To the Indian MeFites - and the non-indian chefs as well - what are your favorite family Indian recipes and what are some tricks in the preparation to give the food that authentic Indian taste. You know, rich, delicious, mouth-watering, and savoury to the point that eating becomes a spiritual experiece in itself.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ageispolis at 10:19 PM on May 25, 2008 (17 comments)

Best episode to introduce someone to This American Life?
posted to Ask Metafilter by exhilaration at 1:49 PM on May 4, 2008 (44 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)

This American Life has at least a dozen instrumentals that they use over and over as background music. The Happy Flute Song, the Things Are Kind of Tense Song, and so on. I've really grown to like many of them, but I cannot identify any of them. Can TAL fans identify any of the standard music beds?
posted to Ask Metafilter by waldo at 3:19 PM on October 15, 2006 (23 comments)

Why, with all the advances in photography, can't they fix my camera so it shoots what I see?
posted to Ask Metafilter by twiki at 2:33 PM on March 27, 2008 (18 comments)

Then I don't need a jacket! (Videosift link) From start to finish, the most inexplicably joy-inducing 9 seconds the internet has to offer.
posted to MetaFilter by ghastlyfop at 8:25 AM on March 27, 2008 (104 comments)

Technological loopholes to religious law?
posted to Ask Metafilter by SBMike at 9:20 AM on March 7, 2008 (24 comments)

Recently, there was a thread in which someone was looking to meet nerdy people in the Vancouver area. Most replies mentioned organizing a meetup. This post is to explore that option and suggest venues and times.
posted to MetaTalk by MaxK at 11:31 PM on January 23, 2008 (50 comments)

"We plan to put Beauty to sleep by chemical means, and then we’ll flip a fair coin. If the coin lands Heads, we will awaken Beauty on Monday afternoon and interview her. If it lands Tails, we will awaken her Monday afternoon, interview her, put her back to sleep, and then awaken her again on Tuesday afternoon and interview her again. The (each?) interview is to consist of the one question : what is your credence now for the proposition that our coin landed Heads? When awakened (and during the interview) Beauty will not be able to tell which day it is, nor will she remember whether she has been awakened before. She knows about the above details of our experiment. What credence should she state in answer to our question?"

In light of the recent thread on the Monty Hall problem, here's a probability puzzle that's even more mind-bending: the Sleeping Beauty problem. Some people say the answer is 1/2. Some people say the answer is 1/3. Some people say there is no answer. Papers have been written which can't resolve this one.
posted to MetaFilter by salmacis at 3:15 AM on July 21, 2004 (40 comments)

What's that incense I've smelled at Zen centers and where can I find it?
posted to Ask Metafilter by sneakin at 1:09 PM on February 2, 2008 (11 comments)

What do you call capturing sound the way the human head hears it, that is, three-dimensionally? Nope, not stereo. Binaural recording. Holophonics. Dummy head (no, not you) recording.
posted to MetaFilter by artifarce at 8:12 AM on January 29, 2008 (14 comments)

The Game is a harsh mistress. I really suck at The Game. It never leaves my mind. So I've decided to share our little game with all of you. You now have a half hour to try to forget about The Game. If it crosses your mind outside of the thirty minute grace period, you lose the game. It is important to note that is impossible to win the game
posted to MetaFilter by blasdelf at 4:55 AM on February 19, 2005 (62 comments)

Is there a word or phrase that describes the experience of learning there is an established academic definition for an idea you thought was yours alone?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Lownotes at 7:37 PM on January 3, 2008 (20 comments)

The biggest diamond in the world is insignificant, compared with the biggest diamond in the galaxy. Discovered in 2004, the Center For Astrophysics suggests that you should use the galactic one "to impress your favorite lady." Here's information about how diamonds are formed, and where they are found.
posted to MetaFilter by Kirth Gerson at 9:52 AM on January 1, 2008 (24 comments)

I have recently been advised by my eye doctor that I need to significantly reduce my computer usage (no more than 2 or 3 hours a day). My entire career has been spent in the computer field (operations, programming, general systems work). Anyone have any suggestions on how to leverage my skills and abilities into a new career field?
posted to Ask Metafilter by sandpine at 7:25 AM on December 21, 2007 (15 comments)

Is Kant wrong for America, or is deontism defensible? (via)
posted to MetaFilter by Alex404 at 11:44 PM on December 8, 2007 (22 comments)

If you believe that people are inherently good, and you approach the world with trust — if you might accurately be described as dewy-eyed and idealistic — if you believe that justice occurs and evil is punished — how do you preserve these elements of your personality (trust, innocence, belief in justice) in light of the urge to protect yourself from hurt and attack (emotional shielding)?
posted to Ask Metafilter by WCityMike at 5:01 PM on December 8, 2007 (29 comments)

Ulysses - An Irish guy (in West Virginia) reads Ulysses and posts it to the web in 20 parts. It's a work best appreciated when read aloud and here is someone who has read it aloud just for you. (ultra-condensed version here )
posted to MetaFilter by caddis at 7:44 PM on November 25, 2007 (21 comments)

Mind the Gap: an essay by Paul Graham on wealth, riches, poverty, and why income inequality might not be so bad.
posted to MetaFilter by hoverboards don't work on water at 4:51 AM on October 11, 2007 (139 comments)

