The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by Avram:

The first time I ever saw a Utili-Key (or something similar; might not have been that exact brand) was over a decade ago at a regular hardware store.

When we flew to Denver last year we didn't want to have to check luggage, so I left my Leatherman at home. I carry a credit card-sized multi-tool in my wallet. Since my wallet has a chain, I had to take it off and run it through the x-ray machine; apparently the card-tool's x-ray silhouette didn't look weaponish.

I think most of these devices aren't so much for your inner ninja as for the person who finds it useful to carry a multi-tool, but doesn't want to clutter up their pockets or belt, or keep track of yet another loose item.

Miriam @44: i don't think jones ever took on the dracula mythos

I guess you haven't seen "Transylvania 6-5000".

Frank Miller used to say that Metropolis was NYC during the day, and Gotham was NYC at night.

Years ago, when I was running an RPG that combined the Marvel, DC, and various other fictional universes, I decided that Metropolis and Gotham were neighborhoods in NYC. The former was in midtown Manhattan, the latter somewhere in Brooklyn.

At King Con Brooklyn the other week, there was a panel discussing the early days of Batman. One of the panelists pointed out that Superman started out as a hero of the proletariat, who fought against slumlords, corrupt politicians, and other forms of systematized injustice. Later on he became a defender of normal society against super-villains, and thereby a supporter of the ruling class. Batman, similarly, started out as a vigilante, and later became an ally of the police.

PJ Evans @924, according to the article I linked to, Cardinal Egan had spoken to him beforehand. Not that Giuliani ever expects anyone else's rules to apply to him.

That's why I pointed out that I have no idea what the procedure is for cases where someone who isn't supposed to receive communion gets into the line anyway. Is the priest supposed to skip over them or turn them away? Or is he supposed to give it out anyway?

I can imagine a priest not wanting to cause a scene at a big, important ceremony. And I can imagine Giuliani recognizing and deliberately taking advantage of that social pressure.

PJ Evans @921, if you're referring to Giuliani's receiving communion during Pope Benny's visit last year, there has been comment from the Archbishop of NY, although Cardinal Egan described the prohibition as due to Giuliani's support for abortion rights.

Egan's language also describes this as something wrong that Giuliani has done, not a wrong done by the priest that gave Rudy the eucharist. I have no idea how this thing is supposed to work, who's supposed to be responsible for following this rule. I don't imagine priests have a row of photos taped up, like stores do with people who've tried to pass bad checks.

Representative Pelosi and Senators Kerry, Kennedy, and Dodd all also received communion during the papal visit.

TNH @30, if I were having a stroke on top of recovering from an earlier one, I'd be pretty angry too.

Goddamn.

And just two years earlier, then-president Ronald Reagan had gone to Berlin and shouted Pink Floyd lyrics at the Brandenburg Gate. "Mister Gorbachev, leave those kids alone!"

Earl @546, but I've seen some aggressive complaining about spoilage too. I once had someone complain (not on his own behalf, since he'd seen the film) about my talking (in a Usenet group) about a particular film's title and opening credits, even though he had himself just described some actual plot developments.

Demanding that other people warp their conversations for your convenience could be considered a form of aggression as well.

Earl @532: The aggressor who offends by blurting out a spoiler

"Aggressor"? "Victim"? Seriously? Discussing a story out loud is an act of aggression? Overhearing a discussion of a book one hasn't read yet makes one a victim?

Zander @4, when I read Frankenstein, I came away with pretty much the same idea of its theme as you did. (I saw it specifically as about child-rearing, and the importance of doing it right.)

From what I understand, the 1931 film emphasized the technology-out-of-control aspect, and that's influenced many peoples' readings of the novel.

I'm shutting this thread down for the night.

I posted my #113 before I saw Jim's #112. I don't want anyone to think I'm just trying to get the last word in.

Michael Roberts @106: Jim's specific usage may be inappropriate given the audience

Yeah, that right there. Anne Coulter doesn't post here, doesn't read here. Jim blurted out an offensive violent fantasy in a thread where Coulter hadn't previously (except for one peripheral mention) been the topic, to no effect but offending some of the locals.

And as far as that Franken/O'Reilly example goes, you'll notice that Franken didn't respond with a lurid description of how he'd beat O'Reilly up.

Jim @97, no need to limit yourself with "or" -- I'm sure Coulter is both a hypocrite and a coward. Probably some even worse things too. So what?

And the person fantasizing about beating people up is, in fact, both of you.

Jim @93, the thing is, I'm pretty damn sure Coulter is not actually planning to assault you with a bat. So what it looks like you're doing is fantasizing about beating a woman up and sodomizing her with a bat (and that latter part is pretty hard to portray as self-defense, unless you're a cop and Rudy Giuliani is the mayor).

And it sort of comes out of nowhere, since there hadn't been any earlier talk in the thread about physical assault, and only one mention of Coulter. It reads like this fantasy you've got is something you're carrying around with you, y'know? Like you're dwelling on it, and it just bubbles to the surface whenever anyone mentions her name. It's a bit creepy. And it's the sort of macho, blustery posturing that Teresa used to mock Mark Atwood for spouting on RASEFF back in the day.

TNH @71, Orrin Hatch agrees with Patrick about Republican objections to health care reform.

Jim @74, dude, WTF brought that on?

Patrick, surely you cannot believe that such base tactics as harsh rhetoric are justified for ends so trifling as the saving of thousands of lives!

Xopher @290: and the person I'm arguing with is an insect

An insect? I'm guessing that would be archy the super-roach, who gained the power of human typing after being bitten by a radioactive human being. His one weakness, as I recall, was the Shift key.

Epacris @329, like most things dismissed as "political correctness", this is an accuracy and dignity issue.

Abi @267, you're right about cultural variation. My first thought was "Jeez, eye contact? Isn't that a bit intimate for random strangers in a store?"

I just checked with Chris, and she backs me up: "People move to New York to avoid eye contact!"

Actually, I'm more social than Chris is. I occasionally make eye contact and smile at people I'm passing on my block. I even know the names of everyone living on the same floor of our building.

Evan @210: I thought that the point of stores was, you know, to make money. Which you do by acknowledging the existence of your customers.

Well, sort of. The point of stores is, yes, to make money for their owners. Maybe if the owners were out there in the aisles, things would be different.

I've worked retail, and one thing I learned is that not everyone who walks into the store is a customer. When I was working as a typesetter and graphic designer in a print and copy shop, it wasn't unheard of for people to ask me to type stuff up for free, or let them make free copies. Or try to sell me something, or preach their religion at me, or ask me for money.

Comment statistics for Avram on the Making Light blog

Total: 1233 comments. View all these comments on a single page. (May take quite a while to load.)