Long before 9/11, i went with a friend and his father to pick up a family member of his at the airport. This was back when anyone--not just ticketed passengers--could go through security, all the way to the gate. my friend's dad was carrying a messenger bag type satchel that he got at a military surplus store. For some reason, it triggered some alarm or the other, or maybe he was just picked randomly, but the bag he had was putting off a chemical signature of TNT explosives, and he was given the option to leave the bag in his car, or not enter the secure area. All because of some residue from who knows what back when the bag was being used in the military.

Good point. My father, who's been stationed around the world in various hostile climates over the course of his military-related job, has always suggested "doing as the locals do." figure out what the indigenous people of any location or climate do, and emulate them. they've likely been doing whatever they do to cool off/heat up/dry out for hundreds or thousands of years, and had much more time to figure out how to deal with the extreme climate than us.

Same goes for other living condition issues like how to light up an area after the sun goes down (when running electricity isn't feasible/worth it), etc.

It would seem that at a certain point, making the entirety of works all of the record labels have ever created available via itunes, netflix, or whatever would be the cheaper and simpler solution. I wonder what that point is. Are we close to reaching it? Have we already?

Of course, this seems simple when put into so few words, there's got to be something I'm missing. What is it? Aside from the general "Content companies only want control," what excuse would major labels give for this?

I've been buying music from independent punk rock labels for going on 20 years. I've heard from many people who ran labels in the 80's that they would much rather have distributed their stuff online for free (bandwidth, hardware costs notwithstanding) rather than sitting around dubbing tapes or spending money on plastic discs with music on them. money that had to be recouped in order for a band to be deemed a "success."

Emails sent to your @facebook address show up in facebook as messages.

Replies to those emails show up as emails to the address you sent FROM, originating from the @facebook email.

i only know this because i wanted to forward some photos from an email to someone i only have facebook contact info for and all this about @facebook emails had been in the news recently, so i went with it.

And when that happens, the new "Pay $5/day to see who's stalking YOU!" feature becomes available.

I think one major difference is that the the three you mentioned, and many of the others of popular cum changed and/or gone away sites is that Google and hopefully (for their sake) Facebook have the foresight to be constantly adapting to what's needed and wanted in the user marketplace. If Google lags and someone else comes along and manages to get more direct marketable eyeballs than Google does, then yeah, they'll change and/or shrivel up as the ad dollars migrate. But how many people do they have working on this exact problem on a daily basis? I'm guessing more than Geocities ever did.

What I really don't like is the whole sleeping in the cockpit game. If it is legal, it shouldn't be.

This was my first thought. I have no problems with members of flight crews sleeping on flights they're responsible for, so long as there are other flight members who are awake, alert, and on the controls at all times. I do think there's something wrong with a pilot or copilot sleeping in the cockpit with their hands within reach of the controls.

To be fair, Victory has a history of being shitty to artists. One of my friends put it simply "bands who sign to Victory in this day and age have it coming."

In 2010, I flew from Denver to Minneapolis. It was a visit during which, I would be riding a loaned bicycle, so I brought a multitool should I need to do some roadside repairs on the loaner. On my flight there, I had plenty of time to go through security and if the multitool (which had a 2" knife blade) was not allowed, I could go check the bag it was in. I went through security without a hiccup.

Landed in Minneapolis, and went to check with security, since I wouldn't have such a time window on my return flight, and wanted to see if I would need to check the bag with the multitool in it or if it would be allowed. I went up to the security station and politely asked the TSA agent if this would be allowed. I had it in my hand as I approached. The knife blade wasn't visible but it was obvious that it was a bicycle multitool. I asked if it would be allowed. A fellow agent came over in the middle of my explanation, and started to ask some questions about the tool.

The first agent sort of waved his hand and said "It's ok, it's a bicycle multitool. It has wrenches and screwdrivers, right? You should be fine."

To which i responded "Well, it does have a 2" knife blade on it, in case you need to cut something."

At this point, the agent stiffened up, looked around and in a very serious voice said "Sir? You have a knife on your person? How did you get into this secure area? You need to leave this secure area immediately or..." and then went into this official sounding tirade.

I tried restating my question, but you'd think I had threatened to stab the guy. I checked the bag on the return flight, but it turns out they didn't like the burly bicycle lock in my check bag, either. As if a big chain would be a threat in the belly of the plane...

I fondly remember learning the multiplication tables for two reasons:

1. We moved a lot when I was a kid, and one of my new schools only learned them up to 10x10, whereas my previous school had taught them up to 12x12. Seems pretty minor in retrospect, but it gave me some kind of incredible confidence. It almost felt like a super power.
2. More importantly, my innate sense of trying to cheat/be lazy taught me to find patterns: 9 times any single digit number is that digit with a zero after it minus that digit. 5 times any number is half of 10 times that number, etc. The trick where you open both palm, and fold down the finger that corresponds with what you're multiplying by 9, and the fingers on the left of the folded digit are now the tens column while the fingers on the right are the ones column. (I'm not sure i can explain why it works, but I know that it wouldn't if we had 11 fingers...)

Finding those shortcuts, and seeking them out, felt like finding some kind of cosmic Easter eggs or something. I feel like that encouraged me to be inquisitive in other areas, and appreciate when I found connections.

I don't think the fact that i know by rote what 11 times 12 is is beneficial, but the fact that i know that there are patterns and connections to be found has helped me be confident to face and solve many other problems, math or otherwise.

I live in Boulder, CO, and there's a walking mall downtown, where lots of tourists and locals congregate to shop, eat, hang out outside. Which brings about the petition signature solicitors. It's completely legal to ask folks for signatures, but as a local who has spent more time there than most tourists, it starts to get old being asked by every petitioner on the block if you have a minute for their cause.

One local business has started offering clipboards that one can check out for free, with some papers clipped on and a pen attached via a ballchain. This is for locals who want to walk down the mall for short errands or to grab lunch or whatever, and not be hassled by the other petitioners.

You sure have a funny definition for the word "clearly."

Thanks. Figured there was some media misuse of the term, but that's helpful.

What's the difference between a remote controlled aircraft (like a model plane) and a drone?

Isn't that the same argument for/against having a bigger purse/backpack? the more stuff you're able to carry, the more stuff you WILL carry, etc.