key

Recent Actions

• Commented on Mutton Busting: children riding terrified sheep.
  @Grey Not Grey: Your comment made me think of this: "From another direction he felt the sensation of being a sheep startled by a flying saucer, but it was virtually indistinguishable from the feeling of being a sheep startled by...
• Commented on Mutton Busting: children riding terrified sheep.
  I struggle to understand your mind, Xeni. Children riding on the backs of sheep fills you with horror, but a man dying in an industrial accident at a chocolate factory is fodder for lulz. I really don't get it....
• Commented on Man, our president is cool.
  "We need carefully thought out maneuvers to get back up on the road." How much planning is needed to stop torturing people and to stop spying on Americans?...
• Commented on Man, our president is cool.
  Yes, Nanuq, that would be worse. Instead of taking it up another notch, as McCain/Palin probably would have done, Obama is simply continuing to destroy the country at almost the same rate as Bush. But that doesn't bring peace to...
• Commented on Radiohead manager to launch new record label
  @KevinErickson: Is the distribution method novel? It seems so to me, but I don't know much about the industry....
• Commented on Citizen surveillance videos of litter louts
  @Blurple: I'm not sure how I feel about this myself. But I see that one difference between this project and government spy cams is that these videos are posted on the Internet, meaning everybody knows who the St Peters block...
• Commented on Mathematically modelling phantom traffic jams
  OK, there seem to be some people on this thread who know some stuff, so let me ask a question. When you have a planned lane blockage (due to construction, for example), is it better for drivers to use both...
• Commented on Dramatic readings of message-board posts about atheism from Christian fundamentalist message boards
  @21 richardp: "I had always thought that Christians had made the 'leap of faith', but remained (as did the biblical Jesus) forgiving and tolerant of others." Well, some are forgiving and tolerant. Many believe in evolution as well. (Hell, the...
• Commented on Solution to AIG bonuses: a 90% tax on people who receive them
  Damn, Takuan @#84, you just summed up the entirety of American history. If these guys are denied their bonuses, or even better, if justice prevails and they have everything taken away from them and wind up living on the street...
• Commented on Solution to AIG bonuses: a 90% tax on people who receive them
  is there factual claims that contradict this interpretation of the situation? I bet there isn't. One thing these folks are clearly very good at is making themselves rich. I am sure they have anticipated every angle whereby they could be...
• Commented on Solution to AIG bonuses: a 90% tax on people who receive them
  This bill will not pass, or if it does, it will be neutered so that none of these AIG people lose a penny of their bonuses. Congress had an opportunity to write these provisions into the bill BEFORE handing over...
• Commented on Paying for News: A Mega-Merger Thought Experiment
  If people want those services they will pay for those services. So if people don't want to pay for something it's useless?...
• Commented on Paying for News: A Mega-Merger Thought Experiment
  @25 TZCTLP: If citizen journalism is to be the future, we are still in need of some tech advancements before this is adequate. Yes, an Iraqi in Bagdad can tell us what he sees, and an Iraqi in Falujah can...
• Commented on Which Side Are You On? Explaining what happened to labor in America
  @Zuzu I'm enjoying reading this exchange and I like your arguments. (I'm a former union organizer, just to let you know where I'm coming from. I'm not entirely thrilled about the state of labor in America for several reasons, but...
• Commented on China's mondegreen war on net-censorship
  Wait ... it's not "wrapped up like a douche bag in the middle of the night"?...
• Commented on Which Side Are You On? Explaining what happened to labor in America
  Thanks for this, Cory -- I'm definitely adding this book to my list. Can I suggest, in the spirit of this post, that instead of linking to Amazon in this case, you link to Powells.com, which is unionized? http://powells.com/biblio/65-9781565848863-2...
• Commented on Fight Club uncovered at home for mentally disabled
  If I understand your cryptic comment, I think what you're saying is that if it's an actor portraying something horrible, it's funny, but if it's the real thing, it's offensive. So I'm still confused, since that has no application whatsoever...
• Commented on Fight Club uncovered at home for mentally disabled
  @SatanAteMyEars Well, then, I do apologize. I try not to use the word in venues where I'm not sure how people will react to it. Sometimes I slip up. But can I then ask why you're bothered by my use...
• Commented on Fight Club uncovered at home for mentally disabled
  SatanAteMyEars, Though I think I already know the answer to this question, I should ask anyhow: Are you genuinely offended at the word "retarded" or are you just trying to score points? If it's the former, my apologies. I know...
• Commented on Fight Club uncovered at home for mentally disabled
  But to get all huffy and deny that there is any humor in this, however macabre...you need to chill and go listen to some classic George Carlin. No, you need to understand that these are human beings, most of whom...
• Commented on Big Tent Atheism
  @Crashgrab 144: Ah, thanks for the explanation. What is different about church? Well, I guess I've had a different experience than you. As I mentioned in another comment, the parish I went to helped my family out a lot when...
• Commented on Big Tent Atheism
  @47 Airshowfan Thank you for that recommendation. I guess that should have occurred to me before now. Perhaps I wasn't being 100% honest earlier; Catholic ritual does have a lot of resonance for me. So it's not just the community...
• Commented on Big Tent Atheism
  @35 Aren't there other secular ways of hanging out with people without having to pretend in something you think is ridiculous? But it's far more than "hanging out." If you know of other ways to be part of a large...
• Commented on Big Tent Atheism
  @28 Well, I'd have a tough time getting the same 250 people together every Sunday morning for a barbecue. And I don't have space at my house. And there are not 250 people who know me well enough that they...
• Commented on Big Tent Atheism
  @14 I'm an atheist who goes to church regularly, so let me attempt an answer. I've worked with Habitat for Humanity, and I've worked with other organizations, and while helping rebuild a house is probably more fulfilling than going to...
• Commented on Big Tent Atheism
  "simply stopped reciting the words that they didn't agree with during religious services, without calling attention to it" Interesting -- this is exactly what I've been doing at Catholic Mass for years. I have always had a less charitable view...
• Commented on 15-year-old girl beaten by sheriff's deputy
  Viewing this video again, it seems pretty obvious that the second cop realized that this monkey was out of control. For the love of humanity and out of respect for the law, I hope that cop testifies against this ass....
• Commented on 15-year-old girl beaten by sheriff's deputy
  Then there's this from Cleveland that I saw recently: "Woman Who Called for Help Assaulted By Police; Police Suing TV Station that Exposed Them" http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/9049 I understand that this is not representative of all cops. But I have to wonder...
• Commented on Making the bed -- authority, parenting, play and work
  @antinous #8: It's probably not the bed that's more complicated, but the sleeping. I can make my bed by sliding out from under the blanket instead of sitting up, and it's still in the same shape it was the night...
• Commented on Sending your video camera around the sushi conveyor
  4:33: Kid: "Mommy, there's a camera on the belt!" Mom: "Mm-hmmm. That's nice."...