Have we gotten to the point where you can tuck your baby in from the airport? You will. Maybe not from AT&T.

I can haz pre-nup plz?

Now hey, this guy lives near me and makes high-waisted pants look good.

@WIGWAM JONES:
Kind of reminds of Alec Guinness’ very vocal disdain of OCD Star Wars fans who looked upon him as some messiah.

But seriously, can the New York Observer haz spellcheck plz so they can spell “serous” correctly?

@#19 POSTED BY DBARAK:
I appreciate your view. Also, another point was brought up to me comparing John Kerry to John McCain. Kerry saw ground combat and saw the results of air strikes on the civilians and the country. John McCain mainly flew a plane and dropped bombs and never saw the damage up close.

I respect McCain as someone with a differing opinion, but the "overhead projector" comment was ridiculous. It simply plays right into anti-evolution loons who see ANY science as a waste. Heck, look at Hubble. Why maintain it when it's only proving that the world wasn't created 5,000 years ago.

I think all y'all comparing McCain to Commodore Decker are a bit doomsday-ish.

McCain is more like McCoy, and not like Kirk.

(nerd)

As funny as this might seem, these just aren't the guys who were the cause of this mess. More like the pitbulls trained by abusive masters to just kill things: Feel a bit sorry for them, but realize that's all they know how to do.

Someone beat me to the hideous raincoat comment.

Now that's my comment.

@#72 POSTED BY ERNUNNO:
Completely disagree. Hearing gets worse with age. Not better. So I will say that if you're in your 20s and teens you would probably notice the difference. But for the rest of us, it's no big loss.

What it's also coming down to is mastering on all levels. Saw Taxi Driver on the big screen after only seeing it on VHS for years and it blew me away. Film print just cleaned up and it amazed me. Then I saw the digital remastering of Blade Runner and it blew me away as well.

Then I went to see a rep theater showing of Escape from New York. Horrible. It was some crappy print that was PINK in part with scratches. And there is no excuse since the damned film has been remastered onto DVD before.

So in that case, watching Escape from New York on my iPod was a better experience.

I think that's what would win me over in arguments like this. Immediately explaining to the layperson what mastering is and why bad post-production can ruin the best efforts of things.

@#5 POSTED BY THEDUDE06:
I'd say it's more along the lines of Giclee versus silk screened print.

Looks like the faux authenticity market is booming nowadays.

Excellent!

I sense a push towards getting the South turned around in the next few weeks.

Can't see her as VP? Tom, you're the first person to say that. You're a maverick!

@#67 POSTED BY FOETUSNAIL , OCTOBER 3, 2008 1:16 PM

The really scary thing that is happening is the cult of anti-intellectualism, they take pride in not knowing.

Hmmm. You have a point, but the issue isn't anti-Intellectualism as much as veiled racism and bigotry wrapped in anti-Intellectualism.

I'm sure there are people out there who think Palin is an idiot and McCain is not going to last the full 4 years but will vote for them because they are "real folks" (white), have "common sense" (white) and "know how to get the job done" (crackers) and that's it.

So as stupid as she is, one can only hope she's stupid enough so fans of "old fashioned music" and "traditional values" vote for Obama.

You know what I want to know? What Kim Jong-il thinks about her.

I mean, she can see Russia from her home...

Does Kim wonder if she can see him across the ocean in the middle of the night?

@#31 POSTED BY FALCON_SEVEN

Asking your Bubbe or Zayde to vote for Obama or McCain is the worst thing you could do (well maybe not, you could force them to take the gas-pipe).

I would like you to go to Florida and talk to the elderly about the Green Party and other political alternatives. I'm sure we could make a drinking game out of their reactions.

@#22 POSTED BY TOM HALE:
I think her jokes are becoming a bit rote, but she does nail it more than most. And judging her on looks is a bit annoying. Technically speaking, Sam Kinison was an angry, ugly little coked up troll wearing a beret. But nobody judged him based on looks. He was funny!

#9 POSTED BY APRECHE:

I've always found it very strange that my parent's generation of US Jews tend to be very left leaning, and subsequent generations even moreso. Yet, members of my grandparents generation too frequently exhibit racism, and other such qualities.

Not entirely true. I'm the youngest child in my family and my parents survived World War II. So my parents were the age of your grandparents.

My mom was a budding socialist as a teen, read Balzac and denounced much of socialism after the war but was still very open-minded. She loved Bella Abzug! My dad was working class during the same period, but always pretty liberal in a mainstream sense. For example, I've never been a big Beatles fan, but when John Lennon was shot and killed, my dad was very upset about it.

In contrast my brother and sister (who are older than me by at least 15 years) are in the same age range as your parents, but they are both much more conservative and prejudiced in their own ways than you would imagine.

So please, do us a favor. Don't blanketly judge political viewpoints based on age. It's one of the most canned stereotypes out there and it's blind to the fact that age has very little to do with viewpoint.

And FWIW, my own feelings are Israel's existence as a militaristic state has given rise to a new/sick form of Jewish conservatism that some are only now becoming aware of. And in many ways has polarized Jewish political thought in a way that hurts us all.

For me the original Halloween just creeps me out all the time.

And I know they are not genre "horror" films, but The PIanist and Sometimes in April really hit me hard whenever I've seen them.

@#96 POSTED BY CANADAHEARS:
Actually I have argued for years to (mostly) dead ears that it's pretty perverted that our schools don't have basic courses explaining how/why of the personal financial system.

You mean I went to high school, learned complex math but nobody seems to see the value in applying such concepts to practical life.

The American education system was built initially to train factory workers and manual laborers. It doesn't encourage free thought. But we now live in a world where (1) manual laborers are not really needed in the same amount as we once did and (2) we live in an information age but people barely understand how to fully utilize it and are even afraid of it.

Now is the time for someone out there to propose true financial and information age education in the classroom in all schools at all levels.

I think the smartest long-term positioning is to begin looking at the goods and services you can provide to other people in your community without involving long distance transport or complex supply chains involving multiple creditors and borrowers. In other words, try to make what you do as real as possible.

I think this is one of the smartest things said about the modern economy. As much as big box stores seem to be stifling small businesses, there is a clear groundswell—that keeps on growing—of people who want to buy/sell locally and where quality is trumping quantity.

I mean think about it folks. You can buy tons of stuff for cheap online, but then again look at entities like Etsy, MAKE and local crafts consignment shops.

Heck, look at Apple. When they came back from the dead, they created an online store where you could customize the configs you wanted which was a radical idea at the time. And then when that became a cliched idea, they opened retail stores. And yeah, Apple is a chain, but the retail stores provide a personal touch you can't get when ordering online.

That's a bit of a tangent, but I think we're nearing the point where big-box stores are losing ground. Heck, a planned Whole Foods in Park Slope is not happening because now the trend is towards smaller stores.

I don't think folks will be able to pay the rent by doing local "small business"-like transactions in the near future, but I think people need to look more and more to having a side business that could grow to something else. Sell on eBay or Etsy or on Craigslist. But what Doug says is something that I strongly believe will be the best part of the new world of retail.

Oh, the bailout. Let's face facts: They are trying to make money come out of nowhere to pay for debt that should have never existed. How we would get out of this black hole is no easy task, but I deeply admire the fact this bill was shot down. It gives me hope to the fact that our elected officials are not just blind robots.

Sir Spocks-A-Lot, you are not up to speed. Are you in the midst of Pon farr?

@#22 POSTED BY A NEW CHALLENGER
She'll make point five past jet pump speed. She may not look like much but she's got it where it counts, kid. I've made a lot of special modifications myself.

Hot tub in a dumpster, I know... I know... It's serious.

I understand the logic of slamming eBay for stuff like this, but as an eBay buyer and seller since 1998 I must say they have really gone out of their way nowadays to make it easier to report junk like this.

And I honestly don't see it any worse than local PC sellers over-pricing cheap/outdated parts to buyers. There's a place a few blocks down from me that does a brisk business selling out-dated crap.

