Suicide(less?) in Seattle

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Charles

Why, you ask, would I be writing about suicide? It’s not a pleasant subject and in fact most people don’t walk to talk about it. The taboo on self-murder (gritty) stretches to even talking about it openly.

Questionland is not one to bow to conventional taboos (thankfully). What made me think about it was a question that Kristin asked about how to handle a situation in which you have a friend who you think is suicidal. That’s a tough one and she got quite a variety of answers. But that got me thinking about who kills themselves and whether Seattle is a high ranking state for such behavior (I heard that it was).

So a little research led me to the following information. First, despite the weather (which I personally like) and the potentially higher incidence of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), Seattlites do not self-terminate more than the average U.S. citizen. About 11 in every hundred thousand people kill themselves in the USA and Seattle is average. So that’s one potential myth killed.

Having said that, I have to clarify that those are the stats for King County. If you happen to live in Seattle itself it turns out one more of us (per 100K) is going to decide it’s not worth it. It gets worse if you are middle-aged, white, male and live in a low income neighborhood. Being a poor aging white guy sucks. I should know (except for the poor part, but I’m heading that way). Those guys (us) come to negative lifespan conclusions at about 18 per 100K.

If you are interested in this subject, especially as it relates to Seattle then you must read Brendan Kiley’s recent article on the subject (May 2010). He covers everything from Romans to Hamlet to the Aurora Bridge. From suicide contagion to religion to euthanasia.

Despite the fact that I think it is perfectly OK to kill yourself (not only am I a white male, etc. but I’m also an atheist) – my sentiments are best expressed by Brendan’s quote by Seneca the Younger:

“The wise man will live as long as he ought, not as long as he can.”

Still, I think any discussion of suicide should end with the following: If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call 461-3222 or 866-4CRISIS.

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The Best Avatars

Posted on September 3, 2010 by Charles

QLanders have some great avatars. I thought I’d pick out a few of my favorites. Feel free to suggest ones I’ve missed in the comments.

I guess it’s worth spending some time on a good avatar these days since it’s going to be your online identity and people will end up knowing you by your avatar more than your real face – unless you choose to share your real identity.

Here’s some avatar creation sites for those of you who want to play around, best thing to do is Google “Avatar Creator“. Here’s an example: South Park avatar. And this is the South Park Version of me:

Based on my quick survey, which was anything but thorough or scientific, it seems the most popular avatars (after pictures of oneself, modified or not) are pictures of cats.

It’s hard to beat Fnarf’s long lasting avatar and his tag line: “Individually wrapped for your protection”.

Another of the oldies but goodies, Elenchos’ self-made man out of motorcycle parts.

Lee’s cat-into-duck avatar is repulsive, disturbing and compelling in one. Yuk. But good.

nseattlite has been through a few, but this is one of my favorites.

A lesson in good parenting? Marty’s avatar of girl on counter in roller skates is a great one.

Another classic. Anthony’s been this way from the beginning.

How did they squeeze that guy into that space suit to begin with?

I have no idea what this is, but can’t stop looking at it.

Matthew Richter’s classic.

Meggo’s hilarious and scary inspiration for Halloween.

Michiko (QL designer) flashed back to the seventies and gave herself an afro in the process. One of my favorites.

Vinogatito gave us this somewhat disturbing image.

Toasterhedgehog. ‘Nuf said.

This one from Bikechef freaks me out.

This looks like a mad man avatar but custom made. Very cool Daniel.

And finally… Beef.

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Keeping Secrets

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Charles

The Stage:

You are close to your niece and she trusts you. You want her to feel safe telling you the things she might not tell her parents because you know its better that she tell someone, and her mother is a tad restrictive due to her own misadventures as a teen.

The Scene:

She starts talking to you about sex and her friend wants you to buy a sex toy.

The Dilemma:

What to do? Fine, skip the sex toy for now, but do you keep secrets from your own sister about her daughter? Where are the boundaries on keeping secrets? Where should you draw the line?

The Answers:

This was one of the toughest/best questions I’ve seen asked. The answers are great and the discussion in the comments are even better. So go read it.

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Comics Week

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Charles

This week two fantastic local comic artists are answering your questions about their work, as well as any questions you might have about getting your own work out into the world.

