There are certain words that, in this age of American political correctness and entitled righteousness, automatically elicit a certain response, or are warped into weapons to defame, deflect, or defuse any rational line of thought. Words like socialism and racism. When casually thrown around as labels, these words are used by all different groups and interests to cripple legitimate discussion [...]
First I want to say that this was not the first time it occurred to me that writing while high is a good idea. I recorded some thoughts on a recent trip to a cabin in upstate New York as well, but didn’t blog them up (though many of them revolved around an epiphany about night being optional). I think [...]
If you haven’t read up on the Miami Dolphins’ ongoing bullying saga between Richie Incognito, a player with a history of disciplinary and legal problems, and Jonathan Martin, by all accounts a softspoken, friendly, and nice player who was recently admitted to the hospital on account of emotional distress, there’s plenty of material out there for you to catch up [...]
I’m a pretty big fan of public shaming. Social pressure is a huge factor in shaping human behavior, and frankly I think too many people get away with way too much under the auspices of “freedom”, especially in the public sphere. How many times have you heard “free country” as a response to something unfathomably awful or stupid someone says [...]
This PBS Frontline piece aired near the beginning of this year, and it focuses on how despite all the hooplah about the commissions and task forces designed to catch the high-level bankers who nearly destroyed the American economy, none of these high-level criminals have really been prosecuted, much less placed in jail. The part of this that really stands out [...]
There’s bogus insanity/”fugue state” defenses for murder, which just shouldn’t be allowed to stand, but now this too? Are you fucking kidding me? How little responsibility are people going to take for their actions, through legal wrangling? http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/nyregion/drivers-defense-too-drunk-to-be-guilty.html?smid=tw-nytimes&_r=0 As for the insanity stuff…I feel like that shouldn’t be a defense at all. If you’re too insane to be in control [...]
My father died on October 10th, 2006. The upcoming anniversary of his death prompted me to write about it. I’ve written a bit about this before, particularly his funeral, but I figured I’d write something different this time, and also, it felt right as the last thing to publish as someone who is 26 and stupid. (Although I’ll keep writing [...]
During Hurricane Sandy, lines could be seen going around the block at virtually every gas station as people tried to secure some for their vehicles. This, not because of the city itself, but because oil refineries in New Jersey had sustained damage. So today’s NPR post about security concerns during the shutdown raised some similar sentiments. The lesson here is that [...]
SPOILERS ABOUND. SO MANY SPOILERS. DON’T READ UNLESS YOU’VE FINISHED BREAKING BAD, YOU DICKNOSES. *********************************************************** Upon seeing the final shot of Breaking Bad—a camera pan out of Walter White, arms and legs spread over a sterile cement floor and at peace (a contrast to his look of exhausted post-breakdown in Crawl Space)—I was left with a feeling of general satisfaction. [...]
One of the few sites I’ll regularly read at work is Cracked. Even though it recognizes that many of its articles aren’t meant to be taken seriously, there’s alot of genuinely surprising stuff to be learned there, many sparks for long wikipedia searches. David Wong (who I’ve just learned through wikipedia is the pseudonym taken by a certain Jason Pargin) [...]
Sent by a friend. http://www.texasobserver.org/anatomy-tragedy/
Awhile ago, I wrote about how StarCraft II was more like SC 1.5, had failed to take any really big, risky, innovative steps, and became boring to play and watch once the game solidified. The game’s design quickly led to stagnation in the competitive scene. Well, here’s a recent post by SK_MC, a decorated champion once considered the best Protoss [...]
We need more of these. From the Times Magazine, which still produces some quality stuff: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/08/magazine/paul-kagame-rwanda.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&smid=tw-nytimes&partner=rss&emc=rss& And Grantland: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9626413/the-mysterious-death-17-year-old-football-player-valdosta-georgia
http://www.theonion.com/articles/let-me-explain-why-miley-cyrus-vma-performance-was,33632/?ref=auto
http://tiny-tyke.deviantart.com/art/Dota-2-A-lapse-in-vigilance-325001417 the thumbnails are on the right. So good.
“Jack, did you just invite me to play? Why the fuck are you playing dota right now? You realize that’s like…if you asked me to play a pickup football game during the Super Bowl…” – Dean Sunday wrapped up the week of DotA 2 comprising the biggest event in e-sports history, with 16 teams competing for a prize pool of [...]
http://publicshaming.tumblr.com/post/55715208108/baseball-fans-super-angry-hispanic-american-superstar Actually you know what, this entry isn’t entirely dystopian because my faith in humanity has gone up, knowing that there’s at least one site dedicated to embarrassing these idiots. Thank you, public shaming tumblr.
This is what White House spokesman Jay Carney said about Snowden after he was allowed to fly from Hong Kong to Moscow: “Mr. Snowden’s claim that he is focused on supporting transparency, freedom of the press and protection of individual rights and democracy is belied by the protectors he has potentially chosen: China, Russia, Ecuador, as we’ve seen,” Mr. Carney [...]
