February 21, 2004
All I Can See Is A Parking Lot
Big Box Juggernauts are taking control of the landscape across North America. How does it impact how we live, and where we live? [Flash]
OSHA to whistleblowers: bankers' hours only
OSHA to whistleblowers: bankers' hours only - Why would part of OSHA's Inspection Database restrict public access to 8 am to 6 pm est, M-F? Confined Space, a workplace health & safety and labor blog, reports on this odd phenomena here and here. OSHA claims that this is to "manage the costs of providing public access to this data." Huh? Can anyone tell me how that would work? I can't ask OSHA since they apparently disable their feedback mechanism on weekends too.
Straight Plan for the Gay Man
Is turnabout fair play?
On Monday Comedy Central will permire it's new show Straight Plan for the Gay Man, a parody of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. The so-called "Flab Four" will:
On Monday Comedy Central will permire it's new show Straight Plan for the Gay Man, a parody of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. The so-called "Flab Four" will:
[M]akeover a new gay friend and give him a crash course on the secrets of straight male life -- like hitting on chicks, playing basketball or working a blue-collar job.The Advocate describes it as "inane" and "borderline offensive" as though it seems its' "sole purpose is to rag on gay men."
Out of the Shadows
Out of the shadows. John Cassavetes' dumped and reshot much of the first version of his film 'Shadows'. Critics who were able to compare it to the second 'more Hollywood' version thought it was a very bad mistake, that by censoring the original he was depriving the world of the modern classic and something which could have influenced film makers for years. It disappeared into legend. There was only one surviving print and Cassavetes himself didn't even know where that went. Ray Carney spent decades obessively searching for it, even though he suspected it to be an impossible task. Then he heard that someone might have left it in a box in a subway in the 60s because it wasn't the porn film they had been expecting ...
Orkut + Netflix = Mediachest
Newsflash: actually useful social-software site. There are many, many (etc., etc.,) sites that have sprung up to represent networks of friends (and friends of friends) on the web. But so what? There's no compelling reason to create or keep these profiles; there's nothing in it for you (just lots of work). But I've stumbled across Mediachest (screenshot) which is a sharing community for books, DVDs, and CDs. You can borrow your friends books and music and movies, and they can borrow yours. It's like a permanent MefiSwap!
Journal of a Schizophrenic
Journal of a Schizophrenic
Over the next several weeks I heard the voice every once in a while, but always in the house, when I was by myself. I became used to it, looked forward to it on occasion. I started playing pool with it. We would play a regular game of eight ball, me with the right hand and the voice with the left. I had never shot with my left hand before, but the voice won as often as not.
Over the next several weeks I heard the voice every once in a while, but always in the house, when I was by myself. I became used to it, looked forward to it on occasion. I started playing pool with it. We would play a regular game of eight ball, me with the right hand and the voice with the left. I had never shot with my left hand before, but the voice won as often as not.
Museum of World War II
A Gay ol' Time in Texas?
RumorFilter: Gov. Perry of Texas in bed with his Sec. of State --for real! More on this brewing scandal here, here, here, here, and here.
Perry in 2002 called Texas' then-existing/now-illegal sodomy laws "appropriate."
And here's a rundown on the rumor and non-response (from the kos link)
How dogs became man's best friend
How dogs became man's best friend: Dr Hare's hypothesis is that dogs are superbly sensitive to social cues from people...
His experiment was simple. He presented his animal subjects with two inverted cups. Then he hid the cups behind a screen, put a small piece of food under one of them, and took the screen away. The animal had to choose which cup to look under. If the experimenter gave no cue, both species got it right 50% of the time, as would be expected. However, if he signalled in some way which was the right cup, by pointing at it, tapping it, or even just gazing at it, a dog would choose correctly every time, while a chimpanzee would still do only slightly better than chance. [More at Harvard Gazette]
-- My question: are you able to reproduce his results?
His experiment was simple. He presented his animal subjects with two inverted cups. Then he hid the cups behind a screen, put a small piece of food under one of them, and took the screen away. The animal had to choose which cup to look under. If the experimenter gave no cue, both species got it right 50% of the time, as would be expected. However, if he signalled in some way which was the right cup, by pointing at it, tapping it, or even just gazing at it, a dog would choose correctly every time, while a chimpanzee would still do only slightly better than chance. [More at Harvard Gazette]
-- My question: are you able to reproduce his results?
Broccoli, anyone?
"Use of wood chippers has not been endorsed by the AVMA as an acceptable means of euthanasia for poultry." This story is old (June 2003), but it sure did catch my eye. There but for the grace of Fargo...go the chickens. Broccoli, anyone?
ISP bringdown
Creative Internet Techniques a large
Ohio ISP was shut down by the FBI for "IRC network" violations. If
you need to get at your hosted data "please contact the Bureau via email
to rwhite3@leo.gov. Make sure to include in your email your name, mailing address,
and telephone number with area code."
Does anyone still use IRC? Does anyone intend to "please contact the Bureau
via email to rwhite3@leo.gov. Make sure to include in your email your name,
mailing address, and telephone number with area code". Does anyone have
any ideas what this is REALLY about?
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