Friday Five Un-sex-up-able Halloween Costumes

So yeah, anyone who’s aware of anything is also aware of how female Halloween costumes have come down with a case of the overwhelming, nonsensical sexy in the last decade. Sexy Big Bird! Sexy Police Lady! Sexy Janitor! Sexy Fillintheblank. It’s as if one can’t be female and present in a way that has nothing to do with sexy, and I find that tired and lame and boring and offensive. Yeah, rah rah frat boy culture, chix have titties, rah.*

Ya know, there’s nothing wrong with anyone of any sex wanting to be enticing. Sometimes we all want to get our bits out and have other people gaze on them admiringly. But when being enticing becomes the expected female default state, then it’s just boring old sexism & objectification. It’s not even sexy and fun, it’s just a drone-like “Here I have hauled my bosoms out for your inspection, please approve of my performance of femininity, yes I find it flattering that you would like to insert things into me, let us proceed to the insertion point of the evening.”

So I have been daydreaming lately about getting some kickass chicks together one Halloween to dress up as sexy versions of inherently unsexy things as a giant “fuck you” to the patriarchy. You know… Sexy Yeast Infection. Sexy Bloody Underpants. Like that. And I was sure my people would be able to come up with even more ideas. And they did!

superbadgirl – OK kids – how about some Halloween #fridayfive? What are five costume ideas that are completely unable to be “sexed up?”

superbadgirl - Sexy Aborted Fetus, Sexy Bag of Flaming Poo, Sexy Toddler, Sexy Hairball, Sexy Foot with Infected Toenail. #fridayfive

UnclePilot @superbadgirl Sexy Rocky, Sexy Rocky II, Sexy Rocky III, Sexy Rocky IV, Sexy Curly Sue. #fridayfive

jamietoonart – @superbadgirl Sexy Carl Rove, Sexy Oil Spill, Sexy Goiter, Sexy Encephalopathy, Sexy 9-11 #fridayfive

Grave_Danger - @superbadgirl I have to veto Sexy Toddler, simply based on the fact that there is a show called Toddlers and Tiaras.

El_Dickman – @superbadgirl Sexy Neti Pot, Sexy Concentration Camp Victim, Sexy Starving Person, Sexy MethHead, Sexy Grandma/pa #fridayfive

Grave_Danger - @superbadgirl Sexy open head wound, sexy rush limbaugh, sexy Chinese food, sexy Elmo, snooki.

getoffmylawn - @superbadgirl sexy gilbert gottfried, sexy tape worm, sexy goatse, sexy crack whore, sexy @unclepilot #fridayfive

violentecstasy - @superbadgirl Sexy Litter Box, Sexy Garbage Heap, Sexy Snot, Sexy [Disease of Choice], Sexy Crime Victim #fridayfive

cbellers - @superbadgirl Sexy Dick Cheney, Sexy MRSA infection, Sexy Tax Return, Sexy bedpan, Sexy Stephen Hawking #fridayfive

violentecstasy - Just for @superbadgirl : RT @Jimski: Costume: Sexy Scrabble http://is.gd/gsi5V

cbellers  - @Grave_Danger totally vetoing the chinese food: http://j.mp/a8qsHY

@CDCyr and @communique link us to Cracked’s list of Sexy Halloween Costumes that Should Not Exist.

stevodarkly – @superbadgirl Sexy embalmer. Sexy Rent Is Too Damn High. Sexy Oompah-Loompah. Sexy Dick Tracy Villain. Sexy sex offender. #fridayfive

bengoldman – @superbadgirl sexy leper, sexy chicken lover, sexy It (clown), sexy adult diaper, sexy pee-bum #fridayfive

cassiland - @superbadgirl Sexy baby, Sexy Pee Wee Herman, Sexy cockroach, sexy bubble boy, Sexy LARPer #fridayfive

*Sociological Images did a nice piece on how this is uniquely a female thing, and what “sexy” men’s costumes look like.

Friday Five Things You LOVE to Hate

Good morning minions! How about a little #fridayfive action? This week’s topic (thanks to @_bunny_) is “5 Things You LOVE to Hate.”

superbadgirl – Hipsters with outfits so annoying as to make me laugh. Street thugs w/saggy pants. Anatomically impossible comic art. Corpse-looking runway models. Cripplingly high-heeled shoes. #fridayfive

cvbarnhart – @superbadgirl Tea Party, religion, midwestern culture, corn sugar, Vancian spellcasting. #fridayfive

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Ethiopian food. Dudes in TOOL t-shirts. Those moronic, tiny circus-midget motorcycles, Tea Partiers. Nickelback. #fridayfive

CDCyr – Liberal self righteousness, conservative judgmentalism, bureaucracy, blind faith, puppies #fridayfive q

cbellers – @superbadgirl miniblind sunglasses, religion, post-dispatch commenters, Huffington Post commenters, youth.

ZSB3 – @superbadgirl Celebrities, the latest “tech gadget”, some of my co-workers, pro sports (except hockey), reality tv

stevodarkly – @superbadgirl #fridayfive Bass cars. Southern-style Christianity. Not using blinkers. The perpetually offended. And last but not least people who embarrass me by espousing viewpoints similar to my own, but in idiotic fashion. #fridayfive

jamietoonart – @superbadgirl people who are famous because they are famous, Tea Partiers, people who think God is responsible for their good fortunes, Little Wayne, Romantic Comedies

cassiland – @superbadgirl loud and inane media “personalities”, guys with bling, (the parent’s of) welfare kids with Nintendo DS’s, stuck up servers, and last, dirty hippies with think the patchouli smell covers the BO and weed stench #fridayfive

jeniburns – @superbadgirl conspiracy theorists, people who think they’re not responsible for the shit that comes out of their own mouths, door-to-door missionaries, people who wear colored denim, and right wingers #fridayfive

Guaca_molly – @superbadgirl Flip-flops on dirty feet, kathy lee gifford, black socks w/ shorts, St. Louis County & my garbage man #fridayfive

Lorizs_tweets – Jeggings, Crocs, Open toe boots, douchebags that wear their pants at the knee and try to run across the street, bumpit #fridayfive

trmink – @superbadgirl bad grammar on signs, alpacas, tricked-out trucks, Chicago Cubs, lite beer

butterflyfish_ – @superbadgirl Sparkly vampires. x5 #fridayfive

Friday Five Fantasy Things You Wish Were Real

How about some #fridayfive action? What are the Top 5 fictional/fantasy things that you wish were real? Could be creatures/places/devices.

superbadgirl – Ludo, Fizzgig, invisibility cloak, magic wands, trolls.#fridayFive

cbellers – @superbadgirl laser guns, teleporters, flying cars, androids, free energy. #nothingiwasntpromised50yearsago

jeniburns – @superbadgirl the TARDIS, mermaids, underwater fireworks, unicorns, and gnomes.

