Archive for April 9th, 2008

YouTube - Radiohead: “Bodysnatchers”

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

Here’s an email I received today from somebody I know..

[Quote:]

Hey John,
My friend made this animation to a Radiohead song…Tibet-related, thought you might appreciate it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvZL3IN0ONg
Best,

Yes, I do appreciate. For two reasons: first, the acknowledgement that you know what I care about, and thus what I might appreciate. Second, this isn’t just about Tibet, it shows again that the whole “intellectual property” is flawed. If it were up to the RIAA, this video would be pulled for violating Radiohead rights. In a way, that behavior denies us the opportunity to express how we feel about certain things, in this case Tibet.

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Cartoons

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

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Second Cheapest Syndrome

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

[Quote:]

Ever order the second cheapest wine on the menu while dining out? Well, one in four diners do (in the UK, at least). In the marketing world, we can define this as a choice set effect with respect to reference pricing - using the cheapest bottle of wine as a standard of comparison against which the other wines are compared.

But did you know that the second cheapest bottle is usually the worst value?

“Restaurant owners will often price the wine they buy cheapest at wholesale as the second cheapest wine on the menu. Why? Because people generally don’t order the cheapest wine and thus often turn to the second cheapest. Price that one higher, and you get a bigger marginal profit. Presto — restauranteur as microeconomist!” (from a reference to an old WSJ article I can’t locate online)

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Quote of the day

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

– Dr Seuss (thanks, dré)

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Power to Build Border Fence Is Above U.S. Law

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

[Quote:]

Securing the nation’s borders is so important, Congress says, that Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary, must have the power to ignore any laws that stand in the way of building a border fence. Any laws at all.

Last week, Mr. Chertoff issued waivers suspending more than 30 laws he said could interfere with “the expeditious construction of barriers” in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. The list included laws protecting the environment, endangered species, migratory birds, the bald eagle, antiquities, farms, deserts, forests, Native American graves and religious freedom.

The secretary of homeland security was granted the power in 2005 to void any federal law that might interfere with fence building on the border. For good measure, Congress forbade the courts to second-guess the secretary’s determinations. So long as Mr. Chertoff is willing to say it is necessary to void a given law, his word is final.

How’s that for “seperation of powers”?

And, since this is done under the “security” umbrella, I have to ask: Feel safer yet?

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lies i’ve told my 3 year old recently

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

[Quote:]

Trees talk to each other at night.

All fish are named either Lorna or Jack.

Before your eyeballs fall out from watching too much TV, they get very loose.

Tiny bears live in drain pipes.

If you are very very quiet you can hear the clouds rub against the sky.

The moon and the sun had a fight a long time ago.

Everyone knows at least one secret language.

When nobody is looking, I can fly.

We are all held together by invisible threads.

Books get lonely too.

Sadness can be eaten.

I will always be there.

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indoor-dictatorial