Green Jelly or Jello or whatever was strangely popular among some of my friends back in the 7th grade. That year in gym class we had the dreaded dance unit, in which students in groups of four had to prepare a dance routine to a song of their choice and perform it in front of the whole class. Some people had a lot of fun with this but for a bunch of self-conscious outsiders like us the very idea of it was pure torture.

Anyway naturally the song we chose was... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 8:37 AM on July 25, 2008

Or, even, better: this!
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 2:46 PM on July 11, 2008

You know, it occurred to me after I posted that the really old Canadian money looks a lot like American money. Have you Yanks ever noticed how old-fashioned your currency looks?
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 5:27 PM on July 11, 2008

"Just like the actual sand gets its colour from its origins, the sand used on thisissand.com covers the RGB palette natural to digital environments. Also the sounds of the falling sand on thisissand.com resemble a real life phenomenon: singing sand is discovered in about 35 desert locations around the world where the wind triggers a low-pitch sound in the natural sand. Instead of nature’s frequencies the digital sand generates white noise, which is a random signal with a flat power... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 1:59 PM on July 11, 2008

Also, why is no one else every disturbed by: police [on orders from X's security detail]

Isn't there a word for the style of government where the police take orders from people rich and/or "important" enough for security details?

I don't see a problem with that. The police would take orders from you too, should you ask them to remove someone who's trespassing on your property.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 7:38 PM on July 7, 2008

Hmm, my earlier comment can be countered by saying that McCain's security doesn't own the convention center and thus doesn't have the right to have people removed for trespassing (especially when they are peacefully protesting). But my reading of what happened is that this is a campaign event, and I assume the organizers of such events have the right to prevent people from entering or to have people removed; anyone who runs any private event has the same rights. It's certainly not... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 8:01 PM on July 7, 2008

Wrongfully arrested? I followed the link. She was arrested because she wore a shirt with an anti-war slogan in the house gallery and regulations prohibit demonstrations in the gallery. The same article describes a politician who was outraged because his wife got the same treatment for wearing a 'Support Our Troops' shirt.

I will grant you the bumper sticker story, but not the Sheehan story, and not this one: they are overreactions. Don't you see that playing the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 8:48 PM on July 7, 2008

OK fine, ericb, I'll grant that she was wrongfully arrested, even though your first link didn't say so. But reading the new article you just posted, it seems clear to me that while Sheehan had broken no law, the intent of the authorities was not to silence dissent but rather to maintain decorum according to tradition. This thread and some of your comments, ericb, have left me sour because the outrage seems disproportionate. It's like crying wolf.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 10:03 PM on July 7, 2008

Is there a name for this? It's certainly not suicidal thoughts, and "imp of the perverse" doesn't seem to cut it. But it's right alongside the aforementioned "if you have a hammer, look for things to smash" feeling - not in the "all problems look alike" sense, but just... because. Because you can. Because it'd be so easy...

See this AskMe thread. I remember someone suggested a French expression that has really stayed with... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 6:05 PM on July 7, 2008

Fuck. Late to the thread and I might have been able to contribute something. Oh well.

I just want to say that this thread captures the worst of Metafilter and it means I will never, ever share anything that really moves me, because I don't think I could take it if people piled on the snark and casually dismissed what I love as crap without a second thought.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 8:57 AM on June 23, 2008

Let me qualify what I said. I read back over the thread and most of it is just reaction against a poorly framed post and I really can't complain about that, though it does bring me down to see an artist I like get mocked. There were really only two comments that made me angry and get all "worst of Metafilter"-y.

Crap FPP. Crap dime-a-dozen music. Motherfuck a Pitchfork.
np: the smell of one hand clapping
posted by Joseph Gurl... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 12:00 PM on June 23, 2008

I came in here hoping that Turtles All The Way Down had posted something witty. I was not disappointed.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 1:03 PM on June 16, 2008

What the hell? A multimillion dollar museum heist happens on my campus and I hear about it two weeks later on Metafilter? I need to get out more.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 5:43 PM on June 4, 2008

Hey, I just came in here to post the same good news. Beaten by one hour.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 6:40 PM on June 10, 2008

I just saw this on the Toronto Star's front page, where it is the lead story. It's been stuck in my head ever since. It really is a catchy, evocative song. Listening to it makes you feel like something exciting and important is about to happen. (Or perhaps that's just conditioning, but whatever.)
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 11:41 AM on June 5, 2008

But wait! An update!

Hockey Theme Not Dead Yet

The head of CBC-TV Sports says the broadcaster is working with a deadline of tomorrow at 5 p.m. to reach an agreement over the Hockey Night in Canada theme, but that the CBC already has a plan to develop a replacement to the famous jingle.

...

