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February 2003 Archives
February 28
Maybe there are no weapons, after all...
"On February 24, Newsweek broke what may be the biggest story of the Iraq crisis. In a revelation that "raises questions about whether the WMD [weapons of mass destruction] stockpiles attributed to Iraq still exist," the magazine's issue dated March 3 reported that the Iraqi weapons chief who defected from the regime in 1995 told U.N. inspectors that Iraq had destroyed its entire stockpile of chemical and biological weapons and banned missiles, as Iraq claims...." This is the same defector cited by the Bush administration numerous times as a reliable informant on the scope of Saddam's long-term WMD plans.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 2:36 PM PST - 49 comments
Yerba Mate
is a drink that is enormously popular in South America. Given to the world by the
Guarani Indians, its a bitter brew reminiscent of tea but with
interesting properties. A coworker returned from Argentina and brought me some. I'm addicted.
posted by Dantien at 2:20 PM PST - 20 comments
Everyone hates Canada. Here are a few of the reasons I do.
Since it's invade Canada day on MeFi, let's take a moment to realize what Canada has given us. Their most precious gift to us Americans?
Canadian Celebrities. Bryan Adams, Bachman-Turner-Overdrive, Jim Carrey, Hayden Christensen, Celine Dion, Avril.... and even Robert Goulet! Oh it goes on and on! My friends, the decision to attack Canada is not pre-emptive. We're already under siege.
posted by Stan Chin at 1:27 PM PST - 46 comments
Elvis so loved the world that he died, fat and bloated, in a bathroom.
For unto you is born this day in the city of Memphis a Presley, which is Elvis the King. And Elvis saw them berating the poor recording artist, whose music was terrible and lyrics insipid, and Lo, the King said unto the mob: "Let him who is without bad singles cast the first rhinestone." And the mob turned down their eyes, each considering his own Don't Worry Be Happy or Man in the Mirror, and shuffled off. "Thank you," said Elvis. "Thank you very much."
posted by quonsar at 11:31 AM PST - 18 comments
Most anyone who has been involved in college radio is familiar with the uphill battle faced in injecting something new, different, and cool into the music world when so many artists and labels lack the clout required to get noticed. It is a shame that the
College Media Journal, the music charting hub of the college radio world, has
admitted to
falsifying playlists for their own apparent gain. What does this say about the place of college radio and indie music in the music industry these days?
posted by dytiq at 10:38 AM PST - 11 comments
"A little invasion is precisely what Canada needs" wrote Jonah Goldberg last November. According to Rush Limbaugh, Canada isn't a country, it's a
"country". Tucker Carlson on CNN has said Canada "should be bombed" so that they are taught a lesson. Doesn't he remember
April 17th? No matter. Since Canada will never be able to defend itself from the US using conventional means, it's time for Canada to reactivate it's nuclear weapons program.
posted by johnnydark at 10:26 AM PST - 31 comments
If You Could Choose But One Photograph Or Picture
of the place where you live, unadorned and true to its spirit, capable of giving those who had never been there a shadow of what it feel like to actually live there and
see there, what image, whether oblique or direct, moody or humorous, would you show and stand by?
This photograph, by
Luiz Carvalho, is most definitely my own city,
Lisbon. [
I found him through American Photo Journalist's outstanding website, which I highly recommend as a starting point for those who wish to join in the fun. The "Analyzed" feature, incidentally, is well worth browsing.]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 7:10 AM PST - 64 comments
February 27
It's Carnival Time!
New Orleans Mardi Gras celebrations are steeped in
tradition. From
beads and
king cakes to
invitation-only balls, carnival has been a part of the city's history since the French held private masked balls and parties in 1718. Although Spanish rule interrupted the party for 90 years, many of the
krewes have been around since the 1800s. Today, parade floats are considered an art form and some krewes
spend up to $700,000 on a single float. With such excess abounding, consider yourself
warned.
posted by ajr at 7:42 PM PST - 15 comments
On the 50th anniversary
of the discovery of the
double helix spare a thought for
Rosalind Franklin the chemist who produced the
data that supported the structure.
