Bonfire of the Humanities. "Nobody goes to Timbuktu, right? Patrick Symmes did, to discover what happened when jihadi rebels set out to burn one of the world’s finest collections of ancient manuscripts. Bouncing around by truck, boat, and boots, he got an intimate look at West ­Africa’s most mythic locale." [Via]
posted to MetaFilter by homunculus at 6:30 PM on April 21, 2014 (12 comments)

How many rappers have name-checked Tough Actin' Tinactin brand anti-fungal skin products? More than you would think.
posted to MetaFilter by not_on_display at 9:27 PM on April 17, 2014 (25 comments)

For National Poetry Month last year, I posted a poem a day for a certain circle of friends on Facebook. This was really well-received, and I'd like to continue this year but used up a lot of my favorites last year. What specific poems can you suggest that a general but well-educated audience would appreciate on first (or, at most, second) read?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by charmedimsure at 12:36 PM on April 1, 2014 (29 comments)

As my offering to the winner in the "best post about something you stumbled on while surfing archive.org" category of the 2013 MeFitesChoice Awards, I present gilrain with this song about the FPP, "Sans Protovision".
posted to MeFi Music by not_on_display at 9:23 PM on March 25, 2014 (4 comments)

I'm trying to write a fictional character background that involves someone overcoming a generally fatal disease in childhood, and leading to a full recovery. The character must grow up to be physically fit and able to engage in a very physical job, but I'm imagining endless visits to the hospital in childhood & nobody expecting him to live long. I have a few reasons to avoid cancer as a story choice. What are other possibilities?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by scaryblackdeath at 9:43 AM on March 27, 2014 (36 comments)

2048, a tile game.
posted to MetaFilter by grouse at 6:10 PM on March 10, 2014 (120 comments)

Artist Jesse Krimes created a 39 panel allegorical mural while incarcerated in a federal prison in Butner, NC. The multi media piece is made primarily from prison bedsheets and photos from the NY Times. A little more about Krimes.
posted to MetaFilter by mygothlaundry at 4:41 AM on March 8, 2014 (16 comments)

I've been a lifelong sidesleeper. My preferred hand position is with my hands curled up under my chin. For a while now, I'm being woken up by the pins and needles sensation in my hand (the shoulder side down hand) as it's asleep. I'm trying to figure out where else to put my hands while I sleep.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sarajane at 1:04 PM on March 18, 2014 (41 comments)

We have a teenager that wants to visit his internet girlfriend and is being increasingly pressuring. We're resistant, feel that we are right in being resistant, but just wanted to check whether we're being reasonable or not. So, given the details (and SO MANY DETAILS) below, should we be stopping this teenager visiting his girlfriend in another country? Or should we let him go?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by sockpuppettastic at 6:54 PM on March 17, 2014 (68 comments)

In August 1989, 23-year-old professional ice-hockey player Duncan MacPherson travelled from New York to Europe, to enjoy a holiday before starting a new job in Scotland. He hired snowboarding gear and took a lesson on the Stubai Glacier. Then, according to the Austrian authorities and the owners of the ski resort, he simply disappeared. In Cold a Long Time: An Alpine Mystery, John Leake details the coverup and corruption that started then and continued for years after MacPherson's body melted out of the ice in 2003. Warning: the website contains close-up pictures of MacPherson's damaged body.
posted to MetaFilter by daisyk at 10:00 AM on March 16, 2014 (22 comments)

Malaysia Airlines MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing is missing.

Flight MH370, operated on the B777-200 aircraft, departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am on 8 March 2014. MH370 was expected to land in Beijing at 6.30am the same day. The flight was carrying a total number of 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members.

