I visited Vancouver (Canada) this past weekend for the first time, and I was blown away. I'm from the US, and have visited or lived in pretty much in the US. So for those of you from Vancouver, what are the downsides of the city?
posted to Ask Metafilter by waylaid at 5:27 PM on July 4, 2009 (23 comments)

A relatively long list of music videos by Michel Gondry. From his humble beginnings with Oui Oui to his eventual mastery of both space and time.
posted to MetaFilter by Weebot at 1:59 PM on June 26, 2009 (31 comments)

Inside this introvert is an extrovert trying to get out. Help me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 10:00 AM on June 22, 2009 (16 comments)

I'm interested in finding more upbeat-sounding synthpop or alt/pop singles with electronic elements for my music library.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mccarty.tim at 6:47 PM on May 31, 2009 (40 comments)

I would like to stop using sarcasm and snark, entirely, in any form.
posted to Ask Metafilter by 2or3whiskeysodas at 8:22 AM on May 26, 2009 (36 comments)

Thought-provoking NY Mag essay on the consequences of living in an age of perpetual distraction. Been thinking about this one a lot, in the context of MeFi and other addictions.
posted to MetaFilter by jcruelty at 12:19 AM on May 26, 2009 (52 comments)

Travel writer Sophia Dembling's essay Confessions of an Introverted Traveler on Worldhum received so much feedback that she's followed up with Six Tips for Introverted Travelers. I am now absolved for reading Jasper Fforde on the Champs-Élysées.
posted to MetaFilter by kimdog at 9:54 AM on May 16, 2009 (37 comments)

What are Metafilter meetups like for the first time attendee with very little posting activity / history?
posted to MetaTalk by crazyray at 9:09 PM on May 12, 2009 (182 comments)

Yooouuutuuube does something interesting with youtube videos
posted to MetaFilter by MetaMonkey at 3:14 PM on May 6, 2009 (113 comments)

I'm interested in doing data-based mashups. What are some really cool, deep sources of publicly available data?
posted to Ask Metafilter by jbickers at 12:05 PM on April 23, 2009 (17 comments)

Seeking list of crimes committed by Ferris Bueller during his Day off.
posted to Ask Metafilter by steinwald at 9:14 AM on April 25, 2009 (81 comments)

My company has a Drupal job that needs some attention over this weekend and into the beginning of next week... mostly troubleshooting an existing site and making edits to meet a (high profile) client's needs. It shouldn't take more than a few hours if we can find a responsive, thoughtful person who is already a Drupal god/dess and can get up to speed on our project VERY quickly. Can you help?
posted to MeFi Jobs by nkknkk at 10:03 PM on December 19, 2008

I'm fascinated by studies of body language and their application - yet my own body language sucks - I seem to have - 'hey, cut in front of me when I'm walking or queueing' or 'when I express an opinion, puff up and argue with me' - even though sometimes I actually do have the right info. Does anyone have theories on the type of body language I can use to dispel/improve this? Being short, female and 38 with a 'kind' face doesn't give me a good head start apparently. I look forward to hearing your thoughts. This can get to be tiring and annoying - and I'm actually pretty patient.
posted to Ask Metafilter by IdleRepose at 1:35 AM on March 26, 2009 (26 comments)

What are the best techno albums since 1990?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Ultra Laser at 12:46 PM on March 24, 2009 (32 comments)

100 fantastic animated shorts for a century of animation. Almost all entries with video.
posted to MetaFilter by louche mustachio at 10:20 AM on March 12, 2009 (7 comments)

I read a lot of young adult lit with great female characters. But I'm not a teenager anymore and would like to find something analogous for 20-something women. So, where are the books about young, intelligent, humorous and/or interesting women? Novels, short stories, memoirs and essays welcome. More information about what I've already read inside.
posted to Ask Metafilter by wsquared at 12:03 PM on March 10, 2009 (40 comments)

The Crisis of Credit by graduate design student Jonathan Jarvis is a thorough and visually appealing animation which explains the current credit crisis in clear terms. From the ever helpful NPR Planet Money.
posted to MetaFilter by phyrewerx at 3:40 PM on February 19, 2009 (28 comments)

You are interested in the unknown... the mysterious. The unexplainable. That is why you are here. And now, for the first time, we are bringing to you, the full story of what happened on that fateful day. We are bringing you all the evidence, based only on the secret testimony, of the miserable souls, who survived this terrifying ordeal. The incidents, the places. My friend, we cannot keep this a secret any longer. Let us punish the guilty. Let us reward the innocent. My friend, can your heart stand the shocking facts of a flickr collection of old snapshots?
posted to MetaFilter by gamera at 6:45 PM on February 14, 2009 (18 comments)

