* "Everyone needs a hug" should be in bigger, bolder, badder font

Nah, it needs something with more feeling.
posted to MetaTalk by Brandon Blatcher at 6:21 AM on October 6, 2008

I'm too scared to play this because whenever I do picks for things like NCAA basketball I'm always, always terribly, horribly, wrong. I don't want to jinx anything.
posted to MetaTalk by rtha at 7:10 AM on October 3, 2008

I am going to bet based on my best case scenario, rather than any rational thought (I could have planned the Iraq war):

All of America feels a psychic connection with the Spirit of America that enters into all of us at the same time. This spirit compels all neocons and Fox News anchors to leave their offices and homes and tear their clothes and put on sack cloths and cover themselves in ashes and vow to wander the land penniless and powerless until they die in shame for... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by ND¢ at 12:42 PM on October 3, 2008

No. You're not only not going to do that viral astroturfing shit here, I forbid you from doing it anywhere. This is now the seventh time (I've been keeping track) that I've heard the republican spin that the housing crisis is caused by Hispanics/black/minorities/poor. A memo must have gone out the night Paulson proposed the plan because jowly white douchebags from all over are all simultaneously on board with the same talking points.

Let me be perfectly clear. It is... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Pastabagel at 8:39 AM on September 30, 2008

Ljubljana - that was great:

BUSH: So, what's the plan again?

CHENEY: Well, we need to invade Iraq and Afghanistan. So what we've decided to do is crash a whole bunch of remote-controlled planes into Wall Street and the Pentagon, say they're real hijacked commercial planes, and blame it on the towelheads; then we'll just blow up the buildings ourselves to make sure they actually fall down.

RUMSFELD: Right! And we'll make... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 7:28 AM on September 3, 2007

"Let the economy burn" and "fund golden parachutes" ARE NOT THE ONLY TWO CHOICES, folks.
posted to MetaFilter by Sidhedevil at 1:48 PM on September 29, 2008

People are taking the words way too literally. 'NSFW' doesn't necessarily mean a heads up that's only relevant for people at work, and the term doesn't necessaily encompass only nudity, and the sole consequence of a NSFW page isn't necessarily trouble with an angry little boss, like a George Jetson cartoon. If you are in a public or semi-public place and you unexpectedly click on something with nudity in it, you can get in trouble, yes, but you can also just plain get embarrassed. Other people... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by dgaicun at 6:49 AM on September 30, 2008

RelationshipFilter is easy:

Are you trying to get together with someone who has made it clear they just want to be friends?
- It won't work, it's disrespectful to them, don't do it.

Are you trying to get back together with your [insert $drama] ex?
- It's a bad idea, don't do it.

Are you suffering from problems in your relationship?
- Talk to your partner(s).... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:42 AM on September 18, 2008

Dear AskMe,

I left god on the counter overnight, but wrapped in foil. Is it still ok to eat him?
posted to MetaTalk by Brandon Blatcher at 2:16 PM on September 16, 2008

Dude, AskMe helped me find my lost keys, inside my own apartment! AskMe can answer anything if you frame it right.
posted to MetaTalk by iamkimiam at 9:39 AM on September 10, 2008

I'll go with AskMe being best at "What's that film that had that guy in it, and that other guy, you know the one, right?"

Personally I find it best when not posted to. If I do have some annoying computer question, I often think of how to phrase it as an AskMe, then I think of the reason that it's a stupid question ("you haven't checked XYZ, and you're here asking this?") and go and check that, or whatever.

So, it's like AskMetaFilterFilter.
posted to MetaTalk by pompomtom at 6:51 PM on September 10, 2008

That analysis misses some of the most interesting differences between their web platforms.

Most prominently, Obama uses jQuery, while McCain seems to basically limit himself to hand-rolled Javascript. This honestly probably suggests that McCain's web developers are older; the reduced amount of Javascript on McCain's site may also be an indication that they expect their audience to be more likely to have older, slower computers (this is backed up by the observation... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by gsteff at 6:54 PM on September 9, 2008

That settles it. Obama gets my vote.
posted to MetaFilter by Fuzzy Skinner at 4:54 PM on September 9, 2008

I'm both extremely geeky and extremely open to mocking Mr McCain, and so I must reluctantly approve of this post.
posted to MetaFilter by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:19 PM on September 9, 2008

I'd like to see The Pony Status Report on my desk asap.