You know what the real issue is? Despite the fact that technology is cheaper than ever and better quality, there is an intrinsic human instinct to "hunt" for something better.

Nowadays you don't need to hunt. Most consumers need to understand that.

Also, now that I think about it, who would ever buy a component like a power supply and not know the details or do research? A full blown machine, yeah that makes sense. But a power supply?

Cannibals, sailors, and whores! Oh my!

Hate to explain to this guy what a hipster is, but James Howard Kunstler had better get ready to bump into a lot of iPod DJs and t-shirt designers.

This reminds me of abandoned buildings in NYC in the 1980s getting faux painted windows and facades.

@#24 SANTELLANA:
Whoomp, here it is.

@#19 Kathryn Cramer:
Yes, we WaMU folks are safe and covered since J.P. Morgan Chase is covered by FDIC as well.

Chase confirms this as well on their site:
"Your deposits at WaMu are now backed by the financial strength of Chase in addition to continuing to be insured by the FDIC."

I also made a little memorial to WaMU since I actually liked them as a bank. They were independent and had helpful staff. Now I need to cope with Chase folks.

Is that Boot Hill?

@#87 POSTED BY DAMAGEMAN:

Who cares????? This is really not that important to me!!! Intelligence does not necessarily correlate to being a great public/impromptu speaker.

Her blabbering makes Dubya's wit seem thoughtful and deep. Seriously.

And let's say what you're saying has merit: DId you ever think it's a great judgement of leadership and character that if you're suddenly picked to be the V.P. of a nation you'd make some effort to sound like you know what you're talking about?

I've interviewed people for jobs that were more put together than Palin was for this national interview.

I'm still waiting for a Green Acres parody, but this will do for now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30YsYpadjmQ

McCain & Palin:
He's an ex-POW who doesn't know how to use computers and can't do more more than one thing at a time. She's a blithering idiot whose also nasty and evil but easy on the eyes.

So hey, where's the Green Acres parody already?

To anyone saying it's reasonable to not know what Rosh Hashannah is makes sense. But we're talking about an assistant in Hollywood working for Dreamworks which is spearheaded by Steven Spielberg & Jeffrey Katzenberg. Not to mention, we live in the age of the Interweb. It takes 5 seconds to do a Google search.

A shame for the goyim this is.

Wow.

So the U.S. government is bailing out investment brokers who now have to suffer by being millionaires instead of billionaires.

Yet funding public health so mental cases like this don't get taken care of is like pulling teeth for them.

I swear this country is upside down and backwards.

This is awesome!

But I wouldn't give the guy any spare change. It just encourages him to do more physics.

In Brooklyn, road crews do the same thing when Raccoons die:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/e-liz/2861446907/

I'd just like to say that this thread—and the previous thread—are what really make BoingBoing great. And yes I know this thread hasn't really started, but hey.

I can't read this thread anymore. Too much sad.

Can't E.T. show himself to the world right about now so we can all have something to hope for?

@#79 Kay, did you miss when I clearly said:
"Literally, American's were conned of their dreams and whatever meager earnings they made."

I actually have never looked at personal responsibility as the main cause. The issue is a system that was designed to con the average home buyer into selling their lives for a debt.

May the people who caused this mess truly rot in hell.

@#69 POSTED BY IAMINNOCENT

We all made that bed, we all enjoyed the ride now the time has come to pay the cab.

No, we didn't. I know tons of people who have never had their hand in this field and pointing to 401K and other investments as being part of the mess is a canard point at best. The small amount of funds an average schlub like me invests in a 401K is not the cause of this mess.

The mess is a housing frenzy that implied (1) you don't own, then you are a sucker and (2) anyone can own even if they have no money.

Literally, American's were conned of their dreams and whatever meager earnings they made. And in the end brokers sales commissions won't come back to these failed companies. The damage has been done and the best thing to do is to REREGULATE THISS STUFF. Enough is enough.

And in the short term if you meet an investment banker at a bar or something, find out if he had anything to do with unsecured mortgages. If he says yes, buy him a nice cold beer and a big glass mug and smash it in his face.

Hey folks, some now unemployed Lehman Brothers folks are now selling swag on eBay. Like this programmer ("just a programmer... I didnt make the mess!") who is selling a:
Lehman Brothers Employee swag-Operating Principles Cube

http://tinyurl.com/5mcfay

In the description:
"I wish management listened to the same things on this cube! Then my good friends...talented people wouldn't be out of a job. Anyway how you like it and enjoy it..."

@#45 POSTED BY GODZILLA

I'm with the others hoping our student loans disappear.

Great! Then what happens to the people and institutions that loaned that money to students and who won't get it back?

I think you young ones really need to start to realize something: What this all has to do with is personal responsibility. If you can't pay for something, don't "buy" it on credit.

And in laymans terms for people who still don't get it: These banks are failing because they either bought into—or made loans to—people and entities that never had funds or means to pay back these loans. Their never was any money there to begin with; just lies and loans and more lies on top of that and now... Lives destroyed and no clear path out.

@#13 POSTED BY BONNIE:
Depends on what bank you have money in. Unlike the Great Depression we have Google and online news outlets to get info from. Do a search for whatever bank you have savings in and then decide what you should do from there.

Honestly, I'm starting to look for banks that are a bit more stable now.

How much of that sudden collapse in value is due to the ability of the actual debtor (the mortgagee) to walk away from their obligation? (Discuss!)

100% of it all.

It's sickening. It's all part of not only deregulation (thank you Reagan!), but also this pervasive mentality nowadays achieving one's "dreams" is a sustainable goal in and of itself. It's the mass lie that has lead to people barely out of college holding massive credit card debt and it extends here because nothing personifies the American dream more than owning a home.

Wake up call folks: America allows you to achieve any dream you want. It's great! But the second you dip into a world of unbacked credit you damage other people's lives. I don't see an easy way out to any of this in any way because ultimately it's money based on credit based on fantasy.

@#11 POSTED BY MITTZNZ:

I think Jack Purcellss are supposed to be "softer" than your average Chucks.

Not really. I've owned pairs before in the late 1980s and early 1990s and they were stiffer and required as much breaking in as the Chucks.

I'm investing in Asics & Puma from now on.

Don't even get me started on New Balance quality nowadays. They are just as bad as Converse nowadays.

@#1 POSTED BY BONDJAMESBOND

however, Converse is owned by Nike, which has a reputation for using sweatshop labor...

Not too sure about the sweatshop labor, but will say this: In the past year I've owned two pairs of Converse Jack Purcell sneakers and the quality of their product is nowhere near the pre-Nike days.

Yes, Converse sneakers are supposed to fall apart and degrade. But that was always the uppers. The soles and insoles of the Nike made Converses are horrid and fall apart before the uppers. So they are truly useless at that point.

Not to mention the cotton used in the material for the uppers nowadays are not stiff like in the pre-Nike days. They are soft out of the box and just don't feel right.

I'm all for helping fight AIDS, but you know what? For $49.99 I'd rather just take that $49.99 and donate 100% of it to a charity and buy a better quality sneaker.

The wheelchair is cool and funny, but it was too long.

And this is the same Gavin McInnes who is no longer connected with VICE and who was an unabashed xenophobe and semi-racist during his tenure at VICE?

This is great. And hits me on another level. Because I remember when the Canal Street in Manhattan used to be filled with repair/parts shops. Nowadays it's all bootleg bags, glasses and jewelry.

End of an era.

Whether or not you think this is a good thing apparently depends on how old you are. :-)

So in the future, Mr. Hooper's store on Sesame Street will just be an array of vending machines the folks in the neighborhood hang around near.

Ironically, it is about 100 feet away from a pretty big Nathan's.

That's not just a pretty big Nathan's... That is the original Nathan's.

I found this thread when I Googled for a fix to me not being able to upload a new icon. Irony is I was able to upload an avatar at one point, but now no matter what file format I submit I keep in getting that "Oops!" message.

#15 posted by themindfantastic:

Wow America is becoming more Japanese in an entirely American way!

