MetaFilter posts by crunchland.
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Need a quick pick-me-up? Electroshock therapy, police-style! Video of an abusive prisoner being incapacitated with a non-lethal, handheld, electrical device. Instant mood transformation is achieved. (1.5m of quicktime) More videos available here. There's also a video (13m of mpeg) of volunteers being zapped, not available on the page above. (Much laughter on that last one, because, you know... pain is funny.) Probably not for the squeamish. via mister pants
posted on Nov-21-02 at 10:34 AM
Secret Santa. Previously mentioned here, a year ago. "Got your own Web site? Got an Amazon wishlist? If the answer to both of these is yes, and you like the idea of giving and receiving, you should definitely sign up." Well, it's that time of year again.
posted on Nov-15-02 at 9:07 PM
Someone set us up the bomb. The Bomb Project is a comprehensive on-line compendium of nuclear-related links, imagery and documentation. It makes accessible the declassified files and graphic documentation produced by the nuclear industry itself, providing a context for comparative study, analysis and creativity. (courtesy of Bruce Sterling's Infinite Matrix)
posted on Nov-11-02 at 4:06 PM
Are you using AOL IM at work? Chatting with your buds or SO while you should probably be working? Well, in a desperate attempt to turn some kind of profit, AOL is willing to sell your boss the ability to be in on the conversation, too.
posted on Nov-5-02 at 9:29 AM
To lessen the clutter on their dashboard, a German auto manufacturer has put in a data screen and command input device that allows the driver to control 700 different aspects of their driving experience (including Navigation, Communication, Car Data, and Settings). More interestingly, there's an undocumented feature in the high-tech control system -- Press the right buttons in the right order and the car will launch you from a stop after revving the engine to 5,000 rpm... at least it will if you're in Europe, where performing the trick more than 15 times voids the car's warranty. Cars sold here in the US will only rev to 1,500 rpm. Supposedly, this is the first example of an Automotive Easter Egg.
posted on Nov-1-02 at 12:47 PM
TRICK OR TREAT! Celebrate All Hallow's Eve by watching some great scary flicks on cable, including the premier of a newly restored print of a long lost Lon Chaney classic, LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT [1927], or F.W. Murnau's NOSFERATU [1922]. Or head out with all the other creatures of the night. You'll need to hurry and buy your mask, and your creepy contact lenses, your fake teeth, or maybe you just need a corpse...
posted on Oct-28-02 at 11:39 PM
I'm losing my soul to an online game called BookWorm. Better than bejeweled. More addictive, too. No read now! PLAY!
posted on Oct-1-02 at 10:25 AM
"First you look at the cover ... probably something rather lurid and colorful that makes you smile for its ingenuity. You are immediately assaulted by the characteristic smell of rotting paper, of pulp wood paper. You pick it up, wondering what strange stories you will find within those badly yellowed and rather crumbly pages - a dastardly deed, a fantastic villain or incredible hero, a love story perhaps, or even a voyage to some distant planet!"
posted on Sep-10-02 at 10:19 PM
Everything I Needed to Know about Life, I Learned from a Video Game ... Brad DeLong uses Sid Meier's CIVILIZATION 3 to teach his kids a valuable lesson about Democracy.
posted on Sep-9-02 at 9:22 PM
A search engine to help you find things you don't know about. gnod stands for The Global Network of Dreams, and is a test of artificial intelligence. Building a database from the user choices, it helps you find books, music and misc. other by having you enter in things that you like, and based on what other people like, it shows you stuff you ought to like, too (which is slightly different from what Amazon does, showing you what other people have bought). Don't know if all the Amazon Associate links detract from it all or not
posted on Aug-30-02 at 3:30 PM
Every drug dealer knows you give away the first hits for free. Earth & Beyong Free Beta & Magic : The Gathering Online free test drive. [details inside...]
posted on Aug-5-02 at 6:36 AM
Heather Champ is the Queen of the Known Universe. Someone in Brazil really likes some of Heather Champ's photographs. They like them so much that they put them prominently on the top of the main page of their website. But they didn't just put them on the website, they direct linked to them on Heather's server, and this is how Heather found out. So she's done what most webmasters do -- she's replaced the images with new ones. The only thing is, aside from the lack of control one has over access to the original file, isn't direct linking to images (and other content) on servers that aren't your own the whole effing point of the world wide web?!