Tragedy of the anti-commons is the opposite of tragedy of the commons - it's when too many owners create grid-lock, nothing can get accomplished. It exists everywhere from copyright law, tech patents, music industry, airport runway expansion, medicine, etc.. it is pervasive across all aspects of modern capitalist societies. The concept was coined by Professor Michael Heller who published a book in 2008 called The Gridlock Economy: How Too Much Ownership Wrecks Markets, Stops Innovation, and Costs Lives. In an excellent Authors@Google video, Michael Heller explains what it is and how it undermines capitalism, in particular over the past 30 years with increased privatization.
posted to MetaFilter by stbalbach at 8:27 AM on February 10, 2009 (55 comments)

Some people have this mysterious ability to be - disarming. Please explain this skill and help me learn it!
posted to Ask Metafilter by kitcat at 5:29 PM on February 10, 2009 (26 comments)

How We Kill Geniuses. "[Elizabeth Gilbert recalls] a story that musician Tom Waits told her years ago. One day he was driving on a Los Angeles freeway when a fragment of a melody popped into his head. He looked around for something to capture the tune -- a pencil or pen -- but had nothing to record it. He started to panic that he'd lose the melody and be haunted by it forever and his talent would be gone. In the midst of this anxiety attack, he suddenly stopped, looked at the sky, and said to whatever force it was that was trying to create itself through the melody, 'Excuse me. Can you not see I'm driving? Do I look like I can write down a song right now? If you really want to exist, come back at a more opportune moment ... otherwise go bother somebody else today. Go bother Leonard Cohen.'" Gilbert explores the idea that we might stifle genius by demanding that creative people be somehow larger than life and something more than human.
posted to MetaFilter by sarabeth at 2:41 PM on February 6, 2009 (175 comments)

Are there any decent guides to improving your social skills? Most of what I've found on the topic deals with children, formal etiquette, or the standard self-help cant. Is there anything for people interested in the nuts and bolts of building relationships, giving off a good impression, and making people think you are a good guy. I get the idea that most people with bad social skills tend not to care or notice and this hurts the market for such material. I have a pretty good eye for books and I have found precious little on this topic. I assume we are supposed to learn these things in childhood or be screwed for life.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Yakuman at 6:05 PM on February 6, 2009 (16 comments)

What are some good, unusual podcasts that merit the attention of a high-profile review?
posted to Ask Metafilter by colinmarshall at 1:43 PM on February 4, 2009 (26 comments)

Fellow introverts, and others who need lots of alone time: How did you deal with becoming a parent?
posted to Ask Metafilter by El Curioso at 11:48 PM on January 31, 2009 (12 comments)

What are the biggest changes in Vancouver (BC) over the last seven years?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Gortuk at 10:57 AM on January 30, 2009 (4 comments)

Accompanied by Aphex Twin's classic Selected Ambient Works II, we have the rarely-seen experimental video Stakker (Westworld) in nine parts: Z Twig / Radiator | Rhubarb | Hankie | Grass | White Blur | Parallel Stripes | Z Twig / Lichen | Blur | Match Sticks
posted to MetaFilter by Blazecock Pileon at 11:09 PM on January 21, 2009 (37 comments)

What are some web apps I can use to track and record various aspects of my life?
posted to Ask Metafilter by jmoneystl at 9:31 AM on January 12, 2009 (18 comments)

What are some good sarcastic comebacks for those tired phrases you hear a million times? Eg, "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" "Think outside the box" or "Does this make me look fat?"
posted to Ask Metafilter by TheSecretDecoderRing at 10:35 PM on January 3, 2009 (46 comments)

Braess' paradox and the price of anarchy [PDF]: "We had three tunnels in the city and one needed to be shut down. Bizarrely, we found that car volumes dropped. ... We discovered it was a case of Braess' paradox, which says that by taking away space in an urban area you can actually increase the flow of traffic, and, by implication, by adding extra capacity to a road network you can reduce overall performance."
posted to MetaFilter by parudox at 11:23 PM on December 27, 2008 (15 comments)

My new year resolution is to do more/better real-life networking : more/better acquaintances, more/better friends, more/better relationships. I need tips and tricks on how to get a generous-sized addres book and an improved social life and what to do once I meet these potential new friends.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Baud at 5:30 AM on December 25, 2008 (8 comments)

How do i become an interesting person to speak to?
posted to Ask Metafilter by freddymetz at 12:20 PM on December 15, 2008 (32 comments)

Classic hip-hop albums, recreated in Lego
posted to MetaFilter by mathowie at 10:31 AM on December 16, 2008 (47 comments)

Cute things falling asleep.
posted to MetaFilter by Korou at 11:47 AM on December 16, 2008 (61 comments)

I'm looking for blogs talking about the daily life of someone with a job (or other life experience) that I don't have (and that is interesting). I want stories the layperson can relate to, not minutiae for the people already in the field. Any suggestions?
posted to Ask Metafilter by kingjoeshmoe at 3:18 PM on December 15, 2008 (36 comments)

