Episode CCCXLV: Nerds, geeks, dweebs


I’m about to depart for #cvg2012, the CONvergence con, where I shall spend a long, exhausting weekend with My People: the weirdos, the science nerds, the kids who were too smart to try out for the football team, the laughing accepting tolerant folks who don’t have to conform to the comfortable median. It shall be fun. It will almost certainly be distracting — here’s my schedule of the panels I’ll be on, and there will be others I’ll be attending — so this might be a slow weekend for the blog. Sorry, I’ll be busy.

You could always come on out to the con yourself — we’re partying all night long with the Skepchicks.

(Episode CCCXLIV: Just for the girls.)

Comments

  1. amblebury says

    Here be I, up at 4am watching the Murray/Federer final.

    It’s not like that in the UK. They’re civilised there and the Wimbledon finals are played in the daytime. Sigh.

  2. Beatrice says

    Watching Men Who Hate Women (or Girl With The Dragon Tattoo because the original is apparently too much for sensitive USian ears), I had to stare at a little spot in the lower left corner of the screen during the rape scene. I used to be able to watch violence on screen. I have become much more sensitive to it.

  3. Louis says

    Beatrice,

    I preferred the original title too, it summed it up so nicely. But I don’t speak/read Swedish so I plumbed for the English version.

    Louis

  4. Sili (I have no penis and I must jizz) says

    If I get around to making the old laptop into a Linux bow, then what’s best for me as a rank amateur?

  5. Matt Penfold says

    Watching Men Who Hate Women (or Girl With The Dragon Tattoo because the original is apparently too much for sensitive USian ears), I had to stare at a little spot in the lower left corner of the screen during the rape scene. I used to be able to watch violence on screen. I have become much more sensitive to it.

    Violence on screen, especially violence directed against women, is what most upsets British TV viewers. Sex scenes are considered OK, providing adequate warning is given with regards content, and the same with swearing. I rather agree with that. If there are graphic depictions of violence in a TV program I will tend to turn the program off. It is also rather lazy from creative perspective. It is quite possible to suggest violence without a graphic portrayal.

  6. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    I used to be able to watch violence on screen. I have become much more sensitive to it.

    Oh, me too. I used to love me some horror gore slashfest. Can’t go there too often these days.

    Oh, and speaking of unexpectedly horrific rape scenes in movies – Strange Days.

  7. Matt Penfold says

    If I get around to making the old laptop into a Linux bow, then what’s best for me as a rank amateur?

    Probably Ubuntu, 32-bit version. Depending on the hardware, you might want to look a the version that uses XFCE as the desktop. It is less resource hungry than gnome or kde.

  8. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    Linux / what’s best for me as a rank amateur?

    Ubuntu.

  9. says

    If I get around to making the old laptop into a Linux bow, then what’s best for me as a rank amateur?

    As I told Setar, I’d recommend Xubuntu for all purposes. In addition to being bloated (and thus suboptimal for a laptop), the latest version of GNOME has a dreadful interface; I have yet to meet anyone who’s used it and doesn’t hate it.

  10. JAL: Snark, Sarcasm & Bitterness says

    Oh my god the kitties. So cute.

    This is the first time I watched it. Little One was still sleeping. She heard the tiny mews from the kitties, lifted her head up (with unopened eyes and bed hair) and said “kitty?”. I hurriedly turn off the volume and she went back to sleep. So cuuuuuuuuute.

    Are the kitties ever let out the box? That seems like a very small space to keep them in all the time.

  11. Sili (I have no penis and I must jizz) says

    Ubuntu.

    It just sounds to me like “Ubuntu” is not just Ubuntu anymore.

    A bit of googling in the meantime did inform me of Xubuntu being less heavy. Given that the laptop is from ’04, it’s probably necessary.

  12. Beatrice says

    Louis ,

    It wasn’t really on topic, but stupid title changes in general bug me and this one in particular bugged me even more. I felt it was denying the reality of the movie just to spare someone’s feelings. Or rather, fee fees.

    ——

    Giving movies with extreme violence +13 warning, but those with a bit of boob showing +18 makes me rage.
    Same with parents who forbid their children from watching anything remotely sexual, but have no problem with them watching someone being torn limb from limb. It always makes me think of my friend who loves Terminator. She watched it dozens of times, since she was little. She’d seen all the violence. Only a couple of years back had she found out there were sex scenes in there – her parents had always sent her from the room.

  13. Part-Time Insomniac, Zombie Porcupine Nox Arcana Fan says

    One movie I have but not seen beginning to end is Naked Weapon. The scene that left me in shock was the one where
    TRIGGER WARNING
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    the boss lady of the training camp for young female spies and assassins drugs three of them and some of her guy lackeys rape them. It’s supposed to teach them how to distance themselves from what’s going on with their bodies if they ever need to have sex with a man they’re assigned to kill. And of course the guys all high-five each other when they’re done.
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    .
    It left me wondering how many of the girls who survive that camp are left mentally broken.

