Scrabble anxiety
posted to Ask Metafilter by A189Nut at 4:58 PM on July 20, 2008 (62 comments)

I want to be fit, but I loathe "fitness." I want to lose weight, but I become so angry at the whole concept of being another woman on a diet. How can I reconcile my anger with my genuine need to be healthy?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 6:12 PM on July 11, 2008 (42 comments)

In Parentheses is a collection of many ancient, medieval and classic texts from all over the world, many of whom are hard to find anywhere, let alone on the internet. There are translations from Greek, Old Norse, Medieval Irish, Japanese, Incan, Old French, Medieval Latin and many more! As well as all that they have papers in medieval studies and vaguely decadent and orientalism series. Adding to that there's a linguistics section with wordlists and language flash cards in languages such as Icelandic, Quechua, Basque, Classical Armenian and a whole bunch more. [flashcard links go to pdf files]
posted to MetaFilter by Kattullus at 12:19 PM on July 10, 2008 (18 comments)

2 July 1863, second day of Gettysburg. Sickles has pulled his III Corps -- without orders -- off of Cemetery Ridge and positioned it a half mile in front of the rest of the Union lines. Longstreet smashes the hapless III Corps and its men are in full flight. Hancock rides back and forth inside the gaping hole left by Sickles. Below him, almost 2000 men of Wilcox's brigade are charging up the slope. They will gain a foothold on the ridge and be reinforced by Lee. As Longstreet pins down the Union left, Lee will roll up the center and right of the Northern army and chase them from the field. He will then march on and take Washington before turning north along the eastern seaboard. Lee will capture and burn Philadelphia and Boston in his March Along the Sea, chasing the Northern government from city to city until Lincoln finally sues for peace and the union is no more. Suddenly, a line of blue-coated soldiers comes into Hancock's view. "My God, is this all the men here? Who are you?" "1st Minnesota, sir." "See those colors?", says Hancock, pointing at the flags of the oncoming Confederates, "Take them."
posted to MetaFilter by forrest at 5:45 AM on July 2, 2008 (82 comments)

Ordered X, got Y. Not only the title of the thread, but a good description of some of the answers received.
posted to MetaTalk by ThePinkSuperhero at 2:11 PM on June 3, 2008 (179 comments)

To Whom It May Concern: If you are reading this then I can only assume that you have removed the pond under which this note is buried...
posted to MetaFilter by ZachsMind at 2:39 PM on May 31, 2008 (92 comments)

What was daily life like behind the iron curtain? I recently returned from a vacation in a former Warsaw Pact country and could not help but wonder what things were like there 20 years ago.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 7:31 PM on May 28, 2008 (25 comments)

I know what you're thinking: "What if I attached a faucet to a watermelon and filled it with spiked watermelon juice so party guests could serve themselves right from the melon?"
posted to MetaFilter by mr_crash_davis at 3:33 PM on May 28, 2008 (65 comments)

Why, when I drag the fleshy (i.e., not furry) part of my cat's paw across the trackpad on my MacBook, does the cursor not respond?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Dr. Wu at 8:50 PM on May 15, 2008 (46 comments)

A woman walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a double entendre, so he gave it to her. Ba-dum dum. What's green and has wheels? Grass. I lied about the wheels. Ba-dum dum. A baby seal walks into a club. (pause) Ba-dum dum. How many kids with ADD does it take to change a lightbulb? LET'S GO RIDE BIKES! Ba-dum dum. A priest, a rabbi, and a minister walk into a bar. The bartender says, "What is this, some kind of joke?" Ba-dum dum. Instant Rimshot. For all those times you need a big red Flash button that'll give you a well-timed rimshot. (Jokes courtesy of Ask Mefi.)
posted to MetaFilter by WCityMike at 7:10 PM on May 12, 2008 (250 comments)

Green Porno, Sundance Channel's new series of short films. Isabella Rossellini singlehandedly re-enacts mating rituals of the dragonfly, spider, bee, praying mantis, worm, snail and housefly by getting it on with cardboard cut-outs. Wired video interview.
posted to MetaFilter by stbalbach at 8:22 PM on May 6, 2008 (68 comments)

We've seen a number of Rube Goldberg machines in advertising before, but here's the first one I've seen that actually uses the controlled chaos of one to describe what their product actually does. Or doesn't, really. If you've ever worked in a print shop, you've probably seen something like this happen. Usually once or twice a day.
posted to MetaFilter by loquacious at 9:06 AM on April 29, 2008 (45 comments)

