That blog is incredible...there goes Sunday afternoon.

Part of my previous post got filtered out (BB, understandably, does not like meta tags in comments), but I thought that those tags pretty much speak for themselves...

Description: Australian songwriters and musicians speak out on the realities of life as an artist. In Tune features intimate interviews with some of Australia's biggest names.

Copyright: Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI)

@kateq

I think it's great that he doesn't sue...it would lower the standards even more.

This is a somewhat creepy attempt at authenticity and I hope more of the musicians featured will distance themselves from that blunt ploy.

It's not about piracy YES/NO, it's just another example of pulling any bleeding heart register to keep the profits rolling...

I kept on CTRL-F ing for "gypsies", but it would always return false. Do I need a better computer?

whatever the verdict, I like paragraphs...

@#49 Antinous

"Berlusconi?"

LOL! Yeah...Sarkozy is shaping up nicely, too.

I'm not political, but since Australia has a new centre-left government the air is fresher, people stop for a chat and it's even been raining to fill the dams.

This time around North Americans shouldn't be allowed to vote all together - it's just too high a risk globally. Do something else...go camping, Disneyland, sleep in...whatever. Give it a break this time.

Let us Europeans do it for you...we've got it sussed - just trust us.

I wonder when "operating systemism" will be clearly regarded as the moronic BS that it really is...

I again agree with DjCoolLemonade, why do comments get lost? And why doesn't the comment numbering stay put...it is really confusing trying to follow a conversation...

I agree with #11. And what's with the Wacky-German-Visiting-US pattern (previous episodes featured another supposedly German/French dickhead)? I'm pretty sure BMW wouldn't like to see their ads embedded in anything like this a bit closer to home ;)

#28 "Seriously, what is it about a bicycle that is so deserving of contempt?"

I've been asking myself that question a lot since I've been living in Australia. I've never ever asked myself that question while living in Germany.

Infrastructure and culture has a lot more to do with it than all those lame bogus issues of red lights and stop signs...

When cycling on the road I can really tell which drivers that overtake me have ridden a bike before in similar traffic and which ones pretty much want to make a statement about other people using THEIR road.

Where cars really can take advantage of their speed to cross a certain meaningful distance, I think cyclists on the road are a nuisance and dangerous (mostly to themselves). That's where dedicated cycle lanes should be built on footpaths or on the road.

But in the inner cities with traffic lights every 500 meters anyway? Slow the whole lot down to 40 kph or so and let anything that could remotely be used for personal transportation share the fun.

In regards to the fake question...as has been noted above, this is very common in Chiang Mai, Thailand and people can purchase the paintings. I'm in Bangkok at the moment and there are tons of offers to visit those places.

I'd have no doubt that they enjoy the interaction and the praise...not so sure about being made drunk like I saw the other night here...

But they sure like water!

Last time she was on BB, someone made an Amy Winehouse related comment...which was as funny as it was appropriate...meaning "very".

So is she keeping an eye on BB or are the two characters just destined to merge?

#43...That is so true

When I hitchhiked from Alice Springs to Darwin many years ago, we found a young freshwater croc on the road that was hit by a car, but was still alive.

We put it on the backseat and tried to feed it some roadhouse chicken, which it refused and I can't blame it...

Next morning it was dead, but since I was very broke I thought I might be able to sell it to someone in Darwin for the skin (mildly aware that that should not be done at the local markets).

Once in Darwin I confided in the owner of the backpacker I was staying in, since he seemed to be a pretty cool guy. He convincingly discouraged me to go door-knocking with my dead friend, since authorities would not be satisfied with an "I found it!" story.

Anyway, he decided to do the right thing and call the whoever-takes-care-of-wildlife department to pick it up, but must have known they would not be rushing. He rolled it up and stuffed it in the base compartment of the communal fridge, where it remained for two and a half days...

I honestly think he saw it as an added-value kind-off thing for staying there...(and it was an "attraction")...I hope he's doing great...

True digital paper has been a loooooong time coming, in fact 10 years ago I thought it'd be here in 2.

Although I use my Palm Lifedrive to read a lot of articles, I don't think I'd read a novel on it...but a bendable, paper-like device with a (optionally?) passive display and which doesn't feel like a phone/PDA/MP3/navigator could change that pretty quickly.

I can understand the wish for more isolation from world conflicts in the US. Until recently Germany's army was not allowed to do anything but defend the country, no ifs and buts.

For most of the time after WW2 that sat pretty well with every other country, but obviously that's changed and now the Bundeswehr participates in Afghanistan due to internal and external pressure - although their contribution has been questioned quite regularly in recent times.

Anyway, ideally the UN would be stronger and more decisive body, so the US wouldn't get unilaterally involved at all. That means countries would need to stop hijacking the whole thing for their own gains (or prevent others).

