How can I change my habits? I'm a graduate student, and I am taking my PhD qualifying examinations within the next year. I am down to the wire and I need to change my habits, and they are very, very bad.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 10:44 AM on October 6, 2008 (15 comments)

Philip Pullman interviewed about the ideas behind "His Dark Materials" [YT,1 hour, South Bank Show,parts 2,3,4,5,6,7]. Inside, and hidden from those who don't want spoilers, are links relating to the ideas raised and about the books generally.
posted to MetaFilter by rongorongo at 4:40 PM on June 23, 2008 (85 comments)

Help me find real-world magic items.
posted to Ask Metafilter by MrVisible at 12:34 PM on June 17, 2008 (47 comments)

I'm trying to disassemble an undocumented, proprietary binary image format. I'm looking for the best tools and tutorials available.
posted to Ask Metafilter by fake at 5:07 AM on June 17, 2008 (14 comments)

What Windows software should I use to write a ~70k word public health thesis?
posted to Ask Metafilter by bingoes at 3:42 AM on March 6, 2008 (24 comments)

"I would be remiss if I did not mention one of Liefeld’s more brilliant creations, Forearm! His power is that he has FOUR ARMS." The 40 Worst Rob Liefeld Drawings.
posted to MetaFilter by beaucoupkevin at 6:37 AM on November 30, 2007 (102 comments)

I've been living on my own for about five years now, but I still cannot for the life of me understand grocery shopping. I've tried buying the staples, easy-to-cook meals, and even specific recipes. But I always end up ordering take out after a week.
posted to Ask Metafilter by pedmands at 7:41 PM on March 3, 2008 (34 comments)

What makes a good name?
posted to Ask Metafilter by sephira at 11:10 AM on February 18, 2008 (31 comments)

What words should English steal from other languages?
posted to Ask Metafilter by unSane at 5:12 AM on February 18, 2008 (91 comments)

What's it like to live in Pittsburgh as a grad student?
posted to Ask Metafilter by killdevil at 8:31 AM on February 12, 2008 (13 comments)

I would like to power my laptop with the sun.
posted to Ask Metafilter by sonicbloom at 4:42 PM on February 10, 2008 (19 comments)

Paleography: Reading Old Handwriting, 1500-1800. And don't forget to use your new skills to save the accused woman from the Ducking Stool.
posted to MetaFilter by Miko at 12:59 PM on January 4, 2007 (23 comments)

I'm going on a 10+ day bike ride and want to be able to use my fantastic Nokia 6110 (with built in GPS) and my ipod Nano as long as possible. I bought a cheap solar panel charger on ebay and have found that it's useless. What are the best solutions? So far under consideration are better solar, a spare battery for the phone and emergency chargers that can be recharged when I can get to mains power. The 'name brand' solar chargers around, the solio and the freeloader also have negative reviews. The Freeplay 12V looks cool, but has also got some pretty poor reviews (but at least it looks like it works). What would you recommend?
posted to Ask Metafilter by sien at 6:07 PM on November 28, 2007 (23 comments)

An exceptionally simple theory of everything has been released by a snow and surfboarding physicist. String theorists are grumpy feeling it doesn't have enough dimensions to be a proper theory. Others question and discuss. In it's favour - it's pretty! 10 Mb Quicktime
posted to MetaFilter by Sparx at 6:42 AM on November 15, 2007 (113 comments)

"Oh, boy, sleep! That's where I'm a viking!" From the Simpsons episode "Lisa the Vegetarian," one small Ralph Wiggum line that's sparked some big debate on the internet. Does Ralph use "Viking" to mean "One who excels"? Or does Ralph dream of being a Scandinavian warrior? Not content to keep it online, people are calling radio shows (June 5th's episode, around the 49 minute mark) to gain support for their opinion. Perhaps only the show's writer, David Cohen, can settle this.
posted to MetaFilter by Greg Nog at 7:06 AM on June 10, 2007 (467 comments)

