I will soon be watching my 18 month-old niece. I have general questions about entertaining a small person, and more NYC/Brooklyn-centric inquiries about getting a toddler in and out of the subway. I also need fun, little kid-friendly things to do in Southern Brooklyn (Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, northern Park Slope) and the city beyond.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Viola at 8:34 AM on February 18, 2010 (18 comments)

Tomorrow I have to deliver a 2-hour training presentation in front of 80 employees. I loathe speaking in front of large crowds and suffer from crippling stage fright. Chances are I will be awake all night fretting the occasion and replaying worst case scenarios in my head. Any tips on how to relax and keep my anxiety at a minimum?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Tenacious.Me.Tokyo at 6:06 AM on February 18, 2010 (29 comments)

I've heard it said that (in theory) the advent of a cure for cancer would cause a serious financial crisis because of the vast scale of the healthcare complex devoted to current treatments. So, the obvious question: Is there any credible evidence that promising (not woo-woo) therapies for diseases such as cancer and diabetes have been derailed because of the sheer scale of financial and institutional resources invested in the status quo?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by dacoit at 3:24 PM on February 17, 2010 (41 comments)

Is death the end?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by stupidsexyFlanders at 6:59 AM on October 8, 2004 (73 comments)

BRANDON BLATCHER STOP MARRYIN' PEOPLE
posted to MetaTalk by boo_radley at 5:43 PM on June 19, 2009 (183 comments)

How can I become cool?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Stynxno at 7:28 AM on October 22, 2004 (72 comments)

I'm tired of bars. What things in New York can I do after work?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Unred at 2:14 PM on February 16, 2010 (15 comments)

I am a biracial female in my mid-thirties. Growing up in the 1980's as a mixed kid was no fun, but I survived. My mother was white, and my dad was not a strong black role-model; his family was not a part of my life, and likewise, I did not have any influence from Black culture as I grew up. My parents also sent me to a suburban school, which was predominantly white, so it was very hard to fit in there...I went through school with few friends, and college did not offer much chance to establish any more. By most interpretations, I would likely have fit in better in a "white: crowd (culturally, socially) but phsically I am still a black person. Still, due to my lack of racial identity, it was very hard to fit in anywhere. Fast forward to my question:) Present day well into the new century, I have a successful career and a small real-estate investment business. However, I find that I still have a lot of trouble in work, with my business and with making friends.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 12:07 PM on February 15, 2010 (26 comments)

Why do rich people kill themselves?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by abbat at 3:55 PM on February 13, 2010 (45 comments)

What are your best survival tips for dangerous situations that someone might realistically find themselves in?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Effigy2000 at 8:02 PM on February 11, 2010 (102 comments)

Greasemonkey: here's a script that displays profile pics next to posts. Cortex warned me some people will hate it and want to roast me alive. To those people, let me suggest a side dish of Potatoes au Gratin and a glass of Merlot.
posted to MetaTalk by grumblebee at 1:19 PM on October 23, 2008 (226 comments)

Yesterday, ReadWriteWeb, which "provides analysis of Web products and trends to an intelligent audience of engaged technology decision makers, Web enthusiasts and innovators" posted an article titled "Facebook Wants to Be Your One True Login." What happened in the post's comments taught them a lesson about users who aren't in their target demographic: internet users browse by search, because they think browsers are search engines.
posted to MetaFilter by ocherdraco at 11:05 AM on February 11, 2010 (185 comments)

Was vintage clothing always cool? Like did teens in the 1910s rock their parents' 1850s duds with pride?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by citystalk at 8:09 AM on February 11, 2010 (17 comments)

Coffee maniacs: What is your home coffee brewing setup from start to finish and in gritty detail?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Rudy Gerner at 6:53 AM on February 11, 2010 (57 comments)

What are examples of clearly *sketchy* situations and scams that you want to avoid at all costs?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by visual mechanic at 5:07 PM on February 9, 2010 (60 comments)

What are your favorite tofu recipes?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by barrakuda at 2:14 PM on May 27, 2008 (31 comments)

Top Videos from MTV's First Day. Most people know that The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" was the first video ever played on MTV, on August 1, 1981. The Top 13 picks the top 13 videos that aired that day.
posted to MetaFilter by kirkaracha at 10:08 AM on February 10, 2010 (57 comments)

"Race & Gender of Judges Make Enormous Differences in Rulings, Studies Find," is the headline of a February 6 ABA Journal article. The article refers to two studies reported in law reviews, linked here in pdf format, on the effect of gender and race on decisionmaking in harassment and discrimination cases.
posted to MetaFilter by bearwife at 1:01 PM on February 10, 2010 (31 comments)

Google has had mixed successes with social networks before. Orkut never caught on in the United States; a much-hyped demo of something called SocialStream was never realized. Today, Google begins rolling out Buzz, a social network that lives entirely inside Gmail.
posted to MetaFilter by Rory Marinich at 12:13 PM on February 9, 2010 (190 comments)

Meetup protocol: do you reveal your username, real name, or both? Is there an expectation as far as this?
posted to MetaTalk by clgregor at 10:22 AM on January 24, 2007 (101 comments)

Could a plausible theory be extrapolated for Angels/Paranormal Activity being an aspect of Quantum Physics?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Enki at 8:53 PM on November 9, 2009 (56 comments)

