Seth › Comments

Merry Christmas! - DeWitt Clinton

I'm holding out for the Automatic ATM Machine (into which one would type a Personal PIN Number). - Seth

Before I had kids, I told myself I wouldn't lie to them, ever. And that I'd tell them that Santa and Easter Bunny were all just stories. Now that I'm actually a parent: Not so much. - Stephen Mack

I hear ya, Stephen. It's funny because there are lots of opportunities to encourage them to lie about their ages to get cheaper deals, and I never ask them to do that, but when it comes to bunnies and leprechauns and the fat man, I am all for perpetuating the myths. What I tell myself is that there is a big difference between instilling wonder and lying for advantage. ;-) - Keith Pelczarski

Integrity is so fragile! - Seth

"A photo turns up of you nakedly doing something that would shame you and your family for generations. Bestiality, perhaps. How many people in your life you would trust with that photo? If you're like the rest of us, you probably have at most two. Even more depressing, studies show that about one out of four people have no one they can confide in. The average number of close friends we say we have is dropping fast, down dramatically in just the last 20 years. Why?" (According to them: Segmented society.) - ⓞnor

Thanks RSD- too bad the key comes at the end:You want to break out of that black tar pit of self-hatred? Brush the black hair out of your eyes, step away from the computer and buy a nice gift for someone you loathe. Send a card to your worst enemy. Make dinner for your mom and dad. Or just do something simple, with an tangible result. Go clean the leaves out of the gutter. Grow a damn plant. - Mark A Jensen

Nice. I assumed at first that there was an unlit portion, but it looks like the phrase is broken by design. - Seth

Seth, the final bit should be "Taste". I luvs me some In-N-Out Burger. - Neal Krummell

You're parsing it wrong. They're saying their quality should be preserved. (in sealed metal containers) - Laurence Gonsalves

"some of the pioneers of the field, joined by later generations of thinkers, are gearing up for a massive “do-over” of the whole idea." - Simon from Bookmarklet

I know it's not the point of the article, but it closes with this tragically misguided statement: {“I would like to be able to download the ability to juggle,” he says. “There’s nothing more boring than learning to juggle.”} If everyone could juggle with no effort, what would be the point? How would it be satisfying or interesting? For a few people, most things are more boring than learning to juggle. These people are easy to spot, as they are often juggling. :) - Seth

Heh, I thought the same thing when reading that sentence. It didn't seem the most compelling motivation for his vision. - Simon

Great shot! - Seth

Na Pali coast, Kauai? - Stephen Mack

Yep. Right here: http://maps.google.com/... Here's how I know: http://sethoscope.net/photos... :) - Seth

"Real Men Don't Use Can Openers" - April Buchheit from Bookmarklet

The can opener was invented ~50 years after people started canning food. Until then, opening a can was pretty much as pictured here. - Seth

back then everyone carried a knife - and that was your primary can opening method - bear (aka Mike Taylor)

Details the physiological problems of giant or shrunken creatures. via kottke - Seth from Bookmarklet

I've been collecting examples of stuff like this, e.g. gas station screens showing crashed computers. Is there a common blog for it? - Matt Cutts

http://www.flickr.com/groups... - Seth

The Daily WTF's "Error'd" section has many examples of these sorts of things. (http://thedailywtf.com/Series...) - Laurence Gonsalves

Because you pay it off each month and don't care what the interest rate is? - Seth

Two of my cards, I found out, are operated by the Citibank - the Citibank and AT&T Universal cards. Both have rates in 24% (though I pay off every month). I think I'll get rid of one of them in the new year. - Thaths

We got to go to our first roller derby bout this last weekend. It was so much fun. We learned a few things about where to sit next time and how to understand more of the game. It was really a lot of fun and the KillaBytes were very good! Especially Zootown Throwdown who was super fast and Postal Servix who aggressive and tricky and scared the other team. Plus we won!!! There was another bout after the one we watched but we couldn't stay for it. Next time!! - Rachel Lea Fox from Bookmarklet

Tina, EXACTLY!! And since I'm currently not happy with above the knee, I just don't wear skirts or shorts. When I am happy with above the knee I will reward myself with fishnets!! - Rachel Lea Fox

"The Mayor of North Pole, Alaska is calling it an assault on Christmas after the United States Postal Service says it's going to stop sending letters to Santa Claus in the Interior Alaska town. According to a U.S. Postal Service Spokesperson for the Northwest region of the country, there is a new policy in place for letters to Santa Claus in North Pole, Alaska. When asked what will happen to the letters, Ernie Swanson, said in many cases, nothing. "It won't be responded to, it won't be processed it won't be handled it'll just be set aside and presumably put in a recycling bin or something like that." - EricaJoy from Bookmarklet

Hooray! I'm a Dr Seuss character! :) - Seth

As you may remember, I previously urged you NOT to get the G1 Android phone (http://www.bladam.com/main...). I'm proud and really happy to note that there are now Android phones (including the DROID) that I think are just awesome. If I were in the market for a new phone, I'd seriously, happily consider the DROID. Check it out! :) - Adam Lasnik

Piaw, no. But the typical hardware subsidy is only about US$100 for a two year contract. The iPhone is unusual though. You can sign up for a two year contract, get a new *unlocked* 3GS 32GB for US$500 and sell it on the resale market for US$900 and the profit will pay for almost two years worth of service plan. You could do the roughly the same thing with the iPhone 3G last year. (Yes,... more... - Peng-Toh

