http://www.metafilter.com/87916/You-Cant-Tase-Me-Bro-I-live-in-the-9th-Circuit

A three judge panel of the 9th Circuit has ruled a police officer can be sued for damages for tasing a motorist. The court held use of tasers must be justified by a strong government interest that "compels" employing such force Practically speaking, police agencies will likely have to revise their policies to limit taser use to situations where a person poses an obvious danger. Field use of tasers currently varies across jurisdictions. The Police Executive Research Forum, however, has advocated for a similarly restrictive policy.
The fact that this is a 9th Circuit decision does not mean it will be overturned.

Here are some of the previous MetaFilter posts about taser use.

so yeah, new years. as with every year, i'm ready to kick this one to the curb and get on with the next.

i'm not a fan of resolutions, but i do like the idea of starting/reinforcing some good habits, and this time of year is as good as any to get that all up and done. clear the smog from the noggin and all that junk, you know. so here are some things i'd like for me:

• get some different, better mental floss. quitting derby was a big step in soothing my soul, but there is still some damage, you know. i gotta work that shit out.
  
  
• regular massage and/or acupuncture. i don't care if i have to eat peanut butter sandwiches for lunch every day, i will figure out a way to afford this on a regular basis again.
  
  
• clean out the office/computer room/computer. there's a lot of junk that's hanging out simply because i haven't thrown it away yet. it has got to go. quickly and with no remorse.
  
  
• write more. letters, postcards, all that junk. i need to keep in closer contact with people. this whole internetty thing is nice and all, but it creates a false sense of availability and camaraderie. i want the real thing, dammit.

and of course, some wishes for my friends:

• have some safe sex. seriously, people, get fuckin'. but do so safely. it's not less sexy, it's not an encumbrance, and really, it should be mandatory by now.
  
  
• and while on that subject, be healthy in other ways, too. eat your 5 fruits and veggies, every day. move around. learn stuff. read books. don't stagnate.
  
  
• get those tests done. have a grownup look at that weird mole, check your liver for rotgut, poke at those lumps, get your teeth cleaned, so whatever preventive maintenance you feel necessary - including playing the turn-your-head-and-cough game. i want you to hang out with me for a good long time.
  
  
• prioritize. figure out how to take that class/vacation/sabbatical. i want to live vicariously through you, you see. or maybe hop along for the ride.
  
  
• write more. to me. see above.

that is all.
what are you gonna do?

Face is full of novocaine. Had some fillings done before my dental insurance runs out at the end of the year. I get to go back tomorrow for more! Yay! Though I heard that the federal subsidy for COBRA coverage will be extended, so perhaps my health and dental coverage options will be ok.

http://www.metafilter.com/87915/Contest-worst-footnote-of-the-year

Footnoted.org, a blog devoted to pointing out those buried atrocities in SEC filings, is having its annual worst footnote of the year contest. contenders include Chesapeake Energy disclosing it spent $12.1 million to purchase Aubrey McClendon's antique map collection, Martha Stewart's $3 million retention payment to remain at Martha Stewart Omnimedia and InfoGroup disclosing it really spent $852K on former CEO Gupta's yacht instead of zero. Polls close tomorrow.

http://www.metafilter.com/87914/Hitler-SexEwww

The 30 Freakiest Commercials and PSAs of 2009.

I've been busy with knitting for Christmas, and thought I'd share the fruits of my labours with you all. Clicking on the link below takes you to my journal, a few more Finished Objects and Ravelry links, if you wish them.

( Becca's Lace-Up Gloves )

Post from mobile portal m.livejournal.com

http://www.metafilter.com/87913/The-Year-in-Dude-Studies

Dissertations on His Dudeness. (SLNYT) Descriptions of a new book of academic essays on The Big Lebowski such as: "" 'The Big Lebowski' and Paul de Man: Historicizing Irony and Ironizing Historicism"

From Ravelry
Pattern: Parrotfish / Pomatomus hat by Kristy Pedersen
Yarn: Koigu Mori
After making the Pomatomus socks, I really wanted the hat too!
( Primeval Pomatomus Hat )

This took a bit of patience to knit, but it's finally done! At first it fit perfectly, but then I gave it a rinse and it grew! I'm a bit sad about that. At least I got one last project finished before the end of the year.