The folks at Purgatory Iron Works are making a series of 10-minute how-to videos for beginning blacksmiths. Current introductory topics include anvils, building a forge (part 2), and making charcoal (part 2); if there are topics you'd particularly like to see, the host is taking requests.
posted to MetaFilter by Upton O'Good at 11:00 PM on April 22, 2008 (18 comments)

from ACT I SCENE 4

J: Your pardon; did I break thy concentration?
Continue! Ah, but now thy tongue is still.
Allow me then to offer a response.
Describe Marsellus Wallace to me, pray.
posted to MetaFilter by 2or3whiskeysodas at 6:48 AM on April 20, 2008 (170 comments)

My Beautiful Mommy is a children's book for children whose mothers suddenly come home from the doctor with giant hooters, or significant amounts of fat suddenly missing. A bold new market in childrens publishing awaits.
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 9:17 AM on April 18, 2008 (67 comments)

How can I get to know U.S. military culture? Details inside.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 7:06 PM on April 12, 2008 (20 comments)

R.I.P. John Wheeler , theoretical physicist. Famous for the Wheeler-Feynman equations and the term "black hole," which he coined to describe a singular point mass, he has died at age 96. The NYT usually gives pretty good obituary but they outdid themselves this time.
posted to MetaFilter by ikkyu2 at 10:22 PM on April 13, 2008 (64 comments)

What is the iconic (or just "your favorite") dead-tree product catalog (listing of merchandise for mail-order sale) for your hobby, industry, or trade?
posted to Ask Metafilter by cadastral at 9:23 AM on April 1, 2008 (73 comments)

Life-altering experiences. Can you point to a single experience in your life, as a child, which you can define as having contributed to the person you are today? (+)
posted to Ask Metafilter by jeremias at 4:41 AM on February 2, 2005 (216 comments)

How to deal when family thinks you're in the closet?
posted to Ask Metafilter by landedjentry at 4:50 PM on April 5, 2008 (40 comments)

Vladimir Nabokov discusses Lolita with Lionel Trilling.
posted to MetaFilter by mattbucher at 10:03 AM on April 3, 2008 (23 comments)

Steam locomotives are dead, right? Awe-inspiring though they might be, labor issues and diesel fuel at 4 cents a gallon killed them in the 1950's and 60's, and they survive only in isolated pockets around the world and on tourist railways.
posted to MetaFilter by pjern at 6:56 AM on April 3, 2008 (51 comments)

Owl Cam. Physics professor sees Great Horned Owl nesting outside window & sets up webcam.
posted to MetaFilter by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:11 AM on April 2, 2008 (116 comments)

I had a dream last night that I was at the base of a pyramid, and there was something earth-destroying in the pyramid, like an ancient God-like evil. I had to work my way through the booby trapped maze of the pyramid to reach the evil before it awoke, and so I popped open my trusty laptop and went to AskMeFi and typed my first question: How do I get to the center of a booby trapped pyramid maze. The answers started pouring in, and I began my mission, dodging ancient mummies and flying spikes.
posted to MetaTalk by Astro Zombie at 9:05 AM on March 31, 2008 (136 comments)

"I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world."

This story's making the rounds today, for a very, very good reason: A Victim Treats His Mugger Right
posted to MetaFilter by chinese_fashion at 10:30 AM on March 28, 2008 (207 comments)

Mounted 70 feet up in a white pine tree on the coast of Maine, the BioDiversity Research Institute's live eagle webcam provides, "live video of a nesting pair of bald eagles, 24 hours a day. These eagles are the most successful pair in the state. They have nested at this site for 13 years, and raised 20 offspring." Warning: the live stream can be habit forming (especially when waiting for the eggs to hatch).
posted to MetaFilter by VicNebulous at 12:11 PM on March 27, 2008 (14 comments)

"I found these in a red photo album marked "Darlene" at a swap meet in Huntington Beach, California." The Cocaine Photos. Images from a more innocent time.
posted to MetaFilter by oneirodynia at 9:03 PM on March 27, 2008 (91 comments)

Jeremiah Wright in context.
posted to MetaFilter by Pater Aletheias at 10:30 AM on March 26, 2008 (111 comments)

What's the proper etiquette when you're speaking to someone with a stutter? Do you stutter? What are you thinking as it's happening?
posted to Ask Metafilter by HotPatatta at 9:35 PM on March 18, 2008 (37 comments)

Obama's Gettysburg Address. Today we saw and heard a preview of our brightest possible American future in Senator Barack Obama's glorious speech. This, then, is what it means to be presidential. To be moral. To have a real center. To speak honestly, from the heart, for the benefit of all. If there was any doubt about what we have missed in the anti-intellectual, ruthlessly incurious Bush years, and even the slippery Clinton ones (the years of "what is is"), those doubts were laid to rest by Barack Obama's magisterial speech today. A speech in which he distanced himself from a flawed father figure, Reverend Wright, and did so with almost Shakespearian dignity and honor. One of the most important speeches on race in decades if not longer. (text)
posted to MetaFilter by caddis at 9:31 PM on March 18, 2008 (1141 comments)

