Agatha Christie also wrote a play specifically about Akhnaton.
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 11:06 AM on October 5, 2008

The trendline is available on the stream, it's the box called "Voters rate debate performances"
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 6:33 PM on October 2, 2008

Flunkie: Here is the official Obama/Biden position (from their website):
Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples equal legal rights and privileges as married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 6:55 PM on October 2, 2008

Did Joe Biden just sigh heavily during Palin's response?
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 7:01 PM on October 2, 2008

And aww hell, *Shakira* has endorsed Obama!

Well, ya know, her hips don't lie!
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 9:36 AM on October 5, 2008

I humble myself before the genius that is Weird Al, and I submit, for your consideration as proof of his supreme geeky genius, Pancreas. Who else but Al could out-Brian-Wilson Brian Wilson? And bonus- you learn about your pancreas.
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 10:36 PM on October 3, 2008

Rather than looking at how many steps it takes random strangers to contact each other (how useful is that as a metric) how about some nice, thorough research on how the internet and other new technologies are supporting and enlarging our existing social networks. For example:

-Internet users have somewhat larger social networks than non-users.

-People who email the vast majority (80% - 100%) of their core ties weekly are in
phone... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 11:25 PM on September 7, 2008

Sorry, but I call no way. I took the survey to see if there was more detail (there's a link in the press release). Nope. How are these variables operationalized? The survey asks you to rank genres, but with absolutely no guidelines as to what they mean by these labels. What the hell is chart pop anyway? What's on the charts now? Or 10, 15, 20 years ago? Or what about pop that never made it on the charts? What is the difference between hard rock and classic rock? And what the hell is gothic metal... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 1:34 PM on September 5, 2008

(Sorry, that should be scale of 1-10 for rankings. Need to preview more).
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 1:35 PM on September 5, 2008

Ooh, ooh, also, I couldn't see how they were coming up with qualities like outgoing, or gentle. There were a series of questions that were so obviously about self esteem (obvious to anyone whose taken a Psyc 101 course or seen an after-school special) that I wonder if people might be tempted to game them, and then a bunch of questions asking about how much I trusted, confided, etc. in my mother, father, romantic partner, and my best friend. If I hardly ever talk to my parents, does that make me... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 2:26 PM on September 5, 2008

Purtle, I think this study would be a great example to dissect in your methods class. There are so many problems...

So I just went back the main survey page (http://www.peopleintomusic.com/)--there are actually two surveys, one for people ages 16-23, the other if you're over 24. The one I took originally was for the ahem, old people.

Turns out they're asking a bunch of different questions of younger people--even some of the music categories... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 3:01 PM on September 5, 2008

Men in Black + No Country for Old Men = No Country for Old Men in Black

I think I might go see that one.
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 7:30 PM on September 2, 2008

Father of the Bride + The Princess Bride = Father of the The Princess Bride -- Steve Martin seeks revenge on the man who killed his daughter's wacky wedding planner before he got his deposit back!
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 7:33 PM on September 2, 2008

Right now there are evacuees downstairs being loaded onto city buses, headed for the various shelters that have been set up around the Memphis area (I live right above the Amtrak station). It was very surreal to watch; some of these people didn't have very much with them at all, and most had just one medium-sized suitcase. I just can't imagine being asked to choose which things I want to pack in one bag so I can sit on a train for hours to go to another city and stay in a shelter for who knows... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 10:49 PM on August 30, 2008

Sadly, birdherder, the commenters in Memphis are not much better.
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 1:37 PM on August 31, 2008

One of the upper-class men who *did* go down with the ship was Harry Elkins Widener, a 1907 Harvard graduate. Harry's mother and her maid were saved, but he and his father both died. His mother had a library built at Harvard as a memorial to her son. Not bad, as memorials go.
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 6:05 PM on August 25, 2008

Well, I just sent in $25. Good luck Sean!
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 10:00 AM on July 17, 2008

For dw and anyone else who has raised the IRB/human subjects point...

The Department of Health and Human Services defines human subjects (for the purposes of research) thusly:

"Human subject means a living individual about whom an investigator conducting research obtains (1) data through intervention or interaction with the individual, or (2) identifiable private information." --- 45 CFR 46.102(f)(1),(2)

Also... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 8:38 AM on May 19, 2008

My Ding-a-Ling by Chuck Berry?!? WTF?!
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 7:42 PM on April 12, 2008

That said, plotting and encouraging to screw up the democratic primaries for LOLs sure does seem like it's an act worthy of some kind of fine, when you consider that just saying the F word on the radio will get you slapped with an FCC violation for thousands of bucks.

The FCC doesn't have any authority to fine Limbaugh, unless he peppered his exhortations with one or more of the 7 dirty words, and did it between 6am-10pm. Political speech is protected... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 12:30 AM on March 29, 2008

I don't think any of that holds a candle to the animated Raggedy Ann & Andy film. I vaguely remember a pulsing seething ocean of caramel goo and a hypnocamel.