posted on Jul-31-02 at 7:41 AM
Mmmmmmmm... pie. I'm pretty sure this site causes brain damage. Visit at your own risk. [flash]
posted on Jul-26-02 at 11:31 AM
The only lawmaker voting against Traficant's expulsion was Rep. Gary Condit. Representatives voted 420-1 to remove the nine-term Democrat for taking kickbacks from employees, encouraging the destruction of evidence, soliciting bribes and other gifts from businessmen and filing false income tax returns... only the second time a sitting member has been banished since the Civil War.
posted on Jul-24-02 at 7:42 PM
Justice Department's Revised View of 2nd Amendment Is Cited as Defense in Gun Cases. If anyone has the right to own a gun, then committing a crime while carrying one shouldn't be an added charge, right? Now dozens of criminal defendants are asking the courts to dismiss gun charges against them. Maybe Ashcroft didn't think this one all the way through, especially considering the way his edict came out of left field the way it did.
posted on Jul-23-02 at 4:06 PM
'Antiques Roadshow' Expert Sent to the Pokey. "Russell Pritchard III, a militaria expert, pleaded guilty to making the bogus TV appraisals. He also admitted defrauding artifact owners by giving them low appraisals on items, then reselling them at much higher prices and pocketing the profit." Pritchard was kicked off the show a couple years ago, when it was discovered that he was faking fabulous discoveries on the show in an effort to gain credibility. Fans of the US version of the show may remember the civil war sword found in an attic and the owner claimed he used the valuable weapon to cut watermelons. Pritchard could have received up to 135 years in prison, and $5.3 million in fines, but only received a year in prison, and ordered to repay his bilked clients $830k. I've always wondered about the credibility of the experts on that show, and whether they've ever quoted inflated or deflated values for personal gain. [via megosteve]
posted on Jul-13-02 at 7:21 AM
Georgian Rep. Bob Barr is a fragile and delicate man. So fragile, in fact, that he has filed a lawsuit against President Bill Clinton, James Carville and Larry Flynt for "loss of reputation and emotional distress" and "injury in his person and property." He's seeking damages in excess of $30 million. This from the man who called for the impeachment of Bill Clinton before the whole Monica thing. James Carville said, "To call this suit 'frivolous' would be to elevate the status of 'frivolous.'"
posted on Jun-13-02 at 9:12 AM
More pedestrians died in traffic accidents in the US in the year 2000 than all of the people who died in the terrorist attacks on 9/11. 10 times the number of people killed in 9/11 attacks died due to motor vehicle attacks that same year. And yet some say the US government is on a course that will take away many of our civil rights in order to protect us from the boogie-monster terrorists. OF COURSE, the terrorist attacks were a horrible nightmare, and of course we want our police forces to prevent even worse attacks in the future, but before we start thinking about creating a Brave New Police State, maybe now is a good time to have a little perspective.
posted on Jun-10-02 at 5:54 PM
Bush / Giuliani in 2004? Is this the team the Democrats will have to beat in 2004?Rudy Giuliani is still riding on the wave of popularity from his post 9/11 actions. Apparently he's got his eye on the White House, even if it breaks Dick Cheney's heart.
posted on Jun-9-02 at 10:20 AM
Subtleties of American Satire Lost on the Chinese. Bejing's most popular newspaper runs an article from The Onion as fact.
posted on Jun-7-02 at 6:38 AM
I must admit, I've always had my doubts about some of you... Corporations hire viral marketing firms to spread misinformation and bogus votes of support for their products on internet message boards. With all the front page entries about new movies, new records and new colored cola drinks, are we all being manipulated and duped by the marketing weasels even here on Metafilter?
posted on Jun-5-02 at 11:29 AM
Don & Mike v. Opie & Anthony. O&A are hot in New York, but D&M are doing poorly there. The opposite is true here in DC. At the risk of perpetuating a lie by posting this story here, I can't help but think that the on-air fight between these two radio programs from Infinity Broadcasting seems a little contrived. Anyone on metafilter, or any other online forum, knows that a flamewar and controversy breeds interest.
posted on May-28-02 at 1:43 PM
ANTHRAX AGAIN! The World Bank in Washington DC said today that some of its mail had tested positive for possible anthrax contamination. 1200 employees there will be staying home tomorrow. It's the third report of a positive test in DC this week. Hysteria, residue from before, or is it happening all over again?
