"You're really smart!" Psychologist Carol Dweck says that praising a child for being smart only teaches the kid to avoid any effort that might fail. "When we praise children for their intelligence, we tell them that this is the name of the game: Look smart, don't risk making mistakes." Malcolm Gladwell chimes in with his thoughts on the importance of being a smart kid, "What a gifted child is, in many ways, is a gifted learner. And what a gifted adult is, is a gifted doer. And those are quite separate domains of achievement."
posted to MetaFilter by revgeorge at 7:15 AM on February 13, 2007 (218 comments)

How do you develop focus, drive, and personal discipline?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Saxon Kane at 8:26 PM on May 11, 2008 (28 comments)

The wolf

Is shaved so neat and trim

Red Riding Hood

Is chasing him

BURMA-SHAVE

posted to MetaFilter by hadjiboy at 12:21 AM on April 23, 2008 (33 comments)

from ACT I SCENE 4

J: Your pardon; did I break thy concentration?
Continue! Ah, but now thy tongue is still.
Allow me then to offer a response.
Describe Marsellus Wallace to me, pray.
posted to MetaFilter by 2or3whiskeysodas at 6:48 AM on April 20, 2008 (170 comments)

Gormenghast, that is, the main massing of the original stone, taken by itself would have displayed a certain ponderous architectural quality were it possible to have ignored the circumfusion of those mean dwellings that swarmed like an epidemic around its outer walls.
posted to MetaFilter by steerpike at 5:19 AM on April 16, 2008 (57 comments)

How does one treat, eliminate, and prevent ingrown hairs and red bumps from from hair waxing, especially in the pubic region?
posted to Ask Metafilter by oldlies at 7:07 PM on April 13, 2008 (22 comments)

How can I infuse bacon flavor into vodka? The product doesn't need to be vegan or kosher or anything special---just want to go into a kitchen and whip up some bacon-flavored vodka.
posted to Ask Metafilter by d. z. wang at 8:54 PM on March 29, 2008 (22 comments)

I'm writing a story about medieval , and I need historically-accurate backdrops/minor plot elements that relate to conspiracies, intrigues, and crackpot theories from Europe in the 900s-1400s A.D.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Chaotician at 11:23 AM on March 14, 2008 (40 comments)

What's the best way to export all of the emails in a Thunderbird inbox to text files, one text file per email?
posted to Ask Metafilter by eisenkr at 11:57 AM on March 14, 2008 (6 comments)

What are retorts for some common sayings? For example, when people say: "The early bird gets the worm", you could retort "The second mouse gets the cheese". Which other ones are out there?
posted to Ask Metafilter by markovich at 12:14 PM on March 14, 2008 (81 comments)

Looking to make a list of famous artists, in all media, who "started it all."
posted to Ask Metafilter by Melismata at 11:06 AM on March 5, 2008 (68 comments)

Stupid Cooking Filter: How do you use a bamboo steamer?
posted to Ask Metafilter by dancinglamb at 9:34 AM on March 5, 2008 (19 comments)

The Lost Novels of Victorian New Zealand New Zealand in the 19th century produced dozens of works of fiction, from full-length novels to small pamphlets and newspaper supplements. Popular at the time, these early precursors to the local literary scene were subsequently almost entirely forgotten. Many now exist only in one or two copies, hidden away in research libraries. The New Zealand Electronic Text Centre aims to restore this lost literary heritage to view. The first 35 texts are now available in keyword-searchable, full-text form, with page images, pdfs, and original, startling illustrations included. There is also a scholarly introduction. Thrill to the gothic phantasmagoria of Utu: A Tale of Love, Hate and Revenge! Shudder at the epic political incorrectness of the 'innocent' children's book, The Expedition of Captain Flick! Cheer on Frank Melton as he inadvertently ogles his near relatives! Another 60 or so novels are scheduled for digitization in 2008, along with original critical essays.
posted to Projects by Sonny Jim at 6:36 PM on November 23, 2007

I'm making a website in CSS, and I want it to have a left-side navigation menu. It doesn't need to be fancy, just some text links will do. What I want is to have the navigation menu externally linked, so that if I need to change it, I can change it in only one place and have it affect the whole site, like CSS does for the style. My server apparently isn't set up to use server side includes, and I prefer not to use frames.
posted to Ask Metafilter by IndigoRain at 12:08 AM on January 6, 2006 (18 comments)

Help me convince the man I love that he doesn't have to marry someone else.
posted to Ask Metafilter by xanthippe at 3:36 AM on January 18, 2008 (63 comments)

