June 1, 2015
The market is as wide open as a walk-in closet in a sprawling McMansion
George Zimmer Starts an 'Uber for Tailors' - David Gelles, NYT
"Mr. Zimmer, whose net worth has been estimated to be $150 million to $800 million, is the chairman and the financial force behind zTailors. Other people and wealthy families have contributed money to the start-up, he says, but no venture capitalists are involved, despite the Oakland, Calif., company’s proximity to Silicon Valley.
In recent months, zTailors has been in stealth mode, operating in several major cities around the country, and it already has 600 tailors signed up. The plan is to be operating in all 50 states by the end of the year, with more than 1,000 tailors."
A Masterpiece of Modern… Trial and Error
100 years, 94 books
Matt Kahn has read and reviewed every bestselling novel of the last 100 years, starting with The Inside of the Cup (1913), including masterpieces like s like All Quiet on the Western Front (1929) to the surprisingly dark E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) to a reluctant slog through John Grishham, ending with The Fault in Our Stars (2014). Interview.
Esquire's best jokes of all time
"I can't even fit all of you in my eyes." Esquires polls 22 comics on the best jokes of all time. Includes videos.
"I no longer believed in the various justifications for our existence"
Wallace Shawn interviewed by Liese Spencer in The Guardian. Wallace Shawn interviewed by Susan Bernofsky for Public Books. Wallace Shawn interviewed by Hilton Als for The Paris Review. Wallace Shawn interviewed by Andrew O'Hehir for Salon. [more inside]
Discord at the Buffalo Philharmonic
"As principal oboe, your lack of musicality is shocking and destructive to our orchestra" The Buffalo Philharmonic fired principle oboist Pierre Roy in 2012. He filed a petition with the State Supreme Court, and the case has moved on to federal court. The Buffalo News covers the suit, and the fights within the woodwinds section. [more inside]
It's the End of (A Softer) World As We Know It, And I Feel Fine
After 12 years and 1243 updates, Emily Horne & Joey Comeau's seminal photo-webcomic "A Softer World" has served up its last panels of "sad, weird, harsh and sometimes ridiculous comics", about a week after namechecking itself in a callback to one of the first strips. And with a parallel-timed (just closed) Kickstarter for a 'Best of' book that raised 10 times its goal*, this world ended, not with a bang OR a whimper but with a loud "thank you!"
But then, "because today is the very last day, they will sing forever."
[Previously (year one) and previously (year ten)] [more inside]
But then, "because today is the very last day, they will sing forever."
[Previously (year one) and previously (year ten)] [more inside]
Poverty is the Worst Kind of Violence
How do they make such a decision? By engaging The American tradition of separating the poor into two, mutually exclusive categories: those who deserve to be poor, and those who don't. More here, here, and here. [more inside]
Why do people, when playing CEOs, become tyrants from central casting?
How to turn a liberal hipster into a capitalist tyrant in one evening
The classic problem presented by the game is one all managers face: short-term issues, usually involving cashflow, versus the long-term challenge of nurturing your workforce and your client base. Despite the fact that a public-address system was blaring out, in English and Chinese, that “your workforce is your vital asset” our assembled young professionals repeatedly had to be cajoled not to treat them like dirt.
RIP Professional Wrestler Tommy Rogers (of the Fantastics)
Professional wrestler Tommy Rogers (real name Thomas Couch), best known as one half of the tag team The Fantastics, has passed away at the age of 54. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Rogers "...had been having legal troubles in recent years stemming from fighting. He was to be sentenced tomorrow over a fight with police officers and feared a long prison stay." [more inside]
Supreme Court upholds right to wear a hijab at work
Clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch discriminated against a Muslim teenager when it refused to hire her, in part, because she wore a religious headscarf, the US Supreme Court ruled on Monday.
During oral arguments, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor pointed out that the case is unlike most employment discrimination cases in that the hiring manager at Abercrombie has openly admitted lowering Elauf’s score upon learning from another manager that the hijab violated company policy.
here I come, taking the floor to recite a page of quatrains
Bless $BLOG_OWNER, May his passing cleanse the world
"Spend enough time in any community or social circle – whether online or in person – and you’ll inevitably hear people complaining about the group being too insular, too much of a circle jerk or just plain unwilling to listen to people who disagree with them. You may especially notice this when forums have active moderation or websites and YouTube accounts turn off the ability to post comments. Now, on occasion, you will find a group or community that is unwelcoming to divergent voices… but more often than not, the problem isn’t that people are unwilling to hear an opposing opinion, but rather a case of “we don’t like assholes in the clubhouse.”--How To Share Your Unpopular Opinion (Without Being An Asshole)
#CallMeCaitlyn
Introducing Caitlyn Jenner [Vanity Fair]
Speaking publicly for the first time since completing gender transition, Caitlyn Jenner compares her emotional two-day photo shoot with Annie Leibovitz for the July cover of Vanity Fair to winning the gold medal for the decathlon at the 1976 Olympics. She tells Pulitzer Prize–winning V.F. contributing editor and author of Friday Night Lights Buzz Bissinger, “That was a good day, but the last couple of days were better. . . . This shoot was about my life and who I am as a person. It’s not about the fanfare, it’s not about people cheering in the stadium, it’s not about going down the street and everybody giving you ‘that a boy, Bruce,’ pat on the back, O.K. This is about your life.”[more inside]
Twistatec Technology, designed by NASA scientists
Big Marble Run Machine: 11 000 Marbles!!!
Rumble roar clatter. Does what it says, etc. Home page of the creator, Jelle Bakker, the Marble Master. [more inside]
This Gene, and Carl my training partner.
This is obviously the reason you came to Metafilter today: videos of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu demonstrations featuring a big, friendly pitbull.
Supplemental material:
June, June, June
Bisexual people and their community talk support
A video from Rainbow Health Ontario interviews three bisexual people and their partners about support and identity within relationships. Part of a series including friends and parents.
(Bi defined broadly in video.)
Other links below the cut... [more inside]
The Grand Overlook Hotel
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give glory
Predator: Dark Ages Templar Knights are put to the ultimate challenge, to hunt The Predator. Testing not only their skills as fighters but also their faith. Kickstarter funded fan film. IMDB. Facebook page.
The Change Trays of Japan: Object lesson
"I am very curious about those small trays that are used in Japan when settling daily cash transactions. Instead of handing your payment to the clerk, or setting it on the counter by the cash register, here you are generally expected to put your payment into a tray that is presented expressly for the purpose. ... So, what the heck are these trays called? And what is their origin and purpose?" [more inside]
"It is harder for us to be nice to kids"
When I look back over my notebooks and journals from the past 21 years there are plenty of things I regret. What I do not regret were the times we educators chose to be kind to a kid. The times when we gave a child a second–and then third and fourth chance. The times we decided to let a kid go on a field trip, ignoring some misdeed that might have excluded him from the trip so that a child who had never been further than the county line could see the world writ large. You know the drill."School should be a place for all sorts of kindnesses." Retiring school principal George Wood talks about what should be the most important part of school and why it has become difficult to achieve.
« Previous day | Next day »