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Sep 20, 2011 (yesterday)
Sept. 19, 1982: Can’t You Take a Joke? :-)
1982: At precisely 11:44 a.m., Scott Fahlman posts the following electronic message to a computer-science department bulletin board at Carnegie Mellon University:
19-Sep-82 11:44 Scott E Fahlman :-)With that post, Fahlman became the acknowledged originator of the ASCII-based emoticon. From those two simple emoticons (a portmanteau combining the words emotion and icon) have sprung dozens of others that are the joy, or bane, of e-mail, text-message and instant-message correspondence the world over.
From: Scott E Fahlman
I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers:
:-)
Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economical to mark things that are NOT jokes, given current trends. For this, use:
:-(
See Also:
In 1881, the American satirical magazine Puck published what we would now call emoticons, using hand-set type. No less a wordsmith than Ambrose Bierce suggested using what he called a “snigger point” — \__/ — to convey jocularity or irony. Baltimore’s Sunday Sun suggested a tongue-in-cheek sideways character in 1967.
But none of those caught on. The internet emoticon truly traces its lineage directly to Fahlman, who says he came up with the idea after reading “lengthy diatribes” from people on the message board who failed to get the joke or the sarcasm in a particular post — which is probably what “given current trends” refers to in his own, now-famous missive.
To remedy this, Fahlman suggested using :-) and :-( to distinguish between posts that should be taken humorously and those of a more serious nature.
Fahlman’s original post was lost for a couple of decades and believed gone for good, until it was retrieved from an old backup tape, thus cementing his claim of priority.
Source: Various
Photo: Carnegie Mellon professor Scott E. Fahlman smiles away in his home office. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)
This article first appeared on Wired.com Sept. 19, 2008.
See Also:
- Help Wired Design Emoticons of the 21st Century
- Does this Emoticon Make Me Look Like a Girl?
- The Smiley is 25 Years Old
- Smile
- July 2, 1982: Up, Up and Away With 42 Balloons
- Sept. 9, 1982: 3-2-1 … Liftoff! The First Private Rocket Launch
- Oct. 1, 1982: Portable Music Enters the Spin Zone
- Nov. 13, 1982: Teen Sets ‘Asteroids’ Record in 3-Day Marathon
- Dec. 2, 1982: Barney Clark Takes One for the Team
- Dec. 26, 1982: Time’s Top Man? The Personal Computer
- Sept. 19, 1991: Hikers Stumble Upon Ötzi, the Alpine Iceman
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2:16 AM (18 hours ago)
Obama Serves Up Home Brewed White House Honey Ale to Guests
Barack Obama has something in common with George Washington, besides his occupation. Our president has been brewing his own in-house organic beer, which he has dubbed White House Honey Ale. The ale is even flavored with White House-raised honey from Michelle Obama’s beehive. We have to applaud the Pres for embracing sustainably made, home-brewed beer! If you’re reading Obama, we’d love some samples.
Read the rest of Obama Serves Up Home Brewed White House Honey Ale to Guests
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Post tags: barack obama, eco design, green design, greenhouse gas emissions, home brew, local honey, Sgt. Dakota Meyer, sustainable design, White House Honey Ale
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Sep 20, 2011 (yesterday)
Foldit players solve AIDS puzzle
Gamers model retroviral protease, which has baffled scientists for a decade, in just three weeks.
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Sep 18, 2011 (3 days ago)
The 10 Best Amazon Reviews. Ever.
Web reviews from online everymen are either low-hanging fruit for DIY marketers, the best thing to ever happen to e-shopping, or bait for angry cheapskates. But good or bad, they're often an unexpected source for entertainment. Here are some of the best.
Like many webheads, I rely on the kindness and cruelty of virtual strangers who write reviews of practically everything sold online. They may not posses specialized knowledge of the stuff they critique. They may be hopped up on unreal expectations or may only have spent money on something because they got it half-off from Groupon. But they're also just regular users like me. For better or worse they've democratized consumer reports, but they've also made reviews entertaining as hell.
Nowhere has funnier reviews than Amazon, the world's largest online retailer. In part, it's due to the absurd array of products you can buy--from a Star Wars jacket to a toy airport security checkpoint for children to a rubberized testicular exam model, Snooki's book, and even uranium ore. It's served as inspiration for scads of reviewers, who have elevated product criticism into a crowd-sourced art form.
Here are some favorites:
1. Use The Farce
Life Completely Changed rated the jacket 5 stars and Amazon singled his out as being "the most helpful favorable review:" "I used to be an unemployed movie theater usher but that all changed when I bought this jacket. Now I'm an unemployed movie theater usher with one of these jackets." Fred also gave it 5 stars, calling it a "Brilliant Product!" "I was actually given this jacket as a present after having destroyed a death star. I have found that it has given me miraculous powers that i couldn't have dreamed of! I am able to move objects and even people just by thinking about it! Great for doing chores around the house!"
Justin T. Schmidt "DataScream" from Bryan, OH, panned it, noting that it "does not come with pocket protector, or spare dignity ... If you're a whiny, blond, teenage farmer, this jacket is for you. However you'll be forever banished to the 'friend zone' by every girl you see, or worse, the 'brother zone.' But you'll always have Yavin!"
And the winner is…
2. Lego Your Freedom ...
The product description from the manufacturer says, "The woman traveler stops by the security checkpoint. After placing her luggage on the screening machine, the airport employee checks her baggage. The traveler hands her spare change and watch to the security guard and proceeds through the metal detector. With no time to spare, she picks up her luggage and hurries to board her flight!"
Here's what reviewers said:
M. McKnight gave it 3 stars, noting, "This toy would be a lot more realistic with about 350 people standing in line for an average of an hour. It still makes a nice set with the interrogation room."
Gwen P. of Douglassville, PA, rated it 5 stars: "What better way to teach the next generation how to behave in a police state then with a toy such as this? ... Think of all the fun the little folks can have waterboarding those who "hate our freedom."
Others suggested additional accessories such as "tiny sets of latex gloves for the security guards" and a matching Guantanamo Bay playset, although to be fair Amazon does sell a toy plastic prison cell as an extension to the Playmobil Police Station. (Really!)
And the winner is ...
3. Tanned And Tome'd
Nomma de Pluma "Mofo" rates A Shore Thing 5 stars: "Snooki's debut novel is an oeuvre d'art, one that outshines all of the former greats such as Shakespeare, Melville, Austen, or Pamela Anderson ... A coming of age tale filled with romance, love, friendship and enlightenment."
R. Casimiro says, "Grate Book": "I use to be Harvard inglish profeser. I reed this bok and now forgot how spel and use inglish. Plot was nyce, had good story and hot chicks."
Craig Anderson "Mountain Man" lauds the author's dialogue that examines "the intricacies of social phenomena unfolding around her" while Samuel Clemens "technocrat believes the "book reads like a field manual for getting lucky anywhere between Long Branch and Atlantic City."
And the winner is…
4. Urine Business
Twal from the UK touts Wolf Urine Lure as "one for the cellar." He lauds its "elegant, pale straw hue with an appealing peachy fruit on the nose," the "effervescent bead--the whole glass teams with bubbles--culminating in a frothy layer at the head," and notes its "firm, mineral acidity that cuts through a rather elegantly styled, poised meaty presence."
