MetaFilter

I had a friend in LA who once had to babysit Mickey Rooney and Donald O'Connor for a day, back about 1998 or thereabouts, when both were senior citizens.

"What was it like?" I asked him.

"Exhausting," he said.
posted to MetaFilter by Astro Zombie at 8:49 PM on February 5, 2011

a more frenetic Peahches without the irony. Video by their mate who has a computer.

That's why I like it!
posted to MetaFilter by The Whelk at 6:02 PM on February 5, 2011

OK, this is a fairly shallow and poorly-evidenced article. But I will never understand the immediate, visceral indignation that seems to be evoked by anyone's claiming that watching porn regularly-- gasp!-- might not be good for you.

It's such a standard, intuitive, generally-accepted principle when it comes to the way we view other biological drives. Everybody understands that Coke and McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts feel good, but are bad... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by yersinia at 9:30 AM on February 5, 2011

Not to mention, that is some truly pretentious prose.

I disagree. Remember, "pretentious" implies pretense, pretending. Wallace Shawn is a smart, well-read guy who writes like a smart, well-read guy. If he wrote like an ignorant moron, that would be pretentious.
posted to MetaFilter by DaDaDaDave at 3:40 PM on February 4, 2011

Here is another interesting four hand piano piece; n.b. it's played by two Asians.
posted to MetaFilter by quoquo at 3:06 AM on February 5, 2011

Lovely.

I always love when our cultural obsession with constant novelty [new instruments, new technologies, new fads] gets knocked on its ass by simple ingenuity and people who look at an instrument as an amazing garden of opportunity. I'm an electronic musician, and I had a stretch where everything was feeling same-y to me, and as I was bitching about the limitations of my old sampler, my collaborator rolled his eyes and pointed out that my complaints were like... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by sonascope at 4:32 AM on February 5, 2011

I had a professor say that voting with your spending money was akin to masturbation. It makes you feel good, but in the end its just you playing with yourself.

This professor sounds like a real winner. Good of him to share his thoughts on his recreational practices with you, but to suggest a strict dichotomy between utilitiarian value and masturbatory value, with nothing in between, is simplistic to put it very kindly. He is actually comparing... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by George_Spiggott at 12:38 AM on February 5, 2011

What it does to Sandy Nelson's neat little "Teen Beat" is appalling brilliant but AND works in the context of the film!

Just a wonderful post.

Seconded with amendment and discussion.
posted to MetaFilter by humannaire at 5:42 AM on February 4, 2011

You don't just need to overcome the overwhelming force of gravity necessary to move something far away enough that it will enter orbit. You also have to do this in a way that most effectively combats atmospheric resistance. It's not just the mass of the Earth holding everyone back, there's also that pesky layer of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide that enshrouds everything in tasty, life-nurturing air. We wouldn't have to design our... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Civil_Disobedient at 4:47 AM on February 3, 2011

It's an interesting article. I think the point about path-dependence is good, but I'm a bit skeptical about the alternative methods. It could just be that rockets are a really good solution to the problems of getting something into orbit.

Basically there are three problems: two pretty easy, one very hard.

Overcoming gravity. This is actually pretty easy: low orbits are low and you don't need much energy just to get high enough. A balloon or a... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by TheophileEscargot at 1:55 AM on February 3, 2011

Man - do they still sell those road graders at Montgomery & Ward? I gotta get one of those.

Anyway, The Technium is a pretty fantastic book and while I think Kelly repeats himself in parts (ironically I think the book could have been better edited) the parallels he draws between technology and biology are fascinating and incredibly insightful. His research is fantastic and I think his insights are so keen that they often underwhelm because he... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by GuyZero at 1:55 PM on February 1, 2011

"I thought you just told me they used radio."

