Also, Mattie, in all honesty, I don't have a webcam. I hear Akiva just got a new MacBook Pro that has one built into it though...isn't that right, Akiva?
- Pete Delucchi
Akiva could also use the webcam on his wife's new computer, that I hear also has a built-in webcam. Ya know, just in case his stopped working for whatever reason. Me, I'm still stuck with nada for video recording. Wish I could help...la di da...
- Pete Delucchi
Mattie, like I said, no webcam, so you'll have to cope with an mp3, and it's super late right now, so I had to whisper too ( http://friendfeed.com/e... ) now, if the giraffe dies, it's on Akiva. :-P
- Pete Delucchi
Do it! DO IT! You don't have the balls!!!
- Mo Kargas
Pete has saved the beloved giraffe. He was reintroduced to the wild just moments ago!
- Mattie Kenny
Hooray for the giraffe! Does Akiva even have a picture on his drivers license? :D
- Haggis (Sean Loyless)
lol! aww, that's not a positive outlook.. there are plenty of people out there really happy in their marriages. It takes a bit of work on both ends, but it's not impossible to have a happy ending.
- Maria
Lol. The last one with all the babies is the funniest.
- Alan Le
Sounds an awful lot like my daily high school life, I swear. :)
- Zach Flauaus
I'm at stage two still--and its been three years!!
- Terence
Wow thats definitely depressing and most certainly not how I get down.
- Nicholas Kreidberg
Thanks... it's *semi* safe, it does include some f-bombs. Wish I could easily shrink it down a bit more. Anyway, it was kinda sad :( I keep hoping things won't go that way... this Exciting Phase has lasted for a solid 6 months so far...
- Kamilah Gill
Reminds me of the joke about the phases of sex... The 1st kind of sex is Smurf Sex. This kind of sex happens when youfirst meet someone and you both have sex until you are blue in the face.The 2nd kind of sex is Kitchen Sex. This is when you have been withyour partner for a short time and you are so horny you will have sexanywhere, even in the kitchen.The 3rd kind of sex is Bedroom Sex....
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- LogEx
I swear I've seen this video today of some teenage girls acting goofy about American Idol, but I can't find the link anywhere. Maybe Josh has it? :/
- Haggis (Sean Loyless)
LOL ff is improving my mood. STOP THAT!!! I like being Mrs. McCrabbity.
-
Top scientists have injected Mark Wilson with cilantro so that the poutine in his system would be undetectable to such a system. They have the technology.
- Joe Pierce
That would work - unless you had the recent upgrade from the Cilantro Gods. Such an upgrade would render unwanted Canadians inert.
- Steven Perez
from IM
Can't decide if this cracks me up because it's freakin' funny or because I'm drinking high gravity beer. Probably a li'l bit of both...
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
Almost seems genuine hehe. A bit on the coloring and it's GTD anyways. ;p
- ElijahBailey-Zu of FF <0,
Tina, I didn't notice Dave being so reddish in his topless shot. It's the contrast between his skin tone and yours that makes him look sunburned. :)
- Jandy, ConcertMaven of FF
Must ask Tina about her facial skin care, flawless! (Won't discuss her chestage hairs)
- Janet
I do very little, Janet, other than avoid the sun and wear no makeup (both because I tend to be allergic to sunscreen). The chest hairs I blame on my dad: he always told me to eat my greens because they'd put hair on my chest! Yes, that actually is true, but then again he was drinking at the time...
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
An email I just received from a soon-to-be-former friend: "The problem with you, is that you don't care what other people think. You're comfortable in your skin. You think you're cute and that that is all that matters. Meanwhile, the rest of us with body image issues are annoyed by that. You need to get over yourself."
Mark, that's what I was thinking. I read that going, "Problem? That's a problem?" But this was a tip of the iceberg sort of thing. The last 6 months has been nothing but her telling me that I should be concerned I'm not a size 2.
- Admiral Anika
People striving to be size 2 are hungry (believe me, I know). That makes them angry. Don't take it personal.
- Jess
It was going so well until the last sentence.
- Rodfather
YGTBFKM!!! And how old is this woman now? Who is upset that she has body issues and YOU DON'T? Who is still concerned about being a size 2? Sorry, she can't have that body back from high school (if she ever had it). I got tired of that crap a long time ago. Insecure people annoy the hell out of me.
- Helen Sventitsky
Oh, this was in reply to me sending her a photo of me and Adrian. I captioned, "Looking good after months of wearing jeans and t-shirts" THIS was her response to the photo.
- Admiral Anika
Jeez, that's almost abusive in a way. "How dare you be comfortable". My response would probably be "get a life!"
- Rick Cogley
LOL @Jess. @Rick, that's why she's a soon-to-be-former friend. We had a falling out over something similar 12 or 13 years ago. I told her to get back in touch with me when she grew up. She contacted me last fall and we've been chatting ever since. Then it got negative. I generally just ignore her little digs and whatever, but this was such a strange thing to say. I'm done with her.
- Admiral Anika
Ha, welcome to my world. God forbid somebody should be ok with themselves, or even be happy.. For whatever reason some people hate that. Whatever with the haters, work it girl!
- Maria
from BuddyFeed
When one lives their life to cater to what other people think is truly not living THEIR life. She is in serious need of some deep therapy.
- Janet
Anika: Okay, this may be *way* out there, but... is it possible that this is her fucked-up, wishy-washy way of telling you that she feels like you're bragging, or acting superior?
- Roger Benningfield
Roger, see above for what this is response to. I do get accused of acting superior usually by people with low self-esteem, no matter what I say or how I say it. I just think this was a weird response to a photo.
- Admiral Anika
Wow. Buh-bye former friend with issues!
- Lis Miller
I really thought this was a joke. but.. wow... she has issues.
