RationalWiki:Saloon bar

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Logic dictates that all WIGOs should be consolidated into a singular portal

This discussion was moved to RationalWiki:Proposed WIGO merger. - π 11:10, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Death penalty or not?

Posted this on Aces page but thought it could be of greater interest. Its 17 pages but well worth a read. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/09/07/090907fa_fact_grann/ Rad McCool 09:31, 22 October 2009 (UTC)

All civilised countries have stopped using the death penalty. Bob Soles 09:57, 22 October 2009 (UTC)

<reads article> Whelp, fuck. --Yossie^{Spring in Fialta} 16:40, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Vodka is for drinking, not for...

10 things vodka is good for besides drinking--Thanatos 02:29, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Whatever you're linking to isn't there anymore. Wëäŝëïöïď^{Methinks it is a Weasel} 18:50, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Selling water

Round the Horne on BBC7 (Repeat from 1967! repeated @ 12:00 & 19:00 today) had a skit on the ridiculous idea of selling water on TV ads. If they could see it now! ^{I am eating} _& honey^chat 08:20, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Oh bona! Mr Horne, bona. I listened to RTH with my parents when I was too young to really appreciate the late, great Kenneth Williams. Bob Soles 11:26, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Ditto. That and the wonderful Jest (or was it just?) a Minute. PsygremlinSermā! 11:30, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Just A Minute is still going on (and on, and on...). Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 11:40, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Teh flood gates are Breaking. ORLY?

Star Dentist ORLY TAITZ Pulls a Andy.

You can see that the Google search shows 4,390,000 articles about omnipotent current speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and 4,550,000 articles about Eligibility attorney Orly Taitz. They can’t hold the line, the flood gates are broken, the truth about Obama’s illegitimacy to presidency is pouring into main street, the public is rising against this puppet of the Wall street, against the Kenyan usurper, the minutemen are rising.

http://www.orlytaitzesq.com/?p=5221

Boy, If CAPS LOCK DAY ever need a mascot...

Why does she refer to herself as Orly Taitz Esquire? I was brought up that Esquire was the male form of Miss. Bob Soles 14:02, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

It's what some very pretentious lawyers call themselves. Andy does it, too. ^{— Sincerely, Neveruse513 / Talk / Block} 14:04, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

I believe it's a US thing as I've never seen it in the UK and the only people who seem to use it are lawyers when writing to their clients (in my experience). Originally I thought Any was just being pretentious when he put Esq. after his name but looking it up on Google it appears to be general practice for US legalites. I followed up on that as one of the things that my father taught me was not to use pretentious titles. One of his pet hates was people who insist on being called "Mister" or introduce themselves as "Mister Smith" as if mister was something special. Consequently I always give my full name when people ask rather than saying "Mr. Khant". Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} (Mr.) 18:23, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

I think it's just considered pretentious and vulgar to use that sort of thing unnecessarily in the UK. Hence why we were all "Andrew Schlafly Esq.' WTF?" And of course, people only use them when they know they're meaningless, hence why very few Profs or Docs use their titles unless they come from diploma mills and just want to sound fancier than they are. ^{d hominem} 19:53, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Bryan college

Just glancing at this place ('cause that's where this guy went) and I'm reminded of:

"I'm not applying there."

"Why not?"

"I looked at the prospectus & there's not a black face to be seen."

"Hadn't realised you were so principled!"

"Oh, it's not principles; but I wouldn't go to a place that can't afford Photoshop."

Was it someone on here who said it or have I read it elsewhere on t'web? ^{I am eating} _& honey^chat 18:30, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

In their revolving header gallery (3 of 8) there is a fairly attractive lady of colour. Tokenism? Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 18:43, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

I must have a blind spot: I'm still not sure she's not white. (could almost be a young me!) ^{I am eating} _& honey^chat 18:47, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

She ain't white. But she's real fine. 18:49, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

I guess they could have found someone with darker skin-tone. Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 19:10, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

I suspect any place with a bullshit major such as "origins studies" might have diversity issues. Sterile egg

Daily Telegraph

For those who do not read the non-CP WIGOs there is a new one in WIGO:Blogs which is pretty much culled from our series on Internet Laws. We get a few linkbacks for some of them (but not all, even for those which are RW specific). Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 19:07, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

