The first is a statement about energy. The latter statements (at least the second and third) are statements about economics. "You can't win energetically" does not imply "you can't win economically," and anyone who tries to draw such a conclusion should not be listened to, either on physics or on economics.

To amplify this point, if it were true that "you can't win" economically, it must also be true that you can't lose... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 1:05 PM on August 4, 2008

Seems to me all Rand is doing is applying the Freudian 'Pleasure principle'

No, she goes way beyond that. Can you use the pleasure principle to show that "altruism" is wrong?

The other problem is that the pleasure principle doesn't have much predictive content because you can't give a sufficiently detailed account of its interaction with other psychological principles. You can of course analogize from the pleasure... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 8:40 AM on August 7, 2008

You have to include all income. Gambling income is income. So your chief duty is to include that income in your tax return, and pay taxes where applicable.

You may offset your gambling losses against your gambling winnings under IRC Section 165(e). I don't know to what extent you can deduct other gambling expenses under Section 162; if you have a lot of expenses you should do some research or ask your accountant.

IRS CIRCULAR 230 NOTICE: To the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 2:54 PM on August 5, 2008

Useful-looking discussion with links to IRS pubs.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 3:30 PM on August 5, 2008

You're declining "hortus" wrong. Should be "abite hortis" not "hortibus" I think.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 3:17 PM on August 5, 2008

How big is a "place?"
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 11:05 AM on August 5, 2008

Wikipedia sez:

The term is applied also to sections of large vocal works (such as opera, oratorio, or musical) when the written or printed score for such a work designates the titles of the pieces with sequential numbers, hence the aptness of the term. The use of numerical designations in extended vocal musical works has the practical advantage of facilitating rehearsal plans, especially when their designations include assignment of characters.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 9:12 AM on August 5, 2008

OED has a couple suggestive entries:

b. Each of a collection of songs or poems. Obs.
1842 Southern Lit. Messenger Feb. 167 We are under no small obligation to Longfellow for embodying so many cheering views of existence in such musical numbers. 1878 R. L. STEVENSON Inland Voy. 119 There was a number in the hawker's collection called Conscrits Français, which may rank among the most dissuasive war-lyrics on record. 1894 Westm. Gaz. 21 Feb. 3/1 There are only... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 9:14 AM on August 5, 2008

The early OED citations do predate jazz and the blues. Here's the story they suggest: in song collections, or musical pieces with distinct sections, the individual songs or sections were numbered and came to be called "numbers" for this reason. Performers would use this nomenclature to describe what they were doing as they moved from "number" to "number." Gradually, they began to apply it to sets where the pieces were not all part of the same selection or... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 10:29 AM on August 5, 2008 marked best answer

I do a Dr. Zoidberg gesture or sound (or both).
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 8:36 AM on July 31, 2008

WAIT also I snort like a pig.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 10:03 AM on July 31, 2008

FSBO will be legal because the owner doesn't pay himself any fee. Of course, real estate agents would like it to be illegal, but excluding competition is hard work.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 11:29 AM on July 29, 2008

Some people become science writers. I know a smart condensed-matter guy who's eying that direction. Comparatively non-technical (and poorly compensated) but you could do it if it appealed to you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 8:36 PM on July 22, 2008

Celia!
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 9:12 AM on July 12, 2008

Refinement: the only other PS3 models on sale are the (new, not 2006) 60gb model and the 80gb model, both of which emulate the PS2 in software. So answers should compare the PS2 game performance of a PS2 versus a PS3 doing software emulation.

Thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 8:36 PM on July 11, 2008

I believe there's a Playstation Network download called "Metal Gear Encyclopedia" or somesuch that can get you up to speed . . . though I guess now that it's almost a month after the release, you don't need this anymore. for posterity however

I just played MGS4 and loved it, but a lot of what I loved about it depended on the experience of playing the earlier games. Knowing the story is an imperfect substitute. For example, the battle... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 12:51 PM on July 8, 2008

This is what snail-mail is for. Take a page from the banks and send it in a thick envelope with some kind of noise pattern printed inside to make it hard to read without opening.

