Why didn't he show the updated resume? Pah.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 6:12 AM on February 26, 2008

"How far can one man stretch one iota of talent?"

Almost as far as he can stretch a pair of pants.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 3:52 AM on January 11, 2006

"Why is it that students can graduate from MIT and Harvard, yet not know how to solve a simple third-grade problem in science: lighting a light bulb with a battery and wire?"

I don't think gaining admission to/graduating from colleges like Harvard and MIT requires you to be much smarter than the average person. It's got more to do with being ambitious and driven to the point of obsession.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 12:37 PM on January 8, 2006

"Region codes should be forbidden imo. They are nothing but a nuisance. Can anyone articulate a (sensible) reason why they exist in the first place?"

So that the movie companies can control the release of their films. If the DVD is out in America before the film is in UK theatres, people might opt for the DVD instead of -- the studios hope -- watching it first in the cinema and then a second time on DVD.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:08 PM on September 20, 2005

And if they were to release movies globally at the same time, it would probably hamper their marketing campaigns. Little Tommy Cruise can only be in one country promoting his new film at any one time and they certainly don't want to release the film without him first being interview by anyone who'll listen -- media saturation is vital when your movie costs a hundred million or more.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:14 PM on September 20, 2005

Lock up Nelson Mandela now!
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:07 PM on August 6, 2005

"It isn't outlawing speech. These guys can say whatever they like... in their own countries. They can even post it to the internet for all to read. They just won't be allowed to spew their retardation as guests of the UK."

You know, the London bombers were born in Britain.

"It's terribly cheeky to wander into somebody elses country and advocate killing it's citizens. Would you tolerate somebody showing up at your house for a party... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 5:01 PM on August 6, 2005

Not to mention that the extremists would be deported back to countries that torture and kill their prisoners. But that's okay, we'll get them to promise not to do anything bad, cross their hearts and hope to die...
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 5:05 PM on August 6, 2005

Well, it would certainly make St Patrick's day more interesting.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 10:30 AM on July 3, 2005

I'd like to see their take on a BMP party political ad.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:07 PM on April 30, 2005

Heh, oops.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 3:42 AM on May 1, 2005

Great stuff.

Surely it's just a matter of time before someone films a zombie/slasher movie here.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:04 PM on April 30, 2005

The very nature of TMS means that it can only be done in bed. Normal males can masturbate almost anywhere.

Not if the bus driver catches you.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 7:27 AM on October 30, 2004

This thread about the perl script weblog is what I want to talk about, ok?!!!!!! This thread is so fresh and funky as well. My friend John said she thinks this thread is crazily very pleasant and most of the time I eat jam. Read my lips!! the problem with the thread about the perl script weblog and the perl script weblog are not really related. This is the most crazily very coherent post on metafilter for several weeks. tomorrow i am going to think about gun control.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 5:33 AM on October 5, 2004

I like the "Bed Wetter"...

Well, I like the name. The trick, or course, looks just like all the others.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 5:12 PM on September 19, 2004

Several people here have said that waitstaff can be legally paid less than minimum wage. But, if the wages + tips come to less than minimum wage, doesn't the restaurant have to make up the difference?

And does anybody here think they should be paid more than minimum wage? Well... everyone should, I suppose, but are they more deserving than other lowly paid workers? I don't think carrying food to a table is worse than working in McDonalds or scrubbing toilets. If anything,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 9:05 AM on September 14, 2004

47/70 (I also had to guess the UK top ten questions, and I live in the UK.)
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 5:38 PM on September 4, 2004

Good article, thanks.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 2:21 PM on August 22, 2004

Ali G is hilarious. His american show's really gotten better this season with his understanding of where to poke at the culture.

There was a list of writers at the end of the show, so maybe that's part of the reason it's funnier than Ali G In Da USAiiiiiiii
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:56 PM on August 13, 2004

*yawn* This has been done before.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:52 PM on August 3, 2004

"It's motorists just plain ol' not LOOKING and not seeing us."

I think some kind of Metafilter error cut off half your sentence. It should have read: It's motorists just plain ol' not LOOKING and not seeing us, as we weave in and out of traffic at twice the legal speed limit.

