prev <-> next
[2010-05-06 10:26:42] - wow they probably screwed up then (in addition to shooting his dog). they probably meant to charge him with possession with the intent to distribute but got their facts mixed up. ~a
[2010-05-06 10:26:16] - mig: or rather, sorry, he was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphenalia, and child endangerment, but the other two charges were dropped - aaron
[2010-05-06 10:24:53] - mig: for the record the guy wasn't charged with possession of marijuana, he was charged with possession of drug paraphenalia, which was a $300 fine - aaron
[2010-05-06 10:15:04] - mig: Maybe he should've joked about that at the dinner. "Jonas Brothers? I just hope you don't have a Corgi and some pot. Two words: SWAT Team." -Paul
[2010-05-06 10:12:24] - and when I look back at Obama dismissing the prospect of legalizing marijuana with a chuckle, my blood begins to boil. - mig
[2010-05-06 10:10:38] - "So smoking pot = "child endangerment." Storming a home with guns, then firing bullets into the family pets as a child looks on = necessary police procedures to ensure everyone's safety." that about sums up my feelings on that. - mig
[2010-05-06 10:05:48] - paul: no, i got the link from digg - aaron
[2010-05-06 10:04:10] - Pierce: Well, they're definitely one of the cutest breeds of dogs, who could say no to a face like that? Or shoot a bullet through it? -Paul
[2010-05-06 09:59:08] - paul, I never pegged you for a corgi aficionado! you're such a softie. - pierce
[2010-05-06 09:54:09] - Aaron: Did you get that link from me? I was going to post that on the message board yesterday but decided to just share it on google reader instead. -paul
[2010-05-06 09:51:36] - aaron: Very cute! I've wanted one for several years now. - stephen
[2010-05-06 09:32:41] - http://cdn-www.dailypuppy.com/media/dogs/anonymous/Teddy_Welsh_Corgi_01.jpg_w450.jpg corgis are cute! - aaron
[2010-05-06 09:26:36] - http://reason.com/blog/2010/05/05/video-of-swat-raid-on-missouri police steal some guy's pot, kill his corgi, and charge him with child endangerment - aaron
[2010-05-05 18:44:24] - title:
~a[2010-05-05 16:49:34] - speaking of facebook..... http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/05/things-you-need-know-about-facebook - aba
[2010-05-05 16:30:02] - daniel: for what it's worth super blockhead was my favorite physics based game. i still think it's a cooler game than jenga. if the pieces were heavier and bigger it could probably have a lot of the same appeal - aaron
[2010-05-05 16:26:09] - daniel: heh! heh! games based on physics usually have shit gameplay. jenga and topple come to mind. but it might still be cool for a few games. i wouldn't count on it for lasting appeal though - aaron
[2010-05-05 16:14:23] - anyone here heard of the game polarity? it looks pretty crazy and very different from any other game I've ever seen. I think it would be fun. -Daniel
[2010-05-05 15:06:34] - yes it did a very good job. i just thought it was funny. shameful is a weird word to use there. ~a
[2010-05-05 15:05:37] - a: could not understand? i thought google translate did a very good translation! i could barely tell what was originally in portuguese - aaron
[2010-05-05 15:00:09] - aaron: Photoshop has more shameful that the GIMP.
~a[2010-05-05 14:16:31] - As seen in my facebook: Vinnie and I will be signing up to perform at open mic tonight at Jimmy's Tavern in Herndon. Performances start at 9:30. Let me know if you want to stop by and hang out! -amy
[2010-05-05 13:30:11] - Google has some new design they randomly assign to people. It goes away if you clear your cookies. It happend to me awhile ago and I wanted it to go back to 'normal'. I had to google it though to figure out what the deal was. -Daniel
[2010-05-05 13:28:57] - http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=pt&u=http://blog.ultradownloads.com.br/2010/05/photoshop-cs5-vs-gimp-resynthesize/ photoshop's "content aware fill" versus gimp's "resynthesize". both seem like really cool algorithms! - aaron
[2010-05-05 13:05:16] - i see it whether i'm logged in or not. it's possible it's not visible to everyone somehow - aaron
[2010-05-05 13:01:30] - aaron: I see the scripty effects, I think like a that those aren't new. They're just more obvious? Logo looks the same, and I haven't seen anything bing-y yet. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-05 12:56:09] - maybe things look different for me because i'm not logged in. ~a
[2010-05-05 12:55:29] - aaron: some of the javascripty effects are not new. ~a
[2010-05-05 12:54:12] - search results also have a bing-like navigation bar on the left with things like "wonder wheel" and tie-ins for google social - aaron
[2010-05-05 12:46:46] - fortunately it makes it easy to search for blue pictures of richard pryor - aaron
[2010-05-05 12:45:46] - xpovos: no, i mean http://www.google.com/. it has a different logo, lots of javascripty effects and questionable features. - aaron
[2010-05-05 12:38:34] - aaron: Do you mean iGoogle? The homepage looks the same to me, but iGoogle looks different. But that may be because I haven't been there in months. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-05 12:28:29] - pierce: yeah stewart was pretty surprised too. mccain's against mirandizing and beck's for it? so weird. ~a
[2010-05-05 12:26:26] - "'We don't shred the Constitution when it is popular,' Beck added. 'We do the right thing.'" Glenn Beck defends Mirandizing Faisal Shahzad (the alleged Times Square bomber). Holy crap did I not expect that. Maybe there's some sanity left in the world after all. - pierce
[2010-05-05 12:17:13] - anybody else seen the new google layout? what do you think? - aaron
[2010-05-05 10:47:21] - a: Not really. I'm not sure I'm going to do anything, but I was somewhat interested in passively tagging along with other people. - stephen
[2010-05-05 10:43:43] - (it would be at a bar/restaurant. they may even have festivities there but i don't really know what typical cinco de mayo festivities are. i remember at CMU they'd fill the lawn with fun things like a moon bounce and free food, i'd imagine the bar does not have those things.) -amy
