Amanda Hocking is 26 years old. She has 9 self-published books to her name, and sells 100,000+ copies of those ebooks per month. She has never been traditionally published. ... And it’s no stretch to say – at $3 per book/70% per sale for the Kindle store... there is no traditional publisher in the world right now that can offer Amanda Hocking terms that are better than what she’s currently getting, right now on the Kindle store, all on her own. (related)
posted to MetaFilter by Joe Beese at 7:07 AM on March 1, 2011 (241 comments)

Are the Rules That Determine Who Can Donate Blood Discriminatory? Canadian AIDS researchers Dr. Mark Wainberg and Dr. Norbert Gilmore say that while the ban on blood donation from men who have sex with other men may have been ethically and scientifically justified in the 1980's, it no longer makes sense. (CMAJ.) Even though the US FDA reaffirmed their long-standing ban in 2007, they plan to revisit the policy in June.
posted to MetaFilter by zarq at 11:35 AM on May 26, 2010 (69 comments)

Amazing footage of an uncontacted tribe in Brazil. These tribes are threatened by the encroachment of illegal logging activites. "I know this footage is the only way to convince the rest of the world they are here."
posted to MetaFilter by stp123 at 3:35 PM on February 4, 2011 (59 comments)

Star Wars Begins. Fan documentarian Jambe Davdar has completed has completed his third documentary about the original Star Wars trilogy. He's re-cut all three films, editing in alternate takes, deleted scenes, original audio, with quotes from various interviews and commentaries and recordings playing over the footage like the ultimate DVD commentary. [via]
posted to MetaFilter by crossoverman at 1:13 AM on February 5, 2011 (48 comments)

McBain: The Movie. McBain, an fictional action hero played by fictional movie star Ranier Wolfcastle (probably a parody of somebody famous), has had his movie played in snippets throughout the course of the Simpsons television show since the second season. Somebody took the time to paste these all together into a single 4 minute movie, which ends up having a plot about as good as any action movie you may have watched in the 80's.
posted to MetaFilter by jabberjaw at 6:00 PM on February 2, 2011 (88 comments)

The Sopranos: Definitive Explanation of "The END." (via) [SPOILERS, obviously]
posted to MetaFilter by The Card Cheat at 4:56 PM on January 31, 2011 (71 comments)

Rule 34 expands once again. Real life Simpsons sex tape (nsfw) coming to a screen near you. Trust me you can not unsee this so watch at your own risk...
posted to MetaFilter by troll on a pony at 2:58 PM on January 16, 2011 (127 comments)

Recent heavy rain in Queensland has bought destructive flooding to many towns and cities. Yesterday the mountain city of Toowoomba was hit with heavy rain and experienced flash flooding. With (so far) eight confirmed dead and 70 missing, the disaster is set to worsen as more rainfall is predicted.
posted to MetaFilter by the noob at 6:00 PM on January 10, 2011 (257 comments)

Halfway through the third book of the Hitchhiker's Guide series, there is a throwaway reference to a doomed starship, one whose incredible splendor was matched only by the cosmic absurdity of its maiden-day annihilation. But the story didn't end there. Unbeknownst to many fans, this small piece of Adamsian lore was the inspiration for an ambitious and richly-detailed side-story: a 1998 computer adventure game called Starship Titanic. Designed by Douglas Adams himself, the game set players loose in the infamous vessel, challenging them with a maddening mystery laced with the devilish wit of the novels. The game was laden with extra content, including an in-depth strategy guide, a (mediocre) tie-in novel by Terry Jones, a whimsical First Class In-Flight Magazine, and even a pair of 3D glasses for one of the more inventive puzzles. Key to solving these puzzles was the game's groundbreaking communications system -- players interacted with the ship's robotic crew through a natural language parsing engine called SpookiTalk, whose 10,000+ lines of conversational dialogue spawned 16 hours of audio recorded by professional voice actors, including John Cleese, Terry Jones, and even Douglas Adams himself in several cameos (spoiler cameo). Want to experience the voyage for yourself? Then watch this narrated video playthrough (intro (ads) - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9? 10 11 12 13) ...or click inside for a information on how to run the game for free on Windows, Mac, and Linux (along with a bunch of other goodies!).
posted to MetaFilter by Rhaomi at 7:28 PM on December 22, 2010 (109 comments)

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Shot In Arizona.
posted to MetaFilter by furiousxgeorge at 10:32 AM on January 8, 2011 (2568 comments)

The End of Warner Bros. The End of Metro Goldwyn Mayer.
posted to MetaFilter by fight or flight at 9:29 AM on January 1, 2011 (18 comments)

What are the most inexplicable internet videos you know of?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by cmoj at 12:28 PM on December 28, 2010 (85 comments)

So what does the question "Why don't you believe in God?" really mean. I think when someone asks that they are really questioning their own belief. In a way they are asking "what makes you so special? How come you weren't brainwashed with the rest of us?"