- D. Eda Goze
That ain't right. Tell her to keep her insecurities to herself and not project them on others.
- Eric @ CSTechcast.com
Anika: My gut says it wasn't the photo as much as the "Looking good after months of wearing jeans and t-shirts". Which is a far cry from "Check out my fine ass, don't you wish you were me?", but it sounds like she took it that way. If she sees you that way, I wonder what made her want to reconnect with you?
- Roger Benningfield
Oh it's totally obvious now. Psh, get over yourself! ;)
- Rodfather
What's wrong with picture? You being happy getting on her nerves?
- Eric @ CSTechcast.com
Eric: That might have a lot to do with it... it seems insane, but some people really resent seeing happiness.
- Roger Benningfield
As an aside, that's a really cute picture!
- Anne Bouey
Eek! My head looks like a balloon in that picture
- Adrian
Thank you, Anne. My 3 yo took it. Adrian, we BOTH have balloon heads. Good thing we found each other.
- Admiral Anika
Lame-o. Not caring what people think and being comfortable in your own skin are signs of, I don't know, maturity? And health? She oughta look at you for inspiration, not try to drag you down to her level.
- Jandy, ConcertMaven of FF
The ONLY person who has the right to tell you to change your body is your doctor, and if your doctor is telling you that you're fine, or is telling you that you're heading toward what you'd consider acceptable deficits "Listen if you don't lose 40lbs, you're never going to climb Everest! But you'll be able to walk around Disney without getting tired and do your yard work till you're 90" then you don't need to change a damn thing. Your friend needs a cock punch.
- Matthew DeVries
Buhhhhhhh what? Former-friend is the right term - you don't need that drama.
- Sparky
Dear "Friend," I *am* comfortable in my own skin and pleased w/ my appearance. Thank you for noticing, and I am sorry it is such a hardship for you. As I would hate to inconvenience you further with my happiness and healthy self-esteem, we should part ways. Good luck with that whole crabapple thing. Love, Anika.
- Ayşe E.
*smooches* Ayşe. That's WAY more diplomatic than my emails that are starting out, "Listen, bitch..."
- Admiral Anika
Yeah, I say give the bitch a burn notice!
- Adrian
Anika, that was my 4th draft. The first three started out like yours! Sheesh. You take your fabulous self away from that negative energy. You don't need that crap.
- Ayşe E.
Thanks Mark. "Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." —H. L. Mencken
- Rick Cogley
as rude and biting as that is, i would offer a bit of compassion first, as it seems this person is undergoing certain moments in her life that she probably hasn't quite come to terms with. this is in no way condoning her actions though and she should be made to acknowledge that before anything
- Cee Bee
LOL at "Listen, bitch..." I almost wrote an email like that last week.
- Kenya
I don't know any of the parties involved, but I think, Anika, that being super tolerant and forgiving would match the attitude that your "friend" noticed. Not saying that I would be big enough to do that, but I'm throwing it out there.
- Mark Horne
LOL...wow, Anika! Not sure how to answer, but they can kiss it and get over it themselves!
- JA Castillo
May I pile on? First, very cute picture; second, the woman who reacted badly is insane (narcissist perhaps?); third, I nominate Ayşe diplomacy expert of the year. (I may have some mother issues at some point . . .)
- MaryB, BrandingBroadOfFF
Mark & Cee Bee, I get what you're saying, but one of my fatal flaws is that I *am* unforgiving and quick to disappear a person who annoys me. One of my other fatal flaws is that I usually give the person a severe dressing down before walking away. Usually it's clear when something is leading up to a blowout. This was just so far out of left field, that it's hard to pick between the two.
- Admiral Anika
I'd bitchslap her and say something along the lines of "I don't give a damn if you're uncomfortable with your body. I'm sorry you feel that way but I'M NOT YOU. Take some Prozac and get over it." And then I'd run away. Fast.
- Zach Flauaus
So many issues with this. Blah. Talking about dieting is boring! When will women stop! If we put all of the energy we put into dieting into, say, world hunger... just sayin'
- anna sauce
When people are so raw about their insecurities, it makes me nervous. Like, wow, that sucks for you. And yet, you are so insecure, etc. can't even joke about it.
- anna sauce
OK one more comment... interesting that "the problem is with you." I mean, that's so obvious that it's her problem, and she doesn't even notice it.
- anna sauce
Wow, some people really do put their batshit crazy right out there, don't they?
- Alix Whitmire
I have no problem saying simple 'fuck you' to close friends when deserved. Of course, I expect the same from them too.
- Rodfather
Yeah... that sounds like their problem which they need to get over.
- Michael W. May
Say thank you, but I'd throw in a headbutt just in case
- Mo Kargas
Wow, Anika. I'd like to feel sorry for her insecurities but the way she lashed out at you is ridiculous. +Ayse's letter. Lol!
- Carmen
++Ayse! I always say, human beings are inherently sadistic. They just don't like other people being happy.
- Parth Awasthi
:( that was in response to a photo of you? anna's right; toooooooootttttal projection. also, sad.
- edythe
I'll say one thing, she nailed it: "you think you're cute" (you are) and "you're comfortable in your skin". Both of those things show in that pic. You look so happy and cute! She's just a jealous bitch. End of story.
- Laura Norvig
Mark Horne & Rick Cogley, plus one. "Thanks Mark. "Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." —H. L. Mencken - Rick Cogley"
- edythe
"Chris Hedges examines moves by Russia/China to dump the Dollar as a global reserve currency stating that “it marks the start of a terrible period of economic and political decline in the United States. And it signals the last gasp of the American imperium. That’s over. It is not coming back.”"
