Emanuel Bronner didn’t just want to make soap. He wanted to unite the world. "In this light, the bottle’s breathless monologue reads more like a doomful love letter from the past. A warning to humanity rising up from the sorrows of loss at the hands of a despot. Woven between incoherent maxims are the raw wounds of a man incapable of communicating just how horrific his pain was. He discloses his grief in a desperate, almost childlike way—on a soap label. A soap label that has become the iconic face of a $120 million soap company. A soap label the Bronner family will never change."
posted to MetaFilter by homunculus at 11:50 AM on December 1, 2018 (82 comments)

Though virtually synonymous with his images for Winnie-the-Pooh and The Wind in the Willows, Ernest Howard Shepard (1879-1976) was one of the most consistent and wide-ranging illustrators of the twentieth century.
posted to MetaFilter by curious nu at 7:59 AM on October 5, 2012 (6 comments)

An Ontario Family Court judge was not very happy with the parties involved in a divorce case [PDF] before him.
posted to MetaFilter by Chrysostom at 3:01 PM on July 12, 2011 (84 comments)

Free PDFs of The History of Cartography, vol. 1 and 2, from University of Chicago Press.
posted to MetaFilter by Stan Carey at 9:09 AM on July 3, 2011 (13 comments)

Big dust up about kin selection. Biologists E.O. Wilson, Martin Nowak, and Corina Tarnita publish a paper attacking kin selection, the idea that the reproductive success of a gene is influenced not only by its effects on its carrier, but also by its effects on related individuals (kin) carrying the same gene. 130 some odd other biologists respond. Richard Dawkins weighs in. Some talking bears offer a summary. [via]
posted to MetaFilter by AceRock at 8:18 AM on April 17, 2011 (46 comments)

"They're not out to make a quick buck, they're looking to protect the integrity of the franchise and its mythology." 1998's Star Trek Insurrection went through a number of different plots before becoming the film we ultimately saw. Starting out as Star Trek: Stardust, the first take on the idea involved Captain Picard going all Heart of Darkness on a former friend from his Starfleet Academy days in a bid to find the Fountain of Youth. That treatment evolved into a remarkably Avatarish story called simply Star Trek IX in which Picard must go upriver to kill a malfunctioning Data as part of a Federation/Romulan alliance to displace strange alien natives from a planet teeming with a valuable and rare ore (spoiler: Picard actually kills Data in this treatment, and Tom Hanks was supposed to have a major role somewhere). Let the late Michael Piller guide you through the writing of Insurrection in his unpublished book Fade In: The Making of Star Trek: Insurrection (his "last great gift to the fans and to aspiring writers everywhere") in which he presents his original story treatments, story notes from his bosses at Paramount, surprisingly reasonable Trekker-type reactions from actors Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner, and much more. First made freely available by TrekCore.com, Piller's family has since asked that it be removed, but you'll still find the file roaming the Internet if you boldly go looking for it.
posted to MetaFilter by Servo5678 at 6:38 AM on December 31, 2010 (101 comments)

Help me stop interrupting people while they're speaking, even though I already know what they're going to say.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 8:39 AM on June 25, 2010 (26 comments)

A Russian friend of mine may be in a dangerous situation in Washington, DC.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by fake at 3:09 PM on May 19, 2010 (235 comments)

I'm (relatively) old and want to learn to play the piano. What can I expect?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by themel at 2:21 AM on February 22, 2010 (19 comments)

How do maps work?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 7:58 AM on January 10, 2010 (16 comments)

Once dubbed the Picture of the Century, the first Earthrise, photographed in 1966 by NASA's Lunar Orbiter 1, presented "a stunning juxtaposition of planet and moon that no earthling had ever seen before." After initially inspiring awe, the original image was almost destroyed. In the mad rush of the space race, the pictures and data from early missions were warehoused and forgotten. Many at NASA believed that the original high-resolution images, stored on fragile tapes that could only be read by obsolete equipment, would be nearly impossible to retrieve, but one woman was determined to see them restored. Via.
posted to MetaFilter by amyms at 1:20 AM on March 26, 2009 (34 comments)

Fatal Distraction. The lead story in this Sunday's Washington Post Magazine. "Forgetting a child in the back seat of a hot, parked car is a horrifying, inexcusable mistake. But is it a crime?". By Gene Weingarten.
posted to MetaFilter by Ike_Arumba at 1:57 PM on March 7, 2009 (295 comments)

In 2005, graphic artist Kentaro Nagai was struck by the play on words between peace and piece in relation to global politics. This concept was expanded in an exhibition entitled Twelve Animals, where Nagai rearranged outlines of the world's landmasses into shapes respective of the aspects of the Chinese Zodiac. [via]
posted to MetaFilter by Smart Dalek at 10:32 AM on February 12, 2009 (11 comments)