As has been pointed out above, Rwanda and Iraq are not a very good comparison...

I really liked the movie Hotel Rwanda...it depicted pretty well how frustrating it must have been for the UN troops to see a genocide boiling up right under their noses with plenty of possibilities to prevent it, but being rendered useless by people on the other side of the world.

@#24

Yes Antinous, when comparing his profile with the actual thread, there was little difference - short of a few outsider's comments who clearly weren't enlightened enough to truly comprehend the wisdom that results from walking around with a firearm...

I think I've heard all pro and con gun arguments by now...I just want to be entertained, and pro-gunners are just much more up to the task...what would a non-mall-ninja have to talk about?

When reading that I had a strange sense of deja-vu in regards to what really should be called "gun speak"...

And sure enough...I just remembered jlbraun, the "flaming liberal" gun-slingin' "buddhist".

The main thread, "Video of man firing 18 rounds from a pistol in 3 seconds", ended up being 10 miles long sparked by a fat guy shooting fast at open space in 5 seconds or so.

Obviously gun culture is a hot topic in the US...I wish I'd know some more good documentaries that explore it.

Cheesus...I had a bit of a read of that as well. Please tell me this is a mock site...

Not sure whether this has been featured here before...I'd be surprised if it hasn't...

http://www.bodyworlds.com

@#33 Antinous

Is this really a hybrid, global warming cover-up / Spongebob ass-jabber thread?

Makes a lot of sense to me....goes with BB's fondness of mashups...

Nice feature...

I was wondering when this would appear on BB...it's a match made in heaven.

Apparently Hitler was a big Micky Mouse fan. Minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels gave him an entire collection of 12 films for Xmas in 1937...and he was thrilled (according to Goebbels).

Taken from (in German):
http://einestages.spiegel.de/static/authoralbumbackground/1445/zwoelf_micky_filme_fuer_den_fuehrer.html

There's some interesting mentioning of a Nazi cartoonist division to further aid propaganda, which didn't really go that well...too many distractions, I guess.

It sounds like the DRM only applies to a streaming server setup, not the far more popular progressive download?

And I agree with Gareth that the Flash plugin just simply lends itself for displaying video, regardless of remixing.

Anyone who has tried to integrate any other online video format in a cross-browser, cross-platform way and customize look and functionality would conclude that Flash is lightyears ahead of the other options.

No point on commenting on the ridiculousness of the whole thing any further, but does anybody know what "Airlines will also be required to provide information on travellers' families" actually means?

Is this about Airlines disclosing their already existing information about families, which would sum up to the traveller's last name, I'd hope?

Or does a traveller have to write a biography on how they met their life partner and had offspring?

Nah...bullshit...that would never happen...

I really don't care about the subject, but some of the tools seem pretty sophisticated for a Flash-based app...

Looks like the Flex development platform has paid off for MM/Adobe by attracting "pure" application developers.

Hey, it'll all work out...private deal for "Lemon" - fits her SG page a lot better, too.

Just out of interest...do these "restaurants" have the whole themed shenanigans? Kangaroo, Koala, K...Crocodile and more recently Stingrays?

And yes, do they sell Fosters?

#4 Maddy

repeating my mantra louder and more manically "don't judge other cultures, don't judge other cultures, don't judge other cultures" ...

That mantra could come straight from GWB when it concerns Saudi Arabia. Not selling them 20 billions worth of weapons would be discriminating, too.

Unless you are a 100% spiritual being, it doesn't say goodwill, but laziness. Maybe you're mistaking an oppressive regime exercising unjust power against its own people with an alien tribe that our brains are incapable to comprehend?

Thanks Teresa, it just felt like yesterday...I know a few Fins and they were quite excited about having crashed the party.

That last one seems to be back to the type of event that I don't understand.

No way this would be in the US...different style of bad taste. Could be anywhere east of Germany (but certainly not excluding).

@#103 Antinous

Disco is huge. Worldwide, it's probably the biggest music genre. Eurovision?

Hmmm...Eurovision is a yearly freak show of acts that seem to exist in a parallel musical universe. It's one of those things where you'll never ever meet somebody who actually takes it seriously, yet it's a big media event.

But however bad it is, Disco (which means many things to many people) is not a common thread in its history. Last time Finish metal band "Lordi" got the dubious price...and promptly had a public square named after them back home.

Such is the power of the Eurovision...almost like soccer.

Great documentary - some really awesome vintage footage, too.

Loved that Christian group in Brazil and their tee sessions - and then settle in a cinema setting without screen, all going through their own film.

One would think that in a time where anti-depressants get prescribed if you have a few nights bad sleep, there would be an interest in exploring approaches that operate on a more targeted and short-term basis.

Regulated psychoactive drugs that would allow a more controlled use at least as far as the dose is concerned could be a great benefit to many people...and I don't mean the "drop out" version.