Denice Bee from Detroit, MI gives it 5 stars. "At last, a Wolf Urine that's easy to use! My laundry has never been so fresh and clean! It removes those hard to remove wolf-crap stains on our Three Wolf Moon shirts… Why scour when Wolf Urine does the work? Get two jugs and share with a friend!"
And the winner is…
5. Completely Nuts
Wendy Sherer ("Cosmetic Guru") from Pittsburgh, PA, writes: "Not only a wonderful teaching model, but while trying to find the tumors, I discovered, it acts as a makeshift stress ball! When I am in line at the grocery store I just whip out this handy little bugger and squeeze away [and] the line around me just [disappears]."
Tricky Rick of Satantonio, TX, says, "finally a product I can use." "Who doesn't love playing with scrotum? I know I do! So does my wife. But sometimes I have to leave the house to, I don't know, go to work or buy groceries and I have to take my scrotum away from my wife's hands. This made her sad... until NOW! Now she has a scrotum to play with when I'm not around. I also find it useful when I feel the need to play with a scrotum other than my own and don't want to impose on coworkers, friends, family members (I said 'members') or our local priest."
C.H. Risk finds that it "makes a great fashion accessory." "They are a real lifesaver on the cold winter days, and the ladies go wild for the smooth, polished look."
And the winner is…
6. Business Up Front, Party In Back
cpc65 (A.K.A. cpc8472) of Pawtucket, RI, claims it's "so good it has been outlawed in some nations." "Recently leaked CIA files have disclosed that the three American hikers who "unknowingly" and "unintentionally" strayed over the border of Iran were in fact each sporting a Mullet Wig - Black. They remain detained in that country at present despite political pressure and pleas from their families.
The file also hints at a covert rescue operation in the works involving a single Special Forces operative code named "Joe Dirt". Meanwhile as a diversionary tactic, an Air Force B-2 bomber will carpet bomb Tehran with clones of William Shatner's toupee.
Note: Photo of "model" is actually that of one of the hikers and was released to the Associated Press by the government of Iran shortly after his incarceration and interrogation."
Michael S. Harper of Bonita. CA, says, "If you have need of a mullet wig, this is a good choice."
And the winner is…
7. What A Tool
SAB bought this handheld multiuse tool with 87 implements, according to the product description, "to replace the factory toolkit in my 5VY Yamaha R1. First of all, when it was delivered I did not have a forklift to get the darned thing off the truck, so the truck driver helped me push it off the back. When it hit the driveway, it left a gimoungus divot in the blacktop."
Silver_diamond2077 threw away all his other tools: "my saw , drill, hammer all went in the trash after getting this . it does every thing and yes it's giant . I used it to fix my sink yesterday and today to install a range oven hood. Next i'm going to build a bomb shelter for 2012 with this giant swiss army knife."
L. Barsky gives it 5 stars, noting that "it comes with a built-in hand truck. My dentist told me he's considering switching over to the Wenger, but isn't sure he can fit it through the loading door of his office."
Brenton R. Grant III loves its versatility, although "I haven't been able to use ours yet. Once my wife found out about the rechargeable rabbit attachment in the knife, I haven't seen either one for a week."
And the winner is…
8. Ore ... Not
Kyle J. Von Bose gave it 5 stars, "glad" that he doesn't "have to buy this from Libyans in parking lots at the mall anymore. "I bought this to power a home-made submarine that I use to look for prehistoric-era life forms in land-locked lakes around my home town in Alaska ... The quality of this Uranium is on par with the stuff I was buying from the Libyans over at the mall parking lot, but at half the price! I just hope the seller does not run out, because I have many projects on my list including a night vision sasquatch radar, an electromagnetic chupakabra cage, a high velocity, aerial, weighted Mothman net and super heated, instant grill cheese sandwich maker."
Totsubo reports that he bought it as a gift for his ex-wife, who received it "in good order."
And the winner is…
9. Carpool, Road Warrior-Style
Thomas Dunham "Los Pepes" of Catonsville, MD gives the Badonkadonk 5 stars. "I'll admit it. Shopping for a personal tank can be a bit daunting. Many times in the past I've purchased overpriced, so-called "battle tanks", then driven them into battle only to be wrecked in ten minutes by the first blow off of some insurgents home-made mortar.
But not this baby, no way. This tank R-O-C-K-S! Literally the 400-watt sound-system keeps me rockin like a crazy man as I'm dishing out justice commando style. Wow. I just can't say enough. And the kids love it, too- imagine the look of terror in the eyes of the enemy as I'm dropping off my kid's team to their soccer game. Shock and awe, my friends, SHOCK AND AWE!" It also, he notes, "has plenty of room for groceries."
WelshByrne, on the other hand, was not impressed, giving it 1 star: "Parking is a nightmare, what with the 12ft blind spot. The main cannon is totally unsuited to the task. I attempted to ethnically cleanse my local Greggs the bakers, only to find that I had been sent 90mm shells when the barrel is clearly 75mm!!!!"
And the winner is…
10. Magician's Hat Not Included
Frazzled from Kent, UK, gave it 5 stars: "My five year old daughter loved this Easter present. She played with it for hours. I'd recommend this to anyone who is struggling to think of a suitable gift for Easter."
Ruben Romero "BowZzr" of Pacifica, CA, wites, er, writes: "The twick is not so much to catch the wabbit, the twick is to ho'd the wabbit. Wight awm nestoled awound the neck, elbow beneath the chin, hand cwenching the back of the wodent's head. Weft awm fiwmwy wapped awound the wabbit's waist, ho'ding the body tight to yow body. And, quickwy, in one viowent twist, you snap the neck.
Sometimes the wabbit will fwop a widdle on the gwound. You may not have pwopewly sevewed the spinal chord. This is a weal tweat, as a wiving and fuwy mobile wabbit can be dangewous, wascally even: a wiving wabbit with a bwoken neck is hawmless so wong as you stay away fwum the teeth. When I see a wabbit fwopping on the gwound, I wift my widdle boot and cwush its tiny widdle cwanium.
Then the wabbit is quiet. Vewy vewy quiet."
And the winner is…
Adam L. Penenberg is a journalism professor at NYU and a contributing writer to Fast Company. Follow him on Twitter: @penenberg.
Like many webheads, I rely on the kindness and cruelty of virtual strangers who write reviews of practically everything sold online. They may not posses specialized knowledge of the stuff they critique. They may be hopped up on unreal expectations or may only have spent money on something because they got it half-off from Groupon. But they're also just regular users like me. For better or worse they've democratized consumer reports, but they've also made reviews entertaining as hell.
Nowhere has funnier reviews than Amazon, the world's largest online retailer. In part, it's due to the absurd array of products you can buy--from a Star Wars jacket to a toy airport security checkpoint for children to a rubberized testicular exam model, Snooki's book, and even uranium ore. It's served as inspiration for scads of reviewers, who have elevated product criticism into a crowd-sourced art form.
Here are some favorites:
1. Use The Farce
Life Completely Changed rated the jacket 5 stars and Amazon singled his out as being "the most helpful favorable review:" "I used to be an unemployed movie theater usher but that all changed when I bought this jacket. Now I'm an unemployed movie theater usher with one of these jackets." Fred also gave it 5 stars, calling it a "Brilliant Product!" "I was actually given this jacket as a present after having destroyed a death star. I have found that it has given me miraculous powers that i couldn't have dreamed of! I am able to move objects and even people just by thinking about it! Great for doing chores around the house!"
