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Activity from WCityMike

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You See, In Order to Save the Village America, We Have to ...

Michael Scheuer, the former chief of the CIA's "bin Laden Station", and the initially anonymous author of Imperial Hubris, pulls an O'Reilly on yesterday's Glenn Beck broadcast:
"The only chance we have as a country have right now is for Osama bin Laden to deploy and detonate a major weapon in the United States [...] only Osama can execute an attack which will force Americans to demand that their government protect them [...] with as much violence as necessary."

posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 12:24 PM on July 1, 2009 (96 comments)

A Study in Subtitles

A Study in Subtitles (SIL).
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 7:24 PM on June 28, 2009 (28 comments)

Best of the Best of the Best, Sir! With Honors, Sir!

Click on "My Profile". Click on the number to the right of "Favorited by others:". Click on the word "Popular". Copy and paste the top result into this MeTa thread (with hyperlink).
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 7:27 PM on June 25, 2009 (311 comments)

He's Barack Obama

He's Barack Obama, to a Jack Black-ian rock version of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home."
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 6:04 PM on June 21, 2009 (20 comments)

Could the Layout of Favorites Be More Unified and Clearer?

There are about six different places where favorites live, and I often find myself confused as hell as to the differences between the various tabs and links.
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 7:14 PM on June 18, 2009 (58 comments)

Bill O'Reilly Is Teh Master Video Remixer!

I'll admit it borders on LOLneocons, but it really takes it to a truly amazing level, reminiscent of the media outlets depicted in 1984, to see Salon.com editor-in-chief Joan Walsh's appearance on The O'Reilly Factor and then compare it with Bill O'Reilly's "remix" of the interview which actually aired. We already knew we were in the age of malleable media, but ... (See also Gawker's summary of what techniques Walsh employed to come out on top, which are generally useful in life, too.)
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 8:13 PM on June 16, 2009 (118 comments)

How Can I, Early in the Process, Make Sure a Potential Employer and I Aren't Way Too Far Apart in the Potential Salary for a Position?

Does formal, or politely euphemistic, language exist by which, early on in the job-hunt process, you can make sure you and a potential employer aren't considering salary ranges that are half a planet apart?
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 11:45 AM on June 12, 2009 (8 comments)

"And Then All of a Sudden a Communist Appears Out of Nowhere!"

Saturday Night Live comedic actress Victoria Jackson (whose website, upon entering, acoustically informs you of her non-bimbohood) appears on Sean Hannity's show with a rather large amount of enthusiasm and a torrent of very enthusiastically stated, if somewhat stream-of-consciousness, insights (YouTube, transcript).
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 11:58 PM on June 9, 2009 (75 comments)

Pony Request: MyAskMefi to Track Anonymous Questions (or Track Users' Questions?)

Pony request: can following all anonymous posts (or maybe, more widely, following a specific user) be integrated into MyAskMefi?
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 1:21 PM on June 9, 2009 (29 comments)

Total Eclipse of the Heart (Literal Video Version)

Total Eclipse of the Heart (Literal Version) (SLYT). This video has a cracktasticness-surreality quotient that's through the roof.
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 8:16 PM on June 3, 2009 (78 comments)

Fathom Me This, Batman!

It's a bit difficult to give context to Fathom without ruining the fun of the game, but I daresay it's worth your time. A bit more here, and the comments there seem to offer a few useful hints if you're getting too frustrated.
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 4:38 PM on May 19, 2009 (44 comments)

Web-Based or Mac OS X Twitter Client with Navigation, Deletion/Hide of Read Tweets, and URL Launch -- All Via Keyboard Shortcuts?

Looking for a Twitter client with very specific certain requirements. Does it exist?
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 3:52 PM on April 21, 2009 (6 comments)

Life's Calendar

Eventually ... (SIL), by Winston Rowntree.
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 12:19 PM on April 19, 2009 (12 comments)

Five years of Ask.MeFi book suggestions from Human Relations and Work & Money

Ask.Metafilter is over 5 years old now, with volumes of suggestions and helpful ideas. philosophistry sorted through the years of posts categorized as Human Relations and Work & Money, and created ranked listings of the books people recommended the most often: Human Relations, Work & Money. Note that each little thumbs-up icon is a link back to the post which referred to the book in question. Posted originally in Mefi by filthy light thief, but deleted.
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 5:01 PM on April 16, 2009 (34 comments)

The Hero of Canton, The Man They Call Jayne: the Rock Remix

The Hero of Canton, The Man They Call Jayne: the Rock Remix (SLYT), by the Browncoats.
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 8:20 PM on April 9, 2009 (50 comments)

Good News, Everyone!

