Grill, 30 April 2010 ← FREE KRAUT!

Grill, 30 April 2010 107

30 Apr 2010  |  the llama  |The Grill

1. This is me this morning:

2. I read this story in ninth grade and only years later did I realize it was *that* Roald Dahl.

3. Notwithstanding the source, I wonder if this is true. If so, financial regulation reform it would kill technology start-ups.

…it would require that start-ups seeking angel investments file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and endure a 120-day review.
…
The legislation also removes a federal pre-emption that prevents start-ups and investors from being subject to 50 different state regulators. The North American Securities Administrators Association, which represents state regulators, argues that federal pre-emption contributes to fraud. But angel investors don’t use broker-dealers and other middlemen linked to recent investment scandals. Nascent companies often seek financing from multiple investors in different states, and a state-by-state regulatory regime would mean higher compliance costs and more legal risks.

107 thoughts on “Grill, 30 April 2010”

  1. salb918 Apr 30,2010 9:01 am
  2. monkeyball Apr 30,2010 9:05 am

    1. Oddly enough, that looks like me and JP.

    you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
    • spwc2010 Apr 30,2010 12:04 pm || Up

      I thought you looked more like Les Stroud, the Survivorman?

      \"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
  3. green star oakland Apr 30,2010 9:06 am

    2. I did the reverse, and came to Roald Dahl through his adult (and adult) writing before discovering that he’d written children’s books too. The short stories are entertaining enough, although their adaptation for TV was horrible.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
  4. salb918 Apr 30,2010 9:12 am

    I liked this interview with Dana Carvey.

  5. sslinger Apr 30,2010 9:17 am
    • salb918 Apr 30,2010 9:20 am || Up

      nuanced sarcasm cannot be taken into account

      Yeah, we’re sooooo nuanced.

  6. monkeyball Apr 30,2010 9:26 am
    you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
    • MikeV Apr 30,2010 10:12 am || Up

      The San Francisco Giants may join the bidding for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. The California iteration of the franchise is 48 years-old, so it makes sense that the organization that employs Brian Sabean would be interested.

      chuckle.

      And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

      Thanks, and go As.

  7. green star oakland Apr 30,2010 9:35 am

    From a pretty dumb article about the carbon footprint of computing, this particularly asinine sentence confirmed my suspicion that its author really had no idea what he was writing about:

    A program is considered to be highly efficient when the software code is written in a short, effective way, thereby avoiding redundant calculations that waste CPU power.

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • monkeyball Apr 30,2010 10:18 am || Up

      You are apparently unaware that we are perilously close to Peak 011.

      you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
    • nevermoor Apr 30,2010 10:22 am || Up

      OBAMA URGES PROGRAMMERS: CONSERVE KILOBYTES

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  8. sslinger Apr 30,2010 9:43 am

    I’m really starting to like this guy. Thanks (again) to Sully for the link.

    • nevermoor Apr 30,2010 10:34 am || Up

      That’s a fantastic article.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • mk Apr 30,2010 11:03 am || Up

      He’s fun for awhile, but eventually the adjectives and the outrage wear you out.

      • Leopold Bloom Apr 30,2010 2:48 pm || Up

        Plus is it really news that the White House Press Corp is scared to confront the President? It’s been going on my entire cognizant lifetime.

  9. salb918 Apr 30,2010 10:56 am

    Critique of organic/local/slow farming:

    If we are going to get serious about solving global hunger, we need to de-romanticize our view of preindustrial food and farming. And that means learning to appreciate the modern, science-intensive, and highly capitalized agricultural system we’ve developed in the West. Without it, our food would be more expensive and less safe. In other words, a lot like the hunger-plagued rest of the world.

    • andeux Apr 30,2010 11:25 am || Up

      xbx (and maybe also you) posted something along the same lines a couple of years back. A lot of the logic seems shoddy. In particular, this argument:

      When it comes to protecting the environment, assessments of organic farming become more complex. Excess nitrogen fertilizer use on conventional farms in the United States has polluted rivers and created a “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, but halting synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use entirely (as farmers must do in the United States to get organic certification from the Agriculture Department) would cause environmental problems far worse.

