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The Historic American Sheet Music archive

The Historic American Sheet Music archive at the Duke University Library has over 3000 pieces published in the United States available online, from the 1850s up to 1920. Composers represented include well-known names such as Scott Joplin, Irving Berlin, and John Philip Sousa. All the music is now in the public domain, and may be printed and performed freely. [Note: Language or stereotypes may occasionally be NSFW.]
posted to MetaFilter by Upton O'Good at 4:59 PM on July 22, 2008 (6 comments)

Forget about this," she says, "it's for interest only."

A recently uncovered musical experiment by Delia Derbyshire predicted the sound of modern dance music three decades before it became fashionable.
posted to MetaFilter by le morte de bea arthur at 2:54 AM on July 18, 2008 (37 comments)

Knee Bouncers

Knee Bouncers: something fun for the itty bitty ones.
posted to MetaFilter by Pater Aletheias at 7:41 PM on June 25, 2008 (25 comments)

Dreamland

Tomorrow, Björk, Ólöf Arnalds and Sigur Rós are teaming up for a free concert - Náttúra - which aims to raise awareness of the proliferation of aluminium smelting plants in Iceland. Held in a large park near the centre of Reykjavik, will be broadcast live on the Nat Geo Music and all of the performances will be in broad daylight with Iceland’s dramatic rolling scenery providing a perfect backdrop to what is expected to be one of the biggest concerts the country has seen. The festival also aims to publicize Andri Snær Magnason's book Dreamland: A Self-Help Manual to a Frightened Nation, an Icelandic bestseller about the environmental situation that will be published in an English translation next month.
posted to MetaFilter by chuckdarwin at 12:51 PM on June 27, 2008 (40 comments)

The political-economy perspective on women's rights

Women's rights: What's in it for men? - "Women in rich countries largely enjoy gender equality while those in poor countries suffer substantial discrimination. This column proposes an explanation for the relationship between economic development and female empowerment that emphasises changes in the incentives males face rather than shifts in moral sentiment. Technological change that raises demand for human capital may give men a stake in women's rights."
posted to MetaFilter by kliuless at 7:48 AM on June 29, 2008 (29 comments)

What should I do with my life?

"If I make enough money now, I can quit and do what I really love later." "If I just think hard enough, I'll finally figure out what I want to do with my life." "I know people in this career path lose their souls, but I'll be different." "What if I try a new career, and it turns out I don't like it?" Po Bronson tackles some of the thoughts that keep people from pursuing a career they would really love. The article (one-page version) is based on his New York Times bestseller, What Should I Do With My Life? The writing is several years old, but the question seems to spring eternal.
posted to MetaFilter by vytae at 9:45 AM on June 26, 2008 (195 comments)

The MeFi Music Challenge wants YOU!

The MetaFilter Music Challenge is back, (*cue triumphant fanfare, followed by sound of jubilant, cheering throng*) and suggestions for the monthly Challenge themes are open to all MeFiers. This means YOU! You are hereby encouraged, month by month, to offer suggestions, and if yours is chosen, not only will your name go up in lights at the Music page, but you'll also be the spark that ignites the creative genius of some MeFi Musician. A chance at a little slice of immortality!
posted to MetaTalk by flapjax at midnite at 6:36 PM on June 1, 2008 (31 comments)

Stop messing up the music.

The most important essay about music I've ever read. (And part 2.) Make sure to listen to the examples.
posted to MetaFilter by Tlogmer at 5:33 PM on May 26, 2008 (47 comments)

Hi Mom.. I'd really prefer not to talk to you.

How do I handle interactions with a parent in the present, when I still haven't been able to let go of anger from the past? It's my mother.. simply calling me every now and then to ask how I am doing, and yet when she comes up on my caller ID I usually have overwhelming feelings of dread, anger, and then guilt if I don't pick up the phone.
posted to Ask Metafilter by citron at 10:14 AM on May 24, 2008 (28 comments)

Help make my PC better.

My computer is sick. Please help (XP pro).
posted to Ask Metafilter by wilful at 7:00 PM on February 15, 2008 (16 comments)

"The fact that I was a girl never damaged my ambitions to be a pope or an emperor..."

The Willa Cather Archive is an incredible resource provided by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, including biographies, letters, photos, and even full (often annotated) text of much of her writing, including scholarly editions of two of her greatest (and most famous) works, My Antonia and O Pioneers. About the archive.
posted to MetaFilter by dersins at 11:23 AM on May 22, 2008 (8 comments)

No more tinny synthesizers!

