What? She killed 'em with mathematics. What else could it have been?

Jayne ,'Objects In Space'


Natter 64: Yes, we still need you  

Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.


Tom Scola - Aug 06, 2009 10:55:54 am PDT #2439 of 30001
Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.

Squeaky Fromme is getting paroled: [link]


lisah - Aug 06, 2009 10:57:54 am PDT #2440 of 30001
Punishingly Intricate

I thought she had the equivalent of 10 drinks in her system, plus pot.

Yes, I understand that is the physical reason for the crash. I'm curious about the why behind it considering that she wasn't, for example, someone with a long history of DUIs.


Ginger - Aug 06, 2009 10:58:32 am PDT #2441 of 30001
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda

It wouldn't be the first brain tumor that's made a person crazy.

The Ballad of Charles Whitman by the frequently tasteless Kinky Friedman:

There was a rumor about a tumor
Nestled at the base of his brain.
He was sitting up there with his .36 Magnum
Laughing wildly as he bagged 'em.
Who are we to say the boy's insane?...

The doctors tore his poor brain down,
But not a snitch of illness could be found.
Most folks couldn't figure just why he did it
And them that could would not admit it,
There's still a lot of Eagle Scouts around.


tommyrot - Aug 06, 2009 11:04:09 am PDT #2442 of 30001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.

Squeaky Fromme is getting paroled: [link]

Should I write her and tell her I named my cat after her?

(Squeaky Fromage, actually.)


sarameg - Aug 06, 2009 11:08:41 am PDT #2443 of 30001

Good lord, so very few people can make it. I'm going to have a fridge full of booze.


Gudanov - Aug 06, 2009 11:10:38 am PDT #2444 of 30001
Coding and Sleeping

Gud, why do you hate America?

Because sometimes I like to turn right.


lisah - Aug 06, 2009 11:21:39 am PDT #2445 of 30001
Punishingly Intricate

Good lord, so very few people can make it. I'm going to have a fridge full of booze.

Booze'll keep until your real housewarming party!

Ugh this day is taking forever.


Ginger - Aug 06, 2009 11:28:24 am PDT #2446 of 30001
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda

This is from an article [link] about the shooter:

Isolation is the root of the problem, said Carolyn Wolf, senior partner at Abrams Fensterman, a New York law firm that specializes in mental health issues.

In a society where online social networks often replace interpersonal social networks, people become detached.

"The Internet allows for isolation. As a result we have less interpersonal communication and fewer opportunities to identify this behavior and intervene before something as tragic as this happens," Ms. Wolf said.

As people separate themselves from each other, they become less keen to simple human mannerisms -- facial expressions, voice tones, behavioral cues -- that indicate when someone is having a problem. And because dealing with a problem face to face is becoming ever rarer, many do not trust themselves to confront someone who seems distressed, even if they recognize warning signs.

"People probably noticed weird behavior but didn't really know what to do with it," Ms. Wolf said. "People don't trust their gut instincts as much as they used to because they're not interacting as much as they used to. So they second-guess themselves or they decide not to deal with it."

That's right. The internets did it.

One, if I started posting my plans for punishing the world because I haven't had sex this century, I trust that one of y'all would try to do something about it. Two, I would be more isolated without the internet. I was not social person before the internet. Three, no one did anything about Charles Whitman or Richard Speck before the web was a gleam in Berners-Lee's eye. When in human history have people thought, "That guy is acting kind of weird. I'd better do something before he starts randomly killing people?"


Steph L. - Aug 06, 2009 11:34:34 am PDT #2447 of 30001
I look more rad than Lutheranism

Isolation is the root of the problem

Bullshit. Plenty of people are isolated, and they manage to not go out and shoot up aerobics classes just fine.


msbelle - Aug 06, 2009 11:37:00 am PDT #2448 of 30001
I remember the crazy days. 500 posts an hour. Nubmer! Natgbsb

stands with Steph.