Indeed. But here's my take on the cross-cultural stuff:

After World War II Japan became a de-militarized country that mimicked American culture. And here in the U.S., we became much more militarized than we were before.

So my big theory is Japanese pop culture is simply what American culture would truly evolve to be if we didn't become obsessed with war and death.

It might seem disturbing—and heck it is—but if you've ever looked at the modern fast food retail process this all makes sense.

99% of food you order from fast food joints are just made by machine or microwaved and employees are truly cogs in that process.

The only difference between this and a sit down restaurant is the illusion of customer service.

@#17 POSTED BY DCULBERSON:
Can you ease up on the personal attacks. Maybe you should reread what I wrote. Pricing for products in a line where there are multiple options is not always in parity with the profit margins you get from individual sales.

I think the margins on the higher capacity models are larger than on the lower ones. You see it as morally wrong, and I don't. Because I see the device as worth the price they are asking for.

Your logic reminds me of the arguments people made when the iPod Mini came out and the cost per gig were more than the standard iPod. It just doesn't work that way and never has.

@#13 POSTED BY DCULBERSON:

It's the same device, same engineering, with higher density flash chips in it.

Yes, and Apple is asking for more. Did you ever think the pricing is based on the concept of the cost being spread across the line?

I'm surprised that I haven't seen anyone putting these two together, and seeing this as paving the way for VOIP on the touch.

If that exists and there's Skype involved, I'm buying one and chucking my cell.

I think #5 might be onto something. Isn't there stuff in development—or actively being used—that can profile people by shadows? Would make sense for satellite surveillance.

@#4 POSTED BY DCULBERSON:
I find it sadder that you are basing prices on raw material cost and don't factor in manufacturing, engineering, design costs.

There's practically no cost for an SD card beyond materials, manufacturing and marketing because it's a universal format.

You pay more for baked break than raw flour and yeast for a reason.

The iPod Shuffles seem to have colors to match the Nanos now.

Also, what's impressive about the built in speaker is it makes the iPod Touch a true mini TV set. No headphones!

@#59 POSTED BY KNOTSLANING:

...her daughter gets to make choices about her life and isn't being forced into living the life her mother and father chose.

And you know this how? Via the book itself? Not saying this pessimistically, but perhaps when her kids grow up and can truly express their own opinions some might be shocked.

Allowing your children to experiment, discover who they are and what they like on their own terms (with you as a guider not an enforcer) is the point of the book and I think can be very threatening to traditional style parenting.

You're presuming that traditional parenting doesn't allow for individuality at all and this form of "punk" parenting breaks the "shackles". Give us all a break and stop creating these faux polarizations.

Just in time for the new Cold War.

#47 POSTED BY GRIMSHAW:
Since I said pessimistically "This can only end badly..." I'd like to say I'm happy to be proven wrong by your response. You're good!

@#44 POSTED BY ILL LICH , SEPTEMBER 8, 2008 1:09 PM

Dweezil and Moon unit seem like pretty well-adjusted adults to me.

Sure they are; and I say that with no irony or sarcasm. But do you factor the fact that they come from wealth & fame having anything to do with that? I know there are examples of children of stars falling into a craphole, but let's face facts: If you have a wad of cash and a connected network behind you you can prosteletize any philosophy and make a convincing argument.

Also, this discussion has degraded into polarized discussions of punk versus not-punk. You know what? I respect the punk ethos. But I also see flaws in it. In fact many of the same flaws can be seen in conservative parenting as well.

The idea to parent based on punk ethos makes as much sense as making eggs the way a right winger would. Or dancing about architecture.

#41 POSTED BY GRIMSHAW:
This can only end badly, but most everyone I know who espouses a punk ethos past the age of 25 has serious responsibility issues. And tend to be petit fascists who espouse freedom when they are really asserting controlling. True there are some people out there who like a punk lifestyle and have become adults, but most don't and it's simply an excuse to avoid responsibility. When mixed with child rearing... Oy vey!

Also I don't buy the conceit that this book is the author simply presenting their views and then you are left to make your own choice.

Isn't that what bible thumpers say?

Read the bible and make your own choice... And if your choice is disagreement with the bible then just read it again or get ready to be lectured about the flaws in your "choices".

Sorry but parenting without dogma is the way to go. There are tons of options out there that aren't marketed towards the Maximum Rock'n'Roll aesthetic/ethos.

@#3 MADDY:
I'm pretty certain nobody cares either way. Bill Gates didn't become a gajillionaire because he was self-conscious of people mocking him. Look at him? He's always been who he is and he's rich.

This book seems more geared towards aging punk parents who are too afraid to grow up in any way and who want to still keep whatever thread of their "ethos" alive.

Please, just read a non-trend based parenting book and share/explore experiences with parents of all types.

The idea of anyone from Maximum Rock'n'Roll telling anyone how to raise a child is sad and hilarious.

PS: Don't force your music tastes on kids either. Be truly open-minded and deal with it if they think punk bores them.

Look guys, when the Y2K bug reveals itself in this setup we'll all be farked!!!!

That is, if we were idiots.

Godzilla is an amazing character. And this ons set picture is amazing. Get me a good sized print and I will buy it.

This is great. More people need to share stories like these.

I use a mix of 1 part water, 1 part white vinegar and 1 part rubbing alcohol. Works great and cleans tons of stuff!

Me: I'd like a t-shirt with a tortoise on it.
Robot: Tortoise? What's that?
Me: Know what a turtle is?
Robot: Of course.
Me: Same thing.
Robot: I've never seen a turtle on a t-shirt before. But I understand what you mean. We can get it for you wholesale.

Lunatics. Abusive, paranoid and self-defeating lunatics.

@#4 POSTED BY SWEZOID

This is why I always pay with my credit card in restaurants etc. Then it is much harder for the restaurant to get away with fraud - there's always a correct money trail.

Others have pointed out the flaws in this, but here's another example. In Brooklyn there was a local mini-chain of upscale restaurants whose manager would take credit card numbers from one place, and run them again in another location. Full details here.
"Based on evidence collected by employees and investigators from American Express and Citibank, he was accused of using the credit card numbers of 19 customers to steal nearly $25,000 during the past six months, and attempting to steal an additional $46,000 from five other patrons, according to court papers."

Banning one form of tech or another doesn't get rid of corruption. All you need is a will and a way. And sometimes that "will" is a drug addiction.

@#6 POSTED BY ANTINOUS , SEPTEMBER 1, 2008 8:40 PM

Once upon a time, by which I mean up until a couple of years ago, police treated media personnel very differently. The rights of the free press were considered so important, that the cops simply allowed them to do their jobs. Any journalist with even five years' experience remembers that the press were generally considered exempt from police orders to move back or move out, except in imminently life-threatening situations. Now it's SOP to rough up or arrest journalists, or if they're on foreign soil, shoot them.

Exactly. I'm sick of people saying this is how it "always was". If that were the case, Woodward & Bernstein would have been arrested, harassed and physically beaten within days of breaking the Watergate story.

Please folks, history is documented for a reason. And the reason some of us older folks are truly nauseated by this stuff is things were really great at one time.

Also, Kyle your criticism of Xeni is ridiculous. I have been critical of comments made by BB staff in the past, but honestly this is a holiday weekend but also a weekend where a hurricane almost hit Louisiana again and the RNC is causing some serious breaches in rights of assembly of protestors. I think Boing Boing is doing a great job of pointing people in the right direction and I truly admire the work they are doing here.

Please, if you can do better do so. Post more details in the comments here with links and facts. Until then, please step off.

@#9 POSTED BY HURONBOB

speaking of old helicopters, my son who just returned from his second tour in Iraq was repairing vietnam era copters... the Canadians aren't the only ones with old equipment

Newer doesn't mean better. Tons of the best pieces of equipment in the U.S. military arsenal are old reliable pieces of equipment. There's lots of discussion about the real motivation in "upgrading" equipment is and lo and behold, it can all be tracked down to contracts.

Companies make more money selling you new equipment than selling parts to maintain old fleets.

Just think of it in terms of Vista versus XP.

