If you were to define 'comedy roast' by the modern Comedy Central Roasts, you could get the impression that it's a chance to heap scorn on celebrities who are already the focus of some level of public disdain. "Who wouldn’t want to see a similar thrashing, leveled at, say, Lady Gaga or every one of the Kardashians," asked Punchline Mag, but then they looked back at the origins of roast, where "they were originally done in honor or respect — real respect not the contemporary feigned type." Let's look back at the original roasts at the Friars Club in New York City, where things were different from today's TV events, yet some crass elements remain.
posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief at 10:24 PM on May 19, 2017 (10 comments)

With Chris Cornell's sad death have come familiar calls to "end the silence" around suicide and mental illness. Intuitively, this suggestion seems to make sense. But is there data to support the idea that an increase in public discussion of mental health and suicide reduces the suicide rate? I'm taking about statistics, clinical studies, etc.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Perodicticus potto at 6:03 AM on May 19, 2017 (9 comments)

Joanna Brouk, 1949-2017. She was an early pioneer of electronic and new age music, in the geometric/ambient section of that map, active mostly via self-released cassettes during the 1970's and 80's. Last year, Numero Group released a full retrospective of her career, Hearing Voices. Previously not recognized widely, this release garnered her oeuvre attention – she was scheduled to play her first US concert outside of California in June, and she played her first European concert in France earlier this year.
posted to MetaFilter by not_on_display at 11:35 AM on May 16, 2017 (6 comments)

I've recently started reading John Muir's My First summer in the Sierra and it is riveting stuff, a love-letter to an entire landscape that resonates with the bedrock of my soul. However, right now my heart belongs to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, rather than the Sierra Nevada of California. What writings, by what authors, are the closest equivalent to John Muir's work, but set in the Whites?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 8:10 PM on May 12, 2017 (4 comments)

Just that - if you've had a particularly pleasurable solitary birthday, what made it so?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by knownfossils at 11:50 AM on April 18, 2017 (56 comments)

Thanks to mefi, I know the horror that is baby foal feet. But according to giraffe cam, baby giraffes do not have the hoof capsules. Why not? Do any other ungulates have them?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jeather at 5:36 AM on April 15, 2017 (10 comments)

My phone is running out of storage space and I have more than 1GB of stored imessages. How can I most easily transfer them all to a Mac, so that I can choose the setting of only keeping messages for a short while to free up space and still not lose them? Any other tips for freeing up storage on the iphone are welcome, too.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by meijusa at 6:28 AM on April 3, 2017 (7 comments)

Numerosity was one of the earliest series of filmed segments to appear on Sesame Street. "The first batch of ten were all in the same style. They began with Jim’s hand-drawn animations accompanied by children singing to a melody by Joe Raposo [PREVIOUSLY]. Examples of the given number were revealed, ranging from body parts and shapes to toys and animals, and each film ended with the dramatic entrance of a baker, played by Alex Stevens, carrying the appropriate number of cakes, pies, or ice cream sundaes. In Jim’s voice, he announced what he was carrying and immediately tumbled down the stairs. While these films aired on the early seasons, they were eventually deemed to be too violent and dropped from the rotation."^[via]
posted to MetaFilter by not_on_display at 12:14 AM on February 14, 2017 (40 comments)

In 1971, the people didn't just march on Washington--they shut it down.
The most influential large-scale political action of the ’60s was actually in 1971, and you’ve never heard of it. It was called the Mayday action, and it provides invaluable lessons for today.

The largest and most audacious direct action in US history is also among the least remembered, a protest that has slipped into deep historical obscurity. It was a protest against the Vietnam War, but it wasn’t part of the storied sixties, having taken place in 1971, a year of nationwide but largely unchronicled ferment. To many, infighting, violence, and police repression had effectively destroyed “the movement” two years earlier in 1969.

posted to MetaFilter by Joseph Gurl at 5:46 PM on January 22, 2017 (44 comments)

Race Invaders is a podcast hosted by myself and my friend Tim Yang, in which we discuss social justice, politics, culture, and probably more geek shit than is necessary, but we like it.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by Errant at 8:42 AM on January 4, 2017 (10 comments)

Wikinaut is a compendium of intriguing, unusual and extraordinary Wikipedia excerpts.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by Operation Afterglow at 12:52 PM on January 10, 2017 (3 comments)

A desktop Chrome Extension that blocks addictive sites until you've completed your daily tasks. You can download it from the Chrome Webstore or customize it and install manually from the Github repo.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by gwint at 7:08 AM on January 13, 2017

I have been given a long run of magazines to put online as PDFs. I'm currently scanning them and want to create a clean directory structure where I have the covers of the magazines as nice thumbnails, clicking on them gives you a modal with the cover and the table of contents and a download pdf button, and then you can download the individual issue if you click. Is there a free solution to this that doesn't require a larger brain than I possess?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by history is a weapon at 7:03 AM on January 16, 2017 (4 comments)