posted on May-21-02 at 2:44 PM
Nethack for the rest of us. Ok, all you Nethack purists... sit on your hands for this one. Finally someone has come out with a graphical interface for the venerable ASCII game. Isometric, "Diablo" style -- Maybe it lacks some of the charm and character of the text version. At least I can see what the damn boulder and bear trap looks like. Windows/DirectX only.
posted on May-3-02 at 10:15 AM
New and improved crack! Now with better hypnotics!
posted on Apr-21-02 at 12:07 PM
I guess it trumps dying a horrible death (but not by much) ... "A young calf has his belly shaved. Many slashes are made in the skin. A prior batch of smallpox vaccine is dropped into the slashes and allowed to fester over a period of days. During this period of time, the calf stands in a head stall so that he can’t lick his belly. The calf is led out of the stock to a table where he is strapped down. His belly scabs and pus are scraped off and ground into a powder. The powder is the next batch of smallpox vaccine." (Excerpt from Vaccines : A Second Opinion, and link swiped wholesale from Randomwalks.)
posted on Apr-10-02 at 5:13 PM
Um... not counting that whole WW2 thing. February 18, 2002 -- President Bush, in a speech in Japan. "My trip to Asia begins here in Japan for an important reason. It begins here because for a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times. From that alliance has come an era of peace in the Pacific." Of course, the Official White House transcript corrects the blunder.
posted on Feb-21-02 at 7:23 PM
Free Digital Photo Enhancer program ~~ So many of you have visited my Pencam site, and know that I've become somewhat obsessive about taking pictures with an inexpensive digital camera. In order to make the pics I take look even halfway decent, I have to pull all of them into Photoshop, and tweak them a bit, adjusting the contrast, etc. I enjoy doing it, but it can be time consuming. Now, a company called Media Chance has come to the rescue. They're giving away a cool little application that will automagically enhance your digital photos. It's really quite something. PC only, I'm afraid... still. If you've been dissatisfied with the results of your digital camera, it's worth checking out.
posted on Feb-13-02 at 3:02 PM
So much for name recognition. Mighty Big TV, a fairly well-known site that's been mentioned in print media and numerous other outlets, has inexplicably changed it's name to Television Without Pity. Of course, the dynamic aspect of the web allows for such things, but is it wise? If "Campbell's Soup" became "Spud's Chicken Noodle Concoction" tomorrow, would you still buy it without batting an eye? Would it matter if MetaFilter became "Matt's Pancake Heaven?"
posted on Feb-4-02 at 6:32 AM
A victim of it's own popularity, or just a control freak who lost control? Not sure how much overlap there is between MeFi and Hissyfit, but the SysOp over there, WingChun (a notoriously strict moderator), decided that she was just too overwealmed by the whole thing, and for a variety of reasons, pulled the plug. What are the implications for other online communities?
posted on Jan-26-02 at 8:01 AM
The SXSW Interactive Web Awards finalists are up... and the site I submitted isn't mentioned. Am I bitter? No.. no.. OK. YES. Anyway, the sites listed are the best of the best of 2001. Worth a look.
posted on Jan-21-02 at 3:56 PM
How willing are you to whore yourself? City buses have been doing it for years. Now an ad company is willing to give you a free car for two years if you're willing to drive a mobile billboard for them. Ideal candidates live in busy urban and suburban areas, park on the street, and get stuck in traffic all the time. You pay for insurance and gas, and they take care of the rest (including maintenance). Or have your current car wrapped with advertisements and get up to $400 a month. The company will also entice you with free concert tickets if you'll drive the vehicle to the show.
Through a long application process, they try to match ideal candidates with advertisers. They even let you suggest 5 companies you'd be willing to whore yourself for. But if you do decide to sign up, be aware: Not only are there 70,000 + applications ahead of you, and no guarantee that you'll be selected, according to the privacy policy, the ad company will use your detailed profile to sell more stuff to you.
posted on Jan-15-02 at 10:16 PM
The Morning News Gets Hosed. Due to a server meltdown (and probable incompetence by their webhosting provider) the guys at Morning News lost all kinds of data. Now on a new server, their old host is looking into the possibility of coughing up a decent backup. As a website designer who relies on the kindness of server farms, I know I've been hosed this way before. Since they can't be relied on to provide good backups, when was the last time you backed up your site yourself? Better make one today!
posted on Jan-9-02 at 4:04 PM
Dame Edna rocks.
