1630 MetaFilter comments by baylink
(displaying 151 through 200)
Does anybody really know what time it is?
If anybody really cares, the NIST is the place to go for not only the answers (including a list of government operated open access NTP servers), but more information than you probably ever wanted to know about standard time.
comment posted at 8:15 PM on Jan-5-02
What is the status of Civics subjects in schools these days?
I found this rather old data on the ACLU website, but I'm having trouble finding out the current status of what I call "national pride" activities in schools these days. When I was a kid in the 70's, we always said the Pledge of Allegience every morning as well as had a prayer. I remember when the prayer was turned into a "moment of silence" (early 80's?) but I don't remember when/if the Pledge was discontinued due to
ACLU activities like the one above. I've not thought much about this until now, but realizing that many, many kids don't know the Pledge or our anthem disturbs me greatly.
Could anyone enlighten me, please?
comment posted at 7:50 AM on Sep-24-01
How to combat hijackers.
"If someone were to stand up,brandish something such as a plastic knife and say 'This is a hijacking' or words to that effect here is what you should do: Every one of you should stand up and immediately throw things at that person — pillows, books, magazines, eyeglasses, shoes —anything that will throw him off balance and distract his attention. If he has a confederate or two, do the same with them. Most important: get a blanket over him, then wrestle him to floor and keep him there. We'll land the plane at the nearest airport and the authorities will take it from there."
comment posted at 3:40 PM on Sep-21-01
I hope the intentions of the people publishing websites like this are honorable
but I fear they may not be. In the last hour I have received three email messages soliciting money for 'disaster victims'. Here is one in its entirety (inside as a comment)
Call me me crazy, but this sounds like a scam to me. I have no idea who any of these people are, but they have either questionable motives or questionable judgement or both.
What causes people to prey on others generosity during such a terrible time?
comment posted at 11:56 PM on Sep-15-01
Reactions.
We won't be making war against our enemies because they are evil and we are good. We will be making war against these people because they are killing Americans and our allies, and we have to make them stop. --Orson Scott Card
comment posted at 12:06 AM on Sep-16-01
Washington state and the Bangor submarine base
are all also in a state of heightened security. I drove past Subase Bangor and they are in Condition Delta, which is when every person who enters the base is physically searched, as well as their car. As a former member of the US Submarine Service I can tell you from first hand knowledge that the military is being scrambled right now to prepare for heightened security along the coastlines of the US.
The entire Puget Sound is reeling from the tragic news... malls are closing, the WA state ferry service is no longer transporting cars, federal buildings are being closed, and major structures such as the Space Needle are being evacuated.
comment posted at 12:56 PM on Sep-11-01
Plane crashes in to the word trade center.
Apologies for not linking to anything besides the main CNN page but there are no full stories on this yet. The plane crashed into the building about six minutes ago, from what the TV is saying. We are about sixty blocks north and we can see the smoke over the skyline.
comment posted at 10:43 AM on Sep-11-01
IE5.5 SP2 cuts out plug-in support.
When users downloaded and installed the new service pack for IE5.5, they found that some of their favorite plug-ins didn't work anymore, including Quicktime. Why? Microsoft stopped supporting them in favor of active-x components. Can anyone explain why this is a good idea?
comment posted at 7:47 AM on Aug-21-01
John Ashcroft on web porn:
"I am concerned about obscenity and I'm concerned about obscenity as it relates to our children". I'm curious what those of you who are more on the conservative/libertarian side of things think about this. Are there special exemptions to the concept of free speech when it comes to this type of content? [more]
comment posted at 8:36 AM on Jun-12-01
Tivo hackers today released the hack that enables you to get MPEG-2 video out of the box and put it on CDs, share it over the net, etc. No details because the
AVS Tivo site (registration required) is being
slashdotted...but will this precipitate a TiVo crackdown on the hackers?
comment posted at 6:38 PM on Jun-7-01
It's raining cats and dogs
this summer! GEEZ!
