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Thursday
May 7, 2009
Many today have either forgotten R. Buckminster Fuller, or remember him as a sort of American visionary. In her new book, Becoming Bucky Fuller, Loretta Lorance challenges Bucky's autobiographical account of his life, and his legacy. Likewise, Buckminster Fuller expert and atheist blogger Trevor Blake challenges Bucky's track record as an inventor in a three part essay.
to Commentary by klint
Wednesday
Sep 3, 2003
Beavers vs. Otters. They share habitat. They are equal in the eyes of wildlife management, (and fly about the same, apparently) but completely different in the eyes of behavioral psychologists. Mr. Garrison hates beavers. Linkfilter hates otters. Perhaps our only hope for peace is Tim Matheson. "Otter" of Animal House fame, he also appeared in two episodes of Leave it to Beaver.
to Commentary by yoyology
Thursday
Apr 17, 2003
Tim Robbins had a few very good things to say at the National Press Club; things certain people - who think freedom of speech means telling fellow Americans to shut up or to watch what they say - should hear. Could it be these people never figured out that Bob Roberts was a satire... of them?
to Commentary by fatherdan
Wednesday
Feb 19, 2003
The Borowitz Report: Your Source for Dated, Topical Humor.
to Commentary by yoyology
Friday
Jan 3, 2003
A couple of weeks back, I wrote an article about Karyn Bosnak. In case you don't recall that article, Ms. Bosnak earned her 15 minutes of fame by creating a website which asked us, the cyberpublic, to pay off the credit card debt she had accumulated living in a posh apartment in Midtown Manhattan and buying herself luxury goods at Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue. When she was unexpectedly laid off like many other New Yorkers (many of whom shop only at places like Target or Payless Shoe Source) in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on New York, Bosnak had no savings and no way to pay the bills she'd shortsightedly run up and looked to us to bail her out like Chrysler in 1979. Although it's very hard for most people to come up with any sympathy for anybody who has amassed US$20 thousand worth of credit card debt buying Gucci and Fendi products, surprisingly, we did.. to the tune of just over US$13 thousand. (Admittedly, we even contributed to her popularity by posting her site here.) Now, Karyn's got a merchandising deal, a book deal, and a movie deal in the works. She says she's learned her lesson -- no more $500 Prada shoes for this reformed consumer. However, many people are unhappy with her accomplishment and Karyn bashing is rampant, but she's spawned a host of imitators -- literally dozens of people who've followed in her footsteps.
to Commentary by rich
Thursday
Aug 1, 2002
The traditional Vision Quest, or 'Hanblecheyapi', has been a symbolic rite of passage for the youth of the Native American Sioux Lakota tribe since long before the 1985 movie of the same name hit the screen. It requires nothing more than a place of solitude and one's own discipline. Recently, two young men decided to go on their own Hanblecheyapi, opting to live on the mean streets of Seattle for a seven days giving up their super-premium coffee for more down-to-earth sustenance and resorting to getting their internet fix at a local webcafe. Although I'm sure it was an unpleasant experience, I'm a bit skeptical of the claim that they can now empathize with the experience of homeless people after their brief exposure to the discrimination and criminalization faced by the homeless everyday of their lives. As Mark Watson (a character in another seminal mid-80's film, by the way) pointed out to us, how can you really know what it's like to be homeless when you can go back to Starbucks in six days?
to Commentary by rich
Tuesday
Mar 19, 2002
Albinism is treated pretty unkindly by the media - pale skin and (sometimes) red eyes being equated with evil. For some people, however, albinism is part of who they are...and sometimes it can even be beautiful.
to Commentary by fatherdan
Saturday
Sep 1, 2001
Share your nightmares, or read about the nightmares of others, at The Nightmare Project.
to Commentary by tregoweth
Sunday
Aug 5, 2001
You know about, or at least of, the infamous Dr. Hunter S. Thompson -- known as Gonzo to his loyalists; right? Well, I don't know which is more strange: the fact that he is writing a column for ESPN's Page 2; the fact that he has included the phrase "Fear and Loathing" in not one but four of his books; or the fact that he lives in a "fortified" compound named Owl Farm.