And FWIW, most of these renegade armies we're fighting in Iraq have tons of outdated equipment and they still can match us and even defeat us. Newer definitely doesn't mean better.

@#34 Mello Clello:
We have EFTPOS in the U.S., but we simply call it a "Debit Card". People use them but the catch-22 is many banks don't warn if your account is low with debit cards. So you can technically pay for something that costs more than what you have in your account... And your bank will happily pay the full amount of the transaction and assess an "overdrawn" fee on top of that. Basically, getting you another way.

In New Zealand, does the EFTPOS system warn you if your funds are low?

Apologies for my misuse of "their" instead of "there" in "The system there is so corrupt..." and "They're corrupt scumbags."

@#40 POSTED BY CHRIS L

Guess what, I'm not going to apologize for having a middle class family that worked for everything they have. 98% of Randian Objectivism is bullshit, I'll give you that. That other 2% is hurricane season.

Let me explain what the problem is with your logic. Local government in Louisiana collects taxes and issues bonds just to deal with flooding. But guess what? The system their is so corrupt that most of that money is never used to actually protect the people who paid into the pool.

People in New Orleans have a right to be angry at local government. Their corrupt scumbags. Much worse than other municipalities and ultimately they do nothing.

And since nobody has said it yet, if New Orleans were predominately (1) white and (2) middle-class there would be no debate. The levees would be properly built and maintained and there would be no crisis. But because New Orleans is (1) poor and (2) predominately black, nobody cares. And it seriously extends back to the racism of the Louisiana Purchase.

What happens and has happened in Louisiana is American racism at its worst. And that's the tragedy here.

@#8 POSTED BY NZBEN

Regardless of any fault or blame last time, it just seems damn unfair that such a random event should happen again so soon.

What's unfair is that hurricanes and the Gulf of Mexico are actually not that random at all. It happens every year and to different degrees.

What is random and insane is the inadequate levee system they have there and how much damage was done to the wetlands that used to help buffer the water surges.

Holland's levee system makes the U.S. levee system in Louisiana look pathetic and sad.

Thanks, JDG. But here's a thing people need to realize: All banks have always had fees for everything. From asking a question, to making change, to getting a balance. But prior to online banking being the rage, most banks didn't strictly enforce any of these fees in any way. If anything these fees were there to use only in the most extreme circumstances when dealing with an irate customer.

Now, it's all online and/or via ATM. So they can tack on as many fees as possible. Heck, ATM fees are truly insane and robbery.

In my case I opened a bank account in person and the representative was very high on getting me to use online bill paying. I'm old enough to mainly be into checks, so I never used it. But the one month I did, I got slammed with some BS "excessive online transaction" fee of $10 or so that is supposedly government imposed.

So let me get this straight: If I pay online I save on postage and mailing costs, but I will be penalized by the bank because of a government regulation regarding excessive fees?

Nice scam. Instead of me supporting a store that sells the envelopes, the post office and others in the effort to mail a check, now I simply do it electronically and then I get slammed for making THEIR life easier?

That's what I'd like to call horse feathers.

I'm going to be writing checks until some robot I can't stop or destroy forces me to stop using them.

Pretty sick. Is Medvedev going to send tanks to Minneapolis any time soon?

@#2 DONABEAN:
It will most probably be a complete nightmare for the RNC and that would probably not be a bad thing.

But if Gustav becomes the next Katrina and the same insane non-response happens... I have no words for that.

Very few galleries of "weird" phones ever have examples of the cool phones I grew up with in the 1980s when we convinced my dad it was okay to not rent the black Bell phone from the phone company.

There were many cool/usable designs back then that were not novelties.

@#28 POSTED BY KEVIN:

One important note -- having a credit card, even if you only rarely use it and pay it off immediately each time, is a strong contributor to having a good credit score.

That's what I always thought as well, but it's not the case. You actually get a higher credit rating if you hold a monthly balance and pay off a good chunk of it but NOT pay off all of it.

There was an NPR piece on it a few months ago, but if this is any clue, friends of mine in the credit business routinely call people who pay off their full balance each month "deadbeats".

You see, credit card companies don't make money off of payments. They make money off of interest and fees and someone who screws up and pays fees and interest is actually a good customer.

It's a sick business. And maybe the solution is simply to push the card transaction business towards the debit model. But still retaining credit for major purchases.

So if someone buys something for $500 or less, that's debit.

$501 or more, that's credit.

There is a need for money-less transactions. But the current model is open for abuse on many levels.

@#17 POSTED BY BARDFINN

Cut up all your credit cards. Pay cash. Buy only what you can afford, or save up for larger items. Live within your means. Show people how your life is brilliant and happy and worry-free. Encourage everyone you know to undergo the same transformation.

I think yours is an extreme example, but I couldn't be in more agreement.

I don't want to sound like some crusty old man (because I'm not) but I think the issue of credit being given and extended to people who truly can't handle it is the number one cause of so many problems nowadays.

There's always generational differences, but in the late 1980s credit card companies made a very conscious push to force college age kids into debt. I vividly remember working at my college bookstore and being told by my manager to put credit card promotional material in all bags and popular books. At the time I did have a card, but it was an American Express that had to be paid off every month. Growing up poor I knew the value of saving and did not waste my money more than I could earn it.

Flash forward to now, you have kids who have been forced the delusional idea that they can be "whatever they want" (a whole other discussion) but a credit industry that has tapped straight into that delusion to create a massive industry that actually helps people sell personal goals short and ultimately drives them into debt.

It's all sick. And I think it's the root of tons of crap nowadays.

If they can't talk about RFID someone should definitely at least persistently educate high school and college age kids about the realities of credit. This whole recession we're in is rooted in that; this is the time it has to happen.

Really nice watch, but too much. Maybe worth $8 or $10. Since that white plastic looks like it would discolor pretty quickly. Those straps even on real Casios die quickly. Sell me a pack of replacements in different colors—or maybe just black and white—and I'll buy that.

@#114 POSTED BY TERESA NIELSEN HAYDEN / MODERATOR

Jack @76, firsthand data beats generalizations, even generalizations made by Stephen Ambrose.

True indeed. But in this case there is no "data" but simply "You don't know what you're talking about..." claims made without any facts or data to back it up.

Jack, Buddy66's manners are noticeably better than yours.

So when Buddy66 says:

I asked ARI B. a question. Butt out with ''whining.''

That is not considered trolling?

Teresa, I'm thinking your moderation methods are a tad too overbearing and a tad overly nasty for someone who is a mod. Additionally, there are some people posting in comments here who clearly have a deeper connection to BoingBoing than simply being casual commenters. It's coming down to nepotism and simple favoritism; some are labelled "trolls" and others are simply "outspoken".

Said it before—and I will say it again—what makes this all hard to swallow is this is BoingBoing, a site that criticizes others for lack of transparency and fights openness. But in many ways it's all coming down to self-serving rhetoric.

Can you guys generally ease up a bit and perhaps hold your own friends—who are commenters—too the same standards as us lowly "normals".

@#11 POSTED BY HARRKEV

Sheesh. What is the big deal. So, she decided to keep a couple of books. Simple. The library charges her the "lost book" fee. Library uses the fee to buy two fresh copies. That lady can sleep safe and sound knowing that she actually helped purchase two new copies of the book, generating more profit for the publisher and author (that should get her mad). Case closed -- as long as she pays her fine.

Because it sets a horrific precedent that could lead to other "moral authorities" doing the same thing across the nation which leads to a ridiculous sell/buy cycle that the library should not be involved in. Can you imagine, lunatics across the country organizing fund raising drives to support their "actions" to remove unwanted books from shelves of public libraries?

It's the a can or worms opened by the thin edge of the wedge on a slippery slope.

The fact that she is stating her moral reasons for stealing these books should really get her locked up. It's abuse of a public resource and harassment in the least.

@#35 POSTED BY ILL LICH:

...US TV executives are always trying to steal ideas, whether it's from another culture, or just another network.

Steal? Or do you mean license? Because when a show's rights are optioned for U.S. development, the non-U.S. creator is usually very aware of the sale and involved in the deal.