      Here’s why: Less than 1 percent of American cropland is under certified organic production. If the other 99 percent were to switch to organic and had to fertilize crops without any synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, that would require a lot more composted animal manure. To supply enough organic fertilizer, the U.S. cattle population would have to increase roughly fivefold. And because those animals would have to be raised organically on forage crops, much of the land in the lower 48 states would need to be converted to pasture. Organic field crops also have lower yields per hectare. If Europe tried to feed itself organically, it would need an additional 28 million hectares of cropland, equal to all of the remaining forest cover in France, Germany, Britain, and Denmark combined.

      Mass deforestation probably isn’t what organic advocates intend. The smart way to protect against nitrogen runoff is to reduce synthetic fertilizer applications with taxes, regulations, and cuts in farm subsidies, but not try to go all the way to zero as required by the official organic standard. Scaling up registered organic farming would be on balance harmful, not helpful, to the natural environment.

      addresses what would happen if we suddenly tried to make all farming organic, and then draws an overly broad conclusion in the last sentence. Would “scaling up” organic farming from 1% to (say) 10% be harmful? I don’t think that follows. The same thing applies to the question of overall crop yields: there is little doubt that industrialized agriculture has increased production overall. But in much of the world starvation just isn’t an issue, and even in places where it is the problem is often with distribution, not with an overall shortage of food. So it’s not clear if there would be any real benefit from trying to squeeze every ounce of production out of every bit of farmland in the world.

      I just know that the produce we get at the farmers market is generally better quality than what we get in the supermarket. Whether that’s because it’s (mostly) organic, or because it’s fresher, or just because it’s grown and harvested with a little more care, I honestly have no idea. It’s also scarcer and more expensive, and in that sense it’s a luxury item. But I just don’t see where the harm in that is.

      TINSTAAFK
      • salb918 Apr 30,2010 11:41 am || Up

        I agree with this as it concerns western food production. And, if there’s demand for a “luxury” food item than there should be production, too.

        But if I read the article correctly, there is some thought that slow/local/organic is the way to go in places where food is short. (Details are short; he just says, “In Europe and the United States, a new line of thinking has emerged in elite circles that opposes bringing improved seeds and fertilizers to traditional farmers and opposes linking those farmers more closely to international markets.”) If this is true, then it does seem wrongheaded to encourage slow/local/organic as part of our aid to other countries.

        I also found interesting the claim that the health evidence (both nutritionally and lack-of-pesticide-residues-ly) for organic foods was scant. Do any of you know of studies that say otherwise?

        There also seems to be a organic/non-organic cutoff that is artificial. My Scandinavian relatives tell me that they have “organic” and “ecological” designations, kind of a sliding scale for organic-ness. But as long as there is an Organic Seal of Approval, it seems to me that there is little incentive for adopting best-practices from either side.

        • nevermoor Apr 30,2010 12:00 pm || Up

          I also found interesting the claim that the health evidence (both nutritionally and lack-of-pesticide-residues-ly) for organic foods was scant.

          I always thought this was a non-sequiteur. I don’t pick organic (when I do) because I think the food will be healthier for me. I do it because I think it will be healthier for the earth and (either placebo effect or not) taste better to me.

          "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • salb918 Apr 30,2010 12:04 pm || Up

            You’re kidding, right? *everyone* I know that buys organic does so because of it’s purported health benefits. I agree that some organic/local produce does taste better (whether due to handling or what), but of course there’s no accounting for taste.

            • nevermoor Apr 30,2010 12:55 pm || Up

              Not kidding. I may be in the minority though, since I do see it addressed a lot.

              "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
              • sslinger Apr 30,2010 1:29 pm || Up

                I’m with you in general on buying for the planet benefits more than the health, though there’s some foods (berries, tomatoes) where the pesticide issue comes into play more than others.