posted on Jan-1-02 at 10:08 PM
What goes up, must come down. After it's meteoric rise in the ratings, WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE's future is looking bleak. This comes after news that a British Millionaire contestant accused of cheating. <coff, coff!> Do you think maybe it was just all too crass in the post 9/11 world?
posted on Nov-28-01 at 10:36 PM
Abortion Foe Admits to Sending Bogus Anthrax Letters. Dear Attorney General Ashcroft. Please detain this terrorist without legal representation, and then try and execute him immediately.
posted on Nov-27-01 at 12:02 PM
TECHTV lays off as many as half their staff last week... according to WIRED. The feeling is that having a TV channel about computers is "so 1999." (I wonder if the same is true about a magazine about technology?) I didn't even realize that Paul Allen owned the cable channel. I personally avoid the 9-hour daily TECHLive show, but I like Fresh Gear and Extended Play. What will become of the much beloved Leo LaPorte?
posted on Nov-19-01 at 4:58 AM
Bridge Builder, revamped I posted a link to this program months and months ago. Since then, the program has been revamped. It's now called PONTIFEX, and it gives you more options for bridge building materials, as well as better 3-D graphics (including an option to view your bridges from the point of view of the train's engineer). It's well worth another look.
posted on Oct-30-01 at 5:55 PM
BUY WAR BONDS! An archive of vintage WWII posters, in case you've got a hankerin' for a little bit of that ol' timey propaganda.
posted on Sep-15-01 at 12:06 AM
Has John McCain gone too far? There's a grassroots movement in Arizona intent on yanking John McCain out of office. Apparently, the last straw for the conservatives there is that he supposedly dissed the President by not showing up to a picnic. They need 300,000 signatures in order to have a recall vote in November. It'll be interesting to see what happens with this.
posted on Jun-12-01 at 10:35 AM
First a monkey/man, now a bear/man. India is being terrorized by strange mutated creatures. Anyone want to guess what the next spin of the genetic roulette wheel will bring?
posted on May-30-01 at 5:58 AM
The trials and tribulations of Chad Slacker. He's just a sim... nothing more, nothing less.
posted on May-29-01 at 2:39 PM
YES! You can help save the US Postal Service! With the USPS raising rates every month, it seems, and continuing to run with a $2 billion deficit, it's beginning to look like this quasi-public agency is going to lose the battle to those other overnight delivery companies. But since there are some people who can't afford the luxury of email or the high prices of FedEx, there must be something the common man can do to help keep Ben Franklin's baby afloat. There is! via Pigs & Fishes
posted on May-17-01 at 6:55 AM
K....A....B....O....O....M....! Rolls Royce is recalling five of their 2000 and 2001 models after discovering a design flaw can cause the cars to EXPLODE. While only 539 vehicles are affected, 408 are in the US. The flaw was discovered after a technician put the first tank of gas into the $360,000 (!) vehicle, started to drive it and hit the switch to roll up the windows. The explosion blew out all the windows and damaged the convertible top and the interior.
posted on May-13-01 at 8:18 AM
NY Post quotes Heywood Jablome. Mike Hunt and Dick Hurtz were unavailable for comment.
posted on May-1-01 at 7:44 PM
He gives a whole new meaning to the word "Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy." NY Times
posted on May-1-01 at 8:54 AM
Say what you want about him... but STILE PROJECT is as much a part of the internet at MetaFilter ...or, it would be, if he wasn't being shut down for allegedly displaying a copyrighted image in a banner ad that wasn't even stored within his website. And apparently his site isn't the only one targetted.
posted on Apr-5-01 at 3:40 PM
Missing man found, then found dead.
posted on Mar-21-01 at 6:58 PM
BRIDGE BUILDER : It's fun for a girl and a boy! A downloadable demo of a pretty cool but geeky bridge building simulator. Each level, you're given the task of spanning a gap using limited materials. Your goal is to build a bridge not only strong enough to stand under its own weight, but to also support the weight of a train crossing over it.
There is no right way to build a bridge, but there is a lot of wrong ways.
System Requirements: 200 MHz or faster CPU, Windows 95/98/00/NT, Direct X version 6 or later, Keyboard recommended, OpenGL video card and drivers
posted on Mar-6-01 at 3:42 AM
Tired of listening to the same old stuff? Try visiting WFMU's archives. Hours and hours of archived radio programs in streaming audio.
