[quote][b]GroversMill[/b] - But..but...I will not be able to get my flying craft up again[/quote]

I don't frequent this cesspool of draconian wit and omniscience much any more but I just wanted to say that it saddens me greatly to see that your great vessel has been shot out of the sky. I hope it was in a blaze of glory and offended, if not completely took out as many carbon based lifeforms as possible. I was always a big fan of your Global Domination Agenda.

Brutal, effective marketing and the biggest cash grab of our time. It's a cultural sickness and a mere taste of what's to come. Whip out your wallets, suckers. Baby needs shoes.

[quote][b]E.J.[/b] - Any really spicy hot dish or just straight hot peppers. It'll clear out your tear ducts as well, even your pores if hot enough.
[/quote]

The curry at Tin Drum or Kelly's jerk both provide fantastic relief for those with the required taste buds and stamina

My favorites always run contrary to what's hot, but then again I am no longer young enough to be The Target Demographic. After looking at the top lists this year I'm not jealous, either.

Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel...
Lee Ralando - Between the Times and the Tides
Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
Autumn Owls - Between Buildings, Toward The Sea
Graham Coxon - A&E

Pretty rough year, IMO.

This is without a doubt the best experience I've had on the Internet in a long time. I salute your tentacles, pay homage to your membranes, and wish you and yours a fruitful invasion.

The King might notice that really all a "career academy" is these days is another term for "votech", something most if not all of us grew up around in our scholarly days. Are they a good investment? That depends on who's rolling the dice. Locally I see more politics and posturing than solid investment. Our own Academy was a brilliant opportunity that has sputtered south since inception. But why? Taking kids who aren't headed for college and instead strengthening them for the workforce via specialized means isn't new and it isn't rocket science, but it seems to cost more money and produce less results exponentially each year, especially when it comes to our local admins inability to integrate technology. When "new tech" is actually a functional tool understood and taught by the staff and not a scapegoat or pocket-liner we'll see forward motion. Until then I'd probably still support it, but with an eyebrow raised.

Your face?

Thanks for the heads up folks. I'll catch y'all back in the private forum or over at Reddit. Happy Thanksgiving. Monkey out.

That's cray cray.

For the other two Rush fans in town, and I know you're out there....I'll be over in the corner quietly humming La Villa Strangiato. Bring punch and pie.

@E.J.: You're right, of course. I was probably too harsh with the kid. Certainly was more chill than what would have happened anywhere else on the web. I mean, I kinda dig everyone here, even if their views don't align with mine. Why wouldn't I? Even the racist weirdos who don't know what Socialism is are cute as can be in their own twisted way. The only other person I've ever tuned out is Naildriver and that's just because...well, genocide isn't cool, you know? I probably shouldn't place The Wang in that same category. But to be honest, while I feel for him, I think he'll sit right where he is for a while so I can enjoy a more concise version of the site for the remainder of the post-election fallout No offense intended.

The real tragedy here is that CharlesB is always very much a sport and gracious about my memes, and a real opportunity has been missed. I'll get you next time, Charles!

@E.J.: You know, I was probably all omniscient, verbally desperate, and fired up at his age too, and while I appreciate constructive, well thought-out opinion I just don't see any excuse for spamming a site relentlessly and trolling everyone you disagree with for 10 plus pages every time religion, politics, or the economy comes up. 26 out of 45 comments in one story is spam, not a conversation...pure and simple. I had just had enough and felt like sharing my opinion. Should have been the bigger person and just ignored him like I've been doing since the beginning but I didn't and life moves on. By simply placing him on ignore though I notice that all of the 10 page posts turn into 2 page posts and if anything it makes the whole conversation much more navigable. I mean, he thinks I'm a woman that does drugs. If we're going to converse about big boy topics I'd at least like to debate with someone that pays attention and has basic reading comprehension skills. Whatever. Rant over. Happy Capitalist Holiday, everyone.

What was offensive that time, mods? A sad, true one sentence tale about my first marriage or my thoughts about Wal-Mart? If you're in a hammer swinging mood by all means hack away, but at least tap into your inner Chris Wallace and be fair...if not balanced.

American Gods by Gaiman and A Game of Thrones (finally) for my fiction. Non fiction wise I'm making it through a ton of Cisco CCIE training and prep materials, which threaten to enslave my mind, body, and soul.

Apologies to the rest of you for my language if you were offended. I've been really good for years now and couldn't help myself. The Wang, as I will now refer to him, can be my first ignore. It's like prom night all over again just without the guilt and child support.

[quote][b]RightWingExtremist[/b] - You will not speak to me that way.[/quote]

Actually, I did. And I will again anytime you spam one of these stories into the ground with your perpetual drivel. Lord knows if we have to endure twelve thousand plus posts of your constant tween nonsense, racket, and noise, you can handle one single out-of-line comment from me. I've always left you alone but good grief, son...come up for air. You're a big boy. You can take it.

I came here to witness people discussing retail economics and ethics as if they completely understood them and was not disappointed one bit.

@Joe Johnson: I wasn't always this way, Joe...

I've been there for about 5 years now. Reddit is a fascinating place. It's not called the front page of the internet for nothing. I read about regional and world events, have some really great discussion, and then about 3 days later they becomes news stories via traditional media outlets. Kinda creepy, actually. There is a "sub reddit" for practically any topic or interest you can think of. I subscribe to everything from news and politics, to music, gaming, food, philosophy, and funny dog pictures. Where once upon a time it was sort of a niche site for underground geeks it has blossomed into one of the biggest information sites on the web.... much to the dismay of the hipster early members Perhaps, dare I say, the next step in "search-n-surf".

The one thing I really love about Reddit is the "self moderation" theory. In addition to the main site moderators users can rate posts on a +/- scale much like we do at Athens Talks but the comments that are upvoted move to the top of the conversation and the minuses move to the bottom or become completely invisible depending on your settings. I'll let you all ponder that for a moment. It's beautiful.

Keeping track of all the sub reddits you subscribe to can be daunting with their default interface so I always recommend that people try the Reddit Enhancement Suite. Really, just go get it.

http://redditenhancementsuite.com/

If you're brand new to reddit and would like a sampling I'd recommend trying a few of the following...

Our very own Athens /r.
http://www.reddit.com/r/Athens/

How about some world news?
http://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/

BBQ! Serious business.
http://www.reddit.com/r/BBQ/

AMA (ask me anything) can be a blast. All kinds of people get on here from celebrities to politicians to extrodinary folk. You ask them questions. They might answer.
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/

An OnlineAthens sub reddit could be a neat idea. It is yet another digital destination to maintain but I think you'll find it's a neat take on idea sharing and interaction. Since it can be used to link to outside sources I generally fire it up first when I sit at my pc. It really is a gateway of sorts to all of my interests. With all of this said I don't think Reddit is for everyone. But if you have a few minutes to learn a new navigation style I think you'll find it's worth it's weight in digital gold.

The only Union I will tolerate is the one that is of the Snake.

@E.J.: yea, music. one of my many past lives. prior to The Internets I used to make a living as a session player.

@ErichForschler: As a side note that is loosely if not remotely related to a pinch of the conversation...did you see the tale of John McAfee in Belize?

@jtsim: It does indeed, my friend. To be honest though...I'm exhausted on the topics of race and The South here at Athens Talks this week. I'm waiting for a couple Old Reliables to pick up that part of the pudding.

@King Minos: Agreed. Economics and opportunity drive the plow. I do have to wonder which socialist country my conservative friends will choose to flee to when the survival instinct really kicks in. I hear plenty of talk from Mr. Blue about Canada, Europe, etc. Where does Mr. Red go when home is no longer on the range?