I wasn't sure if I was supposed to laugh at these people until I saw that they have two kids born out of wedlock. Total trash, amirite?!?
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 2:22 PM on July 26, 2008

I like Barfield.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 6:34 AM on July 26, 2008

If you wanna delete/
It's jake with me/
If you're friends with BB/
You're no friend of me...
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 12:41 PM on July 18, 2008

this guy is just an asshole plain and simple, and their tolerating him at all, let alone giving him official status (if in fact they have), gives the lie to their pretense of insisting on high-minded discourse

To be fair, his internet tough-guy shtick is sort of amusing. I love how quickly he switched from playing coy with that passive-aggressive ol' timey Sheriff response to cortex's good faith effort to just straight out telling everyone how... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 9:11 PM on July 21, 2008

To you, maybe, and obviously to him, but I think you may be in the minority.

C'mon, he's totally a candidate for the Cut My Hand Off Club. That such febrile cluelessness has apparently been given sanction by what was once an important site that still carries a lot of cachet with some is very funny, especially if one has a pretty low opinion of the 'blogosphere' and its self-appointed movers and shakers to begin with.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 8:55 AM on July 22, 2008

MehFeh is a name given to this site

Pfft, people've been making that joke here for years. They can't even insult with any originality.

I just don't understand why no-one will freakin' say whether Takuan is an official mod or not.

Would you want to claim him?
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 9:11 PM on July 22, 2008

Uh, I'd like to hear from Sideshow Mel.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 5:40 AM on July 26, 2008

This is swell and mazel tov and all, but I can't wait until this sort of thing isn't in the news; not because it won't be happening, but just that people will learn to mind their own fucking business and not lose their shit just when the folks down the street don't live exactly the way they do.

Well do you wanna be a man or NOT???

Wow, that takes me back to the day dad decided to teach me how to use a chainsaw.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 9:14 PM on July 25, 2008

to think of a future where men can have babies truly frightens me

Vivat Grendel!
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 5:21 AM on July 26, 2008

I have awesome credit and a stable financial situation thanks to my folks giving me something far better than cash and prizes. It's called "knowing how to live within your means". A hell of a lot of folks know how to do it, it's just not the sort of thing that'll fly off the newstand.

A generation of twenty-somethings...

I'm guessing they're talking about the portion of that generation who haven't been fucked... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 8:55 PM on July 25, 2008

There was a BBC Four special last year called "In Search of Steve Ditko"

*Cough*
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 8:28 PM on July 25, 2008

Ahhh, memories. Here's a cool ToyHack* for all my fellow ToyHackers and Barbapapa fans:

You'll need:
-Bag of balloons
-Sharpie Marker
-Imagination

Step one: Inflate balloons to varying sizes.
Step Two: Draw eyes, arms and mouth on balloons.

Voila! Instant Barbapapa action figures (If you want a Barbabeau, you'll either need a bunch of yarn or a very forgiving imagination)!... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 10:18 AM on July 25, 2008

It was the small print book title over a capsule review for the paperback version of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel.
Some half wit had "corrected" it to "Guns, Germans and Steel."

Same difference.

Sounds to me like Mr. Coren could do with a refreshing cup of iced coffee.
I know just the place.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 8:46 AM on July 24, 2008

Definitely worth reloading the page.

Thanks, miss lynster.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 8:26 AM on July 24, 2008

why is advertising that gives people jobs in coca-cola factories good, but advertising that gives people jobs cleaning walls bad?

I could go into a lengthy spiel about how the fine folks at Coca-Cola are actually producing something of value - and of refreshing deliciousness! - while the wall cleaning folks represent resources squandered to correct the mistakes made by people who don't respect their environment and, regardless of their message's... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 8:20 AM on July 24, 2008

YESTERDAY'S TOMORROW IS HERE - TODAY!!!
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 7:11 PM on July 23, 2008

But the first bicycles did look funny.

And yeah, it's a sideWALK, jerks.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 7:59 PM on July 23, 2008

It's like they hid a camera in our apartment!

