MetaFilter

AMEX is already tightening up consumer credit it seems.
posted to MetaFilter by bonaldi at 2:40 PM on October 10, 2008

The loophole that I believe the gentleman was referring to was the possibility that civilization collapses and, in that brief intermission before we all have to get mohawks and hockey masks and ride around on dune buggies cannibalizing the weak, we can exploit the system by buying goods with a monetary unit about to be rendered comedically useless.
posted to MetaFilter by felix at 12:05 PM on October 10, 2008

Well, let's say Companies C thinks the bond is a pretty good bet, too. And Company B just figures it's good business to hedge its own bet. So Company A says to Company B, "Hey, let me in on the action. For a modest fee, I'll take on your risk if that bond goes bad." Company B mulls it over and finally agrees to let Company C assume ([some | all ]?) of the risk, in exchange for a slightly smaller regular payment.

Then someone from Company D... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by dirigibleman at 10:46 AM on October 10, 2008

Picture of third party CDSs.
posted to MetaFilter by ryoshu at 9:19 AM on October 10, 2008

Claudius, I think it reminds me of this:

"I'll bet you a dollar," says Ernie, "that if you give me two dollars I'll give you three dollars."

Bert agrees and gives Ernie two dollars. Ernie says, "I lose," gives Bert one dollar and pockets the other.
posted to MetaFilter by DreamerFi at 5:43 AM on October 10, 2008

Miko, you're kidding right? He tried to kill a nine-year-old kid (among many other things), never served a jail-term for it, STILL says he doesn't regret it and that kid has no right to be upset about it? And all because in your judgment, he's "lived a life of meaning"? (And FWIW, the academic efficacy of his work is highly debatable and his recent sucking up to Hugo Chavez is reprehensible.)

I don't give a crap, you try and kill kids are never punished and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Heminator at 8:27 PM on October 9, 2008

The Palin Mob video shocked me. It seems bizarre that people are still yelling abuse like "Commie faggot!" or "Get a job!" Were these people in some cryogenic warehouse from the Nixon era?

My first thought was that if McCain/Palin are elected, these haters will get what they deserve.

Seconding what Heminator said.

None of my friends who are Obama supporters want to talk about the widely circulated... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by nickyskye at 8:03 PM on October 9, 2008

Some of the comments in this thread are pretty reprehensible. The idea that McCain supporters are a "lynch mob" and somehow more off balance and in this heated environment than Obama's is total bullshit. (As a journalist, I have the emails to prove it.) And whatever your problems with the G.O.P., the idea that they're to be casually equated with the KKK is stupid, offensive and certainly not helping the political discourse.

As for Ayers, I think it's a weak... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Heminator at 7:59 PM on October 9, 2008

I may have missed it in this sea of comments, but am I the only one who thought the interviewer was kind of...kind of a moron? He just kept trying to get them to say they thought Obama was a terrorist, or kept asking them how long ago they heard about Obama/Palin (how is that relevant?). I appreciated all the racist terrorism comments he elicited, but I TOTALLY could have gotten them to say way more stupid things than that. How about a little variety, huh? If fact, maybe I'll try this myself.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Salvor Hardin at 7:40 PM on October 9, 2008

That goes double if you're the candidate holding the rally.

I hate to tell you this but calling the republican party racist like the KKK because they didn't clamp down on the loonies yapping into the camera of a guy who wanted to show how crazy those guys would be is stupid. I say this as a democrat, btw.

"Kill him!" and the leader is nodding and frowning gravely rather than kicking the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by krautland at 7:56 PM on October 9, 2008

McCain supporters: "Are MAD!"

...not about the economy, but about socialism.
posted to MetaFilter by clearly at 6:40 PM on October 9, 2008

This is far from a lynch mob.
posted to MetaFilter by ageispolis at 6:34 PM on October 9, 2008

We're hedging our comments across multiple threads in case one of them gets a sudden injection of insightiquidity
posted to MetaTalk by bonaldi at 2:28 PM on October 9, 2008

Run. Hands-down the fastest weight loser.

If you're able to budget the time, exercise some before work, some at lunch, and some after work - at least 20 min.

Granted I was in great shape when I started this, but I went from 174 to 163 in 21 days earlier this year. However - I was swimming before work for 45 min, four days a week, running 4 miles every day (sometimes six, occasionally three), and riding at least 10, usually 25 every night.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by notsnot at 1:26 PM on October 9, 2008

Wow many thanks for posting that generationaldynamics site link; I hadn't seen that guys work before. Very interesting, and ties in well with the history of finance, so good job there!

Yeh, it does seem like stocks are still too damn expensive.