"They do, but what do you think is on the radio? Meat sounds. You know how when you slap or flap meat, it makes a noise? They talk by flapping their meat at each other. They can even sing by squirting air through their meat."
posted to MetaFilter by Westringia F. at 6:17 AM on January 31, 2011

I wonder if this could produce a smaller version of the solar steam plants they're building. You know, maybe not quite as hot, have a few sets of mirrors set to heat pipes w/water and let steam turbines power your air conditioners or whatever you need on your building.
posted to MetaFilter by yeloson at 11:39 AM on January 30, 2011

"I would suggest that St. James try a different methodology. I would suggest that we try the idea of: 'We have read our Bibles. We have prayed and been spirit-filled. So our purpose is to make life easier for other people around us no matter what their theology is; no matter what their race, color, creed, or sexual orientation.' Those things are not the primary issue as far as we're concerned, because our concern is to be Jesus for them."

I... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 3:35 PM on January 26, 2011

Holy moley you can even see his cheek muscles balancing
posted to MetaFilter by mhjb at 12:19 AM on January 26, 2011

Wow.

But sadly, no Overland Stage Raiders - featuring a young actress named Louise Brooks.
posted to MetaFilter by Joe Beese at 10:05 AM on January 24, 2011

That's just silly - if it wasn't written by ACD then it isn't a bona fide Sherlock Holmes book. I don't care whether it's endorsed by the estate or not - which isn't to say it will be a bad book, but come on.
posted to MetaFilter by zeoslap at 11:05 AM on January 21, 2011

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Changing the attribution of that quote changes the meaning for me. If a man said it, it sounds like he would die to defend his interlocutor's freedom of speech, i.e. go to war to defend that right. If a woman said it, it sounds like she would defend her interlocutor's freedom of speech until death, i.e. for as long as she lives. Yes I know there... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by 2bucksplus at 10:25 AM on January 21, 2011

Sadly, beauty is not truth: TMBG's original Why Does the Sun Shine? is a better song IMHO than Why Does the Sun Really Shine? (linked in the post) even though it's wrong. Especially the live version on Severe Tire Damage. Although I'm taking a strictly low-brow "better = bouncier and more fun" attitude here - your mileage may vary...
posted to MetaFilter by alasdair at 3:08 AM on January 21, 2011

I feel like I just slipped into a parallel but slightly different universe because I have NEVER heard that song before. And in 1971, when it first came out, I was 15-going-on-16 and totally connected to the Pop Music scene... so I googled up the Billboard Top 100 songs of 1971... and I recall everything there... "Joy to the World", check. "Maggy May", check... "Knock Three Times", regrettably check... "Want Ads", "Do You Know What I Mean",... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by oneswellfoop at 6:42 PM on January 18, 2011

I'm currently reading Ken Emerson's Always Magic In The Air -- a portrait of the Brill Building writers and producers in their heyday. Kirshner is a major character in the book. I'd always thought of him as a no-talent money man, but Emerson portrays him as a sympathetic figure who was a driving force behind some of the classic Brill Building hits and who was a real mensch when it came to taking care of the creative talent who were working for him.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by PeterMcDermott at 11:21 AM on January 19, 2011

Paul Shaffer on Don Kirshner: 'He loved the impression'

Thanks for the tunes, Don. Even the Monkees.
posted to MetaFilter by fixedgear at 10:47 AM on January 19, 2011

It bears a striking melodic resemblance to the Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine" to my ear.
posted to MetaFilter by el_lupino at 2:41 PM on January 17, 2011

I love Totoro (though my true heart lies with Pompoko and Sen to Chihiro), and the scene that really makes it for me is the heartbroken face of the nice old neighbor lady when she offers up the found sandal to Satsuki, sure that Mei is gone. The complete change, the range of emotions she goes through when Satsuki says that it's not Mei's slipper, that is powerful, haunting filmmaking to me.

On a related note, I can't get to it at the moment, but the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Ghidorah at 2:31 AM on January 16, 2011

It's been said before, but one of the great joys of watching Miyazaki is witnessing his mastery and his love of the mere mechanics of childhood. How a kid shakes off a sandal, how you hold a kid sister on your back and an umbrella as well. Watch the motions and gestures as Satsuki makes lunch for herself and her sister, the way she deftly juggles the chopsticks and the pot lids. It is pure delight.

Gotta agree with the Piazzolla-ization of the piano and cello... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Mei's lost sandal at 10:46 PM on January 15, 2011

How is this not ranked with old Dr. Who and The Prisoner?

