After spending several years reading largely YA, I'd like to read some grown-up secondary world fantasy novels. Persnickety tastes below the fold.
posted to Ask Metafilter by PhoBWanKenobi at 10:39 AM on April 30, 2013 (58 comments)

If you were to consult the official play-by-play scoring for Friday's game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs, you would find nothing unremarkable about the bottom of the 8th inning. As the scoring tells it, Jean Segura of the Brewers hit an infield single, then stole second base. Ryan Braun walked and was thrown out on an attempted steal of second, Rickie Weeks struck out, and the inning ended when Segura was thrown out attempting to steal third base.
posted to MetaFilter by ubernostrum at 10:52 PM on April 20, 2013 (64 comments)

I am looking for PG or PG-13 movies that will interest 6-yr-olds and 46-yr-olds. It's easy enough to find the big blockbusters (like Avatar, Pirates of the Carribean, X-Men - all of which fit the bill for us), but I'd like to find movies that don't show up in searches as often (Mission to Mars with Tim Robbins was a recent one that we liked.) Thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by cherrybounce at 3:34 PM on April 6, 2013 (68 comments)

Has someone important to you passed away? What was the most comforting/most respectful thing anyone said to you when that happened? I work with the elderly, who die at an accelerated rate. 98% of the time, I genuinely care about the deceased and would like to give comfort to the surviving family. Since this comes up a lot, I feel as if I'm repeating the same phrases over and over. I need more options. I'm specifically asking for things people said to you that were kind.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Lately Gone at 5:11 PM on March 21, 2013 (77 comments)

"When I play with my cat, how do I know that she is not passing time with me rather than I with her?" Russian photographer Andy Prokh has captured adorable photos of his daughter Catherine who grew up with their gray British Shorthair cat.
posted to MetaFilter by peagood at 2:27 PM on April 4, 2013 (27 comments)

One of the biggest challenges you're going to face in your life is how to fold a fitted sheet.
posted to MetaFilter by flapjax at midnite at 3:52 PM on December 7, 2010 (138 comments)

My father passed away this morning. I'm going through his file, and I came across JOKES.TXT ... which contains only the punchlines. Can the Mind please tell me the jokes?
posted to Ask Metafilter by dmd at 4:49 PM on March 22, 2013 (74 comments)

I was flying into LAX and I noticed there are a few areas around LAX which seem to have been planned to be city blocks, but then were not built on (or the buildings were torn down). Does anyone here know the story? Here are some locations in Google Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/di2GP http://goo.gl/maps/6zMfc
posted to Ask Metafilter by yticmic at 5:55 PM on March 18, 2013 (10 comments)

Iran as the West rarely sees it. reddit user mossikan shares lovely photos of modern-day Iran, with thoughtful captions revealing a vibrant culture generally at odds with its current "mainstream" portrayals in Western media.
posted to MetaFilter by lonefrontranger at 11:37 AM on March 9, 2013 (46 comments)

In November 2007, a new board game called Yavalath was invented. The rules of Yavalath are simple: Players take turns adding a piece of their colour to a hexagonal board and win by making four-in-a-row of their colour – but lose by making three-in-a-row beforehand. Yavalath has proven reasonably popular as its simple rules allow interesting and surprising situations to develop due to its innovative win with four but lose with three winning condition. But Yavalath is really set apart from the many other board games invented in 2007 by one remarkable fact: Yavalath was designed by a computer programme.
posted to MetaFilter by rollick at 10:47 PM on January 19, 2013 (20 comments)

Maya Eliam does a graphic representing Vonnegut's thesis of story-telling.
posted to MetaFilter by angrycat at 1:55 PM on January 18, 2013 (33 comments)

Please to give me your best dog jokes. Thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by HotToddy at 7:06 PM on January 13, 2013 (46 comments)

OK, it being year-end and all, I thought I'd go have a look at the most popular AskMe posts in the last year... only to find that I can't really filter down like that (leastways not so I can tell)... so I decided to put a list together myself, and make it my first post on the grey! 30 would be a nice, round number, but I could only find 29. Please enjoy responsibly!
posted to MetaTalk by segatakai at 7:34 AM on December 25, 2012 (60 comments)

OMIGOD I just played "Dear Esther" for the first time. This is the absolute sweet spot for me for gaming/interactive fiction. Please help me find more.
posted to Ask Metafilter by jbickers at 7:50 PM on November 15, 2012 (25 comments)

Tip of My Tongue: Find that word you've been thinking about all day but just can't seem to remember.
posted to MetaFilter by Miko at 8:26 PM on June 27, 2009 (26 comments)

Please share your short, text-message-friendly, jokes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by ambrosia at 1:47 PM on November 8, 2012 (78 comments)

I just got my hands on a Cusinart Ice Cream Maker. What ice cream/sorbet/frozen yogurt recipes do you recommend?
posted to Ask Metafilter by pulled_levers at 12:20 PM on June 10, 2010 (40 comments)

