[Non-political] News that makes you Laugh/Cry/Both...

Blasted · Post by **Blasted** » Mon Mar 09, 2015 4:03 am

Koumei wrote:We frequently have to cull lots of things out of overpopulation, yeah. That said, I don't know if that could have been avoided by government intervention - resettlement, cutting back on logging and so on.

In all likelihood though, Environment Minister Greg Hunt* just needed them to die so he could maintain his erection. Because he's a bit of a Greg Hunt like that.

*Yes, his name is Cockney rhyming slang. Yes, for the word you're thinking.

Yeah Koalas have no interest in controlling their own numbers, so generally when populations get too large you go and sterilize a few thousand to keep them from just eating themselves out of habitat. If you don't get them early, then you have to go cull them before you end up ankle deep in rotting marsupial.
And despite Hunt's unenviable reputation, he's the federal environment minister and this was a state cull. You'd have to blame Lisa Neville.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 4:54 pm

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Prec ... 81789.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spea ... -her-mind/

da future is nao!

nockermensch · Post by **nockermensch** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 6:25 pm

Stahlseele wrote:http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Prec ... 81789.html

that article wrote:"The cost per firing is low compared to traditional ammunition, and range capabilities are outstanding in clear skies," Blades told TechNewsWorld.

Somebody at the military must be really nostalgic for the black powder times, to create weapons that will malfunction when it rains. I'm just glad America never gets involved in wars at places with high air humidity or sand.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spea ... -her-mind/

somebody at the F-35 caucus wrote:"The public is starting to catch that our program is a scam. We need a feel-good story with the F-35, stat!"

Next month: F-35 pilot visits this little boy in chemo. What happens next will change your life forever!

K · Post by K » Tue Mar 10, 2015 7:34 pm

nockermensch wrote:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spea ... -her-mind/

somebody at the F-35 caucus wrote:"The public is starting to catch that our program is a scam. We need a feel-good story with the F-35, stat!"
Next month: F-35 pilot visits this little boy in chemo. What happens next will change your life forever!

The US military has been working on brain interfaces for about the last decade. While I don't think they will ever be that great at flying planes since drones are basically going to take over the airforce within 20 years, I do expect the military will be making the Matrix.

Add that to their work in robotic prosthetics, I expect Shadowrun will be here in my lifetime.

erik · Post by **erik** » Tue Mar 10, 2015 11:25 pm

Stahlseele wrote: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spea ... n-takeoff/

da future is nao!

Nice.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 12:21 am

They suspened Jeremy Clarkson . . not because of some stupid racist remark or something that would actually get people in trouble . .
no, they suspended him for getting into "A 'fracas with the producer'" . .
And for some reason, they appear to have stopped the next few episodes of top gear season 22 airing because of this . . despite the episodes being filmed months in advance . .

shau · Post by **shau** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 4:10 am

Stahlseele wrote:They suspened Jeremy Clarkson . . not because of some stupid racist remark or something that would actually get people in trouble . .
no, they suspended him for getting into "A 'fracas with the producer'" . .
And for some reason, they appear to have stopped the next few episodes of top gear season 22 airing because of this . . despite the episodes being filmed months in advance . .

Apparently, he straight up punched a dude. That's actually an amazingly valid reason to fire somebody.
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31828184

Whipstitch · Post by **Whipstitch** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 4:46 am

That makes sense. "Fracas" is one of those words entertainment rags like to throw around when it's unclear how to characterize the incident yet, and in any case you can't expect the press to be anything but dismissive when characterizing yet another Jeremy Clarkson pissing match.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 4:59 am

I'm pretty sure at this point he's just seeing how far he can go without actually getting in trouble. And it's potentially "up to the point of punching someone". Or maybe this will blow over and that's also okay.

I mean, he punched Piers Morgan before and didn't get into trouble, but that's because it's Piers Morgan: everyone should be allowed to punch him.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 12:16 pm

According to other people, he did not punch anybody.
And the pierce morgan thing . . completely justified, as that one actively tried to sabotage his marriage.
And it's nothing to do with Work, so that should not count either.

Schleiermacher · Post by **Schleiermacher** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 4:28 pm

Terry Pratchett is dead.

I'm not one of the people who think he was the best thing to happen to English literature since Shakespeare or anything, but he was a great guy and I'm sad to see him go -especially since he was only 66. At least it seems like it was peaceful and easy, in his own home.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 4:33 pm

The world has lost another reason to smile ._.

Pixels · Post by **Pixels** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:12 pm

I am glad he died peacefully before his condition became intolerable, but I am sad that a titan of literary wit has passed away. He will be missed.

Occluded Sun · Post by **Occluded Sun** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 9:23 pm

I am greatly saddened, and somewhat grateful (in-context), about Sir Pratchett's death. I can't say I agreed with everything he had to say, but I always enjoyed reading his works - something that can be said about very few.