[2010-05-05 10:42:15] - oh! vinnie and i are going to try and see if we can go to open mic. this has nothing to do with cinco de mayo. but uh if anyone wants to come out and see us. i have to call the place to make sure it's on, then i'll give details. - amy
[2010-05-05 10:29:33] - stephen: any ideas? ~a
[2010-05-05 09:18:24] - Happy Cinco de Mayo...is anyone actually doing anything celebratory tonight? - Stephen
[2010-05-04 16:47:18] - vinnie/a: okay I was looking at it today and it seemed off but I wasnt sure why... I tried to think back and I figured I was prolly wrong about the color being different but it looked more pink than I had remembered ~gurkie
[2010-05-04 16:24:50] - vinnie/gurkie: the background color changed a few weeks ago; that is probably what you're noticing. ~a
[2010-05-04 16:03:51] - gurkie: I think my color looks a little darker than it used to... but no, I didn't change it - vinnie
[2010-05-04 15:58:00] - plaunve: A Cardassian wanting to blow up a Klingon battle cruiser makes sense, and there's nothing wrong with liking Romulan Ale, but using a phaser (a Federation weapon) rather than a disruptor seems odd. -Paul
[2010-05-04 15:50:40] - One for the subtitle. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-04 15:31:23] - vinnie: did you change your color? ~gurkie
[2010-05-04 15:30:06] - I killed the message board
- plaunve[2010-05-04 14:59:51] - Paul: Why wouldn't a Cardassian want to blow up a Klingon battle cruiser? Everyone likes Romulan ale, too. You of all people should know that, as a Pakled spy. - plaunve
[2010-05-04 14:49:11] - I'm amazed that someone other than me or pierce would care about the tommy westphall universe. plaunve for group nerd! - vinnie
[2010-05-04 14:48:06] - pierce: just because Richard Dean Anderson played a character in Stargate, it doesn't mean his SG-1 character was connected to MacGuyer. so that's not a crossover. duh - plaunve
[2010-05-04 14:46:02] - paul, paul, paul. /shakes head. - pierce
[2010-05-04 14:35:19] - plaunve: Wait, this doesn't add up. You live on Cardassia and tried using Romulan ale and a phaser to blow up a Klingon battle cruiser? What species are you, exactly? -Paul
[2010-05-04 14:25:01] - plaunve: you and the bouvier twins have something in common. -nina
[2010-05-04 14:24:37] - no way! on thursday i go with paul to see ron paul. but before that, i have a meeting with my coworker, named paul! CRAZY. ~a
[2010-05-04 14:11:22] - plaunve: You worship him, but not enough to get a transport ship full of the goods he's hawking? Space-communism. Bah! -- Xpovos
[2010-05-04 14:10:23] - someone will need to update the Tommy Westphall graph. - pierce
[2010-05-04 14:07:54] - plaunve: i'm retracting paul's nomination as the group nerd - aaron
[2010-05-04 14:07:29] - did we finally find the long-sought link between the Stargate and Star Trek universes? - pierce
[2010-05-04 14:02:26] - Xpovos: They don't sell paper clips on Cardassia. We worship Richard Dean Anderson, though. - plaunve
[2010-05-04 13:56:24] - plaunve: This is because you forgot the all-important MacGyver super-secret Richard Dean Anderson-brand chewing gum and paper clip. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-04 13:52:34] - aaron: Super hard! I tried to blow up a Klingon battle cruiser last week using just a phaser and a crate of Romulan ale and barely made it out alive. - plaunve
[2010-05-04 13:51:46] - gurkie: that's why I wear this protective tinfoil helmet. It's stylish, too! - pierce
[2010-05-04 13:47:39] - maybe its the govt trying to make people afraid by faking terrorist threats that dont actually blow up so people wont actually get hurt
~gurkie[2010-05-04 13:46:35] - hmm I know jack about terrorism in the 90's. I was younger and didn't pay any attention then. Oversea's though like in Iraq / Afghanistan / Pakistan they seem to be able to pull off car bombs and such pretty regularly? -Daniel
[2010-05-04 13:43:39] - daniel: there were a lot of failed attempts in the 90s too! terrorism is hard - aaron
[2010-05-04 13:32:44] - As another facet, this is another failed attempt that seems to have failed due to incompetence. Is it just that terrorists are getting dumber? Making dumb mistakes? Unlucky? Having to McGuyver stuff up so more points of failure? I'm not sure we can answer these questions but they don't seem to be very competent these last few attempts. -Daniel
[2010-05-04 12:57:27] - Daniel: Knowledge he provides before arrested is allowed in the trial... Its only Inadmissable once they arrest him before his rights are read... ~gurkie
[2010-05-04 12:20:31] - mig- you are probably right. I'm just trying to come up with any reason why someone would hope his rights weren't read to him and couldn't come up with much. -Danel
[2010-05-04 12:10:48] - daniel: MAYBE. But I think it's more likely the GOP establishment is just throwing shit on the wall and hoping it sticks. - mig
[2010-05-04 12:07:49] - Isn't reading him his rights required before you talk to him? And if you don't isn't everything he says inadmissable (all legal knowledge from law and order, oh yeah!)? So yeah you should probably read him his rights. MAYBE McCain's point was he was worried about catching other accomplices and less about getting a conviction but that still seems dumb. -Daniel
[2010-05-04 12:05:19] - and I'm not sure why it matters to Republicans whether he was read his rights or not. If he's being hauled off to a military tribunal, it's irrelevant. If he's being charged criminally, then they should be hoping that he was read his miranda rights should he choose to confess. - mig
[2010-05-04 12:02:58] - you would think that with dozens of different law and order, csi, and other crime show dramas on tv these days, that anybody who has lived in the united states for longer than a week would know that if you don't read a perp's his miranda rights, he'll get off on a technicality. ~a
[2010-05-04 11:58:44] - And even if that weren't the case, that it's something they would be teaching on the first day of Terrorism 101. If you get arrested, ask for a lawyer and don't say anything. -Paul
[2010-05-04 11:57:47] - You would think that with dozens of different Law and Order, CSI and other crime show dramas on TV these days, that anybody who has lived in the United States for longer than a week would know about their Miranda rights by now.