First of all…this is by a wide stretch the best playoff series I’ve seen. You got the feeling that every single possession mattered; and they did, despite the fact that several of the games ended in “blowouts”. Anytime the Spurs or Heat lost focus for a string of possessions in a row, the game quickly spiralled out of control, because [...]
While frantically and excitedly sharing the roller-coaster high from the unbelievable back and forth ending of game 6 on gchat, a curiously novel thing happened. I discovered that both a nerdy friend of mine, as well as one of the 26 and stupid, couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. The fact that many people don’t follow basketball isn’t [...]
Hello Readers! This marks the first in a series of reviews/articles which will be co-authored by 26andStupid’s Ed & Jack. We call it EdJackulation. Today’s feature will focus on the recently released Man of Steel, directed by Zach Snyder. Intro: Jack Christopher Nolan definitely gets part of the blame for what I saw last night, and how I reacted to [...]
There’ll be more original stuff coming soon, I promise. But to bridge the gap, more Chomsky: http://banoosh.com/blog/2013/06/04/noam-chomsky-are-we-on-the-verge-of-total-self-destruction/ The best part of this article is probably the North Korea section. It’s pretty easy to immediately inspire hatred or dismissal if you even try to talk about North Korea or some other country summarily branded crazy and evil in anything but those [...]
I simply don’t have the breadth of knowledge and research to do this topic justice, so I’m gonna hand it off to someone who does. The name Noam Chomsky means different things to different people. If it evokes negative, distasteful things to you, then read the article below purely for the information. Consider what is spoken, and not the speaker. [...]
Normally journalists tasked with obituaries write them in advance, in anticipation of someone dying, so they can be on the spot with a few thousand finely crafted words when the expected indeed arrives. Normally obituaries, however distasteful the person who earns one, are salted with some kind of reverence. I have grown to hate the way the 2013 Knicks play, [...]
more context: http://www.snopes.com/photos/signs/sciencetest.asp The downside of this whole fuss people make about freedom is that people who really shouldn’t enjoy the benefits of freedom (for example, many who are controlled by some sort of group fanaticism, such as some extensions and branches of organized religion, as opposed to personal faith which I have no qualms with) get to pollute [...]
A good friend has anonymously submitted the following image, which should serve as a good guide for those of us who are uninsured.
Yesterday, I watched snippets of Stewart and Colbert with my friends. The only marathon bombing coverage they brought up in the bits that I saw focused on making fun of on-scene reporters: one said that the eerie silence in Watertown felt as if “a bomb had been dropped”, others stumbled through futile attempts to keep the coverage fresh in between [...]
Just a real quick comment, the guy who wrote this article is a misguided, misogynistic dick, and his article is fucking insane: http://elitedaily.com/elite/slideshows/20-mistakes-20s/?slide=1 I don’t have much advice to give in life, I’m still trying to navigate it myself, but I do know this: don’t be a fucking dick.
The following is a submission by a friend who wishes to remain anonymous. It is a cover letter for prospective lovers. Inquiries for this position may be sent to 26andstupid@gmail.com *********************************************************** To Whom It May Concern: I am a single, Asian-American law student looking to apply for the position of your girlfriend with the eventual goal of being promoted to [...]
The following was written by a friend who chooses to remain anonymous: *********************************************************** I’m standing outside Grand Central having a cigarette after a ten hour workday, in which nothing was accomplished and no one’s life was made better. I’m only in New York for the day, and I wonder if everyone around me feels as unfulfilled by their life choices [...]
If I ever have a pop music album it will be called “Love Songs Modified to Seem More Reasonable” The band will tentatively be called “Civilized Desert.” These would be my tracks. Track 1: Originally written by Savage Garden: I Knew I Loved You (after around a year or two, in which we shared a generally healthy relationship that had [...]
My March Madness bracket held up decently through day 1, but on the second day, my national champion pick (Georgetown, sorry Ed) lost to Florida Gulf Coast. In somewhat convincing fashion. I briefly remember, when glossing over this match-up in picks, I recalled that another 2-seed, Miami, had also lost to FGCU earlier in the season; at the time and [...]
So, I’m kind of a driving noob. Last August, I passed my driving test by the skin of my teeth with 25 points in violations, when I managed to clutch the parallel parking that I always fucked up in practice. In addition to being bad at the actual act of parking, I also suck at figuring out where to park. [...]
Shiva and I board the N train on our way to Canal Street to visit Tommy’s bike shop. (P.S. It’s awesome and you should go there, or buy one of their bikes online .) Shiva is complaining to me about some tenant/rent issues that his mom is going through with property she owns.. I have no idea what to tell [...]