Maybe the world isn't as good as this (more on that), but there's still ... good news, everyone!
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 9:05 AM on April 7, 2009 (33 comments)

Wouldn't You Be, Couldn't You Be, WON'T You Be The Narcissistic Society I Give Birth To?

A little old, but chock full of enough wackadoodle quotes to be your morning cup of head-go-boom-iness. FOX News on Mr. Rogers and his effect on "the narcissistic society he gave birth to": "This evil, evil man has now ruined a generation of kids." "Do you think that Mr. Rogers [...] ruined a crop of our newest, youngest generation?" "Instead of telling them 'you're special, you're great', why didn't he say, 'there's a lot of room for improvement, keep working on yourself'?"
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 9:00 AM on April 6, 2009 (191 comments)

Slogans, Quotes or Mottos Lauding Action Over Overthought/Overplanning?

I'm looking for mottos, slogans, or quotes that are short enough to be easily remembered, that are meant to spur someone to take action towards their goals, and/or that warn against overthinking and overplanning and staying in your head – in other words, that laud the merits of action over thought. I've already thought of "just do it" (which is the precise sentiment I'm looking for), but it is so overplayed that it doesn't have much meaning any longer. Any sentiment of any length is appreciated, but ideally it would be something that easily sticks in your mind.
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 3:25 PM on April 3, 2009 (80 comments)

'Big Bad Question' as a Metafilter Subsite?

This idea has been sticking around in my head for a while: assuming its creator cortex didn't vehemently object, could Big Big Question be integrated into Metafilter as a new subsite? I think it could be something amazing.
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 3:44 PM on March 28, 2009 (65 comments)

Joining MP3 Files Together Based on Date in Filename?

I have a podcast that downloads as multiple segments over multiple days. Its format arrives as YYYYMMDD_showcode_segment.mp3; so, for example, one download might result in files as 20090323_goofa_01.mp3 through 20090323_goofa_21.mp3, and also within the same download 20090324_goofa_01.mp3 through 20090324_goofa_21.mp3. What I'm looking for is a Unix script (shell, perl, what have you) that would look at a directory and look at what dates are represented there, and let me join all of the segments together by day. I can use mpgtx -j to do the actual joining; I'm looking for the code that would let the script determine what dates are in the directory and then get each day's segments united into a single MP3 for that day's show.
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 4:08 PM on March 25, 2009 (5 comments)

Natasha Richardson Dead at Age 45 From Fall at Ski Resort

Actress Natasha Richardson died yesterday at the age of 45 after a fall while taking a beginner's lesson at the Mont Tremblant Ski Resort, located 80 miles northwest of Montreal in Quebec, Canada.
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 1:06 AM on March 19, 2009 (145 comments)

Will the Stimulus' "Second Chance" COBRA Election Period Cover Those Who Elected But Didn't Pay?

The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act helps unemployed people with their COBRA payments in two ways: it subsidizes 65% of their payments, and because this lower price makes it affordable for many who couldn't before, it allows people who didn't elect for COBRA the first time a second chance to elect for coverage. I was laid off on October 24, and I did elect for coverage on January 28. But I haven't paid yet. The grace period for payment ends in a few days, on Saturday — it has to either be paid online or postmarked by then. If I were to not pay, would I be given the same second chance as those who didn't elect the first time around — the difference being that I would have elected, but not paid? It's a substantial financial difference for me. A little bit more inside.
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 3:37 PM on March 11, 2009 (3 comments)

Mehness and FAILitude

John Hodgman: "Did I ever tell you people how much I hate the word 'meh'? Nothing announces 'I have missed the point' more than that word. It is the essence of blinkered Internet malcontentism. And a rejection of joy. By definition, it may mean disinterest (although simple silence would be a more damning and sincere response, in that case). But in use, it almost universally seems to signal: I am just interested enough to make one last joyless, nitpicky swipe and then disappear. It's part of the toxic Internet art of constant callous one upsmanship." (via Andy Baio)

Andy Baio: "Part of the problem is that 'FAIL' implies objective truth, when it's just your personal opinion. Tantek Çelik pointed out that, in LOLspeak, 'DO NOT WANT' would be more appropriate since it clearly conveys a personal opinion. [...] I know many people who make stuff for the web, all of them very passionate about what they do. And every time I see a 'FAIL' assigned to their work, it makes me sad. Yes, I know you're trying to be funny. But I'm starting to see a trend away from the funny, and towards the angry, bitchy, or mean. So please, mind yer words."
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 2:12 PM on March 2, 2009 (181 comments)

Metafilter Killfiles

What third-party Metafilter killfiles/killfilters — if any — have been developed, and do any still function on the way the site acts nowadays, all AJAX-ified and such?
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 1:45 AM on February 13, 2009 (77 comments)

An Economic Stimulus Without the Stimulus?


