MetaFilter

This is some major bullshit right here.
Let's hit CNTRL-ALT-DELETE and try 2016 again, shall we?

Either that, or Heaven is under some sort of magical attack and needed Earth's best wizard to help defend the pearly gates.
posted to MetaFilter by Major Matt Mason Dixon at 5:07 AM on January 14, 2016

1) fuck cancer
2) I'm a just put this out there: Bowie had the song Lazarus on Blackstar, Rickman played Doctor Lazarus in Galaxy Quest...
posted to MetaFilter by juv3nal at 4:59 AM on January 14, 2016

By Grabthar's hammer, fuck this week. And fuck cancer.

.
posted to MetaFilter by fight or flight at 4:57 AM on January 14, 2016

Does this mean that when oil drops -- and stays -- below $30 a barrel, we'll see the Putin-backed Russia Today go under? Because, if so, I'm thinking that might be a trade-off worth making, especially when faced with increased Russian hawkishness, tied to a public that is unwilling to accept that their corrupt economy deserves to be an even bigger failure than it currently is.

The current Russian 2016 budget -- where oil and gas make up 2/3rds of their total exports --... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by markkraft at 2:00 PM on January 13, 2016

Between the C and the fucking over servers, I've already got reservations.
posted to MetaFilter by Etrigan at 10:12 AM on January 12, 2016

I'm not upset, because he went out with the same amazing sense of timing, style, and art that he lived.

And it's weird how comforting Flight of the Conchords are right now.
posted to MetaFilter by Katemonkey at 3:58 AM on January 11, 2016

He took it all too far
But boy, could he play guitar
posted to MetaFilter by The Tensor at 2:59 AM on January 11, 2016

I didn't download Blackstar immediately on release because it's a busy couple of weeks at the start of semester and I knew it would be waiting for me when I was ready. Of course, I rectified that as soon as I heard the news, and am listening to it now... and it seems the perfect Bowie album to remember him by today, precisely because it's new. No memory-laden, tear-filled listens to Hunky Dory or Heathen: instead, new,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by rory at 2:40 AM on January 11, 2016

Oh god the dead astronaut in the Blackstar video was Major Tom.
posted to MetaFilter by Joey Michaels at 2:11 AM on January 11, 2016

My mama said
To get things done
You'd better not mess with
Major Tom.

.
posted to MetaFilter by wittgenstein at 1:36 AM on January 11, 2016

On a Metafilter thread from January 8th, 2013, I wrote:

Bowie will never die. Someday he will just close his tired old eyes and simply fade away, like Yoda. Days later we will receive a transmission from his home world, saying that he's happy, and he hopes we're happy too.
posted to MetaFilter by Ursula Hitler at 12:15 AM on January 11, 2016

I listened to Blackstar a dozen times this weekend and now I'm looking at the cover art and reading the lyrics and thinking "he knew, didn't he? He had to know. "

This is how a genius artist leaves us. One last great piece of art (and who knows what treasures Tony Visconti has?) and then exit when you're at the top one last time.

He had to know. He had to. He's Bowie and he knows how to make a fucking exit. There will never... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Joey Michaels at 12:05 AM on January 11, 2016

.


The stars look very different today.
posted to MetaFilter by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:35 PM on January 10, 2016

.

RIP you little wonder, little wonder, you.
posted to MetaFilter by SisterHavana at 11:31 PM on January 10, 2016

Hell of an album, and weirdly resonant now.

Hell, I was in the middle of making an FPP (glad I didn't, this one is better) and I wanted to make the title some part of:

Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
(I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar)
posted to MetaFilter by zabuni at 11:26 PM on January 10, 2016

"What he’s done is changing the way we produce and consume energy, the way doctors and hospitals treat us, the academic standards in our schools and the long-term fiscal trajectory of the nation. Gays can now serve openly in the military, insurers can no longer deny coverage because of pre-existing conditions, credit card companies can no longer impose hidden fees and markets no longer believe the biggest banks are too big to fail."


true.
posted to MetaFilter by clavdivs at 5:23 PM on January 9, 2016

The main reason I and my childhood cohort venerated Boba Fett was because he had a fucking rocket on his back.

The action figure was obviously a favorite, but there was always that one kid who claimed he used to own the original version with the missile that you could actually fire, but then they outlawed it because some kid swallowed it or shot his eye out, or something. We all hated that kid.
posted to MetaFilter by Atom Eyes at 10:27 AM on January 8, 2016

That Postmates thing sounds like the worst, even worse than Uber and Lyft. It sounds so bad it's like a parody. The idea that you always have to take on another job before you've finished the first one because otherwise you don't make enough, the idea that if you deliver some dude's burrito across the goddamn metro in fifty minutes instead of forty-five you're a terrible worker...

