I don't have much to say up here, but the last OT is down on the page and rather full, and let's face it, sort of locked. I'm also not going to datestamp this, as by our recent OT history this may be up for a while.
In my general anti-tradition fashion, I'm going to do the OT my way, with TOPICS below in the first few comments, to keep things sort of contained until more people start topics.
As always, feel free to do whatever you want in this space, within the established guidelines of LL.
3 recs | 704 comments
TOPIC - Books, and how do you read them?
Physical or virtual?
Sitting, laying, or lounging (or standing, you rebel you)?
Any particular genres you’ve wanted to get into but never could figure out where to start?
Faux - February 8, 2012
Answers
Virtual, mainly. I have an iPad available to me, but I still can’t bring myself to read graphic novels or magazines in digital format. I got the Wired subscription with my Kindle fire and tried out their comix app, but i feel I just appreciate the artistry and layout more when it is on a physical page without a light behind it. For mainly text books, however, the ability to keep my 20+ active reads in one pocketable device and adjustable text size and orientation is king.
I’ve actually started standing/pacing more as I read, but that’s more related to my next topic, with my new inability to sit. In general, I’d still say I’m a lounger, laying across most of a couch propped up by the edge.
I’ve always been interested in alternate history stuff, and I know that Turtledove is the king by most accounts, but I’m having trouble finding a book to start on of his, or in that genre in particular. It just seems that they all are products of other books I should read first, from the descriptions. Suggestions, anyone?
Faux - February 8, 2012
I'm an old-fashioned paper book reader.
I’ve tried to get into e-books but it just feels strange reading something longer than an article on an electronic device. I find my mind wanders to other things I can/should be doing with the device. Plus there’s something intangibly satisfying about turning pages.
I’m a recliner reader, preferably at a 135 degree angle.
I’ve really wanted to get into whodunits but the ones I’ve read have been incredibly dull and/or not interesting enough to keep me going. I tend to like novels with more of a paranormal bent. (Not in ghosts but rather out-of-the-ordinary circumstances, which is why I was a foolish sucker for Dan Brown novels.) I’m not the murder mystery type, which is predominantly what the genre mostly encompasses.
ThomasG - February 8, 2012
I keep my old Kindle around just because it can't do anything else.
I mean, it has a browser, but it’s basically useless.
Faux - February 8, 2012
In all forms of media I am platform-agnostic
I have a massive CD collection that is now all on my hard drive. I like vinyl records but am not slavish over them. Same with books – I just like reading. I do not currently own an e-reader but I would have no problem owning one if it becomes the predominant way to read books.
The thing i like most about the e-readers is that they cut through the whole book-snob thing. Have you ever been to a house with a bookcase that covers a wall or many walls, but then when you start asking the owner their stock answer is “oh, I’ve never read that one” – they just collect books to collect them? E-readers actually encourage people to read and not fetishize the book, and I love that.
pdb - February 8, 2012
I'm the exact opposite - I see a book on my shelf and I have to read it, otherwise it's just uselessly taking up space.
On the other hand, I have a bunch of books on my e-reader that I haven’t even bothered with since they’re pretty much out of sight and mind.
ThomasG - February 8, 2012
I just bought one of the cheep Nooks. So far I like it.
It’s not the same as reading a real book and I’ll going to the book store, but I like so far.
InSpokane - February 8, 2012
I read books either on my kindle or listen to books using Audible on my phone.
Recently it’s more audiobooks, because it’s the only real way to read while commuting.
lailaihei - February 8, 2012
Mostly old-fashioned.
I understand that having some kind of electronic reader would be of great benefit to me, seeing as how I have a fuck ton of books, but it’s always seemed unwieldy when I consider that a lot of what I read is obscure in some way, either in subject matter or that its put out by a small press. Plus, I like tactility and writing in the margins when I feel so inclined.
Reading is mostly laying and lounging, which is bad because it makes me somewhat sleepy and there’s a reasonable chance I’m just going to pass out. I really should just find a proper way to sit and read.
JY - February 8, 2012
E-books should reduce the barriers to printing for small presses/writers (though Amazon will gladly take a bunch of money).
yuniform - February 8, 2012
Right, right...
Distribution, less capital invested in a printing, etc…
JY - February 8, 2012
I've been reading a big hardcover (The Art of Fielding is good so far), and the weight makes me miss my Kindle.
yuniform - February 8, 2012
Book are books.
Don’t have an e-reader.
I read on the bus, at lunch, during dinner, on the sofa, in the tub, in bed …
I have read things in most genres, I believe, but don’t find that I have to read “everything” in a specific genre— although there are authors I will read everything by, and if they write a series I have to read it in order :)
msb - February 8, 2012
Paperback, usually in a coffee shop or in bed.
Not really a genre but I have no idea where to start with HP Lovecraft so if anyone could point me in the right direction I would be grateful.
Eyeball Kid - February 9, 2012
Physical, although at this point my wall space for putting up new bookshelves is nil and I already have books stacked on my desk, dresser and on top of the shelves. Also some sitting in a box under my desk and some more under my bed.
I can’t use JY’s margin notes justification because I have only highlighted/written in one book even though like JY I read for education and for trade, but this great editorial from The Verge really sums it up for me. There’s also what this editorial is not – I could write an ode to the smell of an old book or the abrasion of rough-cut paper, the scalloped edges, the smell of acid-based ink and mass market paperbacks or the steep contrast between a high quality press and a blazingly white page.
I always read lying down or lounging. Reading while sitting generally means having back support and then looking down at the book, which means getting a nasty crick in my neck.
People keep trying to get me into high fantasy because they know I love YA fantasy series (being a student English teacher next quarter*, I read a lot of YA), but from The Wheel of Time to A Song of Ice and Fire, it’s done absolutely nothing for me.
*Aside: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! FINALLY!!!! YES YES YES! /LLLJ
harkening - February 9, 2012
There's a certain pleasantness of having a physical book in your hands
but I have to be honest. I’ve done way more reading and way more book purchasing since I got my Kindle.
BrianL - February 9, 2012
I don't see a reason to not read narrative digitally
but none-narriative non-fiction (textbooks and the like) I want physical copies of because I do so much back-and-forthing and tend to be more illustrated.
Matthew - February 9, 2012
Paper, paper, paper.
I am an obsessive margin doodler and note taker, and I do a lot of flipping back to previous paragraphs when I’m reading technical papers that is just extremely inconvenient when you’re not working with physical media. The other issue I’ve had with digital formats is eye strain. E-ink readers are much better than the back lit displays in that regard, but they are still much more taxing than paper.
Drew_D - February 10, 2012
I prefer reading paper books.
However, when I started going to the gym every day it wasn’t very easy to read books that way. So I bought a Kindle and mostly read that way now. Sometimes I read on a treadmill, sometimes the elliptical, and sometimes lounging on the couch. Don’t like to read laying down, cause my arms fall asleep and I never get comfortable.
royalcurve - February 10, 2012
Books.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKVcQnyEIT8
msb - February 12, 2012
TOPIC - Ergonomics and Efficiency
Have you ever looked at how you were doing something, no matter how small it was, and realized there was a much better way the whole time?
And if/when you tried it, how did it go, and do you still do it that way?
Have any tips, or think there has to be a better way to do something that’s hard for you?
Faux - February 8, 2012
Answer
I’m now on month 5 of regularly standing at my desk at work, and it’s grossly impacted my life. I can no longer sit long enough to even eat dinner or watch a TV show, and while I was always a task-based person, I’ve now become supercharged with energy and always have to be DOING something. This has seriously strained my relationship with LL, computers, and entertainment in general. XM is now my preferred method of consuming media.
In short, I’ve ruined all the things that I used to find fun with one little change.
Faux - February 8, 2012
I really miss being able to stand at work
My new job doesn’t allow it and my energy level change is really noticeable.
pdb - February 8, 2012
I do this with ANYTHING and EVERYTHING
From putting my pants on as efficiently as possible to making sure that the last bite of steak pairs with the last bite of potatoes. Not to the point where I freak out if it doesn’t work out perfectly. But I am conscious of it.
d0nkey - February 8, 2012
I can't imagine analyzing how I put my pants on for efficiency
pdb - February 9, 2012
It involves a backwards somersault
Craptastic-J - February 9, 2012
Lies.
Flying double leg side kick.
Aussie Mariner - February 10, 2012
My backwards somersault involves a flying reverse double leg split kick
Craptastic-J - February 10, 2012
If it's not inverted in a half pike position you're doing it wrong.
Aussie Mariner - February 10, 2012
You're all doing it wrong. Pantsless is the new efficiency.
JAH - February 11, 2012
My backwards somersault involved a face plant and full dental rebuild.
Apparently I did it wrong.
ToddK - February 11, 2012
Eh, it's been done...
Pulling each leg on is slower/more effort than sitting and putting both legs in at once, then standing and pulling to waist.
Or at least for me.
Faux - February 9, 2012
I found that jumping into them like you would a jump rope is the quickest way.
Also, the most dangerous.
d0nkey - February 9, 2012
I guess what I meant is I can't imagine that it would matter all that much
pdb - February 9, 2012
I don't go OCD on that kind of stuff because I get satisfaction in saving a bit of time.
I just feel like if I’m going to do something, I may as well do it the best / most effecient way possible or why bother doing it at all.
Thankfully I’m not the type of person that has to have an alphabetical pantry or anything that extreme.
d0nkey - February 10, 2012
Hey, I think my pantry inventory barcode system is pretty neat.
And I always know when I’m down to my last package of something.
Faux - February 10, 2012
I can see doing this far more than I can see spending time and energy on optimizing the putting on of pants
pdb - February 10, 2012
Tying my shoes.
Made the change to the faster way about 6 years ago and it’s so awesome. Tying knots the other way is dumb
Matthew - February 8, 2012
Do tell?
I slip on everything except work boots, so I don’t have much but curiosity invested, but I’m very intrigued.
Keeping in this line, I do the Japanese shirt folding thing from the viral video ever since I saw it, and I’ve always done the backwards banana peeling that made the rounds a while ago. Both are actually a lot easier once you figure it out.
Faux - February 8, 2012
I still don't think this is actually possible.
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fold-a-t-shirt-in-2-seconds
msb - February 8, 2012
It's not two seconds fast, but it is faster than me fumbling with shirts in the air.
Faux - February 8, 2012
It takes a couple tries to get it down, but once you do...
Here’s one video from point of view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbaHxsilsKI
Matthew - February 8, 2012
So, a cross between cats-cradle and casting-on in knitting.
msb - February 8, 2012
That's a really cute video.
Fancy pinkies, lobster claws. Adorable.
wazzu93 - February 8, 2012
Mind.
Blown.
harkening - February 9, 2012
Just tried the folding thing. It was quite easy to pick up
but I’m not totally thrilled with the fold so I call it one rung below the shoe-tying
Matthew - February 8, 2012
Faster way?
I am incredibly intrigued by this.
sanford_and_son - February 8, 2012
My faster way is never untying my shoes
OlSalty - February 8, 2012
(Do not attempt with shoes you actually care about)
OlSalty - February 8, 2012
Yeah, a lot of my martial arts.
There are a few things I still do the old way because I can either make it work or it’s so instinctual at this point there’s not much point retraining.
Aussie Mariner - February 9, 2012
I'm in the same boat
I found a dojo that teaches the exact same style of Karate I grew up with, and I tried to take classes there… I made it through literally 1 class before a small difference in how the sensei liked his students’ fists to be holstered made me give up.
It was such a minute change but it was so ingrained in me to have my fist holstered at my hip, instead of higher up, that trying to retrain myself was upsetting. I’ll do it my own way, thanks.
HititHere - February 9, 2012
There are some things I do under my current instructors that are hold overs from former instructors.
I’ve explained to them what I was told and why, demonstrated that it worked, they showed me their versions, told me shy, showed that it worked then left it up to me to do my own thing, pretty much.
Some of them I changed, some I did not. They don’t care as long as I don’t teach anyone else “my” way, which I have no problem with.
Aussie Mariner - February 10, 2012
That's a good system
It seemed that the dojo I was training at wasn’t going to be hospitable to me doing it differently—there was almost a fetish for holstering your fist high up on your side. It felt so wrong to me I couldn’t fathom trying to do it. Or trying NOT to teach other people to do it my way. So, that was that.
HititHere - February 13, 2012
I've been really, really lucky with my instructors.
The closest they’ll go is “I wouldn’t do it that way because….” or more often “I do it this other way because…”
Aussie Mariner - February 13, 2012
I found that higher hands made for faster traps.
i.e. someone is a bit off balance or slow on their lunge, it takes nothing more than an open hand and a little weight shift to either win the point or lock them down (depending upon whether the tourney was full or non contact ).
ToddK - February 15, 2012
I also felt like I couldn't get enough torque behind my arm, either for blocking or attacking
So it was slower and clumsier.
HititHere - February 16, 2012
The basics are taught to you.
What you do with the learning is up to you. My Sensei was very rigid in his teachings so my adaptations didn’t fly well with him. I was always a, I guess the term “less violence guy”(i.e. I preferred to trap my opponent’s arms and either put them on the floor or just hold them until the ref called a break) should work. While he was more of a “attack any time you have the chance” kind of guy.
I usually did well in competition despite my “lack of aggression”.
ToddK - February 18, 2012
It really depends what you want out of your martial arts experience, too.
I do three on a regular basis. One is mostly self defence, one is more sports/sparring, and the third one is fun/tactics/challenge/best cardio workout on the planet – and the longest term project.
(Just spend the weekend away learning from the top guy in Aus for the last one, that was a fun way to spend the weekend).
I agree with you, though. Learning the techniques are one thing, but how you apply them can be a whole different kettle of fish. I don’t think I’ve ever had an instructor who hasn’t said something along the lines of “At some point you just have a pool of reactions to choose from” rather than being “You must do this”.
Aussie Mariner - February 19, 2012
TOPIC - Handmade Gifts/Food
Are these acceptable anymore, aside from kids to family in the case of gifts and within family and close friends for food?
What’s the coolest handmade thing you’ve gotten or given?
Faux - February 8, 2012
The only reason I ask this is because I was told that it's not anymore.
I made a (really nice) massage table for a friend that is in school for it, as a gift. He loved it at first, but when he asked where he could get another one for his parent’s house (he goes to school there, but lives around me) and found out I bought it, he acted like it was going to fall apart at any moment.
He ended up actually getting another table, some crappy fold-up one that will actually probably fall apart one day soon, and I ended up taking that table back and turning it into an awesome coffee table.
We’re no longer friends over it, and he’s of a mind that I gave him some crappy gift because I was too cheap to buy one (the materials and time involved were much more than a comparable table would have cost). This makes no sense to me, and I wish more people would make me neat things. I can’t possibly be alone in this?
Faux - February 8, 2012
*bought=made in the first paragraph. Balls
Faux - February 8, 2012
You're not alone. That seems weird. I feel like the DIY "movement" has made handmade stuff acceptable.
Side note: When I saw the price of yarn, I started to really treasure all the sweaters my mom knits.
yuniform - February 8, 2012
You're not alone. That seems weird. I feel like the DIY "movement" has made handmade stuff acceptable.
