Despite political pressure, UNESCO has approved full membership for Palestine. Opposition remains and a major funder may withdraw.
posted to MetaFilter by griphus at 12:08 PM on October 31, 2011 (85 comments)

My purpose here has been to inquire into mediated understandings of Hindley, and to question how popular texts delineate between the deeds of a human being and the way those deeds are culturally inscribed. The task is neither conclusive nor complete, for monsters are illusive. There is always some part of them that evades both enunciation and comprehension.
posted to MetaFilter by Trurl at 7:05 PM on October 30, 2011 (15 comments)

Tilt is a Firefox add-on that lets you visualize a web page's DOM (document object model) in 3D. In effect, you can see all the layers in a web page stacked upon each other with this.
posted to MetaFilter by ignignokt at 11:39 AM on October 30, 2011 (53 comments)

Sick. Parts 11, 12, 13, and 14. [NSFW] An incredibly dark, raw, self-aware, and often insightful look into the depressed mind of a cartoonist evaluating his life.
posted to MetaFilter by spiderskull at 3:23 PM on October 29, 2011 (29 comments)

The Last Act of the Notorious Howie Spira. The conventional shorthand for what George Steinbrenner did wrong, in press accounts of the mudslinging-and-extortion scandal, is this: The Yankees owner had an "association with Howard Spira." It made Spira sound menacing—this known gambler, this criminal element. He was the embodiment of the Yankees owner's dark side: Steinbrenner the Nixon bagman, the convicted-and-pardoned felon. Under questioning in court, Steinbrenner described their relationship in ominous terms. Did Spira "destroy" him? "As far as baseball is concerned, yes," Steinbrenner said. "He did a very good job."
posted to MetaFilter by auto-correct at 3:06 PM on October 29, 2011 (2 comments)

I've screwed things up and it is finally catching up with me. My job situation is not good and my future is looking bleak. I know that it's my own fault. I need to fix it but I have no idea where to start.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 10:38 AM on October 29, 2011 (12 comments)

Shostakovich: the string quartets (previously and way previously )
posted to MetaFilter by Trurl at 12:33 PM on October 29, 2011 (22 comments)

In October 1963, the Brazilian movie writer, director, and actor José Mojica Marins was having trouble with a movie he was working on, and fell asleep at the dinner table. He dreamed of being dragged to a cemetery by a creature in black, who showed Marins his own tomb stone, with the dates of his birth and death (YT: 9 min). That dream lead to the creation of Zé do Caixão (anglicized as Coffin Joe), the main character in Brazil's first horror movie, and Marins' first big movie success: À Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma (YT: 1hr 22min w/English subs) (At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul). This was one of the up-ticks in a life of some ups and lots of downs for the South American Roger Corman or Ed Wood (NYT), and the birth of a character who would become Marins public persona.
posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief at 11:43 AM on October 28, 2011 (11 comments)

Préludes Op. 28 by Chopin, played live by Vladimir Ashkenazy. This must have been recorded around 1980, when he was touring with these pieces. No. 1-6
posted to MetaFilter by Namlit at 12:18 PM on October 28, 2011 (9 comments)

Tell me all about Systems Theory, and how it can solve all my problems.
posted to Ask Metafilter by crazylegs at 12:00 PM on October 28, 2011 (3 comments)

Found on a classroom chalkboard: The best statistics question ever.
posted to MetaFilter by jbickers at 11:56 AM on October 28, 2011 (264 comments)

Adventures in Depression. Allie Brosh is back with a new Hyperbole and a Half post on the topic of her own depression.
posted to MetaFilter by sweetkid at 2:50 PM on October 27, 2011 (320 comments)

Math in the morning - help me figure out how to solve this problem!
posted to Ask Metafilter by HopperFan at 6:18 AM on October 27, 2011 (17 comments)

A baby goat dancing and playing.
posted to MetaFilter by cjorgensen at 7:29 PM on October 26, 2011 (51 comments)

What does the pope eat?
posted to Ask Metafilter by sy at 5:47 PM on October 26, 2011 (9 comments)

How can I make my new Iron Gym pullup bar fit in a doorway frame when the molding/trim is too thick (that is, the fastener designed to hook onto the trim cannot reach the top of it)? Or is there another similar type bar that can work with large doorway molding without screws/permanent wall damage?
posted to Ask Metafilter by madscientist01 at 9:24 AM on October 26, 2011 (8 comments)

How can I help a friend with alcoholism who has tried nearly everything? My friend is 34, female, bi-polar, suffers from depression, and has had alcohol problems since college. Multiple rehabs, jail time, medications, cognitive behavioral therapy, counseling, all the standard things have been tried at length but ultimately failed. She would like nothing more than to be able to lead a normal life, but the addition is so strong that so far, this has not been possible. What are some novel alternatives? For example, I've considered acupuncture, hypnosis, osteopathy, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 7:54 AM on October 26, 2011 (9 comments)