@#33 minamisan

I think you'd find it would be Adolf AND Arnold...

Great music, btw...thanks #18 Shamdeo for pointing it out...

I think it's fair enough to stage a bedroom carnival if you can't make it to the real thing (continentally(?) speaking).

La chica/el chico trabjas en los minas de carbon...CON EL DIABLO!

I think there might be a bit too much emphasis on the cooling aspect...

The main thing is to store water, and while you're at it make the most of it.

Water tanks used to be everywhere in Australian cities and towns, but have pretty much disappeared due to, well, fashion really and maybe some space problems and regulations.

Like any good fashion, they seem to be back.

...so what about the Dalai Llama from Kenia?

Ugly or not...drought or not...it makes so much sense to build smarter houses. And maybe that doesn't mean that your fridge can order milk via the webs...which seems to be the mother of invention for some tech-types.

I have really enjoyed the last 2 years in Australia...there has been a lot of buzz, creativity and participation, due to circumstances that people had very little control over...mainly the drought (now floods).

People would handle their consumption very differently if they'd have a battery, a watertank and a gas bottle.

OMFG...

#181 gandalf23

So, yeah, elNico, I think jlbraun did hit the target with his earlier shot. Gun control is sexist, racist, bigoted, and ageist.

Thanks Gandalf, I guess I can't quote that since it's a bit too exhaustive.

You covered racist and sexist and a bit of ageist, then let bigoted just stand for good measure...and I'm sort-of grateful for that.

Anyway, what you're saying is because Blacks were second-class citizens and denied most rights, including buying a gun, the fact that they now can makes taking away the right to buy a gun racist??

I honestly don't care if you get off on guns and can get them out of a vending machine, but that twisted weaselly cop-out is just ridiculous...

According to that logic you could never knock down a single public building in the USA that's seen a bit of history...since Blacks were first not allowed in, then they were...so now it would be a racist act to demolish them.

As for the helpless women in desperate need for pistols...they can rest assured they've got the good fighters on their side - at least when it comes to using them for some emotional gun debate.

Elderly people...see above.

The picture that you and your pseudo-Buddhist compadre paint here repeatedly is one of a society that is so drenched with guns that it is indeed dangerous to leave home without one.

Fine...just don't treat it like that's the formula to aspire to...plenty of other countries won't have a bar of it and I think their citizens don't really suffer because of a lack of firearms.

Especially the elderly and handicapped are very appreciative of a public health care system...they probably would even trade in their guns for one...I betcha!

#167 remmelt

I've never really understood the "we can overthrow our unconstitutional government" thing. That was written in another age, people. This will never, EVER, happen. I dare you say it's not true. Nothing will ever get the "militia" out of their homes, off their couches, away from the TV.

Yeah, I don't know what a government in the US would have to do to actually trigger this "can-do reaction of righting wrongs". The NRA crowd seems to be quite happy to get done by a donkey.

It's sort-of cute, though...the whole grand myth thing...like a Western made in Italy.

#24 jlbraun

Gun control is fundamentally a bigoted, racist, sexist, ageist, statist idea that is *so* 20th century. Get with the program.

Wow, you pumped those out like gun guy...not really targeting, but lots of 'em...

@#26 eap

Yes, but MS have also been catching up a bit over the years (note to marketing department: lock Balmer up forever or start selling lager).

They now do interesting stuff in their "labs" section, especially around image/geotagging and VR related things...of course only since they looked at the other guys.

But to see MS as the downfall of Flickr is not justified, I think...

Cheers Downpressor,

I thought so, but I bought one regardless since I think it could be a great custom metronome...

And a great toy to have at the beach...

@#10 Kyle Armbruster

Ok, maybe I'm missing something when I use my Mac. I can browse through directories and open files of many kinds in various programs.

The interface is pretty and has been copied from earlier-on Flash experiments...nothing wrong with that...

Where's this "different way of thinking", I want to know it...is it an easter egg?

Do Macs delivered in the US come with an acid tab?

@#24 Pyros

I don't think you're onto something.

I keep wondering why I have t type these posts. Wouldn't it make more sense to post an audio comment using Skype?

I shudder when imagining I'd have to listen to a thrown together comment thread. Anyway...talkback radio? Or...podcast?

The internet was created by egg social phoebes and bears the mark of this legacy to this day.

I guess I get what you're meaning with "egg social phoebes", but I don't think it describes people like Tim Berners Lee, Vinton Cerf and many of their peers very well.

What we need is a knowledge market. When I need answers, it would be better to connect directly to the person who has it. All human knowledge in real time. Wrap your head around it.

Hey, easy now....that's complete crazy talk. A system where you'd get content regarding any given subject in real time??? For free?? That's impossible...how would the operator replug those cables that fast?

