There’s a lot of bad news on metafilter and elsewhere about the love-finding prospects for hetero middle aged women like me. I’m 51. I’ve never had a good, happy, mutually fulfilling relationship, though I’ve had a number of unhappy, unfulfilling ones — and lately no relationships at all.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by swheatie at 11:10 AM on November 26, 2017 (34 comments)

Want to spend a lot of money before Christmas? No need to thank me!
posted to MetaFilter by smoke at 5:34 PM on November 24, 2017 (22 comments)

True self-care is not salt baths and chocolate cake, it is making the choice to build a life you don’t need to regularly escape from.
posted to MetaFilter by AFABulous at 7:18 PM on November 22, 2017 (64 comments)

Boston Dynamics has posted a new video. It's 54 seconds of a robot doing things I never thought they could do.
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 6:05 PM on November 16, 2017 (99 comments)

What are the best things about entering into your 30s?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by winterportage at 8:32 AM on July 30, 2017 (43 comments)

There is quite a bit of serious and depressing going on right now: U.S. politics, sexual abuse/assault/harassment in Hollywood, etc. I thought it might be good to have a place to just post happy things. Share something that's made you happy. A photo of a pet. Tell us about a good piece of cake that you just ate. Or maybe you went for a long walk and connected with nature. Whatever it is, just something happy, to remind ourselves that we'll be ok and we'll get through this, whatever that may be. Love to all of you.
posted to MetaTalk by Fizz at 10:58 AM on November 10, 2017 (216 comments)

Do you use LibraryThing or goodreads or both? What do you like or not like about each of them, aside from goodreads being owned by Amazon which I imagine most people dislike?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by 2 cats in the yard at 8:00 AM on November 10, 2017 (13 comments)

An Ode To The Greatest Trees In Video Game History [Now Loading] “With trees being a fairly common sight in all but the harshest environments found on Earth, it's only natural that they soon made their transition into the digital world. From the blurry emerald blobs found in the top-down games of the '80s, to the fluffy 3D structures seen in Super Mario 64, trees have been with us gamers all the way. Sometimes, they have a purpose beyond aesthetics. As in Black and White where your divine avatar is able to pick them up and use them for ungodly purposes, or in today's MOBAs where the fog of war created by trees is an essential part of the mechanics. But mostly, they're just there to create a recognizable and immersive world. Let's take a closer look at some of the defining trees in the history of games”
posted to MetaFilter by Fizz at 5:16 PM on November 1, 2017 (29 comments)

There are many many pop/rock songs that start out simple and go getting more complex, adding layers, instruments, harmonies, rhythms, doubling and tripling vocals, until reaching a climax of sorts. I'm looking for the opposite: songs that start complicated and become simpler, until ending with a minimum of elements. Does such a beast exist?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by signal at 2:42 PM on October 14, 2017 (11 comments)

Asking for a friend who's having trouble finding a date: I am a 26 year old transwoman from Los Angeles with an attraction to other women and I've been on hormones for a couple years, slowly transitioning. I'm at the end of my rope and am close to giving up trying to date – every attempt has been a disaster, and my life falls apart a bit after nearly every serious attempt at it I take. What are my options? More details below.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Senza Volto at 7:58 AM on February 26, 2017 (27 comments)

Recently I've been reading a lot of nonfictional accounts of various cultures, and I realized I have a preference for a specific type that is hard to search for. There is one snowflake.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Ender's Friend at 9:26 AM on October 1, 2017 (23 comments)

“Thomasson: noun \ to-ma-son \ a preserved architectural relic which serves no purpose”. #トマソン is the Instagram community hashtag for the The Inexplicably Fascinating Secret World of Thomasson (previously.)
posted to MetaFilter by Room 641-A at 6:29 PM on September 27, 2017 (40 comments)

Seen not super-long ago on the blue; trying to track down a fairly well-know poem about how your loved ones conspire against you while you sleep. Sadly that's all I can recall, except the first line may have been something like "we wish to inform you" (searching for which yields naught but the Gourevitch book). Ideas?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by aspersioncast at 12:34 PM on September 26, 2017 (3 comments)

I've watched all of awful squad and I need new streams to watch.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Uncle at 3:07 PM on September 17, 2017 (13 comments)

A buddy of mine has to drain his pool. He asked on Facebook how to actually do that. We've given him a bunch of "helpful" ideas, but I'd like to get more help on this. The more unpractical your idea, the better. Let's science the crap out of this.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jeffamaphone at 8:22 AM on September 12, 2017 (92 comments)

What Is Toxic Masculinity? - Doctor Nerdlove - part of what makes toxic masculinity so damaging: it ignores and diminishes anyone who doesn’t fit that narrow range of “man”. The only measure of worth is pain; who causes it and who endures it. We worship the hero but we ignore the caregiver. We praise the person who rescues the endangered, but not the ones who give to the needy. We admire soldiers, but spare few thoughts for the people who make sure that those soldiers don’t need to go to war.
posted to MetaFilter by CrystalDave at 6:17 AM on September 4, 2017 (50 comments)

