R.M.S. Titanic, Inc. v. The Wrecked and Abandoned Vessel, R.M.S. Titanic

That case was only able to go forward after the Brittanic totally flipped on her sister ship.

Defendant

THE GREEN LANTERN

Insufficient ID. Which one? Hal Jordan? Guy Gardner? John Stewart? Kyle Rayner? Salaak? Anyway, they're all pretty busy fighting Sinestro right now. (And I mean,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 12:27 PM on July 30, 2007

I wish I was more attractive like Dagless. Still, one can only dream.

This show was one of the funniest things to come along in years. But I think you had to have watched a lot of B-grade '80s genre shows to really get it.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 10:12 AM on July 30, 2007

I first saw this dude when I moved to Houston in 1983, and in one of the few letters I sent my parents at the time (back in the pre-email wasteland), I made it a point to comment on him. We surely didn't have anyone like him on the TV news back home.

Wonder if Dave Ward is still around?
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 10:00 AM on July 30, 2007

If the mutant hordes see that, what are you going to do? Nothing, that's what! This is very much the same argument as the one yesterday about not attracting aliens, but reduced in scope.

Yes, but fire can be reasonably effective in thwarting small-scale zombie attacks.

Nevertheless, this post has now panicked me into going to REI or some similar place this weekend to obtain basic survival gear. So far, my post-apocalypse kit... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 9:28 AM on June 29, 2007

I once grew my own radishes.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 2:43 PM on June 29, 2007

Aliens will only be interested in our pizza delivery technology.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 2:27 PM on June 28, 2007

Well, it seems to me that the most likely thing to happen is that the lost Twelve Colonies will be the first to contact us. Or the Cylons. They have a plan, you know.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 5:11 PM on June 28, 2007

We don't have the energy resources now to make more than a token push beyond our planet, and we're sitting on the high point at the moment. So relativistic weaponry here or elsewhere appears very unlikely. From this moment, with all our new energy and mining technologies, we'll still just be fighting the slide all the way to the bottom, and interstellar contact will not matter much at all.

Well, thanks for that buzz-kill, Cap'n Doom-and-Gloom. I may... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 9:42 AM on June 29, 2007

But if a cop steps out of line and violates the contract he and I have to be civil, he will never, ever forget me, ever. The lawsuits alone would bankrupt him, and possibly his employers...If he can't give me a polite response in a heated situation, his training and his mentality both are ill-suited for the task at hand, and he will pay, dearly.

Remind never to fail to be exceptionally polite whenever I encounter blixco. I mean, I don't want to be... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 4:23 PM on June 27, 2007

I used to go out with this one chick, a real high-end dame, you know? Wealthy blue-blooded WASP family with a Mayflower descent, elite education, worked as an investment banker. I mean, she had that whole upper-crust thing going, with good seats at the opera and everything. Well, then one day one of my buddies took pity on me and let me know she was a complete counterfeit! I was actually dating an illegal immigrant from Burkina Faso! You can imagine my embarrassment. I was forced to turn her... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 9:56 AM on June 27, 2007

They are getting items custom made by artisans and family retainers that only they and their cohort know about.

That's why even at this moment, I am totally rockin' out to my argon-laser-powered liquid-nitrogen-cooled millophonic sound system with the moon rock needle.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 1:10 PM on June 27, 2007

When the peak oil crisis comes, and the suburbs collapse, the barefoot will envy the shod, now matter what the manner of their footwear. In the land of the shoeless, those with Prada shall be king.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 3:50 PM on June 27, 2007

Bah, once you've seen Bullseye kill someone with a playing card, no fancy or bizarre weapon will impress you.

Man, I love the Kusari-gama, have since the 1st edition Oriental Adventures. Can't decide between a weighted chain and a sickle? Here, have both!

Although it is true that this one is pretty awesome. I mean, it's no gopher-chuks, but still nifty.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 10:41 AM on June 27, 2007

This is NOT one of those times when I happily encourage someone to let their freak flag fly. If only this tortured soul could direct her energies into a more socially approved form of mental disorder, such as collecting stray cats or shuffling about and muttering ominously at the laundromat.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 10:23 PM on June 26, 2007

Ah, I've been waiting for Installment 2,158 of "My Way of Living is AWESOME: But You, Sir, Both Suck and Blow". Who could ever get tired of the refrain about the sheer matchless magnificence of urban living versus the soul-crushing eco-killing lifestyles of the benighted suburban masses? Those demented fools!
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 2:31 PM on June 26, 2007

Holy cow. That guy is, like...some kind of semi-wealthy uber-nerd. Crossed with a total gearhead. I'm not sure I can even classify such a person, but I know that I both fear and admire him.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 2:23 PM on June 26, 2007

Project : Pimento uses the theremin in their crazy hepcat lounge music. Including their version of the theme to Star Trek, complete with vocals!
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 8:36 AM on June 22, 2007

Pah, these transparent attempts to buy my precious, precious vote by subjecting me to the clumsy seduction attempts of some tarted-up strumpet have failed miserably.