-Paul[2010-05-04 11:57:19] - a: that it would, although that wasn't the question I was begging. the question I was begging was "what the fuck republicans". - pierce
[2010-05-04 11:56:36] - a: from a legal standpoint, yes. - mig
[2010-05-04 11:50:06] - i know this is the question you're begging, but wouldn't it be a serious mistake to not read him his miranda rights? ~a
[2010-05-04 11:48:49] - (source) - pierce
[2010-05-04 11:48:27] - because obviously, "terrorism" is a magic spell that negates any rights you have in this country, even if you're an american citizen. it's *obvious*, you guys. - pierce
[2010-05-04 11:46:11] - "Congressional Republicans want to know whether the Pakistani-born American arrested in the Times Square car bombing plot was read his Miranda rights, with Sen. John McCain saying it would be a 'serious mistake' if the suspect was reminded of his right to remain silent. 'Obviously that would be a serious mistake until all the information is gathered...'" - pierce
[2010-05-04 11:31:34] - Walked through Times Square this weekend while that car bomb was still there before it got shut down. I took some pictures of it empty once it got evacuated. Was bizarre to see Times Square empty. Its weird to know you walked in the vincinity of a car bomb. Removes some of the abstraction of terrorism. -Daniel
[2010-05-04 11:02:18] - re: starcraft 2 i really wished they would have avoided a tuesday release date. Thursday is better, like they did for Lich King. - mig
[2010-05-04 10:53:27] - Aaron: Based on your comment and the url, I was going to guess Conan O'Brien.
-Paul[2010-05-04 10:50:19] - aaron: haha. it was the kind of joke they would know better than to tell. we still don't know if they wrote that joke. ~a
[2010-05-04 10:46:45] - stephen: my mistake. i was wondering if i should have made that statement more general. ~a
[2010-05-04 10:45:15] - http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-05-02/obama-trounces-leno/full/ anybody guess who obama's writers were for the white house correspondents' dinner? - aaron
[2010-05-04 10:44:24] - a: Predator drones have mainly been used in Afghanistan and Pakistan, not Iraq. - Stephen
[2010-05-04 10:42:13] - nina: 100k iraqi civilian deaths is not what we were talking about. we were talking about iraqi civilian deaths due to preadator drones. that number is less than 2k, right? ~a
[2010-05-04 09:53:51] - aaron: I mostly agree with you, but there's something to be said for getting news from sources that will challenge your personal biases. - Stephen
[2010-05-04 09:51:12] - nina: well i just meant that if you and stephen are annoyed that the channels you watch are focusing on american events over world events, or that newscasters are expressing bias that we need to pull out of iraq because americans are dying, then you should "vote with your feet" cause that's probably not a good news source - aaron
[2010-05-04 09:40:47] - aaron: i think it's dangerous to choose where you get your news by whether the source "bothers you" or not. i agree getting it from multiple sources is good. but the "bother you" argument is what draws people to "bad sources" like Fox News. -nina
[2010-05-04 09:36:33] - stephen: for better or worse, there's a lot more selection in media outlets these days to where someone can pretty much decide on their beliefs first, and then find a news outlet which matches them. i think that's a new thing, and it's a very good thing for some people who understand the concept of multiple sources. a very bad thing for other people - aaron
[2010-05-04 09:33:16] - aaron: Pretty much every channel of TV news. The contrast between CNN and, say, the BBC is appalling. - Stephen
[2010-05-04 09:32:33] - aaron: NPR is a great source of news. 99% of Americans don't listen to NPR, though, so their perceptions are going to be skewed by whatever junk Glenn Beck or Keith Olbermann is spewing that night. - Stephen
[2010-05-04 09:30:42] - stephen: is it like CNN or the washington post or something that does this? - aaron
[2010-05-04 09:28:13] - stephen: oh okay. i guess i must watch the wrong channels? i listen to NPR but they cover bombings and stuff every day on NPR so it barely registers for me anymore. and i hear a lot about disasters like the mining/flooding/tsunami/earthquake kind of stuff, that comes from everywhere. you should probably get your news elsewhere if that bothers you. - aaron
[2010-05-04 09:26:55] - the only time i can think of a US military casualty making the news was a couple years back (2007? 2008) when a helicopter crash killed a half dozen american troops. i've heard a lot about the waco mining incident, and there was a second mining incident here recently and one in china as well, as well as widespread flooding in china... - aaron
[2010-05-04 09:26:50] - aaron: They make it sound like the number of casualties has been excessive, and grounds for leaving Iraq. I'm also pretty sure that when 10 American troops die, it's more of a news story than when 10 Afghan civilians do. - stephen
[2010-05-04 09:22:48] - stephen: because they downplay military casualties or because they overexaggerate military casualties? i don't think they do either so you'll have to explain what you mean a little better - aaron
[2010-05-04 09:16:38] - Aaron: It's not unusual or surprising for soldiers to die in wars, but the way the U.S. media treats military casualties, you'd think the Iraq War was the invasion of Normandy. - stephen
[2010-05-04 09:13:28] - paul: oh damn that was serious? i thought that was a "bit" - aaron
[2010-05-04 09:10:16] - aaron: Part of the hoopla over the healthcare bill was that is was perceived as potentially causing some deaths down the line. At least part of that... remember the 'death panels'. Hah, man, those were hilarious. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-04 09:09:52] - Aaron: Actually, considering all of those death panels that Palin was talking about, the health care bill is probably going to cause plenty of deaths soon enough.