Rumors that the plane has landed in Nanning, China are debunked. Chinese media had originally reported Vietnamese officials saying they've picked up a signal, but this has also been refuted. There has been no contact nor distress signals, and the case is especially puzzling as the plane lost contact at the safest moment of the flight.
posted to MetaFilter by divabat at 8:48 PM on March 7, 2014 (1934 comments)

On Aug. 1, 1833 the British outlawed (most) slavery in her colonies. There were, however, still crops that needed tending. Fortunately, Germany had excess people desperate for a better life. Some (as we have seen) of them wound up in Texas. Some, willing to sign on as indentured servants, wound up in Jamaica. Seaford Town Jamaica, to be exact. Their descendants can still be found. There is now a documentary on the subject. (Extended trailer can been seen here)
posted to MetaFilter by BWA at 7:29 PM on March 12, 2014 (6 comments)

"In 2011, when we blogged about the Shaftesbury Psalter (which may have belonged to Adeliza of Louvain; see below), we wrote that medieval manuscripts which had belonged to women were relatively rare survivals. This still remains true, but as we have reviewed our blog over the past few years, it has become clear that we must emphasize the relative nature of the rarity – we have posted literally dozens of times about manuscripts that were produced for, owned, or created by a number of medieval women." -- For International Womens' Day last week, the British Library's Medieval Manuscripts blog showcases a selection of manuscripts that belonged to some of the most remarkable women of the Middle Ages.
posted to MetaFilter by MartinWisse at 8:00 AM on March 12, 2014 (11 comments)

"In 1805, a twenty-three year-old Bostonian called Frederic Tudor launched a new industry: the international frozen-water trade. Over the next fifty years, he and the men he worked with developed specialised ice harvesting tools, a global network of thermally engineered ice houses, and a business model that cleverly leveraged ballast-less ships, off-season farmers, and overheated Englishmen abroad. By the turn of the century, the industry employed 90,000 people and was worth $220 million in today’s terms. By 1930, it had disappeared, almost without trace, replaced by an artificial cryosphere of cold storage warehouses and domestic refrigerators."
posted to MetaFilter by Eyebrows McGee at 3:58 PM on March 12, 2014 (46 comments)

Stephen Glass was a well-known journalist at The New Republic who was exposed for multiple instances of fabricating stories and lying to cover up the details (previously here and here), as well as burning a few bridges in his attempt to explain his actions. A movie was made about this, and he wrote a book. Since Glass’s fall, he has gone to law school and has been practicing as a paralegal at a Los Angeles law firm with the hopes of becoming a lawyer. He has passed the bar exams in New York and California. However, there is a required ethics review in both states before one is allowed to practice. He was already denied (informally) a license in New York, and a final decision in California was appealed to the California Supreme court, who ruled last month conclusively that Glass would not be allowed to practice law in California. Here is the 33-page ruling.
posted to MetaFilter by SpacemanStix at 1:55 PM on March 5, 2014 (68 comments)

In Steal This Book, Abbie Hoffman states:

We know two foolproof methods to fly free, but unfortunately we feel publishing them would cause the airlines to change their policy.

Ever since I read the book as a kid, I've wondered what those methods were. Presumably, they're antiquated and safe to discuss. Anyone have any ideas?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Mayor Curley at 10:34 AM on March 2, 2014 (16 comments)

The ThereIsHelp page on the MeFi wiki is a helpful compilation of resources for people who are struggling with depression, suicidal ideation, alcoholism, domestic violence, and sexual assault. It's also a living document, originally created through the collaboration of MeFites over three years ago in memory of Bill Zeller, and I'd like to continue the conversation about how we as a community can make it even better.
posted to MetaTalk by beryllium at 7:29 PM on February 16, 2014 (21 comments)

I love reading about real-world artifacts, phenomena, structures, events, and so forth that have an air of the fantastical, the mysterious, the uncanny, or "the unexplained". Not pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, or the paranormal—rather, things which are accepted as real by mainstream experts, but whose origins or particulars remain elusive and mysterious (or which simply tickle that this is too weird to be real reflex). I'm looking for media (online, written, video, whatever) about this sort of thing.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by escape from the potato planet at 5:09 PM on February 15, 2014 (36 comments)

Desire paths [previously] show us where we want to walk. Snowy neckdowns, or "sneckdowns," show us where we don't need to drive.
posted to MetaFilter by Knappster at 7:04 PM on February 4, 2014 (22 comments)

