The only site I'll ever need...

[Kermit IV]

Another legal question: let's say there's a large news aggregator that I might frequent. And let's say I wanted to set up a novelty account that only a few people would even get. Let's say the name of that novelty account is the real life name of a person I once worked for that I despise. Let's say I'm not saying things like "I murdered people" or "I have dead children in my basement" but instead saying idiotic things, things that don't make sense at all and generally playing the fool. While there is nothing to gain from this venture other than a smirk of satisfaction after each post and the small chance that this person happens upon her or his name making these less than intelligent comments, what trouble could I get in by doing this, if any?


TL;DR - I want to make a novelty account making fun of my old boss but I'm wondering if I could get in some kind of trouble by using the real name of the person.

Do not take this as authoritative, since I have never gotten into any changes in the law that have come about as a result of the internet.  However, under plain old "by the book" defamation law, you  can defame a person by saying things about that person which are not true and which attack that person's reputation.  You can do this by saying "Sarah Jablonski murdered her grandmother" or by saying "I, Sarah Jablonski, murdered my grandmother."  I don't have the time or the inclination to go into a treatise on the law of Libel, which would pertain to a written publication such as this,  but the simple answer is, yes, conceivably you could get into trouble.  (Disclaimer.  This statement was for purposes of explanation only .  It is not intended to be a reflection upon Ms. Jablonski's character.  She is a perfectly wonderful, caring, and delightful person who loves her grandmother.  Who by the way, is alive and well and living in West Palm Beach.)

However, if Slak was apparent in that he really wasn't that person and that he was only lampooning him, isn't that conceivably protected (Falwell v. Hustler?

This case, incidentally, protects many of us from Kurtevans-style lawsuits. At least in the U.S. of A.

You are going to lure me into a full blown diatribe.   To start with, there may be a difference between Jerry Falwell and Sarah Jablonski with regard to being in the "public eye" and therefore more susceptible to comment.  A different standard applies.  Although I said "to start with", I think I will end with that as well. 

All right, you've talked me out of it.

Boo.  Just do it.  If you get sued, I'll defend you.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

Another legal question: let's say there's a large news aggregator that I might frequent. And let's say I wanted to set up a novelty account that only a few people would even get. Let's say the name of that novelty account is the real life name of a person I once worked for that I despise. Let's say I'm not saying things like "I murdered people" or "I have dead children in my basement" but instead saying idiotic things, things that don't make sense at all and generally playing the fool. While there is nothing to gain from this venture other than a smirk of satisfaction after each post and the small chance that this person happens upon her or his name making these less than intelligent comments, what trouble could I get in by doing this, if any?


TL;DR - I want to make a novelty account making fun of my old boss but I'm wondering if I could get in some kind of trouble by using the real name of the person.

Do not take this as authoritative, since I have never gotten into any changes in the law that have come about as a result of the internet.  However, under plain old "by the book" defamation law, you  can defame a person by saying things about that person which are not true and which attack that person's reputation.  You can do this by saying "Sarah Jablonski murdered her grandmother" or by saying "I, Sarah Jablonski, murdered my grandmother."  I don't have the time or the inclination to go into a treatise on the law of Libel, which would pertain to a written publication such as this,  but the simple answer is, yes, conceivably you could get into trouble.  (Disclaimer.  This statement was for purposes of explanation only .  It is not intended to be a reflection upon Ms. Jablonski's character.  She is a perfectly wonderful, caring, and delightful person who loves her grandmother.  Who by the way, is alive and well and living in West Palm Beach.)

However, if Slak was apparent in that he really wasn't that person and that he was only lampooning him, isn't that conceivably protected (Falwell v. Hustler?

This case, incidentally, protects many of us from Kurtevans-style lawsuits. At least in the U.S. of A.

You are going to lure me into a full blown diatribe.   To start with, there may be a difference between Jerry Falwell and Sarah Jablonski with regard to being in the "public eye" and therefore more susceptible to comment.  A different standard applies.  Although I said "to start with", I think I will end with that as well. 

All right, you've talked me out of it.

Boo.  Just do it.  If you get sued, I'll defend you.

Kerm's really hurting for billable hours, huh?

[Oleg]

Another legal question: let's say there's a large news aggregator that I might frequent. And let's say I wanted to set up a novelty account that only a few people would even get. Let's say the name of that novelty account is the real life name of a person I once worked for that I despise. Let's say I'm not saying things like "I murdered people" or "I have dead children in my basement" but instead saying idiotic things, things that don't make sense at all and generally playing the fool. While there is nothing to gain from this venture other than a smirk of satisfaction after each post and the small chance that this person happens upon her or his name making these less than intelligent comments, what trouble could I get in by doing this, if any?


