why does my hand smell like an old lady's neck - New Random Thread

[nonotyet]

 
what is spidering is that like when the little robot things are running around in Minority Report

[milesofsparks]

I'll leave the spidering explanation to someone else...

in other news, I pretty much want everything on this site:
http://www.jetpens.com/

[mixed cats]

Me too oh god PENS with tiny tiny little POINTS.

[reebty]

My buttocks fell asleep. I didn't know that could happen. Why doesn't it happen frequently as a result of sitting down for long periods?

[YojimboMonkey]

In news that only I will likely find amusing, Joliet (an exurb of Chicago mainly known for its closed prison) has a new minor league baseball team: The Joliet Slammers

[dumbfish]

If their mascot isn't a fat Blues Brother, they missed a golden opportunity.

[jebreject]

Yeah, not gonna lie, I was totally hoping that that was going to be a link to a clip from Blues Brothers.

[peacocks]

look at this awesome rocking chair thing: http://wanelo.com/product/61957

[edison]

Random work-related discovery of the day (would probably fit in the annoyed thread if the stupidity of this wasn't kind of funny) - there are publishers out there who make books of single Wikipedia articles and sell them for $45. To wit:

http://www.amazon.com/Lazarus-Travie-McCoy-Frederic-Miller/dp/6133961961/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1294921690&sr=1-7

Another favorite is this nifty little volume on the country of Georgia (check out the cover picture)!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/6132858032/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=1278548962&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=6130683936&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0T9P42TVPK2CVS4TG7TA

edit: love the subtitle on this one:


edit 2: hahaha, this has to be the best (see cover picture)
http://www.amazon.com/Police-Reunion-Tour-Musician-Copeland/dp/6130338775/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

[alex]

Damn you, I just spent the last half hour reading up on that stuff.

[edison]

Haha, that's less than I have.

The reason I came across them in the first place is that I was looking up basic information on some of the publishers a professor I work for was considering for his nearly-completed book - his main choice was the Germany-based LAP (also, as further investigation reveals, based in Mauritius and Moldova), which as it happens is one of the many imprints (along with the aforementioned alphascript and betascript) of the generally more than questionable-looking VDM publishing house. After I divulged this information, he did seem to agree that, yes, Palgrave might be the better choice after all, despite their more lenghty and convoluted application process.

[alex]

Yeah, most of that time was actually spent reading various discussions about their more academically-oriented imprints (who I knew of before; the wikipedia stuff I didn't know), and it kind of tied in with a general decision I will have to make in the next few months about whether to self-publish my PhD thesis or make it commercially available (although I wouldn't want to publish it with them, specifically). Mostly for entertainment purposes, though.

That said, I don't find the academic imprints specifically objectionable - some people just want to have their academic writings (usually MA/PhD theses) commercially available without having to deal with all the hassles of peer review and waiting times and so on. I guess it does cash in to some extent on the impression that they are peer-reviewed academic presses when essentially they are more like a vanity press (minus having to spend a lot of money on it, because they print on demand) who do zero editing or reviewing. But if people know what they sign up for, I see no problem with that. But yeah, if there's a chance that palgrave would publish his work, then going with them would be laughable.

[edison]

The principle itself might not be objectionable, sure - what's potentially more troublesome is the apparent lack of the most basic skills/experience/resources that some authors have reported (as well as bad mistakes such as confusing the manuscript with another document). But I guess it's possible that it does work out very well for some people who have absolutely no expectation regarding editing and reviewing, yes (Although the fact that they have managed to acquire a not-so-great reputation in some strands of academia can work to the author's disadvantage if they have further ambitions). Anyway, I'm sure you can do better for your thesis!

Fun fact (in fact, kind of awesome) - LAP's "managing director" in Mauritius is 22 years old! Or rather was when he took the position - he should be 24 by now.

[alex]

I mentioned that my brother and his girlfriend bought me the Playmobil nativity scene and three Magi sets for Christmas, right? Before they did, I always held regrets about having given away (under some pressure from relatives) all my Playmobil in my teens, so I suppose that present triggered some desires in me. I ordered - partly from ebay, partly from the company itself - a bunch of additional sets that would allow me to create an environment for the three Magi to cross through on their way to Bethlehem. The desert and steppe flora hasn't been delivered yet, but it's starting to look pretty good:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48491886@N07/sets/72157625817498992/

I think I might be turning insane. Or turning into a 7-year old, at least. (Just outside the frame of the picture, there's a marble track on the floor, too).

[mixed cats]

that is awesome!

[Greg Nog]

SECONDED.

Man, that makes me wanna bust out the ol' Legos.

[mixed cats]

My dad owns almost every Fisher Price Little People playset from the original line (the TOYS THAT KILL version of the people). I think he's missing one or two of the earliest ones? Anyway my mom set them all up in the basement this year and I TOTALLY MISSED IT because I didn't visit their house for the three months they were up!

[davy]

SECONDED.

Man, that makes me wanna bust out the ol' Legos.

I've been playing mad Legos since Christmas with the Finnster. And damn, it's more fun than I remember.

[clare]

alex, you are the coolest. Playmobil is excellent for their sense of humour I reckon, and then what people do with it is even funnier. I love the hyenas, for example.

[alex]

Heh, thanks. My boyfriend, upon being told of the Roman patrouille: "wow, I never thought you'd be the first of us to buy toy soldiers!"

[Aglaya]

I want to see the marble track.  I used to have one of those, and it was the best!  Slightly less effective as a water track, though I tried many, many times.

[clare]

Yeah, marble tracks are teh awesom. The kids I used to look after fought over it constantly, and my boys have one, which lives at my mum's house. If you coat it with something oily you might be able to get drops of water going down it and looking like mercury. That would be cool.

[FreddyKnuckles]

SECONDED.

Man, that makes me wanna bust out the ol' Legos.

I've been playing mad Legos since Christmas with the Finnster. And damn, it's more fun than I remember.

Thirded.  I was a lego fiend.  I wish my Dad didn't give them all away to poor kids, or I'd be playing some legos right now. 

[alex]

I want to see the marble track.  I used to have one of those, and it was the best!  Slightly less effective as a water track, though I tried many, many times.

Mine's wooden, and I seriously doubt its usefulness as a water track.

Here you are:



It looks nice, but its real awesomeness lies in the chance elements in the construction which make it impossible to predict which way the marble is going to roll. But they all meet again in the end.

[davy]

Awesome.