He will be remembered among us.

shau · Post by **shau** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 10:33 pm

Schleiermacher wrote:Terry Pratchett is dead.

I'm not one of the people who think he was the best thing to happen to English literature since Shakespeare or anything, but he was a great guy and I'm sad to see him go -especially since he was only 66. At least it seems like it was peaceful and easy, in his own home.

This has suddenly and unexpectedly become an amazingly shit day.

Eikre · Post by **Eikre** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 11:22 pm

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2015/03/ ... lack-lotus

Kind of irritates you to listen to things like this when you're obviously better informed than the host and target audience, but there it is.

I thought they were remiss in leaving unmentioned the fact that WOTC actually made a game out of opening in the packs in the very first place (drafting) and, indeed, that they probably would have slipped into the annuls of shitty fad history if not for their superlative stewardship of a property in a market full of competitors that are so rarely well-looked-after, but in fifteen minutes they do well to focus on a parable a about resisting a bubble and constructing a long-lived institution.

hyzmarca · Post by **hyzmarca** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 11:29 pm

Koumei wrote:We frequently have to cull lots of things out of overpopulation, yeah. That said, I don't know if that could have been avoided by government intervention - resettlement, cutting back on logging and so on.

In all likelihood though, Environment Minister Greg Hunt* just needed them to die so he could maintain his erection. Because he's a bit of a Greg Hunt like that.

*Yes, his name is Cockney rhyming slang. Yes, for the word you're thinking.

It would be Cockney rhyming slang if his name was Greg Burk.

The convention is to take a two work phrase where the second word rhymes with whatever your really trying to say, and then you drop the second word.

For example, in the title of the classic British cop show, The Sweeny.

In plain English, it would be titled The Squad. Sweeny Todd is a play about a barber who murders people. Todd rhymes with squad.

But you drop Todd, because if you don't it's too obvious what your talking abuot, so the show is called The Sweeny.

Whipstitch · Post by **Whipstitch** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 11:45 pm

Stahlseele wrote:According to other people, he did not punch anybody.
And the pierce morgan thing . . completely justified, as that one actively tried to sabotage his marriage.
And it's nothing to do with Work, so that should not count either.

I don't really get why you're white knighting Jeremy Clarkson already. There's nothing particularly weird about the people who write his checks starting up the "What the fuck just happened?" process given that even Clarkson seems to be characterizing this incident as something a tad sordid. From the way things have been characterized it appears the biggest question is not whether anything happened, but whether what happened damaged Clarkson's ability to work with his producer in the future. I'm having a hard time faulting his bosses since "Can you fuckers work together or not?" is generally considered a pretty relevant question in HR circles.

Red_Rob · Post by **Red_Rob** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 12:38 am

Schleiermacher wrote:Terry Pratchett is dead.

I'm not one of the people who think he was the best thing to happen to English literature since Shakespeare or anything, but he was a great guy and I'm sad to see him go -especially since he was only 66. At least it seems like it was peaceful and easy, in his own home.

Damn. Pratchett and Banks in the space of two years. Two of the authors that shaped my teenage reading habits both gone in such quick succession.

I remember being younger and not recognising the names of celebrities who died on the news. Now I'm the one getting misty eyed whilst my kids look puzzled and go about their day. Guess that means I'm getting old...

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 2:03 am

Red_Rob wrote:
Schleiermacher wrote:Terry Pratchett is dead.

I'm not one of the people who think he was the best thing to happen to English literature since Shakespeare or anything, but he was a great guy and I'm sad to see him go -especially since he was only 66. At least it seems like it was peaceful and easy, in his own home.
Damn. Pratchett and Banks in the space of two years. Two of the authors that shaped my teenage reading habits both gone in such quick succession.

I remember being younger and not recognising the names of celebrities who died on the news. Now I'm the one getting misty eyed whilst my kids look puzzled and go about their day. Guess that means I'm getting old...

There aren't the words. I would be a much, much different person if I hadn't found those books when I did.

Well.

Here's hoping he's the guy to finally explain how the horse-shaped ones move.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 10:13 pm

The logistics of airline travel and the lengths these guys go to mess with their customers' perceptions of how they work.

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 1:58 pm

http://laughingsquid.com/dicks-by-mail- ... r-enemies/

Kaelik · Post by **Kaelik** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 2:17 pm

Kinda defeats the purpose if it is anonymous.

Stahlseele · Post by **Stahlseele** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 12:33 am

Jeremy Clarkson has been sacked by the BBC
James May seems to have quit because of that.
R.I.P. Top Gear UK ;_;

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Thu Mar 26, 2015 1:18 am

Frank and I were talking about that. It is sad. It's sad that Jeremy, who has had his share of moments of being an asshat, when on a verbal and physical tirade against a coworker. It was good of him to apologize, and it was good of him to be the one to report it, but I can totally see where the BBC would take a stance on that. It's just unfortunate that the whole fracas happened.