Franklin, who died before the
Nobel prize was awarded, never received credit for her contribution and was on the receiving end of Watson's
sexism . But with a
new book let's hope in this 50th anniversary year that Rosalind Franklin gets her contribution to this great discovery recognised.
posted by stunned at 5:17 PM PST - 4 comments
The Name Game
Valley Creek Farms "solicits help from clever people each year to help name their young horses." If you consider yourself a gifted wordsmith with a knack for penning equine monikers that will get the
bugs a buzzin' and make the
farrier smile, this is your chance to take the reins. But it's not
easy. The rules are
extensive and your choice may already be
taken. But with luck, you may one day hear your
literary masterpiece of 18 letters or less roll off the caller's tongue and become part of thoroughbred
history.
posted by snez at 10:32 AM PST - 13 comments
Listening in.
Marches are debated, but few of us get to watch them happen and hear the thoughts of the marchers. This is one of the items we're looking for: "most interesting of the web."
posted by ?! at 10:25 AM PST - 8 comments
Protest Is Not Tolerated
I wasn't sure how much good I could do or how much power one person has but I wanted to do it. When I took my place on the sidewalk across the street from my church, I was struck with this Norman Rockwell picture of America. Families with their balloons, flags and signs made it feel like the Fourth of July. I was thrilled by all the patriotism and was proud to be part of this community that cares enough to turn out to greet the most powerful politician in our land.
But when I unrolled my sign, all that changed, and I may never be able to look at my community the same way again.
Ain't that America? Proud to be
Born in the USA? Constitutional rights? Not with the "Defenders Of All Things Duhbya!"
posted by nofundy at 9:21 AM PST - 141 comments
Jacqui's fight
to become whole again after a devastating accident. She has a whole lot of love, courage, and hope.
posted by john at 9:04 AM PST - 6 comments
Thought you were rid of the telemarketers?
Perhaps not. It looks like they're fighting back to items like the
TeleZapper that fake telemarketers into thinking your phone is disconnected by playing the three tones you get if your phone doesn't work.
Castel, Inc claims their DirectQuest software defeats devices like Telezapper by reading the connect messages delivered by your public switched telephone network. Fave quote - Its a privacy arms race.." Will this ever end?
posted by djspicerack at 5:31 AM PST - 17 comments
Hard of Hearing Radio
(warning: link goes fullscreen AND has popup windows. but it's worth it, really!) is a Canadian radio program targeted at listeners with mild hearing loss, that aims to "challenge the assumption that broadcast media should be tailored only to those with a flawless ability to perceive it's content." The site contains lots of high quality mp3s of broadcasts as well as some articles about the subject and links to related topics. Recommended listening for fans of bands like
Sigur Ros,
Godspeed You Black Emperor, labels like
Constellation, and readers of
FakeJazz. Quite possibly might also be enjoyed by those who smoke a lot of
. . . Yeah. So for those deaf folks out there, what do you listen for in music? What are your favorite genres and groups?
posted by atom128 at 4:08 AM PST - 10 comments
Yay, after the flash fest that was
Royksopp's 'Remind Me', here's anoter retro-pixel music
video (and a damn catchy choon), from
Junior Senior and it can be distributed freely too.
"A Tummy Touch-esque slab of nu-disco breaks. The single The Avalanches forgot to make, slick discoid beats, wonderful smile-inducing vocal & beats to make you throw down the funk." according to
breaksworld.com
posted by MintSauce at 3:25 AM PST - 7 comments
Mr. Rogers Dead.
Fred Rogers of "Mister Roger's Neighborhood" died of stomach cancer at age 74. To be honest, his was never my personal favorite PBS kid's show growing up (I preferred off-brand shows like "Zoom" and "3-2-1 Contact"). But my appreciation for him when I was an adult was pretty high. Anyway, it's a sad day in the neighborhood.
posted by jscalzi at 2:17 AM PST - 130 comments
The Wooly Bullies Of MetaFilter - Uncovered!
Sweating heavily as I perused this unholy website's rhetorical machinations late into the night, I was suddenly shaken by a strange feeling of dread, for it was the spectre of MetaFilter itself I was seeing before my bulging eyes, in all its hideous familiarity, emerging from the fetid depths of my guilt-wracked soul...
posted by MiguelCardoso at 1:00 AM PST - 16 comments
February 26
So, we all know the
Patriot Act allows for the monitoring of library and computer usage. Big deal, right? I mean how many people can they watch and what are the odds?
