Great article, thanks for sharing. The fluidity of our collective memory terrifies and enthralls me. I just wonder what other socially constructed histories haven't been uncovered and researched.
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 10:14 PM on October 3, 2008

Sometimes Japanese culture makes my brain feel like it's going to explode (with hilarious consequences).
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 9:25 AM on October 1, 2008

At the new California Academy of Sciences I met a man who is in charge of chasing butterflies out of the elevator with tongue depressors. He seemed pretty happy about it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 9:14 PM on September 30, 2008

nitsuj,

Thank-you. Sobriety abolished. Mission accomplished.
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 7:49 PM on September 26, 2008

Your favorite internet meme sucks.
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 11:01 AM on September 26, 2008

Well, I for one feel totally assured that her former comment about Russia's proximity was just a out of context gaff.

(quietly invests in gold bullion, canned beans and shotguns shells)
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 11:48 PM on September 25, 2008

"I don't have to convince you to buy anything; you already own it," Mr. Schreiber says.

Wait...really? THAT is the business plan that is going to save the big labels?

Eh, 6 months from now, I'll go to the bargain bin at Target and buy two or three micro sd cards for a dollar. I'll wipe the shitty top-forty nonsense off them and use em for save games on my Wii. Anyone remember the days of free AOL 1.4 mb floppy disks?
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 2:17 PM on September 22, 2008

They made cassette to 8 track adaptors, it would be possible to go to 8-track from cassette; from cd-cassette adapter; from iPod car kit from iPod.

I've heard of that before. They called it a Hair Metal converter. It makes any song sound like screechy 80's butt rock.
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 10:00 AM on September 23, 2008

da Blob comes out on the 22nd for the Wii. It apears to fall into that rare genre of games that appeal to "Wii Fans" AND gamers. A gamer, I'm already stoked about left for dead, but if my SO handed me a copy of a sweet game we could play together, I'd be pretty excited.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 10:58 AM on September 21, 2008

I'd love to join you, but I did wow, and now I prefer my video games in the non heroin like addiction genre. Although after that debacle by Will Wright, I'm craving a new fix something fierce. No, must stay clean.... epic loot not worth it...
posted to MetaTalk by JimmyJames at 4:10 AM on September 18, 2008

You could also try calling local GoodWills and thrift stores. My dad got his fixie there for cheap because they didn't know how price an older looking road bike. I'm not sure if they will be open for the holiday though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 6:22 PM on August 31, 2008

I've asked similarly bizarre questions around my nosy friends birthday to throw her off the scent. Are you one of those people who endlessly tries to figure out what a gift is?
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 6:13 PM on August 31, 2008

If you are planning on watching any of it just watch the link marked B and fast forward to 2:22. It's unreleased MB footage of Adam Savage attempting to sober up by being slapped and then footage of him running on a treadmill with 5 scotches in him.
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 11:43 PM on August 29, 2008

Seconding Metroid Baby. Take her to a women owned or sex positive shop near the two of you. This is essential. If there is potential for her to be freaked out by a lil' old hitachi, then going into Average Joe's Adult Video/Bookstore with old, unwashed men deciding between Young Anal Sluts 8 or 10 will unlikely elicit the response you desire.

Also, it might not be a terrible idea to analyze your motivations for trying to procure the accouterments of orgasm for a friend.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 3:14 PM on August 28, 2008

Alex: Jim you have the board.
Jim: Thanks Alex, I'll take "Ancient Mayan Ruins" for $600.
Alex: Deep in the heart of the Yucatan lies these caves, rumored to be the portal to Xibalba, the Mayan underworld.
Jim: What are "Creepy-ass Mayan Caves we probably shouldn't fuck with?"
Alex: That is correct, you still have the board.
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 9:40 PM on August 23, 2008

If separate beds is too old fashioned for you, you could always try a bigger bed. My girlfriend is a flailer and we sleep on the far opposite sides at beginning of the night. But we always end up finding each other in the middle of the night.
Try wearing some ear plugs before you start taking any prescription substances. No sense in doping yourself unnecessarily.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 11:07 AM on July 26, 2008

Casadevall himself agrees. " ...science is always cautious" he noted while holding a mushroom found inside of the radioactive bowels of a melted down nuclear power power plant.
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 8:43 AM on July 25, 2008

Thanks you all so much! I ended up using a list of the 100 Greatest Rock Ballads Ever. The results were hilarious, creative and awesome. Thanks for all the great ideas!
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 5:19 PM on July 24, 2008

Put wikipedia on it. Never lose trivia night at your pub again.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 12:28 PM on July 18, 2008

Seriously? I could excuse it if you were a seven year old or something. But the odds of a fetus signing up for mefi seem dubious at best.
Just lurk from now on dude. Please.
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 5:17 AM on July 17, 2008

I love the Peterson's guide.