4 links in one article ain't bad. If any Telegraph readers come here though they'll probably have adverse reactions. ^{I am eating} _& honey^chat 19:22, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Good point... Tell 'em Telegraph "CRICKET!!!" ^{d hominem} 19:33, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Who the hell was Rob Pommer? Wisest word Hoover! 19:40, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Cracker? ^{d hominem} 19:47, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

@toast:If any Telegraph readers come here though they'll probably have adverse reactions - but at least they'll know how to make tea properly. Totnesmartin 20:03, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Can we have a wikipedia article now? Ace^McWicked 21:12, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

I dare someone with some street cred on WP to suggest that. Wisest word Hoover! 21:29, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

I was thinking the same thing, but remember the guys who were mostly against it (and Poe's Law) were pretty much all over it and had Trent banned for a week or something. I'm liking the comments, that one from "Steve Foley" is either taking it all too seriously (in which case I pity them) or trying to take the piss out of people who take it seriously (and failed, thus I still pity them). Still, some of the other proposals are pretty good. ^{d hominem} 11:46, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

I love the fact Ken is now internationally famous. - π 12:18, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

I let him know on his aSoK talk page. Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 12:36, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Aha, he responded. Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 11:05, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

We need to get an article on Skitt’s Law. - π 13:01, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Done. If I knew they were going to do that, I'd have actually coined my own law, I definitely have one formulated. ^{d hominem} 13:14, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

To be fair, I think WP's notability guidelines suggest that a site has to be the subject of an article. Still, an article like this clearly shows we're on the right track. Dreaded Walrus ^{t c} 08:24, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

It probably isn't notable enough. Though, I notice that I really can't find any proper references to this "poetry" one that the guy who shoved it out of the WP article put in. It's certainly not commonly used. A few people in recent months have been like "oh, it's Poe's law about Edgar Allen Poe" but I'm convinced this is because for the last few months WP has topped RW on the Google search, and of course, WP has refused to acknowledge "our" Poe's Law (well, strictly, one of the admins on a power trip and a vendetta against Trent refused to let it in, I'm also partly convinced its the same guy who wandalised the article with the "stupid atheist blogs" comment). ^{d hominem} 08:38, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

<(UD) I guess most people haven't bothered to revisit this article but I notice that now there are two posts from PJR and one from TK. The PJR ones look genuine but is the TK one a parodist? Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 19:04, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

I want one of those

Also from the Torygraph - Dyson's latest invention, the bladeless fan. Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 19:28, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Fuck that asshole and his crazy-awesome inventions I can't afford. ^{— Sincerely, Neveruse513 / Talk / Block} 19:33, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Funny time of year to launch a fan. Aylesburymartin 19:36, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

I saw that a while ago. Hasn't it got a fan in the base to give the airflow a start? "The Air Multiplier works by sucking in one unit of air at the base, and pushing it out at speed through a thin gap in the fan's ring." I don't think it's what it sort of claims to be. (bernouli^(?) effect springs to mind)^{I am eating} _& honey^chat 19:41, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Indeed, it seems like it changes the place where the fan actually is. It's not like it's some other mechanism such as a screw. Like the AirBlade, that wasn't really anything new, it was just a normal bloody hand dryer with the power cranked up to 11. ^{d hominem} 19:49, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

He's really hung up about all this buffeting from a normal fan. I hope I don't start to notice it. ^{— Sincerely, Neveruse513 / Talk / Block} 19:51, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

My (many) fans often buffet me, sometimes I can't walk down the street unbuffeted - bloody paparazzi. ^{I am eating} _& honey^chat 19:55, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

If I can't have your autograph then you could at least throw me some crumbs. Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 19:07, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Last minute holloween costume ideas

I need some. Preferably in the next 8 minutes. Thanks. ^{— Sincerely, Neveruse513 / Talk / Block} 21:24, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Last year my 11th hour Halloween costume, believe it or not, was Alger Hiss. I just dressed as 50's as possible (suit, thin tie, fedora, cigarette) and wrote CONFIDENTIAL on a manila folder with random papers in it. Some people actually figured out who I was.

