Alison Bechdel, creator of the very long-running "Dykes to Watch Out For" as well as the autobiographical graphic novel "Fun Home", may end up best known for her creation/popularization of "The Bechdel Test" (also mentioned on wikipedia).
posted to MetaFilter by rmd1023 at 5:28 AM on September 3, 2008 (257 comments)

In the wake of some pretty nasty harassment directed towards women at San Diego Comic-Con, Rachel Edidin from the Inside Out blog at Girl Wonder has established a means of constructively dealing with the problem: the Con Anti-Harassment Project.
posted to MetaFilter by bitter-girl.com at 11:18 AM on August 26, 2008 (444 comments)

Some lesser-known superheroes and their stories.
posted to MetaFilter by Wolfdog at 4:58 AM on July 16, 2008 (38 comments)

"In the dark she fakes another little death, and says she thinks that it'd be better if he left. With ashes floating on her breath, she lights another cigarette." Down-tempo alt-country with a cello. From Pocket Novel Mystery's "Eight Days in the Life of Grace."
posted to MeFi Music by saulgoodman at 9:39 AM on July 4, 2006 (14 comments)

"I wanted to ask for survival tips in case I am unexpectedly transported to a random location in Europe (say for instance current France/Benelux/Germany) in the year 1000 AD (plus or minus 200 years). I assume that such transportation would leave me with what I am wearing, what I know, and nothing else. Any advice would help." How to rock the Middle Ages with your bad 2008 self.
posted to MetaFilter by stupidsexyFlanders at 9:22 AM on June 11, 2008 (233 comments)

A squirrel enjoys a nice cracker, to the tune of "If This Is It" by Huey Lewis. Strangely satisfying.
posted to MetaFilter by jbickers at 10:24 AM on June 5, 2008 (103 comments)

Allotments: how to get one, and what to grow in it once you've got it. Lots of people have allotments. Lots. Geddit?
posted to MetaFilter by nthdegx at 2:41 AM on June 3, 2008 (18 comments)

is a cover song.
posted to MeFi Music by sleepy pete at 10:32 PM on May 26, 2008 (17 comments)

In honor of tonight’s Scripps National Spelling Bee final, take a stab at these spelling tests – Scripps Test, MSNBC Test.
posted to MetaFilter by ericb at 5:33 PM on May 30, 2008 (39 comments)

Steve Cisler - first Internet librarian died on May 15th. "Steve was a unique intellectual populist. I believe his driving force was to put the power of computing resources, and the ability to communicate with same, into the hands of all who could benefit" Librarians, techies, activists and the unconnected alike will miss him terribly. This tribute from Ted Byfield went out to the nettime mailing list. A more official obit from the Mercury News "Steve Knew A Lot About A Lot". If you knew Steve you can post memories of him here or here. [cite for thread title]
posted to MetaFilter by jessamyn at 4:26 PM on May 29, 2008 (5 comments)

In the 1890s, an unknown woman was found drowned in the Seine. Known as the l'Inconnue de la Seine, her death mask became a fixture in the homes of artists and writers, and her look the ideal of the age. Many have speculated on her identity, and she has inspired a long list of artistic works by Nabokov, Rilke, Man Ray, and others. She has since become the "most kissed girl in the world" thanks to the Norwegian toymaker that used her mask to create Resusci Anne, the standard CPR doll.
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 9:43 AM on August 21, 2007 (56 comments)

Come, take a ride and look at some of the Islamic Art of the past. Or, you could call it Art of the Islamic World if you're so inclined. If not, then how about taking into account some of the major milestones of Islam throughout the centuries, from past till present (more examples here), including the art of Calligraphy and Architecture. Not to mention the Arab world's contribution to music, both old and new. [Previously mentioned, here, here, here, and here, with a wonderful comment from nickyskye as usual]
posted to MetaFilter by hadjiboy at 10:03 PM on May 29, 2008 (28 comments)

In your opinion, who are the best female science fiction authors? What are the best scifi books written by women?
posted to Ask Metafilter by taz at 4:52 AM on February 8, 2008 (105 comments)

A need a ringtones, but I hate ringtones: My iPhone's built-in ringtones aren't very good, so I'll have to buy one off iTunes. The problem is that I want something I can use in a business setting, and that is discrete, pleasant, and loud enough to hear. Can you suggest a song I should buy as a ringtone?
posted to Ask Metafilter by blahblahblah at 6:41 PM on November 27, 2007 (37 comments)

Under alien skies: Start with the simply stunning Exosolar, a flash-based interface for navigating through 2,000 nearer stars in 3-D, including all discovered planets outside our solar system. See what the skies would look like from other planets and suns. Explore star maps from many science fiction universes, from Star Trek to Dune. Watch the Big Dipper change its shape over a hundred thousand years. Zoom into a face-on map of the Milky Way that would cover 16 square meters if printed, and see the Atlas of the Universe. [prev. on extrasolar planets, prev. on star maps]
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 10:34 PM on May 6, 2007 (9 comments)

"ironic electro-pop"
posted to MeFi Music by frenetic at 8:17 PM on June 29, 2006 (26 comments)

Upbeat acoustic indie folk rock blues! Most of my songs are about drinking.
posted to MeFi Music by armoured-ant at 12:29 AM on June 30, 2006 (16 comments)

A second pretty much complete song for the RPM Challenge. Fancy ears will be able to pick out my attempt at learning to play the Cuatro that was hand-delivered to my front door from the awesome and amazing Micayetoca in Venezuela.
posted to MeFi Music by chococat at 2:28 PM on February 23, 2007 (40 comments)

Cowgirl campfire song, lead-in to a solo CD I did in February. Thanks to Eideteker for the file conversion.
posted to MeFi Music by Miko at 7:23 PM on July 6, 2006 (15 comments)

Where can I download ringtones that sound like actual "ring tones"? I don't want Black Eyed Peas or Justin Timberlake. A beeping or a ringing sound will do. I can't believe how difficult this has been to find. Thanks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by wfc123 at 1:41 PM on September 28, 2006 (17 comments)

This short NPR interview with two guys that do negative campaign ad voiceovers is not to be missed. They cover buzzwords, types of delivery, and then riff on nursery rhymes. [via notmartha]
posted to MetaFilter by mathowie at 1:15 PM on November 7, 2006 (28 comments)

News of stupidity in the fight against terrorism: Up to three years in jail for not loudly enunciating, in front of his mom, that he had a penis pump. If you do not know that you are an American citizen, it's your fault and you may be deported as an illegal alien. Manhattan train stopped because of some woman's bottle of iced tea? BC Ferry delayed 3 hours because of a forgotten briefcase (my coworker lives next to the terminal and has learned that this was an RCMP officer's briefcase, though that detail has not made the media). There are so many of these stories...we really need one place to group them all together.
posted to MetaFilter by Kickstart70 at 12:04 PM on August 24, 2006 (87 comments)

What does the true anime otaku do when cosplay just isn't enough? It's called animegao or kigurumi and it crosses the ridge into the uncanny valley. Some examples: Belldandy, Mahoro and Minawa, Lum, another Mahoro, Naru. Sometimes they wear lingerie, or swimsuits, or vinyl, or do bondage. They pose, and put their pictures online. Some of the sites are quite sophisticated. They create different costumes for themselves. They go on location and try to freak the mundanes. A lot of the people inside are men. And aficionados get together at conventions and party. All of which proves that I'm not nearly afraid enough of the Japanese. (As if that needed proving again.)
posted to MetaFilter by Steven C. Den Beste at 7:54 PM on June 9, 2006 (88 comments)