    Come to think of it, if I can’t keep myself from stopping at that shot, I’m going to get rid of the movie. I can stand gore and psychological scares. Torture scenes and rapes scenes just make me want to chop off the heads of the people doing the torture and rape. Reading about it in a book induces the same reaction, but not as strong.

    Really, compared to the aforementioned movie, Bug was easier to watch, and I found that one to be a real mindfuck.

  14. Beatrice says

    There are seven kitties, but they aren’t always all there. I guess either the box is actually quite big so they are somewhere behind/under the camera or they are taken somewhere else.

  15. Nutmeg says

    (Note: I just got back from a canoe trip, and I have lots of unconnected thoughts about it. Here’s one of them.)

    Thoughts from canoeing, #1:

    It’s interesting how I think about my body in the backcountry vs. in the city.

    In the city, I think: how does my hair look, am I breaking out again, how do my thighs look in these shorts, is this a good colour for me, do I need makeup, have I removed enough body hair today? I worry about my appearance. There are mirrors everywhere.

    In the backcountry, I think: do I need to take my inhaler before this portage, have I applied enough sunblock, where’s that damn bug spray? Appearance doesn’t matter; functionality does. I don’t see a mirror for six days, and it’s wonderful.

    In the city, I get frustrated with my short, average-weight, solid body. I wish that I was naturally slender and feminine. I go to the gym to lose weight.

    In the backcountry, I appreciate my broad shoulders and strong arms. I like the way I can carry most of my body weight on a portage and then paddle for hours without getting tired. I’m glad that I spent all those hours at the gym, because it gave me strength and endurance.

    I was never good at sports, and I always hated it when people said that every young person should play a sport. I still think those people are wrong, but now I can see the benefits of having a physical hobby. It would be great for teens (and adults!) to spend more time appreciating the things their bodies can do, without worrying so much about what they look like.

  16. Part-Time Insomniac, Zombie Porcupine Nox Arcana Fan says

    Nutmeg – Agreed. When I run, I forget about how – I just enjoy that I can run for as long as I can.

  17. JAL: Snark, Sarcasm & Bitterness says

    I want a kitty now.
    Actually, I’ve always wanted a pet again. I’ve already started thinking of ways that we could afford one again but it’s too soon for that. I’m getting ahead of myself.

    I’m miss my pets. =(

    On the kitty cam, I love the the black/tan and grey/tan kitties. That coloring/style pattern has always been one of my favorites. I dunno why but I think its teh awesome.

  18. Louis says

    Beatrice, #12,

    WORD!

    In other words: I fully agree with your cogent points. ;-)

    Louis

    P.S. Part Time Insomniac, #13, WTF? Oh that’s just… yeah not watching that film.

  19. Ogvorbis: Dogmaticus sycophantus says

    Holy fucktonne of shit and shinola! reasonable fellow suffers from the most serious case of cranialrectal inversion I have seen in months!

  20. says

    Aprilcomeshewill:

    I haven’t run into a lot of people who saw/remember it

    I saw it. Not bad, as horror flicks go. There isn’t a horror flick on the planet that will ever bother me (or stick with me) as much as Once Were Warriors.

  21. Beatrice says

    I want to do violence to reasonable fellow.*

    *I don’t approve of violence. Don’t take this as an encouragement to do violence to reasonable fellow.

  22. Matt Penfold says

    I want to do violence to reasonable fellow.*

    *I don’t approve of violence. Don’t take this as an encouragement to do violence to reasonable fellow.

    It is not the desire to commit acts of violence on people that marks the difference between the civilises and uncivilised, but the willingness to act on such desires.

  23. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    Beatrice, be careful when you do things like this. A few years ago, Cath (Now Althea) expressed a similar sentiment and also said, well, not really. And a blog full of dishonest assclams quotemined the statement in order to “prove” that this blog, as an unit, laughed at rape victims and told rape jokes.

    Some of those fine people have since moved on to the slimepit.

  24. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    Beatrice, I am not saying that I disagree with your sentiment. But the simple fact is this, cases like Althea and Rebeecca Watson’s “Guys, don’t do that.” can unexpectedly set off shitstorm.

    This is more a reflection of the toxic attitudes of large segments of society then of those these rather minor words.

  25. carlie says

    Ooooo, Newt Gingrich is still dissing Mitt Romney! Just got a robocall from Newt hawking his new movie about Reagan – he starts off talking about how lousy the country was in 1980 until Reagan came along, then said that it’s just like that now, except “we have no Reagan to lead us, so conservative citizens have to band together and work on grassroots efforts”, then goes on to talk about his movie. No mention of Romney anywhere. Buuuuurn.