I'd like to say thanks to MIko, who not only just reached 2000 AskMe comments, but also routinely clogs up my "contact activity" feed with Best Answers.
posted to MetaTalk by null terminated at 10:56 PM on March 15, 2008 (70 comments)

"My deepest sympathies for posting this. I lack all attempts at rhythm and meter, and don't even have a nice English accent to back things up!"
posted to MeFi Music by chrismear at 9:10 PM on May 23, 2007 (49 comments)

AskMe Feature suggestion - here's some questions you might like to answer....
posted to MetaTalk by Happy Dave at 9:46 AM on March 12, 2008 (89 comments)

Admit it, MetaFilter really needs a Glee Club. San Francisco singers and would-be singers, lend your voices to make this dream a reality!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 8:41 PM on March 10, 2008 (60 comments)

Bacon Cups are sure to make your next party a hit.
posted to MetaFilter by jonson at 2:50 PM on February 28, 2008 (82 comments)

Are ninjas bullshit?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Bookhouse at 1:11 PM on February 1, 2008 (17 comments)

My heartfelt thanks to loving MeFites: Brandon Blatcher, hadjiboy, Grammar Moses, madamjujujive, vronsky, hortense, It's Raining Florence Henderson, rtha and Hildegarde.
posted to MetaTalk by nickyskye at 5:13 PM on February 19, 2008 (133 comments)

I think its time that we joined a serious debate about how to reconcile faith with our modern pluralistic society. Obama on religion and politics. (SLnonYTP)
posted to MetaFilter by allkindsoftime at 4:42 AM on February 10, 2008 (142 comments)

Villagers in the mountains of northern India and Pakistan have been growing their own glaciers for centuries. They're small domesticated glaciers, cultivated by hand, and they provide a reliable source of water for agriculture. Legend has it that they made glaciers to block mountain passes and keep the Mongol Hordes out! More detail in New Scientist - subscription required, but you can probably see this instruction sheet.
posted to MetaFilter by moonmilk at 10:55 PM on February 7, 2008 (28 comments)

How many men does it take it recreate the massive 1944 allied assault on Omaha Beach? Three. [YouTube]
posted to MetaFilter by LarryC at 7:05 AM on January 15, 2008 (47 comments)

I Can Has Rezearch Papar? via roflcon
posted to MetaFilter by signal at 5:54 AM on January 14, 2008 (64 comments)

"it turned out the abstract compositions in the posters contained hidden letters. (The one above, for example, displays the letter A.) Hung side by side on the streets, they spelled out N-A-Z-I. A public outcry followed, and within six weeks the company was ruined." Can a designer punish a company that helped the nazis? Maybe. Maybe not. (via swiss miss)
posted to MetaFilter by wittgenstein at 10:30 AM on January 14, 2008 (28 comments)

If you don't know the answer, don't answer the question. It's that simple.
posted to MetaTalk by fandango_matt at 7:48 PM on January 10, 2008 (352 comments)

Angry White Man. The New Republic examines the archives of Ron Paul's newsletters.
posted to MetaFilter by empath at 12:53 PM on January 8, 2008 (284 comments)

The Givewell Board of Directors have issued a statement concerning the changes they made in the wake of the astroturfing and related activities earlier in the week.
posted to MetaTalk by jessamyn at 9:31 PM on January 6, 2008 (536 comments)

Is This Transparency? OP with very slim, one-year posting history asks a question about finding a good charity in AskMe, just prior to year-end tax-decision time. Newly registered responder posts a newly formed charity-aggregator/evaluator organization, without mentioning that he is, apparently, one of the two founders. Self-promotional setup leading to self-link? Or am I being too cynical?

[update, 1/3/08: a summary of events is being developed on the wiki. --cortex]
posted to MetaTalk by Miko at 10:44 AM on December 31, 2007 (1426 comments)

My fingers are stuck in a chinese finger trap at the office, and my coworkers refuse to help.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Homeskillet Freshy Fresh at 10:22 AM on September 27, 2005 (48 comments)

Bay Area birders and photographers, let's meet at Crissy Field in San Francisco on January 26th for an afternoon of birdwatching and nature photography.
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:56 PM on December 17, 2007 (148 comments)

mathowie and allkindsoftime will be in San Francisco December 15-16. Meetup?
posted to MetaTalk by rtha at 6:58 AM on November 19, 2007 (217 comments)

What single book is the best introduction to your field (or specialization within your field) for laypeople?
posted to Ask Metafilter by limon at 5:40 PM on September 8, 2007 (239 comments)