Side note: When I saw the price of yarn, I started to really treasure all the sweaters my mom knits.
yuniform - February 8, 2012
That was ... odd.
But then, I know people who are horrified at the idea of getting a used book.
If the only way you can get said book is used, why not?
msb - February 8, 2012
I really don't like used books, but if that's my only option, I don't mind.
Patrick Stites - February 8, 2012
Only based off of that story alone, that guy is a dick.
My girlfriend makes handmade cards for birthdays, xmas, etc. and everyone loves them. Getting something handmade these days is awesome
d0nkey - February 8, 2012
I prefer handmade gifts,
I received a homemade blanket that was lined with flannel, it is the best blanket ever.
forte40 - February 8, 2012
Handmade gifts are far better than bought ones, in my opinion
They take time, and energy, and patience.
pdb - February 8, 2012
I made handmade things all the time.
Right now, for example. A friend is getting married, and she’s a Roller Derby girl who’s into baking. So I made an apron and am embroidering a derby girl onto it. Mostly I make cakes or pies for people since, well, that’s what I do. But if I had any skill with carpentry I’d make more useful things too. I would love it if people gave me handmade gifts or food. They never do, though.
royalcurve - February 10, 2012
LL homepage is only showing recced fanposts to me. Have to click through to see the rest. Fanshots are all there.
Anyone else have this issue?
Bearskin Rugburn - February 8, 2012
They're having all sorts of issues, network-wide it looks like.
Hell, commenting was disabled a little while back. I’ve been waiting for this site to do that for years, nice to know they can.
They’ll probably clear it up in a few hours.
Faux - February 8, 2012
Yep, still acting wonky.
sanford_and_son - February 8, 2012
They won't even load on the Android app. I have to use a computer, like a sucker.
yuniform - February 8, 2012
I'm having the same problem.
I went so far as to construct a new off-topic and everything because I couldn’t see this one.
JLProck - February 9, 2012
New RLYW useless standings (using CAIRO not Marcel): The Mariners are worse than in the last one
74-88! With Marcel, they had 76 wins. Tied with the Royals for the 6th pick in the draft. The NL Central is terrible, with three sub-Mariners.
yuniform - February 8, 2012
Oakland got clobbered.
From 82 to 76 wins. Both Rangers and Angels move up to +90 wins. Sounds about right.
ThundaPC - February 9, 2012
Nostalgia
http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2008/5/6/481415/hahah-facuk-captain-tripos
http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2008/10/29/649740/is-the-kid-on-his-way-home
http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2008/4/28/462641/question-is-on-the-air
seattlebruin - February 8, 2012
2008 was a great year to be commenting.
JY - February 8, 2012
That was my rookie year at LL after a brief 2007 call up!
seattlebruin - February 8, 2012
I think that there were probably quite a few people who came in around that time.
It was the point at which it seemed as though things were starting to coaLLesce, so to speak.
JY - February 8, 2012
2012 is looking to be not so great.
Eyebrows - February 8, 2012 via mobile
2012 has been terrible.
I fear the stateside opening day thread. The Japan series, I expect might be a little quiet.
JY - February 8, 2012
Depends on whether or not Kawasaki makes the roster
Corco - February 8, 2012
Marina-zu is already banned, no need to worry about Kawasaki fans
seattlebruin - February 8, 2012
Eh, in the past 2 full seasons I've been through it always starts off rough
But then the bad posters get bored and stop posting pretty quick. I think there is a direct relationship between how “good” a commenter is, and how long they stick around. I don’t see why that would change.
HititHere - February 8, 2012
I may have forgotten how awful it was between trading for Cliff Lee and the start of the season.
JY - February 8, 2012
That's the brain's self defense mechanism at work
Forget those painful memories!
HititHere - February 9, 2012
Yeah, but it did have it's downsides.
That was when drunk posting was all the rage, which is something we’re probably better without.
joof - February 8, 2012
Definitely better without
Matthew - February 8, 2012
Wow the question link isn't broken yet?
Somebody is loyal webhost
Corco - February 8, 2012
Hey, lol used to be allowed.
Mariner John - February 8, 2012
If this is the beginning of a drive to allow it again, please allow me to be the first "NO" vote.
Thank you.
ToddK - February 8, 2012
No, I was more trolling SB because he used it in one of the threads.
Mariner John - February 9, 2012
SB has always been a doll
http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2008/2/18/17362/5996
Robert - February 9, 2012
Is it just me or have most of the fanposts been hidden from the right sidebar?
I’m only seeing the top recommended fanpost on the sidebar. I can still get to the fanposts but don’t see them on the front page.
Oddly all the fanshots are still there
OlSalty - February 8, 2012
Seems like they are having network issues
either that or Jeff and Matthew have finally gained sentience and are going to keep us from ever commenting again
seattlebruin - February 8, 2012
It's for the greater good
OlSalty - February 8, 2012
I can't believe it's still like this today.
Kenneth Arthur - February 9, 2012
Yeah, what's the deal? Is this a permanent change?
sanford_and_son - February 9, 2012
Can't be true.
Kenneth Arthur - February 9, 2012
To improve your SBN experience, we've altered the UI to be far more cumbersome and far less accessible.
BrianL - February 9, 2012
It's like Skyrim all over again!
joof - February 9, 2012
It works now, guys!
Mariner John - February 9, 2012
I can't be the only one who only likes solid colored dress shirts, right?
seattlebruin - February 8, 2012
I have to wear dress shirts to work every day, so I spend about 75% of my life wearing solid-colored dress shirts
I think I like them, but at this point I’m so brainwashed it’s hard to say.
HititHere - February 8, 2012
Adam Gehrke is solidly in your court.
ToddK - February 8, 2012
You're not.
I almost never buy/wear anything else if.
Unfortunately my current work is uniformed shirts, and they have stripes.
I HATE STRIPES ON MY BUSINESS SHIRTS!
Aussie Mariner - February 9, 2012
Like I don't completely hate understated stripes
but big, bright stuff just kills me, it looks so tacky. Give me a nice, clean, good fitting solid grey or white or blue any day of the week
seattlebruin - February 9, 2012
Agreed 100%.
sanford_and_son - February 9, 2012
What's weird for me though is that I kinda like bright pastels
yellows and blues especially
seattlebruin - February 9, 2012
I'm the same way, solids pretty much all the time, bright colors are fine
I also really dislike shirts with only white collars, unless the shirt is the same shade of white, which wouldn’t be a white collared shirt but just a white shirt. Especially when it is a colored striped shirt with a white collar, awful
Craptastic-J - February 9, 2012
You like yellow and blue? Shocking!
thehemogoblin - February 12, 2012
I always had him pegged as a Cardinal and Gold kind of guy
bluemax - February 15, 2012
I hate white.
I’m okay with almost anything else. Particularly partial to blue, almost any shade.
Aussie Mariner - February 10, 2012
I like to mix it up every day. But shirts with patterns are probably a little better.
Kenneth Arthur - February 9, 2012
I am 100% solid color dress shirts.
Let the tie do the fancy work.
d0nkey - February 9, 2012
I don't have to wear a tie but I do have to wear dress shirts
so I do have a couple patterned ones, but nothing crazy. But with a tie, yep, solid colors only.
pdb - February 9, 2012
Ties are the devil. They make me feel a little claustrophobic.
d0nkey - February 10, 2012
I figured out how to tie one last night!
I was so happy.
Mariner John - February 10, 2012
Those clips can be a pain in the ass right?
d0nkey - February 10, 2012
:( I'm not that coordinated, okay?
Mariner John - February 11, 2012
I used to think this.
Then I got a shirt with a better fitting collar. Even though the shirt felt fine with collar done up and no tie.
Maybe look into getting a shirt with a bit more room in the neck and see how you go?
Aussie Mariner - February 10, 2012
Although it does help to have a good fitting collar, it still feels uncomfortable.
d0nkey - February 10, 2012
Solid dress shirts or vertical pinstripes.
And 99% of the time, pinstripes are merely a different shade of the primary color. This whole check pattern fad has got to end.
harkening - February 9, 2012
Give me any type of western shirt, and I am happy.
Pretty much doesn’t matter whether it is solid or has a pattern, but it can’t be a wild crazy pattern.
seattle_since_81 - February 9, 2012
The best 2012 Mariners promotion?
Mariners Kids Cape Day for your future super heroes
msb - February 9, 2012
Smoakamotive! Get it?!
Mariner John - February 9, 2012
I hope Phoenix Jones throws out the first pitch.
Two Rs and Two Ls - February 9, 2012
That would be awful.
Patrick Stites - February 9, 2012
Rich Harden is out for the year.
Looking at his BR page, here are some interesting things I notice:
Rich Harden has never actually missed a full season before.
Rich Harden has pitched at least one game in the minors in every season of his career.
In case you forgot, Rich Harden was a 38th round draft choice of the Mariners that did not sign.
Rich Harden has thrown 2 complete games in his career, both in 2005.
Between Chicago and Oakland in 2008, Rich Harden had an ERA of 2.07 over 148 innings with 5.8 hits per 9 and 11 K/9.
Rich Harden gave up 23 HR in 141 innings in 2009.
So long for now Rich Harden. It will be weird not seeing you throw 50 innings.
Kenneth Arthur - February 9, 2012
PNW domination - american cities w/ least sunlight, 50k+ division.
http://www.city-data.com/top2/c475.html
Bearskin Rugburn - February 9, 2012
Bellingham makes sense
The winters there are soooo baaaaad
OlSalty - February 9, 2012
I just love that Western Washington is 15/15 at the top.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 9, 2012
They don't call it the City of Subdued Excitement for nothing, that's for sure.
sanford_and_son - February 9, 2012
This makes so much sense.
sanford_and_son - February 9, 2012
(beams with pride)
Benne - February 9, 2012
What the hell is Enumclaw Plateau and how does it have that many people?
Mariner John - February 9, 2012
Sex tourism
Bearskin Rugburn - February 9, 2012
Not human sex tourism though.
[thatsthejoke.jpg]
JY - February 9, 2012
Tech team!
I am thinking about buying this on today’s woot. Any idea if it’s good or not? The engadget review was particularly glowing (for the price point).
I’m not really a tablet power user, I’ve never had one, but I really like toys
seattlebruin - February 9, 2012
If you're planning to root it, it's a pretty good deal.
If you’re using it stock, ehhhhh…. It’s laggier than a Fire (although with a bigger screen).
A have a couple friends that bought it when it was brand new and they’ve since moved on to a Xoom and Thrive.
Faux - February 9, 2012
One thing I really liked about this one compared to the Fire (stock at least) was that it has full access to the Android Market
how easy is it to root a tablet/can I switch it back later?
seattlebruin - February 9, 2012
Not too hard, just google whatever tablet you have at the moment and there'll likely be step by step directions.
Going back to base might be a little harder, depending on the method, but you should be able to find one that had directions for backing up your current config (or the new OS doesn’t touch the old one).
As for the Fire not having Amazon Market, there’s a very very simple way around that. I don’t have real internet right now, but google sideload kindle fire and it’s seriously like 4 steps.
Faux - February 9, 2012
Rooting is pretty straightforward for most droid devices.
There are step by step guides and videos. But, if they are charging 270 for an 8GB model I think you can do better.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 9, 2012
I've got a bunch of spare micro SD cards floating around, so storage isn't a huge concern for me
since it’s the one thing I can definitely upgrade, I’m more concerned with the video playback abilitiy
seattlebruin - February 9, 2012
Video playback will likely be ok.
The problem w/ external SDs is it takes some Linux trickery to get apps and media to store on it. I dont know what your comfort level is with that OS, but it is not as straightforward as you might think. So, again, for streaming you’ll be just fine Im sure, but if you plan on toting movies around on the tablet it may be less user friendly.
Another, probably minor consideration is that Android 3 code was never released so there is little development for it by the crowds. You can still root with relative ease which would allow you to run things like Titanium Backup and manually determine app permissions (for instance, the facebook app can’t do anything on my phone I don’t allow it to do). But ,no cyanogenmod.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 9, 2012
Ooh ooh, they also just added a new 1.5 GHz processor, but didn't upgrade the RAM (still 512 Mb)
would this be a dealbreaker, or is it still pretty worth it?
seattlebruin - February 9, 2012
Doesn't change my opinion much. It was laggy mainly because of RAM in the first place.
But the stock tablet did do fullscreen HD video + Netflix without any hiccups, so it’s not like it’s horrible or anything.
Faux - February 9, 2012
Yeah, I'm mainly interested in it as a video entertainment device for trips and occasional wifi surfing at home
would be nice if the RAM was 1 GB, but if it can handle HD video OK, I think I can manage.
seattlebruin - February 9, 2012
Aha, yeah, don't bother with the Fire then.
No expandable memory = if you don’t have WiFi handy you’re stuck with not much.
Although the 7" form factor is a very nice thing for traveling, it fits nicely in a jacket’s inside pocket. Full 10" tablets seem to be in the way on planes.
Faux - February 9, 2012
OK, I think I'm settled on this then
planes aren’t a huge concern either, since I usually travel on the corporate charter, so what I was looking for was something I could run Netflix and video on without having to carry around two laptops (my work laptop is far too slow to do anything useful with).
Now I just need to get confirmation on the RAM… it sounds like the 1.5 GHz models, which this deal is apparently for, ship with 1 GB of RAM in preparation for Android 4.0… I’m guessing that would make a huge performance difference?
seattlebruin - February 9, 2012
It would help with the loading times for sure, but probably not so much the UI lag.
I mean, it’d make it better most likely, but not astronomically so.
Faux - February 9, 2012
The Seahawks should sign Mario Williams. That is all.
Matthew - February 9, 2012
That is not all the team should do.
That is all I felt was needed in the comment.
Matthew - February 9, 2012
Wait a second...
forte40 - February 9, 2012
It would be nice to fill the second greatest need pre-draft.
There will be no lack for suitors so they better give him the full Paul Allen Experience.
the other side - February 9, 2012
I don't think giving him lymphoma would be a lure
then again…
Matthew - February 9, 2012
.
When it comes with this?
the other side - February 9, 2012
They are not the Sounders.
Mariner John - February 9, 2012
Mother of god.
Two choppers, seven tenders, and two submarines. Ernst Blofeld would be jealous.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 10, 2012
I'm okay with this.
Benne - February 9, 2012
The issue being, we'd either need to change our defensive scheme, or he'd need to change positions.
Kenneth Arthur - February 10, 2012
I think he is a big enough talent to warrant a scheme change.
the other side - February 10, 2012
Anybody have a good porter recommendation? Somehting I could find here in MT?
Big Sky isn’t brewing Cowboy Coffee this year, and I’m not finding Pipeline Porter for some reason.
BigR - February 9, 2012
Deschutes' Black Butte is good and you are likely to find it in a Fred Meyers, Top Foods, Safeway type place.
JAH - February 9, 2012
Pursuant to JAH's Black Butte recommendation,
here is a list of Missoula outlets carrying the aforementioned brew.
harkening - February 9, 2012
Thanks, I was hoping it'd get mentioned.
I was checking it out at the store earlier.