-Paul[2010-05-04 09:09:18] - if us airlines flight 11 flew into the world trade center every day for 7 years straight, i'm sure eventually it would stop making news as well - aaron
[2010-05-04 09:08:01] - our news makes a big deal out of things that are surprising or unusual. 100k iraqi civilians died over the course of 7 years. 100k iraqi civilians died over the previous 7 years as well. it sucks over there. it's not new. it's not news. - aaron
[2010-05-04 09:07:15] - and our news doesn't make a big deal out of every US life lost, lots of americans die in iraq/afghanistan. if a downed helicopter or a suicide bomber kills 10 american troops, versus 10 iraqi police forces, either way it's just a blip on NPR and then forgotten the next day - aaron
[2010-05-04 09:03:11] - paul: or that health care bill, zero deaths and yet it was all over the news for several months. what's up with that - aaron
[2010-05-04 08:58:07] - *resonate more strongly with Americans. I really meant to put that descriptor in. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-04 08:55:41] - Paul: The classic questions emerge. Whose deaths? Where? How fast? 9/11 was 3k American deaths on American soil that happened all at once, so it's naturally going to resonate more strongly than 100K Iraqi civilian deaths in Iraq over the course of 7 years. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-04 08:54:14] - a: One could make the argument that Aparna was agreeing with Xpovos with that statement more than me.
-Paul[2010-05-04 08:54:08] - Of course, that method also caught all the "don't agree with Paul" comments, of which there were many. Vinnie will be pleased to learn he had a large chunk of those too.
-- Xpovos[2010-05-04 08:53:24] - I searched for "agree with Paul" minus the quotes and excluded all of Paul's own posts that had the words agree and with, and many more that were not statements of agreement with Paul. I should have caught aba's, though, and I thought I did, but it's not on either of my lists, so maybe I just didn't copy it over. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-04 08:51:09] - nina: Another great example is 9/11. Under 3k deaths and yet look at how much coverage it's gotten. -Paul
[2010-05-04 08:20:33] - a: don't worry about being surprised about the Katrina deaths vs. Predator drone deaths. our news makes a big deal of every US life lost, but any Iraqi, Afghanastani, or Pakistani death is not news worthy. a quick google search shows nearly 100K Iraqi civilian deaths since the start of the war. Katrina deaths <2K. -nina
[2010-05-03 22:44:18] - in 2001 we didn't say who we were talking to as often. so, it could be that finding those messages would be hard. ~a
[2010-05-03 22:41:43] - aba: "paul: yes, i agree. wolftrap is open air, so i think that your work clothes will be overkill. it really won't be formal. - aba" ~a
[2010-05-03 22:37:42] - a: so i've never agreed with paul? sounds about right.
- aba[2010-05-03 20:10:08] - SC2 has a release date (7/27). What is it with video game manufacturers releasing games immediately before or after my children's birth so as to ensure I never get a chance to really play them? -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 18:51:34] - aPaul: Sounds like an accord then. Whereas hate speech is defined as violent speech against specific people or groups, and whereas violence against people or groups is illegal under assault laws, be it resolved that hate speech is assault and illegal. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 18:35:44] - also zero for "nuclear predator drone". ~a
[2010-05-03 18:34:37] - paul: oms, zero (ZERO) google hits for "atomic predator drone" (with quotes) ~a
[2010-05-03 18:16:51] - ..."Does that mean Bush had the ability to laugh at FEMA's handling of that disaster?" well there was the "USD" part of my statement. also, obviously there are other things that make jokes less funny. tons of human lives were ruined if not lost. ~a
[2010-05-03 18:16:12] - stephen: "Katrina probably killed fewer people than predator drones." really? that's surprising. i guess i don't have all of the details... ~a
[2010-05-03 18:13:32] - aaron: "why do you think there's a correlation between how many people something kills and whether it's funny?" assuming you meant to ask that of me, i think there is a correlation. but there are also many, many, (many) other factors. ~a
[2010-05-03 18:03:19] - pierce promised me that the plaunve thing would pass. i guess either he's a liar, or has an inability to foresee the future. man, i have a craving for rocky road ice cream. ~a
[2010-05-03 17:25:25] - aaron: what's so funny? I'm just getting started - plaunve
[2010-05-03 17:24:37] - if I disagree with Paul a lot from here on, will that balance it out? - vinnie
[2010-05-03 17:24:01] - a: lol http://aporter.org/msg/sigs/plaunve - aaron
[2010-05-03 17:21:39] - I can't believe I'm #2! it's a sad day
- vinnie[2010-05-03 17:14:05] - paul: closer to a year than a month ~a
[2010-05-03 17:02:54] - a: Ok, well, it's still amazing to me that she has agreed with me more than Miguel. -Paul
[2010-05-03 16:58:30] - she was on the message board for a lot longer than a month. ~a
[2010-05-03 16:57:46] - Gurkie: Some people have to be more vocal than others. Mel was only on the message board for like a month, and all I remember is her and I getting into a heated argument which caused her to leave forever.
