50 Greatest Samples in Hip-Hop History with full original tracks. (via)
posted to MetaFilter by gwint at 7:26 AM on May 14, 2010 (51 comments)

After the success of the MeFi Twitter group hug, I thought we could do the same for Tumblr. So post 'em up already, so we can follow each other on yet another service.
posted to MetaTalk by defenestration at 12:45 PM on May 12, 2010 (84 comments)

Hi MeFites on Twitter! Other MeFites on Twitter would like to meet you! If you want to follow Twittering MeFites read this thread! If you want to be followed by Twittering MeFites post your username to this thread!
posted to MetaTalk by Artw at 1:51 PM on May 4, 2010 (301 comments)

Today's XKCD strip links to a nonexistent Wikipedia word "malamanteau." Apparently its only prior use was in a 2007 AskMe answer by ludwig_van. There's a bit of controversy on the Wikipedia talk page over a dismissal of MeFi as an "unused website."
posted to MetaTalk by graymouser at 4:27 AM on May 12, 2010 (156 comments)

Help me find English words that have meanings hidden in plain sight. For example, it only recently occurred to me that a "quart" is a quarter of a gallon.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by alms at 9:22 AM on May 4, 2010 (136 comments)

How do I, at 33, grow up?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 7:11 PM on April 24, 2010 (32 comments)

Shocking photos of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 and more volcano pictures from Marco Fulle taken on April 14th, 16th, and 17th.
posted to MetaFilter by Blazecock Pileon at 11:14 AM on April 18, 2010 (130 comments)

Poverty is an abstraction, even for the poor. But the symptoms of collective impoverishment are all about us. Broken highways, bankrupt cities, collapsing bridges, failed schools, the unemployed, the underpaid, and the uninsured: all suggest a collective failure of will. These shortcomings are so endemic that we no longer know how to talk about what is wrong, much less set about repairing it. And yet something is seriously amiss.

Historian Tony Judt, dying of Lou Gehrig's disease, makes a passionate call for a new New Left. [Previously]
posted to MetaFilter by Sonny Jim at 1:59 AM on April 10, 2010 (59 comments)

Uneven Terrain is a series of short documentaries about urban exploration, about 10-15 minutes long each. There are six so far, about monumental ruins in New York, Centralia, the Pennsylvania town where an underground coalseam has been on fire since the 1960s, abandoned missile silos in the US and how they're being turned into homes, oil drilling in Los Angeles, the Teufelberg listening station and the abandoned bunkers under Tempelhof Airport in Berlin and pirate radio in London and on the old Redsand sea forts. Each short doc has a different presenter. All have accompanying photo galleries. [These are produced for the bootmaker Palladium, but it's pretty low-key]
posted to MetaFilter by Kattullus at 11:56 AM on April 7, 2010 (7 comments)

You might have thought The Phantom Menace was the worst movie ever made, but no - it's Attack of the Clones. And RedLetterMedia is here to tell you exactly why. Parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine.
posted to MetaFilter by flatluigi at 12:41 AM on April 4, 2010 (306 comments)

Almost every weekend, I end up depressed and feeling useless at the end of Sunday night. No matter how I try to fix the pattern leading up to it, it always seems to end up in the same place. If you have a problem like this, how do you solve it? Or, if you don't, how do I keep myself from falling into this cycle every week?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by SNWidget at 1:51 PM on April 4, 2010 (25 comments)

What one change I can make in my life for one month will have the greatest positive effect?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by joshjs at 8:54 PM on March 31, 2010 (68 comments)

Major League Baseball's opening day is less than a week away, so here are some videos to whet your appetite:
The shot heard 'round the world/The Giants Win the Pennant!
Bill Mazeroski's walk-off home run, 1960 World Series
Hank Aaron hits home run number 715
Carlton Fisk waves it fair
Willie Mays: "The Catch."
posted to MetaFilter by starman at 12:00 PM on March 29, 2010 (63 comments)

I would like to know how you have dealt with or are dealing with this thing called loneliness.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 6:03 PM on March 28, 2010 (25 comments)