Let's just put all the cards out on the table first: U.F.O.
OK, now continue with what you were saying.
posted to MetaFilter by Civil_Disobedient at 3:47 PM on January 15, 2011

I don't mind the idea of subway performers, but I sure do wish they'd travel a bit. I can see why they might camp out at a good location, but hearing the same songs that I don't really like anyway at 6AM every day gets old pretty quickly. And could someone even remotely talented please visit the 81st street B/C stop, please? You'd think such a high traffic station would attract a higher caliber of performer but no such luck...
posted to MetaFilter by blaneyphoto at 10:25 PM on January 14, 2011

“I believe that if Dr. King were alive today, he would recognize that we live in a complicated world, and that our nation's military should not and cannot lay down its arms and leave the American people vulnerable to terrorist attack,” he said.

Because, it's not like MLK Jr. actually had some experience with responding to terrorist attacks? So, we can conclude that MLK Jr. was actually Huey Newton's mentor?

I do think King would praise... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ennui.bz at 9:38 AM on January 14, 2011

Wait, we're administering aid to folks in Afghanistan and Iraq?? The duplicitous mainstream media gave me the impression we were over there killing people.
posted to MetaFilter by Nahum Tate at 8:17 AM on January 14, 2011

That's Salon article's not a rebuttal, it's just a big NUH-UH!!

I'm not saying I agree, but like any good lawyer, Johnson's made a strong argument.

"Johnson said King criticized those who are compassionate by proxy, noting the civil rights leader told the audience in Memphis that night, “The question is not, ‘If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?’ The question is, 'If I do not stop to help the sanitation... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Potomac Avenue at 8:11 AM on January 14, 2011

So I listened to the choral version. It sounds very much like plainsong to my tin ear. Perhaps the court at Ugarit was Anglican (well, Anglo-baal). Catchy.

I found myself humming a snippet as I was waiting by the elevator to take out the trash when I shuddered. The hymn of a forgotten people to their dead god, on my lips. A thousand years before Socrates. I could feel the grass grow long on my grave.

Perhaps that sounds too melodramatic,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:36 PM on January 13, 2011

Any excuse to hear CCR's "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" is just fine with me. And just for good measure, let's hear the original, too. And Marvin's utterly sublime vocal only, which is bound to send shivers. I've always been crazy about Gladys Knight's version, too.
posted to MetaFilter by flapjax at midnite at 4:01 PM on January 12, 2011

If the past is anything to go by, all Orban needs to do is set himself up as a bulwark against Russia and he'll become a darling of the West in no time - complete with Rose Garden press conferences and the works.
posted to MetaFilter by Avenger at 2:31 AM on January 12, 2011

"Contrary to the conventional wisdom, the historical fact is that the rich countries did not develop on the basis of the policies and the institutions that they now recommend ..."

-- well, no, of course not. The policies and institutions are the result of hundreds of years of trial and error. Pointing out the errors does not diminish the effectiveness of what was learned ... and countries would be wise to learn from history, like improvements to banking... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cjared at 1:59 AM on January 10, 2011

@notion while I agree with most of what you're saying, "we'll be on the end of a very short leash held by multi-national corporations in tyranny-friendly Southeast Asia" is patently false. Southeast Asia is mostly democratic today (Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka) with a handful or autocracies (Laos, China, Vietnam) and only one genuine tyranny I can think of: Burma/Myanmar.

As someone who's lived (taught, studied ,and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by trinarian at 9:36 PM on January 9, 2011

Faze you don't understand. This is the Sheraton hotel in Haikou China. They have a waffle bar and tropical foliage, it's the Hawaii of China and a waffle bar. This is the Sheraton in Omaha, NE. It's Nebraska, I don't mean to insult cornhuskers, but seriously you don't have tropical foliage, white sand beaches and no one is calling you the Hawaii of the United States, because we have actual Hawaii. You are a well known Midwestern state, and when one considers the culinary reputation of the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by humanfont at 7:26 PM on January 8, 2011

I sure could go for a cold Ballantine Ale right now.
posted to MetaFilter by TedW at 7:12 PM on January 8, 2011

This has nothing to do with changing the way you think, and everything with changing the way you behave. For example, we can tell you that smoking is bad, and you know smoking is bad, and we want you to quit, and you want to quit, but what's going to make you actually quit? What carefully crafted incentive structure, what teetering tower of punishments and rewards, is going to make you give up tobacco? Or stop hitting your kids? Or drop your waist size below 95cm? It's... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by obiwanwasabi at 8:48 PM on January 5, 2011

Boy am I ever glad I'm on the good guys' team!