UnclePilot – @superbadgirl Optimism, stability, my chances at writing a novel one day, the female orgasm, and Curly Sue. #fridayfive

stevodarkly – @superbadgirl O’Neill space colonies, Jurassic Park, starship Enterprise, Orion slave girls, my own Wonder Woman’s magic lasso #fridayfive

violentecstasy – Pure happiness, unicorns, poo-less monkeys, calorie-free food, teleporters #fridayfive

trmink – @superbadgirl time machines, Loch Ness Monster, Santa Claus, Ewoks, magic carpets

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, Bag of Holding (D&D), Needler (Halo), Spice (Dune), Nanofax (Gibson) #fridayfive

cassiland – @superbadgirl an intelligent populace, faeries, self cleaning ANYTHING, a healthy working environment, enough sleep #fridayfive

ZSB3 – @superbadgirl Gargoyles that come to life after dark, talking animals, freeze rays, artifacts w/magical properties, Honeydukes Candies.

CDCyr – God, ghosts, flying cars, stargates, blowjobs #fridayfive

Friday Five things you’ve purchased in the last 30 days

Well fuck me running, it’s the #fridayfive! What are five things you’ve purchased in the last 30 days?

superbadgirl (that’s ME!) - The Safes’ CD “Well, Well, Well.” China Mieville’s book “City & the City” A root beer float, a brown dress, a steamboat ride. #fridayfive

UnclePilot – @superbadgirl Soap, car repairs, the video game “Limbo”, a pretzel dog, @joeycomeau’s “Unqualified” #fridayfive

jeniburns – @superbadgirl Um, yarn. and food. :/ #fridayfive

k_del - Batteries, bullets, stinky lotion, dog chews, your soul #fridayfive

bengoldman – @superbadgirl fancy hairspray, tree trimming services, nerd toys, a giant burrito, 10 mountain keeps #fridayfive

katatomiclabs – @superbadgirl A tire, wool, a bucket, pineapple and coconut shower gel, records. #fridayfive

H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl sunglasses, wine, underwear, batteries, some records. Yeah, that pretty much covers any 30 day period.

violentecstasy – @superbadgirl Coffee, a leather corset, a scalp mask, cat food, the cheeseball dance-movie plotlines. #fridayfive

cbellers - @superbadgirl Guns, fire extinguisher, sex toys, yoghurt, air filter. #fridayfive

sub_english - A crib, Allegra Goodman’s “The Cookbook Collector, 2 pedicures, chocolate croissants, ice cream (so much ice cream) #fridayfive

lobsterchicky – @superbadgirl gel pens, pants, necklaces from the Joan Rivers on QVC (not joking), Nair (bad idea), McDs breakfast burrito #fridayfive

p_tea - @superbadgirl Gunpowder, dress pants (stupid work clothes), cloth tape, Lady Gaga songs, batteries #fridayfive

thatcesareguy – @superbadgirl Burger King, McDonalds, Taco Bell, Sonic, comic books #fridayfive

cvbarnhart - @superbadgirl Security+ study guide, Vampire: The Requiem books, 15 matching d10s, food, booze. #fridayfive

laurabean – Old school girdle, groceries, flowers, book, dinner @ atomic cowboy. #fridayfive

jamesblackwood – @superbadgirl size 6 wedding band, size 15 wedding band, wooden baseball bat, a beer I never received, pants #FridayFive

CDCyr – @superbadgirl Oatmeal, Riverboat ride, coffee, books, shirt

soupy – @superbadgirl car battery, vintage shoes that already fell apart, rainbow streamers, a sweater from the 1950s, a Dorothy costume #fridayfive

stevodarkly - @superbadgirl Dale Hollow Lake souvenir T-shirt, rum, drop-off laundry service, 5-hour energy drinks, max strength Zantac. #fridayfive

UnclePilot - @superbadgirl I meant @joeycomeau’s “Overqualified”. #sorryjoey #justboughtthebooktoday #OHGODIMTWEETINGFROM40000FEET #IVEDOOMEDUSALL

Lorizs_tweets - @superbadgirl books, fabric, iced coffee, shoes, fruit #fridayfive

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Doggie treats, soap, new wallet, funky Vietnamese houseplant, new shaving blades. #fridayfive

Joule – @superbadgirl Ceilings and walls, a dress with a spiral on it, arcade fire’s new album, plane ticket, sno cones #fridayfive

ieincognito -@superbadgirl Vodka, whiskey, beer, lots of tomatoes and a spiffy dress #fridayfive

ZSB3 - #fridayfive Beaded slippers, Aveda shampoo & conditioner, sodas, food, garnet earrings.

(I think I got everyone. If I accidentally missed you out, feel free to just post it in the comments and not give me a hard time.)

Friday Five – Who Don’t You Want to Deal With?