        • nevermoor Apr 30,2010 12:01 pm || Up

          Also, I agree that some of the labeling requirements seem pretty arbitrary. I have nothing like enough knowledge to know whether they really are or not.

          "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
        • andeux Apr 30,2010 12:17 pm || Up

          1. I don’t know how prevalent that “new line of thinking in elite circles” is, and agree that it is probably wrongheaded. The part about “linking those farmers more closely to international markets” sounds like part of the much larger debate about models of economic development – is it better for people in impoverished regions to try to have a locally sustainable economy, or to be part of a larger world economy. The latter is better according to classical economics (comparative advantages and all that), but can also result in economic colonialism.

          2. I never believed that organic produce would have more vitamins (why would it?). I am skeptical of this article’s (broad and vague) claims about pesticide residues being completely harmless. My understanding is that the amount of residue varies quite a bit depending on crop (see e.g. this) and that what constitutes safe levels of exposure are still very much a subject of debate (see e.g. this).

          3. Yes, I think that’s a tough problem, regardless of the details of any labeling law. For most farmers, the only real incentives to changing their practices are economic ones (a point also made under “Myth 8” of my previous link), which in practice would mean either getting better yields or being able to command a higher price. But consumers don’t really have good information about what qualities (apart from taste or freshness) are worth paying a premium for.

          TINSTAAFK
          • sslinger Apr 30,2010 1:26 pm || Up

            Mixing book club with food politics: for those who haven’t read it, I’d recommend All Over Creation by Ruth Ozeki. First and foremost a good novel with great characters, but also brings in elements of GMO crops, pesticides, seed saving, and reproductive rights in a really interesting way.

    • sslinger Apr 30,2010 11:58 am || Up

      It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing solution. Farmers in Argentina balance the effort by rotating crops and grazing of cattle, which serves the multiple functions of replenishing the nutrients in the soil, maintaining diversity, and sustaining yields.

  10. green star oakland Apr 30,2010 11:34 am

    Any drupal geeks out there?

    If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
    • salb918 Apr 30,2010 11:42 am || Up

      If there are none here I might be able to put you in touch with a few I know.

    • nevermoor Apr 30,2010 12:01 pm || Up

      I think that’s what DFA was thinking of using as an alternative when FK2 was in “production”

      I have no idea how much of a geek he is though.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  11. nevermoor Apr 30,2010 12:17 pm

    No one can lose arguments for no reason like Democrats can.

    "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • salb918 Apr 30,2010 12:32 pm || Up

      Biometric Enrollment, Locally stored Information and Electronic Verification of Employment

      Ugh.

    • mk Apr 30,2010 3:16 pm || Up

      1. Which arguments have they been losing for no reason?

      2. Per the comments section discussion here (specifically this), if this is a social security card replacement, not a must-carry-with-you-at-all-times card, what is the policy/civil liberties objection?

      • nevermoor Apr 30,2010 3:42 pm || Up

        1. Recently? Not so many. It was a comment about flair rather than recent legislative failures.

        2. The political objection is that this is (at best) a fraud improvement at significant cost, at a time when document-showing is part of what’s being so roundly criticized in AZ (and losing the ACLU is a shitty way to start immigration reform if your a Democrat). The civil liberties objection is that a governmental clearinghouse of all citizens’ biometric data is scary. Certainly, SSNs are used in a whole lot of places I wouldn’t want to have my fingerprints etc.

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
        • mk Apr 30,2010 6:20 pm || Up

          The political objection is that this is (at best) a fraud improvement at significant cost, at a time when document-showing is part of what’s being so roundly criticized in AZ (and losing the ACLU is a shitty way to start immigration reform if your a Democrat).

          The politics of it is an open question, I think: 1) this is not document-showing in anything like the way the Arizona law is document-showing, 2) in any event people approve of said document-showing, 3) it will be interesting to see how the GOP hashes out the inevitable intrasquad libertarian vs xenophobe battle, and 4) Ezra’s point here:

          By focusing on the employment prospects of illegal immigrants and forcing workplaces to use biometric identification, Democrats hope to convince people that they have a real strategy for ending the problem of illegal immigration. And if they can convince people of that, they think they can get a path to legalization for the existing community of illegal immigrants as a way to mop up the remainder of the problem.