“We would launch a national contest for a new theme,” Moore said. “We’ve had this contingency in place for... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 8:01 PM on June 5, 2008

I don't think anyone would deny that Winehouse has been influenced by African-American music. Arguing that this the only reason she's popular is kind of a slap in the face to everyone out there who actually does enjoy her music.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 5:36 PM on June 4, 2008

Oh hey, you know what's always bugged me about Reboot, at least in the early days? The ending of the opening sequence.
"They say the user lives *outside* the web. No-one knows for sure... but I intend to find out." Reboot!
Except the show had absolutely nothing to do with finding out anything about the user. Sigh.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 1:38 PM on May 30, 2008

I just want to throw my support behind Mitrovarr. We can encourage people to ride their cheap bikes but we'd better encourage them to get them tunes up at a bike shop first.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 1:01 AM on May 26, 2008

God dammit. I was expected a poignant thread filled with emotional stories that would bring me closer to all of my fellow mefites. Instead we get Yoda snark. Well fine, I'll keep my own emotional story then.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 11:39 AM on May 20, 2008

Class Goat, educate me please. I hear a mishmash of news about this topic but have little information about how widespread it is and what the actual facts are. What are your sources?
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 1:46 PM on May 1, 2008

shmegegge --- Heinlein's Starship Troopers, in which only military veterans can vote, came up in a recent thread. I happened to read the novel the other day and the justification given for that voting system is quite interesting. The military training system, as it exists in the novel, is designed to weed out all but those who are willing to put the good of their comrades ahead of their own lives. Who better to entrust with the responsibility of voting?... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 2:13 PM on May 1, 2008

I suppose because any kind of test will inevitably lead to bias in the voting population, which will lead to class stratification. Suddenly entire industries will spring up trying to help you pass the intelligence test. Certain demographics will test better than others. Those who are underrepresented in the voting population will feel repressed. It gets ugly really easily. And frankly I don't know who I would be trying to screen; I want people to vote for the best interests of the state,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 2:25 PM on May 1, 2008

fourcheesemac, I would definitely subscribe to your newsletter. And if you write a book about this stuff, I will buy it (when I can afford to buy books again).

Seconded! This was one hell of a thread. I also skipped over it since I didn't feel like reading about smooth jazz, but then spotted all the favourites and wandered in. I sent this thread to my brother too -- he writes new music in the classical tradition and I play in an indie rock band,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 4:49 PM on April 22, 2008

Actually, I've been thinking about this and I tend to agree with straight, to a degree. Music may succeed at doing what it is supposed to do, and thus we should call it good music; yet we may not agree that the music's purpose is valuable. I would say the purpose of smooth jazz is to provide pleasant inoffensive background music - it is by its very nature, bland; otherwise it wouldn't be smooth. Reactions against this music are probably reactions against blandness. One should not criticize... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 3:51 PM on April 23, 2008

Beyond Robson (the blog ssg linked to) occasionally had a feature called "Crossroad", in which they would post a screenshot from google maps and you had to identify the location. If it happens to be somewhere you live, it's dead easy. But even so there are often clues. There are only so many 4-lane streets in Vancouver, for example, and very few big box stores, and only a few places with tall apartment towers, etc.

Here, go play. But don't read the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 4:59 PM on April 16, 2008

According to the article the original sign said "Caution" only - I didn't catch any mention of "Prohibido". Presumably it was added later on. Which is fascinating, in fact. The sign has two interpretations, depending on who you are.

Motorists: Watch out for running families. (the original intended meaning)

Running families: Crossing is prohibited.

If 'Prohibido' is not there, it could be... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 1:12 AM on April 13, 2008

Jack and Diane!!

I used to hear that song all the time on the radio when I was a kid. It was one of my mom's favourites. I always loved it too. That makes me happy.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 7:46 PM on April 12, 2008

In the evening, the monster trees really come to life when the visitor center illuminates them with an array of multi-colored lights.

Cool.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 12:15 AM on April 11, 2008

Man, Guinness still owes me a free bar towel. Not falling for this shit again.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 8:54 AM on April 3, 2008

My high school's choir sang this. Being one of the music kids, though not a singer, I heard many a King's Singers song. My all-time favourite though is Lonesome Road, though I can't find the King's Singers version. This was the "farewell song" at the end of the last concert but on by the beloved music teacher who built the program, before he moved away.

Sigh. Nostalgia. Not music I would listen to now but how could I ever forget it? So, how about a post... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 8:31 PM on March 23, 2008

Oh, and in all seriousness (!!), I go with the centaur on the open field. I envision the centaur using his speed to maintain range and attack at gallop.