- Sean McBride
from Bookmarklet
"Barack Obama, and the criminal class on Wall Street, aided by a corporate media that continues to peddle fatuous gossip and trash talk as news while we endure the greatest economic crisis in our history, may have fooled us, but the rest of the world knows we are bankrupt. And these nations are damned if they are going to continue to prop up an inflated dollar and sustain the massive...
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- Sean McBride
"There are meetings being held Monday and Tuesday in Yekaterinburg, Russia, (formerly Sverdlovsk) among Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and other top officials of the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The United States, which asked to attend, was denied admittance. Watch what happens there carefully"
- Nathaniel Thurston
Great phrase: "casino capitalism" -- add to "crony capitalism" and "vulture capitalism" and in opposition to "creative capitalism."
- Sean McBride
time to learn Russian/Chinese? or is it too late? :)
- A.T.
Time to start growing crops in one's backyard? :)
- Sean McBride
Perhaps just time to learn to live as not-the-overwhelmingly-dominant-country-anymore. You can do it :)
- Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)
But: a large drop in American quality of life and standard of living could lead to a massive outburst of social rage that could be channeled into fascism.
- Sean McBride
@Sean if I follow your logic, how I should interpret large drop in then-USSR quality of life? had we got massive outburst of of social rage with consecutive growth of fascist elements? then Russia must be fascist country already for years IF your logic is applied, right?
- A.T.
Well -- America and Russia are two very different cultures. I'm really not sure how Americans will respond to a radical decline in wealth and power. We do know that neoconservatives have been stoking the flames of Judeo-Christian fascism in media outlets like Fox News for more than a decade now. Anything could happen.
- Sean McBride
It's interesting that some of the leading proponents of casino capitalism actually own casinos. :) Las Vegas-dominated Americanism is a far cry from the vision of the American Founding Fathers. Apparently the bill is now coming due. American society as a whole has been inhaling the equivalent of crack cocaine.
- Sean McBride
you know, I'm so tired of reading doom and gloom opinion pieces like these. Maybe things are getting tough at the moment, but I really don't believe it is the end of anything. There just doesn't seem to be any way that a country like the US could totally collapse.
- Maria
Maria -- the financial facts that Hedges discusses in this article are stubborn things. We may not collapse, but our power will significantly recede.
- Sean McBride
maybe we shouldn't be printing so many dollars? Maybe we shouldn't be bailing out Goldman Sachs and U.S. bond holders? Maybe we shouldn't be funding a new and expensive healthcare system? Maybe we shouldn't be paying Govt. employees as much money? Maybe we shouldn't be wasting money on a war in Iraq? Maybe we should be taxing estates over $5 million more? Maybe Prop 13 should be...
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- Thomas Hawk
we should also buy American... consciously look at tags and choose products made in the USA. You'll be amazed at how many things made in China or elsewhere you own if you look!
- Maria
Thomas -- all that, and: 1. finding a replacement for oil 2. raising educational standards. We've run out of cheap energy resources and are losing our competitiveness vis-a-vis the rest of the world in science and engineering. But it's probably already too late to prevent what's coming.
- Sean McBride
The same thing happened to Britain in the first half of the 20th century, and ya know, life isn't so bad over there. I really don't think it's the end of the world if the world no longer has a sole superpower. Might even be a good thing if it means less unilateralism and more cooperation.
- Eric P
I'm cheering! My country of citizenship will be a lot more attractive when it sheds the excessive hubris that it's accumulated over the years. (I live in Iceland, where we've "fallen" already)
- Nathaniel Thurston
What currency could replace the dollar as a global reserve currency? The yuan and ruble are non-starters. It's pretty much down to the dollar vs the Euro, but the Euro has the problem that it's not actually run by a single country .
- Andrew C
Also, analyses like these don't look at the global picture - I'd still rather be us than China. China is a demographic and environmental time bomb that's just waiting to go off, and hasn't demonstrated that it has the economic adaptability that the US has. Further, the US still has some huge things going for it. We're the Saudi Arabia of the world's food supply, and this is unlikely to...
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- Eric P
@andrew, why does there have to be a single global reserve currency? I think that we'd all be better off if there were a number of currencies, none of which were "too big to fail". As an extreme example, see http://ff.im/30XM4
- Nathaniel Thurston
Nathaniel, I have to confess I haven't thought much about that. I suppose it makes things easier, though. Aside from the turmoil that occurs when the world switches.
- Andrew C
Bump! Cracks me up that the guys here drool over a lady's butt with writing on it, but a gal posts some men in essentially swim trunks and they all bust out the hide button. You guys are lightweights!
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
I look just like that. But only if we were all wearing parkas. Size 5X parkas.
- Glen Mistletoe
Derrick didn't like this? Is he sick or something?
-
Except for the oily sheen, yeah, this works. Shocking.
- ♥patricia♥
So funny... the guys go crazy posting "HIDE" and "EW" when guy pics appear. If this was a pic of 5 girls in bikinis there would be all kinds of oogling comments. edit: Tina beat me.
- Yolanda
Seriously! If I have to put on my big girl panties and deal with the nekkid lady pics in my feed, you guys need to pull out your big boy briefs, grow a pair, and scroll on by =P
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
And I love straight men...I probably have more str8 guy friends than gay, but you guys gotta lighten up. It's a pic. If I can sit through a Vicky's Secret ad, you don't have to cry crocodile tears over men in skivvies, geez.
- Derrick
D, heh. You see how I look out for you? Don't say I don't help any. :D
- ♥patricia♥
Oh no - are those men? They're all deformed! And glisteny...are they ill? Is that why have localised swelings are their legs, arms and chests? I feel sorry for them!
- WorldofHiglet
I just don't understand why they want to hide my post so much! All I did was say I was underwear shopping for my boyfriend! Hehe!