Like all registered introverted misanthropes, I have a certain amount of dread and natural dislike for dealing with various types of people. Many times, the way I dread dealing with them impacts what actions I am willing to force myself to take in the world. For instance, my dread at the thought of dealing with repair people means that I have a bucket to catch the water that leaks in from my roof, instead of a roof that does not leak. My dread of having to deal with doctors means that I have to be pretty close to dying before I will go to one, etc. I was wondering what types/groups of people other people don’t want to deal with. I opened it up to “types of people” because I figure not everyone’s like me, and many people might not have a dread of dealing with professionals who are offering them services. Anyway, results below:

Time for #fridayfive! What five groups of people (or professions) do you most dislike dealing with? In order, most dislike to less dislike.

superbadgirl – Doctors, the overtly religious, law enforcement, advertising sales reps, repair persons. #fridayfive

cbellers – @superbadgirl Salespeople, religious people, political wingnuts (both sides) too-fucking-hip people, lawyers. #fridayfive

cbellers – @superbadgirl and by too-fucking-hip I mean the assholes who are actively cooler than you, not the kids with horrible sunglasses, dumb hats.

ieincognito – @superbadgirl The willfully ignorant, the overly bubbly, the duplicitous, the incompetent, those with disingenuous affectations #fridayfive

cvbarnhart – @superbadgirl Aggressive Interrupters, Mushmouths, The Self-Important, The Faithful, Anti-Intellectuals. #fridayfive

El_Dickman – @superbadgirl Fundies (any of them), customer support, “global resources” (outsourced personnel), piss-poor drivers, spare changers

billstreeter – @superbadgirl sales reps, bureaucrats, religious nuts, Libertarians (could be lumped in with religious nuts), idiots of any sort

superbadgirl – For everyone inquiring, yes, @p_tea can be his own category for today’s #fridayfive

p_tea – @superbadgirl Close-minded people of all persuations x5 #Fridayfive

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl My family, lawyers (ptew!), police, teenagers, Libertarians. #fridayfive

Joule – @superbadgirl Aggressively judgmental “authoritarians”, bureaucrats, plastic people, collection agents, the sensory offensive #fridayfive

ieincognito – @superbadgirl Can’t believe I forgot folks with a misplaced sense of entitlement. I may be amending all day to limit to #fridayfive

CDCyr – @superbadgirl Swingers who cant keep their swinging to themselves, partisans, believers, racists, panhandlers #fridayfive

jamesblackwood – @superbadgirl My doctor, Todd my goiter, my thyroid, members of my endocrine system, Curly Sue.

jamietoonart – @superbadgirl Political know-it-alls, Corporate customer “service”, self rightous carnivores, Price shoppers/cheapskates (at work), drivers.

cassiland – mean people, corrections officers, my employers, people that dislike kids/dogs, people with unbending convictions @superbadgirl #fridayfive

thatcesareguy – @superbadgirl interupters, self-dubbed experts, the overly political, open-mouth chewers, people who speak in meme #fridayfive

VforVero @superbadgirl racists, close minded people, self centered people, bad drivers & girls named Magan #fridayfive

ZSB3 – @superbadgirl Salespeople, the student DJ’s on 89.1FM, Tom Shane, racists, over-zealous religious people.

Grave_Danger – @superbadgirl Religious hypocrites, doctors office receptionists, liars, apathetic complainers, the terminally negative

trmink – @superbadgirl alumni association, auto dealers, tech support, “patriots”, librarians, local news team

Friday Five Sites You Visit Daily

Been wondering lately about how my web usage has evolved. I just do not use the internet the same way I did five years ago, or even two years ago. For one thing, I rarely visit actual websites, at least not purposely. I don’t check in at say… CNN.com anymore for my news, I get my news through aggregated news sources like Google Reader and popurls.com. I don’t go to message boards to interact with my friends, I see them via twitter and facebook. I wondered if everyone else was doing the same. Let’s find out:

And here’s a #fridayfive for your listing pleasure! What are five websites you visit daily? (I am interested to see how much these overlap.)

superbadgirl twitter, facebook, popurls, google-related (gmail/reader/maps etc.) and my own blog. (Is everything aggregated now?) #fridayfive

cvbarnhart – @superbadgirl Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, AEBN (NSFW) #fridayfive

bengoldman – @superbadgirl Woot, DieselSweeties, BBC, Gmail, theFWA. Oh, and that one you’re updating the landing page on. #fridayfive

cbellers – @superbadgirl gmail, google, slashdot, zombie squad, penny arcade #fridayfive

El_Dickman – @superbadgirl icanhascheezeburger, iGoogle, yahoo news, The Onion, facebook #fridayfive

H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl Do porn sites count?

superbadgirl - @H_Wallbanger Whatever. Your day is all about: sadbastard.com, pervybastard.com, howtomowthelawn.com, geritol.com and dudesincardigans.com. Oh, I forgot usedtobepunkbutnowjustkindasleepy.com

jamietoonart – @superbadgirl Twitter, Facebook, Woot, G-Mail, Yahoo #fridayfive

violentecstasy – @superbadgirl iGoogle (reader, gmail, twitter aggregated–is that cheating?), Facebook, Etsy, ZS forums, GoodReads #fridayfive

H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl You totally forgot plottingtheslowpainfuldemiseofsuperbadgirl.com

Grave_Danger – @superbadgirl email, texts from last night, fb, fml, whatolddudeslike.com

jeniburns – @superbadgirl renderosity (duh), facebook, etsy, huffingtonpost, ravelry #fridayfive

thatcesareguy – @superbadgirl at work it’s these, due to filters: Neatorama, Mental Floss, Nerd Approved, Yahoo News Comics, Huffington Post #FridayFive

thatcesareguy – @superbadgirl On days off: Facebook, Yahoo (mail’n stuff), Ugliest Tattoos, The Onion, Cracked.

ZSB3 – @superbadgirl Twitter, Yahoo, Facebook, IRC chat, ZS Forum

trmink – @superbadgirl huffpost, ESPN, CNet, boardgame geek, Indy Star – (Not counting music streams like Radio Paradise)

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Twitter, Facebook and Gmail tabs open, and my RSS feed. That’s 4. Do people still visit actual websites? #fridayfive

SgtHotpants – @superbadgirl Questionable Content, Twitter, Gmail, LiveJournal, Craigslist.

not4prophet – @superbadgirl questionable content, dinosaur comics, ms paint adventures, overcompensating, and FB i guess.

Recurring Dreams #fridayfive

I put this here because pink clouds remind me of dreaming. I do not know why, don't ask me why. Just look at the fucking clouds, OK.