Mmmm'yeah.
posted to MetaTalk by mkultra at 6:56 AM on September 3, 2008

Mycologist checking in here: Fusarium oxysporum is a fungal species that is found practically everywhere on the planet. It is different varieties of F.o. that cause diseases in specific plants. I don't know if the Panama disease variety of F.o. actually grows up into the fruit itself (I am guessing only rarely, because it infects the roots and lower stem of the tree), BUT even if it is found in banana skins, I don't think there is any reason to worry about composting it. Because 1) people have... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by emyd at 11:39 AM on August 26, 2008 marked best answer

I knew a person sort of like this. Pointing out ways that his worldview was wrong didn't help because he usually had a way to out-debate me. I think it did help to encourage him (and help him) to spend more time with his friends, so he could spend some of his mental energy on them instead of me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by dreamyshade at 4:32 PM on August 24, 2008

At some point, every child of broken parents has to either become their own better parent, or sink into the pit of familial despair. You have a new family now, and need to think about what's best for it as an entity even if you can't focus on what's best for you. Your mother is relatively young, and if you don't protect her, she will undoubtedly find someone else to do so, because from what you describe, that is her dynamic.

When you asked to move back home because you... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Scram at 10:11 PM on August 13, 2008 marked best answer

What you want is reassurance that he still loves you and the way you are asking for it is through physical intimacy. Talk to him and see if he willing to make an effort to make the relationship better as long as he isn't forced to do anything he doesn't want to. If agrees, try This is from Harville Hendrix "Getting the Love You Want"
Each person makes a list with the answers to these questions:
- I feel loved and cared for when you...
- I used to... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by metahawk at 9:15 PM on August 13, 2008

The best Metafilter-based strangely accurate vision for the future ever.
posted to MetaTalk by fire&wings at 5:54 PM on August 13, 2008

I apologize for meatbomb's apology. And I apologize for the sudden rash of niceness and civility at metafilter. Be assured it won't last. The hissy fits, meltdowns, flamefests, smackdowns, showboating, navel gazing ennui, petty rivalries, wound licking, endlessly divisive threads, mass hysteria and childish antics will all be back in full force soon enough. Thank God.
posted to MetaTalk by ornate insect at 9:38 AM on August 7, 2008

I'm very glad today that I spent my five dollars. The way that this site can en masse go through fighty times and happy times makes me remember that it's more of a community than pretty much anything else on the internet.
posted to MetaTalk by roll truck roll at 9:59 AM on August 7, 2008

Good on you, WCityMike, for recognizing your anger and having the guts to make such a heartfelt public confession - I for one appreciate it. And what lleachie said. As far as I am concerned it's a Brand New Day.

You certainly aren't alone in that anger thing online, it's endemic; amazing how easy it can be to have your buttons pushed and how strong the urge can be to say something harsh, I've felt it so many times, most of us have, I would guess. But fortunately, I... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by madamjujujive at 10:40 AM on August 7, 2008

why bother ... when ... I probably can't be as good as the best?

If I was your therapist, I would spend a long time working with you on that statement. You say it as if it's a syllogism. You do realize that "why bother?" doesn't logically follow from "I can't be as good as the best," don't you?

Why is it important to you to be as good as the best? (Saying "because I'm a perfectionist" is not an... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grumblebee at 7:09 AM on July 31, 2008

Don't bother: any response at all launches you into can't-win-land. If you feel you must say something, deflect it onto yourself ("Thanks, I'll loan you my tapeworm").
posted to Ask Metafilter by rob511 at 6:13 PM on December 10, 2005

There is (was?) a Journal of UFO Studies, which I have never looked at, but purports to have a balanced view of the UFO phenomenon (as in, they include articles from believers and skeptics alike).

