As an aside, the National Gallery of Victoria predates Federation (1901) by forty years, hence the name. You've missed the computer games exhibition mentioned above but might still enjoy a visit to ACMI at Federation Square, in fact the whole square seems very popular with visitors (and locals). My own interstate visitors often find themselves dragged around Southbank, and/or various of Melbourne's laneways which are full of graffiti-style murals and other public art, and funny little bars and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 8:37 PM on July 14, 2008

I don't have any references to hand, but recall from my reading on the subject that humans are designed to adapt to our environment and our behavior is especially flexible compared to other species so you can expect it to change in different conditions. It doesn't spring up in a vacuum.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 6:44 PM on July 14, 2008

The guided walk at Warrawong Sanctuary would probably be a good bet. Go to the one at dusk if you can, as our native animals tend to be more active at dawn and dusk.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 10:52 PM on July 6, 2008

There's some good stuff about Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson at the South Australian Museum. Though perhaps snow and ice will be of little interest to a Scandinavian.

Or you could check out some Aboriginal Culture at Tandanya where they're currently celebrating NAIDOC week.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 11:09 PM on July 6, 2008 marked best answer

Corrected link for Tandanya.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 11:18 PM on July 6, 2008

Twelve Angry Men (either version)
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 5:40 PM on June 23, 2008

Also Jack Lemmon's character in The China Syndrome might fit, I guess. Or the title character in Silkwood (based on real events- to what extent I'm not sure.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 2:36 AM on June 24, 2008

I had a whole rant going, but it was just pissing into the wind, a task I prefer to leave to others. (I'm not cleaning that mess up, by the way.)

Anyway. Some sterling examples from the world of classical music- never mind Shakespeare's sister, what about Nannerl, W.A. Mozart's thwarted sister? (Arguably- but that's really the point. There is no way of knowing.) Mendelssohn's slightly less thwarted sister. In our less restrictive times: Yehudi Menuhin had two sisters-... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 4:57 AM on June 5, 2008

By sterling examples, I mean of talented women whose opportunities to shine may have been more or less limited... sorry. That was clearer when I was ranting. (Or maybe not.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 5:00 AM on June 5, 2008

Previously: Why the dearth of female philosophers? | Ask Metafilter
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 5:32 AM on June 5, 2008 marked best answer

This has always happened to me whenever I looked in a dictionary, encylopedia or almost any kind of reference book for that matter- surely you can't just look up one word at a time? Having to physically turn the pages never put me off. An ecstacy of cross-referencing? Infomania?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 5:22 AM on May 29, 2008

Chicago
Guys and Dolls
Bugsy Malone
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 9:20 PM on May 25, 2008

Some wonderful examples from BBC television: The Singing Detective -this is the original TV series (not the movie version which was a flop). Blackpool has a more modern setting but is certainly noir-ish.

Kung Fu Hustle has musical comedy elements- especially some of the fight scenes which border on dance a la Busby Berkeley (there's no singing though). It's set among crime gangs in a 1930's Shanghai slum and is very entertaining, although not really a musical.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 9:51 PM on May 25, 2008

Cabaret
The Fabulous Baker Boys (modern but noir-ish)
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 10:47 PM on May 25, 2008

A few examples of noir-ish musical theatre (Brecht and/or Weill?) and opera (Menotti- The Medium) come to mind, but perhaps that's not what you meant by almost falls within the genre.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 12:05 AM on May 26, 2008

I'm not so sure about a straight contrast between technology versus sleep/unconsciousness exactly. Technology is often a means to escape as well as standing for scientific rationalism and the conscious mind. Examples like David Croneneberg's Existenz spring to mind, or even Being John Malcovitch if you can consider a magic portal is just as much a means to an end as some random piece of equiptment or method dreamed up by a writer of speculative fiction. Many works by Phillip Kick or William... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 1:49 AM on April 26, 2008

Phillip Kick? I meant Phillip K. Dick of course. Oops.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 1:22 AM on April 27, 2008

The jig is up; the gig is tomorrow night.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 1:37 AM on April 26, 2008