- Brandy Lea
Honestly, I never complain about photos on either side. I was mostly saying "ew" because of how.. shiny they are. It just looks oily, and that's never an attractive word to go with nakedness, sorry. :D
- Haggis (Sean Loyless)
You know I'm all for it.. We have to deal with seeing the female tits and booty, maybe give the guys a little dose of what it feels like. And also because I'll get to see some hot beefcake ;)
- Maria
from BuddyFeed
Spidra, we already covered that and I got the dubious honor of being labeled the ring leader of a "gang of speedo picture pushers" ha. all sorts of WIN imho.
- ♥patricia♥
4.7? Humans are barely able to feel a quake of that magnitude.
- Alex Scoble
It was enough for me to go for the doorway in my son's room and wait it out, wondering if I needed to alert him. DIdn't. Left him to chill in bed while he thought we were were crazy.
- Katie: Whelmed Overly
No it wasn't, but I 'm glad it wasn't a big one.
- Michael Fidler
As a person who lived in the Yay Area for over 30 years, and was at work in the Air Force during the 89 earthquake, Derrick, I have to say #suckit.
- Alex Scoble
Yes, it was large and loud, it must have been close we're in lakewood. No not biggest we've felt but enough to get ready to go under table
- Steve C
lol @ Derrick & Alex. I'm on the first floor but it felt pretty strong since I was sitting on my bed. Not nearly as strong as the 89 one in the bay area ;)
- Tamara
And 5.0 is a few hundred times stronger than 3 or am i thinking wrong. Anyway main difference was under the city itself not out in desert
- Steve C
@Steve C, exactly. Not huge, it's not "The Big One" But it was good sized. Enough to alert us in case it continued.
- Katie: Whelmed Overly
As often as possible, Alex, but let's not focus on gay issues right now?
- Derrick
And correct, 5 is 100 times stronger than 3.
- Alex Scoble
This is why earthquakes aren't measured just on the Richter Scale but also on the Modified Mercalli Scale (the scale you see on the "Did You Feel It?" maps for USGS site reports)
- tinypants - Hagitha of FF
ha, yeah one time at the Trader Joe's parking lot someone that was parked nearby parked crooked like a douche taking up 2 spaces, and I got a nasty "watch how you park!" note on MY windshield. wtf?
- Maria
The good thing about parking next to nice cars is they're much less likely to dink your car.
- Cristo
I think one of the funniest things to do when getting cut off on the freeway is getting back in front of them and start spraying the windshield wiper fluid.
- Rodfather
If I had the cash, I'd be there. The girls at the Hooters in Burbank are always so nice.
- Admiral Anika
How dare you. I love rolling up with a squad of homos into Hooters, cause then we get to see how the women *really* act. But I can't do it tonight, young man.
- Derrick
LOL Anika Kayla and Chantel hate each other right now and bus each others tables...
- MVB (Curmudgeon of FF)
i live close, but not a big fan of Hooters
- Maria
Derrick it's a couple weeks away. Chantel's folks and I are good friends and he called me today to tell me about that and her graduation date.
- MVB (Curmudgeon of FF)
I am not a fan of Hooters but I am a fan of a SoCal FF meetup.
- Anthony Citrano
Has Anthony ever been to a Socal FF Meetup? [looks through pictures] Yeah, that's what I thought. ;P If Anthony goes, I'm in.
- Admiral Anika
Sadly and with both great remorse and regret I will be unable to attend the fashion show. If anyone is interested it begins at 10:00pm this Thursday. Tell Kayla I said... Oh never mind I'll tell her myself.
- MVB (Curmudgeon of FF)
from fftogo
I'm a bit spoiled as far as fashion shows go, so it's probably for the best if I miss it, too. ;)
- Anthony Citrano
It just suddenly started pouring and then there was HUGE lightning and thunder. The cats freaked out and ran inside and then the entire house shook and there was a shock wave with sound and more shaking.
I love thunderstorms (like in the south) but I don't think I've experienced one like this here. It is still sunny outside and just pouring so hard. It's like the weather isn't sure if this is Washington of Florida. And that shaking and noise was so intense.
- joey
Yes to both questions. I would start talking about adoption before the child is old enough to understand the concept.
- Gary Burd
And if you had another child in the family that was born from you and your partner, would that influence how you presented it?
- Cristo
I wouldn't adopt unless it turned out I couldn't have children on my own. If I did adopt I would definitely tell them.
- Louis Simoneau
No, but I have contemplated fathering a child, naming him Luke, then having someone else raise him... only to, years later, be able to intone deeply, "Luke, I am your father."
- Adam Lasnik
It's my plan too. A child via surrogate, and an older adoptive child. I'm firm that both children will know as many details as they can handle so they're prepared to deal with the idiots of this world who will give them a hard time.
- Jess
My sister is adopted, she's known the whole time, and she doesn't get treated any differently than me and my brother. Of course we adopted her when she was like 2 months old and she's just like any other part of the family.
- Michael
My sister had an unplanned pregnancy, we struggled with infertility. We offered to adopt or help her financially while she found another family if she was uncomfortable with keeping the baby in the family.The story did not have a happy ending. We would have told the baby he / she was adopted, but only revealed from whom if my sister had wanted it that way.
- Heather Solos
no. but yes. i have no desire to be responsible for how effed-up another human being turns out. no kids for me. i think that for those who do adopt, honesty is the best policy. something along the lines of "your birth mom wasn't ready or able to raise you the way she wanted, but she loved you enough to give you to someone who was."
- tiffany
Yes. Yes. One of my cousins was adopted and he knew all along.
- Rodfather
HAHAHA! D - KILLED IT....everyone go home....that's it....turn out the lights....
