So I was just listening to NPR, and they had this Democratic Georgia Congressman on, and he was talking about how he voted for the bill, even though many of his constituents were against it. The host said "you were overheard saying that you may lose your seat over this vote, but it's more important to the future of the country that this bill passes, is that true?" The guy said yes, that was true, but he hopes that in time, people will see that this bill was necessary. Just then the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by billysumday at 2:03 PM on September 29, 2008

Thunderball!!

"Thunderball is both an improvement on baseball and a new sport to lead us into a new century. Long considered a "fringe sport," Thunderball is now ready to share the baseball fields currently occupied by the greedy traditionalists."

Rules of Thunderball:

1. Bring the walls in closer to allow for more home runs. Make home runs worth two points.
2. The outfield is... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Balisong at 11:29 PM on August 26, 2008

Gas pipeline to Europe isn't it spicy?
IE: Nato: stop that
Russia: EMBARGO ON! NO GAS FOR YOU!
Nato: It's winter and we are cold
Russia: Fuck off
posted to MetaFilter by a3matrix at 11:54 AM on August 14, 2008

How, exactly, do we all know this? (NB: honest question)
posted by MarshallPoe at 11:54 AM on August 8

Because at this stage in history, all conflicts are over scarce resources. The ascendance of China and India more than doubles the number of people competing for the resources that 15 years ago were consumed primarily by North Americans, Europeans, and the Japanese.

Oil and energy are not the only resources.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Pastabagel at 9:39 AM on August 8, 2008

Okay, law librarian here, and I'm chiming in not only because I've helped out a number of folks in your situation, but also because at least a few others here have suggested you come visit one of my colleagues out in sunny Southern California. Before you do, please know a few basic things.

Mis-filing or other errors in your service of notice can fatally damage even the most meritorious of claims. Since some of your claims allege fairly serious harm, the first thing... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by deejay jaydee at 9:02 AM on August 7, 2008

6 YEARS OF IMG TAGS AND NOTHING BAD HAPPENED. ONE DAY SOME CLOWN AUTOMATICALLY FAVORITES HIS OWN COMMENT AND MATHOWIE ACTS LIKE GEORGE BUSH AFTER BUILDINGS FALL IN MANHATTAN. MEANWHILE THE REST OF THE FORUM WORLD GOES ON ENJOYING THIER IMG TAGS WITHOUT SUCCUMBING TO TREMBLING FEAR AND CURTAILMENT OF FREEDOMS.
posted to MetaTalk by quonsar at 2:11 PM on October 22, 2006

The code was always inactive, your idiot browsers were just trying to be way too clever.

OH THAT PLAINTEXT RESEMBLES A URL
WHY DON'T I PREFETCH IT FOR YOU
OMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM
posted to MetaTalk by blasdelf at 8:30 AM on August 7, 2008

pessimistic (though generally accurate) life advice:

01. The universe is unbelievably vast, mostly empty, and there's no apparent reason why it exists.
02. Neither infinite nor finite time/space is satisfying.
03. There is no magic.
04. You are your body and you will die.
05. Even compared to the number of people in your city you are insignificant, let alone the planet or the whole of history.
06. There are... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by leibniz at 2:34 AM on August 7, 2008

awww, did de sad wittle guy make hisself a comic book to feel aww bettah
posted to MetaFilter by poppo at 4:23 AM on August 7, 2008

optimistic (though generally accurate) life advice:

01. The universe exists, even though you didn't ask for one.
02. Learning how to make the most of the finite time and space granted to you is a satisfying lesson.
03. Everything is made of magic.
04. Your body is an amazingly versatile instrument and a surprisingly durable vessel.
05. It is a testament to the power of human bonding that even though individual humans... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by goodnewsfortheinsane at 7:23 AM on August 7, 2008

I've more or less given up. I mean, I try to stop -- we use a lot of SpongeBob swear-words as substitutes -- but I'm afraid the damage has long been done. So to balance out the swearing we have had lots of conversations about "home" words vs. "school" words, "daddy" words vs. "grandma & grandpa" words, public words vs. private words... which I think has helped give the kids a pretty good grasp of social nuance and context. At least, it's been a while... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mothershock at 2:54 PM on August 6, 2008

