Summer’s here. In need of amazing novel recommendations. Particulars within.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by xenization at 7:37 AM on May 22, 2013 (47 comments)

Well, folks, Eric Burdon turned 72 today. And the man deserves some props, you know, for Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood and It's My Life and We Gotta Get Out of This Place and Don't Bring Me Down and a few other tunes as well. Oh, and he brought House of the Rising Sun to, yeah, a whole new generation. Happy birthday, Eric.
posted to MetaFilter by flapjax at midnite at 4:58 AM on May 11, 2013 (24 comments)

KILL THE GIANT! Because Wednesday mornings are dull.
posted to MetaFilter by QueerAngel28 at 8:45 AM on May 8, 2013 (6 comments)

For all of you time crunched people: you can get fit doing these scientifically studied exercises (NYT). All you need are yourself, a floor, a chair, and time to do a 7 minute set 2 to 3 times. Caveat: it's a painful 7 minutes, and some say that you should already be at a decent fitness level, and may need to warm-up beforehand. Here's the academic journal article.
posted to MetaFilter by JiffyQ at 2:04 PM on May 9, 2013 (62 comments)

Best Warhammer 40K Costume Ever
posted to MetaFilter by Artw at 12:22 AM on April 24, 2013 (87 comments)

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books since 1988. The digital comic category was added in 2005. Some say the category could be expanded, given the abundance of digital creations. Regardless, there are 42 different titles nominated in the past 8 years. The 2013 nominations have been made: Ant Comic, by Michael DeForge (previously, twice) | Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover | It Will All Hurt, by Farel Dalrymple (previously) | Our Bloodstained Roof, by Ryan Andrews (previously) | Oyster War, by Ben Towle. Nominations and winners from prior years inside.
posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief at 7:25 PM on April 21, 2013 (31 comments)

Need some ideas on activities I can do with my girlfriend.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by heavyp08 at 9:59 AM on April 16, 2013 (29 comments)

The Francesco Albano Open Ensemble performs selections from Peter Gabriel's Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ [All Music/Discogs] at Castel dell'Ovo, a 6th-century seaside castle in Naples Italy. Track list and instrumentation inside.
posted to MetaFilter by prinado at 11:58 PM on March 31, 2013 (11 comments)

"Abel" by The National, which is essentially "Born to Run" filtered through indie rock, is the perfect workout song for me, combining the key elements of (1) simple chord progression and song structure, (2) layered instrumentation, (3) lots of energy/intensity (including vocal energy/intensity). Recommendation engines' recommendations have been lacking in (1) and (3), so I'm turning to you guys: can you suggest songs with those elements?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by John Raskolnikov Gilson at 10:10 AM on March 24, 2013 (15 comments)

Donald Richie , American author, journalist, critic and expert on Japan, dies at 88.

Smilingly excluded here in Japan, politely stigmatised, I can from my angle attempt only objectivity, since my subjective self will not fit the space I am allotted . . . how fortunate I am to occupy this niche with its lateral view. In America I would be denied this place. I would live on the flat surface of a plain. In Japan, from where I am sitting, the light falls just right – I can see the peaks and valleys, the crags and crevasses.

-- from The Japan Journals, 1947-2004

posted to MetaFilter by Ice Cream Socialist at 11:20 AM on February 19, 2013 (22 comments)

1990s Rap Music Question: Lately I've been thinking about "Without a Doubt" by Black Sheep and "Big Poppa" by Notorious B.I.G... They both use Isley Brothers samples that feature that same "whining" instrument that gives them a sort of nostalgic, laid-back, almost melancholy feel. And they're both about chilling and being happy instead of thugging out or getting violent. What other songs have that same non-gangsta, nostalgic vibe? I'm thinking there must have been more in the 90s that I haven't heard. Seems like the West Coast had a similar "whine" in their sound but it always sounded different than the examples I mentioned, and they were repping thug life more out west? I admit, I honestly don't know...take me to school, brothers and sisters. Thanks in advance.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ktoad at 10:06 PM on February 17, 2013 (25 comments)

Do you know the story behind the Magic 8 Ball? Without a doubt
Can you tell me about the magic inside? As I see it, yes
Can I put it back together using my own magic? Signs point to yes
Can I make my own Magic 8 Ball digital app instead? Most likely
posted to MetaFilter by iamkimiam at 4:22 AM on December 8, 2012 (24 comments)

