MetaFilter

>Ugh, this is one of those things I can rant at great length about. It's affected me, my parents, and many friends.

What i always want to subject the bootstrappers to is the perfect storm snowball scenario that gets brought up in this post, and by others in this thread. How quickly, even if you weren't totally living paycheck to paycheck, a couple big unexpected problems/emergencies/sudden job loss/a combo therein can instantly put you on the street, or fuck up your... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by emptythought at 7:51 PM on December 7, 2014

I do think the author is being a bit myopic, but I think it's also Pollyannaish to insist that everything is going Just Fine Today Thanks.

There are a number of really hard problems out there that we are unlikely to solve without applying significant resources to them. In the last few decades, at least in the US, we have seen the death of most of the big government research labs and the remaining corporate ones, with only a few exceptions. (The National Labs related to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Kadin2048 at 7:59 AM on December 4, 2014

It's about how much visual information is being thrown at the screen to be reflected back into your eyeballs.

24fps movies aren't actually 24fps. It's 24x2fps. What happens is that each frame of a standard frame rate film is actually shown twice in a row. This is a legacy of physical film media, as the film moves through the projector slower than the actual shutters that move to give each frame a separate image on the screen (otherwise all you'd see is a blur), so each... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 2:37 AM on December 4, 2014

"Giving veterans the benefits they deserve" is healthcare, counseling, education and pay. Not free Taco Tuesdays and freedom from criticism on any topic by playing the Veteran Card.
posted to MetaFilter by DU at 5:25 AM on December 3, 2014

Damn, it's not just that Rock is insightful, he's so amazingly concise. Every single line of this interview is the most amount of thought expressed in the least possible amount of words.

Which makes me think even more, "he would be amazing as a newscaster." Or give him a show like Last Week Tonight and let him and his crew really polish the piece, telling a few really hard stories with appropriate... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief at 11:59 AM on December 1, 2014

I would love to be a 60 Minutes correspondent. {...} I’d do a special on race, but I’d have no black people.{...} When we talk about race relations in America or racial progress, it’s all nonsense. There are no race relations. White people were crazy. Now they’re not as crazy. To say that black people have made progress would be to say they deserve what happened to them before. {...} So, to say Obama is progress is saying that he’s the first black person that is qualified to be... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Doktor Zed at 7:42 AM on December 1, 2014

Y'know, I have no idea how to fix race relations in America, but I'm pretty sure this isn't the way. I mean, I get it: people have to tell their own story in their own words and so forth, but as an engineer, I have little patience for things that don't get the job done. I don't think we're going to make much progress by making white guys aware of their privilege. Unless that's the only goal -- some kind of touchy-feelie mind-altering transcendence.

I would rather see... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by spacewrench at 8:02 PM on November 29, 2014

Yoda: Tempted you shall be by the dark side to use lens flare. Not ready are you to face the fanboys. Have patience and complete your post production.

Abrams: Fuck it. I'm releasing the first trailer with lens flare around the Millennium Falcon. The critics can eat shit.

Yoda: There is much anger in this young one.
posted to MetaFilter by Muddler at 8:01 AM on November 28, 2014

JJ missed opportunities for truly legendary trolling here. Like inserting a shot of V'Ger in the trailer and tell fans that he was sorry, but he sometimes gets confused between the two properties.
posted to MetaFilter by RobotVoodooPower at 7:54 AM on November 28, 2014

Sure, LEGO was great in the '70s, but more recently...

In the old days criticisms of Lego could be lots of different things, now they are just one big peice.
posted to MetaFilter by Artw at 4:22 PM on November 27, 2014

He's already backed off (3 hrs ago).

One little tip I would give those who are interested in getting a bit more in-depth look at the forecast: Google: "forecast discussion" and the name of your state. There, you will see the text of what the forecasters are mulling over as they make their forecasts. Each NWS office in your state will be posting there (3 or 4 times a day). IF you see terms you don't know, google them. You'll find your understanding of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by spock at 3:28 PM on November 24, 2014

FFS, there is stupid shit like this after every election. Do any of you people believe it? After every election, there are claims that the winner party was the real losers, the losers were the big winners, the winning party secured the White House/Congress/whatever for the next 30 years, demographics show the losing party is doomed to failure forever, the winning/losing party is going to have a civil war..... over and over and over this kind of stupid shit is written about... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by dios at 12:19 PM on November 21, 2014

Serling was amazing. "Requiem for a Heavyweight" is powerful, and seems to have at least partially inspired one of my favorite Ben Folds songs.
posted to MetaFilter by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 7:53 PM on November 20, 2014

Lemieux holding a "WAYNE GRETZKY CAPTURED" newspaper

So beautiful...should've sent a poet.
posted to MetaFilter by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 11:43 AM on November 20, 2014

Space And Beyond was the one of these I had. Upon investigation of its many paths, I discovered a couple of interesting things.