I haven't played trumpet since I was a senior in high school in 1994. Recently, I picked up a good used student horn on eBay and am excited to start practicing again. Trumpet players of the green, I ask you- what are your favorite websites?
posted to Ask Metafilter by bobot at 7:41 AM on December 19, 2007 (13 comments)

Life-altering experiences. Can you point to a single experience in your life, as a child, which you can define as having contributed to the person you are today? (+)
posted to Ask Metafilter by jeremias at 4:41 AM on February 2, 2005 (216 comments)

What single quote is the best introduction (or accurately encapsulates) a philosophy, belief or conviction that you hold? Or alternately, a quote that describes something in a way that gives you a deeper understanding of a particular perspective that you may or may not endorse.
posted to Ask Metafilter by quadog at 10:44 AM on September 26, 2007 (96 comments)

What single book is the best introduction to your field (or specialization within your field) for laypeople?
posted to Ask Metafilter by limon at 5:40 PM on September 8, 2007 (238 comments)

It's a word I've been using for a while in a ... you know ... "ironic postmodern" sort of a way, but really, I've got no idea what it means. The Google results plain confuse me, so I'm throwing this one out to the Ask Metafilter Posse. What does the word "postmodern" mean? What is postmodern literature? And finally, where do I go for examples? And ... please no laughing from the front of the class.
posted to Ask Metafilter by seanyboy at 2:50 PM on January 18, 2004 (42 comments)

What are the best questions you've ever been asked / asked someone to get to know them better, build closer friendships/bonds, find out secrets and interesting tidbits about their lives and worldviews? I'm rather introverted (but working on being more sociable). I really relish meeting and interacting different people with different views but too often conversations aren't very interesting so I'm really not engaged or connecting with them. I'm trying to get a lot better at chatting, learning about people and building bonds with people, but I need more ammo for interesting questions to unlock that higher level of discourse with the people that surround me.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jkl345 at 2:03 PM on August 5, 2007 (47 comments)

Is it possible to partition a hard drive without reinstalling windows or formatting the drive? I have a 60 gig HD and would like to partition part of it to install ubuntu linux on.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nosophoros at 3:10 AM on May 9, 2006 (9 comments)

I need some tips for writing fiction that's appealing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by gregb1007 at 11:14 AM on July 27, 2007 (33 comments)

Help me with a German sentence (quote?). German speakers: is the following sentence a quote from German literature? It's in reference to a picture of a Jewish headstone with pebbles on it. "Wieviel Wissen wird unter diesen Steinen liegen" Just wondering if this is a literary quote, or merely the musings of the commentor.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nax at 3:58 PM on July 23, 2007 (4 comments)

Can I use this image (LGPL'd) as a logo for my website? I'd like to modify it to change the color but otherwise use it unchanged. I'm unsure about the licensing issues though.
posted to Ask Metafilter by GregX3 at 12:38 PM on July 10, 2007 (8 comments)

Give me some exercises for creative writing.
posted to Ask Metafilter by invitapriore at 8:00 PM on July 9, 2007 (22 comments)

From the Big Bang to Iraq: Jorn Barger's logarithmic timeline of the universe [Previous RobotWisdomFilter: 1, 2, 3, 4].
posted to MetaFilter by hoverboards don't work on water at 2:43 PM on May 19, 2007 (19 comments)

How does one smoke?
posted to Ask Metafilter by billybunny at 3:38 PM on May 14, 2007 (28 comments)

How do they tell if you're a Muslim if you want to go on the hajj or umra to Mecca and Medina?
posted to Ask Metafilter by champthom at 4:55 PM on April 5, 2007 (24 comments)

fiction writers: how do you move a story without being in it?
posted to Ask Metafilter by mirileh at 5:38 AM on April 3, 2007 (28 comments)

Which translation of the Qur'ān should I read?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Aloysius Bear at 7:55 PM on March 24, 2007 (9 comments)

The Codex Seraphinianus, that rare and amazing volume, has been scanned in high-res glory and posted to Flickr. If you are lucky enough to afford it, copies are available. Previously.
posted to MetaFilter by suckerpunch at 9:17 AM on March 20, 2007 (59 comments)

How can I break out of my 27-year-long habit of procrastination? I'm looking for tips to help me mentally as well as specific tools or methods that will help me manage my time better -- especially at work.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 4:49 PM on October 5, 2005 (38 comments)

