MetaFilter

no
posted to Ask MetaFilter by mpls2 at 8:55 AM on October 18, 2007

I can't help but think we're seeing this piece now because a publicist arranged for it

Good Christ, aren't you aware that that's why we see 99% of what's in the media? All those people interviewed (yes, even on Fresh Air), all those celebrity guests, all those op-ed writers—they're all plugging something. And why shouldn't they? If you'd written a book, wouldn't you want people to buy it? The only relevant question is: is Colbert funny?... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat at 10:41 AM on October 15, 2007

AHIMSA Y'ALL
posted to MetaFilter by ahimsakid at 11:39 AM on October 16, 2007

update...

Well this thread had an effect I wasn't expecting.
Your arguments were convincing enough that I flushed the rest I had and I'm not gonna do it again.
I'm gonna stick to weed, and even then...

Thanks. I shouldn't have gotten involved with chemicals in the first place.

My goals are things I can do by myself, and I will work for it.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by PowerCat at 8:22 AM on October 13, 2007

Dress up like a robot and hold up a sign that reads "Romo Arigato" whenever Romo throws a touchdown pass.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by any major dude at 9:13 PM on October 12, 2007 marked best answer

The more I learn about the current state of the US, the more I'm inclined to believe that money in politics is truly the root of all evil. I'd say that campaign contributions and the 'government industry revolving door' are two of the most serious problems, but perhaps there are even worse problems. In any case, money isn't speech.

I would urge you to reconsider these assumptions. First, I would suggest that the root of all evil is not money, it... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by dios at 1:31 PM on October 12, 2007 marked best answer

This is the golden age of cheap oil. That means airline travel and well-maintained highway systems. That means disposable plastic and cheap clothes. That means fresh fruit in winter. So I'm in the 'travel well and eat well while you can' camp.

Whether or not it's the golden age of American television, I doubt you will have many regrets about missing that now. If you do, there'll probably still be video on demand.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by zennie at 11:46 AM on October 12, 2007

And now some guy at MeatFilter has your song. Damn it.
posted to MetaTalk by ALongDecember at 9:05 PM on October 11, 2007

Am NOT drunk.
posted to MetaTalk by maudlin at 8:51 PM on October 10, 2007

We could have so many different asshole categories this way, like the Emmys. "Biggest Supporting Asshole in a Comedy".
posted to MetaTalk by hermitosis at 1:10 PM on October 9, 2007

Huh. You're being asked to sign a contract, the terms of which have (to your fiance's mind) already been decided, but you haven't been seen it yet? Odd.

Hopefully writing a pre-nup would be a conversation between both partners, an expression of your shared expectations, and a chance to clarify issues that are rife for later misunderstanding (e.g. what's treated as "unfaithful" under the contract -- if he ever wanted a divorce, would it allow him to just hire... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by nakedcodemonkey at 2:15 PM on October 6, 2007

Many financial advisers rely on the Trinity Study to estimate retirement requirements. The Trinity Study looked at all periods from 1926 to 1995 and calculated the probability of having your portfolio last for 15, 20, 25 or 30 years based on the composition of the portfolio (stocks to bonds ratio) and the annual withdrawal rate.

The conclusion was that if you withdraw 4% per year and annually adjust your withdrawal for inflation, you would have had a nearly 100%... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by JackFlash at 9:45 PM on October 8, 2007 marked best answer

It spins clockwise as seen from above, yet spins anticlockwise as seen from below; IT'S CRAZY!!!!!11!
posted to MetaFilter by Tube at 8:11 PM on October 8, 2007

This is a great thread!

As for me, I moved to NM and loved it, I got some help and stopped hurting myself and although I feel confident of doing a little work on the car, it's been problem-free ever since I asked (hope I didn't just jinx it). A sincere thank you to all the people of Ask Metafilter, whose advice has changed a lot of our lives for the better.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Oobidaius at 12:57 PM on October 7, 2007

> PJ Harvey's not bad, but she did do an ill-advised cover of "Wang Dang Doodle." Don't know what made her think she was up to that

After writing an entire album about castration, trashing 'Wang Dang Doodle' is genius.
posted to MetaFilter by ardgedee at 7:33 AM on October 7, 2007

My depressed son weathered the storm. Some talk therapy plus a few months of anti-depressants got him through the worst of it.

In May he graduated from the college where I teach. When his name was announced I elbowed the president aside and gave my son his diploma myself. Instead of the quick handshake he gave me a huge bear hug. It totally fucked up the graduation choreography and was one of the greatest moments of my life.

