MetaFilter

I think hunter/gatherer communities do some pretty good communal childcare.

Historically, this was managed by brutal population control - many children were murdered shortly after birth, by necessity, which we find pretty distasteful. Most places on earth can't sustain hunter/gatherer communities, so the communities needed to be nomadic, and that in turn can't happen if you have more toddlers than you can carry (not to mention the strain of extra... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by -harlequin- at 1:20 PM on March 6, 2009

Have you ever opened a biology text book?

TungstenChef is correct. The human digestive tract is clearly, obviously, unambiguously omnivorous. The animals with tracts that most resemble those of humans are also unambiguously omnivorous. The next closest resemblance - and still a fairly close resemblance at that - is to the tracts of carnivores, which work pretty much the same way, with probably the biggest difference being length. And even in terms of... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by -harlequin- at 1:18 AM on March 6, 2009

First of all, the solution to birthrates, interestingly, is wealth. Wealthy people don't have kids.

and


Nope. Rich people have fewer kids than poor people.

And by "rich" we mean what?

I'll tell you: Consume More.

And we back to less than square one. Wealth means resources.

This idea... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by tkchrist at 11:33 PM on March 5, 2009

Hey, is this the thread where I paste in my usual diatribe about how the number of people we have is basically unsustainable right now anyway, meat or no meat? And how our population is going to collapse if we don't cut it down ourselves? I think so. Please read it aloud in the Jar-Jar Binks "weesa gonna diieEEE?" voice.
posted to MetaFilter by adipocere at 5:39 PM on March 5, 2009

High density living is "efficient," but it's not sustainable. No population growth is, and neither is a social policy which doesn't recognize this. Organic farmers today are producing a luxury product; their grass-fed beef and wild rice is never going to feed the world.

We need to stop reproducing.

Of course, since everybody wants a baybee (“It's natural instinct! It's unrealistic to expect people not to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by sonic meat machine at 5:37 PM on March 5, 2009

445supermag: I'll leave you to your highly efficient urban hell and continue with my un-sustainable traditional rural life (my Indian Runner ducks keep my garden free of snails and bugs and lay more eggs than my family can eat).

Rural living like that uses a ton of space. It probably works great for you, but if everyone tried to live like that, we'd have every bit of arable land on the planet covered with people, and even that wouldn't be enough.
posted to MetaFilter by Mitrovarr at 4:24 PM on March 5, 2009

Where's the option where you sterilize 90% of the adult population?
posted to MetaFilter by small_ruminant at 3:52 PM on March 5, 2009

A spreadsheet is a simple, easy to understand interface for storing data. Rows and columns, all laid out right where you can see them.

The problem is that Microsoft refuses to acknowledge they build a flat-file database front-end, and insist on treating it as a numerical analysis tool. It's a really good numerical analysis tool, mind you, but that's not how most people use it.

So, you can either insist the Mountain come to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Slap*Happy at 5:45 AM on March 4, 2009

If you'd care to expand on this mathematical imprecision in Excel then I'd certainly be interested.

• MSDN: Calculation Issue Update (via)

• MSDN: Understanding Floating Point Precision, aka “Why does Excel Give Me Seemingly Wrong Answers?... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Blazecock Pileon at 5:13 AM on March 4, 2009

People keep ragging on Excel, calling it a poor choice for this particular domain. Perhaps, but it could be perfectly adequate. The spreadsheet is one of the most brilliant pieces of software design ever conceived. It is a poor database, but it models the vast majority of databases as most people experience them, as they have existed since we first started putting marks on clay tablets.

If there is no domain-specific software available, and you are unwilling to hire... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by 0xdeadc0de at 5:18 AM on March 4, 2009

It amazes me that people make fun of Cramer CNBC commentators, etc. for being wrong. You want to show how smart you are? Put your money where your mouth is.

Well, I'm just one of your dreaded lazy, self-absorbed, mindless, stupid twits, but had I flipped a coin even I would have been right more often than Jim Cramer -- apparently a paragon of virtue, brains, and hard work because he's rich and does work related to the stock market.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by dirigibleman at 10:23 AM on March 5, 2009

"The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you." ~DFW
posted to MetaFilter by dawson at 8:40 PM on September 13, 2008

The point here is not that we can bomb away our problems, but that the Islamic ideology cannot win, as they do not possess the military to control what they want. They have no stock market. No capital. A more refined argument would be - what is it, exactly, do these goatfuckers want? Your argument skips from "I am wrong, dude" to "they are totally going to win." What are they going to win?