- Live4Emma (L4S)
Oh dear. I fear Derrick has sullied you thread...:)
- WorldofHiglet
Except for that little gap in my two front teeth from not wearing my retainer after having braces for 5 years. :\ needs to get that fixed up. lol
- Brandon
Oh, weren't you bitching about FF stupid posts not making you smarter last week? Well, here ya go. No more bitching. We get to talk about bacon again.
- Eric @ CSTechcast.com
well we know what tomorrow's caption contest will be on Valleywag :-)
- Duncan Riley
There have been too many pics of his naked chest this week.
-
Yeah, I don't care how many people take pictures of themselves in the shower, I'm not gonna join in that memefest. No thank you. Besides you've already seen my brother in the shower...Remove some weight, adjust the nose a bit and you've got me too...ugh...that's just so wrong.
- Alex Scoble
Tina: I hope they don't do a shower meme. I'm not going to take a picture of myself in the shower, no matter how drunk you get me. *lol*
- Mol, Santa Claws
Is this your entry for the bitch face meme? It's a very disappointingly happy bitch face.
- Pete Delucchi
With all that flyin' around, Twittering, and Friendfeeding, he's gotta need 3 or 4 showers a day. The question is ..... Which soap is he plugging ? :)
- Charlie Anzman
I hope it's lever 2000 messing with Valleywag :)
- Anthony Farrior
Phishing, some general IT (although this expertise is quickly becoming dated the longer I work in IT security), home theater, electronic gaming.
- Alex Scoble
Expert? Information technology is the best descriptor. I'm the guy behind the computers.
- Kevin Kuphal
information security, business, and as a SME only (not guru) some aspects of psychology and social networking. I would be comfortable talking about any of these or working on projects that combine one or any of the three.
- Dan Morrill AKA Techwag
visual and interface design, home theater and low voltage consumer electronic systems, bicycles, kayaks, performance athletic training.
- Chris Greene
I also am good at picking tasty protein shakes, but that is more of a hobby ;)
- Jeff (the メガマクダジ of FF)
I forgot spending money at Starbucks.
- Chris Greene
UI/UX, jQuery/AJAX/RIA development, .Net/C# development, general Web development, CSS, Photoshop and several other things depending on who you compare me to... And, of course there are people who outshine me in my "areas of expertise". I don't consider myself "teh expert" in anything, but I end up being the go-to person in a lot of areas for the people who surround me. There are also many things that I consider myself to be an above-averagely-informed enthusiast/participant in such as Aikido.
- Lindsay
Heh, yeah, Lindsay, asking "what areas are you teh expert in" wouldn't be a useful question. Who ever thinks they are teh expert except for those who aren't?
- Alex Scoble
And Tina is being extremely modest to the point of almost being fallacious. She's my go to person for gardening questions and is apparently the only expert on CMS in friendfeed. :)
- Alex Scoble
Alex, at best I'll grant I might be somewhat close to an 'expert' when it comes to finding information. I'm good with booleans and search terms, and with that I can get the information I need for just about anything else. But even in that obscure field, I'm no where near an actual expert.
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
Ya maybe it would be better if the question were to ask what subjects could you possibly lend a hand in if asked on FF.
- Rodfather
Technical Documentation and Proposal Writing
- Shevonne
Yeah, Rodfather, I changed it, although that wording may be too loose.
- Alex Scoble
Expert? How 'bout the go-to person when we have difficult ob/gyn ultrasound cases. I also have a gift for remembering specific values and formulas for certain situations, they call me to save them time looking up the information.
- Janet
Not an expert but can get people through most home repairs DIY stuffage
- Steve C
Mobile tech, netbooks, UMPC's, consumer HD cameras, gaming, NBA, general web dev, PC support, SQL, general technology.
- Rodfather
Tivo Mac software, Netbook hacking, child rearing, woman pleasing.. Just a jack of all trades I guess.
- Gunny doesn't side-hug™
Administrative duties (somebody has to pay the bills, file documents, keep schedules, book travel, register for things, and take out the trash), can also write, do some design (print & web) and html.
- Maria
well, I know most about librarystuffs, which most people probably don't care about. but similar to Tina, I am good at the research side and have access to library databases. I also volunteer with an animal rescue group, so can often help out with pet behavior questions, especially for teh kitties. :)
- holly
I like movies, comic books and stories about dumb people.
- James Ferguson
Don't consider myself an expert at anything, but I could "lend a hand" in all sorts of extremely useful fields, especially film/literary history and theory. :)
- Jandy, ConcertMaven of FF
I wouldn't consider myself an "expert" in anything, but I am a Jane of all trades & master of none, as the saying goes. One never knows what info I am storing in the messy file cabinet that is my mind. I did acquire 2 nicknames of "The Professor" and "Miss Know-It-All" IRL (in non-insulting ways), mainly because of my ability to pass on knowledge related to just about anything.
- April Russo (app103)
sme: snowboarding, surfing and mtb - that tech stuff is more of a serious hobby ;)
- mike "glemak" dunn
from BuddyFeed
networking (of the TCP variety), servers, SAN, desktop OS, general PC use, video editing, video gaming, random bits of knowledge.
- alphaxion
Not an expert (at all), but I could help someone get started knitting.
- Alix Whitmire
Apparently I'm the go-to for when it's 4pm and someone is staring into their fridge or pantry trying to decide what they can cook. I get lots of phone calls and IMs around that time of day.
- Heather Solos
I guess i am a relative expert in e-learning development tools and standards and Creative Problem Solving. I am very minor expert in Zope.
- Brian Sullivan
English Lit, feminism, gender studies, lesson plan development for undergraduate courses in any of those subjects.
- Soup
Can teach you how to do canning and preserves.
- Janet
Somewhere there is a room for this... I can't remember the name of it.
