I'm a guy who's interested in learning about female experiences—particularly the kind to which men might be oblivious—particularly those which will help me understand feminist ideas and perspectives. I prefer personal stories and informal musing to the dense academic stuff.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ixohoxi at 5:24 PM on March 24, 2011 (121 comments)

Lessons from 11 years of community - a video by some guy who runs a blog. (2011 SXSW)
posted to MetaTalk by blue_beetle at 4:58 PM on March 14, 2011 (74 comments)

Police scanner + Ambient instrumental music = You are listening to Los Angeles [via mefi projects]
posted to MetaFilter by carsonb at 11:45 AM on March 7, 2011 (108 comments)

"A 5-minute framework for fostering better conversations in comments sections." NPR's Matt Thompson interviews Jessamyn about why a thread about the assault on reporter Lara Logan turned so ugly on NPR's site, but didn't on the blue.
posted to MetaTalk by Horace Rumpole at 8:59 AM on March 7, 2011 (90 comments)

Container ships are the backbone of today's globalized world. Many people seem to be unaware of the invisible but pivotal role that they and their Merchant Navy staff play in our daily lives. One reporter spends five weeks at sea, and the resulting piece is an enlightening surprise.
posted to MetaFilter by beisny at 2:37 PM on February 22, 2011 (42 comments)

I would like to go from Chicago to McMurdo Station in Antarctica, have a drink at the local bar, hang about for about six hours or so, and then leave. Any ideas on how I would go about doing that?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by dabradfo at 12:52 PM on February 18, 2011 (13 comments)

That's the Most Illegal Thing I've Seen in the History of Wrestling! (SLYT)
posted to MetaFilter by jenkinsEar at 12:09 PM on February 17, 2011 (123 comments)

For those of you who work outside of your homes (especially single people without loved ones or kids to pay attention to in the morning) what's your morning routine? What have you been able to stick with that leaves you happier and healthier for the rest of the day?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by l33tpolicywonk at 7:28 PM on February 6, 2011 (30 comments)

Los Angeles Plays Itself is a dazzling cinematic essay by the filmmaker Thom Andersen about how the city of Los Angeles is portrayed in films. Watch it now on YouTube: Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
posted to MetaFilter by jonp72 at 10:53 AM on February 5, 2011 (36 comments)

"Snowball Cam has no visible moving parts but [is] able to roll across most terrains, even up hill." A new generation of spycams - very mobile spycams - have been prowling the northern arctic islands of Norway for an upcoming BBC TV program on polar bears. Bilzzard Cam has two electric motors that propel it across the snow - on skis - at speeds up to 40 mph. When threatened by the bears, it releases the onboard decoy device - the Snowball Cam - seen in action here.
posted to MetaFilter by woodblock100 at 1:43 AM on December 23, 2010 (34 comments)

What are some small differences you've noticed about the US? Examples: My Japanese friend says that in Japan, large buildings have multiple public entrance/exits. My Dutch friend says that in the Netherlands, women shower in the gym showers. Specifically, I'm interested in things that could imply some theory (elaborate or not) of US culture, of some region of the US.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by oneous at 12:16 AM on February 11, 2011 (113 comments)

Just what it says on the tin: KITTEN IN SLOW MOTION!!!
posted to MetaFilter by Lord_Pall at 6:52 AM on February 8, 2011 (86 comments)

I am new to Vancouver, and was hoping to meet some local MeFites. Anyone up for a meetup this month?
posted to MeFi IRL by gursky at 6:34 PM on February 6, 2011

McBain: The Movie. McBain, an fictional action hero played by fictional movie star Ranier Wolfcastle (probably a parody of somebody famous), has had his movie played in snippets throughout the course of the Simpsons television show since the second season. Somebody took the time to paste these all together into a single 4 minute movie, which ends up having a plot about as good as any action movie you may have watched in the 80's.
posted to MetaFilter by jabberjaw at 6:00 PM on February 2, 2011 (88 comments)

The magic of the Muppets, perfectly encapsulated in one video (sylt)
posted to MetaFilter by sleepcrime at 5:18 AM on January 27, 2011 (76 comments)

Why does Martha Stewart have a human skull in her kitchen?
posted to MetaFilter by naju at 10:24 PM on January 12, 2011 (145 comments)

Is it possible to be genuinely happy alone?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 8:18 PM on January 2, 2011 (37 comments)

What are your tact hacks?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by lunchbox at 7:47 PM on January 7, 2011 (45 comments)

Nothing is Forgotten, a lovely little wordless comic about loss, fear, kindness, and memory.
posted to MetaFilter by Gator at 7:29 PM on January 4, 2011 (38 comments)