1. Born on a spaceship between planets, you are given the choice of which planet you want to be your home world, between that of your father (the planet Phonon) or your mother (Zermacroyd). A couple of the Phonon endings end kind of boringly early (On you go to Phonon. The end.) But there is no ending that gets... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by JHarris at 2:43 PM on November 14, 2014

He just needs to go to the spot he saved with his left index finger and he gets another chance.
.
posted to MetaFilter by sourwookie at 6:58 AM on November 14, 2014

I watched it over and over again to look for the machete guy in the background
posted to MetaFilter by Renoroc at 11:12 AM on November 14, 2014

Let's hope this means he's now going to govern like a President with nothing left to lose.
posted to MetaFilter by kewb at 6:52 AM on November 10, 2014

Heh, that's a cool analogy. It led me to the quote "We shape our tools and then our tools shape us" which was evidently said by John M. Culkin, a Jesuit priest at the time and professor at Fordham University, and colleague of Marshall McLuhan. And according to Wikipedia a consultant to the creators of Sesame Street.
posted to MetaFilter by XMLicious at 10:33 AM on November 8, 2014

It's not the secret government I'm worried about. It's the one operating out in the open, siphoning money to the rich while reducing benefits to the poor and middle class that I'm concerned as hell about.

Why can't folks be concerned about both?
posted to MetaFilter by graymouser at 6:15 AM on November 8, 2014

The idea of an infinite, hellish television dimension is very appealing to me

This may also be of interest.
posted to MetaFilter by Servo5678 at 6:41 AM on November 7, 2014

Guys maybe the real Banksy is ....friendship.
posted to MetaFilter by The Whelk at 10:43 AM on November 5, 2014

I dunno, the "preacher" is barely older than she is. It's hard to see him as a real representative of the Power to which Truth should be spoken. I feel vaguely sorry for the poor brainwashed jerk.

All things considered, though, I'm bound to come down on the side of Piehole Should Be Quiet.
posted to MetaFilter by Sing Or Swim at 4:03 PM on November 4, 2014

Yeah, the ebola diary by Farmer RogerB links at LRB is great:

But the fact is that weak health systems, not unprecedented virulence or a previously unknown mode of transmission, are to blame for Ebola’s rapid spread. Weak health systems are also to blame for the high case-fatality rates in the current pandemic...If patients are promptly diagnosed & receive aggressive supportive care...the great majority, as many as 90 per cent, should survive...... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mediareport at 3:50 PM on November 3, 2014

Umm, actually yesterday marked the end of Daylight Saving time. We are now on Standard Time. Does that make anyone feel better?


Actually hardest part seems to be figuring out which time pieces update automatically, and which I have to reset .... what do you mean my kitchen stove isnt connected to the internet!
posted to MetaFilter by bumpkin at 7:30 AM on November 2, 2014

I told my Andy Plotkin story on MetaFilter in 2007 but here it is again. I was friends with Andy Plotkin in high school. He wrote the funniest IF game I've ever seen, which looked as if it were set in a huge universe, but actually, a few turns after the beginning of the game, you'd see "Your bladder feels full." And after a few more turns, "You really need to go." But whenever you tried to go, you'd get "Are you crazy? You can't go to the bathroom right out here in... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by escabeche at 3:30 PM on November 1, 2014

If ever there was a perfect example of "invisible privilege" it's this. If you're the kind of person with money to hire a lawyer and the kind of cultural capital that means you've grown up well informed about your legal rights and the way the judicial process works, it's simply baffling that people will plead guilty so easily to crimes they had no part in. But if you feel you're basically a pawn in a hostile system that's going to get its pound of flesh one way or the other, it often... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by yoink at 2:43 PM on November 1, 2014

See, that's why cloud storage is so superior. BECAUSE CLOUDS CAN BLOCK THE SUN.
posted to MetaFilter by valkane at 8:30 AM on October 31, 2014

And with a person dead, "anomaly" leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Call your failures what they are.

Brings to mind "Obviously, a major malfunction".
posted to MetaFilter by octothorpe at 1:02 PM on October 31, 2014

Richard Feynman spoke about something that happened to him while he was working in Los Alamos on the Manhattan Project that seems a bit relevant here. It's from his talk 'Los Alamos from Below,' which is a really great collection of his experiences working as a young physicist amongst all these great scientific minds. The segment I'm linking to is about what happened when Oppenheimer sent him to the Oak Ridge facility in Tennessee where they were collecting and processing the uranium for the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by chambers at 8:40 AM on October 28, 2014

It's unfortunate that saying something as useful as "I don't know" is often punished so severely in our culture.

The flip side of this is, of course, imposter syndrome, where the most capable are full of insecurities because they (unlike their moron comrades) can see all of the known unknowns in front of them.

"The fundamental cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by leotrotsky at 7:52 AM on October 28, 2014

I want to try CurrentC but I haven't been able to figure out how to plug this CueCat into my phone.
posted to MetaFilter by komara at 10:11 AM on October 27, 2014

~Was I the only person that had a wicked crush on her?

~Um, no. There are at least two of us.

~Three

Four.
She was the only reason I watched that show.

