How do you develop focus, drive, and personal discipline?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Saxon Kane at 8:26 PM on May 11, 2008 (28 comments)

I would like to go to the drive in on a date in my Audi. The problem? The persistent beep that happens with the key engaged and the seatbelt unfastened. Help me conquer this inconvenience so I can get lucky in one of the classic American dating pastimes.
posted to Ask Metafilter by rileyray3000 at 4:18 PM on May 27, 2008 (18 comments)

I have the chance to interview Alexyss Tylor (previously on the blue) over the the telephone next week. I'm excited, and I know it could be good. But I'm having trouble here -- because all I can think to ask is along the lines of "Why are you LIKE that?" She's serious about what she does, and takes herself seriously. Can you suggest some intelligent, fair questions to ask Alexyss that won't treat her like a freak or a laughingstock?
posted to Ask Metafilter by chinese_fashion at 6:35 AM on October 11, 2007 (11 comments)

Five myths about torture In a Washington Post column, Darius Rejali, author of Torture and Democracy, explains why five beliefs about torture are wrong. In a Harper's interview, he answers six questions. "Yes, torture does migrate, and there are some good examples of it both in American and French history. The basic idea here is that soldiers who get ahead torturing come back and take jobs as policemen, and private security, and they get ahead doing the same things they did in the army. And so torture comes home. Everyone knows waterboarding, but no one remembers that it was American soldiers coming back from the Philippines that introduced it to police in the early twentieth century."
posted to MetaFilter by Kirth Gerson at 10:37 AM on February 20, 2008 (54 comments)

How can I cultivate / find deeper conversations with people? In university it was always easy to find people ready to talk about philosophy, politics, psychology, etc. But now, as I have gotten older and supplanted myself into the corporate world, the art of conversation seems to have been lost. It would appear that most people are resigned to talking about kids, jobs, and pop culture. Am I just in the wrong social circles or does this type of small talk permeate our culture? I long to attend a French salon or dinner party whose primary purpose is the art of conversation. Where can I find groups of people who like engaging, face-to-face conversation? How can I steer people away from talking about what they saw on CNN and towards something with a little more substance?
posted to Ask Metafilter by kaizen at 9:35 AM on December 31, 2007 (23 comments)

I'm looking for more fun than I'm entitled to. Safety, morality, and practicality are not concerns.
posted to Ask Metafilter by mullingitover at 8:06 PM on October 15, 2007 (37 comments)

Is there a doctor in the house? Is the medication Trizivir used for ANYTHING other than to treat HIV?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Anonymous at 7:19 PM on September 30, 2007 (65 comments)

The Children of Húrin is the first complete book by J.R.R. Tolkien in three decades, co-written by his son Christopher. His grandson Adam Tolkein explains how it came about. The Washington Post gives a great review.
posted to MetaFilter by stbalbach at 1:55 PM on April 20, 2007 (58 comments)

How do you tell someone that you don't want to be their friend?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Kilovolt at 10:03 PM on November 22, 2006 (21 comments)