  26. Beatrice says

    Janine,

    I understand. The *headdesk* is for certain people’s desperate attempts at making Pharyngula look bad.

    But I will try not to contribute to that in the future. There are some other things making me mad right now, and some of it is leaking into my feelings about reasonable fellow.

  27. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    Beatrice, I probably should not have have “warned”. I just wanted to point out that a similar statement set off a shitstorm by people who already hated this place. But also, it is hard to say just what will set it off. I failed in making myself clear.

    It was not my intention to tell you to be careful about what you say. But intent is not magic.

  28. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    Poor Howard, trapped in a movie he did not produce.

  29. says

    Hi there
    I’m back from the most wonderful weekend away with friends and friends only. I was sooooooo good to be just me for two days and not “mum”. I love my kids, but it was great to have a weekend without them.

    URGENT
    Could somebody point me to the direction of DDMFM? Or his phone number or get in touch with him and tell him to send me a mail (nym Ät yahoo DOT de)?
    ‘Cause I’ll be heading for Berlin in 8 days and it would be a shame if we couldn’t meet because my laptop died.

  30. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    reasonable fellow is supplying plenty of reasons for anger all on his own.

  31. Ogvorbis: Dogmaticus sycophantus says

    and now, reasonable fellow is in full meltdown mode. On the thread xe was TZTed.

  32. Cipher, OM, Fighting Fucktoy says

    Watching Men Who Hate Women (or Girl With The Dragon Tattoo because the original is apparently too much for sensitive USian ears), I had to stare at a little spot in the lower left corner of the screen during the rape scene. I used to be able to watch violence on screen. I have become much more sensitive to it.

    With the Swedish version, I was stubborn. It took me a couple of tries to watch it, with me pausing several times within that scene to pace around my house and do other things. That’s a series where I think the depiction isn’t gratuitous or presented in a way where the intent seems to be to titillate (as opposed to, like, torture porn), so I didn’t want to give up on the movie because of it or fast-forward through it.

    With the USian version, I was in a theater. Didn’t have time to go untrigger and calm down and stabilize, so I looked at the chair in front of me and did my best to zone out. Later when there was a sex scene I left the room because I was still kinda… Not good.

  33. Sili (I have no penis and I must jizz) says

    Giliell,

    Done.

    But he may not have his phone turned on.

  34. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    Fuck you, too, doctor

    o_O ?

  35. Dr. Esteleth Dyke, Medicine Woman and Snark Machine says

    Allo allo

    Side rant: mah bewbs are misbehaving. I noticed that my bras are not fitting right, so I went to the Pink-Draped LadyClothes Store, as they have free fittings.

    Apparently I’ve gone from a 36C to a 38D. WTF.

  36. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    /gives Esteleth’s bewbs a stern talking-to

  37. Ogvorbis: Dogmaticus sycophantus says

    It is not like breasts are static.

    I find that shocking!

  38. says

    Nifty:
    That would be awesome!

    Catch you later!

    Sili:

    Fuck you, too, doctor

    Which one? There’s a whole shit load of us doctors here. (Some of us are lying, some are not. :D )

    Dr E:

    Apparently I’ve gone from a 36C to a 38D. WTF.

    My boobs have never been consistent. I’ve always kept a couple of different cup sizes around, for comfort’s sake.

    (I notice weight gain/loss in my boobs before anywhere else.)

  39. Louis says

    Bewbs…D cups…Bewbs…

    {faint}

    [Automated Voice]

    Dear User, you have broken your Louis 3000 who came across a Bewb conversation unsuspectingly. Don’t worry it will reset itself momentarily but may look funnily at the cat for a while.

    [/Automated Voice]

    Louis

  40. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    I did a google image search for “boob fairy”.

    Why do I do things that I know I will regret?

  41. Part-Time Insomniac, Zombie Porcupine Nox Arcana Fan says

    LOL @ Louis being broken by bewb talk.
    ———————————————–

    Ahhhhh, humidity level has dropped and it feels SO much better in my room now! And there’s a breeze. Yay!
    ———————————————–

    WARNING FOR LOUIS: BOOBS AHEAD…

    Is the jump in size permanent or just a side effect of sorts, Esteleth? Either way, it’s annoying when you learn that your boobs have decided they are not big enough and you have to buy all new bras in a new size.

  42. ImaginesABeach says

    thank you all very much. I left the internet kitties open on the screen, and GirlChild and Girl’sBestFriend found it, and now I can’t get any work out of them. It’s all “just a minute, internet kitties are eating” and “just a minute, internet kitties are playing”.

