MetaFilter posts tagged with alex

Pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil.

WCityMike — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:37:41 -0800

"Pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil." Alex Graven, 9, has had How to Talk to Girls, the runaway hit of the Soaring Hawk Elementary School book fair, picked up by HarperCollins. How do you spot these oil-guzzling cars? ""It is easy to spot pretty girls," Alex writes, "because they have big earrings, fancy dresses and all the jewelry." Alex's techniques are already landing him the ladies: he advises his guys to "comb your hair and don't wear sweats" and to "control your hyperness (cut down on sugar if you need to)." Alex tells his fellow guys that "[t]he best choice for most boys is a regular girl. Remember, some pretty girls are coldhearted when it comes to boys. Don't let them get to you." (Unfortunately, Alex still may be naive in some areas, as he tells his readers, "Girls like the smartest boys.") How to approach them? "If I say hi and you say hi back, we're probably off to a good start." When asked why he wrote the book, "Well, I saw a lot of boys having trouble to get girls to like them, so I thought this book will like probably help them."

"Bad news sells best. Cause good news is no news."

fearfulsymmetry — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 04:55:57 -0800

Ace In The Hole. The best movie about a reporter ever? Probably... at least it will show you how to light a cigarette with a typewriter. I first watched it several years ago on Alex Cox's Moviedrome series (along with many other great films). It's now out on DVD but only Region 1.

He's Pinin' For The Fjords

briank — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:59:19 -0800

Alex, the African Gray parrot who "spoke" over 100 words, has passed away. y2karl introduced MetaFilter to Alex a few years ago. Alex had been the subject of Dr. Irene Pepperberg's research for nearly 20 years. His ability to communicate with people using an extensive English vocabulary demonstrated a level of intelligence previously unthought of in birds, but critics include no less than Noam Chomsky himself. Here's a 1999 NYT article about Alex if you have never heard of this incredible bird, and a video of another gray parrot demonstrating its own talents.

Orson Whales

stbalbach — Fri, 04 May 2007 08:11:48 -0800

Orson Whales, book/video/audio mash of the novel Moby Dick, Orson Welles from an Italian movie, Led Zeppelin and original artwork by Alex Itn. See also Ulysees.

Alex Gross

hama7 — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 17:23:20 -0800

Alex Gross

The Continuing Adventures of Alex The African Grey Parrot

y2karl — Sat, 29 Nov 2003 12:13:21 -0800

So we put a number of differently colored letters on the tray that we use, put the tray in front of Alex, and asked, ''Alex, what sound is blue?'' He answers, ''Ssss.'' It was an ''s'', so we say ''Good birdie'' and he replies, ''Want a nut.'' Well, I don't want him sitting there using our limited amount of time to eat a nut, so I tell him to wait, and I ask, ''What sound is green?'' Alex answers, ''Ssshh.'' He's right, it's ''sh,'' and we go through the routine again: ''Good parrot.'' ''Want a nut.'' ''Alex, wait. What sound is orange?'' ''ch.'' ''Good bird!'' ''Want a nut.'' We're going on and on and Alex is clearly getting more and more frustrated. He finally gets very slitty-eyed and he looks at me and states, ''Want a nut. Nnn, uh, tuh.'' - That Damn Bird - A Talk with Irene Pepperberg. Referential Communication with an African Gray Parrot. Irene Pepperberg says that Arthur, an African Gray parrot, is so smart that she and a group of students at the Media Lab are teaching him to go online. A more subjective take on some more African Grey parrots here. The Alex Homepage. Alex interviewed. languagehat on talking parrots.