-Paul[2010-05-03 16:52:13] - wow thats an interesting breakdown ... I wonder if some people are less vocal, I feel like Mig often agrees with Paul but maybe doesnt say it... also I have a hard time believing I ever did
~gurkie[2010-05-03 16:52:01] - ah shit was that in bad taste? you guys are cool right
[2010-05-03 16:50:44] - pierce: yeah that was bullshit. i asked for house but we couldn't pay enough to lure him away from Fox. maybe in 2011... with a couple more "budget adjustments"... heh heh heh
[2010-05-03 16:49:16] - Quick (and flawed) statistical study of who agrees with Paul: Dave (27.5 agreements). Vinnie (8 agreements). Aaron&Xpovos (6 agreements). a: (5.5 agreements and 1 agreement that is clearly facetious). Pierce&amy (5 agreements). Mel (4 agreements) "agree,but"&"shockingly, I agree" (4 agreements). Mig (3.5 agreements). 1 agreement each: asg, nemo, dewey, gurkie, Stephen
[2010-05-03 16:43:13] - Pierce: Yep, Bush's joke was definitely more tasteless. - Stephen
[2010-05-03 16:42:16] - yeah, but you actually had kumar working for you. - pierce
[2010-05-03 16:41:14] - also, the "topic" of bush's joke was the sensitive issue itself, WMDs. the topic of obama's joke was the jonas brothers, and predator drones were just the punchline. - pierce
[2010-05-03 16:40:19] - i can't believe nobody's brought up that president bush was in that harold and kumar movie! i mean c'mon guys
[2010-05-03 16:39:29] - bush's joke is more like the former, obama's is more like the latter. I think bush's joke was more tasteless because it was such a colossal screwup and because (extending the metaphor) it caused a lot of other people to get "fired". - pierce
[2010-05-03 16:38:03] - I think they're tasteless for different reasons. if you made jokes to your boss about some major screwup you'd committed at work, that would be tasteless because you're not showing the proper remorse for your actions. if your boss made a joke about firing you, it would be tasteless because he or she would be abusing authority. - pierce
[2010-05-03 16:37:20] - Paul: No but! You accurately summed up the purpose of my comment. - Stephen
[2010-05-03 16:35:02] - Stephen: But....? -Paul
[2010-05-03 16:35:01] - I mean, if you think the U.S. is behaving ethically by using predator drones, then this joke is fine. I am opposed to their use, however, so I find it offensive. - Stephen
[2010-05-03 16:33:43] - I agree with Paul
- Stephen[2010-05-03 16:32:58] - Aaron: I think Stephen is arguing the opposite, and is trying to refute Adrian's comment about degrees of magnitude difference between predator drone kills and the Iraq War. -Paul
[2010-05-03 16:30:49] - stephen: why do you think there's a correlation between how many people something kills and whether it's funny? - aaron
[2010-05-03 16:29:26] - a: Three words: Atomic Predator Drone.
-Paul[2010-05-03 16:28:41] - a: Katrina probably killed fewer people than predator drones. Does that mean Bush had the ability to laugh at FEMA's handling of that disaster? - Stephen
[2010-05-03 16:24:27] - mig: with drone mistakes alone? ~a
[2010-05-03 16:23:57] - a: give obama time, he could catch up. - mig
[2010-05-03 16:23:48] - paul: hehe. actually i was only kidding. most of the people who agree with you are doing it wholeheartedly. this one sums them all up though: "I agree with Paul, though Katie assures me that it's just because I like the bitchy sisters best, and that Bubbles is clearly the best. -- Xpovos"
~a[2010-05-03 16:22:39] - the two jokes aren't the same because they're not anywhere on the same level. they're two or three orders of magnitude off on loss of human lives and USD. ~a
[2010-05-03 16:21:34] - a: Hahahaha. That's perfect. It captures the shame that everybody feels in agreeing with me.... and how it always has to come with stipulations, like, "I agree with Paul, but I also recently had a lobotomy". -Paul
[2010-05-03 16:21:21] - it may be worth noting that obama's joke wasn't making light of the failure rate of drones, it was making light of their success rate. if obama's joke had been " Two words for you: predator drones. Your family will never see it coming. You think I'm joking?" I think people would've been pants-shittingly offended afterwards. - pierce
[2010-05-03 16:21:14] - pierce: i think it's because bush's joke is more offensive to "our guys", where obama's joke is offensive to "the other guys". i think it is an expression of your own biases though - aaron
[2010-05-03 16:19:21] - stephen: but you're right if bush had ever joked about not finding WMDs in iraq or something that serious, it would have been a huge deal... the media would have run with it and we would all remember it - aaron
[2010-05-03 16:19:03] - in what may be a shocking display of my own biases, I did find it tasteless and not funny (although I don't think the tastelessness was why I found it unfunny) when Bush did a slideshow of him looking for WMDs around the white house and "hilariously" not finding them. - pierce
[2010-05-03 16:18:51] - paul: yeah. "i agree with paul, but" and "sadly, i agree with paul" show up pretty often. hehe. ~a
[2010-05-03 16:18:16] - aaron: the drones have been causing problems in pakistan semi-recently. - mig
[2010-05-03 16:18:00] - a: Hopefully that's just because people use the word "agree" instead.