I watched all three seasons of Primeval while doing this hat...hence the name. It is now funny to hear people speak w/o a British accent. I don't fault Madonna any more for her faux accent...I suddenly want to start saying stuff with an accent...

Lisa Miller is in hiding with her daughter.

Having the gay is bad (I still love you even if you have the gay though, I'll even let you babysit) but what those cultists did to Lisa Miller is so much worse. If you seriously think your expartner's lesbionic nature is a threat to your child, then do what every other woman in America does and be a horrible difficult bitch about visitation. Thousands of women are making their ex-partners tear their hair out and ultimately give up in disgust - so could you have, Lisa! If only those bizarre freaks hadn't gotten their claws into you. It's very, very, very sad.

I ended up giving a lot of knitted gifts for Christmas this year, and now that they're all safely in the hands of the recipients, and there's no chance of ruining a surprise, I thought I would share!

( Hats, gloves, scarves, and more! )

I'm currently working on the Hemlock Ring Blanket, and so far it's going really well (knock on wood!) and I'm loving it.

Thanks for reading! I'm "eccisne" on Ravelry, if anyone is interested.

http://www.metafilter.com/87911/Travel-advice-no-more

Robespierre, a frequent contributor at Fodor's Travel Talk Forums online, suddenly stopped posting to the boards in July of last year. NPR's All Things Considered did an essay on why he stopped and the reactions of his fellow forum posters.
One of Robespierre's obituaries, which garnered almost 200 comments on the Fodor's forum, can be found here. And the Forum's discussion of the NPR piece here.

http://www.metafilter.com/87910/

Man from the Margin: Cao Cao and the Three Kingdoms You'll perhaps have read or watched reports that archaeologists believe they have found the tomb of Cao Cao (曹操) (of course, not everyone agrees with the identification). Warrior, strategist, statesman and poet, Cao Cao lives on in the cultural memory of China, a by-word for cunning and of course a central character in the great historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms and hence also recent John Woo blockbuster Red Cliff. To understand the man in his historical context, there's little better in English than the 1990 George Ernest Morrison Lecture in Ethnology given by now-retired Professor Rafe de Crespigny, one of the foremost Western scholars of the Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms periods of Chinese history. He makes several of his vastly erudite essays on Chinese history available at the ANU's website.

http://www.metafilter.com/87909/Have-fun-now

"Once you start procrastinating pleasure, it can become a self-perpetuating process if you fixate on some imagined nirvana. The longer you wait to open that prize bottle of wine, the more special the occasion has to be." Something to keep in mind in this season when many are flush with gift certificates.

Today I am thinking about short stories. What are some of your favourites? I'm always up for recommendations! Here are some of mine:

Flannery O'Connor - "A Good Man Is Hard To Find"
Flannery O'Connor - "Everything That Rises Must Converge"
J. D. Salinger - "A Perfect Day For Bananafish"
Raymond Carver - "After The Denim"
Franz Kafka - "Metamorphosis"
Lorrie Moore - "How To Become A Writer"
David Foster Wallace - "Little Expressionless Animals"
David Foster Wallace - "Good Old Neon"
Carson McCullers - "The Ballad Of The Sad Cafe"
Angela Carter - "The Bloody Chamber"
Donald Barthelme - "The Balloon"

i hate this cold weather so much.

in other news, i am now the keeper of homeless xbox live accounts. a friend's apartment got broken into, and their xbox was jacked, so we restored their profiles on my machine so they won't get abused. i am incredibly tempted to go rent barbie's dream palace or some incredibly doofy game and work on building up their gamerscores with that and other equally embarrassingly girly games.

i'm very much looking forward for this year to be over. in fact this decade. in general the 00's were not too kind to a lot of people. don't get me wrong, there was a lot of good and awesome that happened, but it seems like there was a balance between that and a whole lot of suck too. i can't help but wonder how much of this perspective is simply borne from growing older and more aware of my surroundings. i just remember in 00 thinking that, while GW had been elected that things couldn't get -that- bad, and that life would go on as normal, and it feels like it's been anything but.