Oh man, I am relieved to know that I didn't just hallucinate that film. For years (before IMDB) I would try to explain the whole creepy-camel-afterlife-whatever it was scene to people and they would just stare at me. That film was weird and creepy, but I was actively terrified by The Hobbit,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 5:43 PM on March 26, 2008

Jefferson's re-writing the Bible was discussed recently on Fresh Air. The guest, Steven Waldman, also claimed that Jefferson was a firm believer that God had a design for the universe, and he claimed that Jefferson in that regard would fit very well with the "intelligent design" movement. But since Jefferson died more than 30 years before Darwin published On the Origin of Species we can only speculate how he would've reacted to evolution.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 2:56 PM on March 16, 2008

With 6.5 minutes to spare I could not come up with Arthur, Hayes, Van Buren or Pierce. Unfortunately, I didn't think to look up the lyrics to this song (seemed like cheating).
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 11:55 AM on February 19, 2008

All I do is talk talk.
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 2:37 PM on February 6, 2008

Regarding what US broadcasters can and cannot show: see the FCC's indecency rules. Basically, there is a "safe harbor" between 6am and 10pm where *broadcast* outlets (i.e. over-the-air radio and tv) may not show indecent programming (obscenity is never allowed). After 10pm, you could say "shit" all you want and you can't get fined (so far, anyway). Also, it's technically not censorship, in that the FCC does not have the authority to prevent--in advance-- broadcasters from... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 9:39 PM on January 31, 2008

This article, like so many others of its kind, makes the fundamental mistake of conflating what technology can do with what people (consumers) will actually want. I doubt they will be all that interested in computerized Wal-Mart greeters (do people even pay attention to the human ones?) And I agree that the general lack of interest in digital TV until very recently does not bode well for the average consumer caring about 3-D TV. And do people really want... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 12:35 PM on January 31, 2008

I really can't get my head around this whole 90s-as-retro thing.

I don't get it either--the 90s were less than 10 years ago.

Here's my unofficial metric (based largely on radio formats & playlists):
retro = approx 10-15 years ago
oldie (also sometimes "classic") = approx 20-35 or 40 years ago
nostalgia = 50-60 years ago
60+ years ago = dead (as far as marketers are... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 12:17 PM on December 4, 2007

This sounds like a job for...DA DUN DAA...LIBRARIANS!

sorry, couldn't resist
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 9:38 AM on December 2, 2007

ummm...yeah...ok.
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 4:22 PM on November 6, 2007

It should also be pointed out that indecent material is not banned per se from broadcasting; there is, in fact, the "safe harbor" period. The prohibition against indecency is for the hours of 6am-10pm, the time when the FCC has determined that children will most likely be in the audience. So a radio station could play Howl after 10pm (when no one is listening) if it wanted to. That stations generally choose not to is largely the result of social conditioning.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 9:08 AM on October 6, 2007

dd42,
oops, sorry, I should've read more, my bad.

Even given the capricious nature of the FCC in recent years, I really can't understand why they would fear fines for broadcasting indecency in the safe harbor--I don't think the FCC has ever gone so far as to fine a station in *direct* contradiction of its own rules, and though IANAL, legally, I don't think they can. The current cases were all incidents that happened during the 6am-10pm regulatory period.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 5:30 PM on October 6, 2007

Sorry I'm late to this thread...anyway, there is some evidence that Americans are becoming less gullible (or less trusting, depending on your viewpoint), at least with regards to news.

From the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press:

"The percentage [of respondents] saying they can believe most of what they read in their daily newspaper dropped from 84% in 1985 to 54% in 2004."

For local TV news,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 8:56 AM on July 4, 2007

Just hours ago I had a discussion in one of my classes about this very topic. The parents in this poll have nothing to fear--my 18-24 year-old college students were thoroughly creeped out by the idea of online dating. They all said they preferred meeting a prospective date f2f. And why not--they're surrounded by a pool of potential mates every day, they don't have problems finding people to date. But as several of them noted, it's their older siblings and (divorced) parents who are using online... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 12:52 PM on January 31, 2007

Now, I'm not an expert in networking, so maybe I'm wrong, but I think the real issue with Stevens' metaphor is not really the "tubes" part, but the "series" part. A series is something connected in sequence, it's linear. As I understand it, the whole point of the Internet is that it was designed to be a decentralized network, to be in fact nonlinear. That way, if there was a problem at any given node, the data packets could just route around the problem and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 10:32 AM on January 27, 2007

There are a few important points to note when discussing the quality of programming on PBS and NPR. First, PBS does not produce programming--they were set up to be a station interconnection service. They purchase programming from independent producers (like Ken Burns, or the Children's Television Workshop) or stations (like WGBH), brand the programming and distribute it (for hefty fees) back to local stations in the network. NPR, on the other hand, was conceived as a network that both produced... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 12:32 PM on January 18, 2007

"...it is common for human beings to flee from truth; it's quite often psychically painful, because humans naturally hold those things which we now call "values" very dearly."

What evidence is there that values are "natural" rather than inculcated/coerced/etc.?

I read the quoted sentence not as being about values, as such, but rather as being about human psychology. There is a psychological concept... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 4:10 PM on January 18, 2007

"Nostrils of Satan" is my new favorite punk band name.
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 10:15 PM on January 5, 2007

None of the Bonnat chocolates that Noka uses are plantation-specific and only the Venezuelan Puerto Cabello is arguably "single-estate." (This means that Noka's statements that its chocolates are single-estate or specific to plantation are probably inaccurate.)

If we accept the author's claim that NoKa uses Bonnat chocolate, then this claim, made on the company's website:
"NOKA is dedicated to the resurrection of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by DiscourseMarker at 9:19 AM on December 21, 2006