Displaying comments 1 to 50 of 168
MeFi post:
Mental note: Rogaine for the groomsmen.
I would ordinarily sneer with contempt, but concerned about the frown lines and forehead wrinkles produced by reading MetaFilter over the years, I had Botox treatments and now can only blink my eyes, McCain-like, in disbelief.
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 4:31 PM on July 24, 2008
MeFi post:
he could bear to wait no longer
For those who found this story to be thought/discussion-provoking, I strongly suggest that you take 20 minutes or so to listen to the most recent episode of This American Life where there is an absolutely haunting segment by an author who accidentally struck and killed a cyclist 18 years ago, and the effect that it had on his life. Really. Must. Listen.
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 8:15 AM on July 21, 2008
MeFi post:
Suspect Soldiers
When I was in medical school, I did my psychiatry rotation at Great Lakes Naval Base, which is main hub for recruits for the Navy. I can't begin to describe the array of psychopathology that we saw, primarily due to the fact that recruiters would tell potential recruits that they were eligible despite the fact that they had psychiatric diseases.
Invariably, what would happen would be that the recruiters would tell the kids to stop taking their medications because they... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 1:01 PM on July 16, 2008
MeFi post:
Marge Innovera's Favorite TV Show
Tom and Ray are absolutely great guys ... I'll agree with god-like. I've been very lucky to have had a couple of brushes with them. Well, lucky with one, and not with the other.
It started with a very unlucky incident where I, um, obliterated my wife's car by forgetting to put the parking brake on and forgetteing to put it into gear. It rolled out of our garage, down the driveway ... well ... my wife told it to Tom and Ray on CarTalk better than... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 6:15 PM on July 8, 2008
Rtha: Yes. Because it was the CarTalk guys, and of course, because we were living in Jamaica Plain, it seemed natural for us to end up with a Subaru Outback (automatic).
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 10:03 PM on July 8, 2008
MeFi post:
... and living on a prayer
My wife and I visited Ronda on our honeymoon a number of years back -- it was as gorgeous (pun intended) as these pictures indicate. Thanks for the reminder!
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 5:28 PM on July 5, 2008
MeFi post:
Orange junk.
I am now way too traumatized for a Friday morning at 7:30am.
Serves me right for floating in the Intertubes when I should be working.
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 4:26 AM on June 13, 2008
MeFi post:
Studying Really Pays Off!
One of the more thought-provoking comments made during this story, and one that I think needs to be expanded upon, is that by monetizing education (in this case, meeting minimal education standards) draws a sharp distinction between those who learn something for a small reward and those who learn for the sake of learning. Those who learn because they want to learn are more likely to become independent, self-directed learners going forward, and by extension are more likely to succeed in a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 6:44 AM on April 22, 2008
... the whole "but kids should WANT to go to school!" thing seems like moralistic silliness. What matters is getting these children an education. If we have to pay them to do that, so be it.
And what happenes when the children want a raise or cost-of-living adjustment? How are these children expected to learn the concept of deferred-gratification (the absence of which can easily be linked with broader social problems such as obesity, a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 9:13 AM on April 22, 2008
I, and most people I know, got paid to go to graduate school.
I'll take issue with this. You (and I, and most people I know as well) probably received a stipend (not a salary or hourly wage) as compensation for being teaching assistants or graduate assistants. You may have received a scholarship for your academic achievements to date. Or you received a stipend as a means of financial assistance because you couldn't work full-time (as an adult) and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 10:07 AM on April 22, 2008
MeFi post:
So, that Y chromosone, it's the bad trading chromosone, right?
According to Simone de Beauvoir, "One is not born a woman but rather becomes one."
de Beauvoir was clearly not a developmental biologist. It turns out that female may be the default state regardless of whether you are XX or XY (NB: This is not 100% certain ... there is ongoing debate as to whether the 'default state' is neutral or female). That said, your maleness has to be turned on by the SRY genes (sex determining... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 7:22 AM on April 9, 2008
MeFi post:
RIP William F. Buckley, Jr.
