Displaying comments 1 to 50 of 107
Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams
Twenty years ago this month, I watched a portion of the Bay Bridge upper deck collapse in the Loma Prieta quake.
Yesterday, I watched a portion of the Bay Bridge upper deck collapse during the rush hour commute. Next to the bridge is its replacement, twenty years in the making, still leading to nowhere.
That California requires more than twenty years to replace this crumbling structure is a perfect symbol of my state's failure.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 8:12 AM on October 28, 2009
*Slap!* Sir, I demand satisfaction
Along with Oakland, my town of Richmond, CA is suffering a plague of drive-by shootings. A drive-by is a sloppy way to gain respect or get revenge -- too many innocent bystanders, including children, are in the way. Re-introducing the American tradition of the duel would save lives every year.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 8:29 AM on September 15, 2009
Camilo José Vergara
I examined the photos of Richmond, CA, where I have lived most of my life.
I'm surprised to learn that, according to Vergara, I live and work in a ghetto.
Many of Vergara's photos confuse working-class neighborhoods in Richmond with a ghetto. He failed to take his camera very far into Richmond's real ghetto, the Iron Triangle. It's a long stretch to consider the Richmond neighborhoods he photographed "invisible".... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 11:35 AM on March 3, 2009
They're Leasing Old Gateway Stores
There used to be a Microsoft store, years ago, at the Sony (now Westfield) Metreon in San Francisco. It didn't last. I never understood why someone would travel to a fancypants mall to pay premium prices for a copy of Windows.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 4:32 PM on February 13, 2009
Windshield Imploded, Military Intercept, Cockpit Empty and Dark over Florida Skies
The phone number for his financial management business was disconnected, and public records do not list his current home phone number.
Too bad he wasn't as creative with his clients' money as he was running away from the mess he made with it.
A map of East Milton, Florida where the plane finally crashed shows it to be populated -- it's just luck that nobody on the ground was killed. Which suggests to me that he planned his... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 1:27 PM on January 12, 2009
WAIT 6502,1
Languages, applications, even operating systems had the mark of an individual back then.
I can't imagine programming Microsoft BASIC or anything on the PET's abysmal original keyboard.
We had a roomful of PETs at my elementary school that were used to play Lemonade Stand.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 12:38 PM on November 14, 2008
Plenty Butter! Plenty Syrup! Very Good!
I recently showed a friend's penguin-obsessed four-year-old a Chilly Willy cartoon on my iPhone, via YouTube. He was terrified! Kids today don't get enough TNT, quick-drying cement, or falling anvil gags from Dora the Explorer.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 5:59 PM on November 7, 2008
Akira on blu-ray
I bought the VHS tape when I was too poor to own a VCR.
I bought the soundtrack CD years before I owned a CD player.
But I will skip the Blu-Ray and wait for it to play in a theater again.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 4:10 PM on October 17, 2008
The Next New Deal
I have such fond memories of the 1991-1992 U.S. recession. Of course, I had just turned 21, I earned about $22k a year, and in the first presidential election I was old enough to vote in, I selected Bill Clinton because he seemed like a regular guy. The recession was too abstract for me; I was generally HAPPY in spite of it.
This time around I'm solidly middle-class, a homeowner, a well-informed voter, and ENRAGED.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 7:55 PM on October 1, 2008
Green Behind The Ears
I was more baffled by the blue-sky backdrop that replaced the green lawn. I assumed someone forgot to chroma-key a background of the burning twin towers.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 9:49 AM on September 5, 2008
In War Profiteers We Trust
You mean to tell me that war profiteering wasn't a felony before the fall of 2007? It's no wonder that Halliburton ran its contracts as a "cost-plus" enterprise.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 9:22 AM on May 23, 2008
Ready from Day One, 2001 Edition
My visit with the new president did nothing to assuage my apprehensions. The man—and by that I mean the inner man, the essential man—seemed unequal to the awesome powers entrusted to him.
This is why I fear my President. And lately, a lot of insiders are confirming it.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 3:00 PM on May 2, 2008
about:mozilla
The source brings back fond memories. I wouldn't be caught dead with a CENTER, B, FONT, or HR tag today. It's really charming 100% HTML code. Adorable, even.
First web site: Some guy's Twin Peaks tribute.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 2:25 PM on April 1, 2008
Library of Congress Historic Baseball Resources
The film may be from 1898, but the streams are clearly of 1998 vintage.
Interesting how the cameraman framed the shot. Most of the diamond except for 3rd plate and home base is obscured; instead of recording the action, the camera is pointed at people milling around off the playing field. The film has no sense of composition.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 6:08 PM on March 26, 2008
Thrill 'em.
He's coming back in spite of himself. Thriller is everywhere. And you have to admit that you can't take your eyes off him in this video.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 2:28 PM on March 25, 2008
Death of a Browser, End of an Era
If this is true, I don't understand is AOL's insistence on bundling IE into their software. If they owned Netscape by 1997, it doesn't make sense that they'd support their competition in that way.
It's because of what they got in return: a sign-up icon on every Windows desktop.
I don't think AOL had any interest in the browser market. They seemed more interested in the netscape.com portal, which got a lot of eyeballs when NS... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 10:05 PM on December 28, 2007
Good Night and Good luck and what is this?
Last year I put a 60-mile ChannelMaster antenna on my roof to draw in KALX, the UC Berkeley radio station. The vast number of random broadcasts floating through the ether is astounding. I can see how it could become a hobby.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 3:59 PM on August 13, 2007
Develop your Emotional Intelligence or Die Early
Sounds like you had a panic attack. Very common and very treatable. New age jargon and chiropractic quackery, however, won't help.
Aladfar, I felt exactly like you until the new age quacks cured me. I posted this because, if it happens to you, I don't want your opinions to get in the way of your cure.
Incidentally, my doctor did prescribe several hundred dollars in meds, including an inhaler. They did nothing but make me... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 2:18 PM on August 10, 2007
Soviet Space Art
SmileyChewtrain, a modified version of that image (sans the CCCP on the helmet) used to appear in the CSA Images catalog. The csaimages.com site doesn't seem to have it anymore, unless I missed it.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 3:47 PM on August 2, 2007
Extra! Extra!
It would be yet another example of the damaging covermount culture which is destroying any perception of value around recorded music
No, it's an example of an artist held in high esteem by his fans in spite of his label's profiteering.
We're seeing the first wave of high-profile artists who are fed up with this line and bringing their music -- and getting their profits -- directly from their fans. Paul McCartney is doing the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 8:47 AM on June 29, 2007
Dickworld
The genius of this invention is its low cost. It's going to be everywhere in twelve months.
posted to MetaFilter by Chinese Jet Pilot
at 10:17 AM on June 20, 2007