My personal favorites so far : The Secret Museum of the Air, The Antique Phonograph Music Program, and The Radio Thrift Shop. Really worth checking out!
posted on Feb-23-01 at 8:29 PM
posted on Nov-21-02 at 10:34 AM
Secret Santa. Previously mentioned here, a year ago. "Got your own Web site? Got an Amazon wishlist? If the answer to both of these is yes, and you like the idea of giving and receiving, you should definitely sign up." Well, it's that time of year again.
posted on Nov-15-02 at 9:07 PM
Someone set us up the bomb. The Bomb Project is a comprehensive on-line compendium of nuclear-related links, imagery and documentation. It makes accessible the declassified files and graphic documentation produced by the nuclear industry itself, providing a context for comparative study, analysis and creativity. (courtesy of Bruce Sterling's Infinite Matrix)
posted on Nov-11-02 at 4:06 PM
Are you using AOL IM at work? Chatting with your buds or SO while you should probably be working? Well, in a desperate attempt to turn some kind of profit, AOL is willing to sell your boss the ability to be in on the conversation, too.
posted on Nov-5-02 at 9:29 AM
To lessen the clutter on their dashboard, a German auto manufacturer has put in a data screen and command input device that allows the driver to control 700 different aspects of their driving experience (including Navigation, Communication, Car Data, and Settings). More interestingly, there's an undocumented feature in the high-tech control system -- Press the right buttons in the right order and the car will launch you from a stop after revving the engine to 5,000 rpm... at least it will if you're in Europe, where performing the trick more than 15 times voids the car's warranty. Cars sold here in the US will only rev to 1,500 rpm. Supposedly, this is the first example of an Automotive Easter Egg.
posted on Nov-1-02 at 12:47 PM
TRICK OR TREAT! Celebrate All Hallow's Eve by watching some great scary flicks on cable, including the premier of a newly restored print of a long lost Lon Chaney classic, LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT [1927], or F.W. Murnau's NOSFERATU [1922]. Or head out with all the other creatures of the night. You'll need to hurry and buy your mask, and your creepy contact lenses, your fake teeth, or maybe you just need a corpse...
posted on Oct-28-02 at 11:39 PM
I'm losing my soul to an online game called BookWorm. Better than bejeweled. More addictive, too. No read now! PLAY!
posted on Oct-1-02 at 10:25 AM
"First you look at the cover ... probably something rather lurid and colorful that makes you smile for its ingenuity. You are immediately assaulted by the characteristic smell of rotting paper, of pulp wood paper. You pick it up, wondering what strange stories you will find within those badly yellowed and rather crumbly pages - a dastardly deed, a fantastic villain or incredible hero, a love story perhaps, or even a voyage to some distant planet!"
posted on Sep-10-02 at 10:19 PM
Everything I Needed to Know about Life, I Learned from a Video Game ... Brad DeLong uses Sid Meier's CIVILIZATION 3 to teach his kids a valuable lesson about Democracy.
posted on Sep-9-02 at 9:22 PM
A search engine to help you find things you don't know about. gnod stands for The Global Network of Dreams, and is a test of artificial intelligence. Building a database from the user choices, it helps you find books, music and misc. other by having you enter in things that you like, and based on what other people like, it shows you stuff you ought to like, too (which is slightly different from what Amazon does, showing you what other people have bought). Don't know if all the Amazon Associate links detract from it all or not
posted on Aug-30-02 at 3:30 PM
Every drug dealer knows you give away the first hits for free. Earth & Beyong Free Beta & Magic : The Gathering Online free test drive. [details inside...]
posted on Aug-5-02 at 6:36 AM
Heather Champ is the Queen of the Known Universe. Someone in Brazil really likes some of Heather Champ's photographs. They like them so much that they put them prominently on the top of the main page of their website. But they didn't just put them on the website, they direct linked to them on Heather's server, and this is how Heather found out. So she's done what most webmasters do -- she's replaced the images with new ones. The only thing is, aside from the lack of control one has over access to the original file, isn't direct linking to images (and other content) on servers that aren't your own the whole effing point of the world wide web?!