I was really hammered before going to this halloween party a few years back, cant remember what I on but I remember hunting around my bedroom (which was a fucking nightmare of mess) and ended up grabbing some of the filthy porno I had lying around and tying it to my chest with a network cable. My costume - Internet Porn. Thought it was pretty clever for guy who was barely functioning. Ace^McWicked 21:33, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Is a sheet with a couple of eye-holes too obvious?  Lily ^{Inspirate me.} 22:16, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Hey, you don't want to show up at the party in the same outfit as Ed Poor. 23:42, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

I'd go with the lost camper. Some dirty jeans, a dirty coat, a hat and a flashlight, maybe a little fake blood and your all set--Thanatos 22:58, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Hype how you will be a ninja, or a pirate or a hacker or some shit, then come dressed as a Catholic cardinal. When people start going WTF?, scream at them "NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!!!111!1!1!". Lulz should insue if British people are nearby --The Emperor _{Kneel before Zod!} 03:04, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

A sheet with three holes - one at the crotch. You're an Orthodox Jewish rapist ghost.--Tom Moore^{fiat justitia} 03:39, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Last year I shaved my head, added some fake blood to my forehead, and became GG Allin. This year I'm trying Captain Lou Albano. Couple of rubber bands, a Hawaiian shirt, and a graying wig. Aboriginal Noise ^{Oh, what a lovely tea party!} 14:49, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Anyone seen this nutball shit?

I know Ann "Horse-Face" Coulter is a loon but this takes the cake...Ace^McWicked 21:50, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

John Wilkes Booth was hardly a liberal. Timothy McVeigh belong to a far-right Christian Identity movement. - π 22:15, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

Who was the guy who shouted her down and said "YOU are a hate crime"? I want to shake his hand and tell him that next time around he has my blessing to break her already deformed nose. If you want something deliberately inflammatory while simultaneously outright wrong, you can't go much further that that bitch. ^{d hominem} 11:05, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

I know I'm in the minority on this, but I think its still somewhat open to interpretation whether or not Timothy McVeigh was a racist. Sure, he read and sold The Turner Diaries, but that book was a mixture of extreme racism and extreme anti-gun control, and there's no question he was against gun control. Also, according to his wikipedia page last time I checked they interviewed his family and former roommate who said he was pretty much indifferent to racial matters. Granted, he certainly wasn't marching for Civil Rights, but I'd be willing to buy that he was so anti-government that he just ignored everything else (still, that hardly makes him a "liberal").--Mustex 01:00, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Oh boy, this is a good one.

For the Star Wars fans among us... ĴάΛäšςǍ₰ soul-crushing hailstones! 04:20, 24 October 2009 (UTC) [1]

Forgive me if I don't roll on the floor in fits of laughter, I guess it must be an age thing. (From someone who saw Star Wars on its first release at the Odeon, Leicester Square.) Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 07:00, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Too many YouTube transclusions?

I don't know what others think about this, but personally I think that YouTube transclusion thing is getting used waaayy too much here at the Saloon bar.

I can see its advantage in a few RW articles where a video is really relevant, but in the bar it's just seems like an attention-hogging waste of space. In a lot of cases the threads that start with a video don't provoke much of a discussion anyway (just look further up this page) but they take up more space on the page than a lot of other sections. Can't we go back to just posting links to YouTube?

Alternatively, just put one video up at the top of the page, as a kind of bar-room TV, and change the tape periodically evey few days. That way if people want to comment on it, they can start a discussion below, but if they don't, it would be easy to ignore, like the jukebox.

Any thoughts? Wëäŝëïöïď^{Methinks it is a Weasel} 10:12, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

One YouTube transclusion is one too many. ^{I am eating} _& honey^chat 10:17, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

I will never open this page on my phone or laptop. When I asked Trent to install this extension it was more to look at clogo and rebuttals on YouTube a la Banana fallacy. A link that says "check out this video here" is just as effective and doesn't cost us nearly as much CPU time and bandwidth. - π 10:25, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

That was the original intention, but like any novelty feature, it'll get overused. Linking to YouTube is much better anyway as with the embedded things you can't use YouTube's features like ratings, comments or the "see also" bits. If some one wants to exercise AUTHORITA and cut them down, that's fine by me. ^{d hominem} 11:01, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