Loved Edinburgh. Want the chance to see it in spring/summer, though. (I was there about this time last year). - Spidra Webster

Every city center should have an ancient fortified castle and grassy post-volcanic mountain. - Seth

"In the belt-tightening world of editorial photography, many media outlets now offer a photo credit, rather than monetary compensation, for the use of your photo. “It will be great advertising for your work,” they tell you, “and getting published by us will help you professionally.”" - Ginger Makela Riker from Bookmarklet

At the beginning of the year I allowed an editor to use a few shots to illustrate one article, only to find out six months later that he had been helping himself to my images without any further permission. He has avoided all attempts to accept responsibility and acted like an unprofessional idiot when I asked for the going rate according to NUJ freelance fees guide (http://media.gn.apc.org/feesgui...). - Simon Curran

Man I'd like to know what those beatnik earthworms in the picture in the background are talking about! - Doug Beeferman

I like the idea of beatnik earthworms. ("Can you dig it?") It's actually this: http://www.lukesurl.com/archive... - Seth

Some friends of mine did something similar, only instead of a door, the three of them would self-assemble to become a facade of a house (complete with door that opened and someone behind it), and instead of knocking on doors, they approached trick-or-treaters on the street. The kids were pretty confused though. - Seth

Why don't they just do this? Computers, digital watches and other electronic devices have been doing this for years! - Tony Ruscoe from fftogo

PTP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki...) is another candidate in the embedded space, but on the other end of the complexity scale, for very demanding applications (GPS kind of accuracy without GPS on every node). - Vlado Handziski

Pretty cool! - April Buchheit

The best part is seeing the positive color image, looking away a bit and seeing that it's actually grey, and looking back at the dot and having the color snap back in. - Seth

"San Francisco already diverts over 72% of its waste from landfills thanks to rigorous recycling efforts, and now the city is set to cut down on trash even more with the country’s first mandatory composting law, which took effect yesterday. Residents and businesses now have six weeks to start composting food waste, plant trimmings, and other items." - Cristo from Bookmarklet

Rochelle, in SF there's an abridged list on the bins themselves, and if they notice you putting things in the wrong bins, they'll attach an informative flyer to your bin. There's also a list on the small green bin they give you for your kitchen. Also: http://www.sfrecycling.com/residen... - Seth

"It's too hard otherwise" isn't much of a defense, but others chiming in recently have a stronger argument, that the alleged overspecialization simply isn't true. http://snarkmarket.com/2009... , http://www.quietbabylon.com/2009... , http://www.girlhacker.com/2009_10... - Seth

It sounds pretty good when you say it like that. "This week, things happened one at a time." - Seth

*lol* Seth, I agree, though its how close together the things are that is getting me. None of them super horrible, just too close together. I have hope for tomorrow, as long as Nym doesn't need surgery. :) - Rachel Lea Fox

*HUGS* - joey

Licking plexiglass lion enclosures is a sure way to contract H1N1. - Seth

Akiva just won. I don't know what he won, but he won it. Steve: I was originally going to go with a Hypocritic Oath pun, but decided against it. - Kevin Fox

Are you just wondering what might be amiss with a used bike, or do you also need to figure out what to look for in a bike in general? - Seth

folks, i have this under control... - reza

'I don't enjoy programming so much as I enjoy the satisfaction I get from cracking hard problems. In that case, computer code is a means to an end, but so is my Craftsman socket set. I like to spend free time wrenching on a car or a bike, but I don't set out on Saturday morning and say "I'm going to learn how to use a torque wrench today, because those things are the future of tools".' - Jeremy Zawodny

I agree that programming for fun should not be a requirement, but I think it's a good sign that someone might be enthusiastic about their craft and is hungry for more challenges than they're finding at work. I'd want to hear about interesting problems someone enjoyed cracking, whether on the job or elsewhere. - Seth

very nice. Did you print it? - Rachel Lea Fox

A similar model was on the cover of The Economist's technology quarterly - http://www.economist.com/images... (see also http://www.economist.com/science... ) - Thomas Amberg

First, do you stop at all Stop signs in your neighborhood? - Stephen Mack

I think the kid carrier stability question is largely a function of the bike's overall weight. On lighter bikes they can be really unstable on mount and dismount whereas with heavier cruisers it's a lot easier to keep them steady. I use a Burley trailer, and like it better. I've even taken 50-lb Max on an 18-mile cruise around the Portola Loop in it. I wouldn't recommend it for roads with no shoulder, but they're great in bike lane territory. - Keith Pelczarski

"At the time, psychologists assumed that children’s ability to wait depended on how badly they wanted the marshmallow. But it soon became obvious that every child craved the extra treat. What, then, determined self-control? Mischel’s conclusion, based on hundreds of hours of observation, was that the crucial skill was the “strategic allocation of attention.” Instead of getting obsessed with the marshmallow—the “hot stimulus”—the patient children distracted themselves by covering their eyes, pretending to play hide-and-seek underneath the desk, or singing songs from “Sesame Street.” Their desire wasn’t defeated—it was merely forgotten. “If you’re thinking about the marshmallow and how delicious it is, then you’re going to eat it,” Mischel says. “The key is to avoid thinking about it in the first place.” In adults, this skill is often referred to as metacognition, or thinking about thinking, and it’s what allows people to outsmart their shortcomings. (When Odysseus had himself tied to... more... - Paul Buchheit from Bookmarklet

The experiment: http://friendfeed.com/haggis... - Jérôme Flipo

If you mix the water and cat, you'll need to start decompression all over again. - Seth