drjimmy- yeah, I hear more criticisms of his work on the grounds that "he sucks because I say so and because he's the hip thing to read." Well, yeah, because he's a good writer, people read him. That is how it works. I honestly doubt there is the level of scenesterism in literature as there is in music.

Oh man, I made this girl I like this really awesome anthology of late 19th century german philosophers, and to spice it up a bit, I snuck in a few chapters from... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 12:27 PM on August 6, 2008

That is pretty amazing.

For those who aren't camera nerds, he is shooting this on digital, on a $5k HD camera, with a Letus Extreme, a lens adapter that lets you use a 35mm film lens. What this provides is a very shallow depth of focus that has been, until recently, extremely hard to do with video.

so the dramatic, narrow depth of field (ie, most things out of focus) was intentional. He's not showing off the HD part of the rig (which is... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 2:05 AM on July 27, 2008

(and just double checking, it actually will work with standard 35mm still lens)
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 2:10 AM on July 27, 2008

Phillip Bloom talking about the lens mount
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 2:11 AM on July 27, 2008

not sure: I agree re: commercialism, however I still think the footage is really neat, and if it gets you a RED camera (video camera with a 35mm sensor) on the cheap, I probably wont complain.

Also lets my filmmaker friend justify buying more toys, and more importantly, his wife can now write off her SLR lenses as work related.
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 9:32 AM on July 27, 2008

jkaczor- if you are going to invest into a $1-2k lens adapter, seriously look at a panasonic dvx100 (480P capable 24p camera, records onto minidv) as your base model. You'd be looking at a 3-4K total investment in camera gear, but it would really be a versatile system (iraq in fragments was shot with one), for someone interested in going "film quality digital video."
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 6:08 PM on July 27, 2008

Here's another way to put it: The squirrel is not a canary because the squirrel does not have wings. You have built yourself a false premise and a logical framework from with it could (poorly) be inferred that a canary without wings is indeed a squirrel.

And you are confusing Sex and Gender. Gender is socially constructed. How you ask? If gender roles were biologically created, how could you account for social differences in genders when there appears to be no biological... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 12:21 PM on July 26, 2008

Now for the real question:

If I wear this is it considered a dress? If a woman wears it, is it then a dress?
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 12:44 PM on July 26, 2008

Brandon Blatcher: What am I missing or not understanding?

See my above comment (not the kilt one) giving examples on why you can't even claim chemistry distinguishes between male and female, as different levels and exposure times to chemicals invitro can give someone with XX chromosomes attributes found in someone who has XY, etc.

As for why gender is a construct? Well do you really call a male dog a "man", would you... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 7:49 PM on July 26, 2008

my elementary had all those awesome nasty things, include no less than 8 massive, raw chain suspended swings. That we flipped over and over to raise the seat up for super awesome tricks.

And my favorite metal slides: the ones that were just sheet metal nailed down ontop of a large piece of plywood, so 3-4 kids could go down at once.

And the bent steal monkey bar dome that you could climb up on the outside, or swing from the beams from above.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 1:47 PM on July 21, 2008

I would like to say that I do make eggs in the microwave. Well, scrambled eggs, in perfect english muffin sized circle to go on my home made breakfast sandwich. It means one bowl to clean up, no frying pan, and I can warm up some canadian bacon at the same time (one egg in a bowl or vessel with the same diameter as the english muffin, scramble with a dash of water, some salt and pepper, nuke for 40-50 seconds).

Healthier and faster than an premade one at mcdonalds (my... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 11:09 AM on July 21, 2008

wait, they have the persons DNA, so they can tell if its a man or a woman.

Unless of course, their DNA samples are wrong, and there is just bad testing going on. First sample from first crime is poorly done, has double XXs, is labeled as female. 3 years later they run another sample from another person, but they only have the records, not the original sample from the first one, so the two match up close enough to be considered the same person given the equipment of the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 9:12 PM on July 20, 2008

man, if there is one group of people I do not want to pick an intellectual fight with on the internet, it is the MetaFilter crowd. Reading over the new comments here is just amazing. I have no idea what Boing Boing is doing about it on their end, but honestly, they have been soundly and sufficiently called out on their errors, given a clear definition of what has happened and how they are damaging their own community and image.