Son is now back in... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by LambChop at 6:10 PM on October 4, 2007

When I read your question, "Coulds are passing by outside my window. What's going on?" I was going to suggest to you that the world is full of possibilities.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by found missing at 3:44 PM on October 4, 2007

Behold! The Logitech Harmony 880

Every time I watch TV, I feel like I'm holding a tiny god.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by tracert at 11:14 AM on October 3, 2007

When I was young, it was common for teachers to forbid handing in assignments on anything but a 'daisy-wheel' printer; a daisy-wheel was very slow, but it worked just like a typewriter, and made very readable documents. They were called daisy-wheels because the spinning dial with all the letters looked a lot like a daisy if you took it out.

Then someone had the idea of using a batch of pins firing against the paper; if you took a single vertical row of pins, scanned... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Malor at 11:56 PM on October 1, 2007

$350 is nothing to lose a friendship over. Sounds to me like this fellow took some time out of his busy schedule to do your job right, instead of half-assing it. $750 sounds a little low for 17 hours of skilled carpentry, too. That's only $45/hour, and that's assuming no materials costs (which there probably were).

Friends like this are hard to find. Pay the money, thank him and maybe toss in a bottle of wine or a six pack of good beer. Make sure to say the job he... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Aquaman at 3:15 PM on September 29, 2007

"LOL losers in their basements play around on the internet all day to enliven their dreary real life"

that's a fucking lie - i live on the 3rd floor
posted to MetaTalk by pyramid termite at 1:59 AM on September 29, 2007

The Double Short Americanos of Wrath.
posted to MetaFilter by psmealey at 3:11 PM on September 27, 2007

When I was 23, I was poor as shit, too. And I worked crappy jobs. And I hated George Bush, then and still do.

But I don't really fell sorry for this guy. He's had just as much of a chance as any of us. I would posit that, compared to him, the "ignorant rich" aren't so ignorant after all.

At least they'd have probably prioritized dental care over tattoos.
posted to MetaFilter by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 2:44 PM on September 24, 2007

Bollinger: Christ, what an asshole.
posted to MetaFilter by TheOnlyCoolTim at 8:02 PM on September 24, 2007

Batteries wear out, it's true.

Have you tried charging your devices at a different outlet?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by box at 1:22 PM on September 24, 2007

The internet is a series of beatings.
posted to MetaFilter by Poolio at 9:47 PM on September 23, 2007

Possibly because a wheel is next to useless on most natural surfaces without some mechanical advantage to assist it (such as an engine or other source of power) - legs/feet would be far more efficient in almost all situations. It's only when you start using prepared surfaces that a wheel gives any real advantage.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by dg at 8:20 PM on September 23, 2007

Many people do not realize that there are two types of midwives in the US. This is different from all other industrialized countries. There are certified nurse midwives (CNMs) who go through a rigorous education program involving substantial clinical experience. These midwives are equivalent to the midwives in other first world countries.

Then there are direct entry midwives, a second, inferior class of midwives. Anyone can call herself a direct entry midwife. Direct... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by DrAmy at 4:51 AM on September 21, 2007

Don't go buying gold

Someone told me that back in 2002. Glad I didn't listen.
posted to MetaFilter by ryoshu at 2:34 PM on September 20, 2007

An oldie from Creative Computing, IIRC:

10 PRINT "YOU ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF A DEEP PIT."

20 PRINT "WHAT NOW?"; INPUT A$

30 IF RND(1) > 0.5 THEN PRINT "YOU DIED"

40 ELSE PRINT "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ", A$; GOTO 10
posted to MetaFilter by kurumi at 5:15 PM on September 18, 2007

You could learn a thing or two from Adobe and Lego. You should really protect your copyrights or you'll lose control of them. Insist that people either call them by their generic term: "YouTube Search Results Linkdumps", or use the full name "Poolio™ Brand Linkdumps"
posted to MetaTalk by Plutor at 7:36 AM on September 19, 2007

Real men don't use InvisiClues™.
posted to MetaFilter by bondcliff at 10:35 AM on September 18, 2007

I don't get it. If this was a computer game, why is that not a screen shot of the game?
posted to MetaFilter by wfc123 at 10:21 AM on September 18, 2007

If you need a second inspector to measure against the word of the first inspector, discuss this from someone with Tomacor if you can. They have made a name for themselves as very tough, very thorough, and very detailed. Real estate agents are said to dislike them because they can delay deals. We used them for our inspection and received a detailed three-ring binder after the inspection. (I do not represent Tomacor, only a satisfied customer here.) They have headquarters in Illinois, but... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jeanmari at 5:48 PM on September 15, 2007

Orthopedic surgeons dance like this.