What you want to avoid, mainly, are the ones by people like John Mack, Whitley Streiber, and Budd Hopkins, who are the abduction nuts that aleahey is referring to (I find these books fascinating, but not because I believe what they say--moreso because... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by synecdoche at 1:00 PM on July 17, 2008

Was it this post from Fortuito.us?
posted to MetaTalk by jessamyn at 2:29 PM on May 7, 2008

That was *way* more than 500 words. Are these guidelines available as a series of lolcat pictures?
posted to MetaTalk by lukemeister at 5:30 PM on May 7, 2008

I'm no scientist, so I think that one of the most useful things I can do for my fellow sciencin' peeps is to get really excited about scientific theories and discoveries in conversations and emotional interactions. Too often, Science is encountered in the way some people in this thread are doing -- trying to convince people that they're wrong, snarkily dismissing those who don't believe, implying that established authorities have the Only Correct Pattern on how to look at life. This makes... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Greg Nog at 2:11 PM on July 15, 2008

I can't think of anything particularly happy-story-ish, so I wrote this instead. I dunno, it must be the weather.

Seven and a half years of bitter tracks of Metafilter tears
Remember that time when that guy said that thing?
Man, that sure was great

Or that time with those other people, those happy handsome people
Dashiv showed up and took some pics and they looked so good and nice
Oh yeah, totally... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:40 AM on June 19, 2008

You could write letters to him that you save but never send. Then if you meet him in his 20s, you can say, look, I've been thinking about you for the last 10 yrs and here are the letters.
posted to Ask Metafilter by selfmedicating at 3:02 PM on June 11, 2008

He'll save children. But not the British children.
posted to MetaTalk by The Bellman at 2:34 PM on June 9, 2008

We give our daughter (now almost five) a simple and true answer ("Thunder is the sound lightening makes"), and if the Why's get too persistent and annoying, we give her the complex and true answer ("Thunder is a sound of lightening, delayed because it's coming down through the atmosphere more slowly than the light, because the speed of sound is slower than the speed of light, which by the way is both particle and wave," etc. etc.). Usually this bores her, but the other day... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Capri at 11:32 AM on May 30, 2008 marked best answer

Thanks, all, for the great answers. Some of this stuff, like epsom salts and tiger balm, never would have occurred to me. I've managed to narrow it down to a respectably sized list of "things we wouldn't want to have to go out in the middle of the night to get" + "things we'll use a lot." Results below.

FIRST AID --
bandaids
neosporin
burn gel
sterile... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by somanyamys at 9:22 AM on May 21, 2008

Therapy works well and quickly for most people who go into it wanting to change. The evidence for this is more than compelling, it's completely settled. The same evidence suggests that all types of therapy work about equally well. The conservative estimates have a <5 % variation in outcome based the of therapy (cbt, behavioral, insight oriented) engaged in.

That said, probably the most important client-side information to come out of the big... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by OmieWise at 8:37 AM on July 10, 2006

They work by sensing the human operator's soul.

Seriously, though, it's explained on Wikipedia. I don't really get it, though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 9:04 PM on May 15, 2008

I think you might be doing yourself a disservice to write off people so quickly who don't match your list of criteria. Of course you need have things in common with people, but you might find that you're missing out on really great opportunities and friendships.

While I pretty much think the only thing the Bible is missing are unicorns, I still find I can have great friendships with people who are Christian. Granted, we don't necessarily delve into conversations on... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by All.star at 7:17 AM on May 16, 2008

And it needs to be said, that if you are looking for those qualities in other people, be prepared that not every one will have all of those exact qualities that you want. Instead, maybe Mary is the one that you can talk politics with. Perhaps Joe is vegetarian for the same reasons you are. And then there is Henry who is anti-drinking, smoking and drugs. Anna is athiest and eco-friendly. I'm just saying that not everyone will fit your profile, but that many people will fit one aspect of your... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Sassyfras at 8:00 AM on May 16, 2008

I was full-time technical trainer for years (I still do it freelance). I've also taught all sorts of classes to people aged two to eighty. Yet reading your long, well-written* question, I still feel I don't have enough information to help.