          The civil liberties objection is that a governmental clearinghouse of all citizens’ biometric data is scary. Certainly, SSNs are used in a whole lot of places I wouldn’t want to have my fingerprints etc.

          Why is the government having biometric data more scary than the government having your passport info/ss info/tax info/what have you? Why is it more scary than the extensive personnel record we voluntarily compile online?

          I ask those questions not because I necessarily disagree with your view (I can’t say that I have a definite opinion yet), but because while all I am hearing today is that it’s “ominous”, the protests sound suspiciously vague and overwrought. I’ve not seen much explaining why, specifically, it’s ominous. I mean, I’ve always assumed that eventually *everything* could/would be keyed to your fingerprint or retina or whatever – credit cards, ID cards, the lock on your house, etc.

          Have other countries implemented similar systems to good/bad/indifferent effect?

          • nevermoor Apr 30,2010 6:47 pm || Up

            On the first point, I agree with your 1, but it will certainly be played that way both to criticize it and to give cover to AZ (by different people). Your 2 I’m less convinced of, but that may be wishful thinking. Your 3 is that they’ll both agree that jack-booted democratic/union/acorn thugs having your biometrics is a sign of socialism/fascism and avoid the split that would have happened between sane national republicans who want latino votes, and crazy/rascist republicans who want anyone with brown skin summarily executed. I think Ezra is being unrealistic in his hope. The kinds of places where illegal immigrants are forced to work simply won’t enact these rules (or, at least, that fear will prevent the legislation from changing anyone’s mind).

            On the second point, you asked for the “civil liberties objection.” More central information really does = more ability to monitor/control/prevent crime/whatever, which is a civil liberties objection. I personally think that DNA / fingerprint databases are good and should be expanded because I like their crime-fighting achievements, but I’m in no way a libertarian.

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
            • mk Apr 30,2010 7:04 pm || Up

              On the politics: fair points all. We’ll have to see how it goes. I don’t think there is any possibility it will pass (just as there is/was no possibility that a climate bill will/would pass), but its impact at the ballot box in November is more difficult to predict. Certainly, financial regulation is a much, much better issue for them in terms of narrative/having the GOP over a barrel.

              On the policy: ah, okay.

            • andeux May 1,2010 9:25 am || Up

              Re. 3, I wonder what kind of difference the forgability of the documents would even make. Certainly there’s some work that’s done completely off the books (day laborers picked up outside Home Depot, etc.). But for people working in restaurants, and for maid services, and as farm workers in the central valley, are the illegal immigrants mostly using forged documents (with the employers, presumably, also not looking at them too closely), or are employers not checking documents at all? To the extent that the second is true, this is just another useless attempt at a technological solution to a social problem.

              TINSTAAFK
              • nevermoor May 1,2010 10:22 am || Up

                I strongly suspect the latter.

                "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  12. nevermoor Apr 30,2010 12:21 pm

    To save our economy, each of you must give me $5. For great justice.

    (note: I’m not into the anti-banker crusade at all, but that’s just a terrible argument)

    "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  13. nevermoor Apr 30,2010 12:22 pm

    Which one of these is not like the others? Which one of these does not belong?

    Those three alone – Duchscherer, Suzuki, Anderson – would be significant enough, but the A’s are also missing second baseman Mark Ellis (hamstring), top set-up man Michael Wuertz (rotator-cuff tendinitis), center fielder Coco Crisp (fractured pinkie) and left fielder Travis Buck (oblique).

    "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • MikeV Apr 30,2010 12:28 pm || Up

      Crisp wasn’t on the team last year!

      And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

      Thanks, and go As.

      • andeux Apr 30,2010 12:33 pm || Up

        Crisp is African-American.
        Suzuki is Asian-American.
        Crisp switch-hits.
        Anderson throws with his left hand.