Goat fuckers? That's some... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by tkchrist at 4:44 PM on December 27, 2007

But the Taliban is not fighting for Palestine, or the disenfranchised in Pakistan, or against US naval maneuvers in the Indian Ocean.

I'm not sure if the Taliban still exist, as such, but Al Qaeda in general is fighting to have the US and its associated cultural, economic, energy and military interests leave the Middle East.

So it sends a few here and there on suicide missions that cause wildly asymmetric cultural, economic... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Blazecock Pileon at 1:54 PM on December 27, 2007

That's a little bit hysterical, tkchrist. The Japanese during WWII were "going to win becuase they don't give a fuck. They don't give a fuck that their actions will bring down misery and ruin upon themselves and their cultures. Their values are inside out and backwards."

That is a terrible analogy. You couldn't come up with a worse one. The Japanese certainly DID give a fuck. The only people saying they were consumed with "blind... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by tkchrist at 12:48 PM on December 27, 2007

america has outsourced its financial backoffice to india. somewhere in bangalore or mumbai is a server with a little spinning disk inside. on that disk live your checking account, brokerage account and 401k. across the border are nuclear weapons in an unstable country where there are people, if they get their fingers on the nuclear button, they'll push it just because they can, never mind indian retaliation, paradise in a mushroom cloud! if one of those nukes goes off over where your... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by stevis23 at 12:38 PM on December 27, 2007

This assassination was 100% predictable. And it's still 100% bad news.

That woman, no matter what you think of her principles or her past, walked into that country knowing she had a big target on her back. She wasn't an idiot. For fuck sake she hadn't been back in the country fifteen minutes when they tried to kill her. They killed lots of bystanders with those bombs showing how far they would go. So she knew she was a marked woman and it was only a matter of time... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by tkchrist at 12:24 PM on December 27, 2007

languagehat: I don't see any reason to pretend to feel emotions I don't in fact feel

All well and good but it's nonetheless insensitive of you to bother rhetorically stating that you can't understand how anyone outside of her family and party are saddened. I don't think you're inhumane at all but I do think your original comment was unnecessary. Just because you hold your own views about Bhutto's politics and worth doesn't mean... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by peacay at 9:33 AM on December 27, 2007

This is how you know we'll never have flying cars.
posted to MetaFilter by cashman at 7:44 PM on December 26, 2007

The best thing about a leg-titty is that you can use a tubesock for a tube-top.
posted to MetaFilter by ColdChef at 10:24 AM on December 26, 2007

This tattoo has an entirely different subtext.

This is the tattoo that looks to tattoo fans the way regular tattoos look to straights.
posted to MetaFilter by DU at 10:04 AM on December 26, 2007

Couple things, now that I found out I could read the interview rather than watching it:

First off, he doesn't seem to be saying anything particularly novel or controversial. Individual actors, maximizing their own gain (especially short-term gain) are not necessarily acting in the long-term interest of society. Many of our political and economic structures are distorted under that pressure; there are remedies to mitigate that pressure (though doubtful any to remove it).... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by klangklangston at 5:10 PM on December 23, 2007

phaedon: I don't see economists, political philosophers, or psychologists getting together and discussing Barber's groundbreaking ideas.

Why do you presume that's the only litmus test?
Barber is precisely the kind of guy who my parents would find reasonable and compelling. He does the soft sell to the middle classes and fence-sitting liberals, which is a really important job, even if it isn't as sexy as rabble-rousing with the radicals... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by regicide is good for you at 4:51 PM on December 23, 2007

On the other hand, if the girls know about the Mystery Method and catch on that you're using it, you come off as double-super-predatory. It's a Predation Sensation Multiplier. Just sayin'. Nobody wants to be played.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by salvia at 10:56 PM on December 19, 2007

On further reflection, Anon, I fear I've been a little more snarky than helpful... assuming this question is sincere, what really seems to be going on here is, as mdn posted, a kind of fixation on the "trinkets of personality." I think that's what everyone is really reacting against. But I get it, in a way: I remember back when it seemed ("seemed" being the operative word here) like everything essential about me really could be boiled down to my book/record collection, and... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by scody at 10:43 PM on December 18, 2007

I have a natural accent - I am often thought to be either British or Eastern European (having lived in both places), despite being born and raised in the States.

Some day you will look back on that and cringe. I hope.

Frankly, anonymous guy, I feel like you're the end product of way too much cheesy internet porn.