Obligatory mushroom hunters Safety Note:

If you ever have even a *slight* doubt on the exact ID of a mushroom, do your liver a favor and don't eat it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 8:41 PM on June 22, 2008

ditto, someday someone is going to invent an alarm clock that can sense the beginning and end of your sleep cycle then wake you up at then end of one

The future is here!
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 7:14 PM on June 4, 2008

I'm glad you asked.

They won't even let us throw pressure treated wood in our sanitary landfill where I live. The cost of a few more 4x4s is well worth not risking the myriad health problems you might encounter. Plus, I'd bet you might have problems getting someone else to sleep in that bed with you.

Save the pressure treated for termite/dryrot prone outdoor areas.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 7:07 PM on June 4, 2008

Just another humbling reminder that we are all guests on this planet.
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 6:47 PM on June 4, 2008

Seconding theora55.

Gas is expensive. Plus, in college I was assigned to many projects with people that I disliked. Day camps are generally small, so she miss out on an awkward/late drive, but she'll still have to deal with her ex-carpool buddy on a daily basis. I think that you should have a serious cost/benefit analysis of the whole situation. Does she realize the burden that she is putting on you and her father? Worst case, just wear head phones in the back and fall asleep.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 3:13 PM on May 27, 2008

AmbroseChapel: This sort of thing is exactly what I'm interested in.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 4:44 PM on May 26, 2008

Finger Condoms?
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 1:20 PM on May 26, 2008

Its cramped starfish-like inhabitants, tens of millions living arm tip to arm tip, owe their success to the seamount's shape and to the swirling circumpolar current flowing over and around it at roughly four kilometers per hour. It allows Brittlestar City's underwater denizens to capture passing food simply by raising their arms, and it sweeps away fish and other hovering would-be predators.

If only this happened with koalas.
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 2:31 PM on May 19, 2008

I support ending the WOD but I think anti-WOD folks need a hell of a better poster child than 75 people with $60 grand, a half-dozen firearms, and two kilos of coke in their bedroom.

I'd say that they make an ideal poster children for an anti-war on drugs campaign. The policy that busted them also enables them to accumulate huge sums of money, as well as necessitate the introduction of weapons to defend those huge ill-gotten sums.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 7:44 AM on May 9, 2008

Dealing pot/hash is ok by me, although it IS illegal.
Dealing cocaine is NOT ok, not by a long shot, those kids got what they deserved.

The arbitrary assignment of value by the Czar's office to different drugs is one of the elements of the drug war that makes it such a scourge. What if they had been dealing crack, would that be worse, better? The current policy says slaps 10x harsher sentences for crack, a different delivery system of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 8:34 AM on May 9, 2008

XQUZYPHYR: The problem with "crack addicted prostitutes" specifically as poster children for drug policy reform is that no one gives a shit about them. Don't get me wrong, these douche-nozzle, SMS using, asshole drug dealers are shitheads.
The reason they could be poster children is that without policy reform, they could be YOUR Southern California university drug bust tragedy son/daughter. White kids arrests spurred the Marijuana reform in the 1970 Comprehensive Drug... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 8:49 AM on May 9, 2008

The three boys, all home-schooled...

So, what we're looking for here is a factor that might have contributed to poor social skills. CLEARLY, the causative factor MUST be Marijuana.
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 7:09 AM on May 9, 2008

As a last ditch effort against all microchips, gps technology and Emily Post etiquette efforts you could simply roll your cat in something really smelly. I mean profoundly, eye-watering smelly and likely to stain/ruin carpets and couches. I'd bet he'd be less popular after that.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 9:54 PM on May 2, 2008

Invest it in Kiva.org. The site works to connect lenders (yourself) with micro credit institutions in impoverished areas.
Quick Model:
You donate money,
Money goes to person who can then improve their own lives.
Person pays you back.
You reinvest the money in a new person.