In fact more things are created outside of the U.S. for U.S. licensing than you would imagine. For example, look at the world of Japanese toys. The majority are created for the local Japanese market, but any company worth anything will gladly license the function/creativity of those toys to the U.S. market.

The first Transformers toys were a mish-mash of toys from different lines that were willfully sold and merged together into the U.S. Transformers marketing plan.

And beyond that, there really aren't too many "new" ideas out there to begin with. It's actually pretty rare nowadays in all fields. Most ideas are just recycled bits of this/that/other and the ones that come off as original are really the ones that do the better job of melding old ideas.

Heck, does anyone know if shows like this existed in Japan before Chuck Barris and The Gong Show existed.

Look it's even simpler: It's all a post-modern Benny Hill take on things.

The rapist? Oh, THERAPIST! That makes sense.

I still say Xylophone Hero will beat them all.

We could injure or kill people; we could burn structures or melt holes in walls; we could destroy targeted areas of spaceships, assuming we could keep a beam on them for long enough.

But we could not find enough humanity to hug a Wookie.

That VR headset is perfect for my friend Lobot and his buddy Lando.

@#83 PSTD BY BDDY66:
Bddy66, ws ctlly wllng t gv yr clms bt knwldg f g n th mltry sm crdnc. Bt jdgng by y sm t b mr f trll thn cntrbtr. Dr sy, ptntl "mll nnj" mtrl.

Thr s n rsn y hd t lsh t t m bt ths, spclly snc 'v bn frly grcs n my rspnss t y. spclly snc —nd thrs—cntr yr clms wth ths dd thng clld "fcts". Y mght wnt t s thm; Stphn mbrs ds.

f y'r whnng bt U.S. aid to Israel, you might as well complain about the nearly equal amount the U.S. has been sending to Egypt since 1975.

I'd rather the U.S. spend billions of dollars each year to support countries that support us. Much better investment than bombing the living hell out of them.

@75 POSTED BY BUDDY66:
Thanks for the thanks, but regarding this:

You're wrong on that one.

Stephen Ambrose would have to disagree with that. In fact, he's been very vocal about the fact that Tom Hanks was too old:

"You gotta get rid of Tom Hanks. He's too old to have been a Ranger captain." Spielberg yelled, "You're funny. Next." Spielberg and Hanks will soon be working on two Iwo Jima films. Did Ambrose have any suggestions for Spielberg? Yes. "Get rid of Hanks. He's too old to be an ensign." Spielberg offered a compromise. He promoted Hanks.

@#10 POSTED BY MGFARRELLY

It's chilling to see young people who would be in college or starting jobs at their age, holding huge rifles.

Patronizing comment at best. This can be said about the military anywhere and anyplace. ALL armies are made up of the young. You know what the biggest inaccuracy of Saving Private Ryan is? Tom Hanks would simply have not been in the military at his age.

And I have no romanticism towards the Israeli Defense Force. I truly admire that they can defend themselves from hostile neighbors, but at the same time I feel that in 2008 Israel can really be looked upon with a critical eye as well. They are not entirely angels. They have acted in questionable ways. And they have done this continually harping on the importance of preventing another massacre of the Jews ala the Holocaust. I have news for you: Living a life in paranoia is not a life. And nothing makes me feel like I'm talking to a bunch of zombies than when I talk to fellow Jews in Israel who just spout catchphrase after catchphrase.

As a direct child of Holocaust survivors, I will tell you enough is enough on all levels. Palestine never existed as a country and was only created as a political tool when Israel came into existence. Israel's claims of claiming land to "protect" themselves are bullshit; it's all been a land-grab and expansion of borders since 1967. Both sides are playing games and it's sick. And honestly the only way I see this ever ending is some massive tragedy happening in the mid-east that would put this mess in perspective. Heck, develop a true oil/gas alternative and suddenly the wealth of most nations there would evaporate overnight.

Also, would anyone be saying "It's chilling to see young people who would be in college or starting jobs at their age, holding huge rifles." if these were pictures of men? Yes, service is mandatory, but it's their choice. Let them do what they want as long as they respect what others want.

And personally, I found college to be a 5 year hole in my life and I cannot relate to people who would love to be in college all the time. They always cite the "education" and "thirst for knowledge", but you know what? You can learn in the real world as well. Especially nowadays where the cost of college is insane and the post-college benefits are a bit questionable.

Nice stuff!

Don't underestimate the danger of real weapons made by overzealous fans.

FWIW, there have been tons of incidents in the U.S. of dorks with samurai swords they bought on QVC attacking other people in, what is often, drunken rages.

Zuzu, well I'm not saying that suddenly mom and pop builders will start opening up right away. But you need to remember this: The original DIY culture of building PCs was based on price-point. They then died when pre-made PC prices went down.

So now you have a market with tons of cheap PCs and horrid customer service. At some point people will realize: "You know, maybe if I pay this guy $100 more I will get the machine I want and get service I like."

Think of it hand-in-hand with the trend towards boutiques and restaurants opening up all over the place. Do people want to pay more for the physical items they get from these places? No. But they will pay more to get the assurance of quality service.

The business model of strictly selling electronics at a low price is going to be irrelevant in a few years. The concept of better customer service will be universal. Heck, look at Apple. People already pay a premium for the assurance their machines work better. And what's marring Apple now? The quality assurance issues that cause that perception of quality to south.

Long story short: Bye, bye Circuit City, Best Buy and other major chains.

Man has Circuit City gone downhill.

You know what this bodes well for? Local system builders. Remember when they were all the rage in the early 1990s and then faded away when machine prices went down? I'd gladly pay a premium to a local seller to get a machine I know works and I can trust than deal with this hidden fee nonsense.

#14 POSTED BY IANM , AUGUST 23, 2008 7:26 AM

Yes, how dare me use my own property to document my own experience.

The problem us your use of your own property will interfere with the enjoyment of others.

I really hate going to concerts nowadays because I'm sick of seeing glowing LCDs all over the place. I go there to see the show.

And a live concert is ultimately an ephemeral experience. Bootlegs have existed for years, but they have mostly been terrible and were sold to fans as a way to milk more money off of a band's popularity.

It's always amazed me the western desire to possess and control things via media. If you like a book, you MUST own it. If you like a movie you MUST buy it. And lord forbid a friend gets you a film you like on DVD and you say "Hey, I like this movie but I don't really need to own it...."

I know this might sound like a generational thing, but what was so magical about seeing movies as a kid was the limited aspect. If I saw The Bad News Bears I saw the movie and the chances of seeing it again were slim. My memories and the occasional souvenir were enough.

For me as well, I work in front of an LCD screen all day. Most people do. I'm not going to unwind on my day off by going to a concert where people are obsessively snapping pictures & video of an event instead of being a part of it.

This is truly the negative side of technology and a massive turn off.

@#129 POSTED BY FUNERALPUDDING , AUGUST 23, 2008 5:28 AM

The law applies to Bush and to families running street businesses the same.

Speechless to a point reading this. Do you realize how wrong that is? Do you think these girls have the ability to force laws to change on a whim to give them more power the way Bush & Co. do?

If laws apply to "Bush and to families running street businesses the same" then in the spirit of these girls being harassed, I'd like George W. Bush to be impeached on war crimes charges ASAP.

This thread is unbelievable because to me it proves that most American's who demand abidance to laws have no clue what those laws are and are simply power hungry and secret fascists.

I'm sorry, but there is no way to say this: As much as I love technology and work in the field, nothing is more irritating and ruins the concert-going experience than folks holding up cell phones and cameras and spending more time worrying about how to document the event rather than enjoying it.

Look street vendors are a great American tradition. So is cut-throat business. And happily this Mr. Show clip has both!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP4yX2rkpBc

@#92 POSTED BY DAVID GUERRERO:

The main thing that peeked my interest about this story is the emotion so many people have about this.

For someone who is yammering endlessly about the letter of the law, you have no idea what the difference between "peeked" and "piqued" is.