Use email to tell them it's coming and request acknowledgment of receipt.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 6:51 PM on June 28, 2008

Could it be this Sacks article in the New Yorker (not online)?

(NYRB has a review of Sacks' book, as well.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 10:05 AM on June 26, 2008

Used to say, "Frequently, and with great vigor," quite frequently. . . .

I'm also partial to, "Shoots and Googles."
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 12:17 PM on June 25, 2008

Try it with another computer and see what happens.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 8:27 AM on June 16, 2008

There are two strains to this argument, the legal and the moral. The form you've given of the legal argument is overstated.

The legal argument: typically, corporate management is legally obligated to generate returns for you, the owners. In principle, "socially responsible" behavior arguably violates this obligation because it sacrifices profit (shareholder interest) for something else. Generally, though, corporate management cannot be held... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 3:45 PM on June 13, 2008

Wow, what an outpouring! Thanks everyone. I'm going to start with Microserfs, and then reassess my position. (Maybe Generation X afterwards.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 9:09 PM on June 11, 2008

IANAL in the relevant sense, but I suspect you could have your lawyer be the person of record if there must be one. Make sure any such arrangement is documented.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 8:15 PM on June 4, 2008

Seconded. And you can bet all the professors (potential advisors) haven't gone home.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 3:31 PM on May 26, 2008

Isn't generating all the keys on your computer a security problem for everyone else?
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 2:07 PM on May 26, 2008

I think Greg Mankiw's Principles text is really excellent. I studied economics in undergrad and we used this text in the intro course. I learned economics theory in this book; all the other courses I took were just filling in details and applications (exception: empirical and statistical stuff). (I believe this is the most popular intro text as well; certainly Mankiw has made a big chunk of change off it.)

I recommend it heartily.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 10:06 AM on May 18, 2008

Is there an RSPCA as well? You could call them, too.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 10:57 AM on May 11, 2008

Hurf durf. That's disappointing; I would've loved to get the Kindle.

I've also been reading about the iLiad; some pictures (see comments) of it in action suggest it might be able to do what I want (it has a very high-res display). Does anyone have one?
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 3:50 PM on May 9, 2008

The Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walkure.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 8:15 AM on April 18, 2008

Companion site to ICHC: i has a hot dog</a.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 4:51 PM on March 31, 2008 marked best answer

Also, if you're not reading blogs via RSS, you should make the switch: that way you won't care whether any particular site is updated daily, you'll just get a list of updates.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 4:53 PM on March 31, 2008

Sweetness, thank you. Embarrassingly, I didn't notice any of these (bad search terms).
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 6:18 PM on March 30, 2008

This Carroll "story" reproduced at the beginning of GEB is relevant, I think, and tremendously deep.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 6:29 PM on March 13, 2008

Sen. George Vest's speech on dogs is famous and touching.

The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man's reputation may be... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 4:38 PM on March 11, 2008 marked best answer

Sell your camera, and buy a much cheaper but still excellent DSLR. Perhaps you can get one compatible with your current kit.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 11:55 AM on March 11, 2008

I would amplify the end of moxiedoll's comment: this looks like a bad deal if you're just interested in this job because the practice is in "environmental law." On the other hand, though, if you know that you're specifically interested in the particular kinds of cases the group takes, and it's a specialized practice area where only a few pioneers are working, than the initial, unpaid position starts to look more attractive.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 7:49 PM on January 28, 2008

Do wait for the trusts & estates mefites to come along. Mr. President Steve etc. etc. usually has good answers.