TL;DR - I want to make a novelty account making fun of my old boss but I'm wondering if I could get in some kind of trouble by using the real name of the person.

I bet if you just asked Oleg, he'd be ok with this.

I'm not nearly improtant enough to have someone of Slaky's stature get that pissed off at me.  Not only that, but if I were ever Slaky's boss, he'd have quit long ago.

[Saul Goodman]

How do I get an iPhone to play music on multiple computers?  It's synced with my home computer, so when I plug it into my work computer I get a message that kindly offers to erase all of my current iPhone content and sync with the current iTunes library.  That's not what I want.  Surely there's a program that will let me stream music off my iPhone on multiple computers.  Right?

If you have a Mac, try Senuti.  SharePod if you're on Windows.

Senuti (note the Play button at the bottom):


SharePod:

Bump for new iTunes functionality.

You can now plug in someone else’s iOS device and listen to their music on iTunes 10 without the Enable “manual sync mode” option.

Oh, and now you can take your music via your iOS device to your locked down work computer running iTunes 10 as well.

[CBStew]

Raccoon update.  I went to Orchard Supply and bought their "Animal Repellant"  and splashed it around.  Five days now and no raccoon shit.  Who can say whether it was the repellant or a BMW that took care of my raccoon nemesis as it was crossing College Avenue on its way to its favorite toilet?

[Gilgamesh]

Raccoon update.  I went to Orchard Supply and bought their "Animal Repellant"  and splashed it around.  Five days now and no raccoon shit.  Who can say whether it was the repellant or a BMW that took care of my raccoon nemesis as it was crossing College Avenue on its way to its favorite toilet?

Just as long as it isn't the human toilet...

[R-V]

I have no idea where this belongs, but it's an awesome concept for drunken discussion. What say you, morans? I wish I could send Chuck to the last 5 years of Soriano's contract.

Everyone says things like "Oh man, how cool would it be to be in Dealey Plaza during the JFK assassination, or see The Beatles during one of their Cavern Club concerts, or witness ancient Rome?" Well, what if you were given the chance?

Here are the conditions. You've been granted a hypothetical ticket to live, in comfort and coherence, during one five-year time period. Maybe you want to be in New York in Chicago during Prohibition, or Victorian London, or France right before the Revolution. (Or during—no judgments.) You'll be able to understand and speak the language (if needed), have enough disposable cash to live at leisure, and experience whatever you want, with no need for a job. You'll have a comfy apartment or house to return to, full period wardrobe, and as much time as you need before making this trip to study up on the period you'll live in.

But you must stay within a five-mile radius of where/whenever you choose to live. Thus you can't go see the Kennedy assassination, then go zipping around the world to London to watch the birth of the British Invasion, or New York for the early years of Greenwich Village. Want to see the Kennedy assassination? Fine. But then you're stuck in Dallas for the next five years.

What historical period (and place), in your opinion, offers the most enticing experiences in one five-year period?

Warning: about half of the submissions are extremely pretentious/artdouchey.

[Slaky]

I have no idea where this belongs, but it's an awesome concept for drunken discussion. What say you, morans? I wish I could send Chuck to the last 5 years of Soriano's contract.

Everyone says things like "Oh man, how cool would it be to be in Dealey Plaza during the JFK assassination, or see The Beatles during one of their Cavern Club concerts, or witness ancient Rome?" Well, what if you were given the chance?

Here are the conditions. You've been granted a hypothetical ticket to live, in comfort and coherence, during one five-year time period. Maybe you want to be in New York in Chicago during Prohibition, or Victorian London, or France right before the Revolution. (Or during—no judgments.) You'll be able to understand and speak the language (if needed), have enough disposable cash to live at leisure, and experience whatever you want, with no need for a job. You'll have a comfy apartment or house to return to, full period wardrobe, and as much time as you need before making this trip to study up on the period you'll live in.

But you must stay within a five-mile radius of where/whenever you choose to live. Thus you can't go see the Kennedy assassination, then go zipping around the world to London to watch the birth of the British Invasion, or New York for the early years of Greenwich Village. Want to see the Kennedy assassination? Fine. But then you're stuck in Dallas for the next five years.

What historical period (and place), in your opinion, offers the most enticing experiences in one five-year period?

Warning: about half of the submissions are extremely pretentious/artdouchey.