Yeah, I guess the whole "this company is nicer than that one" can get a bit naive. However, it's hard to deny that some corporations DO have something akin to a personality or spirit.

Sometimes that can be quite different to the image the marketing department would like.

I completely agree with Draconum's comment on Apple...they get away with anything without ever majorly upsetting their starry-eyed evangelists.

When I used to teach multimedia, there were always one or two devoted Mac users amongst the students who spent a great deal of time informing their peers how using a Mac "is a completely different way of thinking" and similar bizarre claims.

Anyway...in regards to Flickr...I think Yahoo has done a pretty good job in terms of not doing much at all and let Flickr be Flickr. If Microsoft would go ahead and aquire Yahoo, I hope they'd continue that route - then I couldn't care less who in the end owns the thing.

Flickr has a great community sharing a creative passion...as long as that stays intact, I'll leave my photos where they are...

Aw fuck...I'm sold. Just this one...no more.

Does it have Midi I/O? Probably not enough space...

@Wingo

I was almost certain that would link to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTA_isvYeSA

but it's just another wacky Japanese guy...

It started as a nice, straight fishing line. This one is now a few hundred meters long and has been rubbed with collective dirty hands to an untangleable(?) messy blob that is probably pretty unworthy to spend time with.

Just like any Holocaust debate, really.

So yes, don't bother, nobody got hurt...

@#103 Teresa Nielsen Hayden

Man, I spend a day traveling and look what happens.

You travelled? For a day?

How does that other end of town look like?

Ok...so I go step step and to the left, step step and to the right...and identify with someone being trapped in a bunker with hundreds of other stripped individuals and being showered with Zyklon B.

and say yeah!

No offence, PARN, you're probably the most sane poster on this thread, but I'm not so sure whether trivialising the matter and thereby reaching a broader audience is something positive.

@#2 feedingfashionistas

I completely agree, at least in regards to electronic music. I love my electronic drumkit, but when I started to get a plethora of additional gear and hooked it up to the PC with a bunch of music packages, I quickly felt overwhelmed by the amount of choices and possibilities.

No doubt, it's extremely powerful, but I found I was hardly doing any drumming and spent all my time fiddling with plug-ins etc, and ultimately had very little output.

I'm back to basics and try to make the most out of the inbuilt stuff, which often feels somewhat more creative because of its limitations.

...back to the float...

I would have loved to see what would have happened if this would have made it into Berlin's Love Parade...

I think the universe would have collapsed into a pinhole...at least in Germany.

ok, my last comment on the matter, since this seems to be a reocurring theme for some...

#84 bbssh

Who do you think we should put in charge of determining the 'truth'?

Who do you think the gatekeepers should be that get to decide our 'history'?

Who gets to decide what can only be talked about in pubs but not written about in books?

I actually think all is well. Historians have a similar process to the science community where rogue individuals with an agenda are pretty quickly identified.

You probably would find that the population in those countries that ban denying the Holocaust are generally quite happy with that decision, minus the far-right and a bunch of skinheads, and just get on with life.

But by all means...deny your heart out and respect my right to think of you as a nutter...

@#79 Wickedashtray

Ok, your issue is with free speech...you should be able to question the Holocaust? numbers dead? places killed?

Sure...you can mention that in any pub in Europe and go on your merry way. No undercover agents throwing you in jail. Just don't write a "history" book about it.

What exactly are you questioning? And first and foremost, why?

The actual "debate" is easy to research and you presumably went with Irving's view of events. Again, why?

Holocaust deniers - they always pop up.

I didn't read yet through the whole thread, but wicketwhatever is a prime example.

"Can't we deny it a little bit? Perhaps in the name of science?? Open debate and such??"

The irony is that BECAUSE of this being the most documented genocide in history, it brings out the nutters who will construct their own version of events with plenty of pieces to play with.

#19 lolanose

What I find more disturbing is that a private group can complain to the government and get the government to ban the actions of other private citizens. This could not happen our country. This is a free speech issue, not a taste issue.

I'm going out on a limb, but I assume YOUR country is the US? It's amazing how you can claim to have no censorship, although I hear it all the time from Americans.

Is it one of those things that, if you say it often enough, it'll become true?

It's too ridiculous to list examples, just like one wouldn't engage in arguing that the earth was really round.

Dammit...it's not JENNY....it's JEAAAAAAANNY!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84VMVakGBIg

He didn't quite beat Klaus Kinski as my favourite talk show participant, but sometimes he was pretty close...

Yeah, screw it...not really getting any answers here anyway. Let's talk trailers...

I like trailers, not sure about the parks. I'm also fond of houseboats and mobile homes. I lived in a VW camper for 6 months just going around Australia...it's becoming the retiree past time of choice here to buy fully decked-out motorhomes and basically spend most of their time on the road.