Derek Erdman has done comics for everyone from MTV.com toThe Stranger. Matthew Inman is the founder of The Oatmeal. He has self published one book, and has another coming out on McMeel Publishing, which also publishes The Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes.

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Matchbook: Reading in The Desert

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Charles

There is rarely a question Paul can’t answer when it comes to books, add to that one of the best read communities imaginable and you have a book recommendation “system” that puts Amazon to shame (unless you’re looking for a chapter-book called “Danger in the Desert”).

This was one of the more challenging questions I’ve seen for a while because it had the “matchbook” elements (these are the books I like, tell me what to read next) and a very specific purpose (something to read in the desert).

Personally, I wouldn’t have had a clue, but if you want to know what to read next time you happen to be in the desert (not a desert island) then head on over and find out.

While you are there, you might as well ask what you should be reading next.

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Parenting Week

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Charles

If you are in search of great parenting advice, we have the experts online and ready to be challenged by your questions about your brood.

This week we are featuring a great panel: including Janelle Durham (Program Dir. for PEPS) andRoslyn Ann Duffy (co-author of “Positive Discipline”) among our other special guests.

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The Cocktail Blueprint

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Charles

The cocktail Q&A on Questionland is great. A superstar panel of experts and excellent questions. I was once very into cocktails (were it not for a general malaise I still would be) and at that time I came upon a very cool “chart”.

This is perhaps the coolest cocktail wall chart you’ll ever see. Unfortunately I only have this small version and have no memory of where it came from. If any of you know the creator answer the Q in Questionland, I’d love to credit him for his genius and to acquire the larger/clearer version.

But for those of you who don’t mind the suboptimal rendering, here it is in all it’s glory.

Click for the larger view

UPDATE:

The Questionland Motto is “ask and ye shall be answered” and sure enough, in less than 60 minutes the Mr. Hess provided the answer and better – a color version, too boot.

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Seattle Film: The Indie Mecca?

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Charles

Last week on Questionland was Film Week, where a host of great local experts answered questions about film in Seattle. One of the most interesting was when Craig Packard asked what kind of film town Seattle should be and in the process commented:

I feel very strongly that we (Seattle) shouldn’t be trying to position ourselves as a “Little Hollywood” or even an American Vancouver. We should be actively (and I mean make the tail wag the dog–talk about it enough, and it begins to be true) promoting our corner of the country as an indie Mecca. We should be promoting a local community of filmmakers who are trying to make the films that Hollywood can’t or won’t make.

Somewhat surprisingly (to me, and I admit total ignorance in this domain) virtually everyone disagreed due to the harsh reality that big budget films pay the bills.

The other theme in the answers was the sad lack of funding for local films by local people, despite the fact that we have our fair share of rich people. In that area, I have a little more experience and have found that the startup world is much the same. Whereas Hollywood and Silicon Valley have a seemingly endless number of risk takers, Seattle is by-and-large conservative when it comes to (ad)venturous money.

Perhaps this is because most of these millionaires became rich as employees of larger companies (Amazon, Microsoft, Adobe etc.) rather than as founders of their own ventures. Without the risk-taking money it’s hard to see how Seattle becomes a city to be reckoned with in film (or startups).

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The Seattle Mixologists

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Charles

It’s time for cocktails on Questionland. We have brought together some of the best mixologists to tell you how it’s done. Our special guests this week are:

Murray Stenson (ZigZag – vote best bartender in the USA 2010); Kathy Casey (Owner of Liquid Kitchen & Dish D’Lish); Paul Clarke (The Cocktail Chronicles); Raphael Nicas (Tulio Ristorante); Mark Sexauer (Lot-3 and Barrio); Justin Freet (Liberty).

So if you’ve always wanted to know how your favorite drink is mixed now is your chance. Or perhaps you want to give them a challenge, tell them what you like and they’ll recommend something. For those of you with a limited liquor cabinet you could tell them what you have and see what they suggest you make.

It’s going to be a tipsy week on Questionland, so come ask your questions.

Cheers!

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Wallpapering Over a Bumpy Wall

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Charles

Technically I guess it’s “knockdown texture” rather than “bumpy”. More “orange peel” than “cottage cheese”.  It was last week’s stumper and one that I personally thought would have everyone stumped:

How do I wallpaper over a textured wall

But then along came the answer… and it’s what Chloe was looking for. It really makes you appreciate Qlanders:

answer to How do I wallpaper over a textured wall

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