I'm grappling with "Why don't I like learning new things?" Many adults have this feeling. Usually, it's because learning (which is a joy to infants and young children) becomes tarnished in school. It becomes un-fun, and from... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grumblebee at 6:14 AM on May 14, 2008 marked best answer

We have some things that we've established in something of an ad-hoc way as we've gone along, that each side appreciates and feels is necessary for the conversation to be constructive. It really takes a prolonged and concerted effort to make progress, as most people "argue" with pre-established patterns of interaction that are hard to reprogram.

I think the #1 thing that I've been able to contribute to conflict resolution, however, is to ask (literally) what... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by SpacemanStix at 12:06 PM on May 8, 2008

Do these shows specifically state that the police officers never have to defend their actions or decisions? Because otherwise I'm not sure why you would assume that. I'm sure "hours and hours of tedious paper work and boring trials following a high speed chase" doesn't get very good ratings.
posted to Ask Metafilter by fermezporte at 12:26 PM on May 2, 2008

I feel for you. I have much the same problem. So does my dad. He is 62, and miserable, and bitter. He has no retirement savings or anything. He sends me emails about how he will budget his meager social security income. This is a man with a JD and an MBA from good schools. It's sad.

What I have learned from him that I try to keep in mind when I work:

1. He is often depressed, which leads to black and white thinking and extremism (I can never be... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by sondrialiac at 4:12 PM on April 30, 2008

A former coworker of mine used to respond to gripefests with the following, perfect one-liner:

"Beats pumping gas."

Worked for me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by googly at 7:19 PM on April 17, 2008

What you are describing sounds a lot like what I call my Bad Boss PTSD. I still have a minifreakout whenever the phone rings and I see it's my boss, because my former boss never called me except to be a jerk. FWIW, I think for me it's taken really this whole year to internalize and accept that I'm not going to be fired here for nothing. It took, and this is sort of awful, but I really had to see some person go through the whole getting fired thing to understand that here, they do not railroad... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Medieval Maven at 10:04 AM on April 10, 2008

What you need is for you to become resistant to the bacteria. The washes keep you from encountering the bacteria and prevent your immune system from developing a response.

Exactly. In the old days the saying for this was "You've got to eat a peck of dirt before you die." In other words, let kids play, get dirty and eat dirt -- it won't kill them. And in fact, it made them healthy. A baby reared in a completely sterile environment for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by beagle at 11:18 AM on April 9, 2008

I think some or all of these questions might be helpful:

1. Does this faith make me treat others better?
2. Does this faith make me treat myself better?
3. Does it logically make sense to me?
4. Does it resonate with me?
5. Does it make me feel like a good person or a bad person?
6. Do I feel closer to others or more apart from them?
7. How does this faith make you feel about the future of the world?
posted to Ask Metafilter by desjardins at 12:59 PM on April 8, 2008

Premailer: http://code.dunae.ca/premailer.web/
posted to Ask Metafilter by piro at 8:31 AM on March 28, 2008 marked best answer

This is a job for "Mini-Moo"!
posted to Ask Metafilter by webhund at 12:29 PM on March 25, 2008

I would guess that bamboo plants from NYC nurseries would be really expensive, so you should probably look for a bamboo farm online that sells them by mail. Even my local nursery sells single bamboo plants in five gallon containers for up to $100 or more, and I can get the same plants online for $30-50 each. I get all my hardy outdoor (non-invasive) bamboo from a farm that sells online from Southern Oregon (I'm in NW Oregon) and they can ship whole plants in a box just fine. I know there are... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mathowie at 10:10 AM on March 21, 2008 marked best answer

This is totally silly but really works for me. And since you say she can't affect your work life, I think it might work for you. In situations such as this, I wonder:

What would Cary Grant do?

And in this instance, I think he would act bemused. He'd be confident in himself because he is an awesome and classy gentleman. He would not endeavour to change another person's opinion because he knows all attempts would be futile. Try to have a... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by spec80 at 3:42 PM on March 3, 2008