-Paul[2010-05-03 16:17:59] - Pierce: Oh, I do think it was somewhat funny, I just don't think it was particularly presidential. - Stephen
[2010-05-03 16:17:44] - mig: are you referring to an internet poll to make a point?
~a[2010-05-03 16:16:32] - a: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/05/obama-drone-joke-was-it-offens.html?wprss=44 check the poll results. - mig
[2010-05-03 16:16:15] - pierce: underage kids can still take advantage of each-other. 17 vs 7, that sort of thing. ~a
[2010-05-03 16:14:33] - stephen: I think that crossed the line of being tasteless, but not the line where it's not funny anymore. the 20-year-olds-interested-in-a-12-year-old thing isn't really on my radar since the jonas brothers rose to fame when they were underage and haven't changed much, so people still see them as vaguely in their teens somewhere. - pierce
[2010-05-03 16:14:30] - paul: lol, those are the only two times anybody has ever said "i'm with paul" here. ~a
[2010-05-03 16:14:12] - stephen: maybe not, but that's a lot more specific and a lot more timely than obama's joke. predator drones have been active since at least what 2002? earlier? and were they in the news recently about killing civilians? maybe i haven't been paying attention - aaron
[2010-05-03 16:12:55] - mig: and you think people won't go apeshit about this quote? ~a
[2010-05-03 16:12:37] - Wow, two different people saying that they're on my side on two different topics in the space of four posts.... that has to be a record. -Paul
[2010-05-03 16:12:12] - I don't offend easily and this didn't really offend me per se but i do get a "if bush had done this people would have gone apeshit" vibe from it. - mig
[2010-05-03 16:11:53] - Aaron: Would you have laughed if Bush made a joke about people dying due to FEMA's ineptitude during Katrina? Actually, you might have...but would the media have laughed as well? - Stephen
[2010-05-03 16:10:55] - stephen: 20 vs 12 is outside of the half-your-age-plus-seven. (also, thank you wikipedia) ~a
[2010-05-03 16:10:34] - humanity with an off-color joke or a non-existent word or a nonpartisan song on their ipod - aaron
[2010-05-03 16:10:10] - stephen: and i'm with paul, i find offensive jokes funny. personally i enjoy moments when obama/bush/whomever lightens up and makes themselves vulnerable by sounding stupid or insensitive. those kind of moments are rare enough that i feel that we (the american public) don't need to make them rarer by tearing into the president every time they express a shred of - aaron
[2010-05-03 16:09:31] - Aaron: The context was the White House correspondents' dinner. He was trying to be funny, but the President shouldn't make jokes about deaths caused by his administration. - Stephen
[2010-05-03 16:08:43] - Stephen: Creepy? Maybe, but something I'm way too familiar with to even find eye-raising anymore. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 16:08:24] - aaron: i'm with paul, i would be very against making "c" illegal unless you're talking about "assault/harassment" (which we could quibble about the definition of if you would like). ~a
[2010-05-03 16:07:27] - Xpovos: Sure, but I would still hesitate to make even violent speech illegal. And violent actions already are illegal, so that's covered. -Paul
[2010-05-03 16:07:08] - stephen: ha ha i thought it was funny. i think it depends on context. this is the first time i've heard the quote - aaron
[2010-05-03 16:07:04] - It's also pretty creepy talking about 20 year olds being interested in a 12 year old. - Stephen
[2010-05-03 16:06:36] - Xpovos: No, it wasn't "his" intent. His speechwriter may want to look for a new job, though... - Stephen
[2010-05-03 16:06:01] - stephen: yeah that's a very funny joke except when you remember that they often kill civilians. it's analogous to one of those "too soon?" jokes. ~a
[2010-05-03 16:04:29] - Stephen: I'm personally ok with it (just like I was ok with his "special olympics" joke), but I also tend to find offensive jokes funny. I'm guessing that line will probably offend a few people, though. -Paul
[2010-05-03 16:04:24] - Stephen: Probably crossed the line, but I'm sure that wasn't his intent. He was more likely alluding to the aggressive power fantasy of the protective father figure that most males have. "Do something to my daughters, and I have a shotgun, don't forget it, boy." Only his shotguns are the best in the world. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 16:03:31] - stephen: i would say that would be in rather poor taste. - mig
[2010-05-03 16:02:52] - Paul: Speech can be violent, though. Which I think is your meaning. I just want to clarify it. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 16:02:20] - Anyone else think the Obama joke crossed the line? "Ha ha, my administration is assassinating people, and occasionally we screw up and kill civilians. Isn't that HILARIOUS?" - Stephen
[2010-05-03 16:01:42] - "Jonas Brothers are here, they're out there somewhere. Sasha and Malia are huge fans, but boys, don't get any ideas. Two words for you: predator drones. You will never see it coming. You think I'm joking?" - Obama
[2010-05-03 15:58:55] - Aaron: I don't know if I would say they're just being a jerk. Presumably, they honestly think your child will be going to hell (or whatever). I don't think I would be comfortable with making (c) illegal unless the person stepped over the line of mere speech. -Paul
[2010-05-03 15:52:39] - they're all arguably bad, but i imho a and probably b should remain legal to preserve free speech. c is arguably harassment, and yeah ray rah free speech but at that point you're just being a jerk for the sake of being a jerk - aaron
[2010-05-03 15:51:04] - gurkie: i'm saying there's a difference between a) holding the view between yourself and your friends, b) expressing the view publicly to a group of strangers, and c) confronting a specific stranger who conflicts with your view - aaron
[2010-05-03 15:41:17] - aaron: I think I would be offended by either of your statements (about interracial people) I am not sure I really see the difference... I guess you are saying if you say that to someone who it doesnt appy to vs saying it to someone who falls under the bigoted statement? If I heard either I would be offended. ~gurkie