  43. chigau (間違っていない) says

    I’m home!
    Reliable internet!!!
    Yay!
    Catching up!

  44. codobus says

    Oh why did I open the kitty stream? They’re so adorable when they play, how can I ever turn away? :D

    I blame you ImaginesABeach!

  45. chigau (間違っていない) says

    I liked Howard the Duck.
    They™ don’t make bras small enough for me.
    I have not yet been able to view the kitten-cam, would someone repost the link, please? Thanks.
    Welcome to the newly delurked.

  46. Dr. Esteleth Dyke, Medicine Woman and Snark Machine says

    Mah bewbs are too big.

    There was time – like, when I was an undergrad – that I wore a 34B.

    *sigh*

    I seem to be going the way of the EstelethSister, who is saddled with 34Fs.

    OMG KITTIES.

  47. Dr. Esteleth Dyke, Medicine Woman and Snark Machine says

    I am attempting to determine how old the kitties are. A few days or so?

    Also, how many are there? I’ve seen five at a time, but are there more?

  48. Tethys says

    I am attempting to determine how old the kitties are.

    I would say they are 5-6 weeks old. Kitties eyes dont open until they are about 4 weeks old.

  49. Dr. Esteleth Dyke, Medicine Woman and Snark Machine says

    Insomniac,

    Is the jump in size permanent or just a side effect of sorts?

    Hell if I know.

    I’ve been trying to lose weight lately, which has been working. But as my waistline has shrunk, my boobies have grown. In both band and cup, which seems counterintuitive.

    So, seven kitties?

  50. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    Over at the “Email” thread, Improbable Joe said:

    Troll #1,000,007 shows up and starts posting calmly and stupidly, and rapidly descends to “Trans people deserve to be murdered if they talk rudely to me” and FtB is accused of being bullies for being rude to suspected Troll #1,000,008.

    And I just wanna add a THIS A THOUSAND TIMES on the end here.

  51. Louis says

    F-Cups!

    {Faints again}

    {Wakes up}

    Y’all be trying to break me with increasing breast sizes! What will these breasts do next? Jiggle?* That will cause consternation.

    Louis

    * With apologies to Bill Hicks whose material I have decided to shamelessly rip off. Makes me as decent as Dennis Leary….oooooh hello the nineties want their material back!

  52. Louis says

    Esteleth,

    Smaller waist, bigger BEWBS? You’ll be posing for comic books before you know it with your bum and BEWBS pointing in precisely the same direction in defiance of anatomy.

    Be warned, conforming to stereotypical female ideals can cause spinal torsion!

    Louis

  53. Dr. Esteleth Dyke, Medicine Woman and Snark Machine says

    Grey kitteh is sleepy! Orange kitteh washes the grey kitteh!

    :D :D :D

    Louis, I can never be a Liefeldian woman. I have essentially no butt and narrow hips.

  54. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    Louis, you do realize that you are making yourself look like you are a Tex Avery wolf.

    Talk about gender stereotypes!

    *raspberry*

  55. Gen, Uppity Ingrate. says

    Grey kitteh is like zzzzzz, orange kitty is like “C’mon, play wif me, y u sleep? Playyyyyy… zzzzzz playyyyy… zzzzz”

    Esteleth, they were born on 4 June and yes, there are 7.

  56. chigau (間違っていない) says

    Audley and Beatrice
    Thanks for the link.
    I still can’t open it with my netbook but the real computer is very close.

  57. Louis says

    Janine,

    Good point, good point. It was remarkably like what I was aiming for. However, with a slightly more British tint.

    ;-)

    Louis

  58. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    Louis, I am now going to mentally play Yakkity Sax when I read your posts.

  59. Sili (I have no penis and I must jizz) says

    I have no idea who Connor Maynard is, but I wanna beat him to a pulp.

    Bad time to catch up Comedy Central, I guess.

  60. Louis says

    Janine,

    Wait…Americans don’t already do that when any Brit talks?

    Wow! Who knew? ;-)

    Louis

  61. Part-Time Insomniac, Zombie Porcupine Nox Arcana Fan says

    Audley:

    I like how mama cat was all, “peace y’all, I’m out” with no warning. She left a confused pile of kittens behind!

    She does that a lot, it looks like. And then there’s about a minute where the kittens don’t know what to do before they’re back to playing or napping.
    ————————————————–

    Esteleth – Huh, pretty sure I read somewhere that the chest area is one of the first places where many women see definite weight loss (shrinkage, however you want to put it). ‘Course, mine aren’t getting any smaller, so feh.
    ————————————————–

    Really Louis, did you have to conjure up images of women contorting themselves into pretzels with legs on comic book covers? Owie.