On a side note, there seems to be a belief in the myth that once upon a time American communities were the model of freedom and free markets. They never were.

Yes, that is 100% true if you don't study history. In the case of street vendors, there once was a time when selling stuff on the street truly wasn't a hassle. It's called 30 years ago. Most laws against street vendors were put in placed to protect brick and mortar stores, and they made sense to an extent. Local mom and pop store owners said, "These guys are cutting in on my business!" and they made an issue of it. But the truth is so many communities nowadays (1) are under-served and (2) have little to no small businesses these laws are being used to bully people.

Technically speaking most people break "laws" all the time, but they are so no big deal in the big picture nobody wastes time to enforce it.

For example, it's illegal to park or idle a vehicle in front of a fire house. Yet today I saw a guy do just that. Firemen came out to pull out their rig and did they call the cops? Or write a ticket? No. They simply told him to move the car and he did. That's it. No big production.

If ANYONE actually was "blocked" by this small stand, a reasonable person would just say "Look, you're screwing up traffic..." But nobody did that and traffic was never blocked. Just an anonymous complaint was made with no other backstory. THAT is abuse.

If this was a Mexican guy that didn't speak English on the corner that got shut down it wouldn't even be a news story, and if it were would anyone care?

You are hilariously wrong and patronizing because EXACTLY that issue happened in NYC and people spoke out and it was a major news story. Do a Google search for the food vendors at the Red Hook soccer fields and read up. All people of all races were concerned and it was an issue people cared about. So much so that now they get more business than ever thanks to the publicity.

Ditto with mid-eastern food vendors who were being harassed in midtown Manhattan 10 years or so ago.

The issue is this: If you TRULY have a problem with a neighbor, then you can talk to them. And if they then harass you and act like jerks and dismiss your issue you have a right to complain. But people who simply "Call the cops..." without interaction are just old biddies who hate that other people have fun.

@#83 POSTED BY DAVID GUERRERO:

The local government has an obligation to enforce protections the public has asked for which, in this case, is the assumption of safe food being sold and not having street vendors in the neighborhood.

You obviously didn't read the article at all since that is 100% not the reason it was shut down. It was shut down because they were running a "...commercial enterprise..." in an area not zoned for commercial use and the Mayor "...wonders what Katie and Sabrina might do with that produce stand if the zoning laws weren't enforced..."

Look, if all of the sudden these girls sign a contract with Whole Foods and open a true business, then you have a claim.

As it stands what they are doing is selling personally grown produce on the land outside their own property and in no significant volume to be a threat to anyone but petty control freaks who never got enough attention from their parents as children.

Also, regarding the so-called obligation you are yammering about, these kids are getting a petition signed by members of the community to prove that the "protections the public has asked for" do not apply to them.

Getting two random complaints from unidentified "neighbors" means nothing at all. Technically speaking that insane concept that for every one complaint there are hundreds of others is the same fallacy the FCC uses to fine radio and TV stations millions of dollars. Look at the Janet Jackson bra-malfunction incident. ONE person complained.

Heck, have you ever done tech support for a major business? You know, if I dropped what I did for every single crackpot complaint that came my way I'd go nuts. It's only a real problem when LOTS of people complain.

I'm sure there are better things the folks in Clayton could be doing. Like maybe electing a new mayor.

@#71 POSTED BY DAVID GUERRERO:

We live in a society of laws that exist for a reason.

We also live in a society in America that has become one of the most abusively litigious societies in history. Nobody trusts anybody. And the main reason people need to get insurance is because if something goes wrong, suddenly people don't see an accident as a tragedy but rather a money making scheme.

The end result of that mentality is a population that grows to distrust each other and sees each other as a liability and not a customer.

There is simply no other country in this world where that attitude is so pervasive. Heck, go to Japan. Or better yet, go to Yahoo! Japan auctions and compare them to eBay auctions. What's shocking is how forthright people are about the condition of items on Yahoo! Japan when compared to eBay. And you know what else you notice? eBay auctions are filled with caveats and B.S. to protect the seller but on Yahoo! Japan it's assumed *gasp* people are honest and if any issues arise, adults can behave like adults and work things out.

It really sickens me when people say "laws exist for a reason" without knowing specific laws and the wiggle room that exists. Meaning, there is the letter of the law—which is the most literal reading of a law. And then there is the "spirit of the law". If you go to court you quickly learn that the spirit of the law ALWAYS trumps the letter of the law. A judge will look over the evidence of a case and look at the laws invoked and generate a judgement.

Also, laws change and are amended ALL THE TIME. Society grows and change. And honestly, withe economic climate we're in I wouldn't be surprised if laws regarding personal garden growing are amended to make life easier for average folks who simply have a small amount of land, the desire to grow things, and the desire to share their local good with others.

Ever hear of Victory gardens? They existed in an era when the U.S. government actually was a tad more reasonable towards people.

Kids setting up a card table and selling anything is not an issue. Idiots who decided to sue people left/right instead of behaving like rational adults... Now that is the real problem.

@#55 POSTED BY SALLY599 :

Its unclear why some of you are comparing this to a garage sale. Those are pretty highly regulated. While it varies regionally, in most cases you have to have a permit.

I have never seen ANYONE run a garage, stoop, yard sale required to have a permit in any way. It's accepted in most of the country that when the weather is nice, and when you hit Saturday or Sunday, people will sell their stuff. Nobody cares.

Anyone decrying regulation for stuff like this should realize that tons of major businesses that truly screw people over have slowly been deregulated over the years since Reagan took office.

So now you're telling us major businesses should have it easier but kids selling stuff on a card table in their own yard need legal action?

Get real. Leave the kids alone.

@#35 POSTED BY MELLOWMONK:

The goal of this kind of seemingly meaningless crackdown on innocent behavior is to gradually accustom all Americans to crackdowns in general.

Ha! You really think that? If that were the case, yard, garage, stoop and other sidewalks sales would be cracked down nationwide. But they aren't.

There will always be cranky neighbors complaining about meddling kids. It's a global tradition!

Too bad their mayor sounds like a d-bag of the first degree.

FIrst they came for the eggs and I said nothing.
Then they came for the chicken and I said nothing.
Then they came for me and I said "Soylent Green is me!"

Seriously, until she sells meth from a card table that says "Fresh Home Made Meth" who cares.

As someone who was in NYC on 9/11, I will say this offends me in no way.

You know what is offensive 7 years later? The fact that NYC is in a real estate/building boom and this whole city is being changed as we speak. But for one thing. The WTC site is STILL a huge hole in the ground and tons of "construction" workers on that site are still being paid.

THAT level of corruption and B.S. is offensive and an insult to anyone who lost family or friends on 9/11/2001.

Oh and for real people, this monkey was nowhere near as stressed out as the salary men all chasing after him with their cellphones.

While everyone went bananas over the monkey the monkey made a monkey out of them.

The picture makes the cat look like Hypnotoad.

Okay, so does anyone know about what happened to the local Chinese folks who helped him out? I'm really not too worried about a westerner being punished too harshly, but I can easily see anyone who helped him who were local to China really getting grief beyond grief for this.

You know what would be more adorable and in context? The kid in a few months pushing piles of stuff in his room with that hat on.

#30 POSTED BY EDUARDO PADOAN:

Educate us, then. What else should we be doing to raise public awareness about the crimes commited by the PRC?

The last time I checked, the Chinese are the very last group of people who need to be educated on how their government behaves. I don't think an action like this would have made much of a difference in the big picture. They all know what the deal is but they are all powerless to do anything. A street-art action like this means nothing.

But I think a better tactic might have been to (1) just do it without making a pre-announcement of it. But then again that might have resulted in him being punished even further. But what about (2) doing the same thing, but at PRC buildings outside of China. There's the U.N. and an embassy here in NYC. If the ultimate goal would have been media attention, I think that would be more successful.

Better yet, get someone who is going to win a gold, bronze or silver medal and use their exposure to send the same message.

Remember when Kanye West shouted "George Bush doesn't care about black people..." Now that was heroic and made an impact.