Superbadgirl Hey it’s time for #fridayfive! What are 5 things about which you’ve had recurring dreams? (Or just dreamed about if you don’t do repeats.)

superbadgirl – Amusement parks/roller coasters, having my HS diploma revoked, someone stealing my dog, moving, sexytimes. #fridayfive

Lorizs_tweets – @superbadgirl Bridge to nowhere, can’t find the bathroom, naked in a big city, chased by fruit of the loom guys, killer kool-aid man #fri5

Grave_Danger – @Superbadgirl sugar, elvis, derby, sex, drinking

cbellers – @superbadgirl #zombies #kickingass #flyinglikesuperman #teethcrumblingoutofmymouth #hotsweatysex

agingdragqueen – @superbadgirl tornadoes, fleeing from EVIL people, this one house inhabited by WITCHES that’s several stories, sex, flying. #fridayfive

jeniburns – @superbadgirl Alf, Michael Myers chasing Brodie, driving w/ Lyndi in a 1948 Caddy Convertible, a posessed doll, & grass #fridayfive

UnclePilot – @superbadgirl Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, and The Last Starfighter (Curly Sure would be too creepy). #fridayfive

H_Wallbanger - @superbadgirl Sorry…can’t play this Friday. Don’t dream.

cvbarnhart – @superbadgirl talking cats, semi-controlled flight, other drivers on wrong side of road, fighting unreasonable people, getting the girl

ZSB3 – @superbadgirl scary things dancing around the bed, flying, wearing armor and riding into battle, falling, being lost #fridayfive

El_Dickman - @superbadgirl I remember dreams where I have almost-flight bouncy powers like a Kung-Fu movie, but not much else.

Joule – @superbadgirl 1950′ish movie monsters (swamp thing, mummy..), being dead, being killed, apocalyptic underground cities, sex, haunted houses

Joule – @superbadgirl also, I can’t count. #fridaysix

superbadgirl – @Joule We can combine two into one. “Underground apocalyptic sex.” maybe.

Joule - @superbadgirl I’ve definitely had that dream.

laurabean – @superbadgirl teeth falling out, unable to dial phones, unable to shut doors, sesame street hamburger ppl, boring stuff with random ppl.

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Flying (like treading water), small ferocious animals, warehouses, record stores, railroads. #fridayfive

VforVero – @superbadgirl gorillas in cages,falling teeth, sex w/ strangers, people changing from one person to another & so much more! #fridayfive

stevodarkly – @superbadgirl Teeth falling out, able to levitate/fly, in school but forget to attend class, can’t find bathroom, car accidents. #fridayfive

butterflyfish_ – @superbadgirl I have that teeth dream all the time.

justwannawrite – @superbadgirl I have!! I also dream about weird skin things sometimes.

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl Oh, and long trips by foot. #fridaysix

thatcesareguy – @superbadgirl Drowning, alone in a big black space, waking up when I’m not, riding a large animal I can’t see all of, sex #fridayfive

The_Cyr – @superbadgirl Going to the office to find out I was fired months ago. Sex with my wife. Going to the office naked. Dying. Peeing. #friday5

violentecstasy – @superbadgirl Work, dystopian living arrangements, flying over backyards, sex with strangers, vacations on the beach #fridayfive #dreams

k_del – @superbadgirl Driving off cliffs, fighting badguys/zombies/Republicans, boy/dogs dying, can’t dial phone, being abandoned (Neurotic much?)

SgtHotpants – #fridayfive Driving from my back seat, falling, apocalypse, hanging out in Mexico, lovin’ on Boyfriend.

Friday Five – Five Favorite Things About the City in Which You Live

Post-vacation doldrums having set in, I wanted a reminder why I live where I live, and why it’s a fabulous place to be.

• superbadgirl – Alright sleepyheads! Let’s have a #fridayfive. What are your five favorite things about the city you live in? (presuming StL for most of us)
• superbadgirl – my friends are here, the varied neighborhoods/architecture, the changing seasons, we’re centrally located,”small city” feeling. #fridayfive
• narcise – Cherokee Street, Amazing architecture, Accessibility of the arts, Surprisingly sophisticated food culture, City Museum!
• justwannawrite @superbadgirl And so many more. Food, music, art, people…
• getoffmylawn – @superbadgirl The weather, cost of living, architecture, over abundance of trees, all my stuff is there #fridayfive
• violentecstasy – City Museum, thunderstorms, @getoffmylawn , affordable housing/rent, proximity to awesome camping #fridayfive
• thatcesareguy – @superbadgirl Worlds Fair Donuts, Gooey Louie’s, Gioia’s Deli, Volpi’s Salumeria, & our “mini-Chinatown”. Oh, & family, I guess. #fridayfive
• El_Dickman – @superbadgirl Cost of living, great natural settings close by, great Yoga, diversity of restaurants, quality friends
• cbellers – @superbadgirl Parks, people who give a shit, cheap rent, good architecture, variety of stuff to do #fridayfive
• laurabean – #fridayfive I know where stuff is, real estate prices, family & friends, bob cassily’s stuff, spot of blue in the Midwest/biblebelt.
• UnclePilot – @superbadgirl Great bars, great friends, most of my family is here, Zombie Squad… #fridayfive
• UnclePilot – @superbadgirl But, most importantly, my job is here! #fridayfive
• avandonsel - @superbadgirl Beautiful parks, a surprising variety of things to see & do, neighborhood bars, affordability, great friends & acquaintances.
• Lorizs_tweets - So many wonderful friends, cost of living, City Museum, Zoo (free!), good variety of non chain bars and restaurants. #fridayfive
• Joule - My house, friends, TG park, diy culture, its small enough to know people but big enough to be interesting. #fridayfive
• soupy – @superbadgirl free stuff to do, cigs are cheaper, bars stay open later, family and friends. #fridayfive
• p_tea – @superbadgirl Mexican restaurants, cheap gas, interesting climate and weather, nearby wilderness, zombie squad #fridayfive
• The_Cyr – @superbadgirl South City, South City, South City, South City, my friends. #FridayFive
• _bunny_ – @superbadgirl My haps Secret Lair©, walking-distance bars (Deacon!), DICEGRINDER, generous UI, solid accomplices. #fridayfive

Friday Five Things You Like to Smell

Kind of a simple Friday Five this week – I was pondering the weird things that some people find pleaseant or unpleasant to smell, and thought I’d take a poll. So here are the Friday Five things that you like to smell. (I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate our menfolk for not going there – honestly.)

jeniburns - @superbadgirl #fridayfive magnolias, orchids, tea roses, Joe after a day of work, and Brodie’s hair after a shower. #yeahIknowImgirly

superbadgirl - Roses growing in my garden, gasoline, sandalwood candles, cookies baking and Vick’s Vapo-Rub. #fridayfive

narcise - old leather, lemon peels, vetiver, the rose bush in my front yard, wet soil #fridayfive

cbellers - @superbadgirl sandalwood, fried potatoes, burnt gunpowder, lavender, @zsb3 ‘s skin. #fridayfive

avandonsel - @superbadgirl Freshly washed sheets, good chocolate, sandalwood, those damn Kevin Murphy hair products, coffee, gardenias. #fridayfive (six)

p_tea - @superbadgirl Hoppe’s #9, 90w gear oil, Lori’s head, cookies fresh out of the oven, leather. #fridayfive

avandonsel - @superbadgirl Interesting… so far three votes for sandalwood.

narcise - @avandonsel sandalwood and night-blooming jasmine are also on my list, but no room!

trmink - @superbadgirl bacon, baby powder, cedar, fresh basked bread, new books.