Ricky Gervais explains why he's an atheist.
posted to MetaFilter by swift at 10:40 AM on December 20, 2010 (307 comments)

Amazing movie quote search engine subzin is pretty simple, but pretty amazing. Put in your favorite quote from a movie, and it'll find the movie and the exact time it appears in the movie and links to Neflix if available (via df).
posted to MetaFilter by mathowie at 10:10 PM on November 29, 2010 (105 comments)

A YouTube cellphone video is making the rounds today of a woman fearlessly confronting a flasher on a New York City subway car.
posted to MetaFilter by magstheaxe at 12:43 PM on November 23, 2010 (174 comments)

Dead Homer Society is a Simpsons related blog that reviews the latest episodes of the show, provides quotes of the day, and perhaps most notably compares and contrasts segments between what the author terms "the Simpsons" and "Zombie Simpsons".
posted to MetaFilter by codacorolla at 6:00 PM on November 15, 2010 (75 comments)

How should I safely sell my iPhone?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by mercredi at 3:02 PM on June 14, 2010 (7 comments)

Nov. 24 is National Opt-out Day from airport back-scatter scanners Time to call BS on TSA's kabuki theater of airport security: "As public anger grows over the TSA's body scanners and intrusive new airport pat-down procedure, a Web site is urging travelers to "opt out" from the body scanners and instead choose to have a pat-down in public view, so that everyone can "see for themselves how the government treats law-abiding citizens." OptOutDay.com declares November 24 to be the day when air travelers should refuse to submit to a full body scan and choose the enhanced pat-down -- an option many travelers have described as little short of a molestation."
posted to MetaFilter by TDIpod at 8:51 PM on November 10, 2010 (363 comments)

What things would you would never consider paying money for, once you learned how easy it was to do/make/fix yourself?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by benzenedream at 2:48 AM on November 4, 2010 (102 comments)

It's Election Day in America, and as is so often the case in this fickle land, the results of the 2010 midterm elections are up in the air. Although President Obama's party is expected to suffer significant losses, record numbers of districts remain competitive, and even minute errors in polling could mean the difference between a historic Republican landslide and an unexpectedly robust Democratic defense. At stake are control of not just the Senate and House, but myriad state and local offices, many of which will play key roles in the dynamics of the 2012 presidential race -- and, more subtly but no less crucially, the once-in-a-decade congressional redistricting process. Much uncertainty surrounds the behavior of the electorate -- how many will turn out, and how informed will they be? To help move those statistics in the right direction, look inside for voter guides, national and state fact checkers, and an assortment of other resources to keep tabs on as the results roll in.
posted to MetaFilter by Rhaomi at 8:45 AM on November 2, 2010 (840 comments)

Chrontendo is a video podcast in which a guy systematically described and discusses every Famicom/NES game released. Currently up to 33 episodes and counting, and covering hundreds of games.
posted to MetaFilter by JHarris at 2:39 AM on November 1, 2010 (23 comments)

What are your favorite family recipes for the Jewish holidays?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Flakypastry at 6:17 AM on September 11, 2007 (13 comments)

How widespread was the knowledge of the concentration camps outside of Germany, and displaced Jewish families, in the 30's and 40's? When did the general American public become aware of what was happening?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by canine epigram at 9:41 AM on February 20, 2007 (18 comments)

Can anyone enlighten me as to Hannukah rituals? I've googled about, but only find the technicalities of ceremony. I need to know the things that people take for granted - whether presents get wrapped, if they get increasingly expensive across the days, what sort of things are usual to give and do. Everything.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bonaldi at 9:11 AM on December 19, 2003 (14 comments)

What parts of London have the biggest Jewish communities?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bluekrauss at 4:27 AM on September 18, 2008 (11 comments)

I've virtually tracked down my missing/stolen iPod Touch, and have discovered all sorts of personal information about the person who is now using it. How can I reclaim it? [Details inside-- this one's a detective story]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by stilly at 2:45 PM on October 28, 2010 (75 comments)

Has there been a good racing video game that allows you to build your own tracks?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by zzazazz at 1:10 PM on October 15, 2010 (9 comments)

Banksy's Simpsons opening.
posted to MetaFilter by empath at 7:47 PM on October 10, 2010 (155 comments)

Randall Munroe of xkcd has created a second, updated Map of Online Communities. (His first map.) You can find MeFi Island in the Troll Bay, just off the coast of Twitter.
posted to MetaFilter by phunniemee at 9:55 PM on October 5, 2010 (130 comments)

Right Wing Radio Duck "Donald's life is turned upside-down by the current economic crisis and he finds himself unemployed and falling behind on his house payments. As his frustration turns into despair Donald discovers a seemingly sympathetic voice coming from his radio named Glenn Beck. "
posted to MetaFilter by Arthur Phillips Jones Jr at 1:54 PM on October 2, 2010 (50 comments)