@#26 POSTED BY BLEDSOEFILMS:
There's more than one way to skin a cat.

@#17 POSTED BY MGFARRELLY:

The olympics are an immense piece of political theater, from the selection of the city, to the ceremonies to the way it's all conveyed in the media. Thinking that a hot button issue like Tibet is going to just slide off the stage is just not clear thinking.

The Olympics are what you make of them. I know far more people who watch the games for individual performance devoid of nationalism than otherwise. Of course there's always people who are nationalistic, but I find ignoring them or dismissing them is a lot easier in the case of the Olympics when compared to local sports rivalries.

Also, are there any interesting and *gasp* positive things about the events that BoingBoing could post on? Or should we just expect that any post on the Olmypics on BoingBoing is just going to be negative?

Oh, and also, folks you'd be shocked at how many places still use AVID setups despite Final Cut clearly being the new standard.

We can also discuss PageMaker and QuarkXPress 3.3 still being used to this day in some print publications.

@#1 POSTED BY ZUZU , AUGUST 17, 2008 11:47 AM

How is it 2008 and professional television shows aren't recording everything to a massive RAID array of hard drives? I mean, dubbing to tape, really???

Other people have said it as well, but most media monoliths are incredibly sluggish to adapt to new technology and so invested in the "capital" they pumped into that infrastructure they won't toss it out unless there is a good profit/loss reason.

Also, TV—and especially huge companies like Viacom which owns Comedy Central—have an unlimited pool of interns they can call on to run the "sneaker net". So from a tech perspective it seems odd, but from a bottom line standard the cost of training a few underpaid (if paid at all) interns through the dubbing wringer is a lot less than buying new hardware and incurring a larger cost.

And frown on the process all you want, but The Daily Show is still funny and highly rated. Good tech is what works for you to get your job done; not the most "133t" tech.

@#88 POSTED BY ARKIZZLE

NO. No they are not. They are con artists. They are criminals.

And rape is not sex, but without sex there is no definition of rape.

Sales is not inherently an evil trade, but there are tons of criminals conning people of their life savings in the western world of sales.

A boiler-room salesman pushing stocks on a short-sell or *cough* bogus mortgages *cough* is just as bad as these scammers. Get them all in a room together and I think you'd be shocked at how well they'd get along.

We need to publicize the problem in our own countries, and get our citizens to stop sending them money.

Well, I did say my idea of blocking is extreme, but blockades have worked... The problem is that once set in place, there is the temptation to keep them in place. And that's ridiculous. Communism is dead, but the U.S. still has sanctions on Cuba in 2008? Insane. But in the case of exports from China that were tainted, threats of blocking imports of their items—and the desire of Chinese manufacturers to retain business—forced them into shape.

But "educating" is ridiculous. It will never work. The reason is the entry level of getting online nowadays is painfully old, and most people barely understand the difference between RAM and a hard drive. So you're asking to educate people who have no practical reason to be educated.

For example, for all of the paranoia and fear about identity theft and all of the awareness of cyber crime in the U.S., I've stumbled across more unerased hard drives tossed on the street than otherwise. Seriously. I'm not a dumpster diver, but if come across a trashed machine and I can easily pull the drive out, I do. And I have NEVER come across a drive that has been erased ever. So I laugh when I come to Boing Boing and other blogs and read about people advocating 7 pass erases and such; most people don't even do a basic wipe! So now we're going to take these folks who think the Internet is magic and suddenly make them "aware" of scams? Never will happen.

Look, let me explain as simply as I can why I think scam-baiting is wrong beyond the subtext of unintentional race-baiting I have mentioned:

I know of NO situation in the world where engaging a salesman (and let's face it, that's what these scammers are) discourages them from doing what they do.

The historical best way of eliminating scammers is to always—and I mean always— ignore them.

And since there is corruption in the system that breeds this mess, here is my extreme example of what I think would solve this. Filter ANY and ALL e-mails coming from countries that are known hives of scammers. And only send one response to them via an auto responder. One that basically says, "Look this is nothing personal, but until your country truly does something about the scammers that abuse this system we will not accept any correspondence from your region."

It's extreme, but it puts the weight on the local system to truly purge this trash out of the equation. Soon enough every legit person will be hampered by this and be forced to say "Hey, idiots. Stop it. You're ruining this all for us."

If this could be done on an ISP level or even if Google did this, I think it would make an impact.

Extreme, but I think more effective in the long term than petty scam baiting which wastes not only your time but doesn't address the larger issues.

@#47 POSTED BY TERESA NIELSEN HAYDEN / MODERATOR:

I see you didn't read the links, not even the first and most important one. This scam does not divide up along racial lines. Neither do scambaiters. Go back and try again. Read the piece on the ethics of scambaiting all the way to the last paragraph, where it says "We are genuinely offended by the accusation that we are racist."

Teresa, I really am not going to accept that the scam baiters themselves describe themselves as not being racist. Most racists don't say they are racists. From what I have seen, the majority of the pranks played by scam baiters are non-blacks telling black scammers to do goofy things to distract them. Please provide us with a neutral third part assessment of scam baiting and not claims made by the baiters themselves.

And yes, these people are all individuals. Please reread what I have wrote. I DO NOT think intentional racism exists in scamming and scam baiting, but the unintentional racial divisions do exist. And that can lead to real racism or excuse certain scam baiting tactics that would be considered racist in other contexts.

No, I have not contradicted myself. You can have a real economy and endemic corruption.

But the real economy in a place rife with corruption is often the lowest level of the real economy. So yes, you can exist in a pure economy while others don't. But not for long. And at some point the corrupt economy wins.

Why are you incapable of imagining any motivation for scambaiting beyond playing racist headgames?

Reread what I asked you to reread again. Greed, sloth, lust, envy, gluttony, and a little pride don't add up to this mess. The reality is African countries were screwed the moment colonialism entered the picture and anyone who has studied any African history knows. Yes, people make their own choices, and they are not pure good or pure evil. But the level of colonialism can't be ignored and is ultimately the root of all of this. It's 100% naive to ignore the history of Africa in the modern world and how it has lead to conflicts and scams like this.

@#42 POSTED BY TERESA NIELSEN HAYDEN:

Quick check: how many of you who are wringing your hands over the plight of the poor Nigerians have done anything to help them? I'm talking about real donations to legitimate aid organizations, at minimum.

A canard of a point if there ever was one. It's the equivalent of complaining that someone who has not served in the military should not criticize it's misuse.

How exactly do you suggest anyone contribute any money in any way to poor Nigerians given the level of corruption in the government there? Sure, I can toss $20 to Unicef or Oxfam for example, but what percentage of that money will actually end up in the hands of people who need it? Will $2 get there? And $18 get "lost" in bribes/cuts/skimming/etc?

You know what was amazing here in 2004 when the Tsunami hit near Sri Lanka? How many small local groups were collecting money not to wire or send via proxy to Sri Lanka and Thailand, but how many of them were EXPLICITLY coming out and saying "Look, we're collecting this money and going their ourselves to distribute it because the government there is incompetent and corrupt."

So please, don't chastise people who understand how screwed things up are over there. There's no magic solution, but I can say that until the corruption there can be truly wiped out, there's practically no way average folks can contribute money and assure that money will get in the right hands.

@#42 POSTED BY TERESA NIELSEN HAYDEN:

First you say:

Nigeria has problems, but they also have a real economy. This is not people's only choice.

Then you say:

By the way: one of Nigeria's biggest problems is endemic corruption. Do you think these professional scammers have nothing to do with corrupt officials and bankers?

So basically you've contradicted yourself; on the one hand anyone saying the scammers have "no choice" is being pedantic. But then saying the exist in an environment rife with "endemic corruption".

Look, I am not defending these scammers at all. Never have. Never will. But I do think scam baiting is a bit disturbing and twisted and the divisions can be drawn down race lines. Western denial in this case is just a knee slapper.

Yes, the ultimate goal is to fleece money from whatever shill they can get, but the sheer idea that someone thinks there's a racial equality issue here is hilarious. Heck, are they targeting Chinese and Asians? Nope. They are not.