posted on Jul-31-02 at 7:41 AM
Mmmmmmmm... pie. I'm pretty sure this site causes brain damage. Visit at your own risk. [flash]
posted on Jul-26-02 at 11:31 AM
The only lawmaker voting against Traficant's expulsion was Rep. Gary Condit. Representatives voted 420-1 to remove the nine-term Democrat for taking kickbacks from employees, encouraging the destruction of evidence, soliciting bribes and other gifts from businessmen and filing false income tax returns... only the second time a sitting member has been banished since the Civil War.
posted on Jul-24-02 at 7:42 PM
Justice Department's Revised View of 2nd Amendment Is Cited as Defense in Gun Cases. If anyone has the right to own a gun, then committing a crime while carrying one shouldn't be an added charge, right? Now dozens of criminal defendants are asking the courts to dismiss gun charges against them. Maybe Ashcroft didn't think this one all the way through, especially considering the way his edict came out of left field the way it did.
posted on Jul-23-02 at 4:06 PM
'Antiques Roadshow' Expert Sent to the Pokey. "Russell Pritchard III, a militaria expert, pleaded guilty to making the bogus TV appraisals. He also admitted defrauding artifact owners by giving them low appraisals on items, then reselling them at much higher prices and pocketing the profit." Pritchard was kicked off the show a couple years ago, when it was discovered that he was faking fabulous discoveries on the show in an effort to gain credibility. Fans of the US version of the show may remember the civil war sword found in an attic and the owner claimed he used the valuable weapon to cut watermelons. Pritchard could have received up to 135 years in prison, and $5.3 million in fines, but only received a year in prison, and ordered to repay his bilked clients $830k. I've always wondered about the credibility of the experts on that show, and whether they've ever quoted inflated or deflated values for personal gain. [via megosteve]
posted on Jul-13-02 at 7:21 AM
Georgian Rep. Bob Barr is a fragile and delicate man. So fragile, in fact, that he has filed a lawsuit against President Bill Clinton, James Carville and Larry Flynt for "loss of reputation and emotional distress" and "injury in his person and property." He's seeking damages in excess of $30 million. This from the man who called for the impeachment of Bill Clinton before the whole Monica thing. James Carville said, "To call this suit 'frivolous' would be to elevate the status of 'frivolous.'"
posted on Jun-13-02 at 9:12 AM
More pedestrians died in traffic accidents in the US in the year 2000 than all of the people who died in the terrorist attacks on 9/11. 10 times the number of people killed in 9/11 attacks died due to motor vehicle attacks that same year. And yet some say the US government is on a course that will take away many of our civil rights in order to protect us from the boogie-monster terrorists. OF COURSE, the terrorist attacks were a horrible nightmare, and of course we want our police forces to prevent even worse attacks in the future, but before we start thinking about creating a Brave New Police State, maybe now is a good time to have a little perspective.
posted on Jun-10-02 at 5:54 PM
Bush / Giuliani in 2004? Is this the team the Democrats will have to beat in 2004?Rudy Giuliani is still riding on the wave of popularity from his post 9/11 actions. Apparently he's got his eye on the White House, even if it breaks Dick Cheney's heart.
posted on Jun-9-02 at 10:20 AM
Subtleties of American Satire Lost on the Chinese. Bejing's most popular newspaper runs an article from The Onion as fact.
posted on Jun-7-02 at 6:38 AM
I must admit, I've always had my doubts about some of you... Corporations hire viral marketing firms to spread misinformation and bogus votes of support for their products on internet message boards. With all the front page entries about new movies, new records and new colored cola drinks, are we all being manipulated and duped by the marketing weasels even here on Metafilter?
posted on Jun-5-02 at 11:29 AM
Don & Mike v. Opie & Anthony. O&A are hot in New York, but D&M are doing poorly there. The opposite is true here in DC. At the risk of perpetuating a lie by posting this story here, I can't help but think that the on-air fight between these two radio programs from Infinity Broadcasting seems a little contrived. Anyone on metafilter, or any other online forum, knows that a flamewar and controversy breeds interest.
posted on May-28-02 at 1:43 PM
ANTHRAX AGAIN! The World Bank in Washington DC said today that some of its mail had tested positive for possible anthrax contamination. 1200 employees there will be staying home tomorrow. It's the third report of a positive test in DC this week. Hysteria, residue from before, or is it happening all over again?
posted on May-21-02 at 2:44 PM
Nethack for the rest of us. Ok, all you Nethack purists... sit on your hands for this one. Finally someone has come out with a graphical interface for the venerable ASCII game. Isometric, "Diablo" style -- Maybe it lacks some of the charm and character of the text version. At least I can see what the damn boulder and bear trap looks like. Windows/DirectX only.
