Slate In Brief

Can a prisoner request anything for his last meal?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:57:06 -0500

Can a prisoner request anything for his last meal?:

“Sure, but he might not get it. Final meals are generally limited to food that can be prepared on-site.”

How Many Times Can You Shoot a Handgun in Seven Minutes?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:43:23 -0500

How Many Times Can You Shoot a Handgun in Seven Minutes?:

“At least 1,500.” If you’re using a semiautomatic, that is. You can fire off a 20-round magazine and reload it in 5.3 seconds.

Sources are silent on how quickly a Slate writer can cash in on a tragic shooting, but empirical evidence suggests “very.”

How Does Facebook Know I'm Gay?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:43:19 -0500

How Does Facebook Know I'm Gay?:

It doesn’t. It just made a lucky guess when it showed you those ads, dumbass.

Unless Facebook can read your mind.

Can we stop saying retarded yet?

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 17:17:15 -0400

Can we stop saying retarded yet?:

“The current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—which is used by psychiatrists to make clinical diagnoses—still employs the phrase mental retardation to describe people who score below about a 70 on IQ tests. However, most who work in the field—including psychologists, activists, and bureaucrats—prefer the term intellectual disability. (The next revision of the diagnostic manual, due out in 2012, may update its language accordingly.)”

[A shout-out to this article’s author, new-ish Slate employee Adrian Chen, a personal friend of half of this blog’s editorship. Congratulations on your summarizability, Adrian.]

One Citi employee is entitled to a $100 million bonus. Should the company stiff him?

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 10:03:11 -0400

One Citi employee is entitled to a $100 million bonus. Should the company stiff him?:

Probably not.

Which is more important: tithing or paying off my $13,000 credit-card debt?

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 08:02:17 -0400

Which is more important: tithing or paying off my $13,000 credit-card debt?:

The debt.

Microblogging has become too important for Twitter to rule the field.

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:52:59 -0400

Microblogging has become too important for Twitter to rule the field.:

I’M FARHAD MANJOO, WRITING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AGAIN. FIBBLEDY-BOP SHOOBE-FOOBE-DOO BLIBBETY-BLIBBETY WEE-WEE CA-CA.

Now give me my money.

How can New York City hot dog vendors afford to pay half a million dollars in rent?

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:04:50 -0400

How can New York City hot dog vendors afford to pay half a million dollars in rent?:

Vendors bid for spots around parks. One vendor paid $415k last year for a spot outside the Met and didn’t go out of business, so he must have made over $440k (to cover overhead).
Non-park vendors only pay for a $200 permit. There are only 3100 food vendor permits, so there are permit scalpers and a black market.
A street vendor organization says average vendors make about $15k a year after permits and ticket fines for multiple violations.

A physicist looks at The Time Traveler's Wife.

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:58:07 -0400

A physicist looks at The Time Traveler's Wife.:

Time travel is actually very boring.

Could America run out of sugar?

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:47:35 -0400

Could America run out of sugar?:

“No way.” We import plenty, could always import more, and our purchasing power would make us the last buyers standing in a worldwide shortage.

I told a devastating lie about my sibling years ago. How do I come clean?

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:01:00 -0400

I told a devastating lie about my sibling years ago. How do I come clean?:

Admit that you did wrong, and beg for forgiveness. Also? Dear Prudence has totally read the Bible and Shakespeare, y’all.

How much does breathing contribute to climate change?

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:59:22 -0400

How much does breathing contribute to climate change?:

It doesn’t, at least not in a negative way. In theory, breathing is part of a closed-loop cycle that sees our exhalations get recycled by plants. In practice, whenever you breathe in you keep a little bit of carbon for your own body, so we actually come out ahead (when it comes to global warming prevention).

However, we each combust and release into the atmosphere more than our fair share of carbon every day just by driving to work. Breathing is small potatoes.

Could a private abortion fund save health care reform?

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:49:00 -0400

Could a private abortion fund save health care reform?:

Yes. It would allow 20 House Democrats to sign a the eventual health care bill (they’ve pledged to oppose any bill that doesn’t explicitly exclude government-funded abortion) and give an extra incentive to those paying into the private fund to do more to stop the necessity of abortion.

[Of course, this comes from a writer who claims that “abortion is cheap”, so take it with a grain of salt.]

Bill Clinton traveled to North Korea as a "private citizen." Can I?

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:50:12 -0400

Bill Clinton traveled to North Korea as a "private citizen." Can I?:

“Yes.” For any five days during the weeks-long Arirang Festival, or for up to ten days year-round if you’re a non-American Westerner. Either way, you’ll be constantly monitored and you can’t talk to the locals.

Why you've stopped watching CNBC.

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:41:06 -0400

Why you've stopped watching CNBC.:

“The good news in the markets, paradoxically, has been bad news for CNBC. In the summer of 2008, you had to tune into CNBC every morning, afternoon, and evening—even on the weekends—to keep up with breaking news. Now, not so much. … The declining threat of wholesale failure has killed some of the buzz. That’s probably why ratings for some of CNBC’s evening programs were down by more than 40 percent in July 2009 from July 2008.”

Bollywood Hero reviewed.

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:37:24 -0400

Bollywood Hero reviewed.:

“But it must be said that Bollywood Hero is an entirely novel kind of slog.”

Where to get a good cup of coffee in a hurry.

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:33:28 -0400

Where to get a good cup of coffee in a hurry.:

Dunkin’ Donuts beats McDonald’s and Starbucks (though the quality is inconsistent). McDonald’s has the best cappuccino.

Can the kid who settled his child-abuse claim with Michael Jackson speak out about his case?

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:32:39 -0400

Can the kid who settled his child-abuse claim with Michael Jackson speak out about his case?:

No. Confidentiality agreements (like the one Jordan Chandler is bound by) do not cease when the involved party dies. If Chandler did spill the beans, he could be sued by Jackson’s heirs and estate. The confidentiality agreement could be voided by the courts, but only if it is deemed to be in the public’s interest.

Can Stress Really Make Your Hair Fall Out?

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:20:47 -0400

Can Stress Really Make Your Hair Fall Out?:

Stress can cause telogen effluvium, a condition that causes far more hair follicles to go into their “resting” phase than is normal. Usually, 10% of your hair follicles should be resting, ready to shed the strands they hold and start growing new ones.

Beware Google: Microsoft's new search engine, Bing, isn't half-bad.

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:35:20 -0400

Beware Google: Microsoft's new search engine, Bing, isn't half-bad.:

It’s not better than Google, but it does return more results and there’s a cashback program for shopping.