Just in time, perhaps one of the most anticipated online video releases of 2010 has arrived. RedLetterMedia presents the Plinkett Review of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. (3 parts, 110 minutes)
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 8:49 AM on December 31, 2010 (147 comments)

You are in a warm, dark, comfortable place. This has been your place since you became aware that you are alive. It's almost time to enter a different world now. In 1986, Activision published a roleplaying computer game called Alter Ego. Unlike the action and fantasy titles that ruled the day, this game simulated the course of a single ordinary life. Beginning at birth, players navigated a series of vignettes: learning to crawl, reacting to strangers, getting a first haircut. The outcome of each scenario subtly influenced one's path, and with every choice players slowly progressed through infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Graphically minimalist -- one's lifestream is represented by simple icons, and the scenarios are all text -- the game was nevertheless engaging, describing the world in a playful, good-natured tone tinged by darkness and melancholy. And it had quite a pedigree; developer and psychology PhD Peter Favaro interviewed hundreds of people on their most memorable life experiences to generate the game's 1,200 pages of material. Unfortunately for Dr. Favaro, the game didn't sell very well. But it lives on through the web -- PlayAlterEgo.com offers a full copy of the game free to play in your browser, and the same port is available as a $5 app for iPhone and Android. More: Port discussion group - Wishlist - Vintage review - Original game manual (text or scans)
posted to MetaFilter by Rhaomi at 9:51 AM on December 31, 2010 (46 comments)

Low on money, don't despair, before money there was barter and you can still barter! Bartering for space. Bartering for the use of a car. Bartering food for pints of beer. Bartering books you've read for books you haven't read. Bartering gifts you don't want for gifts you do want. Bartering for dental care. Bartering for baby sitters time. Bartering time on your couch for time on someone else's couch. Bartering time in your home for time in someone else's home. Bartering your UK Council flat for someone else's council flat. Time as a currency alternative. Time banks, bartering your free time for time money. A list of 101 US based timebanks. A timebank in New York. Timebanking in The UK. A bartering exchange. Another bartering exchange. And another bartering exchange.Yet another bartering exchange. A UK based bartering exchange. Obligatory tale of serial bartering: a paperclip for a house. Lest you think bartering is for small transactions only, China barters infrastructure for $9B worth of copper. All the BarterNews you'll need to keep abreast of the fast moving world of barter!
posted to MetaFilter by Mutant at 3:50 AM on December 26, 2010 (22 comments)

An unknown photographer's work comes to light.
posted to MetaFilter by zerobyproxy at 4:55 AM on December 26, 2010 (57 comments)

Halfway through the third book of the Hitchhiker's Guide series, there is a throwaway reference to a doomed starship, one whose incredible splendor was matched only by the cosmic absurdity of its maiden-day annihilation. But the story didn't end there. Unbeknownst to many fans, this small piece of Adamsian lore was the inspiration for an ambitious and richly-detailed side-story: a 1998 computer adventure game called Starship Titanic. Designed by Douglas Adams himself, the game set players loose in the infamous vessel, challenging them with a maddening mystery laced with the devilish wit of the novels. The game was laden with extra content, including an in-depth strategy guide, a (mediocre) tie-in novel by Terry Jones, a whimsical First Class In-Flight Magazine, and even a pair of 3D glasses for one of the more inventive puzzles. Key to solving these puzzles was the game's groundbreaking communications system -- players interacted with the ship's robotic crew through a natural language parsing engine called SpookiTalk, whose 10,000+ lines of conversational dialogue spawned 16 hours of audio recorded by professional voice actors, including John Cleese, Terry Jones, and even Douglas Adams himself in several cameos (spoiler cameo). Want to experience the voyage for yourself? Then watch this narrated video playthrough (intro (ads) - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9? 10 11 12 13) ...or click inside for a information on how to run the game for free on Windows, Mac, and Linux (along with a bunch of other goodies!).
posted to MetaFilter by Rhaomi at 7:28 PM on December 22, 2010 (109 comments)

Dream of the 90's is a short music video promoting the upcoming sketch comedy series Portlandia, starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein.
posted to MetaFilter by OverlappingElvis at 6:44 PM on December 17, 2010 (71 comments)

What are some specific, widely held, possibly irrational turn-ons... for those attracted to females.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by alternateuniverse at 7:45 PM on December 15, 2010 (81 comments)

Help me find the motivation to do creative and interesting things with my free time!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by greenfelttip at 6:14 AM on December 10, 2010 (23 comments)