"This is how it really works." I'm looking for things you know that work differently than people assume they do. For instance, people usually assume that school textbooks are chosen strictly on merit, when actually it is Texas book events that end up controlling textbook sales. Or like the comment that said "what the FBI does is collect evidence for prosecution. They rarely solve crimes on their own and they rarely prevent them." Before payola was widely talked about in recent years, most people thought songs on the radio got there solely because of popularity. I'm looking for other examples where widely common perceptions about how something operates are not accurate.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by cashman at 7:18 AM on March 23, 2010 (100 comments)

I am lazy. I am in a rut.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by alshain at 7:54 AM on March 11, 2010 (46 comments)

Dan Benjamin of 5 by 5 Studios interviews Matt Haughey, eliciting answers to questions such as why Internet Fame sucks, how staffing up a web community can kill it dead, and what are the benefits of simplifying your life. (direct link to The Pipeline episode)
posted to MetaTalk by mistersquid at 7:27 AM on March 10, 2010 (17 comments)

Doug Lemov is getting some attention for his work at identifying - and trying to replicate - the key things that successful teachers do.
posted to MetaFilter by mai at 4:16 PM on March 3, 2010 (44 comments)

Hey Vancouverites, let's get together to celebrate the fresh air left behind by the Olympics.
posted to MetaTalk by RGD at 8:37 PM on March 4, 2010 (43 comments)

We're planning a cross-Canada train trip (between Vancouver and Toronto) this fall. In addition to some questions about logistics, we would love some general advice to help make it the "trip of a lifetime" we're hoping for.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by DrGail at 12:35 PM on March 4, 2010 (17 comments)

Long-delayed followup to the Do I have a shot at the Olympics AskMe question from 2008.
posted to MetaTalk by mikel at 10:50 AM on March 4, 2010 (66 comments)

Looking for something to read? Check out the best journalism Conor Friedersdorf encountered in 2009. And in 2008. He also updates a twitter feed with pieces he comes across that he either missed or that might make onto a 2010 list.
posted to MetaFilter by AceRock at 3:31 PM on February 25, 2010 (15 comments)

Is there a word for a condition in which a person is so afraid of success or failure that she does things like 1) Not check phone messages, 2) doesn't open mail, e-mail, etc.?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 4:02 PM on February 9, 2010 (27 comments)

The logistics and beauty of snowplowing or snowblowing by train (not always successful).
posted to MetaFilter by jessamyn at 6:37 PM on February 9, 2010 (33 comments)

How do I motivate myself? Seems almost impossible now after so many failed attempts.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 10:05 AM on February 16, 2010 (21 comments)

How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America
The Great Recession may be over, but this era of high joblessness is probably just beginning. Before it ends, it will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults. It will leave an indelible imprint on many blue-collar men. It could cripple marriage as an institution in many communities. It may already be plunging many inner cities into a despair not seen for decades. Ultimately, it is likely to warp our politics, our culture, and the character of our society for years to come. (via rw)
posted to MetaFilter by kliuless at 1:49 PM on February 11, 2010 (83 comments)

Is there a website that lists all of the Opening Ceremony outfits for the Vancouver Olympics and where to buy them? I really liked the track jackets from the Netherlands/zubaz from Azerbaijan -- and want one -- but can't suss out all of the Flash Olympic sites.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by melodykramer at 12:43 PM on February 15, 2010 (4 comments)

Salary negotiation - how to do it? I know that, in theory, you're supposed to get them to talk first. Does that really work? How do you do that without coming off like a jerk? Nowadays, the salary question starts in the first email. I generally deflect this question pretty well, but in the interview when they ask "What salary range are you looking for?" I run out of things to say. How do you answer this question? Give me specific phrases I can use. Based on an earlier AskMe threads, the Noel Smith Wenkle approach works well. On the other hand... (more inside)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by MesoFilter at 2:07 PM on February 4, 2010 (27 comments)

SLYT news report, starting with a lackluster establishing shot of a significant location.
posted to MetaFilter by stupidsexyFlanders at 9:49 AM on January 28, 2010 (121 comments)

So after watching a video of myself, I've realized that I have terrible posture. I slouch a lot. I've always known this, and periodically I'll try to stand up straighter, but after a few days I just go back to normal. Does anyone have any experience with beating the slouch for good?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ben5757 at 5:36 AM on January 27, 2010 (36 comments)