to Commentary by dross
Wednesday
Jul 25, 2001
How much space and time do you really need to get your message across?
to Commentary by krisjohn
Tuesday
Jul 3, 2001
A look at what's wrong with copy protection reveals some of the logistical problems, legal loopholes and probable long-term technological and cultural effects of the collusion between the music, movie and computer industries, which has developed with the intent of "protecting content providers".
to Commentary by monde
Wednesday
May 23, 2001
Think Robotgirls is bad? Try Animalgirls.
to Commentary by skallas
Wednesday
Feb 21, 2001
While I'm always impressed by links about taser guns, I can't help wonder if the Stunbrella will be the future of self-defense.
to Commentary by skallas
Monday
Feb 19, 2001
Have you ever wondered, 'What is the most important invention in the past 2000 years?' or, 'What is today's most important unreported story?' Well, so has John Brockman.
to Commentary by gen
Wednesday
Jan 24, 2001
Ironminds hosts a caustic critique of the magazine world, Celia Farber's memorable piece about women who can't commit, Will Leitch's Life as a Loser series, and his inside dirt on his last employer.
to Commentary by gen
Ron Rivest asks John Gilmore: What's Wrong With Copy Protection? Caveat emptor!
to Commentary by gen
Thursday
Dec 28, 2000
Question authority. Then watch them squirm.
to Commentary by kade
Tuesday
Dec 19, 2000
Much like the "Got Milk?" ad craze influenced many copy cats, some funny, some not, the MasterCard approach has caught on, and in the light of recent US political events, can portray different points of view very effectively.
to Commentary by dnm
Wednesday
Dec 13, 2000
Billionaire financier, George Soros, wrote in The Atlantic Monthly, that there is a big difference between a market-driven economy and a market-driven society. In a second article, he clarifies his position further, detailing the social deficiencies of a global capitalist system and calling for an "global open society" to help protect mankind in the future.
to Commentary by gen
Friday
Dec 8, 2000
TSR Wireless has recently fallen on some tough times, but don't take my word for it -- dial +1 619 287 5558, and find out for yourself.
to Commentary by dnm
Friday
Nov 10, 2000
The backlash grows...behold the Jakob Nielsen drinking game; a parody of his website; Jakob Nielsen for president in 2004; the many moods of Jakob Nielsen; will he never STFU!
to Commentary by gen
Friday
Oct 13, 2000
Okay, Bucky Fuller isn't related to St. Athanasius The Fuller, didn't invent Fuller's Earth, and was born after the mechanical revolution in medieval fulleries, and he wasn't a Fuller Brush Man. Have we covered everything yet?
to Commentary by mpc
Monday
Sep 11, 2000
Jane Doe lives in a rather unusual town and she has a habit of noticing her surroundings. Especially overhearing conversations that people have.
to Commentary by kade
Monday
Jun 26, 2000
What seperates the merely competent from the genius? Malcolm Gladwell's long but fascinating essay profiling world-class performers at the top of their games sheds some light on how the Wayne Gretzkys, Yo-Yo Mas and Tony Gwynns of the world become what they are.
to Commentary by pjammer
Wednesday
Jun 7, 2000
I pity da fool who disrespect Mr. T's wine reviews.
to Commentary by rsf
Monday
May 22, 2000
Are you looking to build something but don't know how to hammer a nail? Well, Better Homes and Gardens has a guide for you. It won't make you a New Yankee, but you may learn the rules of carpentry and build something to boot!