2009 was interesting. there was a lot of good, a lot of new. new people, new music, new movement, new art, new aparrment. i sold my jewelry at SOWA and there is something really interesting and heartening to me to know there are people walking around wearing things i made. on the inverse, i took a class at massart that was so art up the ass that i had to quit it, something i didn't want to to, but i also was sort of proud of the realization that i was taking that class for -me- and if i wasn't getting anything out of it, there was no reason for it to be like punishment.

we moved into boston proper again. our apartment, while gorgeous and quirky and fun is also cold, sometimes leaky, and very drafty. getting used to not having our own little rooms to work on projects has been a challenge but we've adapted or adapting.

i met a lot of new people, a lot of really good people. i went to houses where there were no televisions but lots of music equipment. i decided that my splurge purchase of the year would be a piano instead of a bigger television. i met someone who gave me a med pack for christmas since we 'met' playing l4d (nerrr), someone who taught me i could draw somewhat, someone who taught me how to hoop, a few different people who have helped me get over my fear of the piano, so many good and interesting things. the inverse is that a relationship that i cared a lot about was completely turned on its side, my perception of the other person, of myself, of the past two years was essentially obliterated in a matter of minutes and emails and much of what i valued or was lead to believe i should value was essentially a lie either then or now, (though that part still isn't clear to me to be honest). to say that sucked would be a huge understatement. even though it's been a few months i'm still not really happy with how things are, as it seems any good interaction is countered by a strongly negative one. i'm not sure how i stand on things. while i would prefer to not have conflict, to look for the good in people, to look for the good in the future, i still can't help but leave this situation feeling terribly used and undervalued and hurt. for the sake of keeping the dramaz to a minimum i'm keeping things vague. However as unpleasant as all of that has been, it's also given me perspective on how i treat people, how i want to treat them vs how i do, and how i want to be treated. you learn from everything, the painful and the good.

i saw coraline, which would've been a terrific play minus one bad casting choice. i saw sleep no more which was mind blowing and i'm going to see at least 1 more time before it closes because it is amazing. it's what i want every haunted house or play to be like. the attention to detail and atmosphere is amazing. the slutcracker was funny and bawdy and unique.

my masto has been under relatively good control with only a few shocking episodes and no ER visits that I can recall. However my kidney has still proved to be problematic so it's a give and take thing i suppose. i met a lot of people who have masto, some in great shape, some in not so great shape. i was offered the opportunity to write a column for a mastocytosis journal and got to speak at a conference.

i had no drama with the church of scientology this year.

hooping has been great. like piano i have a -ton- to learn and a long long way to go before i'd consider myself good, but i've been sticking with it, even when a move confounds me or i end up clocking myself in the face with the hoop. this is a big thing for me, because i sometimes have no work ethic at all...if things don't come easily i quit. so the fact that i've been pushing myself, and pushing myself at something physical is pretty awesome for me. i've also connected with some fantastic new people and reconnected with some other fantastic people.

my goals for 2010 are to pretty much keep going in the direction i've been going, quit smoking, get more invested in learning about buddhism and where i can apply it to my life, and keep getting out there, keep connecting and reconnecting. pretty simple really.

as far as i know, i'm going to end this year in a new space surrounded primarily by art and people i don't know. it seems like both a good starting and ending point.

post note:
i also met dhani harrison this year, which was pretty fucking awesome, especially since he seemed interested in the work that ethan does with synths and programming. it still remains to be seen if anything will ever come of that (they exchanged info) but it was still really damn cool. i mean, george harrison's son was impressed with stuff that ethan did and that, while not directly involving me, was a high point. also the newno2 were a great live show.

http://www.metafilter.com/87908/Forever-27

The 27s Club. An exclusive assemblage of top tier musicians at the height of their careers - pop superstars, rock and roll pioneers, legendary bluesmen - who all have one thing in common.
Close but not quite in were Blind Melon's Shannon Hoon and more recently, Avenged Sevenfold's Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, who were 28.