posted on May-3-02 at 10:15 AM
New and improved crack! Now with better hypnotics!
posted on Apr-21-02 at 12:07 PM
I guess it trumps dying a horrible death (but not by much) ... "A young calf has his belly shaved. Many slashes are made in the skin. A prior batch of smallpox vaccine is dropped into the slashes and allowed to fester over a period of days. During this period of time, the calf stands in a head stall so that he can’t lick his belly. The calf is led out of the stock to a table where he is strapped down. His belly scabs and pus are scraped off and ground into a powder. The powder is the next batch of smallpox vaccine." (Excerpt from Vaccines : A Second Opinion, and link swiped wholesale from Randomwalks.)
posted on Apr-10-02 at 5:13 PM
Um... not counting that whole WW2 thing. February 18, 2002 -- President Bush, in a speech in Japan. "My trip to Asia begins here in Japan for an important reason. It begins here because for a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times. From that alliance has come an era of peace in the Pacific." Of course, the Official White House transcript corrects the blunder.
posted on Feb-21-02 at 7:23 PM
Free Digital Photo Enhancer program ~~ So many of you have visited my Pencam site, and know that I've become somewhat obsessive about taking pictures with an inexpensive digital camera. In order to make the pics I take look even halfway decent, I have to pull all of them into Photoshop, and tweak them a bit, adjusting the contrast, etc. I enjoy doing it, but it can be time consuming. Now, a company called Media Chance has come to the rescue. They're giving away a cool little application that will automagically enhance your digital photos. It's really quite something. PC only, I'm afraid... still. If you've been dissatisfied with the results of your digital camera, it's worth checking out.
posted on Feb-13-02 at 3:02 PM
So much for name recognition. Mighty Big TV, a fairly well-known site that's been mentioned in print media and numerous other outlets, has inexplicably changed it's name to Television Without Pity. Of course, the dynamic aspect of the web allows for such things, but is it wise? If "Campbell's Soup" became "Spud's Chicken Noodle Concoction" tomorrow, would you still buy it without batting an eye? Would it matter if MetaFilter became "Matt's Pancake Heaven?"
posted on Feb-4-02 at 6:32 AM
A victim of it's own popularity, or just a control freak who lost control? Not sure how much overlap there is between MeFi and Hissyfit, but the SysOp over there, WingChun (a notoriously strict moderator), decided that she was just too overwealmed by the whole thing, and for a variety of reasons, pulled the plug. What are the implications for other online communities?
posted on Jan-26-02 at 8:01 AM
The SXSW Interactive Web Awards finalists are up... and the site I submitted isn't mentioned. Am I bitter? No.. no.. OK. YES. Anyway, the sites listed are the best of the best of 2001. Worth a look.
posted on Jan-21-02 at 3:56 PM
How willing are you to whore yourself? City buses have been doing it for years. Now an ad company is willing to give you a free car for two years if you're willing to drive a mobile billboard for them. Ideal candidates live in busy urban and suburban areas, park on the street, and get stuck in traffic all the time. You pay for insurance and gas, and they take care of the rest (including maintenance). Or have your current car wrapped with advertisements and get up to $400 a month. The company will also entice you with free concert tickets if you'll drive the vehicle to the show.
Through a long application process, they try to match ideal candidates with advertisers. They even let you suggest 5 companies you'd be willing to whore yourself for. But if you do decide to sign up, be aware: Not only are there 70,000 + applications ahead of you, and no guarantee that you'll be selected, according to the privacy policy, the ad company will use your detailed profile to sell more stuff to you.
posted on Jan-15-02 at 10:16 PM
The Morning News Gets Hosed. Due to a server meltdown (and probable incompetence by their webhosting provider) the guys at Morning News lost all kinds of data. Now on a new server, their old host is looking into the possibility of coughing up a decent backup. As a website designer who relies on the kindness of server farms, I know I've been hosed this way before. Since they can't be relied on to provide good backups, when was the last time you backed up your site yourself? Better make one today!
posted on Jan-9-02 at 4:04 PM
Dame Edna rocks.
posted on Jan-1-02 at 10:08 PM
What goes up, must come down. After it's meteoric rise in the ratings, WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE's future is looking bleak. This comes after news that a British Millionaire contestant accused of cheating. <coff, coff!> Do you think maybe it was just all too crass in the post 9/11 world?