to Commentary by duff
Monday
Apr 24, 2000
It's difficult in a good part of the country to get affordable high speed networking in the home. All this competition was supposed to help, but it looks like the only way to get DSL if you live outside a large city is for FCC Chairman Kennard to come install it. He's probably somewhat busy. (I had a good deal with a local ISP where I hosted a dialup pool, but then they pulled out, leaving only a dark fiber in my house. )
to Commentary by shadow
Thursday
Apr 13, 2000
Although the exhortations of wacky bible-belt institutions impede intelligent discussion on the topic, interracial dating is an unresolved and emotionally charged issue worth thinking about. Why, for instance, are Asian men and Black women so unhappy with interracial relationships? One of the most thoughtful essays on this powderkeg is Steve Sailer's feature column in National Review entitled Is Love Colorblind?
to Commentary by pjammer
Monday
Apr 10, 2000
Finally! Yet another outlet for random complaints! Beefnut - from the people who bring you Goats, showing, yet again, that idle hands really are the Devil's playground.
to Commentary by dha
Sunday
Mar 19, 2000
Today's advertising deathmatch: BlowTheDotOutYourAss.Com.vs. a Dot in .Com Production.
to Commentary by tregoweth
Sunday
Mar 12, 2000
Merriam-Webster defines manifesto as "a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer". To me, most lie near the fine line between amusing and annoying, while a few are actually interesting. Many manifestos seem to be authored by total cranks, yet some (such as the GNU and Communist manifestos) may have some lasting significance.
to Commentary by xrayjones
Thursday
Feb 17, 2000
Sysadmins and other members of the Hitchhiker's Guide Demographic will enjoy Folding The Monkey.
to Commentary by freeside
Wednesday
Feb 16, 2000
This piece on intimacy by Michael Atavar presents some interesting thoughts about the intimate nature of the internet. Relaxing click-free user interface, too.
to Commentary by larrybob
Monday
Feb 7, 2000
Too few people today remember R. Buckminster Fuller, the inventor that buckeyballs and buckeytubes are named after. He created the world's best map, the still amazing Dymaxion car, a shower that used 1 cup of water, coined the term "spaceship earth" and founded the World Game Institute. Lets not forget space ship earth err.. the geodesic dome, either.
to Commentary by reid
Friday
Jan 21, 2000
Celebrity death match: Dilbert vs. Covey.
to Commentary by arkuat
Friday
Jan 7, 2000
There are very few things that I enjoy more than a great rant.
to Commentary by peterb
Tuesday
Dec 14, 1999
If you thought the USPTO was stupid for granting trivial patents like "one click shopping" and "name your price" (which ought to have been rejected on grounds of prior art faster than you can say "limit order"), what do you think of it now that two guys have been granted a patent for entertaining a cat using a laser pointer?
to Commentary by faisal
The good people at the Fuck Everything 'zine don't seem to like anything. But at least they're entertaining.
to Commentary by keith
Thursday
Dec 2, 1999
If you've been wondering just what the critical technique of deconstruction is from a practical standpoint How To Deconstruct Almost Anything will be of great help.
to Commentary by keith
Thursday
Nov 18, 1999
Uncle Al defies description. Although he does understand the secrets of Pastrami
to Commentary by mpc
Saturday
Nov 13, 1999
In Nanotechnology without Genies - A Critique, Lyle Burkhead undertakes a detailed analysis of this planet's current economic and technological systems in order to refute some misconceptions about molecular nanotechnology.
to Commentary by arkuat
Friday
Oct 8, 1999
Moose, Moose, Moose. Moose Rule. Moose are good eating. We also poop M&M's.
to Commentary by moose
Thursday
Sep 30, 1999
There appear to be some women in the world who think that Men Suck, and they've made a web page about it. Oh, and yes, that is me on their letters from losers page. I guess I suck.
to Commentary by keith
Tuesday
Sep 28, 1999
Wonder how anyone ever manages to sell anyting on the web when their goofy multimedia crap keeps crashing your browser? So does web usability expert Jakob Nielsen. useit.com is his newsletter and guide to good web usability practice.
to Commentary by faisal
Tuesday
Sep 21, 1999
I'm sure that there are a few people out there who think that the last thing that the world needs is another witty, irreverant advice columnist, but despite these people, I dig The Advice Goddess.
