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“It wasn’t the second helping on all-you-can-eat, but the third“ an executive explained. After losing $3.3 million in seven weeks during a 2003 all you can eat crab leg offer, Red Lobster makes the same mistake in 2024. By turning $20 all-you-can-eat shrimp into a permanent menu item, the chain suffers a further $11 million loss. “We have to be more careful,” an executive noted.
comment posted at 1:36 PM on May-3-24

The only thing that can be improved under self-evacuation is the flow of information towards people in emergency. This leaves us with eyesight and hearing to work with. Visual aids are greatly more flexible and easy to work with. However their huge drawback is their usefulness expires quickly once the smoke sets in. 2500 dense Lisp programming words from Eugene Zaikonnikov via lobste.rs, whence this YouTube ad.
comment posted at 2:26 PM on May-2-24

Neltris is a small in-browser game by Hempuli, creator of Baba is You, Environmental Station Alpha, and scores of tiny indie games as seen on that itch.io page. It's just Tetris, but with additional Tetris.
comment posted at 9:04 AM on Apr-19-24

Amazon Go, "a new kind of corner store," that company's futuristic storefront where you installed an app on your phone, and could shop for things just by picking them up off of shelves and walking out the door with them, is being shut down. Some random internet person called "Matt Haughey" described his experience with the store, and how it wasn't nearly as magical as it seemed: as it turned out it was a kind of technological sleight-of-hand, instead of using RFIDs and weight-sensing shelves and other techno-devices, they just had a whole lot of people watching cameras. Another random person on Mastodon points out the whole-lot-of-people part was probably a bunch of subsistence contractors in other countries. A third random person notes, even doing that, the store concept couldn't be made to work. Meanwhile the important gigantic hovering electronic head of Jeff Bezos floats above us all, unmoving but watching, silently.
comment posted at 6:29 PM on Apr-18-24

Klay Thompson Accused in Bizarre Brick-Vandalism Spree. "In a bizarre turn of events, NBA star Klay Thompson has been accused of vandalizing multiple houses with bricks in Sacramento. Authorities are investigating the claims after several individuals reported their houses being damaged, with windows shattered by bricks. Klay Thompson has not yet issued a statement regarding the accusations. The incidents have left the community shaken, but no injuries were reported. The motive behind the alleged vandalism remains unclear."
comment posted at 4:48 PM on Apr-18-24

In her article Th'infernal Drone: In Praise Of The Hurdy-Gurdy Jennifer Lucy Allan notes that in "Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights the soundtrack to hell is a giant and infernal hurdy-gurdy". She discusses, among others, Stevie Wishart, who can be seen here giving a quick introduction to the hurdy-gurdy, and performing her composition Vespers for St. Hildegard and duoing with daegeum player Hyelim Kim. Corinna de Fonseca-Wollheim profiled Matthias Loibner in the New York Times [archive link] and his performance with Nataša Mirković of Schubert's Winter's Journey. For an overview of the history of the instrument, hurdy-gurdy player Fredrik Knudsen made a half-hour video or you can read A Brief History of the Hurdy-Gurdy by Graham Whyte.
comment posted at 8:43 AM on Apr-15-24

Marine worm with extraordinary vision "The wide-eyed sea worm Vanadis has long interested the world's vision scientists. But the worm has been difficult to study because it lives in the open sea and is only active at night. Now a research team has managed to locate an Italian worm colony and can establish that the worm has a completely unique sight." [paper]
comment posted at 9:48 AM on Apr-12-24

Welcome to Picotron: Picotron is a Fantasy Workstation for making pixelart games, animations, music, demos and other curiosities. It has a toy operating system designed to be a cosy creative space, but runs on top of Windows, MacOS or Linux. Picotron apps can be made with built-in tools, and shared with other users in a special 256k png cartridge format.
comment posted at 12:34 PM on Mar-24-24

"...[W]hile both context collusion and context collision are examples of collapsed contexts, they are conceptually and consequentially distinct from each other. The intentionality of the individual and their role in either allowing new information to come forth—as in the case of context collusion—or if it is unbeknownst that this information will be introduced—as in the case of context collision—is crucial. We also contend that context collapse is linked to an individual’s perception of face."
comment posted at 4:13 PM on Mar-20-24

A serendipitous follow up from my previous Othello post, this new paper from Hiroki Takizawa claims that Othello is solved: "It is computationally proved that perfect play by both players lead to a draw. Strong Othello software has long been built using heuristically designed search techniques. Solving a game provides a solution that enables the software to play the game perfectly." GitHub link to C source code included (it's a modified form of Edax.)
comment posted at 2:52 PM on Mar-15-24

Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge/Princess of Wales, hasn't been seen since Christmas. Kate was announced as having "planned" abdominal surgery in January, with a two week period of time in the hospital and resuming her royal duties has so far been postponed to at least Easter (a notice saying she'd be at an event in June was forcibly recalled). Kate has not wanted her medical issues disclosed (fair, since the most likely medical issues that take that long might be TMI), but after over two months of her not being seen in public, people started to get concerned. Kensington Palace refused to say much of anything on the topic and nobody seems to know anything. Finally, "proof of life" photographs were produced, BUT....
comment posted at 8:27 AM on Mar-20-24
comment posted at 8:28 AM on Mar-20-24

Writing for the New Yorker, Manvir Singh asks whether the removal of Arabic elements from the language of the Fremen by David Peterson (the creator of Dothraki and other constructed languages) has more to do with making the language "realistic" or with Hollywood's inability to portray Arabs—especially desert-dwelling Arab freedom fighters—as good guys, rather than as terrorists.
comment posted at 4:31 PM on Mar-1-24

The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger

The man on the phone knew my home address, my Social Security number, the names of my family members, and that my 2-year-old son was playing in our living room. He told me my home was being watched, my laptop had been hacked, and we were in imminent danger. “I can help you, but only if you cooperate,” he said. His first orders: I could not tell anyone about our conversation, not even my spouse, or talk to the police or a lawyer.

comment posted at 9:58 AM on Feb-16-24

"As is true throughout the history of innovation, whenever there is a problem, it usually turns out that multiple people arrive at similar inventive solutions. That was the case with the development of the hex as a basic unit of division in board games." Hex maps also have been noted to have problems. The internet is, of course, full of lists of favorite hex and counter wargames. (While a counter may be gorgeous, and may be found in your kitchen, it is not a kitchen counter, which can be dangerous.) Hexcrawls have been part of Dungeons & Dragons for a long time, though they have spread to other RPGs over time, though some people prefer pointcrawls to hexcrawls. It should be noted that hexes had ludic uses[SLPDF] prior to the modern era of board wargames and RPGs.
comment posted at 9:07 AM on Feb-12-24

and the dark patterns you should try to avoid. From their description: A game review website devoted to helping you find mobile games that aren't riddled with in-app purchases, and don't use psychological tricks to manipulate you into becoming an addicted gamer. Learn about the dark patterns that game designers use to waste your precious time and money.
comment posted at 1:01 PM on Feb-6-24

Tony Finch illustrates the steps needed to construct a four-point egg, and, as a bonus, offers an interactive egg.
comment posted at 10:32 AM on Jan-31-24

"Lose Yourself" - Eminem x ELO supercut (YT, NSFW in flashes) Jonathan Keogh is known for his hyperkinetic supercuts, & now works as video editor at The Criterion Collection. William Maranci does fun & sometimes-cursed mashups. What happens when you combine the combinations?
comment posted at 10:00 AM on Jan-29-24

A Denver Pastor who runs Victorious Grace Church has been civily indicted on fraud for selling INDXcoin which cannot be cashed out. “One of two things have happened,” Mr. Regalado said, “One: Either I misheard God and every one of you who prayed and came in, you as well, or two: God is still not done with this project and he’s going to do a new thing.” Gift link via NYTimes.
comment posted at 10:35 AM on Jan-24-24

Social Networking site Ello, is no more.
comment posted at 3:36 PM on Jan-18-24

"Start Often, Finish Rarely": "start as many things as you have the ability, interest, and capacity to, with no regard or goal whatsoever for finishing those projects..... You can be finished with your project whenever you decide to be done with it. And 'done' can mean anything you want it to be. Whose standards of completion or perfection are you holding yourself to anyway? Forget about those! Something is done when you say it is. When it's no longer interesting. When you've gotten a sufficient amount of entertainment and experience from it. When you've learned enough from it. Whatever, whenever. Done is what you say it is." A bit of inspiration, for the subset of us who'll find it helpful. Related: the No Maintenance Intended badge.
comment posted at 5:13 PM on Jan-18-24

...43% more penile fractures would have occurred in Germany from 2005 on.” ... “This injury tends to occur during wild sex - particularly in positions where you’re not in direct eye contact [with your partner], such as the reverse cowgirl” Guardian: Risk of penile fractures rises at Christmas, doctors find. Wikipedia entry (contains pictures) for penile fracture. Metro: Man who broke penis during sex has urgent surgery to fix ‘aubergine deformity’. Cosmopolitan: Is Reverse Cowgirl Really the World’s Most Dangerous Sex Position?
comment posted at 8:21 AM on Dec-20-23
comment posted at 8:24 AM on Dec-20-23

...or perhaps it is a free thread, in which case do? If a MeFite makes an irrelevant comment on a front page post, does anyone read it? What is commenting, anyway? What is commenting... not? Will the many academics who keep studying what we write on MetaFilter ever tell us? Discuss. Or don't. Does anyone care? And is Cool Whip really edible?
comment posted at 5:44 PM on Dec-11-23

This web app lets you search a song on Spotify and will then generate a never-ending and ever changing version of the song.
comment posted at 3:34 PM on Dec-8-23
comment posted at 3:39 PM on Dec-8-23

