Phillip Seymour Hoffman should have been Karl Rove.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 3:39 PM on July 28, 2008

How many times can you listen to the same symphony and still find it profound?

Did you think about this even a little bit before you wrote it? How many times have you listened to your favorite song? Favorite album?

Anyway, on to the article... I have an amateurish interest in Chinese traditional music. For anyone else interested, there is an excellent compilation called A Treasury of Chinese Musical Instruments (that's... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 3:06 PM on July 22, 2008

Dammit, I really wanted to read this. I guess I will favorite & come back later.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 11:42 AM on July 20, 2008

War Nerd is so very excellent. The other day someone posted my favorite article someplace on mefi (maybe metatalk?), but I'll do it again anyway:

Saddam Died Beautiful: And what a way to go! Damn, did you see that cellphone video of his death? A bunch of Shia monkeys in ski masks woofing at him -- safe behind their masks, with Saddam handcuffed and under guard -- woofing like cockapoos at a pit bull heading for the Pound's death cell. And Saddam laughed at them,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 1:41 PM on July 15, 2008

The Icelandic flash cards are neat; another free source for learning the Icelandic language online is offered by the University of Iceland. I have no idea if it is any good, however.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 4:47 PM on July 10, 2008

the Hebrew Bible ends with the disappearance of God -- a much more fitting, realistic ending, when you think about it.

This reminds me of one of the most excellent MeFi comments I have ever read.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 7:22 PM on July 5, 2008

Don't worry, guys. There's always suicide.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 5:06 PM on July 5, 2008

people in US don't eat corn (not in large quanities, anyway)

"Soda And Sweet Drinks Are The Main Source Of Calories In American Diet"

Fortuitously, I have a can of Coke sitting next to me. The only thing on the ingredients list that has any calories is High Fructose Corn Syrup (although Natural Flavors looks suspicious).
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 12:01 PM on July 5, 2008

Not really eponysterical, unless you think of a homunculus literally squatting inside your head, manning a switchboard. Is that how people think of a homunculus? Maybe I am out of the loop on the modern perception of a homunculus.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 8:15 PM on July 4, 2008

Thanks for the link, Free word order. I can always count on wikipedia to illustrate clearly the details of, e.g., the Mind-Body Problem.

I had never heard the term Cartesian Theater, however; it is a funny extrapolation from what I think most people would agree on: when I am thinking about, say, a marmot (as in the diagram), my mind is obviously not manipulating the actual thing, but a representation. But take this to its logical conclusion (?), and I end up with a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 8:48 AM on July 5, 2008

I don't hear anyone decrying their poor choices

Of course you can't hear me, you're in New Mexico.

Anyway, I too thought "god, I wonder what he can possibly do for a living." But people are always surprising me with the strange jobs they have. I don't have too much imagination on the subject of employment, and I'm one of those people who would like to have one job forever, but after thinking about it a little, I'm... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 4:26 PM on July 4, 2008

But now, yes, I'll enjoy those fireworks knowing that today we're a little bit better than we were yesterday.

This brings up a topic I often think about, in terms of progress, if you'll permit me to discourse a little bit... I always find it astounding how things like true racism, sexism, and other varieties of bigotry & hatred can persist for so long in the face of rationality and decency. And yet, every day another "fossilized"... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 11:37 AM on July 4, 2008

Addendum to my comment: maybe I should mention that my sister is in 9th grade, and that even 10 years ago when I myself was in 9th grade, having openly gay students would have caused some kind of major riot, fire, or small scale civil war in my hometown.

My point is, eventually things get better, because people like Jesse Helms die. Eventually.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 11:46 AM on July 4, 2008

I know a guy who was born in fucking Turnip Hole, PA (evidence that it really exists). If you get out in the boondocks, the names in this state are preposterous.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 5:59 PM on June 28, 2008

There are several moments of total brilliance on this release, just like his previous two (his first album, however, is unlistenable). Much of it is mediocre, but the Jay-Z / Radiohead portion of "Set It Off" is amazing, as is the Metallica / Lil Mama mashup on "Like This."

I have to wonder if he is courting death, including Metallica on a mashup mix, though. They are notoriously litigious, even more so than the regular ol' RIAA.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 2:48 PM on June 20, 2008

My Pal Foot Foot Foot Foot Foot Foot.

On preview, god dammit quonsar.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 1:26 PM on June 18, 2008

Obama/Jaa '08.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 9:02 AM on June 18, 2008

...I favour an approach where these properties are somehow built into what it is to be a physical substance at all...
posted by leibniz

Heh.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 7:20 AM on June 18, 2008

"I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation building."

Actually, he seems to be adhering to this one spectacularly.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 5:21 PM on May 13, 2008

Well, it's related to golf, I guess... um.