Very sweet, and really interestingly drawn, thanks!
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 11:46 AM on July 23, 2008

I'm sort of surprised to see criticisms of the art, but I think part of it comes down to the rendering. It's very "fleshy" in the same way Paul Pope's work is, and stirs something up in my gut that isn't exactly uncanny valley, but isn't far off. It's really good and incredibly expressive.

As for the contentious faces, they strongly remind me of Roberto Parada's portrait of Homer Simpson as a real person. Only in this story the idea's inverted, with the human... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 7:38 PM on July 23, 2008

Here's hoping they don't give her a plot under shady pines.

.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 12:28 PM on July 22, 2008

Whatever you do, do not open Hoopo's links in another tab and then absentmindedly click over to them after they've loaded and begun to play. Especially the second one.

That said, the statues and tower are cooool. It's like the Awesome Android had a baby.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 8:55 AM on July 19, 2008

Monumentalizing babies-with-their-faces-bashed-in (or gouged out, as if by an abortionist's tool) suggests a society in the thrall of weirdness for its own sake, if not outright infant sacrifice on the level of ancient Catharge or other Moloch-worshipers.

Non, imbecile!

As I'm sure will surprise no-one, children are a frequent metaphor for the future. Somewhat more concretely, they are often considered, or at least idealized,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 9:32 PM on July 20, 2008

Best advice I have received is to use a pneumonic expression: "I have 7 sisters and 0 brothers," yields Ih7sa0b, which is also a strong password!

Well, it was.



Jerk.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 9:07 PM on July 20, 2008

"Well okay, Mr. Brown, let's just get you up on the table and see what we're dealing with-"

"Hey, I'm a diabetic!
It ain't copacetic!
Whoa-oa-oa! No penicillin,
It makes me illin'
Makes me break out - in hives!
Uh!"

[Orderly enters, drapes hospital gown over Godfather's shoulders]

"Nurse, please prepare 15 milligrams of Haloperidol...... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 8:09 AM on July 19, 2008

I liked it.

If they develop a campaign around privitazation of the CBC, they might just get a majority next time out.

Oh, piffle.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 10:01 AM on July 18, 2008

CBC Sports/Scotty Moore decided to trash the theme -- this after it was called the second National Anthem. Moore and the song publishers turned patriotism into merchandise. I still say, the Tories are going to grab hold of this... The first party to properly get hold of this issue will benefit, but the Tories have an inside track.

Any party that hacks on the CBC because of this will be labeled as the party who wanted a public entity to spend... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 9:29 PM on July 18, 2008

I like Batman, but the BatFilter's getting to be a bit much.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 11:47 AM on July 18, 2008

Sigh. I can remember when CNN used to actually have (well at least occasionally) news stories on.

That's nothin', I can remember when MeFi used to actually have (well at least occasionally) news stories on. Sigh.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 9:54 AM on July 18, 2008

Slightly OT: Has anyone else read Nth Man (by Larry Hama, writer of GI Joe and some Wolverine). I read it right when I was coming of age, and it really hit home with the themes of loss of innocence, and curious if anyone else enjoyed it like I did.

Dude.

I don't get the furor over adaptations. The Watchmen comic is one of the best achievements in the genre of Western superhero comics and I enjoy it immensely. It'll have... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 11:31 PM on July 17, 2008

My gut says Alberta's weighing in on this one.

My gut says your gut needs to grow up.
And odds are mine's bigger, so...
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 10:33 PM on July 15, 2008

Customer doesn't get his way, gets mad, then gets his way, refusing ever to return?
Customer returns an hour later, gets his way, leaving a rude note for the previous experience?
Customer then blogs about it, including a mock-up of rude note like some sort of trophy?