BigR - February 9, 2012
You really can't go wrong with any brew with Deschutes on the label.
The other day I finally tried Red Chair and found it good enough to pick up a few to take home. This is from someone who finds most pales to be so underwhelming that I normally don’t even bother mentioning them in beer discussions.
ToddK - February 9, 2012
Red Chair is pretty good.
Not a huge fan of Black Butte though.
Though on the porter note, I had Full Sail’s Imperial Bourbon Barrel Aged Porter this evening and damn.
JY - February 9, 2012
Why the eff must you add to my "to drink" list like this?
Off on the search I go…
ToddK - February 11, 2012
It was at College Inn on Thursday, but it's probably gone now.
May be my favorite porter I’ve had so far, but it’s a style that has been a little hit or miss for me.
JY - February 11, 2012
Agreed. I'm a major Deschutes fanboy. I alternate between Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Black Butte these days...
Rachmaninoff - February 11, 2012
You mention Black Butte with, what seems to me, no regard for the great brew they call Obsidian.
Buck up, man!
ToddK - February 11, 2012
Haven't tried it.
If they have it on tap at my school’s bar, I’ll give it a go this week.
Rachmaninoff - February 11, 2012
Obsidian is a fantastic stout brewed by Deschutes.
Black Butte is very good as far a porters go, but Obsidian stout, while a bit darker and more complex in flavor, is far superior.
ToddK - February 11, 2012
I wasn't a fan of Obsidian much.
Though you might disregard as my tastes may be weird. I think Jubale is overrated, which I think that qualifies as heresy round these parts.
JAH - February 11, 2012
I'll leave the flaming to the other good beer fans around here.
Though I will ask what winter brew you found to be better than the ’11 Jubelale. and why you found Jubel to be lacking.
Personally, I thought the ’11 version of Jubelale was their best ever.
ToddK - February 11, 2012
On a side note,
Costco now has Inversion in stock. I’m both happy to see it and curious to see if it lasts past spring.
ToddK - February 11, 2012
Oh my god I love Doppelbock
BigR - February 11, 2012
If you could grind up Felix Hernandez and put him in a bottle, it would be Doppelbock.
BigR - February 11, 2012
Does that mean that Ichiro! would be "The Abyss"?
I’d love to find me some Ichiro!, Abyss!
ToddK - February 15, 2012
Ichiro would be South Pacific Export Lager
BigR - February 15, 2012
A lager isn't even close to deep enough to be Ichiro.
ToddK - February 15, 2012
.
http://www.ussmariner.com/2008/05/24/task-for-the-ussm-readership/
BigR - February 15, 2012
My thought had nothing to do with what beer he drinks.
I was more going for the depth of his thought process. Name a beer that equates to that.
I’m curious to see what you and other folk here think.
ToddK - February 15, 2012
In this vein,
What beer, and why, would LL folks equate to sports figures?
ToddK - February 15, 2012
Chone Figgins = Coors Light
WhyGodWhy - February 16, 2012
Chone Figgins is extremely cheap and useful in the right situations?
neither is true
seattlebruin - February 16, 2012
You are adorable
Robert - February 16, 2012
If only he had mountains that turned blue to let people know when he's cold.
Maybe then people would realize when not to insert him into the lineup.
ThomasG - February 16, 2012
Well would you look at that
Aaron Campeau - February 16, 2012
I think I had unfair expectations as I'm not a winter ale guy and people saying universally good thing about Jubelale convinced me to give it a whirl.
I suppose it is not so much that Jubelale is overrated as I think all winter ales are overrated, but that is why I said I was weird as a lot of people who like good beers like winter ales and Jubelale in particular. Overrated is way too strong a word, I just don’t know what the fuss is about.
JAH - February 12, 2012
So wouldn't it be more accurate to say that winter ales don't really suit your taste?
Saying that winters are overrated is pretty much like saying that mac and cheese is overrated as a food even though millions of Americans eat it on a daily basis.( this analogy is an over-generalization)
ToddK - February 12, 2012
Yes, that would be closer to what I meant to say.
JAH - February 12, 2012
Guessing by your comments,
that a beer you might enjoy would be Theakston Old Peculier.
It’s a nice bitter imported from England. If you live in the Seattle area, you can pick some up at Full Throttle Bottles. Give it a shot.
ToddK - February 12, 2012
Jubelale was sooo good.
Kirk - February 13, 2012
Jubelale was darned good to drink, but I had a stomach ache an hour later.
Of course it may have been the (too much) chili that accompanied said beer.
Rachmaninoff - February 12, 2012
Hit the spot, thanks.
BigR - February 15, 2012
it's not super fancy or a big secret
But I’ve always been a huge fan of anchor steam porter. They are nationally distributed.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 9, 2012 via mobile
Anchor Steam is a nice porter.
Not something that I’d go too far out of my way for but well worth drinking.
ToddK - February 9, 2012
I'll have to try that as well as I'm always looking for a good porter.
JAH - February 9, 2012
While Anchor Steam is in fact delicious, it's not a porter.
Anchor does in fact make a porter, which is also quite good, but if you get Steam and are expecting a porter you might be a bit disappointed.
Aaron Campeau - February 10, 2012
Good grief all along I've thought the brewery was called Anchor Steam
Also, they sure have expanded their repertoire.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 10, 2012
I wonder if anyone here has an opinion on Anchor Small they would like to share
Aaron Campeau - February 10, 2012
Worst. Beer. Ever.
Matthew - February 10, 2012
The free sample of Bud Light Platinum I got at the bowling alley last night would beg to disagree!
pdb - February 10, 2012
Yeah, but that's Bud.
Relative to brewer standards, Anchor Small is the worst beer I’ve ever had
Matthew - February 10, 2012
A fair point
pdb - February 10, 2012
I haven't had the Bud, but I'd bet Anchor Small would give it a run for its money.
Drew_D - February 10, 2012
Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter and Fullers London Porter are both fantastic.
I’ve definitely seen the former mentioned on here it shouldn’t be too hard to find.
Eyeball Kid - February 10, 2012
Samuel Smith's brown ale is bleeping wonderful.
Due to your comment I am now looking for taddy.
ToddK - February 11, 2012
As a secondary note
It seems almost impossible to get a decent pasty around these parts.
ToddK - February 11, 2012
Didn't they do a different porter this year?
Bobo’s or something like that?
Aaron Campeau - February 9, 2012
Yeah, Bobo's robust porter.
It’s decent, but a big step down from the Cowboy Coffee for my taste buds.
BigR - February 9, 2012
Good to know.
I haven’t tried it yet, despite finding the label art to be adorable. Might see if I can grab a single somewhere before I spend a whole $9 on a six-pack.
Aaron Campeau - February 10, 2012
It's been pretty well received for the most part, just doesn't quite do it for me.
To me, it seems more generic and bland, not as distinct of a flavor as the Cowboy Coffee.
BigR - February 10, 2012
Yeah, Pipeline Porter seems to have disappeared from the shelves pretty quickly this season. Huge bummer.
Ninkasi’s new porter ReNewAle (lol get it?) is actually really damn. Very hoppy for a porter, almost borders on a black IPA. Not sure if Ninkasi distributes in Montana, though.
I bet you could find Black Boss Porter at a fancy beer shop, though. Stuff is strong and tasty and you can feel like a sophisticated Euro when you drink it.
sanford_and_son - February 10, 2012
The positive thing about Pipeline going away is that it means Koko Brown is now available
Aaron Campeau - February 10, 2012
That's not a positive thing
seattlebruin - February 10, 2012
Althoug ideally they'd both be year-round
Aaron Campeau - February 10, 2012
I would settle for this
seattlebruin - February 10, 2012
We should just replace Coors Light with Pipeline in our national consciousness
seattlebruin - February 10, 2012
Yeah, I'd rather Pipeline not go away at all.
But if it’s the only way I can get Koko Brown I will take it.
Aaron Campeau - February 10, 2012
I made my own Koko Brown, because they don't seem to ship bottles of it to the mountains.
yuniform - February 10, 2012 via Android app
Ew coconut. Is it different in beer form?
Mariner John - February 10, 2012
Wizzle-wozzle
Aaron Campeau - February 10, 2012
I tried koko brown today.
That’s about the best I can say about it.
ToddK - February 18, 2012
Not a fan?
Aaron Campeau - February 18, 2012
It's not a beer I'll drink again on purpose.
ToddK - February 19, 2012
My opinion too.
It’s the only beer I’ve ever had a hard time finishing.
BigR - February 19, 2012
You should try their Wailua Wheat
That stuff is nearly undrinkable.
Trying to track down some Koko to try for myself. I think I’ll like it, but it doesn’t seem like their is a direct translation between Pipeline love and Koko like, which is what I had assumed.
Craptastic-J - February 19, 2012
I'm not sure what it is about the Koko, I like porters and stouts,
So it’s not like I don’t enjoy full flavored beers.
BigR - February 19, 2012
Maybe the coconut doesn't do it for you? Hard to pinpoint the why sometimes
The passion fruit in the Wailua Wheat is not real noticeable but it’s definitely a strikeout. That beer is just an all-around mess though, so not a good comp.
Craptastic-J - February 19, 2012
Oh god that stuff is terrible
Aaron Campeau - February 19, 2012
I drank quite a bit of Pipeline so I had faith in Kona when I bought that Wailua
It was like Bud with a shot of fruity suntan lotion. They should be embarrassed.
Craptastic-J - February 19, 2012
I got a Kona sampler for Xmas
and was stoked because I either misread the box or wishcasted that the seasonal was Pipeline. Instead, it was Wailua Wheat. I hadn’t bought beer in a while and I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention, because this week I looked in and saw nothing but Wailua Wheat in my fridge. Straight out of a nightmare.
I had one, but that’s all I’m able to do. The rest may find their way into beer bread or something, though I worry it might make the bread inedible too. I’m a huge supporter of Kona, but that beer is completely nasty.
marc w - February 21, 2012
So I can't believe I almost let a subthread about porters going by without mentioning my favorite style.
Baltic porters! They are tremendous. Different from what you’d expect out of a porter like Cowboy Coffee but of man, they’re great. Just a little bit sweet and a little bit sour and nice and strong without an overpowering taste of alcohol. Black Boss is probably my favorite, and it’s pretty widely available and quite affordable.
Aaron Campeau - February 11, 2012
From Jeff's post on the mothership, I got curious about the 2003 Tigers and found this little gem
in 2003, Nate Cornejo pitched 194.2 innings and recorded… 46 strikeouts. <em>FORTY SIX!
To put that in perspective, it’s 2.1 K/9. Noted ball-in-play artist Anthony Vasquez nearly doubled that strikeout rate in 2011 for the Mariners.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cornena01.shtml
seattlebruin - February 10, 2012
Has anyone here ever worked at the Everett Aquasox for a summer job before?
Like as a concession person or something along those lines? I’m considering putting in an application for this summer since their season more or less fits perfectly into my back-to-school schedule and I want to make sure it’s not somehow the shittiest job on the face of the Earth.
Cascadian Man - February 10, 2012
tworsandtwols has been their stadium MC
msb - February 10, 2012
I have a friend that works for them, the stories I've heard make it sound like a fun place.
When I attended a game last season, the employees I encountered all seemed to be enjoying themselves. So, it’s probably a pretty solid job for what you are looking for, and hey, baseball!
Patrick Stites - February 10, 2012
The baseball part is the appealing part!
Cascadian Man - February 10, 2012
Question for the numbers-inclined or statistic-minded
What does a correlation of .69 tell me about two sets of numbers? I used Excel’s CORREL function to calculate the correlation between Set A and Set B, and it came out as .69. But what does that mean? Is that a strong correlation or a weak one?
Keep in mind when you’re trying to answer me that a) I last took a math class in 1988 b) I tend to think that 2+2 = rutabega and c) numbers intimidate me.
pdb - February 10, 2012
If I was going to take a guess,
I’d guess that it means there’s a 69% correlation between the two sets. I am probably wrong though because I am absolute shit with Excel and my maths are currently warped from DiffEq.
Cascadian Man - February 10, 2012
I guess that's my question
is a 69% correlation considered “strong”? What is the dividing line (if there is one) between “strong” and “weak” correlations?
pdb - February 10, 2012
.69 is fairly strong.
Between zero and 1, the closer you get to 1, the stronger the correlation.
harkening - February 10, 2012
Thanks
That’s exactly what I was looking for.
pdb - February 10, 2012
I could be wrong, since almost all of my stat background came from psych:
I think it’s field dependant – that would be a super strong correlation in Psychology, but that’s because there is so much noise around that could be contributing. Most of the psych research I’ve seen tops out around .5.
I think the definition they gave us was something along the lines of a 0.69 means 69% of the time the change in variable A will result in the change in variable B. Or it could have been changes in variable A result in 69% of the changes in variable B.
Or not. I’m going to stick with project management, it has less statistics!
Aussie Mariner - February 10, 2012
I CAN'T BELIEVE PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT TOMORROW! WOO!
wazzu93 - February 10, 2012
Spring is here, spring is here
Life is skittles and life is beer!
pdb - February 10, 2012
Skittlebrau?
I think that’s more akin to death.
Drew_D - February 10, 2012
Not Skittlebrau
but poisoning pigeons!
pdb - February 10, 2012
I just wrote that the report on Sunday. Isn't it the 12th that they report?
Kenneth Arthur - February 10, 2012
I think the 12th is their first practice, but they report tomorrow?
joof - February 10, 2012
They report on the 11th. Tomorrow.
harkening - February 10, 2012
Okay, so they'll have a meet and great tomorrow, but pitchers and catchers work out on Sunday.
I won’t edit what I wrote then.
Kenneth Arthur - February 10, 2012
Physicals on sat., workout on Sunday
msb - February 10, 2012
First workout Sunday I think.
the other side - February 10, 2012
This is tremendous.
787 test flight path.
Aaron Campeau - February 10, 2012
The 747 did the same thing.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/04/visualized-boeing-747-8-makes-its-longest-flight-to-date-write/
Still really cool, though.
harkening - February 10, 2012
Yeah but the Boeing logo is the coolest part
Aaron Campeau - February 10, 2012
My first thought was "God, I wonder how much Nike paid to get their swoosh flown like that." before I realized it was the Boeing logo.
JAH - February 10, 2012
Well, it's more of a screwed-up McDonnell Douglas logo, but yeah.
(the current Boeing logo is just the McD logo with the word Boeing next to it)
Rachmaninoff - February 11, 2012
Is there any fruit that is grown locally that either you grew up on or have been converted to that's just better than the same thing from anywhere else?
I just had my first new season apple, and it was sensational.
My home state is known as the apple isle (it’s even on our number plates), and I’ve never had apples anywhere that taste as good as these do.
I am sad that I only bought two to work, and have to wait another two hours before I can eat more.
Aussie Mariner - February 10, 2012
In-season tomatoes are ridiculously great. The key is to get lots and can them.
yuniform - February 10, 2012 via Android app
Brad Lefton interviews Iwakuma
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2017449274_iwakuma08.html
msb - February 10, 2012
Awww, sad. :(
Jeffrey Zaslow killed.