Maybe not as good (or bad, depending on your view) as
you might think,
"A St. Johns College Library visit by a former public defender was abruptly interrupted February 13 when city police officers arrested him about 9 p.m. at the computer terminal he was using, handcuffed him, and brought him to the Santa Fe, New Mexico, police station for questioning by Secret Service agents from Albuquerque."
posted by cedar at 9:25 PM PST - 45 comments
Give It Up for MC Zhirinovsky
Flamboyant Russian ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, renowned for his controversial views on Iraq, has had his words turned into an anti-war rap song. The song, titled "Don't you dare go shooting at Baghdad", is being launched on the internet, according to the Russian television station TVS.
posted by turbanhead at 8:36 PM PST - 7 comments
Need a pair of Nikes?
Fifteen or so thousand pairs of Nikes were lost overboard December 12th while
on their way to Tacoma and are making their way north. Some of those shoes started to show up on the
Washington coast late last month. The bulk of these shoes will find their way to
the Alaskan coast and the Aleutian shores. You may have a problem finding a good
pair; the shoes were not bound to their mates.
This isn't the first time Nike has
lost a load of
shoes (
and
here). In fact, in just a little poking around, it seems that there is all
sorts of
flotsam drifting along the ocean currents.
posted by YohonTheLarge at 8:01 PM PST - 13 comments
Head Scan
is one of the strangest sites I've seen in some time. I have no idea how these people got their heads wedged into their scanners, or why.
posted by Stan Chin at 5:28 PM PST - 71 comments
Justice Department Seizes Top Internet Site Involved In Copyright Piracy
"The leading public Internet site dedicated to online copyright piracy was seized by the Justice Department today. Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff and Paul J. McNulty, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia today announced the seizure of www.iSONEWS.com as part of a previous plea agreement entered into by a defendant convicted of violating the criminal copyright laws." Law enforcement seizes computers everyday for one reason or another, but leaving the site up and displaying a rather finger-wagging message is a new one!
posted by quonsar at 4:34 PM PST - 36 comments
U.S. BUNKERS:
Life assurance, not life insurance. If you lack faith in duct tape and plastic sheeting, perhaps this is the solution for you.
posted by aladfar at 1:05 PM PST - 9 comments
Boneheads of the Year
- The year may only be just shy of two months old, but these two Massachusetts men have already wrapped up the award for 2003. Really, how dumb can TWO people be?
posted by MediaMan at 1:04 PM PST - 12 comments
Teachers Traumatizing Students of Deployed Soldiers
"WABI TV reported Friday that the Maine National Guard Family Assistance Center has received about 30 complaints from children of deployed soldiers concerning Principals, Teachers and Guidance Counselors reportedly demeaning the role of their deployed parent. Some children involved are 7 to 9 years of age." More inside...
posted by darian at 11:27 AM PST - 65 comments
Justice is served.
A career criminal, high on cocaine breaks into a bar that has been fitted with a security system that turns out to be lethal. The bar owner installed the system after the 3rd break in in the past month, and posted numerous signs outside warning of the danger. The criminal is electrocuted to death, and this being America, the widow of the bar's owner (who has passed away during the years of litigation over this issue) is forced to pay $75,000 to the family of the robber, who understandably need the money now that the breadwinner is no longer around to provide for them via a life of robbery.
posted by jonson at 10:19 AM PST - 129 comments
Agatha Christie and Archaeology.
'Many years ago, when I was once saying sadly to Max it was a pity I couldn't have taken up archaeology when I was a girl, so as to be more knowledgeable on the subject, he said, 'Don't you realize that at this moment you know more about prehistoric pottery than any woman in England?' [more inside]
posted by plep at 9:43 AM PST - 13 comments
It's official! Watching porn can make you a bad person.
So says the FBI. Get ready for the crackdown. "Pornography teaches ideas that validate aberrant behavior," according to detective Nate Gittins of the Madison County Sheriffs office.
The use of illicit materials is not exclusively related to sex crimes. It may also lead to other criminal activities, FBI officials say.
Oh my! What does this mean for us deviants?
posted by eas98 at 8:51 AM PST - 57 comments
BLUEDANIEL: DJ, jazz drummer, animator, and Blair Witch website designer Dan Karcher's webpage, a true gem, is particularly timely right now. Great site design, great Flash/MX, great music. (More inside.)
posted by Shane at 8:04 AM PST - 22 comments
How does one assure global stability in a world where there is only one strong power? John Perry Barlow (previously mentioned
here) thinks Dick Cheney has
the answer.
posted by ashbury at 6:05 AM PST - 54 comments
We know that the French take their food seriously, and restaurant ratings
are a BIG deal over there. But here's a sad illustration of that: famed chef
Bernard Loiseau was found dead yesterday of an apparent suicide, and speculation
centers around his downgraded rating from the influential GaultMillau guide. Shades of
Vatel?