Nothing makes more sense...

Where were we?

#90 Tamu

So in that vain, it has been very educational and teaches me why I still have to keep vigilant of *everyone* I meet. Thanks for the link... and the reminder.

Sounds like part of the problem from the opposite angle to me.

I also would be interested in what a non-ignorant comment would have read like. You're not giving many clues.

#63 oneswellfoop

The new term is "German" because it was feared that black folks were catching on to the "Canadian" thing a couple of years ago.

OMG...you mean we beat France in attracting the wrath of the southern Hick?? Is it because our country is run by a little girl?
But, but...George likes her...he even does little funny stunts when they have BBQs...

Sleepless nights for me this week...

On another note...I'm genuinely surprised that "the N-word" (it really feels silly, but Theresa has spoken) seems to be such a taboo here...is that a general States thing?

The reason I find it surprising is its general inflationary use in American Hip Hop and to an extend the movie industry. I can't treat something as a taboo that is thrown at me within a minute I enter a record store or switch on the radio.

Maybe Europeans find it a bit harder to come to terms with that contradiction...I remember about 10 years ago a Scandinavian band brought out this song called "N-word" (not literally) and the refrain was a little something like "N-word, N-word, N-word, N-word....N-word".

The lyrics were criticising(!) the pop-cultural over-use of The Word and I guess I agree. A particular branch of Hip Hop has a lot to answer for...

Despite being pretty much perfect, one slight improvement would be hidden matching textual content to get the Google ads on board.

Not sure what the algorithm would make of "Extremist Breast and Camilla to Wed"?

But that's just nitpicking...

Things like this are the reason my city is plastered with stencils of Schäuble's face and captions like "I'll get you all!" or "Stasi 2.0".

LOL! In a strange way this makes me a bit homesick...

Since some stupid kids had a knife fight on Hamburg's famous red-light boulevard (the Reeperbahn) it's now forbidden to carry weapons there.

So what?

ouch...sorry for copy/paste mayhem.

Anyway, I should add that the CSU is Bavaria's very right of center political party.

@#10 Takuan

any Germans care to comment?

Sure...I wish Bavaria would be at the edge of the continent, break off and become some middle-of-major-ocean island. Most Bavarians would like that, too, I think.

I live in Australia now, but I think I felt more alien those few times I went to Bavaria. It's good for tourist postcards, though.

In regards to the Trojan...it's the brainchild of interior minister Schäuble and it is a federal issue - however, it's been so heavily contested that it's been put on hold and will need a decision by the German "constitutional court" (not sure whether that is the right translation).

In this case Bavaria has again decided that the rest of Germany can get lost and decided to try to implement it themselves and don't bother with all that constitutional baggage.

Sounds familiar? If GWB would be German, he'd be in the CSU, which only exists in Bavaria.

Oh, and all that Lederhosen and chicken dance stuff you might have in your school books...blame Bavaria ;)
Sure...I wish Bavaria would be at the edge of the continent, break off and become some middle-of-major-ocean island. Most Bavarians would like that, too, I think.

I live in Australia now, but I think I felt more alien those few times I went to Bavaria. It's good for tourist postcards, though.

In regards to the trojan...it's the brainchild of interior minister Schäuble and it is a federal issue - however, it's been so heavily contested that it's been put on hold and will need a decision by the German "constitutional court" (not sure whether that is the right translation).

In this case Bavaria has again decided that the rest of Germany can get lost and decided to try to implement it themselves and don't bother with all that constitutional baggage.

Sounds familiar? If GWB would be German, he'd be in the CSU, which only exists in Bavaria.

Oh, and all that Lederhosen and chicken dance stuff you might have in your school books...blame Bavaria ;)

@#68 the Other michael

Which generation is that, Michael? I think there might be a few here...

Decades please, none of that end-of-alphabet stuff...I honestly lost track with that...

@#13

That makes a lot of sense and I agree that it's pretty far off being a movie industry shake-up. Probably more like user-generated vids simply becoming better and better.

It's also easy to draw a parallel to music, where bedroom productions DO become broadly successful all the time...but a movie is a completely different thing.

I'd say these guys didn't set out to do anything else than what they do as graphic designers, only on video.

Great stuff. How could you spend your time better than doing projects like this with your friends...

Wow...I had such a crap day, but this thread changed all that...

#58 Talia must get the just invented 1st price for blobby banter...I'm hurting...

Disclaimer: This is not a worthwhile comment in regards to expanding your mind, simply a quip by the author to finish off reading this thread.

But, filtering in an on/off mode is pretty crude. Why not treat comments just like any other piece of content on the web and tag the authors with whatever categories you'd like to group them in.

Sometimes you might want your favourites in social rants highlighted, other times it's more scientific and to the point, where you have tagged other individuals to be more prominent.