I’m halfway through The Last Lecture right now.
wazzu93 - February 11, 2012
I'd just like to be the first on LL to wish you all a HAPPY REPORT DAY!
harkening - February 11, 2012
Carp's a good guy.
Halman tribute shirt.
wazzu93 - February 11, 2012
Brodie Downs made the shirts too :(
Brodie Downs was the beta version of Tom Wilhelmsen.
JY - February 11, 2012
So, so heartbreaking. Brought me to tears.
royalcurve - February 11, 2012
It sounds like there's a desire to make them available to the public as well.
Linky
KC Mariner - February 11, 2012
All-Star Game!
I just secured tickets to the All-Star Game (and surrounding events). Has anyone ever been to one before or even in a city that hosted to attend non-game events? Is the fan fest worth it? Is anything other than the Futures Game worth checking out before the main event?
KC Mariner - February 11, 2012
The Fanfest was worth it.
If I had the opportunity to take in another All Star Game, I would go to as much as I possibly could.
I probably wouldn’t try to hang out for the Celebrity Softball game, though.
Two Rs and Two Ls - February 11, 2012
I ended up buying a friends ticket to the batting practice/futures/softball game day at Safeco
it was pretty fun, and you could move around during bp, taking pictures
msb - February 11, 2012
Is there a pretty good showing by the players on the practice day?
Or do they only take a few swings then head back into the clubhouse?
KC Mariner - February 11, 2012
There was some BP. I mostly remember the standing around and visiting ...
and the press.
msb - February 11, 2012
Roger Clemens signed autographs on practice day.
If I remember correctly, Clemens was regarded was one of those surly folks who never signs for nobody.
Two Rs and Two Ls - February 12, 2012
Thank you both for the feedback.
KC Mariner - February 14, 2012
RIP Whitney Houston
“How Will I Know” isolated vocal track. Hauntingly beautiful.
seattle_since_81 - February 11, 2012
Jesus, only 48?
wazzu93 - February 11, 2012
Crack 48 though
OlSalty - February 11, 2012
Yup, what a waste.
I love all the tards that think Bobby Brown murdered her, since ya know, HE introduced her to drugs.
wazzu93 - February 11, 2012
What the fuck is this ad?
Moving ads are the worst thing on the internet.
BigR - February 11, 2012
Adblock is awesome.
the other side - February 11, 2012
I know nothing of this voodoo
BigR - February 11, 2012
Simple google search should get you where you need to go.
It’s a fantastic tool.
the other side - February 11, 2012
Heres the chrome version.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gighmmpiobklfepjocnamgkkbiglidom
the other side - February 11, 2012
I use the one with the cute orange puppy.
He/she is adorable.
BigR - February 11, 2012
Grill advice:
My wife and I are looking for a grill, but we live in an apartment and have a really small patio so it has to be propane and small.
The Weber Q series is generally regarded as the go-to in that segment, but they’re a little more than we’d ideally like to spend. Anyone have any other recommendations? It’s just the two of us, so a small cooking surface is fine and we probably wouldn’t be buying a stand so one not being available as an accessory isn’t an issue.
Aaron Campeau - February 11, 2012
We had a nice discussion about this last summer when I too was in the market.
the ability to pull it up from the archives appears to be one of the things still not working right with SBN.
msb - February 11, 2012
Which one are you looking for a comparison to?
The Q series ranges from really small at the 100 to almost full size at the 300 level.
Also, gas or electric?
Faux - February 13, 2012
Shit, ignore my gas question. Got caught up in other things.
Faux - February 13, 2012
The 100.
When I say our patio is small, I mean really really small.
Aaron Campeau - February 13, 2012
All the news about the Kings potentially moving to Seattle still makes me feel gross.
Times: Surreal scene for Kings fans, players as NBA clock ticks
JY - February 12, 2012
Tech support people, I would like some laptop advice.
I need a new LLaptop, and I’d like to crowdsource your more knowledgeable opinions before I jump into a $500+ purchase.
I bought my last laptop, an HP Pavilion, right as Windows Vista came out in 2007. (I was a junior in high school. I was naive. I know, I know.) It went five years before its hard drive basically ceased functioning. (It takes a solid 15 minutes to start up and another 10 to open Mozilla Firefox, and it only goes 10 to 15 letters’ worth of typing before freezing up again.) Ideally, I’d like to have that same sort of lifespan again, especially because I graduate from college in June and won’t have money to spend on it afterward. I really need to come up with a solution soon, too, because it’s pretty much impossible to go through college without a laptop now.
Windows/Macintosh is a consideration here, because I’ve grown a lot more comfortable with Mac and the journalism world operates on it. It doesn’t need to be amazingly powerful because I’m not editing videos or running any sort of videogames, but it needs to be good enough to not be obsolete after just a year or two. Cost is definitely a consideration here, because my job at the student paper only gives me so much money to work with, so dropping $1,000+ is out the window.
I’m going to be doing a lot of word processing and Internet surfing with it and nothing much outside of that, but I need something that’s going to go a long time before dying.
thehemogoblin - February 12, 2012
If $1,000+ isn't an option, that eliminates pretty much the entirety of Apple's lineup.
Since you also seem to be putting a premium on lifespan, I’ll recommend (and this comes as a shock to absolutely no one) a Lenovo Thinkpad. Specifically the T420 starting at $799
The first Thinkpad I owned, I inherited from my dad. I replaced it once it was about six years old and I could have wrangled some more life out if it if I wanted to. Second Thinkpad I bought was the T400, predecessor to the T420 linked above. I’ve had it for three years now and I don’t forsee the need to replace it for at least another few years.
The really nice thing about the Thinkpad is the construction is really solid. It takes beating and is far, far more durable than any consumer grade laptop you could buy from HP or Dell.
BrianL - February 12, 2012
+1 on the ThinkPad
I’ve had several, and loved them. My father loves his, too.
The T420 is what I’d go for…the T, W, and X series are the best/“real” ThinkPads. You pay more for less flash/power than you might get elsewhere, but they’re built like tanks. Plus, they’re one of the few mainstream options that offer a matte screen. (I HATE the glossy screen on my current Macbook Air. NEVER again will I buy a glossy-screened computer if I can help it…)
Rachmaninoff - February 13, 2012
Matte screen? I'm sold.
thehemogoblin - February 14, 2012
One of the best features of the Thinkpad.
I hate, hate, hate glossy screens and it seems like the Thinkpad is the only thing on the market that still sells matte.
BrianL - February 14, 2012
And everything about a Thinkpad is matte.
Screen, keyboard, housing.
BrianL - February 14, 2012
Brian and I are almost always in agreement on Lenovo as a go-to piece of machinery.
Thinkpads are almost always LLIT approved.
Even that E series they have on sale for VDay looks pretty good – LINK
That being said, if you can swing almost a thousand, the new MacBook Airs are great travelling pieces of equipment, and being a student you should get somewhere around 8-10% off. That 11" screen on the base model is a little small for most people, though, I’d give it a look first. That being said, I wouldn’t get a used MBA, as only the latest version is really worth it.
Faux - February 13, 2012
The 11" MBA is pretty small.
Credit to Apple for squeezing a full-sized keyboard, but I’d have a hard time using that ultraportable for anything productive over long stretches of time.
The Thinkpad X220 is one I’m pretty fond of right now. Larger screen than the MBA, excellent battery life, ultraportable form factor, and it’s $100 cheaper than the low-end MBA.
BrianL - February 13, 2012
Agreed, but he asked so I gave the option ;P
The X series Lenovo’s we deployed have hinge issues ): , but that was a couple models ago so it’s probably fixed.
Faux - February 13, 2012
Yeah the 300 and 301 had hinge issues, maybe also the 201.
Seems to have gone away with the 220. We picked up a pair at work last year and one of the first things I noticed that the hinge seemed beefier than various Thinkpad models over the last five or six years.
BrianL - February 13, 2012
As far as the MacBook Air goes
I’d keep an eye on the refurbished section of the online Apple store. Those computers are all used, but there are usually some of the current version at a 10-20% discount.
enguy - February 13, 2012
Or craigslist. And just pretend that it isn't stolen.
d0nkey - February 14, 2012
Thank you all so much.
I just pulled the trigger on a T420 on sale and got it for $899.
It’s got Windows 7 Pro, the big battery, 4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard drive, 14" screen and Bluetooth (that came free).
I’m happy.
thehemogoblin - February 15, 2012
Oh the web sale T420, that's great one to grab.
Nine-cell battery to boot? Score. Excellent rig.
BrianL - February 15, 2012
Excellent, good choice.
That machine should last you for many years. Enjoy!
Rachmaninoff - February 17, 2012
So the Yankees are determined to move Burnett one way or another
and I can’t help but think that this is the bad contract swap partner Seattle needs to get rid of Figgins. Burnett is owed more money but the Yankees are reported to be open to eating as much as two thirds of what he is owed. Anyone else think this is a good idea?
Burnett wasn’t so good last year, but his xFIP was a very respectable 3.86. His homer problem would benefit from Safeco to some degree, and the walks ought to drop as well. I personally would be more comfortable starting Burnett than Millwood.
Why would the Yankees want Figgins? That’s a hard one to say. They gave Bill Hall an invite to ST. A Rod’s legs and hips are starting to give out a little… Yeah. That’s all I got. If I had thought this out more it wouldn’t be in the OT.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 13, 2012
I think the key there is "Why would the Yankees want Figgins"
I can’t see that happening, I really can’t. But I’ve been wrong before.
pdb - February 13, 2012
I guess if the Yankees were really desperate to get rid of Burnett and they thought Figgins could be a legitimate super-utility player, then it might work.
But, even in that scenario, I can’t imagine the Mariners walking away without having to give up something of (marginal) value in return. Burnett’s snake-bitten but he’s still a moderately useful starting pitcher; Figgins is nearly devoid of value.
ThomasG - February 13, 2012
I know its a stretch. But Burnett is less than useless to them - they have two better pitchers to take his spot
and Figgins is a good utility player if you disregard his contract. The other why is salary. Say the trade is straight up. Mariners effectively spend five or six million on a veteran starter and an open roster spot, while the Yankees save a bunch of over-the-luxury-tax money.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 13, 2012
If the trade is straight up, the Mariners end up $15M in the hole to swap Burnett for Figgins
Burnett also has a limited no-trade clause, and provided how the Mariners have played the last two seasons, it’s very imaginable that we are on his list, and would take another couple million to buy it out.
If we’re dropping $6M extra to swap Burnett for Figgins, great. $15-$18M, not so much.
seattlebruin - February 13, 2012
Wait a sec
both players have two years left, Burnett is owed about 30M, Figgins 18. So, 12 extra over both years unless Im mistaken about one of the contracts.
As for the no trade clause, those tend to include likely trade destinations to give the player extra bargaining power, not the other way around. Seattle’s being terrible actually makes it more likely that thay are not on the list, although who knows.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 13, 2012
Oh shit it's 33. I see. So, maybe not straight up, although 16M per year for 2 wins is better than 9M per year for no wins.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 13, 2012
Because he's a former All-Star.
Kenneth Arthur - February 13, 2012
I don't get the desire to trade Figgins
As our roster is constructed right now, he stands to be a pretty useful piece for us. He’s not what we’re paying for, sure, but we have a real need a guy who can steal bases and play adequate defense around the field.
If we were getting something useful in return I’d be OK, but I’d rather just start Beavan if it came to that than trade for Burnett and not have Figgins.
Corco - February 13, 2012
The desire to get rid of Figgins really comes down to the frustration he has caused Mariner fans.
Shitty hitting, shitty fielding, shitty attitude. Is his attitude and fielding always terrible? Probably not, but the times when it is terrible is certainly frustrating and amplified by how awful his bat has been.
Now does this mean he should be moved in any deal? No, not really. A swap for Burnett doesn’t really make sense for us.
Patrick Stites - February 13, 2012
I don't know- I feel like I want to keep giving him a chance for some reason
If only because would it not be hilarious if we won the World Series this year on the back of Chone Figgins?
Corco - February 13, 2012
More seriously though the Mariners tend to just cut/dump bad contracts
I can’t remember a bad contract where we’ve taken the player and given him a good opportunity to succeed in a limited role. We sign shitty players to start and then they can’t start and then we release them or trade them for another bad contract, without trying to salvage something. I’d love to see Chone quietly be a good contributor to the team off the bench.
Corco - February 13, 2012
I agree.
At this point, what he’s owed doesn’t matter anymore. That money is not coming off of the books until it comes off the books. Even if we trade him, it’s not coming off the books. At best, it’s replaced by another bad contract.
As a “Willie Bloomquist type”, Figgins would be just fine. Maybe in the best case scenario, he’s Mark McLemore. But to trade him because of his contract is moot. That contract is ours and you can have it, but you won’t want it. We just need to pretend that the money owed to Figgins is being paid to Ackley, and then it will feel like a bargain.
Kenneth Arthur - February 14, 2012
The merging of two trendy things!
http://runforyourlives.com/
I like the proliferation of tough mudder style races with less competition and more fun, but the zombie version just seems like a cashing in on the genre. I can’t help but thinking if these races were around ten years ago someone would make a Blair Witch version.
If I was more enterprising, I think something like this based around the Celtic or Scot games would be pretty awesome, complete with pole tossing and such.
Faux - February 13, 2012
Unexcited.
Mud runs are fun events, but this is too much camp. I think this is going to be my next silly run:
Ragnar Relay (6 runners, 2 vans, 2 days)
Drew_D - February 13, 2012
If you're in Seattle you should do Hood to Coast instead
pdb - February 13, 2012
I'm in SF, although my running group has discussed the hood to coast race.
This is similar, just better located. We like running charity races when we can, but the additional travel costs for Hood to Coast make it less appealing.
Drew_D - February 13, 2012
Yoenis Cespedes ---> Oakland
4/36M
Bearskin Rugburn - February 13, 2012
Did not see that coming.
sanford_and_son - February 13, 2012
This offseason is weird.
Cascadian Man - February 13, 2012
I need the collective LL brain
A while back, like mid-90’s maybe (or it could have been early 2000’s, even), a major league owner was talking about the business of running a baseball team and how it was like any other business. In one discussion, he went so far as to describe the game of baseball in business terms, and with a completely straight face he called a fly ball a transaction. I could swear it was Tom Hicks, but I can’t find anything on the Googles to support my memory.
Does this ring a bell with anybody?
pdb - February 13, 2012
I just tried this delicious raspberry vanilla stout from Trade Route Brewery this weekend
It was sooooooooo good. I don’t normally like beer this dark, but this was not bitter at all.
Anyone else tried Trade Route’s stuff? What do you like best? I had tried something of theirs a while back, but I’m going to make it a point to frequent this place more often (it’s right by my house). They were out of their ginger pale and mango weizen, which was disappointing, but understandable since they were without power for almost a week during the snowstorm.
HititHere - February 13, 2012
Their Kaffir Lime IPA is pretty great
Aaron Campeau - February 13, 2012
That sounds delish. Where is Trade Route located? I've never heard of it.
sanford_and_son - February 13, 2012
It's small, located in a warehouse in an industrial district
It’s in Pacific, WA a few miles South of Auburn and just off highway 167. It’s a diamond in the rough if I’ve ever seen one.