I just - what in god's name is wrong with people... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Frowner at 8:34 PM on January 7, 2016

That's the point. It's the endpoint of people being fooled into hating labor unions. Next up will be minimum hours, then they'll ramp that up. And at some point, the answer will be take it or starve.

It already is for many people. Soon, it will be those people and the top 1%.

Really. We've lost. Mainly because people didn't think it was important, but we lost. Our only hope is that the 1% goes to war against the 0.1%. They better, but they... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by eriko at 8:00 PM on January 7, 2016

What does "taking care of my knees" even mean?

* wear kneepads, all the time
* don't walk up or down stairs, slither down them, worm-like
* avoid dangerous sports like football, soccer, rugby, marathon running, muay thai, and shirling
* remember to give your knees some "knee time" once in a while. treat them to some tea and a buster keaton movie from the library
* on public... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by prize bull octorok at 5:19 PM on January 6, 2016

Key identifiers:

You hear a slang word, don't know what it means, and don't bother to ask because you don't give a shit.
Someone younger than you thinks your taste in music is "old."
You own something that you purchased that costs more than one of your paychecks.
You are the person your friends put in front of authorities when someone needs to explain what's going on when you're all wasted.
You don't... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Chuffy at 4:28 PM on January 6, 2016

The first time I ever felt like an adult was when I got pulled over and I knew FOR SURE that I had my license, registration, and proof of insurance in the car with me, and exactly where they all were. Then of course it turned out that my license had been suspended because I had gotten two speeding tickets in the same month from the same cop, only paid one of them, but thought I had paid them both. So that was short lived.

The most recent time I really truly felt like an... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by KathrynT at 4:22 PM on January 6, 2016

Is it when you stop using adjectives as verbs?
posted to MetaFilter by humboldt32 at 4:20 PM on January 6, 2016

One of my favorite parts in this article is that, even while they’re stroking this woman’s ego by showing all the pretty pictures of her Miss Havisham wedding accoutrements (except in a world where Miss Havisham is twice-divorced) is that they keep pointing out how often she herself lied.

Alexander: I told my superiors at NBC that I was involved with him during production.
NBC people: She told us that she did not become involved with him until after... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by a fiendish thingy at 2:28 PM on January 6, 2016

craven_morhead: "The W hotel chain has basically done the same thing with their concierge service, "Whatever Whenever.""

I have a similar service called "Whenever, Wherever". Except it's a 1-800 number that's available 24/7 and it just plays a Shakira song.
posted to MetaFilter by mhum at 12:26 PM on January 6, 2016

What if I asked Magic to come up with a startup idea for me that would disrupt their own business model

Would they do it
posted to MetaFilter by prize bull octorok at 11:01 AM on January 6, 2016

Seriously, I am not seeing anything here beyond "we will make some phone calls for you."
posted to MetaFilter by prize bull octorok at 10:57 AM on January 6, 2016

This is so dope. I had an Apple IIE in middle school and vividly remember that one X-mas break I spent eating cinnamon rolls & wearing my new Nike sweat suit while playing Spy Hunter, Mario Brothers, and Sabotage on endless rotation. I must have felt like a tiny god.
posted to MetaFilter by Bob Regular at 6:12 AM on January 6, 2016

My friend, The Pope, emailed me a link to this story. It was fascinating!
posted to MetaFilter by newfers at 1:59 PM on January 6, 2016

I was going to post this earlier. It's good to know that my action or inaction has no effect on the Universe.
posted to MetaFilter by Navelgazer at 8:31 PM on January 5, 2016

When some bullet-head starts talking madness, that's where the party ends.
posted to MetaFilter by prize bull octorok at 12:35 PM on January 5, 2016

This is the kind of thing you show your dad if you want to make him all pissed off that the internet even exists.
posted to MetaFilter by prize bull octorok at 8:58 AM on January 4, 2016

I think he's confusing arguments that reduce people to incoherent rage with arguments that are good. They're not the same thing.

The problem isn't the engineer with a new idea who wants to make it into a successful product, not really. The problem is that the first place winner gets the vacation to Hawaii and the jet ski, and the #2 gets the home edition board game. #3 gets to keep his pancreas and most of his teeth.

The... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by 1adam12 at 12:40 AM on January 4, 2016

The great concentrations of wealth I see around me in Silicon Valley don't seem to be destroying democracy.