I'm for looking non-karaoke instrumentals to sing over, preferably free. Ideally someone just playing an acoustic guitar or piano with no vocals, limited frills and high recording quality, either jazzy standards or pop. It's actually pretty hard to find all three at once on youtube and other such sites, so I thought I'd give Mefi a shot. Somebody must have a collection...any ideas?
posted to Ask Metafilter by StrikeTheViol at 6:54 PM on May 17, 2008 (5 comments)

Amazon and eBay best practices?

I need advice for selling my used stuff online via eBay and Amazon--more specifically, the shipping and order management part of it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by cosmic osmo at 12:05 PM on April 11, 2008 (7 comments)

A New View of 'Julius Caesar' for High Schoolers

Does anybody have ideas about how to teach 'Julius Caesar' to 10th graders?
posted to Ask Metafilter by flowerofhighrank at 6:47 PM on April 3, 2008 (30 comments)

One for the History Books

Obama's Gettysburg Address. Today we saw and heard a preview of our brightest possible American future in Senator Barack Obama's glorious speech. This, then, is what it means to be presidential. To be moral. To have a real center. To speak honestly, from the heart, for the benefit of all. If there was any doubt about what we have missed in the anti-intellectual, ruthlessly incurious Bush years, and even the slippery Clinton ones (the years of "what is is"), those doubts were laid to rest by Barack Obama's magisterial speech today. A speech in which he distanced himself from a flawed father figure, Reverend Wright, and did so with almost Shakespearian dignity and honor. One of the most important speeches on race in decades if not longer. (text)
posted to MetaFilter by caddis at 9:31 PM on March 18, 2008 (1141 comments)

Overthinking a platter of Beethoven

An analysis of 376 recorded performances of Beethoven's Eroica (Symphony #3), broken down by such variables as the age of the conductor, length of the recording, and tempo variations.
posted to MetaFilter by pjern at 11:00 PM on March 14, 2008 (25 comments)

Playing with Dictators

Playing with Dictators - an editorial on the New York Philharmonic's decision to play a concert in North Korea. One musician's account of the performance.
posted to MetaFilter by Wolfdog at 6:15 AM on March 17, 2008 (24 comments)

Goodbye, Ellen.

Ellen Willis was a writer and critic who wrote for the Voice, the Nation, and Dissent, among many others; her NYU homepage and Wikipedia entry link to a number of essays and reviews, all of which are worth your time. She didn't make me a feminist, but her writing gave me much of the intellectual framework of my feminism and throughout the depressing retreat of the '80s reminded me there was still humor and hope. (From her Wikiquote page: "My deepest impulses are optimistic; an attitude that seems to me as spiritually necessary and proper as it is intellectually suspect.") She died yesterday, of lung cancer, at the absurdly early age of 64. I'd like to quote from her "Escape from New York" (Village Voice, July 29-Aug. 4, 1981), an account of a bus trip across the country that shows her inextricable mix of the personal, the political, and the just plain human: [more inside]
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat at 6:43 PM on November 10, 2006 (15 comments)

Its time to get mathy.

HindsightFilter: Due to a lack of perspective I didn't give math the attention I should have. I want to now.
posted to Ask Metafilter by zennoshinjou at 8:01 AM on February 26, 2008 (10 comments)

learning math online

Free math courses online, from very basic to brainiac.
posted to MetaFilter by nickyskye at 9:51 PM on February 26, 2008 (19 comments)

My XP takes too long to shut down & boot up. What could be causing it?

My XP takes too long to shut down & boot up. What could be causing it?
posted to Ask Metafilter by cheero at 2:29 PM on February 21, 2008 (14 comments)

"...the most effective means of popular education at society’s disposal."

I think that the main reason for the practical intelligence and the political good sense of the Americans is their long experience with juries in civil cases. I do not know whether a jury is useful to the litigants, but I am sure it is very good for those who have to decide the case. I regard it as one of the most effective means of popular education at society’s disposal.
Dissent offers commentaries on jury duty from Alexis de Toqueville, Joanne Barkan, Paul Berman, Susan Cheever, Nicolaus Mills, Maxine Phillips, Ruth Rosen, Jim Sleeper, Michael Walzer, and Darryl Lorrenzo Wellington.
posted to MetaFilter by anotherpanacea at 3:28 PM on February 18, 2008 (8 comments)

It was the best of MeFi. It was the worst of MeFi.

