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Blawgs: Blogs from the legal world. Lessig is not the only lawyer sharing his expertise in the blog format. Blawgs range from individual lawyers (Ernie the Attorney) to entire firms using a collaborative format to focus on a single practice area (such as the Supreme Court). "Almost every law firm is trying to build a knowledge management system for itself to take advantage of the expertise within the firm," Svenson says. "But with blawgs, it happens organically. If you gave your lawyers their own blawgs, pretty soon everyone within the firm could see who knows the most about different topics." Are knowledge management systems feasible or practical yet?
posted by ajr at 8:28 PM PST - 12 comments

He sells records. He sells homes. Is there anything Neal Smith can't do? Considering how industrious Alice Cooper has been, should we have expected any less from his drummer? Still, would you buy a house from this guy?
posted by herc at 8:14 PM PST - 8 comments

Political crybaby? Helena, Mont. - Republican Mike Taylor dropped out of the Senate race against Democratic Sen. Max Baucus yesterday, complaining that a Democratic Party ad was calculated to make him look like a gay hairdresser. I've seen a still from the TV ad. It used a video clip from the early 1980's that really does make him look awful. The thing is, most people looked awful during the early 80's, and the clip was from a TV bit Taylor used to host. Is this a cop out or does he have a legit gripe? Is it a low-blow to use an unflattering photo from someone's past? (Lock up those prom pics!)
posted by kayjay at 8:01 PM PST - 43 comments

How NOT to Start an Ancient Religion Not so much a DIY guide for time-travellers as "a list of 16 factors to be considered -- places where Christianity 'did the wrong thing' in order to be a successful religion." Hopefully thought provoking...
posted by agentfresh at 7:19 PM PST - 22 comments

Modest, Style-Conscious and Frustrated No More It's hard to be modest in contemporary America without coming off like a sack-wearing frump, so two moms and Nordstrom teamed up to offer some shockingly non-shocking alternative attire. "All are thrilled with the idea...It's snowballed almost out of control." Might dressing like a hooker go out of style someday?
posted by oissubke at 6:45 PM PST - 38 comments

What do you think when you hear the word "Skinhead"? Here's one that SURE to spark discussion if not an outright flame war! Do you hold the popular belief that "Skinheads" are nothing but low IQ neo- nazi sheep? How many Metafilter enthusiasts even know about the birth of the movement? It had nothing to do with race either!
posted by hoopyfrood at 5:31 PM PST - 54 comments

I'll take "Western Superiority Complexes" for $500, Alex... Let the wars begin: The ever controversial Ayn Rand Institute suggests that on the eve of Columbus Day we reject revisionist Politically Correct history that Columbus was a butcher. By what justification could we state that Western Civilization is superior to others? Is multiculturalism a bad idea? Does this suggest we have a 'right' to wipe out peoples inferior to us? Darwinism at its potential worst--or a scary reality to admit?
posted by tgrundke at 3:46 PM PST - 60 comments

"I was very lucky that she triped over my uncontios body beried under piles of ash..." A saga of epic proportions: some moron living inside his "Morrowind" RPG computer game writes his gameplay out as a novel. Welcome to a capsule indictment of American education and the consequences of the new "American Way." Thank heavens we don't live in Morrowind, where most people can't "right nor reed."
posted by Perigee at 3:39 PM PST - 20 comments

Happy Thanksgiving Long-weekend Canada! Whether you celebrate it in October or November, it's hard to deny that the true meaning of Thanksgiving is now about football (3 down or 4 down), food and family. Enjoy some Friday Thanksgiving Flash with Homestarrunner. And be sure to give to your local food bank.
posted by damclean2 at 3:09 PM PST - 13 comments

While MS-bashing is often too easy, this statement about recent security holes seemed especially astounding: "Outlook Express ships with every Windows system, or rather as part of IE, so it's on every system. But unless it is configured to receive mail, you are not at risk," said Scott Culp, manager for Microsoft security response. Interesting. Unless it is configured to receive mail, like, you know, an email program.
posted by judith at 3:02 PM PST - 32 comments