Incidentally, you make my Recent Activity page worth looking at, homunc.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 3:33 PM on June 7, 2008

People who like this stuff might be interested in Jóhann Jóhannsson's album IBM 1401 - A User's Manual, which is the model from the last link.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 4:48 PM on June 6, 2008

These are excellent comics, but I too doubt the authenticity of the stories themselves. Take the first as an example: how many of you would sing Happy Birthday to what you presume to be a corpse? It strikes me as very disrespectful... if she doesn't wake up. Which she does, here; how delightfully unlikely! I think in reality the order was reversed. She is rescued, presumed dead, wakes up, the brother says 'hooray, it was her birthday,' and the singing commences. This reflects what you generally... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 3:20 PM on June 1, 2008

I got $600 and saved it, along with my tax returns. I really can't believe the useless crap some people wasted theirs on, however... like, say, the one at the top of the page now:

"Bought season tickets, way up in the upper bowl, to the Carolina Panthers for my husband and I!!!! Now we will use the rest to pay for the gas to get to Charlotte for EVERY HOME GAME THIS YEAR!!!!!!! So excited for August!"

Shannon, 27,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 7:35 PM on May 31, 2008

Forgot to say thanks for posting this... it's a very entertaining website, in the sense that getting angry at strangers is very entertaining to me.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 7:37 PM on May 31, 2008

Change Hillary!

This is fun.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 4:53 PM on May 26, 2008

Sorry, Card Cheat. Here's something to cleanse your mental palate.

the gaze of the eyeless is fear
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 5:11 PM on May 26, 2008

Burma accounts for a large portion of the worldwide heroin supply and hence a substantial part of the CIA's funding.

It's kind of funny that you mention this... today at work, someone asked "why Miramar hates us." So I kind of had to start at the beginning, explaining that Myanmar is different from Miramar. And that declining aid doesn't necessarily indicate hatred (although it indicates a dumbass move on their government's part).... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 5:12 PM on May 9, 2008

Speaking of IBM... it is interesting to see IBM's hardware architectures coalesce into a single platform. The POWER6 chips, for instance, contain not only the RS/6000 instruction sets, but also the zSeries ones; I don't really know what it means for the future, but it will be real interesting to watch.

That new z10 looks like a fucking monster, as well... it's too bad I work for a company with no money, so we'll probably be running our z9 for the next decade or so. I... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 4:55 PM on May 9, 2008

having children is not a rational decision

This is basically the root of all problems on the entire earth.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 11:46 AM on May 4, 2008

If everyone in the US used that formula to buy houses, we wouldn't be in the mess we are now...

My net worth is -$16,511.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 2:56 PM on May 3, 2008

I think people are misinterpreting the guy's wealth a little. His net worth is a fafillion dollars, but most of it is tied up in his corporation, Reliance Industries. The only way he is getting at that money is to dissolve the company and liquidate all of its assets, thus obliterating 3% of India's total economy. He doesn't have a bank vault stuffed with a trillion rupees.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 3:33 PM on May 3, 2008

#2 is a near fatal case of recentism.

Also, I think they missed that it was a comedy.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 7:52 PM on May 2, 2008

I dare you to find a single thing that is "bad" about this.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 4:36 PM on April 25, 2008

Rogue Wave.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 11:02 AM on April 23, 2008

Speaking of The Swan, here is Clara Rockmore doing it on a theremin.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 1:40 PM on April 21, 2008

I would never make it as an eagle... I never would have thought of ripping the goats off the side of the mountain like a delicious, goaty hangnail from a gigantic craggy thumb.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 5:58 PM on April 16, 2008

formication

Cool, it has a name.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 5:50 PM on April 16, 2008

"Say, Say, Say" by Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson

D:
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 7:47 PM on April 12, 2008

"Moralistic, prejudiced, racist, misogynist, manipulative, sexist, daring, exciting, critical, sarcastic and passionate"


But enough about me...
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 3:43 PM on April 10, 2008

Hilarious. That guy is just made of quotes. Every paragraph has something really great in it. "You can’t play golf in your office during a crisis."
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 5:06 PM on April 8, 2008

This is a great game. It is so satisfying to solve Level 18 with a single block.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 11:39 AM on April 6, 2008

Not sure if this will be deleted or not, but... that's Jessamyn's site, and she's the one who made the signs. And it's like 6 years old.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 9:12 AM on March 31, 2008

7.5 billion ly... so, this shit happened *before there was an Earth*. That is mind-boggling all on its own.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 4:19 PM on March 23, 2008

Yeah, here's my idea for the impossible-to-play piano piece:

Hit all the keys at once.

Gotcha! Am I a genius yet?
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 4:07 PM on March 23, 2008

This guy is a fuck genius.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 4:16 PM on March 20, 2008

but, then, I've never been in the same room with David Bowie, have I?

Does the space cold make your nipples go pointy, Bowie?
Do you use your pointy nipples as telescopic antennae to transmit data back to Earth?
Bet you do, you freaky old bastard you.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 6:51 PM on March 5, 2008

Neato.

Minus the buildup, the band Mates of State does this in practically every one of their songs.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 3:41 PM on March 2, 2008

Also, they only do two-part, rather than... 6.
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 3:43 PM on March 2, 2008

Oh my GOD, watch their cover of Wuthering Heights. Brilliant!
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 4:10 PM on March 2, 2008

Too many colons.

Metafilter: too many colons

heh
posted to MetaFilter by synaesthetichaze at 9:48 AM on March 2, 2008