to Commentary by keith
Sunday
Sep 19, 1999
Read about and contribute to the debate on the most important issue of our day: Which way should the toilet paper go?
to Commentary by crikey
Friday
Aug 27, 1999
Looks like those nannies killing children finally thought commercial and started their own clothing line.
to Commentary by djinn
Wednesday
Aug 25, 1999
Wanker of the Month (need we say more?)
to Commentary by faisal
You may think that Bringdown, one of the bitterst (and funny) online 'zines on the planet, is run by a group of really hip, black-clad, dye-haired trendoids sipping organic cappuccino in some swanky South of Market loft. You'd be wrong.
to Commentary by pjammer
Monday
Aug 23, 1999
Pick your poison. You can get the spin on fashion as well as the feministy stuff at gurl.com, or you can go for the slightly more hardcore at some of the links off of chickclick.
to Commentary by djinn
Wednesday
Aug 18, 1999
mayhem.net keeps you up to date on everything American society would like to hide. Did you know that the Unabomber was a volunteer for CIA mind-control experiements?
to Commentary by faisal
Like Riotgrrl on crack (in a good way), Smile and Act Nice features brutally frank and hysterical commentaries targeted to the online woman, as well as the funniest sex column name I've ever seen: Ho in the Know.
to Commentary by pjammer
Sunday
Aug 15, 1999
Back Orifice 2000 can help your love life.
to Commentary by faisal
Thursday
Aug 12, 1999
Iridium, the satellite phone system, backed by Motorola, tanks. My guess? Microsoft gets to buy a global satellite communication system for a song.
to Commentary by joshua
Monday
Aug 2, 1999
If wealth is really catnip to marriage-minded women, $100 million should be more enough to find a perfect playmate - unless your name is Allan Block. The sexual situation of New York relations between men and women is a small percentage of the men, get a disproportionate percentage of the physical action. Ten percent of the men or less do 60 percent of the screwing. I hate those guys!
to Commentary by pjammer
Thursday
Jul 29, 1999
Riotgrrl is a nervy, bitchy, totally hilarious webzine filled with estrogen-pumped rants about sex with nerds, infidelity, and the hunky Po Bronson as well as a speculative round table on celebrity sexual orientation.
to Commentary by pjammer
Ditherati presents a daily dumb quote from "new media" people who should know better.
to Commentary by tregoweth
Tuesday
Jul 27, 1999
The late Bill Hicks was the funniest and most scathing anti-corporate comedian/critic of the last few decades. Check out some information about the man, his production company, or the foundation set up in his name.
to Commentary by crikey
Thursday
Jul 8, 1999
Are you dreaming of moving to Silicon Valley and becoming the next Internet gazillionaire? Conventional journalism will never reveal the devilish maze of nondisclosure/gag orders, noncompete covenants and venture capital double-crosses that every entrepreneur must confront on the road to seemingly overnight IPO riches. That's why it's gratifying to see Bronson's candid commentary on the fictions Silicon Valley invent for itself and the dirty laundry that it successfully buries.
to Commentary by pjammer
Saturday
Jun 12, 1999
Although not as regularly posted with fresh material like Suck.com, Lies.com offers the same link-laden, bitingly clever commentaries. Favorites include rants on ISPs, the '96 election, and Bill Clinton.
to Commentary by pjammer
Tuesday
Jun 8, 1999
Many of us in the field of Computer Science have wondered why it is that there are so few female computer scientists. Well, here is a very insightful paper on that topic. It was written in 1991 by Ellen Spertus, now an assistant professor of Computer Science at Mills College, but little enough has changed in the eight years since, that it is still very topical. She has also provided us with an excellent page of links on that same topic and another page about women and minorities in science and engineering.
to Commentary by keith
Sunday
Jun 6, 1999
Its message is profound, but the presentation is sickening in that greeting-card, yellow-smiley-face, cherub-smiled babies kind of way.