Is this the place where sock puppets come to bitch about dumb shit? Am I in the right place?
posted to MetaTalk by Anne Coulter's Butt Plug at 6:39 AM on August 6, 2008

Now [Esteban] discovered that secret from which one never quite recovers, that even in the most perfect love one person loves less profoundly than the other. There may be two equally good, equally gifted, equally beautiful, but there may never be two that love one another equally well.
--Thornton Wilder; The Bridge of San Luis Rey
posted to Ask Metafilter by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:28 AM on August 5, 2008

Pfft, LA? You can keep it.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA OH MY GOD YOU SAID SOMETHING NEGATIVE ABOUT LOS ANGELES NO ONE HAS EVER DONE THAT BEFORE THAT IS THE FUNNIEST THING I HAVE EVER READ IN MY ENTIRE LIFE HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!
posted to MetaFilter by drjimmy11 at 9:54 PM on August 3, 2008

Applemeat, English major, sums up 19th century literature for you:

A guy's upset because his sister's not a virgin anymore; somebody gets run over by a buggy; everybody is coughing, and nobody has any money.
posted to MetaFilter by applemeat at 11:34 AM on July 28, 2008

"Clearly" also has the same meaning as "technical." If something is "clearly" right, there would be no need to say it is clearly right. Straight from my 1L legal writing instructor.

I will tell you what is missing from the clerks I've seen. They don't put things into a formal structure. I'm an administrative litigator who practices before ALJ's with a lot of motion work and I see other lawyers miss it too, even from the big firms. I have an... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Ironmouth at 3:14 PM on August 1, 2008 marked best answer

Ironmouth nailed it, but here's a slightly different way of understanding this critical point: teach your students to analytically examine the structure of the statute/authority that they are applying in their memos.

Legal authority, be it statutory, judge-made, or administrative, almost always comes in a set of elements. Teach your students to let those elements outline their answer. Teach your students to incorporate those elements to frame... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by deejay jaydee at 9:07 AM on August 2, 2008 marked best answer

Here's a true story about how awesome Pixar is.

As some of you know, when the trailer first came out, my girlfriend, Courtney, burst into tears at the trailer. She was emabrrassed but somewhat amused by this, as so she made a video of herself watching the trailer on her computer, knowing she would start crying every time that little robot said his own name.

After a few months, she started to get trickles of emails from people at Pixar who said... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Astro Zombie at 12:18 PM on July 1, 2008

and allkindsoftime are lame

This has nothing to do with anything but I think it's an example of a neat sort of production error how kbanas matched "allkindsoftime" up with a plural-agreeing "are". "all kinds" being that sort of modifier, some reptile part of kbanas' brain may have insisted at keyboardin' time. Language is neat.
posted to MetaTalk by cortex at 12:39 PM on July 31, 2008

So I guess we're proving his point then? Okay.

Hell no. My kids may have gone to preschool (ooooh), but right now they're beating the crap out of each other with light sabers in the back yard. I haven't seen them since lunch.
posted to MetaFilter by padraigin at 1:28 PM on July 31, 2008

We're fucking doomed.
posted to MetaFilter by zouhair at 5:48 PM on July 30, 2008

(I'm going to assume that you are a guy; if you aren't, hopefully some of this will apply in some way anyway.)

Do you jerk off? Stop. Not forever, just until you are reliably coming from sex with her. Think of it as retraining your body or a "sex hack" or whatever keeps you from pulling the pud, but stop for the time being. Your only sexual release should come from or with her -- if it involves your hand, if she's not an active participant you don't get to do... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Forktine at 8:28 PM on June 27, 2008

Yeah, just to be clear, suspension of disbelief basically means, okay, I will accept a crazy premise SO LONG AS everything that proceeds from the premise is believable GIVEN THE PREMISE.