Thanks to some crummy apartments I've lived in over the past few years, I've had some experiences that have led me to believe mice are attracted to/trying to eat my semen, thankfully when I am far away from it and them. Is this remotely plausible or am I galloping headlong into some weird combination of projection, pattern-matching, and narcissism?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 11:12 AM on January 13, 2017 (11 comments)

What scares me? Playing music in front of other people, that's what! So here, for my MeFi music debut, is a slow jam to one of the greatest sitcom closing theme songs ever.
posted to MeFi Music by bondcliff at 7:09 PM on January 11, 2017 (10 comments)

I like quiet books that are inward-facing, but I need to diversify my reading list beyond white male authors. I like introspection (think Knausgard or Proust), interpersonal relationships (Austen), or beautiful descriptions of natural environments. I don't like high melodrama, violence, or sexual violence. Do you know of any non-white and/ or female authors that fit into these categories?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Think_Long at 7:44 AM on January 9, 2017 (41 comments)

I recently watched the French series Les Revenants and the British series Penny Dreadful and The Fall and absolutely loved them. What are some other really awesome non-US shows?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by forkisbetter at 5:42 PM on January 5, 2017 (64 comments)

What is one concept or mental model you learned in law school, grad school, business school, trade school, in a MOOC, etc., that blew your mind, stuck with you, and became a regular or essential part of your "cognitive toolkit"?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by shotgunbooty at 12:56 PM on January 2, 2017 (83 comments)

Adam Evans, New Hampshire's Hillbilly Weatherman gives it to you straight, no expletives deleted. Current storm report. Semi-disjointed website with past reports. Randomly organized YouTube channel. Facebook page. Better chronological set of videos. Is he for real? View this profile, in which he tries out at his local TV station.
posted to MetaFilter by beagle at 4:57 PM on December 28, 2016 (17 comments)

Through an ongoing partnership with the DC Public Library, digitized issues from the first decades of LGBT newspaper The Washington Blade (1969-) are now freely available online.
posted to MetaFilter by waninggibbon at 11:02 PM on December 28, 2016 (7 comments)

Come join MeFightClub's annual charity drive! This year's charities are RAINN and charity: water. The campaigns end January 5, 2017.
posted to MetaTalk by herrdoktor at 4:27 PM on December 26, 2016 (9 comments)

Often referred to as The Date Rape Song, these singers have renovated Baby It's Cold Outside. Lydia Lisa and Josiah Lemansky's remake of Baby it's Cold Outside. and this: Another couple with a slightly different take on the song.
posted to MetaFilter by BoscosMom at 4:58 PM on December 17, 2016 (70 comments)

Fluent in emoji? Please apply here.
posted to MetaFilter by progosk at 6:03 AM on December 14, 2016 (12 comments)

hi hello this is avocado. tyvm for asking. Avocado is a fruit. It tweets. At first for about 10,000 years avocado was just a fruit and didn't tweet, and tbh that was fine too, but now it tweets and plays with other human technology at a shockingly amateurish level that people still seem to enjoy; for example, avocado's Twine game, the time it made guacamole with Michel Foucault, and breathing.website, which just launched to several retweets' worth of acclaim tyvm.
posted to MetaFilter by not_on_display at 1:22 PM on December 15, 2016 (24 comments)

Seems like there are always pregnant MeFis who are looking for some answers / like-minded people to talk to. Anyone want to join an FB group?
posted to MetaTalk by sestaaak at 4:44 PM on December 15, 2016 (117 comments)

As many of you know, I play the ukulele. I got a public performance license for the MBTA this year and set a goal to play at all 63 of the T stations with performers' areas between now and 28 May 2017.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by pxe2000 at 7:33 AM on December 12, 2016 (1 comment)

Aimless wandering is one of my preferred pastimes, and finding things locally blends well with this; I have a strong collecting impulse and it's a good way to know an area. But many recreational spins on this - geocaching, Ingress - are too internet-based for my tastes lately, and feel somewhat artificial. So what other things do you find it interesting/useful to go hunting for? All I can think of offhand is edible weeds/plant stands.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by solarion at 4:30 PM on December 7, 2016 (34 comments)

It's come to this, MeFi. My husband is literally impossible to shop for. I need help!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by banjo_and_the_pork at 11:56 AM on December 9, 2016 (37 comments)

Service workers of Metafilter (retail workers, contractors, plumbers, baristas, etc.): What are some small, non-obvious things customers can do that are a big help?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by amicamentis at 7:12 AM on December 7, 2016 (49 comments)

I'd like to watch the old documentary but his official website says it is currently unavailable and googling has turned up very little. Does anyone more savvy know? Mind Traveller: Oliver Sacks
posted to Ask MetaFilter by just.good.enough at 2:55 PM on December 6, 2016 (2 comments)

Someone asks you on Sunday to do something "next weekend". Is that 5 days from now, or 12 days from now?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Automocar at 10:47 AM on December 5, 2016 (67 comments)

Bee movie trailer but every time they say bee it gets slower
The entire bee movie but every time they say bee it gets faster
The bee movie trailer but it's censored
The bee movie trailer but every time it says bee it ends
posted to MetaFilter by Etrigan at 6:12 AM on November 21, 2016 (61 comments)