The seasonal beer I tried above isn’t currently listed on their website, but it was soooo good.
Link
HititHere - February 13, 2012
They bottle some of their beers but I have no idea if it's available through retail anywhere.
You can always get growlers to go, though…
HititHere - February 13, 2012
They're available at plenty of retail shops.
What I want to know is: do they still brew all of the old Laughing Buddha brews like the Kaffir Lime IPA, or the Pandan Brown? I had a few of those, but I just looked at the Trade Route website and it looks quite different.
I don’t see a kaffir lime IPA, just something called “Hoppy Bitch.”
marc w - February 13, 2012
It seems they change their selection frequently, even beyond seasonals.
Which seems odd.
HititHere - February 13, 2012
Well, maybe, but it just seems like a completely different brewery now.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and I wish them the best of luck. Thought there was potentially a market for the kaffir lime/pandan leaf/ginger/lemon grass infused beer, and while they haven’t entirely abandoned that approach, it seems like a small part of their operation now. At least from what I could tell on their website.
You found a raspberry-vanilla stout that I didn’t see on the website, so maybe they save their more outre offerings for the brewpub.
marc w - February 13, 2012
So apparently, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a thing.
A real thing.
Cascadian Man - February 13, 2012
I liked it much better than Pride and prejudice and zombies.
msb - February 13, 2012
More and more movies are sounding like fake trailers from "The Critic."
“It stinks!”
sanford_and_son - February 13, 2012
I'm not sure if I like this trend of intentional wackiness or the overly dramatic schtick of the 90s, early 2000s like The Postman or something like that.
JAH - February 13, 2012
I love it when it's done right.
Doesn’t seem like too many of them are done right though.
Cascadian Man - February 13, 2012
This one has a good cast, at least.
msb - February 13, 2012
They can't all be Bubba Hotep
JAH - February 13, 2012
Great and criminally underappreciated movie
Funny and weird but also a pretty dark meditation on what it means to grow old in America.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 13, 2012
Never, but never, fuck with the King.
msb - February 13, 2012
It's under-appreciation seems understandable more than criminal.
The movie is utterly unwatchable for sections. I understand what they were shooting for, and that it’s Bruce Campbell with all the Bruce Campbellness, but you have to not want to turn it off and walk away for the message to get through.
Drew_D - February 13, 2012
Same director as the "Phantasm" series, too.
Don Coscarelli rules.
sanford_and_son - February 13, 2012
Coscarelli is making "John dies at the End" with Paul Giamatti isn't he?
Which looks pretty interesting.
I could look up the answer to my own question I guess
Craptastic-J - February 13, 2012
I can't recommend the actual book enough.
I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as hard at a book as I have when reading John Dies at the End.
Cascadian Man - February 13, 2012
I've had it on the list since I heard about the movie
Probably bump it up a few spots now
Craptastic-J - February 14, 2012
Yep, very excited to see it.
sanford_and_son - February 13, 2012
I guess I disagree with the unwatchable part
it wasn’t a ‘fun’ movie but I dont think a movie has to be fun to be good.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 13, 2012
I don't think the "overly dramatic schtick of the 90s" ended in the 90s.
Exhibit A" “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”
sanford_and_son - February 13, 2012
The book was better than it had any right to be
But why is Abe swinging his axe around like a fucking katana—oh right, the director of Wanted.
Benne - February 13, 2012
CURVE THE BULLET, DUDE!!!!
sanford_and_son - February 13, 2012
As an SSR emigrant I really wanted to like his movies but they blow goats and there's just no two ways about it.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 13, 2012
How is this appreciably different from "Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter" which came out over a decade ago?
Aaron Campeau - February 13, 2012
More Hats.
joof - February 13, 2012
That makes it 17% better!
Matthew - February 13, 2012
Less Jesus
bluemax - February 15, 2012
So, are Bob & Groz as ill-informed about the other sports as they are about baseball?
msb - February 13, 2012
If one doesn't see the train wreck, it didn't happen.
ToddK - February 13, 2012
One of my current hobbies is betting on completely terrible teams and praying they cover enormous spreads
because there’s no vote of confidence quite like “dear God, just please don’t get blown out”
seattlebruin - February 13, 2012
So now you know what it's like to be a Seahawk fan.
Oh wait! You’re a Mariner fan. Carry on…
ToddK - February 13, 2012
I'm sure we've talked about this before, but
I’m considering leaving AT&T and going to T-Mobile and giving up the iPhone and going with an HTC or Samsung phone.
Does anyone else in the Seattle area have T-Mobile?
InSpokane - February 13, 2012
Not anymore.
I have Sprint now, and have for a few years. I’m fine with them, and I like the unlimited data plan. Sorry I can’t help on T-Mobile. Robert?
royalcurve - February 13, 2012
Moi.
I have the pay-as-you-go and a cheap phone though, so I’m not sure how much I can contribute to the discussion. I’d be curious to see the coverage map of the area for the various companies.
msb - February 13, 2012
HEY! I did exactly this recently. Here's what you do.
Get whatever phone you want yourself. New, used, refurbished, doesnt matter. Then sign up for their $30/mo unlimited data plan. You only get 100 minutes but google voice lets you call over the 4G for free and works like a dream. If dreams worked well, which they don’t really.
This is all assuming you want a data plan… Maybe you don’t, in which case, sorry. But, pretty much every other carrier you’ll pay at least 80/month so even if you pay full price for a brand new phone you end up covering the cost of the phone within the first year.
As far as Tmo in Seattle… I’m in NY but I visited back there recently and had 4G most everywhere, including Stevens Pass, which surprised me.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 14, 2012
As for phones I have a galaxy SII and am extremely happy with it.
Although, I wish I had gotten the international version rather than the Tmo branded one on account of it has a different chipset in it and so it’ll take a good bit longer for it to get Android 4.0 and support for things like CyanogenMod, if you’re into that sort of thing. I looked at the HTC something or other – whatever their SGSII equivalent is – and decided against it because it was a lot heavier and a bit thicker. Another reason to go with Samsung; a common complaint against android phones is poor battery life but Samsung phones have removable batteries so I carry a spare ($15 for two on amazon) and basically never have battery issues..
Bearskin Rugburn - February 14, 2012
T-Mobile has the most fantastic customer service that I've ever encountered in any sector plus they are local-ish.
They are also are the only post paid carrier that brings over European policies that allow you to pay for what you use which is really nice. I had them from October 2009 to July 2010.
The single biggest problem with them is that their coverage suck diddly ucked when I had them. I’m sure it’s gotten better since then and will only continue to get better with the huge amount of spectrum that ATT was forced to give them as a result of the failed merger. But I’m not talking about not having in coverage in Eastern Washington, I’m talking about going to a sporting event midweek at Safeco and getting nothing or driving around on the Eastside miles away from their corporate headquarters and running into random deadzones.
I’m with Sprint now and it’s by far my favorite of the postpaid carriers. Cheap, Unlimited, Not inherently evil and great coverage. The dirty little secret of Verizon’s massive national footprint is that on Sprint you can roam on it for free. That being said, I would hold off on Sprint till mid year as they are in the process of transitioning their 4G technology from the stop gap one they chose in 2009(wimax) to the same one that everyone else but T-Mobile is using(LTE).
If I had to rank the carriers it would probably go something like this:
Sprint—-T-Mobile—————————————-Verizon————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————Consider going without a smartphone———AT&T.
T-Mobile is great but I honestly wonder what their deal will be in a few years. They are losing money like crazy and their parent company ,Deutsche Telecom, has alluded to the fact that they might just close up shop in America rather than continue with the way things are.
When it comes to phones it all depends on what you are looking for. I’ve been on Android since essentially the start and I’ve recently grown incredibly disappointed by it and will be picking up the iPhone 5 when it comes out. HTC has numerous phones that specialize in different categories (ie pure speed, camera, keyboard, Music Listening, Screen, etc).
You get a Samsung if you still want an iPhone but just want to tell people that you have a droid (zing!). They are just basically high quality iPhone knockoffs running android.
Robert - February 14, 2012
Thank you.
InSpokane - February 14, 2012
I was under the impression that Sprint only allows so much data roaming - cut off is somewhere around 200MB
is that not true anymore, or did you get grandfathered in to a better deal? I looked at them a lot before settling on Tmobile.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 14, 2012
It used to be something like 800 mb but now it looks like its 300mb.
This is no doubt anecdotal but the Sprint network is good enough in the Puget Sound Area that since June 1st I’ve used only 25mb roaming total. And I’m a heavy power user that normally averages ~3GB of cellular data a month.
Robert - February 14, 2012
Aha. Well... Anyway, Tmo in NY gives me 10-15Mbps outdoors so no complaints on that part. last month in Seattle it was fine
but I was really only downtown and along the I-5 corridor. Mostly had only 3G on the drive to Stevens but got some 4G signal at the pass.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 14, 2012
I have no real complaints with AT&T.
I’ve been with them since 2001. There was some weirdness when they were first bought out by Cingular, but I think that happens when you move that many people around. It’s just you’d think after being with a company for more than ten years they’d give you something. Also after looking at the plans AT&T offers new customers I’m getting jacked.
I’ll take a hard look at Sprint, but I have a friend who lives in Kirkland who uses Sprint and his phone only works in one corner of his house. I was thinking T-Mobile, because they are localish. I’ll keep shopping around. Thank you again for taking the time.
InSpokane - February 14, 2012
I had T-Mobile for 2 years and switched to Sprint in December
T-Mobile had excellent coverage. Sprint’s is slightly worse.
Getting a dataplan contract with 2GBs or more was actually much more expensive than Sprint, with whom I got unlimited data. It was like a $30 per month difference for my wife and I. That shocked me, since T-Mobile used to be really reasonable.
At that time they had no decent phones with new contracts for less than $200-ish, which was the real dealbreaker.
Then, I ended with a horrible customer service experience, which I won’t go into detail on, but was eventually partially remedied only after a very angry snail-mail letter to T-Mobile Corporate.
HititHere - February 14, 2012
Also, I had an additionally horrible experience which was never remedied
when Google forced out an OS upgrade to the MyTouch 3G mere months after I bought it, that crippled my phone. I spent almost 18 months with a full dataplan on a phone whose browser and apps barely functioned, and T-Mobile’s only proposed solution was to sell me a new phone at full price.
HititHere - February 14, 2012
The thing about cost is no longer true.
Getting an unlimited data plan with Sprint is 90 minimum right now. On Tmo you can go as low as 30 if you have your own phone.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 14, 2012
Maybe I had a shitty salesman or something, because in December the plans sure didn't look that good
Almost on par with Verizon prices. Not quite that bad though.
HititHere - February 14, 2012
Well, Sprint will tell you that they have unlimited data for 70 bucks
but they charge a $10 fee for having a smartphone and other fees so the total comes to just over 90 a month. It’s pretty misleading.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 15, 2012
That $10 fee is for having a 4G capable smartphone, if you get a phone without a 4G radio you don't pay it.
An added benefit to that fee is that you get actual “unlimited data”, not the 2Gb or 5Gb capped unlimited plans that are more common now. Matters more if you tether or stream a lot of Netflix or something. At least that’s how they were saying it a year or two ago
Craptastic-J - February 15, 2012
Right, I do not have a 4G phone so I don't pay that.
The end result is I’m paying very near the same price for unlimited Sprint data, as I was going to pay for 2 GB T-Mobile data.
HititHere - February 15, 2012
Not true
Every smartphone on Sprint purchased since last February requires the 10 dollar premium data add on.
Robert - February 15, 2012
Oh, so maybe I'm paying it and don't notice
Woooo cell phones.
HititHere - February 15, 2012
You may have been grandfathered in to the fee less plan
Craptastic-J - February 15, 2012
Yah, like I said my information was a year or two old.
Craptastic-J - February 15, 2012
Coincidently
AT&T customers surprised by ‘unlimited data’ limit
msb - February 15, 2012
Yeah... and this is worse since a throttled account slows to below 3G speeds.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 15, 2012
I hate AT&T so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much.
Nearly every practice in cellular that hurts consumers originates from them.
Robert - February 15, 2012
I'm more concerned by the fact that AT&T gets crippled if you have a half dozen people in close proximity.
Only slightly exaggerated on that number… Good luck trying to use data at a Mariners or Seahawks game… I was even getting issues at Fanfest, and that’s with my iPhone 4S, which has been an improvement in data reliability in other areas.
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
Holy crap.
Bacon Milkshake.
msb - February 13, 2012
WHY
Cascadian Man - February 13, 2012
Eewwwww.
On the other hand, mmmm, bacon and egg cupcakes.
Aussie Mariner - February 13, 2012
Damnit if this keeps up Im going to have to start hating bacon on principle
Bearskin Rugburn - February 14, 2012
Hey! the Ms are winning on ROOT and Wily Mo is at bat!
msb - February 13, 2012
Exclamation points are so much better than question marks.
ToddK - February 13, 2012
He hit the ball! Runners scored!
msb - February 13, 2012
.
msb - February 14, 2012
Follow up to the music library manager question in the last OT
Looks like VLC 2.0 might be your answer. Should be out sometime this week.
BrianL - February 14, 2012
Jeff wins again!
Ten worst swings of 2011
sanford_and_son - February 14, 2012
Cap'n Jimmy writes about the Lawries.
http://espn.go.com/espnw/more-sports/7572546/espnw-danielle-brett-lawrie-take-sibling-rivalry-new-level
msb - February 14, 2012
Photobugs,
what are some places in/around Seattle that you feel are lesser known spots for good shots? Three for me are
Harbor Island when a cargo ship comes in
Interlaken Park
The nightlife in downtown Ballard
Matthew - February 14, 2012
Carkeek Park
Also, that park at the top of 15th Ave E, across from the cemetery, that I can never remember the name of, that looks out over Sand Point.
pdb - February 14, 2012
That's Interlaken
Matthew - February 14, 2012
Carkeek and Discovery are both awful purdy, though.
sanford_and_son - February 14, 2012
Ah
I always considered Interlaken to be the woodsy bit that runs down by the Jewish School and couldn’t remember whether that park was part of it or not.
pdb - February 14, 2012
It might technically be Louisa Boren Park
but the two are adjoining and that’s a dumb name. Interlaken is fun to say
Matthew - February 14, 2012
Interlaken does sound much better
it’s like a little piece of Switzerland right in the city! Or Germany! Or Belgium?
pdb - February 14, 2012
Years ago Interlaken was also quite fun to ride up or down on a motorcycle.
These days I’m not so daring.
ToddK - February 15, 2012
I used to live on Bellevue Ave on Capitol Hill. There are lots of spots around there where you can get unique shots of the city skyline with knockout sunsets in the background.
sanford_and_son - February 14, 2012
Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill? Or is that not "lesser known?" I'm an amateur, so I don't know, but I've gotten some great shots from there at night.
Especially of ferries coming in.
HititHere - February 14, 2012
Kerry Park is about the most well known photo spot in Seattle
Matthew - February 14, 2012
Belvedere Park.
Maybe it’s not lesser known, but I never see people there and it’s my absolute favorite view of Seattle.