In a movie, the audience will swallow one big fish. This is known as 'the buy'. You are allowed exactly one and it happens in the first act (the first 25-30 minutes). Everything else must proceed logically from that buy, and obey any and all rules which are established by the buy.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by unSane at 9:08 PM on June 17, 2008

Posers. I don't even put my drink on a coaster.
posted to MetaFilter by mr_crash_davis at 4:55 AM on June 18, 2008

> l

You are in front of a small cottage. It is clear that the occupants are very poor people.

> i

You are carrying:

- Your wallet
- A Zippo lighter

> l in wallet

Your wallet contains:

- A ten dollar bill
- Your credit card
- An unused condom purchased in... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Flunkie at 4:57 PM on June 11, 2008

Around my left wrist: If I cannot bring you comfort...

Around my right wrist: ...then at least I bring you hope

Somewhere I can see it (likely inner arm, very small): Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by IndigoRain at 7:13 PM on July 24, 2005

Now in my 40s, I am just as sharp as I was in my 20s. But I went through a foggy period and many people I know are mired in it. Here's my theory: the brain is a "muscle." If you don't give it long, daily workouts, it gets flabby.

When you're a kid, everything is new and your brain is constantly at work just trying to figure out the world. It doesn't feel like work. It's just what happens. Then there's school. I don't think much of the American school system. I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grumblebee at 6:13 AM on April 26, 2008

I think an in-depth Nash style analysis of the risks to the remaining "free range" kids should also take into account a smarter predator (and predators in nature tend to be comparably smart). A smarter predator would avoid a free-range child, who probably has some common sense, and would instead select a docile, easily-manipulated child who could be terrorized into keeping secrets.

I believe in unconscious conspiracies - linked actions from masses of people... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by adipocere at 6:36 AM on April 12, 2008

Sometimes kids won't believe the truth anyway. True story. I'm in a taxi with my niece, who is five, and my sister (her mother).

Niece: Were there dinosaurs when you were little?
Me: No the dinosaurs were all gone a long time before that.
N: Before Grandma was little even?
M: Yes, even before Grandma was little.

[Pause as five year-old tries to imagine such a time]

N: What happened to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by The Bellman at 12:35 PM on April 9, 2008

When I was their age, we had to beat other kids uphill both ways. In the snow.
posted to MetaFilter by backseatpilot at 11:54 AM on April 10, 2008

I've been outside. It's overrrated.

Traditionally Outside receives extremely high ratings by those who like to see others play it, and these people are in many cases comfortably ensconced Inside themselves. Outside was released many years ago, it was in fact the first massively multiplayer game, and yet it has always managed to avoid the double-edged Retro tag. In its favor, continual user updates have kept Outside current; there are always new things... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by aeschenkarnos at 4:19 PM on March 30, 2008

The last time I was in Casper was the summer of 1988, following my freshman year of college. My grandmother had just died, and my cousin was flying in from L.A. for the funeral.

My uncle asked -- demanded, really -- that I accompany him to the airport with him to pick up my cousin. The two of them didn't really get along (family rumor has it that when my cousin came out to L.A. in the '70s to pursue acting, it was my dad who paid his SAG initiation dues after my uncle... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by scody at 3:19 PM on March 27, 2008

HEADLINE: EMOS GIVEN SOMETHING TO CRY ABOUT
posted to MetaFilter by Pope Guilty at 11:36 AM on March 27, 2008

Keep with Canon. The SD1000 are about to get real cheap (around $150) because the new 2008 line of the compact point and shoots are coming out really soon.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ijoyner at 12:21 PM on March 17, 2008

I'm a professional photographer and have done a lot of research on point and shoot cameras. I can tell you that the hands down best value in point and shoot digital cameras are the Panasonic Lumix line up. While other companies wow you with megapixels and other impertinent technical specs, this lineup of panasonic cameras uses some of the best lenses in the world, the Leica lenses, exclusively! If I ever ran out of film for my medium format camera, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up one of these... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by tosteka at 12:43 PM on March 17, 2008

If you favorite this comment I'll send you a mushy MeFi mail love note, possibly with integral equations in them.
posted to MetaFilter by onalark at 8:53 PM on February 24, 2008