A question on vocabulary.  Why are some Olympic sports listed as "ladies" events, while others are "women's"?  Ski jumping is for ladies.  Ice Hockey is for women.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by feelinglistless at 2:06 AM on January 26, 2014 (8 comments)

In Barack Obama's Oval Office, there is a bowl of apples. Undemanding, it silently witnesses history in ways large and small.
posted to MetaFilter by Etrigan at 10:40 AM on August 13, 2012 (130 comments)

@Sweden is run by a different Swede each week. But what are the other @countries and @territories up to?
posted to MetaFilter by me3dia at 9:43 AM on January 20, 2014 (33 comments)

Wings and Beef on Weck aren't the only culinary legacies coming from Buffalo, NY. Sponge candy is an airy, cripsy, delicious confection made with the magic of chemistry (video).
posted to MetaFilter by misskaz at 10:22 AM on January 16, 2014 (74 comments)

So sue me, I've taken a liking to period dramas like Downton Abbey and Wives & Daughters. Can you help me find more shows like this? More specific likes/dislikes....
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ancient star at 2:23 PM on January 14, 2014 (53 comments)

Can you think of someone who has the same given name as their great x 20 grandparent (and whose intervening ancestors did, too)? Great x 30 grandparent? Who's the record holder?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by andromache at 10:28 AM on January 8, 2014 (25 comments)

I am a 29 year old woman. I am fit, attractive, have a good personality, have had relationships, can sustain friendship. My friends say that I am a catch, and assume that I "get around" even though I never, ever, talk about my sexual exploits...because, well, the furthest I've gone is third base. I know my life circumstances explains some of the delay (details in extended explanation), but I want to know if there's anything else that I am doing wrong? Or am I actually not the weirdo popular culture made me think I am, and more people share this experience but are too afraid to admit? I feel so incredibly embarrassed. Am I missing out on something really important to become a real person? Will my lack of experience be a problem in the future? What if I am so lacking in practice my future partners find that a problem?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Anonymous at 9:21 PM on January 5, 2014 (24 comments)

Welcome to a tumblr of wonders. Special Collections, archives, and libraries have many wonderful items, but getting to them all can be a bit like trying to walk into Mordor, unless you have unlimited time and grants. But now, thanks to Tumblr, you too can explore collections around the world, and one of the best comes to us from the University of Iowa. Want a Hamlet quote on a miniature book that unfolds into a tiny Globe Theatre? Of course you do. Actual flying squirrels? Adventure with Alice! Get close to illuminations? Catch a glimpse of hipster frames circa 1504? More awesome librar* tumblrs inside.
posted to MetaFilter by jetlagaddict at 5:58 PM on December 26, 2013 (12 comments)

In 1989, Libyan terrorists blew up UTA 772, killing 170. 18 years later, Les Familles de l’Attentat du DC-10 d’UTA created the memorial, visible via Google Earth, with the help of local inhabitants. As these photos and their captions reveal, it's a touching story and a fitting memorial. Google Maps image is here. Information about the crash of UTA Flight 772 from Wikipedia is here.
posted to MetaFilter by carmicha at 12:07 PM on November 5, 2013 (22 comments)

The Song Request Raffle Challenge: "I have a very small friend named Evie. She is eight months old and would greatly appreciate a children's song with her name in it." YOUR REQUEST HAS BEEN GRANTED!
posted to MeFi Music by not_on_display at 9:48 PM on October 31, 2013 (11 comments)

I have a friend who wants to read something. He is a 40 year old black male who grew up on the streets of south central. He has a high school education, but has never read a book in his life (his words). He is very open minded and interested in a lot of different things and he sees me and his girlfriend reading all the time and wants to join in on the fun. He says he is mainly interested in nonfiction but open to reading fiction also.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by R.F.Simpson at 7:20 AM on October 27, 2013 (78 comments)

A Collection of Word Oddities and Trivia
posted to MetaFilter by not_on_display at 11:46 AM on October 11, 2013 (17 comments)