Fuck the customer right in his ear.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 11:57 AM on July 14, 2008

I wonder if soda jerks were so damn smug about manufacturing and serving their products?
If they were, at least their name was sort of a tip off*. I hate the word barista, any time I go into a coffee place I always expect some stuffy guy with a funny accent and a huge goofy wig† to be behind the counter, and I'm invariably disappointed. Even more so when they refuse to put ice in my coffee.
May I humbly put forward "Java Jerks"?... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 10:52 PM on July 14, 2008

BARISTA EXCHANGE?!? SERIOUSLY?!?

Ridiculous.
*Resumes reading Custodian Quarterly*
Ooooh, the fall brooms are out!
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 8:45 AM on July 15, 2008

Of course, these stunts don't always end well.
How do you mean? I still laughed.

Note to all you healthy young daredevils and maniac cyclists: Don't forget to sign your organ donor cards!

Your lungs, I want them.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 11:40 AM on July 14, 2008

Just when I was begrudgingly going to wash the dishes, how did you know?
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 7:37 PM on July 13, 2008

McCain Says He Didn't Love America Before the Age of 31

I think McCain should've been able to once America reached the age of consent.
Heyyy-Oh!
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 7:33 PM on July 13, 2008

Is this something you'd need a childhood to know about?

*Sobs softly in the corner*
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 1:39 PM on July 13, 2008

I took back all of the bad things I said about Canadian banks.

Can't go wrong with pemmican futures.

Seriously, that stuff lasts forever.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 10:52 PM on July 11, 2008

One per page, starting off with Spawn? Bunk.
No Love & Rockets characters? Or Sgt. Rock? Or Scrooge? Or Jughead? Or GI Robot? Or John 'Peachy' Doe, aka Nth Man, The Ultimate Ninja?

And hell, why not just give all the Warren Ellis characters a single entry, they're all written the damn same, anyway.

Danny the Street (well, really, the whole damn Doom Patrol)
Crazy Jane is a Top 64 unto herself.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 10:09 PM on July 11, 2008

"Some aren't so great, but the Janice/Donatella Versache thing was pretty amusing... man, how sad is it that I know who Donatella Versa- waittaminnit, TMZ?!?"

*Washes mouse*
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 9:41 AM on July 11, 2008

Clint Eastwood, who offended many by overlooking the contributions of black soldiers in his two recent WWII films.... but recognized the efforts of Native Americans.

Will Spike Lee have an Aboriginal person in his film? Has a Lee film EVER featured an Aboriginal character? I realize it's asinine to cry "racist" upon such scant evidence, but...
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 5:45 PM on July 10, 2008

Observations:

Languagehat is really, really old.
Languagehat is really, really cool.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 12:34 PM on July 10, 2008

10/10
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 9:55 AM on July 10, 2008

it's just a blog with a lot of random posts. What's the point?

Indeed.

Very cool to some, mildly interesting to others, and pretty darn neat to me, thanks!
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 8:35 PM on July 9, 2008

O-bama you refine,
You refine, you blow my mind!
O-bama!
*Clap-clap clap*
O-bama!
*Clap-clap clap*
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 8:27 PM on July 9, 2008

Why wouldn't they use a larger caliber than .22?

If you use a larger caliber there's the chance that the bullet will pass through the skull and into the body of the pig, doing less damage to the pig's brain than a ping-ponging .22 and leaving you with the unenviable task of dispatching a really pissed off animal that is in a lot of pain and fully mobile. A bullet that breaches the skull and enters the body can also ruin the meat, scattering bits of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 10:04 AM on July 9, 2008

*Angrily shakes side of bacon at mrbill, refuses to share*
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 10:05 AM on July 9, 2008

There's a Monster Island, and a Sex Island, but no Monster Sex Island?

Google, what happened? You used to be cool.
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 9:56 PM on July 8, 2008

Sex Island? Second Life has Sex Continents!

Ahhh yes, I remember the last time I was in continent...
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 9:12 AM on July 9, 2008

How are the chances that they will let him work on this? Is this impossible?

"Yeah, let's stick the coder in a small enclosed space without natural light and only a computer to keep him company for the foreseeable future, that'll learn him."
posted to MetaFilter by Alvy Ampersand at 10:11 PM on July 8, 2008