Just for the record, suffering isn't necessary or sufficient for comedy. Suffering can provide the emotional power, but surprise is the root. That's why bad timing can screw up a joke, as can telling it in the wrong order; those don't decrease the suffering, but they do ruin the surprise.

@Zergonapal:

A friend of mine is an ardent cyclist. When somebody is parked in a bike lane, he'll politely ask them to move. If he gets backtalk, he'll pull out his cellphone and say, "It looks like we have a difference of opinion about the law. I'm sure a police officer can settle this for us. Would you like me to call one?"

He says it works every time, and he's never actually had to call.

I second the rec for LeechBlock. It's genius. A great idea, backed up by a lot of thoughtful development.

Whew! The odd number was bothering me; the even number seems somehow better. I guess I was just waiting for the other foot to drop.

I'm opposed to the continuation of Critical Mass, but having ridden in a couple of them, I think I get why they do it.

The normal feeling of riding in a city is that of a continuous low-level fear. Fear that someone will open a door in your path. Fear that a distracted driver will turn right in front of you. Fear that some road-rage nut job will run you right over.

Riding with Critical Mass for the first time, I felt free of fear. I felt safe. I felt like I could actually get around on my bike without risking a trip to the hospital. It was extraordinary. For an hour, I was free.

You drivers who hate Critical Mass? You're surely right to. It's a giant pain in the ass. It's hard to get anywhere. It's inconvenient. You worry some loon might hurt you. And that sucks. But that's the daily experience of somebody who tries to get around a major city on a bike. So if you're wondering why the Critical Mass people do it, look no further than your own feelings.

For a single, owner-run store that plays up staff involvement to hide behind "policy" is the purest bullshit, and I'm amazed at the number of people here and elsewhere who have swallowed it.

The people at Murky are legally entitled to do as they please for any reason, or no reason at all. But hiding their reasoning in a black box called "policy" doesn't absolve them of responsibility for their actions. It especially doesn't entitle them to act in an arbitrary, capricious, or condescending manner and then get treated like they're being friendly and sensible.

Their expectation that they could is what set off Jeff Simmermon, the iced-espresso buyer. At least he could admit in retrospect that he behaved poorly, but Murky's Nick Cho seems determined that he'll learn exactly nothing from this.

My sides hurt now. Bless you, Insect Hooves.

Looks like BlackHatWorld has taken down the discussion. Did anybody save a copy?

Pinwiz: To everybody else, you are part of the chaff.

Every spammer I've ever talked to thinks that their message is special and different and ok to post, because it's what they believe they need to do. Whether they are clueless or evil is a matter for theologians, but either way they destroy community forums.

If you want to make it as a freelancer, develop relationships with clients and people who know clients. Present at events. Write useful articles. Do favors for people on the way up. Develop a great portfolio and great references. Provide value to your community.

Just posting your ad on Craigslist over and over is a sign you should go back to a day job.

Having had a number of bikes go missing in San Francisco: Yes, thieves really do ride off on bikes. No, a good lock is not enough. I have the remains of two high-end Kryptonite locks to prove it.

Given the entirely unconcerned attitude of cops, at least in my town, to thefts like this, I can totally understand why somebody would have revenge fantasies like this. But I hope everybody realizes that this is terribly, terribly dangerous. This could easily send somebody, possibly an innocent somebody, right under an oncoming car.

Some claim that many immune disorders (like hayfever) happen because modern sanitation doesn't give the immune system enough to work on. I often wonder if some people just have a certain amount of worrying to do, and will do it about something idiotic when they're out of real worries.

@#1: We should always thank people for doing something they should be doing in the first place. But for a lot of people doing myriad small good deeds, the world would be a shitty old place. Why not appreciate each step forward for the good thing it is?

If the "ghetto latte" is a problem, couldn't they a) ask customers not to do that, or b) sell their iced espressos in tiny cups?

My reply to the coffee-shop owner, whom I don't entirely trust to post the comments that his site asks for:

-----

Seriously? That's the best you can do, Nick?