Better keep your head down and hope they don't ever question whether you belong on their team. First it's about war, then it's domestic terrorism and drugs, then border patrol, then everyday police. Before you know it, the Gorgon's gonna be busting you for making a right on red when the sign clearly indicates that you may NOT make a right on red.
posted to MetaFilter by callmejay at 10:48 AM on January 5, 2011

Utterly bodacious brah, could you like shut up and film the view a little better.

How about - the next time you're up at the top of that building you can film it however you want?
posted to MetaFilter by schwa at 9:51 AM on January 4, 2011

This drove the middle-aged men of the 60s absolutely insane. Every marriage in the country literally or figuratively broke up at that moment. The middle-aged man, couched in monogamy, committed to supporting a family, mowing the lawn, earning a paycheck, looked like a complete ass as the streets sprouted thousands -- hundreds of thousands of beautiful young women, bouncing along nearly bare-legged, boobs a-bobble, hair hanging free, their little purses holding little mandala packs of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Jody Tresidder at 7:28 AM on January 3, 2011

I say this as a woman who is old enough to have seen the shift in aesthetics for myself, but after the fashion, makeup and hair, what I notice is the pronounced lack of muscle tone, even in the skinniest models, (with a few exceptions--mainly dancers.) Looking strong, having visible muscle, was considered mannish, or low status--maybe the sign of a job doing physical labor? Exercising was about losing weight, not getting getting definition---may as well take dexedrine as do jumping-jacks, right?... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by tula at 12:14 AM on January 3, 2011

I'm shocked there was no photo of Elizabeth Montgomery. She out-shown many that are there.
posted to MetaFilter by Goofyy at 9:33 PM on January 2, 2011

Oooh, those were the clothes that were so fun to take off!
posted to MetaFilter by nickyskye at 8:28 PM on January 2, 2011

There's a ticklish little problem in governments' getting involved in some of these piracy incidents...

I don't know if I have a problem with this, actually - I mean, if I pay half-price to a COVAD reseller to avoid paying Verizon, I don't expect Verizon-level tech support(Such as it is) when something goes wrong.

If a shipping line finds first world regulation, safety requirements and taxation so onerous that they have to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Orb2069 at 8:47 AM on December 30, 2010

I'm not quite old enough to remember Mama Cass and her career very much. Just some nice songs. But Mama Cass is one of the few music artists that, when she comes up, you really get that she was loved.
posted to MetaFilter by Goofyy at 1:23 AM on December 28, 2010

Seriously, perpetuating the death-by-sandwich canard about Mama Cass pisses me off no end. The only reason it has any legs was because she was fat, and hey, LOLfatchicks! Amirite? Fucking thin-icism. Cass Elliot was one of the GREAT vocalists of her generation, male or female, and popular music missed out on what should have been an incredible and lengthy career from a great entertainer.

Now, John Phillips, there's bastard who should have choked on a ham sandwich in his prime.
posted to MetaFilter by KingEdRa at 11:36 PM on December 27, 2010

When he really started going, and the picture started to rock precipitously as if being buffeted by sound waves, I became convinced that his hands were going to break the piano, that the splintering piano was going to break the camera, and that the exploding camera was going to melt my computer.
posted to MetaFilter by bicyclefish at 9:49 PM on December 26, 2010

So what she did a painting of a photograph. Still an original work. By this logic I would never be able to paint anything manmade. Paintings of buildings? Nope. Paintings of soup cans? Never!
posted to MetaFilter by Ad hominem at 9:04 AM on December 25, 2010

U-S-A! U-S-A!!!
posted to MetaFilter by jcronen at 12:57 PM on December 23, 2010