posted by Vidiot at 5:38 AM PST - 17 comments
The thought of
Concorde services
ending saddens me ( possibly because
101 sits less than half a mile from my doorstep). It [with it'
s clone
Concordeski] was the only supersonic passenger jet to even make it to prototype status. Considering things like it's
massive fuel consumption, should we ditch the beast, find something else or go back to subsonics?
posted by twine42 at 4:47 AM PST - 16 comments
"It is with pleasure that I welcome you to the Website of the
Kyoto National Museum. We hope this site will open up the fascinating world of East Asian art to a broader audience than ever before possible."
[1]
posted by hama7 at 3:54 AM PST - 7 comments
Busker Dü:
You're short of money. You're not afraid to make a fool of yourself. You have no pride. You have a musical instrument to abuse. Well - that, apparently, is easy. At least if you're a Guardian journalist. But what else can a feller do these days to drum up that old "Buddy, Can You Spare A Dime?" spirit?
posted by Carlos Quevedo at 1:55 AM PST - 12 comments
model rocketry woes.
the article mentions a wyoming senator who wants to amend the bill, but the homeland security act is/would put the squeeze on model rocketry, as the fuel of some engines will/would be classified as an explosive.
whoa. wonder if the NHRA is gonna follow this. hate to see 'em stop the top fuelers.
posted by asparagus_berlin at 12:40 AM PST - 7 comments
February 25
"The study of feelings, once the province of psychology, is now spreading to history, literature, and other fields."
Scholarship on
the emotions is a rich field for historians and philosophers.
Martha Nussbaum (previously discussed
here) has written on historical views of the relationship between
morality and emotion, and delves more deeply into it in her recent book,
Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions. Of particular relevance these days may be M.F. Burnyeat's new book,
Restraining Rage: The Ideology of Anger Control in Classical Antiquity, which focuses on Classical views of anger and its proper place in human action. Many today could learn from
Marcus Aurelius: "as grief is a mark of weakness, so is anger, for both have been wounded and have surrendered to the wound." [First link via
Ye Olde Phart.]
posted by homunculus at 4:31 PM PST - 17 comments
Techno-cool cars
include a fingerprint access system that locks out thieves and a heartbeat detector that sniffs out left-behind infants and pets. In the worst casewhen a sensor detects a hostile life form, Star-Trek style, hiding in the carthe driver can hit a button that alerts the police. The truly paranoid, with access to a freewheeling aftermarket, might prefer to fit the button to an ejection seat.
[via WebMonkey]
posted by dg at 3:17 PM PST - 11 comments
Blair unveils global warming plan, says U.S. must do more
"We will continue to make the case to the U.S. and to others that climate change is a serious threat that we must address together as an international community," he said. "We in Britain have shown that it is possible to break the relationship between economic growth and ever-rising pollution." With the Bush administration relying so heavily on British support of its war plans, does Blair have some real leverage here to push for more progressive Bush policies on other issues?
posted by damn yankee at 1:47 PM PST - 30 comments
Emerging Storm Weblog
The
Gartner Group has put together a formidable weblog of sorts to discuss hot topics in workplace security, crises, and other happenings. The best part is that you can comment along with the "best" of the industry. check out the comments about Social Security. We knew blogging was mainstreaming, but this is a significant use of the application outside of the general media. I don't believe registration is required to view the weblog.
posted by djspicerack at 1:08 PM PST - 6 comments
Do you know these men?
Recently, the Saint Paul Police Department released a picture online of two suspects who are wanted for an unsolved aggrevated assault case which occurred in December. Nobody who was at the party knew the men. It's fascinating seeing police departments use the Net for modern-day wanted posters. Incidentally, the Saint Paul Police Department also runs the infamous
prositution arrest mugshots page.
posted by manero at 10:37 AM PST - 46 comments
Konono No. 1
"This band is one of the main exponents of a spectacular style of music which has developed in the suburbs of Kinshasa (DR Congo). The Congolese call it "tradi-modern", in other words: electrified traditional music. These are musicians who left the bush to settle in the capital and who, in order to go on keep fulfilling their social role and make themselves heard by the ancestors (and, more concretely, by their fellow citizens) despite the high level of urban noise, have had to resort to DIY amplification of their instruments, and to megaphones (conical speakers). This makeshift electrification has provoked a radical mutation of their sound, as it has introduced distortions which they have integrated to their style. [...] The band's line-up includes three electric likembés [thumb pianos] (bass, medium and treble), equipped with hand-made microphones built from magnets salvaged from old car parts, and plugged into amplifiers." Via
womanonfire.
posted by jokeefe at 10:18 AM PST - 16 comments
Know what time it is, Kidz?
