Bwah! Postlike posting.

[active_apathy]

Take that, life; read ye what fine print may be found writ upon the icon, yea.

And so, in a notepad where I have things I could maybe post on - current affairs news, for example, reporting on a tree that stood in the same spot for 250 years! Incredible, groundbreaking journalism there; following the tree through its daily paces of...

um...

standing. And sponging off carbon dioxide produced by hard-working taxpayers, or something like that.

Or, the display case of breads and pastries, labelled as a 'self-service cabernet'. Which has since been fixed, but still. Self-service cabernet!

Or the lamentable lack of alt text in mobile phone internet. Grr, phone companies.

Or, the pressing question: just how dowe know a placebo does nothing? [This question was prompted mostly by general weirdness, and some randoms discussing clinical testing on the footpath. No, no, not clinical tests on the footpath. That'd just be odd.]

Ultimately, though, this can be yet another triumphant return to LJ. And since I've just arbitrarily decided that, I should really do it properly. And by 'properly', I mean by stealing a meme from lesslikeyou. So, with minimal further ado, the meme:

1. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it. Discuss.
   
2. How long have you known me?
3. When and how did we first meet? (Hint: It wasn't a dark and stormy night; the rain didn't fall in torrents, except at occasional intervals, nor was it checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (and, likely, our scene lies not in London), rattling along the housetops, nor did it fiercely agitate the scanty flame of lamps that  may or may not have struggled against the darkness.)
4. What was your first impression?
5. Do you still think that way about me now? (Optionally, why? Why not?)
   
6. What do you think my weakness is?
7. Do you think I'll get married? Or, more appropriately, do you think I would if only it were legal for me to do so here?
   
8. What makes me happy?
9. What makes me sad?
10. What reminds you of me?
    
11. If you could give me anything, what would it be?
12. How well do you know me?
13. Have you ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
14. Do you think I could kill someone? Note, could, rather than should.
    
15. Describe me in one word.
16. Do you think our friendship is getting stronger, weaker, or staying the same?
17. Do you feel that you could talk to me about anything and I would listen?
18. Are you going to put this on your LiveJournal and see what I say about you? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I've kinda lost track myself. But being this is a LiveJournal meme, the most powerful vector for sheeping in the world, and would pad your journal out some, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel mimetic?' Well, do ya, LJpunk?

Comments

[eighthcloud.livejournal.com]

1. Lovely ::insert your name here::
2. I'm not sure. A year, I think. It was around the time I started moving, and I remember some of our first conversations about floor!porn.
3. It was just about everywhere. Metaquotes, um, userpicks, I think, where else... somewhere else. Finally I'd had enough and said "That's it! I'm friending you!" or something like that.
4. That you were funny and friendly.
5. Yes, I do. And I think other things, but we won't go there. At least here we won't.
6. You are not weak. You are strong like bull.
7. I'm not sure you would, even if you could.
8. Being able to spend time online.
9. Not being able to spend time online.
10. Um, pretty much everything. I was just thinking about you yesterday, in fact, because I was looking at NakedKristen. Yes, they do relate!
11. All of the knowledge in the world so that you would be able to spend time online with me again. Damn school.
12. Pretty well, I'd think. But you tend to not let people in, so not nearly well enough.
13. Yes.
14. Could? No. Should? No.
15. Amazing.
16. For a while there it was in that "dude, is she EVER gonna be coming around again?" stage, which I would define as "same". Hopefully it'll be not same forever.
17. Yes, but you might not know how to respond, and that's okay.
18. I did that already, silly.

[active-apathy.livejournal.com]

2. i could find out, but I started to look it up and decided that going through that much email 20 at a time was just Not Going to Happen™. Floorporn came a good while after, though.
5. Well, yes. Also, not on the table.
11. Mmm, knowledge. But, on the other hand, mmmm, Dana.
13. Do you still want to?
18. Well, yes. And then I felt mimetic. Also, I now almost kind of want an <lj punk=""> tag.