[2010-05-03 15:37:39] - a: i'm sure it depends on who you ask. he told a passing shopper that homosexuality went against the word of god, and then gave a 20-minute sermon about drunkenness/adultery. could really be on either end of the spectrum, the article is unbiased one way or the other - aaron
[2010-05-03 15:33:52] - "Police took ... a retina scan and a DNA swab." what, did they forget the colon scan? ~a
[2010-05-03 15:29:56] - "A Christian street preacher was arrested and locked in a cell for telling a passer-by that homosexuality is a sin in the eyes of God." wait, was this really the case? or was he arrested for "harassment"? or was it somewhere in-between? was he assaulting someone? or was he just being a dick? ~a
[2010-05-03 15:15:35] - xpovos: heh well, yeah, i included religion and sexual activity in that list out of habit, i hadn't really thought those two through. i guess technically you could protest someone's religion or sexual orientation but it's not like going on a diet or getting over an addiction - aaron
[2010-05-03 15:11:46] - aaron: They are, but I think that's largely a cultural issue. And neither religion nor sexual activity are beyond a person's control. I'll grant sexuality is because arguing otherwise is a losing proposition, even if it's true--which is non-proveable. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 15:09:32] - xpovos: i don't think it's the controversiality, it's just that people are more defensive about things like religion/sexuality/race/age/handicap/etc than they are about things like video games. plus it's meaner to pick on them for things that are beyond their control - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:56:52] - a: heh yeah i was partially being facetious, partially conceding my ignorance regarding UK protected speech laws - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:45:27] - "isn't it already a crime to be a jerk?" i thought you were being facetious here. but based on how miguel and andrew responded, i'm not so sure now. were you serious? ~a
[2010-05-03 14:44:31] - aaron: I agree. I was just trying to pick out something that would be easier for us to agree on since it's in actuality significantly less controversial, and something that we presumably are on the same side of the controversy. But the fact that it is significantly less controversial does diminish the analogy. A large part of this is about the controversiality. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 14:41:29] - xpovos: i would have less of a problem with it if he wasn't calling out a specific person though. it would largely depend on his location. - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:40:09] - xpovos: again on the surface there's no difference between racism, and vegetarianism. between homophobia and disliking video games. but realistically they're worlds apart. if you're trying to equate the two i wouldn't put a lot of faith in any conclusions you draw from such an analogy - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:38:19] - aaron: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/sci_tech/2002/leicester_2002/2252782.stm - mig
[2010-05-03 14:38:01] - I think you're right about the calling out a specific person in the crowd, and to a lesser extend specific public individuals, though. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 14:37:52] - again, not saying he belongs in jail, but i'm saying i wouldn't exactly shed a tear if he were forced to spend a night in a prison cell until he thinks about ways he could try and assemble his personal world-view with society a little better - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:37:18] - aaron: I was attempting to include morality in my video game reference. The loony preacher actually believes video games are sinful, a tool of the devil. Maybe in this hypothesis he's even got a substantial cult following. Does that actually change anything? -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 14:36:51] - if i casually tell one of my friends that interracial relationships or mixed race people are not children of god, that's you know. that's bigoted. but if i confront mixed race couples or mixed race people on the street and tell them they're sinners, that's... that's mean. it crosses a line. i wouldn't sympathize with that whatsoever - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:36:00] - xpovos: well, morality is a little more personal than video games. most people can take a joke about their hobbies or interests. not everyone can take a joke about their lifestyle, or their race, or their sexual preference. particularly if it's directed at someone, that's crossing a line. i'm not saying it should be illegal, i'm saying it's mean - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:30:29] - If he advocated violence against video game players, called for mass imprisonment, or thumb-castration... that's not protected speech. But simply opining on a controversial issue? -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 14:29:17] - If some random person on a street corner started going on and on about how video games are evil, and that everyone who plays video games is slothful and a potential murderer, I wouldn't be calling the cops. I would be laughing at him, as is my prerogative, but I fail to see why what he is preaching as his opinion on morality has any implication on my rights. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 14:26:06] - mig: i don't know if i've heard anything about illegal wiretapping going on over there, but i've heard a lot about their cameras - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:24:56] - That is they make the bush era... - mig
[2010-05-03 14:23:57] - aaron: yeah england in particular is light years ahead of the US as far as police state progression goes. They the Bush Era at its worst seem tame by comparison. - mig