In his ongoing attempt to to destroy Xitter, Mr Musk suggests former advertisers indulge in auto-copulation. (slyt)
comment posted at 10:43 PM on Nov-29-23

...to give you more 'room' to write in the weekly FREE THREAD. What's the point of 'intentionally blank pages' anyway? [previously, previouslyer]
comment posted at 10:32 AM on Nov-27-23
comment posted at 10:59 AM on Nov-27-23

We’re going to the movies. It’s going to be so fetch!
comment posted at 5:12 PM on Nov-9-23

Devon Rodriguez is one of the world's most famous artists. Never heard of him? Maybe "that guy that posts to TikTok about drawing people on the underground" rings a bell. Art critic Ben Davis visited his exhibition "Underground" at UTA Artist Space and wrote a review.
comment posted at 7:18 AM on Nov-1-23

I’ve known since I was 11 who these people, this Eyebrows McGee and this languagehat, are. After graduating from college, I still thought of Metafilter as a rarified club of experts that I’d somehow snuck into. I also thought of Metafilter as a perfect window onto the world. I was sure I could better understand different life experiences because I read strangers’ thoughts, freed by anonymity to be honest. I knew I lived in a tiny bubble, and Metafilter seemed my best defense against that insularity.
comment posted at 9:04 AM on Oct-22-23
comment posted at 10:42 PM on Oct-22-23
comment posted at 10:16 AM on Oct-23-23
comment posted at 8:11 AM on Oct-26-23

Sidney Powell Pleads Guilty in Georgia Trump Case (NYT gift, WaPo gift, The Atlantic gift, AP, Reuters)
comment posted at 10:31 AM on Oct-20-23

Would you like to look at a truly boggling number of linear and circular slide rules, and related paraphernalia, on a website with a comfortingly 20th century aesthetic? Of course you would, which is why you should spend some time at The Oughtred Society's Archive of Collections.
comment posted at 9:00 AM on Oct-15-23

Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC) has become acting Speaker of the House after Kevin McCarthy, rocked by a series of failed budget votes (and a last-minute agreement with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown), was ousted by Matt Gaetz and other far-right members of the House Freedom Caucus in an unprecedented vote. McCarthy, while likely to run for the speakership again, is no shoo-in given the 15 ballots it took him to secure the gavel just nine months ago (previously).
comment posted at 3:37 PM on Oct-24-23

Happy 20th anniversary to the unofficial British National Anthem (now over 380 weeks on the charts!) How The Killers made Mr Brightside, one of the most enduring rock songs of all time - The Independent (more links below the cut)
comment posted at 11:23 AM on Oct-2-23

Prometheus Lost in Space mashup trailer.
comment posted at 9:19 PM on Sep-25-23

A search index for the very-NSFW web comic Oglaf. On Mastodon, Esther talks about how she built it. [previousliest]
comment posted at 7:21 AM on Sep-19-23

Neil Cicierega edited a bunch of George Lucas and Panasonic-related Japanese things together into THE GEORGE LUCAS EGGSPERIENCE. (4 minutes)
comment posted at 2:25 PM on Sep-13-23

Here's your weekly free thread!
comment posted at 10:15 PM on Sep-4-23

This Labor Day Weekend, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation has an important message for people moving to Boston.
comment posted at 12:09 PM on Sep-3-23

Clone-a Lisa: Can you paint a copy of the Mona Lisa in 60 seconds? "Anything over 80% is good, 85%+ very good, and 90% may be possible if you're extremely fast and accurate." [via mefi projects]
comment posted at 9:26 AM on Aug-23-23
comment posted at 12:24 PM on Aug-23-23

It’s-a-no-longer me: Charles Martinet steps down as Mario’s voice
comment posted at 11:31 AM on Aug-21-23

After Cyberpunk 2077's rocky launch, it's time to bring back Deus Ex [PC Gamer] “Currently published by Square Enix, the Deus Ex series has been on hiatus since 2016, after the (mostly good) Mankind Divided failed to match sales expectations. But the huge attention and commercial success Cyberpunk has garnered, combined with its equally significant problems, has opened up a window for the series to return. This would really be things coming full circle. Deus Ex essentially served as the template for Cyberpunk 2077's core, boasting the same blend of fighting, sneaking and hacking. It also shares plenty of themes, like body modification and corporate conspiracies. For all intents and purposes, Deus Ex is a cyberpunk game. [...] Deus Ex's superiority is particularly evident when it comes to the RPG side of things. Putting aside the bugs and the technical issues, Cyberpunk's biggest problem is that its RPG systems are either poorly implemented or simply don't work at all.”
comment posted at 3:01 PM on Aug-16-23
comment posted at 3:19 PM on Aug-16-23

Or afternoon, or evening, or whatever it happens to be where you are. Either way, maybe waking up would be easier if the iPhone alarm were a piano ballad?
comment posted at 3:15 PM on Aug-16-23