How do restaurants estimate how long you'll have to wait to be seated?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by AngerBoy at 3:29 PM on February 7, 2010 (24 comments)

What epiphanies and thought processes have helped you love yourself?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by mossicle at 9:46 AM on November 3, 2009 (34 comments)

Thank you MetaFilter
posted to MetaTalk by dubitable at 4:43 PM on February 6, 2010 (69 comments)

If every working person on the planet earned the same wage, what would we all be earning?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by lhputtgrass at 9:22 AM on February 6, 2010 (12 comments)

Why is it embarrassing not to have romantic interest reciprocated?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by socrates at 5:41 PM on September 4, 2006 (20 comments)

I have problems saying "no thanks" on dates. Help me be honest without being mean.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by BuddhaBelly at 1:07 PM on June 24, 2007 (95 comments)

I am a happy introvert between the horns of what must be a common dilemma, yet I have not seen a clear answer to it: What do I say when my SO or best friend or cousin invites me to do something and I would very clearly rather just stay home and read?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by the foreground at 8:55 AM on February 5, 2010 (31 comments)

What have you learned through your career, major, or specialization that you wish the general public knew?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Earl the Polliwog at 11:27 PM on July 2, 2009 (208 comments)

We've covered questions you shouldn't ask people about their jobs, but what questions do people want to be asked about their professions?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by soma lkzx at 8:32 AM on February 4, 2010 (23 comments)

How can someone get excited about philosophy? (This wasn't a very good mini explanation... More inside)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jay.eye.elle.elle. at 12:52 PM on February 3, 2010 (17 comments)

Philosophy experts: were ancient thinkers conscious of the fact that they were making untested assumptions? [more inside.]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by grumblebee at 11:34 AM on January 21, 2004 (18 comments)

It's a word I've been using for a while in a ... you know ... "ironic postmodern" sort of a way, but really, I've got no idea what it means. The Google results plain confuse me, so I'm throwing this one out to the Ask Metafilter Posse. What does the word "postmodern" mean? What is postmodern literature? And finally, where do I go for examples? And ... please no laughing from the front of the class.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by seanyboy at 2:50 PM on January 18, 2004 (42 comments)

Can musically-inclined mefi-ites tell me what the conductor of an orchestra/band is supposed to do? I think at the most basic level they're supposed to keep the beat, but surely that can't be all?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by darsh at 5:29 AM on December 22, 2003 (11 comments)

What are your favorite ways of compensating physically for the hours of torture that are sitting in front of a computer? I find basketball, walking, and stretching to be very helpful, but it's not always easy to find the time.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by callmejay at 11:22 AM on December 11, 2003 (24 comments)

What's worth buying at Amazon Grocery? I've never used it and they seem to have a totally random selection of stuff.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by smackfu at 9:35 AM on February 2, 2010 (30 comments)

17 Least Appropriate Playmobil Sets For Children : Yep. A randomly numbered list on which several items are questionable. But really, whoever approved #1 for production was more than a little bit twisted.
posted to MetaFilter by grapefruitmoon at 5:13 PM on January 29, 2010 (78 comments)

You have been together and/or married for a long time. You are still very much in love. How do you do it? What advice can you give someone just starting out?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 3:10 AM on September 6, 2006 (35 comments)

Is there a reliable sound effect library where you can download mp3s? short samples of "tea kettle", "girl coughing", "train"-- I'm picturing a creative commons kind of thing most likely. and google fails me miserably.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by herbplarfegan at 9:54 AM on January 29, 2010 (11 comments)

Haitian-born Edwidge Danticat writes a devastatingly personal account of the Haiti earthquake and its victims. From The New Yorker.
posted to MetaFilter by deticxe at 7:33 AM on January 29, 2010 (18 comments)

Boy, I'd sure like to edit my comments, and I'd be willing to chip into a development fund to make it happen.
posted to MetaTalk by Malor at 5:08 AM on January 29, 2010 (243 comments)

Michael Hedges was something of a revolutionary.
posted to MetaFilter by timsteil at 1:16 PM on January 28, 2010 (51 comments)

What are your best tips, tricks, and recipes for sweet potato fries?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by SNWidget at 10:55 AM on January 27, 2010 (29 comments)

Wife is seeking job, but has unrealistic expectations. How to gently redirect without hurting her feelings?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 8:33 AM on January 27, 2010 (33 comments)

What book best enhances the experience of being in New York City?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by carnival of animals at 3:24 AM on January 27, 2010 (22 comments)

How does drowning work?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by GardenGal at 7:19 AM on January 26, 2010 (21 comments)

Do vitamins work?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by duvatney at 5:03 PM on January 25, 2010 (46 comments)

Next Saturday, more than 300 people will each swallow an entire bottle of homoeopathic pills in protest at the continued marketing of homoeopathic medicines. The group planning the event is specifically targeting health care in the UK.
posted to MetaFilter by Taft at 10:34 AM on January 25, 2010 (364 comments)

What are the places in NYC (all boroughs) where you are released from the subway into a building without having to go outside? Such as the B train to the Museum of Natural History.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by xo at 10:02 AM on January 25, 2010 (27 comments)

Where can I buy a fashionable, inexpensive (~$150, hopefully less) sport coat? I don't need it for work, just for the very occasional more formal outing.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by stchang at 9:07 PM on January 24, 2010 (20 comments)