Neurologists dance like... who the fuck am I kidding!? Have you ever seen a neurologist dance?
posted to MetaFilter by loquacious at 9:31 PM on September 16, 2007

Just an idea....

That just made me download my very first torrent client.
posted to MetaFilter by phaedon at 11:30 AM on September 16, 2007

Traditional cadence-based resolution is for squares, man.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:13 AM on September 13, 2007 marked best answer

It's good to see the guy who did the album covers for Journey can still find work.
posted to MetaFilter by leapfrog at 9:21 AM on September 13, 2007

I am a real estate agent, and I would say no. It's par for the course, expected, and all those things. That's why the percentage paid to an agent can seem ridiculously high for one deal that does go through, but doesn't take into account all the deals that don't lead anywhere.

Don't send them a tip, send them a referral. Or more likely, if you don't know someone looking for a home in the area, write them a testimonial letter. Describe how helpful they were in the process... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by shinynewnick at 9:41 PM on September 12, 2007 marked best answer

so far there's no good popular science book that covers my general field, cognitive science, or my subfield, developmental cognitive science (alas). But there's a pretty good one for one of my areas of specailization - Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct lays out the basics of language acquisition and development in a very accessible and engaging way.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by dropkick queen at 8:47 AM on September 9, 2007

A friend of a friend left Mesa First Assembly (Lindsay & Southern) because of their allowing Sprint to install an antenna, which, it turned out, "could be used to download pornography" or some such.

(I'm in Gilbert, btw.)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by disillusioned at 4:27 PM on September 8, 2007

Your rock is completely natural and definitely not museum worthy, I hate to say, but that doesn't make it any cooler. It's a type of rock sometimes called an ironstone. They are also called iron concretions, where sandstone makes up the inner part of the "ball" and a thick rim of an iron mineral called hematite makes up the outer edge. Some geologists classify them differently, but both come in different shapes and sizes, some amazingly round, and both are formed by water that... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by barchan at 3:32 PM on September 6, 2007

So if you get a perfect score, does a car pull up and the driver say "Greetings, eater! You have been recruited by the Dot League to defend the maze against Blinky and the Four-Ghost Armada."?
posted to MetaFilter by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:44 PM on August 30, 2007

There are known problems with font rendering in Firefox on Mac. Use another browser if you don't depend on extensions. Entourage and Photoshop presumably suffer from related problems; all three are large apps with their own toolkits, rendering algorithms and widgets. "Native" cocoa/carbon apps (Safari, Camino, Mail, iTunes, Terminal, Finder, etc.) don't suffer from these problems. Of course reasonable people can disagree about whether the Mac way of rendering text is the right way, but... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by caek at 8:31 AM on August 30, 2007

Talk to the hiring manager. Explain the situation, offer them whatever alternative you have, and ask for their help in resolving the situation.

The tone is calm, reasonable, "of course you understand my position," with an overlay of polite surprise that they would be even be asking for something so out-of-the-ordinary.

If you hit a brick wall ("this is our company policy and you can like it or lump it"), I would treat it as a... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ottereroticist at 12:05 PM on August 29, 2007

Hmm, unless I'm missing something, though, I would guess this isn't someone betting the market is going to tank but rather someone who went long a while back and is basically cashing out.

Somebody owns a buttload (6.5 million shares) of SPX. They think this is the higest price will be for a while. Instead of just dumping the SPX stock someone sold 65,000 deep in the money contracts. They fully expect to have those contracts exercised, but they don't care because... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Justinian at 5:40 PM on August 25, 2007

Time for some perspective:

Common and mundane:
Guy looks at porn

Freaky Internet phenomenon:
Woman writes a long, detailed article describing all personal aspects of emotional and private conversation about guy looking at porn.
posted to MetaFilter by Muddler at 11:00 AM on August 24, 2007

Shouldn't the title of the page be Daddy and Me?

That's not an "I"... it's an erect penis.
posted to MetaFilter by Poolio at 9:36 PM on August 22, 2007

For birria, try Gallardos at 14th and Folsom. Also see this article. Also La Gallinita on 24th and Harrison?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by gingerbeer at 4:32 PM on August 23, 2007

This is why you never want to be caught driving a car that can not easily outrun a truck. Such vehicles are death traps just waiting to be crushed or pushed off the road by rogue truckers. How lame is a car that can not outrun a truck? Perhaps they deserve their fate.
posted to MetaFilter by caddis at 11:36 PM on August 22, 2007