  62. Dr. Esteleth Dyke, Medicine Woman and Snark Machine says

    Louis, the word “lechery” is misspelled.

  63. chigau (間違っていない) says

    On my back porch
    south-facing, sunlight reflected off the white house,
    the temperature is
    .
    .
    .
    48°C [118°F]
    (it’s only 32°C in the shade)[90°F]

  64. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    Louis, I am now going to mentally play Yakkity Sax when I read your posts.

    damn you, Janine, so will I now

  65. Dr. Esteleth Dyke, Medicine Woman and Snark Machine says

    !!! There is a PERSON in the kittehbox!

    Camo shorts.

  66. Louis says

    Esteleth,

    Sorry I forgot to put the standard disclaimer that I am not responsible for the content of external websites under my post.

    ;-)

    Louis

  67. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    Nor mine, Audley. Though he is fascinated. I’ve muted it now, because he has some Very Important Sleeping to get back to.

  68. Dr. Esteleth Dyke, Medicine Woman and Snark Machine says

    Nor mine, Audley. Morgan just batted at the screen, making concerned-mama noises.

  69. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    Took me a minute to get it, Audley.

    Slow on the uptake.

  70. says

    Drs Bunsen and Eseleth:
    My two *ahem* big cats furiously rubbed their faces all over my laptop, then hid in the bathroom. Pickles is nowhere to be found, but my guess (considering that she’s the smartest of the three) is that she’s hanging out in the air conditioning.

  71. JAL: Snark, Sarcasm & Bitterness says

    the black/brown and grey/tan are my favorites.

    I know the kitties are fine. But still I think at times “Put them back down more carefully!” and other such protective crap. The kitties are fine and my brain is stupid.

  72. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    The current I Get E-Mail thread has swung wildly between acts of extreme assholery and random weirdness.

  73. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    Chimps on fire!

  74. Ogvorbis: Dogmaticus sycophantus says

    Are those Naancats shitting red, white and blue?

  75. chiptuneist says

    Aaaannnnd caught up.

    Thanks for the additional welcomes, everyone who posted after I left.

    Reasonable Fellow came BACK?

    *reads email thread*

    Fuck. That is hate. Hugs for all the people xe deliberately hurt, that’s terrible shit.

    Well, I can tell this is going to be one of those days when I drink way too much coffee and end up babbling incoherently.

    I’m going to go sit in the sun and tweak a Gameboy tune for a while. That should clear my head of the horribleness I just read.

    For everyone else,

    Random!

  76. Ogvorbis: Dogmaticus sycophantus says

    One other thing. I just figured out that in the past 26 days, I have had 2 days off. And next week, I work six days. Which means that, come next Sunday (which is (or course) my Friday), I will have worked 30 out of 33 days.

    And I was wondering why I am so tired. I think I figured it out.

  77. Louis says

    Janine,

    It’s probably for the best though, after all transphobic muppets rapidly lose their entertainment value. But pissing on a burning chimp is always good.

    Louis

  78. says

    Janine:

    The current I Get E-Mail thread has swung wildly between acts of extreme assholery and random weirdness.

    The first bit necessitated the second bit, I think.

    I know I needed some frivolous and bizarre humor to cleanse the palate after the ironically-named reasonable fellow was finished with his marathon troll fest.

    As it is, I blame Louis for the random weirdness. It’s Louis’s fault. Really.

  79. Ogvorbis: Dogmaticus sycophantus says

    And I also just remembered that, on July 15th, I go back on the fire call out list which means that I could then work another 16 days without a day off. If that happens, I’d be up to 49 days of work with only 3 days off.

    Wow.

  80. says

    @ Ogvorbis:

    Are those Naancats shitting red, white and blue?

    Yes. They are trailing the France’s flag colors (red, white and blue). Note also the berets. And the baguette bread instead of a pop-tart…

    I just have a hard time believing it, and I live in the goddam city.

    (Or maybe it’s just someone who anticipated on the current debate on legalizing pot… Ahem.)

  81. Ogvorbis: Dogmaticus sycophantus says

    Last year, for winter solstice, Girl commissioned Wife to crochet a Naancat scarf for future Son in Law. Came out really well.

  82. Sili (I have no penis and I must jizz) says

    Very clever, Comedy Central, very clever.

    You try to make me forget how annoying your ads are by focusing my attention on how much I want to smack the hon. Marco Rubio.

  83. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    A googolplex of internets? My, that’s rather a lot! I’ll have to store the spares on my yacht.

  84. A. R says

    [A. R. walks into thread with a gigantic Foodsaver bag of frozen decaying porcupines, throws them on table.]

    There. That’s seventeen decaying porcupines. Should last us a day or two.

  85. Dr. Esteleth Dyke, Medicine Woman and Snark Machine says

    A.R., those would last us about 5 minutes over in the I get Email thread.