_bunny_ - @superbadgirl Roasting coffee beans, grilling meats, wet pavement, pesto, olfactory silence. #fridayfive

UnclePilot - @superbadgirl Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, and Curly Sue. #fridayfive

superbadgirl - @UnclePilot I wonder what a roundhouse kick to the face smells like?

_bunny_ - @superbadgirl Like blood and victory.

violentecstasy - @superbadgirl patchouli, carmelizing onions, wet soil, leather, the air right before it rains. so hard to pick just five. #fridayfive

laurabean - @superbadgirl fresh cut wood, bpal’s lampades, peppermint, fancy pumpkin candles, pages of old books #fridayfive

Lorizs_tweets - Old Books, vanilla, pink sugar goat milk soap, cinnamon and my grandma’s house. #fridayfive

The_Cyr - @superbadgirl @vforvero’s morning shower, cinnamon rolls, used book stores, camp fires, summer storms. Also…deez nutz #fridayfive

El_Dickman  @superbadgirl Roasting garlic, fresh turned garden earth, slow cooked dry ribs, fresh cut grass, sage desert after the rain #fridayfive

drew_w - @superbadgirl cucumber-melon, eucolyptis, baby, leather, napalm in the morning.

cassiland - @superbadgirl brewing coffee, real sandalwood, fresh man sweat, linseed oil and turpenoid together, tomatoes still on the vine #fridayfive oooh, and fresh cut lumber, ivory soap, cedar chests, and freshly printed paper (not glossy) #fridayfive (tough to choose)

k_del - @superbadgirl Cupcakes, coffee beans, dogs feet (fritos), firecrackers, cilantro #fridayfive

stevodarkly - Coffee, barbecue smoke, menthol, chili cooking, & girl. Also hot chocolate, pipes that smell like hot chocolate, leather. #fridayeight

Joule - A spring thunderstorm, baking bread, the wild green smell deep in a rainforest, L’eau D’Issey perfume, Meyer’s lavender soap #fridayfive

ZSB3 - Ice rinks, the back of @cbellers neck, sawdust, gardenia, coffee. #fridayfive

SgtHotpants - #fridayfive Nick’s scent and cologne, Method Almond wood floor cleaner, caramelizing onions, white truffles, Clinique Happy Heart.

SgtHotpants - See also: puppy breath, jasmine, roasting garlic, my house, coffee

thatcesareguy - #fridayfive Ozone, old books, jasmine, cinnamon, pipe smoke.

sub_english - Libraries, tomato sauce, dirt in the springtime, autumn leaves, the smell of rain through an open window #fridayfive

Friday Five Things You’d Buy

This week’s Friday Five (accidentally) ties in with last week’s Wednesday Playlist (songs about materialism) which I, um, haven’t posted yet due to circumstances ENTIRELY beyond my control. Once I think of what those circumstances were I will tell you all about it. You will be understanding then.

ANYWAY. Friday Five was about what you’d buy today if you had the money. Sky’s the limit, you have big wads of fat cash – what would you purchase? Here’s what you had to say.

• jamietoon – A Taurus Judge, A new bass rig, A Larger Higher-Definition TV, A bunch of big canvases, A new motherboard /processor #fridayfive
• narcise – 32″ LCD TV, Hammerless Ruger SP101 .357, macbook pro, amy van donsel painting, triumph street triple. #fridayfive
• thatcesareguy – @superbadgirl the penthouse at the chase, a maserati, a full home entertainment package, a new wardrobe, and Apple. (not AN Apple, you know, Apple, the company. first thing? rename the iPad to something less…cotton-y)#FridayFive
• superbadgirl – 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a house with a moat, a new 9mm pistol, a diamond tiara and my very own bar. #fridayfive
• ieincognito – @superbadgirl houseboy, distillery, new camera, something lelo, lunch #FridayFive
• Lorizs_tweets – @superbadgirl large parcel of farmable land, 69 Camaro SS, bigger house, camera equipment, and a lifetime gym membership
• violentecstasy – Debt-free status, new furnishings, a gardening assistant, land in the country with a spring, a car for @getoffmylawn . #FridayFive
• jeniburns – My dream house, 2010 KIA Soul with all the options, a king-size bed, a sushi bar, and a new pair of Doc Marten 1B60′s #fridayfive
• H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl New tires, rear brakes, a ridiculously expensive stereo, the entire contents of Randall’s Liquor Store, and Microsoft
• stevodarkly – A ride on SpaceShipOne, vacation to Australia, vacation to the UK, 2 7-foot teak bookcases, services of a maid. #fridayfive
• p_tea – @superbadgirl Barrett 82a1, RS 6 Avant, Nordic 28 Heat, a Warehouse in midtown and some land in the country #fridayfive
• _bunny_ – @superbadgirl Gibson SG Standard (Cherry finish), Traveler Speedster, Roland Mobile Cube, M-Audio virtual mellotron, Pro Tools #fridayfive
• Lorizs_tweets – @p_tea Oh, the Nordic 28 heat, I thought about that one too.
• cbellers – @superbadgirl My Aunts house on Flad, 100 acres in the country, half of Pete’s warehouse, a .50BMG rifle, 4×4 van.
• butterflyfish_ – @superbadgirl SUV w/ 4WD, beach house in so cal, Fox network, Fox News, and the next Mass. senate race. #fridayfive
• The_Cyr – @superbadgirl payoff all debt including house and car, vacation in Scotland, another in Mexico, Les Paul Custom, hire a lawn service.
• El_Dickman – @superbadgirl Payoff my house, build out garage and back yard, buy land in the country, land in Costa Rica, land in New Zealand.
• Joule - Grad school & expenses paid, my house finished including solar heat systems & a roof greenhouse, health ins for my mom… A trip to the tropics with Dave, tickets expenses for burningman #fridayfive
• avandonsel – @superbadgirl 2 story warehouse, materials for the remodel, fuel efficient truck or SUV, studio assistant (well, hire), trip to Europe.
• SgtHotpants – @superbadgirl S&W 315 Night Guard, the empty lot next door and a company to level it, a nicer car, apartment for dad, Nick’s debt. Second thought: Dog bed, endless supply of bones, better obedience training, yummy dog shampoo, and a girlfriend for Charlie.
• trmink - @superbadgirl Trip to Thailand, Case of Lagavulin Scotch, a massage, home in NoCal, new underwear