Justin T. Schmidt "DataScream" from Bryan, OH, panned it, noting that it "does not come with pocket protector, or spare dignity ... If you're a whiny, blond, teenage farmer, this jacket is for you. However you'll be forever banished to the 'friend zone' by every girl you see, or worse, the 'brother zone.' But you'll always have Yavin!"
And the winner is…
2. Lego Your Freedom ...
The product description from the manufacturer says, "The woman traveler stops by the security checkpoint. After placing her luggage on the screening machine, the airport employee checks her baggage. The traveler hands her spare change and watch to the security guard and proceeds through the metal detector. With no time to spare, she picks up her luggage and hurries to board her flight!"
Here's what reviewers said:
M. McKnight gave it 3 stars, noting, "This toy would be a lot more realistic with about 350 people standing in line for an average of an hour. It still makes a nice set with the interrogation room."
Gwen P. of Douglassville, PA, rated it 5 stars: "What better way to teach the next generation how to behave in a police state then with a toy such as this? ... Think of all the fun the little folks can have waterboarding those who "hate our freedom."
Others suggested additional accessories such as "tiny sets of latex gloves for the security guards" and a matching Guantanamo Bay playset, although to be fair Amazon does sell a toy plastic prison cell as an extension to the Playmobil Police Station. (Really!)
And the winner is ...
3. Tanned And Tome'd
Nomma de Pluma "Mofo" rates A Shore Thing 5 stars: "Snooki's debut novel is an oeuvre d'art, one that outshines all of the former greats such as Shakespeare, Melville, Austen, or Pamela Anderson ... A coming of age tale filled with romance, love, friendship and enlightenment."
R. Casimiro says, "Grate Book": "I use to be Harvard inglish profeser. I reed this bok and now forgot how spel and use inglish. Plot was nyce, had good story and hot chicks."
Craig Anderson "Mountain Man" lauds the author's dialogue that examines "the intricacies of social phenomena unfolding around her" while Samuel Clemens "technocrat believes the "book reads like a field manual for getting lucky anywhere between Long Branch and Atlantic City."
And the winner is…
4. Urine Business
Twal from the UK touts Wolf Urine Lure as "one for the cellar." He lauds its "elegant, pale straw hue with an appealing peachy fruit on the nose," the "effervescent bead--the whole glass teams with bubbles--culminating in a frothy layer at the head," and notes its "firm, mineral acidity that cuts through a rather elegantly styled, poised meaty presence."
Denice Bee from Detroit, MI gives it 5 stars. "At last, a Wolf Urine that's easy to use! My laundry has never been so fresh and clean! It removes those hard to remove wolf-crap stains on our Three Wolf Moon shirts… Why scour when Wolf Urine does the work? Get two jugs and share with a friend!"
And the winner is…
5. Completely Nuts
Wendy Sherer ("Cosmetic Guru") from Pittsburgh, PA, writes: "Not only a wonderful teaching model, but while trying to find the tumors, I discovered, it acts as a makeshift stress ball! When I am in line at the grocery store I just whip out this handy little bugger and squeeze away [and] the line around me just [disappears]."
Tricky Rick of Satantonio, TX, says, "finally a product I can use." "Who doesn't love playing with scrotum? I know I do! So does my wife. But sometimes I have to leave the house to, I don't know, go to work or buy groceries and I have to take my scrotum away from my wife's hands. This made her sad... until NOW! Now she has a scrotum to play with when I'm not around. I also find it useful when I feel the need to play with a scrotum other than my own and don't want to impose on coworkers, friends, family members (I said 'members') or our local priest."
C.H. Risk finds that it "makes a great fashion accessory." "They are a real lifesaver on the cold winter days, and the ladies go wild for the smooth, polished look."
And the winner is…
6. Business Up Front, Party In Back
cpc65 (A.K.A. cpc8472) of Pawtucket, RI, claims it's "so good it has been outlawed in some nations." "Recently leaked CIA files have disclosed that the three American hikers who "unknowingly" and "unintentionally" strayed over the border of Iran were in fact each sporting a Mullet Wig - Black. They remain detained in that country at present despite political pressure and pleas from their families.The file also hints at a covert rescue operation in the works involving a single Special Forces operative code named "Joe Dirt". Meanwhile as a diversionary tactic, an Air Force B-2 bomber will carpet bomb Tehran with clones of William Shatner's toupee.
Note: Photo of "model" is actually that of one of the hikers and was released to the Associated Press by the government of Iran shortly after his incarceration and interrogation."
Michael S. Harper of Bonita. CA, says, "If you have need of a mullet wig, this is a good choice."
And the winner is…
7. What A Tool
SAB bought this handheld multiuse tool with 87 implements, according to the product description, "to replace the factory toolkit in my 5VY Yamaha R1. First of all, when it was delivered I did not have a forklift to get the darned thing off the truck, so the truck driver helped me push it off the back. When it hit the driveway, it left a gimoungus divot in the blacktop."Silver_diamond2077 threw away all his other tools: "my saw , drill, hammer all went in the trash after getting this . it does every thing and yes it's giant . I used it to fix my sink yesterday and today to install a range oven hood. Next i'm going to build a bomb shelter for 2012 with this giant swiss army knife."
L. Barsky gives it 5 stars, noting that "it comes with a built-in hand truck. My dentist told me he's considering switching over to the Wenger, but isn't sure he can fit it through the loading door of his office."
Brenton R. Grant III loves its versatility, although "I haven't been able to use ours yet. Once my wife found out about the rechargeable rabbit attachment in the knife, I haven't seen either one for a week."
And the winner is…
8. Ore ... Not
Kyle J. Von Bose gave it 5 stars, "glad" that he doesn't "have to buy this from Libyans in parking lots at the mall anymore. "I bought this to power a home-made submarine that I use to look for prehistoric-era life forms in land-locked lakes around my home town in Alaska ... The quality of this Uranium is on par with the stuff I was buying from the Libyans over at the mall parking lot, but at half the price! I just hope the seller does not run out, because I have many projects on my list including a night vision sasquatch radar, an electromagnetic chupakabra cage, a high velocity, aerial, weighted Mothman net and super heated, instant grill cheese sandwich maker."Totsubo reports that he bought it as a gift for his ex-wife, who received it "in good order."
And the winner is…
9. Carpool, Road Warrior-Style
Thomas Dunham "Los Pepes" of Catonsville, MD gives the Badonkadonk 5 stars. "I'll admit it. Shopping for a personal tank can be a bit daunting. Many times in the past I've purchased overpriced, so-called "battle tanks", then driven them into battle only to be wrecked in ten minutes by the first blow off of some insurgents home-made mortar.But not this baby, no way. This tank R-O-C-K-S! Literally the 400-watt sound-system keeps me rockin like a crazy man as I'm dishing out justice commando style. Wow. I just can't say enough. And the kids love it, too- imagine the look of terror in the eyes of the enemy as I'm dropping off my kid's team to their soccer game. Shock and awe, my friends, SHOCK AND AWE!" It also, he notes, "has plenty of room for groceries."
WelshByrne, on the other hand, was not impressed, giving it 1 star: "Parking is a nightmare, what with the 12ft blind spot. The main cannon is totally unsuited to the task. I attempted to ethnically cleanse my local Greggs the bakers, only to find that I had been sent 90mm shells when the barrel is clearly 75mm!!!!"