[2010-05-03 14:18:45] - mig: don't forget about privacy they hate that stuff! - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:18:31] - xpovos: hmph well i'm glad to read about stuff like this happening in England and not in arizona for a change - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:15:03] - aaron: I doubt it would be illegal in the US, but maybe in Europe since they don't value free speech as much over there. - mig
[2010-05-03 14:13:42] - aaron: I don't think that would be enough to warrant a verbal assault conviction, but I'm not a lawyer. Might get an interesting civil case, but probably not criminal. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 14:12:35] - aaron: Unfortunately, no. Being a jerk is quite legal. At least it is here in the states. I would imagine then that the stiff-upper-lippers could handle a similar level of jerkitude? -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 14:12:15] - xpovos: i mean if dale mcalpine was out shopping with his family and you told him that vaginas were smelly, and his wife was ugly, and his kid had an asymmetrical face. i don't think that's particularly nice either, they could lock you up for that right? - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:10:20] - xpovos: i'm not sure why there are laws against hate speech specifically. isn't it already a crime to be a jerk? - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:05:00] - my legs ache a little, not too bad. but i was completely useless sunday evening, i had planned to weed my backyard and take care of some mortgage stuff but i ended up just taking a two hour "awake nap" - aaron
[2010-05-03 14:02:18] - Is the world going crazy? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7668448/Christian-preacher-arrested-for-saying-homosexuality-is-a-sin.html -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 13:49:19] - my legs feel ok today... probably means I needed to play harder - vinnie
[2010-05-03 13:45:25] - a: My entire body hurts... but especially my left ankle. -Paul
[2010-05-03 13:43:36] - gurkie: no, I posted that right before I left. - pierce
[2010-05-03 13:35:12] - pierce: huh, a local zoom might be useful for many applications; without putting a lot of thought into it, I feel that would be nice for all applications I use. I often misclick tiny boxes and buttons - vinnie
[2010-05-03 13:29:50] - pierce: are you posting while driving cause you just left here!!!! also... effortless is unlikely... ~gurkie
[2010-05-03 13:01:55] - I know you could just increase the magnification in most spreadsheet programs, but that's a few clicks away *and* you might scale some important information off the screen by doing so. what TVs need to be useful for non-media activities is an effortless and intuitive interface for a local zoom, around the cursor or something. - pierce
[2010-05-03 12:59:31] - think about it... if you were using a TV as a monitor and you were having trouble reading a list of numbers on a spreadsheet, what would you do? you'd have to get up and walk closer, which destroys any ergonomics you'd worked out on the couch... plus you'd get wicked eye strain from the amount of light you get that close up. - pierce
[2010-05-03 12:57:31] - aaron: they *want* higher latency? I think TVs *tolerate* latency better but that's becoming less and less true. I think the distance thing is the big one, we want the image to stay pretty static because we're enjoying a predefined cinematic experience. we keep monitors closer because we want to be able to lean in and get a much more detailed view. - pierce
[2010-05-03 12:52:38] - a: tvs typically want higher latency, and we want them very big (to watch from a distance). computers typically want higher resolution and we want them small (so that we can fit them on a desk) - aaron
[2010-05-03 12:47:43] - a: beats me? - mig
[2010-05-03 12:47:29] - mig: why is that. in this day and age, what is the difference between a tv and a monitor? ~a
[2010-05-03 12:45:02] - gurkie: two tvs. ~a
[2010-05-03 12:43:17] - paul: I dont like the idea of your comp being downstairs too as it is we already both want your tv at times =) it will make it more difficult for me to ever get time with it... ~Gurkie
[2010-05-03 12:42:35] - paul: I tried it once, but it didn't really work all that well on my tv. The colors just looked weird, and text was barely legible. YMMV though. - mig
[2010-05-03 12:34:46] - paul: that sounds like a pain in the ass. ~a
[2010-05-03 12:34:01] - oh my science my legs hurt. ~a
[2010-05-03 12:28:50] - a: Probably keyboard in my lap and mouse on the arm of my couch. I assume they would have to be wireless. -Paul
[2010-05-03 12:25:54] - God, do I hate telecom utilities. -- Xpovos
[2010-05-03 12:24:08] - "use my tv as my computer monitor" where will you put the keyboard/mouse? ~a
[2010-05-03 12:12:22] - Cool, I'm interested in liquid cooling because I think it would be nice to have a quiet computer (my current one is quite noisy). I'm also thinking of putting it in the basement so I can use my TV as my computer monitor and I imagine the area around my home theater setup gets a little warm at times. -Paul
[2010-05-03 11:35:03] - paul: http://www.alienware.com/intro_pages/liquidcooling.aspx it's quieter than my previous alienware computer. it's not silent. i got it because the alienware i got before that was really loud. may have just been bad luck or something, or maybe i'm just sensitive to it. i thought the gateway i had before that was really loud too. - aaron
[2010-05-03 11:33:36] - no, it uses a pump and fans. the system doesn't dissipate heat quickly enough without some active cooling of the liquid. see here. or here. (in the second one you can't see the fan, because it's hiding) ~a
[2010-05-03 11:26:08] - a: I thought it used a pump instead of fans. -Paul
[2010-05-03 11:11:16] - i don't and i probably won't in the foreseeable future. liquid cooling adds extra complications i'd rather avoid. i actually prefer a little bit of white noise in many situations. wait, don't you still have just as many (or more) fans with a liquid cooling system? ~a
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