When ugly guys were hot

Posted by – August 6, 2019

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:

It’s differential this time

Posted by – August 6, 2019

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+.

..to account this world but Hell

Posted by – August 6, 2019

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

Group activity please-don’t-notice-me face

Posted by – July 29, 2019

Trumps up

Posted by – July 27, 2019

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

Just five minutes

Posted by – July 26, 2019

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 my kids ask me about the outgroup

Posted by – July 25, 2019

Think about it man

Posted by – July 24, 2019

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”.

Mods are sleeping, post sandwiches

Posted by – July 20, 2019

Those pre-regulation sandwiches of yesteryear (1972):

sandwiches

From the dadfucking files

Posted by – July 16, 2019

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:

From the yeah what’s that all about dept.

Posted by – July 13, 2019

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.

Imagine my reaction

Posted by – July 4, 2019

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:

A pointless note

Posted by – July 3, 2019

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.

From the couldn’t help noticing dept.

Posted by – June 24, 2019

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%.

It’s chess beating time

Posted by – June 24, 2019

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

From the music for going insane to dept.

Posted by – May 14, 2019

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.