Why don't duvet sets come with a fitted sheet?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by orrnyereg at 10:52 AM on November 30, 2016 (76 comments)

My (niece) nephew came out as transgendered shortly before Thanksgiving. The extended family is accepting and wants to support him, but a lot of us don't really know much about transgendered folk. Is there a basic guide/introduction to this, somewhere online?. Nephew is quite introverted, so talking to him about it is not the best option.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sarajane at 11:42 AM on November 28, 2016 (23 comments)

I'm planning my holiday cards, which I make myself every year. I'm not feeling particularly cheery or optimistic about the world right now, and none of the rubber stamps with short messages (Happy Holidays!, Merry and Bright!, etc.) that I have are really grabbing me. I'm trying to find a good quote to print inside that acknowledges, without directly talking about it, the dumpster fire that has been 2016.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by skycrashesdown at 4:41 PM on November 27, 2016 (12 comments)

A common plot device used in sitcoms is that the main characters repeatedly try and fail to achieve their goals. But what are some sitcoms where the characters make significant progress and that's what drives the plot forward? (Other than Parks and Rec, which I love.)
posted to Ask MetaFilter by capricorn at 7:19 PM on November 25, 2016 (34 comments)

This has become one of my favourite Christmas songs in recent years. I'm looking for others of the same ilk. What do you recommend?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by h00py at 6:32 AM on November 25, 2016 (27 comments)

Mr. MMM, ERE, Afford Anything, Millennial Revolution, FrugalWoods - the common denominator seems to be couples. Are there any examples out there in the blogosphere for the single woman?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by driedmango at 7:56 PM on November 22, 2016 (8 comments)

I will be getting married shortly and am looking for advice on how to handle the digital part of combining lives and households. What are the current suggestions for how to integrate or manage digital assets - music, ebooks, online accounts, devices, and the like?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by philosophygeek at 12:46 PM on November 22, 2016 (7 comments)

I have recently fallen for, and become involved with someone with MS. Is this really a good idea?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by inner_frustration at 4:04 AM on November 20, 2016 (28 comments)

Hypothetically, if you knew (or had strong suspicion) that a major global economic recession was on the horizon in the next few years, what would you do to prepare? Not like, society as we know it collapses into a dystopian Mad Max scenario-- buy all the gold and build a bunker; more like what could an average person have done in 1928 or 2007 that would have helped cushion the blow of an oncoming recession?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by forkisbetter at 12:43 PM on November 19, 2016 (29 comments)

Some time in the first two seasons of Brooklyn 99, the character Jake explains to the character Amy what sex is (as a joke. It's a sitcom). I remember pausing the show and saying to my co-parent, 'Geez, that is actually a really good explanation of what sex is, I should remember that for talking to the kids.' I forgot it and I can't find the quote online. Anyone else remember it?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bq at 11:34 AM on November 16, 2016 (1 comment)

Do you leave your bathroom door open or closed when not in use?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by hworth at 1:08 PM on October 24, 2016 (60 comments)

Jumping spiders don't have ears—but they can still hear you coming. This may only apply to hunting spiders. However, orb weavers can control their web’s tension and stiffness to help them identify potential partners as well as prey.
posted to MetaFilter by Johnny Wallflower at 8:15 AM on October 23, 2016 (12 comments)

This is a website about the British Rail Corporate Identity from 1965–1994 which includes a wealth of digitised examples of British Rail design material collected over several years. I hope you find it useful and inspiring, whether you're a practitioner or historian of graphic design, a scale modeller or simply a connoisseur of corporate design at its aesthetically satisfying best.
posted to MetaFilter by jack_mo at 10:17 PM on October 22, 2016 (16 comments)

I've spent the past 18 months or so slogging away at apprecs.com, an app search engine that can detect review manipulation. You can see the worst offenders here. I posted this back when this was iOS-only, and I'd like to share some major new features I've added.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by hodgebodge at 1:28 PM on October 20, 2016 (2 comments)

The culture editors at Slate asked Maria Semple to recommend three funny books with living authors. Then, rather cleverly, they turned around and asked those authors to recommend three funny books. Result: 83 of the funniest books ever, accoding to some of the funniest authors ever. Check 'em out if you need something to help you get through November.
posted to MetaFilter by Diablevert at 10:03 AM on October 7, 2016 (26 comments)

As you may know, a couple weeks ago an unidentified woodland creature ate our internet.
posted to MetaFilter by matrixclown at 7:47 PM on October 7, 2016 (24 comments)

Dear Mefi, another ‘books with a feel like…’ post. This time I’m after novels set by the sea (or by a lake if we must), but with a fabulist, magical or eerie feel. Not looking for out and out horror, just a feeling of strangeness in the air. Ambiguity a plus, and many bonus points if set in a run-down seaside town. Examples below the line...
posted to Ask MetaFilter by reynir at 10:40 AM on August 6, 2016 (34 comments)

You (well, jessamyn) asked for it, and we (well, pb) delivered: after fifteen years of downtime, the MetaFilter gopher server is back.
posted to MetaTalk by cortex at 11:26 AM on February 24, 2016 (158 comments)