David Leite, on his quest for the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie, learned that letting the cookie dough rest for 36 hours before baking makes for one hell of a cookie. Chefs Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot didn't want to wait that long.
posted to MetaFilter by AceRock at 4:57 AM on July 16, 2008 (49 comments)

The Worlds Best Books (1909), One Hundred Best Books (1916), One Thousand Books for a Village Library (1895), The Book Lover, a Guide to the Best Reading (1889), The Choice of Books (1905), A Thousand of the Best Novels (1919), Comfort Found in Good Old Books (1911), A Guide to the Best Historical Novels (1911), A Guide to Historical Fiction (1914), and lots more..
posted to MetaFilter by stbalbach at 7:12 PM on July 13, 2008 (15 comments)

The Ryhiner Collection of maps has over 16000 images of world maps from 16th through 19th century. There are maps of every part of the world as well as sky maps, historical maps and optical views, caricatures & other drawings. All are viewable in high detail.
posted to MetaFilter by Kattullus at 12:29 PM on July 11, 2008 (16 comments)

What is the most beautiful place on Earth? I'd like to make plans to go there.
posted to Ask Metafilter by netbros at 11:13 AM on April 29, 2008 (119 comments)

I've recently been gifted a round-the-world plane ticket, and have the cash and time to support maybe three to four months of travel. I've already penned in visits to friends in NE America, Japan, and France, but otherwise am paralysed by choice - there's nowhere in the world that I don't want to see, if that makes sense. Does anyone have any links that might help with planning such an epic trip, or even suggestions for YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY MISS THIS destinations? Other, miscellaneous globetrotting advice is also welcome.
posted to Ask Metafilter by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 1:30 AM on July 8, 2008 (29 comments)

The Gerd Arntz Web Archive collects graphics from the career of the man who - in creating over 4000 Isotypes for social scientist Otto Neurath in 1930s Red Vienna - can make a serious claim to be the inventor of the modern stick figure. He attacked the corruption of German society as the Nazis rose to power, then joined Neurath in an attempt to create a transnational visual language that bore later fruit in Otl Aicher's 1972 Olympic pictograms and the AIGA passenger/pedestrian symbol signs. [via Mark Larson and Austin Kleon]
posted to MetaFilter by mediareport at 4:35 PM on July 7, 2008 (9 comments)

What vegetables, fruits, fish and animals would be recommended for a self-sufficient survival farm?
posted to Ask Metafilter by netbros at 4:43 AM on July 7, 2008 (27 comments)

Metafilter vs. the BoingBoing Problem -- lessons learned, actions to be taken?
posted to MetaTalk by felix at 11:58 AM on July 2, 2008 (205 comments)

What's your favourite pickle recipe, and why? And what advice can you offer to a novice pickler?
posted to Ask Metafilter by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:28 PM on July 3, 2008 (16 comments)

Prospect/Foreign Policy release their list of the world's top public intellectuals(full list). Number 1? The Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen.

The rest of the top 10? The microfinancier Muhammad Yunus, the cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the writer Orhan Pamuk, the politician Aitzaz Ahsan, the evangelist Amr Khaled, the philosopher Abdolkarim Soroush, the philosopher Tariq Ramadan, the cultural theorist Mahmood Mamdani and activist Shirin Ebadi. Sense a theme? Yes, all Muslims.
This is a striking turnabout from the 2005 poll topped by Chomsky, Eco and Dawkins.
What happened? Prospect Magazine explains. The Turkish newspaper Zaman weighs in. The UK's Independent is outraged. Fethulah Gulen defends himself.
posted to MetaFilter by vacapinta at 10:17 AM on July 3, 2008 (51 comments)

Keith Law's Ten Common Home Cooking Mistakes. Law, better known for his sports writing, lists ten pitfalls the home chef can fall into and how to avoid them.
posted to MetaFilter by robocop is bleeding at 9:17 AM on June 17, 2008 (75 comments)

Have you ever wondered what a real IPA tasted like after the long, hot journey to India? Pete Brown found out.
posted to MetaFilter by uncleozzy at 9:31 AM on June 17, 2008 (53 comments)

A close reading of the text of Volume One of Marx's Capital in 13 two-hour video lectures by David Harvey. (Two online so far) David Harvey is a Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the City University of New York. He has been teaching Karl Marx's Capital, Volume I for nearly 40 years. Marx biographer Francis Wheen speaks on NPR as to why the book remains required reading.
posted to MetaFilter by Abiezer at 6:35 AM on June 16, 2008 (53 comments)

The Kanye West Beat Drop. A number of the web's best rap blogs get together to post and chronicle the best of Mr. West's impressive and extensive history of producing, ghost producing, and the stories around many of the songs.
posted to MetaFilter by cashman at 8:50 PM on June 15, 2008 (25 comments)

Looking for decently written, page-turning historical fiction.
posted to Ask Metafilter by banjo_and_the_pork at 6:20 AM on June 15, 2008 (66 comments)