It's U.S. Department of Justice Time!
On today's show, we'll learn why
Hacking is REAL BAD, and give you a chance to find out if you are a
good cybercitizen. Next, we'll meet
Axel, the talking drug dog, and his friends
the Bomb Dog Bunch! Then, we'll check in on the ATF, for some
cool science fair ideas.
And finally, just for you kids with crooks or international terrorists for parents, here's a nifty
PDF coloring book (
Native American version also available).
posted by eatitlive at 9:51 AM PST - 11 comments
America and England: Separated By Humor?
"This laughter gulf between two otherwise co-dependent cultures should not be thought surprising. The two most fundamental aspects of comedy are observation and speech rhythms and these are necessarily subject to local variation. The point has often been made that British jokes derive most often from class and puns, while US humour is rooted in gags." While talk show host Ruby Wax
claims "If your language consists of little more than guttural grunts and cherry pie, you can't be blamed for not getting it." Is it any wonder her
little show tanked so fast?
posted by owillis at 9:39 AM PST - 45 comments
The thinking man's MMOG
is now live and accepting subscriptions. Someone on mefi noticed this game in development
last July, but very little attention was given to it at that time. What has evolved in the game is an interesting social experiment, rather than your typical
hack and slash Massive Multiplayer game. Many have equated it to
Sims Online, but whereas that game appears to have failed to result in anything that doesn't smell of pig excrement, this title appears to have a soul. In fact, it's garnished its first
review since opening on Feb 15th (shameless self-linking).
posted by thanotopsis at 9:07 AM PST - 16 comments
In this exposé
a Wired News reporter easily gains access to some sensitive areas of the
Los Alamos National Lab, and brings back pictures to prove it. While certainly an embarrassment for a place throwing
workshops on homeland security (and doubly so because their seminars started today), is it wise for Wired News to post essentially a how-to guide on breaking into the lab where America's nuclear secrets reside?
posted by mathowie at 8:27 AM PST - 17 comments
Virtual march on Washington.
"On February 26th, in every Senate office and in the White House, the phones will be ringing off their hooks...Working together, we'll direct a steady stream of phone calls - about one per minute, all day...while at the same time delivering a constant stream of emails and faxes."
posted by gottabefunky at 7:51 AM PST - 52 comments
The troll gap
- Despite heroic American efforts such as the "Kick/nuke their ass and take the gas" troll, "Each year, the Institute for Comparative Troll Studies publishes a report on the state of trolling vis a vis national security of the United States. This year, the outlook is not good..."(via Kuro5hin)
posted by troutfishing at 7:42 AM PST - 19 comments
February 24
Take a piss.
Not the time for Munday Mash Mun, but I thought it was very entertaining. Post your scores here! And also, is it just me, or does your mouse control become a bit tweaked after playing a few rounds of that game?
posted by aznblader at 11:25 PM PST - 16 comments
Fast for George W. Bush.
"If you are willing to fast at least one day a month primarily for George W. Bush's holiness (and other areas, such as bipartisan work among the Democrats and Republicans, Wisdom in his work, wisdom for his cabinet, healing for our nation, etc. ... but primarily holiness) then we encourage you to sign up and join us [...] Our goal is to have 1,000 people fasting for the President each day. That will greatly encourage him and keep him accountable when the Evil One seeks to sidetrack him from his commitment to the Lord. "
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 10:08 PM PST - 92 comments
Those crazy PETA kids,
well, now they've gone and done it. They've admitted that being a vegan is punishment, by sending a letter to the NY Prison Commissioner telling him that "Feeding inmates exclusively vegan food sends a message to inmates and the public that our society isn't molly-coddling them..." Funny, funny PETA people, hoisted by their own celery stick, as it were. I'm guessing that being that anemic makes them a little short on irony.
posted by dejah420 at 10:07 PM PST - 32 comments
Gulf Bounty Is Drying Up in Southern India
For three decades, Indians have helped build and serve countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait reflecting a world where, for many families, making ends meet means living apart. Gulf rulers, wanting to counter what they saw as a demographic overload by Indians, [have] made them less welcome. (New York Times login req)
posted by turbanhead at 9:11 PM PST - 3 comments
Operation Pipe Dreams And Headhunter - retail smiley-face ceramic pipes are gone.
