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"Now, I know those tax returns were around here somewhere..." 40,000 tax returns and payments lost somewhere in Pittsburgh. The inefficient and incompetent federal government at work once again? Nope. Private industry contractors at fault this time.
posted by owillis at 11:41 PM PST - 3 comments

The tax bill was based on conservative ideology: not only did it offer the largest rate breaks to the richest people, but it had the explicit purpose of reducing the activities of the federal government.
posted by semmi at 10:21 PM PST - 21 comments

"The gremlin in Falling Hare (who, let us reiterate, is *not* Wendell Willkie) has an elegant flying helmet/plane tail design and a Benny Rubin-like laugh." The Warner Bros. Cartoon Companion covers the heyday of Merrie Melodies and Loony Toons, with capsule biographies of Warner Brothers animators, explanations for no-longer-obvious cultural references, and brief notes on the characters. No design to speak of, but a wonderful resource for anyone searching for a list of WB cartoons that parody Cab Calloway, arguing about whether Elmer Fudd predates Yosemite Sam, or just wondering what the heck Marvin the Martian's given name was.
posted by snarkout at 9:50 PM PST - 29 comments

Unocal seems responsible for driving up gas prices by taking shameless advantage of regulations and patent law. Why did our government get ambushed by a basic loophole that any first-year lawyer would think of? Maybe it's involved with too many things to do anything right?
posted by marknau at 6:41 PM PST - 8 comments

from "Ray Bradbury is on fire!" in today's Salon: "Kerosene-spraying firemen aside, a closer look at the 1953 novel [Fahrenheit 451] shows Bradbury nailed the new millennium perfectly. There's interactive television, stereo earphones (which reportedly inspired a Sony engineer to invent the Walkman), immersive wall-size TVs, earpiece communicators, rampant political correctness, omnipresent advertising and a violent youth culture ignored by self-absorbed, prescription-dependent parents."
posted by moth at 6:39 PM PST - 21 comments

Given the recent cinematic floppery of late, I was pleasantly surprised when I came across an article about real-world Artificial Intelligence that was written in a solid down-to-Earth manner about some very technical concepts. If you're into AI it should be worth a look to you. How would you like to have a computer that learns and adapts? Heh...how'd you like your computer to pout because you won't buy the latest processor? ;}
posted by Spanktacular at 4:30 PM PST - 5 comments

Have you ever wondered about your sexuality? If you're like me, no. But, you might want to mosey over here and check on it anyway. Who knows what happened to it since the last time you looked? This quiz attempts to guess your sexuality based on the answers you give to multiple choice questions. There's a AI program behind it that grows more intelligent as more people take the quiz.
posted by RustyBrooks at 3:48 PM PST - 54 comments

Hitting all 50 by 30. Have you come close? Do you keep track? How many countries and continents have you racked up?
posted by mathowie at 3:17 PM PST - 102 comments

Does the G-Spot Exist? Be careful, this could be a touchy subject.
posted by msacheson at 1:23 PM PST - 62 comments

This is not the proper way to say happy birthday Man has his package stolen on his birthday. Can anyone think of a worse birthday present?
posted by tj at 1:12 PM PST - 13 comments

was: Computer Programmer, now: Tigerman. In San Diego, some jerk spent $150,000 to tattoo his face, file his teeth into points, etc. Why, you are clearly asking? Because he wants to be a cat. Dude. Spend your dot-com cash on something constructive, like jackelope ranches or x10 cameras.
posted by rev- at 11:55 AM PST - 34 comments

Man who started campfire charged with two counts of murder Got a few questions for any legal scholars in the house. In a nutshell: How does a guy who neglected to put out a fire wind up getting charged with murder when two pilots accidentally crash into each other? The un-nutshelled version inside.
posted by Shadowkeeper at 11:45 AM PST - 9 comments

Egged on by Crowd, Woman Leaps From Bridge She survived and is in critical condition. There's also an astonishing photo of her fall from the bridge.
posted by msacheson at 11:44 AM PST - 39 comments

Entrapment?
posted by preguicoso at 10:16 AM PST - 42 comments

Damn that pacific! Can anyone help these lovebirds cross the pacific?
posted by adnan at 10:08 AM PST - 23 comments

Read what Newt does. Or not. Newt Gingrich offers his book reviews on Amazon. Who knows, maybe he is saving up his associates fees for a barbecue grill.
posted by machaus at 9:51 AM PST - 2 comments

There's a situation arising right now, between Australian, Norwegian and Indonesian governments. The issue? A Norwegian freighter laden with 438 Afghan asylum seekers, stranded in the Indian Ocean. Today, Australia elite commandos seized control of the Norwegian-owned "Tampa" and its human cargo and ordered the ship to return to international waters. Norwegian authorities, on the other hand, are appealing to Australian authorities to help the refugees and the crew onboard "Tampa". What should be done here, if anything, and by whom? And what about the situation in Afghanistan, that is causing these people to escape from there in the first place? (More: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
posted by dagny at 9:22 AM PST - 52 comments

Rude Software Installation I clicked on a link that needed Shockwave 8.5 installed. Silly me, I said okay. After the download, the installation program nicely closed all of my open IE windows without first asking, creating a splendid loss of work for me!! Thanks Macromedia!! I'm now going to be on the lookout... What other software programs act rudely, creating defaults, shutting down your browser windows, or assigning themselves to extensions without first asking?
posted by yarf at 7:59 AM PST - 36 comments

got repetitive stress disorder? no you don't.

could the Bush administration piss me off any more? (more inside)

via Signal vs. Noise
posted by o2b at 7:57 AM PST - 31 comments

Banned books are nothing new, but this is just ridiculous.
"Those modern classics and seven other books have come under routine fire for profane language, unpleasant racial themes and references to homosexuality." Considering this , why is it an issue. [see no evil]
posted by hotdoughnutsnow at 7:27 AM PST - 52 comments

Hurry!! The Dot.Com Gold Rush Is On! Zooooooooom!
posted by webchick at 7:24 AM PST - 13 comments

After a Klan rally at the capital in St. Paul, two twenty-something men decide to go out and beat up a 4-year old. what the f@#$%?
posted by jnthnjng at 6:59 AM PST - 17 comments

Stile has hit the fan. His "Kitten - It's what's for dinner" video has finally attracted the attention of PETA, et al. Oddly enough, they seem non-plussed. Unlike much of MeFi's response, PETA is seeking to censor and prosecute.
posted by NortonDC at 6:56 AM PST - 80 comments

Software Libre! Local and national governments around the world are legislating in favor of open source, in a challenge to US corporate (read Microsoft) dominance. A liberating movement, or too much government intrusion?
posted by liam at 6:06 AM PST - 11 comments

This weekend's DialTones is yet another fascinating "found sound" performance. (Let's just hope Andras Schiff's not in attendance.)
posted by Fofer at 3:55 AM PST - 3 comments