I have an iPad2, a Peavy PV10 mixing board, several reasonable microphones (sm57, e835), and many acoustic and electric instruments. I do not have a computer that is anything other than ancient. What is going to be the best way to rig this all up for the best multitrack sound recording?
posted to Ask Metafilter by dirtdirt at 8:01 AM on October 26, 2011 (1 comment)

How do I analyze 7 years of past orders to determine how to best organize my 6 shelves of widgets for packing future orders? Each shelf should, on average, be picked from equally.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 8:31 PM on October 25, 2011 (9 comments)

I have conflicting needs driving me towards either the new Nexus phone or an iPhone 4S. Which will be better?
posted to Ask Metafilter by invitapriore at 7:58 PM on October 25, 2011 (13 comments)

Today, an eight foot tall Lego man washed up ashore in Siesta Key Village, Florida. This is not the first time this has happened. The figures are the creation of Ego Leonard, an enigmatic figure in his own right.
posted to MetaFilter by theartandsound at 3:23 PM on October 25, 2011 (37 comments)

"Art Tatum was [one of the two] dominant piano players of the 1930s, astounding everyone with his technique, most especially other piano players, who were convinced he was playing the impossible" -- Chick Corea, hosting a segment on the largely overlooked Arthur "Art" Tatum, Jr. If that display of skill and improvisation has you interested, here are a few documentaries about the mostly blind piano man who made other pianists question their instrument choice, yet often left the public at large overwhelmed (or unimpressed): Toledo Stories: The Tatum Legacy (YouTube, 28 minutes) :: Art Tatum - The Art Of Jazz Piano (YT, 52 min.) :: Art Tatum: A Talent Never to Be Duplicated (NPR, audio only, 11 min.) :: Art Tatum, 'The Musician's Musician' (NPR audio, 54 min.)
posted to MetaFilter by filthy light thief at 2:20 PM on October 25, 2011 (33 comments)

I would like suggestions for a long term plan of diet and exercise to help me lose a significant amount of weight while keeping my spirits up for the long haul.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 10:06 AM on October 25, 2011 (17 comments)

Feel-good stories sure make people mad.
posted to MetaTalk by Ideefixe at 10:01 AM on October 24, 2011 (104 comments)

John McCarthy, AI pioneer, ACM Turning Award winner, National Medal of Science winner, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at Stanford University and inventor of the Lisp programming language passed away suddenly last night at the age of 84.
posted to MetaFilter by eriko at 1:21 PM on October 24, 2011 (84 comments)

Citing "an arbitrary and unlawful financial blockade" that "has destroyed 95 percent of our revenue," WikiLeaks has announced that it is suspending publishing operations and may have to close.
posted to MetaFilter by to sir with millipedes at 10:43 AM on October 24, 2011 (262 comments)

So Google recently announced that changes are coming to Google Reader. One of the upcoming changes is that Reader is losing its own, loved by many, social sharing in favor of Google+: "They're also removing the ability to consume shared items in Reader, so you'll have to go to G+ to read them. I'm fine with G+ being the plumbing for all of Reader's social features, but to force you to go to G+ to comment and read shared items seems shortsighted."

This news has not fared well with many of Reader's users.
posted to MetaFilter by omegar at 9:28 AM on October 24, 2011 (120 comments)

Here is a nice wee video that visualises special relativity; not by imagining the viewer to be travelling very fast, but rather by imagining the speed of light to be very slow. The creators of the code used to generate the images in the video have a rather accessible paper explaining the physics behind it here, and a page full of other lovely relativistic odds and sods here.
posted to MetaFilter by Dim Siawns at 9:13 AM on October 24, 2011 (15 comments)

How do I add plausible drums to my recordings?
posted to Ask Metafilter by DMelanogaster at 5:18 AM on October 24, 2011 (21 comments)

I’ve been at my job about three months, and while my performance is great and my colleagues and I get along well, I just don’t click with the overall culture. An offer has come my way from another company, and I’m thinking about switching jobs. Quitting any job is hard enough; how do I have this conversation with my boss without feeling (or making him feel) like my resignation is screwing over him and the organization after they’ve invested in me?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 6:40 AM on October 24, 2011 (10 comments)

[Job application filter] I have applied for a job and have discovered that I am conected to someone in the HR department on LinkedIn. The problem: it's a secod degree connection. How do I go about trying to leverage such a connection when it is so peripheral?
posted to Ask Metafilter by thereemix at 8:03 AM on October 24, 2011 (17 comments)

In this annual contest, each dance must be based on a scientist's Ph.D. research, and the scientist must be part of the dance. Biomedical engineer Joel Miller has won Best Ph.D. Dance of 2011. The crowning ceremony will be held at TEDxBrussels in Belgium on November 22, 2011. No word yet on whether the winning choreography will be performed. Previously danced here.
posted to MetaFilter by Laminda at 7:29 PM on October 23, 2011 (18 comments)

[SLYT, 2:47, AUS] "So you're thinking about dealing some weed? Well, I'm Gavin Tanner, pretty much the best dealer there is. So, listen up, and I'll tell you how you can be an awesome dealer, too."
posted to MetaFilter by not_on_display at 2:30 PM on October 23, 2011 (59 comments)

