Calling the collective wisdom of Making Light - help, please.
I have a friend who's become obsessed with the conspiracy theories of Alex Jones. It's quite a collection of crazy, and of course it's all wrapped up neatly in a package of "any evidence to the contrary is just what THEY want you to believe." Is there any way to make a chip in that armor?
I wouldn't care too much, except that this is the "get a gun and shoot the president" sort of crazy, and I really think she'd be better out of it. (Of course I think everyone would be better out of it, but maybe she's someone I can help.)
albatross @631 - Check archive.org for live Dead recordings, they've got bazillions. Although now I'm vaguely remembering some sort of copyright takedown thing that happened a couple years ago with it - I *think* it wound up with them keeping them all, or most of them, but can't check from here. (That's where I got all my bootlegs, but it's been awhile.)
Bill Higgins @632 - you know, I was trying to remember when I wrote that first post and honestly I have no idea. Probably some hair metal thing. (I did say the 80's were hard on all of us.)
I actually liked the Slate article, but only because it busted on Truckin', which was the theme song for my high school class, and yes I'm still bitter*.
Probably I don't need to elaborate that I didn't like any of the people who voted for it; in fact, that's why for almost a decade I thought I didn't like the Grateful Dead (well, that and "Touch of Gray" - the 80's were hard on all of us). Obviously any band that was liked by people I disliked so strongly couldn't be any good. And then I finally listened to one of their albums and went, wait, what? I've been depriving myself of what all this time? Gah!
So I have a favorite Dead song, but it wasn't on the list. And now that we've all been talking about it, I'm going to go put it on and do a bunch of tedious stuff that needs to be done.
*Not actually still bitter.
Michael Roberts @ 58 - equal and opposite negative charge on the envelope to keep birds from sticking to your dirigible...
Ok, now this image is going to be randomly popping into my head and making me giggle for the rest of the week. Hee!
That's really cool - just this morning I read that the gov. hadn't decided if he'd sign it or not.
(I think I read that the voters can still do some sort of referendum to remove the law from the books - actual Maine...inites? can correct me if I'm wrong. And perhaps speculate on the likelihood of that happening.)
DC probably won't be far behind, but they've got that Congress thing to worry about. Still, probably good, because it either pushes the SSM debate to the national level or heightens the inequality of DC voting rights, or both. And eventually it passes anway.
VA still has a pretty far way to go, but my mom's gotten irritated enough by the "defense of marriage" people to start campaigning for SSM in MD. (As she keeps saying, "if you're not the one getting married, why do you care?") I don't think she even knows anyone who's gay; she just thinks the DoM people are stupid.
Terry @ 49 - You're right - I think I was conflating several of the tests.
Also:
That sloppy is part of why it works. They are doing science. They are showing how science is done. They have a question. They design an experiment, they test the results... The method is the crucial thing, and they are making the method obvious to a lot of people.
This is why MythBusters is the one show my daughter's allowed to watch as much of as she wants. (We don't have cable, but both grammas LOVE to let her watch tv, and she loves MythBusters - everyone's happy!)
The other really important thing is that they're willing to go back and reinvestigate when someone points out some factor they should have considered. Two valuable messages for the price of one: a) always be willing to consider new data and b) science isn't static. (And for my wee perfectionist, we've also got c: you don't have to know the answer before you start - that's what research and experimentation are FOR.)
Check-splitting: If you don't, then nobody calculates their share of the tax and the "tip" winds up being something like 2%, if you even manage to collect more than $180 for a $200 tab.
My favorite restaurant recently upgraded their POS thingy, so now it's really easy for them to split checks after the fact. Since I usually wind up being the one to put in $50 on a $15 bill (I don't drink, and after a few rounds none of my drinking friends understands why they need to put in more than $10 for a $10.95 entree), I really appreciate it. Of course, I'd prefer to be able to just pay for everyone, but I don't see that kind of income in my future any time soon.
John Houghton @20 - Mythbusters did that one! (Answer: if they'd painted on enough of the stuff to actually react, the ship would have been too heavy to lift off.)
But they did burn up a lovely model of the Hindenburg that *was* covered with whatever that one researcher said it was. Very impressive. I recommend searching for it on YouTube.
Hey, ePodunk has a "submit your photos" link. Get submittin'!
(Personally, I'm just psyched because my favorite place in the whole world to photograph is Luling, TX, which is listed on the site but photoless. I have one series that I've been doing every Thanksgiving for... I dunno, nearly 10 years? I think this year will be the 10th. Not that they'd want that particular set, but it reminds me that I can go back and play with organizing them, which will be fun.)
albatross @ 203 - Rockville HS in MD is closed today due to a flu case. No word on when it'll reopen.
Not where I went to HS, but where a large number of my friends and all of my family went. Makes me really wish I were still in school, because I could really use a few days off. Even better than a snow day!
Dave Bell @819/820 - a couple of years ago, I decided that my "if I win the lottery" dream was to open a coffee shop that had a POD press in the back - buy a fancy espresso drink and a copy of a book and get 'em at about the same time. (Although back then it was I think 15-30 minutes to print and bind an entire book, so either the technology's improved or they're using a fancier machine than I was looking at. Probably both. Woah - definitely both, now that I see the price of their machine.)
I don't think it'd ever make money, but it would be fun. And I'm glad to see it's actually being done, even if they're not selling fancy beverages to go along with their literature.
I'm not a stickler for authenticity, obviously. But I'll be happy to call it "white wine citrus punch" if it makes folks feel better. (Much like my beloved "Christmas Cake with Fruit" - which actually is an old fruitcake recipe, from way back when they actually used fruit and not weird fluorescent gummy bits.)
