I sincerely wish I knew someone who knew MNS, just so that I could get that person to email him this thread. The dude needs to be humbled a little.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 5:13 PM on June 18, 2008

I keep thinking, "Why the one left foot?" That's the foot I would be looking over carefully, since it is the anomaly. What happened to the fifth victim that made his right foot unusable, that's the real question.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 3:22 PM on June 18, 2008

Profnet costs $$, and HARO is free, which is one point in its favor.

Also, queries from reporters are sent out in emails that list them briefly by number, so you can easily ignore ones that don't pertain to you, so I don't think you really have to wade through anything.

grouse, I have a recent email from HARO, here's a sample query:

Title: Need Experts on Oil, Hedge Funds, the Economy and the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 10:56 AM on June 18, 2008

I like the idea of Public Insight Network, but then it seems like the news will be less timely, since the pertinent info only comes in once a month?

I definitely like the idea of experts, even 'civilian' experts, much better than PR shills with talking points. Especially Mefites, since we are "earnest" in our opinions.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 11:35 AM on June 18, 2008

I'm waiting for someone to break in and scratch them all off.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 12:12 PM on June 14, 2008

Yes, of course he should be allowed to say anything he wants to say. That's what 'Freedom of Speech' means.

If people actually went out and took action on what he said, then it would be fair to bring him up for "inciting a riot" or some such, too. There's rights and there's responsibilities (or at least that's how it is supposed to be).
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 12:05 PM on June 14, 2008

Oh my god, no!

I have such respect for this man. With ignorant blowhards like Chris Matthews for his competition, he was one of the last voices of reason. I never missed Meet the Press.

Oh, wow, this news really saddens me. And at only 58!

Rest in peace, Tim Russert, you will be sorely missed.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 12:50 PM on June 13, 2008

The pig in boots and the teacup pig are just unbearably cute. I must have pigs now. Can I order some on teh internets?

And I never knew those boots were called wellingtons, either.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 4:26 PM on June 11, 2008

As a 5'9" woman, I'd have no chance ("burn the giantess!"), but if I were a man, I'd go into the sale of "religious relics": dress as a priest and have handy "wood from the true cross," and other such items, which I think the extremely religious people of the time would be more gullible about.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 4:04 PM on June 11, 2008

I understand the confusion; it seemed the distinction about bullying was a gender-based one, which is why I put "boys" in the post. Basically, the study suggests that middle-school girls and boys who played mostly M games engaged in bullying, but boys who didn't play any videogames did, too.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 2:19 PM on June 9, 2008

/rant

I do hold a bias here, and actually it carries on into TV and movies and media, but that bias isn't that these things have no effect on behavior at all. Rather, it is that too many studies, or perhaps the people who report them, imply that correlation=causality.

Look, I wouldn't let small children watch violent, bloody movies OR play mature videogames. But then again, I wouldn't give alcohol to a 5 year-old, either. Why? Not because I... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 7:28 PM on June 10, 2008

Hey, I signed up, and I think it is a great idea. Maybe I will end up crossing postcards with another Mefite!

I am waiting on some stickers in the mail before I can send them out in the big Sticker Swap.

I'm such a mail whore.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 2:02 PM on June 8, 2008

Huey Lewis might be all right if he stuck to the music and left someone more gifted--Vanilla Ice springs instantly to mind--to write the lyrics. Witness lines like, "I want a new drug/one that does what it should/one that won't taste too bad/one that won't taste too good."

And those were some of his better lines.


yes, i was kidding about the Vanilla Ice thing.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 11:04 AM on June 5, 2008

Why doesn't youtube have an RSS feed feature?

