BUS YOUR OWN TRAY

video taken during today’s Chinese earthquake

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:42:42 -0400

video taken during today’s Chinese earthquake

Beautiful Agony is Not Porn

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:40:42 -0400

Beautiful Agony is Not Porn: My first contribution to Tilzy.tv. Slightly edited for content.

I have a soft spot for new videos shot on old equipment....

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:31:00 -0400

I have a soft spot for new videos shot on old equipment.

Directed by Melina Matsoukas. Even better in HD.

Photo

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:14:00 -0400

A theory on economic indicators I've been kicking around:

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:48:57 -0400

marklisanti:

The health of the economy is inversely proportional to the cleanliness and organization of your local Best Buy store.

Support: My Best Buy was fucking spotless and well-stocked today.

Enjoy the recession!

In honor of the tumbl below, Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:48:21 -0400

In honor of the tumbl below, Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend

What is the most erotic word in the English language?

Sat, 10 May 2008 20:14:43 -0400

bunnynico:

johnbrissenden:

If it’s not unbutton, then what is it? Tumblrers, start your engines…

I say abscond. My brother, Josh, says smock. Brother Zach says viral. Zach’s gf, Rach, says aplomb.

Smock’s pretty hot.

you want to know what the worst rule is in law?

Sat, 10 May 2008 20:10:00 -0400

When you write in legalese, and you want to list some things in a sentence, the last two things in that list are separated with “and” in lieu of a comma. So it’s incorrect to write, “wine, eggs, and cheese” — you have to write it, “wine, eggs and cheese.”

I say “have to” because if you don’t do it that way in law school, in sample briefs and motions, you get points knocked off.

I say this is the wost rule because when you ever try to write something normal, like a letter or a tumbl, you second-guess your natural inclination to throw a comma in front of that “and.” And that can really throw off your train of thought.

It’s grammatteral damage.

What’s also pretty bad is that nobody explains the function of that non-existent comma. I wonder if anybody even knows why that’s the rule. It’s the kind of thing that has the air of being passed down because somebody passed it down to the passer-downer.

That’s the other worst rule in law: tradition comes in with the advantage against reason. That one’s a bitch.

———

UPDATE: Apparently it’s called the “serial comma” (a.k.a. the “Oxford Comma” or the “Harvard Comma”) when you put it before a conjunction. And, I was right: “There is no consensus among writers or editors on the use of the serial comma. It is closer to being standard use in American English than it is in British English.” Nobody knows for sure where it comes from, or why it’s here.

Also, there’s disagreement as to its function: “Arguments typically advanced for use of the serial comma include … that it sometimes reduces ambiguity (cited). … Arguments typically advanced for avoidance of the serial comma include … that it may introduce ambiguity (see examples below).”

The ambiguity problem is really the most important aspect of this issue, from a legal perspective. There was a case that made public attention not so long ago where a major point of judgement hinged on the existence or non-existence of a comma. In all fairness to my alma mater, preference was always placed on consistency, which was really the ultimate arbiter of whether points got knocked off. If you used the serial comma all the time, your grader might have mercy on you. But my experience was they certainly didn’t stress this — all the pressure was directed squarely on not using the serial comma; that that was “right.”

I suddenly just realized the incredible impact a comma has had on my life.

( via wikipedia )

"It just occurred to me that trademark infringement is a form of identity theft"

Sat, 10 May 2008 19:55:02 -0400

“It just occurred to me that trademark infringement is a form of identity theft”

The BBC produced this eleven years ago, when I lived in London,...

Sat, 10 May 2008 15:21:55 -0400

The BBC produced this eleven years ago, when I lived in London, and for months it was inescapable. Not that I tried all too hard to get away from it. This was during the death of Diana, the peak of Sensationalism, the reign of the Spice Girls. A fascinating little time to be surrounded by British pop.

A music video for Datarock’s “Fa Fa Fa,” done...

Sat, 10 May 2008 14:48:00 -0400

A music video for Datarock’s “Fa Fa Fa,” done all machinima style with the Sims 2 engine, with the lyrics translated into that warbly Sims gibberish.

Awesome data visualization video: commercial air traffic flight...

Fri, 09 May 2008 18:17:00 -0400

Awesome data visualization video: commercial air traffic flight patterns

marklisanti: My new favorite website, for at least the next two...

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:15:46 -0400

marklisanti:

My new favorite website, for at least the next two hours.

The minute Mark sent me this URL, I knew it was going to be good.

“manbabies”

from the bizzare coincidences department

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:00:00 -0400

In the past twelve hours, two people, working at two different companies, and on two unrelated projects, complained to me about having to do research on “Vampire lore” for their job.

there's a story here, I reckon

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:40:00 -0400

From today’s LA Times:

Silver Lake Reservoir — the century-old neighborhood landmark drained earlier this year — started to look like its old self again Wednesday …

The empty reservoir revealed hundreds of golf balls, articles of clothing and even one wedding ring — a simple uninscribed gold band — which is now being worn by one of the biologists who helps maintain the water.

The Silver Lake Reservoir is surrounded by an 8-foot high chain link fence, which keeps people twenty, maybe thirty feet from the water. This means the ring probably didn’t fall into the lake accidentally — in all likelihood, it was chucked.

There’s some sad, bitter juju on that thing, I tell ya. We should be happy it’s no longer infecting our water supply. We should also keep an eye on that biologist, who is now clearly cursed.

it's like superman meeting bizarro superman

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:17:38 -0400

From: ian spiegelman
Date: Wed, May 7, 2008 at 4:11 PM
Subject: Re: Book to help kids cope with Mommy’s plastic surgery
To: Eric Spiegelman

Give me back my last name. Do it now!

This can’t end well.

My Beautiful Mommy, a book that helps children understand why...

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:05:41 -0400

My Beautiful Mommy, a book that helps children understand why our youth and appearance-obsessed society has so polluted mommy’s mind that she has to pay thousands of dollars for a man to cut off part of her face and fill her boobies with a special magic gel. Comes with a jigsaw puzzle!

listen close and you can hear my soul dying

Wed, 07 May 2008 15:49:43 -0400

I just wrote, in a powerpoint presentation, that a certain website has “an audience of web-savvy tastemakers.” Crying.

Gary, Indiana: 95% voter turnout

Wed, 07 May 2008 02:06:00 -0400

Gary, Indiana: 95% voter turnout: btw, I attribute this entirely to the magical awesomeness of the music I tumbld this morning.

I just made your day 33% more awesome.

Tue, 06 May 2008 11:29:43 -0400

I just made your day 33% more awesome.