Passed along from boingboing:

If you hate the NYTIMES "dictionary" feature (where you doubleclick on a word or words and it gives you a dictionary excerpt, instead of just selecting that text for you as would normally occur), and you are using Firefox with Adblock, block

*.nytimes.com/js/common/screen/altClickToSearch.js

Definitions of "and" no more!

posted by mrflip at 12:03PM CST on May 08

I disagree with what they decided was the way to separate work-like activities from leisure. For me, the line that separates what is a menial task from a leisure activity is clearly defined: do I get any creative choices in the process of the activity? There are tons of creative choices with crocheting: yarn color, pattern, yarn type, size, etc. There are many creative choices for cooking a meal. There are much less for cleaning the kitty litter, even if I were to use one of those zen pebble garden rakes to make pretty patterns into the gravel after scooping out the nasty chunks.

This line gets a little fuzzy with activities such as fishing, but I suppose that if your ability to do an activity while drinking a lot of beer doesn't diminish your performance, it probably is leisure. 

posted by NanoCindy at 01:13PM CST on May 08

Clearly blogging seemed more like work than leisure... 

posted by natedogg at 03:54PM CST on May 08

NanoCindy:

What about research, though? I have a decent deal of creative control over the research that I do, and when (and if!!) I'm tenured faculty, I'll have a whole lot more, but that doesn't really mean that the science that I do isn't really "work."

And I think that there are definitely creative choices one makes while cleaning--they become quite manifest while my eco-friendly cleaning style clashes with those who wish to have all the fucking germs exterminated to 1903. 

posted by Valatan at 06:09PM CST on May 08

i dunno how to post pics, but if Nate can post 'em for me i can prove fishing is always fun. and, there's no nasty chunks! 

posted by TheWestIsTheBest at 06:47PM CST on May 08

replace the [] with <> in [img src="http://whereyourimageis.gif"] and the pic will show up. 

posted by Valatan at 07:24PM CST on May 08

Valatan:
I think the freakanomics people were trying to determine the line between something that you do that is a chore and a menial task that you enjoy. Like washing clothing vs. sewing a quilt. Your job is a job. If you have creative control over it you'll be happier, but that is a whole different ball of wax or whole different ball of nasty chunks than what the article is about, and what I was distinguishing between. By definition, you aren't doing research during your free time. 

posted by NanoCindy at 10:45PM CST on May 08

Holy crap Flip, thank you so much! I owe you a beer for that one. 

posted by McD at 11:10PM CST on May 08

What TheWestIsTheBest is talkin' about:

 

posted by natedogg at 01:22PM CST on May 09

supplementary material to the article.

Also: Ghostface Killah would be proud, TWiTB 

posted by mrflip at 08:46AM CST on May 10

Notice that he is now a vegetarian. Coincidence? 

posted by natedogg at 10:19AM CST on May 10

I don't know natedogg - please, speculate away! 

posted by pablo at 02:34PM CST on May 10

no spec needed... I'd go back to eating wild game and such no prob if it were readily available/easy on the enviro. i love me some meat!

besides, the veg/fisher dichotomy is just about posture. ya know, sensitive new age guy/stinky laborer.
 

posted by TheWestIsTheBest at 06:08PM CST on May 10