Love alphabet songs, but the Barenaked Ladies alphabet song is the best, from Snacktime:

A is for aisle
B is for bdelliums
C is for czar
And if you see him, would you mind telling him-

D is for djinn
E for Euphrates
F is for fohn, but not like when I call the ladies

G for Gnarly,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 8:35 AM on June 5, 2008

Yes, yes it is.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 2:10 PM on June 4, 2008

My two rescue kittehs are purring right here beside me, playing with a catnip mouse and generally brightening up my day. They have a blog, too (disclaimer: self-link! The kittehs cannot type yet, though I wouldn't put it past them one day).
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 2:00 PM on June 4, 2008

23 on the Scripps. Messed up harassment and of course cacoethes. Though I am so using that now since it is such a great word!
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 8:28 AM on May 31, 2008

I really enjoyed that, but, yeah, the mirrored images just felt so wrong, especially the fuzzy neon hands one.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 1:23 PM on May 30, 2008

I was excited about trying this. I made Star Trek cat pics for a friend's cat's wedding (yes, you read that right).

But I don't know how to use the feather and extract tools.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 12:40 PM on May 30, 2008

I spent most of the day, in between chores and chauffeur duty, reading this and it just blew my mind. I felt awful for Fred, and really respectful of the people of Angola. Great FPP.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 3:12 PM on May 27, 2008

I'd agree that no damage has been done today, except the media coverage and pulling of the photos taint the entire exhibition.

But I do think the picture linked by showed poor judgment on the girl's and the parents' part. Oh, not because they are pornography, as if nudity itself were profane, but because of the embarrassment this 13-year-old is going to feel when she turns, say, 19 and is looking for a job and the images show up on the future equivalent of MySpace or... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 11:11 AM on May 25, 2008

Oh, good! I blogged about this last week because I really get a kick out of this attitude towards diplomacy and ambassadors--why not start with the children, and try to change attitudes from there? Makes sense to me.

Freebird, I enjoy what you wrote, not just because it is well-written, but because it expounds on something I have long conjectured about archaeology and the liberty archaeologists take with respect to the finds they make. To suggest that human sacrifices... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 10:35 AM on May 25, 2008

Wish there was an American Woot. This "Something" store is brilliant marketing. I should make one next time I want to get rid of stuff and don't have the energy for a garage sale.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 9:10 AM on May 12, 2008

I just want to ask any of you that DID go for the Something to report back here on what you got in the box, please!
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 3:28 PM on May 14, 2008

This kept me looking and admiring for a while, and thanks for the Drawn! link, which is now bookmarked. My son, looking over my shoulder, said, "You should do one!"

I'm itching to give it a try.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 6:15 AM on May 6, 2008

1f2frfbf: "Well, that certainly raised a few issues I'd forgotten about...

You have no idea how ridiculously proud I am that I figured out your Seussian name the second I saw it. One of my favorites from him (I like your sketches, too).
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 7:23 PM on May 7, 2008

Finally downloaded the sketch and captioned it after a week of injured kids and encroaching forest fires!

So, anyway, here's mine (self-link):

Teen Me
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 8:28 AM on May 13, 2008

My first thought when watching the dog race video was, "Why does he always go to that window, and why is there no line at that window?" So, being a cynic, I figured the girl was instructed to pay off if Derren came to the window, and people were warned away from that window when they were filming.

It's still a great trick, because it plays on what all cons (or illusions, if you prefer) play on: greed. Of course the guy with the losing ticket wants to believe,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 7:20 AM on May 12, 2008

I find it interesting that there are only two theories put forth for why the Daily Show is 'tougher' on Republicans: 1) Jon Stewart and the writers are liberals, or 2) Jon Stewart and the writers are anti-establishment.

How about: 3) the viewers want to finally have some actual news given to them, rather than being inundated with politicians in power hammering pre-arranged talking points? Or even, 4) Dick Cheney is Satan and Bush is his sockpuppet?
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 10:33 AM on May 8, 2008

ColdChef twittered about this and I agreed with him: when they ARE on a street with children, who have money and WANT to buy ice cream, they inevitably drive too fast, thus leaving crying children wailing in their wake.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 6:59 AM on May 6, 2008

Glad that the bank change commercial (true classic, and actually there were several during the show, a great running joke), bad idea jeans ("I thought about wearing protection, but then I thought, 'hey, when am I ever going to be in Haiti again?'") and my favorite, the Schlitz takeoff with the whole instant party theme, outside in the sun around the pool, only the bikini-clad girls are replaced by bodybuilder guys. Seems like every single beer commercial had that, "Drink this and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 6:40 AM on May 6, 2008