  86. says

    Esteleth:

    I’ve been trying to lose weight lately, which has been working. But as my waistline has shrunk, my boobies have grown. In both band and cup, which seems counterintuitive.

    After my surgery last year, I dropped back down to 110 lbs and went from a 36C to a 38B. I’m back to 118 lbs now, but the 38B stayed. Bodies…

    ObGrumble: It’s damn near impossible to find any bra in a 38B.

  87. says

    Audley:

    Things I have learned today: Gerbils find bowls of ice water endlessly fascinating.

    *Imagines Syd & Chuck playing with ice* Hee. On the rodent discovery front, Havelock prefers a water ‘box’ to a rat box. One way to prevent rats from chewing in a certain spot is to put a bowl or dish of water down. (If persistent, make it half vinegar.) Well, I had a square baking dish of water in one spot in the bathroom. A while ago, I discovered someone was using it as a toilet. Turns out it’s Havelock – he perches on the edge and lets go. Heh.

  88. A. R says

    [A. R. comes back from”I get e-mail” thread, comes back with a 1,000 yard stare.] Holy Jeebus on a stick that’s fucked up.

  89. JAL: Snark, Sarcasm & Bitterness says

    Is the 7th kitty ok? I haven’t seen them at all. Of course, I haven’t been watching long either. Just wondering if there’s something up that I missed out on. Is there a place where they do updates and info on this? I literally only have the streaming link.

  90. Cipher, OM, Fighting Fucktoy says

    The light grey one and the orange one that are always together (I think, unless I’m mixing up orange ones since there are four of them) are my very favorite.

  91. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    Yeah, A.R, it suuuuure is. /passes the brewski

  92. JAL: Snark, Sarcasm & Bitterness says

    I haven’t noticed it on the other kitties but I’ve seen the grey one move its mouth a lot when sleeping. It’s adorable.

  93. Beatrice says

    Those two kitties sleeping all squashed against the side of the box and each other are sooo cute.

  94. JAL: Snark, Sarcasm & Bitterness says

    Haha. The grey one is all “I’m gunna use you two as pillows”. XD

  95. Beatrice says

    And now the grey kitten is gonna sleep on them. *squee*

    (Is it obvious that I’ve never been allowed a pet and still can’t get one because I live with my parents?)

  96. JAL: Snark, Sarcasm & Bitterness says

    (Is it obvious that I’ve never been allowed a pet and still can’t get one because I live with my parents?)

    No.
    It just seems like you love kitties a lot. I haven’t been able to get a pet since moving here from MI in my teens. I want a pet again. =(

    I hope things work out so you can get a pet.

  97. Louis says

    “I’m gunna use you two as pillows”

    O.o

    Oh cats! Erm forget I said anything.

    Louis

  98. Beatrice says

    I actually sleep in that weird way of the lightly orange kitty sometimes when it’s hot. Hands above my head, head at an unhealthy looking angle.

  99. Beatrice says

    I hope things work out so you can get a pet.

    The moment I’m in my own apartment I’m going to visit a shelter and try to get a kitten to pick me up for keeping. ;)

    Too bad that I’m probably not going to move out any time soon.

  100. birgerjohansson says

    Trigger warning: “She was executed for the crime of being raped” http://freethoughtblogs.com/taslima/2012/07/08/she-was-executed-for-the-crime-of-being-raped/
    HULK SMASH!!!!
    — — — — — — — —
    NB: Study shows loss of control leads to paranormal beliefs http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-loss-paranormal-beliefs.html
    — — — — — — — —
    Price to address rising carbon dioxide levels, save coral reefs is “one year of GDP growth” http://phys.org/news/2012-07-price-coral-reefs-year-gdp.html
    — — — — — — — —
    Hidden narratives of torture http://phys.org/news/2012-07-hidden-narratives-torture.html

    “What interests Elliott is how self-professed ‘good’ states make use of ‘bad’ practices to serve their own ends and, moreover, what specific mechanisms are used to employ, justify, rationalise and evade detection.”
    — — — — —
    3Qs: Celebrating America’s independence http://phys.org/news/2012-07-3qs-celebrating-america-independence.html

    “First, July 4 is not Inde­pen­dence Day. Rather, it took place on July 2, 1776 when Con­gress approved the res­o­lu­tion offered by Richard Henry Lee of Vir­ginia. On July 3, John Adams wrote the fol­lowing to Abi­gail: “But the Day is past. The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most mem­o­rable Epocha, in the His­tory of America.”
    Then on July 4, Con­gress approved a Dec­la­ra­tion, orig­i­nally drafted by Thomas Jef­ferson, explaining what had been done on July 2. Also, there was no grand signing cer­e­mony.