And the winner is…
10. Magician's Hat Not Included
Frazzled from Kent, UK, gave it 5 stars: "My five year old daughter loved this Easter present. She played with it for hours. I'd recommend this to anyone who is struggling to think of a suitable gift for Easter."Ruben Romero "BowZzr" of Pacifica, CA, wites, er, writes: "The twick is not so much to catch the wabbit, the twick is to ho'd the wabbit. Wight awm nestoled awound the neck, elbow beneath the chin, hand cwenching the back of the wodent's head. Weft awm fiwmwy wapped awound the wabbit's waist, ho'ding the body tight to yow body. And, quickwy, in one viowent twist, you snap the neck.
Sometimes the wabbit will fwop a widdle on the gwound. You may not have pwopewly sevewed the spinal chord. This is a weal tweat, as a wiving and fuwy mobile wabbit can be dangewous, wascally even: a wiving wabbit with a bwoken neck is hawmless so wong as you stay away fwum the teeth. When I see a wabbit fwopping on the gwound, I wift my widdle boot and cwush its tiny widdle cwanium.
Then the wabbit is quiet. Vewy vewy quiet."
And the winner is…
Adam L. Penenberg is a journalism professor at NYU and a contributing writer to Fast Company. Follow him on Twitter: @penenberg.
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3:33 AM (16 hours ago)
Gamers Piece Together Retrovirus Enzyme Structure
An anonymous reader writes "Gamers have solved the structure of a retrovirus enzyme whose configuration had stumped scientists for more than a decade. The gamers achieved their discovery by playing Foldit, an online game that allows players to collaborate and compete in predicting the structure of protein molecules. After scientists repeatedly failed to piece together the structure of a protein-cutting enzyme from an AIDS-like virus, they called in the Foldit players. The scientists challenged the gamers to produce an accurate model of the enzyme. They did it in only three weeks."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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Sep 20, 2011 (yesterday)
Skyline Cup
The skyline aspect of the cup puts a novel spin on the instantly recognizable New York City hallmark. The skyline is bold, distinctive and recognized ..Add star
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Sep 20, 2011 (yesterday)
Pet Photographer Says Better Photos Save Shelter Dogs' Lives [Pets]
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Sep 19, 2011 (2 days ago)
Videogame helps scientists solve decade-old problem
The next time someone tries telling you that videogames are a waste of time be sure to bring up Foldit, a game that gives players the chance to play with proteins by trying to fold them, and how it was used to solve a problem scientists have been working on for over a decade. Oh and the problem dealt with understanding an enzyme that will help lead to a cure for diseases like AIDS.
Despite the fact that putting the enzyme on Foldit was a last resort (scientists even tried using a special protein-folding program to solve this) it took members of the Foldit Contenders Group less than ten days to find a solution to this puzzle. This may be one of the coolest things I have ever read, and just goes to prove that videogames are good for more than just goofing around for a few hours. Of course, we already knew that, didn't we?
Gamers solve molecular puzzle that baffled scientists [Cosmic Log]
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Sep 20, 2011 (21 hours ago)
BOOYA! IN YOUR FACE!
Last night’s Monday Night Football saw NY Giants offensive linebacker Michael Boley picked up a missed reverse-pass-turned-fumble by the St. Louis Rams’ Sam Bradford, and run it back for a touchdown. That’s where the exciting play (and the above gif) turns into ‘Was this an accident or some cold hearted showboating?’ after Boley spikes the ball into some the face of a guy wearing a Giants jacket. Watch the video below for the entire play and then let us know what you think!
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Submitted by: Unknown
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Sep 19, 2011 (2 days ago)
Was Nicolas Cage a vampire during the Civil War? This $1,000,000 photograph holds the answers [Holy Crap Wtf]
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Sep 19, 2011 (2 days ago)
Want processors 1000 times faster? Use this glue.
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Mashable - 9/9/11 by Charlie White
If you want to make processors 1,000 times faster, you’re going to need some serious technology, right? That would be the conventional wisdom. But 3M and IBM have unlocked a secret low-tech shortcut.
The companies found a much simpler way to hit that elusive goal — not by creating some spectacular new circuitry or using exotic quantum mechanics, but with the invention of a new variety of a mundane substance: glue.
This is not just any glue. It’s an adhesive that dissipates heat so efficiently that layer upon layer of chips can be stacked on top of each other into silicon “towers” up to 100 layers high, glued together with this special adhesive that keeps things cool. The result? Faster chips for computers, laptops, smartphones and anything else that uses microprocessors.
With IBM supplying its microprocessor and silicon expertise and 3M contributing its super-cool adhesive, the two companies aim to stack together processors, memory chips and networks into monster “skyscrapers” of silicon they say will be 1,000 times faster than today’s fastest processor.
Read more>>
Follow me on Twitter. Please subscribe to our news feed. Get regular updates via Email. Contact us for advertising inquiries. 
Mashable - 9/9/11 by Charlie White
If you want to make processors 1,000 times faster, you’re going to need some serious technology, right? That would be the conventional wisdom. But 3M and IBM have unlocked a secret low-tech shortcut.
The companies found a much simpler way to hit that elusive goal — not by creating some spectacular new circuitry or using exotic quantum mechanics, but with the invention of a new variety of a mundane substance: glue.
This is not just any glue. It’s an adhesive that dissipates heat so efficiently that layer upon layer of chips can be stacked on top of each other into silicon “towers” up to 100 layers high, glued together with this special adhesive that keeps things cool. The result? Faster chips for computers, laptops, smartphones and anything else that uses microprocessors.
With IBM supplying its microprocessor and silicon expertise and 3M contributing its super-cool adhesive, the two companies aim to stack together processors, memory chips and networks into monster “skyscrapers” of silicon they say will be 1,000 times faster than today’s fastest processor.
Read more>>
Follow me on Twitter. Please subscribe to our news feed. Get regular updates via Email. Contact us for advertising inquiries.
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Sep 20, 2011 (yesterday)
love kiss snap
These pictures were made on my birthday (end of July) and Billie was exactly one month old then. She's growing fast now and becoming very aware of her environment. I need to make time for a new photo because I'd love to capture her big blue eyes, but meanwhile I hope you enjoy these snaps I made with the iPhone. The quality is not that high, but the emotions and expressions are very real and isn't that what's most important?
These pics were made in the park and that same day, I made a short movie which you can see here.
Thanks for visiting.
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Sep 19, 2011 (2 days ago)
World's Largest Sperm Bank Says They Don't Want Your Ginger Sperm [Wtf]
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Sep 19, 2011 (2 days ago)
Visual aid for the final serial comma
If you ever have trouble remembering a minimal contrast for the final serial comma, a.k.a. the Oxford comma, here's a little visual help:
Strippers, JFK, and Stalin
(via Jeff Bishop)
Strippers, JFK, and Stalin(via Jeff Bishop)
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Sep 20, 2011 (21 hours ago)
Hackers break SSL encryption used by millions of sites
Beware of BEAST decrypting secret PayPal cookies
Researchers have discovered a serious weakness in virtually all websites protected by the secure sockets layer protocol that allows attackers to silently decrypt data that's passing between a webserver and an end-user browser.…Add star
Sep 20, 2011 (yesterday)
Miami Invaded By Giant, House-Eating Snails
A Miami neighborhood has been invaded by giant African land snails, 10-inch long creatures that eat everything from garbage to the stucco on the sides of houses. "It's us against the snails," says the local official leading the eradication effort.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
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Sep 19, 2011 (2 days ago)
Brock Davis: Gummy Bearskin Rug
Holy moly Brock Davis is seriously good! If the pictured Gummy Bearskin Rug isn’t enough to convince you that you’re in the company of a genius then I’ll bet Broccoli Tree House, Exhibitionist Coffee Cup and Rice Krispyhenge will. Brock, can we swap brains?
www.itistheworldthatmadeyousmall.com
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Sep 20, 2011 (yesterday)
University study finds students with Apple's iPad perform better than peers
Students using the Apple's iPad for their studies have been found to score higher than their paper-based peers and enjoy higher efficiency, according to a new study.