If you were showing the MetaFilter Universe (including the main page, Ask, Talk, Projects, Music, everything) to someone for the first time, what threads would you choose as examples of MeFi at its best and at its worst?
posted to MetaTalk by amyms at 12:10 AM on February 17, 2008 (60 comments)

"When the world's great scientific thinkers change their minds"

"When the world's great scientific thinkers change their minds". Some Big Name thinkers (Dyson, Pinker, Venter, ...) change their minds on some Big Ideas (race, evolution, global warming,..) and explain why in about a paragraph each. Via Edge.
posted to MetaFilter by stbalbach at 6:55 AM on February 12, 2008 (53 comments)

Forwarding mail

Can anyone walk me through the steps (in as easy terms as possible) to forward my Hotmail emails to gmail?
posted to Ask Metafilter by omnigut at 9:53 AM on February 10, 2008 (5 comments)

when things are this down, there's only one direction they can go: sideways

What are some little things I can do to stay positive and kind to myself while going through some heartache?
posted to Ask Metafilter by loiseau at 6:19 PM on January 28, 2008 (50 comments)

help my diary become dear to me

Personal journal-keeping - something I've wanted to be consistent with, but haven't. So, what works for you journalers to keep you journaling or at least keep coming back to journaling?
posted to Ask Metafilter by lucyleaf at 11:54 AM on February 4, 2008 (26 comments)

I believe that literature is working, even amidst this chaos, with a power that can change the world.

Haruki Murakami doesn't do many interviews. However, he granted one to a University of Hawaii journalism student and it was published in the January 2007 issue of GQ Korea. The text has been translated by the blog owner. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
posted to MetaFilter by spec80 at 8:44 AM on February 1, 2008 (25 comments)

Where can I hear uneven temperament

Is there anywhere online that I can listen to instruments tuned to uneven temperament (ideally playing a scale)?
posted to Ask Metafilter by deeper red at 12:56 PM on January 30, 2008 (5 comments)

What's the deal with Habitat?

I don't understand Habitat for Humanity. Perhaps you do?
posted to Ask Metafilter by moxiedoll at 4:19 PM on January 30, 2008 (50 comments)

Tell me where to go.

What are some amazing adventures, anywhere on the planet, that take around 3 months to do?
posted to Ask Metafilter by twirlypen at 4:15 PM on January 25, 2008 (13 comments)

Basic Concepts in Science: A List

Basic Concepts in Science: A List A regularly updated list of blog entries explaining the basics of science and mathematics.
posted to MetaFilter by LeeJay at 1:27 PM on January 25, 2008 (16 comments)

"Of course I don’t like Hitler but…"

It is an interesting and somewhat macabre parlor game to play at a large gathering of one’s acquaintances: to speculate who in a showdown would go Nazi.... Mr. B has risen beyond his real abilities.... His code is not his own; it is that of his class–no worse, no better, He fits easily into whatever pattern is successful. That is his sole measure of value–success. Nazism as a minority movement would not attract him. As a movement likely to attain power, it would.... Mr. G is a very intellectual young man who was an infant prodigy.... Mr. G will never be a Nazi,... [h]e will certainly be able, however, fully to explain and apologize for Nazism if it ever comes along.
"Who goes Nazi?" via sott.net, with added context.
posted to MetaFilter by orthogonality at 12:43 AM on January 24, 2008 (76 comments)

Howard Rheingold on cooperation, technology, and social dynamics

Technology of Cooperation (.gif map), from Howard Rheingold's Cooperation Commons project. Rheingold on Amish technology practices.
posted to MetaFilter by cortex at 1:19 PM on January 21, 2008 (6 comments)

Wubi: Ubuntu the easy way

Ubuntu has quickly become the number one Linux distro for the desktop. Not only is it free, but it has also made Linux easier to use than ever. Now, Wubi enables Windows users to install Ubuntu just like any other application, so you no longer have to mess around with partitions, burning CDs, etc.
posted to MetaFilter by Foci for Analysis at 8:09 AM on January 21, 2008 (82 comments)

Did poor women wear corsets?

16th-18th Century (Western Europe): Did working-class women wear corsets?
posted to Ask Metafilter by grumblebee at 7:18 AM on January 20, 2008 (15 comments)

Blonde girl kicks things!

Sugarshock (2 3): A webcomic by Joss Whedon.
posted to MetaFilter by ormondsacker at 8:11 AM on January 6, 2008 (52 comments)

The Obama Phenomenon

Pride and Palpitations over Barack Obama's victory in Iowa.
posted to MetaFilter by homunculus at 12:55 PM on January 6, 2008 (279 comments)

Brian Eno: A Sandbox In Alphaville

Lester Bangs on Brian Eno
posted to MetaFilter by GalaxieFiveHundred at 5:43 PM on December 6, 2007 (32 comments)

Movable Type is Open Source

Movable Type has gone open source.
posted to MetaFilter by Steven C. Den Beste at 11:02 PM on December 12, 2007 (50 comments)

A Zen Master Blogs...