I think you have a good point, links are the way to go. ĴάΛäšςǍ₰ and his Sword of Wiki-Editing! 14:31, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

I have exercised authoritae -- Nx / talk 14:59, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Ye gods, you'd think we were living in an age of 800bps modems, not an age where everyone wanders round with a 1.5Mbps+ broadband connection in their pockets. What exactly is the problem with putting a video on this page? I don't get it. The flash is always cached, so if you don't click play it doesn't take any time to load. --JeevesMkII ^{The gentleman's gentleman at the other site} 16:59, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Funny, I seem to remember that the main point of your complaint about my old sig was that the 5 people who don't have decent browsers wouldn't be able to tell who I was. Wisest word Hoover! 17:43, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

I've never reached 500 kbs. I dream of a decent broadsband connection. I'm downloading a 863 MB file now - it's varying between 3 & 11 hours estimated. ^{I am eating} _& honey^chat 17:05, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

It's not the connection speed that's the problem, it's flash itself. -- Nx / talk 17:14, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

UTC)

Of course when I was a lad we had it tough, my first modem was 1200/300 baud. (Does anyone even use that term any more?) Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 19:10, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Let me see if I understand. Between me going to bed at maybe 130 this morning and staggering back from brunch someone managed to discern consensus of the mob and disable embedded YouTube videos. WHAT THE FUCK. Issues like this don't get raised and resolved within 12 hours. This is an issue that could much more effectively been dealt with by discussing a policy change rather than enforcing a small number of users' will by fiat and without anything even remotely approaching adequate consideration by the community at large. I agree that embedding videos should be done sparingly on high traffic pages for any number of reasons including those mentioned. But what I do on my userpage or post on my pals' talkpages is none of your fucking business. Don't like embedded videos or my taste in electro and hip hop? Ok then make a point of avoiding my userspace and Ace, Human, Rad, etc's talkpages. This situation was handled really poorly. 17:36, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

It was on the saloon bar -- Nx / talk 17:49, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Nx, please fix embedded video pending a real consensus on the issue. A policy change is always preferable to removing functionality from the wiki. 18:08, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

I already have -- Nx / talk 18:25, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Scienceblogs is down

Anybody know what's happening? Corry 14:55, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Aren't they upgrading because of problems with the commenting? - π 14:56, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

That's what I am assuming. Also I am assuming that they intended to perform the upgrade in the middle of the night and it's taking longer than they thought. The webpage is a bit of a mess. Corry 15:02, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

RandomSelection

I've modified Extension:RandomSelection (the <choose> thing) so that it doesn't disable the cache. This means that random stuff will remain the same until you purge the cache of a page. Your signatures will still work as expected (see this), but they won't change when you refresh the page (unless someone else has edited or purged the page). For cases when you want a refresh to produce a new random option, you can use the uncached parameter (e.g. the casino). -- Nx / talk 18:43, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

one month down

I moved into my university accommodation four weeks ago today. Fortunately, we all seem to get along and have avoided killing one another so far. As for the following 7 months, only time will tell... SJ ^Debaser 19:00, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

I've already started making plans for extreme revenge pranks. Broccoli 19:03, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Halloween next weekend. That'll be fun. The one girl in our house (technically there are two, but the other one never hangs out with the us) is one of those scaredy-girls, so freaking her out should be easy but highly entertaining. She'll probably try and strangle me in my sleep however. SJ ^Debaser 19:14, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, my friend had a kinky girlfriend who used to do that to him as well. Crundy^{Talk nerdy to me} 21:01, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Monty Python on Jimmy Fallon

I just realized no one mentioned this and I thought some might enjoy - 4 of MPFC (Jones, Gilliam, Cleese, and Idle) on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon from 10/14/09. [2] If parts 2-4 don't come up in the related videos box, I think just changing the "part-1" in the url will keep things moving. ħuman 23:22, 24 October 2009 (UTC) Nope: [3] [4] [5] are 2,3, and 4. Two more links in a moment... ħuman 23:33, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

I'll have a looksee at this tomorrow. How come Michael Palin wasn't on? It's so sad Chapman died cuz - apart from the fact he was still very young - he was probably my favourite if I had to pick one. SJ ^Debaser 23:37, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

