Overnight Open Thread (3-25-2014)

I warned you that you'd get nothing but did you believe me...

Quote of the Day

"To be conservative, then, is to prefer the familiar to the unknown, to prefer the tried to the untried, fact to mystery, the actual to the possible, the limited to the unbounded, the near to the distant, the sufficient to the superabundant, the convenient to the perfect, present laughter to utopian bliss."

-- Michael Oakeshott, Rationalism in Politics and Other Essays

The Genius of Frank Bunker Gilbreth and the Mistake of Taylorism

November 23rd, 1979...On ABC

The Lost Art of Dueling With Pistols

Pistol duels have largely gone out of style in the United States. The modern version of "Sir, I demand satisfaction!" is now "You'll be hearing from my lawyer." And that's probably for the best. By the end of the 19th century, advances in firearms technology had made pistol duels unsporting. Machined, multi-shot guns with rifled barrels and reliable cartridges meant that both parties in a duel stood a good chance of dying. During the heyday of duels in the United States (the 18th and early 19th centuries) dueling pistols were handmade and generally smoothbore, single-shot, black powder, flint-lock devices that were "sporting" at the typical 30-40 foot distance at which most duels were fought . . .

Often, the duelers didn't even fire their pistols at each other. A shot into the air or the ground frequently sufficed to show that both parties had the courage to duel.but also the good sense not to. This may have been what Alexander Hamilton expected to happen when he fought his infamous and fatal duel with Vice President Aaron Burr.

'That Guy' Actor Dead at 65

I Like Oral Histories and I Cannot Lie

Cause red beans and rice didn't miss her...

There was one event that really made me think that I should do a song about this, which was irritating the shit out of me. Amy and I were at a hotel on tour, when we saw one of the Spuds MacKenzie ads for Budweiser during the Super Bowl. You'd see these girls in the ad: Each one was shaped like a stop sign, with big hair [and] straight up-and-down bird legs. There's nothing wrong with that, but I was so sick of that shit. Now, Amy never said anything about all this until she realized I was so in favor of her physique. She was an actress, and she started admitting that she felt like she lost a lot of parts because of her hourglass figure. I knew for a fact that many artists felt that if they didn't use a skinny-model-type woman in their video, then mainstream America would reject the song. But I do not agree with that: If you look at Dolly Parton at her peak, a lot of white guys were like "daammn!" At the same time, when I did casting calls for videos, curvy women wouldn't show up. They thought they didn't have a chance. Unless you were in the hood, women who had curves -- and I'm not talking about women who are shaped like me, with a gut, but women who ran five miles a day, with a washboard, six-pack stomach and a nice round, beautiful, supple ass -- wore sweaters around their waist! Bottom line: Black men like curves. When they're crooning to women about how beautiful they are in an R&B song, the ladies you see in the video don't reflect what those guys like.

True Facts That Sound False

When you get a kidney transplant, they usually just leave your original kidneys in your body and put the 3rd kidney in your pelvis.

IPv6 would allow every atom on the surface of the earth to have its own IP address, with enough spare to do Earth 100+ times.

The Ottoman Empire still existed the last time the Cubs won the World Series.

Mammoths were alive when the Great Pyramid was being built.

How To Empower Yourself Through DIY Porn

Yes!!!! Of course this whole theory of female esteem boosting via self-made Pr0n is total bullshit but...hey DIY chick porn on the internets!!!

Award Winning Sandwiches (With Recipes)

The AoSHQ group. Yeah.

Teh Tweet!

Tonight's post brought to you by ending bossiness:

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posted by Maetenloch at 09:31 PM

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