The Minuteman bike trail runs from Alewife Station through Lexington to Bedford. Here's a map! You can take your bike on the Fung Wah, and (I believe) on the Red Line if it's not rush hour. Even if you don't have a bike, it should be 6 or 7 miles and the trail is pleasant.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 9:12 PM on September 29, 2008

I can tell you that they (or some of them) were published in the New York Times magazine 3 or 4 years ago. Beyond that, good luck.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 9:16 PM on September 23, 2008

Independent People, another by Laxness, fits the bill. Sort of. While the plot is fairly straightforward, and involves mostly the foibles of raising sheep in Iceland, Laxness takes such care in building his characters it seems (to me) an epic. Everything Kattullus has said about Under the Glacier applies here also. Wickedly funny, astoundingly touching, beautifully written.

In non-fiction I can... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 12:32 PM on June 10, 2008

I confess, I know these guys, but nothing makes me feel more at ease with the possibility of the post apocalyptic west than Badman.

The Pixie's album Trompe le Monde has a song called "Motorway to Roswell," but I'd bring the whole album. Hell, bring the whole Pixie's catalog.

Iggy Pop's Theme from the Repo Man Soundtrack, as well as the Plugz "El Clavo Y La Cruz" and "Hombre Secreto" (also from Repo Man) are worthy... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 2:50 PM on May 12, 2008

I can't watch more than 6 seconds of that James Tobak clip at a time without having a full on panic attack...
posted to MetaFilter by clockwork at 3:54 PM on May 5, 2008

Don't go too nuts on the carrot juice unless you want to turn orange.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 10:18 AM on May 5, 2008

The best name I've ever heard for it is "pumpkin time."

... in a study of simulated driving performance, impairments in lane-keeping ability after a night without sleep were equivalent to those observed at blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.07%.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 8:38 AM on April 30, 2008

Steve's husband Tom is a neat guy, too.
posted to MetaFilter by clockwork at 3:03 PM on April 28, 2008

If it's BROAD knowledge of hip-hop you're going for you can't go wrong with The Rub's History of Hip Hop series. One podcast for every year between 1979 and 1999. Some of the early shows are around 45 minutes, but the later ones run over 2 hours. There are also tracklists for every show, so you can find more stuff by people you like. I made a bunch of text files out of the tracklists to keep on my ipod for easy reference.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 1:51 PM on April 25, 2008 marked best answer

Can you provide a citation mphuie? This would definitely explain two immediate headphone deaths (right side, of course) after using them with a 2nd gen iPod.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 12:47 PM on April 24, 2008

Thanks, robofunk.

I guess "death" is a little melodramatic. In my case both pairs of headphones ended up with a blown right speaker, or some similar sounding malady. Regardless, both pairs can't play bass frequencies at any volume without crackling the right speaker. My problems both predate the 1.1 firmware issue though and, furthermore, the symptoms don't totally match. Maybe I'm just lousy with headphones.
Sorry to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 1:55 PM on April 24, 2008

I may just be impatient, but I think PD is probably overkill for what you're trying to do.

It's been ages since I looked at Fruity Loops, but I would take a look at the SimSynth Live instrument that appears to be included in the demo. (Which I presume is what you have.) Just set up a loop with one note in it so you can hear the tweaks your making and export a .wav file when you're done.

If SimSynth isn't included in the demo, look for another... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 2:04 PM on April 15, 2008

I just love it when Miko decides not to take any shit. Makes my day, every single time.
posted to MetaFilter by clockwork at 1:31 PM on April 15, 2008

guh... I should have known that the same Mr. Weingarten who wrote the the subway busking article was the same douche bag who wrote the 24 hours of punditry article...
posted to MetaTalk by clockwork at 2:51 PM on April 8, 2008

Did he really write "douche bag" in an article for the Washington Post?
posted to MetaFilter by clockwork at 9:56 AM on April 1, 2008

some video artist, i can't remember who, re-cut the video to "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash into alphabetical order. it's hilarious to watch. i feel like i saw it on vvork or wmmna. help!
posted to MetaFilter by clockwork at 9:45 AM on March 19, 2008

there it is. it was Oliver Laric!
posted to MetaFilter by clockwork at 9:47 AM on March 19, 2008

i just bought a canon sd1000. i played briefly with the panasonic/leica cameras and i was not terribly impressed. the things that made me choose the canon over the panasonic were the startup time, the overall construction, and the menu layout.

i felt like the form factor and the external controls on the panasonic camera i looked at (sorry, i can't remember the model) were chintzy and seemed fragile. i also liked the canon's smaller size.

what... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 7:29 PM on March 17, 2008

whatzit gets a best answer for being closest to the intent of the question. Thanks all!
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 11:57 AM on February 12, 2008

Setting aside the question of whether or not the song Regulate itself is dated, I can't tell that the use of "skirt" therein is ironic or retro. I had never thought about it before, but I guess Warren G. and Nate Dogg would be considered lounge lizards of a sort. I am lobbying for a best answer for Metroid Baby.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 10:46 AM on February 12, 2008

OW for the win. If you want a further explanation of the sourdough process, check out The Bread Builders. It's an amazing reference, even if you have no intention of building a brick oven. The first half of the book has an astonishingly thorough explanation of how natural leavens raise bread and the multitude of factors involved. One of the points he stresses is the importance of how you store and refresh your starter.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 1:49 PM on February 3, 2008

Hit the , or . key right now. Seriously.