- Rochelle
Expert? Nothing. Good at? Lots! What I could do for FriendFeed? Well I'm an ex-tester, tech support/customer service office manager type webmaster blokey and data junkie. Oh and I'm also a self-confessed FF addict and currently available. ;-) Hehe.
- Kol Tregaskes
Helping & encouraging people intimidated by FF to get up and running. With Kol I'm an admin on the FriendFeed for Beginners group he started.
- Mark Traphagen
Survey questionnaire design, sampling parameters, SPSS. From a hobby perspective, I can tell you anything you want to know about Star Trek, Back to the Future, and a lot of sci-fi/fantasy literature.
- Sally: gift wrapper
Scotch, systems engineering, SAN/NAS implementation, and administration, large-scale ISP operations and internetworking, some GSM and VoIP telephony, various other really boring (aka, doesn't make a nice girls' cheeks turn rosy) technical topics. Did I mention Scotch yet?
- matthew john ernisse
iPhone, football management sim games - i.e. a wealth of topics :)
- Patrick Jordan
Well, I know a lot about child development (but I'm not a parent, so there's that), books and current tv shows.
- Lis Miller
Media RSS, especially feeding it to FriendFeed, wifi photo frames, and Cooliris.
- Bruce Lewis
Anything that could remotely be classified as "useless." Also bagpipes.
- Joey Gibson
Building really, really high-capacity websites. Building data warehouses and the extract, transform, and load processes necessary to populate them. Latin poetry.
- Glen Mistletoe
I'm also studying advanced tactics in Scoble trolling.
- Glen Mistletoe
Got a Scoble trolling FAQ? I'm starting to pick it up, but clearly have a lot to learn.
- Bruce Lewis
I have a really Old School education in English grammar, spelling and punctuation.
- m9m, Crone of FriendFeed
every aspect of building software, physics, graphic design, drawing/sketching, language fundamentals, research, learning, ontology, basic psychology, gaming, extreme sports
- xero
fitness, nutrition, psychology, writing, beer (not making, just drinking)
- William Harryman
Not an expert but if i don't know the answer i likely know how to get it when it comes to non profit fundraising and how to understand foundations. Also learning a lot about haunted houses to add to my theatre tech background. Plus I can help with info about kittens, socializing them and adapting older cats to kittens and behavior problems with cats. I'm sure there are other things I can help with, but I'm tired and can't think right now.
- Rachel Lea Fox
Nothing I'm an expert in although I have a passion in parenting/teaching stuff like education, kids reading, breast feeding.
- Katie: Whelmed Overly
Tomfoolery, sophomorism, immanentization, and .NET engineering.
- Internet's Tad
Hehe, isn't tomfoolery and sophomorism pretty much the same thing? And what the heck is immanentization? You playing Dick Cheney with the English language now?
- Alex Scoble
IP, network design, virtualization, wan optimization
- Peter Ghosh
Eating, sleeping, and biking for miles on end.
- imabonehead
Theatrical marketing and the therapeutic benefits of massage.
- felicious
Guitar gear, online retail, the good bands, singularity
- Ryan Dadey
A decent level of knowledge in the following: Lifestreaming, Wordpress, Drupal, various tech gadgets, computer hardware, and home theater.
- Mark Krynsky
If it isn't an oxymoron, I am an expert generalist specialising in IT. Linux/Unix, Windows, networking, web, infosec, application interaction, network apps. If I have to pin it down to one thing then my expertise in in putting all that stuff together. The irony is that traditional "systems integration" bores me silly - what excites me, for example, is looking at how services like...
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- Andy Bold
Like Brandon, I have a pretty strong background in American History, then I'd add photography. Pretty diverse answers, pleasantly surprised.
- Rick Bucich
Expert in nothing. Except maybe Internet memes.
- Mike Nayyar
Creative writing and non-fiction, film, and general pop culture. Also have this thing where people feel they can talk to me about anything, that's nice. And gay stuff.
- Derrick
I'm an expert on CW. I can answer any question about the subject and often enjoy talking about it.
- CW™
History of religion, history of Christianity, theory of religion, and the city of Magdeburg, Germany, between the years 1546 and 1551 (yes, that's what I wrote my dissertation on).
- Nathan Rein
Has anyone been bold enough to say "Social Media Expert" yet?
- Brad Williamson
I am an expert in lot of subjects depending on the people you speak to ;-)
- François Granger
Libraries, content distribution and access futures, community building (online w/ f2f) and PEZ.
- Michael Porter
I'm going to put it out there and say you can ask me a question on anything. 99.9% of the time you'll receive a great answer the other 0.01% of the time I'll recommend someone who'll be able to provide a more indepth and detailed analysis ;)
- Nicholas James
CSS/XHTML & web semantics, video editing, finding an answer to a question on Google, jQuery, general social networking topics, Firebug & YSlow, drumming, LOST, Star Wars, PC hardware/software recommendations, video gaming / computer gaming, iPhone customization, movie/music trivia, best baby stuff to buy, WordPress plugin wrangling, and how to make a great bowl of chili
- Nathan Chase
I'm a desktop support tech, so I'd darn well BETTER be able to help people with Wintel machine problems and PDA/smartphone questions. I know a little about netbooks and penabled computers.
- MiniMage TKDteacher of FF
MIPS Assembly language. My chances are slim, I know.
- DGentry
:)...I was typing an agreement with you, Maria, and then I realised...heh!
- WorldofHiglet
You could also look at the person's subscriptions but depending on how many folks they're following that could be tedious. I miss the little message in the hover that would tell you if the person was subbed to you.
- ♥patricia♥
Thanks Jim. I forgot about that. I still miss that I used to be able to get information a lot easier before i.e on hover
- Lindsey is Fierce!
Insult the person gravely and see if he/she tells everyone that he/she will unsub/block you... FoaF could change the truth, but then you'll know that the user isn't subbed to you for sure.