  101. opposablethumbs says

    The cream-coloured one just very deliberately adopted one of the gingers as a pillow, and now its head is bobbing up and down with every breath.

    No, Louis, not like that.

    Don’t think the ginger is going to take that lying down for very long, though.

  102. Sili (I have no penis and I must jizz) says

    I mentioned this livefeed to my sister (wondering why in the history of the caternet nothing like this has been there before), and she immediately suggested I help her get rid of some here kittens.

    Unfortunately I already have 200% as many cats as I’m allowed. And that’s not counting the neighbour’s.

  103. carlie says

    That’s the thing that makes me saddest about my cat, watching how other kittens sleep all in a heap and knowing she can’t. :( But there’s no way we could afford the bills that accompany two cats. Double everything is not a winning formula.

  104. LDTR says

    Can I just say, the mama cat is *gorgeous*. I’m not familiar with that variety of tabby (cream base with faintly orange stripes), and it’s very striking.

  105. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    how self-professed ‘good’ states make use of ‘bad’ practices

    Aren’t all states self-professedly good?

  106. says

    Birger:

    “First, July 4 is not Inde­pen­dence Day. Rather, it took place on July 2, 1776

    After putting up with assholes setting off fireworks all around me for the last 2.5 weeks and still going on, the only independence I give a shit about is to have their indepence to shoot off fireworks taken away.

  107. Tony aka The Psychic Octopus says

    birgerjohanssen (from one of your links @136):

    “The bottom line is that people don’t like feeling out of control, so they go through a series of psychological ‘gymnastics’ to help maintain the perception that they are in control of their lives – and it seems to work,” she said.

    Mental gymnastics leads to belief in psychic octopus. The lengths people will go to feel in control…(I wonder if there’s an image of a psychic octopus on the interwebz that PZ could use…)

  108. chigau (間違っていない) says

    Caine
    I think this should make you anti-webcam rather than anti-cat ;)

  109. Tony aka The Psychic Octopus says

    Caine:
    5 cats? Wow. Do you have a large home or do you find yourself stepping over cats and rats (for that matter, do you have the cats segregated from the rats?)
    I thought the 4 I have were a lot (in addition to the cats, with the 3 dogs, there are more four legged denizens of the house than two legged)

  110. opposablethumbs says

    My brother used to have two big white rats – the laboratory-looking kind (in fact they may even have come from the lab; I don’t know) that enjoyed hanging out with our cat. The cat would lie there and let the rats climb over him and never bat an eye, as far as I can remember.

    I think Caine’s household must be pretty amazing!

  111. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    I really don’t like discovering a cockroach in my coffee.

    Especially after drinking 2/3 of the cup.

  112. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    My brother used to have two big white rats – the laboratory-looking kind (in fact they may even have come from the lab; I don’t know) that enjoyed hanging out with our cat. The cat would lie there and let the rats climb over him and never bat an eye, as far as I can remember.

    Cats have to be taught how to hunt and what to hunt.

  113. Sili (I have no penis and I must jizz) says

    Gah!

    I think Rosie Redfield did a bang-up job on those Arsenic-nitwits, and now that I see photos of her, I think that she’s one awesome looking woman.

    But I really shouldn’t comment on that, should I?

    Fuck.

  114. chiptuneist says

    I really don’t like discovering a cockroach in my coffee.

    Especially after drinking 2/3 of the cup.

    I KNOW THE FEELING.

  115. says

    Janine:

    Cats have to be taught how to hunt and what to hunt.

    But once they’ve got the hang of hunting, they don’t need prompting to start bringing you samples (half-killed, if you’re unlucky)… ^^°

  116. JAL: Snark, Sarcasm & Bitterness says

    The calico’s claw got stuck on the green towel! D:

  117. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    Irunedelse, that is the cat trying to teach you how to hunt.

  118. says

    @ Janine:

    Oh, yes! And also to teach other cats to hunt. It was especially cute with my big ol’ neutered tom when he took to treating the younger kitty we adopted like a little brother, bringing him a few dead or half-dead lizards and stuff.

  119. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    ALL HAIL THE HYPNOKITTIES

  120. JAL: Snark, Sarcasm & Bitterness says

    ALL HAIL THE HYPNOKITTIES

    I know right?

    Haven’t been able to turn it off. Though I know I should. I’ve almost cried several times over it.

  121. A. R says

    SO I just took a quick peek around the new slimepit. There are multiple threads now, each filled with the usual slimepit hoggling over FtB.

  122. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    A.R. is anyone liveblogging reasonable fellow‘s pitiful efforts in the “I get email” thread?

  123. A. R says

    drbunsen: I didn’t see anything, but I can take a look in a half hour or so. I can only expose myself to that place for so long without going HULK SMASH! on my computer.