This is definitely better than Mefi Mail or favorites or flagging.
or... maybe I just have a mouse with a broken scroll wheel.
posted to MetaTalk by clockwork at 10:38 AM on February 1, 2008

I also was disappointed not to find a book on the origin of emoticons.
posted to MetaFilter by clockwork at 12:50 PM on January 22, 2008

The bread-bakers.com mailing list had a pretty good writeup of sourdough starter maintenance in one of their December issues. It's the last message in the link. Full of good info on the nuts and bolts of sourdough starter.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 9:51 AM on January 21, 2008

Kites!
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 3:47 PM on January 10, 2008

Toribash is the strangest, most compelling game i've come across in ages. thanks.
posted to MetaFilter by clockwork at 7:01 PM on January 5, 2008

no seriously. it's like starcraft, but for judo instead of space alien warfare.
posted to MetaFilter by clockwork at 8:09 PM on January 5, 2008

A decisive victory for the cabal.
posted to MetaTalk by clockwork at 11:21 AM on December 31, 2007

"Prelude to 110 or 220-Women of the World" by Jim O'Rourke from the album Eureka
"Women of the world, take over. 'Cause if you don't the world will come to an end, and it won't take long."
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 9:17 AM on December 18, 2007

"Vitamin", "Aero Dynamik", and "Elektro Kardiogramm" from the Kraftwerk album Tour De France
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 9:29 AM on December 18, 2007

"Nuclear War" by Sun Ra (or Yo La Tengo)
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 9:34 AM on December 18, 2007

I just knew this would be a music thread that we could finally all agree about...
posted to MetaFilter by clockwork at 7:27 PM on December 15, 2007

oh man... one of nylon's links has a powerpoint presentation with some of the survey results!
posted to MetaFilter by clockwork at 2:41 PM on December 16, 2007

not exactly what you're after, but still within the realm of games to play with the postman.
The Postman's Decision Is Final
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 4:07 PM on December 15, 2007

These are great! Thanks all! I don't know why I didn't think to look at Wikipedia for this. "Grand Canyon" looks suspiciously like one of the "Important Films" mentioned at the end of this article from The Atlantic.

Now, if I can only keep my mind from going totally blank once I hit the video store...
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 7:18 PM on December 9, 2007

The handtruck burnmp3s is talking about is made for moving refrigerators. Get it. It will have straps with tensioners built into it and rubber rollers on the back to help you move it up and down stairs.

I don't know exactly how heavy a refrigerator is, compared to a ms. pac-man machine, but it took only took two people (people stronger and stupider than your average human) to move a refrigerator down a single flight of stairs using such a hand truck. (I would... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 9:47 AM on December 5, 2007

Die Hard 2.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 8:07 PM on December 1, 2007

You might try to get a copy of the Futurist Cookbook.

I can't find an online versions, but there are a few recipe descriptions in the second link and I have one recipe on file:

The Excited Pig (formula by the Futurist Aeropainter Fillia): A whole salami, skinned, is served upright on a dish containing some very hot black coffee mixed with a good deal of eau de Cologne.

It also suggests operating... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 12:08 PM on November 29, 2007

Anderson Erickson in Iowa makes some fine egg nog. I've found that most other store bought nogs try to emulate the taste of an alcoholic egg nog. I had some luck recently with whatever the organic brand Shaw's stocks. I can't remember the brand, but I gave it a shot because it had individual ingredients listed instead of just "Natural and/or Artificial Flavoring."
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 4:43 PM on November 28, 2007

A cranberry crumble seems like it would work pretty well, too. Just take the topping from any old apple crisp recipe and slap it on top of your cranberry sauce. Drain off the liquid first if you think it's necessary.
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 10:35 AM on November 26, 2007

Do it! I lived in Cambridge for 3 years without a bike and now that I have one, I don't know how I ever lived without it. I hadn't ridden a bike for maybe 8 years and while it was a little hairy at first, it didn't take very long to get acclimated.

Some previous AskMe threads on the subject here (Boston specific, even!) and here.

As far as specific riding tips go, riding defensively is the best way I've found to keep out of trouble. There... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 2:21 PM on November 24, 2007 marked best answer

I'm partial to John Fahey's version which appears on the album Legend of Bind Joe Death. Fahey recorded the same album several times and the current release of this album collects several different versions of the same songs together. I like the 1967 version. Fahey, being the card that he was, puts a fadeout in the middle of the song where John Henry enters the tunnel. The music fades back in when he reaches the other side.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 10:10 AM on November 21, 2007

The last three issues of the Bread Bakers Digest have discussed olive oil misters. It doesn't look like the archives on their website are up to date just yet, but one person on the list suggested this . Another person recommended a "Mister Mister". Another suggested aerosol cans of olive oil.

The general consensus seems to be that olive oil misters are touchy devices that fail regularly, no matter how well you take care of them.

If... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by clockwork at 1:27 PM on November 9, 2007

my god. it's full of stars.
posted to MetaTalk by clockwork at 5:03 PM on November 2, 2007