I like the idea of you thinking about her you every time you reinvest the money. Rather than a 1 time donation, you can watch as good... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 2:04 PM on April 26, 2008

looks like I messed up the link. Here it is. KIVA
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 2:06 PM on April 26, 2008

"so, what do you call your act?"

"THE ARISTOCRATS!"
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 6:39 PM on April 17, 2008

I was thinking it was a power edge trimmer. It has a guide that looks like you push it along a curb and it cuts the grass right up to the edge of the pavement. I'm not sure its a line marker or a seeder because the bucket looks like a catcher not a hopper.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 12:14 AM on April 17, 2008

Just did the same project at my partner's place. Vice Grips did the trick for me. Just be careful not to crack any tiles or break the plumbing in the wall.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 12:08 AM on April 17, 2008 marked best answer

I also grew up in this situation. Nthing a box with a lock on it, it was wonderful to be able to have a place to keep notes from girls and the other secret trappings of adolescence.

Also keep in mind that in a room with a 3 year old and a 6 year old, something dubbed "Johny's SECRET LOCKBOX" has INFINITE seductive appeal. Secret boxes are exempt from any and all lessons on privacy. For my brothers it was like pandora's box to the 10000th power.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 11:16 PM on April 15, 2008

I just realized I recommended locks and then said they don't work. This question brought up a bunch of old memories. In addition to the sealing wax, I had a trivial luggage lock on the box. (just to keep honest brothers honest)
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 11:19 PM on April 15, 2008

Take a 5-6 foot length of clear tubing. Put a piece of jello in the the middle of the tube. Have two kids blow on their respective end of the tube. Whoever eats the jello loses.

We tried this at a family gathering. We've all been trying to get my uncle to quit smoking. It was satisfying as heck when a 12 year old beat him.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 11:13 AM on April 14, 2008

I would bet at least a dollar that the same people who can spew vitriolic hatred at this woman are the same people who lament how video games and non-stop media are causing childhood obesity. It's interesting how people can raise their children like veal calves and wonder how they ended up mal-adjusted and pudgy. Better yet, I bet these are the same parents who medicate their mal-adjusted pudgy children with drugs because they are mal-adjusted and pudgy. (begin recursive cycle of doom)... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 3:24 PM on April 12, 2008

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between drug warriors and child molesters.

so true.
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 1:13 AM on April 3, 2008

For those who missed Brainy's flight of the Conchord's reference, it's
Business time!
posted to MetaFilter by JimmyJames at 6:50 PM on April 2, 2008

yes, if it's plugged in, the circuit is complete, and if you add yourself to that circuit you'll feel the buzz.

Don't worry about the "stupid filter" it's far better to test this out on the green then with a wet finger. To illustrate, a former friend of mine tested this by holding a paper clip in his mouth and sticking it into the outlet.

Hypothesis:
This will shock the shit out of me.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 2:49 PM on March 31, 2008

One of the more controversial solutions to cluster headaches (if that is indeed what she is suffering from) is the use of psychedelics. From what I've read, a cluster headache sounds like a warzone in your head, like a migraine pilled upon migraines. IANAD, but this doesn't sound like what you described. My best wishes to your gf I hope her doctor can help.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 3:44 PM on March 15, 2008

When I had night terrors as a little kid my parents would come in and "change the channel" on my dreams by flipping over the pillow. For some reason, that really worked for me. My dreams would almost always change once this happened. Two year old still have issues sorting out reality from fiction and imagination. I think that it's a reasonable tactic to use this naivete to your advantage.

It's a similar vein into what Earbucket said about using lysol. Though I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 3:27 PM on March 15, 2008

But why wouldn't they have axed it?
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 1:00 PM on March 14, 2008

The First Amendment? We're talking about the United States, not North Korea. The government does not run the media.

I just assumed that because the Federal government uses the Ad Council so much for so many of their other campaigns that they would hold some sway. Is it at all similar to how private companies can threaten to pull ads from "undesirable" television shows/news programs in order to influence content?
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 1:17 PM on March 14, 2008

Balloon animals
Apples to Apples
Mafia
posted to Ask Metafilter by JimmyJames at 11:27 AM on March 14, 2008