Here’re some photographs of outstanding structures & buildings:
The Salk Institute in San Diego
400 Monte Vista Avenue, Mill Valley CA
Light Cathedral, Ghent Belgium
The Buzludzha monument ...
posted to MetaFilter by growabrain at 7:31 PM on October 21, 2012 (35 comments)

Nightfall was a popular and controversial horror and sci-fi series that aired on CBC Radio between 1980 and 1983.
posted to MetaFilter by ryanshepard at 7:50 AM on October 27, 2012 (18 comments)

For about three years, the A.V. Club ran Sawbuck Gamer, a regular column reviewing the week's most notable free and cheap games across all platforms, from web games to handhelds to console downloadables. It's a treasure trove of content, especially since more literary sister site The Gameological Society took the helm, and it's publicized great desktop projects like the luscious platformer Frogatto (previously), feature-rich Super Mario Bros. X (previously), the evocative faux-web Digital: A Love Story (previously), interactive fiction gem Rover's Day Off, and the hyperkinetic RunMan: Race Around the World (previously). But if you're in the mood for something more immediate, why not start with a list of all the original column's free A-rated online titles?
posted to MetaFilter by Rhaomi at 9:24 AM on October 24, 2012 (20 comments)

Between the hours of 9-to-5, or whenever you work...what are you doing, specifically?
posted to Ask Metafilter by tooloudinhere at 5:36 AM on October 18, 2012 (137 comments)

It is worth overcoming your hatred of lists, your dislike of the word "lifehack," and your distaste of ugly tumblr sites to scroll through the rather revelatory 99 Life Hacks. Highlights include: using a dustpan to fill containers, dental floss to cut cheese and cake, using drink tabs to hold straws, charging phones at hotels using the TV, filtering for spam the easy way, keeping your zipper up on your pants, filtering microwave popcorn, and the secret to locating highway exits. I can't believe I never knew that one...
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 8:46 PM on October 19, 2012 (174 comments)

What are the actual good, worthwhile, non-ironic, non-self-referential horror films of the last ten years?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Artw at 10:37 AM on October 4, 2012 (63 comments)

What is your favorite legendary, hilarious clip?
posted to Ask Metafilter by sallybrown at 2:30 PM on September 22, 2012 (80 comments)

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is one of the most beautiful, mesmerizing films I've ever seen, can recommend others like it?
posted to Ask Metafilter by xicana63 at 7:45 PM on September 10, 2012 (41 comments)

The award for the best jokes at this year's Edinburgh Fringe has been given to Canadian comic Stewart Francis for this joke: "You know who really gives kids a bad name?..
posted to MetaFilter by MuffinMan at 10:53 AM on August 21, 2012 (124 comments)

[NSFW, TW] Sex House is an Onion webseries about six sexy Americans locked in a house for a reality show about getting nasty, but by the end of the first night things start to get terrible. Think No Exit meets Black Mirror (previously), it's a scathing satire of American sexual attitudes that's also amazingly suspenseful.
posted to MetaFilter by The Devil Tesla at 8:48 PM on August 9, 2012 (97 comments)

Hilarious movies available right now on Netflix instant. Okay, go.
posted to Ask Metafilter by goosechasing at 8:00 PM on July 30, 2012 (34 comments)

best-cookie-recipe-ever-filter: I need your best, most impressive, most "wowing" when someone puts it in his/her mouth cookie recipe that you've got. Yes, I know there's a bazillion cookie recipes lurking in this AskMe/Metafilter machine. Which is part of the problem. Taste over looks.
posted to Ask Metafilter by atomicstone at 2:24 PM on November 28, 2010 (46 comments)

Rotten Tomatoes asks some of the biggest names in Hollywood: Name Your Five Favorite Films. Browse at the link or click on people of possible interest below the fold.
posted to MetaFilter by dgaicun at 6:23 AM on July 9, 2012 (248 comments)

Films of the Bourne Triloy genre?
posted to Ask Metafilter by watercarrier at 1:14 AM on June 26, 2012 (35 comments)

10 bets that you will always win is a video collection of clever tricks (& science) from Richard Wiseman's Quirkology YouTube channel; see also top 10 quirky science tricks for parties, 10 more science stunts for parties, another 10 quirky science stunts, and 5 amazing mind tricks (previously: 10 practical jokes). Wiseman is a psychologist, magician, and author who created LaughLab: the scientific search for the world's funniest joke; the final report & top jokes* are available here (PDF) and over 1000 LaughLab jokes (all clean!) here (also PDF). Previously: his research on luck. (via voices + gizmodo)
posted to MetaFilter by flex at 5:57 PM on June 16, 2012 (16 comments)

How were your parents awesome?
posted to Ask Metafilter by woodvine at 5:22 PM on June 5, 2012 (74 comments)