First, you've lost all claim to the high ground here. You can't possibly go with "respectfully" and whine about "common courtesy", and then go on with "fuck you" and threats of a cock punch. Either actually be respectful or be fully an asshole.

Second, you're displaying exactly the kind of high-handed, condescending snobbery that your barista was accused of. Before, people might have thought that somebody was having bad day, a weird anomaly. But no, you've made it clear that being an arrogant jerk to customers is the house style, and that it comes from the top.

Third, hiding behind mysterious "policies" is bullshit. You can either be a small, independent joint, and have personal reasons for what you do. Or you can be a large chain with policies that come from the 8th floor of some glassy building, no explanation attached. But trying to hide behind "policies" in a single store is a painfully obvious way of avoiding responsibility.

Fourth, you're still in the wrong. Yes, your customer was a jerk. But the barista was jerky first, and obviously wasn't "happy to share" the reasons behind being refused a reasonable request. If you can't even be man enough to admit that you and your minions were in the wrong, even by the low standards you set for yourself in this post, then it's no wonder you flamed out trying to run a whole second shop.

My advice: man up, say you're sorry, and show at least a vague awareness that you're in a customer service business. That doesn't mean that you have to ever serve an iced espresso if it bruises your delicate sensibilities, but it does mean demonstrating the respect that, so far, is just hot air on your part.

jonathan_v writes:

Do you *really* think a well respected coffee shop is going to go antagonistic on its customers? Sure - the customer felt 'wronged' but I highly doubt the barista was being anything but cordial and explaining their policy.

Doubt away, but that mainly makes me think you haven't been to a sufficiently snobby coffee shop. I don't even really drink coffee, and know a couple of places in San Francisco where I could easily see this level of attitude happening.

Years ago in Chicago, the Duke of Perth's bartender wouldn't put a good single malt scotch over ice, at least not at first request. However, je would happily make you a scotch and soda or a scotch on the rocks, using some low-grade blended scotch for that. Or anything else you can order at a typical bar.

Even the espresso-on-ice thing really matters like it does with scotch (and I'm still skeptical) then I'd say that Murky's is still acting foolishly. If their espresso is so damn precious that they just can't adulterate it, then they should find some other way to satisfy a reasonable customer request.

Whoa. Anybody want to find out if Asti Benoit has let loose yet?

http://www.stcmmrcls.cm/cntct.html

You can find a couple of sources for the pilot here:

http://www.sidereel.com/Leverage

I am dumbfounded at the outrage and shouts of censorship. Seriously? It's a blog, people. If Violet Blue wants to say something, she has her own blog. And a newspaper column.

On the other hand, I'd expect the BBers of all people to know that removing stuff is an act that gets noticed. I share your distaste for needless drama, but I hope you folks have learned that making content disappear doesn't get you there. And also that being open and forthright is harder than it looks from a distance.

I'll second the recommendation for the Cowon iAudio 7.

Its interface isn't as smooth as the iPod, but it's a nice little MP3 player, FM radio, and audio recorder, with built-in mic and input jack. I haven't done a real interview with it yet, but the built-in mic quality seemed good in tests.

Probably not a primary recorder for serious interviewers, but definitely good as a backup or for casual interviews.

For those interested in the topic, I strongly recommend "Life 102: What to Do After Your Guru Sues You" by Peter McWilliams. It's a lively and articulate portrait of how he got sucked into a cult, rose to the highest levels, and eventually got out. Copies can be hard to find, as the cult has used copyright to suppress the book.

For something more even in tone, I also recommend Marta Szabo's The Guru Looked Good. She serialized it on a blog, so start with the early entries and read forward.

Many thanks for posting this clip. What a master of his art!

Anybody know good MP3 players for that?

The one in the video seems to be this one. But I can't find it on the manufacturer's product page, and I can't figure out who sells their products in the US.