And frankly, how can one even broach the topic of Western colonialism contributing to the history of strife and corruption in Africa without some "genius" slapping the tag of "white guilt" on a person?

Where do you think that "endemic corruption" and the cynical worldview that fuels this mess comes from? Just simple greed?

Scammers should be stopped, but scam-baiting is not something I think will change this mess.

So being nice, clean, succinct to a customer server rep will get you treated well?

Next you're going to tell me leaving a decent sized tip makes bartenders nicer to you.

Or petting a puppy makes it wag it's tail.

@#34 POSTED BY SANTA'S KNEE

However, you have failed to convince me to retract MY statement.

Okay, on topic: Do you realize that most Nigerian scammers self-describe themselves as consciously going after rich white European/American people?

You see that's the amazing thing is they are very clear on the racism in their own actions. Doesn't make it good, but there's no argument from them. But when it comes to the mostly white American/European folks who are scam-baiting? There's incredible logical leaps to avoid the issue of race entirely. As if that can't be an issue because they don't intend it as an issue.

If intent were the main fuel of racism and hate, then it would all be wiped away by now. But it's these tiny issues of perception added up over the years that add up to the larger mess.

#29 POSTED BY SANTA'S KNEE:

I find you white guilt interesting and wish to subscribe to your newsletter...

White guilt? Hilarious! I'm the first American born child of immigrants who survived the Holocaust and anti-Semitism of post-WW II Poland who came to American with practically nothing and lived in poverty most of my life. Yes, I am "white", but you know what? I personally experienced much more prejudice and hate as a kid than most other "white" people I've known.

And you know what? Racism and hate are indeed colorblind. But they exist. Just look at the whole Russia/Georgia conflict: white against white. But drawn on ethnic lines few outside of the region understand. Look at China/Tibet; Asian against Asian. Ditto on all of that.

In the case of Nigerian scammers, there is a very clear class division that is also disturbingly paralleled by race.

A scam-baiter in the U.S. (who is most likely not black) playing games with scammers in Nigeria who are majority black is a bit disturbing. And even if that is not an intent, the results of the action still need to be felt.

My initial position stands the same: Just ignore the scammers and don't play mindgames with them. At least appeal to that level of intelligence.

@#24 POSTED BY TAKUAN

only a racist thinks of scambaiting as racist.

Only staring at the tree denies you the view of the forest. Why do people resort to scamming to begin with? Because they are poor and resourceful. But they have no economy—and little hope of an economy—that can legitimately use their skills. So this is the way to go for them.

How did this mess start? Just look at African colonialism and the artificial division of regions and the hate/strife it's created.

And now flash forward to now. Internet is setup to help the region grow. Yet there is no clear path. So the only path is the one of scamming.

And we here in the "first world" with better tools skills take to "scam baiting" as a form of entertainment. So you know what? There's no explicit racism happening, but it's still a pretty sick form of entertainment that highlights race/class divisions.

Not acknowledging that reality is dangerous and a bit delusional.

Playing games with con artists might seem cute, but honestly does anyone want a shadow of a trail between you and someone who sees you as an income?

Just trash the e-mails and requests and ignore them.

anyone know WHY crows and starlings love shiny objects?

No idea. Anyone know how to keep the back of my iPod shiny? Must be shiny! Clean!

@#35 POSTED BY TAKUAN:

Jack, you miss the point. I even feel it possible that you are constitutionally incapable of seeing the point.

It's hard to balance your ironic posts from non-ironic posts and to understand what your actually saying of if you're just trying to stir the pot.

The point is simple: If somehow this same panic existed on another blog, others would call it out for what it is. As it stands, "...the mob has spoken."

@#30 POSTED BY TERESA NIELSEN HAYDEN
Teresa, I've never really had major issues with moderation on BoingBoing, but I think the behavior of you and Xeni in this thread highlights the worst aspects of overbearing moderation.

The initial issue is basically, BoingBoing was caught with it's pants down by practically posting verbatim a detailed—but zero depth report—of someone who barely understands the concept of malware when they state:

On my Windows XP workstation, I run Symantec Corporate Anti-virus, Zone Alarm Pro, as well as Spybot manually.

As someone who works on machines daily, I can honestly say this qualification is hilarious. Desktop based scanners are notoriously paranoid and notoriously throw up red flags based on not much. Anyone doing any level of tech work for at least a month knows that the second a red flag is raised isn't the second to claim there's an issue.

I'd like to think the tech-savvy BoingBoing know better than to echo statements based on that, but hey. We're human right?

And as far as admin/mod issues go, this echos a very similar issue many folks had with the high-profile "incident that shall not be named" that happened previously on BoingBoing earlier this summer. An issue in verifiability and honesty comes up, instead of coming clean, admins point fingers while silently "massaging" content and in the end attempt to get away with not simply admitting their errors.

Specific to this post, the comment #17 left by Xeni was edited after the fact at least once. The very last line that begins "A hysterical post..." was not their in the first version I saw of her response. It was edited after the fact. And it's a tad disturbing.

Anyone writing for BoingBoing has the ability to correct/edit their main post. That's cool and acceptable netiquette. I accept the fact I am but a lowly commenter. But when the author of the post then edits their own personal comments connected to the thread... That's taking advantage of abilities regular commenters don't have.

C'mon folks. You are an alpha blog and have great content. Why not just engage in the same kind of transparency that BoingBoing seems to demand of others. It's really disappointing to see folks who are bastions of freeness and openness not act the way they demand of others.

And we can agree to disagree about the Chinese malware issue, but my stance is simple: China is not the only country engaged in this kind of stuff and most people already know about China's questionable tech culture. So in my mind, the issue of Chinese malware is not news unless it can be verified; anyone visiting a Chinese site knows to watch out for falling malware. Why not sit and wait and then post when it can be verified?

HOAX?

I truly am at a loss for words to explain why this one word question is so invalid.

Neat, but this story about the birds stealing change dates back as far as 2002. The birds in question are not Crows, but Starlings.

@#16 POSTED BY TERESA NIELSEN HAYDEN

I don't see any evidence of racism or xenophobia

The xenophobia and possible racism I'm bringing up comes from the inherent fact that if this was not related to China, I do not think you'd be seeing the over-reaction and over-analysis of the supposed incident in question. BoingBoing is a U.S. based blog whose reporters are non-Chinese and mostly caucasian. Perhaps this is being oversensitive, but seriously would this be reported if it was a Flash screen saver for a U.S. baseball team?

Yes, malware is a plague. And malware should be brought to light, but I think it's the job of anyone reporting on this to downplay risk until facts can be confirmed. The headline implying malware from the get-go is the real issue. Perhaps something more along the lines of "What's Up With Beijing 2008 Screen Savers?" would be more appropriate. Pointing to the original blog post that inspired this post as the root of the confusion shuns responsibility. As a aggregator blog that filters through others and rises above the fray, BoingBoing should not fall prey to petty alarmism.

This is not only alarmist, bt bt xnphbc, myb rcst nd dfntly prnd. I'm sure other Flash-based screensavers results in the same Zone Alaram going all Chicken Little on you. But that's not mentioned until the update.

Rlly dsppntng. Let's calm down a bit until this stuff can be proven and not feed the flames of B.S.

I think smoking pot leads to potheads. And they are frightening.

Whoever owns this had better use it for a tryst with their paramour or else, what's the point?

I think Mad Men is fine, but without seeing the full episode, I think most people with half a brain can deduce there are some family/relationship issues Donald Draper is dealing with that echo in the slideshow being presented.

As far as nostalgia goes, I hate to say it but nostalgia, mortality and youth are key tools to a marketers trade. Heck, it all comes down to happiness as well; wasn't there a book about that?

A whole other thread can be spun on the topic, but marketing nowadays is fascinating. And Mad Men is fascinating because it brings many of the basic concepts and *cough* lies *cough* of marketing to the masses. Kudos for that!

JS7A, wow, that's amazing. A web form in 2008 that can't allow submissions?