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Sep 18, 2011 (3 days ago)
A useful rape analogy
From here. (Thanks, R!)
We have had quite a lot of comments that could be horrendous for a rape victim to read. Since we don’t have time to moderate constantly, I’m closing comments.
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Sep 19, 2011 (2 days ago)
When my father walked…
My parents hated going out to eat. In fact even when we were traveling and stranded outdoors at odd times, we would still stretch ourselves, reach home, cook food and then eat. As a child, I hated this. Even my two sisters hated it. But both my mother and my father didn’t see anything wrong in this.
“Why eat out when you can have home cooked food,” my father would ask.
And my mother would chip in: “In our ancestral homes, the workers used to be given lunch and dinner in the verandah. I don’t want to be sitting in somebody else’s place and eat like a worker.”
“But ma, we are paying them. They aren’t giving us food because we can’t afford it.” But my arguments never reached the intended conclusions.
By 1995 I had started going to college and started meeting richer kids. Now, I started hearing stories from my friends on how they visited such-and-such restaurant and had family bonding time.
“You know Santosh’s whole family of eight visited Pandian Hotel for a buffet.”
“Isn’t buffet where you go and pick up your own food?” My mother would ask. “How distasteful,” she would add.
“Why is it distasteful?” I would frown.
“Imagine…what kind of a host wouldn’t serve you food where you are sitting? It is as if saying go there-is-your-food go-get-it.”
My father would agree. “I would never set my foot inside such a place,” he would complement my mother thoughts.
My sisters and I suspected that my parents were against eating out because it would cost them more money. On the advice of my elder of the two younger sister I tried to find out how much a lunch would cost in such restaurants.
Now the question was to ask the right person. Somebody who wouldn’t judge me. Nitish Popli was a rich classmate I had while I was doing BA Economics in American College, Madurai. I approached him.
“Nitish bhai, you go to restaurants on Sundays, don’t you?” Back then, Sundays were the weekends.
“Yes indeed.” He was least interested.
“So, how much does it cost per person?” I closed my eyes after asking the question….just so I don’t see his expressions.
“Depends on which restaurant you go to.” He was still least interested.
Since I didn’t know the names of any good restaurant, I decided to rely on him. “What is the starting range? And what is the maximum?”
“Let us take Saravana Bhavan for example. The Unlimited Thali is Rs 20 and if you enter the Family Room, which is Air conditioned, the same Unlimited Thali will cost you Rs 25.”
Please note this was still 1995, the days before the IT industry had taken off and increased the cost of living for all others.
The moment I reached home from college, and my mother opened the door for me I blurted out: “Amma, Unlimited Thali at Saravana Bhavan is only Rs 20 in non-AC and Rs 25 in the AC room.”
Our landline hadn’t been working, else I would have called them from an STD booth itself.
“What?” Was my mother’s only response. On my insistence it was decided that once father was back we would discuss the issue.
My father came back home by 8 pm, and I just couldn’t hold it. But my sister beat me to it by running to open the door for my father and shouting right at his face: “The Unlimited Thali is only Rs 25 in the air conditioned room of Saravana Bhavan.”
“I know. What about that?”
The ground slid from under our feet. So our father knew. So he had been cheating on us. He had been going out and eating in restaurants but never taking us there. This was gross injustice, we thought.
Being the eldest child in the family I had to take control of the situation. So, I called my two younger sisters (one was 16 years old, & the other was 13) into a room and we agreed to go on a Hunger Strike. Anna Hazare would later steal my idea and use it to get the LokPal Bill passed.
Being the anointed spokesperson of the Group, I spoke out first: “We will not have food till you promise us that we will be visiting a restaurant soon.”
At 10 pm, our parents buckled and agreed to take us to Saravana Bhavan the next Sunday. But not before telling us how the lunch would cost Rs 125 for all five of us. And how this money would have been enough to buy one month’s supply of cooking oil or 15 days supply of vegetables.
The next day I was raring to go to the college. Once in, I informed Nitesh Popli that we were going to Saravana Bhavan for lunch the coming Sunday. He seemed least interested and didn’t even acknowledge.
From that day onwards, our house food didn’t taste good. We were yearning for the restaurant food. My parents knew what we were thinking, but kept to themselves.
Next Sunday, we all got up at 6 am itself. By 8 am we had all taken bath and put on our best clothes. My parents didn’t seem to be in a hurry.
By 12 noon, my father made one last ditch attempt to dissuade us from going to the restaurant. He said: “Why don’t I buy a kg of chicken and you guys help me cook. We can all then have a hearty meal in the house itself.”
My younger sister spoke up. She said: “But that’s something we do every Sunday.”
My father’s face fell. So did my mother’s. But we were least interested. We wanted to go to Saravana Bhavan for lunch.
My father called the autorickshaw. If only I were accompanying them we would have gone by the Pandian Bus Service. But since my sisters were also accompanying us – I always suspected him to be more loving towards them – he had booked an auto.
At 12 noon, we hit the road – all five of us huddled in an auto. Since I was the most able-bodied I was asked to sit next to the auto driver.
My sisters and I haven’t been able to recreate the joy we experienced walking into Saravana Bhavan, that fateful Sunday afternoon. In the last 16 years I would have dined at the best of places, but never felt the joy walking in that I felt that Sunday.
Since I was walking ahead of the pack, the waiter motioned me to a table in the non-AC section. With great pride I waved my hand and said: “We are heading for the air conditioned section.”
It was quite a family affair. My parents, who till now were against eating out, also partied. After lunch my father asked for the desserts and we even ended up spending Rs 5 extra per person.
We came home an excited lot. It was the best Sunday we had ever had. Well, that’s if we didn’t include the Sunday when we watched the only movie we have seen in a theatre as a family in the last 30 years – the 3D movie Kutti Chatan (Chotta Chettan, in Hindi).
Once back, my parents had gotten into their shell again. “We have now had food in a restaurant. That’s all. This shouldn’t become a habit.” My mother said. Which I was sure my father agreed to.
Later in the day, I overheard my father tell my mother that the whole outing had cost us Rs 220…….Rs 125 (lunch for all), Rs 25 (dessert for all), Rs 20 (food for autorickshaw driver) and Rs 50 (autorickshaw fare).
I also heard my father say: “That’s ok. Don’t worry. We will manage.” And my mother followed it up with: “Yes, I know we will.”
Being a teenager, I didn’t think about it much then.
——–Present———
As you are aware, I was in the beach-side Tirchendor temple in Tamil Nadu recently for offering prayers on the 5th death anniversary of my father. My mother and I had found the priest who was to help us with the prayers. All three of us had to walk 50 meters barefoot on beach sand heated by the 10 am sun. Not a difficult task but I started complaining. I started questioning my mother’s insistence that we do the annual ritual for my father in Tirchendor.
