Off-topic, how do I get Firefox to actually display in Japanese, instead of a series of question marks?

If you're using Windows XP, you will need to install East Asian languages. Make sure you have your XP CD handy!

Control Panel -> Regional and Language Options -> Languages -> tick Install East Asian Languages. Insert your CD and you can browse the Japanese internet at your leisure!
posted to MetaFilter by Deconstruct Now! at 3:42 AM on March 14, 2008

I remember listening to an ABC podcast about the last sailing freight ships. They went from Norway to Adelaide through to the 1940s - they were called Windjammers. A great story..
posted to MetaFilter by Deconstruct Now! at 4:48 PM on February 24, 2008

Here's the actual Windjammers show. It seems the venerable ABC spoke too soon about never seeing ships powered by wind alone again. I hope they send one of these merchant ships out this way; it would make compelling news to have these fine vessels in our waters again.
posted to MetaFilter by Deconstruct Now! at 5:03 PM on February 24, 2008

It's good to hear Nick Currie's dulcet tones. Thanks for this great post!
posted to MetaFilter by Deconstruct Now! at 4:41 PM on February 24, 2008

I've been using a tape measure wallet for ages. Plenty of people comment on it.

I used a leather wallet for a while but they scuff and wear away. They're also just boring!
posted to MetaFilter by Deconstruct Now! at 8:13 PM on July 9, 2007

I think this is all tied into Bathing Ape and Nigo. He has a Japanese rap supergroup called Teriyaki Boyz, and Daft Punk produced their first single (an excellent song!). Kanye West featured on another of Teriyaki Boyz' singles produced at the start of the year (pretty poor in comparison).
posted to MetaFilter by Deconstruct Now! at 9:11 PM on July 3, 2007

This would be brilliant but I can't stream Guba movies properly. I've found MVGroup.org (more info) as the best way to get BBC documentaries..
posted to MetaFilter by Deconstruct Now! at 6:23 AM on July 1, 2007

oh here's the correct 'more info' link..
posted to MetaFilter by Deconstruct Now! at 6:27 AM on July 1, 2007

There is certainly more overt 'institutional control' in Facebook. I can't make an eyesore of a Facebook profile, no matter how hard I try.

mdonley has it about the literal meaning of the name. The same with 'MySpace' - it's attractive to me, first of all, then to others.

That's about the only way I can see why some people have their MySpace pages looking the way they do...
posted to MetaFilter by Deconstruct Now! at 5:50 AM on June 25, 2007

First link is to part of Rudolph Hoess' memoir; wikipedia tells me he was commandant of Auschwitz. The extract tells of the compulsion to obey authority.

Second link is to an article on a controversial study of US foreign policy

The relation to the second link is tenuous at best. I can't quite connect it. I think Huplescat is saying something like how Allies couldn't understand why the SS compulsively obeyed authority and noone shot Himmler to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Deconstruct Now! at 9:27 PM on June 24, 2007