So there they are – all your really needful things! And I WILL find time to post the answers to last week’s dinner-guests Friday Five, only I saved the answers at work and forgot to email them to myself, and Twitter is too much of a PITA to search for things that are a week old.I can post out of order if I want to anyway! So there!

Friday Five – Needful Movies

This week’s #fridayfive is all about the movies that make up the foundation of a basic, well-rounded cinematic education. What are the classic movies that either define our generation(s) or stand on their own as cinematic masterpieces? What movies should you have seen by now?

Here are our individual answers, with a compiled list afterward:

H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl The Birds, Lawrence of Arabia, Blue Velvet, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and Amazon Women on the Moon.

avandonsel – @superbadgirl 2001: A Space Odyssey, Citizen Kane, The Graduate, Nosferatu, The Rules of the Game #fridayfive #hardtodecide

narcise – Brokeback Mountain, Lost in Translation, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Harold and Maude, Like Water for Chocolate #fridayfive

arachnophiliac – @superbadgirl Rules of the Game, Tokyo Story, Lawrence of Arabia, Amarcord, Mulholland Drive

jeniburns – @superbadgirl Donnie Darko, Chronicles of Riddick, The Secretary, Snatch, Labyrinth #fridayfive

Lorizs_tweets – Harold and Maude, Mommie Dearest, Heathers, Night of the Living Dead (awesome with commentary by MikeNelson), Clerks #fridayfive

jamietoon – The Shining, The Godfather 2, Night of the Living Dead, Blazing Saddles, Star Wars #fridayfive

p_tea – @superbadgirl Aliens, Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure, The Road Warrior, Planet of the Apes, The Dirty Dozen #fridayfive

El_Dickman – Highlander, Blade Runner, Princess Bride, LOTR trilogy, Star Wars trilogy (original 3) #fridayfive

superbadgirl – Labyrinth, The Muppet Movie, The Princess Bride, LoTR trilogy, Donnie Darko #fridayfive

cbellers – Planet of the Apes, Bullitt, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Rashomon, Raiders of the Lost Ark

_bunny_ – @superbadgirl The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, Withnail & I, Some Like It Hot, Boogie Nights #fridayfive

arachnophiliac – Five Essential Films I’ve Shamefully Never Seen: 8 1/2, Raging Bull, Barry Lyndon, The Seven Samurai, Passion of Joan of Arc

violentecstasy – Bladerunner, The Breakfastclub, Heavenly Creatures, Little Miss Sunshine, Wild Zero. #fridayfive

ZSB3 – Goonies, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Princess Bride, Men at Work, The Secret of NIMH #fridayfive

SgtHotpants – #fridayfive Six string samurai, MASH, American History X, Jesus Christ Superstar, Robocop (Nick’s favorite movie!)

thatcesareguy – Evil Dead 2, The Fall, Event Horizon, Rashamon, Aliens #fridayfive

stevodarkly – 2001: A Space Odyssey. Animal House. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Airplane. Dances With Wolves. #fridayfive

jamesblackwood – Notorious, Indiana Jones:Raiders, Seven Samurai, Hero, and Slither #fridayfive

k-del – Mine! Hung over & late! Planet of the Apes(org), Calvaire, Day Watch, High Plains Drifter, Shogun Assassin

sub_english – Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Fantasia, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Exorcist #fridayfive

UnclePilot – Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Curly Sue. #fridayfive

So here’s the master list of movies we came up with. Which of the following have you NOT seen? Leave a note in the comments (or tweet it at me, if you can fit all the numbers in) and I will produce a master-master list of movies that are necessary and that many of us have not seen. There may be a master-master-master list after that, only I am not sure what data it will contain. Your social security number, maybe.

1.    2001: A Space Odyssey
2.    Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
3.    Airplane
4.    Aliens
5.    Almost Famous
6.    Amarcord
7.    Amazon Women on the Moon
8.    American History X
9.    Animal House
10.    Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure
11.    Blade Runner
12.    Blazing Saddles
13.    Blue Velvet
14.    Boogie Nights
15.    Brokeback Mountain
16.    Bullitt
17.    Calvaire
18.    Chronicles of Riddick
19.    Citizen Kane
20.    Clerks
21.    Dances with Wolves
22.    Das Boot
23.    Day Watch
24.    Donnie Darko
25.    Event Horizon
26.    Evil Dead 2
27.    Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
28.    Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
29.    Good Will Hunting
30.    Goonies
31.    Harold and Maude
32.    Heathers
33.    Heavenly Creatures
34.    Hero
35.    High Plains Drifter
36.    Highlander
37.    Jesus Christ Superstar
38.    Labyrinth
39.    Lawrence of Arabia
40.    Like Water for Chocolate
41.    Little Miss Sunshine
42.    Lost in Translation
43.    LoTR trilogy
44.    MASH
45.    Men at Work
46.    Mommie Dearest
47.    Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
48.    Mulholland Drive
49.    Night of the Living Dead
50.    Nosferatu
51.    Notorius
52.    Petrified Forest
53.    Planet of the Apes
54.    Princess Bride
55.    Pulp Fiction
56.    Raiders of the Lost Ark
57.    Raising Arizona
58.    Rashomon
59.    Robocop
60.    Rocky
61.    Rules of the Game
62.    Secretary
63.    Seven Samurai
64.    Shogun Assasin
65.    Six string samurai
66.    Slither
67.    Snatch
68.    Some Like It Hot
69.    Star Wars
70.    Star Wars trilogy (original 3)
71.    The Big Lebowski
72.    The Birds
73.    The Breakfast Club
74.    The Dirty Dozen
75.    The Fall
76.    The Godfather 2
77.    The Graduate
78.    The Muppet Movie
79.    The Princess Bride
80.    The Road Warrior
82.    The Secret of NIMH
83.    The Shining
84.    To Kill a Mockingbird
85.    Tokyo Story
86.    Wild Zero
87.    Withnail & I