The DEA, maintaining its track record of ineffectual policies, programs, methods, procedures, and purpose has successfully brought an evil crime ring to its knees. No more will you have to worry about tobacco water pipe accessory related muder or hippy headshop related gang activity. In addition to striking fear in the hearts of college freshman and sophmores everywhere, I hope this spells the beginning of the end of those who would sell incense and tapestries to our children. OUR CHILDREN.
posted by jdaura at 6:12 PM PST - 54 comments
Bush wants
to deploy a new missile system - without testing it. Seems like a relatively bad idea, considering the numerous things that can do terribly awry with such a complex situation.
posted by tatochip at 3:59 PM PST - 40 comments
The great duct tape conspiracy? It seems that 46% of all duct tape is produced by the
Manco Company of Avon, Ohio. The company, a division on Henkel inc, was run by Jack Kahl until just after Bush's 2000 election. It turns out Mr. Kahl donated no less than $100,000 to GOP committees in the 2000 election cycle. Has Tom Ridge become the official spokesperson of all things duct tape purely out of his concerns for our
security here in the Homeland? Got
duct tape? via boingboing
posted by elwoodwiles at 2:23 PM PST - 30 comments
Although the haiku as meme has fallen on hard times here at MeFi, there are still some practioners lurking about in the wilderness, no doubt. If you still feel the urge to get freaky with the 5-7-5, and you think you've got what it takes, you might want to
try your hand at competitive haiku over at The Guardian, where quality haikuing will score you 20 lbs worth of Penguin Books. Damn, that's a lot of paperbacks!
posted by jonson at 12:56 PM PST - 30 comments
Strange is this little animal,
because of its exceptional and strange morphology
and because it closely resembles a bear en miniature.
-- So says one of the first men to behold
"water bears" or tardigrades as they are better known.
Resembling a large
gummy bear, or a bear
walking on its claws, but measuring in at no larger than a few 100 microns, the tardigrade occupies its own
phylum in the animal kingdom.
Cuteness aside, they are also known for their extraordinary abilities to
survive extreme conditions:
Tardigrades can survive the process of freezing or thawing, as well as changes in salinity, extreme vacuum pressure conditions, and a lack of oxygen.
posted by vacapinta at 12:40 PM PST - 17 comments
Korean pop group has "Seoul".
Covered in greasepaint and sticking their lips out in exaggerated fashion, Korean girl group, the
Bubble Sisters, sing and dance to teenybopper pop in
blackface. In homogenous countries, racism seems to play out differently than in diverse countries such as the United States. In Asia, putting on blackface may be seen as a way to pay homage to artists of African ethnicity, but in the U.S. it makes most people cringe and recoil in horror much like hearing someone say the "N" word. The Bubble Sisters profess a love for black music and seek to emulate it, but in
their Bubble Song video, the group wears blackface while lamenting they are ugly and praying to be pretty for their true loves.
Is this an earnest homage to African-American musicians, blatantly offensive Sambo-esque imagery or a cultural misinterpretation of flattery?
posted by VelvetHellvis at 12:00 PM PST - 53 comments
The Nigerian Scam Email
also known as the 419 scam, claims a death. People get scammed all the time, hopefully with less dire consequences. The FTC has a list of the
12 most common scams. Has anybody here been scammed lately (it happens to the best of us and most likely all of us, at one time or another)?
posted by ashbury at 11:51 AM PST - 17 comments
Modeling the Roman Army.
The author of this site uses CAD software to examine the mechanics and problems of manuevering large masses of men in ancient warfare. Good stuff for people interested in the subject.
posted by moonbiter at 10:48 AM PST - 9 comments
"With VinylVideo,
you can now transform your old record player and your TV set into a brand-new home movie medium - quickly, conveniently, and without complicated instruction manuals. With the revolutionary VinylVideo Picture Disks, for which numerous top-name artists have already produced exclusive works, you can now design your own TV viewing program featuring picture quality that is truly extraordinary." Hey hey that sounds useful! Maybe their next big idea is replacing DVDs with Viewmaster reels. Check out the
real audio informercial if you have the chacne.
posted by Stan Chin at 9:17 AM PST - 8 comments
What's with that tacky ass name?