When I was younger, I always heard from teachers that scientists said the probability of intelligent life existing in the universe we had already discovered was pretty low. I always instinctively thought that this was a ridiculously myopic assertion, because “life” was defined so rigidly as basically requiring some kind of water and other similar Earthly elements or conditions. And [...]
After 7 weeks of a slightly healthier lifestyle (interrupted by some days of DotA-related sleep deprivation), I geared up for the final push using mild dehydration through caffeine, intermittent hot baths, short term fluid/salt intake restrictions, and running on the morning of. I weighed in at 190.7 this morning before the wedding. This is a good amount over the target [...]
First, read this: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/02/world/asia/chinese-tv-special-on-executions-stirs-debate.html?hp Next, ask yourself something. If you were to get rid of the word “Chinese” (or just replace it with another country or nationality) every time it appeared in the article, would this even remotely have news value? That a country televised not an actual execution (as was done here in America with Timothy McVeigh, albeit to [...]
In any remotely evenly matched DotA 2 game, the two teams’ total gold networth will be roughly similar, and how that gold is spent will make a huge difference. Much of this depends on hero role, of course, but the tighter your pockets, the more important it is to spend your cash carefully. I’ve lost games by squandering gold on [...]
There are few things more dystopian than one day realizing that a huge chunk of history you were indoctrinated with growing up, infact the chunk that deals with where you live, how American society came to be, and also happens to include the greatest misfortune (and subsequently, the greatest upset victory) in human history, was just fed to you as [...]
My friend over at ReflectsDamage.com and I were bored and decided to reduce people’s hard work into annoying (and mostly inaccurate) one-liners. ******************************************************** Movies: Batman Begins: Billionaire Christian Bale copes with parents’ death by beating the shit out of poor people and the mentally disabled. The Dark Knight: Billionaire Christian Bale fights his most competent rival, an insane person [...]
The following is a piece submitted to us by our dear friend Justin. ******************************************************** “Goong Goong” One of the few words I know in Chinese. To be honest, I’m unsure if the “Goong” is supposed to be said twice, or if it was taught to me like that because I know absolutely no Chinese. But he smiles at me from [...]
John Broder is an environmental reporter for the NY Times who recently test drove an electric car from Tesla. Broder writes extensively about oil and generally writes about how crappy the electric car is. Including the Tesla vehicle he drove. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, responded by producing the logs of Broder’s voyage, which he says show that Broder outright lied [...]
The NBA’s 19 year old entry age limit is a hotly debated issue that has been argued cogently on both sides. Recently, Nerlens Noel, Kentucky’s freakishly athletic center, went down with a torn ACL on a horrific play. It’s quite possible he’ll never be the same; at the very least, his professional progression will have been hampered, and he didn’t get [...]
A friend of mine over at ReflectsDamage.com challenged me to type up a freestyle (this was in real-time). The topic was rappers as modern philosophers. Note: I acknowledge that I have oversimplified and/or inaccurately stated some of this philosophy stuff, but eh. WHATEVZ. Here is what I came up with: EMINEM as David Chalmers whiplash as i attack this rap and [...]
I love most shows that carry any element of smurfing. Smurfing is, as I first came to understand it in the context of competitive video games,when a good player would make a new account which would start at a low rating, and proceed to destroy people anonymously. It’s an idea that makes shows like Pro’s vs Joe’s so entertaining; you [...]
“Criminals thrive on the indulgence of society’s ‘understanding’” – Ra’s Al Ghul, Batman Begins A year ago, I was headed to a friend’s apartment on New York’s Upper East Side when I was jumped by 6-8 people. My attackers did not want to steal anything from me, and made no demands of any kind. They just wanted some blood. Thankfully, [...]
I don’t pay much attention to the mainstream news anymore – a fact that usually surprises my friends who know that I went to journalism school. For the most part I never really did, except for heavy childhood doses of NBC Nightly News before the switch from Tom Brokaw to Brian Williams, and some Dateline with Stone Phillips or 20/20 [...]
Many TV shows are like music albums – there are many average or otherwise forgettable episodes, mixed in with some amazing ones. What comes to mind when someone brings up Star Trek: The Next Generation? I recently re-watched the show’s 2-part finale episode, titled “All Good Things…” A good science-fiction show or story takes advantage of its unique universe to [...]
Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of Bobby Fischer’s passing. I’ve always been a huge fan of real-life tragic heroes; though sometimes my definition of “hero” can be disputed, in Fischer’s case it’s not really up for debate. You will notice a common theme among some of my tragic hero selections: they are precocious talents or otherwise extraordinary achievers who their [...]
In just under two months, I’ve got a friend’s wedding to attend as a groomsman. Now in 2012, I grew quite portly; I went from a low of 168 lbs. at the start of the year to a gargantuan 207.7 around Christmas. I am 5’6, and despite having a pro running back’s BMI, I am most definitely not built like [...]