  124. Sili (I have no penis and I must jizz) says

    Yay!

    I have my schedule until Rhinebeck!

    Now, someone please tell me why I’m actually checking on that instead of enjoying my holiday until around the 6th?

  125. Tony aka The Psychic Octopus says

    Audley @328:

    I’ve found that I can usually “process” foods by hand using a sharp knife, a mortar-and-pestle, &/or my stand mixer**.

    Ah, so you like using the mortar and pestle?
    :::attention Lounge guests, we are running a special at the bar. All you can drink Mojitos, made by Audley:::
    (I do so hate making those drinks)

    ~~

    Cipher #329:

    Like, a couple of nights ago I dreamed that I was being chased through a house by a series of different uncanny-valley dwelling mindless “people”/zombies who wouldn’t stop smiling, even when I hit one of them with a chair.

    That sounds like an amalgamation of The Hills Have Eyes, The Joker, and 28 Days Later.

    ~~

    carlie @333:
    Quite glad you enjoyed your trip.
    That heat sounds almost overbearing. Was it mostly dry heat, or humid?

    ~~

    aprilcomeshewill:

    This is just bunch of cells that has built up a home by making me menstrually constipated.

    This quote is awesome!

    Like Crom’s friend, I feel terrible that this fetus in my belly is cared for much more than me, and more x1000 than real, existing humans whose marginalization and abuse is readily dismissed by “pro-life” advocates.

    ^^^^^This.
    (what’s next for anti choice activists? Forcing women to name their children within the first 8 weeks of pregnancy to humanize the fetus even more? One step closer to personhood!)

  126. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    They’re basically scoring ‘own goal’

    Which, in OppositeWorld, is flawless victory.

  127. says

    Kitties!!! I wonder what is so fascinating about the lower right just off screen? I keep wanting to scroll over, but fixed webcam.

    Yeah, I got badly quote-mined for a *hate the apologist for Catholic child-rapists RAGE SMASH* post, but it was by the accommodationists during the Tom Johnson affair, not the slimepit. I believe the slimepit have referred to it occasionally since, but AFAIK I’m not on their target list.

  128. drbunsen le savant en colère dans une robe d'été belle (la robe est aussi en colère) says

    irenedelse, that was interesting. BunsenCat was not fooled by the purring, whereas the mews of box o’kittens caught his attention immediately and riveted him to the screen. I wonder if the higher pitched mews were more accurately reproduced on these tiny laptop speakers.

  129. Dr. Esteleth Dyke, Medicine Woman and Snark Machine says

    Tony, there was an article in the Onion awhile back about women seeking abortions to first decorate a nursery.

  130. birgerjohansson says

    That scene in The Millennium Trilogy is deliberately horrible, it aimed to be close to a horrible reality.
    — — — — — — —
    The Brit horror film parody “Severance” is 1% parody and 99% horror, but I like the concept of the clueless boss that has the group sent to a “team building” excercise in the middle of nowhere, and gets the wrong address.
    — — — — — —
    “Shaun and the Dead” is much recommended. Apparently, being dead is not a cure to gaming addiction.

  131. Beatrice says

    Transphobic shitface is too boring to keep me awake this late. Good night.

  132. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    Alethea, my apologies for not spelling your moniker correctly earlier. I should have double checked before spelling it.

  133. Nerd of Redhead, Dances OM Trolls says

    Jebus, our medical system is truly fucked up. I paid a honking big check the hospital for the Redhead’s initial care (it was supposedly all covered minus deductable). They just sent me a slightly less honking big check in refund. Comes in handy as it will cover most of the last stair lift for the house. The truly important one that will allow the Redhead to leave the house without 34′ of ramps, or being carried up/down steps.

    *does a gentle dance from the deskchair avoid an earthquake being recorded*

  134. Janine: Fucking Dyke Of Rage Mountain says

    Slowly. Painfully. It does sould like progress is being made.

    Give my regards to the Redhead.

  135. says

    Thanks Janine. That particular misspelling does actually bother me because it’s not just a typo. Althea is a real but different name, without the classical river Lethe in it.

    And on an earlier topic, there are of course non-horrible Australian films, though the humour doesn’t always travel well. Some lighter ones that I liked are: Muriel’s Wedding; The Castle; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; The Rage in Placid Lake; The Dish; Bran Nue Day; He Died with a Felafel in his Hand; Ten Canoes.

  136. carlie says

    Yay, Nerd! Glad the check came through already.

    Thanks, Tony. :)

    That heat sounds almost overbearing. Was it mostly dry heat, or humid?

    Well, part of the time was at the shore of an 8,000 acre lake, part near the Mississippi. “Dry” never entered the vocabulary.