I know that we all die and that there’s absolutely no way around that. I know and accept that one day I will die as well, and I’m not afraid of dying, per se. What I am afraid of—terrified of really—is no longer existing, no longer being conscious of everything that’s happening in this great wide world, no longer being sentient, I guess. What can I do?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 5:18 PM on December 2, 2008 (88 comments)

I've been feeling slow lately. How can I sharpen my mental powers?
posted to Ask Metafilter by decoherence at 3:24 PM on July 30, 2008 (19 comments)

1 2 3 4: Feist visits Sesame Street, the latest artist to send up her work for an adoring audience of (what else?) furry happy monsters.
posted to MetaFilter by bicyclefish at 5:39 PM on July 16, 2008 (41 comments)

What's the name of that peak over there? Can my HDTV antenna see the broadcast tower? Can I see that fixed wireless base station? See viewsheds and labelled horizons from where you're at, with a list of what other people are looking at, and all done with someone else's computers.
posted to MetaFilter by the Real Dan at 11:03 AM on July 15, 2008 (21 comments)

Simply Noise. Streaming white noise for your auditory zen needs. That is all. That is enough.
posted to MetaFilter by wendell at 12:16 PM on July 5, 2008 (40 comments)

I'm looking for a nice summer suit that I can wear for an August wedding (outdoors). I'm currently in Vancouver, B.C.
posted to Ask Metafilter by tiamat at 11:05 PM on July 1, 2008 (8 comments)

The Bullitt chase entirely geocoded. (Previously.)
posted to MetaFilter by miss lynnster at 12:14 PM on June 30, 2008 (38 comments)

In great news for all fans of the dearly departed sitcom Arrested Development, Jason Bateman appeared on his friend's show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and confirmed that an Arrested movie is being worked out. (MSNBC video link. He talks about Hancock for a bit first; good stuff starts at 4:16.) And another special guest is there to share the announcement...
posted to MetaFilter by supercres at 7:04 AM on June 25, 2008 (130 comments)

MagCloud enables you to publish your own magazines. All you have to do is upload a PDF and they take care of the rest: printing, mailing, subscription management, and more.
posted to MetaFilter by FunkyHelix at 9:13 AM on June 23, 2008 (43 comments)

Mashup artist Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, is another artist to try the 'pay whatever you want' Internet release model. However, his 55-minute album consists of over 300 samples from other artists, with many current and past hits. No stranger to current controversies in copyright, Gillis also appeared in the documentary Good Copy Bad Copy. Previously.
posted to MetaFilter by uaudio at 2:32 PM on June 20, 2008 (44 comments)

In May 2006, we discussed switch pitcher Pat Venditte on MetaFilter. Many wondered: what kind of bizarre game-theoretic catastrophe would occur when the switch pitcher faced a switch hitter? Two years later, it has come to pass. (video)
posted to MetaFilter by escabeche at 9:20 AM on June 20, 2008 (78 comments)

These "track boards," or "fix push" boards, were initially developed to be raced in the velodrome, and differ from traditional skateboards in one major way: the rider can never coast. A brief documentary on the increasingly popular fix-push skateboard culture and its roots in San Francisco's Mission district.
posted to MetaFilter by whir at 9:38 PM on June 17, 2008 (54 comments)

Teach the Controversy. Because we know that the earth sits on giant elephants which in turn ride an even gianter turtle.
posted to MetaFilter by cerebus19 at 11:25 AM on June 16, 2008 (74 comments)

"On a Monday morning last month, highway patrol officers visited 20 classrooms at El Camino High School [Oceanside, California] to announce some horrible news: Several students had been killed in car wrecks over the weekend. Classmates wept. Some became hysterical. A few hours and many tears later, though, the pain turned to fury when the teenagers learned that it was all a hoax — a scared-straight exercise designed by school officials to dramatize the consequences of drinking and driving." While the school defends its actions, some students are protesting: "Death is real. Don't play with our emotions."
posted to MetaFilter by ericb at 5:13 PM on June 12, 2008 (138 comments)

Kindertrauma is about the movies, books, and toys that scared you when you were a kid. It’s also about kids in scary movies, both as heroes and villains. And everything else that’s traumatic to a tyke!
posted to MetaFilter by stinkycheese at 3:37 PM on June 12, 2008 (64 comments)

Are you, like many others this summer, considering avoiding the costs & hassles of pricey foreign or domestic travel by having a "staycation" at home? Daily Show commenter John Hodgman (ably backed by Jonathan Coulton on the strings) enumerates the benefits of a "Holistay" (much better name) to help you make your choice.
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 9:37 AM on June 12, 2008 (41 comments)