The S&P 500 is still trading at a P/E of about 20.6, with The Dow at 12.3.

This is significant as I've seen data from The... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Mutant at 1:25 AM on October 9, 2008

Nigel Tufnel: The ratios all revert to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most P/E ratios are currently at twelve?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's overvalued? Is it overvalued?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one overvalued, isn't it? It's not eleven. You see, most blokes, you know, will be selling at twelve. You're on twelve here, all the way up, all the way up, all... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by The Card Cheat at 9:21 PM on October 8, 2008

Plenty of people think they can get by with a "fake it until you make it" strategy in their careers. They might exaggerate their credentials and hope that the boss doesn't detect their incompetence long enough for them to learn some coping mechanisms.

I've seen plenty of people fake their resume in order to get a job that's somewhat beyond their skill and experience level. On some occasions they actually manage to succeed. However applying for a middle... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by vuron at 6:37 AM on October 6, 2008

Every 4 years we choose between two substandard candidates

ah - so you admit that bush was substandard
posted to MetaFilter by pyramid termite at 10:30 PM on October 5, 2008

general dynamics being an offshoot of strauss and howe's theories of generations in american history - the forums have their own commentary on this, with john xenakis participating

interesting, if somewhat noisy, reading - i've been lurking at both places for years
posted to MetaFilter by pyramid termite at 9:06 PM on October 8, 2008

[I think "take it to metatalk" was pretty clear.]
posted to MetaFilter by cortex at 6:40 PM on October 8, 2008

For the record, they DID shake hands at the end.
posted to MetaFilter by dw at 12:23 AM on October 8, 2008

Is it just me, or is CNN really starting to scrape the bottom of the barrel with their Ohio uncommitted voter group?
posted to MetaFilter by pitseleh at 7:55 PM on October 7, 2008

Any minute now, Brokaw is going to explode into an Eric Cartman "Respect mah authoritaaaaaaaa! Screw you gahs, I'm goin' home" hissy fit.
posted to MetaFilter by FelliniBlank at 7:19 PM on October 7, 2008

Daddy was out doing the country's business, while mommy was at home doing some sort of girl work.
posted to MetaFilter by Astro Zombie at 7:33 PM on October 7, 2008

yhbc had comment 333, he's the semi-christ.
posted to MetaFilter by sciurus at 7:28 PM on October 7, 2008

Okay, why would you want to do that?

(and I'll blame Clinton, just to be contrary)
posted to MetaFilter by yhbc at 7:26 PM on October 7, 2008

CNN need to put this trendline on all of their programming. Some days it could be Homosexual Lumberjacks from Maine, other days it could be Apathetic Idaho Cosplayers and Sundays could be Bi-Curious Maryland Crab Fishermen.
posted to MetaFilter by stavrogin at 7:04 PM on October 7, 2008

I thought a high blood alcohol count was required before posting.
posted to MetaFilter by cjorgensen at 11:14 AM on October 7, 2008

Consider the Lie Algebra of a semisimple algebraic group over a field of characteristic p, where p is strictly greater than the Coxeter number. Answer the following simple questions about the derived category of D-modules to continue...
posted to MetaFilter by Wolfdog at 11:24 AM on October 7, 2008

Is is wrong that I'd love to see this implemented 24/7 for Youtube comments?
posted to MetaFilter by mandal at 12:10 PM on October 7, 2008

how many undecideds can there be left in the nation?

You gotta get out more. Drive to some part of town you don't typically have to go to. Walk around and talk to 10 people - you'll find people that have no clue about any of this. They may have heard something here or there, but there are tons and tons of people who don't follow this stuff like some of us.

It is simple really - cable/internet. If you're like friends of mine... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cashman at 8:10 AM on October 7, 2008

I have come to distrust the media...I think a "shuffle the deck" plan would be a slight improvement. Each person selected to attend is given a card. On the car, you ask your question. Cards then shuffled and each candidate alternates in picking a card from the deck. If a question is a duplicate, pick a 2nd card.

Candidates of course can begin an answer to a question and quickly switch the topic and make the statement (my opponent hangs with terrorist, my... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Postroad at 7:47 AM on October 7, 2008

The elitist versus the obsoletest.
posted to MetaFilter by dances_with_sneetches at 7:24 AM on October 7, 2008

(stops reading Metafilter for a month)
posted to MetaFilter by tkolar at 2:35 PM on October 6, 2008

Indexes are the intellectual property of their managers / sponsors. The "Dow Jones" of the Dow Jones 30 index and the "S&P" of the S&P 500 aren't just for show.

