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What is the deal with Texas hold'em??? Texas Hold'em (in the U.S.) has become the poker players crack. Its OK, but not that fun for me, and I don't understand what has caused this huge craze sweeping the nation. Poker Chips are in definately in demand... 1 In 10 Kids Will Become Compulsive Gamblers so Do Your Kids Know When To Fold'em? at least there is some texas hold'em charity work aiding victims for the holidays
posted by clubmedia at 11:46 PM PST - 52 comments

Just Say No To Drug Stores. As we've previously discussed, drug companies aggressively market to doctors and consumers. In September, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse sued supermarket chain Albertsons for allegedly violating consumer rights by being paid to promote the products of pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca with calls and letters based on personal prescription history. If you've been pitched by your drugstore, the PRC would like to know (confidentially, of course).
posted by melissa may at 10:26 PM PST - 3 comments

Skeletal structures of cartoon characters, past and present.
posted by borkingchikapa at 10:13 PM PST - 12 comments

The folks who hacked Amazon, Ebay, Google, Linux and TiVo have now Hacked Your Head. Yup, it's an O'Reilly book (no, not THAT O'Reilly Hack). 8 of the 100 Hacks are online, including the Elevator Button Analogy (pdf format). And they've got a blog, with some extra hackery. Free your mind. Forcibly, if needed.
via GleepGlop
posted by wendell at 10:07 PM PST - 35 comments

Yikes! In light of approaching finals do you find yourself excogitating WTHHIBD (what the hell have I been doing) over and over, and wondering if your lost time may have been due to circumstances beyond your control? While the vindicating qualities (obviously you would have been more productive if you hadn't been somebody else's science experiment) of this alibi are usually ephemeral, it is still curious to think is all this talk of sightings/abductions/misplaced keys just a hoax, an elaborate cover up, or some yin yang amalgamation of the two? Is the mystery surrounding Area 51 nothing more than conspiracy, (even if well positioned)? To what extent are we inexorably skeptical or prepared to sort through the overflowing, spooky coffers of galactic mystery?
posted by superposition at 9:41 PM PST - 6 comments

Santas Gone Wild Imagine a flashmob. Now imagine a flashmob that is nothing but Santas. Once a year, for 10 years now, a bunch of crazies dress up like Santa Claus, frolic around major cities (like NYC, good text summary of what SantaCon is all about to be found here) and cause merry mischief.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:03 PM PST - 20 comments

A metaphor for the next four years? Apologies in advance, as this post might be better kept afloat at Fark, but one can't help think this it is a more represenative sign. After a mishap like this can you blame the dems?
posted by damclean2 at 8:50 PM PST - 19 comments

The Names of Ancient Cities Still Stir the Imagination. While the City of 333 Genies has almost vanished in the sands and the Mirror of the World is tarnished with age, the City of Men's Desire abides. In 1000 years, will the Big Apple be as vital as the Eternal City or as forgotten as the City of Venerated Houses?
posted by blahblahblah at 8:48 PM PST - 10 comments

The end of an era confirmed. IBM sells its PC business to China's Lenovo. Is a future Apple partnership in the works?
posted by xammerboy at 7:49 PM PST - 16 comments

Have a good day Ms. Beyer! "Before you are rude to another telemarketer, you should keep in mind that he or she has your phone number and your address." Texas Telemarketer sends a threatening letter to a hanger-upper.
posted by wfrgms at 7:34 PM PST - 39 comments

I've developed an obsession of sorts with old cameras. You should too. Digital was cool for a while, but there is something about film. Now, I'm not saying run out and get a Lomo. Lomos are for lamers. No, get yourself a Kiev 35, the poor man's Minox, or perhaps an Olympux XA. Can't find batteries for your old cameras? You're not looking hard enough. Want to hold something a bit more substational? Perhaps you should check out a Yashica Rangefinder or a Canon Canonet. A good rangefinder will make you look like better photographer, and that's what it is all about.
posted by chunking express at 7:27 PM PST - 54 comments

Check out the stuff WE gave Saddam... In light of the recent news about the prosecution for supplying Saddam w/ WMDs, I was reminded of the Senate report that revealed what we were giving him at the same time. Scroll down to the "U.S. Exports of Biological Materials to Iraq" section. SCARY STUFF!!! - Bacillus Anthracis - Clostridium Botulinum - Brucella Melitensis... Check it out! We even sent him West Nile Fever Virus in 1985.
posted by samlam at 6:26 PM PST - 15 comments

7 Lightbulbs, 3 Flashlights, and 1 Kangaroo Tumor - A database (of sorts) of objects that have found themselves lodged in rectums. (probably SFW)
posted by mervin_shnegwood at 6:09 PM PST - 17 comments

Why hast thou forsaken me !?... Every once and a while I ponder why i don't believe in religion... then something like this comes along and reminds me exactly why.
posted by meowchow at 5:48 PM PST - 36 comments