A
coffee shop which opened in a rather prominent area of the city in which I reside has started a little controversy here. Turns out the shop's name has created a fair amount of controversy
elsewhere. How long until the f-word shows up in prominent signage across America? Meantime, what's the wildest or tackiest name for a business you've ever heard? Any ideas for potential businesses with "cuss" word-oriented names? Is there a possible trend in there somewhere?
posted by raysmj at 8:03 AM PST - 90 comments
Bush Cited Non-Existent eport
There was only one problem with President George W. Bush's
claim Thursday that the nation's top economists forecast substantial economic growth if Congress passed the president's tax cut: The forecast with that conclusion doesn't exist.
posted by orange swan at 7:19 AM PST - 82 comments
February 23
Synthetic Trees could purify the air
- "It looks like a goal post with Venetian blinds," said the Columbia University physicist...synthetic trees could help clean up an atmosphere grown heavy with carbon dioxide..."You can be a thousand times better than a living tree...There are a number of engineering issues which need to be worked out," he said. (BBC)
Hurry up, then -
"Ice dams are blocking Latvian ports, winds and storms are battering Europe, Portugal is freezing, Vietnam has lost one-third its rice crop, and the cold has caused close to 2,000 deaths in usually temperate South Asia."
posted by troutfishing at 9:00 PM PST - 18 comments
There's One In Every Family:
You know that uncle whose name can't be mentioned at table, without loud swallowing, dark looks and deathly silence ensuing? The shady New Orleans grandmother whose photographs have been hastily removed from the family album, though the red stain from one of her garters remains? Call them black sheep or family skeletons, the Internet keeps making it
easier and
easier to dig them up and out.
Outing your forebears and close family members has become an up and coming thing. In other words: I'll show you my black sheep if you show me yours.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 8:15 PM PST - 31 comments
Parts of Bible ruled hate speech in Canada.
Frankly, I've always found it odd how easily the gay and lesbian community lives with what can best be described as thinly-veiled death threats like in this ad.
"If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
posted by skallas at 7:17 PM PST - 34 comments
If you worship
SpongeBob Squarepants as much as I do, then you know that superb
voice talent is one of the things that makes this particular cartoon so wonderfully entertaining. But what you might not realize is just how much top-drawer showbiz talent the show's executive producer, Stephen Hillenburg, has assembled to bring his cast of wacky undersea characters to life: film actors like
Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs),
Ernest Borgnine (Mermaid Man), and
John Rhys-Davies (The Evil Man Ray), along with teevee legends
Tim Conway (Barnacle Boy) and
Charles Nelson Reilly (The Dirty Bubble). Who knows, maybe they'll they cast Gary Oldman in the role of Plankton for the
upcoming film?
posted by MrBaliHai at 6:57 PM PST - 13 comments
Just Party like it's 2060
According to some researchers, this will be the year sir Issac Newton predicted the world will come to an end, based on his Biblical interpretations. Like we didn't have enough depressing news already.
posted by betobeto at 6:26 PM PST - 19 comments
LOST LABOR: Images of Vanished American Workers 1900-1980
, a selection of 155 photographs by
Raymon Elozua.
Many of the images document factories and jobs that no longer exist. Whether it is a photograph of a laborer hauling a three foot block of ice at the York Ice Machinery Corporation, or one of a man carving a half hull model for the New York Shipbuilders Corporation, or others jiggering ceramic plates for the Mayer China Company, hand spraying a wicker baby carriage for the E.A. Whitney Carriage Company, or blocking a rim for the Knox Hat Company, all are examples of lost skill and crafts.
posted by jokeefe at 4:49 PM PST - 16 comments
Buried within the $397 billion spending bill passed last night [Feb. 13]
by Congress is a provision that would permit livestock producers to certify and label meat as "organic" even if the animals had been fed partly or entirely on conventional rather than organic grain. [from NYT] [more inside]
posted by MzB at 3:17 PM PST - 26 comments
Anti-Bush T-shirt banned at Michigan school
"DEARBORN, Michigan (AP) -- School officials ordered a 16-year-old student to either take off a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "International Terrorist" and a picture of President Bush and or go home, saying they worried it would inflame passions at the school where a majority of students are Arab-American. "
That amazes me. Heard the same thing with a canadian teenager wearing
this Tshirt of his favorite rock star, Matthew Good.