It's one of the best cases of creative,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 10:56 AM on July 2, 2008

Oy, ask him off to the side after the reading is over, I hope. If anybody came to one of my shows and needled me on a metafilter deletion between songs, I think I'd take exception.

I'd ask outside the Q&A. Unless it's Mathowie, and during the Q&A we just read him ask.metafilter questions.
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 2:04 PM on July 8, 2008

jesus, 7 spartas.
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 1:12 PM on July 20, 2008

so question: has BB just totally lost relevance and is now a bunch of twits cackling madily as they play with their toy soldiers, with their furnaces leaking steam and their gauges shattering as their steam dirigible plummets dramatically to the earth?
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 7:12 PM on July 20, 2008

faze- What, really?

Things are OK as long as they fit an economic need or structure what you think is important. But what could pretty well be considered art by everyone (and playful art by some interpretation, to take the piss out of the soviet era construction) is grounds for the extermination of a city and a culture.

Besides, what is Weird? Is weird just what is different to you? It sounds like it. Of course, a society that finds things that... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 9:53 AM on July 20, 2008

faze- well that would just be your cultural perception of them, correct? I still do not see that as anti baby propaganda. While eastern bloc countries do have their fair share of propagandist art (stalinist statues, etc.) I do not see how you can draw the conclusion based solely on photos of these pieces that they are anti baby.

Let alone I didn't know there was an anti baby movement with deep seated roots in Prague with their absinthe and bohemian ideals.
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 7:11 PM on July 20, 2008

These guys are sick.

I will drive cross country (or hike) before I put on one of these bracelets. How much you want to bet the advanced Registered Travelers wont have to wear one of these. Which will be fine as long as no one is dedicated to their political movement for any long period of time to be able to fool such scrutiny. I mean, terrorists are really easy to pickup on those screenings right?

Also, if these are signal activated, and they... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 12:01 PM on July 12, 2008

nomadicink- i agree, they are inflating the threat because it makes them money.

All that the increased security at the airports has provided is a bigger target: the 400 people in the security lines waiting to be screened. You can cram a lot of C4 and shrapnel into a carryon (especially since you weren't ever planning to get TO the screener, it could be oversized) and just set it off in line.

That would totally fuck with people. How are you going... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 12:34 PM on July 12, 2008

Miko did a great summary of this. Greenwich is a lightening rode for a lot of middle class / upper middle class issues.

I grew up in greenwich, I just talked to my sister who lives there still (regrettably, she is trying to move out also).

The field is in the wooded area north of St. Catherines Church, to between Riverside Lane and the water, so the drainage issue is actually correct.

My biggest complaint: in that google... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 10:56 AM on July 10, 2008

More on Ada

I was home from college and stopped in to buy some soda, and she still remembered me, even though the last time I was there was when I was 15.
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 10:59 AM on July 10, 2008

Actually, to follow up, there are five fields within view of that area, I missed one (actually a lot of the field spaces have multiple fields on them, I know binney has atleast 3 if not more).

So the towns reaction of "we built freaking fields for you to play on, why did you have to build your own?" isn't exactly out of line.

Well, maybe the kids went to Brunswick, so never knew about any fields except theirs near their school and up at... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 11:14 AM on July 10, 2008

Are all those places a kilometre or more away and on the other side of either water or a freeway?

Crossing 95 is easy, there are lots of bridges (riverside ave, a straight shot south from the field where they are, has very wide sidewalks), granted going west is a bitch because there is a steep hill, but considering my friends and I would ride our bikes the same distance (it is .8 miles from st. catherines to eastern middle school, the closest ball... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 11:24 AM on July 10, 2008

meant "demanding access to the parks" as in "let our kids build this wherever they want"

the Greenwich Point issue was a big problem, because it was hard to support limited access (it is an estuary and a great park, and crowding would ruin a lot of that) without sounding like an elitest, racist prick. I think switch to a paid pass is a happy medium, as local town money goes to support the beach and the park, so as residents they have in fact already... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 11:29 AM on July 10, 2008

I can say confidently that there is enough space for someone to find a corner to play a game of wiffle ball, even if the actual diamonds are being used for baseball / softball.

binney park has fields for soccer and baseball, and then just east of there is the civic center with another two parks. not to mention the space in front of riverside school, while having trees, is open enough for kids to play in the afternoon.

in short, there are plenty... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 11:54 AM on July 10, 2008

paxton- the parks i mentioned have never stopped me as a kid from playing in them, or for people to put together some adhoc games with some friends.