I'm not a guitarist but have over twenty years' experience teaching music to all ages, including a wide range of ability (and disability). A good teacher will tailor the material to the student. And a good student will tailor the material to themselves and create their own. Sorry if I'm repeating what has already been suggested. There's not really any simple way to answer your question, as it all boils down to your philosophy and maybe your temperament I guess. Keep doing it as long as you feel... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 7:55 PM on April 25, 2008

Aside from your roomie's great unfulfilled need to burst out crying all over the place, there could be some kind of cultural divide contributing to your issues. Reminds me of that great MeFi post of yore about "Ask" versus "Tell" culture. Maybe your fascinating intellectual discussion is her awful hideous argument or something. Not that there's much you can do about it I guess. Perhaps don't expect too much in the way of sudden intense friendship where something milder and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 6:40 AM on April 16, 2008

I meant this: What's the middle ground between "F.U!" and "Welcome!"?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 7:06 AM on April 16, 2008

Good one phrontist! I just started reading James Joyce's Potrait of the Artist as a Young Man where there's a lovely description of the protagonist doing just that, over and over. I had to put the book down and try it right away.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 4:44 AM on April 13, 2008

Money for nothing- Dire Straits
House of the Rising Sun- The Animals (originally about prostitution)
Wanted Dead or Alive- Bon Jovi

Are you asking for first person only? That would exclude many examples, like Roxane- The Police; Sadie the cleaning lady- John Farnham (with apologies to my fellow Australians!)
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 7:06 AM on March 7, 2008

Stella Gibbons- Cold Comfort Farm. Jane Austen- Northanger Abbey is perhaps her most consistently satirical work. (Pratchett loves to claim his work started out as a mash-up of Austen and Tolkien: I dimly recall a very funny line from an interview with him about his juvenilia consisting of orcs attacking a vicarage, or something.) Oscar Wilde- (too obvious?) more the plays though. Not fiction but a memoir- naturalist Gerald Durrell's My family and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 3:21 AM on March 7, 2008

Oh yes, Duck by the oboe, I thought of Vonnegut too, but I've only read Slaughterhouse Five and it's so sad as well as funny I wasn't sure if it was within the terms of the question? And then I forgot... or was kidnapped by aliens.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 3:30 AM on March 7, 2008

Hanif Kureishi- The Buddha of Suburbia. Anything by Milan Kundera (erm, not that I've read that much, perhaps someone else can suggest where to start). I actually found Anna Karenina quite funny in parts, does that seem weird? In a similar way to Austen even, not for satire but the wry observations about class and hypocrisy are there. (No-one reads Tolstoy for the lulz do they?)
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 3:45 AM on March 7, 2008

Quite apart from any symbolic meaning, in order to harvest a woman character's ova it would generally be far more practical to take the whole ovary, wouldn't it? You wouldn't need a whole testicle to get similar numbers from a male subject. Eggs are scarce; sperm are plentiful.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 2:30 AM on March 7, 2008

It seems likely you're confusing beat and rhythm, although it's hard to say for sure without examples.

To over-simplify somewhat, most music has a consistent underlying pattern of strong and weak beats, and the first beat on the bar is always the strongest! The rhythm can wary wildly within (or over) this. It's like the difference between your heartbeat and your speech rhythm, or between your skeleton and everything that's hanging off it. It's like dancing, not like... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 1:33 AM on March 4, 2008

You'll find it helpful to watch a conductor to see how their gestures relate to the music. They're basically drawing the beat patterns in the air for you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 1:36 AM on March 4, 2008

Also, be wary of rhythms that vary. Or something. God knows some typos are more apt than others.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 1:39 AM on March 4, 2008

Bunyip beat me to the punch with the vegemite suggestion. Use it sparingly; it should be spread very thin, preferably on crackers or hot buttered toast. Also goes well as a sandwich filing with chopped celery and walnuts, though that may be outside your bordering-on-gross brief.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 3:51 AM on March 1, 2008

Patti Smith- Because the night
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 3:41 AM on March 1, 2008

The soundtrack from Into the Wild was pleasingly full of banjo.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 3:40 AM on March 1, 2008

The night-time rustling sounds at my place are usually caused by moths.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 2:08 AM on February 11, 2008

From their website:

What should I wear?