Is there a reason that we're allowing the blink tag?
posted to MetaTalk by Afroblanco at 9:18 PM on September 13, 2007 (290 comments)

Another "What book was it?!" question. Inside: Alternate futures, "gargoyles", skyscrapers and a reversion to feudal living.
posted to Ask Metafilter by GilloD at 3:51 PM on September 13, 2007 (22 comments)

In the 1890s, an unknown woman was found drowned in the Seine. Known as the l'Inconnue de la Seine, her death mask became a fixture in the homes of artists and writers, and her look the ideal of the age. Many have speculated on her identity, and she has inspired a long list of artistic works by Nabokov, Rilke, Man Ray, and others. She has since become the "most kissed girl in the world" thanks to the Norwegian toymaker that used her mask to create Resusci Anne, the standard CPR doll.
posted to MetaFilter by blahblahblah at 9:43 AM on August 21, 2007 (56 comments)

What guidebooks did you find helpful for the writing of a doctoral dissertation? (I'm writing a dissertation on literature, but guidebooks with a broader disciplinary scope are OK too, if you think they are particularly good.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by limon at 6:51 PM on August 17, 2007 (8 comments)

I want to learn how to draw. Where's a good place to start?
posted to Ask Metafilter by magodesky at 4:41 AM on August 10, 2007 (18 comments)

New to Teaching Art (Intro Drawing at Junior College): Help!
posted to Ask Metafilter by dpcoffin at 11:52 AM on November 1, 2005 (7 comments)

3D design artist and Filmmaker, father-to-be and fan of long titles extraordinaire, Transfatty, aka Patrick O'Brien (dir. The Man With The Smallest Penis In Existence And The Electron Microscope Technician Who Loved Him, previously) will debut his new DVD, Everything Will Be Okay, or How I Learned to Trancend Form, Live in the Now and Make Love in my Electric Wheelchair, tomorrow in NYC. The DVD is clips from his forthcoming film, October 5, 1974, his ongoing personal documentary about his journey to the end with ALS.
posted to MetaFilter by Ambrosia Voyeur at 8:24 PM on August 12, 2007 (7 comments)

To keep my skills sharp I draw from models I find online. I do 3 or 4 pencil drawings daily, usually head shots or 3/4 length portraits, quickly, in front of my laptop. I'm looking for more of this type of photograph, in bulk.
posted to Ask Metafilter by oxala at 3:21 PM on February 12, 2007 (16 comments)

"I'm photography's degree zero." Evgen Bavcar takes interesting photos despite being blind. "Naturally there are certain adjustments I have made to the camera" [quicktime]. He's also far from alone. [first link via the Athanasius Kircher Society] [more inside]
posted to MetaFilter by mediareport at 10:33 PM on January 28, 2007 (23 comments)

Andre the Giant, Greatest Drunkard of all Time The key to Andre the Giant is this — even as a youth he knew that his disease would dramatically shorten his life. He knew there was no cure, and lived every day with the understanding that death could shamble around the very next corner. Knowledge of this sort can darken a life. It did not darken Andre’s. He chose instead to pack his days with as much insane, drunken fun as they could hold. Instead of languishing in the darkness, he chose to walk in the sun.
posted to MetaFilter by ColdChef at 12:38 PM on January 23, 2007 (96 comments)

What are likely questions to be asked at an academic job interview?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 2:49 PM on January 30, 2006 (12 comments)

Born with a rare syndrome that left him profoundly autistic, seven-year-old Luke was trapped in his own body. But then his dad took him surfing. More on Izzy Paskowitz and Elliot Zuckerman
posted to MetaFilter by Shanachie at 5:09 PM on January 8, 2007 (48 comments)

Academic writer's block: tips, strategies, experiences, psychology for dealing with it?
posted to Ask Metafilter by RogerB at 2:45 PM on September 27, 2006 (19 comments)

Academics: What are your favorite research papers?
posted to Ask Metafilter by tasty at 9:26 PM on October 3, 2006 (23 comments)