EC) Recently read Graham's biog. Happy & sad all in one. ^{I am eating} _& honey^chat 23:37, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

@ Super: apparently Palin & Cleese aint the best of mates. ^{I am eating} _& honey^chat 23:38, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Ah, that's a shame. I just looked at the first video briefly and JEEE-ZUZ, Eric Idle looks nothing like in the shows (although the first one was broadcast forty years ago). SJ ^Debaser 23:41, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

Palin was travelling, pity that. Wheel of Carpet Samples part one [6] part two [7] in a bit. There's also some Bright Side of Life [8] bit to come. These are pigs, they load slowly, but I couldn't find better BW versions at utoob. ħuman 23:55, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

There was a documentary (called Monty Python, the Lawyer's Cut) shown on IFC all week about MP, so 1 hour a night I was in heaven (figuratively). They'd follow up each episode of the doc with either Holy Grail, Life of Brian or Live from the Hollywood Bowl. Good stuff. Aboriginal Noise ^{Oh, what a lovely tea party!} 01:08, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Time travel

It's one AM; in an hour it'll be one AM. That is all. ^{I am eating} _& honey^chat 00:00, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

See? ^{I am eating} _& honey^chat 01:04, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Naked Man Arrested in his own home

I know that I've made it pretty clear I think theamazingatheist is a jerk (I'm not alone, anon's targetted him too), but this is one of his good videos, and it makes a good point about how ridiculous this is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaE0uathXJA&feature=sub --Mustex 01:08, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Nudity is generally overrated. It's the covering up that exacerbates and emphasises the effect of nakedness. On a nudist beach where everyone is naked then nobody gives a damn. In fact the sight of most people naked is distinctly nonsexual. All that Adam & Eve with their fig-leaves crap only serves to draw attention to nakedness when it's the most natural thing in the world. Humans are born naked, and every other creature on this planet is naked for their entire lives, yet somehow our societies have inculcated the belief that this is a "bad thing". Bollocks! - from someone who occasionally also wanders around the house au naturel. Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 19:55, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Interesting actually. When did nudity start becoming unacceptable? Is there even anywhere in the Bible which condemns it? I've never read it. SJ ^Debaser 20:01, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

This is another one on the subject. Probably the funniest thing Argumental has done yet. ^{d hominem} 20:16, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

SuperJosh asks: When did nudity start becoming unacceptable? Is there even anywhere in the Bible which condemns it? Nudity probably became unacceptable when people started to get cold after leaving Africa. In some nice warm countries nudity only became unacceptable when European missionaries told them it was sinful. According to the hallucinations of some bronze age shepherds Adam and Eve became ashamed of their nakedness after being convinced to eat an apple by a talking snake.--Bob^{Not Jim} 21:34, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

I generally don't like being naked in my own home, partially because I don't like being reminded of my love handles, and partially because I have a somewhat irrational fear of anything sharp/rough coming into accidental contact with my genitals.--Mustex 00:54, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Snoring is deadly

So I was reading Fox news (I often do to get a dose of "OMG OBAMA MARXIST COMMUNISIM!") and came upon this. If Fox were really really a news website would they have side banners for this kinda crap? Ace^McWicked 01:37, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

The snoring thing? Are you saying they had an ad up for it? As much as I hate to defend them, online news sources do have to pay for themselves somehow.--Mustex 13:24, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Keep in mind Ace, we used to have ads for all sorts of madness before Trent stopped using them. Wisest word Hoover! 13:46, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Sneezing is also deadly. Totnesmartin 14:25, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

Body piercing

While I am too old to really appreciate the aesthetics of pierced tongues/nipples/labia/foreskins/clitorises surely these vegetarians are just going way over the top. Генгис^{RationalWiki GOLD member} 19:26, 25 October 2009 (UTC)
P.S. Apologies for another Telegraph posting.