While there may be a broader scope here, I am trying to add some very location specific details for this specific instance.

Also, I am asking why they NEED to build the wiffle ball park. Not why did they, or what their motivation was. But why do they (or their parents) believe they have some god (or... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 12:45 PM on July 10, 2008

Update from my dad about it:

This spot is in Riverside off of Riverside LANE, which is North of the
Post Road on the way to Stephen & Sandy's, and over looks the Mianus.
Needless to say there is a great deal of debate.

I think it's a great use of a neglected piece of town property. The
kids have created a useable field for them and the community. Most of
the complaints are coming... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 2:08 PM on July 10, 2008

After talking to my Dad about it, and thinking about it, and putting in perspective the area, I will have to rescind my statement specifically saying it has got to be torn down. It appears while the NY Times article is making it an us vs them argument, a lot of people in the town (just not the people next to the field) actually like it, as it is making something useful out of the space, that was before, as my dad said above, a freebie for the folks living next to it.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 4:07 PM on July 10, 2008

The Fibonacci thing doesn't work past 13 miles.

Note he said approximately

21 miles is 33.79km

34 miles is 54.717

55 miles is 88.51

89 miles 143.23

etc.

1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 233 377 610 987
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 9:32 PM on July 9, 2008

I was going to post some more about biodiesel and food costs, but realized I had written a bit about it in the sierra leone biodiesel thread.

In short, i can say my piece that biofuel/corn/ethanol is a very backwards approach to the fuel issue, as it was probably thought up by people as a way to prop up the corn agribusiness and make money for a few people, not to provide green solutions. However on the surface it appeals to some less informed, but want to do something... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 10:57 AM on July 5, 2008

the big heavy weighted ball is just simple design. It is a very big bladder of milk, with a rubber tube that fits through a choke point, and the weighted ball is pinching the tube shut, lift the weight, the tube opens and the milk flows. When you replace the bladder, the tube goes with it, when put a new bladder in, you close the door, hold down the lever and cut the tube.

other push to open systems use a valve in a much more complicated system where you would have to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 3:51 PM on June 30, 2008

Navelgazer- The city didn't want the supersonics, they wanted us to pay, as tax payers, for the stadiums so the teams could make more money. I got the general idea the residents couldn't care for the sonics and aren't crying over them leaving.

Now if the Storm's were to leave that would be a bigger problem I think.
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 9:25 PM on June 12, 2008

My mother never understood the irony of calling me a son of a bitch.

Also, you can call a man a bitch, however in the context of implying his suborbinate, feminine, emasculated status is that of a woman. It demonstrates aspects of our cultural legacy of sexism; it is more insulting to insinuate that a man is a woman, and therefore inferior, than for a man to just be an asshole or full of shit, etc.

And the right is already starting to play the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 11:45 AM on June 4, 2008

hey, don't forget, old white guys gave us the inquisition, the holocaust, the hanford site, the eugenics movement, the WTO, the crusades, and even more!

Maybe "old white guys" isn't the best term, as it ignores the horrible atrocities committed by people who aren't. How about Bastards? Can we use bastards instead?
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 7:28 PM on June 4, 2008

"Terrorist Fist Jab" Anchor E.D. Hill Loses Her Show
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 3:53 PM on June 10, 2008

I still want to find out what party I have to hang out with to convince Paul Allen to give me money for my crazy hairbrained scheme (i mean, EMP? SLUT? etc) that would mostly involve me helping him spend his money for myself and things i deem worthy.