HEY! That's illegal! Aw, yeah the motherlode of illegality. The organizers of this exhibit seem to get it all right. The website doesn't skimp on the source material either. Wanna see George Bush wreak havoc on the Teletubbies bunnies? It's here . Wanna see Wally Wood's (Of The Realist and Mad ) version of a Disneyland orgy? It's here . Public Enemy sampled the Beatles but pulled the song because the licence fees were insane, listen to it here . Also, don't skip over the "contract" that pops up when you enter the site, it's classic.
posted by jeremias at 2:12 PM PST - 15 comments

A follow-up to last week's post about the racism conference at which all non-blacks were expelled, the sponsoring organisation of that event is now asking the white community to pay off its $200,000 debt from the conference. And it gets worse.
posted by swank6 at 1:21 PM PST - 32 comments

Gene Prevents 'Brains Everywhere' The human version of the gene probably is not involved in keeping the human brain inside the skull, but likely plays some other role in nervous system development in human embryos, says Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado, a developmental biologist at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Cool.
posted by Grod at 1:20 PM PST - 6 comments

Look at your hands. Is your index finger shorter or longer than your ring finger? Be careful because according to John T. Manning, those two fingers reveal a variety of characteristics about yourself to the world including assertiveness, attractiveness, reproductive success, hand preference, verbal fluency, autism, depression, health and disease, homosexuality tendancies, musical and sports aptitudes. [via Tigerbunny]
And while you are at it don't forget what the middle finger and a long second toe might reveal.
posted by oh posey at 12:49 PM PST - 37 comments

William James, The Nitrous Oxide Philosopher The fascinating history of laughing gas has always included goofy moments and famous users (Samuel Coleridge and Peter Roget among them), but few took the drug as seriously as American philosopher William James. He wrote an 1882 essay about the "intense metaphysical illumination" nitrous provided. Of course, laughing gas has dangers, can kill you if used stupidly, and can also send you to jail. But is hippie crack always bad? Or are there times when it might actually be kind of appropriate? [more inside]
posted by mediareport at 12:04 PM PST - 21 comments

Coming soon to a museum near you: Attack of the Dinosaur Mummy! (not really though). This very rare, complete dinosaur specimen decayed in such a way that its skin remained intact as well as the contents of its stomach. It was presented yesterday at an annual meeting of scientists.
posted by mathowie at 11:33 AM PST - 10 comments

Finally, some e-activism that fits into my daily online routine. It may not meet the approval of certain segments of the petition crowd, but General Interest peacemongers won't object. Can we actually do anything while we're just sitting here? I've always thought that organized protest is vital, not because it directly influences policymakers but because the public discourse is made up of noise. If you believe in something, you must holler about it! This glowing box has seemed so useless in that capacity. I guess it's become easier to aim dollars at the fight. And our WWW, as ever, puts us in closer touch with insane travel opportunities and virtual adventuring. Yes, there must be some value to networking. And if you're on the other side of the whole peace issue, I found something for you to buy online.
posted by damehex at 11:00 AM PST - 5 comments

Friday Fun! Excellent Scopitone from Sharpeworld, the B3ta orange kitten is back, this time playing the xylophone, and a dark but clever cartoon.
posted by sparky at 9:54 AM PST - 7 comments

We are all made of stars meat.
Some people wear their meat on their heads, some on their feet.
What to wear with your meat pants? A potato shirt.
posted by me3dia at 9:27 AM PST - 12 comments

Loaves and Fishes. Neatly tucked in amongst guitar stores and honky tonks, these folks are serving up the Bread of Life in Downtown Nashville.
posted by mikrophon at 9:12 AM PST - 7 comments

How do you say "caramel?" Unlike most Internet quizzes and surveys, Dr. Vaux's Dialect Survey won't pigeon-hole you into one of a finite set of types ("Your speech is most similar to Generic West Coast Dot-Commer, but with a trace of Oklahoma Trailer Park.") Which is just as well since folks like George Bernard Shaw, HL Mencken, and David Foster Wallace would tell us that pronunciation varies with the individual, and doesn't quite fall neatly into a standard type with odd variances. Rather, this survey is a purely academic method for collecting information on who says what where, and the maps at the end are interesting to look at. I know that the pop/soda/cola variance has been visited before, but what's up with people using "hosey" to refer to the "shotgun" seat of a car? (requires registration if only to track your answers)
posted by bl1nk at 9:06 AM PST - 75 comments