Saw an article about this today, Scratch from MIT. They mostly support windows and mac so I haven't tried it yet, but I'll give the ubuntu installer a try when I get home.
It's aimed at kids, but it looks kinda fun and that wasn't something I could say about making Flash applications. I have a feeling that the next birthday card I have to send will be made using Scratch. :)

http://www.metafilter.com/87907/There-aint-no-room-for-these-cheap-regrets-except-for-when-a-bogan-band-makes-your-angst-an-anthem

Rowland S. Howard was the guitarist for The Boys Next Door and the Birthday Party. He released his second solo cd, "Pop Crimes" in October this year, ten years after his debut solo effort. He died today.

http://www.metafilter.com/87906/101-New-Uses-for-Everyday-Things

101 new uses for everyday things lists some interesting and sometimes innovative ways to use things you find around the home.

Just got back from the theater. I enjoyed it very much for a Gilliam fan (not a fan). Despite his generally poor pacing and simplistic characters, it was quite fun. I attribute it all to the actors...Christopher Plummer was solid, the different versions of Heath Ledger were fitting to their worlds and handled very well. Even a nice little bit about death making one immortal. Unfortunately, Ledger himself seemed a little off. Like he still had traces and habits of the Joker he hadn't yet shaken off, which made it hard for him to be a regular person. Jude Law did it best, I think. :)

But that's just me. Go and see it, kiddies...if just for Tom Waits (typecast?) as the Devil! Muhahahaa!!

http://www.metafilter.com/87905/Its-Time-To-Party

November 13, 2001: Musical unknown Andrew W.K. (Previously 1, 2) releases his debut album "I Get Wet." It is a simple rock record of power chords and unabashed, un-ironic party music -- exemplified perfectly both by its first song, "It's Time To Party," or its lead single, "Party Hard" -- released during a month of American depression, paranoia, and insincerity that borders on nihilism. The album finds mainstream success, selling over 30K copies in its first three weeks, with songs from the record appearing in commercials, movies, and television shows, not to mention heavy rotation on MTV and awesome appearances on Conan and Saturday Night Live.
While Pitchfork gives the album a 0.6 out of 10 (in a review written by its founder, Ryan Schreiber), most of the music press gives the album warm reviews - with Rolling Stone (4 out of 5 stars) saying that "To experience "Party Hard" is to refuse to believe your ears" and even the notoriously dismissive Robert Christgau gave the album an A-, saying "It's simple enough once you accept it for what it is." Possibly The Onion's A.V. Club said it best in an interview preamble: "...he's clearly dead serious about his music and its potential to inspire a world in need of passion and commitment." [In fact, the Onion's interview with AWK is one of his most candid and fascinating, with Andrew touching on his childhood ("Very good. Very Solitary."), his personal philosophy ("This is about working hard and inviting everybody into an unending, inexhaustible source of strength and energy."), and his resistance to change his music for corporate forces ("People give them too much credit—these corporations, or whoever is ruining people. Well, you may allow them to ruin you, but they don't touch me").]

Buoyed by the critical reaction, Andrew W.K. tours. And tours and tours, not stopping partying for anything, even performing in a wheel chair due to a broken foot. His high-energy shows, goofy behavior, and seeming limitless devotion to his fans -- mixed with mid-set speeches that border on motivational speaker territory -- help him build an underground following to supplement his mainstream appeal. The album eventually sells over 250K, and, of course, he gets huge in Japan.