[photosinensis.livejournal.com]

1. Insane. No other word could possibly describe you.
2. I've known of you since about this time last year, when metaquotes essentially became a mirror of your LJ.
3. We've, um, never met.
4. I do believe my first impression of you was "lollercopter".
5. Yeah, I do.
6. Shiny things. Don't ask me why I think that way, I just do.
7. Well, no, I couldn't see you getting married, even if you went to Spain, Canada, or Massachusetts.
8. Firefly reruns. Alternatively, suggestions of new Firefly episodes.
9. The fact that they canceled Firefly
10. metaquotes.
11. New Firefly episodes.
12. Not that well at all. Hell, I still hold out hope that one day, somehow, you and Jon Stewart will reproduce, because the kids would be the snarkiest things that ever lived.
13. Yeah. Unfortunately, despite the fact that I can write in three languages, the language that the message is in is entirely verbal, and cannot be translated.
14. Yes, you could.
15. I think I already said you were insane.
16. We barely know each other! I'm doing this for the lulz!
17. We barely know each other! I'm not sure that I could admit to you that I've started to use Darwin most of the time. Well, I guess I just did.
18. I think I did this one many, many moons ago. I've only got so much meme sheep in me.

[active-apathy.livejournal.com]

3. Then if it does happen, it will have to be at night. That night must be dark and stormy, and it is absolutely essential that you respect my wishes the scene lies in London.
12. There are two unfortunate flaws in this plan. One is that it would result in offspring, which is not a thing that would suit me at all, ever. The other is that he has boyparts.
18. Then substitute with meme alpaca, or something.

[photosinensis.livejournal.com]

3. Sounds good to me.
12. Solutions: You neither have to bear or raise them, thanks to in vitro fertilization, surrogate mothers, and adoption. Furthermore, these issues also have the added benefit of surmounting any geographical problems. See, all that matters is the genes.
18. Okay, meme alpaca it is.

[active-apathy.livejournal.com]

12. Unless snark is a part of upbringing rather than a genetic trait, in which case, it'll just be random chance for the rest of all eternity.

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Or, the pressing question: just how do we know a placebo does nothing?

I assume we choose something that seems very unlikely to do anything. I suppose our suspicions would get raised if a double-blind test between two suspected placebos said one worked.

[active-apathy.livejournal.com]

That they would, except that a placebo that works would, in fact, do nothing. And what would you tell the subjects that their little white pills were?

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Erm. I guess you could only try it in good conscience if it was something harmless, like headache medicine.

[active-apathy.livejournal.com]

"But I 'aven't got a 'eadache!", I hear them shout already. "Don't want none of that 'eadache stuff. Want them 'appy pills, tha's what they said we'd be gettin' if we signed up."

[theshadowlurker.livejournal.com]

1. I shall call you... Person Who Used To Post A Lot But Now Posts Only Rarely Which Makes Me Sad.
   
2. I have known you... since we met.
   
3. Metaquotes. There was long discussion of myths. Then I think we decided that we had better stop spamming the post and friended each other. Something like that, anyway.
   
4. That you were terribly humorous.
   
5. Yes, WHEN YOU ARE ACTUALLY ONLINE TO BE TERRIBLY HUMOROUS.
   
6. I think you have many weaknesses all of which I know so WATCH OUT.
   
7. I do not know.
   
8. Happy things!
   
9. Sad things.
   
10. Firefly! And stuff.
    
11. ANOTHER SEASON OF FIREFLY. But I would give that to me, too. Stop hogging the Firefly. God.
    
12. How well do you know yourself? Oooooooh.
    
13. Not really.
    
14. Possibly. It depends who this person is.
    
15. You are... defyingoneworddiscreptionlike.
    
16. All three at once. *nods*
    
17. Surewhynot.
    
18. Do you want me to put this in my lj? Please note that your answer will be completely ignored as I am putting this in my lj right now.

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

I'll be a sheep later. Memes are serious business, you know!

