May 3, 2001

I bet you think this [article] is about you,

I bet you think this [article] is about you, don't you?
(apologies to Carly Simon and anyone inflicted with the earworm.)
posted by CrazyUncleJoe at 11:49 PM PST - 95 comments

These

These are the coolest people ever. I have been using them for newsreading for about a year now; today my pc got fried, got a new hd and all, I've lost my login/pass, asked them again and got a prompt reply. The service is really good, the severs are fast, faster than att's @home, stuff shows up in matter of minutes. It's things such as these that make you remember, if for a second, that not everything's a part of some big corporate whore-machine.
posted by tiaka at 9:08 PM PST - 11 comments

A proposed new extension

A proposed new extension to Seattle's no-sitting law will include prohibition of walking on public sidewalks:

The new language modifies sections 040.A and 040.B, and includes "leg movement for the purpose of mobility" (walking), "appendicular locomotion" (including hopping and cartwheels), and "excessive forward progression" (running), but expressly permits standing still. "We figured if they managed to get into position and stay there, they were probably fairly with-it, and were likely to look neat and orderly" Sidran said. I live downtown, I have no car, and Kozmo went out of business. Can anyone give me a lift to the gathering?
posted by john at 6:10 PM PST - 11 comments


Given recent concerns about online content publishers and established writers trying to make money on the web while whining about pay-throughs with more than $400,000.00 net profit, I've found some people who are still willing to give it all away. Over at The Clockwork Storybook, you can read to your heart's content. All of it for free. They apparently make money from the site by way of merchandise and selling their own published books. Also, they've just started a writing school of sorts called a Boot Camp, also free. You just can't beat good online content with solid user involvement, can you?
posted by Spanktacular at 5:55 PM PST - 2 comments

Tantalus

Tantalus, one of the longest theatrical experiences ever has finally opened in London, and according to one critic, there is no greater endurance test. Always looking for an angle, The Guardian sent four journalists around London on May Day to see what other culture can be experienced in 12 hours, 40 mins. Merope Mills did film - "9:15pm. Both Dennis and Annette are working at the box office and, on seeing me again, Annette throws me the look of a concerned landlady, as in, "Haven't you had enough yet?" I, drunk on moving images, defy her concern and head straight back in. I might as well not have moved - it's straight back to screen five where I'm feeling rather territorial about the sudden influx of people. Nod off in the epic Traffic (18) for 15 minutes but dream about Michael Douglas so decide this little discrepancy still counts."
posted by feelinglistless at 3:11 PM PST - 4 comments

MS VP Challenges GPL on Moral Grounds In Speech

MS VP Challenges GPL on Moral Grounds In Speech
Admitting that the company is feeling pressure from open source, free alternatives, Microsoft's Craig Mundie, lecturing at NYU, will speak out against G.P.L., which he considers impractical, dangerous and morally wrong. Stallman is quoted as saying something ludicrously funny about the American revolution.
posted by rschram at 1:57 PM PST - 14 comments

Canada's newest political prisoner?

Canada's newest political prisoner? "Well-known activist Jaggi Singh, accused of using a wooden catapult to lob teddy bears at police during the Quebec City summit two weeks ago, faces a preliminary hearing on May 16... Mr. Singh is the only protester still in jail among the 463 people arrested during the [FTAA] summit, at which of 34 countries in North and South America met to discuss reaching a hemispheric trade deal by 2005." Of course, the National Post has its own take on things.
posted by tranquileye at 1:10 PM PST - 15 comments

Marriage should be like owning a dog...

Marriage should be like owning a dog... Or so Rod Stewart believes. Stewart describes just why marriage licenses should be annually renewable, just like dog licenses.
posted by valerie at 12:57 PM PST - 29 comments

You don't need Metacritic to know that Driven blows. But you might need it to learn that Dolly Parton's new album is a gorgeous return to her bluegrass roots, Rififi is a classic french thriller, and You Can Count On Me is getting more 10's than Mary Lou Retton.
posted by geronimo_rex at 12:48 PM PST - 11 comments

If you try the voluntary contributions model, be ready to take some flak.

If you try the voluntary contributions model, be ready to take some flak. Steve Outing of content-exchange.com talks about his recent "pledge drive." Mostly self-evident conclusions, but more grist for the mill.
posted by acridrabbit at 12:32 PM PST - 7 comments

It might not be strong enough to keep a rebel freighter from escaping your space station, but scientists have built a working tractor beam.
posted by harmful at 11:52 AM PST - 9 comments

"I am Kim Jong Nam."

"I am Kim Jong Nam." This is funny. Maybe Disney will precipate the collapse of North Korea. Or a nuclear exchange.
posted by ParisParamus at 10:57 AM PST - 8 comments

If you are concerned about global warming, you must watch this film

If you are concerned about global warming, you must watch this film
Some Mefi context
posted by rschram at 10:55 AM PST - 6 comments

Vector Park

Vector Park Fun, rewarding, nice way to spend some time. "Levers" (lower left image) is a challenge, "Park" (lower right image) has plenty of nice surprises. [Flash reqired. Seen on usr\bin\girl & k10k]
posted by kokogiak at 10:30 AM PST - 22 comments

The toughest decision:should my loved one be placed in an assisted computing facility?