A blanket fort is a construction commonly made using blankets, bed sheets, pillow, and sofa cushions. It is also known as a couch fort, pillow fort, or sheet fort.
posted to MetaFilter by Room 641-A at 11:46 AM on February 2, 2013 (36 comments)

Have you tried the 5:2 diet as discussed in this Metafilter thread? Did it work for you? Do you find it sustainable?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by silly me at 6:41 AM on January 23, 2013 (13 comments)

Saveur's utterly charming "Recipe Comix" features illustrated recipes/short stories by some of the web's best cartoonists covering a wide range of meals.
posted to MetaFilter by The Whelk at 1:21 PM on January 21, 2013 (14 comments)

What's a quality Bittorrent site in 2013? Demonoid is down, and TPB has no focus on quality. My interests are in film and music, with an experimental bent.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by dunkadunc at 11:38 PM on January 19, 2013 (22 comments)

I love the sound of sixties girl groups. I have this compilation but I want more. But boy there's a lot of compilations out there, often with the same songs... Are there any particularly good compilations out there worth getting? What groups were more than one-hit wonders and deserve special attention? Any great books, websites, documentaries? (Cheeky extra question: I'm also interested in 60s garage girl bands too)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by liquidindian at 4:17 PM on January 15, 2013 (21 comments)

Hand-Annotated Photos of the Beat Generation. Twenty Five photos from Allen Ginsberg
posted to MetaFilter by Sailormom at 5:31 AM on January 13, 2013 (19 comments)

Poet Adrienne Rich, celebrated over her 60-plus-year career with the Yale Younger Poets Prize, the National Book Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, and many other awards, and known for both her vivid and original poetry and her advocacy of feminist and civil rights causes, has died at the age of 82. Read, watch, listen.
posted to MetaFilter by aught at 2:26 PM on March 28, 2012 (107 comments)

The Bear was found on a motorway, lost all his fur (twice), got poisoned, had a hole ripped in his throat, lost chunks of ear and went awol for six weeks. But at 17 he's still going strong - The cat with 17 lives
posted to MetaFilter by Artw at 8:16 PM on December 5, 2012 (29 comments)

Who can fill the void left by Morphine?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bendy at 10:37 PM on November 21, 2012 (19 comments)

ESPN NBA blog The Hardwood Paroxysm has released a 2012-2013 Season Preview Guide [PDF] full of clever, opinionated (or sometimes data-driven) previews of each team and star player.
posted to MetaFilter by Potomac Avenue at 8:39 AM on October 24, 2012 (29 comments)

Aspiring bassist, and advanced guitarist, wants to know: what are the canonical rock and roll bass riffs?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Slarty Bartfast at 9:51 PM on October 3, 2012 (49 comments)

Six years ago, New Dorp High School on Staten Island, NY, had a 40% dropout rate, and more than 80% of freshmen were reading below grade level. In spring 2013, the school expects an 80% graduation rate. What happened? New Dorp decided to teach its students how to write.
posted to MetaFilter by catlet at 2:49 PM on September 30, 2012 (83 comments)

What is your favorite legendary, hilarious clip?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sallybrown at 2:30 PM on September 22, 2012 (80 comments)

Can you help me expand my “popular epidemiology” book collection by recommending books that are similar to The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett and the following titles?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by pupus at 4:02 PM on August 29, 2012 (23 comments)

Free online graph paper generators: variations of squares, triangle, rhombus, and hexagonal, circular and polar, for drawing, gaming, writing, note-taking and much more. Blank Sheet Music (Flash) for all arrangements (PDF). Create and edit your own grids, probability and logarithmic graphs, petri-dish inserts and storyboards. Also, multilingual  monthly and yearly calendars. Plus, more than you ever wanted to know about ISO paper dimensions and printable paper models of polyhedra. Prev-ious-ly.
posted to MetaFilter by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 3:50 PM on May 28, 2012 (36 comments)

I just had my first attack of gout, and I'm looking for trustworthy sources of information on the purine levels of different foods.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by crocomancer at 11:51 AM on July 9, 2012 (10 comments)

Quest: Awesome PS3 games. What are some great PS3 games that came out this past academic year for a given value (inside) of great?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by smirkette at 7:55 PM on July 9, 2012 (26 comments)

What are the best new ska/ska-punk bands out there now?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by General Malaise at 3:32 PM on June 20, 2012 (12 comments)