I'd love to see Snowden respond to this.
posted to MetaFilter by ryanshepard at 8:48 PM on January 3, 2016

You know, I'm pretty tired of all these free market experiments that are just one more bandaid on a messed up American health care system. Everyone says it's oh-so complicated, it's oh-so difficult.

But you know what, every other developed country on the planet has already figured this out and provides the same or better quality care for 100% of their citizens at half or less the cost of the U.S.

Canada, the UK, Spain, France, Germany, Norway,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by JackFlash at 9:19 PM on December 29, 2015

I am not downloading your fucking app. Ever. Not in 2015, not in 2016.
posted to MetaFilter by Artw at 6:20 AM on December 29, 2015

"To hear Ells tell it, the company is witnessing an outbreak of excitement. He says the chain’s suppliers are excited to participate in the new safety programs; employees at headquarters in Denver are excited to contribute however they can; it’s “a very, very exciting time for us to be pushing the boundaries” on food safety. “We’re embracing this as an opportunity.”"

Are business people so thoroughly entrenched in their own bullshit that they actually think... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Dext at 2:46 PM on December 23, 2015

You can't spell Chipotle without E. Coli
posted to MetaFilter by STFUDonnie at 2:37 PM on December 23, 2015

MetaFilter: Inherently non-notable. The work of a child.
posted to MetaFilter by prize bull octorok at 2:21 PM on December 23, 2015

On a cool, clear night (typical to Southern California) Warren G travels through his neighborhood, searching for women with whom he might initiate sexual intercourse. He has chosen to engage in this pursuit alone.

Nate Dogg, having just arrived in Long Beach, seeks Warren. Ironically, Nate passes a car full of women who are excited to see him. He insists to the women that there is no cause for excitement.

Warren makes a left at 21st Street and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by four panels at 1:31 PM on December 23, 2015

Magic Mansion is clearly a relic from an alternate dimension that got tied up in some spooky internet entanglement. Someone on Earth B was just trying to update thier world's Wikipedia and the packet got sent to the wrong place.
posted to MetaFilter by The Whelk at 1:22 PM on December 23, 2015

These deletions are why I don't contribute to Wikipedia anymore. You can't be the world's encyclopedia if you're excluding the Wellywoman.
posted to MetaFilter by blue_beetle at 1:15 PM on December 23, 2015

I'm all for new meds, and this is good and important work, because there is no reason why people should suffer - it doesn't make you better. But I want to just say that this:

Suicides, 90 percent of them among the mentally ill, take 40,000 Americans every year—more than murder or car crashes. Since 2005, the suicide rate among U.S. war veterans has nearly doubled; in the first half of 2012, more service members died by suicide than in combat. Few medical... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by howfar at 3:50 PM on December 21, 2015

I've been teaching for a long time. There is a world of difference between preschool kids today and those 10 years ago. The article discusses that amazing preschool class where the kids are debating whether snakes have bones. It's a rich, lively conversation and you can even happily imagine them jumping up and down explaining their reasoning.

But there are fewer and fewer kids who are capable of that free-form thinking, that ability to connect veins in hands and veins... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by kinetic at 4:20 AM on December 20, 2015

Don't forget that the Waitresses also did the theme song for Square Pegs, the 1982 TV show that launched the careers of Sarah Jessica Parker and Jami Gertz.

Also, this post made me realize that the reason it doesn't feel like Christmastime yet (besides the incredibly warm weather and lack of snow) is that I haven't listened to "Christmas Wrapping" yet.
posted to MetaFilter by ejs at 8:45 PM on December 16, 2015

I'll just leave this here…
posted to MetaFilter by Pinback at 5:20 PM on December 14, 2015

I'm guessing that the nu-Trek mostly annoys the Next Generation generation who didn't grow up with Kirk punching all the aliens that he didn't sleep with. Obviously this needs more boring discussions around a conference table in the captain's ready room.
posted to MetaFilter by octothorpe at 4:44 PM on December 14, 2015

Why buy ads when newspapers are so cheap?
posted to MetaFilter by absalom at 7:29 PM on December 14, 2015

I think a fun experiment might be to do all of the rest of your life's dumplings in one day.
posted to MetaFilter by turbid dahlia at 6:20 PM on December 13, 2015

This is the Last Time I Will Ever See You--how weddings often mark the end of particular friendships. It's a similar thought on how life moves us away from one another.

My parents moved home to Chicago when I graduated from college, despite intentions not to, for various reasons. First my cousin's husband died. Then my father's mother (his father having died in the 50's) died; then his youngest sister. Then my parents' remaining uncles. Then my mother's mother (her... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by crush-onastick at 11:14 AM on December 13, 2015