Absolutely. Superior speed and superior range together are virtually unbeatable. It's true in naval combat, it's true in MechWarrior, and it's damn well true here. Unless, of course, they're fighting in a labyrinth.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 4:07 PM on March 21, 2008

xkcd comes through with the most sophisticated rickroll ever. First read this comic, it's the recent one about marching band kids falling over when you pause the background music: comic

Now imagine you're a musician and you see the music he's written in the comic and wonder, hmm, I wonder if that's actually a song? You sit down at the piano and start to peck through it, until gradually realization dawns... aargh!
mp3 of the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 1:38 AM on March 7, 2008

I like that article. Did you notice the title, or how he threw this in at the end in the middle of a paragraph? There's a blaze of light in every word, it doesn't matter which you heard, and every song contains a thousand possibilities—or, at least, the great ones do....
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 3:09 PM on March 5, 2008

I was staggered when I first found reference to this online. Because, of course, as a child I was a regular watcher of Pinky and the Brain and I had seen the short, which was called Yes, Always. I was maybe twelve. It was one of the more bizarre episodes if you didn't know the context. Mildly funny but just...strange. Then years later on the internet I see the clip of Orson Welles and my jaw fucking drops. I frantically search for the Pinky and the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 9:29 AM on February 18, 2008

God I feel so sorry for this kid. So many of us know what it's like to be weighed down by other people's expectations. Any overachievers in the crowd? I know my parents bragged when I was accepted to a respected engineering program. Every family gathering, you have to endure that beaming smile of an aunt or uncle who just knows you'll amount to great things, and while the vote of confidence is nice, when times get tough and you start to imagine letting everybody down, well, that's stressful.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 2:38 PM on February 6, 2008

This reminds of me of a project a friend of mine has been doing for a little while: The Anonymous Photo Project. He leaves packages that contain disposable cameras and an addressed stamped envelope in public places. People take cool photos and mail them back to him. It's neat. A little more interesting than this project because the photographers know their results will be posted online afterward.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 11:27 AM on February 5, 2008

^ agreed
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 5:19 PM on February 3, 2008

Actually I think this is a very good topic for discussion. I don't think there is any serious way anyone could argue that our oil supply will not run out sooner or later. But a number of peak oil believers have predicted the end of the world so often and with such zeal that they really do start to look like fanatical doomsayers. Read this, for example.

I stumbled across that site (Peak Oil Debunked). I don't agree with a lot of what's argued there, but I do like... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 10:39 AM on January 28, 2008

stbalbach, I was hoping when I got back to my desk that the discussion would be about "doomer porn" - great term - and not about peak oil. Unfortunately it seems the train has left the station on a different track. I guess peak oil is one of those topics that always sparks a debate. I appreciate the post anyway. Also, thanks for the comment nickyskye.

I might as well say what's on my mind in case some others are interested in discussing it. I have come... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 1:21 PM on January 28, 2008

Actually, on reading the thread more closely, a lot of the discussion has dealt with the question stbalbach intended to raise. Sorry everyone for implying otherwise.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 1:59 PM on January 28, 2008

I skimmed through the interview and the whole thing is strange to me. The way her bio trumpets "To Catch a Predator" as her big acting break. I haven't seen the show but I've heard enough about it to know that the predators they're catching are, shall we say, not actors. She comes off as if it's just a job, she's doing what they tell her to, nothing scary except once a guy got tazed, but no big deal. I wonder if the seriousness of what happens to these people after they get... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 2:06 AM on January 25, 2008

Tex: Maybe it is my Canadian upbringing but I find your perspective rather baffling. The main difficulty with health care is that anyone anywhere can become ill or injured and require intensive care; often the person has no control over it. Furthermore, almost nobody would be able to afford the full cost of this care if they had to pay for it all themselves. So, you pay taxes or premiums that go towards providing care for the sick, with the knowledge that if you ever need it, the system will... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 6:28 PM on January 18, 2008

And Tex, to clarify my position -- you've characterized this as something people may choose to spend their money on, but in my mind it is no different from me choosing to pay for your expensive chemotherapy treatments. I don't see the hypocrisy in being upset that the system we have now provides for one, but not the other.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 6:45 PM on January 18, 2008

Flinging a bowling ball 100 feet (or a piano 200ft) is cool and all, but I want to see something flung so far it disappears into the distance. THAT would be cool. Wikipedia says medieval trebuchets had a range of half a mile.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 4:40 PM on January 18, 2008

er, like the Yankee Seige. yeah.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 4:41 PM on January 18, 2008

Don't worry Kattullus, it's still a great post. I'd never heard of her, what a story.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 1:29 PM on January 18, 2008

that's lame, I'm sorry. It took forever to load and it wasn't very much fun.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 12:14 PM on January 18, 2008

Something about seeing such unrestrained joy really makes me feel warm and mushy. It reminded me of a story I would like to tell.

Professional athletes get to jump and holler and cry and hug each other when they win, but poor stodgy regular office workers never do. Microsoft once had a series of ads showing office-types celebrating wildly in super-slow motion, and it was kind of charming, but also a little off because it looked so stupid. Who would ever jump up and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 2:44 PM on January 16, 2008

Christ, forget about xkcd's ball pit. He solved Ghost!
warning: if you ever want to play Ghost (the word game where you take turns spelling words one letter at a time) again, don't read that article.
posted to MetaFilter by PercussivePaul at 3:19 PM on January 16, 2008