Overnight Open Thread (6-10-2012)

And we're off on a happy new week with the possibility of an improved new new comment thingy coming soon. 

The Happiness Equation

To follow up on what Ace talked about on Saturday here's a video where Dennis Prager breaks down what causes unhappiness and how you can avoid it. It's a short video (4.5 min) and well worth watching.

And here's a video where he discusses why happiness is a moral obligation we have to others. If you've ever been married to or the child of an unhappy person, you know what a lifeforce-sapping toll it takes on other people's lives.

These videos are all part of Prager University where he and others have attempted to distill key ideas and wisdom from their lives into pithy 5 minute videos.

Inside Club Gitmo

Hell I've lived in worse dorms and summer camps, and I still don't have a Playstation 3.

Terror suspects held at the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison are allowed to use computer games consoles, attend art classes and watch Harry Potter DVDs, it emerged today.

Detainees, said to be among the world's most dangerous terrorists, also have access to libraries with hundreds of books and magazines, and can work out at a multigym or play football.

Revealing images from the controversial jail in Cuba shed new light on conditions for the inmates, a group which US officials believe includes senior al Qaeda figures such as bomb-makers, strategists, financiers and terrorist trainers.

Each block has a library of more than 200 books, in Arabic, English and Russian, as well as DVDs and magazines, such as National Geographic.

Harry Potter DVDs are said to be particularly popular among the inmates, and the books in English include works by Thomas Hardy, Bill Bryson and Isaac Asimov.

Sixteen PlayStation 3 consoles and 16 Nintendo DS handheld computer games are available, with popular games including football and motor racing.

Wait didn't Obama promise to close down Gitmo on his first day in office?

Inside British Tanks

Here's what they look like on the outside:

And here's what's happening on the inside:

How To Write, Print & Publish Digital Books

Using powerful, yet simple to use tools, Booktype makes it easy for almost anyone to start their very own e-book. An easy drag-and-drop interface makes it plain and simple to make an e-book, while tools such as collaborative proofreaders, editors and contributors make it possible for organizations to hook up with other people and write an e-book in a teamwork environment.

The digital book can then be exported to popular e-book stores such as Amazon, iBooks, Lulu.com, etc. The e-books are also format-compatible with many e-book readers such as iPad, Kindle, Nook, and more. To make sure it's suitable for you, you can try the online demo and see how Booktype works.

Well these days the biggest obstacle to publishing your own book is just writing it. Which is how it should be I suppose.

7 Phrases That Are Great Signs It's Time to Stop Talking

Yep all of these are a heads-up that stupidity/douchebaggery will follow.

"I'm Not a Racist, But ..."

"I'm Not Afraid of What Anyone Thinks"

"Fwd: FW: FW: ..."

Why Thank You H8ter!

Dedicated to all the hardworking trolls out there.

How Internet Killed the Porn Star

Free porn is killing the professional industry reports Louis Theroux in the Guardian.

"Fees for scenes, not surprisingly, have taken a hit. "Some girls get $600 [£390] for a scene now," the retired performer JJ Michaels tells me. "It might be $900-$1,000 for a big-name girl. It used to get up to $3,000." For guys, rates can be $150 or lower [25 cents for every dollar a woman earns, AT]"

Musicians have adjusted to declining music sales by increasing the number of live shows and porn stars are doing something similar:

"It's an open secret in the porn world that many female performers are supplementing their income by "hooking on the side".For many female performers nowadays, the movies are merely a sideline, a kind of advertising for their real business of prostitution."

Weekly AoSHQ Commenter Standings

Top 10 commenters:
1 [664 comments] 'Niedermeyer's Dead Horse' [93.24 posts/day]
2 [410 comments] 'buzzion'
3 [380 comments] 'CoolCzech'
4 [333 comments] 'Robert'
5 [321 comments] 'nickless'
6 [297 comments] 'momma'
7 [292 comments] 'Vic'
8 [290 comments] 'mama winger'
9 [281 comments] 'ACE Union Member'
10 [281 comments] 'garrett'

Top 10 sockpuppeteers - enjoy these while you still can:
1 [72 names] 'Cicero' [10.11 unique names/day]
2 [70 names] 'ACE Union Member'
3 [59 names] 'kbdabear'
4 [51 names] 'maverick muse'
5 [49 names] 't-bird'
6 [37 names] 'Islamic Rage Boy'
7 [36 names] 'Billy Bob, pseudo-intellectual'
8 [34 names] 'davidt'
9 [30 names] 'Scobface'
10 [29 names] 'CoolCzech'

The group. Yeah.

Where it's at - the Twitter

Tonight's post brought to you by the Hopper PBUH:

Notice: Posted by permission of AceCorp LLC. Please e-mail overnight open thread tips to maetenloch at gmail. Otherwise send tips to Ace.

• Benjamin Harrison
• Grover Cleveland
• William McKinley
• Theodore Roosevelt
• William Howard Taft
• Woodrow Wilson
• Warren G. Harding
• Calvin Coolidge
• Herbert Hoover

posted by Maetenloch at 10:11 PM

| Access Comments