        TINSTAAFK
        • nevermoor Apr 30,2010 12:56 pm || Up

          I was, of course, going for “Buck is not a core member of the team”

          "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • MikeV Apr 30,2010 1:03 pm || Up

            One could argue the same for Crisp, Ellis, and Duchscherer.

            And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

            Thanks, and go As.

            • andeux Apr 30,2010 1:12 pm || Up

              Depends what you mean.

              There’s a pretty huge dropoff from Duchscherer to Cahill/Mazzaro. So his loss is costly (though not surprising).
              I also think Crisp is a lot better overall than Buck/Gross/Carson/Patterson, though I might be in the minority on that one.
              Rosales has done a very nice job filling in for Ellis.
              Buck had basically lost his starting job even before he was hurt.

              TINSTAAFK
              • MikeV Apr 30,2010 2:13 pm || Up

                Sure. I was talking core in the context of being several key players who will be part of the team’s success over the next handful of seasons — guys you want around now and for the next 3 or 4 years.

                And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

                Thanks, and go As.

          • Future Ed Apr 30,2010 1:11 pm || Up

            clearly he has a problem with “core”

            I have $5. No I don\'t.
  14. nevermoor Apr 30,2010 12:31 pm

    Baseball + Politics = FK Post

    “The Major League Baseball Players Association opposes this law as written. We hope that the law is repealed or modified promptly. If the current law goes into effect, the MLBPA will consider additional steps necessary to protect the rights and interests of our members.

    "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  15. andeux Apr 30,2010 1:15 pm

    Slusser:

    Looks like Matt Carson is getting sent out.
    Kurt Suzuki hasn’t been told he’s on the DL but he assumes he is since Josh Donaldson is here. He aims to be back May 9 or 11.
    Duchscherer will see Dr. Thomas Byrd in Nashville on Monday morning.

    TINSTAAFK
    • sslinger Apr 30,2010 1:30 pm || Up

      What we have here is a failure to communicate.

      • nevermoor Apr 30,2010 1:32 pm || Up

        you can get DL’d for that too?

        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • andeux Apr 30,2010 1:36 pm || Up

      Moves official now, + Devine->60 day DL as predicted.

      TINSTAAFK
    • grover Apr 30,2010 1:47 pm || Up

      I’d like to take this moment to gripe about the fucking stupidity of sending down Matt Carson at this time. There is no goddam way Duke is going to miss the DL yet the A’s would rather keep an injured pitcher on the roster for 4 more days than place him on the DL and keep a healthy player on the bench.

      • spwc2010 Apr 30,2010 1:59 pm || Up

        yeah, that sure seems like BS to me too.

        \"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
      • monkeyball Apr 30,2010 2:01 pm || Up

        … leading, of course, to next year’s Patterson situation, wherein Carson is out of options, sucks, but the A’s are afraid someone else will claim him if they try to send him to Sacto.

        you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
        • andeux Apr 30,2010 2:06 pm || Up

          Except that Carson is older than Patterson, has never been considered a real prospect, and (I think) has already cleared waivers once.

          TINSTAAFK
          • monkeyball Apr 30,2010 2:10 pm || Up

            All of that is no less self-evident than the fact that Patterson isn’t a major-league ballplayer.

            you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
            • MikeV Apr 30,2010 2:26 pm || Up

              ZOMG 5TH N TEAM OPSZ!!1!!!

              And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

              Thanks, and go As.

            • andeux Apr 30,2010 2:35 pm || Up

              No, the two really aren’t comparable.
              I would have been fine with them waiving Patterson, but it’s not that hard to figure out why they didn’t. Those reasons don’t apply to Carson. Carson is older, has hit a lot less in the minors, and doesn’t have even Patterson’s theoretic defensive value. He’s exactly the type of player that the team has no qualms at all about letting go (Matt Watson, Tommy Everidge, Wes Bankston, lots of others who we all barely remember).

              Also, your whole point is basically a non sequitur, unless you’re suggesting that the A’s should keep Carson on the roster all year this year to avoid having to do so next year.