But, yes, he should have been locked up for the rest of eternity, because this would have brought the motorcyclist back from the dead and ended traffic accidents... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:29 PM on January 22, 2004

I don't blame the victim in this case, obviously. I was pointing out that there are a lot of irresponsible, dangerous bike riders out there. We could argue about the kinds of people who are attracted to riding motorcycles, but now I digress...

My point is, that custodial sentences, in cases like this, achieve nothing. I know you Americans have this overwhelming desire for revenge, but you need to realise that locking the guy up for several years won't do nowt.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 5:28 PM on January 22, 2004

They also have Peter Andre billed. I can't wait to see what these two have to say to each other.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 9:23 AM on January 20, 2004

"Two Wongs don't make a Wright"

Is that it? It's not funny, but it's not racism either.

If only Prince Phillip could be that innocuous. While on a state visit to China, he told a group of British students, "If you stay here much longer, you'll all be slitty-eyed".
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:05 PM on January 19, 2004

jonvaughan, there's a difference between something being party policy and one politician giving his own, rather foolish, opinion.

The population of Britain -- well, England -- is already too large for such a small country. We're now one of the most heavily populated countries in Europe, and the housing problems and urban sprawl are symptoms of that. People need to start saving for their future instead of relying on unsustainable population growth. We are earning more now... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 5:45 AM on September 24, 2003

I_Cola: But the population density for England is 376 (per sq km) which would make it the 25th most heavily populated nation in the world. And most of those other places are so heavily populated mainly because of their very small size, ie Monaco, Hong Kong, Jersey.

Hmm, if only we could persuade more people to move to Scotland or wales... no chance!
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 7:50 AM on September 24, 2003

Why on earth would you spend all that money on film school when for the same amount of money you could make a decent film on high-def video? Hell, we all heard about R. Rodriguez making El Mariachi for $7,000 and doing a good enough job of it that it was picked up by a mjor film studio

If Rodriguez had gone to film school, perhaps he'd be able to make half-decent movies.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:34 PM on September 14, 2003

It wouldn't be a Mel Gibson film without historical revisionism.

And I've got a better comparison for you, banished. Claiming the holocaust never took place is like suggesting the Israelis are not oppressing the Palestinians.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 8:02 AM on July 25, 2003

Married men no longer have to bother with attracting women. For the same reason, they stop caring so much how they look. In my opinion, all creative and competitive drives are the result of the urge to reproduce and the necessity to appear more successful than the next man.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 6:19 AM on July 10, 2003

Maybe Shakespeare was one of the few men for whom marriage did not completely quell his sexual appetite...
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 6:27 AM on July 10, 2003

The smokers in this thread remind me of the Iraqi information minister. Now that I think about it, he'd make a great spokesman for any major tobacco company. And he's looking for a new job...
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 9:02 AM on April 11, 2003

Uh huh. Sloganerrific. You also need protection from my exhaust fumes, wood fires, and devastating CO2 exhalations.

Will people please stop comparing cigarette smoke to car exhaust fumes. Yes, breathing in carbon monoxide, and whatever other numerous gasses vehicles produce, is hazardous to one's health, but there are some pretty big, and obvious, differences:

1. People don't run their cars in restaurants and bars. At least,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 9:11 AM on April 11, 2003

Maybe the American pilot feared the Brits would think he was Iraqi, and so decided to take them out first...

There's definitely a fire first, ask questions later mentality among the American troops. And due to the great technological advantage the yanks have, there really isn't any justification for such an attitude. They can afford to take the time to establish wether a convoy of armoured vehicles is friend or foe. And, in this particular case, even a cursory check... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 5:48 AM on March 31, 2003

Also, you have to be on drugs to enjoy jazz.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:15 AM on March 28, 2003

My favourite line: "or, if you`re American, try English"
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 9:11 AM on February 7, 2003

Bag Man said What can’t m country act its best interest? Why is it when other counties act their best interest they are lauded? Talk about your double standards. I know I’ll evil, I it love it when you telling me I’m evil, I will go repent now.