I just wanted to say that placebos don't actually do nothing. I mean, the sugar pills or whatever don't treat whatever the real pill does, but from dim recollection of a New Scientist article, the placebo effect accounts for an approximate 60% of "I'm cured!!1!1!"s in trials. Sometimes higher. In other words, as long as you think they're the real pills, placebos are the rizzle shizzle.


Where can we get these placebos?

Oh, and welcome back!

[active-apathy.livejournal.com]

Yes, but the notion of the placebo effect is that it's supposed to not do anything. Has any testing on placebos to find out if they really don't do anything? Why are there no tests for the very apparatus of testing? Where's the experimental data to prove that sugar pills or whatever aren't genuinely a miracle cure for 60% of things on which they're tested? Oddly amused minds want to know.

[laurenmitchell.livejournal.com]

Placebo don't do nothing. They make music.

...what?

[maggiebloome.livejournal.com]

1. Internet Stalkee Number 1. Uh, in a not-scary way XP and because I'm pretty sure you were the first completely and utterly random person whose journal I friended because it was funny. Or of not, the firs one that's still around.
2. You know, I have no idea. I usually work these things out by way of "Oh, I met her at [insert event] and that was sometime before christmas 03...", but the whole intarwebs thing means it's a little vague. Although, I suppose... well, it was sometime before Serenity came out, anyway.
3. Hah! Bullwer-Lytton! The competition is hilarious. Um, I'm pretty sure you can blame metaquotes for me.
4. Essentially "Lulz!"
5. More or less. I suppose it's kind of graduated to "Nice girl, funny, rises from the dead a lot".
6. Space cowboys! I have a hearty respect for people with a weakness for space cowboys.
7. Since I know nothing about your love life, I couldn't really answer that question.
8. Err... Serenity icons?
9. Being unable to access LJ, I assume.
10. Another of my intarweb stalkees, amusingly. Also Firefly RPGs, and on occasion footnotes.
11. A globe with various countries amusingly renamed.
12. Not very well, really.
13. Yeah... but I don't remember what it was...
14. Well, I mean, do you mean by accident?
15. Amusing (I know, not much variety in these answers, eh?)
16. "A little from column A, a little from column B..." "But sir, those are mutually exclusive!" "As am I. *nosetap*"
17. Well, you probably would listen, or rather read, if it wasn't too longwidned. You may also doubt my sanity, but that wasn't the question.
18. Totally. MEME AWAY.

[bending-sickle.livejournal.com]

1. “Active”. Although that might change to theshadowlurker’s nickname for you, as it is appropriate.
2. If “known” is “lurking around your LJ” then…a few months short of a year?
3. I followed white rabbit link, surely something Firefly-related.
4. :)
5. Oh god is she alive? …did she post?
6. Dictionaries.
7. Mur?
8. Firefly, of course.
9. The lack of Firefly.
10. Marvin, from HHGTTG.
11. That which made you happy.
12. Just your LJ-you
13. The phrase “may I please friend you” has often almost been written. May I?
14. I believe that, given the right circumstances, weaponry and caffeinated-fury, some Fox Network Executives would be in serious trouble.
15. Ineffable.
16. Depends on answer 13.
17. Yup.
18. The punk feels mimetic.

[active-apathy.livejournal.com]

3. Just for that, spaceship. For yooouuu!
5. You never know. I could be an EllJay zombie. Meeeemes! Meeeeeeeemes!
6. Inconceivable adj. not capable of being imagined or grasped mentally; unbelievable.
13. Almost. By which I mean yes, certainly, click away as your heart desires. Be ye forewarned: I may respond in kind.
14. Mmm, caffeine and weaponry.
15. Well, then, ineff you too. :)
17. Hoo-ray!
18. Yay punk.

Unlike many of Hollywood’s

[(Anonymous)]

Unlike many of Hollywood’s GQ-esque, A-list types, comedy actor-writer Seth Rogen,
with curly locks and Yogi Bear physique, was instantly embraced by audiences for his
common-man appeal. While paying his initial dues working on a variety of TV sitcoms,
he fell under the tutelage of producer-writer-director Judd Apatow.