              TINSTAAFK
              • MikeV Apr 30,2010 2:40 pm || Up

                Can’t they call him back up if Duke is DL’d?

                And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

                Thanks, and go As.

                • MikeV Apr 30,2010 2:41 pm || Up

                  WHEN, I meant. Not if.

                  And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

                  Thanks, and go As.

                • andeux Apr 30,2010 2:46 pm || Up

                  They could, but they will need to call up another starting pitcher to take Duke’s spot.

                  TINSTAAFK
                • MikeV Apr 30,2010 2:50 pm || Up

                  Mazzaro is in the same rotation spot in Sac as Duke was in Oakland, so he could go on normal rest.

                  And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

                  Thanks, and go As.

                • Future Ed Apr 30,2010 2:57 pm || Up

                  let the clayton mortenson era begin again

                  I have $5. No I don\'t.
                • MikeV Apr 30,2010 3:02 pm || Up

                  Thou Shalt Not Fuck With The Golden Sinker

                  And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

                  Thanks, and go As.

  16. nevermoor May 1,2010 10:23 am

    OBAMA URGES REPUBLICANS: SHUTTER UVA.

    "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
    • monkeyball May 1,2010 1:27 pm || Up

      iFSU, VA shutters U

      you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
      • nevermoor May 1,2010 2:01 pm || Up
        "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  17. Leopold Bloom May 1,2010 7:01 pm

    The episode entitled “Peekaboo” was especially painful. I’m not sure if this show isn’t too much of a train wreck to watch.

    • nevermoor May 1,2010 7:26 pm || Up

      They aren’t all painful (at least that way). Stick with it.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
      • Leopold Bloom May 1,2010 8:14 pm || Up

        That one was just brutally hard, with the crank heads and the little kid and Walt dealing (poorly) with his rich ex and ex-partners.

        But…I must say the opening sequence from the next episode of the Mariachi band singing the Ballad of Heisenberg was a delicious palate cleanser

  18. Leopold Bloom May 1,2010 9:18 pm

    Jesus Christ! “With all due respect guys, why don’t you just kill Badger?” I could not stop laughing.

    • spwc2010 May 3,2010 8:50 am || Up

      Oh jesus…

      My ex-girlfriend’s name is Badger.

      \"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
      • Leopold Bloom May 3,2010 12:21 pm || Up

        Well, let’s see if the coincidences keep aligning: did you kill her? Did you make her sell your crystal meth? Was she bad at it? Did she regularly wear ridiculous hats?

        • spwc2010 May 3,2010 9:19 pm || Up

          1. no, not yet, but I reserve all rights.

          2. no, it was her crystal meth, and she did it on her own volition.

          3. yes, she was bad at it.

          4. ohmyfuckinggod, you should see the ridiculous fucking hats that girl used to wear… Her favorite was a black Halloween witch’s hat which she would wear any day but Halloween.

          \"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
  19. Leopold Bloom May 1,2010 9:35 pm

    okay, one show with Saul and I’m thinking, this guy may be on par with Al Swearengen and Tony soprano as my favoritist television character ever.

    • FreeSeatUpgrade May 1,2010 9:58 pm || Up

      Nah. Saul’s entertaining to be sure, but two dimensional…nowhere near as interesting as Swearengen.

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • Leopold Bloom May 1,2010 10:06 pm || Up

        well, I’ve only seen one episode with him…though, you’re right. He’d have to bring it on awfully hard to beat Al. Soliloquies while getting blow jobs and talking to the severed head of an Indian kind of put him in a class of his own, though I think we’d be talking about Tony Soprano is the same hushed tones had they shut that series down after the third season.

      • monkeyball May 2,2010 3:08 am || Up

        Nah. It’s tv. Two-dimensional is good ‘n’ vivid.

        Saul is right up there with Les Nessman.

        you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
    • monkeyball May 2,2010 3:12 am || Up

      You ever get into The Shield?

      you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
      • Leopold Bloom May 2,2010 3:52 am || Up

        Nope. Is that the same show from the brother-in-law’s point of view?