My mother looked at me in disbelief. Then her expression changed to that of love.
She said: “Remember, when you were in college and with your sisters you went on a hunger strike?”
“Ohh yes.”
“You wanted us to visit Saravana Bhavan for lunch?”
“Ohh yes. Those were good times.”
‘For you…yes. They were good times.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your father had just retired and we had also built our house, which had cost a lot more than estimated.”
“Ohh…is that so? I didn’t know.”
“That was our intension. We were really cash strapped back then but your father didn’t want you to know.”
“Ohhh….”
“I wanted him to share the family’s financial situation with you. But he didn’t. He said it might affect your studies.”
“Ohhh…”
“Yes. And did you know? After taking you guys out for lunch he didn’t ride his scooter for a month so that he could save on the fuel cost?”
“Ohhh…..”
“Yes…he walked 3 kilometers up and down every day for a month. Sometimes twice a day.”
“Shit!”
“Yes. But he loved you a lot. You can walk this distance for him, can’t you?”
“Yes, ma. I can.”
After walking the 50 meters or so, as I sat down facing the sun for the prayers….my mother took the corner of her saree to wipe the tears in my eyes. “Ahhh…just some sand in my eyes,” I tried to fake it. But my mother would know.
As the Brahman chanted the mantras…..I tried to recollect that month. Yes indeed….it had stuck me as odd. For almost a month my father didn’t take out his scooter and instead walked 3 kilometers up and down whenever my mother asked him to fetch something from the market.
I remember, once I had muttered under my breath: “What a miser!”
Related posts:
“Why eat out when you can have home cooked food,” my father would ask.
And my mother would chip in: “In our ancestral homes, the workers used to be given lunch and dinner in the verandah. I don’t want to be sitting in somebody else’s place and eat like a worker.”
“But ma, we are paying them. They aren’t giving us food because we can’t afford it.” But my arguments never reached the intended conclusions.
By 1995 I had started going to college and started meeting richer kids. Now, I started hearing stories from my friends on how they visited such-and-such restaurant and had family bonding time.
“You know Santosh’s whole family of eight visited Pandian Hotel for a buffet.”
“Isn’t buffet where you go and pick up your own food?” My mother would ask. “How distasteful,” she would add.
“Why is it distasteful?” I would frown.
“Imagine…what kind of a host wouldn’t serve you food where you are sitting? It is as if saying go there-is-your-food go-get-it.”
My father would agree. “I would never set my foot inside such a place,” he would complement my mother thoughts.
My sisters and I suspected that my parents were against eating out because it would cost them more money. On the advice of my elder of the two younger sister I tried to find out how much a lunch would cost in such restaurants.
Now the question was to ask the right person. Somebody who wouldn’t judge me. Nitish Popli was a rich classmate I had while I was doing BA Economics in American College, Madurai. I approached him.
“Nitish bhai, you go to restaurants on Sundays, don’t you?” Back then, Sundays were the weekends.
“Yes indeed.” He was least interested.
“So, how much does it cost per person?” I closed my eyes after asking the question….just so I don’t see his expressions. “Depends on which restaurant you go to.” He was still least interested.
Since I didn’t know the names of any good restaurant, I decided to rely on him. “What is the starting range? And what is the maximum?”
“Let us take Saravana Bhavan for example. The Unlimited Thali is Rs 20 and if you enter the Family Room, which is Air conditioned, the same Unlimited Thali will cost you Rs 25.”
Please note this was still 1995, the days before the IT industry had taken off and increased the cost of living for all others.
The moment I reached home from college, and my mother opened the door for me I blurted out: “Amma, Unlimited Thali at Saravana Bhavan is only Rs 20 in non-AC and Rs 25 in the AC room.”
Our landline hadn’t been working, else I would have called them from an STD booth itself.
“What?” Was my mother’s only response. On my insistence it was decided that once father was back we would discuss the issue.
My father came back home by 8 pm, and I just couldn’t hold it. But my sister beat me to it by running to open the door for my father and shouting right at his face: “The Unlimited Thali is only Rs 25 in the air conditioned room of Saravana Bhavan.”
“I know. What about that?”
The ground slid from under our feet. So our father knew. So he had been cheating on us. He had been going out and eating in restaurants but never taking us there. This was gross injustice, we thought.
Being the eldest child in the family I had to take control of the situation. So, I called my two younger sisters (one was 16 years old, & the other was 13) into a room and we agreed to go on a Hunger Strike. Anna Hazare would later steal my idea and use it to get the LokPal Bill passed.
Being the anointed spokesperson of the Group, I spoke out first: “We will not have food till you promise us that we will be visiting a restaurant soon.”
At 10 pm, our parents buckled and agreed to take us to Saravana Bhavan the next Sunday. But not before telling us how the lunch would cost Rs 125 for all five of us. And how this money would have been enough to buy one month’s supply of cooking oil or 15 days supply of vegetables.
The next day I was raring to go to the college. Once in, I informed Nitesh Popli that we were going to Saravana Bhavan for lunch the coming Sunday. He seemed least interested and didn’t even acknowledge.
From that day onwards, our house food didn’t taste good. We were yearning for the restaurant food. My parents knew what we were thinking, but kept to themselves.
Next Sunday, we all got up at 6 am itself. By 8 am we had all taken bath and put on our best clothes. My parents didn’t seem to be in a hurry.
By 12 noon, my father made one last ditch attempt to dissuade us from going to the restaurant. He said: “Why don’t I buy a kg of chicken and you guys help me cook. We can all then have a hearty meal in the house itself.”
My younger sister spoke up. She said: “But that’s something we do every Sunday.”
My father’s face fell. So did my mother’s. But we were least interested. We wanted to go to Saravana Bhavan for lunch.
My father called the autorickshaw. If only I were accompanying them we would have gone by the Pandian Bus Service. But since my sisters were also accompanying us – I always suspected him to be more loving towards them – he had booked an auto.
At 12 noon, we hit the road – all five of us huddled in an auto. Since I was the most able-bodied I was asked to sit next to the auto driver.
My sisters and I haven’t been able to recreate the joy we experienced walking into Saravana Bhavan, that fateful Sunday afternoon. In the last 16 years I would have dined at the best of places, but never felt the joy walking in that I felt that Sunday.
Since I was walking ahead of the pack, the waiter motioned me to a table in the non-AC section. With great pride I waved my hand and said: “We are heading for the air conditioned section.”
It was quite a family affair. My parents, who till now were against eating out, also partied. After lunch my father asked for the desserts and we even ended up spending Rs 5 extra per person.
We came home an excited lot. It was the best Sunday we had ever had. Well, that’s if we didn’t include the Sunday when we watched the only movie we have seen in a theatre as a family in the last 30 years – the 3D movie Kutti Chatan (Chotta Chettan, in Hindi).
Once back, my parents had gotten into their shell again. “We have now had food in a restaurant. That’s all. This shouldn’t become a habit.” My mother said. Which I was sure my father agreed to.
Later in the day, I overheard my father tell my mother that the whole outing had cost us Rs 220…….Rs 125 (lunch for all), Rs 25 (dessert for all), Rs 20 (food for autorickshaw driver) and Rs 50 (autorickshaw fare).
I also heard my father say: “That’s ok. Don’t worry. We will manage.” And my mother followed it up with: “Yes, I know we will.”