Oh crap, Iranian blogger (mefi's own!) hoder has been arrested in Iran and may face the death penalty.
posted to MetaTalk by mathowie at 10:03 AM on November 19, 2008 (128 comments)

I'm 24. Let's say I wanted to have a shot at the Olympics, in any sport, at some point in the future. Are my chances over? Is there a sport I could start now, dedicate the next few years to, and become good enough to be a contender? What sport should that be? (I'm not picky.)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by melodykramer at 12:50 PM on August 3, 2008 (66 comments)

What's with my weird compulsion?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Alabaster at 7:08 PM on July 22, 2008 (130 comments)

Maps: Finding our place in the world is an exhibit at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, and it runs until this Sunday June 8. That page contains images of a few of the maps. One of the many great things included is an animated map of the US Civil War in 4 minutes (one week per second, timeline noted at bottom, casualty counter rolling in bottom right corner - info about this animation) The exhibition book was previously linked here; that site includes higher-resolution versions of some more of the maps. I was floored by all the stuff they have; in terms of the rarity of the stuff in it, and the geek-delight factor, I think it's probably the best gallery show I've ever seen.
posted to MetaFilter by LobsterMitten at 9:48 PM on June 4, 2008 (24 comments)

Mark VandeWettering makes telescopes, and has written a set of guides for those who would like to build their own. Francis O'Reilly has made a similar set of guides, except as a series of videos.
posted to MetaFilter by Upton O'Good at 9:59 PM on June 4, 2008 (13 comments)

I'm very interested in becoming an editor, please help...yes, I've read the previous posts.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by nikksioux at 9:01 PM on May 16, 2008 (32 comments)

Massimo Vignelli’s 1972 NYC subway map is back Yours for the low, low price of 299 bucks for one copy of the limited edition of 500. (Previous MeFi comments on the famed design, which the New York MTA eventually shitcanned. [Via.])
posted to MetaFilter by joeclark at 12:42 PM on April 24, 2008 (30 comments)

Where can I go for the awesomest stargazing possible?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by BuddhaInABucket at 3:31 PM on March 2, 2008 (39 comments)

I need a recommendation for a small tripod to be used on an extended backpacking trip.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by MillMan at 12:05 PM on February 28, 2008 (10 comments)

Slow news day: One properly used semicolon inspires paroxysms of joy in the NYT.
posted to MetaFilter by GrammarMoses at 3:19 PM on February 18, 2008 (74 comments)

Happy Introvert Day A Single-Link Op-Ed because... well, this link would just like to be alone, OK?
posted to MetaFilter by wendell at 1:45 PM on January 2, 2008 (72 comments)

In 1627, Schiller's Coelum Stellatum Christianum attempted to replace the mythical constellation figures with Christian figures. More from the Linda Hall Library Digital Services Unit. Art, illustration, and astronomy aficionados will appreciate the beauty of historic celestial atlas illustrations: Bayer's Uranometria 1603 (also the 1661 Edition), Flamsteed - Fortin Atlas Celeste - 1776 (text intro), Celestial Atlas by Alexander Jamieson. HubbleSource is cleaning up scans from one historic atlas and making them available in web and hi-res versions for use in non-commercial applications. (See also: David Rumsey Map Collection, and the exhibition Out of this World (index & T.O.C.), more Images, Artwork and Historical Objects at the US Naval Observatory.
posted to MetaFilter by spock at 10:32 AM on December 13, 2007 (16 comments)

I want to build a website centered around maps, mapping, geography, GIS, etc., but I need help narrowing down my focus.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by desjardins at 7:56 AM on December 13, 2007 (8 comments)

Wake up cat (YT, animated, 1:29) cat owners will understand.
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky at 3:02 PM on October 23, 2007 (91 comments)

Just how "real" is the nature footage seen on the show "Planet Earth"?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Brian James at 9:41 AM on May 16, 2007 (29 comments)

How do I hop a freight train? I've wanted to do this for years and I think this summer is going to be the one. Any info you can give me will be more than I know now. Most online sources are very secretive with specifics.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by the jam at 8:37 AM on May 8, 2007 (50 comments)

Are you a Highly Sensitive Person? This trait ... is inherited by 15 to 20% of the population, and ... seems to be present in all higher animals. Being an HSP means your nervous system is more sensitive to subtleties. Your sight, hearing, and sense of smell are not necessarily keener .... But your brain processes information and reflects on it more deeply. Being an HSP also means, necessarily, that you are more easily overstimulated, stressed out, overwhelmed. This trait ... has been mislabeled as shyness (not an inherited trait), introversion (30% of HSPs are actually extraverts), inhibitedness, fearfulness, and the like. HSPs can be these, but none of these are the fundamental trait they have inherited ...
yahoo group | latest research (fascinating!) | newsletter | wikipedia | blog | via
posted to MetaFilter by grumblebee at 12:19 PM on April 8, 2007 (144 comments)