to Commentary by djinn
Friday
May 14, 1999
Who stoops to faux-ironic allegory comparing the Kosovo situation with Star Wars hype? None other than suck.com, an esteemed member of the ever inflating Lycos family.
to Commentary by akk
Tuesday
Apr 20, 1999
Okay, you've read that Cryptonomicon essay about Linux. Then you read his 1996 Wired article about transoceanic cables and the geeks that lay them. Rah rah. Now you may as well spend another half hour reading Nicholas D. Arnett's Counter Rant - which feature the kick-ass quote (in reference to chaos theory): Actually, the luck was that Digital Research Inc. declined to sign IBM's non-disclosure agreement, which was the flap of a butterfly wing in Monterey that made it rain money in Redmond.
to Commentary by pjammer
Thursday
Apr 15, 1999
Aside from his thrice-weekly ABC News column, where he makes Ann Landers look like a twit, Dan Savage also makes half the sex advice columnists on the planet look like twits with Savage Love. But not everyone loves Dan.
to Commentary by jacquez
Wednesday
Mar 31, 1999
Fitshaced: the angriest, most disgruntled magazine on the net.
to Commentary by bruce
Monday
Mar 22, 1999
If you aren't sure what the controversy surrounding Elia Kazan's honorary Oscar at the 1999 Academy Awards ceremony was all about, check out this essay (written in 1980) on the topic of Kazan, the House Unamerican Activities Committee, and "naming names."
to Commentary by crikey
Sunday
Mar 14, 1999
Scholar/Author Vernor Vinge postulates on how rapidly accelarating technological change will lead to the end of humanity as we know it.
to Commentary by faisal
Monday
Mar 1, 1999
Steven Sailer, one of the best online essayists on society, race, and public policy, offers a lighthearted analysis of children's television programming.
to Commentary by pjammer
Wednesday
Feb 10, 1999
Part criticism, part witticism, part random babbling. USounds may be pointless, but it's fun to read.
to Commentary by faisal
Monday
Jan 25, 1999
Ambrose Bierce was an optimist. Godling's Glossary covers everything from avoiding existence-centrism to something almost, but entirely, unlike Gilbert and Sullivan.
to Commentary by petey
Thursday
Jan 7, 1999
Are we reading CNet or The Onion? "Technology columnist predicts Year 2000 to follow Year 1999."
to Commentary by faisal
Tuesday
Dec 15, 1998
It seems that some people don't like Microsoft . This is news? This is burglary? What?
to Commentary by faisal
Friday
Nov 20, 1998
Faelan's sweetheart contest. An eleven year old boy's personal ad on his home page. "I have a college fund of at least $10,000, and if you and me get married and you don't have a college fund of your own, then my parents will give you a college fund too!" Please tell me this is a hoax...
to Commentary by bruce
Tuesday
Nov 10, 1998
Web advertising reaches new heights of classiness with the Webzine '98 'banners'. Warning: contains scatalogical references.
to Commentary by faisal
Tuesday
Oct 27, 1998
While it's still available: PRC puts up site regarding human rights in China. Someone hacks it.
to Commentary by faisal
Project proposals schmoozing with high-speed copiers? Not exactly, but the use and construction of documents has lead to a theory of the Social Life of Documents
to Commentary by jacquez
Sunday
Oct 18, 1998
Term of the week:
Web shite - n - Web site (derog); e.g. "I'm checking out memepool to find the latest web shites."
to Commentary by faisal
Thursday
Oct 1, 1998
Dan Savage proves that Ann Landers isn't the only advice columnist left in the universe.
to Commentary by jacquez
Thursday
Sep 24, 1998
The best information source on organized hypocrisy available to the world today: Fade To Black
to Commentary by jacquez
98.08.05: A Chat With God
When it happened last time, or the time before, or even the time before that, she braved it as best she could and went on. It helped to have her friend around, the one who always listened and only sometimes said the wrong things.
to Commentary by faisal
Friday
Sep 18, 1998
Wuxtry! Wuxtry! Read all about it!
to Commentary by bah
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