Or it's left as it is and I go for a swim...

For all your re-used goods basement gym needs...

@#68

I find it pretty unsupportable to imply that people in this threat who clarified a few things about a mostly ignorant article are declared to be just defensive, since they "have actively supported genocide".

And for the "thriving neo-Nazi movement"...

There have always been peaks, where dumb and/or disadvantaged youth have chosen "being a neo-Nazi" as the most effective way to provoke in Germany. It's not a rising trend, but something that comes and goes over the years in different parts of the country.

You may or may not choose to see a 3rd Reich in the making...

@ #53 Antinous

And Germany has developed a pretty schizophrenic culture of self-flagellation/pretend that it never happened

Uhm, denying the Holocaust is actually a crime in Germany and there's about 2 years of history education dealing solely with the third Reich in high school.

I'd agree that Germans can appear a bit strange on the subject, but isn't that to be expected with a subject as weird as the 3rd Reich and you genuinely care about it?

The "pretend it's never happened" can at most be translated to that people also have a desire to move on. Succumbing to it would at least get rid of that "schizophrenia" and put them in line with most of our Western friends...

Oddly, people don't like to be reminded that they actively supported genocide.

No, what I don't like is getting some throwaway comment from somebody who clearly doesn't know what he's talking about.

@ #31 ethan

Fair enough and yes, I agree with you that posts shouldn't be required to amaze everyone.

I was genuinely stumped...perhaps in the same way that you would be if you'd read somewhere that the stories behind JFK's assassination were controversial.

However, after seeing that this was indeed news to people, I'm sort of glad it got posted - won't become a cracked.com reader, though...

Cory, I wasn't referring to BB as the blog, but the original source, "cracked.com".

I find BB a great antidote to American mainstream media - especially because there are a lot of diverse American opinions expressed here - whether you're Canadian or not doesn't really change that.

I guess I should have pointed that out, but hence the comment that it was filed under "More funny stuff" (again, on cracked.com), which in itself is pretty tasteless, especially in the light of the "sun blotting" outrage comment.

I'm surprised that this gets presented as some big revelation...it's common grade 6 history in Germany.

Duh - how else would Germany have ramped up a war and death machinery of that scale within a few years? Enterprising Hitler Youth enthusiasts?

While Zyklon is a pretty dumb choice, by itself it means cyclone, the gas, as has been pointed out, is Zyklon B.

The marketing department clearly f*cked up on that one, but is the post suggesting that it was deliberate? Seems more like a case of trying to sell a car name Pajero or Pinto to Spaniards - just plain dumb.

And from an American blog that files this under "More funny stuff"...Americans complaining about the relations between industry, military and killing people in general in other countries is very funny, indeed.

yeah, it's pretty old, but I can't see how that makes it bad...certainly generated a lot of comments again.

@#13 Ambrose

That is so true. When I stepped out of my hotel in Hanoi, jet lagged and all, I had no idea how I would be able to cross that street in front of me...which looked like some gigantic raging moped river.

I studied the locals for a bit and it's a pretty simple approach...you just walk without looking, everything flows around you.

After 2 days I had my own moped and it really was a joy to ride around in the city. However, when riding through the country side, I saw some pretty nasty accidents. I don't think the loose style of a city moped works when driving a semi-trailer on some badly-paved rural "highway" at maximum speed.

It's amazing with how much idiocy people in governmental leadership positions can get away with.

Ditto #21 ... It's fair enough that people, who's sole role is to face the public and are advised by behind-the-scene experts, have to have some reasonable amount of common sense.

@#11 noen

I'm not necessarily a natural optimist, but I'm pretty convinced that the internet will not be one in line of that demise.

TV and radio are pretty finite resources when it comes to broadcasting, the internet isn't...and it's obviously a 2 way medium...

Having said that, I recently briefly succumbed to Facebook, but I found it strangely depressing...I still can't put my finger on it why exactly. Somehow it was like "this is what it looks like when the mainstream truly hits the web". Maybe I'm full of sh*t, but I suspended the account regardless.

#31 JacobDavis

Is a "sex toy party" an actual orgy or is it more like a tupperware event where people flog goods? Or both?

That time really reminds me on the whole plug-in craziness...anarchic assaults to cram any type of functionality into poor little Netscape, which it clearly couldn't handle.

But some of these technologies were actually brilliant...well, I think so. The main constraint was obviously bandwidth, so that's where a lot of the creative thinking was spent.

I can't remember the name, but there was this "rich midi" plug-in where one would supply the sounds and then the midi score that triggered them. People did some great stuff with that. Can anybody remember that thing?

Also liked what some artists did back then...anything from weird javascript hacks to mutilating animated gifs in absence of any other moving pictures...in particular this black girl from New York who did one of the early Depeche Mode sites (and lots of others). I spent hours trawling through her online labyrinths...again, anybody remember her name?