74 or 86, depending on whether or not genetics plays a significant role (my grandparents all lived into their 80s or 90s).
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 1:45 PM on May 4, 2008

Oh, yeah, actual age and virtual age were almost identical, I was talking about lifespan! I am not THAT old!
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 2:33 PM on May 4, 2008

It's always interesting (to me, at least) to find out what other people think is funny, and I was able to appreciate the humor in a lot of these (though of course some of them had me rubbing my head).
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 2:11 PM on April 29, 2008

Thanks for the excellent FPP; I'm bookmarking for my son, whose Science Fair experiment was on bioluminescence this year.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 9:52 AM on April 29, 2008

They prefer tri-athletes and surfers to average beach-goers. I'm beginning to think sharks have some warped sense of humor, too.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 9:43 AM on April 29, 2008

The "bully" was a girl, knew the victim and, according to her friends, wanted to "see what would happen."

I can picture how this happened as, "Hey, I dare you to bring peanuts in and see what happens!" joking in the circle of friends until one of them actually does it, the whole idea having spiraled from some silly joke comment into a potentially life-threatening act. Was this girl actually intending to kill the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 10:11 AM on April 25, 2008

Bah. I know I *can* type faster, but I find myself reading the words and trying to remember what movie they're from instead of paying attention! Fun, and addictive. Now I want to find that zombie game.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 1:42 PM on April 24, 2008

Well, I was floored by some of the anecdotes in the blog. Does that mean I've led a sheltered life? And then, yes, I was a bit skeptical. Kids in my elementary school could never have used "the n word" without being severely reprimanded at the very least, certainly not when addressing the teacher in front of the class. Does that mean I'm a nit-picking white racist?

And do people really refuse to accept help from others over the phone based on race, or... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 10:57 AM on April 24, 2008

Very well photographed as to lighting, etc. and some of these were really cute! After a while, it got repetitive, so I quit, but he has a LOT of stormtrooper pics.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 11:21 AM on April 19, 2008

I thought Ceiling Cat brought us back. Cats don't have opposable thumbs, so who would open the cans to feed them if we weren't around?
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 8:49 PM on April 18, 2008

I really love India:

"When you see something unnatural, it can only be the miracle of God," says Jatinder Nagar, a neighbour who's taken on the self-appointed role of tour guide.

People here in America probably would have regarded her as a witch not so very long ago.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 8:46 PM on April 18, 2008

I agree with much that is said here--more interactive time needed in sessions, engaging and inspiring speakers, environmental advocacy--for pretty much any conference, not exclusively limited to the design field. Nice article.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 5:49 PM on April 18, 2008

I blog about green measures often, and we have solar heating for our house and pool, but I should be doing a lot more than I am doing. We still have plastic bags in the grocery stores here, which I recycle when I remember, but I always forget to bring my canvas bag. We recycle paper, plastic and aluminum. We use efficient energy light bulbs when we remember to buy them (though they don't seem to last as long as they claim they will). But we are still far too wasteful.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 5:15 PM on April 18, 2008

Thanks for posting this link. It made a huge impression (extremely negative, of course) on the Mommy blogger circuit a couple days back, so I didn't feel that I was removed enough from the subject to post on it, but I'm glad to see it being discussed here.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 9:55 AM on April 18, 2008

This book is basically just a vanity book, btw, published and publicized by the same press under two different umbrellas.
It's not available at Amazon or anything like that.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 11:32 AM on April 18, 2008

Sorry, I didn't read far enough into the comments! Good job, DU and bonecrusher.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 11:33 AM on April 18, 2008

These are great! The "lack of detail" didn't bother me, because it is so cool to see how many people have treasured pictures of themselves as kids, and how their faces still look the same.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 9:53 AM on April 18, 2008

Good concept, but disappointing in action. I really do like this idea and what they are trying to do, though, and I would like to see many more reviews on the site, which looks very young yet and hardly complete.
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 9:20 AM on April 18, 2008

sorry, here's the link from above^
posted to MetaFilter by misha at 11:27 AM on April 1, 2008