The toughest decision:should my loved one be placed in an assisted computing facility? For family members, it is often the most difficult and painful decision they will face: to accept that a loved one — a parent, a spouse, perhaps a sibling — is technologically impaired and should no longer be allowed to live independently, or come near a computer or electronic device without direct supervision. The time has come to place that loved one into the care of an Assisted Computing Facility. But you have questions. So many questions. We at Silicon Pines want to help. (gleefully stolen from /.)
posted by Lynsey at 10:14 AM PST - 4 comments

Every gadget seems to generate a hobbyist underground:

Every gadget seems to generate a hobbyist underground: CueCat, TiVo, Big Mouth Billy Bass, DVD encryption, DVD region codes, Web appliances, WebTV, and Palm. The main link is to the New York Times; registration required.
posted by tranquileye at 9:44 AM PST - 7 comments

what energy crisis?

what energy crisis? forbes responds to cheney.
posted by lescour at 9:40 AM PST - 7 comments

Do not turn them in to the cops!

Do not turn them in to the cops! Should you see any of these peope (pictures), do not turn them in! You could find yourself in trouble from one or more sources.
posted by Postroad at 9:19 AM PST - 3 comments

McDonald's Fries NOT Vegetarian After All

McDonald's Fries NOT Vegetarian After All While I realize that a large percentage of veggies avoid McDonald's on principle, an equally large percentage of them go there for the fries.

A McDonald's spokesman said the restaurant chain had never claimed to offer vegetarian food and that it freely provides ingredient information to anyone who requests it.

I can assure you that no where on that ingredient sheet does it say there's animal products in the fries. They went to a good deal of trouble to switch to vegetable oil so they could say they were healthier. If they've always contained the beef fat and they are not trying to hide that, then why the hell isn't it on the ingredient list?
posted by astrogirl at 8:55 AM PST - 124 comments

John Salvati:

John Salvati: not funny. Man imprissoned for 30 YEARS, known to be innocent by FBI, FBI kept him there b/c if the real perp was caught, dozens of informants would have been revealed. 30 years, gone, makes me sick feeling. There will be more news on this soon, I hope.
posted by tomplus2 at 7:36 AM PST - 9 comments

is this the beginning of the end

is this the beginning of the end for tobacco companies? an award for damages caused by passive smoking has sparked huge debate here in oz.
posted by cakefork at 7:32 AM PST - 15 comments

It's almost over!

It's almost over! and just a few thousand moments too late for most. Unfortunately Survivor 2 isn't the end. With the impending writer's strike still looming over Hollywood, reality programming will become even more commonplace, and may sound the death knell for television. Unless they actually start getting good. [more]
posted by ZachsMind at 7:27 AM PST - 15 comments

The Soul of an Old Machine

The Soul of an Old Machine This is a wonderful article on Ron Popeil, founder of Ronco (remember the pocket fisherman?) and the Showtime Rotisserie. Besides some great reading on the marketing of pre-digital technology, Gladwell has some great things to say about usability.

If Ron had been the one to introduce the VCR, in other words, he would not simply have sold it in an infomercial. He would also have changed the VCR itself, so that it made sense in an infomercial. The clock, for example, wouldn't be digital. (The haplessly blinking unset clock has, of course, become a symbol of frustration.) The tape wouldn't be inserted behind a hidden door--it would be out in plain view, just like the chicken in the rotisserie, so that if it was recording you could see the spools turn. The controls wouldn't be discreet buttons; they would be large, and they would make a reassuring click as they were pushed up and down, and each step of the taping process would be identified with a big, obvious numeral so that you could set it and forget it.
posted by mecran01 at 6:28 AM PST - 21 comments


A new Museum for the tourist

A new Museum for the tourist What a fun place to take the family for a picnic and day out. See how the other half lived. A tri[p down memory lane for film buffs and those interested in criminal history.
posted by Postroad at 5:18 AM PST - 5 comments

Bottled water

Bottled water a waste of money, no better than most tap water, and environmentally unfriendly.
posted by revbrian at 4:59 AM PST - 54 comments

Someone dispatched a Ninja to kill you? No problem. You can retalliate with voodoo from pinstruck.
posted by plinth at 4:50 AM PST - 6 comments

In a throwaway comment the Telegraph reports an unprecedented criminal charge. "Last week her colleague, Lindis Percy, 59, a former Greenham Common protester, was acquitted of criminal misuse of an American flag". An earlier Independent article covers the background "[T]he Crown Prosecution Service has accused Lindis Percy of being motivated by racist hatred of the American people when she "trailed" the US flag on the road at the US military eavesdropping base at Menwith Hill in North Yorkshire."
posted by Cuppatea at 4:06 AM PST - 6 comments

Despite major American museums' and academia's unwillingness to host his Palestine Poster Project,

Despite major American museums' and academia's unwillingness to host his Palestine Poster Project, Dan Walsh has continued for 20 years on his quest to educate Americans about the Palestinian culture and cause with his collection of 3,200 original Palestinian solidarity posters. He has posted about a hundred of them in the online gallery at his Liberation Graphics website. He also has a fascinating collection of Che Guevera posters as part of his Cuba Poster Project.
posted by tamim at 12:15 AM PST - 1 comments

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