RIP NS-times...

#17

And what a great video it is...graphic designers on steroids.

Before there was FLV for actual video in Flash, the process to get anything resembling a film sequence into a Flash animation was to convert video footage to sequences of single picture files, vectorize these either via Flash or some other vector tool and clean it up frame by frame.

The more monochrome the better the effect usually...and it really looked very similar to this in many cases.

Next round...eye in mouth. Another good fit...

#35 The concept of "anti-[name-of-country]-ism" should not belong in a democracy

Couldn't agree more, mannakiosk. It's actually a pretty interesting subject...there are very few countries that keep on flogging that anti-/un- line of argument. The ones that come to my mind are the US, Israel and Australia.

I'm sure there's more...I guess Mugabe wouldn't settle for "un-Zimbabwian" if he can just go for "un-black".

While the US and Israel would probably have some reason to assume that others could be "anti-them", Australia (where I live) has jumped on the bandwagon for no reason whatsoever.

Any old crap can be labelled "un-Australian" to score political points. It remains to be seen whether our recent change in government will make any difference to that.

I'm originally from Germany and the thought of being accused of being "un-German" is...well, pretty absurd, no matter on which grounds.

For goodness sake, RCM...if Iran and Saudi Arabia are the yardstick by which you want to be measured, then commit to it once and for all and spare the rest of the world your "land of the free" bullshit and put any moral superiority to rest...

I read every comment in this thread, but could not identify a single "anti-american" one...unless not being pro-torture makes it so.

"You can fill 6 trolleys worth of stuff...pile it high, look all shifty, go up to where the doors are AND RUN!

IT'S LEGAL"

A bit off-topic, but what's the deal with Germans and machines? Is it a cliched myth?

Montauk/Pyros...merry xmas to you, too.

#42 Billy

I love "Baby Bottle"...and I bet you like Bruce Bickford...

Wow - the twisted PC police is out in full force on this one...

Yes, I think RW should be required by law to depict women equally in black and in white, small and large breasts.

In fact, all art should be checked by the PC Ministry of Controlling Dubious Thoughts...anything not bland shall be erased...

Thank you BoingBoing.

Whenever I feel another bout of anti-US rage coming on, I come here to make sure that your country is actually deeply divided on most of the lunacy that the rest of the world has come to expect of America.

That makes me want to vomit blood...

Ok, some modern zombies run REALLY fast...that's actually pretty scary...and should be the absolute end of their evolution.

Talking zombies are pretty un-inspiring, but singing ones are SIMPLY NOT ON!

Is there nothing that's safe from musicals?

I don't know how kebabs came into the equation, but they are truly a virus (though a good one).

It has infested Berlin for decades, but it's great to see how it permutates and takes over any European city, one by one.

Watch out chickens, fried or otherwise...the KEBAB will rule supreme!

I can see a Guantanamo Bay punk venue coming on...

Nick D, I agree with you when you put it into that context.

But I guess it might also be some frustration about somebody trying to wrap up a message in some overtly gimmicky way...and download times were against it.

It is after all a post about landmines that is completely reliant on Flash to bring its point across...in a way I found it really inappropriate.

That whole thing of "let's film social justice videos just like Madonna does to get the kids across" is a strong force, but good documentary is not dead yet...

Thanks Jens for the additional info.

Before moving here, I travelled extensively through the more remote parts of the country in a van, and stations such as TrippleJ and ABC National Radio became pretty good companions.

I couldn't believe what sort of coverage they actually had and it was perfectly clear that it could never be done on a commercial model.

Your explanation makes perfect sense...to not exclude the small but very important part of people living scattered across these vast areas. Not unlike the "Flying Doctor Service", I guess.

Next step...broadband.

I live in Australia, but I've never heard of this - that is incredibly funny! Especially in the light of the fact that radio must have had it pretty tough here even without such lunacy, given the distances (unless a pure local channel).

Something must have been done right though later, 'cause some radio stations here are truly awesome, mainly via public broadcaster ABC.

All hail to public media, so it doesn't have to be a business model but can remain a service. I'm sick of schmuck privatisation evangelists gutting one good thing after another...

They should have never entered these shores, just like cane toads and rabbits...;)

But The Prophet is the Prophet, and God is God.

Nope, he/she is not and you're just making stuff up as you please...

I really hope we'll get rid of this religious nonsense very soon...

Ditto Nelson, the majority of the Spanish people were thinking invading Iraq was a stupid idea and they took the opportunity to say so.

Last time I was in Barcelona I didn't get the impression of a Muslim terrorist-controlled country living in fear...maybe I wasn't going to the right places...

I really hope RCM is just a troll, because middle-America is seriously scaring me...

They are fantastic...not cynic at all. I once found somebody dear to me in a very similar position as the featured pic, except it was a suicide.