"Students in tax-supported schools are being taught that evolution is a fact. We are convinced that evolution is a religion masquerading as science and should not be part of any science curriculum." Dr. Kent Hovind is offering $250,000 to anyone who can prove evolution. Dr. Hovind is also known for his 17-hour award-winning seminar series. While you're there, you can buy all sorts of goodies like fossil replicas! And if that's not enough, there's a great FAQ. [MI]
posted by exlotuseater at 5:28 PM PST - 85 comments

String Theory Turns 20 - first posited in 1984 as an explanation for the strong force, String Theory turns 20 this year. While some physicists celebrate, others are concerned that string theory isn't coming close to being a theory of everything as many had hoped. While it does reconcile quantum mechanics with Special Relativity, there is currently no mathematical proof for String Theory. Even more troubling, rather than providing one solid explanation for the universe, the many dimensions of string theory offer 10^100 different possible results.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 5:22 PM PST - 25 comments

Thunderbird 1.0 out My faverit mail client!
posted by k7lim at 3:34 PM PST - 50 comments

Slint to reunite for tour dates! First it was the Pixies and Sebadoh. Now, following announcements of their plan to curate a few ATP dates, Slint is promising 15 additional tour dates in 2005. Arguably the most most influential band your brother never heard of, probably among the handful of groups that formed the bedrock of 90's underground music, and certainly the progenitors of the Louisville-Chicago sound, they're back to post-rock your ass to oblivion! [via Pitchfork]
posted by drpynchon at 3:10 PM PST - 35 comments

Site Bars Black Box Voting Head "A politically progressive website at the forefront of discussions about electronic-voting machines and election irregularities is barring Black Box Voting founder Bev Harris from posting to its site. In a written statement, site administrators said that they barred Bev Harris because her postings on the site 'have made positive discussion of verified voting increasingly difficult.' .... 'We no longer believe that it is productive to allow her to use DU as a platform to promote herself while simultaneously trashing us, our moderators and others who have been previously supportive of her cause,' site administrators wrote in the statement."
posted by ericb at 2:32 PM PST - 23 comments

Reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, perhaps the most draconian in the nation, is being seriously debated right now on the floor of the New York State Senate. By the magic of the internets, you can watch this historic event happen, live.
posted by palegirl at 2:15 PM PST - 12 comments

Manolo's Shoe Blog. Because every once in a while, you need something where the sole political content consists of commentary on Bush in a poncho.
posted by pxe2000 at 2:03 PM PST - 12 comments

Cell Phone users beware Dec 15th 2004 is the deadline According to the National Do Not Call List, you have until Dec. 15th 2004 to get on the national "Do not call list" for cell phones. They said that you need to call 1-888-382-1222 from the cell phone that you wish to have put on the "do not call list" to be put on the list. They also said you can do it online. Registering only takes a minute, is in effect for 5 years and will possibly save you money (definitely frustration)! Make sure you register now!
posted by Gooney at 1:23 PM PST - 38 comments

Carnivore. Webcam. Sniffing.
posted by modernsquid at 1:21 PM PST - 12 comments

Blackadder goes forth. Criticising religion is a "fundamental freedom of society", a leading international comedian affirmed last night, as he headed a coalition opposing measures to outlaw the incitement of religious hatred. Rowan Atkinson, the star of Blackadder, gave an impassioned defence of the right to lampoon religion as he joined Tory, Lib Dem, and Labour backbenchers, lawyers, and academics opposed to part of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill - which today gets its second reading. There was, he said, a fundamental difference between race - already covered by legislation - and religion. [more inside]
posted by psmealey at 12:39 PM PST - 41 comments

Hanzi Smatter ???? Dedicated to the misuse of Chinese characters (Hanzi or Kanji) in Western culture... The problem is NOT that people are getting characters tattooed on them; it's that people who don't understand the characters are getting characters tattooed on them by other people who don't understand the characters. It is the equivalent of the “blind leading the blind”.
posted by Ljubljana at 12:28 PM PST - 24 comments

I avoided these like the plague as a kid, sifting through stacks of old comics at my uncle's antique store. Now I kinda dig the bland-yet-breathless Lichtenstein quality of these old romance comics. Brought to you by the stellar Heck's Kitchen and a spectacular English teacher (mentioned on Kitchen's front page)
posted by chinese_fashion at 11:45 AM PST - 5 comments

Sex education from the BBC, flash-style. Willy Wonky and Funny Flaps.
posted by Mwongozi at 11:35 AM PST - 22 comments

4Sale. 2002 Recreation Vehicle. 40,000 miles. $400,000.
posted by stbalbach at 11:22 AM PST - 29 comments

An Pre-Emptive Interview With Director Chris Weitz. "On the surface of it, as a fan of the books I would be terrified if I read that I was going to adapt [The His Dark Materials Trilogy]. Let me try to put at ease anybody who is of a mind to be convinced at all..."