Drawing on money can elevate a humble bill to something a bit more entertaining. [via]
posted to MetaFilter by quin at 6:59 AM on May 29, 2012 (23 comments)

How do you find out about events in Tokyo, before they're just about to happen?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by iamcrispy at 7:06 PM on May 12, 2012 (4 comments)

I'm looking for examples of recent, extreme police corruption in rural or small-town America.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Bookhouse at 4:05 PM on May 6, 2012 (20 comments)

Falling in love all over again: help me re-learn the Battletech fluff.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Slackermagee at 10:46 PM on April 30, 2012 (10 comments)

As Chicago prepares to join other cities in marking May Day with a march and a general strike, it is interesting to think about these actions in the context of May Day's Chicago origins and Chicago's role in labor history.
posted to MetaFilter by Westringia F. at 11:58 PM on April 30, 2012 (20 comments)

Hot sauce recipes sought. All kinds. That is all. Thank you.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by beshtya at 7:11 AM on April 20, 2012 (12 comments)

Before Quantum Leap, there was a another scifi tv show where two time traveling Voyagers tried to put right what once went wrong…..
posted to MetaFilter by zarq at 9:51 PM on April 4, 2012 (37 comments)

"From days of long ago... from uncharted regions of the universe, comes a legend: the legend of Voltron, Defender of the Universe!"
posted to MetaFilter by zarq at 9:22 AM on April 2, 2012 (30 comments)

Thanks to the community for the amazing commentary and analysis in this thread about employers asking for Facebook passwords.
posted to MetaTalk by rollbiz at 8:24 PM on March 21, 2012 (24 comments)

Meatbomb does an AMA on reddit, about his 20 years teaching English as a Foreign Language.
posted to MetaTalk by StickyCarpet at 10:34 AM on March 17, 2012 (64 comments)

What are the best new webcomics?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Rinku at 9:52 PM on March 14, 2012 (23 comments)

X-Com: UFO Defense, one of the most beloved strategy games of the 90s, was being remade as a first person shooter. That project has been pushed back to 2013. Instead, a 3D turn-based "reimagining" is in the works from Sid Meier's Firaxis Games - XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
posted to MetaFilter by thecjm at 11:04 AM on March 6, 2012 (128 comments)

Featuring nearly 300 penguins, San Diego's PenguinCam provides hours of entertainment during March and April.
posted to MetaFilter by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 1:17 PM on March 6, 2012 (78 comments)

The Baldur's Gate series of games is considered legendary amongst CRPG fans. They are routinely considered amongst the greatest of all time, and was recently voted the best series in the history of video games by a panel of 1,000 game devs. Today, the Baldur's Gate web site was updated with a new product teaser.
posted to MetaFilter by WinnipegDragon at 9:05 AM on February 29, 2012 (156 comments)

Great non-action RPGs for iOS?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Shepherd at 10:38 AM on February 26, 2012 (11 comments)

Ana White shares hundreds of free furniture plans on her website, encouraging those who may have never built furniture before. Formerly known as "Knock Off Wood" since she had DIY versions of popular retail styles, she changed her name after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Williams-Sonoma (owner of Pottery Barn and West Elm). An audio interview with Ms. White and a Flickr pool of completed projects. (via Balancing Everything)
posted to MetaFilter by flex at 5:30 PM on February 19, 2012 (24 comments)

I have a .mov file and an .flv file that I need to burn on DVD so that they both play one after the other in a continuous loop. I have an XP computer and an iPad 1. Is there any freeware out there that can do this for me?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by gfrobe at 5:50 AM on February 5, 2012 (7 comments)

In the late 1970s Jorge Luis Borges edited a 33-volume series of fantastic tales by many authors, from Jack London to Pu Songling, Leopoldo Lugones to Henry James. The series was called "The Library of Babel," after the Borges story of the same title. In 2009, Grant Monroe found a directory of Spanish-language science fiction, fantasy, terror and mystery stories, listing the contents of the 33 volumes -- JLB's own favorite weird tales both well-known and obscure -- and began tracking down links to each of the stories, one by one: "Searching the Library of Babel".
posted to MetaFilter by finnb at 2:15 PM on January 29, 2012 (11 comments)

What's your favorite jokey way to give someone a verbal shake of your fist?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by WaspEnterprises at 11:57 AM on January 25, 2012 (79 comments)