When people call my cell phone and don't leave a voicemail, I tend not to call them back. Should I? Is there a pervasive cultural expectation of which I am unaware that one is obligated to return missed calls?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by coppermoss at 9:29 AM on September 30, 2013 (92 comments)

I am a birdsrightsactivist and fight against antibird sentiment. tree
posted to MetaFilter by Brandon Blatcher at 11:18 AM on September 26, 2013 (61 comments)

"Our brother asked us to be his best men for his wedding. We knew the hardest thing would be doing a traditional best man’s speech, because we would cry too much. So instead, we made a music video - a plea not to leave us! Which he did, regardless." Presenting We Are Brothers by Baddy Paris and Rufus Starlight in the tradition they know best, 80s glam rock.
posted to MetaFilter by Leucistic Cuttlefish at 4:48 AM on September 26, 2013 (19 comments)

In addition to the well known sites for tracking Planes and Ships I've recently discovered I can track SHARKS! What other things can be tracked on the internet? I'm specifically keen to see sites with a map of the world (or I suppose a more local region if that is appropriate) with all the things moving around in real time, but any aggregation of real world data would also be interesting.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Just this guy, y'know at 4:32 AM on September 26, 2013 (27 comments)

"[Full Turn] works with the rotation of two screens placed back to back, creating a three-dimensional animated sequence that can be seen at 360 degrees. Due to the persistence of vision, the shapes that appear on the screen turn into kinetic light sculptures."
posted to MetaFilter by griphus at 7:38 AM on September 24, 2013 (19 comments)

In the 2004-2006 timeframe I recall discussion on websites I frequented at the time (which I cannot recall now) about a European man whom carried many pounds of gear everyday. Things like writing pens, hand tools, survival tools, lighters, etc.... There was also a particular website that detailed all the items he carried, mostly in his coat and on his belt, including photos. My google skills are failing me. He was/is northern european, maybe French, Belgium or English. I would like some web=links to this information, if still available?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by wylde21 at 7:13 PM on September 22, 2013 (3 comments)

Megapode, Greek for "large foot," refers to refers to 12 species of Australasian chickenlike birds (order Galliformes), which have small heads compared to their bodies, and large feet. They are also known as Mound Builders, or Incubator Birds, as they bury their eggs in some warm material, most commonly fermenting or decomposing plant matter. But on Sulawesi island in Indonesia, Maleos bury their eggs in sun-baked or volcanically heated sands, then depart. The young hatch from their large eggs (5 times the size of chicken eggs), then dig out of their sandy incubators and walk or fly away. If you can't make it to Indonesia to see the birds in person, you can also visit the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo to see their 9 Maleos, or check out their video about Maleos and the zoo's breeding program.
posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief at 7:12 AM on September 10, 2013 (5 comments)

Tommy Edison, who has been blind since birth, explains his perception of things that are intangible including the sun, sky, fog, Great Wall of China, Grand Canyon, and space. [slyt | via]
posted to MetaFilter by quin at 7:36 AM on September 10, 2013 (14 comments)

In February of 2012, I was in Helsinki traveling with Rachel Lovinger when I was contacted by long time goon Russ Rogers. His question was simple: since DEFCON was coming up on the 20th anniversary, and I had been both an attendee and director of several technology-based documentaries, would I be interested in doing a documentary on DEFCON and its 20th year? I said I needed to think about it, but I really didn't have to think that long. A year and a half later, I put the finishing touches on a two hour movie and an hour of bonus footage, having spent the previous 18 months planning, shooting, organizing, editing, and just generally living this movie day in and day out. While we weren't able to cover every last aspect of DEFCON (and who really could?) I think you'll find there's something for everyone in the movie. It was done out of love And respect for this incredible event, I hope it brings a whole new appreciation of the special event DEFCON has every year.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by jscott at 5:56 PM on August 6, 2013 (3 comments)