How to integrate a Google MyMaps map with a Drupal website so my map displays in a node?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by spitbull at 1:12 PM on April 7, 2007 (3 comments)

The Year of Roosevelt Franklin. High on the list of forgotten Sesame Street characters is one Roosevelt Franklin, a reddish purple muppet with pointed black hair and a distinctly hep style of speech (provided by the late Matt Robinson, the show's original Gordon). Despite Roosevelt's funky musical sensibilities (demonstrated in an album called My Name is Roosevelt Franklin, later released as The Year of Roosevelt Franklin), the character's classroom behavior was, well, quite frankly, poison. His constant misbehavior in school might have been fun to watch, but was seen as representing a negative stereotype and a bad example, and so it was adieu Franklin.
posted to MetaFilter by Astro Zombie at 6:15 AM on January 30, 2007 (22 comments)

Most electronics drop dramatically in price. GPS units do not seem to have dropped as dramatically. Is there a reason, or multiple reasons for this? Are GPS receivers fundamentally harder to make for some reason? Is there a licence fee? Have the volumes been too low? Does getting new information for the maps, for car guidance systems, keep the price up?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sien at 5:47 PM on December 14, 2006 (19 comments)

What's the best way to backup/restore (on a Mac)?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Colloquial Collision at 7:55 PM on December 11, 2006 (13 comments)

Best GPS navigation system for Canada?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jacquilynne at 9:43 AM on December 10, 2006 (4 comments)

My wife and I will be traveling to Argentina for 2 weeks in January for our honeymoon and could use some suggestions on destinations outside of Buenos Aires.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by phixed at 8:25 AM on November 3, 2006 (9 comments)

Explore Beethoven's Eroica Symphony [note: flash, sound]
posted to MetaFilter by crunchland at 5:28 AM on October 31, 2006 (25 comments)

My Intel iMac burns DVDs quite slowly. Is there anyway to fix this?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by chunking express at 8:36 AM on October 16, 2006 (9 comments)

MemeFilter: What is the origin of the "I am in ur [something], [doing something]" meme? It usually uses JeffK-esque spelling ("ur", and a lot of z-endings). Some examples inside.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Plutor at 6:09 AM on September 22, 2006 (16 comments)

Steve Irwin, better known as The Crocodile Hunter, is dead after a sting-ray barb went through his chest. He is survived by his wife and two children and both he and his larger than life persona will be missed.
posted to MetaFilter by Effigy2000 at 9:33 PM on September 3, 2006 (467 comments)

Freelance copy editing: what's the going rate, and how much should I charge?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by limeonaire at 7:36 AM on September 3, 2006 (12 comments)

I'm taking a road trip on my motorcycle with no particular destination in mind. I'd like to track my route using a GPS, and in the evenings, overlay that day's trip on a map. For some reason my Google-fu fails me and I can't seem to find a straight answer to the question: what is a resonably priced GPS unit that will allow me to record my trip? And as a follow-up: do I need special software to do the "map-overlay" thing?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by SlappyPeterson at 12:15 PM on August 23, 2006 (11 comments)

Is DreamHost always this bad? Are they going to get better?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by AmbroseChapel at 2:52 PM on July 30, 2006 (52 comments)

New York Times 2006 interactive elections map. A really impressive guide to the current House, Senate, and governor races with all of the poll data and analysis a political junky could ask for; plus the ability to modify the maps by population, ethnicity, and income levels. It also allows you to play out scenarios. [registration may be required]
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 8:27 AM on July 27, 2006 (16 comments)

The U.S. Naval Observatory Library features high-res scans of images from antique books dealing with astronomy and navigation. Wallpapers, ahoy!
posted to MetaFilter by Gator at 6:40 PM on July 13, 2006 (18 comments)

Living with half a brain - hemispherectomy, probably the most radical procedure in neurosurgery
posted to MetaFilter by Gyan at 9:15 AM on June 29, 2006 (50 comments)

Would you leave a dying man to reach the top of Everest? Mark Inglis, who lost both legs in a climbing accident years ago, triumphantly scaled Mt. Everest earlier this month. About two and a half hours into the climb, they passed David Sharp, a climber on his way down who was clearly in distress and only hours from death. Inglis and his team left him there and continued to the summit and, as expected, David Sharp died.

Everest pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary is displeased, and this fellow is lucky the group that found him decided his "weak attributes of life" were enough for an effort at rescue.
posted to MetaFilter by thirteenkiller at 9:53 AM on May 27, 2006 (208 comments)

Argentina On Two Steaks A Day The classic beginner's mistake in Argentina is to neglect the first steak of the day. You will be tempted to just peck at it or even skip it altogether, rationalizing that you need to save yourself for the much larger steak later that night. But this is a false economy, like refusing to drink water in the early parts of a marathon.
posted to MetaFilter by rxrfrx at 11:29 AM on April 12, 2006 (78 comments)