Over the course of the decade, Andrew's quirky, sincere dedication to his fans finds a seemingly unlikely companion in MTV when they produce the series Your Friend, Andrew W.K., where fans would write him letters, and he'd fly to their homes to help them with their problems. Additionally, he continues to perform and record new material, ranging from similar up-tempo party anthems, to piano pieces, to covers of music from an anime series.

December 15, 2009: In a hybrid interview/lecture video released by RockFeedback, Andrew W.K. admits that "Andrew W.K." is a construct, played by several different auditioned actors/musicians and created in secret by different groups working "in the spirit of commerce" to devise the ultimate popular/underground musical frontman. (Parts 2, 3, related)

http://www.metafilter.com/87904/Hit-the-spacebar

Tuper Tario Tros

My new nephew made an early appearance a week before Christmas, so I had to hurry up and finish his stuffed elephant!

( Check this out )

First case of highly drug-resistant TB found in US - GUESS WHERE?

Make sure you read down to the part where the gentleman helped the other TB sufferers appreciate diversity via reggaeton and DON'T MISS THE EVIL CLOWN.

My husband is a truck driver in the northeast. Since he's in and out of the truck at night in all kinds of bad weather, he asked if I could make him some wool socks. So I popped on over to ebay, found some wool and finally finished these last night.

They came out pretty well, I thought, and even fit him. Go me! :D

( Read more... )

http://www.metafilter.com/87903/Loss-is-loss-and-nothing-is-gained-by-calling-it-by-a-nicer-name-My-nights-are-intriguing-but-I-could-do-without-them

"This cockroach-like existence is cumulatively intolerable even though on any given night it is perfectly manageable." Tony Judt, in the advanced stages of ALS (aka motor neurone disease) begins a series of short pieces for the New York Review of Books with a reflection on how he spends his unmoving nights.

"What should I do with my life?" - I'm trying to find a book that helps me answer that question. Any suggestions?

I started Po Bronson's book with that title years ago, but I felt like he was being condescending and judgmental toward his subjects, so I didn't make it past the first few chapters. (Anyone else feel this way? Or should I give it another shot?)

I also have "What Color Is My Parachute?" but it's pretty annoying and useless. Plus, it focuses on the nitty-gritty (e.g. how to get your resume in the door) but I want something more macro - like zeroing in on what would actually make for a rewarding career.

Part how-to, part motivational - but nothing too self-helpy that would ruin my hipster cred. Let me know your thoughts.

http://www.metafilter.com/87902/Times-Square-Art-Square

Times Square > Art Square: "a very complex project with a simple goal: to turn all advertising on Times Square into art."

http://www.metafilter.com/87901/The-future-of-magazine-publishing

The Mag+ Project A compelling digital magazine concept that resulted from a research collaboration between Swedish publisher Bonnier and London design firm BERG. Touchscreen specialists Kicker Studio in San Francisco are working to expand this into an interactive prototype over the next several months.

http://www.metafilter.com/87900/There-are-no-small-parts-Only-small-sets

On the Set: Miniature recreations of famous television studio sets such as Cheers, Seinfeld and The Price is Right built by Charles Brogdon. Each complete with its own lighting rig and indexed by studio.

http://www.metafilter.com/87899/Yall-mind-hanging-back-Youre-jamming-my-frequency

Anyone who was moved by Zelda Rubinstein's performance as the eccentric medium in "Poltergeist" will be dismayed to hear that she is seriously ailing. What you may not be aware of is her role, first in Los Angeles (way back in 1984), and later internationally, in gay rights and AIDS education advocacy.
Advocate.com has an interview.

These photos are the best of the lot.
I seriously despise having my photo taken so these are the ones I will allow to go out to you all.

Sweater is complete except I need to sew in the zipper, but that will wait until tomorrow night. (When I can get to the store and buy one.)

Husband - who is ill with some kind of plague took the photos.
All the photos of the front are blurry and super icky.
He is hopped up on NyQuil and a bit loopy.