Being a teenager, I didn’t think about it much then.
——–Present———
As you are aware, I was in the beach-side Tirchendor temple in Tamil Nadu recently for offering prayers on the 5th death anniversary of my father. My mother and I had found the priest who was to help us with the prayers. All three of us had to walk 50 meters barefoot on beach sand heated by the 10 am sun. Not a difficult task but I started complaining. I started questioning my mother’s insistence that we do the annual ritual for my father in Tirchendor.
My mother looked at me in disbelief. Then her expression changed to that of love.
She said: “Remember, when you were in college and with your sisters you went on a hunger strike?”
“Ohh yes.”
“You wanted us to visit Saravana Bhavan for lunch?”
“Ohh yes. Those were good times.”
‘For you…yes. They were good times.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your father had just retired and we had also built our house, which had cost a lot more than estimated.”
“Ohh…is that so? I didn’t know.”
“That was our intension. We were really cash strapped back then but your father didn’t want you to know.”
“Ohhh….”
“I wanted him to share the family’s financial situation with you. But he didn’t. He said it might affect your studies.”
“Ohhh…”
“Yes. And did you know? After taking you guys out for lunch he didn’t ride his scooter for a month so that he could save on the fuel cost?”
“Ohhh…..”
“Yes…he walked 3 kilometers up and down every day for a month. Sometimes twice a day.”
“Shit!”
“Yes. But he loved you a lot. You can walk this distance for him, can’t you?”
“Yes, ma. I can.”
After walking the 50 meters or so, as I sat down facing the sun for the prayers….my mother took the corner of her saree to wipe the tears in my eyes. “Ahhh…just some sand in my eyes,” I tried to fake it. But my mother would know.
As the Brahman chanted the mantras…..I tried to recollect that month. Yes indeed….it had stuck me as odd. For almost a month my father didn’t take out his scooter and instead walked 3 kilometers up and down whenever my mother asked him to fetch something from the market.
I remember, once I had muttered under my breath: “What a miser!”
Related posts:
- Doing for my daughter what my father did for me
- My father once owned a bank
- The frog in my father in law’s house
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Sep 19, 2011 (2 days ago)
iPhone 5 has a big problem
Apple has been doing a good job covering it up.
As I've so often asserted: In business, perception is everything. Successful companies often create positive perceptions about their brands, products and business practices. But there also is the tactic of misdirection, of controlling perceptions by getting people to look somewhere else so that they miss flaws with the company's products or business strategies. Apple uses "magical" to describe some of its products. Magicians are all about getting people to look over there so they don't see the secret behind the trick over here. Apple's patent assault on Samsung, and even HTC, is very much misdirection, so that eyes turned away from iPhone 5 problems.
I should have connected the dots sooner. About two weeks ago, I asked: "Is Apple engaging in innovation by intimidation?", where I explained the implications of Apple singling out Android creator Andy Rubin in a patent suit against HTC. Rubin worked for the Apple filers of an obscure 1994 patent part of the HTC case. The intimidating message: Anyone who worked for Apple could be guilty of intellectual property theft by association, and the companies now employing them.
In August, I asserted that "Apple is a patent bully", as it's clear that legal attacks against HTC, Samsung and others aren't so much about protecting Apple intellectual property rights but asserting them as competition by litigation. Proof point: Apple's IP cases are focused at major competitors. Particularly, Apple has systematically increased legal attacks against Samsung, as its market success has grown. Apple isn't seeking damages so much as to stop Galaxy S II smartphone and Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet from launching in many countries.
Making Excuses
But I failed to fully connect the dots, as Elias Samuel brilliantly has done in today's post: "Apple’s iPhone 5 Dilemma: Is it Samsung Galaxy S2 or Android OS?" Samuel puts the patent lawsuits in another context: Apple's late delivery of iPhone 5. Of course!
"Backed by huge production of the upcoming iPhone 5 and cheaper iPhone 4S, Apple has revealed its fear of Samsung phones as they continue to sue them for patent infringements", he writes. Yes. Yes.
Look at how things really are. The first four iPhones launched in summer -- July for the original model and June for the others. But June 2011 passed without a new iPhone. First there were rumors of August, then September, more recently October and now perhaps even later -- as new rumors (if you believe them) suggest a production delay. But if you take a close look at the rumors -- and leaks behind -- they are really a series of justifying excuses for why iPhone is shipping later and that it's okay.
Let's be clear: Apple changed its delivery pattern for iPhone. It's a delay, and a big one. Potential buyers, carriers, peripheral partners, software developers and Wall Street analysts clearly expected summer launch before June's Worldwide Developer Conference when the company said that iOS 5, and presumably iPhone 5 with it, wouldn't ship until autumn.
Samsung Rises
Meanwhile, Samsung launched the hugely successful Galaxy S II, which has set sales records for the company and helped propel it to a close rivalry with Apple. During second quarter, Apple shipped 20.3 million smartphones, with Samsung following close behind with 19.2 million units, according to IDC. A year earlier, Samsung shipped just 3.1 million smartphones. Do the math -- that's 520 percent year-over-year growth.
Samuel rightly concludes: "By suing Samsung, Apple has actually taken away the public attention from the problems the company is facing, of late. After Samsung Galaxy S2 was received with rave reviews, it looks like Apple, which usually launches the iPhone versions in June failed to introduce their next iPhone".
Reviews are sizzling: "The Galaxy S II's screen is nothing short of spectacular", writes Vlad Savov for Engadget. Praise continues -- from the "onscreen keyboard is terrific" to "general responsiveness is absolutely exemplary". Savov concludes: "It's the best Android smartphone yet, but more importantly, it might well be the best smartphone, period".
Another: "The finest Android phone we've seen so far, the Samsung Galaxy S II isn't just a competitor to the current iPhone. It competes with the next iPhone", writes Sascha Segan for PC Mag.com, giving the smartphone an "Editor's Choice" rating. That last statement is the clincher. Samsung already is one generation ahead of Apple.
Apple's Indecision
Samuel emphasizes:
As most predictions point towards two models being produced -- iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 -- it is becoming evidently clear that the iPhone 4S which should have been introduced earlier would have lost the appeal of its iPhone fans had it been released along side Galaxy S2. Hence, Apple’s rampant rumor that the iPhone 5 prototype was lost in a bar and suing Samsung paved the way to deflect the public curiosity from the company’s actual issues.The IP attacks against Samsung make the South Korean electronics giant appear to be the bad guy -- a copycat of Apple's good work. But the lawsuits serve another purpose, generating news about Apple vs Samsung rather than Samsung the successful competitor vs Apple the suddenly indecisive. Seemingly every day, this misdirection keeps pageview-hungry blogs and news sites writing about the lawsuits rather than asking the big question: Why hasn't iPhone shipped yet?
Apple is undergoing a major leadership change, which occurred during the late-stages of iPhone 5 development. What? You think Steve Jobs gave Apple's board or new CEO Tim Cook no advance notice? Surely, his eventual resignation, and ongoing health problems impacted his participation in the iPhone development process. Meanwhile, Samsung emerged as a sudden, unexpected competitor.
The lawsuits are as much, if not more, about misdirection as they are enforcing Apple patent rights. Apple is grappling with co-related problems: A serious smartphone competitor's emergence and unfortunately-timed leadership change. iPhone 5 will be the first major Apple product launch of the post-Steve Jobs era. Is misdirection really the measure of executive execution?