There is no dress code. Anything that makes you feel comfortable is fine. Most people wear business clothes or slightly dressy casual clothes, but you’ll see everything from khakis to cocktail dresses.


posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 6:09 AM on February 2, 2008

I once heard a joke about the key to a successful orchestra career, which if I recall consisted of:

1. Don't be late
2. Don't talk
3. Don't play out of tune
4. Don't play out of time, and
5. Don't smell.

Hopefully the audience need only worry about 1, 2 and 5.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 6:23 AM on February 2, 2008

Beer traps catch all kinds of things though; I gave up on this method when I found a pickled skink one sad morning- like all capital punishment there's a strong risk of killing the innocent.

It's slugs. Why does everyone hate slugs anyway? Slugs are awesome, especially the ones with the stripes. I gather they eat either algae/mould or dead skin/pet food type stuff depending on the species. They're not eating your carpet are they? :O

Chooks and... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 2:17 AM on January 22, 2008

Not exactly ethnography, but the related field of linguistics is key in Samuel R. Delaney's Babel 17. I know the Le Guin story Nax is referring to, but can't for the life of me recall/recognise the title. SF characters are often forced to become amateur xenologists and/or diplomats, (as in James Tiptree Jnr's Up the walls of the world), does that count?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 2:30 AM on January 20, 2008

Gargling with salt water might help too, it's a disinfectant.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 3:32 PM on December 23, 2007

Seconding recordings of the Kronos Quartet, you would do well to listen to any or all of their albums- in their programming they are great gatekeepers to the more accessible modern or post-modern classical compositions, and most albums have a good variety of short works by different composers. If great sweeping soundscapes are your thing you'd probably enjoy pretty much anything by Olivier Messiaen (try the Turangalila Symphony or some of his piano works for contrast), John Taverner (The... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 12:09 AM on November 26, 2007

Phaded, classical music is largely subject to the same terminology as the other arts, including fine art, so yes, there is modernist classical music.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 12:12 AM on November 26, 2007

Maybe your perverse impulses are trying to rescue you from being untrue to yourself in some way.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 3:17 AM on November 19, 2007

... Or: are a symptom thereof.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 3:30 AM on November 19, 2007

Sounds a lot like my old man, who in my view suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. Hard to diagnose and treat, and hard on bystanders. Look it up. There's at least one quite recent thread on it here, that I know of offhand.

The "splitting" behavior, characteristic of the BPD sufferer, means they will likely not reveal their difficult side to a respected authority figure like their family doctor. As others have suggested you might do better to focus on... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 3:53 PM on October 24, 2007

The scenario rings a bell, but it would be common to a lot of SF. Something by Andre Norton perhaps?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 9:03 PM on October 3, 2007

Resumption?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 5:14 AM on September 23, 2007

I recommend The Moral Animal by Robert Wright- he touches on game theory and deals with humanity's capacity for altruism as well as selfishness, illustrating each point with anecdotes from the life of Charles Darwin.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 2:32 AM on May 19, 2007

Afroblanco, enquiring into the source of the world's troubles shouldn't dictate our response to them. People who think "survival of the fittest" is a moral precept are maybe not thinking all that hard? One of the things Wright talks about is what he calls the "naturalistic fallacy", meaning that people who believe that because something is "natural" it is also right, are in error.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 2:46 AM on May 19, 2007

Assuming that by variety of sounds you mean layers of contrasting instruments and timbres, you could go for popular 19th or 20th century orchestral music. Ravel and Rimsky-Korsakov in particular are known for their orchestration.

Ravel- Daphnis and Chloe
Mussorgsky- Pictures at an Exhibition
Rimsky-Korsakov- Scheherzade
Stravinksy- Firebird (and other Stravinsky works as mentioned upthread)
Debussy- La... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 6:18 AM on May 2, 2007

Reading this thread has been a real ear-opener! I too am completely unable to follow conversations in any kind of crowd, where my contribution largely consists of "sorry, could you repeat that please?", and then I give up or pretend. The Wikipedia article on the Cocktail Party Effect (posted by Listener- is that eponysterical or what?) reads like purest science fiction. So, that's considered normal hearing/processing? While having a feeling that something was wrong, I had no idea... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Coaticass at 5:15 PM on April 24, 2007