After the Romans left Britain was divided into a number of Celtic kingdoms that fought with each other and, increasingly, with the Germanic invaders we know as "Anglo-Saxons." The most famous alleged defender of Celtic Britain, of course, is King Arthur, but he's more myth than history. What catches my imagination is The Gododdin (Welsh original, by Aneurin), an epic lament for the band of men who gathered at Eiddyn (Edinburgh, main town of Gododdin) around the year 600 and headed south for a last-ditch battle against the Saxons at Catraeth (probably Catterick in northern Yorkshire), where they were wiped out. One contingent was from Elmet (Elfed in the poem), a kingdom that had been holding the line against the invaders in what's now Yorkshire; once Elmet was conquered, there was no stopping them. And all of this history was basic to the poetry of David Jones, one of the best unknown poets of the previous century, and important to one of the best known, Ted Hughes (book with photos). "Men went to Catraeth, familiar with laughter. The old, the young, the strong, the weak."
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat at 3:28 PM on August 31, 2006 (31 comments)

La Jetée. Following the postapocalyptic bleakness of the Threads posting, you may wish to watch La Jetée,, a 28-minute film told nearly entirely in stark black-and-white photos (and, in this version, with an English narration). This has quite a following, especially since Terry Gilliam's eerily similar 12 Monkeys.
posted to MetaFilter by John of Michigan at 10:57 AM on December 24, 2006 (50 comments)

Fans of Vintage Cultural Ephemera Rejoice!

Illustration and print design of the 1920s-30s
Cold War Propaganda (on both sides)
Illustration and print design of the forties
Vintage cigarrette advertising
Sheet Music of the 1800s - 1950s
Out of print cookbooks
7-Up advertising (pre 1980s)

All of these (and much more) found via this excellent Flickr Page of Groups administered by cultural archivist Paula Wirth.
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 12:07 AM on December 15, 2006 (15 comments)

Writers on writing?
posted to Ask Metafilter by RokkitNite at 2:55 PM on December 11, 2006 (39 comments)

I'm writing a book. What's the difference between a prologue, a foreword, an introduction, and a preface?
posted to Ask Metafilter by soulbarn at 2:32 PM on November 29, 2006 (13 comments)

(Birthday filter)I am not young enough to know everything. -- Oscar Wilde- Today I turn 28, I have been extremely lucky in life (though this year was full of hiccups). Though this past year was a bit trying, I have plenty to be thankful for. I would love for you guys to give me some advice for the upcoming year. What do you wish you had known at 28 that you know now? Some pearls of wisdom would be the best gift I can ask for. Thanks guys!
posted to Ask Metafilter by boyinmiami at 11:59 AM on November 21, 2006 (35 comments)

Is it possible to sort a spreadsheet alphabetically by last letter or by retrograde spelling? Excel, StatView, etc.?
posted to Ask Metafilter by imposster at 7:11 AM on November 21, 2006 (6 comments)

Does anyone have a copycat recipe for store-bought eggnog?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Addlepated at 1:53 PM on November 11, 2006 (12 comments)

Boredom begone! There exist a preponderance of games which (mostly) require nothing but pen and paper, ranging from the relatively mild Fictionary and Word Association, to the more artistic Exquisite Corpse and Eat Poop You Cat (seen previously as an online game), and finally the downright nutty Dvorak and 1000 blank white cards. My favorite, by far: the elusive other foot.
posted to MetaFilter by duffell at 11:52 AM on November 5, 2006 (26 comments)

SF writers only use six words. A collection of six word epics from the cream of contemporary SF writers. Can Mefi do better? I reckon!
posted to MetaFilter by Sparx at 8:45 PM on October 24, 2006 (400 comments)

WikiFilter: Like many of you, I am looking for a wiki solution for my personal notebook/data storage needs (i.e. running on a PC only, no server involved). I am bowled over by Mediawiki every time I visit Wikipedia. But is there any simple way to implement Mediawiki (or a comparable wiki engine) on a plain ol' Windows XP desktop?
posted to Ask Metafilter by mjklin at 10:12 AM on October 4, 2006 (7 comments)

What makes music from a time period so immediately recognizeable as from that period?
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 9:35 AM on September 21, 2006 (15 comments)

Explain Foucault to me like I was a 10 year old.
posted to Ask Metafilter by trinarian at 10:35 AM on September 16, 2006 (24 comments)

How many camels is my girlfriend worth?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Hogshead at 1:50 PM on September 8, 2006 (34 comments)

I'm looking for more great non-fiction books. Requirements: writing to make an English major swoon; a thesis or narrative structure that makes for an organized, logical flow; well-reported; interesting; true, with embellishments of known fact made known by the author.
posted to Ask Metafilter by croutonsupafreak at 10:25 PM on August 22, 2006 (46 comments)

You know the fake man-on-the-street quotes that the Onion has been doing every week for years? There are six different people's photos they've used forever, and I would like to know more.
posted to Ask Metafilter by poppo at 10:11 AM on August 17, 2006 (18 comments)

Please tell me a book you think everyone should read and why.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pasici at 9:48 PM on July 20, 2006 (135 comments)