Yahoo to shut down Del.icio.us, other sites. After a series of layoffs, Yahoo announced internally that a number of Yahoo products would be shut down, and others merged into existing features of the Yahoo main site.
posted to MetaFilter by zabuni at 12:52 PM on December 16, 2010 (260 comments)

A douche of assholes. A ________ of Mefites.
posted to MetaTalk by special-k at 11:06 PM on December 10, 2010 (164 comments)

What are some problems you couldn't really pinpoint until they got fixed?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by lunchbox at 12:57 AM on November 24, 2010 (68 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)

What are some fun things to do in Vancouver as an adult?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Silentgoldfish at 11:00 PM on September 4, 2010 (10 comments)

Slightly older mefites: What is one thing about life that you get satisfaction out of now that you would not have appreciated in your early to mid 20s?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by the foreground at 6:36 AM on August 31, 2010 (76 comments)

How can I learn to cook, starting from nearly perfect ignorance?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by enn at 7:01 PM on August 29, 2010 (41 comments)

The Rub have completed their Hip Hop History series, creating a mix for every year between 1979 and 2009. Most mixes are average two hours in length. For some golden age hip hop, try a mix from 1987, 1994 or 1996.
posted to MetaFilter by mattgeeknz at 10:03 PM on August 20, 2010 (38 comments)

How can I train myself to do [anything] every day? Help me to re-calibrate my routine-resistant brain.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Alabaster at 6:35 PM on August 9, 2010 (22 comments)

How to be alone. [SLYT]
posted to MetaFilter by Taft at 3:10 PM on July 30, 2010 (101 comments)

These images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations.
posted to MetaFilter by KevinSkomsvold at 8:00 PM on July 27, 2010 (82 comments)

Which book, movie, etc, has the most layers of reality (or stories within stories)?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by empath at 2:23 PM on July 22, 2010 (55 comments)

What are the extra rails for on the PDX Max?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by nomisxid at 9:19 AM on July 19, 2010 (1 comment)

Vancouver meetup in the near(ish) future? I've just moved to the Greater Vancouver area and would love to meet the local mefites.
posted to MetaTalk by alltomorrowsparties at 7:00 PM on July 8, 2010 (32 comments)

After many years, I am once again in possession of a student ID and e-mail address. What are some offers I can take advantage of with them?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by backseatpilot at 7:26 AM on July 13, 2010 (35 comments)

Why having the facts sometimes isn't enough, and what that means for politics and society.
posted to MetaFilter by jhandey at 9:24 AM on July 12, 2010 (61 comments)

Stephen Fry on "What I wish I'd known when I was 18" (30 minute video; transcript)
posted to MetaFilter by rollick at 2:58 PM on July 3, 2010 (105 comments)

How much of your life do you remember?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by MrVisible at 12:21 PM on June 28, 2010 (46 comments)

Today we're showing off the first (very early, alpha if you will) version of the new events subsite for MetaFilter we call IRL.
posted to MetaTalk by mathowie at 2:55 PM on June 24, 2010 (243 comments)

"So you want to keep your lover or your employee close. Bound to you, even. You have a few options. You could be the best lover they've ever had, kind, charming, thoughtful, competent, witty, and a tiger in bed. You could be the best workplace they've ever had, with challenging work, rewards for talent, initiative, and professional development, an excellent work/life balance, and good pay. But both of those options demand a lot from you. Besides, your lover (or employee) will stay only as long as she wants to under those systems, and you want to keep her even when she doesn't want to stay. How do you pin her to your side, irrevocably, permanently, and perfectly legally?

"You create a sick system."
posted to MetaFilter by Pope Guilty at 1:08 AM on June 16, 2010 (160 comments)

Last week, a photo of Keanu Reeves looking dejected appeared on Reddit. Predictably, the image inspired a variety of photoshops. Somewhat less predictably, as various details about Keanu's past hardships came to light, many began sharing their personal stories about what a damn nice guy he is. In the interest of raising his spirits, June 15 has been declared Cheer Up Keanu Day. Let's all take a moment to say "Thank you, Keanu."
posted to MetaFilter by almostmanda at 12:09 PM on June 11, 2010 (134 comments)

The phrases "Don't Drink the Kool Aid" or "Drinking the Kool Aid" are references to the 1978 cult mass-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. Though the origin of the saying is awful and unfortunate, sometimes the current phrase as it is used now just fits the situation. What are some other widely used phrases in American culture that have their origin in an unfortunate historical event?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by angiewriter at 9:46 AM on June 12, 2010 (101 comments)

Hey, neat, it's mathowie giving a 20min talk about Metafilter at the 2010 Gel conference
posted to MetaTalk by gwint at 9:00 PM on May 26, 2010 (101 comments)