Thanks, now that I've read the shit these people came up with I'm markedly angrier than I was ten minutes ago. 

[Eli]

Thanks, now that I've read the shit these people came up with I'm markedly angrier than I was ten minutes ago. 

I join you in anger.  I blame Josh Modell, among others:

Manchester, England from 1979-1984, but goddamn this question, because it means I have to choose between seeing the Sex Pistols play legendary small gigs in 1976, and seeing Joy Division, The Smiths, and New Order. But I'm going with the latter, because it's actually nearer and dearer to my heart. I'd of course need to live near the Hacienda club, which opened in 1982 and featured amazing performances pretty much every night—The Smiths three times in 1983! Madonna in 1984! The Buzzcocks, New Order, etc. etc. I'd be able to watch Joy Division triumph (at the "Factory I" events in '79, and I'd even be close enough to go to the Bowdon Vale Youth Club gig), then see the Factory Records New Year's Eve party at Woolworth's on Oldham Street. Sadly, I guess I wouldn't be able to warn Ian Curtis' bandmates about his imminent suicide, but maybe he'd let me watch Werner Herzog's Stroszek with him before he did it. (How goth would that be?)

Ugh.

[R-V]

Thanks, now that I've read the shit these people came up with I'm markedly angrier than I was ten minutes ago. 

I join you in anger.  I blame Josh Modell, among others:

Manchester, England from 1979-1984, but goddamn this question, because it means I have to choose between seeing the Sex Pistols play legendary small gigs in 1976, and seeing Joy Division, The Smiths, and New Order. But I'm going with the latter, because it's actually nearer and dearer to my heart. I'd of course need to live near the Hacienda club, which opened in 1982 and featured amazing performances pretty much every night—The Smiths three times in 1983! Madonna in 1984! The Buzzcocks, New Order, etc. etc. I'd be able to watch Joy Division triumph (at the "Factory I" events in '79, and I'd even be close enough to go to the Bowdon Vale Youth Club gig), then see the Factory Records New Year's Eve party at Woolworth's on Oldham Street. Sadly, I guess I wouldn't be able to warn Ian Curtis' bandmates about his imminent suicide, but maybe he'd let me watch Werner Herzog's Stroszek with him before he did it. (How goth would that be?)

Ugh.

Like I said, douchey answers. Patton Oswalt's answer and the future ones were solid.

[Eli]

Thanks, now that I've read the shit these people came up with I'm markedly angrier than I was ten minutes ago. 

I join you in anger.  I blame Josh Modell, among others:

Manchester, England from 1979-1984, but goddamn this question, because it means I have to choose between seeing the Sex Pistols play legendary small gigs in 1976, and seeing Joy Division, The Smiths, and New Order. But I'm going with the latter, because it's actually nearer and dearer to my heart. I'd of course need to live near the Hacienda club, which opened in 1982 and featured amazing performances pretty much every night—The Smiths three times in 1983! Madonna in 1984! The Buzzcocks, New Order, etc. etc. I'd be able to watch Joy Division triumph (at the "Factory I" events in '79, and I'd even be close enough to go to the Bowdon Vale Youth Club gig), then see the Factory Records New Year's Eve party at Woolworth's on Oldham Street. Sadly, I guess I wouldn't be able to warn Ian Curtis' bandmates about his imminent suicide, but maybe he'd let me watch Werner Herzog's Stroszek with him before he did it. (How goth would that be?)

Ugh.

Like I said, douchey answers. Patton Oswalt's answer and the future ones were solid.

For the record, I'll take Hawaii from tomorrow until 2015.

[Bort]

Thanks, now that I've read the shit these people came up with I'm markedly angrier than I was ten minutes ago. 

I join you in anger.  I blame Josh Modell, among others:

Manchester, England from 1979-1984, but goddamn this question, because it means I have to choose between seeing the Sex Pistols play legendary small gigs in 1976, and seeing Joy Division, The Smiths, and New Order. But I'm going with the latter, because it's actually nearer and dearer to my heart. I'd of course need to live near the Hacienda club, which opened in 1982 and featured amazing performances pretty much every night—The Smiths three times in 1983! Madonna in 1984! The Buzzcocks, New Order, etc. etc. I'd be able to watch Joy Division triumph (at the "Factory I" events in '79, and I'd even be close enough to go to the Bowdon Vale Youth Club gig), then see the Factory Records New Year's Eve party at Woolworth's on Oldham Street. Sadly, I guess I wouldn't be able to warn Ian Curtis' bandmates about his imminent suicide, but maybe he'd let me watch Werner Herzog's Stroszek with him before he did it. (How goth would that be?)