I recently became enthralled with the unfolding Twitter saga of the larcenous wedding photographer. So now I'm wondering how many similar stories have happened without me realizing; not just the big stories like Anthony Weiner, the Li Gong incident and Cook Source, but more low-key incidents that I might not have heard about where people were lying, cheating, or were just plain wrong and were discovered through social media. The human flesh search engine and Internet vigilantism articles on Wikipedia have some famous examples, but does anyone know about more obscure stuff? Thanks!
posted to Ask Metafilter by jihaan at 8:01 AM on May 27, 2012 (28 comments)

He uttered a sound much like a bull dog swallowing a pork chop whose dimensions it has underestimated. Random P G Wodehouse quote generator. That is all.
posted to MetaFilter by unSane at 12:45 PM on May 24, 2012 (109 comments)

Tell me stories of people finding unusual routes to getting their books to readers. I have written a book and would love to hear about people who found readers through more DIY channels. Not interested so much in how to self-publish, as in hearing stories to help me find the next step for my creation.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bobbyno at 4:59 PM on May 13, 2012 (20 comments)

Following on the heels of the easy way to caramelize onions, there are lots of other ways to reuse common kitchen gadgets including waffle iron hash browns and crock pot souffle, cooking fish in your dishwasher, using your rice cooker for oatmeal (among many other uses), and making a cornish hen on your panini press (and more from the master of gadget reuse). And to find out what gadgets are just plain useless, you can of course ask Alton Brown.
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 12:54 PM on May 8, 2012 (126 comments)

Ten desirable skills you can teach yourself is a nice round-up of terrific guides to teaching yourself new tricks including basic repair skills, learning a language (the Foreign Services Institute has a chart of how hard various languages are to learn), teaching yourself to code, building electronics (starting with soldering), getting yourself up to speed in photography, learning an instrument, developing a basic sense of design, the inevitable cooking tips, and even some starter self-defense moves. Also, a very nicely organized list of free online college courses.
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 8:55 AM on May 2, 2012 (30 comments)

Adulting: How to become a grown-up in 387 easy(ish) steps. From "Step 177: Boring and/or bad mail doesn't evaporate if you ignore it" to "Step 169: Laying in bed is not a solution to feeling overwhelmed."
posted to MetaFilter by redsparkler at 6:46 PM on April 25, 2012 (166 comments)

In the spring of 1945, three weeks after VE Day, Private First Class Kurt Vonnegut, Jr wrote a letter home to inform his family that he was alive. His infantry unit had been smashed by Panzer divisions in the Ardennes; his unmarked POW train attacked by the RAF; miraculously, he and a handful of fellow prisoners escaped incineration by American and British bombers. "Their combined labors killed 250,000 people in twenty-four hours and destroyed all of Dresden – possibly the world’s most beautiful city", Vonnegut wrote. "But not me."

- Survivor: How Kurt Vonnegut created a novel, a cult following and one of the most loyal readerships in American Fiction by Thomas Meaney in The Times Literary Supplement.
posted to MetaFilter by Kattullus at 3:45 PM on March 11, 2012 (85 comments)

I'm organizing a Star Wars themed spelling bee. I need as many hard to spell Star Wars words as possible. They can be nouns, etc. It's a fun event, and we are not following strict rules about it. Already have "Kashyyyk" and "Sarlaac" and "wookiee".
posted to Ask Metafilter by Sully at 9:20 PM on April 12, 2012 (23 comments)

An illustrated guide to common logical fallacies as well as well as a very nice worked example of the fallacies involved in Cardinal Keith O'Brien's recent(ish) article against gay marriage.
posted to MetaFilter by DRMacIver at 5:07 AM on March 30, 2012 (123 comments)

I video our kids on their birthday while I ask them random questions. I am looking for more questions to ask them and record (on paper or video). Questions like "will you get married?", "What do you want to be when you grow up?", "what was the best day of your life so far?".
posted to Ask Metafilter by beccaj at 7:27 AM on March 23, 2012 (21 comments)

I recently read The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York and I realized how much I enjoy a certain subset of historical nonfiction -- basically, narratives set at a particular moment in a specific city as a way of exploring broader social-cultural history.
posted to Ask Metafilter by scody at 2:36 PM on July 19, 2010 (31 comments)

What is considered to be the best non-fiction of recent years?
posted to Ask Metafilter by csjc at 5:55 PM on March 27, 2012 (35 comments)

Kate Beaton, on loss and home.
posted to MetaFilter by kagredon at 11:22 PM on March 23, 2012 (41 comments)

Google now has street view of the Amazon basin.
posted to MetaFilter by special-k at 3:38 PM on March 21, 2012 (32 comments)

Businesses that make basic apparel (underwear, t-shirts, socks, etc) of the highest quality and where you largely pay for the quality and not the marketing/branding - can you name a few?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Foci for Analysis at 4:21 PM on March 13, 2012 (37 comments)

What are the top five awesome websites you've found in the last year?
posted to Ask Metafilter by rudhraigh at 7:39 AM on March 14, 2012 (24 comments)

What are your favorite low-prep, simple, low-carb, healthy meals for one?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Night_owl at 5:07 PM on March 1, 2012 (37 comments)