| May 15, 2008 (idea) | by rootbeer277 | I'm a teetotaler. This is only partially by choice, since the basic fact of the matter is that I just don't like the taste of alcohol. I can't choke down more than half a bottle of beer and the clear liquors like vodka taste like hairspray to me.
My dad on the other hand drinks beer and vodka gimlets, but he likes sour and bitter flavors. He drowns fish in vinegar, his favorite fruit juice is grapefruit, and he was never big on potato chips until he...
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| Tyan Thunder K8WE (thing) | by locke baron | In the world of PC motherboards, there are cheap boards, midrange boards and the deluxe boards so favored by the gaming scene, and then there are things like the Tyan Thunder K8WE. The first thought that came to my mind when I saw this thing was 'Oh my Goddess, I pity the poor soul that had to do the PCB layout!'. It has just about the highest circuit and component density I've ever seen on something purporting to be a consumer part, despite its larger than average eATX...
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| Udaloy class destroyer (thing) | by locke baron | In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the USSR was faced with the need for a new, medium-sized antisubmarine ship to
replace the aging Kresta-II class cruisers and some of the much older Kotlin and Kildin class destroyers. The
Krivak class frigate was already around, but something larger and more capable was needed. The answer was the
Udaloy class destroyer. Designed to be cheaper and easier to service than the cramped, overengineered Krestas but
more capable than the low-mix...
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| nerve stapling (thing) | by nailbiter | It is not uncommon to see patients undergo permanent psychological trauma in the presence of the Sphere, before the nerve stapler has even been strapped into position. Its effect on the general consciousness of the culture is profound: husbands have seen wives go inside, and mothers their children. Dr. Xynan left the surface of the sphere semitranslucent for a reason. You can hear them in there; you can see them. It is a thing of terrible beauty.
-- Baron Klim,
"The Music of the...
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| Timed Writing (idea) | by riverrun | The longest journey may begin with a single step, but the road to Temeraire is fraught with hazard and despair. Or maybe he was just a pessimist. The odds of making this one work were not good, Stover figured. A two-time loser in love and 60 to boot. Really, who'd take that bet? The best a man could hope for, maybe, was a little old lady in Fort Lauderdale who didn't mind a few bad habits and collected vintage lingerie.
But here he was, all excited, like a kid headed off...
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| Iron Man (review) | by StrawberryFrog |
I found Iron Man, the 2008 Marvel movie to be more deft than your average superhero comic adaptation - it hit the right notes without seeming cheesy, which seems a common pitfall of movies that put comic-book action and drama on the screen. This more natural acting is apparently a result of a lot of impovisation1, giving it a less stiff feel than, for instance, the X-men movies.
It's not deep, but it's quite thrilling. Robert Downey Jr. was a stroke of casting brilliance,...
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