(Could be considered a follow-up to this post from 2002.)
posted by grabbingsand at 11:16 AM PST - 33 comments

Today I would like to share with you some personal experiences in my encounter with Arab satellites both as a contributor to their programs, as their victim sometimes, and also hopefully sometimes as their interlocutor. Let me say a few words--a background--about why Arab satellites have done probably for the Arab world more than any organized critical movement could have done, in opening up the public space, in giving Arab citizens a newly found opportunity to assert themselves.   Thoughts on Arab Satellite Television, Pan-Arabism, and Freedom of Expression By Saad Eddin Ibrahim, from the very interesting Fall/Winter Edition of Transnational Broadcasting Studies Journal--Covering Satellite Television in the Arab and Islamic Worlds--both via the very interesting Abu Aardvark.
posted by y2karl at 11:02 AM PST - 2 comments

"White Muslim." Converting to which Islam? Most of the new Muslims I read about in the usual media feel impelled to join the "orthodox" Sunni (if not outright Wahhabi) variety, as if there is no other. But, as many of you no doubt already know, a non-negligible minority of the world's Muslims are Shi'ite, whose biggest "Twelver" branch was made famous by this Ayatollah. To further refute the image of "monolithic" Islam,within the Shia minority are a minority known as "Seveners" or Ismailis , whose biggest branch is run by this gentleman , whose conception of Islam as "a thinking, spiritual faith, one that teaches compassion and tolerance" seems more congenial to the self-selected strata inclined to, oh, post to MetaFilter, perhaps especially to "Secular Humanist" atheists like me. (I'll bet some of you can even relate to his divorce.) Further reading from these links (perhaps with Google's help) should further belie much of the dumbed-down propaganda "mainstream" Americans are spoon-fed about Islam, showing the kaleidoscopic nature of one of today's One True Faiths. (And then there are the almost Zen-like Sufis, and ....)
posted by davy at 11:01 AM PST - 58 comments

Micro-penis sufferers, rejoice!
posted by digaman at 10:46 AM PST - 50 comments

Georges Bataille. Librarian, surrealist, archivist, writer of works on subjects ranging from economics to the erotic. Father of the notion of transgression as a positive force. Frequently name checked and sometimes very confusing. And at this festive time of year, we may also remember his ideas on the gift.
posted by stinkycheese at 10:34 AM PST - 6 comments

Greensboro, NC, a relatively progressive southern city, is not without it’s own skeletons.

“On Nov. 3, 1979, Klansmen and Nazis pulled rifles and pistols from the trunks of their cars and opened fire on a group of anti-Ku Klux Klan marchers in the Morningside Homes neighborhood of Greensboro, N.C. Five of the demonstrators were killed by the bullets and several others were injured. The victims had close ties with the local Communist Worker’s Party..”

The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Project, the first of it’s kind in the United States, using the concept of restorative justice, “seeks to heal relations between opposing sides by uncovering all pertinent facts, distinguishing truth from lies, and allowing for acknowledgement, appropriate public mourning, forgiveness and healing.” ( a little more inside)
posted by lyam at 10:27 AM PST - 34 comments

Monster Farming: The Creepy Solution to the Stem Cell Debate. MSN Slate's William Saletan: "The good news is that we may have figured out how to solve the moral problem that's been holding up stem-cell research. The bad news is that the solution will introduce a whole new kind of horror."
posted by neckro23 at 9:33 AM PST - 33 comments

Eliot Spitzer to Run for Governor of New York.
posted by malaprohibita at 9:06 AM PST - 39 comments

Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life Seeing the solar system with a couple of philosophical robots. Beautiful web comic.
posted by rustcellar at 8:48 AM PST - 12 comments

It's that time of year again. I don't think Pearl Harbor Day is that important to most people anymore, but it was always an important part of December in my family.
posted by Captaintripps at 8:19 AM PST - 38 comments

Place the State. How well do you know the fly over states?
posted by jonah at 8:18 AM PST - 103 comments

The Hit we Almost Missed Shaun Considine, an employee of Columbia Records in Sxities, recounts how close Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" came to being lost to obscurity. (NY Times)
posted by Tullius at 8:03 AM PST - 12 comments

A Clown Ministry Christmas. With the ever-present crush of Yuletide commercialism, perhaps this can help you remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. More generalized Clown Ministry skits can be found here.
posted by Swampjazz! at 7:45 AM PST - 10 comments

SA VIGNAC. Welcome to the world of Raymond Savignac, the greatest poster artist of all time, and inventor of the little Bic man. Joyous, naughty, simple, elegant, and beautiful.
posted by Sticherbeast at 7:42 AM PST - 4 comments

Looking for a career change? (NSFW)
posted by E_B_A at 7:01 AM PST - 14 comments

We conclude that the study is entirely without merit and its “results” are meaningless. Remember Florida and those electronic voting machines? Remember those plucky Berkeley grad students who proved something was wrong with the evoting counties? It turns out they were completely wrong.
posted by allan at 6:59 AM PST - 29 comments

Finally, a collaborative audioblog devoted to drunken shoutouts.
posted by Tlogmer at 3:41 AM PST - 9 comments

Think you've got a problem? Then discover how you should pick your nose with a fish fork. Some guys really don't get all the luck. Not when they bleed to death from eating blueberries.
posted by Cancergiggles at 2:29 AM PST - 23 comments

Leaderless resistance today. An essay by Simson Garfinkel -- on network analysis and headless chickens. This seems a little odd to me, what we call al-qaeda could fit in with a leaderless resistance model.
posted by gsb at 12:57 AM PST - 12 comments