Monday Five – Best Things About the Holidays

OK normally we do a #fridayfive and not a #mondayfive, but there was some level of emergency this morning, as most of us had intense vacation withdrawal. So a nice retrospective about all the good times we’d just had seemed in order. The #mondayfive was “Five Best Things About the Holidays” and friends and alcohol were both popular themes. Anyone surprised to learn I hang with an urban tribe of heavy drinkers? Anyway, my holiday was phenomenal, and while I don’t normally do gratitude, I can do a fond remembrance without too much emotional difficulty.

So without further of all this ado business, here are the best things about our recently departed holidays:

superbadgirl – Decorative soaps, much time with friends, blueberry vodka, shooting stuff, Bourne movies. #Mondayfive

narcise – much time with friends, much vodka, Lost marathons, Bourne marathon, down comforter. #mondayfive #bestoftheholidays

ZSB3 – Visiting friends and family, giving and receiving wonderful gifts, making cookies, time at home, THE END OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON. #Mondayfive

Lorizs_tweets – Time with Friends, Monkey Madness!, Midnight Motorboating, Effin Vodka and True Blood. #mondayfive

gatewaygroupie -  iPod Touch, Fringe DVDs, fresh baked bread, dishwasher repair, sending Miss Jean back to Georgia. #mondayfive

violentecstasy – Time with those I love, Lots of snow, Excessive TV watching, Fantastic foodstuffs, Re-emergence of a craft group #mondayfive #holiday09bests

sub_english – My amazing husband; time with wonderful friends; new job duties; new traditions; and comfy, cozy home time. #mondayfive

El_Dickman – @superbadgirl Mexico with Katie, Yoga, Friends, Ham Radio (NERD!), the cats

mdhugo – I’ll play along @superbadgirl. Friends, family, Xbox, Chicago, beer! #mondayfive

tungmobi – @superbadgirl #mondayfive Time with my family, giving some cool gifts, watching some blu-rays, staying warm, eating out..

trmink – @superbadgirl It’s easier to accept that I’m an ungrateful asshat, Sorry, no submission.

SgtHotpants – #mondayfive Nick keeping me sane, dogs keeping me warm, haircuts, great friends, dinosaurs.

_bunny_ – #mondayfive Solid accomplices, my happening new Secret Lair™, my dominant band, the sweet cushion of unemployment insurance, wool socks.

jamietoon – #mondayfive Seeing family from both coasts, time for gaming, food, time off from work, time with Laura, PRESENTS!!!

thatcesareguy – electric blanket, The Homewrecker, “watch it now” on Netflix, people that listen to my BS, long and storied weekends. #mondayfive

The_Cyr – Having all of the important people around me NYE, Catching up on sleep, Lots of reading, Doctor Who marathon, New Tax Software #mondayfive

avandonsel – @superbadgirl Time with friends, the inflatable mattress, screen printing stuff, snack foods, not being at work. #Mondayfive

stevodarkly – OK: Tasty foods, relatives whom I actually like a lot, seeing old friends on NYEve, Midleton whiskey, amazon.com. #Mondayfive

p_tea – @superbadgirl 6 vacation days in a row, sexy time with my wife, giving away presents, making a new friend, all season manskirts #mondayfive

Friday Five – Geek Out Movies

This week’s Friday Five are geek movies we’d like to see screened at The Firebird’s Geek Out Movie Night. We got a little bit distracted towards the end there, and started suggesting movies for “Worst Movie Ever” night, which is not a real event as far as I know. (and if it becomes an event, I think the sheet the movies are projected on should either be dirty, or have a hole in it. We could even imagine that it was the real sheet used in filming the infamously bizarre sex scene in The Room.) But anyway, here’s what you wanted. Sounds like Real Genius is a serious contender. Continue reading »

The Friday Five – Bands We’d Like to See Again

So tonight is the last show ever for our friends’ band, Stella Mora. All good things come to an end—usually too soon—and we’re very sorry to see them go. But this sad state of affairs led to this listing of other bands we’d love to see once more in concert, if only they were still touring.

I would absolutely love to see Oingo Boingo one more time, that was one of the most energetic shows I’ve ever been to in my life. October Project I would love to see again, just so that I could properly appreciate what I was experiencing, they’re one of those bands I got much more into once I had seen them live, then never had the chance again. Anyway, here are the rest of the results from this week’s Friday Five, thanks for playing along! (see what I did there?):

• superbadgirl (that’s me!) Mine are Oingo Boingo, Dead Can Dance, October Project, Nirvana and Cocteau Twins. #fridayfive
• tungmobi - @superbadgirl Pale Saints, Lush, Cocteau Twins, Catherine Wheel,Genesis (with Peter Gabriel)
• gw10101 – @superbadgirl, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Jesus Jones, Soul Coughing, Depeche Mode (wilder years), The Cure (disintegration era)
• The_Cyr – @Superbadgirl Skynrd (original band), Led Zep, Kansas, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Guns n Roses (original band)
• narcise – led zepplin, django reinhardt, janice w/big brother & holding company, pixies (just missed reunion), jesus and mary chain #fridayfive
• H_Wallbanger – @superbadgirl The Clash, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Thin Lizzy, Massive Attack
• stevodarkly – @superbadgirl #fridayfive The Police, the Beatles, Dead Can Dance, Led Zepplin and … I do miss local guys Todd on LSD.
• UnclePilot – @superbadgirl #fridayfive The Seatbelts, Led Zepplin, The Miles Davis Quintet, Crowded House, Soul Coughing
• El_Dickman – @superbadgirl Ummm… Queen, Led Zepplin, Collaborateur, Bel Canto, Beatles #fridayfive
• cbellers – @superbadgirl Morphine, Pale Divine, Dance Hall Crashers, Chemical Brothers, Lords of Acid
• trmink – @superbadgirl New Pornographers, The Kinks, Harvey Danger, Sleator-Kinney and a second on Thin Lizzy
• _bunny_ - @superbadgirl Gang of Four, AC/DC with Bon Scott singing, Queen, James Brown, The White Stripes #fridayfive
• sub_english – Dead Can Dance, Joy Division, The Clancy Brothers, Billie Holiday, Cocteau Twins. #fridayfive

Why Twitter is Wrong about @replies

Recently Twitter made an announcement that they were changing the way our tweetstreams worked. They say it’s because the old way was too confusing. It wasn’t all that confusing to me, or to anyone with half a brain and an attention span surpassing that of a 6 week old puppy.