( Read more... )

For details I have more photos on my LJ as well as my Ravelry Page Moirar70

http://www.metafilter.com/87898/JSBlog

JSblog: on varied topics inspired by working in a secondhand bookshop.

http://www.metafilter.com/87897/Landrovers-country-manors-back-combed-hair-and-synthesisers

Disintegration - Memories of making the album...

http://www.metafilter.com/87896/Wayfarer

Hey you! Play some wayfarer! This is a graphical browser based roguelike lite. It requires Java.

A while back someone showed me a hat she had made for her daughter with a diamond pattern, and it looked just like this (ravelry link) but it was knitted.

I am wondering if anyone knows this pattern? I just can't seem to find it on ravelry, where I was told it had been found. I got the yarn and everything and thought I had the pattern but... well, I somehow managed to miss that the above is a crochet pattern. I know how to crochet so it's not that, but I really wanted to knit it.

Any and all help appreciated!

ETA: Pattern found!

Came home from visiting my family in Vermont to find that my (and mishak's) place had been broken into. Thankfully, all that was taken was my Xbox, a couple of controllers, a couple of games, and a wireless bridge. They tried to take mishak's laptop, but failed to cut through the lockdown cable he put on it. Five feet away were my B's season tickets and Winter Classic tickets, untouched. Whew. Oddly, someone boarded up the window after the fact, possibly the condo trust people. Would've been nice if they had left a note.

Damage is minor, losses were minor. I'm irritated, but otherwise fine.

Oh, if you see someone log into Xbox Live as Fudjo, please let me know asap!

UPDATE: don't worry if you see Fudjo log in. brigid is transferring my account over to her Xbox.

http://www.metafilter.com/87895/Gumbo-The-Mysterious-History

Nevertheless, a debate about gumbo's precise origins has raged for decades, framed by Louisiana's legacy of colonialism and complicated by the vast range of gumbo-preparation techniques practiced by the different peoples who make up the region's complex ethnic fabric.

http://www.metafilter.com/87894/Where-Did-San-Franciscos-Pier-39-Sea-Lions-Go

The California and Steller sea lions hauled out at Pier 39's K dock in San Francisco have become a famous tourist attraction. The colony has occupied the spot since 1990, seemingly abandoning their traditional grounds at Seal Rocks. A fall survey counted record numbers of over 1,500 sea lions at the Pier, but they abandoned the area in droves after Thanksgiving. "We have no idea where they moved on to or why" an expert from the Marine Mammal Center said, although the Center does not believe that the sea lions have left for good.
Webcam of K dock at Pier 39 (empty, as of this post)
How a dog supposedly scared the sea lions away at the Hyde Street Pier

http://www.metafilter.com/87893/I-Deny-That-I-Am-In-Denial

Questions for John Yoo. Q. Do you regret writing the so-called torture memos, which claimed that President Bush was legally entitled to ignore laws prohibiting torture? A. No, I had to write them. It was my job. As a lawyer, I had a client. The client needed a legal question answered. NY Times, via Andrew Sullivan
Also:
Q. Were you close to George Bush?
A. No, I've never met him. I don't know Cheney either. I have not gone hunting with him, which is probably a good thing for me.

and

Q. Are you saying the citizens of Berkeley are Communists, reminiscent of those on the dark side of the Iron Curtain?
A. There are probably more Communists in Berkeley than any other town in America, but I think of them more as lovers of Birkenstocks than Marx.

http://www.metafilter.com/87892/Once-in-a-Blue-Moon

The first Blue Moon on New Year's Eve in twenty years. New Year's Eve marks a blue moon, that is, a full moon that occurs more than once in a calendar month. But wait, there's more!
There will also be a partial eclipse, which "will not be visible in North and South America, but will be visible over most of Europe, Africa, and Asia."

We've known about the ability to predict eclipses for a while, but what did the ancients think about them?