I'm heading off to college in a few months and I'm absolutely overwhelmed by the myriad of point-and-shoot cameras on the market. I ran through some pictures (well, actually many pictures) on Flickr to try and get a feel for what I was looking for, but some pictures are naturally more appealing than others and the quality is affected by various factors, so I ruled that method out as an objective option. I'm pretty sure more megapixels isn't always more quality and that there are other factors to account for, such as noise and shutter speed, but I'm at a loss at what really matters in a digital camera. I hope I don't sound completely uninformed, but I've scoured previous topics and while they're very helpful, they're a little outdated. I would really appreciate recommendations on a compact/ultracompact camera that takes pretty pictures! I'm willing to spend up to 300, but hopefully no more than that :) Thoughts? Suggestions? Jeers? :(
posted to Ask Metafilter by tihleigh at 11:48 PM on June 14, 2008 (27 comments)

I've recently become a fan of fiction books with immersing, at times overly detailed but precise illustrations, fold-outs, maps, ads, newspaper clippings. And they're part of the storyline, not just an oh-by-the-way illustration of something that's already fully explained in the text. The only ones I've come across so far are Eric Chase Anderson's Chuck Dugan is AWOL, Joshua Mowll's Operation Red Jericho and its sequel (these are literally overflowing with fantastic foldouts), and maybe even Hans Jurgen Press's Black Hand Gang books. Although Chuck Dugan is AWOL and the Black Hand Gang books don't have foldouts and maps, they nonetheless have illustrations just stuffed full of detail, and on nearly every page too! Surely there are plenty of others in the same line? Help, summer is here and I must read/see/devour them all.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Xere at 7:31 PM on June 13, 2008 (9 comments)

I need a new digital camera. Don't roll your eyes. I do need some help.
posted to Ask Metafilter by chickaboo at 1:41 PM on June 13, 2008 (18 comments)

How do deal-a-day sites work? Are they really 'deals', and where do they get all the loot?
posted to Ask Metafilter by SirStan at 1:40 PM on June 11, 2008 (4 comments)

Would having a baby change sex forever? (more info, not for the squeamish, inside)
posted to Ask Metafilter by Go, now. Go! at 5:41 PM on June 9, 2008 (20 comments)

Bill Moyers Vs. Fox News The Fox News stooge was unaware that he was messin' with a Jedi. Joseph Campbell would be proud.
posted to MetaFilter by Optamystic at 6:43 PM on June 8, 2008 (102 comments)

you've got new postcrossed mail You have heard of geocaching. You have heard of Bookcrossing. Here comes Postcrossing. The main idea is that: if you send a postcard, you'll receive at least one back, from a random Postcrosser from somewhere in the world.
posted to MetaFilter by Baud at 8:00 AM on June 8, 2008 (19 comments)

Looking for European map downloads for iPod
posted to Ask Metafilter by hipersons at 1:35 PM on June 6, 2008 (2 comments)

"The Magazineer is a blog about magazine design and print culture, written by people who love, and make, magazines." {The most recent entry is by Jess, actually.}
posted to MetaFilter by dobbs at 10:30 AM on June 6, 2008 (8 comments)

A collection of unusual maps from Maps: Finding Our Place in the World by James Akerman and Robert Karrow, including slavery maps of the US from the 19th Century, maps of the voyage of the Pequod from Moby Dick and a mappe of Fairyland. All the maps are available in high resolutions with zoom functioning. [via The Edge of the American West]
posted to MetaFilter by Kattullus at 12:33 PM on December 27, 2007 (12 comments)

Maps: Finding our place in the world is an exhibit at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, and it runs until this Sunday June 8. That page contains images of a few of the maps. One of the many great things included is an animated map of the US Civil War in 4 minutes (one week per second, timeline noted at bottom, casualty counter rolling in bottom right corner - info about this animation) The exhibition book was previously linked here; that site includes higher-resolution versions of some more of the maps. I was floored by all the stuff they have; in terms of the rarity of the stuff in it, and the geek-delight factor, I think it's probably the best gallery show I've ever seen.
posted to MetaFilter by LobsterMitten at 9:48 PM on June 4, 2008 (24 comments)

Help me plan and plant a garden this summer!
posted to Ask Metafilter by onalark at 8:48 AM on June 4, 2008 (22 comments)

Here's your chance to bake bread like a master. Cookingbread.com. The detailed step-by-step instructions include photos to help guide you through each bread recipe, from start to finish. You will find many different kinds of recipes for bread machines, or family classics such as cheese bread and banana bread. I just made some cracked wheat this past weekend. Also includes printable recipe cards. So get baking.
posted to MetaFilter by netbros at 5:41 AM on June 4, 2008 (15 comments)

Unplanned Freefall? Some Survival Tips
posted to MetaFilter by lalochezia at 5:34 PM on June 1, 2008 (32 comments)

In two weeks I am taking a roadtrip across Canada from Ottawa to Vancouver (I'll be living in Vancouver for the next year). I have 4-5 extra days I can use along the way (i.e. non-travel days). I want to spend these mostly in Alberta and BC. What's awesome in Alberta and BC, where should I stay/visit? I am male, 25, and I will be traveling alone. I will be staying mostly in hostels.
posted to Ask Metafilter by niccolo at 11:35 AM on June 2, 2008 (12 comments)

