MetaFilter posts tagged with danger

(Don't) Think Pink

CheeseDigestsAll — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 09:18:41 -0800

In the light of the Microsoft/Sidekick data disaster, it might be a good time to take a look at just what's happening with Microsoft's half billion dollar investment in Danger. Despite already having a mobile phone operating system (Windows Mobile) and an entire division (Zune) just itching to go head to head with Apple's iPhone. Microsoft decided to turn Danger into a skunkworks for "Project Pink," named, apparently, after the pop star. Now, According to MobileCrunch, the project is two years late, most of the team has left or been fired, Microsoft hasn't managed to create an app store, and the demoralized team is more enamored of their iPhones than their own product. Once the first leaks hit, more details began to trickle out. First there were photos. Then, the stories of management incompetence and mis-handling of vendor relationships, with Palm and Motorola dropping Microsoft entirely. Aside from the loss of $500,000,000 and running into the ground what was one of the most innovative cell phone companies, things are looking bleak for Microsoft mobile systems in general. The newly released WinMo 6.5 was not well received and phones running it reportedly have a 25% return rate according to Verizon.

Danger data loss

finite — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:29:30 -0800

T-Mobile and Microsoft/Danger probably lost all Sidekick users' data. They continue to advise customers to NOT reset their device by removing the battery or letting their battery drain completely, as any personal content that currently resides on your device will be lost.

Leaving the Ghosts in Peace

netbros — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:11:33 -0800

When thousands of people depart, leaving an entire city dead that’s a real tragedy. There are mainly two reasons why people leave the place where they used to live for years or even generations: danger, and economic factors. Abandoned Places In The World. ( previously 1,2)

Dark Night Of The Soul

forallmankind — Sat, 16 May 2009 13:41:29 -0800

Full Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse album Dark Night of the Soul is streaming right now on NPR. Info about album dispute here.

Get yer urban exploration/dead mall fix right here

limeonaire — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:59:13 -0800

"Q: What the hell is this site about? This is a site about urban exploration in the Ozarks." Abandoned water slides, underground tunnels, abandoned buildings and half-demolished malls throughout Missouri were all once fair game for this blog, and remain fair game for those who post in Underground Ozarks' forums.

For Whom the Bell Tolls - airbag edition

isopraxis — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 20:39:25 -0800

Some people like to text while driving(YT). Others think TWD is dangerous enough to be illegal.
At last there is a solution for literate(YT), bookish types (Googvid) to get in on the fun.
Sadly, as with everything good, reading-while-driving has its haters too.

I Told You Not To Kill That Albatross!

jonson — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:30:40 -0800

Disaster at Sea!! A collection of dozens & dozens of photographs of misfortune striking those GIGANTIC shipping vessels, the kind that bring goods from China to Wal Mart. Every kind of affliction imaginable, from shipboard fire to heavy weather to grounding amidst crushing waves to capsizing from ill balanced loads to random explosive cargo to terrorist attack to so much more. Descriptions of the vessels and what brought them down are included in the first link.

Dr. Noori ... stayed home the day of the strike to prevent his workers from finding out that he knew many of the soldiers.

amberglow — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 04:02:09 -0800

"I thought, 'Why don't we just raid the place?' " --the newest and only currently viable way to check up on how the billions and billions we're spending on reconstruction in Iraq is being spent--fake raids by the US military, making it seem like the recipients aren't receiving aid from us, and in fact are being targeted by us.

Real-Time Global Bad News Map

fenriq — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 22:14:46 -0800

The Global Trouble AlertMap
Are you curious about that chemical spill in Minnesota? Or how about the bio hazard situation in Honduras? The Havaria Information Systems AlertMap is updated in (near) real-time and the wealth of bad news is fairly astonishing. Plus they've got RSS feeds for whatever bad (or locationally relevant) news you want delivered. There are USA only maps, Europe only maps and Hungary too (slow day, just a fire). Previously (focused on bird flu tracking though several comments note how freakin' cool the map is)

Never Hug a Swiss Cow

mr_crash_davis — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 11:47:12 -0800

Keep your distance. Avoid eye contact. And even if it looks cute, never hug a Swiss cow. With helpful warning poster (PDF).

If the public likes you, you're good.

Smart Dalek — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 00:48:58 -0800

Frank Morrison "Mickey" Spillane, 1918-2006. Author, actor, circus performer, comic book writer.

Pyro Boy

mecran01 — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 18:27:33 -0800

Don't try this at home.
Pyro Boy wraps himself in pyrotechnics and ignites them so you don't have to. Happy 4th.

Thermite and other memorable experiments

blahblahblah — Thu, 04 May 2006 23:10:29 -0800

Unsafe-science-experiments-you-did-in-class-Friday: an advisory on dangerous chemistry experiments (they mention Nitrogen Triiodide, Chromate Volcanos, Whoosh Bottles, and Potassium Chlorate and Sugar), unwise microwave oven experiments, and, of course, thermite (and a great thermite video). I am amazed anyone survives high school, what other dubious but educational experiments did you do? Note: all pages are science education sites. Read the warnings. The awesome Chemistry Comes Alive site mentioned prev.