Different indexes and news sources have different takes on what aspects are public domain, what are protected but subject to fair use exemption, and what cannot be used or possessed except under license and royalty.

Whenever a free or low-cost source has... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by MattD at 8:59 AM on October 6, 2008 marked best answer

I still think Raban's article is lame. It draws an analogy of Palinism with Poujadism, but not in an illuminating way. It's just very well-written confirmation bias.
posted to MetaFilter by lukemeister at 12:11 PM on October 5, 2008

That last comment is why we should never, ever discuss this again. It makes us stupid.
posted to MetaFilter by MarshallPoe at 5:45 AM on October 5, 2008

Biden is nearly incapable of speaking in "real" terms that MOST people can relate to. A comment way upstream referenced that -- when he starts talking about subcommittees, many people glaze over.

But that's fine, when you're running for the Senate for the umpteenth time and most of the people that vote for you have voted for you before, and know that "that's how you are."

But in 2008...part of Palin's appeal is that she is... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by davidmsc at 9:05 PM on October 2, 2008

Just pretend for a minute that you're looking for political attacks and restrict your search to Metafilter. Do you think you could find any?

There's one I could point to in this very thread, but I'm in the pocket of TimeWarner, so I can't.
posted to MetaFilter by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 8:58 PM on October 2, 2008

This is the easiest job ever. All I have to do is keep you all concentrating your energies in this little blue hole for a few more weeks. hehehehehe

Careful, Raf, you don't want to get super-censored.

And my goodness, how will I find the time to do anything else between posting comments?
posted to MetaFilter by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 8:32 PM on October 2, 2008

She will do very poorly with those undecideds huddled around the victrola, mailing in their absentee ballots written with charcoal on parchment.

Come on, now - we all know the Victrola vote was always in the bag for McCain anyway. I think that's what's behind his energy initiative - more power to fuel our Victrolas, streetcars, and Frigidaires!

But the radio? Well, it's a great medium for catching people who had to cancel... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Miko at 8:16 PM on October 2, 2008

Consumer Reporter: Mr. Mainway, what about your product, "Crystal Skull Vodka?"

Irwin Mainway: Okay, I gotta say something about my product right here. It's got mystery, it's got the backstory with the UFO's, the kids, they love it. It's like treasure. It's got the skull, just in time for Halloween. And it's not actually poison. like a kid sees the skull on a bottle of poison and thinks "Oh Pirate adventure!" This way the kid can have you're pirate... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by louche mustachio at 9:09 PM on October 1, 2008

Superdelete, superdelete. Tricker treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat.

I will forgive Bush all his sins if he grants me unlimited one day immunity to take a vinegar soaked bullwhip to all the fucking greedhead cowardly solipsistic assholes who don't want to "pay for social programs", read a fucking history book zombie Ayn Rand and then get back to us. Jesus fuck. I need a double valium and stoli, stat!
posted to MetaTalk by Divine_Wino at 9:19 AM on September 30, 2008

I'm-a tellin' you, if it rhymes it must be true. That's how I know Rafaelloello likes lime Jello.
posted to MetaTalk by Bernt Pancreas at 9:05 AM on September 30, 2008

I'm supposed to believe the banking system of the United States was brought to its knees by low-income minorities who had the temerity to pursue the dream of owning their home. All those hot shot MBAs and Ivy League lawyers were no match for those wily housekeepers and gardners.

Low-Income Borrowers Blamed in Bailout Crisis
posted to MetaTalk by Combustible Edison Lighthouse at 8:51 AM on September 30, 2008

I think we've definitively proved that the Super Censoring wasn't jessamyn's fault. It was Clinton's. Here, watch this video.
posted to MetaTalk by DU at 8:37 AM on September 30, 2008

box: Also, if you rearrange the letters in 'Rafaelloello' it spells 'Roll a loaf eel.'

Real loo, fella.
posted to MetaTalk by koeselitz at 8:24 AM on September 30, 2008

smackfu: "Silly cortex, whoever wrote that greasemonkey script is part of the conspiracy!"

I work my ass off to become part of the Jewish pro-Jihad anti-anti-disestablishment elitist Illuminati, and I'm just a "whoever"?! That's it, I quit. You can take back your commemorative mug and embossed membership cards!

And your logo is ugly!
posted to MetaTalk by Plutor at 8:17 AM on September 30, 2008

When SUPERCENSORSHIP arrives you won't even know about it because Jessamyn will be in your brain deleting the thought before it happens.
posted to MetaTalk by The Straightener at 7:29 AM on September 30, 2008

It was definitely a superdelete. She even reset my VCR.

12:00
posted to MetaTalk by inigo2 at 7:26 AM on September 30, 2008