(I *do* draw the line well before the bar that was selling "mojitos" that consisted of creme de menthe and Dr. Pepper, though.)
lightning @ 19 - Sangria was invented as a way of making *really bad* wine palatable. The worse the wine (especially if it's bitter), the better the sangria.
That makes a lot of sense. I've always found Glühwein works the same way - use a good wine, get a crappy product, use $2 wine, it's delicious.
And I just happen to be making Sangria Blanco for a gathering this weekend. Don't try to stop me! I've got white wine and citrus fruits, and I'm not afraid to use them!
All those dog names and nobody's said "Lassie"? Pretty much every collie I've ever met has been named that, and I don't think I've ever known a person who was.
In completely unrelated news, I had what I think is a very encouraging experience yesterday and thought people here would appreciate it. I go to a regular Thursday-night gaming group - insert your mental image of a stereotypical middle-aged gaming group, and you've got the cast of characters pretty much down.
I walk in to the middle of a... conversation? Discussion? Argument? Bunch of guys talking about torture at the top of their lungs, not really listening to each other. The libertarian cowboy is all in favor of it (and doesn't actually know what waterboarding is, which - what? How can you not know what this word means today?) The Overthinker is spouting all sorts of pseudo-philosophical rationalizations. The Joker is trying to keep things light (but, um, torture's not light, seriously.) I am VERY UNCOMFORTABLE, but don't really know where to begin.
Luckily, Navy Dave walks in shortly after me. He quickly assesses the situation and in about two minutes, shuts it down. Yes, torture is always wrong. No, there's no excuse for it. The fact that our government has trained professional torturers is utterly shameful. "But what if--?" "No, wrong." It was truly a thing of beauty to watch him work. And he *has* done the SERE training, so nobody was left with a leg to stand on.
It made me feel warm and fuzzy towards our uniformed servicefolks, which is - well, kinda unusual. But in a good way.
Marilee @89 - Funny, I was going to link that saying that I agreed with her. It's easy to misread the article if you go in thinking it's going to say "Bow down to FASHION or be condemned to the FIERY PITS OF HELL", but it really doesn't. She points out that there's nothing wrong with looking polished, and there are miles of difference between "polished" and "nipped, tucked, botoxed and plumped into near inhumanity". And that Boyle should get a makeover if she wants - not that she *must* get one.
I do agree that saying "You don't look your best" is mean. But saying "you can't change your look because I need you to be a symbol of Everywoman Triumphing Over Adversity" isn't particularly kind either.
(Also, this makes twice in two days that I've defended makeovers on this site, which is... well, would be really funny if you'd ever met me. Might as well link to the Stacy London interview on the Post and make it a trifecta.)
Quick name-that-story question...
Guy on a date bravely gets run through by random mugger-guy with sword. Girl on date distraught, until set straight - he wasn't being heroic, he was a literary critic who refused to accept a world with both laser weapons and swords.
Might have been a Spider Robinson short? Any help is much appreciated.
362, 363: I like What Not to Wear, specifically because it's not humiliation-based. And they really do work with the people on the show to find things that fit their style - either toning it down or spicing it up as necessary, but they don't just put everyone in a one-size-fits-all "THIS IS FASHION" look. Sure, they spend a ridiculous amount, but it's a TV show - that's its job. You can (I try to) take the ideas they promote and apply them to reasonably-priced clothes, too.
Xopher @ 364 - the two Hummer drivers I see around here regularly are both women. Got to keep the kiddos safe, after all - driving on those mean suburban streets, you never know when you'll have to jump a curb & start driving through people's lawns.
Reading accents: I have a tiny NPR staff in my head to read the newspaper to me. ANY movie review (even ones written by women) gets read in Bob Mandello's voice. ANYTHING about legal decisions, Nina Totenberg. Italy, Sylvia Pojoli. (The tiny Sylvia-simulacrum I carry around also read the whole Berlusconi thread here to me.) There's also a generic Indian guy who reads any quotes from Indian officials in the paper, but not the surrounding stories.
Why? No clue. I realized it a couple years ago, and it's only been getting stronger since then. (The Nina Totenberg was first, and is especially pushy. But somehow, reading court decisions in her voice magically makes them easier for me to understand, so I guess that's ok.)
Otherwise, it's my own voice that reads to me. Somehow I manage to translate all other accents into US-equivalents. (You know, like how anime often has its "hick" characters speak with a Southern accent/dialect when it's translated into English? Yeah, I do that with Granny Weatherwax. I know it's wrong, but there you go.)
I had some thoughts about QueryFail, but I decided I should go read it myself before deciding anything.
The #1 thing I learned is that Twitter is much, much worse than I had ever imagined. Reading this is like being in an AOL chatroom with five hundred tweens awaiting the arrival of the latest boyband heartthrob. The sheer weight of "Look at what QueryFail is! We're going to post the term 'fictional novel' five dozen times! LOL! What's QueryFail? QueryFail is going on! LOL @ QueryFail!" made my head explode. I couldn't actually see anything useful being posted. ("Don't be crazy" isn't at all useful, and seems to be what 99% of the "advice" boils down to. Crazy people won't listen, and non-crazy people don't need to.) Any single entry on Miss Snark's blog would be more valuable to the aspiring query-writer than reading this.
So it looks to me like a steam-blowing exercise, which is fine, but not necessary to make a big fuss about in public. Sure, everyone does it (hang out with nurses sometime), but there's no need to pretend it's somehow noble or educational. Yuk.
(In case anyone's curious, my pre-actually-reading-it position was "well, it's never ok to demand someone not take offense at what you've said/done, but I don't think this is a bad thing.")
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