Aaron Campeau - February 14, 2012
Seward Park?
I also bet you could get some neat shots from 99 when there’s a lot going on at the Port.
InSpokane - February 14, 2012
Counterbalance Park is pretty cool at night.
Mariner John - February 15, 2012
Rob Neyer could use a few more, better, commenters
Kermit. - February 14, 2012
I just went down the B-R rabbit hole for two+ hours.
Anyone else have a particular site that they lose track of time on in the non-Wiki/TV Tropes/comics categories?
JY - February 14, 2012
I'd be interested to know how baseball-reference was started, what it took to get all that information in there, and how it grew.
It’s an incredible site.
Same with imdb.
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
I spent two hours on Sunday going through the archives of the New Yorker
I was looking for one thing, and before I knew it I had completely vanished into their dusty old archives. It was awesome.
pdb - February 15, 2012
They have put out some fantastic long articles the last year or so
Off the top of my head:
The Paul Haggis Scientology one
The Guillermo del Toro Hobbit one
The Atchafalaya/Mississippi River one (Written in 1987!?! I just read it this year and thought it was new, whoops)
Craptastic-J - February 15, 2012
Lookout Landing
seattlebruin - February 15, 2012
Sporcle quizzes, like mogwais, should never be fed after midnight.
I’ve spent many a sleepless night taking random quizzes, only to find it dawn before I knew it.
ThomasG - February 15, 2012
I can kill so much time on that site.
Especially with those damn geography quizzes
bomdal - February 15, 2012
Sporcle may or may not be my most visited site for this reason.
Mariner John - February 15, 2012
Oh...
and this was the result of my trip down the rabbit hole.
JY - February 15, 2012
Did you just take overall WAR, or only WAR with the team that drafted them?
I’m not trying to make us look worse but… Fister, Morrow and Jones have done the majority of their combined damage with other teams
seattlebruin - February 15, 2012
That was overall WAR.
Separating out WAR with the drafting team is something that I’ve only done with the Mariners. This is looking at the method more than the utilization. Breen’s articles (linked there) seem to skew towards the utilization of the drafting team with overall figures, but I went into each individual draft so we’re not exactly doing the same thing.
JY - February 15, 2012
I'm just really happy we've been talking about the 2003 Tigers so much lately
I mean holy shit that was an amazing team
seattlebruin - February 15, 2012
I spent a lot of time looking over their team as well, when I was preparing to write about this years Astros.
How is it possible that Nate Cornejo posted the only ERA under 5 among people that started a game? How come they couldn’t even find one guy to be the closer, instead spreading it out among 6(?) guys, with the leader having 5?
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
What's the point of having a closer when you only win 25% of your games?
seattlebruin - February 15, 2012
I just figured that ONE guy might take over the job, but actually it was eight players that saved at least two games, but none more than five.
Steve Sparks had the most games finished on the team (24) but didn’t record a save.
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
Well, "WAR with the Mariners" can obviously present misleading values because of trades.
Adam Jones, for instance, didn’t offer much to Seattle except Erik Bedard. So using overall figures is probably better in terms of grading the players themselves.
thehemogoblin - February 15, 2012
There's that too.
JY - February 15, 2012
Holy crap someone made me a visual aid
!!!!!
JY - February 15, 2012
Wow, this is amazing timing considering how much I was looking for something like this last week.
<3
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
The Angels have "Brandon Wood sucks"
thehemogoblin - February 15, 2012
That was my doing.
All the asinine things I was doing purely to amuse myself over the long data grind were directly transcribed. So Brain Wilson is “that guy with the beard” and the Nationals are still the Natinals.
JY - February 15, 2012
Jiminey Cristmas.
Andy Grey, with the SI photo archives on Twitter, is celebrating Mullet Wednesday.
This was his inspiration.
msb - February 15, 2012
If you were an NBA fan and lost interest after the Sonics left, has Jeremy Lin inspired you to watch more basketball?
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
Since I still haven't seen Jeremy Lin, I am going to answer "no".
msb - February 15, 2012
I've been checking the highlights for the Knicks game the last week or so
And I haven’t watched NBA highlights in a few years. So yes, for about the next week or so before I stop caring again
Craptastic-J - February 15, 2012
Kinda?
It’s inspired me to watch more Knicks basketball specifically, but my NBA watching hasn’t really increased. I still watch most of the games that are on TV, but rarely go out of my way to watch a game unless it’s a big game featuring the Bulls.
seattlebruin - February 15, 2012
Yeah he has made the Knicks games be slightly worth tuning into
I’m still curious if this is just SSS theater or not.
bluemax - February 15, 2012
Even in SSS, there can be fascination and amazement.
Maybe he’s a flash in the pan, but perhaps the most interesting flash in the pan in NBA history.
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
It's inspired me less...almost
How could a guy who so clearly had talent not be given a shot until now? Hearing the story was just weird to me. Even his coach didn’t know he had talent.
HititHere - February 15, 2012
Because he wasn't very good until now
seattlebruin - February 15, 2012
So you're saying he's on steroids? ZOMG
pdb - February 15, 2012
No
Matthew - February 15, 2012
Not as much as Blake Griffin did
Jeremy Lin has made me realize just how many Asian friends I have on Facebook though.
bluemax - February 15, 2012
I've never cared the NBA.
But, the Lin story is pretty darn cool.
InSpokane - February 15, 2012
Oh that wacky New York Post
and their hijinks
msb - February 15, 2012
I still don't believe Jeremy Lin is for real.
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
Why not?
seattlebruin - February 15, 2012
I'm not saying he's not, but show me what he can do over a larger sample of games.
Anyone can look amazing over a few games, 2010 Mike Sweeney, for example. Over 11 games from May 8th-26th, OPS of 1.378 with 6 home runs and 14 RBI.
Lin hadn’t shown any indication he’s this talented previously, fuels my skepticism. I think it would be amazing though if this anywhere near his legitimate talent level.
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
2010 Mike Sweeney hit a baseball. Just like he had been hitting a baseball his entire life
2012 Jeremy Lin played for the Golden State Warriors, a team which had two dominating on-ball guards as their two best players and run an up-tempo offense.
He also played for the Houston Rockets, who run a deliberate offense, but without a strong center to dominate pick and roll situations. Why is it so surprising that being put into a good situation, he could excel?
As to your other point, Lin dominated the Ivy League for four years and lit up pretty much every high major he played against as well
seattlebruin - February 15, 2012
He was also named the best high school player in California during his senior year.
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
Or I should clarify that he won state awards, because his team won the state title and he was the best player on the team.
I don’t know if it was because he was Asian American, or because he doesn’t “dazzle”, but Lin wasn’t given any scholarship offers.
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
He's a system guy
and for whatever reason, he’s gotten a LOT better over the last year.
He was baaaaaaad in his limited stint with GS, but again, that might have just been him being in a crappy system for him. I look at his improvement like Jose Bautista – it’s not that he’s just suddenly putting up big numbers, but watching him play, you see that the improvements are for real. He’s got a first step that he didn’t really have before, and he’s been aggressive almost to a fault in that offense, which is a must for a D’Antoni PG
seattlebruin - February 15, 2012
My point was you can make quite a few guys look amazing over a few games.
5 games is hardly enough to declare that he is legitimately this good.
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
He's scored more points in his first 6 starts than any player ever has before since the NBA-ABA merger.
I don’t think anybody would say that he’s the best player ever. That doesn’t mean that he can’t be a very good player.
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
And I'm not saying he's not.
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
Okay, just wasn't sure what you meant by "for real" as in, that he's not good or that he's not this good.
I mean, I’m also waiting for the shoe to drop, but to what extent.. I don’t know.
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
Do you think he is a mythical creature like Bigfoot or Santa Clause?
InSpokane - February 15, 2012
Don't be ridiculous, Santa Clause is real.
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
I hate when I do stuff like that. Claus.
InSpokane - February 15, 2012
I actually didn't pick up on that. That Claus guy, he's real too.
And, actually, the Tim Allen movie was spelled your original way. So, you get a pass, sir.
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
It's really getting harder and harder to dislike Justin Bieber the person.
Especially after stories like this.
ThomasG - February 15, 2012
OK, that's really cool.
It takes a real man to play Candyland with a 6-year-old.
thehemogoblin - February 15, 2012
Why did you dislike Justin Bieber the person, to begin with?
Dislike the music, sure. Maybe think he’s a no-talent ass clown (which he isn’t, but that’s neither here nor there on personal opinion) but I’ve never heard a bad thing about “the person”.
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
Yeah, I'm in this boat. There are people who actually lack any shread of talent who are extremely shitty people that sing terrible pop music too.
Must be cause he’s Canadian.
the other side - February 15, 2012
What good music did Canada ever bring anyways?
It’s not like Loverboy was ever going to make it.
Shanaia Twain? pfft. She’s just a flash in the pan.
And don’t get me started on Rush. 3 guys from Canada making music that Americans would actually pay for? Pshaw!
ToddK - February 15, 2012
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMjtvSABQ3Q
msb - February 15, 2012
not to mention
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZlrrwUIwcE&feature=related
msb - February 15, 2012
I guess it's still true that tongue-in-cheek doesn't translate well in text.
ToddK - February 15, 2012
No translation problems here.
msb - February 15, 2012
There were stories of him kinda being a whiny brat at first, after he got the initial large stacks of cash.
But honestly, what do you expect giving a 15/16 year large amounts of money quickly. I have heard some great stories of him like the one ThomasG linked, so it does feel like he’s matured more. Even if he hasn’t, it’s great to hear that he’s doing things like this.
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
Because his music is shit, his fans make twitter unbearable and I am a bitter and angry man
Aaron Campeau - February 15, 2012
Natural reaction to any dispensable pop star?
Mostly because, like Patrick Sites mentions below, he came of as kind of a spoiled brat early on.
ThomasG - February 15, 2012
And that's not to say I personally hated him for any reason.
For the most part I was indifferent to the whole fad but there were/are a lot of people that hate Justin Bieber the person because of what he is and represents.
ThomasG - February 15, 2012
Yeah, and maybe he is a douche. But I just try not to jump to conclusions anymore, because... I enjoy the work of Justin Timberlake now.
There, I said it.
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
That is, he turned out to be a funny guy on his SNL appearances and not a terrible actor.
Kenneth Arthur - February 15, 2012
I thought he was very good as Sean Parker in The Social Network.
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
He was good in it, I just had a hard time believing Sean Parker is that handsome in real life.
forte40 - February 21, 2012
True, but what are you gonna do. Same thing with Billy Beane and Brad Pitt.
Patrick Stites - February 21, 2012
How can it be that lyrics from his songs don't inspire you?
For instance: And I was like baby, baby, baby, oh
Like baby, baby, baby, no
Like baby, baby, baby, oh
I thought you’d always be mine, mine.
Makes me aspire to heights never achieved…
ToddK - February 15, 2012
Like a constipated Raven
with a broken wing.
xmet - February 17, 2012
This was a couple years ago, but is still pretty good.
http://youtu.be/EWeokeQHHVo
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
I expected this to be the German thing.
Cascadian Man - February 15, 2012
What German thing?
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
German.
He doesn’t know what German means.
Cascadian Man - February 15, 2012
I don't think Bieber is saying he doesn't know what German means. That host just asked a dumb question and didn't phrase it well.
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
The sentiment is nice, and I appreciate that and all
but it’s not like Bieber himself did anything but show up.
Again, he didn’t have to* and it’s an awesome thing for him to do, but I would be surprised if Justin Bieber himself reached out to this particular girl and made everything happen. It’s easy to look awesome when you have people working for you to make it happen.
d0nkey - February 15, 2012
I'll bet money that his agent had absolutely nothing to do with his decision to show up.
So what is the winner of this bet going to do with their shiny new penny?
ToddK - February 15, 2012
Oh God
KILL IT WITH FIRE
seattlebruin - February 15, 2012
Why do they all have the same shoes
Aaron Campeau - February 15, 2012
Seriously, what in the hell?
Also, BLAAARG
sanford_and_son - February 15, 2012
At first I figured you meant Youk and Brady's sister.... But holy fuck, 5(?) of them have the same shoes.
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
Pure speculation, but some kind of endorsement deal?
If so that’s somewhere in Ricky Bobby land
Kermit. - February 15, 2012
Yeah probably, it looks that way.
A little Googling did find that Youkilis has an endorsement deal with New Balance. http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/business/new-balance-signs-kevin-youkilis-3569097 That article does say he will be provided with off the field shoes also.
Patrick Stites - February 15, 2012
I can't wait to see the wedding pics
Kermit. - February 16, 2012
I wish I had the ability to photoshop a giant "N" onto a wedding dress.
msb - February 16, 2012
I keep switching between horror and amusement thinking about a New Balance wedding dress.
Patrick Stites - February 16, 2012
An N and a B,
one on each shoe.
xmet - February 17, 2012
I saw that right after the Superbowl and laughed.
wazzu93 - February 15, 2012
How drunk were you?
ToddK - February 15, 2012
"Absolutely everyone is talking about Safe House."
I feel so left out.
msb - February 15, 2012
squuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhh!!!!!!!!
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-02/worlds-tiniest-chameleons-found-madagascar?cmp=tw
msb - February 15, 2012
He looks so grumpy!
JAH - February 15, 2012
The teeny frog is pretty wonderful, too
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-01/new-species-puny-frog-worlds-smallest-vertebrate-animal
msb - February 15, 2012
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
I’ve been wanting to get a pet chameleon for ages, has anyone had one? Are they fairly low-maintenance?
Eyeball Kid - February 16, 2012
A bunch live in the lab above mine
they seem pretty chill
Bearskin Rugburn - February 16, 2012
My wife and I had a couple varieties of geckos for three or four years.
I found them to be low maintenance relative to a dog or cat. We kept the geckos in a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium, depending on the size of the gecko and how many were in each. You only need to feed them a couple times a week, keep their water bowl filled and clean, and clean their aquarium.
I had a few issues with them. I found the cleaning to be difficult because the aquariums had to be rinsed out in the shower or outside with a hose because they never fit in the sink. If you don’t completely take out all the bedding (sand or bark chips) and replace it weekly, the tank gets very stinky, like a dirty cat box in a closet with little to no ventilation. I never broke an aquarium, but I felt like I was always about to drop a slippery glass box every time I cleaned them.
The geckos I had ate crickets. If the geckos didn’t eat all the crickets, the crickets would chirp. The glass aquarium made the chirp echo. The thing about crickets is they like to chirp all night and I liked to sleep at night. It isn’t very fun to try and find a cricket in a small aquarium in the middle of the night, hoping it doesn’t jump out of the aquarium while you try and find it, catch it, and get rid of it. Crickets are also very good at hiding when they think something is trying to catch and eat it.
Lizards aren’t like pets in the same manner as a dog or cat. Lizards tend to not like people, so they try and bite you when you pick them up. The dirt and salt in your hands can really harm their skin. I found them to be more like high maintenance house plants than pets.
Jed MC - February 17, 2012
I'm also not a big fan of exotic animals and would never buy a lizard again.
Not sure if it crosses the LL no politics zone, but I think it’s an necessary component when deciding whether or not to own that kind of animal.
