsense or a smart business plan?
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 3:48 PM on May 18, 2001
(6 comments)
Kids' Abuse Drives U.K. Pensioner to Suicide
Stories like this really make my blood
boil. This is happening all of the time in the UK. Many of our children are completely uncontrollable. Lots of Brits live in fear of children who bombard their houses with bricks and deliberately scratch their cars.
But the police remain
powerless since the courts can't sentence these children to hard time. In a country where hard discipline is discouraged, is it time to start
really spanking children again? No, I think it's time to start
spanking the parents.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 10:29 AM on May 16, 2001
(25 comments)
IMDB Charging Actors/Actress for Pictures
The Internet Movie Data Base has provided an invaluable service to millions of Web users over the years. But now, the IMDB sees fit to charge actors and actresses to put a small 'headshot' pic on their pages.What next? Will IMDB start charging studios to list their films? For an example of a page without a headshot, try the gorgeous
Keira Knightley's page. Not so good without the pic, huh?
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 12:17 PM on April 22, 2001
(16 comments)
Experiences on the Toilet
This is one of the craziest and most cringeworthy sites I've ever been to. It's a site jam packed with postings from people detailing particular 'movements' they've had.. episodes of blocking toilets with 'whoppers' and 'interesting' odors they've experienced.
Yes, it's the ultimate guide to everyone's experiences in taking a dump.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 6:11 PM on April 17, 2001
(11 comments)
Girl excluded from school for not playing football.
She claims that football is "thuggish" and "a boy's game" and so refused to participate. The family intend to take legal action.
Should kids be allowed to opt out of sports they disagree with? If it were boxing (as one British school decided to try) I'm sure most people would say yes. But is football such a sin?
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 5:59 PM on March 19, 2001
(37 comments)
Libyan gets minimum of 20 years for Lockerbie Bombing by Scottish Court.
Why are British courts handing out such tiny sentences? After all, in America it's not uncommon for people to receive 99 years for a single murder. Some people are doing over 10 years for rape alone. This Libyan could have easily received the death sentence if he were in the US, as it was similar in scale to the Oklahoma City bombing.
Yet, in the UK, it's possible to kill people through negligence, and get away with it. Just last month an uninsured driver was speeding, killed a pedestrian, fled the scene, and although found guilty, only received a
driving ban!
Is the UK overly soft in its sentencing? Or is the USA overly draconian?
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 10:20 AM on January 31, 2001
(23 comments)
You thought the Holocaust was sickening? Read about the Nanjing Massacre.
A very graphic account of the massacre of Chinese citizens by Japanese soldiers in World War 2. I found this tale to be far more sickening than that of the Holocaust.
Don't read it if you don't wish to read and see accounts of how Japanese soldiers sliced up pregnant women and beheaded children in the streets. It is truly awful.
posted to MetaFilter by wackybrit
at 5:44 PM on January 29, 2001
(47 comments)