In case you want to prepare, here is a list of eclipses in 2010.

http://www.metafilter.com/87891/Jaime-le-GIF

J'aime le GIF, le site qui aime bien les GIF. [NSFW]

Maternity clothes are now made in the fashion, but when the fashion is ugly that doesn't help much. Oh yay, I can spend $80 to buy something that looks like I'm wearing a knocked-up janitor Halloween costume.

This seems really obvious but for some reason it's not.

Try to read 100-300 novels a year but read nothing published after 1900. After five years, the date is extended to 1950. After another five years, you can read stuff published up to 1980.

Do you see?

Amazon and the Kindle have killed the bookstore. Why? Because people who buy 100 or 300 books a year are gone forever. The typical American buys just one book a year for pleasure. Those people are meaningless to a bookstore. It's the heavy users that matter, and now officially, as 2009 ends, they have abandoned the bookstore. It's over.

Except that the bookstore, which I hear is dying, and publishing, which I wish would die faster, predate by quite some time the phenomenon of large numbers of people buying 100-300 books a year, which was made possible by the paperback. Take a moment and contemplate what Allen Lane did for you. And contemplate further that he did it because he loved literature and wanted people to read it, and while Penguin Books was successful, Allen Lane is probably most comparable to Craig Newmark in our era, in his devotion to an ideal that just happened to be massively successful, although the analogy would work better if Craig Newmark had grown up in a family of itinerant bulletin board crafters or something.

It seems very obvious to me that what is killing the book trade is the combination of the cheap paperback and the use of the internet to distribute them secondhand, because taken together this means I can continue to acquire 100-300 books a year exactly to my taste for significantly under what people are paying for cable. I won't switch over to an e-reader until it is as unimportant if I lose that e-reader or drop it in the bathtub or let the baby fingerpaint on it in Nutella as it is if I let those things happen to a paperback.

I'm still here though, acquiring 100-300 books a year, and so are 2 million homeschooling families, the population of Massachusetts, everybody still whining about Cody's, and all those mysterious people who can stand Neil Gaiman, and I think if you add all those people up you will get about a large a book-buying population as Allen Lane had to sell to.

But we have to put a lot of energy into finding books to our taste. There is a great need for offering the service that a good bookstore does and a publisher is supposed to, helping people sort through the dreck and find stuff that doesn't suck. And like Allen White and Craig Newmark, those of us who are really good at it will continue to do it for free because it is more important that it get done than that anyone make a profit. Someone is going to do this and make a lot of money at it though. Probably not me.

http://www.metafilter.com/87890/The-Genesis-20-Project-LHC

The Genesis 2.0 Project The L.H.C. is not merely the world's largest particle accelerator but the largest machine ever built. At the center of just one of the four main experimental stations installed around its circumference, and not even the biggest of the four, is a magnet that generates a magnetic field 100,000 times as strong as Earth's. And because the super-conducting, super-colliding guts of the collider must be cooled by 120 tons of liquid helium, inside the machine it's one degree colder than outer space, thus making the L.H.C. the coldest place in the universe.

so i have these boots that i got at some stupid mall store like 10 years ago that i adore. they're not leather, they're knee high, have a thick sole with no heel, fit my calves like a dream...they're awesome. they're also old and i am looking for a replacement, or rather a back up pair as i've spent more money fixing these boots than they cost me when i bought them in the winter of 99.

i have no idea where to look. these seem like almost a perfect replacement, but they're kind of piratey or something i can't quite put my finger on that turns me off a bit.

these aside from having a ginormous platform are also too raar raar industrial for me.

i just want a nice pair of lace up knee high boots that don't have heels, don't look like i came out of the slimelight in the 90's....just look i guess as respectable as knee high lace up boots can look. I'm not a fan of docs anymore since their quality has gone way down so i'm at a total loss.

http://www.metafilter.com/87889/Toms-Glossary-of-Book-Publishing-Terms

Tom's Glossary of Book Publishing Terms

http://www.metafilter.com/87888/The-birds-attacked-me-but-Hitch-was-scarier

Tippi Hedren in make-up test stills for The Birds,*