Links for August 20th through August 23rd

This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on August 23, 2009). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.

Sometime between August 20th and August 23rd, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!

  • 500 Internal Server Error: 500 Internal Server Error
  • Get the Facts About the Stability and Security You Get From Health Insurance Reform | Health Insurance Reform Reality Check: My guess is most, if not all, people on my friends lists, whatever their personal beliefs, will be intelligent and curious enough not to have mindlessly fallen for the overblown rhetoric and hyperbole that the ultra-right-wing has been using in this argument. Whatever the case, though, this is a good collection of answers to the ridiculous assertions that are being made by those who'd rather spread FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) and distrust than actual information. Plus, I like that the White House is using the phrase "reality check". :)
  • Review: Inglourious Basterds Is Damned Delightful: "We've seen filmmakers tackle every angle of this war, from the measured and noble perseverance of Defiance to the horror of concentration camp discovery displayed in Band of Brothers. But we've never seen the joy of killing that must have occurred on the winning side, the angry outlet of war, where courage and nobility have left, leaving only darkness, blood, and hurt on all sides. Tarantino tries here, tries to point out the obvious, that real people with flaws and families were involved, that we would have had to send a few killers over there to sort things out."
  • When Did Women Start Shaving Their Pits?: I've wondered this myself from time to time over the years. "American women had no need to shave their underarms before about 1915 — after all, who ever saw them? Even the word 'underarm' was considered scandalous, what with it being so near certain other interesting body parts. Then came the sleeveless dress. An ad in the fashion mag Harper's Bazaar decreed that to wear it (and certainly to wear it while participating in 'Modern Dancing'), women would need to first see to 'the removal of objectionable hair.' They didn't need much convincing, and by the early '20s, hairy underarms were so last decade, at least in America."
  • John Scalzi’s Guide to the Most Epic FAILs in Star Wars Design: "I'll come right out and say it: Star Wars has a badly-designed universe; so poorly-designed, in fact, that one can say that a significant goal of all those Star Wars novels is to rationalize and mitigate the bad design choices of the movies. Need examples? Here's ten."