I want to build more intimate and loving relationships
posted to Ask MetaFilter by treetop89 at 7:22 PM on September 2, 2017 (10 comments)

I am interested in 'the hole' in its conceptual, metaphorical, and literal crossovers. Who has written about holes? In the ground? In theory? In myth and fiction?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by 0bvious at 9:44 AM on August 28, 2017 (33 comments)

What other experiences could I seek out that are on par with the wonder of seeing a total solar eclipse?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by GoldenEel at 1:41 PM on August 22, 2017 (62 comments)

I want to switch careers. But are there really that many jobs in data analysis?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by kalimac at 5:08 AM on August 22, 2017 (9 comments)

Uncanny Japan is Thersa Matsuura's podcast dedicated to Japanse folk lore, customs and historical oddities.
posted to MetaFilter by Foci for Analysis at 3:04 PM on August 21, 2017 (3 comments)

I'm really interested in how educational technology will transform schools - help me find out more about this!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by greytape at 3:55 AM on May 26, 2017 (12 comments)

Mueller convenes a Grand Jury while Trump tweets concern about our relationship with Russia.
posted to MetaFilter by AlexiaSky at 12:26 AM on August 4, 2017 (2637 comments)

I'm a woman in a male-dominated industry (tech) and even more male-dominated office. I can't tell if the men around me are undervaluing my contributions because of my gender, or if I am being oversensitive and reading into things. Help me get some objective perspective. Any advice is appreciated.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by redlines at 7:56 PM on August 4, 2017 (21 comments)

I love my leftist allies, but their attitudes can sometimes turn me off, and I am looking for resources to help me process this. Deets inside!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by shalom at 10:12 PM on August 3, 2017 (14 comments)

Web developer Patrick Murphy has been maintaining a website, NFL Arrest, which keeps track of how often members of the National Football League are arrested. The site offers a handy API, which allows you to slice and dice the data yourself- breaking it down by team, position, player, and more.
posted to MetaFilter by jenkinsEar at 1:22 PM on July 30, 2017 (19 comments)

Jacqui Kenny is searching for the perfect Google street photo (Wired), as seen on her Instagram feed, Agoraphobic Traveller/ Streetview Portraits. Kenny especially likes when you can see the Google car's shadow or dust kicked up as it rolls by. "It gives it an otherworldly feel," she says. At first, she would pick locales more or less at random, poking around the streets of faraway towns and taking screenshots whenever she stumbled upon a striking image. After a while, she began seeking out certain kinds of views: arid regions with clear horizons; latitudes where she found that the sunlight fell at a dramatic slant. (New Yorker)
posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief at 8:57 PM on July 26, 2017 (24 comments)

I get nervous about flirting and dating, and my friend suggested I 'fake it til I make it' by trying to imitate someone I wish I could be like. But I'm having trouble thinking of fictional characters/celebrity role models. What are some examples of women who are intellectual/feminist/strong but also forward and good at flirting?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 8:06 PM on November 6, 2013 (35 comments)

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator [PG Gamer] “Visual novels and dating simulators are strange beasts, and the intersection of those genres with comedy often results in parody. Dream Daddy [YouTube] [Trailer] sounds exactly like that—like it’s going to riff off and satire both the simplification of relationships down to dialogue options and usage of queer relationships in the genre. It really isn’t, though: beneath the dad jokes and past a first glance, it’s a game about kindness and positivity. You play your own, custom dad, who’s moving to a new area with his daughter, Amanda. After his partner died, he’s been raising Amanda as a single father, and the two have a very close relationship. The cul-de-sac they move to is, conveniently, filled with dads, most of which are single (the other is in the perpetual relationship state of ‘it’s complicated’).”
posted to MetaFilter by Fizz at 9:40 AM on July 27, 2017 (52 comments)

I'm getting used to the pace of graduate school now, and to my surprise, I actually have a fair deal of free time on the weekends. Currently, I mostly spend it idle at home doing nothing in particular, which doesn't strike me as a good use of this time. One complication is that the free time I have is not always consistent (some weeks I might have some major coursework due) or predictable (deadlines might pop up with little notice), so it's hard to take on any pre-scheduled commitments. With this constraint in mind, I'm still eager to spend this time on learning some new skills, or taking up a new hobby, or anything productive/interesting, really. Mefites of more advanced wisdom: what are things that you wish you had taken the time to do/learn in your 20s?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Conspire at 4:36 PM on January 17, 2016 (62 comments)

I'm sure this has been asked before, but searching the archives didn't help much. I'm an avid reader, but can't find any compelling new books to read. Feminist, sci-fi-ish books with a literary bent would be ideal. Detailed likes and dislikes inside!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by snaw at 10:44 AM on July 26, 2014 (45 comments)

You guys might remember my question from late last year mentioning the "worst asthma attack I can remember." So, it turned out I had improperly treated pneumonia, which turned into ARDS, sepsis, heart failure, and 79 days in the hospital (34 unconscious in the ICU.) I'm having some trouble processing this whole thing, and am hoping you guys have some useful input.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by SMPA at 7:44 PM on July 2, 2017 (18 comments)