I realized I'm a turd recently. How do I stop being such a self-involved, small-minded teenage asshole? Techniques, media, a stern talking to--I'd appreciate anything that might give me some perspective.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 2:10 PM on October 23, 2011 (32 comments)

Quark doesn't wear a Ferengi headdress. Why not?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Brocktoon at 12:30 PM on October 23, 2011 (6 comments)

Bill Evans Trio, London, March 19, 1965
posted to MetaFilter by xod at 11:08 AM on October 23, 2011 (15 comments)

Several people I know here in Chicago, including myself, have witnessed very small isolated rain showers. They are usually no more than 6 feet in diameter, clearly not coming from a building, no clouds in the sky. One of saw this happen in a wide open intersection, one in an open quad area and one on a sidewalk. These showers tend to last anywhere from 40 seconds to 2 minutes and seem to be coming from absolutely nowhere. They are clearly unusual enough that people stop, stare, comment and try to locate it's source. Is this a naturally occurring phenomenon? Is there a name for it? Where is that rain coming from?
posted to Ask Metafilter by smich at 1:34 PM on October 21, 2011 (13 comments)

YouTube Insult Generator. Enter a keyword or phrase, and the Insult Generator will trawl YouTube for relevant videos, and pull insults from those videos. Wired write-up. [via]
posted to MetaFilter by Phire at 1:10 PM on October 21, 2011 (71 comments)

Looking for a decent HD-capable video camera to replace my brother's old Sony Handicam
posted to Ask Metafilter by Venadium at 12:55 PM on October 21, 2011 (3 comments)

Protesters in the Occupy Melbourne camp have been physically removed by riot police ahead of the Queen's visit to the city next week. The violence has prompted the small sit-in to escalate into a march of thousands through the city's central business district.
posted to MetaFilter by notionoriety at 2:17 AM on October 21, 2011 (90 comments)

Julian Barnes Wins the 2011 Man Booker Prize. [Guardian] Fourth time lucky for Julian Barnes, who wins the Man Booker prize 2011 for his novel The Sense of an Ending after missing out on three previous occasions.
posted to MetaFilter by Fizz at 3:50 AM on October 19, 2011 (20 comments)

Every so often I come across awesome business cards online, today Design milk has 10 of the most awesome I have seen. Where does one get cards of this quality made?
posted to Ask Metafilter by adventureloop at 2:07 PM on October 18, 2011 (14 comments)

35 days, 2822 miles through 9 states at a cost of $252.51 ($7.21 per day). George 'the Cyclist' Christensen spends a good part of each year bicycling through a different country and wild camping in places like Iceland, Turkey, China, the foot of Mt Fuji and around Lake Victoria; And writing about his travels on his blog from libraries and internet cafés. For the past eight years, too, he has also followed the Tour de France after first watching upwards of 70 films [in 12 days] at the Cannes Film Festival.
posted to MetaFilter by Rashomon at 11:11 AM on October 17, 2011 (20 comments)

In 1602, a cobbler strolling outside of Bologna discovered a colorless stone with the curious ability to "accumulate light when exposed to the sun and to emit it in the darkness." His lapis solaris was to be the chemical sensation of the century.
posted to MetaFilter by Iridic at 11:55 AM on October 17, 2011 (13 comments)

What are the best questions to ask a potential employee to identify that they are knowledgable and effective as a I.T. professional?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Static Vagabond at 8:57 AM on October 17, 2011 (15 comments)

Feeling tired today? Back a little sore from that yard work? Morning run left your knees aching? Maybe you just had a lazy weekend. Well, in case you aren't frustrated enough with yourself for what you're (not) accomplishing, enjoy the story of Fauja Singh. Yesterday, the 100 year old became the oldest person ever to complete a full marathon, finishing the 42 km Toronto Waterfront Marathon in under 9 hours (beating his personal target).
posted to MetaFilter by dry white toast at 8:21 AM on October 17, 2011 (30 comments)

Mosquitoes have been buzzing in my ears and keeping me awake at night. How do I either keep them away from me or block out the noise? I have good earplugs, but I imagine they'd be uncomfortable to wear while I sleep. I live in Sydney, Australia and I'm not sure why there are so many mosquitoes. I'm okay with killing them.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 12:05 AM on October 17, 2011 (31 comments)

"You can’t convert the ideologues because they don’t care what the facts are. With the world as it is, you have to fight the fight you can win, and the fight you can win is economics."

Bill Clinton talks with Simon Schama about the state of American politics.
posted to MetaFilter by qxntpqbbbqxl at 10:14 AM on October 16, 2011 (44 comments)

Young C. Park builds aluminum models of aircraft.
posted to MetaFilter by exogenous at 10:13 AM on October 13, 2011 (12 comments)

Gus, the bulldog, decides he wants his pool inside the house.
posted to MetaFilter by Secret Life of Gravy at 10:26 AM on October 13, 2011 (46 comments)