It's not natural to eat animals, but it is to shove assault rifles through your cheeks? SJ ^Debaser 19:29, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

I liked the dude with the coils of wire. ħuman 19:39, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

I'd almost call Photoshop on the whole thing, but I've read enough issues of Bizarre to know that this shit really does happen. ^{d hominem} 20:10, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

My word. If that's what the vegetarians get up to, I wonder what the vegans do?--Bob^{Not Jim} 21:39, 25 October 2009 (UTC)

I've seen some pretty bizarre piercings before, but these are way more over-the-top than any I've seen in person. I'm pretty sure they aren't photoshopped, but....wow. Aboriginal Noise ^{Oh, what a lovely tea party!} 01:02, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Copyright backwards?

Ok, I have a question concerning copyright laws that occurred to me when I was considering the name "Alucard" ("Dracula" spelled backwards). Ok, for those of you unfamiliar with the name, it originated in the movie "Son of Dracula" in the 1940s, starring Lon Chaney Jr. as Count Dracula, who used the name as a pseudonymn (if you're curious, the movie itself was somewhat confusing about whether he was merely A Count Dracula, and the son of the original Universal Dracula, or THE Count Dracula in a different continuity. He was simply called "Count Dracula" in the film, and the title seems to either be a holdover from earlier drafts of the script, or the result of some scenes being cut. Production was so rushed during this era either is believable). In the last three decades "Alucard" has shown up in several works as either a traveling name Dracula uses (The Batman vs Dracula and arguably Hellsing), or the name of Dracula's son (Castlevania).

Now, here's my question: The novel Dracula is in the public domain, the movie Son of Dracula is not. Is the name Alucard in the public domain, or do these works have to pay royalties?

I could honestly see it going either way. On the one hand, the movie was the first time the name Alucard was used, but at the same time how could it be copyright infringement if in a Dracula-based work Dracula merely said "I can't use my real name...I'll just reverse it!" and his name reversed just happened to be the same as the name Universal used? Furthermore what if, for some inexplicable reason, someone decided to publish the book Dracula with all the text backwards so people could read it in the mirror (not saying it would be logical, just arguing legality here)? "Alucard" would be printed in the book over and over again because its "Dracula" backwards?

I could maybe see the argument that if a character named "Alucard" was Dracula's son (as in Castlevania) it would be copyright infringement, but then what if the son uses it as a pseudonymn, or its a cousin or nephew?--Mustex 00:21, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

I'd say it's no big deal. In Helsing, the main character is a vampire named Alucard, but is really Dracula. A name is hard to copyright. Two of my past usernames were those of anime characters (Tabris and Nate River). Characters can be copyrighted, but I do not believe names can be.--Thanatos 01:13, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Well, yeah, but I don't think your user names are a very good example, since you weren't deriving a profit from them.--Mustex 01:37, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

True, but you mentioned both Castlevania and Helsing. They both use the name Alucard, and they make profits. Alucard is a name tied to Dracula, will always be associated with Dracula, but not exclusive to that one movie. Someone might have used the name Alucard before that.--Thanatos 03:18, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Who's good with Spanish?

Hey, I'm a big fan of the Spanish version of Dracula (in 1931 it was cheaper to shoot 4 versions in different languages than to dub Lugosi's version, only the Spanish and English versions survive, and I think the Spanish version was better in every way), but I was wondering whether or not the Count speaks Spanish with an Eastern European accent. Based on these clips could anyone tell me? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8txyRhZ-o9c --Mustex 00:50, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

It doesn't seem too out of line with the Spanish I usually hear, except when he says "Dracula". Aboriginal Noise ^{Oh, what a lovely tea party!} 01:00, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

I don't know if you are familiar with european Spanish as spoken in Spain but it sounds OK to me. It is perhaps a little over-articulated but I'd guess that that is in keeping with the times and the nature of the film. It would have been interesting to hear a few more of the other actors speaking in Spanish to see if they spoke in South American versions of Spanish.--Bob^{Not Jim} 07:50, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Faux News Comments

I often read comments on Fox News stories in order to get angry/depressed/giddy with laughter. This one I found really takes the cake however..."Odumbo has nothing to offer so he resorts to this kind of smear. What else did you expect from an empty suit with a record of voting 'present'? Odumbo blows dead goats.". WTF? Ace^McWicked 03:01, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

I guess someone is blowing off steam again--Thanatos 03:13, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Can I be a Sysop?

Any of you cunts want to make me a sysop? MarcusCicero 10:21, 26 October 2009 (UTC)