A moment like that is very surreal and I think those paintings are bringing that kind of atmosphere across wonderfully.

She DOES look a bit like Margaret Thatcher...

Are there any reports on what will happen with M.., well, the bear in question?

Once _it's_ been named Mohammed, can it still just be destroyed or thrown away?

Surely enough the Koran wouldn't have a straight answer to that.

The world (America in particular) should have acted more decisively as soon as the problem became apparent but admittedly that wasn't until they were already in control of a dangerous war machine.

You mean meddling in another sovereign country's political affairs because it doesn't quite suit you?
It would have been great to avoid nazi germany, but your scenario implies some Cheneyesque global strike force that doesn't need a war to invade.

Sorry, but it just blurs the lines a bit too much...

You really don't want a 1940-Germany strength Taliban in the world, especially with nukes.

I know you're deadly serious, but if you would have any idea how this sounds to non-paranoid-shizo's, you'd have a great hearty belly-laugh...

What's next? "First paved road in Afghanistan! We need to move in...they're building an Autobahn!!"

@#89-Nick D

I'm so glad you cleared that up. As a german, I thought...should I bother?? Hitler is being pulled out as the ultimate justification Joker for pretty much anything when it comes to extreme foreign policy.

There is nothing comparable in today's world to nazi germany...sorry, it provides great analogies and powerful statements, but you're fooling yourself.

Hitler rose to power by abusing sentiments of fear and frustration amongst the german population as well as clever politicking and abandonment of existing laws....in a very generalised nutshell...

Hang on....

Just kidding...

@Nosher Couldn't agree more...I've tried all the standard illustration program's offerings over the past 10 years or so in regards to bitmap>vector.

Nothing has come remotely close to recognising actual important shapes in a bitmap vs detail noise as this flex app.

The editor to refine the results is just pure simplicity.

I guess for Flash designers this would also offer a nice performance increase due to the reduced number of curves.

Aw, jeeez!

Mr Spooky needs a Holiday in Somalia!

To me this Schiffgens person seemed to be clearly angling to have his proclamations laughed at. Has anyone checked that it wasn't a hoax on his part?

Of course most would hope so. But I had a brief stint with TM many years ago and have to say that it's full with clowns like that, and they could not be more serious.

This concept of improving entire countries seems to be a popular one amongst hardcore meditation groups. I remember one actually forming a political party in Germany with its policy establishing full-time "meditation bases" across the country to bring on the bliss nation-wide due to the generated positive energy shield.

But hey, I probably just don't get it and am being negative...

He comes from the school of the Borat, not of the Hicks...

Perhaps charging a small extra fee for a "photo pass" would actually turn this lunacy into something that benefits everyone?

If I go to an exhibition that I find inspiring I very much would like to take something with me...and it might not be the promotional material. I would be willing to pay something extra and then get left alone.

The extra revenue could benefit the museum and CHs, no?

Anyway, I don't really get how preventing me from taking photographs will benefit the artist (or protect him/her), as a common reply seems to suggest.

Is this based on the assumption that I would buy the artwork if I can't photograph it? That would be maybe suited to a street artist, but hardly to a major exhibition.

So how does this actually work?

And what sort of gender-related topic could be seriously discussed under "jay-lake-tours-a-tit.html" anyway...

Awwww, anyway...there was a link on the blog entry that is actually far more interresting...

Frames and image maps...it wasn't all bad! This is a fascinating low-tech tour...

Men are capable of being good leaders and women are capable of being bad leaders. What I was referring to is something a little more subtle than you characteize.

Sorry, I guess I missed the subtlety here...

Fucking men and their fucking nuclear missles.

Look, I'm not trolling and no, I'm not after Domination/Control/Violence (???) when making a comment on BB...I just thought your first comments were ludicrous. I wouldn't necessarily disagree with the follow ups...

We stagger around like lost and confused victims only occasionally capable of making some half-backed, shrill and feckless protest.

Quite obviously...

#2+3, are you for real? Too much Ballard?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you wouldn't want to launch a nuclear missile as you would a space shuttle. I'd take a bet the over/underground question might lead to many more plausible and practical reasons, admittedly less dramatic, though.

And how many more Margaret Thatchers and Condoleezza Rices do we need to bury that naive assumption that women "just don't do war". Oh right, they're forced to...I forgot.

I agree with some previous comments that the two are hard to compare. Ironically enough, after reading this post I downloaded Joost for the first time to get a reference point.

I can only say that it put me off straight away, appearing to be a TV trying to take over the control of my laptop. Needless to say, that's the Holy Grail for people who actually like television...and that's also the main difference between the two.

Miro is great for discovering stuff, varying quality and all - Joost makes sure stuff gets shoved at you, with you having control over the shoving. Just like a remote, I guess.