My take: details will depend on state law, but here's how I think this works:
1) the revocable trust is no longer revocable, since the donor is dead. If the trust just gave the bequest to you outright, it probably doesn't exist anymore.
2) the disappointed relative probably has no case to get at the gift. The revocable trust is an... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 7:51 AM on January 10, 2008

I would break it down Matcha + iri. The question then becomes, what is meant by iri in context. Perhaps 炒り, 'roasting?'
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 2:15 PM on November 20, 2007

According to Wikipedia, "A few tracks not included on the soundtrack is the Chocobo Forest theme, the music for the dancing girl, the short intro to 'Cry in Sorrow/Sorrow and Loss', and various fanfares." Perhaps this means there is no title.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 6:46 PM on November 19, 2007

The least invasive solution is to delete the picture from your Address Book card (drag it to the trash).
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 1:42 PM on August 13, 2007

The FFT genre is usually called "strategy RPG" or "tactical RPG" (SRPG or TRPG), though if you like Advance Wars (who wouldn't!?) you may cast your net more broadly to include turn-based strategy games more generally.

One SRPG title on DS is Hoshigami Remix. I think it's very similar in style to FFT, but it's been reviewed pretty poorly and I haven't picked it up.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 2:25 PM on August 8, 2007

People like Kurzweil's track record.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 9:36 AM on August 3, 2007 marked best answer

I think the association with the Nazis has produced more heat than light on eugenics -- pointing to the Nazis as an argument against eugenics is a bit like arguing that the fall of the Soviet Union disproves socialism. Yes, socialism might be wrong, but the failure of one crony-totalitarian superstate doesn't prove much; likewise the crimes of the Nazis can and arguably should be disentangled from the idea of genetic hygiene. (Try saying "genetic hygiene." Creepy, right? That's the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 10:27 AM on August 2, 2007

mdonley and Orinda are right to be skeptical about how much you can learn from a college tour, especially in the off-season.

However, since nobody's mentioned it, let me say: talk to some professors. Many of them will be around in the summer, working on research projects. Look them up on the college websites and drop them a line in advance; the odds are excellent you'll find someone who wants to talk to you. Even if you don't have any sense of what you'd like to major... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 7:32 AM on August 2, 2007

Hmm, that would be "Pura Saudade (Optiganally Mix)"? No, doesn't sound right to me. And none of the obvious title searchs on skreemr seem to produce any results. (It does seem like a useful site generally, though. Thanks.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 2:46 PM on July 27, 2007

That last link appears to be one of the Uniqlock audition videos, unfortunately. No go (only metronome sound, no music). Tanaka's blog has an entry announcing the Uniqlock, but it doesn't say what track it is (indeed, sounds like it may be original; "The Uniqlock, whose music I was in charge of, starts today!").
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 4:30 PM on July 27, 2007

It's not worth it. Act like a tourist.

I've lived in New York most of my life, and acted like a New Yorker just about the whole time. I recently realized I've been missing out tremendously as a result. Acting like a New Yorker (or a local anywhere, I'd expect) seems to be about knowingness -- act as though you know, well, everything, rather than revealing that you might be trying to find something out. You don't look up at the (beautiful, renovated!) ceiling in Grand... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 3:55 PM on July 26, 2007

No contradiction between determinism and the consequentialist account of libertarianism you might derive from the works of Smith and his successors in economics. You can't be a Randian (or generic libertarian mystic) and a determinist, but I think of this as just another virtue of determinism.

I guess I'm most confused about the "Proudhonist" facet. What do you take the statement "Property is theft" to mean? I mean, they're both like hugely... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 9:24 AM on July 24, 2007

If your DS runs homebrew, you could run RBI Baseball by emulating the NES (?) hardware. This is probably a bit of a pain but would be cool and of course generalizable to other classic games. This seems like a reasonable starting point.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 7:56 AM on July 24, 2007

Let's play a game: I'll name some objects, and you have to tell me what category they belong to. Here goes.

Mount Sinai, Mount Zion, and Mount McKinley.

Answer.

There are more, equally hilarious, but I can't think of any.
posted to Ask Metafilter by grobstein at 1:25 PM on July 20, 2007