Deforestation. Extinction. Soil depletion. Toxicity. Mental illness. Mass imprisonment. Neocolonialism. Etceterugh. What should one read for a better comprehension of just what the hell we're doing to the planet, ourselves, and eachother?
posted to Ask Metafilter by poweredbybeard at 2:38 PM on September 21, 2007 (49 comments)

Imaging a Shattering Earth: Contemporary Photography and the Environmental Debate.
posted to MetaFilter by homunculus at 4:10 PM on September 15, 2007 (13 comments)

Girls I might want to befriend are romantically/sexually attracted to me...Are platonic relationships really possible? If so, how do I get out of this pattern of disastrous endings? Most specifically, how do I relate to a new "female friend" in my life without causing pain?
posted to Ask Metafilter by consilium at 1:46 PM on September 1, 2007 (29 comments)

I need tips for making chai at home
posted to Ask Metafilter by vionnett at 8:28 AM on August 27, 2007 (17 comments)

How can I escape the "friend trap"?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 5:15 PM on March 6, 2006 (57 comments)

How would I build a three-story high cat structure? That's three human stories, 25 feet or so high.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Araucaria at 12:42 AM on August 5, 2007 (18 comments)

I have been experimenting with both red and green curry paste, trying to perfect my curry recipe.
posted to Ask Metafilter by beachhead2 at 6:31 AM on August 4, 2007 (11 comments)

What's your favorite regional or "indie" soda pop on bottled non-alcoholic beverage (available in New York City or online, preferably)?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Bookhouse at 2:50 PM on July 30, 2007 (54 comments)

Does anyone know a good place to get sturdy, plain, colored tshirts with no logos on them? Cost is not much of a factor.
posted to Ask Metafilter by overhauser at 10:23 AM on July 29, 2007 (28 comments)

The Daniel Dennett interview with Bill Moyers [GoogleVid now with free viewing]. Dennett's talks at TED. Dennett with Robert Wright [GVid]. And additional AV at Daniel Dennett Multimedia -- his presentation at the Center for Naturalism (on "Breaking the Spell") is excellent. [Previously 1, 2, 3, 4]
posted to MetaFilter by McLir at 11:15 PM on July 25, 2007 (21 comments)

Do you use a personal vision and/or mission statement? I have one that is really vague and generic (~= golden rule, that level) and I am wondering about taking a couple hours and writing down something more formal. Searching google, etc. for HOW-TO's brings up zilch.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bukvich at 2:15 PM on July 14, 2007 (17 comments)

How should I prepare for behavioral questions in a job interview?
posted to Ask Metafilter by KokuRyu at 2:34 PM on July 9, 2007 (15 comments)

SciTalks - from the press release [19 June]: "The site launches today with over 1,000 lectures online, and more are being added daily. Segments range from a series of hour-long lectures by the late Richard Feynman, to a short, hilarious Ali G interview with Noam Chomsky, and a fascinating talk on designing a semiconductor-based brain, by up-and-coming Stanford researcher Kwabena Boahen." [via]
posted to MetaFilter by peacay at 1:06 AM on June 25, 2007 (7 comments)

Condom recommendations, anyone?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 8:57 AM on June 21, 2007 (41 comments)

Why are American voters reluctant to support free market policies when professional economists have achieved near-consensus? Bryan Caplan of the Cato Institute investigates. (pdf)
posted to MetaFilter by stammer at 9:52 PM on June 1, 2007 (71 comments)

Heterodoxy is by definition not widely popular, and so it goes in the field of economics. Lately, though, the orthodoxy has been on the defensive against a faction that's named itself post-autistic economics. Arising in France, it has spread around the world, capitalizing on the widespread feeling that all's not well in the field of economics. [more inside]
posted to MetaFilter by Kattullus at 4:58 AM on May 29, 2007 (57 comments)

Environmentalism, globalization and national economies, 1980-2000 [Schofer and Granados in Social Forces, Dec 06] Triple-punch! (1) "We find no impact of environmentalism on foreign investment and trade. Firms and investment do not appear to be fleeing countries with strong environmental standards." (2) "While it is common to assume that environmentalism targets industry, the agricultural sector may be [negatively] affected more significantly." (2) "[S]ociologists influenced by world-system theory [posit that] the relationship between environmentalism and growth could be spurious: environmentalism does not cause growth, but rather coincides with the economic success of core nations. However, broader results do not support this."
posted to MetaFilter by Firas at 11:36 AM on May 19, 2007 (6 comments)

The Land That No One Owns is a series of photographs taken in Anarctica by photographer Roberta Holden. [via Projekt30]
posted to MetaFilter by grapefruitmoon at 9:56 PM on March 28, 2007 (26 comments)

How do you transport your work clothes when riding your bike to work?
posted to Ask Metafilter by goldism at 5:43 AM on April 18, 2007 (24 comments)

Any environmental scientists around? I've been accepted into an MSc program in the UK for Environmental Management, and I'll be learning to do environmental impact assessment and environmental auditing. I've been doing a lot of reading on the subject but am having a difficult time finding descriptions of what it's really like to work in this field.
posted to Ask Metafilter by hazyjane at 8:07 AM on March 15, 2007 (8 comments)

What are the rules of thumb for mixing various spices and cooking oils for optimum flavor?
posted to Ask Metafilter by bingo at 11:47 AM on April 5, 2007 (18 comments)