Saw him when he spoke at the Univ. of Chicago 20 years ago. While I disagreed on most of his ideas, I had nothing but respect, awe and envy for his remarkable talent language. If I turned off the analytical portion of my brain, then it was a treat to revel in the mellifluousness of his speech.
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 8:39 AM on February 27, 2008
MeFi post:
Suicide Attack
And what exactly is the point of a one-line, one-link post to an article about (yet another horrible) suicide bombing in the mideast?
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 2:49 AM on January 10, 2008
MeFi post:
Science and Technology in the 2008 Presidential Election
whir is right on target. As a scientist in the middle of my post-doctoral work, watching the flat-funding of the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute has been entirely demoralizing. The funding line for many grants hovers close to 10%, meaning that 90% of the grant proposals are simply not funded. While this does a fine job of weeding out the crappy science, the scarce dollars mean that people with novel work that doesn't fit the dominant paradigm may not get a chance... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 5:23 PM on January 9, 2008
MeFi post:
Silicon implants for your Tattoo
Let's hope that this is the swill at the bottom of the glass that is 2007, rather than the frosty head that is the first sip of 2008. Sigh.
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 10:05 AM on December 26, 2007
MeFi post:
Spirit's Swan Song?
I think that we (as a people) should collectively drop everything we're doing and redirect all our efforts into a massive rescue mission. We need a fleet of interplanetary ships, crewed by hundreds of volunteers from all nations to embark, post haste, and rescue that poor beleaguered robot.
Unfortunately, all of the other countries capable of space flight will probably feel that this mission is based on faulty intelligence, leaving us to construct a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 11:50 AM on December 12, 2007
MeFi post:
Is adoption the best option?
This is an interesting (if somewhat disjointed) thread, with a lot of issues being discussed simultaneously. My wife and I just returned from Kazakhstan a 5 days ago where we completed the adoption of our daughter (ok ... I have to do the proud new father thing here and link to a picture of her in a rather oddly matched outfit while at the orphanage). Entering the international adoption world was a fascinating but stressful process. We chose adoption for no other reason than that we didn't... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 6:07 PM on December 11, 2007
mwhybark:Adoption is selfishness masquerading as selflessness.
I'm not entirely sure if this is strictly restricted to adoption. One could probably make the same statement about parenthood in general. Having children is (often) the result of an individual or couple wanting to have a child. However, raising children requires a tremendous amount of self-sacrifice. So, I wouldn't just call adoption selfish, but probably parenting in general. And, of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 4:35 AM on December 12, 2007
MeFi post:
Couching portraits as comment
While these are absolutely wonderful photos from the perspective of their intimacy, the glazed-over look that comes from television consumption, and it's similarity to empty "android" stare of a model on a runway (thanks, Guy Trebay, for the perfect phrase) creeps me out. I'm with TLF on this one.
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 5:01 PM on November 20, 2007
Yes, Herr Hahn, and only demonic TV creates such poses, elicits such stares.
Actually, I turned on the iSight camera on my Mac and discovered that I also have the same slack-jawed, glazed-over, vacant-eyed stare when I'm reading MetaTalk.
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 4:18 AM on November 21, 2007
MeFi post:
wash your hands (a PSA)
A Harvard man and a Yale man are at the urinal. They finish and zip up. The Harvard man proceeds to the sink to wash his hands, while the Yale man immediately makes for the exit.
The Harvard man says, "At Harvard they teach us to wash our hands after we urinate."
The Yale man replies, "At Yale they teach us not to piss on our hands."
Oh, and maybe you want to get a flu shot too.
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 5:56 PM on November 14, 2007
MeFi post:
Wild Turkeys: Pigeons 2.0
We've not seen them in our 'hood. Perhaps the turkeys know that if they cross the Jamaicaway, we'll fuck them up JP-style (that is, with a nice mole sauce and a beer).
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 9:29 PM on October 24, 2007
MeFi post:
Kevin Gilbert
One of my favorite 2nd-hand record store finds was a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" by Kevin Gilbert and Thud. When I first found it, I didn't know about Gilbert's tragic story, and having learned about it makes the CD that much more valuable to me.
posted to MetaFilter by scblackman
at 7:40 AM on August 6, 2007