Pearl Harbor,
Shrek, and
The Mummy Returns are already in the theaters. This weekend we get
Swordfish,
Evolution, and even
Atlantis: The Lost Empire in limited release. What's next? Oh nuthin. Just stuff
Angelina Jolie's been kicking around,
Eddie Murphy's little pet project, something
Jay & Silent Bob tossed off in the shower,
Stephen Spielberg's thoughtful adult film coupled with his
token bloodfest for the kiddies...
Final Fantasy,
Planet of the Apes,
Kiss of the Dragon, a painfully predictable looking sequel to
American Pie, a predictable but funny-lookin' sequel to
Rush Hour, and a predictable sequel to
Scary Movie,
and the ever present
SO MUCH MORE! I skipped half the movies coming out but those are the highlights. Is this gonna be the best summer blockbuster festival ever thrust upon the world's populous, or are we true fans of cinema about to once again take it up the ass? Whatcha think?
comment posted at 10:28 AM on Jun-6-01
My God, how I've loathed them over the years for their heart-stopping mix of hubris, brilliance, clueless, utter lack of any discipline whatsoever and oh, the sheer
arrogance, but after all these years, it's with a distinct sense of ennui that I read that
Netscape is throwing in the towel.
comment posted at 10:40 AM on Jun-6-01
Chinese-American congressman denied entrance to Department of Energy offices
U.S. Rep David Wu (outspoken and rather instrumental in the Wen Ho Lee case) was denied entrance twice, despite having Congressional identification. "Energy Department officials told Wu's office the caution was justified because congressional IDs are easy to fake... But Capitol Police recalled only one incident of possible congressional ID forgery, 20 years ago and never proven."
comment posted at 1:10 PM on Jun-4-01
dack kills his blog
"
. I want to spend more time making short films, playing golf, and reading books. But what I really want to do is make computers, and specifically the Web, a much smaller part of my life."
I guess there's no enjoyment left in poking fun at dot.com vanity in this day and age...
comment posted at 12:28 PM on May-22-01
RIP, EOD
After a year of daily posting, Greg Knauss is sending An Entirely Other Day to bed. I'm only reiterating what many others have said before me, but the guy can flat out write circles around most other people using this God-forsaken medium. Very few people -- in print or otherwise -- can make the trivial events in their everyday lives so amusing to read. Dammit.
comment posted at 1:25 PM on May-22-01
The Rumor is spreading.
The
Tallahassee Democrat gets up to 10 calls and emails a day asking why they haven't printed it.
Vanity Fair is sort of writing about it in its July issue, they say. The Internet is all abuzz. But it seems that nobody can prove The Rumor, so instead they're simply going to keep talking about the fact the rumor exists until either someone comes forward with documentable proof, or until practically everyone knows about it anyway and thus the desired damage is done, regardless of whether The Rumor is true or not. It seems to have something to do with high-ranking Republican Florida state government officials and blowjobs, though. The same old "friend of a friend heard that Jeb and Katherine Harris are lovers" BS, or something newer? Doesn't the media have a responsibility to keep their trap shut until and unless they can come up with some real proof, rather than forcing it to come out by making the lack of provability into a so-called news story?
comment posted at 9:02 AM on May-11-01
Nothing too big, exciting, scandalous, ironic or wacky,
but in this article, several famous people who might be considered "American Achievers" are listed:
"The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; Michael Jordan; Jonas Salk; Steven Spielberg; Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, the home fashion guru; Dorothy Hamill, the ice skater; Frederick W. Smith, the founder of Federal Express; and Steven Case, chairman of AOL Time Warner."
My question is: what criteria did the reporter, Elaine Sciolino, use to determine which famous people get an explanation and which don't? I know all of those names, except for Smith. My guess as to why more aren't defined is because it would sound crass to define some of the more impressive careers in just five words: "Jonas Salk, creator of the polio vaccine" or "The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., slain civil rights leader."
comment posted at 10:50 AM on May-10-01
Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX)
has introduced into the house
HJR 45, being termed the Liberty Ammendment, which would not only expressly prohibit the federal government from engaging in any enterprise except as provided for in the Constitution, but would also repeal the
16th Ammendment. [That's the one that made legitimate the income tax, after the US had managed to survive without one for a century and a half]
comment posted at 1:48 PM on May-8-01
« previous page | next page »