There's a dense mythology of men telling other men that there are lots and lots of girls... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by thehmsbeagle at 1:39 PM on December 18, 2007

Seconding crickets.

I apologize in advance for this, but I think there should also be consequences for parents who buy kids $250.00 glasses and then expect the kid to suffer the consequences of mishandling them. Kids ruin stuff. Plan for it ahead of time.

On preview: seconding jessamyn.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by notyou at 2:32 PM on December 21, 2007

Thank you for your metatalk post! Your metatalk post is important to us! All of our vituperitive assholes are currently busy but your metatalk post has been placed in a queue and will be dealt with by the first available snide, arrogant harpy! *TALL AND TAN AND YOUNG AND LOVELY THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA GOES WALKING AND WHEN SHE PASSES EACH ONE THAT SHE PASSES GOES AH! WHEN SHE WALKS SHE'S LIKE A SAMBA THAT SWINGS SO COOL AND SWAYS SO GENTLE THAT WHEN SHE PASSES EACH ONE-* Thank you for your... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by the quidnunc kid at 7:53 AM on December 11, 2007

Does "mysteriously dropped call" mean that there's absolutely no other possibility than that he dropped the call? Are you double, extra sure?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by dws at 8:28 PM on December 8, 2007

Should I continue to practice safe sex and wait until I feel that we are more secure and that I can trust him with this information?

No. You need to tell him.

I don't think you can control for what someone's reaction to this news is. Moreover, the rest of your question doesn't sound like you are concerned with trusting him with the info as much as it is fear that once he has the info he will bail. Unfortunately, not telling a... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sneakin at 10:13 AM on December 16, 2007

Everyone looking at this is assuming that unchecked births and population growth is advantageous. Seems to me that giving limited resources and the fact that any given population will grow exponentially, even with a high infant mortality rate, removing some women from the gene pool would be a good thing to keep the population somewhat stable. Think about it-- any Neanderthal female would theoretically become fertile around age 12-14, and normally live another 20 or so years? That's a whole lot... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by miss tea at 4:51 AM on November 17, 2007

the entire institution is intellectually bankrupt, morally corrupt, pretentious, and seduced by ludicrous self-importance.

Quick, someone make an FPP about The Wire.
posted to MetaFilter by dhammond at 7:38 PM on November 10, 2007

chichimimizu, if you did not want us to address the merits of the situation, why did you write an ~800 word description of your relationship with your boyfriend, going into great detail about the situation?

You asked two questions:

(1) Am I making the right decision? [i.e., is it right to decide not to give him the money]

As far as I can tell, even the answers that offended you stayed completely... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jayder at 7:04 PM on August 21, 2007

chichimimizu, it's understandable that you found some of the answers insulting. However, that's what happens when you ask strangers on the internet to judge your actions; just because people are drawing inferences about your actions or character that you disagree with doesn't necessarily mean that their answers are off-topic or wrong.

It might be useful for you to think about how you're presenting yourself here, and why that might inspire the kind of unkind responses... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by myeviltwin at 2:40 PM on August 21, 2007

What I don't understand is why you felt free to impose upon his resources --- getting long rides to work in his car, getting discounted rent, etc. --- but when he needs something from you, you're grabbing for any reason under the sun not to help him. Perhaps the distinction you're drawing is, "His need for help is caused by his irresponsibility; my need for help was caused by an abusive situation outside of my control." But in a relationship of love, which you say you have with him,... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jayder at 8:42 PM on August 20, 2007

So my question for you is this: Am I making the right decision?

Yes, you are in the right. Please, reserve feeling guilty for when you actually do something wrong. Do not feel guilty. He should feel guilty, not you. You sound like a nice person, and some people know that they can make nice people feel false guilt by throwing things in their face. Throwing things in your face is not an act of love. To be blunt, it sounds like you moved out of one kind... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by The Deej at 7:11 PM on August 19, 2007

Well, I'll take a crack at this one.

Do you actually feel this way, that "anyone who can't take evidently-joking criticism has something wrong with them"?

Because if they're taking offense, apparently the joking isn't so evident.

Also, have you ever wondered why they're taking offense? Maybe you've touched a nerve. If that's the case, that tells you something: they're sensitive about that... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by GrammarMoses at 2:39 PM on August 17, 2007

Needy much? Damn.

I'm assuming 1965 is your birth year, so you're 42 and wondering if your "boyfriend still likes you"?

Should we make one of those little paper pyramid things you move with your fingers and have you select a color and a number too?