Tips as to UNIX Shell Script to Programmatically Save a Webpage as a Text File

I'm writing a shell script to take a webpage and convert it into a text file. I'd appreciate tips as to how to store URLs, save the file with the URL's title as its name, and also just general tips as to how to improve the script and/or achieve the process better. Specific questions inside.
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 4:53 PM on January 30, 2009 (17 comments)

Ask Metafilter One-Sentence Summary?

I had a suggestion for Ask Metafilter: a field for a one-sentence summary.
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 3:48 PM on January 20, 2009 (24 comments)

What's a Casual "Let's Get Together" Phrase if "Go for Coffee" or "Go for a Drink" Won't Work Well?

Semantic question: When initially proposing a "getting to know you" predate, the common invitation is to go get some coffee or to go get a drink. If you don't enjoy coffee or alcohol (yet), what alternate phrase can you use that doesn't sound weird? "Get a soda" sounds like "let's go get a malted!", and proposing "getting a drink" and then not drinking alcohol yourself can be problematic — and engaging in even a one- or two-sentence-long explanation about how you don't drink takes the question's tone away from casual and into "sounds complicated-neurotic" territory.
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 10:41 AM on January 17, 2009 (47 comments)

Sus Domesticus and Fabaceae (Sequelae)

Pork and Beans II, now with twice the meme-fun.
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 10:31 PM on January 14, 2009 (37 comments)

A Formal Debate About George W. Bush With Some Unusual Players

On December 4, 2008, at NYC's Symphony Space, NPR's Intelligence Squared program conducted an Oxford-style debate. As their future debate schedules in Australia, England, and America show, the propositions of such debates are routinely phrased strongly to provoke debate, and this was no exception. The motion that was put forward was: "Resolved, that Bush 43 is the worst President of the last 50 years." [mp3, 23 MB, 50 min.] What lifts this above the reams of media and multimedia already spent on this issue is that, moderated by ABC's John Donvan, this premise was debated — under formal debate guidelines — by Jacob Weisberg, Sir Simon Jenkins, Bill Kristol, and ... Karl Rove.
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 9:34 AM on January 6, 2009 (28 comments)

What Lies Past Eternity, for the Universe?

Exit Mundi's thoughts on the latest anticipated apocalypse: the coming apocalypse in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 A.D.. (No kidding.)
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 10:38 PM on January 3, 2009 (79 comments)

Metafilter Gray

Metafilter Gray.
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 9:33 PM on January 2, 2009 (25 comments)

Pull-Down Menu (Preferably Nonmodal) in Javascript Bookmarklet?

Is the presentation of a choose-item-from-multiple-choices-presented menu possible to implement into a Javascript bookmarklet?
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 2:10 PM on December 29, 2008 (3 comments)

Splitting Some of the Categories?

Just wanted to float an idea about Ask Mefi categories.
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 6:40 PM on December 17, 2008 (29 comments)

Time keeps tickin' away, keeps tickin' away ...

12/31/08 6:59:60 pm (EST).
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 8:47 PM on December 10, 2008 (69 comments)

Ask Mefi Thread on Queen's Forename and Surname

I remember an Ask Metafilter question in which it was asked whether, if the current Queen of England went by a name based on her forename and surname (the format many of us go by, such as "John Smith" or "Jane Doe"), what that name would be. I can't seem to find it under the "queen" tag or via a Google search.
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 3:13 PM on December 10, 2008 (69 comments)

Don't Go Breaking My Heart

Some of the best short-short fiction I've read recently has been that of the Heartbroke Daily, the stories of the love affairs of (fictional) Knox Dupree, who "fall[s] in love too easily" and "as a result [...] suffer[s] from near constant heartbreak." Start from the beginning and work forward. (via Presurfer)
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 12:37 PM on December 6, 2008 (4 comments)

Pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil.

"Pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil." Alex Graven, 9, has had How to Talk to Girls, the runaway hit of the Soaring Hawk Elementary School book fair, picked up by HarperCollins. How do you spot these oil-guzzling cars? ""It is easy to spot pretty girls," Alex writes, "because they have big earrings, fancy dresses and all the jewelry."
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 1:37 PM on December 3, 2008 (100 comments)

How to Create Non-Paginated PDFs from Current Webpage of Firefox?