        Speaking of, I know the BiL is supposed to be vapid and represent the conservative, Christian, right-wing, Republican, Todd Snider. let’s hide behind the camera so we can laugh at his oafishness, but I find myself kind of liking him. He experiences the testosterone overload of American males fantasies and…fucking snaps. He’s got PTSD and panic attacks and in addition, because he’s got this persona to protect, can’t really let anyone see it. He’s kind of…likable. I dunno.

        I’m finding Walt more and more morally reprehensible, though I certainly don’t demand morality from my televsion characters…it is a very thought-provoking show.

        I’m to the point now where I can watch an episode and read the comments you guys made last year, so if anyone has any suggestions for me on the technical issue below, I’d sure like to read your comments…

        • nevermoor May 2,2010 9:46 am || Up

          I think that you’re wrong that BiL is supposed to be one dimensional and sneer inducing. It seems to me that he is (or becomes after where you are) a well-developed character. And one I like.

          "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
          • Leopold Bloom May 2,2010 12:42 pm || Up

            Well, I’m glad I’m not alone in liking him. He seems to me to be the dumb jock from high school. Sometimes the dumb jock turned out to be decent human beings.

            • nevermoor May 2,2010 2:18 pm || Up

              Usually, at best, a decent human being.

              "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
  20. Leopold Bloom May 2,2010 12:20 am

    okay, technical question, anyone can answer. When running through the FK archives, if I click on the month and year in question, it starts me at the end of the month and only has, what, ten links. How do I get to older links in the month?

    • mk May 2,2010 4:17 am || Up

      Navigate to Dashboard > Edit Posts, then filter by month. Like so:

      • Leopold Bloom May 2,2010 5:17 am || Up

        what the hell are you doing up at this hour?

        • mk May 2,2010 5:42 am || Up

          I usually get up at 4. 4-5 is the suck down coffee/swim to consciousness/skim sports sites portion of my day.

          • Leopold Bloom May 2,2010 6:07 am || Up

            you will most certainly live longer than me.

            • spwc2010 May 3,2010 8:53 am || Up

              not necessarily.

              That kind of grind can wear upon even the strongest of worker bees in the long run…

              However, Queen Bees can stay up till all hours of the morning, living off Winston Lights and tacos, and still grow to be old and crusty and wizened like Bette Davis or Gloria Swanson.

              \"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
              • Leopold Bloom May 3,2010 12:22 pm || Up

                Damn, I gotta start smoking again if I wanna live longer?

                • andeux May 3,2010 12:29 pm || Up

                  Julia Child attributed her longevity to red meat and gin.

                  TINSTAAFK
                • spwc2010 May 3,2010 9:22 pm || Up

                  what the fuck do you fuel on, then?

                  There’s no way you could get THAT MUCH mileage off of takeout food, HBO dramas on DVD, and Brazilian tranny porn alone!

                  \"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
                • Leopold Bloom May 4,2010 12:35 am || Up

                  you’d be surprised. Diet Pepsi, too.

  21. Leopold Bloom May 2,2010 12:56 am

    Um, Walt’s really kind of a dick.

    • batgirl May 2,2010 7:11 am || Up

      I’m just finishing up season 1. So when I get up to speed with you, LB, I’ll go back and skim your comments. Then I’m going to have you sum up all the FK historical BB comments once you’ve done all of your above research. K THX BAI.

    • nevermoor May 2,2010 9:47 am || Up

      He certainly has his moments. And of course, he cooks meth. So there’s that.

      "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"
      • Leopold Bloom May 2,2010 12:43 pm || Up

        well, I’m a little biased, but that doesn’t necessarily put you in the bad guy category for me.

        • monkeyball May 2,2010 1:01 pm || Up

          Hey, at least he’s neither an attorney nor an ad man.

          you better hope to God you don't show up in this little community, because you'll wish you had never come
          • nevermoor May 2,2010 2:18 pm || Up

            OBAMA URGES ATTORNEYS: COOK MORE METH

            "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want"

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