posted on Nov-28-01 at 10:36 PM
Abortion Foe Admits to Sending Bogus Anthrax Letters. Dear Attorney General Ashcroft. Please detain this terrorist without legal representation, and then try and execute him immediately.
posted on Nov-27-01 at 12:02 PM
TECHTV lays off as many as half their staff last week... according to WIRED. The feeling is that having a TV channel about computers is "so 1999." (I wonder if the same is true about a magazine about technology?) I didn't even realize that Paul Allen owned the cable channel. I personally avoid the 9-hour daily TECHLive show, but I like Fresh Gear and Extended Play. What will become of the much beloved Leo LaPorte?
posted on Nov-19-01 at 4:58 AM
Bridge Builder, revamped I posted a link to this program months and months ago. Since then, the program has been revamped. It's now called PONTIFEX, and it gives you more options for bridge building materials, as well as better 3-D graphics (including an option to view your bridges from the point of view of the train's engineer). It's well worth another look.
posted on Oct-30-01 at 5:55 PM
BUY WAR BONDS! An archive of vintage WWII posters, in case you've got a hankerin' for a little bit of that ol' timey propaganda.
posted on Sep-15-01 at 12:06 AM
Has John McCain gone too far? There's a grassroots movement in Arizona intent on yanking John McCain out of office. Apparently, the last straw for the conservatives there is that he supposedly dissed the President by not showing up to a picnic. They need 300,000 signatures in order to have a recall vote in November. It'll be interesting to see what happens with this.
posted on Jun-12-01 at 10:35 AM
First a monkey/man, now a bear/man. India is being terrorized by strange mutated creatures. Anyone want to guess what the next spin of the genetic roulette wheel will bring?
posted on May-30-01 at 5:58 AM
The trials and tribulations of Chad Slacker. He's just a sim... nothing more, nothing less.
posted on May-29-01 at 2:39 PM
YES! You can help save the US Postal Service! With the USPS raising rates every month, it seems, and continuing to run with a $2 billion deficit, it's beginning to look like this quasi-public agency is going to lose the battle to those other overnight delivery companies. But since there are some people who can't afford the luxury of email or the high prices of FedEx, there must be something the common man can do to help keep Ben Franklin's baby afloat. There is! via Pigs & Fishes
posted on May-17-01 at 6:55 AM
K....A....B....O....O....M....! Rolls Royce is recalling five of their 2000 and 2001 models after discovering a design flaw can cause the cars to EXPLODE. While only 539 vehicles are affected, 408 are in the US. The flaw was discovered after a technician put the first tank of gas into the $360,000 (!) vehicle, started to drive it and hit the switch to roll up the windows. The explosion blew out all the windows and damaged the convertible top and the interior.
posted on May-13-01 at 8:18 AM
NY Post quotes Heywood Jablome. Mike Hunt and Dick Hurtz were unavailable for comment.
posted on May-1-01 at 7:44 PM
He gives a whole new meaning to the word "Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy." NY Times
posted on May-1-01 at 8:54 AM
Say what you want about him... but STILE PROJECT is as much a part of the internet at MetaFilter ...or, it would be, if he wasn't being shut down for allegedly displaying a copyrighted image in a banner ad that wasn't even stored within his website. And apparently his site isn't the only one targetted.
posted on Apr-5-01 at 3:40 PM
Missing man found, then found dead.
posted on Mar-21-01 at 6:58 PM
BRIDGE BUILDER : It's fun for a girl and a boy! A downloadable demo of a pretty cool but geeky bridge building simulator. Each level, you're given the task of spanning a gap using limited materials. Your goal is to build a bridge not only strong enough to stand under its own weight, but to also support the weight of a train crossing over it.
There is no right way to build a bridge, but there is a lot of wrong ways.
System Requirements: 200 MHz or faster CPU, Windows 95/98/00/NT, Direct X version 6 or later, Keyboard recommended, OpenGL video card and drivers
posted on Mar-6-01 at 3:42 AM
Tired of listening to the same old stuff? Try visiting WFMU's archives. Hours and hours of archived radio programs in streaming audio.
My personal favorites so far : The Secret Museum of the Air, The Antique Phonograph Music Program, and The Radio Thrift Shop. Really worth checking out!
posted on Feb-23-01 at 8:29 PM
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