I'd especially like to find one with a built-in microphone plus mic jack and a UI that isn't entirely hostile.

@Funkdaddy: Good idea. I was thinking some spray-on plastic-ish substance.

I wanted to encourage others to join me in donating to oppose this. The "Strange Bedfellows" coalition is going after the people behind this; in a few days they've already raised nearly $300k.

They may get this passed, but we should all make sure there are consequences.

My first thought: these large busts are a sign of poor inventory management. The international crime syndicates are clearly not hiring enough MBAs with knowledge of lean manufacturing.

David: I used to be like that, coming up with all sorts of strategies for getting up on time. Loud alarms, hard to find ones, multiple alarms. Eventually I ended up with your solution: going to be so that I wake up naturally when I need to.

The drawback is now that I have a regular sleep schedule, it's much harder to stay up crazy late on occasion. And if I do, I still wake up at my normal time, so I can't really sleep late anymore. I miss sleeping until 2 on weekends!

Derren Brown is pretty frank that he uses a variety of techniques for what he does, including outright trickery. He is intentionally vague on when he's using which technique.

Those who are interested can, with sufficient research, figure out how his stuff is done. (I'd start with Corinda's 13 Steps to Mentalism.) Those who aren't interested in the details should still remember that he is an entertainer, and you should not take his entertainments as proof of anything, any more than the Iron Man movie proves that you can put on a flying suit and go race with jets.

@Nobody Special: The guy drops five large on delicate gear that arrives poorly packed. He lets the public know, probably after Amazon asks him to give feedback.

You come out of nowhere, not knowing him or anything more than what you've read, create an account, and make your first an only comment on Boing Boing one that calls him "pissy" and an "asshole". What does that make you, exactly?

My guess: an employee of a dodgy Brooklyn camera company.

For those wondering how moral behavior fits well with evolution, take a look at Good Natured by Franz de Waal. It's a readable exploration of how a moral sense appears to be a natural phenomenon.

Wait, the TSA has privacy rules?

Poor, sad sugar addict.

This is just the "parts of the elephant" thing in a new guise. In the DSM they have separate entries for the trunk, the ears, the tail, the legs, and the tusks. But it's all one thing.

In my view, anything that is initially pleasurable and makes you forget your worries is potentially addictive. The cycle:
* you have problems that trouble you
* you avoid the pain using X
* too much X makes your problems worse
* repeat until you hit bottom

Some things on the Internet definitely qualify, like Warcraft. I agree that calling it "internet addiction" is faintly ridiculous, like calling alcoholism "bottle addiction".

But if you look at the DSM more as a catalog of treatable symptom clusters than a work of philosophy, that makes some sense. If most people didn't know anything about alcohol, but did easily recognize addictive behavior associated with a lot of empty bottles and a few full ones, then calling it "bottle addiction" would make some sense for two reasons.

First, friends of the addicted might see a lot of bottles and say, "Hey, I wonder if bottle addiction is involved." And secondly, people buying things in bottles might stop to think about addiction when they wouldn't have before.

And yes, this is all terribly annoying to people who buy milk in bottles. Or even who buy vodka but can handle it. But please don't mistake your personal lack of problem with bottles for a universal lack of problem.

Wow! I have been involved in on-line communities for a long time, and this is one of the best moderator explanations I've seen. I'm definitely saving a copy for future reference and possible pilfering.

One suggestion: at the top, put a short, catch-all question with an answer that summarizes and conveys the spirit. E.g.:

Q: Moderation? What's this all about?

A: We want the forum to be valuable to our readers. We moderate by removing or dismemvowelling posts that reduce that value, mainly ones that are spammy, snotty, jerky, or create excess drama. Focus on contributing to the conversation, and you'll be fine.

Speaking of Derren Brown, this is the segment where he talks people out of watches, wallets, and phones:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=f-TURhK90_8

A magician of my acquaintance tells me that Brown is on the level when he says he doesn't use stooges. I ache to try this on strangers to see if I can get it to work.