- Jemm
Yes you do have to be mutually subscribed for DM. Just double checked my subscribers list, and there are several I cannot DM yet.
- guruvan (Rob Nelson)
:( bright side: take this time to explore yourself and do what you really want to do. Once a door closes, another one opens :) good luck to you
- Violet Mae Lim
Sorry to hear, Shawna. You, I and a few others on FF are out of work atm too. :-(
- Kol Tregaskes
I posted the pic because I am wondering how that proves the blogger's point.
- Shevonne
You're right, Shevonne. That photo doesn't match the text of the blog. And it's creepy!
- Laura Lou Who
I do find it interesting that we seem to be programmed to find something like this that occurs naturally to be unpleasent, yet tollerate it in males...
- alphaxion
@alphaxion True, but that is something, like with many other things, we have been raised to think is not attractive
- Shevonne
Then alphaxion, perhaps this means women are better at tolerating the natural form than men. Or on the flip side, women are 'better' at falling prey to conceived notions of what they must look like to be attractive.
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
I'm wondering what "birth control interferes with mate selection" has to do with "ways women are better than men".
- Pat Rice
We vacationed in AC when I was little, many vacationing French Canadian women had the natural look. I guess it is something I prefer not for myself but don't find it as horrific due to early conditioning.
- Janet
@tina but surely men have fallen into the same trap, as exemplified by the "eek" kinda responses from the males. As I said, I just find it an interesting example of conditioning, as shevonne mentions.
- alphaxion
Woah... I'm somehow confused. I'm supposed to say "yuck", but I can't O.O
- Ryo / Fuck Facebook
It is conditioning, don't delude yourself. Extremely effective since it has convinced entire generations that the only acceptable way for a women to look is like a pre-nubile child. Anything else is dirty. Goes very well with patriarcat which meant to keep women as minors all their life. And it make money, billions, so it perdures - but watch out, men, the same thing is happening to you...
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- Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)
I would love to be able to grow my hair out like that. I abhor shaving and waxing. Such a waste of time.
- tinypants - Hagitha of FF
I'm finding this particular thread to be a rather intriguing study, in and of itself. In that the men are almost unequivocally screaming "UGHS" at the picture, while the women's reactions range from "meh" to "so?".
- Helen Sventitsky
Call me a hippy but i've dated a lot of beautiful women in my life and i cant remember any of them shaving their armpits. Guess i'm from oregon but you all seem insane to me to be bothered by this picture.
- Marshall Kirkpatrick
It's not my bag, although it's not making my head explode. Reminds me of when I'd post pics of men in underwear on FF and I practically got death threats, yet a topless women got kudos and the virtual clink of beer bottles.
- Derrick
Agreed, Helen. Personally, I'm a mammal and that means I have hair. Crazy talk!
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
I am having a related question with a male friend about women who shave their nether regions. He's all for it, and I'm not. When did shaving your ill nana become the thing?
- Ms. G.Warbucks IYN
Porno, g. warbucks. The odds of finding an unshaven female crotch in porno are extremely low. Finding one that hasn't even been trimmed, edged, and coifed? You'd stand a better chance of hitting the power ball.
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
@warbucks I do, but if I got to the reason why, it will be NSFW, so I will just say that I do
- Shevonne
G, I think that's more for guys who watch too many adult movies.
- Admiral Anika
@Tina and @Anika, agreed. I mean, that was almost rhetorical. It's porn chic, I know. It's kind of irritating when dudes think "the hair gets in the way." @Shevonne, oh I can imagine your NSFW reasons, and that's cool. Just not my preference. :)
- Ms. G.Warbucks IYN
I love how we've gotten to a point in society that we think hair on women is creepy. Now that's creepy.
- Kandeezie
we've gotten to a point in society where women as they naturally are is considered dirty/ugly/creepy. It started with waist size, then legs, then skin, then underarms, now crotch etc. What really creeps me out is that in the end what you're supposed to look like is, for all intents and purposes, a sexually mature, adult size 8 year old. And we wonder why pedophilia is on the rise? (yes, i exagerate a bit in that last sentence but it is almost a logical extreme to the current look expected of women)
- Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)
there shouldn't be any - she's got pretty eyes, and nothing was photoshopped to make it the skin smoother or tighter :D
- Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)
NOTE: When I say I "Like" this, I really mean that it's disgusting.
- Brad Williamson
Gals, I feel sorry for you in the US and UK - if you forget to shave your arms (or cannot, perhaps you broke your arm or you want to go out camping) these men will suddenly find you disgusting. What about your own stinky armpits, males, can we wax them off for you?
- Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)
Hm...ninety years ago (more or less), the razor-blade companies realized that women weren't buying razor blades. Horrors! So they fired up the advertising campaigns: shave your armpits & legs, ladies, because hair is disgusting. It wasn't some evil patriarchal attempt to infantilize &marginalize women, it was crass commercialism. And it worked.
- Pat Rice
Strange also that the current fashion of male beardlessness isn't considered an attempt to infantilize & marginalize men.
- Pat Rice
That's because this has been a fashion for centuries - moustaches, yes, but beards, no... :D But seriously, without wanting to read too much into it, the fact is that we are all conditioned to view certain things as "normal" and others as "deviant" - and the trick is to be conscious of these and be able to shake them off at least a bit (which doesnt mean not shave, just not fall for...
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- Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)
um, when those pits are sweaty and next to you in a crowded bus or train, i would have to disagree that women smell better :/
- Maria
Bearded men get the same flack. @Joelle - I sooooo agree. And @Pat, I agree partly. Patriarchy is responsible for so much. Don't dismiss it. And it does try to make women turn into legal little girls with the Brazilian waxes and such. It's a strong part of our culture to dislike aging women and idolize hairless young childlike females.