Jed MC - February 17, 2012
My house isn't really big enough for a 'traditional' pet
Although now that I’m working 12 hour shifts I suppose I can’t give due attention to any pets :( Thanks for the info though, I think this wins the argument for the sensible side of me.
Eyeball Kid - February 18, 2012
Well, of course he did.
http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/16937627/man-suffers-heart-attack-at-heart-attack-grill
msb - February 16, 2012
Yeah, that's just tempting fate.
At some point some asshole is gonna call you on it.
the other side - February 16, 2012
At least when the lawsuit hits you can just point at your logo/name and laugh.
It’s not like you didn’t warn them.
Faux - February 16, 2012
That's actually a pretty damn solid defense.
the other side - February 16, 2012
Almost 15 minutes of a 1985 A-ball game being pitched by Greg Maddux.
via Grant Bisbee & Reddit
msb - February 16, 2012
Fuck. Yes.
Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito Is Coming to Community
the other side - February 16, 2012
Omar, Gus, Sawyer...
What other great guest spot from another great show could they do?
Kenneth Arthur - February 16, 2012
Not exactly a show, but…
John Hodgman Will Guest-Star on Community.
enguy - February 16, 2012
His role as Gus in Breaking Bad may have been one of the best overall acting performances I've ever seen.
Cascadian Man - February 16, 2012
I wish the first thing I ever knew him from was available, other than on LP. Chubby 15 year old in a musical....
msb - February 16, 2012
Do you watch any shows that you think are bad?
I just finished season three of Sons of Anarchy. I thought it was pretty good in the first season, but the more I watched it, the more I started to feel like it was a terrible show. Like, really bad. They jumped the shark every episode in season three, if that’s even possible. But I’ll keep watching it because of how bad it is.
I think Dexter gets even worse and cornier by each passing episode and they really got ridiculous last season with Deb. But I won’t stop watching.
Kenneth Arthur - February 16, 2012
When it was on, Heroes.
Season 1 was awesome. And then it all just fell apart.
Cascadian Man - February 16, 2012
Greek.
I’m just going to leave this here and go watch like 75 hours of Breaking Bad.
the other side - February 16, 2012
I watched every episode of FlashForward in the vain hope it would get better even though most of me knew it wouldn't
pdb - February 16, 2012
I lasted 3 episodes on that show. It was supposed to be the next LOST!
yuniform - February 16, 2012 via Android app
Is anyone watching The River?
Kenneth Arthur - February 16, 2012
I hope it's better than Alcatraz!
yuniform - February 16, 2012 via Android app
Alcatraz is a lot better than I was expecting.
It’s not great by any measure but I was sort of expecting a train wreck given the promos and subject matter.
ThomasG - February 17, 2012
I watched the whole fucking series of Lost.
And thought it was terrible the entire time.
BigR - February 16, 2012
I gave up on Dexter in season five.
That was the point at which I concluded that dramatic happenings were mere gimmicks and that it was nearly impossible to believe that anything could change.
I was planning on continuing with Walking Dead but the first half of the season was such a pointless tease that I don’t feel that I can even like it for its badness anymore.
JY - February 16, 2012
I'm compelled to spoil how the last season of Dexter ended, just to see if that would make you go back.
Kenneth Arthur - February 17, 2012
I read about it online and thought it was some bullshit.
JY - February 17, 2012
It is SUCH bullshit. And that show is so predictable. But I'm a completest. Not that that makes me better than you, probably just dumber.
But I can’t stop :(
Kenneth Arthur - February 17, 2012
I've been a completionist on many a show that I didn't like towards the end.
I know it’s practically heresy to say so, but I was reeeeeeally frustrated with BSG towards the end and I still watched practically the whole thing.
Anyway, back to Dexter, I just felt like post-season 4 was a real opportunity to go places with the show and instead they spent a full season screwing the pooch. It confirmed to me that, despite my original thoughts to the contrary, there wasn’t going to be an overarching arc to the show, and that they would just drag it out as far as they could.
JY - February 17, 2012
The most hilarious part is that fans were upset when the renewed for two more seasons.
And they won’t flat out say that they’ll finish it by then either. JUST END IT NOW! Have the ultimate climax and kill it with fire.
Kenneth Arthur - February 17, 2012
The Walking Dead is so terrible now
Watching the first season again, it wasn’t good either, but now that it’s getting really high ratings they’ve basically brought what story there was to a screeching halt to try to drag it out over many seasons. And it doesn’t work at all, now it’s just people bitching about something that happened 4 episodes ago that you don’t care about. I fucking hate the characters so much now because of this. All of them.
OlSalty - February 17, 2012
I don't know how people keep talking about it as though it's good.
The first season was a guilty pleasure, I’ll admit, but it started to lose me at the beginning of the second season, which I can most accurately describe with a scene so OMG SPOILERS DON’T LOOK AHEAD IF YOU CARE AND HAVEN’T SEEN IT.
It’s a soap opera punctuated with gore now.
JY - February 17, 2012
We all wanted top-notch quality zombie fare. So perhaps we gave AMC too much credit for too long.
It’s another show that I just sort of watch because I want to know what happens next, or talk about at the water cooler, but it’s not very good. Terribly acted. Making dumb decisions that really piss me off, like when she shot what’s his face from Boondock Saints.
Kenneth Arthur - February 17, 2012
I don't know if its AMC's fault
the source material for Walking Dead is so bad.
bluemax - February 20, 2012
Awwwww. I totally disagree.
Comics are a different medium, so it may not translate well. I enjoy the constant dread of Kirkman’s work, even though the characters are forgettable.
yuniform - February 20, 2012 via Android app
I've never actually read the comics but I read a brief synopsis when I decided to stop watching just to get some resolution
And I was surprised to find that the show has actually stuck to the course of events in the comics pretty well. And it’s been bad. It seems like the character interaction was bad in the comics too. So yeah maybe the source material is part of the problem, but I think the show is also seriously dragging out things that weren’t major plot points in a dumb effort to create drama and lengthen the show and that’s making it much worse by killing what should be a suspenseful atmosphere.
It sounds like in the comics there was a lot more character turnover, too. That would’ve been nice considering how intolerable the characters are.
OlSalty - February 20, 2012
Off you haven't read it, you shouldn't knock it.
I’be only seen a couple episodes of the show, and don’t have huge opinions about it. But yeah, there’s lots of character turnover and few interesting people besides Rick.
yuniform - February 20, 2012 via Android app
I'm not knocking it, I'm sure there's something appealing about it that's not coming through in the show
It’s just from reading the summary you can tell there isn’t a whole lot of character development going on there either.
OlSalty - February 20, 2012
Hey now, Kurt Busiek is good stuff.
JAH - February 20, 2012
It makes me appreciate a show like Breaking Bad even more.
Kermit. - February 17, 2012
Finally, a show that tries to take itself seriously.
JY - February 17, 2012
I'm constantly amazed how fast they move the show
So many times I’ve thought a typical show would have tried to stretch four episodes or even an entire season out of something B.B. will blow up in one
Kermit. - February 17, 2012
Except sometimes it goes super slow.
I’m specifically thinking with how new episodes often start immediately after the previous episode. Also, Crazy 8 was around a long time.
yuniform - February 17, 2012 via Android app
Just in case anyone thought the Emmys and Golden Globes might be legitimate...
How has Breaking Bad never won best Drama? I’m trying to figure out if a scheduling difference caused it not to be nominated in 2011, but Dexter and The Good Wife were? The best drama show of the last 5 years and two nominations for best drama by the Emmys and ZERO by The Golden Globes. 2009 Emmy nominees: Mad Men, Big Love, Breaking Bad, Damages, Dexter, HOUSE, and LOST. I’ll give you Mad Men. Admittedly I dont watch Damages. But the others? On the same level as BB?
Golden Globes this year: Homeland (winner), Boardwalk Empire, Boss, Game of Thrones, and American Horror Story. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME THAT THOSE ARE BETTER THAN LAST SEASON OF BREAKING BAD?! WHO HAS EVER SEEN BOSS?
Kenneth Arthur - February 17, 2012
Breaking Bad and The Wire.
Two shows that were too good to be recognized.
Kenneth Arthur - February 17, 2012
drugs are bad, mmmmmkay?
I just think that any show that revolves around the production, buying, or selling of drugs will have a really hard time cracking the mainstream awards-show-nominators, societal pressure being the stupid thing it is.
pdb - February 17, 2012
I recently finished the whole series of The Wire. So good.
I tried to be a little skeptical going in since I heard so many good things about it, but wow, people were right. Just so insanely well written.
bomdal - February 18, 2012
I think there was some weird snafu where the season, due to production issues, started so late it didn't qualify for some awards.
Maybe I’m wrong.
JY - February 17, 2012
Yeah, that maybe have been the case for the 2011 Emmys, but they were nominated in other categories some of those years.
Why doesn’t Aaron Paul have a bunch of hardware?
Kenneth Arthur - February 17, 2012
I will say that Homeland is a damn good show
and American Horror Story was a very, very entertaining trainwreck. It probably shouldn’t have been nominated for best drama, but I get the Homeland nom and win.
pdb - February 17, 2012
I really liked Homeland too.
I like AHS, but it was such a crazy mess that I was just surprised by it’s nom. Not trying to take away from any shows, but the exclusion of the best show is interesting.
Kenneth Arthur - February 17, 2012
Awards are stupid and mean nothing
Awards have always been stupid and mean nothing. At this point complaining about it is like complaining about Derek Jeter winning a gold glove.
WhyGodWhy - February 18, 2012
Yup, pretty much all awards for media are just the same as baseball awards
Meaningless.
HititHere - February 20, 2012
I didn't really care for season 3 of Sons, all the Ireland stuff was not my cup of tea.
Season 4 is kinda shark jumpy too, but it does have Danny Trejo, which is neat. I’m looking forward to seeing what Kurt Sutter has in store now that a certain plot point that has been brewing for awhile is seemingly tied up. I won’t say much more, so as not to spoil.
Patrick Stites - February 17, 2012
I watched a lot of House. And I know people love House, but
The first season was good. Then by the 2nd season, I started to realize how utterly unimaginative it was every episode…. Part 1, some guy/girl is sick! Part 2, nobody figures out why. Part 3, House figures out why! Part 4, patient does/does not survive. Repeat during every episode.
After a few seasons in, they started making it very soap opera-ey so it started to suck me in more. But the actual patient-doctor stuff was so predictable.
HititHere - February 17, 2012
I actually hated it as it got more soap operay
but my GF at the time loved it. I pretty much stopped watching the show after we broke up.
bluemax - February 20, 2012
Yeah, I agree on SOA. Season 3 has been so fucking bad. I haven't had the heart/desire to finish the last 3 episodes.
I know it’s a show about outlaws and anti-heroes, but when EVERY character starts acting like a complete asshole, it just feel like punishment to watch.
sanford_and_son - February 19, 2012
Oops, meant season 4. Lost track of the shittiness.
sanford_and_son - February 19, 2012
At the very least, finish watching. At the very least you see some big parts of the story resolved.
Patrick Stites - February 19, 2012
Mariners make the Onion again
After some Knicks jokes regarding Jeremy Lin. None of the jokes are especially Mariner-centric, unfortunately.
yuniform - February 16, 2012
Is it just me or has online package tracking really degraded the lives of OCD people?
I literally cannot stop checking USPS and UPS’ websites hoping to see my package delivered
seattlebruin - February 16, 2012
Text Alerts!
Also, it rankles me more to have a shipper that prints the label right away, but doesn’t send for a while.
I’ve been waiting on a car part that FedEx said was going to be delivered today but the guy hasn’t even sent yet.
Faux - February 16, 2012
That plus eBay auctions I put up get me constantly refreshing the page.
Patrick Stites - February 16, 2012
Wow. This is the weirdest thing I've read in awhile.
The Piggyback Bandit.
Kenneth Arthur - February 16, 2012
Every time I hear about this guy I don't know whether I should chuckle or wash my hands.
BigR - February 16, 2012
Gary Carter has died.
http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2012-02-16/gary-carter-dies-baseball-hall-of-famer-montreal-expos-new-york-mets
msb - February 16, 2012
Less than a year from diagnosis. Sad. :(
wazzu93 - February 16, 2012
The internet is a thing.
Rays new mascot: DJ Kitty
JY - February 16, 2012
The furry thing ruined that whole fanbase
OlSalty - February 17, 2012
They have to do something to compete with the Marlins' home run mostrosity
Bearskin Rugburn - February 17, 2012
I hate humanity.
Drew_D - February 17, 2012
Now theyre just messing with us
OlSalty - February 16, 2012
More details
Here
OlSalty - February 16, 2012
Ghost ride the whale
OlSalty - February 18, 2012
Oooooh.
@StoneLarry Got my first glimpse of the new-look Franklin Gutierrez this morning. Definitely has put on a lot of muscle, looks very fit.
msb - February 17, 2012
Somehow Franklin Gutierrez and Ryan Gosling knocked 2 females off of my "5 Celebrities to Sleep With" list.
Kenneth Arthur - February 17, 2012
TMI?
Kenneth Arthur - February 17, 2012
If I had Ryan Gosling's abs I would never wear a shirt
pdb - February 17, 2012
It's too bad his voice makes him sound like a whiny little bitch
HititHere - February 17, 2012
A whiny little bitch who can wash clothes on his abs, but still
HititHere - February 17, 2012
You can't hear a word he's saying when he's choking on your genitalia.
thehemogoblin - February 19, 2012
A whiny little bitch that all the girls I want to sleep with want to sleep with
bluemax - February 20, 2012
That period when Jimmy Fallon was popular was a dark time
JAH - February 20, 2012
He's so likeable and always has been.
I’m always happy when he does something every couple months ths gets noticed on the internet.
yuniform - February 20, 2012 via Android app
Stop sounding like girls I want to sleep with.
JAH - February 21, 2012
Not enough.
the other side - February 17, 2012
Does anyone have a favorite cold remedy?
Because I feel like shit and would not like to continue feeling like shit if at all possible.
Cascadian Man - February 17, 2012
Neti Pot usually helps me clean out in there, and clears out any pressure in the process.
Either that or steaming myself in the shower for a good long time.
Faux - February 17, 2012
If you use a neti pot for the love of god use distilled water
Aaron Campeau - February 17, 2012
So the oft-used Long Island neighbors' hot tub is not the best option?
WHY DIDN’T ANYONE TELL ME
Faux - February 17, 2012
Your sinuses are now pregnant.
JAH - February 17, 2012
The end result of this will still be more attractive than either of their kids.
Faux - February 17, 2012
I hate taking medicine, so if it's not so severe that I can't ride it out I won't.
Instead I drink lots of tea; licorice or peppermint are good, as are those homeopathic “cold season” teas; homeopathy is total hokum as an approach to medicine, but the herbs they use in those teas can in fact help clear out your sinuses/numb sore throats/etc.
I also drink water constantly (twice as much if not more than I would on a normal day) and make sure to eat even though I am almost never hungry. I also find that I feel much better if I don’t just lay around all day; I try to go for walks and stay moderately active because a lot of what sucks about having a cold is the lethargy and getting off my ass helps me shake that off. I know people for whom the complete opposite is true though, so YMMV.