I have to wait to see what the electoral position of LOLCats is.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 11:40 AM on June 15, 2007

The Economist recently covered this conflict and concluded that, given the current leaders of the Sri Lankan government and the rebel movement, peace was unlikely to ensue any time soon.

The Tamil Tigers are not to be taken lightly. There was a vague allusion that they had captured six government tanks. And they carry out naval operations. And of course, they have their own air force of Czech-built propeller planes they smuggled in piece by piece.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 8:48 AM on June 15, 2007

Of course, back in my day, I made it a rule to never pay any attention to teachers who could not adhere to my same high standards of consumerism. I mean, if they weren't sporting a Members Only jacket, either they were too poor to afford one or so egregiously clueless as to not realize the social importance of having one, and in either case I certainly wouldn't want to be instructed by someone so unworthy.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 2:57 PM on June 14, 2007

Both The Zombie Survival Guide and The Walking Dead have taught us that a prison is where you want to hole up when Hell becomes full. Because everyone who survives the initial onslaught is gonna rush for the obvious places like Wal-Mart, the hospital, the military base, et cetera. Hmm...now that I think of it, an animal shelter might be a secure base. They have lots of fences and bars and stuff, plenty of human-edible pet food, and you can have the dogs... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 9:51 AM on June 13, 2007

Bah, my 15th level monk can use the Quivering Palm attack three times per day and totally kill you from across the room. His kung fu...is very good.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 10:31 AM on June 12, 2007

On a purely nerdtastic note, although I haven't read so much as a single story of his, I am familiar, of course, with his themes and those of his acolytes and successors as filtered through the venerable Call of Cthulhu RPG. Which is pretty awesome. No. 1 Rule: If you find a mysterious book, BURN IT.

The Delta Green setting for this game is really good, popularly described as "The X-Files meets Cthulhu (and gets eaten)".... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 3:18 PM on June 11, 2007

Suddenly, I am overwhelmed by a compulsion to build a large wooden badger.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 2:54 PM on June 11, 2007

I can't agree with the characterization by some here that these decried police tactics are evil. They might be ill-advised. They might be disproportionate responses. But I doubt that most of the police involved are mustache-twirling villains, avid readers of Mein Kampf, and virgin-sacrificing minions of Satan.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 11:04 AM on June 8, 2007

DieHipsterDie, you're thinking of an incident from WWI in which the British carried a pair of steam launches overland to Lake Tanganyika to fight some armed German ships that had sunk a Belgian warship and were controlling traffic on the lake, making joint British/Belgian operations to sortie into German East Africa problematic. This is covered in the book Mimi and Toutou's Big Adventure: The Bizarre Battle of Lake Tanganyika, featuring your mandatory cast of British eccentrics.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 8:37 AM on June 7, 2007

Meh. I'm indifferent.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 8:55 PM on June 6, 2007

Remember, Texas has the unique ability to transmogrify into FIVE separate states if it wants. So maybe we Lone Star types could do that and then some of the new states could secede and others could stay. Or we could fight an internal civil war, where a Houston state tries to keep an El Paso state from trying to hook up with New Mexico or something. Also, allegedly Texas can demand its own navy at any time, but that seems to be apocryphal.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 9:28 AM on June 6, 2007

I view these trends as being heavily based on law enforcement budget cycles and demographic trends. More young people = more crime. Heavy investments in innovative law enforcement techniques (not necessarily just more boots on the stree) = less crime = public complacency and backlash against "oppression" and/or expenses = reduced police presence = more crime.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 10:14 AM on June 5, 2007

"Family friendly"? Bah! Back in my day, you could count on Speed Racer to provide a satisfying level of violence and gender confusion that would be found to be wholly unacceptable in today's cartoon entertainments. By the time we reached the '80s, even the G.I. Joe commandos couldn't shoot down the COBRA terrorist jets unless the scene concluded by showing the minions of evil parachuting from their plane. But in Speed Racer times, cars were routinely careening... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 3:47 PM on June 4, 2007

If Scotland became independent, would that raise or lower the rump UK's score?
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 1:35 PM on May 30, 2007

I've gone to this con twice: once way the hell back in...'81? Whatever year the movie Heavy Metal was released. This was also a time before Dave Sim became a dangerous creep. Back then, it was in some big old hotel. Then I went again last year. HUGE DIFFERENCE. Many, many more people, and a larger emphasis on non-industry celebrity guests and vendors, as the con attempts to glom onto crossover fans from the film, gaming, and SF worlds.

I feel there... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 9:42 AM on May 29, 2007

Perhaps the protestors should enlist the aid of poo-flinging monkeys? You don't want to get a pack of capuchin monkeys angry, trust me. I've seen the ensuing fecal catastrophe and it wasn't pretty.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 2:35 PM on May 17, 2007

...an American backed genocide in Africa for the world to ignore...