Is there a Firefox extension, or Mac app that can work with what is currently on Firefox, which will export the current webpage as a PDF file that is not paginated and reproduces the screen appearance, such as what Saft's "Export PDF" feature offers for Safari?
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 11:54 AM on December 1, 2008 (5 comments)

I'm Never Going to Give You Up, All of America ...

Rick Astley and Foster's Home for Imaginary Kids conduct the largest rickroll in recorded history, when you consider how much of America tunes into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. (And maybe the first live, in-person rickroll with Astley himself?) (SLYT)
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 9:46 PM on November 27, 2008 (87 comments)

Keyboard Navigation for Comments?

PonyFilter: Keyboard navigation for comments, similar to what's demonstrated here, except the pagination hack wouldn't be necessary (unless you wanted it to go to the next thread instead of the next page). 'j' would go one comment down the page and 'k' would go one comment up the page. It'd be a real nice addition!
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 4:04 PM on November 21, 2008 (31 comments)

Myra, It's Getting Too Damn Hot In Here!

The Funky Fresh Senior Choir, also known as the FBC Senior Adult Choir. (via Neatorama)
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 11:19 AM on November 15, 2008 (10 comments)

Learning How to Like Coffee, and How to Like Beer

There are two beverages that nearly every American adult seems to like, but I dislike both: coffee and beer. I would like to develop a taste for both of them. For morning caffeine, coffee's free at most workplaces whereas pop isn't; and beer is a cheap mood alterer; but more importantly, both are social lubricants, one that isn't achieved by drinking a soda while others get either awake, buzzed or drunk. It's been a while since I had either, but remembering the tastes, I think it's that I dislike the bitterness in each drink.
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 10:34 AM on November 15, 2008 (56 comments)

It Don't Matter if You're Black or White (Furred)

You know, sometimes, you want to read about an upcoming economic nightmare, sometimes, you want to read about Obama's transition team, sometimes, you want to read about the Rifleman's Creed, and sometimes, you just want to see squirrels dance to Michael Jackson (SLYT).
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 10:05 PM on November 11, 2008 (25 comments)

The Meme Equivalent of Grey Goo: Tomorrow's FPP

Just out of curiousity, tomorrow, there's going to be about five million, four hundred thousand, six hundred fifty-two attempts to write a "first black President" FPP. Do the mods have any specific plans, or is it going to be whomever jumps the gun first? And are you guys going to be able to enjoy the festivities, or are you going to be too busy deleting everyone's massively respawning dupes? ;-)
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 6:59 PM on November 3, 2008 (107 comments)

RELIABLE Economic Forecast, Plus Other Unemployment Advice?

I could use people's advice as to finding out the most likely future of our economy, how to come out of a period of unemployment proud as to how I used my time, and how to best prepare for the worst.
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 5:45 PM on November 2, 2008 (6 comments)

Read It Later

Given that you're a Metafilter user, if you're also a Firefox user, you may want to check out the Read It Later extension. It's not an unfair assumption to assume that Metafilter users tend to do a lot of online reading (who, us?), and the Read It Later extension is well-suited to help you manage your online reading while not cluttering up your bookmarks. It began as a bookmarklet but now has its own online site, RSS feed, intracomputer syncing, caching of pages for offline use, integration with Google Reader, and customizable keyboard shortcuts, and has really matured into a really great (free) extension.
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 9:31 AM on October 31, 2008 (35 comments)

Yo mama so fat, her other biography is called "The Audacity of Hardee's."

Matt, among other Mefites (Anil, Lore), are participating in a deeply hysterical election-themed "Yo Momma" fight (wiki). (via Boing Boing)
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 7:59 AM on October 22, 2008 (26 comments)

Why Is Obesity Help Often Excluded By Health Insurers?

Why do medical insurers treat obesity different than other vices? Not a GYOB (I've got one); I literally don't understand the facts of the situation.
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 7:26 PM on October 20, 2008 (20 comments)

Chicago Tribune Endorses First Democratic Nominee in 161-Year History

The Chicago Tribune has been a bastion of Republican endorsements, having consistently endorsed every single Republican presidential nominee since it was founded in 1847. One of its earliest managing editors, Joseph Medill, was a founder of the Republican Party. Today, it endorsed its first Democratic presidential candidate in its 161-year history. And it certainly did not do so halfheartedly.
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 2:35 PM on October 17, 2008 (65 comments)

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