Aaron Campeau - February 17, 2012
Licorice tea sounds like the best thing in the world rigt now
But there is no way I am making my way through rainy Portland with a head cold to get some. I’ll stick to the water today.
Cascadian Man - February 17, 2012
Any tea is good, really.
Though non/lightly caffeinated is probably better.
Aaron Campeau - February 17, 2012
Whisky
Matthew - February 17, 2012
I eat a raw clove of garlic, then drink a swig of vinegar. I read on Lifehacker that it helps. Sure as heck wakes you up in the morning.
yuniform - February 17, 2012 via Android app
Dayquil if you have to go to work
sleep if you can stay at home. Nothing will help you recover as quickly as just staying in bed and sleeping a lot.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 17, 2012
I had a really bad cold over the fall that spanned about a month.
A lady at the bus stop recommended taking a typical mug, coating the bottom with Tabasco, adding a tablespoon of raw honey, then maybe fill it a fifth to a quarter full with apple cider vinegar and fill the rest with boiling water. By her reasoning, the capsaicin in the Tabasco opens up the nasal passages a bit, and the vinegar and raw honey both had antimicrobial/antiviral properties. I spent a while chugging that and believe that you probably have to additionally drink a glass of water now and then since it was making me feel dehydrated. At any rate, if that doesn’t fix you, it will make you feel like more of a man.
JY - February 17, 2012
Water lots and lots of water.
When I start to feel like crap I down 2 gallons of water, drink a shit load of orange juice, eat a lot chicken soup, and drink six to seven cups of Gypsy cold care tea. I also take 5 Ibuprofen and dose up on Alka-Seltzer Plus, cold and sinus.
InSpokane - February 17, 2012
Oh, please let us see this.
@ChrisEgan5: Ichiro wearing high-tops, green socks n jeans similiar to the ones my 11 year old daughter wears , sorry no pics from parking lot
msb - February 17, 2012
Booo
I need pictures!
bluemax - February 20, 2012
This looks like Brendan Ryan behind the plate.
It’s John Jaso. Did everyone else realize that they look alike? 1. 2.
yuniform - February 17, 2012
I did not, but I think that's because they don't look alike.
Maybe?
harkening - February 17, 2012
Well it was nice rooting for the most well-run team in MLS while it lasted.
It really, really was.
Aaron Campeau - February 17, 2012
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't giddy about it but I really, truly do not understand that trade
pdb - February 17, 2012
Here's your explanation.
Aaron Campeau - February 17, 2012
Galaxy gonna win it all again anyhow
bluemax - February 20, 2012
Look, Seattle can have only one good sport team at a time and since the Seahawks are getting good the bad has to be made up somewhere.
JAH - February 17, 2012
Wow Deschutes
http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brews/homebrew-recipes
Matthew - February 17, 2012
Holy shit
I want to make all of these just for the fun of figuring out the correct amounts of each ingredient.
Cascadian Man - February 17, 2012
It cracks me up A.J. Burnett nixes a deal to the Angels and approves one to the Pirates.
wazzu93 - February 17, 2012
It's speculated that the Pirates weren't on his limited no trade clause list. Also it was said that it was important for him to stay on the east coast, because his wife hates flying.
Patrick Stites - February 17, 2012
Of all the terrible and terribly punny article titles you could choose from...
you decide to go with the casually racist one.
Good job, ESPN.
ThomasG - February 18, 2012
Argh. Sorry about the linking failure.
This one opens in a new window.
ThomasG - February 18, 2012
Lin was on the radio last night and mentioned the racism he encounters
Kermit. - February 18, 2012
My other favorite one, which I can't find anymore
was about how the “rise” of Jeremy Lin means “a new era of nice guys” in the NBA. Y’know, because they’re all thugs and gangstas.
pdb - February 18, 2012
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d0nNS_zjds
JAH - February 18, 2012
All this news of healthy Guti coming out of Peoria is making me so excited.
Cascadian Man - February 18, 2012
Squeeeee!
the other side - February 18, 2012
Look! there is a caboose!
msb - February 18, 2012
I guess it is still just February.
msb - February 18, 2012
I had to traverse the pass for a wedding on Saturday afternoon
I was pretty freaked out when it was closed for avalanche control in the morning, but it reopened and we made it fine crossing about 10 am.
It was a pretty scary drive though. The plowers had done their best but there were several times lanes suddenly ended due to huge piles of snow sitting in the road. Lots of cars spun out.
HititHere - February 20, 2012
Screw that pass.
I drive over passes in Montana multiple times a week, and none of that compare to the crap you guys have to deal with. I have a friend that commutes from the U-District to Cle Elum a couple months every winter and it blows my mind.
BigR - February 20, 2012
The Simpsons 500th episode is coming up.
Is there any other show that you can think of that could stay in a prime time slot for this long? There aren’t many that could, and here are 244 FOX shows that have come and gone since the first Simpsons episode.
seattle_since_81 - February 18, 2012
Holy shit Drexell's Class
Aaron Campeau - February 18, 2012
I've probably seen less than 30 of these shows.
Seeing some made me reminiscent: Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Arrested Development, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. to name a few.
seattle_since_81 - February 18, 2012
Ned and Stacey was awesome
pdb - February 19, 2012
I go past it every now and then on one of the re-run stations and always have to pause.
msb - February 19, 2012
M.A.N.T.I.S.!!!
Wonderfalls! I still kind of liked Drive.
speaking of Giancarlo Esposito … I tried to watch Bakersfield PD (I mean, look at that cast) but just couldn’t.
(By the way, ScreenJunkies, you remove the indefinite article when alphabetizing)
msb - February 19, 2012
Does South Park count?
Because I think it has a real chance. Everything indicates Stone and Parker still love doing it.
BigR - February 19, 2012
South Park doesn't air in prime time.
Patrick Stites - February 19, 2012
Andy Richter Controls the Universe was good times.
I kinda liked Keen Eddie, but I think most of that was the fact the female lead was scorching hot with a english accent.
JAH - February 19, 2012
Firefly, Dark Angel, John Doe.
Christ Fox was good at cancelling good sci-fi dramas in the early 2000’s.
harkening - February 19, 2012
I'm honestly surprised the Simpsons made it to 500.
That show is really really terrible now.
d0nkey - February 20, 2012
How often do you watch it? I saw two episodes this season on Alan Sepinwall's recommendation (the foodie one and the Christmas one) and laughed a lot at both.
yuniform - February 20, 2012 via Android app
I only end up watching a few episodes a season, but the ones I do catch just seem sooo bad compared to what I watched 15+ years ago.
I watched the Mythbusters episode, and it was alright, but it didn’t compel me to continue watching more episodes.
Patrick Stites - February 20, 2012
Last night I read something that put it into good perspective.
The Simpsons is basically two shows. At the height of it’s popularity, it was maybe the best sitcom of all-time and ran for 10 years or so (longer than most shows) and then was replaced by The Simpsons v2.0. A show that’s not very good, but not terrible. I just don’t compare the two because it’s pretty clear how much better it was in the 90s than it is now. There is no comparison and judged by itself, Simpsons 2.0 is a bland, but sometimes funny sitcom. There’s just nowhere they can go from what they did when they were the best that ever did it.
Kenneth Arthur - February 20, 2012
Great point.
If you destroy your expectations, it’s good. Also, rewatching old, great episodes is good.
yuniform - February 20, 2012 via Android app
See, I don't even agree with the first part there.
Even taking away my expectations from the original Simpsons I don’t find the new episodes very funny overall. Sure they have parts that make me laugh, but usually those jokes are references to old Simpsons episodes anyway. They are just trying to pack too much content into 22 minutes of show.
Old Simpsons are still hillarious.
d0nkey - February 20, 2012
Yeah, but I'm not saying that the 2nd half of it's run is good.
It’s still on part with any other mediocre sitcom on the air, but gets to stick around for as long as it wants because it’s The Simpsons and is worth countless dollars to FOX even when it’s bad. I still think there are some funny moments and even the 500th episode was decent. It’s amazing to me that after 500 episodes, they can make me chuckle sometimes.
I don’t watch it very often, but it’s not terrible when I watch it. This is of course a matter of opinion to the viewer.
Kenneth Arthur - February 20, 2012
I still hate what it is now. But you're right. They get a free pass to do whatever they want.
d0nkey - February 21, 2012
That's probably true.
There’s probably enough decent episodes still being put out, but then they just drop some awful ones that taint it for me. About the best thing I can remember that they’ve done recently, was the Banksy opening. Which was great, but it was Banksy giving it direction….
Objectively, it’s probably still alright. Jonah Keri still seems to enjoy the series, and he seems like a hardcore Simpsons fan.
Patrick Stites - February 20, 2012
I don't watch it very often, I'll admit.
I would say I watch an episode or two a month, when I see them on Hulu.
The episodes today are just trying too hard to be funny. They force jokes, and try to rely on their celebrity voice over to carry them. I admit I do laugh from time to time, but overall the episodes leave me feeling like I should’ve been watching something else.
d0nkey - February 20, 2012
"Joyce Gabriel didn't know it was a bad idea to be in the Pioneer Square area late at night"
If we are talking about fine television, I am currently watching The night strangler, the second of the tv movies that led to the Kolchak tv series…
msb - February 19, 2012
What a cool story.
Kidney transplant chain.
wazzu93 - February 19, 2012
For the font enthusiasts.
http://www.sadanduseless.com/2012/02/cats-as-fonts/
BigR - February 19, 2012
Impact was obvious, and probably should have been saved for last.
JY - February 19, 2012
I dunno, gothic was a pretty good ending I thought.
Patrick Stites - February 19, 2012
Gotham, dammit.
Patrick Stites - February 19, 2012
So, Band of Brothers.
man, there are a lot of English guys in this show.
msb - February 20, 2012
And Geoff Baker!
JAH - February 20, 2012
um,hmm?
msb - February 20, 2012
Geoff Baker looks like the actor Ron Livingston, who played Lewis Nixon in BoB, but also the main guy from Office Space.
JAH - February 20, 2012
People always tell Geoff he looks like Ron Livingston and it gets tiresome for him.
JAH - February 20, 2012
I would not be one of those people.
I wouldn’t even tell him he reminded me of John Livingston.
msb - February 20, 2012
If I ever meet in person I will tell him he looks like a Canadian Ron Livingston.
InSpokane - February 20, 2012
If I ever meet him, I will introduce myself by saying, "Mr. Livingston, I presume."
seattle_since_81 - February 21, 2012
If you enjoy it, make sure you have a look at The Pacific.
Aussie Mariner - February 20, 2012
Somehow I have never seen it from the start, just bits of the later episodes.
ep. 6 has the first really weak American accent, an Irishman who just can’t hide his roots.
msb - February 20, 2012
Well, of course Tom Hardy is in it, too.
msb - February 20, 2012
I just watched Bronson the other night. Tom Hardy is such an amazing actor.
It also made me incredibly excited to see him as Bane in TDKR this summer.
Cascadian Man - February 20, 2012
If you haven't already, set aside 3 hours and watch The Take.
Kenneth Arthur - February 21, 2012
For whatever reason, I wrote a review of The Take on my blog and it's my most popular article.
So many people searching for Tom Hardy right now.
Kenneth Arthur - February 21, 2012
Looks like it's on Netflix, I'll be watching it as soon as I get the time.
Cascadian Man - February 21, 2012
So I just got a new computer at work
A new MBP to be exact. Anyone have any recommendations on apps or whatever I need to stay productive or help my productivity? I’ll likely be spending most of my time just looking at X-Code but I’m open to suggestions.
Mind you this isn’t my first mac, but my home mac is on 10.5 and here I have 10.7 so I’m sure there’s a few things I’ve missed out on.
Also, hey I’m making iPhone games now! Bet you guys didn’t see that one coming!
bluemax - February 20, 2012
Here are my most used work apps:
AntiRSI 2 – Reminders to take short breaks from typing every x minutes and longer breaks every y minutes.
Songbird – Best music player I’ve found with last.fm and other plug-in support
Evernote – Take notes and have them appear on all your devices
Adium – Chat manager
Dropbox – File manager across all devices
lailaihei - February 20, 2012
Dropbox has saved my ass on so many different occasions. I can't recomment it enough.
Practically all of my school work is backed up on it as well as my computer and external hard drives .
Cascadian Man - February 20, 2012
Congrats getting to make iPhone games
d0nkey - February 20, 2012
Thanks!
I’m still not super big on iPhone games, but the chance to work with some really cool people in a different environment than what I was doing before really appealed to me.
That and I don’t like being unemployed.
bluemax - February 20, 2012
Science!
Scientists grow flowers from 30,0000-year-old seeds buried by Pleistocene Era squirrels
JY - February 20, 2012
Buy two, get one free?
Greg Oden has third microfracture knee surgery
Matthew - February 21, 2012
I don't even give a damn about the Blazers or basketball in general and I feel really, really bad for that dude
yes, yes, tons of money made for doing nothing blah blah blah but he is pretty much Sisyphus at this point and I feel bad for him. I can’t see him ever playing again at this point.
pdb - February 21, 2012
Sad panda
the other side - February 21, 2012
Yep, it's super shitty.
Fragile bones.
wazzu93 - February 21, 2012
Might be time to take a page
out of Brandon Roy’s book.
harkening - February 21, 2012
I hate everything.
joof - February 21, 2012
So if you made a long-term New Year's resolution, how's it going?
I’ve lost 14 lb! Still nowhere near close to where I want to be but I’m doing the right things and losing a pound or so a week at this point, so as long as I keep that up I’ll get to my goal by the end of the year – and if I keep going at that rate post-2012, in just under four years I’ll weigh approximately four pounds!
pdb - February 21, 2012
Hooray!
msb - February 21, 2012
Congratulations. 14 pounds is nothing to sneeze at, and at your rate you're more likely to keep it off.
Kenneth Arthur - February 21, 2012
I'm really excited about it
but I don’t want to get into the mindset of “I’m done losing weight” so I’m choosing to ignore the cumulative total lost for the most part, at least until summer when I’ll be much closer to the end goal, but I was pretty stoked when I found that out yesterday.
pdb - February 21, 2012
Yeah, I'm much more focused on "how I feel" more than anything else.
If you’re mindful of your diet and exercise, that’s all that matters. Good to hear that you’re making positive progress in 2012.
Kenneth Arthur - February 21, 2012
I'm still treading water on that whole get rid of that last ten pounds thing.
well, not literally.
I’d probably have done it if I’d been treading water all this time.
msb - February 21, 2012
I have written -13 words on my book.
JAH - February 21, 2012
Grats!
JAH - February 21, 2012
Awesome work!
Aussie Mariner - February 22, 2012
Community is back!
March 15th!
casagrande - February 21, 2012
Fuck yeah!
the other side - February 21, 2012
Awwww, Parks and Rec goes away for a month! (Up All Night gets to finish early.)
yuniform - February 21, 2012 via Android app
Great, the one show I like more than Community gets benched
Corco - February 21, 2012
There is nothing better than an off-topic fanpost
except bacon
luciuswolfey_96 - February 21, 2012
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