America is a special case because it is much more powerful than any other country. When America makes mistakes with its foreign policy, whole countries are ruined, regions are destabilised, people stave. When... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 5:58 AM on December 16, 2002

I guess what I was trying to say was... the people who should be complaining most about America on this thread, are those living in America. Why aren't they?
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 6:01 AM on December 16, 2002

Africa is a lost cause. And climate change will eventually leave the country completely uninhabitable, rather than just virtually uninhabitable. Africa simply cannot support all those millions of people.

We should wipe out their national debt (or at least freeze the interest) so that they no longer have that excuse to use when begging for more aid. And then gradually withdraw all aid -- see how far they get by themselves.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 8:37 AM on December 6, 2002

Would 'Lady' Di and Lennon even be on this list if they hadn't died in such tragic ways? There's something to be said for a premature death as a way of cementing celebrity.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:24 AM on November 25, 2002

Will people please stop pretending rape and murder are in anyway comparable. Rape is a misdemeanor compared to murder.

And as far as prison as a deterrent is concerned, do people really suppose potential criminals research the number of years they would serve and then deiced whether it's worth it? If a criminal is not deterred by the thought of ten years incarceration, then the possibility of twenty, forty, or even a hundred will have just as little affect.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 3:00 PM on August 16, 2002

Talos said: Language skills in Europe: "People in the UK, Ireland and Portugal are least likely to speak another language, with less than a third of these population saying they can do this. "

One big reason for this: Portugal and England are the only two countries in Europe without a minority language.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 9:02 AM on August 2, 2002

Mwongozi, the argument against the Euro has very little to do with whose face is on the bank notes or some other insignificant loss of identity. It's about losing economic control to Europe. What's good for France or Germany is very often not what's good for the British economy. See what's happening in Ireland for example.

Personally, I see no good reason FOR joining the Euro.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:10 AM on July 3, 2002

I was wondering, if these people weren't pretending to be the authors of the games, would you have a problem? I'm seeing similarities with the MP3 situation here. Although now that it's happening to you, you're outraged.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 3:46 AM on June 19, 2002

What a complete waste of the taxpayers' money. That half hour firework display alone could have paid for countless desperately needed nurses, teachers, police, etc. And the Queen couldn't have ben less interested! The miserable old cow had trouble not yawning.

a huge carnival drew 14 million TV viewers a night

Well, if the two most popular stations (out of just five) choose to show virtually nothing but the jubilee... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 4:06 PM on June 5, 2002

Buyer pays shipping? ......yes

I've heard of mail order brides but...
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 5:50 AM on December 18, 2001

But there is a problem with immigrants isolating themselves within small race-exclusive communities. They make a point of resolutely sticking with the culture of the country they abandoned, with seemingly no interest in the language, clothing, cuisine, etc of their new home. So it's not hard to see why people presume their motivations for emigrating were entirely economic. And this leads to the whole "they come over here and take our jobs" mentality which I believe is what these riots... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 7:27 AM on December 11, 2001

Why shouldn't they stick with their culture?

If someone has no interest in a country's culture, why would they even want to live there, if not for purely financial reasons?

And wtf has that got to do with oaths of allegiance?

I was commenting on this part of the article:

"The controversial suggestion in the Cantle report, which was commissioned by the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 8:05 AM on December 11, 2001

This girl reminds me of the Soup Nazi . . . *sigh* I miss Seinfeld.

I worked in retail and service for 8 summers, and I'll tip at least 20% for the rest of my life and continue to give people I'm with shit if they ever try to undertip.

Why should people tip you for doing your job? Your employer is at fault for not paying you a decent wage, not me. So don't expect me to supplement your salary.

I suppose... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 6:22 AM on November 30, 2001

As the poster above stated, most servers get *less than minimum wage.*

I didn't know this. Why do they get less than minimum wage? How is that legal?

Call me an Econmics major, but I'm guessing that if everyone decided not to tip people making $2.00/hour, you might have a hard time getting a table at a restaurant.

Or restaurants would have to start paying a living wage.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 8:30 AM on November 30, 2001

Or those who oppose surveillance on more philosophical grounds - sort of a "Let me live free" kind of vibe.


And do you ask other people using the street to look away when you're out? If you have an intense fear of being watched, maybe this will help.

Anyway, your lofty philosophical ideals are a small price to pay for a lower crime rate.
posted to MetaFilter by MarkC at 9:49 AM on November 28, 2001