- Kandeezie
Bottom line is this, women shave their pits where I'm from. I'm not used to seeing a woman with hairy pits. On a logical level, it doesn't bother me. It's natural. This pic, however, throws the hairy pits in my face and makes me gag a little. I don't think many of us are used to seeing hairy pits at all. As far as the shaven ill nana, I don't mind a little netherfro (yes, I stole netherbeard from tinypants and pimped it...lol)
- Rahsheen ™, Coach Rah
When people talk about the patriarchy, I wonder what awesome powers I am supposed to have received from my Y chromosome. I can't even persuade my three-year-old to leave the windowshades alone, but I'm regularly accused of dominating & subjugating women I've never even met.
- Pat Rice
@Pat It's hard to apply a concept that speaks about society to the individual. It's not about the individual, but the collective. That's why it's so hard to understand patriarchy if you only look at you and what you do. It's like when people say "why should I vote?"
- Kandeezie
Fascinating thread - read every word. Thanks everyone!
- Daniel J. Pritchett
you know, seeing this i realize it's been a long time since i've seen a woman--pic or irl--with armpit hair. it's really not the norm anymore. all my older sisters sported armpit hair in the 70s.
- edythe
I agree totally - nobody disputes the fact that smooth is considered beautiful in our society (and even though it is interesting to question why, most of us do what is needed to fit in, since we have the same conditioning - i do!), but notice that the conditioning is so bad people don't go "oh, that's not pretty" they go "oh that is disgusting" - that shows that it goes beyond esthetics into something deeper and a lot less neutral
- Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)
thing is, that hair is clearly clean and dry. so even though i'm not used to seeing it, it didn't gross me out. an interesting pic would be a woman all glammed up and with makeup with the hair.
- edythe
In addition to the fact that her pits are pretty hairy, who equates arm pits with anything positive? They're like, the first place you sniff to see if you stink. I think the hair just happens to draw attention to an area that many people aren't all that interested in anyway...LOL
- Rahsheen ™, Coach Rah
yes, the picture is also framed a bit unflatteringly - it might get a very similar reaction if it showed a man - maybe someone can make one to test this? PS: I disagree that women's sweat smells better than men's, some people smell less but on average it's a bit of a flat-yet-heavy smell that we could all do without (especially other people's smell)
- Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)
Joelle, one thing to bear in mind is that women's sweat isn't supposed to smell better to you: it's supposed to smell better to men. Just like men's sweat is supposed to smell better than women. Moreover, that scent is exactly why we all have (or had) hair at the groin and armpit: those hairs trap naturally occuring scents and like it or not scent and pheromones play a role in human mating.
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
makes a lot of sense of course - i just happen to have a stupidly oversensitive sense of smell (most perfume smells bad to me and worse on me and I have been known to detect water leaks in the wall by scent) so none of it smells good :)
- Joelle Nebbe (iphigenie)
To each his or her own in terms of preferences, but it would be great if we as a society could get over the overeactions to people who make different choices than we do, particularly when those choices are more natural and require less time, less effort, and less consumption.
- LogEx
1UP Logical. I can't believe the silliness displayed in this thread. Seriously, grow up.
- Derrick
Oh, fresh female sweat, if from the right person, can be quite enticing to a straight guy ;-) (and I'm sure it works for many people in lost of other combinations). Pheromones, you know, nature's way of getting animals to get it on.
- LogEx
I never hide posts but the picture on this one is making it tempting! :)
- Martin Bryant
I'm amazed, though not shocked to see "OMG hide!" from people who probably didn't even bother to read the article. Pathetic.
- Admiral Anika
@joelle I'm sorry but bearded men were in for many centuries.. just look at the images we have of court digintaries or scientific minds of note. You'll notice the beard is quite often shown in various stages of kempt. I think it might be a good time to link and episode I wrote for rocketboom - http://www.youtube.com/watch... :)
- alphaxion
the nice thing about twitter is that posts dissapear. friendfeed resurrects stuff, and this case I'm not enjoying the image.
- Bill Carroll
from twhirl
This woman DARED to undergo puberty and become an adult! Yes, we should shun her and hide her away!
- MiniMage TKDteacher of FF
The recent pictures of Madonna at age 21 sold at auction had her with the natural look. Seeing this image all day and I am still okay with this. I forget also I am in a backward area and a lot of my older Mennonite and Amish ladies don't shave.
- Janet
I'm terribly sorry for giving my opinion people. It's just kind of weird scrolling down and then seeing that picture. The article just screams ignorance though. And I'm not saying that because I'm a guy. I'm saying that because it's all like "oh, let's one-up them." What about this whole equality thing? Oh that's right. Dead and gone.
- Zach Flauaus
Zach: There never was much of an equality thing to begin with. It's been a game of one-up-man-(or-woman)-ship the whole time.
- Chris, Taskerrific Guy
"A higher spiritual awareness of the biology of the brain & mind can significantly advance one towards Enlightenment and Zen. The science of biology says that the brain's thoughts are just the result of cells doing work, and teachings on spirituality talk about having a silent mind of Zen. Biology + Buddhism = Enlightenment. http://www.thetruthsoflife.com"
- ~C4Chaos
from Bookmarklet
if you fully understand and can practice this concept, then congratulations.. you are well on your way to happiness and being an enlightened being! It takes some practice to be able to silence thoughts for an extended period.. like going to the gym to build up a muscle. The more you do it, the easier it becomes and the less crap in your head you have to listen to! And when it comes up, you acknowledge it and just let it pass. It's awesome!
- Maria
the best part about that is that it doesn't prevent much... unless you actually have the flu. And since there are hundreds of millions of people in the US, and only 100 or so cases have been confirmed, i barely think it's something to worry too much about.
- Maria