Here’s what happened:

When you sign up for twitter you are (or, you WERE) given an option with regard to reading the messages of the people you chose to follow. You could either:

• read everything they wrote (including messages to people you don’t follow)
• read only the messages they send to the general public and those directed specifically to you (called @replies in twitter-speak.)

The first option works like this: I follow  my friend “Joe” but I don’t follow “Jane.” because I don’t know her. Joe says to Jane “@Jane hey what’s going on tonight? Did you want to go see this show? <insert link to show>.” I can see this message, and I realize that Jane’s a big fan of my favorite band. I can reply to Joe that I am already going to that show, and I will meet him there, and I can check out Jane’s tweet and maybe choose to follow Jane too, since we seem to have something in common. Connections formed. Social networking just happened. Hooray.

The second option means that I would have never seen the conversation at all and may have skipped the show because no one I knew was going. Boo. Maybe I stay at home and slice my wrists open in the tub because no one understands me. You never know.

Now Twitter has removed the ability for us to choose the first option, meaning that I can no longer see conversations that are happening unless I already follow both of the parties involved. Those conversations are invisible to me, as if they aren’t taking place. Since Twitter is ostensibly a service dedicated to networking and building connections between people, this makes absolutely no sense. Especially as what they took away was not mandatory before, but something people could easily turn off for themselves.

Twitter needs open @replies for two reasons:

1. Reading one side of a conversation between someone you know and someone you don’t know is a good way to get to know new people. Taking this feature away prevents new connections forming spontaneously. Consistently seeing what looked like funny/interesting messages directed at one person would make me interested in following them. It’s probably how I also gained most of my followers too, since they saw their friends talking to me. If you think about this in meatspace terms, it’s like being out at the bar and seeing your friend having an animated discussion with someone you don’t know. If that looks good enough you’d probably want to walk up and join them, and be introduced to the new person, right? Well, the way Twitter has now configured things, it’s like every time your friend walks away from you at the bar to talk to someone else, they become invisible – as does the person they’re talking to. So you’re left standing on your own with a watered-down drink in your hands, wondering why there’s no one cool to meet in this place. Wow, that’s really sociable of you, Twitter. Now, I could make periodic visits to my friends’ pages, checking who they’re following, clicking each person’s avatar to read their recent tweets (if their stream is even public) and deciding whether to follow them or not. But realistically, I won’t do that. And I could wait for people I follow to tell me specifically to follow other users – but many times they won’t do that. I certainly never pimp out any of my friends or tell other people to follow them.
2. Some of Twitter’s most-followed members converse with a larger audience via @replies directed to people that the rest of their followers don’t already follow. Taking this feature away breaks the communication model for those users. Take @neilhimself (Neil Gaiman) for instance. He is a big Twitter user at the moment, and has more than 300k followers. People ask him lots of questions, and he is kind enough to reply to many of them. Of course he doesn’t want to reply to the same question over and over, but it was easy enough to follow his stream and see that he tweeted @ someone else about the book signing you were interested in, or why he didn’t get a haircut, or whatever. If you have a look at his tweetstream, it’s 90% @replies to his followers. Yeah, that means he tweets a lot, and I have to filter out a lot of noise. But at the same time, I also learn the answers to questions I didn’t even know I wanted to ask. It’s impractical for Twitter to assume that all of us will start to follow all 300k followers of his, just in case he answers a question, posts a great link or recommends a book or a song or a site  in a reply directed to someone else.

What they should have done.

What Twitter SHOULD have done is implement selective open replies. Let users choose how much they want to read from each of the people they follow. I have been craving this feature for a long time, because people use Twitter in different ways, some of which are interesting to me, and some of which aren’t.

• There are some people I follow who use Twitter mostly as a broadcast medium. They post interesting observations and cool links, and they have some limited back and forth discussions with other interesting people. I want to continue to read their all of their tweets, so that I can eavesdrop on these interesting conversations and find new people to follow.
• There are other people I follow who use Twitter more as an IM client, constantly @replying everyone in the universe, and seemingly about the dullest things in the world. There are people whose individual tweets I like, but I have nevertheless unfollowed because they @replied too many people that I didn’t know or want to know. For those people I would like to turn off following @replies unless I follow both parties already.

I am not a programmer, I don’t know what offering these options would take to implement. But I do know that dumbing things down is only going to piss people off and cause extra problems when users try to circumvent the system. Right now you can get around the @replies thing by adding some extra characters in front of the person’s name.

For instance: if you don’t follow @superbadgirl, and I start out a tweet with “@superbadgirl” the system recognizes that as an @reply and you won’t see it. However if I say “To: @superbadgirl” or “Dear @superbadgirl” or even “: @superbadgirl” then it WILL show up in your stream, because the system just sees that as a normal tweet of mine, in which I mention another person. While this is helpful to ME, because I like to see @replies, it’s going to piss off some people who follow me, and had purposely turned off @replies. Now they have no way to turn this off, because I am doing it manually. They don’t want their streams clogged up with my tweets, and I understand that. But I am nevertheless angry because I can’t read what I want to read. And aggravating your users by preventing some of them reading what they want to read, causing them to force other people to read  a bunch of shit they don’t want to read is FAIL, Twitter – big time FAIL.

This is poorly thought out, poorly communicated and very, very aggravating. I expected better of the people at Twitter, and I am shocked that they did not better assess their members usage patterns before implementing this change. A 10-person focus group would have raised all the same concerns I just expressed here, and taken maybe an hour out of someone’s day.

WTPF Twitter? Get your shit together.