"My name is Gudo Wafu Nishijima, a Buddist Monk, who is 86 years old, and recently because of my old age, I finished my Buddhist lectures, which were held at many places for many years, and so I decided to open Dogen Sangha Blog, to express the Buddhist thought. It might be very short sentences, but I would like to continue it as far as possible almost every day."

The blog of Zen Master Gudo Wafu Nishijima, founder of Dongen Sangha Buddhist group. Learn from his video, How to Practice Zazen, or read some of Nishijima Roshi's lectures and articles, including the interesting talk, Zazen, A Better Way of Experiencing Pain.
posted to MetaFilter by MetaMonkey at 5:01 PM on February 25, 2006 (44 comments)

Obscure timelines and curiosities

Artslynx's theatre resources section is a goldmine of links to research and support sites for every aspect of theatrical production and dramaturgy. Especially useful are the Artslynx timelines. Need to know when cling wrap came into usage? Check out the prop timeline. Lots of additional links to outside timelines and history sites for anyone with a thirst for obscure sociological information, a love of craptacularly designed scrolling pages, and generally and too much time on their hands. For example: food, fashion, ephemera, and people who have died onstage
posted to MetaFilter by stagewhisper at 11:59 AM on December 7, 2007 (3 comments)

midlife crisis?

Recommended reading for midlife crisis/moral quandary?
posted to Ask Metafilter by InkaLomax at 11:47 AM on November 24, 2007 (16 comments)

Australian Federal Election 2007 on November 24

And we're off! Prime Minister John Howard has set the date for the Australian Federal election as November 24th, meaning we're up for a long six-week campaign. With Kevin Rudd leading the PM by between 16 to 18 points (depending on who you read) in recent opinion polls, this election seems the most likely to provide a change of Government since Howard was first elected 11 years ago. Antony Green's usual excellent election guide is up and running here, along with an excellent calculator which shows which seats are up for grabs dependent on a 2 party preferred swing. You might also want to check out the Vote-O-Matic, a fun but entirely disposable quiz which aims to help you decide who you'll vote for.
posted to MetaFilter by Effigy2000 at 7:48 PM on October 13, 2007 (621 comments)

The Lesser Of Two Weevils

Australia Votes. Polls have been predicting a Labor win for the past few weeks, and it's beginning to look like it just might happen. But that's not the real sport.
posted to MetaFilter by Neale at 12:45 AM on November 24, 2007 (78 comments)

The Australian Election Thread

Jimbob said "Yeah, keep this thread running. May it serve as an example to all the American politics nuts who insist on starting a new post every time Hillary takes a shit." And so that's just what we did. In an example of how I think Metafilter can do politics well, the Australian Politics thread, which started on October 14 (the date the election was called, which is not the first day of the campaign), ran for 30 days straight and (at time of writing) had amassed almost 600 comments. But as is the norm for an FPP after 30 days on the Blue, it's about to be closed so discussion has moved over to Thread #2, by wilful, to get us through to election day. An index of the first thread is inside, as well as kudos for those involved (because I think they deserve it).
posted to MetaTalk by Effigy2000 at 5:12 PM on November 11, 2007 (66 comments)

The folking English

The Imagined Village [promoting an album too but plenty of interesting free stuff] Several luminaries of a now more globalised British music scene reinterpret the folk heritage and pose questions about a modern English identity. There's Benjamin Zephaniah's version of Tam Lyn and a retelling of Hard Times in Old England; even our American cousins get in on the act, for instance remixes like Doghouse Riley's doo-wop Cold Hailey Rainy Night. There's also a few thinky pieces explaining what it's all about.
posted to MetaFilter by Abiezer at 1:02 AM on November 17, 2007 (5 comments)

Cool Places

City of Sound as it describes itself, is a blog about cities, design, architecture, media, music, etc. But calling it a blog really does it a disservice. City of Sound is a category-killer; amazingly dense, thoughtful, erudite, and compelling, it begins to catalog our urban identity. A bit of reminiscent of Metropolis magazine, if it was edited by Robert Rauschenberg. If you've not visited, do yourself a favor. It is a treasure trove.
posted to MetaFilter by spacely_sprocket at 8:13 AM on November 17, 2007 (13 comments)
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