My friend's met Dennis Kaslowski's (tycho ceo, one of the guys known for embezzling money from his company) daughter who described herself as a "professional philanthropist." That is mind boggling.
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 10:31 PM on June 6, 2008

This is awesome, I had never seen the Minard Map. The detail of information presented is purely brilliant. I think I am going to have to get that. And a new world map, as you would be surprised how useful it is to have a giant map on the wall to settle arguments.

Not at the exhibit, but an interesting maps also: XKCD's map of the internet, XKCD's map of online communities (where be metafilter)?
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 10:07 PM on June 4, 2008

I spent my $600 on prepaying for biodiesel from my local cooperative. It is made from waste soy oil produced from the making of animal feed, and is carbon neutral. I picked up enough to last me until next dec.

I figure it was a worthy investment, fuel wise.
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 10:14 PM on May 31, 2008

Matthowie like's doing strange things with cats?

Have we come full circle? Is there nothing more to do but to rehash and repeat something that has already been done before?

Is every post a dupe now?
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 11:15 AM on May 30, 2008

(re: title)

Who would want to install a debian pre compiled girlfriend package? It would be the older version with unsupported modifications just to make it acceptable for the current running environment. So think 50 something divorcee with new boobjob from Brazil, bad botox, and a could to host to all sort of stds.

And I don't even want to know what the "bleeding edge" package would all be about.
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 10:44 PM on May 27, 2008

As someone who is from Connecticut, I was always hearing about Teddy, but I didn't really think about him until the recent election cycle. I mean, our state has Dodd (who is OK) and Lieberman of all things as our representation. So in many ways I am envious of MA for their Kennedy in hindsight (I now live in WA).

Hopefully this reminds people that there wont always be the Lion in the Senate (but I hope he will still be around for many more years), so other people will... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 6:16 PM on May 20, 2008

It's like marine biology meets Chiat Day ad campaign!
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 10:11 PM on May 18, 2008

My friend linked me to these guys when they first announced it (he does a lot of freelance, geekcorps type of stuff).

I am really excited projects like this are taking off. Also, before anyone starts harping on the loss of food: The oil is derived from Palm Nuts, which were usually just used as fertilizer or as animal feed. The waste casing, after the nuts were pressed for oil, were still used for pig feed.

A good portion of biodiesel is made... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 10:13 AM on May 18, 2008

delmoi- you can also grow algae in the desert if you have water present. On top of storing solar energy as in the harvestable oil, you can also use it capture waste CO2, take the resulting non oil waste and use it as fertilizer.

While using photovoltaics to store energy is great, and would be a great solution for powering an electrical grid. We still have some issues of storage and transportation of energy (hydrogen gas) and then there is the issue of building and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 4:46 PM on May 18, 2008

pjfishing- Welcome to metafilter. I am really impressed with your work, and I think you hit on the right note: it is providing work, energy independence and employment for the local residents. Once the demand grows, there sounds like there is enough land to encourage the development of, and actually enable the use of via machinary, to increase both the food and fuel output.

I think you might want to get in touch with the BioLyle folks, they are based out of Seattle, I... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 5:09 PM on May 18, 2008

[ok, going to try this again, this time without a beer in hand]

delmoi- I see now your comment implied generating electricity in the desert and then using it to power electrolysis somewhere there is water.

The algae farms can grow in covered areas, so you could have greenhouse like structures that are actually solar bioreactors. For water you could set them up at the sewage pants for vegas and other desert cities. The water is full of nutrients,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 7:26 PM on May 18, 2008

* Don't add uninitialised data.

It strikes me as something akin to buttle/tuttle from Brazil.
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 12:24 PM on May 17, 2008

I was talking to the guys down at georgetown brewery south of seattle (at the washington brewers cask beer festival, $35 all you can drink beer tasting), and they have managed to lock in decent supplies of hops, and only had to up their growler fills by a dollar, because they don't bottle.

Give me old school growler service again, so I can go to a brewpub, fillup my recyclable container and take the beer home for $8.
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 9:37 AM on May 16, 2008

Jim Koch is a crazy bastard, that is for sure.

But then, most craft brewers i've met are.

Also, they are excited about good beers available for everyone, even if that beer isn't actually sold by them.
posted to MetaFilter by mrzarquon at 10:05 AM on May 16, 2008