Ugh.

Sadly, I was considering London from 1976-1981 for the punk concerts. Don't judge me.

[Gilgamesh]

Thanks, now that I've read the shit these people came up with I'm markedly angrier than I was ten minutes ago.  

I join you in anger.  I blame Josh Modell, among others:

Manchester, England from 1979-1984, but goddamn this question, because it means I have to choose between seeing the Sex Pistols play legendary small gigs in 1976, and seeing Joy Division, The Smiths, and New Order. But I'm going with the latter, because it's actually nearer and dearer to my heart. I'd of course need to live near the Hacienda club, which opened in 1982 and featured amazing performances pretty much every night—The Smiths three times in 1983! Madonna in 1984! The Buzzcocks, New Order, etc. etc. I'd be able to watch Joy Division triumph (at the "Factory I" events in '79, and I'd even be close enough to go to the Bowdon Vale Youth Club gig), then see the Factory Records New Year's Eve party at Woolworth's on Oldham Street. Sadly, I guess I wouldn't be able to warn Ian Curtis' bandmates about his imminent suicide, but maybe he'd let me watch Werner Herzog's Stroszek with him before he did it. (How goth would that be?)

Ugh.

Like I said, douchey answers. Patton Oswalt's answer and the future ones were solid.

For the record, I'll take Hawaii from tomorrow until 2015.

Paris.  1940-1944.

Or as they call it in Germany, "the good years."

[Eli]

Thanks, now that I've read the shit these people came up with I'm markedly angrier than I was ten minutes ago. 

I join you in anger.  I blame Josh Modell, among others:

Manchester, England from 1979-1984, but goddamn this question, because it means I have to choose between seeing the Sex Pistols play legendary small gigs in 1976, and seeing Joy Division, The Smiths, and New Order. But I'm going with the latter, because it's actually nearer and dearer to my heart. I'd of course need to live near the Hacienda club, which opened in 1982 and featured amazing performances pretty much every night—The Smiths three times in 1983! Madonna in 1984! The Buzzcocks, New Order, etc. etc. I'd be able to watch Joy Division triumph (at the "Factory I" events in '79, and I'd even be close enough to go to the Bowdon Vale Youth Club gig), then see the Factory Records New Year's Eve party at Woolworth's on Oldham Street. Sadly, I guess I wouldn't be able to warn Ian Curtis' bandmates about his imminent suicide, but maybe he'd let me watch Werner Herzog's Stroszek with him before he did it. (How goth would that be?)

Ugh.

Sadly, I was considering London from 1976-1981 for the punk concerts. Don't judge me.

It's not what he said.  It's HOW he said it. 

Everything you say sounds beautiful.

[Yeti]

Thanks, now that I've read the shit these people came up with I'm markedly angrier than I was ten minutes ago. 

I join you in anger.  I blame Josh Modell, among others:

Manchester, England from 1979-1984, but goddamn this question, because it means I have to choose between seeing the Sex Pistols play legendary small gigs in 1976, and seeing Joy Division, The Smiths, and New Order. But I'm going with the latter, because it's actually nearer and dearer to my heart. I'd of course need to live near the Hacienda club, which opened in 1982 and featured amazing performances pretty much every night—The Smiths three times in 1983! Madonna in 1984! The Buzzcocks, New Order, etc. etc. I'd be able to watch Joy Division triumph (at the "Factory I" events in '79, and I'd even be close enough to go to the Bowdon Vale Youth Club gig), then see the Factory Records New Year's Eve party at Woolworth's on Oldham Street. Sadly, I guess I wouldn't be able to warn Ian Curtis' bandmates about his imminent suicide, but maybe he'd let me watch Werner Herzog's Stroszek with him before he did it. (How goth would that be?)

Ugh.

Sadly, I was considering London from 1976-1981 for the punk concerts. Don't judge me.

It's not what he said.  It's HOW he said it. 

Everything you say sounds beautiful.

I declare that since anyone choosing these things is using a big city, I am going to expand my radius out a bit, because I'd like to stay where I am, but since there isn't another town within 5 miles of mine, I'm expanding the radius to 25 miles, and the years will be 2099-2104. In 2100, my high school will be opening a time capsule that I contributed a couple items to in 2000. I'd like to see that (I've always wanted to see that thing again, but I'll be 115 when it's opened). I'd also like to see what the world is like then. I'd like to see my house. I'd like to drive down 6th Streen in Springfield in a hovercraft. Life would be good.