I'm not sure what your personal life has been like, but you are at a profoundly immature emotional level if you think that having one night without you means he... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Ynoxas at 11:46 AM on August 21, 2007

Once it is realized
that even between the closest people
infinite distances continue to exist
a wonderful living side by side
can grow up
if they succeed in loving the distance between them
that allows each to see the other
whole against the sky.

A framed copy of that Rilke poem is hanging on the wall of my parents' house.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by coined at 11:04 AM on August 21, 2007

gf might also consider that making voluntary verbal offers which she then whines about when they are taken up is also not a desperately helpful approach to a relationship.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by biffa at 10:18 AM on August 21, 2007

Everyone else has pretty well nailed this already. I need a lot of alone time, normally, although admittedly in my current relationship that's been less true. That's not because of a greater degree of love -- it's because when we're together, we spend a lot of time not focusing on each other. Reading, cooking, playing video games, mucking about online. A constant need for attention and focus and reinforcement would certainly make me need more time alone. And I think a relationship where... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by coined at 10:06 AM on August 21, 2007

There's such a thing as "too much of a good thing".

I enjoy spending time alone because it gives me a chance to completely be myself - something I can't 100% be round other people. And sometimes I get sick of pretending to be interesting in what people say. So I take myself off to the internets for a while, just to chill out, and read what random strangers have to say. It recharges my batteries, and makes me able to face the day again.... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Rabulah at 9:50 AM on August 21, 2007

GF doesn't like watching football. Good bet that when GF is watching football with boyfriend, GF is talking when the game is on, making snide comments, asks for things that takes his eyes from the screen, and makes a general annoyance of herself in a passive aggressive way. If GF things BF should do whatever GF wants, pay attention to BF's behavior when GF takes him to some boring tea party for the millionith time and sees how his behavior then probably mimics hers when she's watching football... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Stynxno at 9:33 AM on August 21, 2007

When a guy says "he loves his Gf but want some alone time with son, some alone time , needs space."--he means that he loves his gf, but needs some alone time, and some space. With his son, in this case.

I think the bigger issue is that the gf said "it's ok, I won't see you Mondays" when she really meant "I'm seeing if you will reject football to validate me."
posted to Ask MetaFilter by stevis23 at 9:06 AM on August 21, 2007

just shortish, sporadic email updates

If you go for an all-or-nothing cut-off (and in this case that seems very much the right idea) it's surely got to be NOTHING. The difference between nothing and sporadic email updates is 100%. It's binary. Zero and one.

All good luck to you.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by game warden to the events rhino at 10:48 AM on August 23, 2007

I spent 8 years with someone I loved deeply and romantically (and still love as a person). Through 6 years of tumult (high drama, low drama, bureaucratic tumult, cultural tumult) we (er, I) held on to the idea that it was the circumstances around us that made things so difficult. Finally, after 2 years of marriage and "normal" circumstances, it became clear to me that it wasn't going to work.

Lifelong relationships of respect, friendship and love are not built... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by cocoagirl at 10:40 AM on August 23, 2007 marked best answer

EmptyK's suggestion is a good one.

Some ideas for if she turns out not to be single though:

Would you want the kind of girl who would go out and flirt with someone else while you were together? (I know it's 'normal behaviour', but it depends on whether or not that'd bother you)

Would you want the kind of girl who dumps her boyfriend for someone she just met?

And the converse (and already... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Surfyournut at 3:45 PM on August 24, 2007

Hmm. I would like to explain something to you. Please sit down, relax, clear your mind, and then slap yourself in the head with a giant balloon hammer. This is something that you should have learned in 5th grade but since you didn't (and let's face it, 90% of guys don't figure this out until much later), I'll use small words.

Some girls like to FLIRT because it's a GAME to them. It doesn't MEAN anything to them. If her boyfriend really does exist, then this girl... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Stynxno at 1:27 PM on August 24, 2007

If her devotion to her faith despite her doubts is what led her to work so selflessly for mankind, then who the hell am I to dismiss it that casually?

That would be a good question if Mother Teresa's work had been as good as is commonly believed. Check out this thread for the real story on her life's work. In the hospital she ran, patients dying of cancer were offered aspirin instead of morphine and were told to offer up the pain to God. Dying... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by orange swan at 8:56 PM on August 23, 2007

The only surprise, for me, was that "Jessi" actually ended up being a real-life female instead of another middle-aged guy.
posted to MetaFilter by lekvar at 12:34 PM on August 23, 2007