Things that only happen in movies but are supposed to be things ordinary people do.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by damn dirty ape at 7:25 PM on January 24, 2010 (218 comments)

What is the noticeable difference between a $100 pair of men's dress shoes and a $500 pair of men's dress shoes? I wear standard, department store $100 dress shoes to work every day (I used to wear Cole Haan; now I wear Johnston & Murphy). When the $100 shoe soles wear out, I have them re-soled. They do end up looking beat-up fairly quickly, even with polishing. I have been told that, if I spend more money on the shoes, they will last longer and the investment will be worth it.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jayder at 4:59 PM on January 20, 2010 (29 comments)

I spend a lot of time reading for both work and pleasure yet I have a hard time translating this to my everyday life, for example being able to remember key quotes or even retaining main points of books I have read. Do people here have any tips for retaining and utilizing content read in books, especially novels?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by the foreground at 9:18 AM on January 8, 2010 (17 comments)

ICSI Netalyzr is a java applet that performs an impressive collection of tests on your Internet connection, and reports the results back to you (and to the ICSI) in an easily readable format.
posted to MetaFilter by FishBike at 3:23 PM on January 14, 2010 (95 comments)

Don't-Like-Using/Answering-the-Phone People! I know you're out there. Now I'd like to know your reasons for avoiding the phone.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by anitanita at 8:51 AM on January 9, 2010 (103 comments)

Recommend some books that "change the way you think." But also, good adventure stories.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by BradNelson at 10:05 PM on January 4, 2010 (70 comments)

The Revolution Will Be Mapped. "GIS mapping technology is helping underprivileged communities get better services — from education and transportation to health care and law enforcement — by showing exactly what discrimination looks like."
posted to MetaFilter by chunking express at 8:36 AM on January 4, 2010 (40 comments)

Should I say something when I notice a guy using "Pick-up Artist" techniques on me?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 11:57 AM on December 31, 2009 (166 comments)

Premature Demise Filter: What TV shows, similar to Arrested Development, are excellent -- brilliant, even -- but were terminated seasons short of fruition? And, more importantly, why should I watch them?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by the NATURAL at 3:29 AM on December 28, 2009 (61 comments)

OMG I'M THE ADULT Documenting all those little moments of realization, when suddenly it is revealed that you are, indeed, a grown-up now. [via mefi projects]
posted to MetaFilter by hippybear at 8:18 AM on December 24, 2009 (156 comments)

Hello, Vancouver! I will be in your city this weekend, and am looking for fun things to do and awesome places to hang out. I'm thinking of arriving New Years Day and leaving Saturday afternoon, but if there are fun things to do NYE, I would love to spend NYE there.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Afroblanco at 12:48 PM on December 29, 2009 (6 comments)

How to actually create "Smack My Bitch Up." (previously)
posted to MetaFilter by flatluigi at 11:07 PM on December 23, 2009 (51 comments)

An excellent short film about a branch of the London Underground that was never built.
posted to MetaFilter by cillit bang at 6:12 AM on December 23, 2009 (31 comments)

An eerie tribute to countless Twilight Zone episodes, Pixar Animator Rodrigo Blaas has published his animated short film Alma.
posted to MetaFilter by netbros at 4:07 PM on December 22, 2009 (72 comments)

Help me develop sprezzatura, the art of "a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it." The "zen valedictorian" approach, but applied outside of a school setting. Or old-style Hollywood glamour, but updated for our millennium.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 2:15 PM on December 19, 2009 (24 comments)

Are there any games which let you just explore and enjoy the scenery, like a walk-in painting or virtual vacation? (single-player preferred)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by lord_yo at 10:50 AM on December 15, 2009 (43 comments)

What are your 20s like?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by litleozy at 11:22 AM on December 13, 2009 (87 comments)

With 7 or 8 nights to spend in Seattle and Vancouver, how should we divide our time?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by greendress at 2:24 PM on December 13, 2009 (19 comments)

What are your 30s like?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by cuban link flooded jesus at 12:55 PM on December 9, 2009 (73 comments)

Have you managed to turn an undergrad degree in the humanities/liberal arts into a satisfying and intellectually challenging career? Please tell me about it.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by mellifluous at 4:13 PM on November 25, 2009 (28 comments)