A question posed to the married men of Reddit: what moment with your future wife made you think "Yup, I'm asking this girl to marry me."? (SLReddit) Although the one-sidedness of the question is not ideal (how about "married women, when did you know you wanted to marry your husband"), there are some great stories in here, from the touching to the silly.
posted to MetaFilter by millipede at 3:52 PM on June 22, 2017 (79 comments)

I am currently employed, but need a new job. The two things that I'm good at and get lost in are research and writing. Is your job comprised mainly of these two elements? What do you do?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by whistle pig at 7:59 AM on January 20, 2017 (23 comments)

I remember going on a hike a long time ago as a kid that was somewhere in the Cascades, possibly near Snoqualmie or Leavenworth. I'd like to go back but I can't remember what it was anymore.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Orca at 9:01 PM on June 12, 2017 (7 comments)

I'm a queer woman in my early 30s not currently in a relationship. I think about sex a LOT. What can I do now (next 3-6 months?) to make partnered sex better when I am in a long-term relationship again?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 7:11 AM on June 9, 2017 (8 comments)

I'm looking for books, articles, blog posts, etc. that discuss balancing two semi-contrasting perspectives: 1) there are particularly good ways to live your life/goals to have in life and we should strive to live that way and encourage others to live that way 2) we're all different & have different tastes/utility functions and we should just let people do their thing if they aren't hurting others. Open to your thoughts on the perspectives as well, but something longer form that digs into the question preferred.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Jaclyn at 2:12 PM on June 7, 2017 (5 comments)

You Feel Like Shit: An Interactive Self-Care Guide "This is meant to be an interactive flow chart for people who struggle with self care, executive dysfunction, and/or who have trouble reading internal signals. It's designed to take as much of the weight off of you as possible, so each decision is very easy and doesn't require much judgment."
posted to MetaFilter by desjardins at 4:34 PM on September 28, 2015 (97 comments)

Cat cafes... dog cafes... Raccoon cafes? [captions] A more extensive, cuter look at the Seoul raccoon cafe [Korean audio, English subtitles] One more, because why not (bonus capybaras!)[music only]
posted to MetaFilter by AFABulous at 6:23 PM on June 3, 2017 (21 comments)

Fortunately, r/cscareerquestions has their back. (reddit)
posted to MetaFilter by chaoticgood at 3:37 PM on June 3, 2017 (75 comments)

On the 15th anniversary of its publication, The A.V. Club interviews author Michael Azerrad and others on the creation and impact of Our Band Could Be Your Life.
posted to MetaFilter by soundguy99 at 11:04 AM on April 10, 2016 (14 comments)

I've invented a complete imaginary world. Am I insane?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 3:25 PM on March 30, 2007 (81 comments)

Now that PWR BTTM is off my playlist, I'm feeling the loss. There are few recent bands I've enjoyed as much. I'm looking for a band who is socially conscious, preferably queer, definitely feminist who create incredibly catchy, sing-along-suitable music. Indie, hip-hop, punk rock, ska, probably not so much singer-songwriter but I'm pretty open if I can sing along to a catchy tune! The only example I can think of that scratches this itch is Tacocat. Please give me links to a song or two and tell me why you think I should check them out (i.e. don't just list a band name with zero context!)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by the thorn bushes have roses at 5:44 PM on May 16, 2017 (20 comments)

I'm not sure if there is a term for the category of movie I'm looking for, but I've lately been on a kick of thinking-person's science fiction movies, and I'm looking for more that fit the bill. Movies like the Martian, Contact, 2001, Interstellar, Solaris and I was especially moved by Arrival. Thoughtful, sort of technical, lyric, and slow. Limited violence and no sexual violence. Any suggestions?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Think_Long at 11:40 AM on February 21, 2017 (44 comments)

Are you a data analyst/scientist or business intelligence analyst? Do you do data visualization? What specific skills should I develop to switch careers from project management? Are there certifications I should look into getting? What would impress a hiring manager, or at least let me get my foot in the door?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by AFABulous at 6:40 AM on March 9, 2017 (10 comments)

What do I need to do over the next two years so that I can start my own home business doing programming? I already work in Web Development for my job.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by chocolatemilkshakes at 2:15 PM on August 4, 2010 (7 comments)

What, in your experience, is the bright side of getting older?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by rpfields at 3:24 PM on January 1, 2014 (63 comments)

Just that - if you've had a particularly pleasurable solitary birthday, what made it so?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by knownfossils at 11:50 AM on April 18, 2017 (56 comments)

I am a thinker. I want to stop thinking too much (over-analyzing) and start doing more. Any how to or tips?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bbxx at 9:24 PM on September 11, 2010 (26 comments)

I just finished reading Siddhartha Mukherjee's The Emperor of All Maladies, and I realized I don't really understand, at all, what's involved in writing a book like that.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by un petit cadeau at 11:39 AM on August 7, 2015 (7 comments)