Planescape Torment (wikipedia) is widely regarded (1, 2, 3, 4) as one of the best story-driven CRPGS ever crafted, cliche amnesiac-protagonist notwithstanding. Here's a "Vision Statement" design document from when it was known as Last Rites. (2.4MB PDF, Spoilers OBVIOUSLY)
posted to MetaFilter by juv3nal at 3:02 PM on September 27, 2010 (72 comments)

Jezebel has released the full official LOST epilogue from the Season 6 DVD bonus features.
posted to MetaFilter by emilyd22222 at 11:34 AM on August 6, 2010 (71 comments)

What is your personal cure for the hiccups?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ThePinkSuperhero at 3:48 PM on December 13, 2004 (56 comments)

Technicians free climb 1768 ft to the top of a transmission tower to fix it. (SLYT)
posted to MetaFilter by beepbeepboopboop at 5:30 PM on September 14, 2010 (284 comments)

An interactive map of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. You can zoom and pan, search for or center a location, and link to a particular area. Place names are labeled in both English and Elvish.
posted to MetaFilter by gman at 2:31 PM on September 10, 2010 (25 comments)

Justin Bieber's 'U Smile', played 800 time slower. Sounds like Sigur Ros doing Vangelis covers in a cathedral being washed away by the sea. The original song.
posted to MetaFilter by Happy Dave at 3:25 AM on August 17, 2010 (174 comments)

Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? The Guild (previously) releases a music video prior to the start of Season 3. Direct youtube link.
posted to MetaFilter by kmz at 12:35 AM on August 18, 2009 (68 comments)

Gnarls Barkley vocalist Cee-Lo Green has emerged as a music interview show host and a soloist with a distinctly funk style. His cover of Band of Horses' No One's Gonna Love You was featured on the Twilight soundtrack and his new single Georgia was featured in a recent episode of This American Life. His newest single is called Fuck You (lyrics NSFW, obviously).
posted to MetaFilter by l33tpolicywonk at 4:32 PM on August 20, 2010 (83 comments)

"My Anus is Bleeding!" Not for the faint of heart, this film is definitely on the fringe. Don Hertzfeldt's short animations are all a little bit edgy, but then again, I tend to be drawn to these odd, over-the-top kinds of films.
posted to MetaFilter by Stauf at 12:50 PM on December 6, 2002 (30 comments)

Astro Zombie's words, my music, Steven Slater's epic flight-attendant flameout.
posted to MeFi Music by cortex at 1:06 PM on August 10, 2010 (121 comments)

"It's a barbecue area." "They call this: Babakiueria!"
posted to MetaFilter by Fiasco da Gama at 7:00 PM on June 30, 2010 (11 comments)

Mefite Jaltcoh sent me a MeMail the other day reminding me of this old comment in a thread about palindromes, where I say, “Gotta say, I’m a big fan of palindromes. My entire career, marriage and life might all be very different if not for palindromes. I’ll have to tell you about it sometime, say January 2, 2010.” In the MeMail, he asks, “It's now past January 2, 2010. What's the story?” Forgot about that old post. With that big of a buildup, I wish it were a better story, but here goes:
posted to MetaTalk by etc. at 12:46 PM on June 16, 2010 (137 comments)

A Russian friend of mine may be in a dangerous situation in Washington, DC.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by fake at 3:09 PM on May 19, 2010 (235 comments)

How can I prepare for work situations that affect me materially, like salary negotiations, requesting a promotion and/or raise, asking to work on particular projects, etc.?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ocherdraco at 10:11 PM on May 9, 2010 (10 comments)

Something of a rarity on film, Jim Henson and Frank Oz get a chance to "ham" it up without a script, when The Muppet Movie director James Frawley requests some camera tests to see how the puppets look when filmed on location. The hilarious result: Part One | Part Two
posted to MetaFilter by evilcolonel at 5:57 PM on April 14, 2010 (85 comments)

Where can I find the funniest posts on mefi?
posted to MetaTalk by yawper at 12:21 PM on April 7, 2010 (120 comments)

House passes Healthcare reform. All that's left is voting on a reconciliation package for the senate to sign. But the house has passed the senate bill, which means this is basically a done deal.
posted to MetaFilter by delmoi at 7:55 PM on March 21, 2010 (897 comments)

Paris in 26 gigapixels is a stitching of 2346 single photos showing a very high-resolution panoramic view of the French capital (354159x75570 px). Dive into the image and visit Paris like never before!
posted to MetaFilter by i_cola at 8:17 AM on March 12, 2010 (41 comments)

The Secret Origin of Windows, recollections of the development and release of Windows 1.0 and 2.0 by its project manager Tandy Trower (via)
posted to MetaFilter by Blazecock Pileon at 6:26 PM on March 10, 2010 (75 comments)

Remember how OK Go had to explain why they couldn't let fans embed their music videos? Well, they evidently got their record label to change their tune, because the off-the-charts amazing new video for "This Too Shall Pass" is embeddable. "Picture that old board game Mouse Trap and multiply it by several thousand," says Rolling Stone.
posted to MetaFilter by jbickers at 12:10 PM on March 2, 2010 (145 comments)