Photo Credit: Daniel Wiesheu
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12:14 AM (20 hours ago)
Freedom to die
I am always amazed at the viciousness that pops up in the comments when I post about the uninsured, and the human consequences of being uninsured. I've been running this blog for six years now, and it's been a reliable and persistent phenomenon. In my most recent post, about the guy who died of a dental infection, an anonymous commenter, no doubt a good christian, left this gem:
So I'm supposed to feel bad for this guy, pay more taxes to help fund a government program that will "help" this lazy person, all the while I have to provide free care to him in the ED, take money away from me that I earned through hard work, [...] What happened to this man is terrible, but I have no sympathy for him or his family. He refused to seek out ways to help himself. This is in no way my, or your responsibility.
To paraphrase, "Fuck him, the lazy mooching bastard got what he deserved. I got mine." I mean, wow. To describe this as callous indifference doesn't do it justice. Curiously, this sentiment is common and almost exclusively voiced from the political right. Christ talked quite a lot about universal charity and caring for one's fellow man, but for a non-trivial subset of conservatives, the gospel of "personal responsibility" trumps those other gospels, I guess.
You could see some of the same sentiment on display at the recent Republican presidential goat rodeo debate where Dr Ron Paul was asked whether society should allow those too poor or feckless to buy insurance to simply die. Dr Paul, to his credit, eventually said "no," though that is the general consequence of the policies he favors. What made news, however, was the cries of "Yes!" and loud cheers and applause that followed from the audience.
Based on the commentariat here, I don't think that's an aberrant example of the ethos of the libertarian right. I do not think that's representative of all conservatives -- at least I fervently hope not -- but it is representative of some of the most active and vocal republicans, and particularly those who are driving the policy bus these days. Aaron Carroll at TIE thinks it's a product of hyperpartisanship: "Many people wanted their side to “win” so badly that they began to delight in victory and the political game to a point they forgot that we were discussing very important issues with a human cost." Maybe he is right, but the consequence of championing this sort of policy is the mental gymnastics people need to go through to convince themselves that their favored policy would not result in people dying or suffering unnecessarily.
The same commenter above added:
Hypothetically, shadowfax, if you had no insurance and your wife was diagnosed with her breast cancer, would you just buy the vicodin and say, "nice knowing you honey?" I'm sure you would seek ways to help get her the treatment she needed.
Sure, I would seek help. But like too many others, I'm reasonably certain that either I would not find it, or even if we did, major compromises would have to be made in the quality of her care. That's a hard and fast rule of being indigent and sick. Things get delayed and some things you just don't get. As an additional bonus, even if we did get some limited charity care, our family would suffer financial ruin as a result. The cost of chemo alone is well over $100,000, not to mention surgeries, radiation, hospitalizations, imaging and many ancillary tests. It's pure fantasy to think that someone would give us that for free. Conservatives talk about communities banding together to help a member in need -- church bake sales and the like. But the ability of individual voluntary donations to raise the amount of funds needed to care for a serious illness is equally fantasy.
A case in point -- a sad and highly ironic one -- was that Dr Ron Paul's former campaign manager, a man who managed to raise $19 million in political donations -- became ill and died of pneumonia in 2008 at the very young age of 49. He was uninsured -- he wanted to purchase insurance but was denied due to a pre-existing condition -- and the medical bills totalled $400,000. His friends started a financial fund to offset the costs. It raised $35,000. This was a well-connected person whose whole life revolved around raising money, and private charity failed to cover his medical bills by an order of magnitude. Why would anybody think that this is a reasonable and sustainable strategy for others, especially those who are in lower-income communities? What about those who are socially isolated and don't have a church or a large group of friends?
Oh, there are charity clinics for folks like that, conservatives say. Which is equally a joke. This angry rant by a DKos diarist about her uninsured brother's experience with charity care for lung cancer tells a sadly typical story of what life is like for the indigent with a serious illness:
Steve worked 14 hours a day building beautiful guitars ... he barely eked out an existence with financial help from my husband and me. Money for health insurance? Don’t be ridiculous.
He was 63. He had to start Social Security early so he could afford to eat. He was too young for Medicare and too male for Medicaid. This nation does not recognize the years he spent working for others and making this economy grow, it only focused on the years he worked for himself, creating instruments of rare beauty.
When he had a pain in the butt, he had to wait until early in the morning of December 3rd to present himself at the ER of Highland Hospital, the Alameda County medical facility. There are guards at Highland, and a football field full of plastic chairs for the indigent to use while they wait treatment. He was sent home with a handful of Vicodin and a suggestion to follow up with a pulmonologist for the 3 cm spot the Xray showed on his lung. The soonest appointment was Feb 25.
He was in so much pain that he could not stand up for more than a few seconds at a time. He got Vicodin. And steroid suppositories. His buddies came up with the $2000 a proctologist wanted to do an outpatient surgery. But the hospital wanted $20,000 for use of the room for the brief procedure because he was uninsured.
Three months to see the specialist. When my wife was diagnosed, we got next-day appointments. I'm not asserting that her brother would have lived with better access to care -- sounds like he was palliative from the get-go -- but he probably would have suffered less, and statistically, some of the 50 million uninsured out there will die because of their limited access to care. And those who are lucky enough to get delayed, poor-quality charity care get it subsidized by the rest of us, as it is.
But the attempt to remedy the problem, initially proposed and embraced by conservatives, has disingenuously morphed into an un-American assault on liberty. The irony is pointed out by Danny Westneat of the Seattle Times:
But the attempt to remedy the problem, initially proposed and embraced by conservatives, has disingenuously morphed into an un-American assault on liberty. The irony is pointed out by Danny Westneat of the Seattle Times:
So who should pay? Right now, we all do.
What was so provocative about the question is that the health-reform plan routinely denounced as socialist — so-called Obamacare — seeks to get the freeloading guy to pay his own way. He'd have to get insurance or be fined. He'd pay for it himself, unless he were very poor. The idea is then there'd be no need for the rest of us to pick up his huge charity-care bills.
It's true that coercing people to buy insurance is not "freedom." But what's so aggravating about the health-care debate is that neither is what we have today. It sure seems socialistic that all of us have to cover the uninsured guy's bills, as we do today. Yet an effort to stop doing that — to try to get him to pay for himself — is what gets derided as un-American.
Despite the existence of charity care and county hospitals, though, the human cost of uninsurance persists. The best estimate I am aware of is that 45,000 people die every year because of their lack of insurance.
But, fuck them, because I've got mine. Am I right? They're lazy, irresponsible, poor, probably black, certainly unwashed and they have nice cell phones, so they are subhuman pieces of shit who deserve what's coming to them. And an individual mandate is an unconscionable impingement on my personal liberty.
This is, as best I can tell, the libertarian take on the ongoing crisis of the uninsured. We are all free, and some lucky duckies are free to die.
I apologize in advance to those conservatives and libertarians who are offended. I'm angry and I am ranting. I know you are not like those bad libertarians. Please go ahead and explain in the comments how the free market and the personal responsibility fairy will fix the system, or just point to the Republican health care proposal which will replace Obamacare when it is repealed. I've been waiting for quite a while to see that one, but they seem stuck on "repeal" with no clear plan to "replace."
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Sep 17, 2011 (4 days ago)
Greatest Touchdown Ever - Meme Center
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Sep 18, 2011 (3 days ago)
A rare colored seal was abandoned by his family...