The Photon Belt....along with Maitreya & the greatest sign....and Stargods & 36ft tall humans....all make for some far-out Friday frolicking.
posted by blackholebrain at 8:20 AM PST - 4 comments

I Am Trying To Break Your Heart is the new Wilco documentary, directed by rock photographer Sam Jones. It's part fan letter, part sharp reality soap opera on the personality conflicts that drive and tear apart great musical collaborations. Whither the band movie? This one has drawn comparisons to Hard Day's Night, Don't Look Back, and Rattle + Hum. Are those puff pieces or portraits of the artists...and what about comedies like Head and Spinal Tap? What makes a music movie compelling for fans and non-fans? More on Wilco inside...
posted by serafinapekkala at 7:40 AM PST - 28 comments

However you spell it, it sounds like good news. After five years of lobbying by the Aborigines, Australia set aside a huge chunk of the central Outback yesterday as the country’s largest national park. At 38,000 sq mi (98,000 sq km), Ngaanyatjarra is twice the size of Switzerland. This comes on the heels of the Canadian government's plans for ten new national parks and five new marine conservation areas over the next five years, a move greeted with skepticism by some. (And then there are those that say national parks are obsolete anyway). Has anyone been to any of these places?
posted by gottabefunky at 7:14 AM PST - 12 comments

Who is Delmart "Mike" Vreeland? The strange case of a man who made a handwritten note while in jail during summer 2001 predicting details of the Sept. 11 attacks. He claims to be an agent for the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) with advance knowledge of the attacks. The ONI claims he is a conman and compulsive liar trying to save himself from extradition to the US.
In the end, this six-month investigation for GNN confirmed what many already know: Delmart Vreeland is a liar and an accomplished conman, adept at spinning tales, and manipulating allegiances to further his own goals. In other words, he is the perfect candidate for work in U.S. intelligence.
Who is Delmart Vreeland? - Conman, Intelligence Agent, or both?
posted by tranceformer at 6:48 AM PST - 19 comments

The art of the political campaign song is alive and well. Candidates in Ohio , Indiana, Tennessee, and Minnesota have 'em. What about where you live?
(Caution: All state name links are to sound files. Links to campaign sites inside.)
Heck, Lamar even got Bocephus.
posted by putzface_dickman at 6:27 AM PST - 8 comments

"It's safe to bite when the temperature is right!" "Thermy (TM) is the messenger of a national consumer education campaign designed to promote the use of food thermometers, developed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)." Have you ever used a food thermometer when cooking at home?
posted by nickmark at 6:17 AM PST - 32 comments

Doomsayers refuted yet again, this time by the United Nations and the Institute for International Studies, who independently released studies declaring that humanity is, for the most part, in the best condition it’s ever been. (Former MeFi-er DenBeste comments here.) With more and more studies reaching similar conclusions as Bjørn Lomborg's "Skeptical Environmentalist" and the CATO Institute's "It's Getting Better All the Time", I'm on my way to buy myself a new pair of shades. The future does indeed look bright!
posted by dagny at 5:40 AM PST - 32 comments

I can feel it shrivelling already. Could anything be better calculated to make environmentalists look humourless?
posted by alloneword at 5:21 AM PST - 33 comments

So Long As It Doesn't Frighten The Martians: The already quite spaced-out Tate Museum [Shockwave permitting, check out Anish Kapoor's enormous new sculpture in the Turbine Hall] is now seeking new premises in Space.[More inside]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 3:59 AM PST - 9 comments

Tiny camera reveals the inside story for patient.
This is pretty dam clever. Girl swallows pill size camera, and doctors 40 miles away investigate her condition. Echos of Inner Space and The fantastic voyage
posted by monkeyJuice at 3:47 AM PST - 6 comments

As war looms, a Peace Prize is awarded. But not to Hamid Karzai, valiantly attempting to rebuild Afghanistan, or 154 other candidates, (a list which will be largely secret until 2052) individuals and groups which are working worldwide. Instead, the Nobel Institute has chosen former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The award is not just for his (largely unheralded) work in the last year, but for his "decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." Deserved? More so than others? Care to second guess the Norwegians on this one?
posted by Dreama at 2:55 AM PST - 68 comments