My husband and I wrote this Android app for serious Scrabble players to train their anagramming ability. Unlike similar apps it allows the player to choose between various scrabble competition dictionaries (SOWPODS, TWL, etc), to choose to get a rack that includes J, Z, Q or Z, to require that at least one 7-letter word is available and to specify whether or not blanks should be allowed. Word definitions are available, although in my experience most Scrabble players don't really care about those! There's also a free version people can try out that doesn't have some of these "professional" features.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by lollusc at 2:54 AM on August 15, 2013 (1 comment)

I got so tired of driving around my town wondering "What the hell is that?" that I suggested a column for my local alternative newspaper. Shockingly, they took me up on it. It's not just for people who live in Athens, though. If you notice things that other people don't even see,maybe you'll like it. My favorites are "The Millitant Next Door," "The Rules of the Mall," "Carwash Curry," "Grave Situation," and "Meat Sales and Butt-Smears." It's a bunch of love letters to my great little town. Hope you enjoy.
posted to MetaFilter Projects by staggering termagant at 5:32 PM on September 6, 2013 (3 comments)

The three longest-running scientific experiments are all located in the foyers of physics buildings. The oldest is the Oxford Electric Bell, which has been ringing continuously (over ten billion times!) since at least 1840, powered by batteries of unknown composition. In Dunedin, New Zealand, the Beverley clock has operated since 1864, without the need for winding, as it is powered by atmospheric changes. The relative youngster in the group is the Pitch Drop Experiment, which has been measuring the viscosity of pitch since 1927 by recording the time between drops of pitch from a funnel. The experiments has the world's most boring webcam, though the eighth, and most recent, drop fell in 2000, so the next is due any day now! Atlas Obscura has some additional candidates for long experiments, including the Rothemstead Plots, which have been used in agricultural experiments for 300 years.
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 6:56 PM on June 6, 2011 (33 comments)

What are the best obsessively cataloged reference websites from your field? I mean the kinds of places you can go to when things are being reported on in a confusing way, or just seems off and worth checking, where you can cut through the bullshit and easily find either original source material or otherwise solid answers to technical questions.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Blasdelb at 3:16 AM on March 18, 2013 (13 comments)

I've noticed that a few professions seem to have a semi-common veiled insult specific to their field. These tend to be used in the same way that many southerners say "bless your heart" in lieu of calling someone stupid. For example, certain academics will say that a colleague is a gadfly (like Socrates...in an annoying way), and I've known nurses to say that another nurse "really should have been a doctor" when they think that colleague is full of it. What are some others?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by lemonadeheretic at 1:38 PM on February 4, 2013 (201 comments)

Sometimes, there's nothing better to do after a snowstorm than to watch the snow slowly slide off the roof. Do you get a thrill at that moment when gravity trumps friction, and a large slab frees itself, landing on the ground below in a big WHUMPF? Then please enjoy this curation of YouTubery documenting the anticipation and beauty that is the Roof Avalanche!
posted to MetaFilter by not_on_display at 4:11 AM on January 29, 2013 (30 comments)

What are some films or TV shows about librarians, or that feature prominent/notable characters that are librarians?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Bektashi at 4:26 PM on January 20, 2013 (32 comments)

Back in 2009, Sleater-Kinney.net hosted a collection of 176 live bootlegs of the band; it was stored as eight zipfiles collectively known as "The Live Vault". (archive.org shot of the Live Vault page.) Since then the site has gone offline and the recordings seem to have disappeared from the Internet. If you have copies or know who to speak to about them, I would greatly appreciate any pointers.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Going To Maine at 6:45 PM on January 16, 2013 (5 comments)

"La Machine à Ecrire le Temps" from Swiss watchmaker Jaquet Droz took nearly a decade to develop, with more than 1,200 intricately connected components; including 84 ball bearings, 50 cams and 9 belts. It costs nearly $350,000. What does it do? It writes out the time for you.
posted to MetaFilter by quin at 9:09 AM on January 10, 2013 (34 comments)

Where do I find Nitpickers Guide to The Tudors? Or something like that.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by The corpse in the library at 2:17 PM on January 5, 2013 (2 comments)