"Freedom of fashion?"...
posted by Sijeka at 2:18 PM PST - 43 comments
Did downsizing and inexperience lead to Columbia's destruction?
In the rush to cut costs and 'downsize' NASA in the 1990s the agency outsourced most Space Transportation System (STS, or the Shuttle) functions to a private consortium called United Space Alliance. Now, senior engineers at Boeing (lead member of the USA) are beginning to talk about the lack of experience, 'brain drain', and negative effects of downsizing and privatization. This begs the issue of market imperatives, relative value of privatization and the question of how to better manage projects of this magnitude in a mixed private/public arrangement.
posted by tgrundke at 8:30 AM PST - 3 comments
Make Love Not War - Again?
The anti-war movement has all the best slogans. And quite rightly too. Which doesn't mean they're not still rehashed, unimaginative and lame. "Don't attack Iraq"? "Make tea, not war"? Don't make me laugh. What's the best you've come across, if at all? And why are the hawks so lacking in the most basic sense of humor?
posted by Carlos Quevedo at 7:31 AM PST - 127 comments
The Republic of Cascadia.
"The former American states of Oregon and Washington and the former Canadian province of British Columbia must join together as a sovereign nation. Only then can we have self-determination and take our rightful place in the Global Community."
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:38 AM PST - 35 comments
February 22
Are Jazz And Gay Culture Antithetical?
When an American friend of mine told me recently that gay men hate jazz, although that's not my experience in my part of the world, it got me thinking. But the article I found, by Francis Davis, only added to the mystery. Is the audience for Jazz overwhelmingly and creepily white, bourgeois, straight, macho and middle-aged (
which, embarrassingly, just about describes this Jazz fan...)? If it is, why the hell is it? Why are there so few outed
gay Afro-American musicians, for instance? Is there still a "
Don't Ask, Don't Tell" mentality? Or, more interestingly, does it have something to do with Jazz itself? Or even being gay? And what about the other
musical stereotypes (Garland, Streisand et al.) used in caricatures of gay men? Is there anything in them? [
NYT reg. required for main link; atrocious text garbling in the second.]
posted by MiguelCardoso at 7:43 PM PST - 31 comments
Unmitigated gall.
The illegal aliens who got two hearts and two lungs for their daughter REFUSED to have any of her organs donated when it was clear she was brain-dead...
posted by MattD at 5:35 PM PST - 240 comments
Three giant cargo ships are being tracked by US and British intelligence on suspicion that they might be carrying Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. The ships have been sailing around the world's oceans for the past three months while maintaining radio silence in clear violation of international maritime law.
posted by stbalbach at 12:06 PM PST - 59 comments
"Killing Goliath: Life During Wartime":
New agit-prop weblog. Founder Tom Dolan writes:
I'm hoping killing Goliath can be a voice of sane lunacy in the midst of insane rationalism... I hope to provoke some thought, among ourselves, and among the modest (or just perhaps not so modest) circle of visitors we may reach. The web can be an amazing beast.Plus, Jennifer from
Sharpeworld is an editor.
Roar!!
posted by sparky at 10:46 AM PST - 10 comments
"I imagine this is the last we will hear of this."
Or not. NASA releases email between NASA engineers leading up to the Columbia disaster documenting significant concerns regarding damage done to the shuttle on takeoff. Engineers calculated the likelihood of a 7" x 30" gouge in the heat shields, but when they let management know of their concerns, they weren't taken seriously, were forced to work "at night" to do simulations, and found that requests for additional information were "treated like the plague."
posted by insomnia_lj at 8:22 AM PST - 33 comments
Subway franchise
"CBS) Plans for a Baghdad subway were used instead to build underground tunnels to hide Saddam Husseins weapons of mass destruction, says one of the Iraqi dictators former top scientists. Dr. Hussein Shahristani, once Iraqs top nuclear scientist, speaks to Steve Kroft for a 60 Minutes report to be broadcast " This Suday [note: title mine}
posted by Postroad at 5:31 AM PST - 12 comments
HULK SMASH!!! Now check out Hulk's wish list!!
In advance of his upcoming
summer movie, the Incredible Hulk has taken the time out of his busy smashing/crushing schedule to jump on the blog bandwagon. Note for the sarcasm impaired: Blog not actually written by The Incredible Hulk, who is, in fact, fictional.
posted by 
![London at night [1M jpg]](http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/images/EO/highres/ISS006/ISS006-E-22939.JPG){kind=link}
