The straight line

Name a more iconic 80s power ballad. Go on, I’ll wait.

Facebook comments:

Klaus Meine in fact went on to a successful career in standup

JP: Couldn’t resist *the* temptation, so how about this ‘ballad’:

BH:

Still the best simple explanation of complicated mechanics I have ever seen. This is where I learned how differentials work, at the age of 20+.

Unseen footage of Boris Johnson thinking about joining the Brexit campaign:

Not sure how I feel about this trend of jokey titles for academic papers: Making Convolutional Networks Shift-Invariant Again

In principle I’m opposed to conventionality, but I do quite often shout at my children, “Could you just be fucking NORMAL for five minutes?!”

When someone says “all X are Y” (example of the moment: X = PS supporters, Y = racist), it’s just as well to think of it as “this is what I mean by Y” as “this is what I think about X”.

Those pre-regulation sandwiches of yesteryear (1972):

Like chess, cricket isn’t necessarily such a civilized game as people think, as you can see in this compilation of fast bowling with more or less intent to hurt from the 2013/14 Ashes:

Mitch Johnson’s mustache isn’t even a “I’ll fuck yer mum” mustache – he’ll probably fuck your dad too!

Pretty good consolation from the next Ashes in England, when Australia were all out for 60, for the batting collapse aficionados:

People keep saying “we need to have a conversation about cultural/ethnic identity and assimilation”; here’s a fascinating look into what is actually known about those topics, lots new to me.

Reaction videos on youtube are basically a mountain of shit, although I think the concept itself is actually quite wholesome (God knows I like watching people’s reactions to stuff I think is great) (and the future economy could well be basically made of this), but it gets interesting when experts do it, like this singing teacher who can’t find anything to improve on in Freddie Mercury:

I assume comparing the Brexit party to the NSDAP is strictly for entertainment purposes, like 99% of political commentary, so I don’t have anything to say about it, like 99% of everything.

When I read about a female programmer engaging in a “male-typical” thing, either a heated public debate about something programming-related or a big, impressive solo project, I get the idea to check if they’re trans. An amazing proportion, like maybe a third of female programmers are trans anyway, but with this criterion I think it’s been 100%.

Non chess players often wrongly assume that chess players are civilized, gentlemanly people. The reality is more like this:

[chat log from an online game I just played, where he first aborted the game where I had the white pieces, then rematched so he would have white]
White offers draw [in a losing position]
XXEgemenXX: pls you take only -5
XXEgemenXX: iwant +3
[If we draw, I lose 5 rating points and he gains 3]
XXEgemenXX: only
Traubert: :D
XXEgemenXX: draw,
XXEgemenXX: you pro bro
Traubert: if you want rating points, play better
XXEgemenXX: i want 3
Black declines draw
XXEgemenXX: i lose and i take -20
Traubert: don’t worry, you can get them back
XXEgemenXX: :(
XXEgemenXX: me open lichhes for telephone and open analyzing board
[He’s saying he’s going to use computer assistance to win the game]
Traubert: me report you and you get banned
XXEgemenXX: you dont have evidence
Traubert: what about this chat log
XXEgemenXX: maybe i troll
XXEgemenXX: maybe trolll maybe dont troll
XXEgemenXX: games owner dont know this
XXEgemenXX: all matchs i open analyzing board
XXEgemenXX: and make 2500 rating
XXEgemenXX: lichees analyzing board is pro
XXEgemenXX: than you

I got David Lynch’s “blues” album Crazy Clown Time from the library. Choice lyric:

I called your phone.
You were talking.
I guess you could say I might have been sort of stalking you.
Stalking you, baby.
Must have been that night when I took her down by the river, in a truck.
I gave her all I could give her.
The moon shining. The moon shining.
I walk the street, sometimes I see some girls I’d like to meet, maybe.
Why won’t you answer your phone.
Bill is having a party, wish you were goin’.
I know you fucked Al.
He’s supposed to be my pal.
I guess you could say I might be stalking you.
I might be stalking you, baby.
What did I do, to make you do the things you do.
What did I do.
You said you wanted me dead.
Shit, fuck my head.
I got fucked by you.
Fucked real bad.
Maybe you’re happy, but I hope you’re sad.
Since you left me I have been thinking about getting me a speed roadster.
Going by the drugstore, who could ask for more?
Maybe drive by your house.
Look in your window.