Well, I think these are relatively gender-neutral quotes, though I guess they're all by men... I'm not sure if they're what you're looking for. Still:

Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.
--James Baldwin

Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can. All of them make me laugh.
---W.H.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by you're a kitty! at 5:11 PM on February 19, 2008

One of my side jobs is writing 50 trivia questions a week, so here is my advice:

1.) Start reading:
--- the Schotts Miscellany series of books is absolutely indispensable.
-- the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy is a great general reference book.
-- Panati's Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things makes for some really entertaining reading.
-- Some people swear by Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader series of books.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by jmnugent at 12:42 PM on February 19, 2008 marked best answer

Make pancakes and substitute Duvel or a nice Hefeweizen in place of water.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jclovebrew at 11:43 PM on February 18, 2008

I notice this innocuous question has generated a metric shitload of responses.
It seems like it would be a good one to remember for those occasions where you are expected to make small talk with someone you barely know, and don't care to talk much yourself.

"What do you notice that other people don't?"
"Mmmm."
"Yes."
"That's interesting."
posted to Ask Metafilter by hexatron at 5:24 PM on February 12, 2008

If 500 people favorite this comment, I'll disable my account.
posted to MetaFilter by hermitosis at 3:54 PM on February 10, 2008

I'm female, 34, from Northern California, and we played this game as well. About a year ago I bought this on a Tshirt, and every time I wear it I get at least one nod of recognition ("Hey! We did that when we were kids, too!").
posted to Ask Metafilter by routergirl at 9:35 AM on February 4, 2008

hazel - beautiful. Truly.

“If you, as a parent, can't tell that giving up a 400+ HP car to your 18 year old MALE offspring isn't a good idea... “

Yeah, I heard some kid stole his dad’s vintage 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California and let his buddy drive it all over Chicago. Then kicked the hell out of it and slammed it through a plate glass window into a big ditch behind their house.


When I was a kid I blew my... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Smedleyman at 5:48 PM on January 29, 2008

I've had two major job searches in my career and the Guerrilla Tactics factored majorly in both searches. Both times I found jobs that exceeded my expectations. My credentials were very similar to yours when I got out of law school. Basically, here's what worked for me:

1. Networking -- I can't underestimate how important this is. I got my current job from a contact at my old job. My friend got her first job from a lawyer she met at her sister-in-law's bridal shower.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by bananafish at 5:16 PM on July 16, 2007 marked best answer

"Look with your eyes, not with your hands!"

The WarCry Holiday Buying Guide
Network World 2005 Holiday Gift Guide
iLounge Holiday Buyers' Guide
Design Technica 2005 Holiday Gift Guide
PC Magazine 2005 Holiday Gift Guide
Reading Rockets 2005 Holiday Gift Guide
CNET Holiday Gift Guide 2005
CNN Money: Video Game Buying Guide: 2005
2005 Geek.com Black Friday Buying... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by chrismear at 3:42 AM on December 10, 2005

Two fish are in a tank. One looks at the other and says, "You man the guns. I'll drive."
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhatLobley at 11:46 AM on November 23, 2007

What's green and has wheels?

Grass. I lied about the wheels.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ill3 at 12:26 PM on November 23, 2007

DEAR AXE ME, I FURGOT MY PASSWERD, WHEN WILL THE PUSS STOP OOZING? HOPE ME!
posted to MetaTalk by blue_beetle at 7:19 AM on November 20, 2007

Oh yeah, and about stock. We just keep a baggie in the freezer and whenever we have veggie trimmings (carrot ends, celery ends, anything except starchy vegetables). Every week or so when the bag gets full just empty the bag into a stock put, throw in some garlic and onion, boil, strain, and voila! Fresh veggie stock, ready to be frozen for later use.
posted to Ask Metafilter by arcticwoman at 2:59 PM on November 9, 2007

I think quality control should be an issue here.

Ok, I'll create the queue for all posts and comments to go through TheOnlyCoolTim first. Thanks for volunteering to go over the 150 posts per day and 2,500 comments!
posted to MetaTalk by mathowie at 9:05 AM on November 8, 2007