I'm afraid I don't know what that means. What genocide in Africa is America allegedly backing?
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 12:09 PM on May 17, 2007

Meh. A lot of the appeal of the graphic novel for me lay in the artistry of Charles Vess. From what I've seen of the trailer, that delicate touch is completely washed away in a flood of bombastic spectacle. And also there will be large amounts of new material that might have been thrust in there on the dreaded "because it looks cool" principle. It could still be good, but it won't be Stardust as I know it.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 12:40 PM on May 16, 2007

Hmm, I thought that Egypt was the source of most of Rome's grain. Table 1 from this site seems to support that, although it does note that Libya was an exporter to Greece prior to the ascendancy of Rome.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 1:41 PM on May 14, 2007

Also, while I'm at it, I think it's bizarre that so many Americans don't understand how important the I/P issue is to any sort of resolution between 'The West' and 'Islam'. Drive it into your heads! In terms of good-faith priorities (going by what animates a lot of US-hatred) Palestine is the. most. important. issue.

I wonder if, in fact, many Americans DO realize how important this issue is. But perhaps they've picked the Israeli side. I imagine... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 2:28 PM on May 9, 2007

I am in ur intrawebs, stealin' ur software.

Well, I guess since so many people are downloading movies, songs, and applications illegally and comforting themselves by saying "Hey, I didn't TAKE money away from anyone, and I wasn't gonna get any of this stuff if I had to pay for it, so no loss", then the laws should just adjust to face this reality. Copying and distribution of proprietary data should cease to be any kind of crime. Too bad about the creators of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 8:42 AM on May 9, 2007

In order to judge the Sleestaks, I think we have to figure out if they could win a fight against either the Troglodytes or Lizardmen from D&D. I can't begin to respect fictional monsters until I can rate them against other fantasy creatures.

Fortunately, I am not as big a nerd as these Land of the Lost fanatics.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 7:36 PM on May 8, 2007

If they ever re-ensultanate this guy, Russia should think about bringing back the Romanovs. Apparently there are a number of claimants out there. Anastasia, however, screamed in vain--or did she? Well, at any rate, she and her martyred family have been made saints by the Russian Orthodox Church.

We've also got some Bourbons on the loose. I did not know this, but we're all the way up to Louis XX.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 12:40 PM on May 8, 2007

Dammit. And here I thought the Cylons had a plan.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 12:25 PM on May 8, 2007

I'm often baffled by secessionist-type movements. Some of them make sense, such as the case of the creation of the post-Soviet countries like Armenia. Although I'm still not clear what Slovakia gained by bolting away from the Czech Republic.

So, sure, Texas for instance could try to secede from the United States to reconstitute the Lone Star Republic, but why? In the case of Scotland, what horrible oppression are the Scots attempting to escape? What common Scottish... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 8:10 AM on May 4, 2007

From what I've read in the Economist, one of the major concerns abou this issue would be: yes, but what effect will it have on football in the UK?
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 10:53 AM on May 4, 2007

He contributed a story to the Adventure! anthology. I was not impressed.

But zombies attacking Roanoke? Now that's compelling.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 3:50 PM on May 3, 2007

Wallace and Gromit should get on this case.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 9:12 AM on May 3, 2007

Seconding Road Warrior. Awesome chase greatness with tactical aerial support, crossbows, warrior chicks, Molotov cocktails, and mohawks. And the Feral Kid, of course. The entire movie represents one of Australia's greatest contributions to modern civilization.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 8:39 AM on April 24, 2007

Yeah, I remember watching this back in the day. That show had a real "Those suits in Corporate gave us a budget! Suckers! Let's spend it on blow! And chicks! And maybe some animation! And hey, that one band made a video--let's play it!" kind of vibe to it. Really experimental for its time. I can't even recall many details of it now, except that I spent a lot of my time staring at some of the more absurdist pieces in slack-jawed amazement, wondering if fatigue was causing hallucinations.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 3:57 PM on April 23, 2007

I've always thought Yeltsin was a demagogue who was at the right place at the right time to take a calculated risk to come out on top. He had that one moment of public bravery which propelled him ultimately to the leadership of the country, and once there, he was no match for the job.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 1:38 PM on April 23, 2007

Meh. The greatest song in an action-type movie has to be "Neon Slime" from the opus Vice Squad. It was even performed by megastar Wings Hauser! The man is a triple-threat. He acts! He writes (he co-wrote the epic Beastmaster II: Through The Portal Of Time)! And he sings! He is the creative force behind the 1975 album Your Love Keeps Me Off The Streets, which he recorded under the name Wings Livinryte and whose sales figures can't even be calculated.
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 9:31 AM on April 23, 2007

People are always disappearing in Australia. (Possibly they are accidentally slipping into the Dreamtime.) A few years back, a pair of American scuba divers vanished under murky circumstances, never to be found again.

And of course, there was the famous incident in 1900 at Hanging Rock.

And let's not even get into the hushed whispers surrounding Wolf Creek.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Midnight Creeper at 2:44 PM on April 21, 2007