Karma karma karma karma chameeeeleeonnn

catchmurray — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 03:57:19 -0800

Britain's New Labour have very short memories!

They are trying to persuade people to vote for them by highlighting exactly how they got in to power themselves as being a fault in the Conservative Party

an ever-widening gulf between official language and the reality of the actual situation in Baghdad

amberglow — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 10:18:30 -0800

Prisoners of their Bureaus--the Besieged Press of Baghdad What it's like to be a journalist in Iraq now--and especially relevant given the current attacks on the media for not reporting all the good that's happening in Iraq-- ... an ever-widening gulf between official language and the reality of the actual situation in Baghdad. While official language is relentlessly upbeat, the already nightmarish reality has been getting worse with each passing day. ... the insurgent attacks on the US forces and Iraqi government and the sectarian fighting between Sunnis and Shiites have become destructive beyond what most journalists have been able to convey ... (NY Review of Books)

Warning, warning signs ahead

mss — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 20:28:54 -0800

Warning signs ahead. Use caution. Don't be somewhere you shouldn't. No crapping in the woods. I just don't know.

What's so extreme about Extreme Sports?

fet — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 12:40:07 -0800

What's so extreme about Extreme Sports? According to the ads, Extreme Sports are the antidote to our safety-first, shrink-wrapped world. In reality, sports like skateboarding and mountain biking are more about the appearance of risk and marketing-driven terms like 'carving out your own path' rather than any particular danger. The reality of these Extreme Sports? Many are actually safer than traditional sports.

Most Dangerous Destinations

Guerilla — Fri, 13 May 2005 12:42:37 -0800

Planning a vacation or going on a business trip this summer? Why not try one of the world's most dangerous destinations for the trip of a lifetime? Just make sure you have Worldcue® PRO loaded on your laptop and fill out some forms and you'll be ready for ~~death~~ departure.

Dude, be prepared. Be that Boy Scout they won't let you be anymore.

amberglow — Mon, 09 May 2005 13:15:52 -0800

The Uses of Canaries--and what canaries need to do --...Why go to all that trouble when we have reduced the homosexual, himself, to nothing more than a body part? Remove the homo -- he's just a diseased body part, after all -- and the problem is solved. Of course there will always be those so pathologically sex-panicked that they have to rely on their Think Pieces to get their pornography fix. Not worth worrying about, generally. But when United States Senators start in with the Depravity Fillip, and the DF starts showing up in the campaign literature of various groups... well, you want to keep your eye on that sort of thing. You maybe want to start thinking about that famous canary in the mine-shaft. ...

You'll put your eye out!

bitmage — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 10:42:52 -0800

You'll put your eye out! My childhood was fraught with peril. I rode bikes without a helmet. My friends made flashpowder bombs. I brought knives and lasers to school. I survived. Blogger Tim Blair did too, and asks "What insane risks did you take as kids that would now induce rage and fear if repeated by your children?"

Future of Sky Scrapers?

npost — Wed, 29 Jan 2003 13:59:58 -0800

Future of Sky Scrapers? Is this the future of sky scrapers, or are they now irrelevant with the current threats that are presented? Would you work in this building?

stbalbach — Sun, 03 Nov 2002 18:53:00 -0800

A proposed mega wind farm miles into the ocean off Cape Cod is being fought by Democrats like Robert Kennedy Jr because it would "obstruct" the view from his oceanside house on clear days. Other concerns like bird kills (perhaps a few hundred birds a year), fish disruption from poles in the sand and danger to low flying planes are cited and could hold the project up for 5 years or perhaps forever. Would you care about a windfarm out in the ocean if Kennedy and few other had a view that was not "like when the Pilgrams arrived" or is this powerfull community leaders pulling a Not in my Backyard when it comes to fighting for the Environment. Horseshoe Shoals is one of the best wind spots on the East Coast.

FilmMaker — Wed, 16 Oct 2002 17:00:54 -0800

Here is a list of the ten most dangerous jobs. Of course, I suppose that depends on who you ask. But don't stop there! The Bureau of Labor Statistics site has lots more interesting (albeit overwhelming) information.

cedar — Thu, 29 Aug 2002 18:22:49 -0800

Nine lives? It seems cats do better when dropped...uh, I mean, fall, more than seven stories. Anything less and they fail to reach terminal velocity and don't land properly. Once the cats reach terminal velocity they spread their legs (think parachute) and slow their fall. A cat has a far better chance of survival falling from 32 stories than four. Dwarfs, however, do not benefit from longer flights.

Miyagi — Sun, 18 Nov 2001 06:56:25 -0800

How the biohazard symbol came to be (from NYTimes Magazine)...