I was in grade school in the late seventies and upon reflection, I notice that many of the important women in my life over the decades had large proportions of Julie Kotter and Bailey Quarters in their personalities.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ricochet biscuit at 8:51 AM on October 27, 2014

If you grow up in a country with poor governance, or frequent war, with few prospects, the trade offs involved with a vocation may be a much more appealing deal.

Your hypothesis would lead us to expect there to be a great many American nuns.
posted to MetaFilter by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 5:41 PM on October 26, 2014

I once shifted to a Media-Ready pose (shoulders down, chest up, legs locked, half-smile, eyes open, jaw foward and slightly agape) in front of my Mom and it freaked herr out.

"JOHN WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT, YOU LOOK WEIRD."

But it makes a good photo
posted to MetaFilter by The Whelk at 10:33 PM on October 26, 2014

I'll admit I may well be reading too much symbolism into Russian statecraft at this point, but I can't shake being vaguely amused by a Kremlin decree establishing permanent winter.
posted to MetaFilter by goodnewsfortheinsane at 4:18 AM on October 26, 2014

I would see the commercials on TV, and places like Aaron's just rub me the wrong way, just like places that advertise credit repair or payday lenders in that they create the illusion of helping people but instead reinforce a permanent state of debt peonage. It is the socialization of the underlying psychosis of late capitalism. And the people who are left holding the bag are those who can't afford it.
posted to MetaFilter by theartandsound at 7:51 PM on October 17, 2014

Thing is, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and it's going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material.
posted to MetaFilter by Casimir at 6:56 PM on October 17, 2014

1 Get rid of one of your Houses. Or make the second one appointees. Or selected by lottery. Just not elected. Clogs everything up, and more opportunities for rich interests.

2 Make the President whoever can command a majority in the house, end direct elections. There's enough personality in politics. All this drama, then he or she can't get anything done.

3 So have only one election for your one house every five years or so, so everyone turns... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by alasdair at 8:03 AM on October 17, 2014

For some reason I'm reminded of the old Win 3.1 screensaver Johnny Castaway....
posted to MetaFilter by JHarris at 8:23 AM on October 16, 2014

aubilenon: "Oh then when I heard half the story, and I changed my (one-off, lastpass-generated) password it was all for nothing."

Two-step verification is also recommended for news stories.
posted to MetaFilter by Bugbread at 1:28 AM on October 14, 2014

This is the weirdest porn.

Dear Nature,
I never thought it would happen to me...
posted to MetaFilter by Made of Star Stuff at 5:24 AM on October 9, 2014

Rules of Arguing In Bad Faith Effectively,

#1 Figure Out How You Are Making Money or Benefiting from Taking This Position.
"Even if you're not directly making money, you should be getting something out of the argument. This ranks from the lowly 'making somebody else mad' to the vaunted 'being paid thousands of dollars by a think-tank to fig leaf their actions'."

#2 Destroy the Truth.
"The truth is irrelevant.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by codacorolla at 3:03 PM on October 8, 2014

Just do what you do well and keep raking it in. You don't to expand into evil marketing crap. Don't get it, which is why I'm not rich, I guess.

Wall street demands >15% growth at all times. Once you completely dominate a market you have to become evil to ensure continued growth. If you just stay the same and rake in profits you are underperforming.
posted to MetaFilter by overhauser at 11:05 AM on October 7, 2014

Showtime officially announces David Lynch and Mark Frost's cult TV series "Twin Peaks" will return in 2016. David Lynch confirms via Twitter, and Frost speaks to Variety, confirming that the new episodes "will be set in the present day and continue storylines established in the second season."

In grade 4, my teacher announced to the class that a "blitz" is a word for a sudden overwhelming attack, and then said,... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by ricochet biscuit at 2:40 PM on October 6, 2014

Just for reference: Twin Peaks, Cast Then, Now and Before.

That link bafflingly fails to mention that Catherine Coulson, whom we know as the Log Lady, has a longer list of credentials on IMDB under Camera and Electrical Department than as a performer. The Log Lady was a camera operator on The Wrath of Khan. I cannot get over that.
posted to MetaFilter by ricochet biscuit at 12:19 PM on October 6, 2014

The unspoken question on everybody's lips, obviously, is "whatever became of the characters on Invitation to Love?"
posted to MetaFilter by duffell at 10:21 AM on October 6, 2014

the script is taking forever because whenever they complete four lines it all disappears

thank you thank you I'm here all week try the veal ladies and gentlemen it's delicious
posted to MetaFilter by mightygodking at 10:45 AM on October 6, 2014

But how can I, as a teen, interact with my favorite brands?
posted to MetaFilter by The Whelk at 9:04 AM on September 25, 2014

I want to really believe that Frost and Lynch are in talks with netflix or amazon to revive the series. 25 years later. Twin Peaks is almost BUILT to binge watching, or at least heavy, quick consumption.

I want to know more about the town. I want to know more about the Lodge. I like it when Lynch really sticks to narrative, no matter how weird it is.

I would openly freak out if this turned out to be true.
posted to MetaFilter by furnace.heart at 12:54 PM on October 3, 2014