Self Made Scholar hosts a comprehensive collection of links to online classes in over 80 subjects. They also link to collections of free books and audiobooks.
posted to MetaFilter by Upton O'Good at 9:01 PM on June 1, 2008 (7 comments)

Polyhedral Maps is a website that explores unconventional methods of mapping the surface of the earth. The most famous of these unusual maps was Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion map, which used the net of an icosahedron. Da Vinci had experimented with this technique in his “Octant” map of 1514, which used Reuleaux triangles as map elements. This process is now being used by photographers and artists in manipulating panoramic images. A good example is Tom Lechner’s The Wild Highways of the Elongated Pentagonal Orthobicupola.
posted to MetaFilter by Tube at 10:33 AM on June 1, 2008 (23 comments)

What should I read? Recommend a book (fiction or non-fiction), life affirming, something to be read after a heartbreak/letting go. Possibly involving fate/destiny, and the uncertainty/infinite possibilities of life.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rbf1138 at 6:47 PM on May 30, 2008 (26 comments)

I'm looking for quotations or video clips which deal with what it means to be human.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 7:14 PM on May 30, 2008 (23 comments)

Famous Poems Rewritten as Limericks , as brought to us by our very own Lore Sjöberg. English majors, begin your griping now.
posted to MetaFilter by SansPoint at 5:21 AM on July 23, 2007 (302 comments)

Jake and Amir work together and are ace friends, brotha.
posted to MetaFilter by carsonb at 6:09 PM on May 28, 2008 (18 comments)

Read at Work. How to read at work without being busted, and not in a "guide to" kind of way...
posted to MetaFilter by jonathanstrange at 8:38 PM on May 28, 2008 (49 comments)

My girlfriend and I are moving across the country, from DC to the metro Dallas area. I've never moved cross-country on this scale, so what tips/advice/warnings can you give me about this sort of move?
posted to Ask Metafilter by SNWidget at 8:20 AM on May 27, 2008 (16 comments)

Auroville Funded by Governments all over the world, the city of Auroville is an ongoing experiment 'whose stated purpose is to realize human unity in diversity' through yoga. Unfortunately, it seems the 'rule free' society has attracted some of the least welcome of humanity's outliers, namely child sex tourists.
posted to MetaFilter by asok at 11:17 AM on May 27, 2008 (16 comments)

Waggish Reads Proust Reading In Search of Lost Time, or Remembrance of Things Past, is quite the daunting task. Whether you've read Proust, or are considering reading Proust for the first time, a helpful summary & guide, that examines significant passages for your own discussion.
posted to MetaFilter by Fizz at 9:30 AM on May 27, 2008 (46 comments)

History is a Weapon -- Featuring Propaganda by the inventor of modern PR, Edward Bernays, essays by Bill Clinton, Eugene Debs, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Mark Twain, the entirety of A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn, and much, much more.
posted to MetaFilter by empath at 11:58 PM on May 26, 2008 (55 comments)

Fascinating account (w/ pix) of a motorcycle journey through Angola. Stumbled onto this from the Black Flag forums and have not been able to stop reading it.
posted to MetaFilter by jcruelty at 9:29 PM on May 26, 2008 (40 comments)

If you saw two guys named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think liked dolphins the most? I'd say Flippy, wouldn't you? You'd be wrong, though. It's Hambone. I love the writings of Jack Handey. His Deep Thoughts (beware sound!) and his articles in the New Yorker. I would love to hear recommendations of similarly funny writings.
posted to Ask Metafilter by therubettes at 8:49 AM on May 26, 2008 (35 comments)

What author should I delve into next?
posted to Ask Metafilter by el_lupino at 10:24 PM on May 23, 2008 (36 comments)

Fasting may be the remedy for jet lag. By overiding your clock (audio interview 12 min) that prepares your body to eat, it is likely that you can reset your body's clock. Might this be the missing step in training yourself to be an early riser? via
posted to MetaFilter by bigmusic at 6:41 PM on May 23, 2008 (23 comments)

Me and three friends are flying out to drive across America, mainly following the old Route 66. I have two main questions: 1) What's worth seeing on this route? 2) What should we be wary of? Also, any other advice is more than appreciated.
posted to Ask Metafilter by bobbyone at 4:16 AM on May 23, 2008 (20 comments)

Michael Pollan: Cannabis, Forgetting, and the Botany of Desire. Also, a transcript (pdf).
posted to MetaFilter by AceRock at 2:53 PM on May 21, 2008 (10 comments)

Great story about being Jack Sparrow. A quick story of a guy hired to play Jack Sparrow at Disneyland.
posted to MetaFilter by edmcbride at 7:34 PM on May 21, 2008 (86 comments)

Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience - “massive American-style amusement park that will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum. It is being designed by the firm that developed Disneyland.” Here's a quick roundup of some commentary. (last link with concept design sketches)
posted to MetaFilter by infini at 1:29 AM on May 21, 2008 (33 comments)

Ze Frank asks when the first time you saw your parents as just being human was.
posted to MetaFilter by muthecow at 10:42 AM on May 20, 2008 (87 comments)